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Month: February 2015

Opinion: Saving The West ‘Till Last – 57th Grammys Beck With A Bang

Written by Stephen Miller on . Posted in Music.

The 57th annual Grammy Awards ceremony on Sunday night got off to a devilishly rousing start. AC/DC had kicked off proceedings with their first ever Grammys performance, and Sam Smith received the first award of the evening, the highly-coveted Best New Artist. Everything appeared to be running smoothly. If we fast-forward about two-and-a-half hours, we arrive at the Album of the Year category. Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran, Beck, Sam Smith and Pharrell Williams are all contenders. It was the surprise award of the night, as long-serving indie troubadour Beck scooped the prize for his 12th studio LP, Morning Phase.

No-one seemed to be as surprised as Beck himself, yet what was most surprising to the audience and viewers was the sudden appearance of Kanye West on stage, who moved towards Beck as if he was about to take the trophy from his hands. Instead, West turned away, quickly jumped down and disappeared—presumably further up his own arse. In what was clearly a reprising nod to his meltdown at the 2009 MTV VMAs, when Taylor Swift was accepting her Best Female Video for ‘You Belong With Me’, West probably thought he was being funny, but once again he couldn’t help but make himself the centre of attention. This was not his moment. He tarnished what was ‘arguably’ Beck’s crowning achievement in music. But worse was yet to follow.

Fast-forward again to West’s after-show interview: “We ain’t gonna play with them no more. Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé. At this point—we’re tired of it, because what happens is, you keep on diminishing art and not respecting the craft and smacking people in the face after they deliver monumental feats of music, you are disrespectful to inspiration.”

Let’s put this into some kind of context, shall we? Kanye himself has won 21 Grammys in his 11-year career, Beyoncé, who through no fault of her own has been dragged into this mess, has won 20. Hardly ‘disrespectful’ or ‘diminishing of art’, is it? If I wanted to get really pedantic, I could point Kanye to the list of credited writers on Beyoncé’s album, which stands at 25. The total number of writers credited on Morning Phase stands at one. Beck. Beyoncé only contributed vocals to her album, whilst Beck not only contributed vocals, he also happened to play 13 other instruments on there as well.

I am by no means criticising Beyoncé, her album (despite the overwhelming and seemingly unnecessary quantity of writers, producers and composers) is wonderful, and by Beck’s own admission it should have won the Best Album award, and she is a truly exceptional singer and role model. My issue here is with West’s hypocrisy. West telling Beck to ‘respect artistry’ is similar to a toddler taking a break from finger-painting to tell Michelangelo he’s shit. His argument carries no weight behind it, yet it is one that has got people talking. Perhaps that’s what he wanted all along. If that is the case, then it has seemingly backfired. His stunt(s) have boosted Beck’s album sales by more than 1000 per cent in the two days since the ceremony.

Live: Viet Cong

Written by Samuel Ward on . Posted in Music.

Deaf Institute

5th February 2015

5.5/10

With a debut that has—quite surprisingly—managed to twist many a head 180 degrees, Viet Cong have managed to plant themselves on the frontline of the snotty indie punk brigade. This is made all the more impressive as the band’s past is one of on-stage fighting and—wait for it—Black Sabbath cover bands. It’s no wonder then that even the soundcheck seems nervous; headlining the Deaf Institute on a debut could be considered a feat.

Eventually, after they stop pissing about on stage as if it’s their first time playing together, Viet Cong begin to unload their set, assembling each piece like some IKEA furniture—tightly replicating their album, albeit rather coldly. You could read the fucking horoscopes and still predict that a group which vomits twanginess is obviously going to have a set dominated by jittery stage movements and rapid strumming. Having said that, this huge 12-stringed sonic unload is at least energetic, bright, and digestible.

As the performance trundles along it becomes pretty clear that the focus is only on one thing at a time. For the most part this is just varying the tempo, swinging like a pendulum between manic guitar fucking now and slow, waddling bass next. Elements are never really brought together, it’s one thing or another, especially upsetting after such a powerful and intricate support act.

There are points where the album’s patchy colour and discord manages to leak through the cracks, but it’s still pretty monotonous and lacks the album’s other unique selling point—sonic flailing.

Suddenly hope appears when the set takes a funky turn down disco lane with the activation of the Institute’s awe-inspiring disco ball. Somehow, like some superstitious horoscope shit, this does some good and Viet Cong abruptly jam together their best bits into an amalgamation of noise, pop and distressing church bell-like guitars. Of course this is helped by their secret weapon ‘Continental Shelf’ which, like the majestic mirror sphere dangling precariously above our heads, brings the set to a new level of grace and emotion. It’s just a shame they didn’t turn it on sooner.

Club: Boys Noize

Written by Will Ellis on . Posted in Music.

9th February

Sankeys

8/10

When the weekend starts, the Mancs come out to play and the boozed-up students that fill Sankeys for Full Moon get replaced by some pretty decent DJs playing to a mix of locals and students on something else entirely. February onwards is usually the season for dance music at Sankeys, with lovers of dance music searching for nights to fill the void until the Warehouse Project starts up again. But with WHP extending its reach from the handful of Winter/Spring nights to an extended stay at the Albert Hall with its Transmission nights, Sankeys has a lot to do to keep its foothold. The pull of a big-name DJ like Boys Noize should, in theory, be everything that Sankeys is looking for. And with Transmission presenting Dusky on the same night, it’s a straight shootout between the two promoters. This divide was abundantly obvious from the lack of numbers in Sankeys that night.

Confined to the ground floor the warmup acts attempting to build up the atmosphere before Boys Noize fell largely on deaf ears. The crowd filled out just as Boy Noize came on for what was a phenomenal show. The strobes and compressed air were a great addition to a set that drew from a cross-section of dance music from several genres, throwing in a few well known dance classics to supplement his own. The great mix of acid house and techno that has given Boys Noize came out in full force, with heavy bass thrown in for good measure. This heavy dance sound raised the mood compensating for the lack of crowd.

Ultimately, Boys Noize gave a top quality performance that suffered only due to the abundance of choice for dance nights in Manchester—which, at the end of the day, just gave you more room to dance.

Live: Fryars

Written by Cassie Hyde on . Posted in Music.

6th February

Gorilla

4/10

You can always tell how good a support act is if they can make people at the bar shut up and listen. When people are slowly sucked into an unknown performance, it is truly inspiring to see such a magnetic pull unfold. However, Fryars were completely unable to hush the drone from the back of the room.

Fryars’ set consisted pretty much entirely of dreamy, piano-driven, electro pop ballads. Admittedly, they were musically pleasant to the ears, yet the lyrics were totally cliché. Not to the point of being laughable, but just bland. Prime examples include “Baby, you’re a rock star!” as well as several choruses worth of “I can’t stop loving you,” repeated over and over. No matter how much the music tried to draw you in, the hit-and-miss lyrics were always there to draw you right back out again.

The music itself had its moments to shine. Songs such as ‘In My Arms’ impressed with psychedelic guitar work, as well as almost jazz style drumming. The closer, ‘Cool Like Me’, was the best song of the set, finally getting the right balance between Fryars’ lyrical style and his mellow sound. However, these moments were interrupted by far too similar ballads. The same tedious lyrics set to the same slow chords sequences. Playing these tracks straight after genuinely engaging songs made the whole set seem jarring. As the noise from the bar became louder and louder, the few people listening were left thinking “What happened?”

Overall, Fryars’ often frustrating set was neither good nor bad—just dull.

Album: Peace – Happy People

Written by Zakk Brown on . Posted in Music.

Released 9th February

Columbia UK Records

7/10

Call me cynical, but I approached this album with some dubiousness after hearing its first single ‘Money’. Despite being enjoyable musically, writing a song critical of rich greed on a golden Gibson Les Paul reeks of disingenuousness to me, especially being written after making their millions off the debut. Thankfully, Peace delivers far more impressive content than ‘Money’ on their second album Happy People.

The album still mainly retains its upbeat element from the band’s debut, In Love. Opener ‘Gen Strange’ with its uplifting sound will have you in a good mood before the end, until the completely jarring song transition before the dark ‘Happy People’ begins. Dominic Boyce employs some impressive drum work to the song however and it works with decent harmonic backing vocals which ultimately makes it an enjoyably fresh departure from their usual sound. Although it does have the cringey lyric “I’m a bad computer, I’m slow to load, I disconnected from you when I learned to love”—try not to cut yourself on all that edge, Peace. ‘I’m a Girl’ criticises traditional masculinity, questioning “do you feel like a man? Because you’ve got blood on your hands?” The track is easily the hardest on the album, employing some shoegazing and industrial guitar twangs to marry the ironically blood-pumping macho rock to the subject matter while undoubtedly being a future crowd-pleaser. Peace also delve into some tongue-in-cheek territory with ‘Perfect Skin’, written as though they’re angsty, acne-ridden teenagers who’ve just lost a crush to the high school bully. Other highlights are ‘Lost on Me’ and ‘O You’, making for enjoyable funk tracks with a 70s disco influence.

However, towards the end, Happy People runs out of steam a little, with ‘Someday’ doing very little to seem like it’s anything more than the obligatory acoustic track on the LP. ‘Under the Moon’, while a decent track when taken by itself, lilts like a retro-style break up song and feels out of place to the rest of the album’s sound. However the final track ‘Wold Pleasure’ raises the mood by blending 70s funk and hip-hop in the same manner as Blondie’s ‘Rapture’, serving as a worthy finale.

Happy People manages to avoid recycling the same work as their debut like many other failed sophomore albums do by implementing some new influences like funk into their work, making for a worthy follow-up LP.

Album: Mark Ronson – Uptown Special

Written by Dinesh Mattu on . Posted in Music.

Released 13th January

Columbia Records

7/10

I’m yet to come across someone who hasn’t got an opinion on Mark Ronson’s monster hit ‘Uptown Funk.’ From the headphone-wearing sing-a-longers who synchronise their steps to each snare hit as they walk down the street (i.e. yours truly), to the cynics who express absolute contempt at the song’s supposed unoriginality, it is one of those songs that will serve as a cultural yardstick in years to come.

What Ronson has done with this single, in a similar fashion to his 2007 collaboration with Amy Winehouse on ‘Valerie’, is that he has cemented yet another reminder in the hearts and ears of society that he is a super freaking talented dude. However, given the enormity of the lead track, it is now near-enough impossible for him to commercially top what he has already achieved. There is no track on Uptown Special that quite has the same radio-friendly zeal but saying that, it doesn’t mean Ronson’s fourth album is by any means lacklustre.

It is a shame the album is overshadowed by the single because on the whole, it carries a similar energy and enthusiasm. To the critics that cry “imposter!” it is important to recognise that Ronson has never been shy of indulging in nostalgia. In fact, he actively promotes it; one listen to Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black proves just that. The variety of influence, from Stevie Wonder’s harmonica melody on ‘Uptown’s First Finale’ and ‘Crack in the Pearl, Pt. II’, to the 80s R&B boogie synths on ‘I Can’t Lose,’ is quite refreshing to hear in Ronson’s music.

A triad of collaborations from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker punctuate the album with dreamy elements of fuzz guitar and vocal psychedelia.

For a guy that started out as a Hip-Hop DJ, it is great to hear that influence remain true today. Ronson’s adoration for Hip-Hop is evident on ‘Feel Right,’ which echoes a James Brown-esque arrogance of 70s funk, with an ever-eccentric Mystikal yabba-dabba-do rapping all over jam.

The album tries a little too hard to sound cool and atmospheric at times, ‘Crack in the Pearl’ and ‘Summer Breaking’ are less easy on the ear than the rest of the album, particularly in contrast to songs such as ‘Daffodils,’ which is a groovy primer to the essence of the album, and also ‘In Case of Fire,’ which sees a first vocal appearance for co-producer Jeff Bhasker. The album isn’t particularly progressive or revolutionary, but acts as a funky throwback to an era long forgotten and is overall a solid album.

There is no escaping it; ‘Uptown Funk’ is an epidemic. Unless you purposely stay away from all forms of commercial media and entertainment, then expect to hear more super funky slap bass guitar and triumphant brass at every wedding and corny rom-com in the coming year. Whilst Ronson’s management will undoubtedly squeeze the pips out of ‘Uptown Funk,’ I don’t expect them to the same with such fervour as any other single on the album sadly.

Smoke ’em Out?

Written by Isaac Atwal on . Posted in News, Opinion.

Bristol has banned smoking in two of its public squares. The bans are voluntary and it will be up to individuals and local businesses as to whether they comply. It is the first of its kind in the UK and will be watched closely by smokers and anti-smoking groups alike as a tentative test case for further outdoor public bans. I am not saying that all measures to improve public health are bad, the majority are good for us as a society, but with a smoking ban that could marginalise almost 20 per cent of our population that contribute over £12 billion in taxes a year to the economy in our public spaces, we are in danger of becoming less accepting.

We think of ourselves as an immensely tolerant society, and for the most part, we are. Britain is known as a safe place to live your life as you please. However, creeping steps taken towards dictating people’s lifestyles seem to be somewhat trivialising this tolerance into something more tokenistic. Tolerance only counts when it accepts something that many disapprove of. More and more we are seeing the marginalisation and demonisation of certain lifestyle choices such as smoking, drinking alcohol and eating unhealthily. Admittedly these are problems that we as a society need to face, they harm our population and cost us money every year, but the insidious manner in which something can be thrust into the realm of public health and then instantly demonised to the point of an unfairness unbefitting our traditional tolerance has become worrying.

Our approach of badgering and patronising people is not a fair one.

It only takes a cursory glance across a selection of tabloid headlines outraged at the scourge of overweight people using the NHS or bemoaning the rise in excessive binge drinking, especially amongst students to see this culture in action. This is especially concerning when statistics show Britain has been consistently drinking less since 2004 after a brief rise in the late 1990s and early 2000s that sparked the fear-mongering “Binge Britain” tabloid campaign that too often spilled over into a demonisation of anybody who got drunk even occasionally. Since the indoor smoking ban was introduced in 2007, rates of smoking have decreased. People who smoke are well aware that the habit is bad for them and on average 70 per cent want to quit but many are also perfectly happy to continue, at least for the time being. I myself was happy to continue smoking until the 26th of January, which was my first day of not smoking since I started at 16. The decision to stop was purely my own. I was well aware of the facts and health dangers of smoking before I started and if I’m being honest no single public health campaign or ban ever made me really stop and think about my habit. This may not be the same for all smokers, but the only time I considered stopping was when I was good and ready myself.

That said, since the smoking ban came into force in 2007 the rate of people giving up smoking has increased dramatically – I started smoking after the ban so suddenly being unable to smoke inside never affected me. Immediately after the number of adults smoking in Britain fell by half a percentage point per year, in recent years this has doubled to around a whole percentage point. This is good news, and arguably proof that the indoor smoking ban has worked. Less people are also taking up the habit than ever before, it is not just people giving up that are reducing the numbers.

However just because the indoor ban helped cause a drop in numbers does not mean that an outdoor ban would necessarily faster reduce the number of smokers. There are countless other factors in determining when someone will stop smoking such as personal experience, cost, social influence from family or friends or their health. Surveys have shown that around 70 per cent of smokers actually do want to stop but making the decision to try and do so is very much a personal one. It is often and easily forgotten by many people that nicotine is an extremely addictive drug and first and foremost what is needed to kick the habit is will power, not to be shouted at and pushed out of a public space.

We need to recognise as a society that the issue of smoking is an extremely complex one. We are barely 40 years from a time where half of the population smoked. Nicotine is not an easy drug to give up and the process is very much personal to each individual. Public spaces belong to smokers too, and the considerable tax they generate pays for their upkeep. With talk of bans and prohibition we are in danger of losing the tolerance and acceptance that benefits our society so much.

V for Valentine

Written by Marina Iskander on . Posted in Opinion.

With social media becoming almost vital to our daily lives, trends and fads are bound to spread like they never have. These trends, however, have gone beyond fashion choices and music taste: people of the 21st century, especially teenagers, are constantly facing pressure and suggestion as to what to like and what to criticize.

It is unspoken, and almost unexplainable, that Beyoncé is the queen of just about everything, we’re all ‘90s kids’ and Valentine’s Day is atrociously lame. Being the sheep we are, it’s rare to stop and think that maybe, just maybe, a day to celebrate affection towards someone (or something) cannot be all that bad.

It seems as though the main point of criticism is that if two people did really love each other, they wouldn’t need a pre-determined date to realize it. There are two problems with this idea: one, that it really doesn’t have to be two people, and two, what is it that is so wrong about being extra cheesy for one day?

Maybe it’s the movies we watch or the books we read, but recently, the definition of love has become exclusively romantic; boy meets girl, girl likes boy, boy likes girl. Then something goes wrong, they fix it, and end up together. The word love, therefore, now rarely describes the feelings that you, for example, may hold towards a certain area of study, or a book, or a stanza in a poem, or a town in a city.

By turn, Valentine’s Day has come to exclusively include those in a romantic relationship, ridding us of the possibility of taking a day to appreciate the amount of love our bodies can hold towards anything or anyone. Let us not forget that ironically, the word love is often thrown around meaninglessly – which in fact gives even more reason to spend a day actually realizing what you love.

That mere realization of what you as a unique individual are passionate for is not a matter to be taken lightly; we’re all wired differently, so imagine if everyone would invest themselves in what they saw to be important. Valentine’s Day isn’t just about the lovey-dovey adolescent couple or the fact that your grandparents have been together for the past 50 years, it could just as well be about finding and basking in what, rather than who, you love.

Nevertheless, a big part of Valentine’s Day is celebrating romantic feelings. It is easy to deem couples as overly cheesy and clichéd when it comes to the big day, often criticizing them for not being that way every other day. From a greater perspective, this fallacious argument is like saying that you should celebrate your age every day and not just on your birthday, or that people belonging to their respective religious beliefs should fast all year and not just during lent or Ramadan.

In turn, there is nothing wrong with couples choosing one specific day to manifest their love, no matter what their expression of it is like on any other day of the year. Call it an excuse or a celebration, setting aside time to ponder at this unique bond can rarely result to any harm.

The question is, then, why we find it so important and trendy to criticize affection and shy away from it. In fact, it seems incredibly ironic that the modern hipster of the internet, one who prides themselves in their support for world peace and anti-discriminatory campaigns, finds it silly to designate time to acknowledge what, arguably, their beliefs revolve around.

If love were to be seen in its purest form – a fiery passion that leads to tolerance and acceptance – then said hipster should be its biggest advocate. It thus seems that this passing internet fad doesn’t have much of a basis, and is no reason to cruelly ridicule Valentine’s Day.

Whether you use it to celebrate your hobbies or your loved ones, there is nothing embarrassing about being human enough to be in touch with your feelings. Yes, Valentine’s Day shouldn’t be the only day we do this, but it could easily serve as a starting point or a reminder of a special class of feelings that, commonly-put, may just be what ‘makes the world go round.’

And it’ll look good on my CV!

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

“And it’ll look good on my CV!” How often is this awkwardly pegged onto the end of a list of positives: “I’d love to volunteer somewhere, to help people, and grow as a person, and it’ll look good on my CV!”?

This phrase, a throwaway statement uttered by almost all of us at some point, embodies an interesting array of issues.

Anybody who has passed through sixth form or college knows of the UCAS hunting culture that thrives. Anything that can set you ahead of the pack is obviously seen as a positive when applying for over-prescribed courses at top universities; an opportunity that must be exploited. Out of this has risen an atmosphere in which teachers drill into students that extracurricular excellence is pivotal to achieving.

An extra bullet point on a UCAS application, evidencing the fantastic contribution you made to a local care home or primary school does play a large part in showing yourself to be well rounded. I am not denying this and I am as guilty as anybody. Indeed, during my sixth form career I volunteered in a local primary school and I hated it, every second.

What I realised is that I wasn’t there for me, that working with children was so low on my list of future interests. I was there, like so many others, to tick another box off on my eventually successful application form.

While I don’t wish, through this article, to demean the work of students who legitimately love the causes they support, this does raise a question. How many of us are really providing our services for those who need them and how many are doing it to increase our attractiveness on our applications?

The popularity of digging for application fodder has now permeated beyond the school gates into the working world. Arrive at university and following the frenzy of first year the cold wind of the world comes whipping under the door. “And it’ll look good on my CV,” becomes the new keyword for anybody looking to get ahead.

To see the effect of this shift one only has to look to the rise of voluntourism. The popularity of companies offering trips abroad to gap year students and to fill out the long university summers has gone through the roof. To hear that somebody had travelled to Africa in order to perform voluntary work is a fairly frequent, if nonetheless impressive, story.

It’s true that this can also be attributed simply to the world getting smaller. A trip to Africa similarly no longer takes a few months and with modern medical support provided to visitors on these trips the risks are relatively small. Nonetheless the appeal of such trips due to their value to an application form is clear.

Again this is not meant to undercut everybody who has ever travelled to Africa or any underprivileged country in order to provide voluntary work. Many people care wholeheartedly about the cause. Where the hypocrisy is somewhat highlighted is when the leaflet itself promoting the trip highlights it as a “great addition to your CV”.

This corporate line, lifted incidentally from a leaflet advertising a summer trip to Malawi, is less heart-warming and more cold-as-steel. My secondary school had a link to a school in Uganda and I’m absolutely sure the teachers cared deeply about that school’s preservation. On the other hand, the utterance “it looks wonderful on your UCAS form” somewhat numbs any sentimentality.

That said, hands on the ground providing support in such cases is, in my eyes, fundamentally good. Whether it is encouraged by a greater opportunity at marketing ourselves to employers, or is a 100 per cent committed expression of a need to help, is possibly not important. For many, this work style is unsustainable as a career. Gap years and university are a great chance for people to invest themselves into it whilst they still can. If one side-effect is a bolstered CV, then that is a positive too, but by no means always the driving force nor should it be.

As I feel the need to repeat, this article is not meant to shame anybody who has undertaken voluntary work whilst keeping one eye firmly fixed on the job market.

The reason for my repetition of this mantra is that the truth is we have been conditioned this way. We have been moulded by teachers, visiting students from universities, and careers advisors into making ourselves employable whatever the cost. It’s not even really their fault either; the job market promotes itself as a cut-throat environment, the type Patrick Bateman and functioning psychopaths flourish in.

After years of being told everything is a competition, from university to jobs, of course we will look for any means to set ourselves apart and that is not really a fault within us.

The competitive world needs competitors. The outlook of doing anything to beat down those around us in order to thrive, by doing anything whether we care or not, provides for this circularity of ruthlessness.

A lecturer at this university, who will remain unnamed, is a shining beacon for a more utopian outlook. On being asked to promote a job fair for industry he blatantly inverted convention, stating that we shouldn’t do anything we didn’t want to. In a short—probably throwaway—rant, he shone a spotlight directly onto what I had wanted to be illuminated by somebody ever since my arrival.

Anything that you are not truly committed to, or that you do simply to set yourself ahead of a rival serves only to turn you more into the machine that industry wants you to be. I can’t really offer a solution because the truth is most of us will need the, “it’ll look good on my CV” material to get a foothold in the job market.

Many of us will throw ourselves into the things that we really love. Art or sport for the sake of it—or even with a view to the future, it doesn’t really matter, or just volunteering because you want to give yourself to a cause. It might be less appropriate and these people might fail at them, but they will do so much more fulfilled.

All that I can assert is that this mentality serves to numb us into a state of mind that perfectly suits the work environment, but damages us. Committing to what you love and truly investing yourself in something are the greatest things a person can do. It is fulfilling and life affirming and that is surely what we should all be chasing, not the next bullet point of our CV.

50 Shades of Consumerist Nonsense: Valentine’s Day

Written by Lauren Wills on . Posted in Opinion.

Social media on Valentine’s Day contains a strange combination of ‘perfect couples’ publicising their love for each other and sarcastic singles posting statuses of how they’ll be crying into a tub of Ben & Jerry’s all day (often with #foreveralone added on the end.) This year, ‘50 Shades of Grey’ reviews will undoubtedly be thrown into the mix. People’s relationship statuses are intensified on Valentine’s Day, and I think it’s fair to say emotions run wild and free whether it be from loneliness, happiness or jealousy.

I don’t want to be that girl who writes an anti-Valentine’s manifesto, but I do think there are problems with modern interpretations of Valentine’s day including both the pressing need to spend large amounts of money and a lack of sensitivity to individuals who are not just single and lonely, but for example, have social anxiety disorder which deteriorates on such occasions. Research from the Australian psychology researcher Peter McEvoy argues that February 14th can trigger ‘severe anxiety in a significant number of people,’ highlighting the potential negative consequences of our interpretation of Valentine’s Day.

I’m not trying to say that people should conceal the fact that they’re happy or fail to say positive things about their respective partners on social media. If Valentine’s Day encourages couples to spend well-needed time together, then surely it’s a positive thing. (Ideally, however, we wouldn’t need a date on the calendar to dictate that to us.) I just think that non-stop, unnecessary bragging shows a lack of sensitivity towards others.

Another social pressure which has emerged from this celebration is the need for people not only to spam Facebook with Shakespearian paragraphs confessing their love for each other, but to be seen to be going out and spending lots of money.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m always up for being wined and dined by my boyfriend, but February 14th is definitely the day I’d least likely want to go out. This is just my personal preference – I find it cringeworthy to be around so many couples who most likely are people-watching or Instagramming. Consumerism has lured us in again with the intensification of something else to celebrate which can only be enjoyed properly by spending. It’s happened with Easter, Halloween, Mother’s Day – the list goes on.

Despite all these holidays starting as celebrations not involving large amounts of money but more so personally recognising and appreciating life, religion and other people, as the Frugalwood’s blog states, “Heart strings are connected to the purse strings.” If celebrating Valentine’s Day is genuinely about intimacy, why do we need to spend so much money? It’s become Christmas two months later with the need to lavish expensive gifts on each other.

To clarify, all of this boils down to people’s intentions. I am not suggesting that no-one buys their partner flowers or chocolates, nor am I encouraging a social media ban on Valentine’s Day. I just think it’s important, whether single, in a relationship or married, to pose the question of why we’re doing what we’re doing and posting what we’re posting. Gary Chapman argues that there are 5 love languages: words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time and physical touch. He argues that identifying what both one alone and others appreciate is key to a functioning relationship.

Thus if it makes people happy to stay at home on Valentine’s Day, consumerism should not make it a social norm to have to go out for an expensive meal. Likewise if people are more outgoing in nature and enjoy being in busy, social atmospheres then let that be the reason for going out and spending time together.

I personally think that what people really want is happiness and intimacy. We can try and achieve this by buying gifts and location tagging ourselves at posh restaurants, but at the end of the day we’re being tricked by consumerism and a desire for popularity. Each to their own on their relationship preferences – I just wish Valentine’s Day was more about genuineness rather than social pressure and money.

 

Manchester medical students learn from “Instagram for Doctors”

Written by Patrick Anyadi on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A Canadian doctor has created an app, dubbed as an ‘Instagram for Doctors’, which is helping Manchester medical students with their studies.

The creator of “Figure 1”, Dr. Joshua Landy, is a critical care specialist at the Scarborough Hospital in Toronto. Along with his co-founders Gregory Levey and Richard Penner, his goal was to create a “network where healthcare professionals could share images and create discussions.”

The idea for the app came in 2012 after Dr. Landy spent time as a visiting scholar at Stanford University. He studied how medical students and doctors were using their smartphones and found that image sharing for the purposes of education was commonplace. However, these images were shared without protecting patients’ privacy or indexing them in a meaningful way, despite their tremendous potential.

The aim of the resulting app is to change the status quo of “having an image sink down to the bottom of your inbox”.

Following numerous fundraising efforts, Figure 1 was launched in 2013. The app currently has over 150,000 users and has continued to grow rapidly since its inception. So far it has been launched in 38 different countries. 30% of U.S. medical students now use it and within the University of Manchester, Figure 1 is beginning to make waves.

For second year medical student Kajen Suresparan, Figure 1 has helped him learn more about the brain, “Figure 1 has allowed me to explore my interest in neurosurgery in greater depth. It’s amazing to be able to scroll through CT scans on my mobile phone”.

Figure 1 allows users to upload images of rare and/or textbook cases of illnesses and share them with medical professionals and students from around the world. Verified users can interact with each other via the comments section and there is also the option to ‘follow’ images of interest or other users, much like any other social network. This enables students and younger healthcare professionals to learn from the expertise of those who are more experienced.

One of the concerns raised by students about the app was regarding the confidentiality of images, which is a core principle of good medical practice.

However, in an interview with The Mancunion, Dr. Landy outlined in great detail the built-in tools that allow users to crop and edit their images, acknowledging just how important this issue is.

Specialised face blocking software automatically removes the pixels from images that could identify a patient from their face. Also, images are evaluated by analysts before they are authorised for publication in the app.

Although the current focus for Figure 1 is education and information dissemination, the app shows great potential as a diagnostic tool. It can allow doctors to crowdsource for complex or uncommon diagnoses and it will be exciting to see how the app develops in future.

For students with the desire to innovate in the medical field, Dr. Landy first advises “to stay in school kids. Think about a problem that you and the other people in your field face. If you’ve got an idea and you’re dedicated to solving that problem you will find success.”

Figure 1 is free to download on the App Store or Google Play.

Sports luxe: An introduction

Written by Nikki Patel on . Posted in Uncategorised.

Sports Luxe: An Introduction

Some inspiration to add a sporty edge to your Spring/Summer wardrobe.

As the Autumn/Winter 2015 Runway shows take place across the fashion capitals of the world, it is time to draw our attention back to the here and now – Spring/Summer 2015. The classic themes of summer bohemian and nautical were present in many a catwalk show, but so too was the recent favourite Sports Luxe. It is a trend that has been growing for a few seasons but SS/15 witnessed the sport luxe trend takes on classic shapes with a modern edge.

Alexander Wang showcased a multitude of sports inspired pieces in his SS/15 runway show, including neon scuba dresses, heeled trainers and sports mesh fabrics interlaced with sleek tailoring. At Topshop Unique they styled the models in scuba dresses and retro inspired cycling jumpers with flippy skirts, hot pants or trousers. Proving that the sport trend can be worn with anything; androgynous or feminine, day or night – this is an easy trend for everyone.

On the DKNY runway sports mesh fabrics breathed a youthful edge into fifties inspired midi dresses, crop tops and midi skirts, with bomber jackets and flatform trainers amping up the athletic edge of the entire show. Akris also utilised the sporting accessory, with models strutting down the runway wearing visors in an array of colours.

Potentially as students the sporting accessory may be one of the easiest routes into the Sport Luxe trend. Trainers have become frequent visitors to the catwalk over the last few seasons; the practical, comfortable shoe has been used as an alternative to the high heel and has become a favourite with street style stars. Across the high street there are various interpretations of the new fashion trainer at affordable prices: Zara has a flatform style similar to that shown on the DKNY catwalk, while River Island has most styles of trainer all at more affordable prices than their designer inspiration.

Review: Hawaiian Shirts in the Electric Chair, by Scott Laudati

Written by Jack Ashworth on . Posted in Books.

In Hawaiian shirts in the Electric Chair Scott Laudati embodies the malaise of his generation. Desperately searching for purpose in a world engulfed by fear and disengagement, Laudati’s narrator—a character one can only assume to be entirely autobiographical—stumbles between fleeting one night stands (I Liked Her So I Never Should Have Talked To Her Again), doomed love affairs (Stony Hill) and suburban anxiety (Can We Live Like This?). The archetypal dissatisfied post-adolescent so prevalent in 20th century literature, his narrator bears resemblances to Salinger’s Holden Caulfield and Plath’s Esther Greenwood, all similarly dealing with lethargy and neurosis in the urban sprawl of New York.

Laudati focuses primarily on imagery and expression, and he does not rely on a great deal of literary technique—all usage of rhyme, metre, and rhythm is subtle and sparse. This does not negate the work in anyway but only accentuates the conversational and simplistic style exercised. Although lacking the mysticism and spirituality of other poetic greats such as Ginsberg, Laudati does seem to possess a beat-esque quality that can be interpreted as both hopeless and hopeful at the same time. In We Need The Bomb, he speaks of the threat of nuclear warfare, highlighting the cultural fear it entails but also adding a subversive eroticism to it:
“for the andromedans,
and the reptilians,
watching
from the moon-
it’ll probably
look like
the earth
going
blind
with helpless orgasm”

Laudati’s choice of language remains simple throughout—and it is exactly this simplicity that gives this work its universality. Rather than relying on linguistic ambiguity and technical jargon, the use of colloquial language gives the work a much more concentrated resonance. His lowercasing of ‘I’ which is present throughout attains a Cummings-esque effect, perhaps in homage.

Laudati channels a plethora of emotions as he navigates through the suburban jungle of New York. In A Garden East Of Eden, his words are tinged with retrospect and longing:
“if i could do it all over again
there’s not much i would do the same
i would say i love you a lot more
to a lot less people
i would only find brick walls on black and white streets
to kiss against”

There is also an appeal to more carnal desires; lust, greed, desire. In The Things Men Say On Their Way To Work we are greeted by a seemingly middle aged man, who recounts tales of illicit encounters with numerous women, expressing his longing for his youth.

Intensely readable and relatable, Hawaiian Shirts… manages to reach out to anyone who has felt disengaged and apathetic, and his work is tinged with hope. Despite being set in a given geographical area, the poems have a universal resonance not exclusive to New York. Beautifully executed, this work is indicative of a promising and prolific career for Scott Laudati.

Untitled Short Story, by Moira James-Moore

Written by Moira James-Moore on . Posted in Books.

You blindly place your feet past the curb on the pavement, wandering carelessly out on to the road, “Act first, think later!” being your poorly thought out motto. The moment when you realise your stupidity hits you; a small compact car appears to be gaining in momentum as it rapidly travels towards you, complete panic. A stage of acceptance follows and you comprehend the possible variations of events, one of which involves getting hit, surrendering to the inevitable. Then, safety! In a purposeful rush your feet magically manage to pass the car as you reach the sanctuary of the familiar pavement.

Looking back, it took that insignificant near death experience to place the series of bizarre events into context, I wish to point out that at the beginning of this particular scenario I had been heavily shaken up and had not quite reached complete sanity in time, as the minute I had stepped to safety a peculiar man came thundering towards me with great speed. He was wearing an ill-fitting, dishevelled coat that came down to his knees matched with the unusual combination of an extravagant scarf that covered most of his frame. As soon as he reached me, he grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and dragged me through a particularly grubby and narrow alleyway. There was a small moment of silence as the man rammed his face towards mine, his face looked flushed, reminiscent of a man who had spent too much of his youth and probably his later years drinking strong alcoholic drinks, and his curly mane of hair looked unwashed and greasy. It soon became apparent to me that the man was about to speak; an unusual experience as I longed to remain ignorant of his intentions. “Did anyone see you?” The man placed an abrupt stop to my trail of thought. It took a brief period of time for me to understand the individual words in his sentence. Before I could reply with a reasoned and well thought out answer, my trail of thought was interrupted once more as the man ignored his abrupt questioning and whispered, “It’s important that the living world can’t see you now, it can be confusing for them whether they understand it or not.”

A short burst of laughter exploded from within, the mention of the ‘living world’ being detached from me was too much. “Who are you?” I spluttered, unsure of how I wished the question to be received—was I asking for the name of the man, or was I really questioning who he thought he was and what he was doing? Fortunately the stranger did not take offence as he simply replied, “My name’s Jeremy Crowe, I used to live just up there on Cedar Street.” After a few minutes of him hopelessly attempting to convince me that I had met my end, he shoved a local newspaper in to my face.

It stood there, printed boldly in black and white, validation. He had told me to check a small article in the back of the paper. I did so in an almost comical fashion, faking a vague interest whilst all the while knowing the make-belief aspect of Jeremy’s story was soon to become obvious. I knew he would present me with such little evidence, perhaps a random name in the obituary section that could be anyone’s. I was not, however, expecting a picture, the same man stood in front of me telling me he was dead, was being presented in the local newspaper as the tragic victim of a drink driving accident… I needed further confirmation before I completely lost my mind; if the ‘living world’ could still respond to me, see me, even I knew I was alive. Before thinking things over, I avoided Jeremy’s grasp, violently rushing out of the dark alleyway into the crowded street. Jumping onto a nearby bench with Jeremy one step behind me I bellowed a loud, unrecognisable sound. The closure I needed was found as a short, elderly lady stopped in her tracks, pointed at Jeremy and barked, “You’re not bloody dead, he does this to everybody!”

From Manchester to Marrakech

Written by Josepha Griffin Parry on . Posted in Lifestyle.

As a post January exams treat to myself, I decided to get away from Manchester with a few friends and have a mini break in Marrakech. We stayed in a beautiful Riad in the heart of the Medina. The area was constantly filled with noisy street sellers, loud colours, vibrant people and strong smells, though not all of these were particularly pleasant.

The street sellers were continuously heckling us: “Fish and chips”, “Lady Gaga” and “Shakira” being the most popular comments. Although top originality marks (and my personal favourite) go to the guy who screamed, “I do not want to kiss you because you have Ebola!”, why they think that would make anyone stop and buy their products is beyond me. However, by day three we considered ourselves experts at negotiating our way around the bustling streets, and filled with confidence, we decided to brave the street food.

Each evening in the main square, tents, stalls and benches were constructed selling all sorts of local dishes. We finally decided upon braving a weird kind of egg and potato sandwich, which the Aussies in our Riad had assured us was delicious and cost the equivalent of 80p. Value for money was ideal and I would definitely recommend trying it, as the whole experience of sitting amongst the locals was rather amusing, although eating it once was probably enough!

Near our Riad there was a small stall selling fruit smoothies which always had a group of locals surrounding it. Presuming they must be pretty decent, I ordered a date and banana one, which didn’t disappoint. The plentiful stands selling orange juice were always a safe bet for a super cheap, delicious and nutritious drink costing a mere 40p.

Finally, after walking past numerous women selling what looked like a cross between a macaroon and a cookie my friend gave in to her sugar craving, buying a bag full of them. The sweet chewy biscuits were a favourite from that point onwards and we made several purchases, much to the confusion and surprise of the woman selling them, especially since we chose to only buy them from her.

I would definitely return to Marrakech; it was such a different kind of culture and was an amazing way to take a break from university and the North West.

Review: Deliciously Ella App

Written by Adam Fearn on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Known by her fans as ‘Deliciously Ella’, Woodward’s new app offers a wealth of food-related information that celebrate natural healthy food. The software includes over one hundred simple, easy-to-follow plant-based recipes that are free of gluten and refined sugars, with five different detox menu plans that last either three or five days. Recipes that feature within the app include sweet potato brownies and banoffee pie to superfood bread, butternut squash risotto and amazing fruit smoothies.

If you are looking for an introduction to the world of delicious healthy living after the exam season, this app will provide ways of keeping energized and happy whilst you work!

The app is available to download on both iOS and Android devices for the price of £3.99.

Student sentenced for grooming girls on the Internet

Written by Lauren Gorton on . Posted in News.

Mohammed Sarang, a 19-year-old student from Wembley, pleaded guilty to inciting a child under 16 to engage in sexual activity, taking indecent photographs of a child under 16 and causing or inciting child pornography at Harrow Crown Court.

He was given a two-year suspended sentence, a supervision order for two years, a five-year Sexual Offences Prevention Order and was ordered to attend a 60-day training programme.

Sarang had remotely hacked into the Facebook account of one of his victims’ friends. He took over her identity and created a fraudulent account in the name of ‘Nicola Hay’, posing as a modelling agent.

Using this alias Sarang befriended several young girls from the Wigan area on social media sites, leading them to believe he could find them modelling jobs.

In order to check out their ‘suitability’ for these imaginary jobs, he would offer them a webcam audition, during which he would ask them to undress and perform sexual acts.

Sarang’s identity was uncovered when the mother of one of his victims became concerned when she discovered an online conversation her daughter was having with someone called ‘Nicola’ and contacted Greater Manchester Police.

Following a joint investigation between GMP and the Metropolitan Police, officers arrested Sarang after carrying out a search of his home address in Wembley, where they found computers with online conversations between him and his victim.

Detective Inspector Joanne Clawson, said: “We worked extremely closely with The Met throughout their investigation and I am pleased that we were able to identify and put a stop to the actions of Mohammed Sarang, who used the internet to groom young children from Wigan and other areas within the UK.

“As part of the investigation and alongside partner agencies, we visited more than 60 children in Wigan who had come into contact with Sarang, many of whom befriended him simply because their friends had.

“All of the children and their families received safeguarding advice during these visits, as our top priority is ensuring the on-going safeguarding of vulnerable people.

“This is a tactic that is used by sex offenders online who seek to cast their net as widely as possible and so I would encourage parents to be vigilant and intrusive about their child’s activities online.

“With them holding the internet in the palm of their hands it is important to scrutinise who they are ‘friends’ with on social media sites and alert us to any concerns they have.”

Project Phoenix is Greater Manchester’s multi-agency response to tackling child sex exploitation. Bringing together police, local authorities, the NHS and third sector organisations, including Barnardo’s and Crimestoppers, Project Phoenix aims to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation, help people recognise the signs, encourage people to report it and provide support to victims and those most at risk.

Visit www.itsnotokay.co.uk for information for children, young people, parents, carers and professionals on how to spot the signs of child sex exploitation and what to do about it.

Overheard at the University of Manchester, 16/2/15

Written by Anon on . Posted in Lifestyle.

“I’m never taking MD again. Oh, wait, no, apart from next weekend. After next weekend, I’m never taking it again.”
Overheard on a magic bus

“I don’t know why but I have a feeling Chile would be really cold”
Overheard in the Samuel Alexander building

“I had a sex dream about my lecturer last night.”
Overheard outside the llibrary

“He’s really annoying me at the moment, he acts like he’s better than everyone because he’s an aspiring DJ. This is Manchester, who isn’t an aspiring DJ?”
Overheard on the bus

“Would you rather have a vagina on your forehead or penises all down your back like a stegosaurus?”
“Definitely the stegosaurus dicks. Would you rather eat a bowl of shit once or have explosive diarrhoea for the rest of your life?”
Overheard in the Learning Commons café

“I don’t give a fuck about Withington!”
Overheard in Sainsbury’s, Fallowfield

Overheard anything hilarious this week?
Tweet us @Mancunionlife

We need to talk about: female masturbation

Written by Molly Allen on . Posted in Lifestyle.

With the recent sexist censorship laws on porn (yes, they are sexist, and there’s no denying that) and after having a discussion with my housemate, I decided it was high time someone came out and said: “There is nothing wrong with women masturbating.”

Growing up with two younger brothers, I lost count of the numerous conversations I overhead between them and their friends. It’s no secret that teenage boys can be disgusting and my brothers and their smelly friends were no exceptions. There was endless talk about masturbation. It’s difficult to imagine a group of teenage girls having the same discussion; at school my friends were repulsed by the idea and anyone who admitted to indulging in a bit of self-love was treated like some degenerate. Similarly, even aged 22, it is something that is just not discussed.

But why? Woody Allen once said, “don’t knock masturbation. It’s sex with someone you love,” and how right he was. Part of the reason for the lack of discussion around the issue of women masturbating is because of the puritanical, Victorian myth that women don’t enjoy sex. Or if we do enjoy sex, we’re sluts. Science says aside from the obvious biological differences, men and women are the same and I believe this to be very true; therefore, why can’t women openly discuss masturbation when men brag about it untilthe cows come home?

Again, this comes down to the distinct sexual categories women fall into: virgin and slut (admittedly, it can be argued there’s a third which is ‘frigid’ but I like to think that comes under ‘virgin’). I wish I could tell you when women will eventually be able to be sexual in the same way men are, but I’m afraid I just don’t know. I do know this though ladies: enjoying sex and your sexuality, which includes masturbation, does not put you into either of these ridiculous ‘categories’, it makes you human. And who’d have known? The way people react you’d think we were a whole other species.

Oscar Predictions 2015: Who Will/Should Win

Written by James Moules on . Posted in Film.

Best Picture:

The Nominees: American Sniper, Birdman, Boyhood, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Imitation Game, Selma, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash.

Will Win: Richard Linklater’s Boyhood has been winning every ‘Best Film’ award in sight, and our contributors reckon that the Oscars won’t be an exception, with 86% saying that it will be taking home the top prize on Sunday. The remaining votes were divided evenly between a couple of bold voters saying that Birdman (7%) or Selma (7%) will pull off an upset victory.

Should Win: Boyhood is the contributors’ favourite in an ideal world too, albeit with a slightly less convincing 44%. Birdman (25%), Whiplash (25%) and The Theory of Everything (6%) have devoted fans as well.

Best Actor:

The Nominees: Steve Carell (Foxcatcher), Bradley Cooper (American Sniper), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), Michael Keaton (Birdman), Eddie Redmayne (The Theory of Everything).

Will Win: Lead Actor is apparently going to be a closely fought battle between current frontrunner Eddie Redmayne (47%) and sentimental favourite Michael Keaton (40%). A few contributors reckon that Bradley Cooper and Steve Carell have a chance too, with each of them taking 7% of the vote.

Should Win: It’s an even closer contest among our contributors’ personal favourites, with Michael Keaton and Eddie Redmayne tied on 40%. Steve Carell also has a decent base of support with 13%, and Bradley Cooper took the remaining 7% (sorry Benedict).

Best Actress:

The Nominees: Marion Cotillard (Two Days, One Night), Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything), Julianne Moore (Still Alice), Rosamund Pike (Gone Girl), Reese Witherspoon (Wild).

Will Win: Julianne Moore has been sweeping just about every award out there for Still Alice, but while our contributors as a whole reckon she’ll win, only 47% say she has it in the bag. Many of our contributors think that Rosamund Pike (27%), Reese Witherspoon (13%) or Marion Cotillard (13%) could emerge as a surprise winner on Oscar night.

Should Win: All of our leading ladies have supporters, but Rosamund Pike was the ultimate favourite in the fantasy scenario with 33% saying that her chilling turn in Gone Girl should win. Julianne Moore, Felicity Jones and Marion Cotillard each took 20%, and Reese Witherspoon found favour with 7% of our voters.

Best Supporting Actor:

The Nominees: Robert Duvall (The Judge), Ethan Hawke (Boyhood), Edward Norton (Birdman), Mark Ruffalo (Foxcatcher), J.K. Simmons (Whiplash).

Will Win: J.K. Simmons is the runaway favourite to take home gold on Oscar night, with 80% saying that the statuette has his name on it. The remaining 20% is split between a few ballsy voters who reckon that Mark Ruffalo, Ethan Hawke or Robert Duvall will shock everyone by beating Simmons to the win.

Should Win: 69% of our contributors think that J.K. Simmons deserves his near-certain win, but Mark Ruffalo (19%) and Edward Norton (12%) also have fans.

Best Supporting Actress:

The Nominees: Patricia Arquette (Boyhood), Laura Dern (Wild), Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game), Emma Stone (Birdman), Meryl Streep (Into the Woods).

Will Win: Things seem to be looking positive for Boyhood’s Patricia Arquette, who has 67% of our contributors saying she’ll win. Keira Knightley and Emma Stone both have a shout as well with each getting 13% of the ‘will win’ vote, and Laura Dern has some hope with 7%.

Should Win: A slightly closer call in the ‘should win’ category, but Patricia Arquette still leads at 53%. Emma Stone follows in a close second with 40%, and Keira Knightley won the hearts of the remaining 7%.

Best Original Screenplay:

The Nominees: Birdman, Boyhood, Foxcatcher, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Nightcrawler.

Will Win: The Original Screenplay category appears to be relatively up in the air, with Birdman ending up in an unconvincing lead with 33%. 27% reckon that The Grand Budapest Hotel is winning this, 20% say Boyhood, 13% say Foxcatcher and 7% say Nightcrawler. This is one to keep our voters on the edges of their seats as they watch the ceremony, it seems.

Should Win: It’s almost as closely contested in the dreams of our voters, but with a different order of preference. 38% are rooting for Nightcrawler to win the Original Screenplay trophy, while sizeable support was also found for Birdman (25%), Foxcatcher (19%), The Grand Budapest Hotel (12%) and Boyhood (6%).

Best Adapted Screenplay:

The Nominees: American Sniper, The Imitation Game, Inherent Vice, The Theory of Everything, Whiplash.

Will Win: It’s going to be a battle of the biopics in Adapted Screenplay if our voters are to be believed – The Theory of Everything is at the head of the pack at the moment with 40% of the votes, while The Imitation Game and American Sniper each took a healthy 27%. The final 6% was taken by some hopeful voters saying that Whiplash will win.

Should Win: 50% of the wishful-thinking votes went to Whiplash, with Paul Thomas Anderson’s adaptation of Inherent Vice following in second place with a decent 18% of the vote. The Theory of Everything and American Sniper took 13% each, and The Imitation Game brought up the rear with 6%.

Best Animated Feature:

The Nominees: Big Hero 6, The Boxtrolls, How to Train Your Dragon 2, Song of the Sea, The Tale of Princess Kaguya.

Will Win: With the shocking absence of former frontrunner The LEGO Movie, How to Train Your Dragon 2 seems to be in prime position to take this prize, scoring 53% of the vote. But Disney’s Big Hero 6 (20%) and Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya (13%) are also in with a sound chance, and there’s even a small possibility it could go to Song of the Sea or The Boxtrolls, each of which have 7% of our contributors’ votes.

Should Win: The LEGO Movie, of course. But seeing as we’re restricting ourselves to the given nominees, we’ve ended up with a tie between How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Big Hero 6 (31%) for our contributors’ favourite. There were also fans of Song of the Sea (15%), The Tale of Princess Kaguya (15%) and The Boxtrolls (8%) among our ranks.

Best Foreign Language Film:

The Nominees: Ida, Leviathan, Tangerines, Timbuktu, Wild Tales.

Will Win: Russia’s Leviathan is the clear favourite to win this trophy, with 64% saying that Cannes won’t be its only place of recognition. Poland’s Ida was the only other film to get votes, taking other 36%.

Should Win: Same two-way battle here with the same result, only slightly less decisive this time. Leviathan ended up with 57% of the votes here, and Ida took 43%.

Best Cinematography:

The Nominees: Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Ida, Mr. Turner, Unbroken.

Will Win: Our contributors think that Emmanuel Lubezki can already celebrate a second consecutive win in this category – his showy and daring work on Birdman got 60% of the vote. The distant challengers to Lubezki are The Grand Budapest Hotel (27%) and Mr. Turner (13%).

Should Win: If our contributors had it their way, it would be Robert Yeoman’s cinematography for The Grand Budapest Hotel (63%) that takes home gold. Surprisingly, veteran DP Roger Deakins’ work on Unbroken got no votes, with the rest of our team voting for Birdman (19%), Mr. Turner (13%) and Ida (5%) as their personal preferences.

Best Visual Effects:

The Nominees: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Guardians of the Galaxy, Interstellar, X-Men: Days of Future Past.

Will Win: Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar winning Best Visual Effects seems like one of the surest things of Oscar night, with 80% of our trusty contributors saying it’s got the trophy in the bag. The remaining few votes were scattered between Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, X-Men and Guardians of the Galaxy.

Should Win: The film itself may have been somewhat divisive, but 50% of our contributors still think that Interstellar deserves this prize. The rest of the votes were split evenly between Guardians of the Galaxy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.