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Month: October 2014

Live: Other Sounds Society Halloween

27th October

Fuel

6.5/10

Other Sounds Society is known for their appreciation in eclectic taste in music, ranging from obscure techno to math rock. Their second monthly DIY gig slot at Fuel comprised of the penetrative racket of Werk from the label I HATE MY RECORDS, flamboyant jazz punk Ask my Bull, alt-lit spoken word artist Zach Roddis and ethereal confessional not -so–teen-pop Hume. It was an unusual random lineup but it was fitting for a bunch of open-minded music connoisseurs on a Monday night.

To wake everyone up, Werk serenaded the audience with their industrial noise, continuously blowing people’s brains out. Whether you wanted to or not, they mesmerized you with rough and rusty melodies in the dark. It was like opening a jewelry box, but hearing an extremely loud fascinating generator instead. And rather than seeing a spinning ballerina, the visuals on the ceilings hypnotized you: the cutout scenes ranged from the inevitable Nosferatu and Adventure Time, which accommodated the doom DIY mood.

An odd but very fitting addition is Zach Roddis, proving that punk rock poetry does still exist. He filled the room with laughter through his YOU ONLY LIVE 50 million times theory. Whether you found his confident performance patronising or not, you got to admit he is talented and amusing in pop culture quirky manner.

The energy generated from Ask My Bull exceeded any expectations. Their uplifting intense jazz psychedelic trip made turned the room into a lively house party. I don’t think anyone was just tapping their toes. The band included: they danced in their animal onesies, delivering more surreal and elaborated funk each time. Hume ended the night with their calm experimental songs but embellished with an exquisite raspy pubescent voice you didn’t want to stop hearing.

Showcasing the eccentric and experimental talented bands/poets at Fuel, reflects what the other sounds society is all about.

The Upcycling Project

Who doesn’t love to shop? Nobody worth talking to. What isn’t quite so easy to love however is fast fashion and its unsustainable practices. So how do you reconcile those moral misgivings when you have a wardrobe in desperate need of an update? With a little help from the Union, that’s how. As part of its new, and may we say genius, venture—the Upcycling Project—starting on the 10th of November, the Students’ Union will be running a shop in the old RBS building next to Academy 1. The store will stock pre-loved items that have been given a modern makeover by a selection of talented student upcyclers.

Want to get involved? Donating clothes is probably the simplest way to be a part of this inspired new scheme, so bring your unwanted items to the foyer of the SU by Wednesday November 5th. The Upcyling Project is also looking for volunteers to be involved in the shop, organising events and upcycling the clothes. So if you’re as excited about the initiative as we are come along to a meeting in Academy 3 at 7pm on November 11th or get in contact via the Facebook page. Students are also invited to soup up their sewing skills at upcycling workshops at the store space from Stitched Up (November 4th) and Junk (November 10th) who will be showing you how to transform an unwanted shirt into a beautiful new bag. We can’t wait.

Sunbelievable!

National tabloid The Sun has been offering financial rewards to student media sources for incendiary photographs of students wearing offensive costumes on Halloween.

A reporter acting on behalf of The Sun made probing calls to a number of student newspapers across the country, including Bath student newspaper bathimpact, and Leeds University’s The Gryphon, for photos of any inappropriate costumes they might see this Halloween.

In a phonecall on Wednesday, Aidan Gregory, Editor-in-chief of The Mancunion, was directly asked by a Sun reporter for photographs of any students dressed up as ‘Jihadi John’, the British man who appeared in the recent Islamic State-released videos of the execution of US journalists James Foley and Stephen Sotloff, British aid worker David Haines, and Manchester-born aid worker Alan Henning, whose name was mentioned alongside.

The reporter offered a potential front-page spot and financial reward of thousands of pounds if a photo of any students dressed up as the executioner and his victim was submitted.

The reporter’s LinkedIn profile states that she attended the University of Manchester and used to write for Student Direct—the University of Manchester’s student newspaper before rebranding as The Mancunion.

This follows from last year when The Sun broke the story of two students from the University of Chester who were photographed dressed as the Twin Towers, destroyed in the terrorist attacks on September the 11th, 2001.

The two 19-year-olds attended a Halloween night out in Chester and won a fancy dress competition, but later apologised for any offence caused after the widespread coverage and outrage expressed by their university and Students’ Union.

Bath University newspaper bathimpact was also apparently asked for “Ebola costumes,” which could be used in a similar way to those controversial photos released last year.

The editor of Bristol University’s student newspaper Epigram was also contacted by The Sun on the same day but did not speak with them.

The Executive of the University of Manchester Students’ Union are united in their condemnation of this.

Activities Officer, Joel Smith, said, “it’s disgusting that The Sun would seek to so deliberately exploit recent tragic events to unfairly represent students and young people at a national level.

“We strongly condemn this journalistic approach which sought to damage the integrity of both our Union and The Mancunion.

“The reputational damage to any individual who does end up on the cover of the Sun could really affect [them] and the paper is showing blatant disregard for this.

“This only serves to further damage relations between The Sun and students with the ongoing ‘No More Page 3’ campaign.”

General Secretary, Charlotte Cook, said, “we have a zero-tolerance approach towards offensive outfits at the Union to ensure we are maintaining a safe space for all our members.

“However, undoubtedly somewhere across the country people will choose to wear inappropriate costumes. For the Sun to purposefully have students out witch-hunting for this minority in order to completely misrepresent students as a whole is disgraceful.”

There are concerns for the safety of any students identifiable in photos published, after a girl who last year dressed as Boston bombings victim received multiple death threats.

Earlier today, the Daily Mail reported that a Birmingham nightclub had held an Ebola-themed Halloween party, admitting later it had made a “huge error” in holding the event.

Last year, The Sun was banned from the University of Manchester Students’ Union, after the paper’s refusal to remove the controversial page three. The ‘No More Page 3’ campaign was championed by The Mancunion’s own Fashion Editor, Gráinne Morrison.

The University of Manchester is one of 15 universities across the country, including four Oxford colleges, who have implemented this ban.

A spokesperson for The Sun said:

The Sun was aware that there were Halloween parties taking place on student campuses, with reports of some interesting choices of costumes, and was calling student newspapers to see if they had photos that they might want to share with the newspaper.

“We categorically deny any suggestion that money was offered to construct or fake a photograph. Approaching other publications is a legitimate and often practiced journalism request which we stand by.”

The role of men in feminism

Feminism is unarguably one of the most controversial topics in any society. While some questions pertain to the definition of feminism itself, others concern themselves with the domains of feminist influence. But one unequivocal fact that drives all feminists is that the patriarchal society has oppressed women for centuries and this movement must achieve social, political and economic empowerment of all women over the world.

The present male-dominated system leads to a biased social order functioning to the benefit of men and the relative detriment of women. Thus, it raises questions about if men can or should identify themselves as feminists at all.

Some female feminists fear that if men are accepted into feminism, then a forum that was originally built to fight male dominance would too be taken over by men and make the entire cause redundant.

It is argued that females would no longer be able to relate to the issues raised by an action group that is ‘contaminated’ by male elements. They abhor the idea of the ‘oppressors’ joining in a movement against their own kind. One of the most common arguments is that men cannot relate to women issues simply because they have never experienced the torment of harassment, violence and sexual assault, and thus cannot identify themselves with the issues that this movement raises and what it seeks to change.

I reject this narrow idea of feminism. It labels all men all over the world as the same enemies and causes unjustified hate towards men by female groups. In retaliation, a ‘lad culture’ has emerged which perpetuates a belief that it is not masculine to support female rights.

Thus, this exclusion of men has spun off a cycle of hateful retribution from both the sexes which is not how feminism started out. The effort to make feminism a solely female agenda makes it the very image of sexism that it wishes to eradicate, and contradicts the basic feminist idea of looking beyond gender stereotypes.

Feminism was initiated as a drive directed at self-empowerment of women and enabling them to function independent of male support, not rejecting the entire male population and their experiences.
While it is true that men cannot talk about female experiences as well as a woman might be able to, this is itself an advantage. This diversity of experience intersecting components of the identity of one part of society which is constantly and inevitably in contact with the other part would expand the perspective and means of furthering this movement.

If men are not allowed to share responsibility for the success of feminism, then the patriarchal system that we seek to change will continue to suppress women. The desire to change a society that you believe is led by men—without the support of men—is unreasonable. It is not possible to stop subjugation of females if men do not think that females should attain equal rights. For seeking change in a patriarchal society, it is necessary that men can and should be able to become feminists.

The concept of involving men in feminism does not mean that feminists ‘need’ men; it just means that they’re welcome to support a cause that they believe is right. Men do not wish or aim to lead the feminist movement because they understand the feminine essence of the movement.

Various men like Parker Pillsbury and John Stuart Mill in the past have identified themselves as feminists and played crucial roles along with their female counterparts, to bring positive changes in the system.

I support the role of men in feminism because you don’t need to be a female to support female rights just as you do not need to be a war-victim to support anti-war movements or be a homosexual to support gay rights or be an animal to support animal rights.

Women have been heavily involved in causes that don’t directly affect them. You don’t need to be victimized by the system that you are fighting against. The only requisite is the ability to identify how and why the system is unjust and the way in which it needs to be changed for better.

It is absurd when the same feminists who fight against male domination reject the men who want to join the movement to change that image, because “they don’t know what it is like to be repressed.” If an oppressor transforms to join the movement against the subjugation of a victim, closing doors on him because he has not experienced that subjugation is imprudent because even though he might not understand the struggle of the victim, he does understand the mentality of an oppressor and is thus your best weapon to end the oppression.

While it is true that men also seek to benefit from the movement because they too go through harassment and pressures of masculinity, their welfare is a welcome outcome of the movement and not its principal aim.

The claim that men would overtake the platform for expression of female issues is nothing but paranoia because the benefits of acceptance of the role of men in feminism far outweigh the arguments for the rejection of their part.

Bad “vibes” from professor leads to suspension

A professor from the University of Warwick accused of “inappropriate sighing” and “making ironic comments” is to be cleared of all allegations against him, after a nine-month suspension for this behaviour came to an end last month.

Thomas Docherty, a professor of English and Comparative Literary Studies, was alleged to be undermining the authority of the former head of his department, Catherine Bates.

He was suspended in January, and last month the suspension was lifted and he could return to work.

During this time he was banned from the campus and forbidden from writing students references, returning students’ work and providing guidance on Ph.D.s.

Docherty is a strong critic of the perceived marketisation of education and describes the Russell Group as a “self-declared elite.”

The University of Warwick earlier in the year denied that Professor Docherty’s suspension was a result of his outspoken objections to reforms of the university system.

The “negative” behaviour of Professor Docherty during interviews, including body language, sarcasm and sighing, was seen to be disrespectful to candidates for a departmental position.

A Facebook page set up by students expressing their disbelief and outrage at the professor’s suspension has gained over 1000 likes.

On this page Professor Docherty expressed his appreciation for the support, saying he was “deeply moved and touched by the level of support that [he has] received.

“Thanks again to you all—and, with luck, I’ll see some of you in class.”

Anne O’Sullivan from the University and College Union, said, “It beggars belief that an academic can be suspended with no contact with students or colleagues for almost a year while charges are finalised.”

Club: RBMA presents DJ Harvey

24th October

Gorilla

9/10

Following a 10 year exile, DJ Harvey’s return to his homeland in 2012 has seen the selector quickly reaffirm his legendary status with a series of enthralling sets. It was RBMA who brought him back, and tonight they have once again enlisted his skills for a 3 hour set in Gorilla.

I’d greeted the late venue change from The Albert Hall with disappointment due to the system in Gorilla lacking vigour on my previous visits, but my concerns are quickly dismissed as I enter the club for the first time in months and experience the wall of sound pumping out the considerably beefed up speakers.

The second noticeable change from my last visit is the average age. “What are you doing here?” quizzes an almost incredulous 50 year old to my friend, a strange role reversal from usual clubbing scenarios – I now realise how all the teenage classic rock fans in my secondary school must have felt attending AC/DC gigs. There’s a simple answer: DJ Harvey’s seamless blends of the finest cuts of disco, funk, house and even prog rock are universally appealing.

The night is a master class in DJing. Funky guitar licks, euphoric piano chords, fanfaring trumpets and staccato bass lines feature in abundance as Harvey keeps the room truly dancing all night with first-rate music. Ambience is provided by two large disco balls that reflect beams of light jaggedly across the room.

It’s one of the most enjoyable and captivating DJ sets I’ve ever seen. Harvey takes the crowd on the journey through the lighter side of disco with tracks such as JV’s ‘EditChannel XXX’ to the harder side, epitomized by Andre Bratten’s ‘Trommer OG Bass’ thumping through the room inciting fist pumps at 3am.

If anything can illustrate the brilliance of DJ Harvey it’s that the notoriously intrusive and moody bouncers of Gorilla jig along gleefully with the crowd throughout.

You can read our feature on RBMA here.

 

Club: Sounds Of The Near Future @ WHP

25th October

Store Street, Warehouse Project

8/10

Sounds Of The Near Future is the premier night for forward thinking music in the Warehouse Project calendar. This is typified in the booking of Rustie and Hudson Mohawke with their futuristic, no-holds-barred production style.

The former has Room 1 bouncing already as I arrive. Rustie holds a special place in my heart with his debut Glass Swords being seminal to my developing of an interest in dance music; it’s always a delight to hear these songs out, with the likes of ‘Hover Traps’ and ‘After Light’ stirring emotions beyond just the desire to dance. Whilst I didn’t connect with follow up Green Language as much, the tracks go off in a club setting – and hearing a crowd scream along to Danny Brown’s rasping “I don’t give a shit, tell your bitch suck my dick” refrain on ‘Attak’ is a pretty special moment. The airing of PC Music honcho AG Cook’s ‘Beautiful’ is also fitting to the theme of sounds of the near future, with the divisive label spearheading an evolution in dance music of late.

Kaytranada is up next, opening on Kendrick’s ‘Bitch Don’t Kill My Vibe’, perhaps in recognition of the tough task he has in maintaining the energy Rustie instigated in the room. Ironically however, he does exactly what the song warns against with a set of slower hip hop beats.

Rustie. Photo: Flickr user Super 45

If I had to place my faith in anyone to get things going again then it would be Hudson Mohakwe. Taking the baton from Kaytranada he opens atmospherically on fellow Warp Records signee Clark’s ‘Skyward Bruise/Descent’ before unleashing a set dominated by his own ferocious productions. ‘Thunder Bay’ and ‘Goooo’ incite a frenzy; ‘Cbat’ still sounds amazingly fresh; and those horns from ‘Chimes’ nearly blow the roof off Store Street.

That his set is only an hour long is the only blight – I find myself desperately hoping he’ll be able to manipulate the circumstance of daylight saving and play through his 1am-2am slot twice but, alas. There is time to fit in a number of tracks from collaborator Kanye West however which is greatly welcome, even if he doesn’t allow ‘Bound 2’ to play fully.

Moving into Room 2, Stones Throw Records boss Peanut Butter Wolf is showcasing the older side of hip hop, providing a highlight of the night by selecting Souls Of Mischief’s ‘93 ‘til Infinity’. Things get emotional when the visuals display images of the late DJ Rashad and MCs shout commemorations down the mic.

Finally, it’s up to Jackmaster and Oneman aka Can U Dance to close the night. The room is absolutely rammed, a stark contrast to the 5 people I joined to watch Jackmaster in here at 7pm on opening night, and they delight the crowd with a string of bangers. At risk of sounding like a killjoy, the set is a bit crowded with these sort of tracks. When you’re expecting classics the hype generated by hearing them is diminished, with greater effect coming when they’re tucked into a set as a curveball. That said, mixes such as ‘Erotic Discourse’ into ‘Pulse X’ are undeniably good fun, and Fix’s ‘Flash’ never fails to thrill.

With Rustie and Hudson Mohawke the standout acts and Jackmaster performing a strong set, Manchester hasn’t seen Glaswegian dominance like this since Celtic Park in November ‘06.

The Hateriarchy

Men, especially young men, are bad people. We are constantly being told how crass, sexist and misogynist male behaviour is. But if this is true, what has made men behave like this? I suggest to you that it is the anti-male cultural milieu that feminism has created since the 1980s in all areas of society.

If the rhetoric routinely thrown at men were directed at any of our ‘minority’ victim groups—women, black people, ethnic minorities, gays—British society would be condemned for its prejudice, bigotry and even persecution.

We teach children to be kind to one another, to be thoughtful and caring to other people, and then when they reach a certain age, the feminism fairy comes along and sprinkles boys and all things male with poo dust. This poo dust is the patriarchal perspective, the ‘good women/bad men script’ to which all areas of society now conform—our culture, schools, universities, the legal system, the media and the political system. It is well documented that this patriarchal perspective is taught in our schools and universities.

For three decades there has been widespread misandry in Britain, a widespread contempt for men and masculinity. Men are belittled and ridiculed in sitcoms and advertisements. Feminist comediennes and celebrities have license to constantly rubbish men.

The incidence of suicide is four times greater for men than women.

Nine out of ten homeless and those living rough are men.

The men’s health forum has found that eight times more money is spent on women’s than on men’s health.

There is no screening for male cancers.

When it comes to education boys are failing compared to girls and in real terms, fewer men than women are now entering university.

There is no anonymity for men who have only been accused of rape—the innocent having their lives destroyed by unjustified publicity.

Male victims of domestic violence, 40 per cent of all victims, are ignored.

70000 divorced fathers every year, regardless of their capability to care and provide, have difficulty seeing their own children—half lose complete contact.

Financial maintenance settlements are swingeing and unjust. Four out of five divorces are petitioned for by the wife.

Do a gender-switch on the above; if these discriminations were experienced by women would they be tolerated? If they are wrong for women then they are also wrong for men and boys. Anti-male prejudice, the ‘good women/bad men script’, is entrenched in our individual and collective mindset and has created cultural and institutional bias against men and masculinity. One that is never questioned.

At the same time young men are seeing their female contemporaries enjoying preferential treatment in the form of shortlists, tokenism, quotas, and fast-tracking. Every university has a student’s women’s officer yet a men’s officer is not permitted; women at London Metropolitan University are given a £19000 inducement to study engineering, male students are not. With such special privileges and policy-favouritism it is hardly surprising that young men become resentful. There hasn’t been one piece of specifically male-friendly legislation in living memory.

Misandry, demonizing and dehumanising men has devalued men’s worth compared to that of a women. Both men and women fail to see misandry as a problem. This is because sexism has been defined exclusively in terms of misogyny.

Nobody has been looking for sexism against men; we are so conditioned that we are blind to the daily examples of it in media reporting, on radio and television, in news programmes, in our schools and universities, and throughout policy-making, and if we do happen to notice it we are silenced by the fear of being labelled politically incorrect.

I suggest that the cultural and institutional misandry that has been experienced by men has been a driving force behind much of Britain’s present social ills. If men are told over and over again that they are society’s ‘bad people’ they are likely to say, “so be it.”

Ignoring men’s issues will inevitably lead to resentment. Our governments should consider the danger of this self-fulfilling prophecy; the more badly behaved young men are, the louder the sisterhood bellows how awful masculinity is—an upward spiral of constant blaming, shaming and crass behaviour.

Psychologists tell us that if we treat people badly, with contempt and distain, then they will react in kind. Social order—including in our universities—is not in good condition right now. If boys and men continue to be disrespected, discriminated against, demonised, told, and shown that they have little value and worth, disposable as husbands as father and as people, then it might be understandable if they respond by treating society—including women—in the same manner. They who spawn a squall shall conjure a whirlwind.

The patriarchal perspective has encouraged society to treat men and boys badly, so we should not be surprised that they morph into muscle-bound weaklings who seek solace in the hyper-masculine rituals of violence and aggression in our universities, with an ugly undercurrent of homophobia and misogyny.

Feminism’s creation of a widespread and deep-rooted misandry is rebounding against ordinary women. We ought to be educating young men and women to question this perspective, to rise up against this mutually destructive feminist culture and encouraging them to engage in genuine equality and respect between the sexes.

Doris Lessing said, “men seem so cowed they can’t fight back, and it’s time they did.” Men are fighting back, but their misguided target is society and ordinary women—not the political and cultural movement that created this unacceptable view of men and masculinity in the first place.

By appeasing feminism, and the grinding and constant bias that its perspective promotes, Britain has encouraged a stroppy male slouch towards Gommorah.

Swayne O’Pie is the author of ‘Why Britain Hates Men – Exposing Feminism’ and is available for lectures and debates. E-mail him at [email protected].

Warning – University will seriously damage your health!

According to a new YouGov survey, 81 per cent of students believe that their health is seriously influenced by their university accommodations.

YouGov Consumer Survey (2014) Air Quality reveals that full-time students are of the opinion that they are the most in danger of ‘Toxic Home Syndrome’.

Due to ‘Toxic Home Syndrome’, people that are living in houses with poor air quality due to harmful airborne pollutants are very likely to incur respiratory and dermatological diseases.

The most common pollutants that students should be aware of are biological pollutants, such as mould spores, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), gas and building materials.

It was reported by YouGov that 37 per cent of students respondents assert that they were afflicted by breathing problems such as asthma, with another 23 per cent said to have had eczema. Both of them can be caused by inadequate indoor air ventilation.

Allergy experts encourage students to be more aware that living in these conditions puts their health in danger, as, on average, 33 per cent of students have had mould growing in their bathrooms or bedrooms.

Peter Howarth, Professor of Allergy and Respiratory medicine at Southampton University, said: “It is imperative that students are alert to the gravity of household air pollution as they typically spend long periods of time in their university homes.

“As well as mould, other air pollutants found in the student home include everyday household items such as air fresheners, cleaning products and detergents. As students rarely have access to a garden and therefore dry their laundry indoors, they are at risk of unknowingly polluting the indoor environment with the harmful compounds released from the detergent.

“This indoor ‘pollutant soup’ can be particularly hazardous in the winter months when homes get little natural ventilation and are most prone to condensation and mould. I would urge students to take steps to significantly improve their home’s ventilation in winter to minimise their risk of Toxic Home Syndrome.”

Students from the University of Manchester believe that there is poor indoor air quality in halls. Speaking to The Mancunion, Kanae Koike, who lives in Whitworth Park, said ”I agree with the survey’s results. In university halls it’s easy to catch a cold and difficult to recover from it.

“As we share the kitchen and the living room, and due to a bad ventilation and lack of fresh air, if someone has a cold, it’s very likely that also the other flatmates get ill. Furthermore, sometimes I’ve found mould in my kitchen.”

She added, “my room has a window that can be opened, but other rooms that don’t have might have problems of stagnant air.”

In a statement to The Mancunion, a student who lives in Canterbury Court and asked to remain anonymous, commented, “I think that the accommodation is not worth the amount we pay for it considering the size of the room, the awful carpets, the ugly curtains and the brick walls make some flats feel like prison.

“I think this will have a negative impact on students’ life and how they view the city of Manchester and the university.”

More information about Toxic Home Syndrome can be found at www.myhealthmyhome.com.

Club: Matthew Herbert

17th October

Joshua Brooks

7/10

Joshua Brooks continued their stunning hot streak of bookings this year by bringing a true genius to their basement. Famed predominantly as a producer, Matthew Herbert has been consistently pushing the boundaries of electronic music with his experimentalist style for nearly two decades. The reasonably small but reverent crowd assembled – “Matthew Herbert at Joshua Brooks! I can’t believe it!” I overhear – perhaps shows he’s a figure who doesn’t procure wide appeal, but all those who appreciate him do so deeply.

Performing a DJ set tonight, I was excited to see whether his selection skills matched up to his production prowess. I was also slightly wary: with my only reference point of a Herbert DJ set being his Boiler Room in the British Library Sound Archive in which he used five million unique recordings of things as varied as woodworms to world war bombers. Not exactly club ready.

As it turned out, Herbert reigned in his experimentalist tendencies and span a very dancefloor focused set of house and techno. Drawing from his experience in these genres he pulled out classics such as ‘Erotic Discourse’ and ‘Feel My MF Bass’ – the latter establishing a theme of motherfucking in the set following the airing of Mike Dunn’s ‘Phreaky MF’.

His mixing was by no means flawless, but his selection was on point. DHS’s ‘House Of God’ drew a strong reaction, and closing on NY Stomp’s remix of ‘Child’ was an enjoyable surprise. Enough time had passed for the once overplayed song but undeniable anthem to round the set off in an unexpected and effective fashion.

Female student raped as she walked home through Fallowfield

A female student has been raped as she walked home through Fallowfield from a night out.

The 19-year-old was walking down Ladybarn Lane in Fallowfield at 3:30am last Saturday when a man approached her and offered to walk her home.

She asked him to leave her alone but he continued to try to speak to her and grab her. The man then dragged her down the alleyway that runs between Whitby Road and Filey Road where he raped her.

The offender was said to be 5 feet 9 inches tall, of black or Asian origin and with very short black hair. He was wearing baggy blue or grey jeans, a long-sleeved top and was clean shaven.

Police have since increased patrols in the Fallowfield area and have urged students to pre-book taxis to make their way home rather than walk alone.

Women’s Officer Jess Lishak said: “Unlike the attack last month, this woman was not assaulted by an unlicensed taxi driver, she was walking home. She was a person, walking on public streets, to her home. Neither of these sexual assaults happened because women didn’t get pre-booked taxis, they happened because men decided to rape or sexually assault them.

“Yet the police and the media continue to ‘[urge] students to pre-book taxis to get home rather than walk home alone.’ No. When will we start responding to horrific acts of rape and violence against women and girls with outrage and disgust at the perpetrator, without suggesting ways that women might avoid being raped?

“Out of every 100 rapes, only 40 will be reported to the police, of which 10 lead to an arrest, 8 will be prosecuted, 4 will lead to a felony conviction and only 3 out of 100 rapists will spend a single day in prison. We need to refocus the conversation.

“At the University of Manchester Students’ Union, we’ve been taking really positive steps towards tackling the symptoms of ‘lad culture’, victim blaming and rape culture that contribute to the normalisation of sexual assault and rape. Our ‘We Get It – zero tolerance to sexual harassment campaign’ sends out a clear message that sexual harassment, assault and rape will not be tolerated on our campus. We’ve seen an incredible response from students and staff with over 5500 pledges signed so far, which has now led to improved support at the University.”

This attack follows recent evidence that shows 36 women every day are reporting rapes to the police, and 37 per cent of female students and 12 per cent of male students have faced harassment in the form of inappropriate groping and touching.

Detective Inspector Damian Simpson of the Serious Sexual Offences Unit, said: “This was a harrowing and deeply distressing attack for the young woman and we will be providing support to her throughout this difficult and traumatic time.

“The attack will obviously raise concerns in the community and especially among the student community and I would like to assure the public that we are doing everything in our power to ensure that we catch this man as quickly as possible.

“If you heard a woman scream around the time of the attack, or saw a man walking around in the area at the same time please contact us as soon as possible with any information you may have.”

Anyone with information is asked to call police on 101, the Serious Sexual Offences Unit on 0161 856 1945 or Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.

Anyone who has been raped or sexually assaulted is encouraged not to suffer in silence and report it to the police or a support agency to get the help and support available. You can call Greater Manchester Police on 101, or alternatively people can refer themselves to St Mary’s Sexual Assault Referral Centre on 0161 276 6515.

Blind Date: Becky and Alex

Becky, 4th Year Geography

First impressions?

I thought he was quite cute, he looks like Justin Timberlake circa the Britney Spears era. And he seemed friendly.

Best features?

Well I used to have a massive thing for Justin Timberlake so probably the fact he looked a bit like him.

What did you have to eat?

I’m coeliac so I had a chicken and chorizo thing in a tomato sauce. It was delicious! Oh and I had a Juan Collins cocktail.

Any awkward moments?

There were a few but the worst was when I thought he said urethra. I wasn’t sure how to respond to that.

How did you say goodbye?

It was awkward. He went in for the kiss; I went in for a hug: in the end we just patted each other on the back.

Did you kiss?

No, I was too mortified.

Any potential plans for the future?

Well I gave him my number so we’ll have to see. Not sure I can recover from that goodbye, I’m still cringing.

 

Alex, 4th Year Physics

First impressions?

Pretty, nice hair and I liked her outfit.

Best features?

Her hair and her eyes.

What did you have to eat?

I had a falafel wrap with fries and a brownie. It was amazing.

Any awkward moments?

I spent the first 10 minutes fairly sure I’d once got with her on a night out so that was a bit weird before I realised I was wrong, but other than that not really.

How did you say goodbye?

We hugged.

Did you kiss?

I wanted to but I thought it might be a bit soon.

Any potential plans for the future?

I got her number so I’ll wait the standard 3 days before texting her.

 

Many thanks to Fallow Café, 2A Landcross Road, Fallowfield. As well as serving tasty meals, it also holds free gigs, regular film screenings and club nights.
www.fallowcafe.com

Fancy a free meal and a date?
Email: [email protected] with your name, year and course.

Album: Taylor Swift – 1989

Released October 27th 2014

Big Machine Records

6/10

Taylor Swift is back with 1989 and it’s big, bold and bollocks. Now I have your attention it’s actually not that bad, but the multi-Grammy award winner has hardly reinvented the wheel, producing an album of solid, if uninspiring, tracks.

The album opens with ‘Welcome to New York’ which would suit the soundtrack to the movie Drive but clearly lacks the mystique or cool of Ryan Gosling. Swift does however declare “Welcome to New York / It’s been waiting for you,” clearly a reference to the state’s falling unemployment rate (down to 6.4%). It’s nice to see a pop star with a social consciousness! Second track ‘Blank Space’ evokes the same 80s pop as the album opener, however track three, ‘Styles’, is where the album gets interesting. Is it a reference to Harry? Are they back together? Who cares?! The song is nice, with a quirky vocal melody.

‘Out Of The Woods’ and ‘All You Had To Do Was Stay’ follow, evidencing an 80s chic that, while flowing nicely, falls well short of the decade’s classic hits. The album’s first single ‘Shake It Off’ is a clear standout, reminiscent of La Roux, a great pop record for the hit parade.

‘I Wish You Would’ sounds like The 1975 fronted by a woman, no bad thing, however this is undermined by ‘Bad Blood’ which is jam-packed with anodyne rhymes such as “bad blood” with “mad love”. ‘Wildest Dream’ however is a good song, mirroring Lana Del Rey; the song, again, sounds like something from Drive. ‘This Love’ is 1989’s first stray away from computer generated sonics, making use of the acoustic guitar, and is a welcome break. A strong ballad.

What Swift has produced is by no means groundbreaking or career-defining. What it is, however, is a record that will sustain her fan base, packed full of pop hits that will appeal across the board. It’s by no means award-winning material, but it’s certainly not a career-ending piece of output.

Album: Julian Casablancas & The Voidz – Tyranny

Released 13th October 2014

Cult Records

7.5/10

The first decade of the millennium saw Julian Casablancas pioneer two of the most standout albums: Is This It and Room on Fire. His latest project, Tyranny, sees him veer off from the catchy, straightforward rock we have grown accustomed to from The Strokes into a dark and complex world under a new name of Julian Casablancas + The Voidz.

The first release off the album, ‘Human Sadness’ forefronts the group’s ambitions. Lasting 11 minutes, the song is anything but boring filled with intense lows and euphoric highs. Julian’s father, John, had died 18 months earlier and the song appears to bring to life some of the emotion experienced whether it’s the storm of angry guitars introduced around the six-minute mark or the lines echoing the poet Rumi, “beyond all ideas of right and wrong there is a field/I will meet you there.”

‘Human Sadness’ is segued between two of the most unapologetically punk songs you are likely to hear this year, ‘M.ad A.ssured D.estruction’ and ‘Where No Eagles Fly.’ Casablancas’ notorious perfectionist nature is seen on tracks that are so densely packed with various sounds and effects and then made to sound so lo-fi, you wonder if the effort was worth it like on ‘Johann Von Bronx’. ‘Father Electricity’ is perhaps the most interesting track on the album that sees an African-styled drum beat at its spine, crazy synth and brass solos, and at one point Julian actually scats like he’s on an old jazz album. Of course the album isn’t flawless with songs like ‘Off to War’ and ‘Xerox’ being ashamedly dull and perhaps a touch too self-indulgent.

If there’s one thing you can call Tyranny, it’s brave. The sheer number of disturbing and unique moments illustrates Julian Casablancas + The Voidz’ intentions to create something legitimate and cool, which is more than you can say for most bands today. It won’t be palatable for those expecting another Is This It but it will attract those interested in listening to original and out-there music.

Album: The Flaming Lips – With A Little Help From My Fwends

October 28th

Warner Bros. Records

5/10

The Flaming Lips are one of those bands which you either love or hate. Because of this, in taking on a Beatles album they were always going to polarise opinion; and this isn’t just any Beatles album. Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band is a leviathan, a giant of its kind. It was described by one critic as “a decisive moment in the history of western civilisation.” To some, letting Wayne Coyne loose on this is like letting Tracy Emin redecorate the Sistine chapel.

The inclusion of Miley Cyrus on ‘Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds’ surprised many, but the rendition is an interesting, sprawling take on the original and Cyrus delivers the iconic chorus with gusto and subtlety in equal measure. It sounds a little like The Beatles being abducted by aliens, in the best possible way. However one can’t help but think that it’s the quality of the song writing which makes it acceptable. Unfortunately, this is the case with a lot of these covers. For example, the high point of the Lips’ ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ is by far that bombastic chorus, deep under the influence of J Mascis, but (shoot me now, Wayne) that’s the bit that’s most similar to the original. Is it my inner Beatles snob emerging from beneath a layer of enforced open mindedness, or is it just that the best bit of this covers album is the 40 seconds which is closest to the Beatles?

‘Getting Better’ is another highlight, but that too has been given room to breathe between the characteristic Flaming Lips madness, with which other tracks are far too infected to be listenable. Take ‘Within You Without You’, where there is basically more feedback than musical notes. It’s all a bit too much; for a while I was convinced that my speakers were breaking, before I realised it was meant to sound this way.

Despite the sonic capabilities of the Flaming Lips paired with the Beatles’ song writing occasionally working brilliantly, the pattern seems to be this: the less Wayne Coyne has messed with it, the better it sounds. Unfortunately, some tracks have been messed with beyond repair. Never fear though, the original Sgt. Pepper’s will still be there when you’ve finished listening to Miley Cyrus (“of all people!” shout the purists) take on Lennon.

Silicon Robots

With cosmetic surgery becoming more and more of an accepted practice, does this mean the future of unique bodies will soon cease to exist?

A scary thought, I know. From Heidi Pratt’s well-publicised transformation to Nicki Minaj’s butt implants, perhaps the future of the body will be perfection, or rather the conception of it that is created by the media. Clearly, questionable methods of how to achieve the ‘designer body’ are being considered by celebrities and VIPs alike. However we have to ask ourselves if a silicon robot-ridden society could ever be a reality?

Alongside the horrendous amounts of money paid to look ‘bootylicious’, I am sure the idea of looking like an action figure does not appeal to the average person walking down the street. As students, I would question that cosmetic surgery is at the top of our wish list for the future. But with more young people affected by body image than ever before, it would not be a surprise if the younger generation made cosmetic surgery the next YOLO trend. With speculations that teenage reality star Kylie Jenner has had her lips plumped, for example, impressionable teenagers could well be influenced into going under the knife in a quest for perfection.

With the fear that procedures such as face lifts and fillers might be the next items on a women’s make-up list, celebrities like Beyoncé assure us that natural beauty is perfect. Her songs promote strength in other ways, reassuring us we are all ‘flawless’. On the flip side, Renée Zellweger, who recently came under media fire for her ‘new face’, maintains that when it comes to physical appearance, what matters is your own happiness; other people’s preconceptions of surgery do not matter at all. With such a divide in the celebrity world about cosmetic surgery it seems highly unlikely that society will ever be 100 per cent pro-plastic surgery. However, with successful results of cosmetic surgery becoming more prominent, could people be swayed?

Is cosmetic surgery a sad reflection of the society we live in? Or is it merely a means of boosting your confidence in your own skin? Tweet us at @mancunionfash and let us know!

Review: The Lodger

1927: The end of silent film is nigh, and the dastardly sound—or ‘talkie’—picture is ready to pounce. In the same year, British fiction-film forefather Alfred Hitchcock released his silent, stunningly shot murder-mystery The Lodger. 1956: A new wave of British drama emerges. “Speaking for a generation who had for so long been silent, they forged a living, adult, vital theatre.”

October 2014: The 1956 Theatre Company adapt Hitchcock’s 1927 thriller for the stage, presenting it to a delighted audience at the Salford Arts Theatre.

Set in the smoggy suburbs of 1920s London, this adaptation of The Lodger cuts out the complicated, overarching conspiracy at the heart of Hitchcock’s film, placing greater emphasis on the characters than the string of Ripper-style murders that comprise the whodunnit sub-plot. The Lodger in question is one Jonathan Drew (Bradley Cross), a peculiar gentleman of unclear origins (“we didn’t decide in the rehearsals…”) who rents a room at the residence of the Buntings, a pleasant family whose need for money overrides their suspicions of his being ‘The Avenger’ serial killer. Apart from an amusing flashback montage we never actually leave the Bunting’s living room, which racks up suspense and comedy as the family struggle to adapt to their new house guest.

Having one set also meant that the tiny cast didn’t really have to do anything apart from act, which was something they were all very good at. The vaudeville humour and use of old school techniques to hark back to the original silent film meant the actors could really go loopy. Graham Eaglesham, who played Arthur Bunting, put his body to especially hilarious use, but Emma Fernell and Julie Hannan—who played his daughter and wife respectively—were equally effective as they ran rings around the oafish male characters.

“Do you mind?! This is a silent film!” Danny Whittle and Lee Lomas’ adapted script—obviously written mostly from scratch due to the absence of vernacular dialogue in the source material—was exactly what minimalist stageplay should be all about; it was funny, self-referential, over the top, but always leaving room for overzealous posing and eye raising, the latter coming courtesy of cast member Danny Whittle, who does a spectacular Jack Black brow dance. The Lodger wasn’t as scary as its film counterpart, but the dodgy-as-hell walk from Salford Gala Bingo to the actual Arts Theatre sure was. If you go, get off at the right stop.

Live: The Hold Steady

19th October

Academy 2

7.5/10

The Hold Steady returned to Manchester for the second time this year to deliver a performance that managed to sound polished and professional, without losing any of the spontaneous and heartfelt delivery that fans know and love them for. Though their latest—and perhaps most critically lauded—album, Teeth Dreams, is only six months old, already the band have seemingly reverted to their extensive back catalogue to fill the set, with only a handful of selections from that record being aired in the setlist.

Opening in low-key fashion with ‘Positive Jam’ from the band’s debut Almost Killed Me, the show didn’t really take off until the arena-ready guitars of ‘Stuck Between Stations’ began, setting the pace for the rest of the night. Maybe it was because the show happened on a drizzly Sunday evening in Manchester, but the band’s infamously rabid audience remained uncomfortably quiet and still throughout; even fan favourites like ‘Chips Ahoy!’ and the usually rousing ‘The Weekenders’ failed to garner much fan participation. Despite the lack of reaction, vocalist Craig Finn was clearly enjoying himself, grinning constantly and flitting about onstage, breathlessly mumbling his lyrics in his trademark deadpan style; rarely has a man that looks so much like a cross between David Cross and Gerard from Peep Show turned out to be such an engaging frontman.

The Hold Steady’s sound has become harder and more muscular since the departure of keyboard player Franz Nicolay a few years back, and the recent addition of Steve Selvidge as an additional guitarist has taken their sound even further away from their original indie/E-Street Band hybrid. This new edge gave the more anthemic tracks like ‘Sequestered in Memphis’ and the sardonic ‘You Can Make Him Like You’ an almost punk rock feel, though at times the piano and organ were sorely missed as the dynamic range of the songs suffered. By the time the encore had come round and the support act The So So Glo’s had joined the band for a rowdy rendition of ‘American Music’, though, the raucous punk rock stylings of their new sound seemed at home, and the crowded stage of musicians finally managed to coax some fun out of an otherwise dead and unappreciative audience.

Club: Coded Rhythm presents Nightmares On Wax / Onra

17th October

Gorilla

8/10

After enjoying a successful first two years with a number of eclectic bookings, I was excited to see what Coded Rhythm would conjure up for their birthday night. The last 25 years has seen Nightmares on Wax put out some of the greatest chill out albums ever produced including Smokers Delight, Carboot Soul and In a Space Outta Sound to name just a few. Standing as the mighty Warp Records’ longest serving signee, the Leeds man has proved himself to be one of the most enduring names in electronic music.

Joining him for the night was Onra, less familiar to me, a French hip-hop beatmaker who has been producing some of the most unique and competent music in his field since the tragic loss of the legendary Dilla, to whom he has frequently been compared to. The promoter had pulled out all the stops for this one—an unmissable line-up.

The Parisian started off playing choppy hip-hop beats with heavy oriental infusions before the words of ODB signalled the move into a heavier boom-bap sound, the heads of the crowd resonating accordingly to the beat. The horns of perhaps his best known tune—’The Anthem’—blasting throughout the venue caused an eruption of cheers from his fans before an acapella of ‘Serial Killa’ by Snoop Dogg saw Onra move seamlessly from 90s G Funk to 70s disco. With the crowd fully warmed up he continued to please dancing feet playing more of his own material including ‘High Hopes’ and his edit of ‘Keep On Lovin’ Me’ by disco legends The Whispers.

Nightmares on Wax took over on the controls and instructed the soundman to crank the volume whilst he simultaneously upped the tempo of the night, diving immediately into a jungle beat. The lyrics of ‘Be, I Do’ echoed over the breakbeats as he brought in Planty Herbs’s remix of the track. Unfortunately my experience of the genius in action was cut short prematurely by the pervasive bouncers of Gorilla, but I have no doubt that he continued to live up to his reputation, earning the reverence of the crowd and inducing euphoria right up until the last beat.

Live: Jonny Greenwood and the London Contemporary Orchestra

10th October

Albert Hall

9.5/10

By nature, this concert drew a mixed bag. Cool-dad 6music listeners, die-hard Radiohead fans and classical music connoisseurs alike crammed into the Albert Hall, not knowing what to expect but drawn by the name on the ticket—Jonny Greenwood’s widespread appeal as guitarist of Radiohead is undeniable. It is easy to dismiss someone like him as a serious classical composer because of just this, but as the LCO dynamically reproduced some of the finest moments from his film scores such as ‘There Will Be Blood’, it was hard to ignore the versatility and emotional depth displayed in his writing.

It wasn’t just the Jonny Greenwood show though; other composers’ works featured just as much, the best of which was a gut-wrenchingly intense solo cello rendition of Michael Gordon’s ‘Industry’. Greenwood’s impressive playing of Steve Reich’s ‘Electric Counterpoint’ later on was also a performance to be savoured. The thrilling third movement of this wonderful minimalist piece was awe inspiring, and the Radiohead star’s skill as a player, not just a composer, really shone through.

Perhaps the most memorable moment for the audience, however, was when a web link appeared on the projector after the interval, just as the orchestra moved onto a slower Greenwood original. When you clicked the link it made a sound, you joined the performance and before long every smartphone was emitting twinkling sound effects. Not only a masterstroke of originality, it worked fantastically with the slow melancholy of the piece and this sort of forward thinking is what set the concert apart. It bridged the gap between a gig and a classical music event, and in my opinion that was its greatest success. That, and the fact that Greenwood made accessible the genre of contemporary classical music to a demographic which, under normal circumstances, wouldn’t have given it a second glance—quite an achievement.