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Month: September 2014

Opinion: Getting the Band Back Together

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

To an adoring music fan, few events are harder to stomach than the announcement that one of your favourite bands are parting ways. The realisation that this is the end of the road—that you’ll never see them onstage again, that the new masterpiece you’ve been waiting for will never come—can give rise to strangely personal feelings, despite you never having known these individuals personally.

I myself was just a starry-eyed youngster when R.E.M. last came to the UK back in 2008. Having been offered a chance to go, I politely declined, for reasons I now admittedly cannot fathom. “Don’t worry, Dad,” I said, “I’ll catch them next time round.”

They then proceeded to split up forever.

But, as inconsolable as learning I missed my only chance to see my favourite band made me, in a way it could be worse. Because if there’s one thing that’s more frustrating than leaving us wanting more, it’s when bands – years, sometimes even decades down the line—refuse to leave their legacies alone; and unfortunately, in an age where enduring and timeless music is getting harder to come by, the reunion tour epidemic is fast becoming an everyday reality. But why?

Popular opinion suggests that these reunions are so frequent nowadays simply because they’re a tried and tested business venture; if the public demand is there, the effort-to-gains ratio can be astounding. The recent Libertines’ reformation, for example, was, by their own admission, a shameless money making exercise which saw Carl Barat and Pete Doherty each earn around half a million pounds for a single show. And they’re not the only ones—The Stone Roses reunion was reportedly motivated by Ian Brown’s eye-watering divorce bill, whilst The Replacements returned to the live arena with the selfless aim of helping fund ex-guitarist Slim Dunlap’s medical treatment following a stroke.

For others, it’s a matter of pride and sense of entitlement. When Billy Corgan revived the Smashing Pumpkins in 2006 after a short stint in (the infinitely less successful) Zwan, he lamented, “I want my band back, and my songs, and my dreams,” and set out to do so, albeit with only the drummer agreeing to return. Similarly, in what is probably the most infamous of all comebacks, Axl Rose single-handedly took ownership of the Guns N’ Roses moniker and replaced the entire band with a revolving door of faceless session musicians, releasing a lone, overblown mess of an album (2008’s Chinese Democracy) since then, robbing their discography of the chance to quit while ahead. It’s an all too familiar pattern, trying to recapture old magic when the moment has long since gone.

There are exceptions, of course—The Police’s victory lap was a fun and tasteful nostalgia exercise, and Blur’s sporadic reappearances have triumphantly cemented their status as national treasures. But for every Blur success, it seems there’s several No Doubts. And really, in 2014, does anyone need No Doubt?

GMP Launch New Initiative in Anticipation of Increased Crime Towards Students

Written by Lauren Gorton on . Posted in News.

Greater Manchester Police have launched their Student Safe operation as more than 80000 students return to Greater Manchester in time for the new term. The Student Safe initiative for this year coincides with Project Ark, targeted at reducing burglaries in the Fallowfield, Ladybarn, Withington and Didsbury areas.

The initiative was launched in anticipation of an increase in crime towards students within the traditional student areas of South Manchester, with statistics showing that, last year, one in ten crimes reported in Manchester were committed against students.

Police warn of one of the most commonly committed crimes against students being burglary, one in three of which occur as a result of an insecure window or door.

In a GMP press release Chief Inspector Arif Nawaz said: “Students bring with them between £5000 and £10000 of high-tech gadgets and technology per five-student household. This includes a smartphone, laptop and TV, all of which are items craved by thieves.

“Many of these items hold more than a financial value, in fact your laptop alone contains music collections, photos and for those second and third year students lecture notes and work which contribute to your final grade.

“But unfortunately with the excitement of being away from home and their new environment, some students can become complacent with their home and personal security. Simple steps can prevent them from being a victim of crime.”

As part of the initiative, GMP will be increasing patrols in student areas including mounted and tactical aid units, with intercept teams targeting travelling criminals such as thieves who last year used bicycles to steal mobile phones in the streets.

In addition to increasing patrols, GMP are also delivering a series of talks to students via the university and have uploaded a selection of short videos to their YouTube account urging students to remain safe whilst out and about. Furthermore, GMP are advising students to download their mobile app which features a GPS navigation system to Student Safe Zones which can be used if students are feeling unsafe.

Can’t get into a University team? Don’t sweat!

Written by Will Kelly on . Posted in Sport.

Sadly, university sport teams operate on a different level to what you may have experienced in school or college. Trials are a shambles. For most teams, your trial would be you in your most hung over state, lumping your body around and trying to stand out in the midst of thousands. Schools and colleges, however, allow you the opportunity to show that you can improve on a weekly basis. Try not to be hard on yourself if you don’t get into the team straight away because it is difficult. Having been told to my face that I would most likely be in, I was really aggrieved to find out that I hadn’t made it, even more so because I found this out online.

But it’s certainly not the end of the world as the University runs very competitive leagues for societies. In terms of football, the standard is very competitive with 50 teams playing across five divisions. Playing at Wythenshawe sports ground, games come thick and fast as you’re not only competing in the league but there are also numerous cup competitions to play in. Other sports include rugby and netball, and there are also chances to participate in mixed hockey and mixed basketball teams. This is a great way to meet new people and the socials are certainly interesting! So get involved and get playing!

Review: A Most Wanted Man

Written by James Moules on . Posted in Film.

It would be near impossible—or at least a shade insensitive—for me to open this review without noting that Most Wanted Man features Philip Seymour Hoffman’s last lead performance before his untimely death earlier this year. He was one of the greatest character actors of our time, and his presence on the silver screen will be sorely missed. Despite this sadness at his departure, I was delighted to discover that A Most Wanted Man features one of Hoffman’s greatest performances; he truly did go out on a high note.

Based on the novel by spymaster John le Carré, A Most Wanted Man gives us a wise and thrilling parable about the hunt for Islamic extremists in post-9/11 Germany. When a potential terrorist enters Hamburg illegally, German special agent Günther Bachmann (Hoffman) seeks to use him as a tool to get at valuable financiers of Islamic terrorism.

Both the German authorities and the omnipresent American observers are on Bachmann’s back, watching his every move carefully; they are just as eager to use him as he is eager to use the immigrant Islamist, creating a web of paranoia and treachery around this apparently simple manhunt. When a young lawyer (Rachael McAdams) and a corrupt banker (Willem Dafoe) become potential obstacles for Bachmann, he is forced to battle against both the clock and German law to get what he needs.

Film adaptations of le Carré novels often end up being very strong pieces of cinema (see the 2011 masterpiece Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), and A Most Wanted Man is no exception. As well us giving us a richly intelligent and entertaining spy thriller, the film also gives us an all too relevant look at how the so-called War on Terror has warped human society. A Most Wanted Man makes the point of noting how much of a cosmopolitan jewel Hamburg was in the days before 9/11. The Hamburg we see in the film, on the other hand, is a sinister place that is ridden with xenophobia and widespread mistrust. Nobody cares that the aforementioned immigrant was tortured and imprisoned in Russia and Turkey; the only important question is if he is going to set off a bomb. To anyone living in what we call the Western world in the shadow of 9/11, this attitude must seem eerily familiar.

But A Most Wanted Man is far from being a one-note bombardment of socio-political allegory; it’s a deeply compelling study in how the War on Terror has either harmed or completely destroyed the lives of what would be perfectly ordinary people in other circumstances. When such a shining example of cosmopolitanism as Hamburg becomes a place where people don’t trust you because of your skin colour or religious beliefs, you know that something’s gone very wrong in the world. And it is in this world that our host of characters has to live and work. It’s far too subtle for it to be called a nightmare. I think ‘bad dream’ would be far more fitting, or perhaps ‘good dream gone sinister.’ I think you get the idea.

This complex and sinister world would not have been made possible without fantastic direction from Anton Corbijn and an array of stellar performances from the cast. As you probably guessed already, it’s the late Philip Seymour Hoffman who gives us the film’s greatest piece of acting. He gives us a phenomenally nuanced character that is cunning, manipulative and driven in his goal to protect Germany from terror. I think that Oscar voters should keep his work in this film at the forefront of their minds.

Although I’d argue that it doesn’t quite reach the same titanic levels that Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy did three years ago, A Most Wanted Man is still an outstanding addition to the spy film canon that proves once again that le Carré is a master of his game. It’s an atmospheric and entertaining tale that not only gives us a great spy movie, but also serves as a fine swansong for the great Philip Seymour Hoffman.

5/5

The LGBT World and Religion—Friends or Foes?

Written by David Brierley on . Posted in Opinion.

At the age of thirteen I recall being a die-hard atheist, dismissing thousands of years of religious belief in overly generalised statements. I’d like to say five years of maturation has quenched that somewhat.

I used to think that people who fell into the LGBT spectrum were, by birth, at odds with the mainstream religions of the world—that homophobia was a product of religious fundamentalism. And yet, I have met gay Christians and homophobic atheists.

But, we must accept that no matter the personal faiths of those we meet, the doctrine of many world religions—especially those of the Abrahamic faiths, have little good to say of LGBT people. I have known fundamentalist Christians who are accepting of minority sexual groups—but even they seemed constantly concerned for the wellbeing of those who fell outside the heteronormative majority. Is it therefore possible to balance an adherence to scripture and an acceptance of LGBT people?

I am not a religious person, and my study of the Abrahamic texts is biased at best, but I believe it is possible to balance these. It is entirely possible to be a devout person of faith, and a tolerant and open-minded person; to say the two are mutually exclusive is itself close-minded.

Fundamentalism and extremism are not the same thing—and the news reports of the actions of Islamic State should not be seen as anything but individuals twisting doctrine. I, for example, do not think you have to become close to hospitalization to have a good time—but I’m not going to go preaching about that because, quite simply, it doesn’t bother me.

This is the distinction between disagreement and intolerance. We are all fundamentalist about something. It could be as trivial as the best Pringle flavour, or as comprehensive as animal rights. Even if you believe something is ungodly, that doesn’t force you to be an enemy of its people, or treat them with disdain.

Similarly, just because someone has disagreed with something that defines you, doesn’t automatically make them your enemy. Intolerant attitudes towards a part of a human being, a part that makes up a tiny proportion of a multifaceted human being is wrong. Intolerant beliefs and hatred towards a person because they disagreed or act otherwise should never be seen as the same.

Album: Alt-J – This Is All Yours

Written by Alex Daniel on . Posted in Music.

Released 22nd September

Infectious

8/10

Alt-J’s sophomore album was always going to be a challenge. The departure of member Gwil Sainsbury cast their future into doubt at the start of the year, and their hugely popular award winning debut, An Awesome Wave, was hailed as one of the albums of the decade. How could they possibly live up to it, especially one man down?

Their defiant response of a second album, This Is All Yours, does enough to silence the doubters, but perhaps won’t induce quite the level of delight as the first. However, this conceivably owes to a slight maturation in sound, so it’s not all bad. They haven’t quite let go of their pots ’n’ pans vibe, but neither are they living in the shadow of tracks such as ‘Breezeblocks’ and ‘Tessellate’, forging on and sounding more organic.

‘Intro’ begins a capella, lyrically nonsensical and minimalistic, before the layers build up to a sitar-laced, hypnotic banger of an instrumental. Then, as soon as they’ve got you going, they slow you right down again with ‘Arrival In Nara’, the first of a trilogy concerning the Japanese city. The bare first two minutes of a single soft guitar and piano is again sonically uncharacteristic, before the more energised but melancholy ‘Nara’. The song energises the album once again, but make what you will of the lyric “love is a pharaoh and he’s boning me.”

The trip continues with the more well-known ‘Every Other Freckle’ and the blues rock pastiche, ‘Left Hand Free’, before breaking back into geography with ‘Garden Of England’, ‘Choice Kingdom’ and ‘Warm Foothills’. These provide calming interludes either side of the first single, ‘Hunger Of The Pine’, controversially (yet ironically) sampling Miley Cyrus singing “I’m a female rebel.” While this lacks the idiosyncratic intensity of previous singles, misty electronica has a relaxing effect. Conversely, in ‘Bloodflood pt. II’, the lyrical themes of confrontation and aggression, matched by the instrumental, have impetus – if anything the vocal is more sinister for its melodic tenderness.

This Is All Yours is less overtly brash than its predecessor, reflected in the bittersweet final track, ‘Leaving Nara’, which rounds off the trilogy. It is arguably less distinctive than An Awesome Wave, and perhaps it won’t live as long in immediate memories, but this album still stands alone as an impressive piece.

Live: Luke Sital-Singh

Written by Joe C. Evans on . Posted in Music.

13th September

Gorilla

8/10

Following low key support slots from Gynmast and Karima Francis, the latter baring an uncannily familiar appearance evoking Pattie Smith and any of the Ramones, Luke Sital-Singh enters to an audience apparently in a state of reverie. Wading through the purple light that illuminates the smoky Gorilla stage, Sital-Singh delivers not a word to his audience, launching instead straight into set opener ‘I Have Been A Fire’.

The power of Sital-Singh’s voice is immediately evidenced, far exceeding anything that could be expected from his tame recordings. His originally dour demeanour quickly fades away. Following third song ‘21st Century Heartbeat’, Sital-Singh tells his energetic audience “this is quite depressing music, don’t forget.” Later he will invite them to join him in celebrating ‘deprestival’, his response to “too many fucking festivals.”

Parallels could be drawn to Jeff Buckley in Sital-Singh’s performance. Soaring, often biting, vocals accompany guitar playing that set him ahead of rival heartbroken singer-songwriters. His stage persona? Sarcastic—he’s unimpressed. The only stumble in an otherwise flawless set comes when Sital-Singh botches the opening of ‘Honest Man’ from his debut EP Fail For You. Even this is passed off—”it’s a shit song anyway,” declares the singer-songwriter, visibly feeding off an audience he brands “the best on the tour.”

For a young performer, Sital-Singh evidences both his confidence and his inherent ability to craft songs of genuine sensitivity. Set closers ‘Nothing Stays the Same’ and ‘Fail for You’ hold the crowd at total attention, the first rousing a massive sing-along in the small, full to capacity, venue. “If you want another hour, pay another tenner” he tells his audience as he leaves the stage. His coolness, however, is undermined by the beaming smile that accompanies him as he scampers backstage, away from his plaudits.

Opinion: Rage Against the Mau5chine

Written by Lowell Clarke on . Posted in Music.

Dark clouds gather over Disneyland. Lawyers scurry into position, their pens and paper prepared to fend off the oncoming assault. At the gate, Deadmau5 stands tall in the name of all things electronic and mousey…

If this sounds ridiculous, you’d be 100 per cent right. The currently unfolding legal battle between Disney and Deadmau5 isn’t the last stand of one musician against the corporate machine. It’s just a clash of two big money making interests, plain and simple.

What does Deadmau5 owe Disney? Take a look. The mask that transforms Joel Zimmerman into Deadmau5 is at best a blatantly twisted caricature of Mickey Mouse. At its worst, it’s an insight into Mickey’s weekends off, blowing off steam by dabbling in some ‘Disneys’ or ‘Nintendos’ – or whatever the kids down in Orlando call them these days. Either way it’s clearly the famous cartoon critter whether you’re 5 or 15 and that’s the point. Deadmau5’s live show feeds off this whole idea—the video game visuals and cartoon animations that illuminate the audience also bring them back to a place of happiness within their childhood.

Deadmau5’s success and the infamy of his live shows makes it clear that he’s doing this well. But to turn around and copyright what is blatantly derived from a well-known icon of childhood – the Deadmau5 head from the mickey head – is disrespectful to the underlying influences that differentiate him from the rest of the soulless swathes of EDM producers. Getting the copyright doesn’t make his music any better, nor his shows any brighter. He’ll only make it harder for others to take cues from him as he has from Disney. Ultimately, it just takes him one step closer to becoming yet another bland, entertainment based, corporate entity.

Photo Of The Week

Written by Holly Smith on . Posted in Arts.

“This is a small shop I found in Valencia while I spent two months there au pairing. I thought it was really retro and so unusual for a shop so I took a quick photo. I think it is now one of my favourite pictures I’ve ever taken.”

If you have a photo that you would like to share, email [email protected]

Where Are The Women In Art?

Written by Holly Smith on . Posted in Arts.

Emma Watson’s deeply moving speech about gender equality at the UN conference last week in New York sparked many controversial debates throughout social media. Her message was clear. Gender equality is at the forefront of our modern world and it is the men who need to play a greater role in ending the inequality that we still see today. While her speech was generally supported, she still saw a backlash and has also been targeted with threats.

The era of the ‘hierarchal household’ has recently become a thing of the past, today we regularly see women working full time and men cooking and cleaning, but challenges still arise all across the world.

Emma’s speech is highly important, but why has society only decided to do something about it now? Why was this not voiced hundreds of years ago?

Before the outbreak of the World Wars, one of a woman’s only way of communicating her opinion was through art. It was expected of a woman to be able to draw, however all the major fine art galleries in the world, be it the Louvre in France or the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York hold collections upon collections of various prolific male artists. Women, however, seem to be scarce.

There is no lack of art to have been created by females; if anything, more women drew than men in the years preceding the wars. But there were huge economic and social barriers that women just could not negotiate while their male counterparts could. In 1882 a law called the Married Property Act was passed and this meant that a man effectively owned all of his wife’s property. This vast differentiation in power between the sexes meant that women who wanted to pursue her art career were completely dependent upon their husbands giving them permission.

However, in a male dominated industry, women were not considered to be serious contributors to the field of art and had great difficulty in obtaining a public showing, even once they had their permission. Women had the burden of wifely work, such as the raising of children, running the house and maintaining the family’s respectability socially which meant that they couldn’t easily break this mould.

The idea of women painting, and showing their work, was also highly looked down on by society at the time. During the periods of baroque and neoclassicism in the 17th and 18th centuries, many artists depicted religious scenes containing nude figures. For a woman to draw and paint these kind of pictures was seen as extremely improper.

However, there were a few female artists who managed to make their mark in the industry in the 19th centuries. Rosa Bonheur is known to be one of the most famous of these women with two of her most well known paintings on display in the Metropolitan Museum in New York and another in Musee d’Orsay in Paris. However, she didn’t have a husband, any children, or anyone to help in the house. This just shows that breaking the pattern and not adhering to social structures caused just as many problems for women.

Women have undoubtedly been seen as unequal in the art world. Because of this, the thousands of works painted by females have gone unknown, while the works of men have been preserved for eternity. What we now have is a male’s view of life and society hundreds of years ago. The female’s is lost and any opinions expressing the feminist view that Emma Watson so clearly articulated have been unable to get into the public eye.

Maybe now that we are seeing society tying to change this in-balance, female artists will appear and maybe even produce a new era of masterpieces.

Spotlight: CATS

Written by Evie Hull on . Posted in Societies.

CATS, the Cancer Awareness in Teenagers and Young People Society, is a brand new society which aims to promote awareness of the common signs and symptoms of cancer around campus and in the local area. We want to highlight the importance of being aware of the symptoms of the most common cancers in young people.

We are hoping for a strong start to the cause and will be running multiple awareness campaigns and events throughout the year. We begin with stall challenges in the Stopford building, followed by big Movember celebrations, all concluding with a huge night out in 256 on the 30th—so get working on your moustache (yes, everyone!) and come join us for a fan’tache’tic night! Throughout the year we’ve got lots to offer students such as lectures from some of the country’s leading oncologists. There’ll also be nights out, acoustic nights, challenges and much more, so keep an eye out for us around campus—we’ve got a few surprises coming your way too!

James Adams, CATS President, says: “We’re really excited about CATS and the support we’ve received so far has been amazing, but we want to do more, so if you’d like to get involved in what we already do or you’d like to suggest some new ideas we’d love to hear from you!”

It’s really easy to join up and if you would like to learn a bit more about us and get involved, just email us at [email protected], leaving your name, course, year of study, preferred email address and mobile number. We’ll get in touch with some volunteering opportunities (you might even get a nice shiny certificate for your portfolio). Get involved!

You can also find us on facebook: www.facebook.com/CATSmanchester

Key Dates:

11th October – Stand Up To Cancer March

20th October – Oncology lecture by Dr Martin McCabe

1st – 30th November – Movember Awareness Month

30th November – Moustache-themed night out at 256, Fallowfield

Article provided by CATS Manchester.

Spotlight: Sexpression Manchester

Written by Evie Hull on . Posted in Societies.

Sexpression Manchester was formed in 2009 and is one of 27 branches of Sexpression:UK, a nationwide network of student projects committed to empowering young people to make informed choices relating to sexual and reproductive health and relationships. This is achieved through teaching informal sessions to young people in the community on subjects such as consent, sexually transmitted diseases, sex and the law, abuse and other areas. Each session is tailored towards the individual group and situation, which can range from youth groups to in-school teaching of a wide variety of ages. Training days are offered throughout the year for anyone interested in getting involved and there is no minimum or maximum number of sessions required, meaning that there are no obligations or huge time commitments.

In addition to teaching in local schools, Sexpression also offers STI testing and provides free contraception on campus. This is available through the year, both in halls and in central locations such as the Students’ Union (free contraception is also available year-round from the SU). It is also possible to be trained in the the provision of sexual health testing and get involved through that; again, there is no set time commitment.

As a national organisation, Sexpression:UK is also campaigning for the introduction of compulsory Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) in Scotland, which currently is not a legal requirement for schools. Scotland has comparatively high rates of young pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections; 24 per cent of schools have no staffed trained in SRE provision and over 70 per cent of denominational schools have expressed views that contraception should not be discussed (even if raised by pupils) and were largely unwilling to discuss sexually transmitted infections. Sexpression is also a member of STOPAIDS, an advocacy and awareness group of HIV/AIDS that campaigns for access to life-saving medicines and compulsory inclusion of HIV in school education.

For more information, or to register as a member, join their Facebook group or on the societies page of the union site.

You Can’t Handle the Truth! – Book to Film Adaptations

Written by Andriana Hambi on . Posted in Film.

Take a look at the biggest movie releases of the last 5 years and count how many of those films were not a) a se/prequel b) a book adaptation c) a depiction of real events d) a remake. Have you counted? Yes, you’re correct, about two. This trend aggravates and terrifies me. It truly is the sign of a decaying society that for a movie to be funded it has to already have a line of people waiting to see it. Not to sound hyperbolic, but it’s obliterating creativity and is rotting the minds of our children.

I really feel like it’s an issue in the film industry right now, because the implication is, unless you write a bestselling novel with the potential for a sequel, you’re going to struggle to get a film made that’s targeted at a younger audience. That means that today’s children will grow up on series of movies that are engineered purely for ticket sales and to the advertising agendas of some higher power. Where’s the originality? Where’s the creativity? This doesn’t just go for children’s movies, just have a gander at what Hollywood’s finest has to offer. It’s not that these films are always bad; it’s that they’ll never stand up to the book, so they’ve already lost the creative battle. The success of these movies is only ever going to be measured in ticket sales.

Not only is this bad for the film industry, it’s bad for the book industry as well, as it takes pretty much all the magic away from reading. When you’re reading a book, you’re going on a long journey with some characters, and they exist in your head in a completely different way to someone else. And then you talk to someone who’s read the same book, and you’ve had a shared experience where you both sat down for more than 90 minutes and invested yourselves in a fictional world. And it’s long, and tumultuous, and you laughed, and wept, and were sad when you finished it. But then the film comes out and everyone claims they love it just as much, and you just know they’ll never truly understand it like you do, they’ll never know the minutia or the side plots that were cut for time, and these people are sharing in a zeitgeist that they don’t belong. And then it’s nineteen years later, and you’re standing at a train station with your future children, and you shed a tear for their lack of literacy.

Review: Romeo and Juliet

Written by Richard Smith on . Posted in Theatre.

As I left HOME’s production of Romeo and Juliet, I was complaining to my friend Ellie, who accompanied me, that I did not know how to feel. We all know the classic Shakespeare story, and we all know the characters, on which so many of our modern love stories are based. However, I was still in dismay and, if you like, in complete and utter woe. I had completely adored director Walter Meierjohann’s production, staged in promenade at Manchester’s historic, and beautiful, Victoria Baths and every element of the interpretation seemed to fit, like an exquisite, star-crossed puzzle that was designed to entice the audience and forget the pains of standing for the majority of three hours.

The production was staged in 90s Eastern Europe, with nonchalant musicians narrating, cigarettes hanging from their lips, an interesting choice some may say as we discover our feuding families, The Capulets and The Montagues, bringing certain Godfather and This is England vibes, respectively. The bath houses themselves are already beautifully designed and there was little need for spectacular scenery and designer Ti Green achieved just the right level of interruption of the space, without overwhelming the action or the gorgeous glass and tile-work already in place. The highlight, without question, was the final performance room, as Juliet lay in her death-like state on a bronze-coloured cross covering the entirety of a pool, with candles and roses floating on the water around her, reflecting onto the glass ceiling above. As the audience made their way into this final space, the gasps of delight and astonishment said more than enough for Green’s achievements.

As with any show, it is truly the cast that makes, or breaks, a production and the cast assembled by Meierjohann were the true crowning glory. Stand out performances came from Rachel Atkins as Juliet’s mamma-italia nurse, Ncuti Gatwa as an outlandish and flamboyant Mercutio and Juliet herself, played by Sara Vickers, who managed to overcome the challenging task of giving Juliet a soul. Perhaps due to the character itself, it is common for many a Juliet to become overwhelmed with her innocence and unquestionable love for her Romeo. Vickers’ interpretation, however, created true meaning to her desire for love, and her anger toward her family as well as her desire to die were most definitely legitimate and believable.

Alex Felton as a Hipster Romeo. Photo: HOME

So despite my love for the production, why my woes? After much thought and deliberation I have decided that it was our Romeo who caused me such confusion. “I hate him”, is all I could say to Ellie as we talked during the interval and I was, and still am, unsure if I do. Played by Alex Felton, the interpretation was that of a coke-addicted hipster, obsessed with singing in falsetto, who is going off the rails without any meaning in his life. I found Felton to be hugely self-indulgent as both character and actor, and was hoping it would pass as his love for Juliet blossomed, but it didn’t. Ideally, I would like to meet Felton to truly see how close to this Romeo he is, or not. If so, it is sad that our ‘hero’ would be played by someone so cocky with a desire only to show off; if not, his capability as an actor is truly immense. I’m going to hope for the latter, as it would be a shame for there to be only one weak link in the production which has given HOME a very exciting start on the Manchester arts scene.

5/5

Standing opens for 2014 Student Officer Elections

Written by Lauren Gorton on . Posted in News.

Student Officer elections for this academic year opened on the 8th September, including the positions of Faculty Officers, Liberation Officers and Action Group Officers.

On commenting on the importance of the elections General Secretary Charlotte Cook stated, “students need to know that they have a voice and an opinion worth hearing; that it should be these voices leading the work of their Union and directing the way the university engages with them.

“That is what the elections offer the opportunity to do. You can run to represent your course but you can also be a faculty rep and represent all students across disciplines.

“We also believe strongly in autonomy and equality which is why we have liberation representatives who specifically represent Black Minority and Ethnic, LGBTQ, Women and Disabled student groups.”

This year however the entirely new position of Student Community Officers has also been introduced. The Mancunion asked Community Officer Ellen McLaughlin as to why the Exec team believed the new role to be necessary.

“Primarily this role has been introduced to represent students living outside of halls. As the majority of students live in the private rented sector it seemed imperative to me that those students had a representative voice at the Students’ Union, the university and the council.

“The Student Community Officers will have the responsibility to gather student opinion in their areas and voice it to the university, Students’ Union and local MPs.

“However, Student Community Officers will hopefully also help foster positive relationships between students and local residents—who are currently more exposed to the negative actions of a tiny minority of students. The Student Community Officers will have the important responsibility to challenge this perception and ensure the hugely positive impact students make is celebrated.”

McLaughlin further expressed the hope that the new role will challenge the potential exploitation of students within the private rented sector.

Standing for the positions closes on Thursday 9th October at 5pm and voting will commence on Friday 17th October, with the successful candidates due to be announced in late October. Applications can be found on the Students’ Union website.

Funding boost for Manchester Alzheimer’s researcher

Written by Andy van den Bent-Kelly on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A dementia researcher in Manchester has been awarded a £30000 sum from Alzheimer’s Research UK for a groundbreaking research project due to commence later this month.

Dr Richard Unwin, who is based at both the University of Manchester and Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, will begin a study into thousands of proteins in the brain with the hope of producing a detailed map of what happens in the brain of an Alzheimer’s sufferer.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia, affecting roughly half a million people in the United Kingdom alone. There is no cure for the disease and current treatments merely help with symptoms. The country’s leading dementia research charity, Alzheimer’s Research UK, is dedicated to funding scientific studies to prevent, treat, or cure the disease. Since its formation in 1992, the charity has committed nearly £40 million to dementia research. September is World Alzheimer’s Month and it is hoped that this award will raise awareness of the disease.

Dr Unwin’s project will involve looking at how Alzheimer’s disease changes the biology of different parts of the brain. He will map the relative amounts of over 3000 proteins in the brain with the aim of studying the biology of these areas in detail. Tissue donated by both Alzheimer’s sufferers and people without the disease will be used in the study. The project will enable doctors to study how the brain works on a more detailed molecular level.

Dr Unwin said, “I’m really pleased to have won this award, which will support an important new project in my laboratory. We’ve already started to study the metabolism of seven different areas of the brain in Alzheimer’s—that is the chemical reactions that generate the energy brain cells need to work—and we see some important changes associated with the development of the disease.

“This new funding will help us to expand our research by looking at thousands of proteins in the brain to get even more detailed information about how these changes are controlled, and how the brain is working. We can ultimately use these data to build detailed maps of how Alzheimer’s affects the human brain.

“By comparing our information about the brain in Alzheimer’s to previous research measuring these changes in other conditions, we will be able to see if there is overlap between Alzheimer’s and conditions such as diabetes. Understanding what’s going wrong in the brain in Alzheimer’s at a molecular level will open up major opportunities for finding new treatments that are so urgently needed.”

Dr Simon Ridley, Head of Research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, said: “This innovative Pilot Project has the potential to give us large amounts of detailed information about the brain and how it is affected in Alzheimer’s. The closer we can get to understanding what’s driving this disease, the better chance we have of designing effective treatments to help the thousands of people affected by it.

“While awareness of dementia has grown over recent years, funding for research still lags behind other common conditions. To deliver real improvements for people with Alzheimer’s and other dementias we must see increases in funding for research. As a fundraising charity, we don’t receive any government support so we’re very grateful for our supporters who have made this research possible.”

All data from this upcoming project will be made available to other dementia researchers across the globe in a bid to speed up progress.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Vincent Van Gogh

Written by Holly Smith on . Posted in Arts.

1. In just 10 years, Van Gogh painted approximately 900 paintings. That’s more than two each week.

2. He sold only one of his paintings during his life and only became famous after his death in 1890. The Red Vineyard near Arles (La Vigne Rouge) was bought by Belgian artist and art collector Anna Boch after being displayed in Brussels just before Van Gogh’s death. It was sold then for 400 francs (about £50 in today’s money).The picture is now on display at the Pushkin Museum of Fine Art in Moscow.

3. Van Gogh painted one of his most famous works, Starry Night, while in a psychiatric asylum. He entered the asylum in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence on May 8th, 1889 after he chopped off part of his ear and was diagnosed with a form of epilepsy. As long as he remained stabled, the doctors allowed him to paint.

4. He was friends and lived with Paul Gauguin, another famous artist.

5. Vincent’s brother’s wife collected Vincent’s paintings and letters after his death and dedicated herself to getting his work the recognition it deserved.

6. Vincent shot himself in a wheat field in Auvers, France but did not die until two days later at the age of 37. He was sitting in a field which he has previously painted when he pulled out a revolver and shot himself in the torso, somewhere between the stomach and the heart. This was, however, not fatal and had to endure a gruelling two days of pain before he went into a coma and died on July 29th 1890.

7. Vincent’s brother Theo died six months after Vincent and is buried next to him in Auvers, France.

8. He was never married. He did however have a mistress, Sien Hoornik, a pregnant prostitute whom he painted many times.

9. He wrote over 800 letters in his life, mainly to his brother Theo, who financially supported van Gogh for most of his life.

10. He did not cut his whole ear off, only a small section of his ear lobe was cut off during an epileptic seizure with a razor.

Preview: Scottish Soulful Weekender

Written by Randeep Samra on . Posted in Music.

This upcoming weekend, the Scottish Soulful weekender will host three days of soul music, heavily interspersed with house music DJ sets. It has a particular emphasis on the more ‘soulful’ side of electronic music, which it provided through some of the most internationally active DJs in the world. The festival takes place in the Park Hall Hotel, roughly eight miles south of Preston.

The itinerary for SSW4 comprises of three main rooms. The Pressure Point, featuring DJs such as Groove Assassin and Danny Krivit, will be the hardest going of the three. It is, taken in the context of the festival, and in comparison to the other rooms, a more standard fare—here, you will get the most distinct house vibes. The Shrine Room, as subtly hinted at in its name, is where the crossover music is to be found, for those looking for a little more incorporated jazz and soul (both old and new) this weekend. Here, you will hear the 73-year-old Soul Sam, and Luke Howard, a key DJ in the legendary Horse Meat Disco collective. The Blue Room offers a roster that will please those after something slower, more psychedelic. It will house Jimpster, who is at the forefront of the maverick Freerange Records label, and Sweden’s most prominent DJ: Mad Mats.

Aside from the DJ sets, live bands will be playing: we have the excellent blue-eyed soul singer Big Brooklyn Red, whose minimalist approach in the studio belies the talent he brings to the table in his live performances. At top of the bill, though, is Ann Sexton, whose music is reminiscent of The Supremes in terms of both style and quality: tracks such as ‘You’re Losing Me’ has solidified her status as a living legend in the northern soul and funk scene.

On top of all of this, there remain two areas. The Goldmine is an idea which embodies the pluralistic attitude that the organisers have: twenty five DJs book themselves places to perform at this stage, which is something that is sure to yield some very welcome surprises. The final area, So Chill, is outdoors, and is the place to socialise here, and to smoke in the sun to the tunes of DJs, including some unannounced ones. SSW4 has an awful lot to offer: a large and eclectic mix of DJs, some impressive and established live soul music and a whole lot more – it promises good times as well as novel and unexpected experiences.

Kicking off on Friday September 26th from 5pm and closing at 7pm on Sunday September 28th, tickets are priced at £101.50 and are available from www.scottishsoulfulweekender.com

 

Competition

To win a Pair of VIP Tickets to SSW4 and a Goody Bag containing T shirt, tote bag, mug, car stickers etc, please answer this question. 2nd Prize is 1 Pair Of Tickets + 1 Goody Bag and 3rd Prize, 1 Pair Of Tickets.

Q: Which country do Danny Krivit, Michael Watford & Ce Ce Rogers hail from?

  1. Germany
  2. USA
  3. Brazil

Send your answer to [email protected] with your contact info.

Comment: UEFA must act soon

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Two years ago England played Serbia in an England U21 in which Danny Rose was sent off after becoming increasingly frustrated with blatant racism not only from the Serbian crowd in the form of monkey jeering, but also from Serbian midfielder Nikola Ninkovic. The powers that be at UEFA decided a measly £65000 fine for the Serbian FA and a one year international ban for Ninkovic would suffice.

Two years later and we’re back in Serbia where Tottenham’s otherwise dull match against Partizan Belgrade on Thursday night was tainted by one moment.

A banner, unfurled amongst the home supporters of the Serbian club read ‘Only Jews and Pussies’ styled on the TV show ‘Only Fools and Horses’ logo. The banner remained for the entire duration of the match, without officials of the club, security within the ground or UEFA match officials challenging it.

The banner was made in reference to the historically high proportion of Jewish fans that support Tottenham after the high influx of Jewish immigrants to the East End of London at the turn of the 20th century. The club has since been associated with the controversial ‘Yid army’ tag, with some supporters using it as a battle against racism in the English game. Many, including David Cameron, however, have condemned the phrase.

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino has taken clear issue with it saying after the match, “it is an unacceptable thing. It is very disrespectful. This is a shame, very disrespectful and unacceptable.” Contrast this with the Partizan manager who praised the crowd and the intimidating atmosphere they created. One can only hope that he didn’t see the banner. Pochettino also made some omissions from his squad including Danny Rose, Emmanuel Adebayor, Younès Kaboul, Mousa Dembélé and Nacer Chadli. Pocchetino argued footballing reasons, but the simple fact is that all were black first team players whose absence severely affected Spurs in a competition they historically take very seriously.

After having the banner pointed out to them by Tottenham officials, UEFA have said that they have taken photos of the incident, and will in due time be investigating it.

But the one question remains—what will they do?

Without sounding like a sceptic, I imagine very, very little.

Continental Europe has a far deeper problem with prejudice than I think UEFA would care to admit. It is not enough to cite cultural differences within Europe being the problem, with European football being such a melting pot of nationalities and beliefs. It is not enough to cite ignorance like was so often the excuse during the 1970s and 80s in English football.

Contrast European football with the modern English game, which is by no means perfect. However, the FA are trying implementing the Respect campaign which has eradicated a generation of racists, homophobes and fascists that burdened the English game from the Stadium of Light to Brighton Town and back up via Elland Road again. Indeed, the only outstanding troubles that can be found within the British game are the religious disunity found within the Old Firm clashes.

Even the eye-wateringly inappropriately named ‘Right Behind Gay Footballers’ campaign launched by Stonewall and Paddy Power, fronted by the controversial ‘Rainbow Lace’ campaign, has good intentions, even though I personally don’t see it as a particularly effective way to combat homophobia within the English game.

Prejudice is a cancer within society, and certainly has no place on the field of play in any sport.

In the past 18 months we have had several instances of racism in the European game. The first was Kevin Price-Boateng walking off the pitch after consistent abuse during a Serie A match, the rest of his team followed him which lead to an unprecedented abandoning of the match. A year later we had Danny Alves having a banana chucked at him whilst playing at Villarreal. Alves reacted by grabbing the banana, eating it, then taking a corner which resulted in a goal. Alves himself set up two goals and scored one, crediting the banana for giving him the energy to do so. The action prompted an international storm with players taking pictures eating bananas with the caption: ‘I am not a monkey’. Despite the twitter campaign Villarreal were simply fined 12000 Euros, prompting Alves described the attitude towards racism in Spain as “very backwards.” A week later in the same league Levante’s Senegal midfielder Papakouly Diop complained of racist abuse by visiting Atlético Madrid supporters.

UEFA and FIFA can make examples out of easy situations. Match fixing? Simple, relegation and life-time bans. Administration? Points deduction. Criticising referees? Touchline ban. But the decisions you earn your money on are issues of equality and sportsmanship. So far UEFA and FIFA have failed to offer comprehensive answers on third party ownership, slavery allegations and social problems surrounding the Qatar World Cup, or racism.

FIFA were quick to jump on Suarez after biting because it made them look very foolish on the world stage, in a World Cup that was already shrouded in controversy. But issues such as racism in football, although receiving a lot of media coverage initially, seem to simmer after UEFA launch pointless investigations that come to pointless results.

There is a difference between feisty atmospheres that one would find at Bekistas in Turkey, than racism. There is a difference between someone shouting “you useless c***” at a player and homophobia. It is a line which is very clear, and a line most reasonable people can distinguish.

So as FIFA hide away in their Swiss base, like the most inane supervillains you can imagine, only crawling out the woodwork to hand out trophies or take bribes. Let’s just hope that they for once take some sort of action and ensure that teams like Partizan Belgrade are not allowed to play in Europe for a long, long time.

Nando’s Napkin Gets Dealer Nicked- Needs Image

Written by Anna Phillips on . Posted in News.

A drug dealer has been sentenced at Manchester Crown Court to two years and four months imprisonment after his fingerprints were found on a Nando’s napkin.

Manchester based Ajaz Raja had left his fingerprints on the napkin he used to partially wrap around his cocaine.

When officers from North Manchester’s Organised Crime Unit (Operation Cairo) conducted a drugs warrant on a house in Cheetham Hill, they found cocaine with a street value of £6,960, amongst dozens of snap bags and a set of digital scales.

During the subsequent investigation, the Nando’s napkin was found which revealed his fingerprints.

Ajaz pleaded guilty at an earlier stage to possession of cocaine with intent to supply, and was sentenced at Manchester Crown Court last week.

PC Darren Wayman, of Operation Cairo, said: “No matter how well drug dealers think they cover their tracks they will always slip up, as in this case. Once we presented the prints evidence to him he had little option but to admit to the offence.

“He’s now been jailed for more than two years so he won’t be enjoying a meal out at Nando’s, or anywhere else for that matter, for some time.”