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Month: March 2015

North Campus building evacuated in explosive scare

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

A North Campus building has been evacuated and a major incident declared, and the surrounding street cordoned off by the emergency services, after concerns were raised about the presence of an explosive chemical.

Emergency services were called to the Pariser building, home of Civil and Construction Engineering, at 11:30 this morning.

Concerns had been raised by staff about the storage of acetone peroxide, a highly explosive chemical that is the by-product of oxidation reactions, which had allegedly crystallised and become unstable.

The chemical was allegedly synthesised after a student’s experiment went wrong.

The building was subsequently evacuated, along with the surrounding Renold and Ferranti buildings, and Sackville street was cordoned off by police, causing major disruption to traffic around Mancunian Way.

At 2:47pm, a bomb disposal squad entered the Pariser building.

The incident disrupted certain exams, in particular the ABRSM Music Theory exam that was taking place at the time.

A university-wide e-mail sent to students stated: “The situation is being closely monitored.

“Staff and students based in all three buildings have been advised to go home.

“Members of the university’s Major Incident Planning team are meeting regularly and will provide an update on the situation.”

Earlier in the day, a researcher was injured at the University of Liverpool after an explosion in a chemistry laboratory. The two incidents are not believed to be connected.

A university spokesperson, speaking to The Mancunion, said: “The University’s Pariser Building on Sackville Street was evacuated this morning after a chemical crystallised and became unstable. The police and fire service were called and a major incident was declared. Two neighbouring buildings were also evacuated on the advice of the emergency services.

“The chemical that caused the major incident has now been removed for safe disposal and the Police cordon around Sackville Street has been lifted.”

The usual bus route for the 147 bus resumed and the three buildings reopened on Thursday. The Major Incident Planning team will be carrying out a full investigation into the the incident .

Greater Manchester Police thanked Manchester residents for their co-operation during the incident.

Acetone peroxide is a organic peroxide that is highly explosive when dry, sensitive to both friction and shock. It is the product of reacting hydrogen peroxide with acetone, and is often a common but unwanted by-product of industrial reactions.

It has been used in improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the past, but is difficult to produce quickly, keep stable and use in an offensive way.

5/3 12:00—This incident has now been resolved and coverage has finished.

Hopping for hopscotch

Written by Andrew Georgeson on . Posted in Sport.

Alice Smith isn’t the archetypal student. Whereas most of us made a News Year’s resolution of going to the gym or eating healthier before giving it up by February, she had different ideas.

Unfortunately for Alice, who was a contestant on Junior Apprentice, she suffered a shatter dislocation to her ankle, total tibia fracture and several partial fractures to her fibula, in only her second match for the Women’s Rugby team in December. This resulted in spending New Year in a wheelchair, and an operation which resulted in 35 pins being insered in her ankle. Yet when I met up with her last week, now walking about on crutches, she seemed unfazed by her injury, and more determined than ever to raise money for her Uganda trip that she is going on in June with charity ‘East African Playgrounds.

Mancunion: So, when you were in hospital had you already signed up for the trip to Uganda?

Alice: ‘I had already signed up for the trip before my injury. However, I was in hospital for 11 days, during which the staff were very ambiguous about what they were going to do. At one point, they told me had I been 16 that they would have amputated my ankle. My ankle was also too swollen to operate on for some time.

Another problem was that I was in Liverpool as that’s where the injury took place, so my parents drove up from Leicester everyday whilst the doctors were deciding what to do. However, I was determined to sit my exams in January still so I didn’t have to re-sit my exams in the summer and miss the trip.

M: Can you tell me a little bit about the charity and when you came up with the idea of the run?

A: It was when I was doing a blog for the Endometriosis UK, a charity I am also a Trustee for, when it hit me that the rug can be pulled from under your feet at any time, and you need a contingency for when things go wrong. I became focused on finding a way to turn this experience into a positive, and that’s why I thought of doing this run.
The charity itself is located near to where I live. Unlike other charities which are still intent on making money, the money for his project goes straight into building the playgrounds. It’s a far more effective use of time and resources and done for proper reasons.

The only reservation I have about going is that I’m worried I won’t be able to do the physical work. I’ll probably have to be a bit sensible, which isn’t going to be easy as I like pushing myself. But the whole point of charity is that it is meant to be hard, and that it costs something to you, as someone who is the position of being able to give.

M: I have to ask what your time on the Junior Apprentice was like?

A: At first, I applied because I never thought that I would get in, but one thing left to another and it snowballed a little bit. That being said, it’s a lot worse than it looks on the television, it’s really intense and you can’t be alone at any time… not even to go to the toilet. It wasn’t exactly a nice experience to be in, but I can be appreciative of I now as it’s probably been one of the most important things I’ve done, it certainly has opened a lot of doors and people read my emails now.

M: What would you say to anyone who wants to get involved in charity who feels like they can’t because of physical injuries or other problems?

A: I would say do things that are important to you. It doesn’t have to be big or dramatic. A massive thing that I achieved was giving blood just before my 19th birthday, whereas for others that is just seen as an everyday thing. Giving blood is as important as going to Uganda, or writing a blog. Once you achieve your goal, you’ll continue setting more, it’s infectious.

M: Finally, to my knowledge, Stockport is quite hilly. Have you visited the couse?

A: It is quite hilly… I really will be the last person, but I will have my bucket with me as well! I’m still looking forward to it though, hopefully people will ask about the charity and I can get the word out about it!

As well as raising money for ‘East African Playgrounds’, Alice is also a trustee for ‘Endometriosis UK’. Her run will take place on the 1st of March in Stockport, and you can donate to her efforts via her Virgin moneygiving page:
http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/AliceSmithUgandaBound

How much are our MPs really worth?

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

There’s nothing more that we love in this country than catching out somebody who is in the public eye and then watching them squirm, grovel, hide and, if we’re lucky, get angry in front of the ensuing cameras. Not content with a mere fall from grace, we–through our notoriously vicious tabloid press–bay for their blood until the excitement of the kill wears off and whoever had just been subjected to the mauling of a lifetime is left to pick up the pieces.

This is not always a pretty or honourable sight. The tabloid press can and does embarrass itself, and by extension us, in its relentless pursuit of some. However, when it comes to a directly elected representative of the people, caught seemingly discussing the exchange of political influence for money, it is open season. And quite right too.

We like to think that our society has extremely low levels of corruption and our public servants are among the most dedicated in the world; we sorted our expenses scandal, remember?

Maybe not–recent revelations concerning the Rt Hon Jack Straw and the Rt Hon Sir Malcolm Rifkind have again raised awkward questions regarding the finger-to-pie ratio of some of our most experienced legislators. In a joint investigation by Channel 4’s Dispatches and The Telegraph, both Rt Hon members were caught on camera allegedly offering to further the interests of a Chinese company looking to expand in Europe. Both, as former foreign secretaries, are well placed for this kind of work.

Sir Malcolm boasted “I can see any ambassador that I wish to see” and Straw talked of a previous conquest of changing laws in Ukraine. Needless to say that this is extremely unfortunate for the two gentlemen concerned, they will miss out on what was no doubt going to be handsome payment for their services, up to £8,000 a day it would seem.

Whilst this scandal had, in no more than 48 hours, claimed the political careers of two Westminster heavyweights, it also raised serious questions about how much our MPs should be paid and how much they should be allowed to earn outside of parliament–the earning potential is obviously there.

Our society will forever benefit from hardworking investigative journalists exposing wrongdoing. However, in the aftermath of these stories, we often fail to ask the right questions to ensure that whatever was broken before can be properly fixed this time round. Instead, it is much easier to maul a public figure for a while and sit and wait for the next exposé.

Our MPs enjoy a salary that is more than twice that of the average Briton, and are able to claim expenses for conducting their parliamentary duties. This is fair enough, they work for us and it is only right that they have the necessary support to run an office, stay in London when on parliamentary business, and have the appropriate expenses for travel paid for. It is also necessary that doing the job of an MP be seen as worthwhile.

These are, after all, the 650 people out of a population of more than 60 million people who we entrust to run our country. We want to be attracting the most knowledgeable, desirable people for the job so that we get the best out of our parliament and thus our population. This is a logical process of thinking, and is the reason that I think that MPs should be handsomely paid; otherwise, what is to stop our best and brightest choosing the private sector every time?

The real issue, however, is not that two MPs have been caught offering influence for cash–we all know this is and should be illegal; it is that the salaries of our MPs are whilst high by national standards at £67,000, lower than what some MPs would expect to earn in the private sector. In Japan lawmakers earn £165,945, in Australia £120,000, and £108,000 in the US. Couple this disparity with the fact that in this country there is no cap on MPs earnings outside of parliament and we have a problematic situation. What is a fair amount to earn outside of parliament, and should you be barred from certain jobs whilst a serving MP?

According to the Register of Member’s Financial Interests, Jack Straw earned £41,000 from speaking since 2014, and Rifkind more than £250,000 from holding various non-executive board posts. Many people would find that hard to say no to. Whilst is it not suggested that these outside earnings resulted in any lobbying, the size of the amounts earned will raise eyebrows and sit uncomfortably with many.

So, how much should our MPs earn? If we raise their salary can we expect them to then not take extra jobs? Should a business owned previous to being elected be treated differently to a consultancy picked up after election? These are the questions we should be asking, and answering in a mature manner, instead of rushing to grab the pitchforks and demand all our MPs live in a cardboard box under Westminster Bridge, eating cold beans.

That kind of debate serves no one except those advocating the status quo.

Campus Style Guide

Written by Sarah Kilcourse on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Brunswick Street:

Home to many of Manchester’s science students, the Brunswick Street style is focused on practicality. These are people who stand up in labs for long periods, people who actually spend eight hours of the day at University—people who require comfort. Trainers and hiking boots are almost mandatory for the residents of Brunswick Street if they are to make it through the day. Another vital part of their attire is a University of Manchester hoodie, T-shirt or if you’re going the extra mile, varsity jacket. A friend of mine (a physics student) described the typical Brunswick inhabitant’s style as: “I shop at Next.” Admittedly, there are those on Brunswick Street who favour a different look: The simple style, often involving branded clothing (Levi’s, Hollister or Vans) that is equally comfortable, but a bit more… style conscious.

Samuel Alexander:

Arguably, this is the most fashionable part of the university—it certainly tries to be. There are a greater variety styles on show in the Sam Alex building compared to other areas. Some of the staple characters include: The Topshop girl—she buys everything from the ‘New In’ section online; Secondhand chic—formerly known as ‘hipster’ but has become too popular for that title now—expect oversized everything and a flashback to the 90s; the Fashionistas—they probably have a blog, and accessories are their best friend. Safe to say there is no dress code in the Samuel Alexander building, wear whatever you like, you’re an Arts student and the world needs to know!

North Campus:

I cannot deny that the North Campus is an enigma to me—a place I have heard tales of but never visited. From what I have heard, it is mainly home to an eclectic mix of engineers with textile science students. Nevertheless I do know some engineers. Generally, I would categorise the engineer style as practical but preppy, as similar to the Brunswick Street residents, engineers have a large amount of contact hours. Unlike Brunswick Street though, the majority of students wear branded or logo-ed clothing, aligning themselves with the image of a select few brands. North Campus does not play host to many female students, automatically reducing the variety of looks on show but the female engineer is casual and a good pair of skinny jeans is a must.

Live: ALA.NI

Written by Marina Garvey Birch on . Posted in Music.

22nd February

Night & Day

7/10

ALA.NI is a curious one. She hails from London, yet feels like she is from the 1940s or some pre-war peaceful world. Once a backing singer for the likes of Mary J. Blige, her eloquent southern twang is noticeable, yet when she starts to sing, the purity of her perfect pitch pretty much knocks your socks off.

Her show at Night and Day bar in the Northern Quarter was no different. She is a songbird, delivering feel good, easy listening tracks accompanied by light and airy guitar. At times you feel a bit dizzy listening to ALA.NI. Her sound is almost too soothing and too melodic. It’s impressive how a performer can really be like a waterfall, or a star-filled sky, or that feeling you get with a hot cup of tea in winter, yet not fulfil any cliché.

Songs such as ‘Cherry Blossom’ and ‘Woo Woo’ are nostalgic, comparable to Billie Holiday’s earthy voice. Even if like me you are on the younger side of 20 years old, ALA.NI takes you back to the days of Frank Sinatra; to a dimly lit club with slow dancing, elegantly dressed couples and mint juleps. In a way, supporting the fantastic duo Ibeyi was great for ALA.NI because unlike other gigs, ALA.NI’s show was extremely different from the jazz infused eclectic music of Ibeyi and this contrast boded well to highlight ALA.NI’s unquestionable talent, despite a few people chatting away in Night and Day.

ALA.NI also has an edge. She is witty, enticing and her performance was relaxed yet stylised showing her disciplined approach to music. It’s not all flowery, green fields and dreamy lyrics—ALA.NI has a spark that keeps you interested and is definitely worth keeping an eye, and an ear, on to see if that spark becomes fire.

Top 5 songs… to turn 21 to

Written by Cecilia Bicknell on . Posted in Music.

1. Girl, You’ll be a Woman Soon – Urge Overkill
Dreams up thoughts of a raven haired Uma Thurman in Pulp Fiction; the perfect song to float you into adulthood. Just leave out the graphic heroin overdose.

2. Forever Young – Bob Dylan
Strangely uplifting, a reminder that you may be an adult now, but you’ll never be a grown-up.

3. But I Might Die Tonight – Cat Stevens
Have fun while you can, because as Cat says, you might be dead tomorrow.

4. Foxy Lady – Jimi Hendrix
Because girl you got sass, work it.

5. You Sexy Thing – Hot Chocolate
Let’s hope this song helps set the mood for romancing. You’re 21 after all.

Live: Ex Hex

Written by Henry Scanlan on . Posted in Music.

12th February

Soup Kitchen

9/10

Though Ex Hex’s high voltage power-chord rock evokes the folklore of denim and leather and keg parties from 1980s America and is founded on the most basic of garage-rock frameworks, it’s actually a very evolved form of pop music. They use everything that has worked for punk rock bands in the past—for example, “yeah yeah yeahs” and “ooh la la las” are a staple of most of their choruses—and leave out everything that doesn’t (i.e. prog). Their album sort of ‘Rips’ off the last 40 years of garage-pop, but in the process pretty much upstages the entire genre.

This is not to say that the music is artificial in any way. It just means that Ex Hex have absolutely mastered arguably the most valuable and elusive form of music: The perfect 3-minute pop song. They released ten of them last year on Rips, an album’s worth of the catchiest group of songs since sliced bread. To put this into perspective, if the CIA looped Rips instead of Britney Spears songs to torture prisoners, it would be a total failure—the detainees would never get sick of it, and suspected terrorists would probably be released from captivity as born-again DC punks.

The most charming aspect of the show at Soup Kitchen was that based on the album, the crowd were most likely expecting a trio of cartoonish ‘riot girrrls’ all up in their faces, but what they actually got was a sweet, slightly self-conscious performance. The undiluted innocence and purity of these songs becomes so much clearer when watching Mary Timony, wearing sequins and pigtails, singing the impossibly loveable chorus to ‘Waterfall’ (“you’re my little waterfall… waahhh ohhhh!”) and bashfully lolling her head from side to side. The closest we get to a punk rock affectation is a few self-deprecating (but still textbook) power stances. Bassist Betsy Wright fully embodied the dichotomy between Ex Hex’s sonic velocity and sweet-hearted sensibility when she appeared to proposition the crowd—“It’s getting hot in here…” – only for us to realize that she was genuinely concerned that the room temperature might be too high—“…are you guys OK?”

Naysayers might have craved some Kim Gordon snarl or crotch-grabbing fem-punk iconography to thrust this gig into bedlam, but essentially Ex Hex take a no-nonsense approach to their live shows, and if you’re a fan of Rips—an exercise of potent simplicity—then that should make total sense.

Interview: Peace

Written by Louby Reed on . Posted in Music.

I am greeted at the side entrance to the O2 Apollo by Peace’s tour manager and welcomed into the building, climbing up several flights of stairs to their dressing room. In the background I can hear the faint sound of Peace sound checking ‘Lost on Me’. Meanwhile, I am sat on the sofa whilst one of the roadies tries on an oversized 1980s olive green suit, he found in a vintage shop in the Northern Quarter for a tenner… Obviously experiencing the true Mancunian lifestyle! One by one, the band walk into the room in with their baggy shirts, leather jackets and tight denim jeans. I am immediately welcomed by each band member as they each comment on my supposedly ‘interesting’ name, as I introduce myself.

Peace are over halfway through their UK tour supporting Bombay Bicycle Club, alongside up-and-coming artist Sivu. Like most bands, Peace have been touring for several years, which in drummer Dom’s opinion “the explanation as to how we have reached a level of success, although there’s probably more to it than that.” Birmingham-based Peace have done it all, from playing to small audiences in local venues, to touring round the globe. Therefore, it is surprising when frontman Harry, who is laid back on the sofa with a bottle of Bud in his hand (not helping the rock star stereotype), tells me this is only one of a few support tours the band has actually done, besides supporting Two Door Cinema Club in the United States, and the Mystery Jets in the UK. I talk to a slightly exhausted Harry and Dom who haven’t attempted recovery from all the excessive drinking and lack of sleep that goes hand in hand with touring.

Going out every single night of the tour comes with some good stories. I ask Peace to spill the beans about their favourite stories; although I am immediately shot down as the pair laugh saying, “it’s all been very inappropriate really. There’s absolutely no way we can tell you.” And of course I attempted to seek more information. Harry looks at Dom, then at their tour manager Nick and smirks. “We’ve given our tour manager a brand new name… Salmon Nick.” They all start laughing about what devilish activities the band have been up to, including coating Nick’s bunk in salmon after a night out. Dom laughs, “it’s got to that time of the year though where everyone’s just wanting to go out with a bang, we’ve got to spend the expenses, otherwise we won’t get the same next year! Everyone’s got to blow every single bit of partyness that’s inside them (not that that made any sense).” Harry runs his hand through his fiery red hair and takes a swig of beer, giggling about a night out the band had in Manchester. “I got thrown out of a bar the other night… the Soup Kitchen. Liz, the singer with BBC asked me to do the worm on the table full of guys, and obviously I was said yes, so I just got up on this table and started doing the worm really badly.” Harry laughs about knocking drinks off tables and getting thrown out of one of the Northern Quarter’s most well-known bars. He stops himself at that point, putting his serious face on.

I change the subject, asking how the tour came about. Harry responded saying “We just really wanted to do this tour! We met [Bombay Bicycle Club] in Russia and just got really smashed and thought it would be a great idea.” Dom, the drummer, chips in: “Was it Russia? I always thought it was Mexico.” The two reminisce together about their world tours whilst I sit there in awe of their amazing global adventures. Harry adds “No, it was Moscow—and we were really trashed, and were joking saying we should go on tour together… bands say that all the time, but you never really go through with the plans. When the opportunity came up later down the line, we were like fuck it, let’s do it.”

As well as all the drinking and mischief, the band say the tour is going really well, saying last night (again in Manchester) was their best night of the tour so far. I tell them I heard their sound check and I can’t help but ask if they do the dance for ‘Lost on Me’ on stage, just like they do in their music video. Dom quickly answers saying “logistically that might be quite challenging,” but really I think this is to cover up for the fact Harry claims they are really bad dancers. However, Dom does admit it was pretty cool that you could see his mum and sister doing the dance at the side of the stage in the video footage, when Peace played on the main stage at Reading festival earlier this year.

After the gossip of their current support tour, I ask Peace about their history; their influences and style of music. Harry laughs when this topic of conversation arises, agreeing it is hard to define their style, for they have been described in many ways: Rock, indie, electro, potentially even grunge. Harry smiles about their initial sound, in which he describes (a somewhat younger) Peace as a modern-day Led Zeppelin combined with elements of techno, which the pair of them agreed was quite a challenge as both styles are so different. “We don’t have one particular sound, we’re trying to amalgamate sixty years of popular culture into one band and cover it all.” The pair start giggling like mischievous school boys saying “everything was great, so we have to cover it all.”

Before Peace, the same four members formed a band called November and the Criminal. Though from what I gathered from Harry and Dom, they try to steer away from their old roots claiming it was “ambient more than anything.” Harry takes a swig of beer adding, “when we started, we thought we were the best band in the world and we were playing an ambient poetry recital with very fast heavy drumming—we listened to a little bit too much the Slits and the Libertines. It was a horrible mixture but we genuinely believed we were the best band in the world.” It seems taking a minute to breathe and reinventing themselves really did work out for the best as Peace’s second album Happy People is due to be released in February, accompanied by another UK headline tour.

I asked Peace about their recording process to find out it was all written on the road, recording the first single within the first two days of being in the studio. Dom adds, “it was almost accidentally really.” The writing of the new album commenced about a month after In Love came out taking about a year to write and record.

Harry finishes his beer and the guys start to stand up and discuss dinner. I leave the interview wanting to eat ham, egg and chips with the 4-piece rather than queuing outside in the cold waiting for the doors to the gig to open.

Live: Philip Selway

Written by Jacob Evans on . Posted in Music.

14th February

The Deaf Institute

9/10

It’s Valentine’s Day, and the Radiohead drummer leads the audience through an intimate display of genius rhythmic pop, showcasing his debut Familial, and it’s follow up Weatherhouse. Playing to a packed crowd in the small Deaf Institute, Selway and his band open with a sparse, gentle one-two of ‘Miles Away’ and ‘By Some Miracle’, both drawing the audience in through ethereal electronics and samples, the latter adding delicate acoustic guitar to proceedings. But it’s when recent single ‘Around Again’ kicks in that the night really takes off, a jazz number led by a complicated, shuffling beat and gliding layers of synths and strings. ‘Around Again’ is the first reminder that Selway’s day job is a drummer for the most innovative and experimental band to hit the mainstream in the last twenty years–dominated by complex, flowing beats, with layer upon layer of percussion and rhythm, Selway’s voice typically the only real melodic element.

The music tends to alternate between quieter numbers and rhythm-dominated pop for the rest of the set, but somehow it never gets old–the complex polyrhythms and wide variety of sounds and instruments ranging from simple guitar and drums to vibraphones and even musical saw keep things interesting, holding the audience’s attention even as the general mood puts the audience into an ethereal, contemplative haze. The only exceptions to this are the set’s two closers – ‘It Will End in Tears’ begins as a mournful, funereal march, exploding into a euphoric, brass drenched finish, and the last song of the night ‘Let it Go’ (retrospectively renamed ‘I’m Over it Now’ by Selway out of shame) starts as the sparsest song of the night, before swelling into a full sing-along climax.

Selway’s voice shines too, he’s developed a gentle, delicate croon that morphs into ethereal harmonies with his band. Whilst similarities to Thom Yorke are inevitable, particularly with his frequent use of mantra-like repetition, Selway has generally found his own voice, a warm, intimate one that rarely rises above a whisper. As a performer, Selway perfectly fits the occasion, making calm, wry comments between songs and drawing the packed room in, making the night a truly special one.

Opinion: Space… the vinyl frontier

Written by Stephen Miller on . Posted in Music.

The other day, I asked my Northern Quarter-dwelling friend if he’d heard the latest hipster joke; he replied “Yes, I have it on vinyl.” Over a million vinyl records were sold in the UK last year, the highest figure since 1996. Yet, for every vinyl record we buy, there will more than likely be someone sat at home wondering how to fit one in a laptop. Now enjoying a resurgence in popularity, vinyl records are no longer seen as antiquated relics of a bygone age. Oh, how the turntables have, well, turned.

It is important to point out that vinyl records make up only a marginal percentage of overall music sales, roughly 3 per cent, yet people are buying more vinyl than they have in previous decades. Why? Is it the experience of ownership? In my particular case, vinyl gives me a physical experience that feels more fulfilling; certainly a more fulfilling physical experience than a CD ever gave me, anyway. Owning a vinyl, much like owning a book, gives you that level of satisfaction that you just can’t get from a CD or a digital source.

Convenience certainly works in favour of the CD, yet for their convenience, they eliminate the interactive element of vinyl. You listen to a side, and then you flip it over. This may not sound the most arduous of tasks, yet it makes the listening experience something in which you are not only emotionally involved, but physically involved as well. There’s also something rather romantic and poetic about the hum of that needle on the record grooves. Add to that the occasional crackling noise, and you have yourself an omnidimensional sound experience to make any music aficionado’s heart melt.

Music brings people together. Record stores are spaces for those who share a similar passion for music, even if it is for different genres. I would choose to go out to buy a record over downloading a file on my computer any day of the week. We, the consumers, should reciprocate the effort put in to making a physical record by making the effort to get it. At least this way, you eliminate the fear of a clandestine virus coming along and draining the entire contents of your iTunes library. With vinyl, your only worry is scratching it, but only if you’re silly enough to treat it like a chew-toy.

The love we have, and have re-found, for vinyl does pose a growing, underlying issue. The music industry, it seems, has hit a brick wall with regards to finding new and innovative ways for us to consume music. Looking backwards to go forwards is no solution. How long until 19th-century wax phonograph cylinders make a comeback? In the pursuit for innovation, the music industry is constantly tripping over itself. Dr. Dre headphones, for example, are a clever marketing opportunity. But, an iPod can’t match the quality of the headphones when you’re listening to an MP3 that has an even worse sound quality than a CD. I’m as happy as anyone that vinyl is on the rise, but the question we should all be asking ourselves is: What’s next?

Live: Enter Shikari

Written by Randeep Samra on . Posted in Music.

20th February

Academy 1

8/10

Enter Shikari’s most recent album, The Mindsweep, released last month, sees the band refining their distinctive brand of experimental post-hardcore, incorporating a still-growing set of influences increasingly smoothly into it – and as their proficiency in the studio has grown, one gets the impression that their live delivery will have developed similarly. The band competently render their studio material to the live setting, and manage to incorporate theatrics and gimmicks without imposing on the energy transmitted through the music, yielding an incredibly fun show.

Despite having significantly less media attention since their debut album, the band’s fanbase has evidently not suffered too much since: tickets to this show sold out within minutes, and the crowd, filling up the venue, was as energetic and enthusiastic as would be expected from the performance given by the band, as well as the two support acts. Allusondrugs, up first, played a competent and lively set. The intensity of Feed the Rhino did more than warm up the crowd in preparation for Enter Shikari: their performance showed vivacity and quality to the point where one could easily have taken them for the headline act – which was reflected in the audience’s engagement in the set.

The set list, unsurprisingly, favoured material from the album which only dropped last month. However, as testimony to the band’s growth, it was uncompromising in reflecting where the band are currently: some will have been disappointed by the omission of old favourites; even ‘Sorry You’re Not a Winner’. Perhaps sometimes this has to be the price of a gig being as cohesive and focused as this was. “We draw upon your energy… this show is a two-way street, and without your feedback we’d be unable to perform”, Rou exclaims. “This is not entertainment; [mere] entertainment flows in One Direction”.

Top 5 songs… your mum probably loves

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

1. Say What You Want – Texas
Texas’ slick radio-ready tunes seem purpose built for humming along to on the school run; mums were basically issued with a copy of White on Blonde back in 1997 – check the glove compartment, it’s probably still there.

2. Stars – Simply Red
With its soppy lyrics, soaring chorus and silky smooth bassline, this early nineties classic helped turn Mick Hucknall into Manchester’s jazziest ginger lothario. All together now, “And aaaaaaaaaiiiiii wanna fall from the stars…”

3. Handbags and Gladrags – Rod Stewart
Before he settled into his groove of churning out endless beige covers albums, his raspy howl and shaggy lid won the hearts of housewives everywhere, thanks in part to this timeless tearjerker.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EcNOOkeFiIc

4. Man! I Feel Like A Woman! – Shania Twain
This entry-level feminist anthem was the eighth (eighth!) single from Shania’s eye-wateringly successful Come on Over album, and remains the mum’s karaoke song of choice. Sneak along to her next work do to see for yourself.

5. Dancing in the Moonlight – Toploader
Also known as “the one from that Sainsburys advert with Jamie Oliver”, for whom she most likely also shares a similar fondness. Play that keyboard intro and just watch a beaming smile appear, as if by magic.

Album: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Chasing Yesterday

Written by Tariq Salarbux on . Posted in Music.

Released 7th March

Sour Mash

8/10

Recapturing past glories is a concept that most people will be familiar with, but for Noel Gallagher, it’s a damning quest that hits particularly close to home. After the stratospheric success of Oasis’ first two albums, Gallagher’s understandable plight in trying to reach similar heights has left him in the peculiar place of being one of the most underrated songwriters of his generation. Now rid of the stadium-rock sized expectations (and the Liam-shaped boulder) he has been carrying over the past two decades, he finds himself free to write the music he wants, Chasing Yesterday is both a surprising and brilliant addition to the Gallagher-canon.

The album kicks off with ‘Riverman’, a groovy, meandering opener tinged in light psychedelia. A Santana-esque guitar solo follows the mysterious chorus, before – wait for it – a saxophone solo rushes in to alleviate (think Pink Floyd, rather than George Michael). As the sax comes back to round off the song, it’s hard to shake the feeling that this may be one of Gallagher’s best – a bold claim to make about a man whose repertoire includes overplayed, monolithic pop-rock standards such as ‘Wonderwall’ or ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’. ‘Riverman’ is a departure from Gallagher’s roots, but it is still imprinted with his DNA; the simple, yet irresistible vocal melodies and unforgettable choruses that only he knows the secret to.

Hardcore Oasis aficionados shouldn’t be worried though – there is plenty here for those looking for more classic Noel songs. ‘Lock all the Doors’ is one of those throwaway rock numbers that Gallagher has fashioned so often down the years. One suspects that with Liam on vocals, it really wouldn’t sound out of place on either of Oasis’ first two records.

The album echoes with a bittersweet quality; a certain anxiety permeates the whole record, but always streaked with Gallagher’s unending sense of hope, most apparent on ‘The Dying of the Light’. A moody, almost paranoid number where Gallagher rages against the empty promises and fallacies we hold about growing up (“I was told there’d be no time for growing old when we were young”), he still has faith that it’ll all be okay in the end.

Despite the themes, Chasing Yesterday is, ironically, a sonic testament to Gallagher growing up as a songwriter, comfortable in his own skin. There is no ‘nudging out of the comfort zone’ being done here; nothing sounds forced, which might be an indication that he has finally made peace, and given up on chasing the successes of yesteryear.

Live: The War On Drugs

Written by Rachel Connolly on . Posted in Music.

19th February

Albert Hall

8/10

The American dream. That great inescapable theme of literature, music and teenage fantasies. To capture the essence of endless hope, choice, promise and possibility is a powerful thing indeed. Every review of The War on Drugs draws the obvious comparisons to Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty and Neil Young, but to state this without highlighting how intentional it is misses the point. Adam Granduciel deliberately sticks pins in the map of American musical history and draws a contorted line to his own music, subverting the traditional dream to make a sound that is nostalgic, sad but hopeful all at once. Even the name ‘The War on Drugs’ hints at the broken dream that is Americas disastrously failing drug policy.

I’ll admit I am the perfect audience for this concept. I grew up on Bruce and Petty, I share Granduciel obsession with Dylan. I love the American dream and the broken dream, I love Steinbeck, talking about conspiracy theories about American political corruption. I don’t care if its cheesy, I love it all, even the keyboard nod to The Eagles/Dire Straits. I’ve been waiting for this band for years.

But Granduciel has made new album Lost in The Dream different and clever and more universal than my American classic rock love. Granduciel wrote Lost in the Dream after a well documented breakdown; his sadness on the record is tangible but also disarmingly relatable, therein lies the universality that past albums lacked.

The lights dim to reveal an unashamedly, brashly Springsteen style stage backdrop: old school ‘high school football tournament’ flashing lightbulbs line the stage and illuminate the catchy, punchiness of opener ‘Burning’. A few songs in, I spot the silver glint of light reflecting from a harmonica and shudder; there are few things more awful than a bad Dylan impersonation, any Dylan impersonation actually. But Granduciel made it completely his own.

The only negative of the evening was the over-the-top reverence of the crowd. Perhaps a result of the hype generated by Lost in the Dream, most people swayed slowly in silent awe throughout the evening in a fashion befitting the church venue of the Albert Hall but not necessarily songs like ‘Under The Pressure’. Although as the lights dimmed to sunset red for a breathtakingly perfect version of ‘Set Your Eyes to The Wind’, this reverence did seem fitting for an almost perfect evening.

Album: Dutch Uncles – O Shudder

Written by Cordelia Milward on . Posted in Music.

Released 23rd February

Memphis Industries

7/10

Heading out of their twenties, travelling on to confront the difficulties of adult life, Dutch Uncles are obviously anxious. Their fourth studio album O Shudder marks this struggle between accepting responsibility and the desire to stay young. Where sex is no longer just fun but rather a considered act aimed at reproduction, the opening track ‘Babymaking’ voices this exact predicament, with frontman Duncan Wallis singing, “Cos you want my babies, baby?”

The opening of ‘Drips’, with two conversing clarinets, sounds like something from Watership Down. As its complexities unfold, revealing the signature flirty guitar and the tickling piano like audible water droplets, it becomes the most impressive track on the record. Wallis’s vocals are majestic, leaping about and flicking out short with precise syllables, yet still incomprehensible. With much going on elsewhere, it requires extra focus to appreciate the lyrics, but this is only one way Dutch Uncles hold your close attention hostage. Making it worth the wait, midway through all sound collapses, abandoning Wallis, quivering, “Could it be me?”

‘In and Out’ displays the nerdy doing sexy, jumping about, whilst being embedded in an atmospheric fur of synth. In a similar style, ‘Accelerate’ takes on the role of an 80s crime thriller, with descending guitar sliding in and out of jerky pop. ‘Be Right Back’, is super funky with the baseline creeping close into the foreground to take precedence. The hint of the female vocals is also a pleasurable shift from Wallis’s angst ridden chirping. If only the extended build up to each song could be sustained in their outros, which frequently arrive undesirably unexpected.

‘Tidal Weight’ speaks perhaps most clearly about Dutch Uncle’s reluctance to take responsibility, with Thom Yorke’s breath snatching lyrics, “I’m just a boy on the big shoulders. Who would imagine I could feel at home in a straight jacket?” Yet beneath all their seriousness of struggles and strife, Dutch Uncles never fail to keep your hips from swivelling. Their unwillingness to take hold of responsibility is prolonged through their pursuit of the unconventional. Their music need not follow any predicted route, so why should they?

Interview: Beartooth

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

After performing their set at the Kerrang Tour 2015 I was able to talk to a worn out Caleb Shomo, formerly a singer from Attack!Attack! but now starting anew as the frontman of Beartooth since their formation in 2012.

“I decided to leave Attack!Attack! because I was just bored if I’m honest” starts Shomo. He went on to talk about how being a part of the band was beginning to become too much for him, that it was taking over other aspects of his life and causing strains on friendships. “It was making me so tired and exhausted all the time, so I realized and just knew that I needed to move on with it all.”

“I already knew two of the other members in Beartooth before we were together because they were in the tech team for Attack!Attack! and I knew that they were super talented. I originally knew the rest of the band because they were already involved in smaller bands that already existed in our local music scene back home in the US.”

So, to be performing on the Kerrang Tour 2015 after being around for only a few years, playing alongside other successful names in such genres as rock/pop/metal – bands like Don Broco and Young Guns – must be a pretty good feeling and a good indication of the success predicted for Beartooth in the future. “Yeah I’d met all the other bands that we’re touring with before this, except from Don Broco but those guys are seriously so fucking awesome.” Shomo then adds, “I love watching the other guys perform. That feeling when the crowds sings with them and get really involved – such good vibes.”

He goes on to tell me about how busy they’re going to be in the next couple of months. “We’ve got so much planned for the next year.

“I don’t know if I can tell you, I can’t really talk about all of it right now” he laughs, “but what I can tell you is that there are a lot of festivals planned and a few house shows. Also Radio Festivals which we’re doing with bands like Slipknot which is really exciting for us. So what I can tell you is that the UK will see us again very, very soon.

“But I think my biggest goal for the band would be to play for Wembley Stadium in London in absolutely any way. Whether we’re supporting or headlining I don’t care, just to be able to say we played there would be the absolute goal. Or maybe even if we got to play on the main stage for a massive festival like Reading and Leeds, it looks so much fun and that would be incredible too.”

So on a final note I asked: if he was 80 years old and he could give one piece of advice to his grandchildren what would he say and why? Shomo initially just said “You need to make the most of your time on this earth.” He then elaborates further with “You need to make a conscious choice to be happy. You can choose to be negative and miserable or you can choose to put on a brave face and smile through all the shit that life throws at you. I can tell you now that when you’re on your death bed, you’re not going to lie there wishing you had been more negative and more pissed off about life. Are you?”

Opinion: Under the Radar – Blur, Bowie and Anti-Publicity

Written by Cordelia Milward on . Posted in Music.

12 years since the release of Think Tank, britpop champions Blur have sprung an announcement out of nowhere, for the release of their seventh studio album The Magic Whip, out on 27th April.

Set to a similarly enigmatic video (a Chinese cooking guide to vanilla ice cream), the first single ‘Go Out’ was unveiled on the 19th of February to us unsuspecting fans; this is a stunt that shocked us all, if not only at the sheer wonderment of how Damon Albarn finds the time to have his finger in pretty much every musical pie.

The best news of all is Graham Coxon’s return to the band, making it the first album all four of them have been present on since 1999’s 13.

When in a similar vein back in 2013, David Bowie announced his resurrection with ‘Where Are We Now?’, what was most commendable was how the hell everyone had managed to keep it so quiet. Before they had even listened to the track, people were going wild at the wondrous feat of its non-marketing.

How one of the most widely admired mega stars could rise out of the depths of darkness, not just to prove he was still alive, but having written and recorded an entire new album, was an astonishing accomplishment.

I wonder how much of all this is merely a publicity stunt. Take, for example, Marika Hackman. Her debut album We Slept At Last was released on Monday, but on the run up to its release she had been day by day streaming each track from her Soundcloud.

For an up and coming artist, this technique is understandable; tantalizing people’s taste buds, to excite and hopefully inspire them to buy the record. But what naturally occurs is there is so much hype about an artist that by its release date, people have already tasted it, swallowed it and spat it back out again.

But Public Enemy told us not to believe the hype, didn’t they? Well, what better a way to counteract false hype than ensuring there simply isn’t any.

In a press conference with Zane Lowe where Blur made the big announcement, they admitted they had written this album over a year ago, and kept it silent till now to ensure the ultimate reveal.

Don’t get me wrong, I am as excited by the return as any other fanatic, but even I can’t shake off this ounce of scepticism: Was this merely an attempt to create a quiet before the storm–almost like faking a death to see how many people rejoice at the resurrection?

Yet, publicity stunt or not, there’s got to be something magical about being able to slip under the radar in 2015. Where rumours spread like wildfire, songs are leaked, phones are hacked; the list of constant surveillance goes on.

Blur managed to prove there is still hope for self-preservation, perhaps carrying on the theme of Damon Albarn’s recent solo record Everyday Robots, on which he laments our complete consumption by modern technology as we turn into walking robots.

Here, Blur have managed to beat the system. We didn’t see it coming, and yes, it may be all in the name of publicity, but this is a band who’ve never exactly been praised for their modesty–and if they can tell Noel Gallagher to fuck off, they can also flick two fingers at the watchful eye of the 21st century.

Review: Into the Woods

Written by Isabelle Bowen on . Posted in Film.

It has apparently taken 20 years to make Into the Woods, Stephen Sondheim’s Tony Award winning musical, into a film. Producers have tried to bring the play to the big screen on several occasions—the original slated cast included big 80s stars like Meg Ryan, Cher and Billy Crystal. So I start this review with some sympathy. It was clearly a very hard task to make, and so it may not be surprising if it is not completely stunning. This was rather the case. Into the Woods (director Rob Marshall) is enjoyable, but the sometimes disjointed plot and doubtable casting left it in the middle—a film you’ll agree to see with some friends, but not one you’ll remember forever.

I should probably begin by emphasising: This is a musical. If you hate musicals, you won’t be keen on this film. Fortunately the producers have stuck to Sondheim’s score. The main ‘Into the Woods’ theme is great, like an especially catchy nursery rhyme, while some of the Witch’s (Meryl Streep) arias are fantastic. There are even a few comedy specials, particularly Chris Pine and Billy Magnussen’s duet, as the two princes, entitled ‘Agony’, a heartfelt, hilariously over-dramatic rendition of privileged self-pity.

The overall structure is pretty simple and effective. Several fairytale characters cross paths in the middle of the dark woods as they go about their separate adventures. Jack (Daniel Huttlestone) is off to sell his cow; Cinderella (Anna Kendrick) is running from her prince; Red Riding Hood (Lilla Crawford) is going to visit her sick Granny. Into this mix come the Baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt), who, to lift a curse of infertility, attempt to collect four magic items. The plot is clever in bringing together all the different tales, while the gothic themes are not always entirely Disney-typical. The problems really occur in the second half. The end seems abrupt and unsatisfactory. You’re rather left feeling these fairytale characters have got fed up with moral lessons and happy endings and decided to cut it short and jump into some other adventure.

The cast are, however, notable. Meryl Streep is brilliant, and many of the other actors perform their roles very well. Even the kids are famous—you’ll know Huttlestone as the tragic young Gavroche from Les Misérables. However James Corden was a bit of an odd match—he always seems more of a comic character than a serious lead. Johnny Depp as the Big Bag Wolf was frankly apathetic casting. He played the character the same as his every other—a bit camp, a bit drunk—and his singing was far inferior to the rest of the cast.

Flaws and general feelings of ambivalence aside, the visual aspects of the film were rewarding. The contrast between the misty woods, suitably alterior for a symbolic Other Space where anything can happen, and the protagonists’ everyday, poverty-stricken lives in crumbling wooden haystacks was well-marked. I liked the film; I just probably won’t be in a rush to see it again (bar Chris Pine on YouTube). The main leads seemed to struggle with a general lack of direction—is this a comedy, a serious drama, a gothic horror? I feel—and I know musical fans may call this blasphemous—that if Disney had let its writers get a hold of the idea and Frozen it up, it may have come out a bit better. Then again, I challenge you not to have ‘Into the Woods to Grandmother’s House’ running in your head all day; it is still, despite its problems, a worthwhile addition to the movie-musical canon.

3/5

Students face ‘unlawful’ conduct at universities

Written by Anna Phillips on . Posted in News.

An investigation has revealed that many UK universities may breach consumer law.

The consumer watchdog Which? has shown that due to increased marketization in higher education, more than half of British universities may breach the 1999 Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations.

A series of freedom of information (FOI) requests have been analysed, and, only five per cent of universities use terms that Which? considers to be good practice.

20 per cent of institutions were shown to offer ‘unlawful’ terms, while 31 per cent used terms which are ‘likely to be unlawful’.

Only one university, the University of York, meets the best practice criteria.

This follows a previous report, which found that an increasing amount of students feel that their degree is not value for money following the steep rise in tuition fees.

A second year English Language and Film student at the University of Manchester, who has on average six contact hours on a non-tutorial week, said: “When you work out how much money we pay per day to study, the calculations do not add up.

“Universities have become more corporate, and when you consider their turnover from investments it does not make sense that we pay so much for so few contact hours,” she added.

Richard Lloyd, executive director of Which? said: “It’s worrying to see such widespread use of unfair terms in university contracts.

“Students deserve to know what they can expect from a course before signing up so that they can be confident they will get what they pay for,” he said.

The report shows that some of the worst offending institutions were able to make drastic changes to course structures after students had enrolled, and changes to the type of assessments used.

Some other examples of potentially ‘unlawful’ practice include one university’s statement that “fees are subject to annual increase,” and “students accept fees in the second year and subsequent years of study will increase.”

26 institutions used terms deemed to be unlawful, allowing them, “unfettered discretion to increase fees year-on-year, where no indication is given as to the likely size of the increase,” Which? said.

Of the providers approached by Which?, ten failed to respond to the FOI request, and 49 were criticised for failing to provide adequate information for analysis.

Which? has passed the evidence to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), and called for the entire sector to come together to draw up clear terms that comply with consumer law.

Since this report, Labour have announced that they would cut university tuition fees in England to £6000 per year from autumn 2016.

The Labour leader attacked Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg for his U-turn on tuition fees, which he said: “left a whole generation doubting politics—doubting anyone can be believed or trusted.”

Ed Miliband says a Labour government would pay for the fee cut from £9000 by reducing tax relief on pensions for those earning over £150000 per year.