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Month: November 2014

Live: The Coronas

Written by Rebecca Rigg on . Posted in Music.

22nd October

Soup Kitchen

7/10

The Coronas have been established for around 11 years now. They have supported the likes of Justin Timberlake, The Script, Paul McCartney and KT Tunstall. This year has seen them tour parts of Australia, and they released their latest album All The Others last month. Performing in one of the infamous Northern Quarter hotspots, the Soup Kitchen, set The Coronas up to be a good night. And they did not disappoint their sold out audience.

Their support sounded a little off throughout their performance, and so The Coronas seemed really fresh when they began their set. There were a few fumbles with instrument exchanges between songs, but I suppose that’s to be expected in such a small, and packed out venue.

Despite what sounded like a hyped-up fangirl audience—typical of any small-town Irish boyband—the audience was in fact a mix of ages. The gig saw fans get their money’s worth as Coronas played an album worth of songs, mixing the old with the new, including one they’d never played to a live audience before. It wasn’t difficult to tell which songs were the older ones, as people were buzzing to hear them, and seemed to know them word for word.

For the encore, the lead came back out, alone initially, and took centre stage on keyboard.  He performed a beautiful acoustic version of ‘Heroes and Ghosts’ from the new album. Suddenly being surrounded by a sea of little screens recording this one-off massively took away from the fantastic atmosphere he was creating.

The band clearly enjoy what they do, and engaged with the audience throughout the evening. They also showed appreciation to friends for favours, as well as the support of loyal fans before leaving the stage.

Review: The Imitation Game

Written by James Moules on . Posted in Film.

Many film makers in recent years have lashed every drop of creative potential out of the two World Wars, and it comes to be that any movie-goer could be forgiven for assuming that any new release set in this grim period in human history will end up being ‘just another war film’. But, thankfully, a promising number of directors seem to see the crisis of originality in which the war genre finds itself­— David Ayer was one man to thank here for delivering the refreshingly gritty and bloody Fury to us last month, and now Norwegian Morten Tyldum has given us an exciting new WWII spy drama to freshen the genre’s stale breath.

The Imitation Game tells the tragic tale of British mathematician and cryptographer Alan Turing (played with characteristic excellence by Benedict Cumberbatch). Upon the outbreak of the Second World War, he is summoned to Bletchley Park to assist with the battle against the infamous German encryption device – the Enigma machine. Convinced that Enigma cannot be broken by conventional means, Turing sets out to build a machine that will decrypt all German communications at the flick of a switch. The problem? His co-workers like his idea about as much as they like his tactless and snarky attitude. Turing’s personal life also has the potential to sabotage the operation – he is homosexual in the days when gay people were treated as the spawn of hell; Turing’s agony at the forced concealment of his identity has a profound effect on the film’s narrative.

The quality of the film’s intricate plotting cannot be overstated. The narrative hops between three points in Turing’s life – his schooldays at Sherborne, his time working in Bletchley Park during the war, and the later events surrounding his conviction for homosexuality that led to him taking his own life at the age of 41. Deception is always going to be a prominent theme in any espionage drama, but few biographical films manage to mirror this theme so well in their relationship with the audience as The Imitation Game. Tyldum slowly feeds us information about Turing that ensures we always find him sympathetic, even when he’s being insufferable to his colleagues. The gradual revelations about the man’s past and future—which are perfectly positioned in the narrative frame—make what starts out as an entertaining spy drama become a deeply moving tragedy of distinctly human proportions.

As anyone familiar with the extent of the man’s talent would expect, Benedict Cumberbatch is utter perfection as Turing. A biographical drama is dependent on the strength of its lead performance more than any other genre of film, and when you have as prodigious an actor as Cumberbatch in the mix, you can only expect magic to happen. That said, he still leaves room for other performers to have their turn in the spotlight, most notably Keira Knightley, who does fine work as the sole female cryptographer at Bletchley Park.

The movie is not without its problems, though­— a number of minor characters are set up who inexplicably disappear just when we want to find out more about them. Charles Dance and Mark Strong are two actors who fall victim to this waste of talent. And while the film avoids outright sentimentality, there are times at which it feels like it’s trying a little too hard to draw laughs and tears. Sometimes it’s almost as awkward as Turing’s own social skills. My biggest problem with the film though is that it veers alarmingly close to being too reverential to its subject in the closing scenes. When you’re humanising a character through a biopic, one of the biggest errors you can make is to nudge your audience with an unsubtle reminder about how wonderful they were. It comes within a fraction of a millimetre of completely derailing the movie— that’s how poorly considered the film’s final moments are.

That being said, The Imitation Game is well worth your while. Within the canon of recent WWII films, it achieves brilliance but falls short of greatness. You can count on it being a big player come awards season, but I’m pleased to report that it’s more than a stuffy Oscar-baiting melodrama. It is still every bit as moving and entertaining as its subject matter promises to be.

4/5

Feature: Should the Sci be Greater than the Fi?

Written by Adam Waterfield on . Posted in Film.

From Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey and its excruciatingly detailed interpretation of the delicate mechanisms of space flight (so intricate some consider the film a cinematic ruse to test Stan’s camera-trickery for the ‘faked’ moon landing footage of 1969) to Paul Anderson’s (not that one) abominable lump of worthless space-junk Event Horizon and its ‘gravity drive’ hidden behind not one, not two, but three magnetic fields(!), Hollywood’s attempts to conquer the final frontier have been as varying in scientific legitimacy as when the Soviets first slung Laika the terrified terrier to her fiery demise in a lower earth orbit in 1957. With the release of Christopher Nolan’s 170-minute, small-third-world-nation’s-gross-domestic-product-costing venture into the great unknown, the prospect of a soirée amongst the stars is eye-wateringly tangible from the safety of an IMAX, probably the closest any of us will ever come to an outer-atmosphere experience—particularly in the wake of fatally flawed Virgin Galactic test flights and an economy that condemns the all-consuming financial commitment of space exploration.

So now that we’ve seen the majesty of the unknown projected before our infantile globes across five decades, why in the period since Kubrick’s masterpiece have so many got the science portion of the sci-fi so wrong? How is it that George Lucas got away with conjuring up a moon-sized space-base only to fob us off with a floating storm trooper hotel-o-sphere, divided into top-to-bottom floors, with gravity pulling uniformly downwards? Why, when destroyed by the malicious Arachnids, does the ill-fated mega ship in Starship Troopers explode into flames in the oxygen-less vacuum of space? How the fuck is it that in Capricorn One, two characters are able to have a real-time phone conversation between Earth and Mars, a distance which radio waves need 20 minutes to traverse?! While these films will render you thoroughly entertained, they each shame-facedly transgress basic scientific concepts. Are they cases of lazy film making, made popular only by a scientifically illiterate public?

Or does it not matter? It’s easy to label these as the pedantic musings of an insufferable cynic looking to impress, and easier still to consider these objectively massive blunders unimportant. Perhaps the magic of sci-fi is in its transcendence of the trappings of dusty old physics; maybe it’s okay for a film to exist in its own universe, where breaking the rules merely enhances the spectacle. Nah, ‘fraid not, guys. Keep your flux capacitors and midichlorian counts; genuinely thrilling, immersive and classic sci-fi needs a basis in reality. One could argue that a film can only be considered true sci-fi if, and only if, grounded in Hoth-cold fact. Anything beyond that is merely fiction in space—not inherently valueless, but not science fiction. This may or may not be the case, but only when a film guides you through the realm of reality and then beyond can it truly inspire and mesmerise. But that isn’t to say that sci-fi can’t push the envelope of our comprehension past the boundaries of our puny psyches.

Take the case of Interstellar, the release of which was trailed by a gargantuan tidal wave of critiques penned by pricks and pedants decrying its multidimensional menagerie of mayhem armed only with their broadband connections and gilded scalpels of truth. The criticism focused on its interpretation of time as a dimension (which I actually considered to be a hugely inventive and enthralling (if a little Nolan-y) attempt at visualising a fundamentally un-visualise-able concept) and its pseudo-scientific spiel about ‘love’ as the all-pervading, all-transcending, all-empowering universal force. Yes, of course it was all nonsense, but prior to this, wormholes aside, Interstellar maintains an attention to detail and reverence for the harsh realities of the vast expanses of empty space that rival those of 2001:… The dialogue may be as hammy as a hoard of Gamorreans and Anne Hathaway’s acting as two-dimensional as a Euclidean plane, but the precision is undeniably impressive.

Neglecting the fundamental laws of our universe in favour of plot and journeying beyond our comprehension of the unforgiving realm we occupy are both forgivable in the pursuit of an entertaining story, but only the latter as the third act in a reality-based trek can make for profoundly exciting cinema. This is what 2001:… and Interstellar share, although if you’re undecided on what to watch before a night spent gazing at the heavens, go for Ed Wood’s unappreciated 1959 classic, Plan 9 From Outer Space.

Manchester students have Playstation 3 seized

Written by Lauren Gorton on . Posted in News.

Following a series of noise complaints by neighbours dating back to October, Manchester students have had their Playstation 3, amongst other equipment, seized by Manchester Council Officials and Greater Manchester Police.

The students living off Moseley Road in the Fallowfield area were from both Salford and Manchester Metropolitan University. They had already been visited by a Council Official prior to the seizure in regards to claims that they were having excessively loud 4am gaming sessions after nights out.

Following the failed impact of the Council Official’s warnings, the students had also been officially served with a noise abatement order on 7th November, although noise complaints from neighbours continued.

Besides the Playstation 3, the police on 17th November also seized a Samsung flat screen TV, a Phillips DVD player and a total of seven speakers, two of which were laptop speakers and the other five Phillips surround sound speakers.

The items will now be held for 28 days at a Council Depot, at the end of which period the students will be able to apply to receive back the equipment in exchange for a fine.

Speaking about the case, a Manchester Council spokesman said: “This seizure demonstrates that we take these concerns from residents very seriously and we work closely with the police and universities to take action against any households that cause problems for their neighbours.

“Residents should not have to put up with noise until the early hours of the morning, and we will always investigate complaints, issuing noise abatement notices to people we find behaving in this manner. In rare cases when this does not bring the problem to an end, we will work with the police to seize equipment.”

However, although most students are innocent of such behaviour, concern has now been raised amongst the student community that this story is just one of several recent stories to have demonised Manchester students collectively.

This concern has arguably been supported by Fallowfield Councillor, Mike Amesbury. He comments on the seizure that despite the majority of students knuckling down, some amongst a selfish minority were “hell-bent on taking away the right for people to have peaceful lives,” depicting the students’ actions as purposely vindictive as opposed to idiotic and inconsiderate.

The story comes shortly after news of ‘chaotic’ Halloween parties tormenting the non-student Fallowfield community, which has also received national attention. Moreover, the story also follows shortly after The Mancunion exposure of national newspaper The Sun attempting to gain Halloween pictures of Manchester students dressed controversially to run as a front page story.

Live: Paolo Nutini

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

6th November

Phones4U Arena

9/10

Paolo Nutini saunters onto the stage. The area is packed to capacity. Of the 16,000 waiting, 80 per cent scream hysterically. Nutini takes the mic, laughs a dirty laugh and launches into ‘Scream (Funk my Life Up)’… Instantly I regret bringing my girlfriend.

Nutini is sexy and smooth as silk. Following up ‘Scream’ with ‘Let me Down Easy’ his voice is powerful and visceral, filling the arena with ease. ‘Coming Up Easy’ is straight and slick, while ‘Jenny Don’t Be Hasty’, one of the singers earliest hits, is updated and provokes even higher levels of hysterical cries from women and men alike.

Segueing straight into ‘New Shoes’, also updated for a new tour, Nutini evidences himself to be more rock ‘n’ roll than most who claim that status. In fact his music predates even rock ‘n’ roll, evoking the soul and R’n’B that informed rock ‘n’ rolls inception.

A brief snippet of Oasis’s ‘Half the World Away’ provokes a quick sing-a-long, however this is nothing compared to the response to ‘Better Man’. The energy is then instantly reignited with the trio of ‘One Time’, ‘Cherry Blossom’ and ‘Pencil Full of Lead’, the last of which is reimagined and turns the show into one almighty disco.

“Not going to lie I’m trippin’ out”, Nutini delares before ‘Iron Sky’ – an incredible song on record that transcends anything else in the set live. Nutini’s voice is unbelievably emotive, like Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, as if it’s the last song he’ll ever sing.

Nutini leaves the stage to ear shattering cheers before returning for a quick MGMT cover. ‘Time to Pretend’ turns the arena into a soul dancehall before alone and acoustic he performs his most famous hit ‘Last Request’. It’s a poignant end to a great live show.

On this evidence it’s so easy to see why Nutini remains such a powerhouse despite a low profile private life and without gimmicks. The truth is his music stands up, and blow the competition away. His ability to steal my girlfriend’s heart in an hour? That’s just an added bonus.

Black delegates stage walkout at UCU equalities conference in Manchester

Written by Anna Phillips on . Posted in News.

At a University and College Union event in Manchester University last week, black members walked out in protest at the Union’s alleged failure to tackle race issues.

Members of the Union walked out over “racism, bullying and harassment,” and failure to support black members against victimisation.

The union’s longest serving black member Jim Thakoordin described the situation, saying there was “an outburst and walkout at the beginning of the conference by 75 per cent of black delegates present” on November 14th.

Jim stood up at the beginning of the conference and asked to speak about a statement released under the name of “black members of UCU,” but was refused permission to speak.

Members who protested were removed, and other delegates then walked out of the conference centre in protest.

In the statement, it states that “nearly 11000 black members within the UCU representing over 10 per cent of the union membership and contributing around £1 million towards the UCU annually.” It accuses the union of “ignoring reports, petitions, letters and representations” from the Black Members’ Standing Committee.

The statement read: “We have no trust or confidence in the UCU’s commitment towards fighting racism at the workplace and eradicating institutional racism from its structures and services.” It demanded that “the UCU and NEC leadership take race issues seriously… train, use and support Black caseworkers; set up Regional Black Members’ Networks; ensure that black members are represented at least proportionately within all the UCU structures; put into practice its anti-racist strategies and policies; challenge workplace institutions to end the workplace cycle of discrimination and let it be known that the UCU is committed to eradicating racial discrimination, bullying, harassment and victimisation at work and within the UCU.”

Jim Thakoordin said: “The majority of black members remaining in the hall walked out in solidarity and as a protest against the chair’s ruling that restricted any opportunity to speak on the issues highlighted in their paper. They stayed out of the conference hall in protest during the Secretary General Sally Hunt’s address, returning to the hall for the keynote address and the rest of the conference.”

A UCU spokesman said: “UCU doesn’t comment on internal events. We strongly defend our record in standing up for all our members, including highlighting the continuing discrimination many black members face in the workplace.”

The We Get It! campaign enters its next phase

Written by Jessica Weiss on . Posted in News.

The We Get It! campaign, the Students’ Union’s zero tolerance to sexual harassment incentive has moved into its next stage.

Created in February last year, the campaign aims to end sexual harassment on campus by providing the student body and university staff with more support and training as well as raising awareness about the many forms of sexual harassment.

To date, the campaign has had over 5500 students and staff pledges against sexual harassment since its foundation.

In addition, a “report and support” button on My Manchester has been created, which enables students to report acts of sexual harassment faster.

The Students’ Union has also appointed at least two sexual harassment advisers to help and support victims of sexual harassment.

The aim of the next campaign stage is to raise awareness of the differing sensitivity levels amongst the student and staff body through events and campus discussion.

Where do you draw the line? events, which took place last week, asked students to place a scenario on a harassment spectrum, from “harmless banter” to “potentially dangerous”.

A new campaign video is also out, which features Dame Professor Nancy Rothwell, members of the Students’ Union Executive, AU captains, and the Editor-in-Chief of The Mancunion. It can be found on the Students’ Union website.

Review: Purgatory

Written by Allie Liu on . Posted in Theatre.

A fast-paced, exhilarating performance graced the stage of The Martin Harris Centre on the opening night of Purgatory. I had the privilege of seeing the play in progress as I filmed behind the scenes and interviewed the cast and director, Rob Paterson, during one of their rehearsals for FuseTV.

It was a new experience for me to see the process of what Rob envisaged, and the messages he wanted to portray to the audience, come to life onstage. There was a heavy use of props and the focal point was a projector that projected images and videos onto a large screen upstage, which the actors interacted with in various ways. Having not seen this in rehearsal, the technological element of the performance certainly added an interesting and ambitious aesthetic. The scenes I watched in rehearsal, with the added dimension of visual and aural technology, were made all the more engaging and impressive.

The play focused on the protagonist, John, who suffers from hypochondria and experiences events that seem to be either unlucky coincidences or just a figment of his paranoid imagination. Even the first scene where John gets shot by a co-worker, which sparks off various flashbacks that construct the rest of the play, is later questioned as to whether or not it really happened.

Throughout, questions about morality, reality and mortality are raised; John is portrayed as always having these doubts ever since childhood. The protagonist also grows more distrustful of religion, likening God to a ‘placebo’ effect; the play is unafraid of critiquing the hypocrisy religion incites for John. This complex character was taken on flawlessly by actor, George John, who gave a truly commendable performance. The rest of the cast executed their multi-roles effectively, each embodying the character of death, bringing John’s anxieties surrounding his own death closer to home, and closer to the audience.

Rob talked to me about inspiration he took from films like Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, and this influence is clear to see, as several scenes in Purgatory are set as if it was a video game where the aim was to win against death. The light-hearted moments of the play complimented the more sombre and action-filled scenes well. The comedic and absurdist element boded very well with the audience even though the play is primarily about the decline of John’s sanity and rationality—a very serious issue, indeed.

I hope the ambitions Rob and the cast had have been surpassed by the fantastic and gripping performance delivered. It has been a truly unique pleasure, from an outsider’s perspective, to have had a glimpse of the journey from rehearsal to performance.

Fashion: 1, Me: 0

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

The things we do for fashion: that time out you have to swap shoes with your friend because your feet are so crippled from a night in your extravagant (and excruciating) high heeled shoes; the “I’m not paying for a cloakroom” attitude that sees you nearly freeze to death on the way home because you didn’t want your jacket masking your carefully put together outfit; the brisk autumn afternoon you brave bare legs because it’s your final chance to wear that slightly summery dress that you love so much. We put ourselves through pains, troubles and stresses for the sake of looking good, so why does fashion have to sometimes be, quite simply, so unforgiving?

Photo: bdhq @Flickr

We all know that fashion is famous for its at times nonsensical trends. Beyoncé’s enormous gold earrings were… interesting, Kim Kardashian’s ‘waist-training’ corset certainly sounded painful and Lady Gaga’s 7-inch heelless shoes were just pain crazy!

I’ve recently even read about some seriously absurd surgical procedures such as foot fillers and toe liposuction to allow women to walk more comfortably in their harrowing 6-inch Louboutins. While I hope no one would ever go as far as this when trying to look good, it does beg the question, can fashion fail us?

In June I was excited to put together an outfit for the Summer of Love themed Pangaea and bought myself a blue vinyl mini skirt. Of course I thought I looked the bee’s knees when I sported this sixties-inspired funky number—until I realised I couldn’t actually sit down. The plastic skirt was anything but practical and I was left grumpy and fed up when after a long night of dancing I couldn’t even sit down on the bus.

Photo: asos.com

My best friend often laughs when she reminds me of my 18th birthday; I had my heart set on a pair of beautiful suede black shoes, but to my despair the shop only had a size 4 left, a whole size smaller than my feet. I was so determined to wear them I carried out my own DIY stretching method using newspaper and I even put Vaseline all over my feet just to get them on. Of course, it wasn’t long into the night that I collapsed on a chair desperate to get them off, and even stumbled out of taxi with them dangling from my hands… classy.

Maybe our style sacrifices are a lesson in how not to buy completely impractical clothes! Or perhaps we will never learn. One thing is for sure; while the best things in fashion may come at a price (and that price may be comfort!) there is always going to be an important place in our wardrobes for our favourite sensible and snuggly clothing. And while those disastrous birthday high heels may have once failed me, the everyday big cosy jumper and easy-peasy leggings never will.

Top 5: Beauty Blunders

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Beauty faux pas—we’ve all had them. Remember when you used foundation as a lipstick? Or the time you didn’t stick your false lashes on properly and they fell off mid-sentence? Yes, it happens to the best of us, even celebrities. Here are my top five beauty blunders.

1. The foundation/dark liner lip

Photo: diaryofacosplayer.blogspot.com

Let’s start with the dreaded foundation lip. Who in the world thought this trend was a good idea? I think the most awful part about it is that girls smother it on chapped lips! While foundation may hide flaws on your skin, it most certainly doesn’t hide them on your lips! Sorry girls, but this is a definite no-no in my book. Whoever started this look needs to be stopped by the beauty police.

Photo: msquinnface.com

Second is dark lip liner. This was a popular trend in the 90s, and celebrities such as Gwen Stefani and Pamela Anderson were avid wearers. It may not seem like a bad idea, but trust me—it’s a beauty disaster waiting to happen. Not only can this look make you appear older, but it is just so dated. If you’re a lover of dark lips, why not just put colour all over? Or at least BLEND it with the lighter lip colour for an amazing 3D effect. Don’t be a beauty victim; give your lips the attention they deserve!

 

2. Over-plucked eyebrows

Photo: tribeofmannequins.wordpress.com

They say the eyebrows are the windows to the soul… okay, so it’s actually the eyes, but to look into one’s eyes, one must also look at the eyebrows so why wouldn’t you want them to look nice and polished? This beauty faux pas has to be the worst.  I mean, aren’t we all supposed to be fawning over Cara Delevingne’s bold eyebrows? If you want to draw them in, fine, but at least make them look natural by using a pencil which is a similar shade to your brows, a light hand and follow your natural brow. Don’t draw on brows that make you look permanently angry, shocked or confused.

 

3. Not gluing on false lashes properly

Photo: alamodestuff @Flickr

Falsies are great because, let’s face it, the majority of us don’t have naturally thick and full eyelashes. It’s a burden we just have to bear. However, one thing I can’t stand is when girls do the eye twitch. By this I mean blinking repeatedly until they either excuse themselves from the room, or they simply rip the false lash off right there in front of you. I know false lashes are a pain to put on—the glue never sticks, they never blend in with your natural lashes—but still, you wouldn’t go out with half your lash dangling on by the tiniest bit of glue, would you? Well, some girls do. To make sure this never happens to you, follow these simple rules: apply the lashes using tweezers (helps precision), always use a generous layer of glue (don’t be stingy) and apply some liquid liner over the top (to help blend the lashes in).

 

4. Overly dark foundation

Photo: bugsbeautyblog.com

Girls, we all love a tan but applying a foundation shades darker than your natural skin tone isn’t going to achieve the natural glow you’re after. The downsides of this look outweigh the benefits. Doing this not only makes you look like you’re caked in foundation, but it also makes your face a different colour to your neck.  I was once one of these girls, desperate to cover my blemished skin. However, looking back, I wish I had just showed the world my natural face. The key is BLEND! Blend down to your neck, or better yet, go for a foundation that matches your natural skin tone! Let your inner beauty shine through.

 

5. Hair disasters

Photo: mystylebell.com

Most of us have seen the YouTube video where the girl burns her hair off with a curling iron? If you haven’t, go and watch it. It taught me one thing: do not leave any hot items in your hair for too long. Your hair is just as sensitive as the rest of your body, and you wouldn’t leave a hot object on your hand for a long period of time, so what’s the difference? Be sure to use heat protectant! It will save you from a thin-haired future.

Review: A Number

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Theatre.

On one of Manchester’s typically chilly winter evenings, when the thoughts of the city’s student majority would usually be turning either to the following morning’s lecture or the pub, around sixty avid theatre-goers were held in a palpable state of eerie anticipation during the Drama Society’s production of Caryl Churchill’s 2002 play, A Number.

Set in a near-future dystopia, Churchill’s script tells the story of a father’s relationship with his three estranged sons, each of whom reacts drastically and uniquely to the revelation that they are one of “a number” of clones. In this production, the depth of Churchill’s sobering play was entirely realised and it was clear that director Monique Touko had the understanding and, for that matter, the cast to not only carry through the delicate themes of human cloning, experimentation and identity, but also to give them an added feminist gravitas.

Touko made the decision to swap each character’s gender, the all-female cast granting the audience an insight into the wildly misunderstood world of postnatal depression and, as the play went on, a growing sense of mistrust towards the mother, so often portrayed by society as a figure of parental perfection.

In what felt like the quintessential student play, A Number seemed to achieve a rare harmony of almost all the theatrical aspects required for a production. The cast used their minimalistic set intelligently, constantly arranging tables and chairs in order highlight subtext, whilst shifting the patterns and topographies seen in the staging as a means of emphasising the differences in each daughter’s relationship with her mother.

The acting, however, was where this performance truly came into its own. Emily Smith, Alice Walker and Roma Havers were all individually impressive as the three daughters, each bringing an effective and wholly different dynamic to their scene, but the old cliché of a “stolen show” applied mainly to Emma Young, who was truly harrowing in her brilliant portrayal of the mother.

Young’s understated performance gave Churchill’s script the strange sense of reality that it so required, and indeed all of the characters evaded hyperbole well, though dramatic lines such as “we both hate you” or “I’d kill it [the clone]” might have sent this excellent performance in a different direction entirely.

4 out of 5 stars

Review: A Farewell to Arms

Written by Morris Seifert on . Posted in Theatre.

It was with marked disappointment that I left ‘Imitating the Dog’s’ performance of Hemingway’s ‘A Farewell to Arms’. It was never an easy task to translate Hemingway’s jolting style and obfuscated meaning to the stage. Unfortunately ‘Imitating the Dog’ has not managed to.

The problem with the play is characterisation, or rather lack of it.

The play is a crescendo of distracting lights. Sentences from the novel flicker unnecessarily above the stage, emblazoned on a large banner by a projector. The actors spend most of the performance facing away from the audience. Their faces shown only on screens at the back of the stage with a jarring lag between hearing their voice and seeing their lips move. Set pieces are dramatic and epilepsy inducing but by being so fail to communicate the subtly of Hemingway’s message.

The play is sodden with unnecessary distractions and explosions of letters and lights. Rather than a touching Hemingway treaties on the dreadful nature of war, it could have been a dark Michael Bay spin off.

Italian is frequently spoken in the play (the novel is set in the Italian campaign), but when on a number of occasions subtitles either appear too early or too late to read and to an English audience the subtleties of Italian are impossible to convey, it seems like an unnecessarily avant-garde choice.

As someone who has read and loved the book, the play truly misses the point. As an audience member told me after the performance, “Hemingway would burn this place down if he saw this.”

The novel is not an empowering love story as the play tells it; the novel is condemnation of war. Yet you never feel this, the characters are bland and not even unlikable, they are simply unknowable. Their faces big and bluish projected out of synch with their dialogue, their frozen mannerism bizarrely marry with even the most powerfully passionate dialogue.

The play feels rushed, the characters make love, cry, and kill in the same hastily impassioned manner. The audience has little chance to feel the impact of their actions before words begin to flicker on the banner again or ‘off stage’ actors give laconic insights in the characters thoughts or someone moves the ever on stage hospital bed slightly to the left to signal a change of scene.

If the play had been King Lear, it would have been a masterpiece; exclaiming to the heavens in a fit of madness whilst lightning and thunder crackle around Lear would have been masterfully done.

However it is not a poetic epic. It is a subtle censure of war. It requires the audience to understand the characters to feel the full force of wars pernicious burden on them. It requires not being rushed. It requires actors who face the audience and express themselves.

Yet there were areas of greatness. I must commend the originality of ‘Imitating the Dog’ translation of Hemingway to stage and the beautiful music that informs the audience of the moment’s gravitas brilliantly. The end of the play is moving despite the overwhelming amounts of sound, light and colour.  The aesthetic design of the play was marvellous.

There are certain glimmers of promise, and it would be a lie to suggest ‘Imitating the Dog’ are untalented or not one of the most interesting and ambitious contemporary theatre companies. However in this instance the play let’s down its source material and does not communicate the powerful, emotionally fraught story that Hemingway penned.

Waking up to ourselves

Written by Lauren Wills on . Posted in Opinion.

Corporations entrench societal privilege by making it okay to discriminate against people, they make it normal. When corporate giants such as Tesco and Asda put ‘mental health patient’ Halloween costumes on sale, what they’re really saying is that it’s okay to laugh at this particular issue.

Whilst this is in the past and they retracted those costumes, I was shocked that a year later Wal-Mart (Asda’s parent company) introduced ‘fat girl’ Halloween costumes on its website. I am astounded as to why anyone would think this kind of labelling is acceptable. What’s more frightening is the juxtaposition of their lack of sensitivity with their influence over society.

I am not claiming there wasn’t public outrage over both of these ‘hiccups’. But I think there’s a ‘sheep-mentality’ problem with society today where we don’t think for ourselves.

We only revolt against the actions of corporations when an intelligent individual expresses that something is wrong, adequately explains why it’s wrong and thus why we should agree with them. Usually this is done over social media—we jump on the bandwagon and criticise corporate decisions until offensive statements are retracted, or in Asda’s case, until the costumes are removed.

Some might argue in a moment of brutal honesty that we do recognise the acts of corporate giants are morally questionable, yet we choose to ignore them until it’s seen as socially acceptable to criticise them.

For example, if you are not affected by mental illness at the present moment in time, you are more likely to detach yourself from the issue and concentrate on your own life rather than spending time and energy standing up for a cause that doesn’t directly affect you.

If this is the case and society does recognise that particular acts are offensive to particular people, I would suggest we adopt a more overtly altruistic approach. Mental illness can affect anyone without prior warning and without that individual doing anything to cause it.

The World Health Organisation report that around 450 million people currently suffer from different mental disorders, making mental illness among the leading causes of ill health and disability worldwide. What’s worse is that it is estimated nearly two-thirds of people with a known mental disorder never seek help.

To know that companies endorse and encourage stigma and discrimination either through intention or negligence is something we should all be personally standing up against. It really can happen to anyone, and the fact that people are embarrassed or ashamed to get treatment is something we should all carry the weight of. People deserve to get the help they need.

Similarly, not all cases of obesity are self-inflicted. There are a number of possibilities as to why individuals become overweight, but there is such a stigma attached to appearance based around laziness and apathy that people are made to feel marginalised at the hands of the key market players.

In my opinion, keeping an open mind and an ‘anything could happen’ mentality allows us to really put ourselves in others’ shoes which stop us from disregarding others and making them feel inferior.

Whilst I love and appreciate the fact that companies rely on the support of the public which to some degree makes them accountable for their mistakes, I think it’s important to recognise that we should be individually sensitive to issues such as mental health and insecurity before issues become topical and someone writes an article about it.

It really does start with personal morality, sensitivity and compassion. One in three people are affected by mental health issues over their lifetime. 64 per cent of people in the UK are deemed overweight or obese. The quicker we grasp the realities of the statistics, the quicker we stop marginalising affected individuals.

I am not denying we should promote a healthy society, but if we can recognise something is offensive and wrong personally before we revolt collectively, our communities will become full of individuals sensitive to what others are going through, which to coin a phrase, really can make the world a better place.

University isn’t the problem

Written by David Brierley on . Posted in Opinion.

Mental Health, as shown by the Student Union polls on the subject, is one of the subjects that most worries the student population. Some people blame the University Lifestyle for this. And I can see why. I am now isolated from my family, my closest friends, and economic stability.

My security blanket, as it were, is exactly a hundred miles away. And yet, I’m absolutely fine. Perhaps I’m not the wildest party animal, and perhaps that shifts my perception. But hear me out.

I’m certainly not about to argue that the University lifestyle is necessarily good for a person’s mental health. I don’t need to be a psychology student (although I very nearly was) to understand how the human psyche can be massively affected by such a huge change in a person’s life.

Economic uncertainty, an issue that plagues many students, is incredibly stressful. The sudden breadth of independence means that peer influence is very strong, and that can have both good and dangerous consequences.

Stress is, far more than people realise, a huge influence to a person’s mental health. Poor sleeping habits, poor eating habits, excessive alcohol consumption (and, yes, I do myself feel hypocritical even mentioning that), or drug consumption all can cause, catalyse, or prolong mental health issues.

I’m far more independent now. If I want to do something, I just can. It’s an incredible breadth of freedom. If I don’t want to do anything, I also don’t have to. This is a significant change.

But I don’t think that labelling ‘University Life’ as a merely composed of these facets—alcohol, poor social habits, and economic hardship—is fair. Nor, I believe, is it justified to ignore the real reasons behind mental health problems.

The economic pressure of university is not a product of its own creation—it is the fault of the Government and a fault of secondary schools for not preparing students for the economic realities of the ‘Big World’.

Not once did anyone sit me down and explain to me the concept of debt, overdrafts, weekly spending, disposable income, or budgeting. I picked them up quickly, but others have not. We are pushed into the great wide world really quite unprepared for it. This is scary. We are going to make mistakes. And, ultimately, such mistakes can spiral out of control.

The ‘University Lifestyle’ is not to blame. It in fact opens up a huge amount of opportunity for personal growth and wellbeing. Exercise is often cited as one of the best ways of combating stress and unhappiness and at university the opportunities to do a variety of exercise is unparalleled.

You have the opportunity to meet a wide range of people and try a hundred new things. Logically, this should be a non-issue—the atmosphere of a university should provide the exact opposite of mental health issues. The issue is this lack of preparation.

We cannot blame the culture of university for this. Getting wasted is a cultural phenomenon, whether you are at University or not. Drug taking is an entirely different matter altogether, and to oversimplify it as ‘University Lifestyle’ is a dangerous precedent.

“Mixing with the wrong crowd” is going to happen wherever you are. And unless you plan never to leave the town you were born in, being independent for the first time is going to be an experience you have to go through whether or not you go to university.

No, the problem is not the culture of university. It is the incredible amount of change and the incredible lack of preparation for it. I do not want to start claiming that University does not have problems, and I would be the last person to belittle the complex issues of the human psyche. It is because of these reasons—not in spite of them—that I do not believe university life causes mental health issue. The real reasons are far, far more complex.

Love to see you fail

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Let’s be honest, following a red carpet event, do we scour the internet for the celebrities who were flawlessly dressed or for those who took a risk that clearly didn’t pay off? I believe that despite being avid fashion followers who take inspiration from many stars, most of us would agree with the latter. But why exactly do we enjoy their fashion fails so much?

In the world of fashion, numerous public figures are placed on pedestals. Consequently, any style blunder receives maximum media exposure and secretly, we love it. We spout lines such as, “oh, with all the money she’s got, couldn’t she have worn something better than that?” or, “with all the stylists working with her you’d think that she’d at least look half decent,” every time a celebrity looks anything less than perfect.

Surely such scathing critiques of someone who is essentially a stranger are unfair? After all, everyone’s individual fashion sense is different and is a vehicle of personal expression. At the end of the day, who are we to judge? However, many people would argue that this is an acceptable practice as if celebrities are willing to put themselves in the spotlight and take fashion risks, then as fashion followers we are allowed to judge them.

Nevertheless, for many well-known figures, public scrutiny and the social media whirlwinds that surround their fashion faux-pas only serve to boost their careers. After all, they say that there is no such thing as bad publicity, and in the case of stars such as Lady Gaga, this could not be more true. It’s difficult to deny that for the most part, her global fame is a result of the hype around her image and her controversial fashion choices, and that her music itself seems to pale in comparison. Does anyone else remember the ‘meat dress’ she wore to the MTV Video Music Awards back in 2010? Yeah me too. Does anyone know what her latest song is called? Didn’t think so.

What’s more, magazines and TV shows such as E!’s Fashion Police thrive off celebrities’ sartorial failures with panels of judges who sit and critique their outfits as a form of entertainment for the general public. Similarly, fashion magazines often feature ‘’What were they thinking’’-esque segments dedicated to slating celebrity style choices, and boy do we love it.

Clearly, in the rather gladiatorial amphitheatre of style, the public is thirsty for failure.  But why exactly is this? Perhaps seeing ultra-successful figures fall flat on their faces humanises them? Or maybe we are secretly embittered towards them as that one awful outfit probably cost more than our entire university education. Let the trolling commence.

Review: Cat on a Hot Tin Roof

Written by Annabel Cartwright on . Posted in Theatre.

It is a blisteringly hot day in the Mississippi Delta, 1954, and the Pollitt household is celebrating Big Daddy’s birthday at their cotton plantation home. Over the course of one turbulent evening, the family wrestles with emotional repression and its destructive consequences, all within the stifling confines of one claustrophobic bedroom.

Exploring issues surrounding birth, death, depression, supressed homosexuality, motherhood and masculinity (to name but a few) Tennessee Williams’ timeless play brings to public consciousness the damaging nature of societal expectations, and resulting efforts to sustain the perfect family façade.

In the Royal Exchange Theatre’s most recent production, the eight-strong cast of highly accomplished actors ooze passion and vivacity in their interpretations of Williams’ eminent characters. Each and every cast member delivers their role with a starkly human and personal approach. Of particular note are the performances of Charles Aitken (Brick), and Mariah Gale (Maggie). As the couple found at the centre of this particular plot, Aitken and Gale provide a convincing and truthful representation of the closeted complexity and pain which is often experienced in married life.

Aitken’s depiction of Brick’s depression and his ensuing struggle with alcoholism is acutely harrowing, and has an enduring emotional impact upon the audience member. With moments of pure genius, the direction by James Dacre is unquestionably appropriate. In retaining the naturalistic basis of the piece, he creates the perfect foundation upon which the intricate humanity of each character is built. In conjunction with the lighting and sound design by Richard Howell and Emma Laxton, Dacre’s direction is powerful and stimulating, both to the eye, and the emotions.

Mike Britton’s stunning set creates a wonderfully minimalistic backdrop for the piece. Creating a sense of claustrophobia on an open, in-the-round, stage space can undeniably present designers with difficulties, however with thoughtful use of set and prop placement, Britton creates a four-sided microcosm within which all the action of the piece may take place without causing distraction or visual obstruction.

Crumbling into a cathartic denouement, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof shakes the audience to the core. Sure to be one of the most significant productions of Tennessee Williams’ classic play, every aspect of the Royal Exchange’s production contributes to a performance deserving of the highest acclaim.

We need to talk about the elephant in the room

Written by Isaac Atwal on . Posted in Opinion.

According to Mind, one in four people in the UK will experience a mental health problem each year. According to an NUS survey of 1200 students conducted in 2013, at university, 20 per cent of people consider themselves to have a mental health problem. Perhaps even more shocking is that out of those respondents the NUS reported that 92 per cent had at some point experienced mental distress including anxiety, a lack of motivation and a lack of self-worth. Mental health issues are extremely common in the UK and it would be foolish to think that university would be any different. Paul Farmer, the chief executive of the mental health organisation Mind is quoted by the NUS saying: “Research demonstrates the scale of mental health problems among students.”

The pressures associated with moving away from home to university have the potential to bring about mental health problems. In the NUS survey, over half of students asked said stress related to exams was central to their mental distress, with just under than half saying that financial worries had been detrimental to their mental health at some point in their university career. As most student loans do not go far enough to cover all expenses associated with university like socialising, going out, and buying books, many students have no other option than to get a part time job.

According to The Times Higher Education, in 2013 57 per cent of students were working part time to fund their studies. This can make what is already a hugely busy lifestyle even more hectic, with time for studying, socialising, relaxing and, for some, sport also having to be accommodated. It is then, not so surprising that 47 per cent of students asked by the NUS reported financial worries being central to their mental distress at university. Rosie Dammers, the Students’ Union’s Wellbeing Officer said that the combined stress of different aspects of university life has “contributed to a rising number of students with mental health issues.”

As statistics show, the issue of mental health is not a small one. It is not something that only affects a small minority of people and is central to enjoying life at university and indeed beyond. Demand for counselling services at UK universities has risen by 33 per cent since 2008, with some universities experiencing over 100 per cent increases due in part, Rosie says, to NHS funding gaps. It is perhaps then a rather sad statistic that, despite this rise, over 25 per cent of students still feel unable to talk to anybody about their mental health. This should not be something that people are afraid to talk about.

It is true that there is a certain stigma around the words “mental health” but the fact is that it is not as small an issue as many of us would like to think. The statistics speak volumes. On the prevalence of mental health problems Dr. Richard Brown, programme director for the University of Manchester’s doctorate in clinical psychology says “the more [mental health] is talked about, the better” and that it is extremely common for most people to experience mental health problems, not just at university. There does remain in some places, he says, a stigma around mental health that could impact how many people seek help, a sentiment that Rosie echoes. Many students she spoke to felt there was a taboo around the subject.

Both Rosie and Dr. Brown point out that the university has done a lot to reduce this. Mental health policy is increasingly more open, with a free counselling service available to all students. However, Rosie has said that with the increase in demand, “many students felt like they were being ‘pushed through’ the system.” Within the clinical psychology doctorate Dr. Brown says there is a teaching focus on service user experiences and a community perspective via the community liaison group to help break down barriers and reduce this stigma.

Mental health is arguably one of the most important issues that face many of our students today; statistics show most students will be somehow affected at some point. However, it can all too often be overlooked. Among many people there remains a certain stigma around the words “mental health” and our fast-paced and individual-centric society can exacerbate problems and make it extremely hard for people to feel able to talk to the people closest to them, let alone anyone else. The University of Manchester is running a mental health campaign called When Will You Ask?, which was a part of last week’s Wellbeing Week, encouraging people to be more open to talk about their emotional wellbeing, which is an important step in the right direction. The counselling service is also an invaluable service but is coming under increasing pressure as demand rises. We must then strive to eliminate the stigma and taboo about talking about mental health and create a climate in which people not only know where to seek help but also feel comfortable doing so.

Christmas has come early this year: Ho Ho Ho or just No No No?

Written by Beth Greenwood on . Posted in Lifestyle.

For me, now that Halloween and Bonfire Night have been and gone I’m starting to feel the festive cheer and I know I’m not alone. For many, the arrival of crisp chilly mornings signals one thing: that the Christmas period is coming ever closer. But with nearly two months to go, is it a bit too soon to be looking forward to Christmas specials, mince pies and watching elderly relatives slowly getting mortal off sherry?

As usual, the build up to the 25th has been in motion for some time now in the retail sector. Selfridges opened its Christmas floor (yes floor!) on the 4th August, during one of the hottest weeks that Britain had experienced in decades—a whopping one hundred and forty two shopping days before the event.

At the time many people were outraged. However the truth remains that Selfridges and other department stores wouldn’t open their festive sections a third of a year early if the business was not there to support it. Selfridges sold over 2000 Christmas baubles in the first week of its opening.

I’m personally undecided as to whether having these displays open for such long period adds to the festivities or actually tarnishes some of the novelty of the season. It’s certainly practical: you could have everyone’s gifts bought, wrapped and labelled before the university term even starts!

Overall though, I can’t help but think it doesn’t really matter when the lights are switched on in the city centre, or even when shops start to play thirty year old Christmas ‘classics’. You can get into the festive spirit whenever (if ever) you see fit—and if it’s any consolation, there are only twelve official days of Christmas.

5 reasons not to go out this week

Written by Robert Firth on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Alcohol and other drugs

It’s the only thing that makes it even slightly bearable. The concept of being rammed into a human battery farm for numerous hours in the dark could not even be conceived as fun without them. I have yet to meet a person who has gone to Warehouse and stayed until the end without having consumed some noxious cocktail of medicines. Yet you’re merely delaying the inevitable and the next morning you’ll justly repent for your sins with innumerable glasses of water and an irrational appreciation of your duvet.

People

“I just want you to know that I love you, I don’t know if I’ve ever told you this…” As a matter of fact you tell me this quite regularly, always in the early hours of the morning and I’m sorry but it’s not mutual, especially when half the time you blank me in the street during the daytime. Yeah, going out teaches you that people think you’re the best person ever, but only when they’re drunk—feeling the love yet?

Food

Soggy, jaundiced chips floating in oil and plastered in rubbery cheese never seems like a tempting option on any other occasion, so why does it become simply irresistible when you’re returning from a night out? Then again I suppose you’ve already consumed your RDA of calories and sugar in liquid confidence so why neglect your saturated fat and salt?

Music

In the unlikely scenario that you actually recognise or like the music being played, you’ll spend all the time you’re not boogieing, sulking about everyone’s extended smoking breaks. When you dislike the music you’ll probably end up staying until closing time, contemplating whether it’s worth the risk of contracting lung cancer if in compensation you can escape outside for a few minutes.

Dancing

So you think you can dance? Well you can’t. Unless you’ve taken lessons from a ridiculously young age, no matter how much you believe you’re feeling the rhythm of the night you’re really not. You’re slut drops have hit rock bottom but even when you realise this don’t dare to sit down in case you’re branded ‘boring’ by your fellow revellers—then again at least you’ll have your dignity intact.

TV made me live a fantasy

Written by Molly Allen on . Posted in Lifestyle.

I don’t watch a huge amount of current TV. I still enjoy the same crap that has been cancelled since the invention of digital television and a choice of more than five channels.

The only TV shows I watch that are still running are ABC’s amazing Scandal and like every man and his dog, HBO’s Game of Thrones. After watching two episodes of Scandal this summer, I had the revelation that “I should be a lawyer.”

I frantically called my mum: “Mum, I’ve found my future career. I’m going to be a lawyer!” She responded with a sigh and then said: “Darling, what has prompted this?” Oh the humiliation when I meekly squeaked: “Umm, characters from a TV show.” Do I know anything about law? Do I study law? No—but Scandal’s Olivia Pope is a lawyer and an impeccably well dressed, Prada-toting, unbelievably sassy lady.

It’s starting to get out of hand: I’m still attempting to emulate Rachel’s shiny polka straight hair from Friends whilst simultaneously yearning for Serena van der Woodsen’s tousled blonde mane. In spare moments I find myself mentally constructing my menu for my inevitable appearance on Come Dine With Me. My housemates and I aim by next year to have turned ourselves into the toned, tanned, glittering salsa queens from Strictly.

I’ll turn off my Netflix or TV and for about five seconds (OK, minutes) and feel really crap about myself. Then I remember: yes, I may not live in a penthouse in New York, and no, I’m not going to win £1000 after throwing the most perfect dinner party, but I am happy with my life as it is.

Anyway, I still have time to do all these things, well maybe apart from the lawyer idea—an extra two years of studying and exams? No thanks. I’m off to salsa my way through life.