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Month: April 2015

Sonnet 167

Written by Elena Gibbs on . Posted in News.

‘In poetry, the volta or turn, is a rhetorical shift or dramatic change in thought and/or emotion.’

Volta, Didsbury, seems an appropriate place to visit as my deadlines have come to an end with the last hand in of an essay on Shakespearean tragedy—this is the turning point at which I experience a dramatic change in thought or emotion. It could be a sense of freedom and release, or a descent into a maddening search for life purpose. There was a lot resting on this visit.

We began in celebration with wine,
The bottle name escapes my memory;
A certain assurance that it was fine.
With a side of dough from Trove Bakery,

We opted for the tapas style menu:
The chorizo, lamb, shrimp and beetroot dip,
Showcased talent as a small plate venue.
First dish soft and flavoursome, worth the trip;

Though the shawarma I did not savour,
What redeemed this dish from spoiling the mood,
Was the wide accompaniment of flavour,
Exploding from the vibrant ray of food.

So please, my experience let alter,
Your new urgency to visit Volta.

Volta Eaterie & Bar,
167 Burton Rd,
West Didsbury,
Manchester,
M20 2LN

Vote for policies, not personalities

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

With the election now just 20 days away it is impossible to ignore. Try as you might to be apathetic the torrent of newscasting, debating and online parodies will rage on right up until the votes are in on May 7th. Kris McDermott’s article, ‘The government won’t listen to apathy – use your vote‘ articulately covered apathy and its wastefulness far more succinctly than I could hope to.

Kris perfectly encapsulated the vital message. Apathy is a waste, engagement can change things. If you’re not represented, then it is your role to make sure you are. This epithet is plastered everywhere. We as a generation are being labelled as the generation who will wash their hands of politics. This isn’t scaring anyone. Those with power are rubbing their hands at the prospect of the status quo. A combination of your ballot paper and an informed mind are how we are going to scare anyone who we don’t feel represents us. However, to change things we need to be informed and all too often we simply aren’t.

We have been sucked more and more into a world of personality politics. Rather than assessing manifestos and the policy held inside we make our judgements based on whose public relations team have gone to greater lengths. Faced with endless spin tactics we judge a whole party by one members slip ups. BuzzFeed parody videos are watched by thousands while manifestos are read by thousands fewer.

Name any major party and their leaders leap out, their carefully manipulated public personas seeming to encapsulate the party’s beliefs. The silky smooth and ever-confident David Cameron embodying the hundred-year history of the Conservatives. The bumbling but ever flowering Ed Miliband personifying the Labour Party’s rocky resurgence. The ‘man of the people’ Nigel Farage standing up for his supporters, wielding a common sense pint and a half-smoked Rothman. Natalie Bennett, about whom we know far less, and in whose media profile and public recognition this is reflected.

Its a sad admission of truth that these faces come to hugely affect our judgement, far more so than we would like to admit and far more so than we should let them. It’s partly a side-effect of how the election is presented to us. Anybody who claims to have gained perfect clarity on where their support lies following the debates has been suckered by this.

The debates, where policy was hardly discussed and personalities were given the chance to breathe, offered little in the way of real politics. It is a façade of posturing and appearing slick in front of the cameras. The election is presented to us in such a way that what we are voting for isn’t really displayed. With this in mind its up to us to dig deeper. It is our responsibility to ensure we vote for policies and not for personalities.

Apathy is a complete waste of our democratic powers, but ignorantly wielding that power can be just as dangerous. Stating UKIP are an ‘evil party’ and saying they are ‘full of bloody racists’ will get a laugh, but unless you know why it is an unfounded statement. Likewise, saying Labour stand up for the workers might make the Socialist Society give you a round of applause, but if you can’t name a policy you can’t substantiate it. I may have said earlier that the presentation of the election serves to pull wool over our eyes, but the amount of information actually available to us is mountainous.

Parties publish their policies. Pick up a manifesto and read what you’ll actually be supporting. Spin doctors and PR firms can’t stop you doing that. They rely on our laziness to make their jobs relevant. There are online tests that help you decide, which—while you have to be careful with regards to the provider’s bias—give you a genuine view of who represents you.

In a political landscape where party leaders are rammed down our throats it is increasingly difficult to detach politics from personality. It’s going to be an incredibly close election so a vote for what truly represents you, be it a traditionally big party or a fringe party, will make a difference. Voting is vital; it’s our duty as citizens in a democracy, but that is only half the battle. Knowing what you’re voting for is where real empowerment lies.

The right to cross a box on a ballot paper is hugely powerful. It’s a power we all take for granted living somewhere where our democratic rights are safely protected. However, it’s also a huge responsibility and with that in mind being informed is equally as important as voting. We aren’t going to have our votes taken away anytime soon. Instead, those with power are trying to maintain the status quo and negate our power through a climate of misinformation.

Tony Benn once stated, “In the course of my life I have developed five little democratic questions” for meeting someone in power. The last two of these are “To whom are you accountable? And how can we get rid of you?” Politicians are accountable to us, and we get rid of them by making informed decisions about whether they represent us. From now until May, and in every election following that, politics of personality will attempt to distract from the real issues at hand. It’s up to us to sidestep its effects and make informed decisions about which box we tick.

To complete a test on which party best represents you, Vote For Policies offers reliable test and well rounded results. Voter registration closes on the 20th of April, and you can register to vote here.

Live: Kwabs

Written by Dinesh Mattu on . Posted in Music.

20th March

O2 Apollo

5/10

Donning an all black turtleneck and trench coat, Kwabs steps out under moody blue lights. Subtle, cool and mysterious; his music and his image go hand in hand.

The London based singer was longlisted on Radio 1’s ‘Sound of 2015’ earlier this year and it’s not hard to see why. What he offers is a mix of soul-drenched baritone over atmospheric synths that culminate in a sound that is as unique as it reads.

Kwabs’s vocals aren’t particularly powerful per se; yet they can’t be described as vulnerable either. His voice has a warm kind of texture to it, and songs such as ‘Last Stand’ and ‘Pray for Love’ are prime examples of his raspy tones; tones which are somewhat reminiscent of Luther Vandross (minus the poorly-fitted suits, mind you).

His music doesn’t hit you in the way you’d expect; as well as the dark and dingy atmospheric electro, other parts of his material border the funk or soul category. Midway through the set, he showcases a single he wrote with the most in-demand British songwriter of the moment Jimmy Napes; the song is a soulful groove which compliments his ranges perfectly. However, his performance feels a little underappreciated by a crowd expecting commercial ballads akin to the main act Sam Smith.

It almost feels as if something is missing in parts; his stage presence is aloof and he comes across quite distant from his band. ‘Wrong or Right’ is an electro-heavy R&B number with a hook that gets a fraction of the crowd swaying; however on the whole, it’s still rather too mysterious for the impatient fans.

He redeems himself partially by covering Arctic Monkey’s ‘Do I Wanna Know,’ however without the arrogant pompousness of Alex Turner to bring the song to life, it falls quite flat.
He ends the gig with his biggest hit to date – ‘Walk’ – which did moderately well in the UK (appearing on the FIFA 15 soundtrack), but was a massive success on the continent (reaching number 1 in Germany), and then quite literally walks off stage to dry applause.

Given his mixed performance, it’ll be interesting to see the direction of his upcoming album Love + War. You get the feeling that the performance was wasted on the wrong kind of crowd; perhaps the Germans are a lot more subtle, cool and mysterious than us Brits.

Proper into business? Propercorn launches startup competition for students

Written by Gemma Sowerby on . Posted in News.

The reality of owning your own business is but a pipe dream for most students, particularly in this era of austerity and crippling university expenses. However, when graduates Cassandra Stavrou and Ryan Kohn founded Propercorn several years ago, they were able to get their idea off the ground with the invaluable help of business mentors; now, they’re offering the same to students.

Propercorn Platform is a brand new competition to empower the next generation of entrepreneurs to launch their big ideas into the stratosphere. Whether it’s a product, service, or beyond, Propercorn are inviting students and young people from all over the UK to submit their ideas to be in with the chance of winning their share of £7500, not to mention the mentorship they’ll need to get their idea up and running.

Figures show that more than half of people aged 16 – 25 want to set up their own business and become the next Steve Jobs or Arianna Huffington, so don’t be shy of juggling study, work, and play alongside sowing the seeds for a start up in your university years—around 25 per cent of students begin some kind of business venture during this time, which many young CEOs agree is the perfect opportunity to get those ideas flowing, and to utilise the vast network a university offers to spread the word.

With over 540000 startups launched in the UK in 2014, Propercorn hope to encourage even more students to make their ideas a reality, and create the next entrepreneurial generation. From the applications, 25 budding business owners will be handpicked to take part in a two-day workshop this summer, run by an incredible team of mentors, designers and marketing gurus. This will culminate with a pitch for each team to a panel of leading entrepreneurs from around the world, and three winners will be chosen to receive the grand prize, and be launched into the world of business.

Laura Fitzpatrick, a University of Manchester student and ambassador for the brand said: “When Cassandra and Ryan were starting up, they had crucial advice from Richard Reed of Innocent. In creating the Platform, Propercorn are using their industry experience as a successful start up to benefit young people with the right ideas, but a need for a push in the right direction.”

If you’ve got a business in mind, big or small, visit Propercorn.com to get started, and make your mark in the booming world of commerce. Follow @Propercorn on Twitter and use the hashtag #doneproperly to keep up with events and the latest news on the competition.

Album: Best Youth – Highway Moon

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

Released 30th March

Self-released

7.5/10

Hailing from Oporto, Portugal, Best Youth is the duo of vocalist Catarina Salinas and instrumentalist Ed Rocha Gonçalves. Formerly of the short lived indie outfit Genius Loki, the pair began recording under the Best Youth moniker in 2011 and released their debut EP Winterlies online the same year, which received considerable praise upon release in their native Europe. Three years later, the band are back with their debut full length Highway Moon, an elegant, brooding and thoroughly modern pop record full of ruminations on love – be it past, present or imaginary – that sees them building on the sound of their earlier releases and, with any luck, should see them headed for the mainstream in the near future.

‘Red Diamond’, the album’s lead single and opener, sets the mood for the album’s eleven tracks, starting as a gentle piano ballad before giving way to an electronica-tinged chorus, awash with icy synths and lovelorn lyrics. With its “honey, I could be your red diamond” refrain – the rarest jewel on earth, apparently – and sultry vocals, the whole thing recalls Lana Del Rey at her poutiest. ‘Black Eyes’, perhaps the album’s highlight and definite should-be single, follows, interweaving twinkling synths and chiming guitars around a lazy, rumbling bassline as Salinas pleads wearily “stare into my black eyes, I’ll show you where I want you to be”.

Elsewhere, ‘Mirrorball’ is an infectious piece of dark disco that plays like a more sinister ‘Heart of Glass’, whilst ‘Infinite Stare’ has an ominous edge that recalls Ultra-era Depeche Mode. The dreamy, hazy end-of-summer lament ‘Fanatic’ and the infectious ‘Ride’ both glide along on svelte vocal hooks backed by glistening vintage keyboards straight out of the 80s new wave handbook, and are maybe the only upbeat sounding moments on an album that spends the majority of its time trying to find glamour in our everyday feelings of restlessness and longing.

Best Youth’s song-writing has a level of sleek sophistication that is rarely found in debut albums, and the production strikes an effective balance between layered intricacy and a distant sparseness that compliments the detached tone of the songs, as well as their sleek monochrome visual style. Highway Moon’s main (and, in fairness, probably only) real flaw is the lack of variation in pace; the album’s tendency towards the downtempo makes listening to the whole thing in one go a sometimes arduous task. Those who make it through without being overcome with despair and ennui, though, will find a lot to enjoy here, and as a whole Highway Moon is a promising and accomplished debut.

Album: Scott Weiland & The Wildabouts – Blaster

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

Released 31st March

Softdrive Records

5/10

Since being ousted from Stone Temple Pilots in 2013 – and his eventual replacement by Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington of all people, to add insult to injury – Scott Weiland has kept an unusually low profile, mainly spending his time touring small venues across America with the help of his backing band. In an attempt to bring a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in-a-band-but-definitely-still-a-solo-artist dynamic to his music, Weiland has christened this newest band of merry men The Wildabouts, and is keen for his latest release to be something of a new beginning in his long and sometimes troubled career. Unfortunately, though, Blaster too often plays like a record of two halves; one sounding fresh and fun, the other clichéd and uninspired.

Opener ‘Modzilla’, a bluesy rock tune in Jack White/Queens of the Stone Age mold, starts off with a simple but effective guitar riff, the kind Weiland is an expert at snaking his vocal lines around. It’s a promising start, but then the underwhelming chorus comes and the song goes nowhere from there. And that’s the problem with the album as a whole: it’s inoffensive enough, but just doesn’t grab you the way history has taught us a collection of Scott Weiland-penned songs should. The choruses never take flight and the riffs tend to be fairly standard, entry-level affairs, leaving the majority of the songs – particularly the hard rockers like ‘Modzilla’, ‘Bleed Out’ and ‘Parachute’ – sounding like pale imitations of classic Stone Temple Pilots, without the bone-rattling power or inspired melodies.

Elsewhere he fares better, and sounds less dated, when the aggression is toned down; the album’s high points tend to come from the lighter indie rock flavoured tracks. ‘Beach Pop’ is, as the name suggests, a sunny little pop number complete with hand claps and harmonies, and ‘Blue Eyes’ continues in the vein of STP’s ‘Cinnamon’ with its heartfelt lyrics and bouncy, jangly guitars. ‘Amethyst’, meanwhile, is a mostly successful attempt at melding the two styles together, with a pummelling verses leading to the album’s sole arena-ready chorus. ‘Circles’, the country-tinged closer, is also lovely, and redeems the record after an unnecessary cover of T. Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy’ that is neither remarkably good or offensively bad; it just exists.

There’s nothing here to match the majesty of ‘Plush’ or the hard rock thrill of ‘Slither’, but because of the sheer variety in these twelve songs, his fans will surely find something to enjoy on Blaster. Taken as a debut by an entirely new act, the album shows promise and room for development – but as part of Weiland’s vast discography, it’s destined to be more of a footnote than a game-changing highlight.

UKIP policy to “treat the weak humanely”

Written by Marcus Johns on . Posted in News.

UKIP Parliamentary Candidate for Manchester Withington, Mark Davies, has committed another alleged gaffe by referring to disabled people as ‘the weak’.

In response to a question regarding cuts to disabled people’s living allowances, Davies said: “[UKIP] believe that society should treat the weak humanely.”

After Davies repeatedly referred to disabled people as ‘the weak’, Jeff Smith, the Labour candidate for the same seat, pointed out to Davies that his remarks may have been offensive, and began his own answer: “I don’t believe that Davies meant to call disabled people weak.”

Davies attempted to deny that he called the disabled weak to which Smith replied: “No, that is exactly what you said.” In addition to this, Davies also argued that the gender pay gap is a matter of fact and that if people “are going to go away,” then they deserve to be paid less. Likening pregnancy to taking an extended holiday, Davies gave the example of losing contacts and thus being unable to provide customers with adequate service.

Davies was repeatedly interrupted during his reply to a question on gender inequality, as audience members took issue with his use of the phrase ‘going away’. An audience member shouted that he could say pregnancy and if he was referring to pregnancy then he should do so explicitly. Davies ignored these remarks and continued referring to ‘going away’ throughout his response.

Tuesday’s Manchester Withington Candidates debate, at which the statement was made, was part of the University of Manchester Students’ Union’s campaign to increase student voting levels. The hustings were chaired by current General Secretary Charlotte Cook and the event was organised by Campaigns & Citizenship Officer, Conor McGurran.

Former MP and Liberal Democrat candidate John Leech also came under fire from audience members for comments made in an email about rapes in his constituency, whilst Green Party candidate Lucy Bannister was unable to make the event due to prior commitments and was represented by a Green Party activist. The Conservative Party candidate Robert Manning was also in attendance.

Album: While She Sleeps – Brainwashed

Written by Donald Spencer on . Posted in Music.

Released March 23rd

Search and Destroy/Sony Music

10/10

In 2012, While She Sleeps graced the metal world with a 44:32 long hell train of meteoric brutality and impassioned fury. This Is The Six was almost a perfect album. With Brainwashed, the sophomore release from the Sheffield based unit, perfection seems to have been redefined.

It was always going to be an incredible album, but the weight of expectation hung heavily over While She Sleeps, particularly with the obstacles blockading them from releasing Brainwashed by a year later than anticipated, frontman Lawrence Taylor was admitted to throat surgery and it was feared he might never scream again, descending into a dark place and having to be the subject of an intervention, Lawrence has overcome and gave a big, metal, Yorkshire middle finger to his demons.

The intro track to Brainwashed is a disillusioned angry mob of British folk young and old making a stand against our current system, the foreboding initiation soon turns to beautiful carnage in the form of lead single, and probably their best effort yet ‘New World Torture’. This fiery number embodies the whole record in one song, gang vocals, soaring choruses and sheer aggression, as well as a beautiful and most fluid guitar solo from Sean Long.

The next two songs, ‘Your Evolution’ and title track ‘Brainwashed’ maintain the momentum, safe to say that Sleeps certainly won’t be selling out to the corporate persuasion. That being said, ‘We Are Alive At Night’ shows that Sleeps certainly have a softer side, the track in question being the build up to the most recent single ’Our Legacy’ which is accompanied by a music video showcasing the band’s rise to cult renown. ‘‘Chance made us brothers, loyal to the last breath I take, our legacy won’t be wasted on me’’ are the elevated hollers heard in the song, encapsulating the unique but pugnacious nature of While She Sleeps. One of the strongest tracks on the album is ’Four Walls’ which commences with a serene guitar part followed by the yells of Lawrence Taylor ‘‘Everybody dies with a debt! No silence!’’ on ‘Four Walls’ we hear classic Sleeps, a highly politically fuelled song with some very welcome choruses from guitarist and backing vocalist Mat Welsh along with some of their heaviest yet grooviest breakdowns yet, led by drummer Adam Savage and bassist Aaron Mackenzie.

‘Torment’ and ‘Trophies of Violence’ demonstrate the lack of mercy this band have in terms of heaviness, anybody looking for an organic and progressive rock album should avoid this like the plague. Lawrence uses these songs as a social commentary on the broken youth and twisted upper echelons of modern day Britain ‘‘We are a living abortion, a vile creation, now let’s make the best of a bad situation!’’ These songs are two of the numbers which exhibit the perfect raw yet still polished sound of this release. Brainwashed gives way to the musical prowess of Sean Long for the latter part of the album, focusing on intelligent structure and sound rather than sheer violence.

It’s time to make way for the new breed in heavy music, welcome While She Sleeps to the metal hall of fame in the eyes of The Mancunion. A political statement. A warcry for the embittere voiceless. A career defining effort.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the deluxe edition March 23rd, and to witness the live destruction on this year’s joint headline tour with Cancer Bats at the Ritz, as well as summer festivals including Reading & Leeds, Slam Dunk and Rock am Ring.

The 3rd Degree Recording

Written by Nicole Tamer on . Posted in Theatre.

This show’s concept is an elaborate version of University Challenge, hosted by radio comic Steve Punt, in which three students of different fields try to beat the knowledge of professors of the respective field. The evening started with an applause and laughter practice and the audience was introduced to the concept and aim of the show by director and producer David Tyler. After exercising to laugh like pirates, the atmosphere became more serious and the recording began.

The introduction of the six participants lead to a funny start and Steve Punt knew how to delight the audience with his (scripted) wit. After introducing the University of Manchester in a very favourable light, the contestants had to introduce themselves to start the sixth episode of the fifth season. The nervousness of the participants was apparent, but everyone made a good impression nevertheless.

The dons were the highlight of the evening with their incredibly fast answers and funny facial expressions. Dr. Natalie Zacek is a lecturer in History and American Studies and impressed during the evening with her lightspeed response time and impeccable knowledge of her subject area. Her two team members were Professor Bernard Clarke, a honorary clinical professor of cardiology, and Professor Matthew Cobb, whose main research interest is the sense of smell of maggots.

The bright student contestants fought hard for points in order to beat professors with more life experience and clearly more knowledge in their field area. The student team consisted of Polly Martin, who was quick in eliminating wrong answers of her team members in a witty way, English Literature and American Studies student James Broadway, and Sam, a third year medical student.

I contacted James after the show recording to ask about the selection process, if he has any tips for students to get a better memory, and if he had any expectations prior to the show. “I received an email from my department asking if anyone was interested. I phoned the producer and he asked me some practice questions then I got in. I don’t have a technique for recalling information, but I do watch quiz shows all the time. I didn’t realise how much fun it was going to be but I thought we would get thrashed by the academic team… and we did.”

Photo: The Mancunion

The show consisted of seven rounds, of which the Highbrow/Lowbrow round was the most entertaining. Each contestant is given a short clue to a question and is then asked if they want to answer a highbrow or a lowbrow question based on the clue. The students scored two points if they get the highbrow question right or one point if they get the lowbrow question right. For the Dons, it was the other way around. When the contestant chooses the question, their academic rival has to answer the question not chosen.

Funnily enough, the questions that would have been answered very quickly by anyone in the audience posed most difficulty to the contestants. The apparent lack of general popular culture knowledge was obvious after Lana Del Rey was not identified and their TV and Film knowledge was not very extensive. This made some people in the audience feel smug at first, but then it might have dawned on them that some of the contestants save lives on a daily basis or will contribute to important research in the future.

The funniest moment in the show ensued when James was asked a lowbrow question about ‘Pacts and Treaties’ concerning the infamous book and film 50 Shades of Grey. To the question “What is the safe word used by the characters?” he answered “Is it my safe word?” Despite the competitive atmosphere, humour played a big role and everyone seemed amused, even if the answer they gave was wrong.

It was exciting to be in the audience, especially because we were present when retakes were recorded. Steve Punt had to soften an offensive commentary about Nigel Farage, who is allowed to be described as ‘white and floppy’, but not as racist. Another highlight was the re-taking of basic affirmations such as ‘Yes’, ‘Absolutely right’, ‘Spot on’, which actually made the audience roar with laughter. Being in the audience was very entertaining and everyone felt both a bit smarter and dumber at the same time after leaving the recording room.

Live: Nubiyan Twist

Written by Marina Garvey Birch on . Posted in Music.

26th March

Band on the Wall

9/10

Bringing the carnival to Manchester on a grey, blustery evening, Nubiyan Twist lit up the stage at Band on The Wall, offering a set of sumptuous melodies, moody basslines and irresistible brass that got everybody shaking off any troubles or stress. The 12 piece band are based in Leeds and London, with front woman Nubiya Brandon who smashes standards vocally and performance wise. In a bright red dress and flower head dress, Brandon’s vocals and mc skills were laced with notes of Lauryn Hill and a deep soulful energy that provided an absolute feast for the ears.

Strong hits such as ‘Workhouse’, ‘Straight L’s’ and ‘Fig’ provided a step into a world of carnival, dancing and joy. The undercurrent of world music rhythms from Brazil to Nigeria, the mix of afro-beat, hiphop and carnival funk is fantastic.

After a short break, the band were back on with more tunes and a special Fela Kuti cover by the percussionist, leaving us all wishing they could just carry on. Teased with a combination of high-energy funk tracks and moody, dub rhythms akin with 1960s reggae, the band really do have a wide repertoire of talent.

Skilled beyond their youthful years, the individual talent of each musician was clear from delivered improvisations that were matured and deep. The saxophonists were spectacular, let alone the trumpet player, pianist, percussionist and bass player. Oh and the lead guitar and baritone sax!

Nubiyan Twist shone in Manchester, yet I can only imagine the effect of their music in an outdoor, festival locations – definitely one to watch out for this summer. The band are promoting their self-titled debut album and are certainly set for more carnival filled adventures.

Live: Sam Smith

Written by Dinesh Mattu on . Posted in Music.

20th March

O2 Apollo

9/10

If the amount of goose bumps you get whilst watching a gig is some kind of measure of how good a performance is, then Sam Smith has taken the crown as the spine-tingle king.

Stepping out to ear-splitting screams, Smith and his eight piece band tease the crowd with the first few notes of ‘Life Support’ before the curtain is raised and the recent Grammy winner breathes life into the O2 Apollo.

As expected, Smith’s vocals are phenomenal; it’s rare to find an artist whose voice sounds just as good, if not better live, than on record. His powerful falsetto is most prominent on his recent number one, ‘Lay Me Down.’ Sadly, John Legend isn’t present to accentuate the melody; however pianist Ruben James fills in superbly in his place, who also joins Smith for a stripped down version of ‘Good Thing.’

Smith reveals partway through the show that ‘Leave Your Lover’ was in fact written in Manchester, and continues that the Apollo is a special place to him as it is where he supported Emeli Sandé a year ago. His meteoric rise to stardom is astounding, yet the soul singer comes across quite humbled, admitting that given his recent accolades his favourite thing to do is to simply sing in front of his admiring fans.

Smith doesn’t forget where he started, reeling of an effortless performance of ‘Nirvana’ before getting into his more recent ‘Like I Can’ and following by two stepping his way through the funky ‘Restart,’ (which was interestingly co-written by Zane Lowe.)

The best (and most spine-tingling) moment of the night came from Smith’s cover of Richard Rogers’ classic jazz standard ‘My Funny Valentine,’ joining a long list of legends including Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis in delivering a unique and exceptional rendition. Rounding off the night with his hit ‘Money on My Mind’ mashed up with CeCe Peniston’s ‘Finally,’ Smith & Co leave the stage to rapturous applause.

It’s not long before the band return to the stage for an encore that consists of ‘Make It to Me,’ an acoustic version of Disclosure collaboration ‘Latch,’ and lastly the song that quite literally made strangers unite and sing in arms, the enormous ‘Stay With Me.’ His debut In The Lonely Hour reached the top spot yet again last week, and judging by his performance, second album syndrome won’t be anything to worry about.

Album: Inventions – Maze of Woods

Written by Jacob Evans on . Posted in Music.

Released 17th March

Temporary Residence Records

9/10

On their self-titled debut last year, Explosions in the Sky’s Mark T. Smith and Eluvium’s Mathew Cooper crafted a gorgeous, gently euphoric record, full of swirling collages of sound. However, it did largely sound like you would imagine a collaboration between the post-rock juggernauts and ambient genius would sound – all the hope of Explosions in the Sky distilled into a slow moving, dense, shimmering beast. On their follow up record, however, the two truly step into their own. The album opens with ‘Escapers,’ and a spoken word sample declaring “I want to do something I don’t know how to do.” This ideal is taken across much of the record, with a newfound focus on (largely wordless) vocal samples, grounding the album from the soaring heights of their space-inspiring debut, leading to pieces that seem to traverse the natural world, the titular maze of woods. The song titles reflect this – first single ‘Springworlds’ is a beautiful, soaring work revolving around a distant, echoing voice. ‘Peregrine,’ easily the album’s standout, is a strange, mysterious piece – minor key piano runs through the song, whilst rusted metal and ominous strings clash with beautiful synth washes before the whole piece drops to another unintelligible voice. Finally, the song soars to the heavens in an ambient haze that echoes their debut, whilst improving on it – the fact it’s no longer possible to tell who is playing what shows how good the duo have become.

The album, whilst still possible to pass you by in a single beautiful haze if you let it, never becomes dull or repetitive. Every song makes major shifts – ‘Slow Breathing Circuit’ jumps from warm acoustic guitar to intricate, Nils Frahm-esque piano work at the midpoint. ‘A Wind From All Directions’ slowly swells from delicate chanting to a huge, euphoric wave of noise and incomprehensible, yet powerful vocals, before descending back again in the album’s slow moving centrepiece. ‘Wolfkids’ is the closest the album gets to a stomper, a driving beat accompanied by a complex, twisting lead before seemingly deconstructing itself and collapsing into a quiet, drifting lullaby. The ever shifting nature of every track gives the album a morphing, living feel, a creature of beautiful noise.

If there has to be a criticism, it’s that the album never really hits the same heights as its members’ masterworks – EITS’ The Earth is Not a Cold Dead Place and Eluvium’s Talk Amongst the Trees still stretch to higher peaks. However, Maze of Woods is clearly the workings of a band still finding itself, and the peaks of this album hint at a lot more to come. Not to mention, both those masterpieces were third albums, so what comes next should be truly special…

Club: Mvson 2nd Birthday w/ Scuba, Ryan Elliott & Tom Demac

Written by Matt Gibney on . Posted in Music.

Sankeys

13th March

8/10

It’s been a busy couple of years for the Mvson Collective. Since starting their night two years ago at Sound Control, Mvson have uprooted and now seem settled at their spiritual home, Sankeys. Along the way they’ve been responsible for bringing a raft of big names to the Rainy City including MK, Tania Vulcano, Harvey McKay and Dan Ghenacia. To toast turning two, they’ve crafted together a similarly impressive lineup with Scuba, Ryan Elliott, Tom Demac and Space Dimension Controller all brought along for the ride.

Arriving at the club just prior to midnight, it was perhaps unsurprising that the basement was still waiting to fill up. However upstairs, Spektrum was suitably rammed with the Mvson Collective ably demonstrating just why their parties have proved to be so popular. Space Dimension Controller had been billed for an all night long set but no one upstairs seemed to care as the trio of residents laid down a set of suitably bass heavy tech house that was rapturously received by those in attendance. With things now heating up, we decided to head down to the basement to catch the tail end of Tom Demac’s set. The Hypercolour man has a reputation for smashing it out and thus the setting of Sankeys basement seemed perfect for him, as he blended techno weapons and acid cuts seamlessly.

By this point, it was time for Ryan Elliott to enter proceedings. The Detroit-born, Berlin-based producer and DJ has cut his teeth playing at some of the world’s finest clubs. Most notably, he is a resident at Berghain/Panorama Bar and last year this connection saw him deliver Panorama Bar 06 – one of the finest mixes of 2014 and a perfect distillation of the man’s selection skills. It was perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that he would provide the set of the night to a now-full main room. Elliott’s set lent heavily on functional house and techno but dalliances with garage-tinged cuts provided necessary respite and helped to keep things fresh. The highlight of the set no doubt came when he drew for Lil Louis’ ‘French Kiss’ – a 1989 classic that is as dizzyingly euphoric today as it no doubt was back then.

Following this set up would be no easy task, but Scuba strikes you as the kind of guy who isn’t fazed by much. Having been given three hours with which to play, this is really the kind of environment where Scuba’s punishing brand of big room techno can shine. With a new album out soon, the crowd was treated to a mixture of tracks old and new including Radio Slave’s ‘Don’t Stop No Sleep’ – undoubtedly one of last year’s biggest tunes – and the George Fitzgerald remix of Jon Hopkins’ ‘Open Eye Signal’. It was a winning combination, and one which kept everyone in the club dancing until the 6AM close.

Live: Every Time I Die & Architects

Written by James Collins on . Posted in Music.

The Ritz

10 March

8/10

Every Time I Die may have just set the record for most high-fives ever given at a show. The Metalcore five-piece from Buffalo, New York, are veterans in the scene and it’s easy to see why they’ve been able to stick around for so long: they kick ass. Hard. They were relentless as they powered through the best of their huge discography, playing tracks from 2003’s Hot Damn! through to 2014’s From Parts Unknown, pausing only to call for bigger circle pits or to reach out to the waves of fans who burst over the barricades. The highlight of the set was definitely ‘We’rewolf’; a song that perfectly encompasses the spirit of the band; going absolutely insane and having a fucking great time doing it. ETID are masters of the stage and they clearly know it, enjoying themselves as much as the crowd and performing with so much charisma and savagery that it was easy to forget that they weren’t the last act of the night. If you like their studio stuff, go see them live; they are an entirely different beast on stage.

The electronic intro of ‘Broken Cross’ signalled that the main act had arrived, sending the crowd into fervour with a monstrous scream of “God only knows why we were born to burn” and huge blasts of compressed air. If you like breakdowns then Architects are the band for you. The Brighton quintet have managed to avoid the trap that a lot of metalcore bands fall where similar sounding songs blend into an indistinguishable chugfest. Instead, they unleash a barrage of aggressive and technical rhythms interspersed throughout the genre-defining thrashing. It also helps that their techies did a fantastic job; the quality of their live sound holds up well to that of their albums.

Sam Carter is, quite frankly, an incredible frontman. His presence was undeniable as he stomped and bounced around the stage while delivering consistently powerful vocals, nailing his trademark “BLEGH,” all without forgetting to say a few words about the Sea Shepherds; a marine conservation charity that he represents.

Architects definitely did not disappoint, dropping into the bouncy ‘The Devil Is Near’ and then following soon after with fan-favourite ‘Naysayer’, also bringing on Counterparts’ vocalist Brendan Murphy who absolutely killed ‘Early Graves’. While a lot of the set was focused on tracks from 2014’s Lost Forever // Lost Together, Architects made sure to include some older material such as the technical riffs of ‘Alpha Omega’ and the politically charged ‘Devil’s Island’. They finished off with ‘These Colours Don’t Run’, encouraging people to break their necks head-banging to the brutal breakdown, before returning to stage to finish the job off properly with the immense ‘Gravedigger’, triggering a chorus of “you are the reason we are bitter and then some” to lead into the last pit of the night.

Architects stand out from the increasingly homogenous metalcore scene, both live and in the studio, and really put their all into an incredible show. Unfortunately it’s hard to outperform Every Time I Die, who stole the show with their raw energy and sheer ferocity. However, if you’re a fan of the genre I would definitely recommend Architects as they are easily one of the best in the scene right now.

Live: Flamingods

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

Soup Kitchen

Friday 13th March

8/10

If the Hare Krishna ever take up electronic instruments, they might resemble some of the sounds blaring out of the Soup Kitchen that Friday night.

Flamingods started about 15 minutes late, which was pretty impressive given the shit-tonne of percussion they had to set up. The evening began with a smooth build-up of rumbling rhythm, coupled with some widely distorted sound-check primal screams from unofficial frontman Kamal Rasool.

A psychedelic projection show met the fuzzy twang of guitar perfectly, and the ever-mounting rhythms soon had the place swinging at their whim. In their matching sahri-come-bowling-shirts, the group switched between instruments in a near constant flux of picking up sitars, symbols and sticks, making sounds, and then passing them along to the next guy. I don’t think I saw one of them take charge of the drum kit for longer than five minutes.

As a globally diverse bunch, the band were constantly weaving between continental genres. Winding Eastern melodies were frequently cut out into aggressive African-style percussion breaks in a triumphant fusion of the eclectic. Consistency is certainly not their mantra, but the diversity of Flamingods’ style is ultimately what makes this band so impressive.

The only drawback to seeing them live was a slight loss of instrumental intricacy, generally abundant on a Flamingods record, but at the time, Rasool’s soaring vocals had me in a blissful trance, failing to give a fuck.

When the Krishna finally get round to forming a cosmic super group, I’d advise that you go and see them. Until then, there’s Flamingods.

Live: Yellowcard

Written by Callum Lunn on . Posted in Music.

12th March

Manchester Academy

5.5/10

Yellowcard are no newcomers to the pop-punk scene. Touring with ska-punk giants and all-around fun guys Less Than Jake, it seemed like the perfect recipe for a great show.

I wanted to like it, I really did – but it felt like I was watching a Yellowcard tribute band. They were playing Yellowcard songs, and they were doing it well, but it just didn’t feel like a Yellowcard gig. They opened with a few songs from their newest album, Lift a Sail, and one could be mistaken for thinking they hadn’t rehearsed enough, because most of the lyrics were tuneful ‘oh’s. They seemed to have forgotten the punk in pop-punk; the general feeling in the crowd seemed to agree with me. Even on some of the songs from their older albums, the performance lacked the refinement one would expect of such a veteran band.

It wasn’t all bad, however. Frontman Ryan Key really brought ‘Only One’ to life, and the whole crowd were singing along by the end. Violinist Sean Mackin never missed a beat, and his parts on ‘Light up the Sky’ really brought the song together. One has to applaud them for not just reliving their glory days; only playing three songs from their hit album Ocean Avenue. The band eventually fostered a brilliant audience response with ‘Awakening’, and hearing the entire crowd singing it back to the band did capture some of that pop-punk magic I was hoping for.

The band closed with ‘Ocean Avenue’, and much like the theme of the song, I was left somewhat heartbroken. I really want to experience the Yellowcard of a decade ago; young and full of energy, but I feel that they are gone – and that saddens me.

The government won’t listen to apathy – use your vote

Written by Kris McDermott on . Posted in Opinion.

Remember Friends Reunited? No, I don’t expect you do. Friends Reunited was one of the earliest forms of social media and was incredibly popular in the fledgling modern internet of the early noughties. Think Facebook, but not as good. At its peak roughly half of all adults in the UK used the website, but when Facebook came along everyone jumped ship. By 2010 it had been dwarfed by its competitors and now it lies in the doldrums of websites that boast millions of users who haven’t logged on in five years.

Now, I don’t expect anyone to take pity on the owners of this frankly rubbish website. It used to make money (and it made lots early on), but the beauty of the modern world is that if a company sells a product that no one wants pretty soon it goes away. My sister doesn’t use a washboard, I no longer own a VCR, and I don’t expect to be playing a PS4 in ten years. The products that are available are a function of what people want, and that’s undoubtedly a good thing.

We can infer from this that we live in a society where apathy is a powerful weapon. Websites, bars, DJs and TV shows all need us, and if we stop showing an interest in them they’ll die. It’s a wonderful position to be in—we are all monarchs of the consumer society who can condemn a jester to death with little more than a disdainful tweet and a passionless sigh. Didn’t like the music they played at that shit club night? Don’t worry—it’ll be gone this time next year. A product which earns the apathy of the nation will disappear, leaving only the products which people actually want. Brilliant.

Speaking of things which earn the apathy of the nation, there’s going to be a General Election on the 7th of May. Over the coming weeks we won’t be able to move for politicians offering us their products. Tax cuts for pensioners, tighter immigration controls, cuts to public services. They’re offering it and we don’t want it. So, surprisingly enough, on polling day three in five young people up and down the country will respond in the way they normally do when offered something they don’t want—they’ll stay at home and press the ignore button.

Now, if you’re reading this with plans to be one of those young abstainers then you’re probably feeling pretty regal right now. You’ve probably got that same feeling of superiority and power we all get when we decide that a product doesn’t meet our expectations. I don’t want this product so I’m not going to give it my vote and it will be consigned to history along with Friends Reunited, HMV and those stupid neon glasses with stripes across them that people used to wear to nu-rave nights. The best way to defeat the system is to ignore it.

Unfortunately, I feel obliged to tell you—this plan is complete and utter nonsense.

A government, you see, is not a product which needs to turn a profit. If we stop voting they won’t go bust. You might want them to, but they won’t. If anything, they’ll be more likely to be in power than before because now they need to get fewer votes to get a majority.

This goes against everything we’ve been brought up to think, but it’s true. In 2012 Lucy Powell was elected to represent Manchester Central on a turnout of 18.2 per cent. On that day 4 in 5 people chose to ignore the election but they still counted the votes, they were still legally binding, and she still got the seat. Low turnouts might reduce an MP’s legitimacy in your mind, but outside your mind—here in the real world—it just makes it easier for a politician you don’t like to get into power. And the real world is where the UK’s suffering happens.

Now this isn’t a very popular idea among the young precisely because it offends their consumer-monarch sensibility. When anyone suggests that youth abstention leads to a country run by middle-class pensioners, most 18 – 30-year-olds will respond by frantically hitting the ignore button, then loudly blaming politicians for the rising use of food banks, wars in the Middle East and skyrocketing tuition fees. If you’re unhappy with austerity it’s very tempting to treat it in the same way you treat a rubbish TV show—switching off—but that’s just not enough in politics. You have to actively vote against it if you want things to be different. One less vote for the establishment will make no difference unless it’s accompanied by one more vote for an alternative.

And no, they’re not all the same. If you don’t like the main parties then vote for a smaller one—maybe the TUSC or the Pirate Party. If you don’t like any of them either then go into the polling station and write “politicians are all wankers” on your ballot paper (that’s what the delicately titled ‘spoiled ballots’ really are).

On 7th May there’ll be a little angel and a little devil sat on your shoulders. The devil will tell you that voting isn’t worth your time. He’ll say that if enough people avoid voting for a politician then that politician will disappear. But he’s wrong and you know it—that politician will only disappear if enough people bother to actually vote for someone else.

There are a lot of poor and downtrodden people in the UK right now who need a different government. Our instincts as dissatisfied customers may tell us to stay at home, but for their sake, please be a force for good and vote on the 7th of May.

Blind Date: Naomi and James

Written by Kitty Treverton Jones on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Naomi, 4th Year French & Russian

What were your first impressions of him?

The beard! But luckily I’m a big fan of a beard. And he was so friendly and chatty from the outset, relief.

What’s his best feature?

His eyes or he had a really nice laugh.

What did you have to eat?

I’ve turned vegetarian for Lent so I had a falafel burger with halloumi and chips and we shared a bottle of the house red wine which went down very well.

Any awkward moments?

None at all! Conversation flowed really easily right from the start of the date.

What was the most interesting thing you found out?

That he’s the head of the student radio station Fuse FM.

How did you say goodbye?

After the meal at Fallow we decided to go for a few more drinks in Fallowfield. At the end of the night, we exchanged numbers and said bye.

Did you kiss?

No. I don’t normally kiss someone on the first date.

Would you see them again?

Yeah it would be good to get to know James a bit more.

Date out of ten?

8.5

 

James, 3rd Year Politics & Modern History

 

What were your first impressions of her?

She was really chatty and didn’t come across as shy at all so the conversation flowed straight away.

What’s her best feature?

She had a good sense of humour. She wasn’t scared to have a dig at me if I said anything stupid which was cool.

What did you have to eat?

I had the chicken and bacon ciabatta.

Any awkward moments?

Not that I recall. I can be quite awkward so I am not sure she would say the same thing.

What was the most interesting thing you found out?

She lived in Russia for a while last year so, as I am a bit of a Russian history geek, I found her stories about living and travelling around there really interesting.

How did you say goodbye?

We hugged and then went our separate ways.

Did you kiss?

We did not.

Would you see them again?

Yeah, I reckon so.

Date out of ten?
8

 

Many thanks to Fallow Café. As well as serving home-made food and drink, they also have a great selection of beer and regular live music. Visit www.fallowcafe.com.

 

Live: The Vaccines

Written by Dan Whiteley on . Posted in Music.

1st April

Albert Hall

8/10

It’s sometimes hard to believe that the Vaccines have only been a band for five years or so; there was serious hype surrounding them even before they released their 2011 debut, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, and they’ve rarely been out of the British indie scene’s limelight since then. Their third album English Graffiti due for release in May, and the band have been touring some smaller UK venues in preparation, including a sold-out performance at the Albert Hall that saw them deliver a set full of their old—comparatively, that is—classics as well as a glimpse of their hotly-anticipated new record.

Beginning with the one-two punch of ‘Teenage Icon’ and ‘Wreckin’ Bar’, everyone’s favourite double-denim enthusiasts managed to pack almost twenty songs into a show clocking in at just over an hour, playing their tracks at such a raucous breakneck pace that I was scared to go for a piss for fear that it’d cost me three and a half songs. It wasn’t just the band that were on rowdy form, either; the opener’s giddy “I’m no teenage icon/I’m no Frankie Avalon” chorus summoned an explosive shout-along session from the fans, an enthusiasm that barely let up for the rest of the night.

The new cuts from English Graffiti also sounded promising, with the album set to be a mix of the trademark Ramones-aping three chord rock ‘n’ roll (recent single ‘Handsome’) with some interesting developments to their sound (the newly unveiled ‘Dream Lover’, which grooves along on a bluesy riff that could have come straight from Arctic Monkeys’ AM). What Did You Expect still formed the backbone of the show, though, with its songs—including the soaring ‘Blow It Up’, the criminally underrated ‘All In White’ and the slow-burning ‘Family Friend’—still comprising half the set list.

Despite the band’s rise to arena status, the beauty of The Vaccines’ sound is its simplicity—the venues have gotten bigger, the light shows are more extravagant, but the magic still lies in their stripped-down, bare-bones pop formula, the type which can become truly transcendent when being shouted back at the band word-for-word by thousands of fans at once.

By the time set closer ‘Norgaard’ brought the house down, it became easy to see that though The Vaccines were brought to our attention via the notoriously fickle NME hype machine, they’ve since built a genuinely passionate fanbase and weathered the difficult second album storm; despite Justin Young’s claims to the contrary at the start of the set, The Vaccines have arguably finally turned into icons of their genre.

Festival Guide 2015: Europe

Written by music on . Posted in Music.

PRIMAVERA SOUND
28th – 30th May

Barcelona’s musical showcase Primavera Sound can truly boast one of the most exciting line-ups of this year’s festival calendar. The Strokes are using the festival to make their live return, with very few global shows for their reunion announced so far. The festival’s other headliners are Alt-J, The Black Keys and the newly reformed Ride. There are tonnes of other hot acts playing the weekend, such as Antony and the Johnsons, The Replacements, Patti Smith, Belle & Sebastian, Caribou and Mac DeMarco to name but a few. If you can justify jetting off to Barcelona in the middle of exam period, do it. Matthew Staite

 

WEATHER FESTIVAL
4th – 7th June

Berlin has its Berghain, Amsterdam has its Dekmantel and now Paris has its Weather Festival. Competing on sheer size and scale, the Weather Festival is an uncompromising showcase of everything you’d ever want to hear concerning House and Techno. It’s a huge expansive playground filled with various stages and a notably up-for-it musically focused crowd. Expect to be spoilt silly this year with acts such as MCDE, Mr G and Seven Davis Jr already confirmed, as well as the world premiering of some mouth-watering collobarations – our pick being Ricardo Villalobos and Peter Van Hoeson. Alyssa Vongapai

 

MEADOWS IN THE MOUNTAINS
12th – 15th June

A beautiful retreat in to the Bulgarian mountains, Meadows in the Mountains is a festival emphasised on intimacy and community. A family run affair, Damian and Ben Sasse welcome you to their village of Rhodope allowing you to explore your quirkier and off kilter tastes in music amidst the stunning backdrop of their local countryside. No gimmicks, just a genuine love for music here. Anybody off on an interailing adventure this summer would best keep this festival in mind. Alyssa Vongapai

 

SONAR
18th – 20th June

Born in the 90s, Sonar has grown exponentially since then into Europe’s premiere electronic music festival. Firmly a city festival, Sonar brings Barcelona to life with a string of parties that are way more fun than camping and provides festival goers with an opportunity to get acquainted with the endlessly cool Catalonian capital.

The deliberate mix of underground and mainstream makes Sonar special: exemplified by the Sonar by Day/Night setup. Sonar by Day showcases homegrown talent and keeps the underground roots of the festival alive while Sonar by Night is a concert arena with a renowned emphasis on the visual aspect of the performance – perfect to host the always-impressive international lineup.

Highlights are set to be the exceptional Mr Daniel Avery, The Chemical Brothers, Flying Lotus, Seth Troxler and Kindness. Duran Duran also promise to be plenty of fun.

Sonar is the unmissable start to festival season. Rachel Connolly

 

THE GARDEN FESTIVAL
1st – 8th July

The festival that started it all. Croatia’s seminal and renowned The Garden Festival celebrates its tenth and final year from 1st – 8th July. Held in the earthly paradise of Tisno, you can bathe on the luxurious beaches by day and dance to some of the world’s finest electronic acts at night. The festival has gone all out for its last hurrah: DJ Harvey, Session Victim and Jackmaster are amongst the names helping them say goodbye in style. Tickets for the week long party are on sale now for just £120. Patrick Hinton

 

SUPER BOCK SUPER ROCK
16th – 18th July

Portugal’s Super Bock Super Rock has done a good job so far at booking lots of bands making exciting comebacks to the live scene this summer. Florence and the Machine are stepping up to headline the festival after two years away, with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and the legendary Sting also headlining. Crystal Fighters also make their live return since the death of their drummer, and SBRTKT and Toro Y Moi will also be bringing their groovy dance music to the event. The Vaccines and Little Dragon have also been announced, as well as a rare collaboration between Franz Ferdinand and Sparks. Matthew Staite

 

BENICASSIM
16th – 19th July

After a year of living away from Mum and Dad with most (all) of your student loan spent up on rent, bills and ready meals, as you consider whether taking out an overdraft is really that worth it, for me personally it always seems like one of life’s biggest decisions as to where to spend my money in the Summer. Do I venture out of Manchester in search of some much needed sun, sand and sea? Or does the lure of a usually high quality billing at the likes of Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds or Latitude really tempt me enough to zip up my raincoat, dust down my wellies and have my tent at the ready for a weekend of camping in the Great British Summer?

But whether it be a sign of age or simply haunting past experiences with wellington boots and falling flat in the mud, but it has only become apparent in recent years that those clever enough can have the best of both worlds at a much more affordable, if not cheaper price away from staying home. Yes, take note as you deliberate and weigh up a weekend in Paris over a weekend in Pilton, that believe it or not it is in fact in possible to combine both a holiday in the sun with a festival boasting a line-up as good as any music festival hosted back home. And it is only thanks to the modern growth of music festivals overseas such as ‘FIB: Festival Internacional de Benicàssim’,that such an opportunity exists, allowing students to experience a festival and holiday like no other.

Festival Internacional de Benicàssim or more commonly known as FIB or simply Benicàssim, has continued to grow from strength to strength after its foundation in 1995, bringing a universal wave and mixture of rock, indie, pop and electronic music to Spanish shores. Taking place every July on the coast between Valencia and Barcelona, Benicàssim’s success in recent years is not solely down to its location next to the famous and somewhat iconic Benicassim beach, the electric atmosphere or even the fact music and widespread partying continues way into the night unlike the many festivals on British soil, or sludge after three days at Glastonbury. Instead different to many of the themed festivals you can often see throughout Europe usually sticking to a set genre, the likes of My Bloody Valentine, Oasis and Bob Dylan have all took to the main stage in recent years as headliners, offering a varied, unique and diverse yet consistently high calibre of acts, subsequently itś no surprise why Benicassim doesn’t struggle in attracting both a large audience from both the United Kingdom, European fans and of course natives, locals and fellow Spanish residents.

Acts continue to be announced on a monthly basis, as fans of the festival and ticket-holders sit and wait patiently for the line-up to slowly take shape. But if any of the previous years listings are anything to go by then it looks set to be another stellar year for the Spanish festival. Florence & The Machine and The Prodigy lead the way as early headliners, Los Planetas proudly fly the Spanish flag at the top of bill whilst some of the many popular additions ranging from the likes of English singer-songwriter Jamie T, Belgian DJ Stromae and American hip-hop group Public Enemy are really a true indication of the diverse range of acts the festival continue to attract each year.

As the festival enters its third decade somewhat differently to previous editions of FIB, 2015 also looks set to be an exciting year away from the music itself with director Melvin Benn keen to highlight the new Trenchtown and Bearded Kitten areas on the festival site. Both are new features this year to the festival and plan to build on the already grand offering entertainment throughout the festival site, away from merely the music on the main stages. Adam Selby

 

MELT! FESTIVAL
17th – 19th July

Melt! is an open-air cheerful and hip playground, with all the benefits of a huge festival. It takes place in quirky Ferropolis, an open museum of old huge industrial machines. It is very generous with its refreshing line up, with a spectrum of anticipated acts, ranging from global mainstream acts to underground. They will spoil you with Kylie Minogue, Bonobo, Nils Frahm, Clark and Zenker Brothers. There is an alluring lake to be taken advantage of to cool off after some heavy duty dancing. Expect to be spoiled with the ominously beautiful setting, pyrotechnics and astonishing quality and quantity of music. Alyssa Vongapai

 

SOUNDWAVE
6th – 10th August

Croatia is now awash with festivals, with the likes of Hideout and Outlook sitting firmly as mainstays on the European festival circuit, however Soundwave offers something refreshingly different. Taking place between the 6th and 10th of August, Soundwave is returning to Croatia’s idyllic Dalmatian coast for its seventh year.  Set in the small fishing town of Tisno the intimate festival is houses much more than just music, although the eclectic line-up is a good place to start. The likes of Craig Charles, Mr Scruff, Mala and Eglo honcho Alexander Nut will be gracing the festival alongside headliner Jay Electronica, spread across three stages and the now legendary open air after-party spot, Barbarella. As if that wasn’t enough there are also going to be artists turning the festival site into a living piece of art with street art and murals. Soundwave’s location also allows you the chance to day trip to one of a number of beautiful national parks such as the waterfalls and pools of Krka or the cascading lakes of Plitvice. All in all then, Soundwave looks set to be a winner yet again for all those making the trip to the Adriatic. Ben Allan

 

A CAMPING FLIGHT TO LOWLANDS PARADISE
21st – 23rd August

Holland’s best loved festival returns to its site just an hour outside of Amsterdam again this year for another weekend of craziness. The bill is stacked full of treats, with a day time and night time programme that caters to a variety of music tastes. The 250 strong list of artists performing ranges from Chemical Brothers to Kendrick Lamar, Mumdance to Marcel Dettmann, Paolo Nutini to Paranoid London, marking Lowlands as one of strongest line ups in Europe this summer. Full details can be found here.

Of course, the best festivals are the ones that allow you to truly escape from reality for a few days – not just music in a field, but an extravaganza of activities and oddities to lose yourself in. Lowlands provides this in abundance. Across the three days you can enjoy a diverse range of theatre, visual arts, comedy, cabaret and more. There’s even a theme park just over the road for anyone seeking more intense thrills.

Tickets are on sale now for just £136 and can be purchased here. All aboard the Camping Flight to Lowlands Paradise! Patrick Hinton

 

DIMENSIONS
26th – 30th August

If the location – an abandoned fort on the coast of Croatia – was not already enough to get your festival glands watering (or, more accurately, sweating) then the line-up for Dimensions festival will leave you a mushy mess of musical hype. From the opening live show with Four Tet, Little Dragon and Floating Points – who will be accompanied by a small orchestra of classical musicians – to the stellar line-up which includes Moodymann, Mount Kimbie, Ben UFO, Pearson Sound, Daniel Avery and many, many more… This is set to be the supersized whopper of festivals abroad this summer. Lowell Clarke