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Month: February 2014

Scarved for life

Written by Thomas Turner on . Posted in Sport.

There are plenty of reprehensible features of modern football which we ought to lament. The rise of adults in full replica kits and filming matches on iPads are just two. But few irk me quite as much as the half and half scarf.

For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, just take yourself on a walk down Market Street next time either of the Manchester teams are at home. Amongst the selection of shit hats and string legged dancing Bart Simpsons, there will appear to be a selection of City or United scarves. But take a closer look.

Half of the scarf will occasionally adorn the name and colour of another team – usually that night’s opponent. It’s bad enough that they’re even sold – but of late they’ve begun to infiltrate our stadia, too.

As the camera pans to the stands on almost any high profile game, you will see them. The Merseyside derby is a recent example. They used to be confined to the showpiece games – Wembley cup finals, say. Now they’re knocking them out every week. A commemorative half-and-half scarf for the Mickey-Mouse-tin-pot-Capital-One-cup-semi-final-second-leg between United and Sunderland? Sod off.

Now before you stop reading and label me trivial/pathetic/nonsensical/dickhead (delete as appropriate), hear me out. There’s a serious point here.

Let me make it clear that I have nothing against scarves. I’d even go as far as to say I’m an advocate. I even have football scarves – including a Mancini-esque hooped claret and blue number, and even a hand-me-down of my Grandad’s from the early 70s.

The causal link is this. I am a fan of x > I go to x matches > x doesn’t experience any other season than winter > I wear an x scarf. It’s a fairly logical train of thought. So why do so many end up sporting their opponent’s badge around their neck? Both reasons are as bleak as eachother.

The first is the trend to commodify and capture memories. Any of you with football supporting Grandparents will undoubtedly have heard vivid stories of trophy parades, promotions, and more importantly, an overriding sense of belonging and occasion. Our generation? We have a half-and-half scarf, a commemorative mug and an iPhone video clip which looks like it’s been filmed by a person having a fit in the midst of a riot.

Concerts have taken a largely similar turn. We seem more intent upon proving our attendance than actually enjoying the experience as it happens. Now I’m of course not saying that the half-and-half scarf prevents you from experiencing that sense of belonging. But they embody a trend whereby telling people ‘I was there’ is becoming more valuable than being there in itself.

Secondly, and more worryingly, it is a product of the depressing trend in the relationship many fans have with their clubs. The global expansion of football and subsequent Premiership era has encouraged people to abandon the notion that football clubs ought to be rooted in a community.

There is a reason why I’m yet to see such a specimen for West Ham-Millwall or Sunderland-Newcastle. It’s because to a lot of these fans, such matches don’t embody a grand showcase of entertainment. The fans aren’t there to be awed. They are there instead out of a fierce rivalry based in devoted support to their home or adopted team.

A telling quote doing the rounds on the twitter is ‘don’t let your kids grow up thinking football is a TV show’. But too many do. They flock to the big games in the manner of the middle-aged WWE fans we laugh at so much, picking up their mementos of the night’s main event. It’s their money of course, and they are free to spend it as they wish.

But I can’t help but think they’re misunderstanding the reasons which make these games so high profile in the first place.

Many will of course disagree. We all have our opinions, after all. But the more we allow our football stadia to succumb to the trappings of tourism, the more we diminish the value of what attracts so many people there in the first place.

2014: A year of sporting disasters waiting to happen

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Happy New Year. As the last of half priced Bucks Fizz and Shortbread biscuits are being bought from Harrods, and we all write 2013, before hastily scribbling it out to 2014, a nightmare for someone as meticulous with notes as myself, the sporting world picks up where it left off.

Unfortunately that means the same old racist, misogynistic, homophobic mess it was before we heralded in this New Year.

2013 was a good year for sports, was it not? We had a grown man bite another man in a Premier League game before returning like the prodigal son and a trigger-happy owner of a particular South-Wales club, to name a few atrocities.

This year, although things are looking worse, will hopefully start a revolution. Hopefully the corrupt bodies that run our sports will be left with serious questions to answer, and when their answers are insufficient, we can get rid of them like the bigoted bureaucrats they are.

 Hopefully people can see that the institutions that propose all these ethics don’t even attribute to them themselves.

Let’s start chronologically and go to Sochi 2014. As much as it pains me to say, I disagree with Stephen Fry on whether we should compete. We definitely should because we can’t leave our LGBTQ brothers and sisters alone. My argument is, Russia should not have been handed the games in the first place. I can’t see why the IOC wouldn’t have looked into human rights in Russia before this. It has been well established they have incredibly harsh lines on anything that wanes slightly from Orthodoxy.

I suppose this is the same committee that didn’t see anything wrong with the 1936 Summer Games, either.

Why international organizations insist on giving countries with extreme political agendas sporting events baffles me. The IOC could counter that it is simply for the greater good, spreading sport worldwide. But politics defeats sport. The LGBT activists, who have been beaten, jailed, harassed, aren’t going to care that a countryman or women won a gold medal.

Russia’s farcical attempt to gain face before the games is nothing more than Putin papering over cracks. The release of political prisoners Pussy Riot and Greenpeace activists branded ‘pirates’ show how far the country has to come.

The constant reassurance that homosexual’s can come to the games as long as they don’t spread their ‘homosexual propaganda’ or ‘impose their views on others’ is ridiculous. So ridiculous that the government hasn’t even came out to explain what ‘homosexual propaganda’ comprises of.

But not to worry, I’m sure that no other sporting organization will make the same mistake

Oh, wait.

Welcome Sepp Blatter to the stage. FIFA have seemed to try their upmost to make sure that the next three World Cups will be shrouded in controversy.

Starting in Brazil this year.

Although Brazil has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and is regarded as the ‘spiritual’ home of football, one has to question whether they could really handle of enormity of building the infrastructure of a World Cup and an Olympic Games in such quick succession.

Many of the stadiums are chronically behind on schedule. Particularly the stadium in the city of Curitiba that is facing severe questioning over whether or not it will be ready for the competition, and next week the stadium could be abandoned on orders of FIFA. The stadium which is supposed to hold the competition opener in mid-June had a disastrous accident in late November which saw two workers tragically loose their lives and also the stadium deadline be pushed back even further.

Even FIFA, often accused of ‘cozy-ing’ up to politicians has had to speak out. This came after building pressure from workers complaining over conditions after an un-tethered worker fell to his death working on the roof the a stadium, and expected protests as 80 per cent of the bill of the tournament, expected to be in the billions of dollars is being footed by public money.

More damming is that the money from the public was also supposed to support the infrastructure of the local area, not simply the stadiums. Many of these plans have since been cancelled.

But in a strange Twilight Zone-esque twist of fate, the next Olympic games will be in Rio and the next FIFA World Cup is in Russia.

Moving onto the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The problems with this tournament have been well documented as it is becoming increasingly obvious that the tournament will have disastrous effects on the European football calendar. The problems with this tournament are an amalgamation of the two previous examples. First of all there have already been accusations of slave labor to build the stadium, secondly they are an extremely conservative nation. Conservatism isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but problems will start in an alcohol-free nation when three lads from Leeds get rowdy.

Sports shouldn’t be confined to the West, it’s impertinent to say that. We have seen in the past that nations such as Greece have had problems completing stadia in the past. But it is equally as impertinent to suggest that there aren’t huge socio-economic reasons why other nations should have won the games instead. I have no doubts that the 2022 World Cup will be a hell of a show, but you can build all the human-anatomy shaped stadiums you like, if football fans get arrested for being football fans and players pass out from heat exhaustion, could it be considered a success?

Realistically, I would like to think these tournaments would show that it’s very much a case of who you know, than what you can offer. But in reality, once the drums are banging, and the girls are dancing in Brazil, the sounds of the protesters will be drowned out, and the blood on the stadiums will be washed off.

Manchester professor’s son in helium gas suicide tragedy

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in News.

Serious questions have been raised with the Home Secretary over the unrestricted sale of helium after the 23-year-old son of a University of Manchester professor took his own life with £18 worth of the gas, which can cause asphyxiation when inhaled excessively.

Matthew Satterthwaite, a physics student at the prestigious Royal Holloway College, London, had previously suffered from depression after having trouble settling in at university.

A psychiatrist in London had identified him as a suicide risk but the information was not transferred to his GP in Manchester when he moved back home after dropping out of university twice.

While his mother, Diana Mitlin, Professor of Global Urbanism at the University of Manchester, was working in Africa, he killed himself at his home in Chorlton-cum-Hardy.

He was learning Swahili with the aim to travel to Tanzania to teach Physics, and wanted to learn to drive before he left the country.

He had ordered the canister of helium, usually used for inflating party balloons, legally from the internet for £18 and kept it in his room before taking his life with it in September 2013.

A note was found nearby that read, “I can’t take this any more. It’s been years since I instigated anything,” but it is not known when this was written or what connection it had with the suicide.

A JustGiving page in his memory has raised more than £3,000 to support the work of youth projects in Tanzania.

Manchester Coroner Nigel Meadows said at the inquest into Matthew’s death that he would write to the Home Secretary, Theresa May, on the subject of regulating the sale of the gas.

He also said he would explain concerns about the lack of communication between mental health institutions, something that may help in the future to prevent further tragedy such as this.

“This is a big issue because people can’t get the records,” he said. “There is no national database. It doesn’t exist.

“I can write to the trust and explain this concern which is something I’m going to do.”

Students stage own lectures during strikes

Written by Anna Phillips on . Posted in News.

History undergraduates at the University of Warwick took it upon themselves to organise their own lectures in replacement of those cancelled by the recent union strikes.

Third year students used their old notes and lectured second year students, and second years lectured first years in an attempt to prevent students missing key exam material.

Academics and other university staff across the country staged walk-outs in protest of a one per cent pay increase offer. Staff members at Warwick have expressed disappointment due to the students’ decision to continue with lectures themselves.

Remy Osman, a second-year student at the University of Warwick who helped to organise the lectures, defended the reasons behind the students’ actions.

He told The Mancunion, “Those who organise the lecture and the others who come to them all feel that now we are on our sixth strike, they are having a negative impact on our education”.

Rather than ‘replacing’ the hard work of their lecturers, Osman said their actions were “an attempt to re-create the excellent lectures from which I have already made a lot of notes”.

Second-year History student Reece DeCastro, also at Warwick, told The Mancunion he did not have a firm opinion either way, but understands the reasons for organising the lectures.

“It is quite annoying to have lectures cancelled when we’ve been told that the topics might still come up in our exams,” he said. “That being said though, whether striking is the right way to go about it or not, I definitely think something needs to be done about our lecturers’ pay.”

Union strikes are planned to continue throughout February, including Monday 10th.

GPs charge students for mitigating circumstances letters

Written by Inez Dawoodjee on . Posted in News.

GPs are charging students for the provision of letters used as evidence in  mitigating circumstances and disability support applications.

Students have reported being charged between £10-£20 for letters stating that they are ill or require disability support.  Doctors by law are allowed to set their fees for providing paperwork for patients, but some students feel this is unreasonable.

Second year Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychology student Laura Ringrose submitted a form from the University’s Disability Support Office to her local GP.

“Without telling me, the GP charged me £16.50 for filling in a short disability form,” she said. “The form was not long and all they needed to do was write down the problem and their job title stating who they were.”

She added, “They only told me about the charge once they had filled in the form, so I had to pay either way. I think it is ridiculous.”

Dr David Rubra, a GP, commented on Pulse Magazine’s online forum, “ It is unreasonable to put this onus on GPs. Nine times out of 10 we have not seen the person during the relevant period and get asked to corroborate their stories of colds, flu, tiredness, and so on.”

He added, “We end up seeing hundreds of students with no medical problems, just needing a letter.”

Manchester graduates second most-targeted by recruiters

Written by Inez Dawoodjee on . Posted in News.

Manchester graduates are the second-most target group of students in the country, recently published research has indicated.

High Fliers Research found that graduates from the University of Nottingham and University of Manchester were targeted ahead of Oxford and Cambridge students at campus fairs, recruitment fairs and other promotion events. Top employers include large firms such as Google and Goldman Sachs.

A representative from the Career’s Service, Tammy Goldfield, said, “We are obviously very pleased our students are highly targeted by leading graduate recruiters and encouraged by the ongoing recovery of the graduate jobs market.”

The Times’ Good University Guide ranks Manchester as being the 25th   best university in the country, with Oxford and Cambridge ranking 1st and 2nd respectively.

Goldfield added, “Last academic year we saw an increase of seven per cent in vacancies advertised and our recruitment fairs were fully booked by employers.”

The report concludes that the “UK’s leading employers expect to recruit significantly more graduates in 2014,”  with the number of  entry-level vacancies set to increase by 8.7 per cent.  The largest growth is expected in public sector employers, accounting firms, investment banks, retailers and engineering and industrial companies.

The largest recruiters this year will be Teach First, PwC and Deloitte with over one thousand vacancies each.

Employers also have increased work experience placements for undergraduate students. Many graduate level positions are filled by students who have already had experience of working with the organisation.

Interview: The Family Rain

Written by Ruby Hoffman on . Posted in Music.

The Family Rain’s debut album Under the Volcano (“It’s actually the title of a book by the novelist Malcolm Lowry, and it was made into a film in the ‘80s.  Essentially, it’s about a drunk guy in Mexico, which is kind of something we always wanted to be…. Also, we write in the basement, so it kind of felt like an appropriate title in more ways than one”) dropped early this month, and I caught up with drummer Tim Walter as the band spends a couple of days in London.  The band had spent three weeks in Berlin recording, which Walter says was a good creative environment as “you can just feed of the city, really.  We were going to these incredible nightclubs, it was fucking mental”.  Even though their album has just come out, the band is already writing new songs.  “We’ve spent two years writing about forty finished songs, so it feels natural to be writing new material”, Walter explains.

The Family Rain narrowed down their selection of songs to the ten represented on Under the Volcano.  “We wanted the focus to be on individuality, finding ten individual songs that really spoke for themselves, and came from a real moment in time”.  Walter emphasizes the band’s desire to come up with songs that “mean a lot personally.  Will [lead vocalist and bassist] does the majority of the actual writing, but if any of us has an idea, we take it to the other two, and if they like it, we turn it into a song.”  He cites the positives of being in a band with all siblings, as “you can be brutally honest with each other, and no one takes it too personally…. We were all in bands [prior to starting the Family Rain], and no one was enjoying anything they were doing, and being in a band together gave us the absolute freedom to experiment with sound and technique.  Even though Ollie [guitarist] is more into the Metallica, Black Sabbath kind of thing, we all think the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are the greatest bands of all time, and we can collectively come together.  We were all working in stockrooms forty hours a week, until we kind of decided we could be making some pretty good music.  We’re not chart-chasers, we just write what we personally think sounds nice… it’s very self-indulgent, actually, and it’s hard to believe sometimes that it’s worked out so well”.

It has worked out well.  Walter reflects on the Family Rain’s last Manchester gig, which he says was “the best of the tour”, at the Ruby Lounge back in November.  “The last time we had played there, almost a year to the day, three people showed up, and this time around I think it was sold out.  It’s really a reflection on how far we’ve come”.  As well as headlining gigs, the band has been supporting huge artists like the Rolling Stones, Jake Bugg and Miles Kane.  “I think the biggest thing we’ve learned from supporting artists like that, just watching them perform, is about showmanship and stagecraft, how to better create set lists, things like that.  Also, especially on the Miles Kane tour, everyone was so accommodating, and it’s really good to know that the people at the top, they got there because they were nice about it”.

Walter reflects on some of the best moments the band has had in the past year.  “A big one was when we went down to London to meet with Jim Abbiss, who’s recorded the Arctic Monkeys, and basically we had to go into the studio, play for him, and then the next day we got a call saying he wanted to work with us.  That was huge.  Also, playing Ibiza Rocks supporting Biffy Clyro, just the aesthetics of it all, basically being inside the hotel and playing…. We only got to do that one show with them but it would be incredible to tour with them in the future”.  He says that Reading and Leeds were also highlights, stressing the importance of festivals “solely dedicated to the music”.

The band has also gotten notice for their attention to dress and style.  Walter agrees that fashion plays a role in the overall image of a band, and says that “I’m always conscious of the way I dress, the way any artwork is put together- we design everything and make sure we’re totally happy with the finished product.  As far as fashion goes, I think my icon is Bill Murray.  I saw a photo of him in a checkered suit the other day.  If I could go on stage rocking a checkered suit, I’ll have made it”.

Preview: Bugged Out Weekender

Written by Patrick Hinton on . Posted in Music.

Approaching their 20th anniversary, the impact of Bugged Out is hard to overstate. Existing from the days of putting on the likes of Daft Punk and The Chemicals Brothers at Sankeys for a fiver, they’ve become a mainstay of the UK dance music scene through their long standing commitment to hosting parties of the best dance music there is.

This is epitomised by the forthcoming Bugged Out Weekender, their very own festival, which marks the celebration of  their 20th year. The festival sees Bugged Out return to their spiritual home in the north of England. It boasts an absolutely massive line-up featuring some of the biggest and most important acts who have played at Bugged Out parties in the last two decades, as well as some of the hottest new talents on the scene.


Footage from the 2013 event

The Bugged Out Weekender takes place at Pontins in Southport, near Liverpool, on March 7th to March 9th. The location of a holiday park means this is a festival without the inconvenience and discomfort of tents and outdoor sleeping as all attendees stay in the chalets available inside Pontins. This also means that before the music starts at night there are plenty of activities on in the day ranging from go karts to arcade games to crazy golf, and best of all – pool parties, sound tracked by special guest DJs.

Onto the main attraction, the music – what a line-up it is.

Student favourites are well represented with the likes of Dusky, Boddika, Julio Bashmore, Jackmaster and George Fitzgerald appearing across the weekend. Let’s hope Jackmaster makes a tweak-a-holic appearance at a pool party, jumping up and down in a wave machine whilst disco classics from Whitney Houston and pop bangers from Carly Rae Jepsen ring out through the room sounds pretty ideal to me. Jack also shares his name with a terrific genre, of which no one is closer associated than Heidi. Her Jackathon parties never fail to make people jack their bodies.

Another DJ you can guarantee will get the room pumping whatever the location is the legendary DJ EZ, you’ve all seen the boiler room so you all know what this man can do. Experiencing it live has got to be a no-brainer. Also performing is Resident Advisor’s Number 1 DJ in the world for 2013, Dixon. He’s one of those DJs that takes you on a journey of blissful house and techno, with every set feeling truly special. There’s a reason he’s the top dog in the game right now.

A host of legends are on the bill, including Carl Craig, Dave Clarke, Kerri Chandler, Andrew Weatherall and Justin Robertson. With the pace that music evolves and moves at, only the very best stick around prominently for as long as these artists have. At the Bugged Out Weekender, they’ll show you why they remain so popular to this day.

Long term Bugged Out partner Erol Alkan plays, having performed 10 hour long sets for Bugged Out before, it’s clear this is a man you can trust to deliver near perfection. Alkan’s label signee Daniel Avery is also playing, producer of one of the best albums of 2013.

Also performing live across the weekend are Kölsch, Ten Walls and Todd Terje. The latter is making his UK live debut. He comes boasting a back catalogue of songs as euphoric as ‘Inspector Norse’ and ‘Strandbar’, his set is sure be a truly special event.

Tickets are on sale now at www.buggedoutweekender.net and are priced from £159pp, which includes accommodation.

Day tickets and tickets without accomodation are also available, priced at:
Friday 7th March:
Entry times 9pm-6am
£39.50 + bf

Saturday 8th March
Entry times 6pm-6am
£45.00 + bf

Sunday 9th March
Entry times: 5pm-3.30am
£29.50 + bf

Friday + Saturday + Sunday Weekend ticket without accommodation
£99.00 + bf

Opinion: Are music festivals just for Summer?

Written by Sam Bartram on . Posted in Music.

Music festivals have always been closely associated to the summer season with pop-up tents, crap weather and that token near-naked raver. However the growing trend of festivals being held at different times of year casts a certain dilemma over when really is the optimal moment to don the wayfarers and head knees deep into mud, cider and dance stages.

The likes of Bugged Out, Pleasure Principle and, to a smaller extent, Manchester’s very own Pangaea, have all grown on the back of demand for music festivals all year round. It seems for many dance-hungry students that summer is just too long to wait for the next weekend blowout. Yet there may be more practical positives to March music festivals than just getting your Jackmaster or DJ EZ fix. For example, the cost of festivals continues to increase steadily as summer inflation coupled with a thinner spread of artists arguably means you get more for your money at different times of the year. Even putting financial matters aside, the saturation of the British summer festival market has seen the popularity of European festivals surge – something that will not appeal to everyone, despite the idyllic settings and guaranteed sunshine.

Where does this leave us then? Well for those of us located in Manchester, the Bugged Out! Weekender offers a fresh mid-year alternative. With an established line up featuring many mainstay techno and house artists such as Joy Orbison, Ten Walls and Dixon, Bugged Out! gives a different edge in being held at everyone’s favourite family resort, Pontins. It’s not quite the Croatian coastline, in fact it’s far from it, but the idea of staying in apartments and having indoor pool parties is far more appealing than spending the weekend in a damp and poorly pitched tent. Whilst it might be easy to let out a little giggle at this choice of venue, the use of an old resort shows a level of ingenuity which surely creates intrigue to what the rest of the weekend might hold.

Not for one second would it be right to suggest that the summer music festival will remain anything other than dominant but as the niche that Bugged Out! is tapping into continues to grow, so will the number of festivals held across the year. With all things considered, March music festivals offer an alternative that should not be dismissed just because the name isn’t ‘Hideout’ or ‘Bestival’ – the financial and geographical practicalities mean that autumn, winter and spring time events such as the Bugged Out! Weekender should be penned into your festival schedule.

Album: Warpaint – Warpaint

Written by Alex Fenton on . Posted in Music.

Released January 17th, 2014

Rough Trade

7/10

The Warpaint quartet return with a tripped out journey into the stratosphere. The eponymous album sways through a deep lethargy and does not shy away from the dignified melancholy that has come to underpin their sound. However the experimental album appears as something of a regression, as effects detract from their talent. In itself, Warpaint is by no means a poor album, but alongside The Fool and standout EP Exquisite Corpse, it just doesn’t reach the same consistent heights.

Warpaint rekindles the tender harmonic vocals of before, but the meaning appears devoid of the emotion ‘Billie Holiday’ had epitomised. A greater presence of effects is perhaps the problem, as the vocal sound becomes too convoluted amongst the mist. Their earlier vocal work stood out for its raw individuality, as the focal point of their talent. Here, excessive effects (e.g. ‘Disco//very’) draw the focus away for them, whilst the lyrics scarcely seem to do them justice. Too much is going on where before simplicity held its own. Somehow the balance periodically loses itself within the effects, whilst even the guitar chords appear lacklustre in expression. Somewhere a footing is lost, as harmonies remain, but without the potency of before.

Fine moments do still appear amidst the album. The steadily built ‘Drive’ is one such track. Anchored dominantly between two chords, bubble-like picks and pleasant harmonies, this is Warpaint on form. ‘Biggy’ also draws attention, as a downbeat tempo reflects a more natural session of recording, over layered with semi-angelic vocals at their peak. Most consistent throughout the album is Jenny Lindberg’s bass. It’s not that she’s being particularly extravagant in the funk or jazz mould, it’s just she holds the tempo well and knows where the extra notes work.  In ‘Love is to Die’, a resonating bass verse shows her class, whilst her mellow sound is at the forefront on ‘Hi’ and ‘Feeling Alright’, where a dream pop sense comes into its own.

The progression from their previous work is by no means unnatural, as some fantastic songs arise from the album. The trouble is the space in between. It seems as though they’ve masked their ability with effects that indulge a little too far into the deep beyond. With time the album blossoms, but one can’t help but feel it’s unfinished.

Album: Mogwai – Rave Tapes

Written by Henry Scanlan on . Posted in Music.

Released 20th January, 2014

Rock Action Records

6/10

Let’s get one thing straight: the title of this new Mogwai album is misleading, and anyone hoping for something upbeat will frankly be disappointed. If any of these songs were dropped at a rave, the floor would clear pretty quickly. ‘Rave Tapes’ is instead an archetypal Mogwai album in which they recycle their tested techniques to varying degrees of effect. They’ve stuck with what they know: familiar Mogwai tropes on Rave Tapes are mostly pleasing but occasionally a little dull.

The album begins brimming with purpose. ‘Heard About You Last Night’ is an emotive opener, layered with echoing bells. ‘Simon Ferocious’ and ‘Remurdered’ are both unsettling and compelling, driven by throbbing, distorted bass lines. Pulsating synths are used again on ‘Deesh’ to jolting effect. It’s these droning sci-fi sounds that stick in the memory more than anything else on the album.

The sampled voiceover on ‘Repelish’, a rant from a radio host about Led Zeppelin’s satanic subliminal messaging, is a welcome voice and (presumably) pokes fun at rock music’s occasional bloated sense of importance. It also offers a glimpse of how Mogwai could incorporate vocals into their sound, but then the suffocated and unintelligible singing on ‘Blues Hour’ reminds us why they stick with the instrumentals. The album’s meatier moments are dampened by a number of ponderous tracks that don’t really go anywhere. Weaker songs on most bands’ albums are gone in 3 minutes; on a Mogwai album they stick around for at least 5 – kind of a mood killer.

In contrast to the bold first half, the second half of the album sees Mogwai retreating to their comfort zone (not necessarily a bad thing – ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ etc). Their sound is still grand and impressive, but the atmospheric songs that make up half of the album feel vague and hollow. Maybe, since their soundtrack work on Zidane and Les Revenants, they’ve fallen into the habit of wrapping their music around specific themes and aligning it with a narrative. Here, the music is sometimes empty and lacking in direction when standing on its own two feet. Maybe soundtracking is a logical career move for Mogwai. Their music is commonly referred to as ‘cinematic’.

Maybe it’s a criticism, maybe it’s a compliment, but I can’t help but think of ‘Rave Tapes’ as an excellent soundtrack to a movie that doesn’t exist.

From the Vault: The Ramones – Leave Home

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

Released January 1977

Sire Recrods

Released barely nine months after their classic debut, The Ramones’s second record consolidated their status as pioneers of New York’s burgeoning punk rock scene and proved their early success was no accident. Leave Home – so titled because of their then-fledgling ambition to tour the world – embellished and improved upon their frantic rock ‘n’ roll formula; the tempos are faster, the choruses are catchier and the lyrics are even more tongue-in-cheek.

“Gonna take a chance on her/one bullet in the cylinder/and in a moment of passion/get the glory, like Charles Manson” bleats Joey Ramone on ‘Glad to See You Go’, the album’s opening track, which serves to re-introduce listeners to both Johnny’s raucous guitar sound and Joey’s irreverent sense of humour. What sets Leave Home apart from their debut – and, in retrospect, the majority of their discography – however, is the increased influence of 60s girl groups such as The Shangri-La’s and The Ronettes: felt most obviously on doo-wop tinged tracks such as ‘I Remember You’ and ‘Oh Oh, I Love Her So’.

Other highlights in the album’s brief, 30 minute running time include ‘Carbona Not Glue’, an update of sorts to their prior mission statement ‘Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue’, and the breezy ‘Swallow My Pride’, which cheerily revels in the fact that “things were looking grim/but they’re looking good again”. Meanwhile, ‘Pinhead’ has become one of The Ramones’ most enduring tracks, due in part to its legendary “gabba gabba hey!” refrain. The Riviera’s ‘California Sun’, the album’s sole cover, is given the same treatment as the rest of the record, and may as well have been a Ramones song all along; its sunny, fun-time vibe fits right in with the rest of the tracks.

Leave Home is unlikely to change anyone’s life – in 2014, man can no longer live by three chords alone – but it stands as a snapshot of a hugely influential band on the rise, and even now remains a fun, refreshing listen.

Album: Bombay Bicycle Club – So Long, See You Tomorrow

Written by Lowell Clarke on . Posted in Music.

Released 3rd February, 2014

Island Records

5/10

It is amazing how much a band seems to change whilst still essentially staying the same. For all the exotic and far flung influences infused into their new album, Bombay Bicycle Club are still four North London boys with a stupidly funky name. They’re past the debut of indie teenage angst, the suprise folk and an unexpected electronic tangent third album – now what?

Nearly 3 years later, they finally answer. From the opening track of So Long, See You Tomorrow, ‘Overdone’, the new direction rings clear. Orchestral samples worthy of The Avalanches build to a massive atmospheric jam complete with tumbling slide riffs on Ed Nash’s bass guitar and Suren de Saram’s gigantic new drum sound. Lead singer and guitarist Jack Steadman’s voice sounds much more confident, whether with the trademark frailty or digital manipulation in the refrain of lead single ‘Carry Me’ – the strongest song on the album and possibly of their entire career to date.

Even on a single album, these aren’t the type of guys to repeat themselves. ‘Home By Now’ delivers the next tune to the backdrop of a beat built from harp and string samples. But annoyingly Bombay can’t seem to sit still on a single track either, as the hip-hop sample aesthetic soon gives way to the tried and tested methods of the guitar. ‘Whenever Wherever’ rides the wave of a classic breakbeat and solid synth riffs before swapping out for a slow, tender piano ballad that segues into new single ‘Luna’.

The less said about ‘Luna’ the better,  and the slow ‘Eyes Off You’ tries to make your eyelids feel extremely heavy in what seems like some sort of misguided apology. Yet if you listen carefully for the next 30 seconds, the start of ‘Feel’ is the best thing on the album. Samples of Arabian music intertwine with an electronic bass line to create a moment (tragically) cut short by yet another attempt to create a ‘dance inspired quirky indie track’. For a band that has gained so much ground with experimentation in the past, many of their new ideas come across as shallow and short-lived. At their worst, they seem to rely on past innovations with tons of production tricks that tie handfuls of interesting yet short and unconnected ideas together.

Idiotic Internet Trend of the Week: NekNomination

Written by Sophie Lipton on . Posted in Lifestyle.

The first time a “NekNomination” appeared on my Facebook news feed, I thought someone had been nominated for an award for doing something heartwarming for society. This feeling was quickly punctured after I pressed play and realised that downing a pint of beer and vodka – often infused with a gruesome ingredient, such as dog food – doesn’t deserve any recognition. It doesn’t even merit a Facebook update.

The viral hit – a “game” in which one one downs a pint on camera before nominating others to carry on the challenge in the space of 24 hours – began in Australia. From downing pints in uni kitchens, to drinking 568.3 milliliters in the middle of the road, the boundaries are pushed further and further with every video. The location is significant, but just downing an ordinary pint won’t do. In each video, it seems as though more spirits and more ingredients are added to the drink. I suppose it’s almost like X Factor, just without the glamour, talent, or dignity. (So maybe it’s not a million miles from X Factor after all…)

NekNominate is a form of cyber peer pressure, because breaking the chain will, supposedly, break your dignity. Sorry Mr. BNOC, no “lad points” for you there. However, like all short-lived internet crazes, this chain is already rusting – and it’s time to break free from its shackles. Already, people have died after attempting to be a part of the Facebook commotion, and for this reason it must end. I suppose it can’t be worse than Manchester’s own ‘Tower Challenge’ but at least that isn’t always filmed and uploaded onto Facebook for everyone to see. I’m not saying the ‘Tower Challenge’ is healthier. If you want to attempt something that won’t leave you feeling like death in the morning, go eat a salad. You have 24 hours. Good luck.

Top 5 Male Spring Trends

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Florals
When you think of spring, you think of flowers.  Unsurprisingly, many of the key designers at the various men’s fashion weeks were having a similar process of thought.  Whilst Gucci went bold with head to toe floral looks, AMI and Marc Jacobs kept it more wearable in the form of casual separates; probably one of the easier ways to inject some springtime bloom into your wardrobe.  And if all-over patterns aren’t really your thing, take inspiration from Raf Simons, who incorporated the popular theme in the form of large stand-alone floral graphics on sweatshirts.

Image: prada.com

Power Suits
Final Years take note; whether it be for graduation or the inevitable 9-5 hell that awaits you, the power suit should be your uniform of choice.  The tailoring for spring became a lot softer than it had been for previous seasons; lines were fluid, jackets were longer and pants were looser, meaning dressing with purpose has never been so comfortable.

Image: Butz2013

Fifties
It was only a matter of time before the almighty 90’s finally met its fashion match; and met its match it has.  When drawing sartorial influence from times past, you’ll now have to rewind by a further 40 years or so, and start looking to the 50’s.  Wider legs and large open collars were rife, notably at the likes of Prada and Missoni, whilst for further inspiration look no further than 50’s style icon James Dean, whose look was characterised by simple un-fussy basics.

asos.com

Sportswear
Sportswear has been a recurring trend on the men’s catwalks for as long as I can remember, and was once again back with force for 2014.  For those of you thinking ‘not again?’ this season presented some new and interesting twists on the trend, ensuring collections felt new and current.  Half zip rain jackets were a key piece; Kris Van Assche presented his in bold statement colours, a look that can easily be mimicked by picking up a more reasonably priced K-Way waterproof.

Image: urbanoutfitters.com

Blue

For those of you wanting to be on trend for spring, without being a slave to the mighty fashion powers that be, invest in something blue.  Chances are your wardrobes already full of it, and chances are you probably think I’m talking a crock of shit, but trust me, if GQ are saying its going to be big then it probably will be.  If you’re thinking ‘what shade?’ then don’t, all were covered from baby at Calvin Klein, to navy at Giorgio Armani, whilst Balmain went brave with not double, but triple blue denim.

 

Insta-eating disorder?

Written by Susie Coen on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Last week, while out for dinner, I was overcome by a horrible realisation. Me and four friends were out for sushi, totally engrossed in our gossip and unaware when our shashimi arrived in abdundance. Yet before I could say ‘can you pass the wasabi?’, the iPhones were out left right and centre, frantically snapping away to get that perfect shot for Instagram in the hope of enticing those extra followers. I thought to myself, this isn’t normal.
Now, I’m not trying to place myself on a pedestal, and there have been multiple occasions where I’ve been confronted with paella that looks so good I simply have to share it with my adoring followers (all 44 of them), but this cult of Instagramming has become so second nature to our generation that it overshadows some of the dangerous messages that can be conveyed. The promotion of fad diets through trending phrases such as #22daysvegan #fastdiet #eatcleantraindirty creates a platform for likeminded people to encourage and reassure one another that this type of behaviour is normal. I’m not suggesting that eating well and exercising isn’t a positive way of life that we should all try to achieve. We all want those toned long legs to flaunt as we strut across the beach in summer and a flat stomach to match, but it’s the way we are bombarded with images, hashtags and ‘lifestyles’ which tell us that this obsession with what you eat and how many squats you do is a positive and natural mental outlook.
Intrigued to see if these ‘trends’ went further I tried searching for #eatingdisorder and #anorexia and was shocked to see a plethora of images for me to feast my eyes upon which were actively endorsing mental illnesses. Bulimia was documented through images of vomit in the toilet with accompanying hashtags such as #bingeandpurge. There were photos of drastically underweight girls with comments which complimented and encouraged their hard work along with images of ‘inspirational’ quotes such as ‘keep calm and the hunger will pass’.

I was stunned not simply by what I had found but also by how easily I had found it: through a simple search I had access to thousands of images. It astounds me that a company as formidable as Instagram allow these images to roam so freely on their social networking app. It dawned on me that the line between images of healthy quinoa salads, motivational messages to achieve impeccable abs and these Instagrams of bulimia and anorexia was perhaps much finer than one thinks.

Of course we are all hankering for that body for summer. With spring approaching our motivation multiplies and we cannot escape the reiteration of ‘new year new you’ from every magazine. Yet if an innocent Instagram of a sushi meal can all add to this complex culture of obsession we need to reconsider the images which fashion powerhouses at the top are projecting through these social media networks and realign the compass of normality.

Images: Instagram @carolemch; @iwillworkforit

Top 5 happily ever after books

Written by Elizabeth Linsley on . Posted in Books.

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

The book that inspired so many films, books, the best TV series ever and whose first line is undoubtedly one of the most famous in English literature is both undeniably romantic and sharply funny. Any slushy romance is brilliantly balanced by Lizzie Bennet’s cutting tongue and some of the best literary characters ever written: dastardly Wickham, drippy Mr Collins and the mortifying Mrs Bennet.

2. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J. K. Rowling

The final instalment of the adventures of Harry and his pals answers all our big questions: “Will good triumph over evil?” “Is Snape really a baddie?” and “Will Harry and Ginny finally get it on?” Yes they will, for at least the next nineteen years.

3. A Room with a View by E. M. Forster

Lucy Honeychurch finds not only love in this fabulously witty novel but also a way to open her mind and see that the world is much bigger and more interesting than her seemingly idyllic Surrey village. The classic film adaptation, with its beautiful Italian scenery and excellent one-liners, is always well worth a watch.

4. The Yellow Wallpaper and Other Stories by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The titular story of this collection is an astounding but harrowing account of descent into madness. Other stories in the collection, notably ‘Three Thanksgivings’ and ‘Making a Change’ are perfect for those of you sick of love hearts and smug couples, as they show two women creating their own happy endings.

5. You Had Me at Hello by Mhairi McFarlane

This is a real rom-com of a book that is genuinely funny and has a believable ‘will-they-won’t-they’ plot. It is a lovely, cheery tale set in our very own Manchester, which gives our rain-washed streets a romantic, moonlit hue.

It’s a date!

Written by Beth Currall on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Valentine’s Day creeps upon us every year, and we all share the same despair, panic and frustration when making plans, whether we’re coupled up or riding solo. However, Manchester is bursting at the seams with quirky, romantic things to do this Friday, so Lifestyle have hand-picked some of the best options for all you lovely readers.

 

Intellectuals

Want to take your beau on an interesting, yet mentally stimulating date? One of the best places to take them would be the Manchester Museum, which not only allows you to keep the topics of conversation flowing but is also free to enter- probably best you treat your other half to a meal afterwards however, to avoid looking like too much of a cheap-skate. Fancy something a bit more chilled? Catch an independent film or an exhibition at the Cornerhouse. Gaming enthusiasts should get down to Friday Night Magic couple’s special at Fatboy 3 in the Northern Quarter, which, according to its advertisement, ‘requires smooching’.

Image conscious couples

Don’t try and pretend, we know there are loads of couples out there who can’t wait to find a place to spend Valentine’s Day that will provide a great backdrop for your PDA Instagram photos. The Alchemist bars are being transformed into Love Labs for the evening, but pairs are advised to reserve places online at www.thealchemist.uk.com . You could also take a turn on the Manchester Wheel, priced at a mere £6 for students (just gently remind your date to bring along their NUS card). For those who really want to splash out, The Podium restaurant and bar area inside the Hilton Hotel have created a special wine and dine menu for £60 per couple. With those jaw-dropping views, you’re bound to get a few likes on those soppy selfies.

 

Singletons

Who says you have to be loved up to enjoy Valentines? Grab your mates and a bottle of Sainsbury’s Basics vodka, and get yourself down to some of the amazing club nights Manchester has to offer. Gorilla is hosting Juicy: The Players’ Ball, where you’re guaranteed back-to-back floor fillers and a feel-good atmosphere. Sankeys are also paying homage to the romantic day with a Music is Love special, but if it’s a true cheesy night you’re looking for, Sound Control’s most popular night, Cherry, returns  to ensure that any sad singleton will have a cheap drink in their hand and a smile on their face by midnight.

 

Debate: Does a relationship enhance your university experience?

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Lifestyle.

ELLA: YES

Before I begin, a disclaimer. It’s really not my intention to sound smug here. But it has to be said: there are many great things about being in a relationship at university. For most people, uni is the first time you’re able to really experience something close to an adult relationship. You don’t have to worry about your parents or siblings walking in on you or hearing anything that they shouldn’t (there are housemates to consider, of course, but that’s far less embarrassing!). Being able to make dinner for your boyfriend or girlfriend in your own house – your own food, your own wine – feels almost like being a proper grown-up, and that’s quite exciting. Embarking on a relationship away from home definitely feels like taking an extra step into becoming your own person, clichéd as that may sound.

There are practical (and somewhat selfish) reasons for wanting to be with someone at university, too. Your housemates might be great, but they’re not necessarily going to bring you a cup of tea and a cuddle the morning after a big night – they’re more likely to be in their own beds, nursing their own hangovers. In addition, university life can sometimes feel quite overwhelming. Whether it’s the pressure of an intense workload or drama within an extended friendship group, it can be a great relief to know you’ve got someone to lean on and escape with.

Of course, university relationships have their issues. One big one is that things can get very intense, very quickly, and it’s easy to feel smothered or like you’re missing out on other things. Living in your own houses, free from parental interference, can mean that you end up essentially living together, and it’s all too easy to spend nights out draped across your significant other before heading home to bed with them. And then, panic! Suddenly you realise you don’t know any of the latest gossip and you haven’t actually had a good dance with your mates in weeks. It’s so important to get the balance between friends, work and a relationship right, and I think being at university does make achieving that balance more difficult.

I’ve only been in a relationship since my second year of uni, and for that, I’m glad, as I think being in a whirlwind romance from the very beginning might have made it trickier to make solid friendships in first year. Overall, though, I can’t imagine my time at Manchester without my relationship – it’s made it what it is in so many ways.

 

NO: Beth Currall

I am well aware that everyone is different, but I have no shame in admitting that I am not a relationship person in the slightest, at least during this point in my life. University is one of the most exciting times of our lives, and I simply fail to see how being tied down would enhance this experience. Granted, there are a few couples who manage to create time for their work, friends and their other halves, but a relationship with this kind of balance is like gold dust- at any age. I can see why people desire the affection and the company, but why now? Why during uni?

When I wake up after a night out, I don’t want to turn over to someone next to me begging for cuddles or getting in my face. I want to lie in bed, stuff my face and cry over all the embarrassing things that I did. And on said night out, I want to be pathetically intoxicated, dance with my friends and have the chance to meet new people without having to look over my shoulder for my boyfriend’s approval. If I stumble out of the club at four, or mooch away at one because I’m pissed off and not drunk enough, I can do that without having to let anyone know. I am almost 100% sure that I have commitment issues, but I just can’t even fathom the idea of having to inform someone of my whereabouts, or receive the go-ahead for my plans. I came to uni for independence, not to be parented.

I don’t think I would have made the close friendships I have made at Manchester, had I found a partner early on. In fairness, my best friend and I have what I imagine a university relationship would be like: she is my rock, the person I go to for everything, and I would be utterly lost without her. However, we remain our own people; we have separate friends and interests here, and that sense of liberty is crucial for university life. I personally think that I would have been inhibited had I got into a relationship during my first year, and that time really lays the foundation for the two or three years to come after Fresher’s.

Although I look forward to falling in love and eventually (hopefully) marrying one day, the life I lead here in Manchester couldn’t be further removed from ‘settled’, and that is exactly what I wanted out of my university experience. I didn’t come here to find love, I came here to have the time of my life, get myself a degree, and in all honesty, to find out who I really am. And once I’ve found that out, maybe then I’ll be ready to get into a relationship.

Remember: the University of Manchester Counselling Service can be contacted for all sorts of reasons. If you’re struggling with relationship issues, feeling down after a break-up, or experiencing loneliness, don’t be embarrassed to get in touch at http://www.studentnet.manchester.ac.uk/counselling/.

The Greatest Celebrity Couples of All Time

Written by Moya Crockett on . Posted in Lifestyle.

1. Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton

She was the violet-eyed star of Hollywood’s Golden Age, “the most beautiful woman in the world”; he was a serious Shakespearean actor, a brooding Welshman with a fiery temper. Their tempestuous affair caused a scandal when it began on the set of Cleopatra in 1961 and has fascinated the world ever since. ‘I wish I could tell you of my love for you, of my fear, my delight, my pure animal pleasure of you – (with you) – my jealousy, my pride, my anger at you, at times,” Taylor wrote in a 1974 letter to Burton. “Most of all my love for you, and whatever love you can dole out to me.” It’s the stuff of movies, except it was real.

 

Photo: Quicheisinsane on Flickr Photo: Quicheisinsane on Flickr

2. Johnny Depp and Kate Moss

This turbulent, hard-partying relationship didn’t last, but Christ, was it photogenic while it did. For four years in the mid-90s, Johnny and Kate’s matching cheekbones, leather jackets, and insouciant attitudes made them the coolest couple in the world. They eventually split in 1998. (Incidentally, the pair are banned for life from New York’s Mark Hotel, after they caused $9,767 worth of damage in the presidential suite. Depp blamed the damage on an armadillo hiding in his closet. The animal was never found.)

 

Photo: Steve Jurvetson on Flickr

3. Barack and Michelle Obama

Barack’s politics are often divisive in 2014 – the starry-eyed young President of 2008 seems a long way off, doesn’t he? – but his 24-year relationship with Michelle has always been difficult to fault. Their charm lies in their apparent normalcy (she likes gardening, he plays basketball, sometimes they bicker) and the fact that, while he might be the most powerful man in the world, she’s never lived in his shadow. Fist bump for Barack and Michelle!

 

Photo: Kate Gabrielle on Flickr

4. Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy

The love affair between movie stars Hepburn and Tracy lasted for twenty-seven years, but was never acknowledged during Tracy’s lifetime. Racked with Catholic guilt, Tracy could not bring himself to divorce his estranged wife, while Hepburn was fiercely independent and uninterested in marriage. Nevertheless, the pair’s electric on-screen chemistry – they starred in nine films together – left audiences in little doubt as to the true nature of their relationship. When Tracy died in 1967, Hepburn was at his side. “”Love is nothing to do with what you are expecting to get,” she would later say. “Only with what you are expecting to give, which is everything.”

 

Photo: David Shankbone on Flickr.

5. Iman and David Bowie

Perhaps the most unlikely and most fabulous power couple on this list, Brixton-born space oddity David Bowie and Somali supermodel Iman Mohamed Abdulmajid first met in 1990. According to Bowie, it was love at first sight: “I was naming the children the night we met.” While Iman has spoken of her admiration for her husband’s outré fashion sense, she doesn’t borrow any of Bowie’s outfits: “Honey, I have hips. They’d never fit.” Married for 22 years, they prefer to stay out of the limelight, splitting their time between Manhattan and New York.

 

Photo: Skw234567 on Flickr

6. Beyoncé and Jay-Z

They’ve been together since B was 20, and any other year, the number one spot on this particular chart would have belonged to pop culture’s king and queen. Unfortunately, though, Jay and Bey seem to have missed the memo that domestic abuse = not romantic. In his rap on Beyoncé’s recent single ‘Drunk in Love’, Hova appears to glamourize Ike and Tina Turner’s violent relationship, which, frankly, is just a bit tragic. We still love you, Queen B, but have a word.

 

Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf

7. Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf

Writers Vita and Virginia began their relationship as professional associates before becoming friends and, then, lovers in the 1920s. Their romance lost momentum around 1928 – the year Woolf published Orlando, a semi-biographical novel based partially on Vita’s life – but the women maintained a deep friendship until Woolf’s death in 1941. Perhaps remarkably for the time, both women’s husbands were accepting of the affair between their wives. “You have no idea how stand-offish I can be with people I don’t love,” Vita wrote in a 1926 letter to Virginia. “I have brought it to a fine art. But you have broken down my defences. And I really don’t resent it.”

 

Photo: Dollyyblush on Flickr

8. Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake

It was the ultimate pop-star romance of the late 90’s: two God-fearin’ Southern teens fresh out of Mickey Mouse Club, with bleach-blonde hair, perfect abs and not a whiff of sex about them. Their 2002 split, amid rumours of Brit’s infidelity, inspired Justin’s classic break-up anthem “Cry Me a River” and (less fortunately) preceded Britney’s infamous meltdown. At least we’ve got the memories.

 

9. Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton

They work together constantly, live in separate houses, and dress like ageing Victorian urchins crossed with Camden goths. But despite all the outré eccentricity, they’ve always seemed like one of cinema’s most reliably rock-solid pairings. Recent photos of Tim kissing a blonde woman in Manhattan broke our heart. If those crazy kids can’t make it, who can?

 

… and the worst

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. Photo: Accidental Paparazzi on Flickr

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West

Keeping the Daily Mail Online’s comment section buzzing since 2012, it’s Kimye! Kanye tweets things like “I just f***ed Kim so hard,” while Kim goes on Ellen DeGeneres to talk about losing her virginity. It’s narcissism beyond the point of parody, although that didn’t stop Seth Rogen and James Franco trying in their spot-on piss-take of the ‘Bound 2’ video. Do you think if we ignore them, they’ll just go away?