Skip to main content

Month: February 2014

Live: Bill Callahan

Written by Bernadette Chapman on . Posted in Music.

3rd February

The Ritz

7/10

For me, Bill Callahan exists in isolation. I could never place his music, which sounds as if it could have been made any time in the past fifty years. His appearance doesn’t give anything away. If he hadn’t any grey in his hair, I wouldn’t balk if you told me he was twenty years younger than he is. I couldn’t even imagine what his fans would be like. On waiting for him to appear on stage, he still felt hard to pin down. There was an ancient man with long white hair reading the Guardian as I waited, and a group of children around the age of 13 stood patiently next to me in skater hoodies.

As he played, it was clear there’s something subtley iconoclastic about Callahan. Whilst his music is soft 70s Americana, his almost gravelly vocals lend it an edge that prevents it from feeling too stiff or dated. The occasional diversions in his songs in the form of stops and starts and unexpected guitar parts offer an intriguing alternative route to music that could otherwise seem middle of the road. These diversions don’t jolt, and Callahan’s understated vocals mesmerise and provide a compelling consistency.

‘Drover,’ sounds like a train cutting through an old, lost America, with a harmonica for its horn and a guitar for the rushing wheels driving the rhythm forward. ‘Spring’ from Callahan’s new album, Dream River, fortunately does away with the jazz flute live therefore Callahan alone to make the refrain, “All I wanna do is make love to you,” sound as seedy as it does on record. Whilst each song is a treat to watch, the mundane and soft rock elements of his music become more pronounced as the songs are performed one after the other. His appeal lies largely in his cool, calm vocals, and Callahan is better suited to a late night whisper on a record player rather than a two hour live experience.

The Other Room: experimental poetry

Written by Alex Webb on . Posted in Books.

On the 5th February at the Castle Hotel, a small pub on Oldham Street, I entered the world of experimental poetry. Frances Presley, Gavin Selerie and Chris Stephenson read from a number of their published collections and showcased some of their new work to an enthusiastic and engaged audience. Chris Stephenson started with a funny call-and-response list of insults: “milky way buttonhole/underachieving hemorrhoid”. Stephenson’s poems utilised unusual forms with his ‘Revenge of the Mirror People’ being best described as loose, unconnected rambling. However, this was not a bad thing as Stephenson’s work was concerned with reimagining how we define poems and poetry as a genre.

Frances Presley was the most established poet with eleven publications. Her books Mine and An Alphabet for Alina formed the basis of her reading following a theme of ‘trees’ for the night. Presley’s poems were the hardest to engage with as they were fitted precariously around her theme. However, Presley had some of the best poems of the night. My favourites were ‘L is for Logs’, which discusses various stereotypes about women, and ‘Branches’, an interesting take on the “suffering” of a tree. These two are clear indicators of the abstract poetry that The Other Room aims for.

After a short interval, the standout poet, Gavin Selerie took to the stage and read a vast range of poems. Exceptional pieces were ‘Man U’, a poem about MADAM, the first computer built in Manchester, using onomatopoeia and different voices to keep the audience engaged with a positive response. ‘Cloud Head’, read as an interior monologue, really showcased Selerie’s remarkable skill as a spoken-word poet.

Overall I enjoyed my first strange insight into experimental poetry and would encourage anyone who is interested in the genre to go to the next event on the 2nd April at 7pm. Walk through the doors of the Castle Hotel with an open mind and you’ll leave with a refreshing, new understanding of just how vast the world of poetry is. And look out for me in the audience.

Top 5: 70’s Soundtracks

Written by Ant Cornish on . Posted in Film.

5. A Clockwork Orange

“Oh bliss! Bliss and heaven! Oh it was gorgeousness and gorgeousity made flesh.” Such are the thoughts of Alex as he listens to Beethoven’s 9th – and it is hard not to share this opinion with him as the use of 18th century music perfectly captures the timeless genius of this Kubrick masterpiece.

 

4. Manhattan

“New York was his town, and it always would be.” Just as Woody Allen announces his ownership of the city to the backdrop of its various wonders, there is an eruption of classical jazz in the form of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Rarely does a piece of music capture the essence of a scene so well.

 

3. Jaws

“We’re gonna need a bigger boat.” The gripping leitmotif that signifies the imminent arrival of the villainous great white shark (Jaws to his friends) has since become of the most famous musical scores in cinematic history. Hats off to John Williams.

 

2. The Godfather

“I’m gonna make him an offer he can’t refuse.” This Nino Rota composition is the musical manifestation of mafia. It carries the Sicilian roots of Corleone into America with unquestionable sincerity and style.

 

1. Taxi Driver

“Thank God for the rain to wash the trash off the sidewalk.” And thank God for Bernard Herrmann to wash the sleaze out of 1970s New York. The remarkable beauty of the saxophone provides elegance in a vice-ridden city producing the ultimate effect of juxtaposition.

Preview: Maleficent

Written by Parizad Mangi on . Posted in Film.

This summer’s cinema season will kick off with what may be one of Disney’s most ambitious and challenging projects yet. Hollywood’s leading production house, who has since long occupied everyone’s childhood with their tales of love and benevolence, seems to have taken a rather sinister shift with their latest, Maleficent.

You may recognise the name from Disney’s iconic Sleeping Beauty, where Maleficent is the nefarious nemesis of the royal family that casts a curse on the princess Aurora as revenge for being shunned out of the kingdom’s celebrations. So naturally, a part prequel and part live-action retelling of the beloved animation is very intriguing. A-lister Angelina Jolie portrays the eponymous villainess in the venture, donning horns and fake cheekbones to boot. We can also expect to see Jolie and Pitt’s daughter, Vivienne in a small role as toddler Aurora, who we hear had to be kept away from her mother while she was in her Maleficent getup so the little one wouldn’t get scared, aww!

Another big name we can expect to see in the movie is that of rising talent Elle Fanning, who has previously proved her acting mettle in flicks like Ginger and Rosa and J.J Abram’s Super 8 and will be second lead, portraying the character of the young and spellbound princess Aurora. Imelda Staunton, Miranda Richardson, Juno Temple and even the latest Doctor, Peter Capaldi, feature in supporting roles.

Maleficent shows promise thanks to the big names that appear behind the camera, too. Two-time Oscar winning production designer Robert Stromberg makes his directorial debut with this venture, who has been responsible for blockbusters such as Avatar, Alice In Wonderland and Oz: The Great & Powerful, ensuring breathtaking ominous visuals for the audience. The script, meanwhile, is helmed by Paul Dini and Linda Woolverton, the latter having previously written for Disney for The Lion King and Beauty and the Beast. James Newton Howard (The Hunger Games, Blood Diamond) will be contributing the background score. Disney released a haunting rendition of the classic Once Upon A Dream sung by Lana Del Rey alongside a new sneak peak of the film that was shown during the 56th Annual Grammys this year.

The film will explore the untold side of the fairytale, uncovering the truth of the events that led to Maleficent’s descent into evil. Unfamiliar aspects such as a war between the human kingdom and forest kingdom will be seen, while re-imaginings of old favourite scenes will also be included.

Whether or not the movie will take a sympathetic stance for this eminent vixen remains to be seen, but we can’t wait to experience Disney’s sinfully sombre outing.

Cornerhouse Pick of the Week: Rough Cut

Written by Matthew Thomas on . Posted in Film.

“I wanted the Xenomorph, what I got was this giant condom monster”

So went the words of one of the disenchanted prop masters on this often charming and sometimes baffling film-within-a-film. Intended as an affectionate pastiche of 1970’s horror exploitation films, Hiker Meat is the slasher film that never was and Rough Cut is the story of how it was made. Commissioned by Cornerhouse and masterminded by artist/director Jamie Shovelin, writer Mike Harte and composer and previous collaborator Euan Rodger, the Hiker Meat project began life as a lurid film pitch by Harte that Shovelin gave life in 2010 through a Frankenstein-like process of stitching together scenes in a mashup of “over 1000” horror movies from the 70’s and 80’s.

As one would expect from this sort of B-movie silliness, the plot of this hypothetical movie revolves around a group of misfit American youths at the fictional Camp Pharos in California. They party, smoke weed and have sex before being dispatched with extreme prejudice by unseen malevolent forces. So far, so good, but this 90 minute film only yields two completed sequences and a trailer with the majority of its run time devoted to fly-on-the-wall camera work of the actual production intercut with interviews of Rodger and Harte.

Aiming to re-film Shovelin’s original compilation shot-for-shot, the Hiker Meat production team journey to the Lake District, where they contend with adverse weather, carnivorous midges, faulty pyrotechnics, vintage American motors and the aforementioned giant rubber condom (actually a sinister worm monster). It’s in these sequences that the film shows the most charm with the production team candidly commenting on their work with a refreshingly self-awareness and spontaneity absent from most behind the scenes documentaries. Slasher film tropes are lovingly scattered through the film with homages to Sam Raimi and Brian De Palma most apparent. The acting is deliberately hammy and the special effects makeshift and prone to misfires.

Shovelin’s previous collaboration with Euan Rodgers similarly used “archive footage” to create a portrait of Lustfaust, a fictional Krautrock band circa 1970. They are here credited as composers and at one point, Rodger details an imaginary history of the band and where they were “at” at the time of supposed recording. Writer Mike Harte similarly provides backstories for his paper thin characters that never made it to screen showing an endearing affection for the deliberately corny material.

A loving homage to horror exploitation flicks, Rough Cut is likable but lacks any real trajectory. The decision to re-dub the actors in post-production is baffling and Shovelin is notably absent from the on-screen events. Eventually, the film just fizzles out quite suddenly after 90 minutes, fortunately so as I feel any longer in the same vein would lead to boredom. I would recommend Rough Cut as a how-to guide to low budget film making but the lack of purpose could prove a turn-off to some. A Xenomorph this ain’t, but it’s intriguing enough for a casual viewing.

Contrary Corner: ‘Rush’ really grinds my gears

Written by Tom Bruce on . Posted in Film.

Released in September of last year, two-way racing biopic (bi-biopic?) Rush revved its way straight to the top of the UK box office. At first one might assume it owes its undeserved popularity to a bunch of scalextric-playing F1 fanatics, but turns out that regular people like it too, not to mention critics (89% on Rotten Tomatoes, somehow). Worse still, there has been an online uproar in response to the reveal of the 2014 Oscar nominations, a list from which Rush  has apparently been ‘snubbed’… ‘Snubbed’ is a negative word, but how can Rush’s failure to win an Oscar be anything but good?

The legendary F1 rivalry between Niki Lauda and James Hunt – acknowledged to be the sport’s greatest ever – is pared down to a few stern looks and a couple of snide trackside remarks.. Rush is obviously supposed to be sexy, but under the bonnet it’s an exploitative sleaze fest. Laborious dialogue rings false and sexism runs rampant like an oil fire on the Nürburgring. In a shamefully misogynist move, Game of Thrones goddess Natalie Dormer is dispensed with as soon as they get the obligatory full frontal shower shot, and in another scene James Hunt seduces a pair of stewardesses with the mere beckoning of a finger. The dog! What is he like?!

During the more dramatic moments, leading lads Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth don’t act, they just mope about. ’James Hunt is an alcoholic stoner? Oh no, he’s upset? Oh look, violins are playing while he sulks, smokes a joint and pours a quadruple whiskey! What a clichéd mess this film really is! Almost as bad as Flight. Not quite, but almost’.

Rush is a film about cars, and for this reason it’s inherently boring; if you’ve seen one car chase, you’ve seen ‘em all, and in this film there aren’t even any guns or hand-shaped grenades (See Death Race: 2000).  No amount of edgy, rain-flecked cinematography is capable of making cars going in circles seem more interesting.

If you want a properly good, gritty, vehicle-based vendetta movie, look no further than 2013 Russian Academy Award submission White Tiger.  Not only is it about WWII tanks – and thus automatically superior to Rush – but at one point a lead character suffers 90% burns and survives. Rush’s Niki Lauda (played by Daniel Brühl) only received 10% burns, so through the use of simple maths and logic, White Tiger  is nine times better than Rush.  NINE TIMES. Before this,  director Ron Howard had a great track record (Cinderella Man,  Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, to name but a few) but regrettably, Rush  is a 200 mph flop of a film.

Philip Seymour Hoffman: The Master (1967-2014)

Written by Angus Harrison on . Posted in Film.

It was approaching half past six on Sunday evening when my best friend text me “Phillip Seymour Hoffman found dead according to Wall Street Journal”. I always remember these texts. I remember the “Jacko dead!” text from my Aunty Lizzie five years ago and I remember the “Tony Soprano has died” text my brother sent me last October. Discovering death through text is unnatural and deeply incongruous – packing such dreadful meaning into a pocket of data, stripping the event down to the names and dates. Yet the news of Hoffman’s passing had an added effect I hadn’t encountered before. Complete disbelief. Even as the news reports multiplied and the details of his heroin overdose fell into narrative alignment, I struggled to imagine it.

I wasn’t alone, the collective response to Hoffman’s death seems to have been one of sudden disquiet, a communal reaction that transcended ‘shock’ into a sense of genuine injustice. Granted the main reason for this reaction was probably the circumstances of his death, as he was described in many reports as being found with a hypodermic needle still in his arm. Yet I’d argue it is more than that. It was his stature. In every single one of his performances, be it Brandt in The Big Lebowski or the titular lead in Capote, he was so assured and so completely in command. It is hard to imagine that a human being so masterful and adept at performance was suffering or vulnerable at all.

Reflecting on his passing there were two performances that came to mind. Firstly, and most obviously in control, was his turn as Lancaster Dodd in The Master. It is a sure and excellent film altogether, yet Hoffman’s performance is the one that centres it and drives it – giving both the viewer and Joaquin Phoenix’s Freddie Quell an emotional focal point. One scene resounds above many others, as the leader of cultish quasi-religion ‘The Cause’ Dodd comes under a grilling from a sceptic. Through a fracturing facade of calm Dodd responds “If you already know the answers to your questions then why ask…” before erupting “PIG FUCK” shortly and sharply. The Master, Lancaster Dodd barely shows any anger again in the entire film, it is a splinter of moment in which Hoffman was able to incorporate swathes of brilliant anger and shadows of vulnerability.

The second film that came to mind was Charlie Kaufman’s directorial debut, Synechdoche, New York. It is a sprawling and reflective film in which Hoffman plays the lead Caden Cotard – a theatre director given an unlimited ‘genius grant’ with which he sets about building a scaled metropolis inside a warehouse. Gradually the theatre of reality grows and before long it is a microcosm of real-time life being improvised 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. For me the effectiveness is how Hoffman manages to take Kaufman’s surreal Jungian epic and provide a relatable and completely human performance. It is a film that qualifies Hoffman’s unique ability to play unknowable characters in such a way that, despite their idiosyncrasies and quirks, draw you in and allow a connection. Trawling through YouTube clips of his performances, as I did on Sunday night, I was faced with the now most painfully poignant scene in the whole film. “I will be dying and so will you, and so will everyone here. That’s what I want to explore. We’re all hurtling towards death, yet here we are for the moment, alive. Each of us knowing we’re going to die, each of us secretly believing we won’t.”

Review: Dallas Buyers Club

Written by Robbie Davidson on . Posted in Film.

When Ron Woodroof (Matthew McConaughey) is asked to stay in hospital when it looks like his HIV treatment may not be working, he promptly walks out the door, stating “I prefer to die with my boots on”. And so encompasses the Texan outlaw in his crusade to save himself from the crippling AIDS epidemic of the 1980s. But like all great antiheroes he soon finds himself transforming the lives of others in the process.

But director Jean-Marc Vallée makes sure that our antihero’s true character is not diluted by his new circumstances. Certainly not. Within the first ten minutes the ‘anti’ in McConaughey’s antihero are laid bare, as he is shows to be a thoroughly unlikable homophobic, racist, chauvinist Southern hick. So when diagnosed as HIV-positive, his pursuit to learn more about the AIDS virus is as much as about reasserting his lost masculinity to the ‘gay disease’, as it is about finding a cure.

Which makes his partnership with transgender woman, Rayon, (Jared Leto) selling illegal drugs he’s smuggled from around the world, all the more unlikely and emotionally rewarding. As Ron becomes further integrated into the community of Dallas’ outcasts- the willing members of the Dallas Buyers Club- his friendship with Rayon grows closer, whilst never drifting into sentimentality. The restraint on the part of the film makers pays off when the tragic results of the AIDS death sentence take their toll.

Much has been made of the physical transformation of both McConaughey and Leto- and it is remarkable. McConaughey’s skeletal appearance is particularly haunting, but it is his performance which is truly revelatory. As Woodroof he allows his own personal charm and humour to shine through Ron’s hallowed features, and continues an incredible career resurgence, which could well see him pick up an Oscar next month.

For me it is Leto who carries Dallas Buyers Club’s emotional punch. I haven’t seen an actor inhabit a role so beautifully for years. So much so that in one of the film’s most heartbreaking scenes, when Rayon goes to see his estranged father, there is a genuine feeling of shock and unease at seeing Leto dressed in men’s clothing to please his father. Face bare and pleading for money to help fund his new business venture, her father sighs “God help me”. “He is helping you. I’ve got Aids”, Rayon replies. And in that scene Leto not only earns every award and acclaim he has received, but Dallas Buyers Club captures the dreadful emotional turmoil suffered by those who were ostracised by society and their families simply by virtue of who they were, and because they were sick.

Dallas Buyers Club is a modern day Western disguised as a searing social-issue drama. Or perhaps it’s the other way round. Either way, whilst our hero’s ultimate victory is not as satisfying as fiction would have allowed, his journey there is touching and funny enough that you end up simply grateful that this remarkable true story wasn’t left untold.

★★★★

The ‘Bucks Stocked Here: Union in deal with “tax-dodging” chain

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

The Students’ Union have been branded “hypocritical” and “disgraceful” after a decision was made to carry Starbucks products in Biko’s Café.

Since last Friday, Starbucks coffee products have replaced Peros coffee in the main Biko’s Café area.

This decision has led to complaints from students regarding Starbucks’ tax-dodging reputation, especially as the decision comes on the Friday before the Union’s ‘Earth Week’ – a series of events including lectures on ‘Global Inequalities’ and ‘Sustainable Living’.

After the Students’ Union announced the change on Facebook, students were quick to draw attention to this irony.

“In your Earthweek video you talk about the need for more responsibility from us in order to survive in the future,” commented student Lloyd Cawthorne.

“How does this act not contradict your goals for next week?”

Starbucks only paid £8.6m in corporation tax in the UK over a 14-year period, and paid £5m last year in its first tax payment since 2009.

Starbucks coffee had been sold at North Campus for over a year, in the Biko’s North Café.  However, following the café’s closure, having been operating at a “significant loss”, the Starbucks on offer was moved to Biko’s Café in the Students’ Union building on Oxford Road.

Students’ Union General Secretary Grace Skelton told The Mancunion that the Exec, “are aware of the claims of tax dodging made against Starbucks”, but said that “as a Union, we do not have a policy in place to boycott them”.

An official statement released by the Students’ Union simply said, “Following the closure of Biko’s North, we have moved our Starbucks products to Bikos and will be serving them alongside our usual menu items.

“Peros coffee will still be available as an alternative, and can be purchased from the Union Bar.

“All products served in the Student Union are Fairtrade and approved by NUS ethical and environmental criteria.”

Students, however, were not convinced by this explanation.

Euan Bonnar, a third year History student, said, “I feel a bit disillusioned, for so long UMSU boycotted Coke as a result of a vote and now the Union has made the decision to sell Starbucks products without consulting its members.

“It seems oxymoronic and doesn’t really contribute to any kind of transparency in the SU. If we had a vote on it and it passed, so be it, but the fact that they’ve taken this decision without asking us is pretty deplorable and not in keeping with the precedent already set.”

Anna Willis, a second year Biology student, also drew attention to the Union’s previous stance on Coca-Cola.

“It’s disgraceful that the Union is selling Starbucks, especially after banning Coca-Cola from 2007-2013 on the grounds of exploitation,” she said.

Last week, The Mancunion reported how a small coffee cooperative formed by graduates from the University were made to attend a hearing against legal professionals from top corporate law firm Evershead, representing the University.

At the hearing, the ‘Coffee Cranks Cooperative’ were prohibited from selling their coffee from a purpose-built cargo bike on campus.

Leeroy Grimshaw, a third year MML French and Spanish student, said, “I’m sure that in Manchester, of all places, the University could have found perhaps a smaller coffeehouse chain to help support a business that would contribute to taxes, rather than have a corporation that doesn’t pay any tax at all and is gaining a monopoly on the high street as it is.”

Speaking last year to The Mancunion, when Biko’s North Café served Starbucks products, director of the Tax Justice Network John Christensen urged the student body to “think very carefully” about their choice of coffee.

He said, “There are alternatives to Starbucks. Do [the student body] want to support companies that are undermining the economy in this country and elsewhere?

“Corporate responsibility begins with paying tax. You cannot run a democracy without tax.”

Clubbers in hospital after ceiling collapses at Factory 251

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

Seven people were taken to hospital after the ceiling collapsed at Factory 251.

Around 850 people were evacuated from the nightclub on Princess Street in the early hours of Friday (Feb 7th) morning after a large piece of plasterboard fell from the ceiling onto the dance floor.

Firefighters, police and ambulance crews arrived at the scene, but it is thought that no one was seriously hurt.

The roof came down on the second floor during Factory’s ‘F//CK Thursday’ night, which boasts “3 floors of Euphoria & Debauchery”.

However, club goers instead found themselves holding up the ceiling in pictures uploaded to social media.

On Twitter, University of Manchester Physiology student @Harry_Pettit_ said: “Dancing around holding a collapsed ceiling above my head, definitely a new experience.”

Another Twitter user, @priest_17 said: “As if a night at Factory wasn’t bad enough.”

In a statement on their Facebook page on Friday, Factory said: “Sincere apologies to anyone caught up in last night’s incident.

“A failed screwhead caused a piece of plasterboard to come loose. After inspection we’ve repaired the plasterboard and are pleased to announce it’s business as usual tonight.

“We welcome thousands of music lovers and clubbers to this historic building, a building we love, every week; your enjoyment is of utmost importance to us”.

Staff member charged with voyeurism

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

A male member of staff has been charged after two women were watched while using a toilet in University of Manchester buildings.

The two incidents happened on 2 December 2013 and 28 January 2014 in women’s toilets on campus.

The man, who works in the House Services team at the University, has been accused of peering over the toilet cubicle from an adjacent cubicle and watching the women.

He has been charged with two accounts of voyeurism, and is due to appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on 18th February 2014.

Anyone with information about either incident, or any other incident, is urged to call the police on 0161 856 4223.

MMU students rescued from Welsh mountains

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

A hiking party of seven students from Manchester Metropolitan University had to be rescued from the Cambrian Mountains, after their trip fell into difficulty due to becoming separated.

After covering a distance of 9.3 miles, two of the students became too tired to continue and had to be rescued. Then four others strayed 10 miles as their group leader went to find help.

The whole search lasted 9 hours, and involved around 50 mountain rescuers.

Dave Coombs, incident manager at Brecon Mountain Rescue Team (MRT), said, ‘the weather conditions were atrocious, with gales, sleet and driving rain and too severe for search and rescue helicopters to assist.

“The first two casualties were located using a mobile phone app. One of the two casualties was suffering from hypothermia and needed to be carried by stretcher to waiting vehicles.

“She was treated by the Brecon MRT doctor who said that if she had been on the hillside for another hour, the outcome may have been different. The other casualty was cold but able to walk off with assistance.”

As the first two were rescued, the team leader of the party was found by rescuers in a forest 6km away. Four of the students remained unaccounted for. Graham O’Hanlon, of the Aberdyfi Search and Rescue Team, explained what happened next.

“Other search parties started sweeping this area while the stretcher party was busy with the evacuations. The poor weather conditions meant that helicopter assistance was not available.

“We only had sketchy information on their location and the phone signal in the area was poor, making contact with them virtually impossible. Also they had no torches, whistles or map and compass and were unfamiliar with the terrain.”

“The missing women, two from Spain, and one from Germany and Canada were found at 1:30am by an Aberdyfi search party. They were cold but otherwise in good spirits. They were given warm clothes, walked off the mountain and then reunited with the rest of their group by 3am.

“This is another reminder that people should make sure they are properly equipped and skilled before heading for the mountains.

“If the vagaries of phone coverage had meant SARLOC could not be deployed, then we would have started our search in completely the wrong place, and it is unlikely we would have reached the casualties before the effects of poor weather overtook them,”

Although the expedition was not an official MMU outing, The Mancunion managed to obtain a comment from the university

A spokesman for Manchester Metropolitan University said, “We would like to thank the mountain rescue teams for all of their hard work and efforts in locating the students and bringing them back safely on Saturday evening. We’re pleased they are safe and well

“We have been in contact with the mountain rescue teams to express our sincere gratitude and appreciation for all that they did.”

RedRum “put lives at stake”

Written by Michael Williams on . Posted in News.

Fallowfield student hotspot RedRum has had its license revoked after “putting lives at stake” on multiple occasions.

A catalogue of four serious offences have been recorded against the nightclub, including allegations that a clubgoer was left bleeding and unconscious in front of the entrance as club door staff closed the shutters.

The door staff stand accused of misleading the police and ambulance services about incidents at the club.

RedRum licensee Dr Jajoo employed door staff directly, rather than using an accredited company or registering himself with the Security Industry Authority – despite being warned by the police that this was illegal.

It is also alleged that the club purposely kept the clock on the CCTV footage almost an hour behind, and kept CCTV tapes for half as long as they claimed to, in order to cover-up incidents there.

“This isn’t like bars in Fallowfield where things get a bit rowdy when they’re open late,” said Withington Councillor Chris Paul.

“This is just on a different level. This is people’s lives at stake.”

Dr Jajoo maintains the allegations are “racist” and the product of a “personal vendetta against [him] by the Greater Manchester Police”.

He also claimed that incidents at the venue were not as they were described in police reports.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Councillor Paul called the actions of Dr Jajoo “complete incompetence”.

“If the incidents had gone a little differently, someone could have died,” he said. “And not once did they call the police or an ambulance.”

Supt Wasim Chaudhry, of Greater Manchester Police, told The Mancunion, “There was a successful application to revoke the license due to a history of incidents linked to the RedRum premises.

“We absolutely refute any suggestion of a ‘personal vendetta’ as well as any allegation of racism or impropriety.”

The Mancunion spoke to a female student, who asked not to be named, who was involved in a physical incident at RedRum with a male stranger when it was open.

She spoke of her shock at the allegations.

“Door staff are supposed to protect you on nights out,” she said. “Luckily I was okay after it happened because I had my friends with me, but I’d hate to think what would have happened if I was alone. Would I have just been left outside to bleed? Would they have called an ambulance for me?”

Councillor Kate Chappell, Manchester City Council’s executive member for the environment, echoed the student’s sentiments.

“The committee were very concerned that not only had four violent attacks taken place in or outside the premises over the last year, but that on each occasion it was left to members of the public to contact the police,” she said.

The licence revocation came after a hearing on 30th January were told of four separate serious assaults in RedRum over a nine month period.

A 23-year-old man was attacked inside the club on New Year’s Day and left with a fractured jaw. The door staff are alleged to have thrown out the victim and later claimed that they were unaware of the assault and that it had not taken place.

Police were only made aware of the incident when they were contacted by the victim’s girlfriend after he had been taken to hospital.

Another man was left with a broken jaw, needing stitches and missing a tooth after an incident on the 30th November where he was kicked and punched by a group of men after leaving the nightclub. This incident also went unreported.

In July of last year, another victim suffered a broken jaw, fractured cheekbone and a mouth injury requiring stitches after he was punched to the ground and kicked while on the floor.

This time, the victim’s friend called an ambulance to the incident – but bar and door staff from RedRum later told police they had not seen it.

A 20-year old man celebrating his birthday went for a cigarette outside RedRum on the 10th February 2013 and was punched, banging his head on the floor, which led to a bleed on the brain, a perforated eardrum and a fractured jaw.

This time RedRum licensee Dr Jajoo admitted his door staff should have reported this to both the police and ambulance services, but they failed to do so.

“They thought their reputation would get worse if they called [the police and ambulance] than if they didn’t”, said Councillor Paul.

Dr Jajoo has 21 days to appeal against the decision before the revocation comes into effect, and he told The Mancunion he “of course” plans to appeal.

UCAS applications rise again as gender gap emerges

Written by Aidan Gregory on . Posted in News.

The number of young people applying to go to university has risen for the second year in a row after the slump of 2012/13, due to a surge in applications from women, foreign students, and the poorest areas of the country.

UCAS have disclosed that around 35 per cent of 18-year-olds applied to go to university in autumn 2014, which represents a 4 per cent increase from the previous application cycle.

According to the data, young people from the poorest parts of the UK are now twice as likely to apply to university.

Applications from foreign students also soared by 10 per cent, despite the coalition government’s tougher policy on student visas.

The figures also point towards the emergence of a gender divide in UK higher education, as 146,000 18-year-old women applied compared with just 115,000 men.

Mary Curnock Cook, Chief Executive of UCAS, has warned that this “stubborn gap” between male and female applicants could soon be a bigger problem than the gap between rich and poor.

She said that “young men are becoming a disadvantaged group in terms of going to university and this underperformance needs urgent focus across the education sector.”

In response to the data released by UCAS, Professor Les Ebdon, director of Fair Access to Higher Education, said, “These figures show a continued trend over time, with the application rate for disadvantaged young people increasing every year for the last 10 years. Disadvantaged 18-year-olds are now nearly twice as likely to apply for higher education as their counterparts were 10 years ago.”

He went on further to say that “positive as they undoubtedly are, these figures should not disguise the wide participation gaps between the most and least advantaged. Young people from the most advantaged areas are still two-and-a-half times more likely to apply for higher education than those from areas where participation is low. This gap hinders efforts to increase social mobility and addressing it must remain a priority.”

Overall numbers of students applying are still not at the same levels as they were in 2010 and 11, before the fees hike. Critics have used this to suggest that the new increase does not demonstrate that UK universities are in resurgence.

Sally Hunt, General Secretary of the University and College Union, said, “today’s figures are a real body blow for anyone who does not think higher fees are turning some people away from university. Historical data suggests there should have been a considerable increase in the number of applications this year, but that simply is not the case.”

University staff walk out over pay dispute

Written by Dan Harold on . Posted in News.

University staff walked out on Thursday in protest at the one percent pay rise offered by employers.

The strike is the latest in the long-running dispute between staff and employers over the proposed pay deal, and is the fifth protest since September.

Around 300 members of the three campus trade unions- Unison, Unite, and the UCU- joined picket lines on Oxford Road as part of a national day of action that saw strikes take place across the country.

The unions – who represent academic staff, support staff and postgraduates who teach- say that the offer would represent the fourth year in a row that university staff have been given below inflation pay rises.

Andy Cunningham, Unison Assistant Branch Secretary at MMU and former Campaigns Officer at UMSU, told the Mancunion, ‘the short term issue is around pay, we’ve had a 13 per cent pay cut in the last four years.

“What it means is everybody, from cleaners all the way up to fairly high-paid technicians, is finding it hard to make ends meet – as prices go up and wages stagnate.

“So, this year they’ve offered us another pay cut and they’re justifying it on the basis that we have to make changes and things like that, but the sector is really rich, universities are richer than they’ve ever been before and that money at the moment is going to fill the pockets of vice-chancellors and senior managers.”

Commenting on the length of the dispute, Mr Cunningham warned that while student support for the unions appeared to be growing, there was a continuing risk to student’s education.

“I think [the employers] felt like it would be over by Christmas. Today shows that it’s not, and if anything student support today has grown massively.

“So, I’m hoping today puts a bit of pressure on them to bring a pay increase back to the table, otherwise it is going to be further disruption, that means staff losing money, students losing out on their education, all so they can protect their privileges.”

Current UMSU Campaigns Officer, Clifford Fleming, said that the protest was about “us students standing in solidarity with staff and saying that us as students recognise that staff need good pay.

“Students are coming here expecting obviously a good standard of teaching, they are wanting a good quality education, but the staff are being asked to do more and more and more for less and less and less.

“And it’s not like the University don’t have the money to pay for it, they’ve got like £36 million in profit and they’re spending £1 billion on capital investment, that’s a hell of a lot of money and they aren’t willing to pay staff.”

In response to these allegations a University spokesman said, “The University is a charity, so it does not make any profit. Any surplus is put back into the University, for example into things like scholarships.”

Rosie Dammers, UMSU Education Officer, said, “I think the University should stand up for what is right – to pay their staff a decent wage. I think it is absolutely disgusting that we don’t pay our staff properly, there’s still staff in this university on minimum wage – we need to make sure, first of all, that we are paying everyone a living wage, secondly we need to think about what we value and we value education.”

However, the Universities and Colleges Employers Association said it was clear that the strikes were having a minimal impact on education and that support was “visibly dwindling”.

A spokesperson for UCEA said the institutions it represents “would like see trade unions turn their attention to constructive negotiations for this year’s pay, which begin next month. All HE institutions are consistently clear that there is no scope for further pay increases beyond those already paid last year, and all are united in their commitment to protect students’ education.”

While negotiations for the pay offer for the next academic year are due to begin next month the UCU have plans for further strike action.

Commenting on student support for any further strike action, Ella Milburn, a Spanish and Japanese student, told The Mancunion, “I spoke to a lot of students who: A. weren’t interested; or B. who said they were interested and then haven’t come.

“If everybody who was even slightly interested came for like half an hour it would make such a big difference, there would be fuck loads of people here. Because loads of people do actually care when you speak to them, and I think more people would start to care if you actually explained it to them.”

‘Equality isn’t competing with men; it’s collaborating with them’

Written by Thomas Dowler on . Posted in Sport.

Last Tuesday, Academy 2 in the Students’ Union welcomed a panel of experienced female sports stars and prominent journalists as part of the Women’s Voices amplified project to discuss and debate the issues women face in sport.

The distinguished panel included Shelley Alexander, the Editorial Lead on Women’s sport for the BBC, Rimla Akhtar, chair of the Women’s Sport Foundation, England Rugby Player Sarah Hunter, former Arsenal Ladies footballer and academic Lottie Birdsall and freelance journalist Jessica Creighton.

Jess Lishak, who chaired the panel, opened proceedings, with a condemning statistic about the vast inequalities in the sporting and journalistic world with regards to media coverage. Reportedly there is a staggeringly unfair ratio of 53:1 with regards to male to female sports coverage across all media platforms. Despite significant efforts to increase broadcasting of women’s sport, there is still much to achieve in terms of parity in coverage, sponsorship and respect across all sports.

Shelley Alexander kicked things off with a fascinating insight into her career in sports broadcasting. Her first major editorial role was on Football Focus and she later took on her role with the BBC. Shelley gave some poignant examples of the inequalities facing women’s sport, including how Team GB’s talented female road cyclists are woefully underfunded and previously have not been allowed to travel with the men’s team, yet were more successful in London 2012, with Lizzie Armitstead claiming a bronze, while Mark Cavendish and his highly-touted team didn’t make the medals podium.

The BBC has diversified its sport coverage and now 20 per cent of sporting output focuses on women’s sport. Now the Women’s Super League goals are televised and this has brought in two significant sponsors which can only help the game continue to grow. When Manchester City fell 1-0 to Chelsea at home, there was a booklet on offer showcasing City’s Women’s side – a clear sign of progress and a desire to increase exposure of the women’s game.

Rimla explained the importance of sport to her as she felt no one judged her for the colour of her skin or her religion on the sports field. As the head of Muslims in Sport Foundation, she appreciates the impact of sport on the lives of others and herself has had a fascinating experience in sport. She represented Team GB’s female Futsal team at the Muslim Games in Iran. Rimla asserted that participation and inclusivity are the vital aspects of sport for everyone. She envisaged more careers in sport for women and conceded that while improvements have been made, there is plenty more to accomplish.

England’s rugby star Sarah Hunter told the audience about her experience at her primary school that allowed her passion for sport to grow, while playing mixed games in P.E – her school encouraged mixed sports up to the age of 12. The Rugby Football Union has heavily invested in the women’s game. However, she highlighted the vast differences between the men and women’s national side even as recently as her first cap in 2007. Back then, the two sides had different sponsors, kit providers and even the traditional red rose was different, resembling a somewhat patronising un-blossomed rose!  Currently both sides share resources and the Women’s RFU has merged into one united RFU. Rugby leads the way in women’s sport, the 2010 World Cup on home soil was broadcast on Sky and the Twickenham Stoop was sold-out for the final (which England sadly lost); however, progress has been made. Perceptions have changed and supporters have noted the lack of aimless kicking in the men’s game compared to the desire to play expansive rugby in the women’s. The Women’s Six Nations is available on BBC, so be sure to keep an eye out for Sarah charging from the back of the scrum against Ireland on Saturday 22nd February on the BBC red button.

Lottie followed Sarah, with a fascinating insight into her work as an academic looking into gender inequality in sport at Cambridge University. The former Arsenal ladies player and England Youth Squad member spoke candidly about the need to increase funding in sport and cited the American example of spreading funds more evenly compared to the current fiscal situation in the UK. In America, there has been a 403 per cent increase in participation in women’s sport, which is a shining example for British sport to follow. For Lottie, the change in policy is vital and she has briefed ministers on ways to increase awareness, participation, and funding in the UK.

Finally, Jessica Creighton highlighted the vast inequalities in university sport based on financial resources, equipment and access to facilities and stated the lack of female sporting coverage in journalism and broadcasting as one of her major reasons for joining the sports journalism industry. Over the years, male attitudes to women’s sport have changed and the BBC and Sky have both contributed to this, with more coverage of women’s sport and dedicated programmes to increase awareness and encourage participation in sport. Women are no less able to play sport than men and that is the most damaging stereotype that needs to be eradicated for women’s sport to progress.

Afterwards there was a lively Q&A session discussing solutions to gender inequality in sport.

Have you encountered gender inequality in your sporting experience at university? Tell us about your experiences by tweeting @mancunion_sport.

 

 

 

 

Water Polo: Making a splash

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

University of Manchester 1sts – 17

Sheffield Hallam 1sts – 7

The University of Manchester Water Polo first team overcame Sheffield Hallam 17-7 at the aquatics centre. Both teams started the match with a high intensity, however, the UoM team held the edge; even before the match started Manchester radiated confidence. This showed as they instantly settled into the match with the first goal scored by Armstrong. This was shortly followed by another from UoM’s number 7 – Chionh.

Manchester were brilliant in all aspects of their game, especially their defending – they managed to steal and intercept nearly all of Hallam’s passes in the first half and the keeper was really in tune with the game, making some excellent saves while also aiding Manchester in exploiting Hallam’s weaker areas. For this reason Manchester dominated possession.

By the end of the first half, Manchester had raced ahead to a 5-2 lead over Sheffield Hallam, although they could have held an even higher lead as the UoM team created numerous other chances.

At the beginning of the second half, the home side came out the same way they ended the first half and were able to punish Hallam with a hat-trick of goals in the first five minutes. Hallam though, were still determined to level with Manchester and nearly managed to do so with goals from Horne and Sabell. Despite Hallam’s momentum, Manchester did not look worried or concerned about going on to lose the match. Manchester kept their composure, applying pressure and in the end got their just reward with three spectacular goals from Armstrong, Chionh and McCloskey which gave them some breathing space.

Manchester ended the match very comfortably and the final whistle perhaps came too soon, with the attacking force of the home side in full swing. Although Hallam at times did not seem genuine contenders in the match, they did have periods at which they were quite threatening. This created a great show for spectators, especially the neutral.

The victory was very much a team effort. Armstrong and Chionh stood out the most. They had the strongest partnership of both teams and were crucial play makers throughout the game. Particularly, towards the end of the game when their combination became an annoyance to the Sheffield defence. It was a very hard decision to make, but Chionh edged the battle with Armstrong to become the man of the match.

 

 

Manchester athletes leading the way

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Jerome McIntosh and Seren Bundy-Davies competed at the North of England Athletics Championships at the EIS in Sheffield on the weekend of the 18th – 19th January.

Jerome represented City of Sheffield AC and excelled in the 60m on the Saturday in the senior men’s section, making the semi finals with a new personal best (PB) time of 7.16 seconds On the Sunday, he won his heat with an indoor PB, ran a PB in his semi-final and made the very competitive final and came a highly respectable 4th. He made yet another PB with an electric 22.40 seconds for the 200m.

Seren (competing for Macclesfield) won a gold medal in the 400m final, which she ran in a PB of 54.12 seconds.

Jerome spoke to Mancunion Sport about the build up to the event, the day itself and his ambitions for the rest of the season. The speedster had an injury-ravaged season in 2013, struggling with a tear in his meniscus (knee cartilage), but he was delighted with the lead up to the Championships in the New Year.

“Training around that time was difficult, as it was revision period, but I had just had a nutrition change as I was struggling to manage [studying] medicine and athletics.

“Working in hospital Monday to Friday made it very difficult to eat and drink regularly, so I tried a supplement recommended by a friend…and it really helped…so I was in high spirits for the competition.

“I’m happy with the race I won, but I believe as most athletes do that I can still go faster, so I’m looking forward to BUCS to improve further.”

Seren also took time out to speak to the us here in the sport section.

She said before the event, “Everything was going well as I’ve been lucky to have no real injuries or setbacks in winter training.

“After competing indoors at Sport City over 600m I knew I was in good shape so decided to do the Northerns. My training stayed pretty much the same until a week or two before the event as I’m still focusing mainly on the outdoors. Everything had been going well though.

“I knew I was in PB shape as training has been going well. My season was cut short due to a stress fracture early last year, so I was happy when I ran as well as I did.

“I’m competing this weekend (8th – 9th February) at the Sainsbury’s British Athletics Indoor Championships which I’m ranked 5th going in to so I’m hoping to at least make the final [of my first senior trials].

“My major aim for the season is to hopefully make the Welsh commonwealth team.”

It’s reassuring to see that Manchester’s athletes are ahead of the rest of the competition in the early stages of this season and Mancunion Sport would like to wish Jerome, Seren and their squad mates the best of luck over the remainder of the season.

Eagles soar to varsity victory

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

The University of Manchester Tyrants failed to capitalise in their recent varsity match against Manchester Metropolitan Eagles, losing 12-6 in what can be described as an exciting and hotly-contested affair at Burnage RFC.

The Eagles started the game brightly launching a 70-yard drive to within 10-yards of Manchester goal line. However, a superb Tyrants defence blocked all of the Eagles’ attempts to finish their drive with a touchdown, instead forcing them to accept a field goal at fourth-and-goal.

It was now a question of how the Tyrants would react to the intensity that the Eagles had demonstrated in their upbeat start. In most instances this season, the answer would have been the same – poorly. However, Tyrant running back Anthony Eiliazadeh, led by example, using a combination of speed and power to drive the ball into Eagle territory. He then finished the drive by accelerating around two Eagle defenders to run the ball in for a touchdown with ease on the far left hand side. Speaking to Eiliazadeh afterwards, he commended his wide receivers stating, “That score was all down to the wide receivers making their blocks, running it in was the easy part.” The Tyrants missed their field goal attempt, meaning they led by six points to three.

The second and third quarters provided no points other than a field goal for the Eagles which brought the game to a nervous six-six. From a defensive standpoint, the Tyrants had been excellent. When it looked like the Eagles were about to make a play, the defensive unit collectively stepped up. Defensive linemen Matt Scott claimed on the sidelines, “I must be on about twenty tackles.” Although this was an obvious over-exaggeration, it is comparably accurate with the total domination shown by the Tyrants’ defence.

The fourth quarter brought everything you can hope for in an American football match – drama. The Tyrants began the fourth quarter by taking the ball to the Eagles’ 10-yard line. A particular highlight of this drive was Tyrants quarterback Chris Payne’s superb throw to wide receiver Ben Fowles. The ball entered Fowles’ hands perfectly on the run for a gain of twenty yards.

Tyrants running back Lawrence Sarpong also capped a formidable drive, with his blistering run down the left hand side of the field, which consisted of him knocking over a few would-be tacklers in the process. But it was Sarpong’s ability to accelerate after the hit that really impressed spectators, with comparisons being made amongst the Tyrants’ sideline to NFL players such as Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch.

However, the Tyrants could not seem to force their way over the line for a touchdown, prompting the their coach into implementing a risky fourth and goal attempt. Quarterback Payne, rounded pocket pressure from the Eagles’ defensive line, but unfortunately could not get the pass off. Eventually he was stopped on the Eagles’ four-yard line whilst scrambling for a touchdown himself.

The Eagles responded to the Tyrants’ long drive. Still finding it difficult to utilise their running game, the Eagles quarterback faked a handoff to his running back and played a screen pass out to his receiver on the left hand side for a gain of 30-yards.

Nevertheless, the Tyrants’ defence continued to dominate and cornerback Chris Walsh provided the biggest hit of the game on a man twice his size, forcing the Eagles to punt on fourth down. However, this backfired for the Tyrants’ as the Eagles made a superb punt to peg the Tyrants to their own five-yard line.

A time check revealed that less than two minutes remained in the game. With the scores tied at six points apiece, the Tyrants began their offensive drive needing to air the ball out to gain quick yards. Unfortunately the Eagles forced a pick-six – intercepting the ball and returning it from 20-yards out for the game-winning touchdown.

Offensively, it just wasn’t the Tyrants’ day. A few dropped catches and unfortunate interceptions at critical points of the game proved costly for the University of Manchester side.

Defensively, the Tyrants were incredible; they prevented the Eagles from scoring a single offensive touchdown, successfully limiting them to two field goals for six points. Defensive captain James Bowyer played exceptionally well at strong safety, making crucial tackles as the last man. Whilst Bowyer singled out Rufus Daw for having a great second-half, which included recovering an Eagles fumble.

Next up for the Tyrants is a trip to UCLAN Rams. With the Tyrants now 0-5, they will be entering the game as underdogs. Although if the recent Super bowl shows anything, it is that the tag of underdog does not really matter in American Football.

Were you at the American Football Varsity? Tweet your pictures to @mancunion_sport.

Student protestors could face prison for violent disorder

Written by Pippa Allen-Kinross on . Posted in News.

Three University of Birmingham students could face up to eight years in prison after being charged with violent disorder following a protest.

The students have been named as Simon Furse, 22, Tomas Frymorgan, 23, and Panagiodis Theodoropoulos, 30.

Ten other students were released on bail after spending 28 hours in police custody on suspicion of criminal damage, aggravated trespass, and assault.

According to bail conditions they cannot enter any university or further education grounds, meet with other arrestees or meet publicly in groups of ten or more, and must sleep at their home addresses.

Authorities said the protest, led by Defend Education Birmingham, turned violent, accusing the protestors of injuring staff, damaging campus property and throwing fireworks and smoke bombs.

However, students have accused police of kettling them for four hours in the cold and illegally arresting those who refused to give personal details, which police deny.

A further six students have been excluded from University of Birmingham for involvement in political campaigning.

This comes as Students’ Unions across the UK condemned the Birmingham Guild of Students’ Officers, who released a statement following the protest describing themselves as “disappointed” by the actions of students who took part.

Over 75 Students’ Union Officers from around Britain have signed a statement calling the actions of the Guild “deplorable” and asking it to “carefully reconsider its position”.

The statement said, “We believe that protest action will always be disruptive, and the use of occupations and demonstrations has traditionally been an important and valuable tool in student activism.

“We also find it deeply concerning that the Guild has still refused to publicly condemn illegal police actions on the campus, including kettling students and illegally demanding details from students who were told they would otherwise face arrest”.

The statement also calls the bail conditions “an attack on student’s access to education, and on their freedom of speech and association”, and accuses the University of Birmingham of excluding students who are “being used as scapegoats to create a culture of fear towards protest. The Guild must do all it can to have these students reinstated”.

For the University of Manchester, the statement was signed by Campaigns Officer Clifford Flemming and Education Officer Rosie Dammers.

At the time of writing, an online petition set up to reinstate the suspended students had reached almost 3,400 signatures.

Meanwhile, the occupation of university building Horton Grange by Birmingham students has peacefully ended, after the University was granted a court injunction.

In a blog post, Birmingham’s Home Students’ Officer Jagpal Singh Pahal said, “It is saddening to see how the welfare and rights of the students, who were peacefully protesting, were infringed by the police and security that day”.

He continued,  “Whilst the vandalisation and damage that occurred on campus was wrong, so was the aggressive and illegal force used by the police and the security.

“I support Defend Ed, what they represent and stand for and the actions undertaken by the majority of protestors on that day.

“The Guild should retract/amend their statement and pledge their support for the truth”.