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Month: November 2013

Top 5 Songs… in the field of Pulling

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

Joy Orbison – Elipsis

It’s been an unsuccessful night so far, you’re a stuttering mess every time you approach a potential lover. Time for another drink to boost your confidence.

MK – Love Changes

The night wears on, the club is emptying and still no luck. Time to lower those standards, and have another drink.

Levon Vincent – Man Or Mistress

You’ve found someone and they seem interested. After all those drinks, you can’t be certain that they’re the gender you desire, but that’s neither here nor there.

Scuba – Adrenalin

Your excitement peaks as it finally happens. You’re kissing! You’re in a taxi home! You’re under the sheets! *Fade to black*

American Football – But the Regrets are Killing Me

It’s morning. Ouch, your head. You roll over and now it’s not just the sun that hurts your eyes. Time to make a hasty, sheepish exit.

Fury over students ‘blacking up’

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

Students across the UK found themselves embroiled in different race rows in both York and Edinburgh last week.

A group of Law students were subject to serious criticism after deciding to ‘black up’ as Somalian pirates for a Law Society ‘around the world’ themed social.

The Edinburgh University students donned camouflage trousers, scruffy shirts, bandanas, and painted their faces black before heading out to the party.

Pictures of the event were uploaded to Facebook, where they were seen by journalists from The Student, Edinburgh University’s student newspaper.

The choice of costumes has been met with condemnation from several student societies at the University.

Keir Barlas, President of the Law Society, personally apologised to anyone who was offended, and said that he was “shocked and mortified” by the incident.

The law society then issued a statement on its Facebook page, declaring that the LawSoc is “vehemently opposed to discrimination in any form”, and that “insensitivity is intolerable and is “something that we are completely opposed to”.

In a statement to The Student, Nadia Mehdi, Edinburgh University Students’ Association Vice President for Societies and Activities, said:

“I’m really shocked to see that in this day and age these students weren’t aware of or chose to ignore the offence they would cause by painting their faces black. It’s not acceptable and should not be condoned.

“The Law Society is not a EUSA society so we can’t discipline them but I will be bringing this to the attention of the Law School.”

The incident happened in the same week as another incident involving students ‘blacking up’ at one of the UK’s most prestigious universities.

A separate race row at York University was triggered by a group of students deciding to black up as the Jamaican bobsleigh team from the film Cool Runnings, and causing £2000 of damage in a drunken rampage across the campus.

The four students have been described as “completely shameless” by Kallum Taylor, the York University Union President, and the story even made it into the Jamaica Observer.

The four responsible have since unreservedly apologised in a letter addressed to the students and staff of York University. It explains that “We are writing to apologise for the offence we have caused following our idiotic choice to ‘black up’ for our Halloween costumes, where we dressed as the characters of ‘Cool Runnings’, the Jamaican bob sleigh team of 1988 winter Olympics. There was no intent of malice or offence, the costumes were not chosen to mock or insult the BME students of York, or any members of the wider community.”

They continue further, confessing that “We were not aware of the connections between black painted faces and the minstrel shows of the 19th and 20th centuries, which promoted the mocking of stereotypes, the perpetuation of which is harmful to the stability of our increasingly multicultural society. Had we been aware of this at the time, we would have never have considered this a Halloween costume.”

We are also profoundly sorry for the damage we have done to the University’s reputation and stature.”

Live: Mount Kimbie

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

7th November

Gorilla

8/10

Whilst Mount Kimbie are ostensibly a band now and this is ostensibly a gig, they hit the stage at the relatively late time of 11pm showing an enduring connection to the club scene.  The late start time allows for the audience to get suitably alcohol fuelled during danceable support slots from producers Lapalux and oOoOO, eliciting an exuberant atmosphere for the arrival of the main act.

Mount Kimbie need no introduction as they launch immediately into ‘Carbonated’ amidst greeting roars of approval from the assembled revellers.  The addition of a live drummer and a host of new gear for this tour means their sound is considerably amped up from when I last saw them in 2010, a wholly positive progression. In a live setting their songs are reworked into elaborate constructions involving any number of guitar pedals and synthesizer settings; the effect is thrilling.

During ‘So Many Times, So Many Ways’ stuttering synth loops cut through the room atmospherically before fading into a bass guitar groove. This continues through the song, building to a climactic swell of reverb soaked sounds that wash over the enthralled crowd. When the familiar drum machine loop of ‘Made To Stray’ emerges out of this the euphoria of the room peaks; the anthem of many summer festivals impressively has the same impact in a dimly lit Manchester venue as on a blazing beach in Croatia.

After leaving the stage to wild applause, Mount Kimbie return for an encore of ‘Mayor’, the standout track from debut Crooks & Lovers. Kai Campos leaps around the stage, mirroring the audience who are induced into movement by the chopped up vocal samples and infectious synth hook, ending the night triumphantly.

Alumni donations reach £460,000

Written by Inez Dawoodjee on . Posted in News.

The Alumni Association has raised £460,000 in the last academic year to fund scholarships and research projects across campus.

It has also raised over £100,000 in the last three months.

The money was raised from a variety of sources, including telephone campaigns conducted by current students.  The recent Autumn campaign has led to donations from 450 alumni, including recent graduates.

The majority of donations will be directed towards the Undergraduate Access Scholarships. The beneficiaries of this scholarship are students from Greater Manchester who complete the Manchester Access Programme.  They receive financial support of £1,000 per year from alumni, in addition to the support they already receive from the University.

Annual Fund Manager Rob Summers said, “There are so many students, especially in the local area, that have the knowledge, talent and potential to really make the most of University education.  University shouldn’t just be for people that can afford it; it should be for people who have the capacity to succeed.”

The donations are currently supporting 550 students at the University this year. Along with Undergraduate Access Scholarships, the funds are used to provide Masters Scholarships for students from developing countries, Hardship Grants for students facing financial difficulty and Research Scholarships for PhD students.

Developmental Biology PhD student Rebecca Williams received a grant to fund her research into breast cancer. Williams won the New Researcher Prize for her work earlier this year.

She said, “At the end of the year, I just want to reiterate how grateful I am to my Alumni donors for funding this PhD. It makes a very personal difference to me, and my life, but also to the lives of so many people suffering with breast cancer.”

This year the Association is aiming to raise £500,000 from over 4,500 donors and to widen participation to students. It also aims to widen alumni engagement on campus.

Summers added, “We get alumni back on campus to provide careers talks and engage with students to offer advice on the opportunities available to them once they graduate. There’s a big focus on graduate employability at Manchester and getting alumni involved in this way is really important.

“By providing this support, donors are doing something absolutely amazing.”

From The Vault: Erykah Badu – Baduizm

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

Released February 1997

Kedar/Universal

Few albums have done for music what Erykah Badu’s debut ‘Baduizm’ did for R&B on its release in 1997. Winning a Grammy for Best R&B album, ‘Baduizm’ sounds just as relevant to the charts today as it did over 15 years ago – the proof of a timeless album that surpasses the passing whims of its period.

The album has elements of old-school Soul that earned Badu comparisons to Billie Holiday and Diana Ross by Rolling Stone Magazine critics of the time. This comparison is most apparent on ‘On and On’ that won a second Grammy for Best R&B Vocal Performance and proved arguably the most commercially successful of the tracks. Capturing the humble daily chores of much of the USA’s Afro-American society in the South, ‘On and On’ resembles Holiday’s ‘Summertime’ in Badu’s vocal inflections that give an honest sincerity to anything she sings.

The album’s success is unsurprising considering the star-studded line-up that made up the production team. Former Miles Davis bassist Ron Carter complements the rich tone of Badu’s voice on the funky yet heartfelt “Drama” whilst renowned trumpeter Bobby Bradford and R&B producing legend James Poyser helped create the profound “See You Next Lifetime” and freestyle skit “Afro” that transport the listener back to the underground Jazz clubs of 1950’s New York.

Badu headed the Neo-Soul movement that was to pass the baton onto household names Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and Lauryn Hill. This considered, it’s surprising how little ‘Baduizm’ is recognised today outside of today’s R&B community for helping establish the sounds of the 21st century.

Turner Prize ’13: David Shrigley

Written by Jack Sheen on . Posted in Arts.

Ever since it’s establishment in 1984, the Turner Prize has become possibly the most colloquial yet controversial award for the visual arts, having previously been won by Damien Hirst and Antony Gormley, as well as being drunkenly discussed on live television by Tracey Emin.

In the run up to the Turner Prize being announced on December 2 four Arts & Culture contributors give introductions to the four nominees of 2013. This week Jack Sheen introduces David Shrigley…

Shrigley was born in Macclesfield in 1968 and now currently lives and works in Glasgow. His work manifests itself within a variety of medias, however he is mostly known for his series of bizarre cartoons released in postcard packs. They seem to flirt with the idea of absurdity in subject matter, presentation and technique. His drawings often bizarerly depict the seemingly pedestrian and inconsequential everyday occurrences,but with an unusual twist. His freehand drawing is purposely lacking in detail, strength or virtuosity, yet is often contrasted with the stark, clinical use of rulered straight lines, creating an unsettling presentation of his subject.

Shrigley’s work also displays a very critical and self aware engagement with contemporary art and its public perception, often playing with the everyday questions of ‘is it art?’. His exhibition opens with a 7ft naked male model, as crudely constructed as his freakish cartoons, creating a life class scenario where visitors can sit down and attempt to draw his already subtly distorted figure. Many already have, with the many further misrepresentations of the human form lining the walls of the constantly evolving exhibition of possibly the most exciting and talked about artist nominated this year.

 

Giving Opera a Go: Peter Grimes

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Arts.

Long associated with being solely enjoyed by the upper classes and those with a taste for ‘the finer things in life’, opera has a reputation for being an exclusive art form appreciated only by people with knowledge of classical music and those ‘in the know’. Mattie Roberts and Jamie Bulman explore how much someone with no knowledge of classical music can gain from a performance of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes.

Peter Grimes is a tale of woe, set in a desolate fishing village in Suffolk. The story focuses on the town’s response to the unfortunate and mysterious death of Peter Grimes’ apprentice and the fisherman’s ostracism from the bawdy social life of the town as a result. It is an eerie, psychological exploration of feelings of guilt and gossip, portrayed through an unusual and progressive musical style.

 

Jamie, using his prior knowledge of opera, lets us know what he thought:

 

I am a music student who, as the son of an opera singer and living a stone’s throw away from the notorious Glyndebourne opera house, has been saturated with opera from an early age. I have been to operas at Glyndebourne every season, and this is where I first encountered the work of Benjamin Britten. First performed in 1945, Peter Grimes is an English opera, very much divorced from the Continental traditions which are often more popular in standard repertory. In earlier European opera the text, or libretto, tends to repeat its self constantly, whereas Britten approaches the text at a running pace. This blurs the lines further between opera and drama, with text that could also work spoken, as in a play. 

The music ebbed and flowed throughout the piece, emulating themes of the sea dominating the work. The dark orchestral colours were perfectly coupled with an excellent portrayal of the solitary fisherman Grimes by Jeffrey Lloyd Roberts. His haunting high tenor voice carried the emotional turmoil of a lonely forty-something year old, haunted by the guilt of the accidental death of a young boy in his care. A hearty cast supported him, playing the seedy inhabitants of the bleak Borough. There were some strong individual performances such as Giselle Allen’s portrayal of the schoolteacher, Ellen, who Peter Grimes is awkwardly enamored with. Along with Captain Balstrode she’s the only person who tries to understand his troubled mind. She is a soprano, or high female voice. Overall it was an amazing performance from the lead roles, supported by a powerful chorus and orchestra.

 

Mattie, ignorantly, lets us know what she thought:

 

For me opera is an alien art form, never having given classical music, and in particular opera, a chance. With no musical ability or education, I was interested to see how much I could enjoy and understand it.

The crowd was more down to earth than I’d expected. No black tie or evening scarves, the whole affair was low-key. With minimal staging and props, presumably partly due to it being a touring performance, the desolate stage really set the scene of a bleak Surrey seaside town. The way they made use of their minimal set was creative and economical using wooden crates to form the courthouse, the bar and docks. A large net proved to be an imaginative way of creating separate spaces within the stage, as well as being pulled around by the chorus in time with the music creating the feel of a storm. The set, all black except the yellow of fisherman’s waterproofs and spotlights, comprised of only props related to ports, showed much can be done with very little.

It took time to adapt to the epic way in which subjects that are seemingly banal, such as fishing, were sung. However before I knew it I had been drawn in by the music’s hypnotic pulse that seemed to emulate the themes of the sea and the ever-present threat of the storm. The moments at which I was really able to engage with the music was in the pieces where I was not straining to hear words. Instead I let the sound of many voices merge together until incomprehensible, propelling me into the story with the sheer scale and variety of sound. The familiar melodies built up throughout the opera moved me when used at the end of the performance in a way that I had not expected it to.

 

Opera is an art form on an epic scale. Performances involve over a hundred musicians, actors and dancers, blurring the lines between art, music, drama and dance to create a real spectacle. And things are changing: Ticket prices no longer break the bank, and it was refreshing to see a lot of young faces in the crowd at the Lowry. If you want to try something a bit different, or just impress a fit humanities student with your appreciation of culture, then give opera a chance!

The “soft” arts

Written by Jack Sheen on . Posted in Arts.

The Sunday Times recently announced that the government has planned to cut GCSE subjects such as P.E. and Drama, with many other “softer subjects” placed in the firing line, including many arts subjects. Jack Sheen tells us what he thinks…

 

For the remainder of this brief article, ‘arts subjects’ will be defined as those that focus on creative and often abstract practices, such as art and design, music, drama and film. Putting aside arguments as to whether or not GCSEs are an effective way of assessing certain subjects, this plan epitomises an attitude held by a majority of people that studying the arts is easy, and those who do are skiving off of real work by choosing a ‘soft’ subject. As someone with an A level, GCSE and (hopefully soon) a degree in music, as well as a GCSE in art, I find it baffling that educational institutions fail to see the truly challenging side to these subjects, and haven’t designed curriculums that tap into the rigorous academic potential that the arts have.

 

For years I’ve wondered why this is. Perhaps the creative side of the arts dominates its image; we are all bought up in a culture where successful artists are the recipients of some mysteriously metaphysical and indefinable source of inspiration, which cannot be simply taught and passed on to any old student. Despite this, curriculums seem to try and gently do so, creating assessments that seem to gently foster a student’s imagination and technical skill within a vague set of rules and regulations. It seems as though educational bodies are saying that ‘genius’ can’t be taught, but it’s worth trying anyway, ultimately creating the wishy-washy approach towards assessing the creative side to arts subjects which is seen as so ‘soft’. It doesn’t take a specialist art critic to understand that practically no GCSE art student will paint or think like Monet, nor will any teenage drama student act like Binoche, and thus taking part in a subject which attempts judge you as part of that culture anyway seems patronising and absurd, especially when some people actually get decent grades.

 

What would be infinitely more beneficial is a focus on the more academic approaches to these subjects, an assessment of the social and cultural contexts surrounding certain artists, periods or works, an analysis of the basic mechanics of music, plays, films or visual artworks s well as the sociological impact the arts have on contemporary culture. These examples would supplement and enhance the creative focus of subjects such as art, music, drama and film, whilst also nurturing the critical and analytical skills of its subjects, found in idolised subjects such as English, history or philosophy. This analysis of the artist, the art itself and its context is essential to not only understanding its true power but also the potential to create such powerful new work.

 

The government is trying to push people further away from the arts and I think the current curriculums built around the arts are clearly disadvantageous and academically shallow. Maybe the more academic side to these subjects is not what makes them so appealing in the first place anyway, despite their ability to ultimately demystify their practice and benefit its creation in the future. It is their ability to do this that, I think, should be something that encourages students to engage with their surrounding culture.

Do you lead a double life?

Written by Lauren Arthur on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Coming to university is a strange in-between. You live away from home for prolonged periods of time yet you haven’t officially ‘moved out’. You live with people you haven’t long met whilst trying to squeeze in Skype dates with those you grew up with. You’re the drunken youth that staggers around at four in the morning and the ‘clever, mature young adult’ that your family are so proud of. But are you the same person at university and at home? Is it balancing act or a complete switch of character; is there a uni you and a home you?

Some of my friends act completely differently in Manchester than they do at home. In Manchester they might drink, smoke or do drugs whilst their home self rolls their non-dilated pupils in disapproval. Others thrive on their degree, forming a worryingly intimate relationship with Ali G that they choose to not to mention to their not-so-academic friends at home. In a city so vibrant and diverse, it seems relatively easy to both lose and find yourself.

For many, coming to university changes young people for the better, myself included. Clichéd case of girl in small inconveniently situated southern village moves to big buzzing northern city. I had no attachments or commitments; it was my chance to redefine myself. What I found was that redefining yourself is near impossible unless you’ve been pretending to be someone you’re not for the first eighteen odd years of your life. Instead the side of me that I knew had been there for a while was able to come out. Still shy, awkward and prone to going red when someone looks at me for longer than five seconds, but not all the time, and not quite so much.

Unless you were a) clingy and/or b) stupid, choosing to follow half of friends from home to the same university, chances are few people from home know you in this city. You don’t have to worry about your past: what you did, how you acted, who expects what of you: it’s liberating and refreshing.

Obviously people change all the time; you’d change in three years wherever you were, but university seems to provide a sort of bubble of non-reality. It’s a safety net zone in which you can experiment and become a better version of yourself instead of being so sculpted by your upbringing and home surroundings.

So I suppose this is my little tribute to Manchester. I wouldn’t say I live a double life but this rainy city has certainly done me a helluva lotta good.

Top 5: Wedding Speeches

Written by Andriana Hambi on . Posted in Film.

My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002)

In one of the most accurate portrayals of Greek family life, this patriarchal speech captures the essence of family relations, and brings home the true message of the movie; everything comes from the Greek.

Friends  (2001)

Although not a movie, Joeys speech/audition reel at Monica and Chandler’s wedding is and always will be hilarious.

Bridesmaids (2011)

Female version of The Hangover? I wasn’t so taken, but that’s a story for another day. I’ll give it to Kristen Wiig though; she knows how to write a good duelling maid of honour speech!

Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

This has a permanent place in my Top 5 films ever, and has a killer wedding scene. What’s a wedding without a soviet state demonstration? The song Sunrise, Sunset acts as a speech, and would break the heart of any parent with empty nest syndrome.

The Wedding Singer (1998)

This toast is sibling rivalry at its finest, and who better to give it in an already great wedding movie but Steve Buscemi. He gives the drunken, bitter performance that one can only dream of having at their wedding.

 

British beauty boffins: Lisa Eldridge

Written by Nikki Patel on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Images: Lisa Eldrige YouTube

Britain’s very own Lisa Eldridge is one of the world’s leading celebrity makeup artists and beauty bloggers. Having worked with a wealth of high profile clients such as Heidi Klum, Cameron Diaz and Yasmin Le Bon, her undeniable expertise has inspired a global fan base, and transformed her into an icon for beauty lovers everywhere….

Considering her astronomical success as a celebrity makeup artist, it is perhaps unsurprising that Lisa’s passion for beauty was ignited at the tender age of 6. Eldridge recalls rifling through her mother’s old vanity case and being fascinated by the glamour of her Mary Quant crayons, Coty lipsticks and Elizabeth Arden eye shadow.

Eldridge has of course come a long way since the days of playing ‘dress up’ in her mother’s bedroom. After being booked by ELLE to work with supermodel Cindy Crawford in the 90s, Eldridge rapidly became THE go-to makeup artist for celebrities, supermodels and fashion advertising campaigns.

No stranger to success, her artistry has appeared on the covers of publications such as Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar and Glamour. She has also collaborated with fashion houses such as Lancome, Chloe and Prada for their publicity campaigns and runway shows. Despite her jet set lifestyle which has seen her based in ParisNew York and LA, Lisa has also made her mark on the British beauty industry. For over 10 years from 2003-2013, as the Creative director for Boots No7 she reshaped and ultimately recreated the cult brand.

Lisa is similarly renowned for her online beauty Bible lisaeldridge.com. Its impeccable yet easy-to-follow video tutorials and expert beauty advice have transformed it into a ‘go-to’ for makeup mavens everywhere. The charm, professionalism and variety that she injects into her videos (as well as her enviably soothing voice) is infectious and renders the world of beauty accessible and understandable for all.  Whether you’re trying to achieve the ever evasive ‘au naturale’ makeup look or want to know just how to rock a red lip a la Dita Von Teese, look no further than her site.

What sets Eldridge apart from most beauty bloggers is her extreme understanding of beauty trends and her ability to adapt and communicate them through her online videos to her fans. The high- quality of her videos in fact caught the eye of Chanel, who asked her to create digital content for their monthly online magazine ‘Makeup Confidential.’

If you can’t get enough of Eldridge keep an eye on the Beauty Section of Elle, where she will be sharing her know-how in a monthly column called ‘The Beauty Guru.’!

In need of some guidance? Here are my personal top 5 Lisa Eldridge beauty vids:

1. Marilyn Monroe Iconic Makeup Look

2. Wide Eyed 60s Lashy Dolly Eyes

3. Acne/Blemish Covering Makeup

4. Quick Tips for Perfect Foundation

5. Easy 3 Minute Smokey Eye

Pork Shoulder, Butterbean and Chorizo Stew Recipe

Written by Oscar Watkins on . Posted in Food & Drink.

With winter fast approaching, a pounding headache, and the first chesty coughs ringing in lecture halls; what better way to warm up than with this wholesome and affordable one pot wonder.

 

You will need:

 

A healthy slug of vegetable oil (olive oil will do)

600g pork shoulder, cut into serving pieces (Sainsbury’s basics will do, this will cook for a long time)

150g chorizo, cut into serving pieces (pre-diced chorizo is available in most supermarkets)

1 medium onion, sliced finely

1 bird’s-eye chilli, seeds removed, flesh diced (keep the seeds if you like it hotter)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

75ml white wine

400g tinned tomatoes, chopped (1 can)

200g can of butter beans, rinsed and drained (1 small can)

 

A handful of fresh spinach

 

Heat the oil in a large pan over a medium heat, add the pork pieces and fry until browned on the outside but not completely cooked through, then remove from the pan and set aside to rest on a warm plate.

Add the chorizo to the pan the pork was fried in and fry until crisp and golden-brown. Remove from the pan and set aside with the pork.

 

Add the onion and chilli to the same pan and fry until softened.

 

Add the garlic and the wine and bring the mixture to a simmer. Simmer until the volume of liquid has reduced by a quarter.

 

Add the chopped tomatoes and the butter beans, then return the cooked pork and chorizo to the pan and stir well.

 

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over a low heat. Then cover the pan with a lid and cook for at least 45 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and reduced in volume. Add a few tablespoons of water to the simmering mixture now and again, as necessary, when the sauce becomes too dry.

Just before serving, season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper and stir in the spinach.

Serve with a portion of garlic bread on the side, or with couscous or polenta.

Doris Lessing – the death of a literary icon

Written by Elizabeth Mitchell on . Posted in Books.

On 17th November 2013, the world was shocked by the news of Doris Lessing’s death aged 94. The author’s life had been more varied than most of us could dream.

Lessing was born in Persia (modern day Iran) in 1919, and moved with her family to Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) in 1925. Leaving school at 15 to become a nursemaid, she began writing and educating herself in politics and sociology, which had a profound impact on her work. Lessing fled to London in 1949 following her divorce from her second husband, German Communist Gottfried Lessing. 1950 saw the publication of her acclaimed first novel The Grass Is Singing, a study of racial politics of southern Africa. Lessing’s 1962 novel The Golden Notebook, which examines male-female relations, mental illness and societal breakdown, is deemed her breakthrough piece. Although her work was heralded as a feminist masterpiece, Lessing distanced herself from the formal movement.

Having already received numerous accolades, Lessing was awarded the crown of them all, the Nobel Prize for Literature, in 2007. Aged 88, she was the oldest recipient of the prize and only the 11th woman to have won it. Although initially thrilled, Lessing later stated that winning the Nobel Prize had been a “bloody disaster” as she never had time to write anymore and thought she never would again. Published in 2008, her last book, Alfred and Emily, explored how Lessing’s parents’ lives might have unfolded if not for the First World War.

Doris Lessing will be remembered for pushing the boundaries in every aspect of her life: as a writer, a woman, and a mother. She truly was the ultimate maverick of her time.

Introducing Neukolln

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Food & Drink.

As an amateur of wine, being invited to review a new and upcoming Berliner-inspired bar did seem to be an odd choice before I realized my CV states that I have a B in GCSE ‘Deutsche’. Brushing aside those long forgotten moments of academic glory I made my way down to Spinningfields on Thursday evening, to be present at one of the most eccentric bar launching parties that I’ve ever had the pleasure to invite myself into…

‘Neukolln’, the name of this bar deserves a note or two, for otherwise the average culturally inept student wouldn’t understand the point of its financial backers. Basically, ‘Neukolln’ is a trendy suburb of downtown Berlin. It has garnered fame and fans through the development of the most peculiar bar scene in Eastern Europe, in spite of the fierce Moldovan competition. In this area on the outskirts of the Teutonic capital, disused shops and cafés are ‘requisitioned’ by students with piercings and twenty-something year olds in torn jeans for a basic night of casual drinking. A few quick text messages on someone’s borrowed ‘handy’ and a friend brings an old fridge, another two struggle with a dusty sofa and finally some decent and trending (not in the UK charts’ sense) music. This eclectic gathering is crowned with some chilled beers and over there in Berlin, it promises for a decent night. It doesn’t fall short. It really is taking drinking back to the bare basics and hoping a disgruntled shopkeeper doesn’t keep a shotgun under his pillow.

Leaving Jeremy Paxman’s general knowledge lesson to one side, I actually find myself genuinely attracted to the simple and basic nature of the bar. It really is laidback and the guy and the girl behind the bar are being kept busy playing with the tills.

Located on the ground floor of a building in Spinningfields which is set to be knocked down, the owners haven’t wasted a penny on appearance. Wooden stools, the odd table and a bar that could all have been bought from IKEA over the weekend, the place is a throwback to the bar on the estate in E4’s Misfits series.

We were thirsty, so we got drinks.

Unlike the ‘cool’ and very laidback interior design, the prices are a tad steep for those who get by on the meagre student budget. However, being thirsty we purchase a few glasses of white wine and some traditional imported beer from the Bavarian lowlands. It came to about a tenner, so we got more rounds. Plenty more rounds soon follow…

In terms of drinks there is quite a large selection available and more than enough to tickle the average beer amateur’s fancy. We’re talking about 15 different types of bottled beers, the majority of them are understandably ‘Deutsche’ but there are a few others that made it over the tracks… The average price of one of these fine 0,5l bottles just falls shy of a fiver so look at is a short term investment. The same way a fresher looks adoringly at Glen’s vodka: In the morning you’ll have bigger things to worry about.

The white wine is really decent over there too. It comes in glasses which is unfortunate but probably for the best considering how far Spinningfields is from Fallowfield, financially. Plenty of Riesling to be sampled and we were duly informed that the bar had struck some deals with other infamous beer halls in the surrounding area in order to enlarge their menu, in the same way a traditional Bavarian sausage eater enlarges himself, on a monthly basis. Therefore we plan to return and sample some more delectable and actually, very refreshing alternatives to whatever they serve on tap in Wetherspoons these days.

However no true Berliner-inspired bar can ever claim to inspire itself from one of Europe’s most culturally diverse and quite frankly, brilliant cities without spreading the traditional German student cuisine of green humus and classic ‘deutsche’ brown bread.

Words cannot even come close to describing the culinary ecstasy of humus, gently and generously, spread over the traditional ‘deutsche’ brown and healthy bread. We helped ourselves like stereotypical Germans at a comedy event: what we lacked in finesse we made up in awkwardness.

At the end of the night, once a great many green humus toastees had been consumed and a greater amount of white wine glasses and bottles with colourful german insigna sat empty, we made our graceful exit.

The barman and barwoman thanked us for behaving and in return we thanked them for being generous. I would definitely recommend this bar to anybody who just wants a different feel, another experience instead of the average and mundane expensive joint which sprouts up in Spinningfields like mushrooms at a festival: expensively and at a great danger to students.

Feeding freshers for under a fiver

Written by Francesca Lawson on . Posted in News.

So you’re settling in to student life now, no doubt becoming accustomed to Sainsbury’s discount shelf and piercing the film of the microwave meal. Could be worse right? But there’s nothing quite like a decent home cooked meal.

Forget all the excuses, “I can’t be bothered”, “fresh produce is too expensive”, “I’ve not got time”, there is a way to eat well on a budget – communal cooking.

Communal cooking involves getting a group together and sharing the daunting task of preparing a hearty meal. You’ve heard the saying ‘many hands make light work’? That’s exactly the idea. If you’ve only just moved in, rope in your flatmates! Cooking a meal together is a great way to bond; you’ll learn how to work with and round each other in an often small kitchen, plus you’ll get to share the delicious results. And as you’ll be living with people from a variety of backgrounds and cultures, you’ll get the opportunity to widen your culinary horizons.

It is possible to cook without breaking the bank. The proof? Steak night, Sunday Lunch and a Chinese banquet all came in at under £2 per head. A simple tip: don’t be fussy! For example, a value range joint of meat – provided it’s cooked well – tastes just the same as any other. Moreover, draining the juices after cooking can be used as a base to make an accompanying sauce. Ingredients might seem expensive, but dividing the cost between the group minimises this, and the end result is definitely worth it.

Cocktail Class

So you’ve had your delicious home cooked dinner, and you’re getting ready to go out. Wow everyone at pre-drinks with this original cocktail invention: The Bakewell Martini.

You’ll need a cocktail shaker, a strainer, a muddler (or alternatively a wooden spoon will suffice) and plenty of vodka, amaretto and raspberries.

Muddle the raspberries in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. As the raspberries essentially serve as a mixer, the quantities are at your discretion. Raspberries are predominantly a late summer and autumnal fruit, so for a seasonal variation, swap the raspberries for cranberries and finish with a touch of cinnamon.

Add 50mls of vodka and 25mls of amaretto to the shaker, along with a handful of ice, and close it. Shake well for at least 30 seconds, keeping a firm hold on the lid to avoid spillages. After this, remove the lid, tap the bottom of the shaker against a surface to even it out, and strain into Martini glasses. Pop a few more berries in the glass to garnish, and serve. A delicious cocktail to get everyone in the party mood.

Fact: There’s a lot of dispute over what can and can’t be identified as a Martini. As ‘Martini’ is the name of the traditional cocktail glass, this qualifies as a Martini, despite containing no ‘Martini’ brand Vermouth.

10 Foods to eat Before a Night Out

Written by Faye Waterhouse on . Posted in News.

So you’re going out but don’t know what to have for tea… don’t want to be stuffed? Don’t want to be the one suggesting a kebab before you’ve even got to your destination? Do want to be able to dance the night away with bounds of energy and prepare your stomach for what’s to come? Oh and avoid the possibility of a hangover? Here are 10 foods to put you in the mood for a night out.

 

  1. Salmon

The fish slows down the rate at which food leaves the stomach, slowing the time it takes for alcohol to get through your bloodstream. It also contains lots of omega 3 useful for brain power which could be necessary the next day.

 

  1. Pasta
    A really accessible food most people have sat in their cupboard, the carbohydrate lines the stomach well.

 

  1. Yogurt
    Dairy helps to neutralize the acid that you’ll be intaking later and I think is a lot more appetising than glugging a pint of milk before you whizz through the door.

 

  1. Avocado
    The fruit will help to replace the potassium lost to dehydration later in the evening and half counts as one of your five a day.

 

  1. Asparagus
    The vegetable has been proven to metabolize alcohol and protect the liver cells. It is also light so won’t leave you feeling bloated.

 

  1. Ginger
    It helps to increase low blood sugar and is seen to have nausea preventing properties useful for the next day.

 

  1. Watermelon
    The fruit is mostly made up of water hydrating you fully for the night to come.
  2. Chicken
    The protein helps you to feel fuller for longer stopping your late night hunger cravings.

 

  1. Rice
    The complex carbohydrate will give you slow release energy to keep you going into the early hours.

 

  1. Salted Nuts
    You’ve been working hard all day, not had time to go home and not eaten since lunch. These are probably the best emergency option. The sodium will help increase the level of electrolytes in the body giving you a head start before you feel dehydrated and they are rich in antioxidants too!

Lemon Drizzle Cake Recipe

Written by Faye Waterhouse on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Who doesn’t like this classic cake? This fail-safe recipe works for the beginner or the Mary Berry’s among us. The cake should be moist with a sharp tang. Easy to make but even easier to eat!

Ingredients

 

  • 200g butter
  • 200g golden caster sugar
  • 3 eggs
  • 50g plain flour (sieved)
  • 125g ground almonds
  •  2 lemons
  • 5-6 tablespoons of icing sugar

 

    1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius line a 20 inch cake tin with baking parchment.

 

    1. Whisk the butter and sugar until light and fluffy (might be worth melting the butter slightly beforehand to avoid getting sugar everywhere!)

 

    1. Whisk the eggs in one at a time.

 

    1. Add in the ground almonds, sieved plain flour and the lemon zest of both lemons.

 

    1. Bake for 35 minutes.

 

    1. Leave the cake in the tin and stab it (not as brutally as that sounds) to make 15 holes and pour in the juice of 1 lemon. Leave to cool.

 

    1. Stir icing sugar and the juice of the other lemon together to make the light layer of icing and smooth on top. Best shared with your favourite people!

Recipe Book Review

Written by Bernadette Chapman on . Posted in Food & Drink.

My shelves are bursting with recipe books, all shapes, sizes, and types.  Their pages often unspoiled, and they fall open in a couple of places covered in sauce and potato on the very few recipes I’ve returned to or even cooked at all.  The problem with recipe books is that there are rarely more than a few recipes that catch the eye, and, more importantly perhaps, they don’t really teach you anything about cooking, or about how to wing it and make something delicious from the half a cabbage, leftover potato and egg in the fridge (some sort of hash, anyone?).  Useless is Heston’s snails on toast recipe, taking up a whole page with its ingredients list and complex shenanigans.  Where would I get snails?  I don’t have a garden.  The books I return to over and over again are the books that tell you about food.  These are the ones that act as a starting point from which to jump off in to all sorts of soups, stews, and savoury delights.

My firm favourite is a book that is both useful and a delightful read.  Tamara Adler’s ‘The everlasting meal’ offers a novel approach to cooking.  She starts the week with a big pot of salted water, and from there creates the base for a whole week’s meals.  The water should taste a little saltier than tears, and less salty than sea water.  She then adds some vegetables (and meat if she’s feeling fancy) and uses these as a base for salads, soups, or pasta dishes.  You can use the vegetable water to cook pasta in, then add some olive oil, cheese and garlic to the cooked pasta with a few of the vegetables.  With an oven one, you can follow the same principle, roasting a job lot of vegetables, and throwing in a few potatoes wrapped in foil.  There is nothing handier than having left over potato in the fridge, it can be added to eggs and fried with some onion to make frittatas.  It can be used to cover some vegetables in a dish to make a kind of vegetable shepherd’s pie, or it can be used with dill, onion and a bit of mayo for a potato salad.  Adler’s attitude to leftovers is creative and inspiring, and whilst being economical (always good), it’s the imaginative nature of this alternative approach that I find so beguiling.  Unlike a recipe book, it teaches you a useful approach to cooking that you can apply to your meals every day.

The second book, excerpts of which can be found in the Cook supplement in the Guardian if you’re interested, is Niki Segnit’s ‘Flavour Thesaurus.’  This book looks beautiful on a bookshelf and, like Adler’s, offers a different approach to cooking.  Segnit has listed ingredients, grouped in to genres like ‘woodland,’ which includes nuts and squashes, and ‘earthy,’ which includes root vegetables and mushrooms.  In each ingredient section, she offers flavour pairings, some classic, like mint and lamb, and some not so classic, like rhubarb and oily fish.  Alongside suggestions of how to include these flavour combinations in your cooking, she often embellishes the ingredient entry with personal vignettes, and a geographical context to foodstuffs, like how they serve garlic and almond in Spain (in a cold soup called ajo blanco, apparently).  The book is great when you have something knocking about that needs eating, but you’re not sure what to do with it.  I discovered an amazing addition to a tuna sandwich through Segnit, and will be eternally grateful!  She suggests mushing up an avocado with a little white wine vinegar and dill, and serving it with tuna.  Absolutely gorgeous, and something a bit different to do with an avocado than just have it in a bacon sandwich (although that is also divine).  A good bacon sandwich suggestion from Segnit is to add a mix of one part horseradish to 4 parts mayonnaise.

I return to both books again and again, and often get something new out of them every time.  Give a man a recipe, and feed them for a day.  You know the rest.

Interview: Mount Kimbie

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

After a two year UK touring hiatus, Mount Kimbie are once again travelling these shores in support of their critically lauded second album Cold Spring Fault Less Youth. Beside a table laden with a balanced rider of alcohol and celery sticks in Manchester’s Gorilla, I spoke to the duo.

“The tour’s going really well at the moment, we just want to keep building on that and really make this tour amazing because we haven’t really done the UK for a long time” says Dominic Maker. With the band’s second album being constructed more towards live sets, I question whether the tour feels different this time around. “It’s definitely a more live orientated album in that there’s way more instrumentation and singing. We’ve got an extra pair of hands now in Tony our drummer and, yeah, we’re just building on the ideas that we had on that record on the stage. It definitely is a different live show to what we had before, although we’re still playing songs from back then.” Kai Campos adds “We never really played the first album like it was on the record anyway, so it was always kind of leaning towards going in that direction before we made the second album so I think it sits together pretty well.”

Mount Kimbie toured debut album Crooks & Lovers extensively, so was this progression towards live sets planned? “We certainly didn’t consciously talk about a particular change in direction, although it was quite a long gap from recording the first one so it was quite natural for us to want to do something a bit different and I guess that a lot of that was informed from quite extensive touring. But at the same we wanted to make the studio record that we wanted to make, not think about how we were going to perform it live. So in that sense it was a similar process in that we just worked in a studio and then came to rehearse it much later on.”

“A key difference is probably that we started playing the songs out before they were finished, that was a very different process from the first record which had long been finished before we thought about playing them, so they were informed by performance at some point along the way.” Campos goes on to reveal a live performance influence: “We’ve just been touring the states with a guy called Jonwayne who’s quite an incredible showman. He has a very different approach in every respect to what we do, we were both learning together and sharing ideas and even collaborating on stage which was great. He’s the kind of guy that can insult every audience that we played to on the whole tour and come out of it well which is something that I’d never be able to pull off, so yeah, very different but very inspiring as well.”

Mount Kimbie have seen a lot of the world through their touring schedule. “We love travelling around and meeting people and seeing new things, it’s great when you go to places that you’re not that familiar with. On the American tour we went to Mexico for the first time and that was an amazing experience albeit quite a short one. In terms of favourite places, Tokyo’s definitely up there because of the food and it feels completely far removed from anything we’re really familiar with over here. I think America is probably my favourite area to tour in because it’s very interesting and you’re going through different climates and landscapes all the time.” America has one downside however, as Maker further imparts: “The venues – most of them aren’t very good. A lot of what we’re doing is down to how good it sounds and we had a good sound guy out there and sometimes it was a real shame because the sound system just wasn’t up to it, that really happens a lot out there, they’ve got a lot of old venues without much money; but the audiences were great.”

Despite their latest album not necessarily being hugely dance floor orientated, ‘Made To Stray’ was a ubiquitous anthem at the summer festivals, and has a huge response when dropped at dance events such as Manchester’s Warehouse Project. I asked whether the response to this song had come as a surprise. “Yes, it has,” admits Maker. “I remember we went out pretty much just after  the album was released and we heard that song out in a club and it was a great moment as we haven’t really ever experienced that with any of our music before. It’s had a lot of really good backing from people who are really pushing it and we keep hearing about accounts of people hearing it out in various places around the world and that’s only a good thing.”

The band currently have no set plans on where to take their sound next. “We just want to start writing again and it will all start to fall into place. I think really the key thing for us is we want to keep writing as opposed to before where we had so much time off, we want to keep the ball rolling and hopefully work on some exciting projects with other people and just really take it as it comes.” Archy Marshall aka King Krule collaborated with Mount Kimbie on two tracks of their latest album. “It was great, he was a really great artist and inspiring guy to work with” says Kai. “It was really nice to have a genuine front man to work with who really added something that only really he could. We’d love to do some more with him in the future definitely.” Who else would the pair like to work with? “We’re always quite careful in terms of our output so it’s really got to be something that works and is a natural thing which it was with Archy. So, there’s a couple of people but it’s as it comes – if something comes up that feels good.”

Another notable collaboration occurred recently when the legendary DJ Koze contributed a remix to Mount Kimbie’s latest EP. “We were trying to figure out who would be interesting to rework some stuff, remix EPs are something that record labels like to do to keep momentum and stuff and can be not the most exciting thing in the world to be doing – but having said that, this one’s come out really well I think. Koze was an influence of mine from a long time ago so it’s always nice when those things come around, and I’m pretty elated with what he’s done with it. It’s cool we worked with him, definitely.”

Speaking of record labels, what influenced the band to sign with Warp Records after the culmination of their Hotflush contract? “They never asked us about what the record was going to sound like and they didn’t want to have anything to do with that really so that was something that we felt good about. They’ve seen and worked with bands in a lot of different places in their careers and as a label they’ve changed over the years and adapted. They’re a really good home for what we’re doing at the moment and where we want to go.”

Cold Spring Fault Less Youth is out now and details of Mount Kimbie’s worldwide tour can be found here http://www.mountkimbie.com/live/. 

Feature: The M20 Collective

Written by Samuel Ward on . Posted in Music.

I sit opposite Joel White and Yemi Bolatiwa, two University of Manchester students who appear to have ambitions slightly bigger than the average Joe around campus. As we sip our pints in the student’s union, Joel describes how the two crossed paths. “It was a really grim night with terrible weather. We were both playing at an open mic night at the Ram [and Shackle] in Fallowfield and my band was looking for a singer at the time. We heard Yemi and loved it. She was just about to leave and we managed to convince her to come to a practice”. “Yeah and there I found that Joel and an ex-bandmate had a project they were working on at the time. It sounded like a great idea and I wanted to get involved. So after the bandmate’s departure, we tested out some ideas. The result was a free festival in the Northern Quarter in summer involving DJ’s, musicians, artists and contributors of all kinds. It was a huge success and made us realise we can both do something bigger than just make music” adds Yemi.

Using art, whether that be music or spoken-word or anything, M20 aim to fill any cultural gaps that exist between the native groups of Manchester. More precisely, they want to help people, students or whoever else, to create and take part in events that will benefit everyone. “We want to help people to contribute to the scene. Students are part of the union and the union is bad at advertising it. Bring the energy back to student life! Don’t turn a blind eye to what’s going on around you and what you want to get out of university. Maybe break the routine of club nights and the segregation between universities and introduce some diversity in the options students have. Expand people’s horizons and re-introduce the DIY ethic”.

“We want to create opportunities for people to meet and work together” explains Joel. “Yeah, we’re not starting a new phenomenon, we just want to make a new platform. We don’t want to be do-gooders but we’ve been here long enough to see how dull things can get around here”. “Yeah, very dull”.

So I’m taking you’re not fans of fresher’s week? “It’s terrible. It just feels like we’re feeding corporate machines and it gives a warped view of Manchester”.”I agree, students are in a bubble and not enough is going on around these parts. We don’t want people to stick to the oxford road corridor, or stick to the same clubs. Local gigs are almost invisible and I think a better local scene would definitely appeal to a lot of people”.

But this sounds a bit ambitious to me; after all it does rely on people getting off their arses. “Yeah it’s ambitious but there’s incentive; I personally care about local music and it’d be great to have more students playing the music and contributing to the community, instead of being in the crowd. Plus it will give coverage to anyone who wants to be heard”. “We’re also giving people opportunities to develop their initiative and entrepreneurial skills” Yemi explains.”It’s a great way to use the marketing and advertising skills I gained during my degree”.

So what is currently in the pipeline? “An idea in the making is holding gigs in small spaces with small crowds. We’ve been thinking a lot about living rooms”. That’d be pretty darn cool. “We’re also planning some more events at Antwerp Mansion, we really like those guys”. Antwerp Mansion recently held a £1 gig showcasing a wide range of local music. “We’d also like to start increasing ouradvertising and have students contributing to that too, making posters or art for events. We want to bring out the creativity in people”.”Yeah, the bedroom artists. If people have ideas, then we want to make them happen”. It seems it’s up to you people, get out there and contribute!

M20 are holding Solomon Sessions #1, an evening of free live music, art, spoken word and fashion later this month. You can also hear Joel and Yemi’s band, Pareidolia, on facebook.