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Month: July 2015

Interview: The Maccabees

“We did everything ourselves, and we’re going to live and die by those decisions,” says Felix White. The guitarist in The Maccabees is talking about their upcoming LP Marks To Prove It, their first album since 2012’s Given To The Wild.

For Felix, the area where the album was recorded, South London’s Elephant and Castle, was a large inspiration behind the new album. “For want of a better word, Elephant and Castle is gritty. It is kind of beautiful in a way, as it just represents real life. Lots of different types of people live there, and it’s one of the few places in London left with a real sense of community even though that’s slightly getting pulled apart at the moment by the regeneration of the area.”

“It was being involved in that — we didn’t go away anywhere, we just recorded the whole thing there. [The record] definitely belongs there.”

The band have gone from strength to strength since the release of their debut album Colour It In in 2007, with Given To The Wild receiving a Mercury Prize nomination in 2012. However Felix is quick to point the difference in approach with this album. “It’s very different to GTTW, most noticeably there’s much less layering in it. GTTW was much more conceptual, and we used layering to intentionally give it a mood. This one we are trying to make it sound more like the room it was recorded in, more natural. Back to a band just sounding like a band.”

Over the last eight years, the band have certainly built up a strong following both at home and abroad, with many of their songs gaining recognition through their use in British television shows. Despite having a supportive fanbase, The Maccabees are far from relaxed when it comes to releasing new music. “It’s still so nerve-wracking to release albums! It’s beyond an honour to be able to release music that sits alongside people’s record collections, but it certainly doesn’t get any easier with each album. In fact the more we’ve learnt I think it has actually got harder, because everyone kind of pulls in different ways.”

“When we first put records out we were kind of bumbling along, and now it feels precious. I suppose the pressure comes from just wanting it to be great, and not something we could have made five years ago. We want to move along and progress.”

Part of this progress is the movement to self-production of their music. “My brother Hugo took the reins on the production, as he’s definitely more advanced than the rest of us on the technological aspects of it. It was a good learning experience though, even though it sometimes lacked a bit of outside perspective, which is why it took a lot longer.”

“In addition to this the album was made in very enclosed space, so very few people apart from us have heard it until very recently, which has been quite odd”.

Alongside new material, 2015 has also seen The Maccabees return to the live scene. The band played a mini UK tour in May, and have so far this summer: supported Mumford & Sons at their Gentlemen of the Road festivals in the USA and Australia; played a storming show at Glastonbury featuring a guest slot from Jamie T; and have a full tour in support of the new album scheduled for the autumn. “It feels very good to be back on the road. You kind of weigh it up a bit, because we haven’t played for so long people can’t quite remember what a Maccabees gig is like, so we’re trying to gauge that. The tours have seemed to start quite slowly and ended up being brilliant. It just takes a little while. We’ve got such different styles of music over each record now that people almost don’t know what to expect, but they’ve been brilliant”.

While it may seem like the band took a break off touring and writing since the end of the Given to the Wild tour in 2012, Felix certainly doesn’t think so. “It may seem like a break, but it wasn’t one at all. We went straight into the studio, and thought we were just going to write and put out a sequel straight away. We all wish we could have given ourselves a few months off.”

“We didn’t let ourselves do that, so we were kind of in a sense of panic, and a year down the line hadn’t really written anything that we thought was good enough. In hindsight it was a bit of a mistake, but it was out of being keen more than anything.”

While The Maccabees may be hesitant about singing their praises, the new album sounds great. One thing is for certain, it’s nice to have them back.

Festival: Lovebox 2015 – Saturday

Saturday 18th July

Victoria Park, London

7/10

Unlucky thirteen? Not for Lovebox. The festival that began in 2002 thrived another year with more fine bookings and the blessing of the Big Smoke’s pollution-enhanced climate. The programme was dominated by hip hop and house flavours, prime listening for a sunny day.

The first track heard upon entry was Jack J’s sublime new Mood Hut release ‘Thirstin’’, played by Joy Orbison and Ben UFO, who were on warmup duty in the BBC Radio 1 tent-cum-bamboo-treehouse stage. The two rotated with steady rhythms, easing the gradually gathering crowd into party mode with more light selections.

Barcelona party people Elrow were making their London debut, but must have felt right at home in the scorching Victoria Park. Horse Meat Disco spun some upbeat selections in their mid-afternoon slot. Unfortunately Jackmaster’s planned appearance failed to materialise, apparently double booking himself with a wedding. A slight downer on the day, and something Lovebox cynically didn’t reveal until the gates had opened.

Deciding to check out what the main stage was saying revealed the answer to be… not a lot. 19-year-old Raury bounced excitedly, darting around the stage with the zip of a Victoria lake gerridae, but his set was marred by sound issues that rendered his vocal talent wasted.

An area where sound certainly isn’t an issue however is the Despacio tent. James Murphy and 2manydjs’ clubbing “experience” lived up to the hype. The space was a complete escape from the outside, with entry through the blackout curtain feeling like crossing into a disco-themed Narnia. The custom designed McIntosh stacks towered at calculated intervals around the two-tone squared dancefloor, complete with huge hanging mirror ball.

Murphy and the Dewaele brothers delighted the floor with funky selections from their tucked away spot, meaning there was a refreshing lack of booth staring. Everyone in the tent was getting down gleefully across the spaced out area, and the sound was perfect wherever you danced. Leaving Despacio had the disorientating effect of leaving a film noir cinema screening into broad daylight as your senses shudder and readjust to the outside world, completing the fantasy experience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYU8bDmuVVc

Soul Clap amassed a sizable crowd back at the Radio 1 stage, moving through classic house and disco tracks such as DJ Deeon’s incredible Arthur Russell sampling ‘2 B Free’. Their set felt a bit hollow after Despacio however, and dragged on a bit as they really milk the crowd, revelling open armed in the response to ‘I’m Every Woman’ and ‘Finally’.

These final two tracks cut into Scuba’s set time; the Hotflush boss conspicuously side-eyeing the pair as he hovered in the background. By the time he does get himself onto the decks it was satisfying to have a bit more grit as he rifled into some welcome techno. Two remixes provide the set high points: Alan Fitzpatrick’s version of ‘I Want You’ and George Fitzgerald’s ‘Open Eye Signal’ rework both inducing pumping limbs.

The airing of Paul Woolford’s attempt at Untitled mk.II ‘MDMA’ introduced housier sounds. Hearing the track on release didn’t do much for me, feeling a bit too choreographed with its ‘summer banger’ components, right down to the bait title. It does work well in a festival setting however, with the rousing piano and vocal doing their job.

Finally Scuba brought things full circle back to Soul Clap, closing on Room 5’s ‘Make Luv’, a baton Heidi picked up and ran with, mixing straight into Michael Gray’s ‘The Weekend’ before jacking the tempo up with trademark thumping house. Heidi was joined by Kim Ann Foxman for a memorable b2b. The pair danced vivaciously throughout, flicking their hair and jerking their limbs with infectious enthusiasm that spreads into the crowd.

Bonobo follows over on the Noisey stage—an aural misnomer of a title. DJ sets on big outdoor stages are a strange phenomenon that don’t seem to work outside the sphere of high-budget EDM-type productions. Bonobo filled the set with his own productions though, opening strongly on ‘Kiara’ and ‘Kong’, so without taking much notice of the stage I was able to pretend it’s the live band incarnation playing which makes more sense in the setting.  The sound wasn’t up to much again unfortunately, but tracks like ‘We Could Forever’ and its jangly guitar draw a good response.

Choosing to avoid the hordes for a, by all accounts, apathetic Snoop Floggy Flogging A Dead Horse, house master Kerri Chandler closed my festival with grooving house in the Hot Creations/Defected mould. He deservedly drew himself a strong following with the crowd spilling far outside the tent perimeter and dancing until curfew.

Amongst London’s hordes of festivals, Lovebox ranks highly. It suffers from the main detractor affecting any inner city event of low sound levels on the main stages, but the lineup across the numerous smaller stages is strong enough to hold attention all day, and the effort put into the site and stage design further contributes to the upbeat atmosphere. Lovebox ticks all the boxes for a fun daytime festival.

‘Leading’: Alex Ferguson theatre tour will come to Manchester to launch new book

Legendary former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson will be releasing a new book, LEADING, and will take part in four theatre events in London, Manchester, Glasgow and Aberdeen. The greatest manager in footballing history will be interviewed on stage about the leadership skills he learnt during his record-breaking years of management and how those lessons can be applied both on and off the pitch.

Tickets to all events are £35 and include a commemorative limited first edition hardback of the book. All events will go on general on sale on 28 July at 10am.

21 September 2015—London, Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre (in association with LinkedIn)
Sir Alex will be in conversation with successful businessman and co-author Sir Michael Moritz. The event will be chaired by Lionel Barber, Editor of the Financial Times.
Box Office: 0844 875 0073, www.southbankcentre.co.uk
Priority booking for Southbank Centre Members from the 27th of July.

25 September 2015—Manchester, The Bridgewater Hall (in association with The Guardian)
Sir Alex will be in conversation with Dan Walker.
Box Office: 0161 907 9000, www.bridgewater-hall.co.uk
Priority booking via The Guardian from the 26th of July.

28 September 2015—Glasgow, Royal Concert Hall (in association with The Herald)
Sir Alex will be in conversation with Nicky Campbell.
Box Office: 0141 353 8000, www.glasgowconcerthalls.com
Priority booking via The Herald from the 27th of July.

1st October 2015—Aberdeen, Music Hall (in association with The Herald)
Sir Alex will be in conversation with Nicky Campbell.
Box Office: 01224 641122, www.aberdeenperformingarts.com/venues/music-hall
Priority booking via Aberdeen Music Hall Members and The Herald from the 27th of July.

The Scot spent 26-and-a-half glittering years at Old Trafford winning 38 major trophies, including 13 Premier League Titles and 2 Champions Leagues. Sir Alex also enjoyed great success managing Aberdeen, in particular winning the European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1983, defeating Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Sir Alex said in March, as he announced the new book: “Since stepping into retirement I have had the opportunity to reflect on my time as a football manager, and to consider the reasons behind my success through personal recollections, conversations with Mike Moritz and my role at Harvard Business School.

“It has been a new experience for me to be looking into the past rather than planning for the future, but one that I have found enjoyable and rewarding.”

Sir Alex’s autobiography, published in 2013, became the fastest selling non-fiction book since records began. His theatre events in 2013 broke box office records; Manchester sold out 1700 seats in five minutes and 1300 seats in Aberdeen sold out in nine minutes. LEADING will be published globally on the 22nd of September 2015. Following his UK tour, Sir Alex will travel to the United States to launch the US edition published by Hachette Books on the 6th of October 2015.

The book is available to pre-order on Amazon.

Club: MIF x Warehouse Project present 10×10

18th July

Mayfield Depot

7/10

Manchester International Festival & the Warehouse Project presented a one off event to celebrate their 10 year anniversaries in one of the most unique spaces in Manchester. A day and night party, from 2pm – 2am, with a line up consisting of Paranoid London, Joy Orbison, Mr. Ties, Midland, Kyle hall, Octave One Carl Craig and Mike Banks, it was clear that the quality of music was always going to be high.

I couldn’t help but feel in such awe when I entered the venue. Room 1 was a vast, ethereal space that felt part of Manchester’s industrial revolution. Regardless of the alluring visuals and how warm Dark Sky’s live tracks sounded, I had to check out Mr. Ties in room 2. His set was full-bodied techno with an eclectic flair, he played a dark trippy remix of ‘Lady Marmalade’ by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim and Pink and was unafraid to add his own touch, sometimes singing softly over the record. Room 2 was a much tighter and more intimate setting fitting somewhere between a club night and a house party.

Paranoid London stepped up at 7pm, the gripping and nostalgic vocals in their music such as ‘Paris Dub 1’ captured people’s attention in room 1. Joy Orbison knows his shit, and as always he delivered a tight mind-bending set, whipping out floor fillers and classic breakbeat techno tracks such as Digital Domain’s ‘I Need Relief’. Kyle Hall seamlessly transformed the room into a more laid back atmosphere with his soulful house set, proving that he is indeed one of Detroit’s finest.

The night ended with a bittersweet goodbye, as it is the last time Mayfield Depot would be used. It would have been one of Manchester’s greatest venues without a doubt, the sound system was ace, there was so much room to dance and the visuals were on point. Nonetheless, Manchester International Festival & the Warehouse Project remain a strong reminder that electronic music is alive and well.

Live: Primus

June 24th

Apollo

7/10

Covering such a soundtrack in its entirety isn’t something you would normally expect from a metal band, but given Les Claypool’s particular brand of eccentricity, this doesn’t come as too much of a surprise. This three-show tour (marking Primus’s first UK tour consisting of all three original members) comprised of a regular 1-hour set, followed by a stark change of scenery: when the curtains of the Apollo opened for the second time, the band members were accompanied by a load of props, a screen playing snippets from the 1971 movie – and most importantly, two very charming (if a little creepy) Oompa-Loompas.

The standard set was, at least as far as a band like Primus goes, pretty standard. The band played ten songs, and played them well, interspersing them with some fantastic improvised bass solos, as well as Les Claypool’s trademark goofiness.

Primus’s latest album, Primus & The Chocolate Factory with Fungi Ensemble unsurprisingly saw them reinterpret the film’s soundtrack. The album is a fun listen, but those familiar with the band’s sound will find no surprises in it, as it does little more than apply the Primus formula to those songs. Although in terms of sound it did not deviate so much from the album, The Willie Wonka set was really quite a spectacle: it was clear that a lot of effort went into the presentation, making for a really enjoyable and immersive show.

Writing this review, curiosity prevailed and I ended up eating their “Jerry Was a Racecar Driver” chocolate bar, purchased at the show. It’s the most intense chocolate bar I’ve ever tasted: it comprises the darkest of dark chocolate, mixed with roasted espresso beans. I don’t think it was meant to be consumed (rather, kept as a souvenir), but it certainly made for an interesting experience. All in all, the night was surprisingly predictable for any fan of Primus, partly in that it was great fun. It sucked.

Album: The Fall – Sub-Lingual Tablet

Released 11th May

Cherry Red Records

8/10

The Fall returned this month with their 31st studio album, Sub-Lingual Tablet. Headed by the ever-present, enigmatic force of nature that is Mark E. Smith, Wikipedia count a total of 66 different members of The Fall since they formed in North Manchester in 1976. However, the current line-up (including Smith’s wife, Elena Poulou) has been together since 2006, and they have found a creative groove in recent years.

Although still characterised by repetition and Smith’s cryptic, orated lyrics, there’s no nostalgia present in their latest output. As with all Fall albums, Sub-Lingual Tablet is a statement that stands on its own. This is one of the fundamental attractions of The Fall, and the reason they maintain a fan base of unsurpassable loyalty – it’s a record that’s innovative and captivating throughout.

The album has a heavy, rhythmic feel to it, with a bassline that travels better through floorboards than air (as anyone who’s been to one of their recent tour dates would vouch for). And given highlights such as ‘First One Today’ and ‘Auto Chip 2014-2015’, it is difficult to argue with Mark E. Smith’s recent declaration: “our rhythm section is the best in music”.

Smith’s Nietzschean sense of humour pervades the hilarious opener ‘Venice with the Girls’, in which he rambles out of tune for the most part. The odd, largely digital ‘Dedication Not Medication’ is apparently dedicated to 1960s German cyclist Dieter Wiedemann (who risked his life to pursue a cycling career on both sides of the Iron Curtain). “Pierce Brosnan, how dare you prescribe sad grief and bed wet pills”, Smith bizarrely declares at the beginning of the track.

‘Auto Chip 2014-2015’ is a 10 minute masterpiece that deserves to stand the test of time in The Fall’s discography. The dense ‘Pledge’ in some ways resembles Aphex Twin’s heftier output. Here, Poulou generates a viscous electronic sound over the rhythm track, and syringes it into the listener’s ears. Beyond this, the reworking of The Stooges’ ‘Cock in My Pocket’, titled ‘Stout Man’, doesn’t add much to the album, and is perhaps the only lull.

A common theme throughout most of their output is The Fall’s use of contemporary sounds, something they’ve done since Brix joined the band in 1983. They adopt various chunks of sound, typical of the music currently being released, and often surpass it in originality, scalding it with Fall DNA. It can be seen as a subversive take on the prevalent musical trends. The sounds and the themes of the lyrics attach Sub-Lingual Tablet to the year 2015, but the structure, rhythm and melody found in most tracks are unique to The Fall. To use John Peel’s forever used quote, The Fall are “always different, they are always the same”.

The beginning of ‘Facebook Troll’, with post-punk rhythm covered in electronic overtones, is in the same ilk as the pulsing, albeit more melodic ‘L.A.’ (from their 8th and most accessible album, This Nation’s Saving Grace). This is interrupted by Smith demanding he be given a Facebook troll in no uncertain terms; 30 seconds of whistling ends the track.

The last track ‘Quit Iphone’ ends with a Smithian comment on urban renewal in Salford Quays: “and I see the citadel of Media City shining bright”. The Fall trump everyone at their own game again.

Taking on Death Row

In the years since the reinstatement of capital punishment in 1976, 1412 people have been executed in the USA. America is one of four industrialised democracies which still permits capital punishment, the others being Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.

There are currently 3000 inmates on Death Row. The state of Alabama has 43 people on Death Row for every million citizens, and California—despite ruling capital punishment unconstitutional in 2014—has the highest number of offenders on Death Row, at 741.

Samantha Chammings‘ ultimate goal is to change all that. In 2011, Chammings graduated with an LL.B. from the University of Manchester. During her time at university, she developed an interest in Human Rights which set her on a path to pursue the abolition of the death penalty and last year she travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, to complete an internship with lawyers providing legal defence to those facing execution in the state.

Recently, Samantha was offered a scholarship to the University of Texas, Austin, to study an LL.M. in Human Rights and Comparative Law, rarely offered to students outside the US. From there she will then be eligible to take the Texas bar and become a capital defence attorney.

While studying at UT, she will also be able to do work at the Capital Punishment Clinic, working with defendants accused of capital offences.

 

“My interest in human rights and constitutional law was sparked while studying an LL.B. Law Degree at the University of Manchester,” she says. “I found particularly fascinating the constitutional reform module taught by Professor Rodney Brazier, as well as the opportunities to study in-depth topics such as human rights, freedom of expression and counter terrorism.

“On graduating I decided to try and put my Law Degree to good use and pursue a career in human rights. However, human rights is a incredibly difficult area of law in which to obtain employment, particularly as the current political and economic environment is increasingly hostile to the very notion of human rights. This is best encapsulated by the Tory government’s crusade to abolish the Human Rights Act and their ongoing decimation of legal aid.”

Since graduating she also undertook internships and continued research into how she could develop a career in human rights. While working at Reprieve, an organisation that provides free legal support and campaigns against human rights violations, she read founder Clive Stafford Smith’s book Injustice, through which she learnt more about the campaign against capital punishment.

“I then became aware of Amicus ALJ, an organisation which facilitates internships where Law graduates spend a minimum of three months working unpaid alongside capital defence attorneys throughout the United States. This seemed like the perfect opportunity to combine my legal knowledge with my passion for human rights.”

Through this she travelled to Atlanta, Georgia, a particularly progressive city in a traditionally conservative Deep South state. She worked for four months with two attorneys, undertaking intensive training about the death penalty.

Amicus was set up to counter the disproportionate imposition of the death penalty on the most vulnerable and underrepresented in society. Their frontline work is intended to make proper representation and justice available for those who could not otherwise access it. They send out interns from the UK yearly to carry out important work, and offer remote assistance from this side of the Atlantic.

It was founded by Jane Officer, who had developed a strong friendship with inmate Andrew Lee Jones through a pen friend scheme, and set up a fund in memorial of his execution which eventually developed into the international organisation supporting US and UK Law students interested in capital defence.

“Through the intensive training my eyes were opened to how destructive, prone to error and downright bizarre the death penalty system is in the United States,” continues Chammings. “I learned about innocent people sent to death row, their innocence only uncovered by lawyers working against the odds and the clock of impending execution.

“Particularly inspiring and heartbreaking were talks by Sunny Jacobs and Peter Pringle, who were both wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death in America and Ireland respectively.”

Jacobs and Pringle were both wrongfully convicted of double murders and originally sentenced to death. They were spared execution, but Jacobs’ partner, implicated in the same murder, suffered for more than 13 minutes while being put to death in a faulty electric chair.

“While some will argue that their story demonstrates how the appeal process in the United States prevents miscarriages of justice, there is overwhelming evidence that innocent people have actually been executed. Despite the appeals process being incredibly lengthy, a web of arbitrary procedural rules can bar even the introduction of new evidence of innocence,” says Chammings. “Inmates await their fate in solitary confinement, which UN Special Rapporteur Juan E. Mendez has said can amount to torture.”

There have also been increasing reports of botched executions by lethal injection leading to offenders being subjected to extreme levels of suffering. Many EU countries have restricted exports of certain chemicals used in the lethal injection in the USA, leading to ever-more experimental cocktails being used. In 2014, Clayton Lockett suffered a fatal heart attack 43 minutes after being given an untested mixture of chemicals. He reportedly groaned, cried out, and convulsed on the table before eventually dying.

 

“[In Atlanta] I was in a pre-trial office, meaning that none of my clients had been convicted of a crime. However, they were each accused of capital murder and faced a possible death sentence if convicted,” says Chammings.

“What I found was that there was a huge disparity between the crimes that my clients were accused of committing. At one end of scale were the clients who faced possible execution but were not accused of murder in the sense that we usually understand it. These clients were accused of ‘felony murder’, which simply meant that they were implicated in a burglary or other felony during which somebody had been killed.

“At the other end of the scale were the clients accused of committing heinous crimes. Yet, in meeting each of these clients I was struck by their humanity. Many were severely mentally ill or had the mental age of children.

“Meeting these clients reminded me of my original motivation for pursuing this type of work—the belief that no matter the transgression committed, nobody deserves to be executed by the state. For even where the most aberrant crime has been committed, executing the perpetrator serves only to dehumanise us all.”

 

On her IndieGoGo page, Samantha explains: “The Equal Justice Initiative have identified that for every ten people executed in the US, one innocent person on death row has been identified and exonerated.

“The number of innocent people executed is unknown, but human error in the criminal justice system is inevitable. Procedural requirements in many states make it extremely difficult to overturn convictions, even where new evidence of innocence has emerged.

“It is indisputable that an individual often ends up on death row not because he committed the worst type of crime, but because of factors such as quality of legal representation, race, wealth and area in which the crime was committed.”

The Death Penalty Information Centre provides a large amount of worrying data about capital punishment. According to their findings, in cases of interracial murder, 294 executions have been carried out in cases where the the defendant was black and the victim white, whereas only 31 executions in cases where the defendant was white and the victim black.

Furthermore, there is very little evidence to suggest that capital punishment acts as a crime deterrent. The Southern region of the USA has the highest murder rate—at 5.3 per 100000—and has executed almost 300 times as many offenders as the Northeast, which has the lowest murder rate.

 

Samantha’s Herculean task will come to a premature end without the help of generous donors who can help her fund the rest of her tuition and living costs. £2000 of her £5000 target still needs to be raised by the end of the month.

“The scholarship I have received from the University of Texas at Austin means that I am eligible to pay in-state tuition at around £18000, reduced from around £27000. I was also granted $1000 towards living fees. I do intend to keep fundraising throughout the next year, as I will be required to pay tuition instalments throughout my Master’s.”

If you want to help Samantha achieve her dream, please visit her IndieGoGo page to make a donation: http://bit.ly/1DoAQwz.

Live: Anaal Nathrakh

Sound Control

14th April 2015

7/10

On this slightly drizzly April evening, passers-by may have been perplexed at the growing queue forming outside Manchester’s Sound Control. Where one may have expected to see crop tops and Urban Outfitter junkies ready for a night out on the town, they were instead greeted by the heaviest and most dedicated metalheads of Manchester. Many even had homemade goggles fashioned from prescription glasses and string, prepared for a night of moshing to the fullest. These are obviously veterans of an Anaal Nathrakh gig; it’s already clear that if there is one thing guaranteed for the show, it’s a brilliant crowd.

From Birmingham, the home of metal, it is not surprising that after 17 years the band are still going strong. Nathrakh are unique in that they are a predominately studio-based band, members often recording separately, only later bringing the instruments together. Through fusing sounds of black and death metal with industrial undertones, they are known for creating a sound like no other. All reasons for why it is such a rarity and privilege to catch these Brummies live.

The band has only two members, Kenney and Hunt, but on this evening they were accompanied by several more musicians on stage. Lead singer Hunt put on an explosive performance, with an energy only interrupted by the yelling of abuse over the lights shining into his eyes, presenting him as the joker of the pair. Those steampunk goggles certainly came in handy for many metalheads, as the duo blast out a blinding array of crowdpleasers such as ‘Forging to the Sunset’, ‘The Lucifer Effect’ and the almighty ‘Do Not Speak’. Anaal Nathrakh succeeded in bringing all these songs to life and arguably to death for some of their darker material—as well bringing together a vibrant and diverse crowd through the love of one of the weirdest and most bizarre bands in metal.

Festival: Sónar 2015

18th – 20th July

Sónar, Barcelona

9/10

Music, technology, creativity. This is the mantra of Sónar, exemplified by the visual differences in the four SonarDay stages. SonarVillage, a nod to the traditional festival with a greener-than-green field of fake grass, sets the scene beautifully for Dorian Concept’s upbeat Friday set. Concept exploited the chilled energy of the crowd for a fiesta vibe that even had passers by dancing their way to other stages.

Blinking away the bright white sun, the stark contrast of pitch black SonarComplex comes into focus. Rows of chairs form a sort-of cinema, with the DJ in complete darkness. An incredibly detailed and meticulous light show illustrates ambient electronic offerings from the likes of Klara Lewis. Lewis’s mesmerizing Friday set is slow, serious, at odds with the usual festival connotations, yet intensely provocative. The blacked-out performer is mysterious and shifts focus completely from performer to music. This may be a glimpse at the future of electronic music performance. If not it is at least an interesting experiment and captures the experimental spirit of Sónar at its best. Memorable and striking, a counterpart stage at SonarNight would be welcome.

In the eerily dim, red-lit SonarHall, Squarepusher transports the crowd from sunny Barcelona to an industrial other planet. Wasting no time on buildup, the set starts with frantic, apocalyptic lights to match ‘Exjag Nives’. Bold, but so well choreographed the crowd adjusts quickly to the sudden change in atmosphere. As the set ends, the trademark LED mask lifts and the lights dim to bring the crowd back down to earth for a more light-hearted riff; leading fittingly into the end of Floating Points’ excellent set.

SonarNight opens with impressive fan love for A$AP rocky. The crowd swells when he takes the stage with fans rapping furiously along to all the words of every song. The energetic start to the night leads on to upbeat sets from TEED and Hot Chip. The mishmash of European accents singing along in unison when Hot Chip close on a cover of ‘Dancing in The Dark’ is quite a special moment. Jamie xx keeps the momentum and the good vibes going, opening with ‘Good Times’, and an unapologetically fan-pleasing set with the likes of ‘Gosh’ and his much loved remix of Radiohead’s ‘Bloom’.

The evening’s stellar lineup was topped off with Daniel Avery and Seth Troxler. Avery plays a set less refined and meticulous than his usual offering but still raw techno at its very best. While the likes of Squarepusher and  Flying Lotus push the boundaries of visual performance, Avery deliberately does not. He adds meat to the skeleton operation of DJ booth and black curtain with skills that speak for themselves. Often the murky 3 – 5 set, with people too fucked to notice or care, descends into tinny, repetitive techno. Avery’s show has a subtle nuance, he throws you off balance with an unexpected drop here, or a long build up there for ‘Knowing We’ll Be Here’ and ‘Drone Logic’ and somehow always keeps you guessing.

Technology is a keystone of Sonar, with all manner of weird inventions linking technology and music on display. A warehouse at SonarDay full of elegant wooden structures houses futuristic inventions from music activated robots to ‘situation helmets’ that virtually transport the wearer. Stumbling from a fiery Kate Tempest set into a room full of strange, futuristic gadgets was trippy to say the least, but the opportunity to spend the lull between acts pretending to be in an episode of Futurama is a selling point unique to Sonar. The art on show was similarly futuristic. A personal highlight was a giant, three-legged-spider robot. Nailed to the floor, it was made to lurch and sway before crashing to the floor. It is touches like these that cement Sónar’s cool.

SonarNight Saturday kicks off with an incredibly sensual performance by FKA Twigs. Lights, stage decorations and her outfit are minimal. Twigs is the one focal point for the entire performance, her tiny frame dominating the massive space with a stage presence of the sort of magnitude reminiscent of Kate Bush, and unfortunately absent from most modern pop. Her writhing dancing holds attention over each drawn out note of the incredibly slow likes of ‘Papi Pacify’ and she closes the set with a magical rendition of ‘Two Weeks’.

Flying Lotus is the set of the evening. The pitch black nightsky is the perfect backdrop to FlyLo’s feat of visual creativity. FlyLo fits rap to the festival scale, using every scrap of stage space to the utmost. In the centre of a giant holographic cube, clever lighting makes him fly through space and other worlds, taking his performance literally into another stratosphere.

The night, and Sónar, ends with the sun rising over Laurent Garnier. The sky glows red and yellow as a final, unscripted light show for the crowd gathered, an end that sums up the visual ethos of Sónar perfectly.

Join the 2015/16 Editorial Team

Applications are now open. Applications are open to all students at the University of Manchester and will be open until 19:00 on Wednesday the 22nd of July. To apply, please fill in the application form at the bottom of this page.

We have a wide range of positions available for anyone interested in advancing their journalistic career, developing valuable leadership skills, and having a great year.

Positions available are:

Head News Editor
Deputy News Editor

Features Editor

Head Opinion Editor
Deputy Opinion Editor

Head Music Editor
Deputy Music Editor

Games Editor

Head Fashion Editor
Deputy Fashion Editor
Deputy Fashion Editor (Beauty)

Head Film Editor
Deputy Film Editor

Theatre Editor*

Arts Editor*

Books Editor*

Head Food & Drink Editor
Deputy Food & Drink Editor

Head Lifestyle Editor
Deputy Lifestyle Editor

Head Sport Editor
Deputy Sport Editor

Subeditor

Web Editor—this is a new position that will involve improving the design and usability of our website, working to increase traffic and visibility online, controlling our social media platforms, and making sure content is published at a steady rate. It will require a high level of intimacy with the platforms we use and a combination of creativity and computing skill.

NB—for many of these positions there is more than one place.

*Would all applicants for these positions please e-mail [email protected].

 

Why apply?

Working at The Mancunion is an unmissable opportunity to work on all aspects of a real print publication whilst at university. Becoming a section editor will give you vital experience that employers will be amazed to see on a CV.

The chance to produce a stylish page of content, actively commission and write stories, and work to a deadline alongside a team of like-minded individuals will develop your journalistic skills over the course of the year unlike any other opportunity. We also hold a range of socials throughout the year.

Previous section editors have gone on to careers in the national press, public relations, and broadcast journalism.

 

What is expected of a section editor?

A section editor should work alongside the rest of the Editorial Team to direct their section in a new and successful direction, whilst retaining a coherent sense of standardisation in the entire newspaper.

It is a job that requires a significant time commitment, particularly towards the end of the week when deadlines to get the newspaper to print loom. However, this does not mean it will take up every waking hour of your day—we aim to keep a stable balance between efficiency and professionalism on one hand, and fun and creativity on the other.

Section editors run a meeting once a week to which potential contributors can come in order to pitch stories. Particularly at the beginning of the year, new writers may find it difficult to find anything to bring with them to write about, so it is helpful if editors suggest ideas and shape potential stories with contributors at this meeting.

They must then ensure content is submitted on time. Once they have the content for their page, they are responsible for laying out their section for printing every Friday.

 

All editors will receive training at the beginning of the academic year to fully learn and understand the inner workings of The Mancunion and what is expected of them.

Best of luck to all candidates.

 

Applications are now closed.

Students’ Union success recognised by NUS

The NUS has given the University of Manchester Students’ Union two awards at the fourth Students’ Unions ceremony at the Macron Stadium, Bolton.

The Union won the Most Improved Employee Engagement Award, based on the results of the NUS’s annual survey which gives an idea of how employees feel valued by the organisation in areas including leadership, wellbeing, and recognition for good work. It also walked away with the Green Impact Excellence award, which recognises the efforts a Union has gone to take the next step after ensuring sustainability on campus.

Ben Ward, Union Director, said: “We’re really delighted to win the Most Improved Employee Engagement Award. We went up from 50 per cent last year to around 86 per cent and to do that in a year is incredible. That’s a tribute to all of our staff who have pulled together over the last year.”

According to the NUS, “excellent employee engagement doesn’t happen by accident. It’s about organisations valuing their staff and staff valuing the organisation. Research by our HR Support Unit shows a significant positive correlation between employee engagement and student experience.”

The Upcycling Project was the behind the Union’s recognition for Green Impact. Set up in the repurposed RBS building between the Students’ Union and Manchester Academy, the project helped raise money for charity, reduce the amount of waste produced by the student population, and share skills in the community.

Richard Brooks, NUS Vice-President for Union Development, said: “The Awards are fundamentally about celebrating excellence across the many and varied activities of Students’ Unions.

“We’re building a fairer, better education system and a more just world. I hope the awards encourage, inspire and, most importantly, build pride in our national efforts towards that. The Unions that have won awards have shown the ability to organise students and make a real change both in the lives of their students and the world around them.”

 

Chancellor scraps maintenance grants

In today’s budget, Chancellor George Osborne announced that Maintenance Grants for poorer students will be scrapped.

Under the current system, those full-time students with a household income of £25000 or less receive a non-repayable maintenance grant of £3387 for courses starting from September 2015.

The outgoing grant system aims to ensure that those households with lower incomes do not leave with higher levels of debt than their better off peers due to their need for higher support. This will be abolished starting in 2016 under reforms announced today.

From 2016, the government will replace maintenance grants with loans. In further changes, they have increased the maximum maintenance loan to £8200 per annum. This means that the poorest students, who will receive a £3387 grant that tops up their £4047 maintenance loan each year to a maximum of £7434 in 2015, will instead receive £8200 in 2016.

Students receiving the full amount will now repay all of their maintenance financing. This increases the debt repayable each year, including £9000 tuition fees, from £13047 to £17200 for the poorest students at university.

A three-year undergraduate course for students starting in 2015, will lead to approximately £39141 in debt. For students starting in 2016, these students will leave university with a debt of £51600.

When Osborne was at university in 1993, there were no tuition fees and the average student borrowed £740 each year, according to a House of Commons Briefing Paper released earlier this year.

Whilst the HM Treasury tweeted: “£8200 maintenance loan is the highest amount of support ever provided,” this is also the highest amount of government sanctioned student debt that the United Kingdom has ever seen.

Despite the fact that Osborne has promised to maintain the £21000 cap on student loan repayment at least until the next budget, poorer students will undoubtedly leave university with higher debts and be forced to repay them for longer terms than their peers.

The University of Manchester Students’ Union released a statement on their website following the announcement:

“Today the Chancellor announced that he will scrap the last of the maintenance grants for the poorest students in our country. Instead, they will be converted into loans, meaning that the poorest students will now have an even larger amounted [sic] debt by the end of their degree, much more than their wealthier counterparts.

“To a student whose family income is below £25000, this is a loss of £3387 every year or £10161 over the course of a three year degree.

“We find this policy disgraceful and it will have a negative impact on our students who will now be burdened with more debt for even longer. We believe that this will discourage further people from lower income backgrounds from attending university.

“This will work to further ensure that a university degree is something which can only be bought and accessed by those lucky enough to have the wealth to pay for it. As a Students’ Union we will do our utmost to campaign against this travesty.”

The University of Manchester has been contacted for comment.

Fossil Free protest ahead of crunch university decision

More than a dozen protesters from the Manchester Fossil Free campaign held a protest outside the Learning Commons in opposition to the University of Manchester’s continued financial stake in fossil fuels. This comes in the run-up to a crucial meeting on Wednesday the 8th of July when their petition will be presented to the University’s Board of Governors.

The group of students braved the summer rain on Monday as part of their attempt to highlight alleged ‘contradictions’ on the part of the University. The protest included a reworking of Queen hit ‘We Will Rock You’ to ‘We Will Divest’; a model fuel pipeline; and a student in a dinosaur costume named ‘Gasasaurus’. The group also unveiled a banner with the slogan ‘Good Fossils/Bad Fossils’ emblazoned on it, which included the logo of Royal Dutch Shell.

Naomi, a protester from the group, told The Mancunion: “We’ve written a report and submitted it to the Board of Governors, who are having a meeting on Wednesday to decide [whether to divest].

“It’s an exciting time for us, and we hope that they will make a really positive choice and become a leading institution on this issue.”

The group denied that the protest was deliberately organised to coincide with graduation, with one member saying: “We didn’t have an option to avoid [graduations] between now and the meeting on Wednesday. There’d be absolutely no point disrupting graduation as that would only adversely affect students, and that’s not our aim. We’re just trying to get our message across to management that we want them to divest from the fossil fuel industry.”

When asked what plans the group had in store if Wednesday’s meeting of governors did not result in significant divestment from fossil fuels, the protestors were coy, but one added: “We’ve got lots of plans for escalatory tactics. I don’t want to let too much out, but let’s say open days may get more tricky for the university. We’ve only just had an occupation, but I’m sure there’s a possibility of another one.”

This latest instance of student activism comes after the week-long occupation of the Harold Hankins building in May by a group calling itself Occupy Manchester University, which included several of the members protesting on Monday.

The Fossil Free Manchester campaign—set up in September 2014—claims to have over 1500 signatories to their petition that calls on the university to “abandon an industry with a business model which is so fundamentally at odds with a safe climate.”

Joel Smith, Activities and Development Officer at the Students’ Union and member of Fossil Free Manchester, was also at the protest and told The Mancunion that the Union fully supported the campaign and Monday’s demonstration. Additionally, he was hopeful that a final decision would be reached before the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Paris in November, though made it clear that those involved in the campaign are “prepared for all outcomes.”

Smith also said that a member of academic staff was concerned with the ‘Good Fossils/Bad Fossils’ message, but is adamant that, “we don’t want it to unfairly impact on the palaeontological research of the University and would strongly encourage the university to get more fossils (but less fossil fuel investment!)”

A university spokesperson said: “The university has a Socially Responsible Investment Policy, which is a public document available on our website. The university’s investment portfolio is managed by one of the world’s leading asset management firms, and is reviewed annually against this investment policy.

“The terms of the policy were agreed by the university’s Finance Committee and by the Board of Governors, which both have Students’ Union representation. We do not hold any direct shareholdings, so any influence is brought to bear purely by our fund managers, and because they work on behalf of a number of institutions, they can bring much greater influence than a single organisation.”

Earlier this year, The Mancunion revealed that the extent of the university’s holdings in fossil fuel companies, including petroleum giants BP and Royal Dutch Shell, totalled £40 million.

The full list of Fossil Free Manchester’s demands can be found at http://bit.ly/fossilfreemcr.

Club: High Hoops presents 10 Hour Day Party with Marcellus Pittman and Wbeeza

27th June

Islington Mill

7/10

Marcellus Pittman is a member of the great super group Three Chairs, and while his profile may not be as flamboyant as that of Theo Parrish or Moodymann, there is no doubt that the Detroit house producer is a legend. Pittman was first noticed on Theo Parrish’s Sound Signature label in 1991, and since then he has released on FXHE, Unirythm and Track Mode.

Young South London producer Wbeeza warmed up the crowed with an original live house set, using his own productions and samples, therefore rendering the Shazam of the guy next to me useless. Manchester’s own Means&3rd  was up next, and he injected some energy into the room with Galaxy 2 Galaxy’s groovy ‘Transition’.

Finally at 10pm, Pittman showered the crowed with his signature Detroit house, building up the intensity track after track. The crowd definitely loved it, cheering with even more euphoria when he started pumping some techno like G-man’s ‘Quo Vadis’. He ended his set with a big humble smile to the audience whilst holding the last record he played to wave goodbye. Asking him what that last banger he played was revealed it to be Issac Christopher’s ‘The Good Old Days (Kerri Chandler Remix)’.

Not only did High Hoops bring Pittman but they utilised Islington Mill for a fun party with face paints, beanbags in the chill out room, curry, and even vegan hotdogs in the garden – making it an idyllic Saturday.  The High Hoops guys definitely know how to throw a party and make killer bookings.