Skip to main content

Day: 24 February 2016

‘Snakebite’ heads Wright to the top

Written by Joe Murphy on . Posted in Sport.

‘The Machine stung by a Snakebite’

First to enter the fray was Peter ‘Snakebite’ Wright, with his trademark dance to Pitbull’s ‘Don’t Stop The Party’, getting the crowd even more pumped up for the evening’s action. This was halted by the entrance of ‘The Machine’ James Wade (a former Premier League champion), who has been in stuttering form so far this year. He produced the biggest upset of the premier league so far, defeating the odds-on favourite Michael Van Gerwan; but then he lost catastrophically to an improved Phil Taylor, last week. After some missed doubles and a breath-taking 161 checkout by Peter Wright, the game ended 7-4 in Snakebite’s favour. The world number five looked comfortable throughout, averaging over 104 and achieving a checkout success of 70 per cent—the best of the entire night. In contrast, James Wade could only average 98, and had a considerably lower checkout success of 44 per cent. The win gave Peter Wright a third successive victory, keeping him on top spot and maintaining the only 100 per cent record. James Wade now faces an uphill struggle to qualify for the top four.

KEY MOMENT: Peter Wright hits a stunning 161 checkout, ending on bullseye, giving him the momentum to go on and claim two points.

Bully Boy gets his first point as Chizzy falters

The second match of the night featured two players in contrasting form, and demonstrating different levels of confidence. The world number eight, Michael ‘Bully Boy’ Smith, has found his debut season difficult. On the back of some great performances in the World Championship in December, fans expected him to do well. However, he has started with three defeats from his first three matches. On the other hand, Dave ‘Chizzy’ Chisnall has been in magnificent form, whitewashing Robert Thornton in week one before a narrow defeat to Adrian Lewis last week, a match where both players average over 100 points. However, this contest ended in the first draw of the season after a closely fought, topsy-turvy match: 6-6. At 5-5, Smith Broke Chisnall’s throw; meaning he had the advantage of going first in the last leg, leading 6-5. Just as it appeared Bully Boy was on course for his first win of the campaign, Chizzy produced a remarkable ’11 darter’ to claim the draw. He was pleased, yet also disappointed, with the result: “At 6-5 down it’s always good to get a point…but it feels like a point lost really.” Both men have played a lot better in previous weeks, only averaging in the mid 90s, and both had an unusually poor time hitting the doubles, with an identical 43 per cent success rate. A draw seemed to be a fair reflection of the match, and gets Michael Smith off the bottom of the league, while Dave Chisnall remains mid-table.

KEY MOMENT: Dave Chisnall’s 11 darter in the final leg to guarantee himself a point.

Flying Scotsman derailed by the Power

Two of the biggest names in darts clashed for the next match. With 18 World Championships between them, Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor (16) met the reigning Premier League and World Champion, Gary Anderson (2). It was Phil Taylor who took both points with a 7-4 victory. Gary Anderson missed the first week through illness and has since come back in indifferent form. He lost to Michael Van Gerwan in week two, and looked a shadow of himself in this match, only averaging 93.38. This, compared to his form at times in the World Championship, where he was averaging over 110 and hit a ‘9-darter’, shows just how badly he is playing at the moment. Take nothing away from ‘The Power’ though, another brilliant display where he averaged over 100 gave him the two points that took him into joint second. In contrast, ‘The Flying Scotsman’ remains winless and in the bottom two, although he has games in hand on those above him in the table. Both players will be concerned by only achieving a checkout success of 40 per cent, but Taylor will be grateful of the points against the reigning champion. For Anderson, he certainly isn’t out of the running to make the top four, but if he doesn’t start winning soon, the gap to those above him may become too big to close.

KEY MOMENT: 3RD LEG—Anderson ready to pounce and break, but Taylor manages to checkout 101 to hold throw.

Mighty Mike wins the jackpot, against ‘The Jackpot’

‘Jackpot’ Adrian Lewis and ‘Mighty’ Michael Van Gerwan have arguably been the two best players of the season so far. On this occasion, it was ‘Mighty Mike’ who won 7-4, averaging 106.4 (the best of the night) with a checkout success of 54 per cent. Lewis played well but ultimately fell to the world number one. This result leaves them on the same amount of points (four), and in joint second in the table. At two wins from three, both will be feeling relatively happy with their start to the campaign.

KEY MOMENT: Lewis has chance to break back at 6-4 on 164 finish, but hits wire aiming for bull, MVG then wins the match with his next dart.

Barney removes ‘The Thorn’ from his side

Raymond Van Barnevald is almost a sure bet to finish in the top four, and has done so numerous times before. The 2014 Premier League champion has been in fine form both in the World Championship, where he was a semi-finalist, and so far, this campaign, where two wins from three have put him level with Adrain Lewis, MVG and Phil Taylor. Having dominated against Peter wright in week two, he somehow lost the match. Barney dominated against Robert Thornton, too, but almost chucked it away at the end. The scoreline 7-5 in Barney’s favour hardly did justice to the match itself. Barney averaged over 102.6, whereas The Thorn could only manage 89. Although Thornton managed a 63 per cent checkout success, almost double that of RVB’s, he is still bottom of the league on leg difference. He faces an almost impossible task to make the top four. As for Barney, he is well and truly on course for the top four.

KEY MOMENT: First leg break for Barney, checkout 116 to set the tone for a dominant display.

Predictions for week 4

  • Adrian Lewis 7 v 4 James Wade – Lewis to power through and get the win with relative comfort
  • Gary Anderson 7 v 5 Barney – Gary to bounce back and RVB to be punished on doubles
  • Michael Van Gerwan 7 v 2 Michael Smith – A humbling lesson from one Michael to another
  • Phil Taylor 6 v 6 Dave Chisnall – Too close to call, if anyone, Taylor to edge it but I’ll go for the draw
  • Peter Wright 7 v 2 Robert Thornton – Thornton to taste defeat again and Wright stay top of the league.

A 146 break, £10,000 lost and a gallon of Rocket Fuel

Written by Adam Selby on . Posted in Sport.

History tells us that this year marks 140 years since a young officer serving in the British Army began to experiment on a billiard table and soon came up with the game known globally as Snooker. Named after the rookie cadets from the Royal Military Academy at Woolwich who were known as ‘snookers’, the British army based in Jabalpur, India, were said to have invented the game after a young lieutenant experimented with an increased number of red balls and a variety of other colours. Lo and behold, the sport was born. Yet it took until 1969 for the sport to really break into the limelight, despite the prestigious World Snooker Championship being held since 1927.

The television recording of the Pot Black Tournament held at the BBC Studios, later joined by coverage of the showpiece World Championship Finals, allowed the broadcaster to exploit the new technology of colour television by broadcasting in colour. Whilst these televised tournaments helped the sport grow enormously in the public eye, its leading characters also played a big part in both popularising and transforming a sport which lacked significant popularity during the 1950s. But whilst World Championship winners Ray Reardon and Joe Spencer made headlines on the table with dazzling title-winning displays, it was Alex ‘Hurricane’ Higgins who, with hindsight, still stands out as the main attraction. His mixture of bravado, charisma and eccentricity on and off the baize propelled Snooker to even dizzier heights, none greater so than the 1985 World Championship Final which watched in the UK by a record-breaking 18.5 million television viewers.

Given the sport’s extensive, rich history along with such staggering viewing figures, why does Snooker fail to make headlines in 2016? Clearly the dominance from the likes of Stephen Hendry and John Higgins dispel any suggestion that this is due a drop in a quality, which simply isn’t true. Meanwhile the growth of the sport overseas and the emergence of several exciting and enthusiastic hot prospects would further reflect the high quality running throughout the sport from all ages. If anything, as a sporting spectacle Snooker has arguably never been as competitive as it is at present.

Admittedly, I can be quite a slow writer at the best of times, but in the time it has taken me to plan and write this article so far, former World Champion Ronnie O’Sullivan had last week made three century breaks and sealed a resounding 4-0 frame victory over Jamie Robertson in the third round of the Welsh Open ranking event in a mere 37 minutes. To put this into perspective of just how incredible both the individual result and the time that the full match took are, the longest single professional frame lasted 100 minutes and 24 seconds between Alan McManus and Barry Pinches in the Ruhr Open, October 2015. In my eyes, a performance of such unquestionable skill and speed is always worthy of making the back-page headlines on any given day but it was Ronnie’s actions during his first round match against Barry Pinches which has once again sent everybody snooker loopy.

When ‘The Rocket’ takes to the table, simply nobody knows what to expect. Combining the eccentricity and unpredictably of Alex Higgins with the authority and the snooker prowess of every world title winner past and present, his first round Welsh Open tie certainly did not disappoint. For the spectators inside the Motorpoint Arena in Cardiff, watching O’Sullivan rocket through the first ten reds and ten blacks will inevitably have had everybody thinking the same thing; 147, and a 147 which takes his total career maximum breaks to 14. But as the crowd hoped for one thing, O’Sullivan had other ideas and it certainly was not rocket science to what was going to happen after asking both the commentators and the match referee what the reward was for achieving such a significant and special score-line.

For those unaware just how rare a 147 break is in Snooker, it is perhaps worth noting that it is only obtained through potting the maximum number of points on the table: 15 reds, 15 blacks and all the colours without missing a single shot and eventually totalling 147 points. Historically a maximum break has been a great rarity in the sport with only 8 maximums achieved in the 1980s and 26 attained in the 1990s. Yet the increase in competition on offer combined with the widespread talent across the sport has saw the number of maximum breaks increase dramatically in the past two decades; 35 in the 2000s and so far in the 2010s, a total of 47 maximums have been achieved. Additionally, in ranking events throughout the snooker calendar, prize money is always awarded should a player make a 147 break.

Therefore as Ronnie O’Sullivan (the current record holder for the fastest ever competitive maximum break in a time of 5 minutes and 20 seconds during the 1997 World Championship) marched towards a comfortable frame win with a 147 in sight, upon hearing the news that a combined £12,000 was on offer as a prize for both achieving a maximum and recording the highest break, it was his consequent actions that have caused controversy and outrage in a sport known traditionally as a “gentleman’s game.” Instead of continuing in the same vein whilst on track for his first competitive maximum break since 2014, O’Sullivan opted for an easier pink, making only a 146 break to the surprise and bewilderment of everybody inside the arena.

In the aftermath of Ronnie’s decision to turn down the opportunity of a 147 because the prize money in his words was “too cheap,” World Snooker chairman Barry Hearn branded O’Sullivan’s actions “unacceptable and disrespectful.” Yet although for many people—including myself, to a degree—the thought of turning down £10,000 so spontaneously mirrors Hearn’s thoughts entirely; but the media and sports fans alike cannot deny is that it was entertaining. Arguably, without such maverick behaviour, it is highly unlikely that an event such as the Welsh Open would be trending on Twitter or even featuring in newspapers or television reports as prominently as it has done recently. For a player of Ronnie O’Sullivan’s calibre, who has in the past earned £147,000 for his 147 in the 1997 World Championship, not only do his actions generate interest and viewing figures in the sport but in the process also replenishes Snooker with the eccentricity, unpredictability and bizarre behaviour on the baize of yesteryear.

In his own words, “it’s like going into a Mercedes garage and when they say that you can have the car for £3,000, you reply, ‘No way, that’s too cheap. I’m not buying it for that.'” In my eyes, it was a priceless piece of snooker history which along with his many memorable moments will be remembered for years to come. If Barry Hearn argues that snooker players have a duty to fans to deliver the best standard of snooker and entertainment possible, then let us just be thankful for somebody as unconventional and unbeatable as Ronnie O’Sullivan in the modern game.

Preview: University of Manchester Dance Competition 2016

Written by Tori Blakeman on . Posted in News, Theatre.

With almost 3,000 likes on Facebook, over 400 members, and as previous winner of Arts and Media Society of the Year, the UoM Dance Society is one of the most popular societies at The University of Manchester.

On Saturday 27th February, the society’s 5th annual dance competition will take place in the Exchange Auditorium at Manchester Central Convention Complex. The day will consist of intense dance competition of various styles, between over 800 dancers from 22 university societies from across the UK. The competitive dance categories include Advanced and Intermediate levels of Ballet, Tap, Jazz, Street, and Contemporary, and also the exciting Wildcard category, where the universities can enter any dance routine they wish.

The competition is believed to be the second largest dance competition in the UK, falling only behind Loughborough University, which has a typical attendance of 30 universities. The University of Manchester Dance Competition 2016, also known from its hashtag #UoMDanceComp16, is easily the largest competition in the North, and due to its location, has attracted universities from England, Scotland, and Wales.

After bringing home 8 trophies from The University of Liverpool competition earlier in the semester, including first place prizes in best choreography, best dancer, and best costume, The University of Manchester dance team has never been stronger.

The competition kicks off on the 27th of February at 8:15am, and ends at approximately 7:30pm. Details regarding timings of dance categories will be posted on the UoM Dance Society Facebook page a few days prior to the event. If you would like to support your university at the competition, tickets are available on the door throughout the day, for £5. Alternatively, you can join the universities in their celebrations after the competition, at the official after party at Revolution Fallowfield from 10pm.

For more information regarding the competition and the official after party, follow UoM Dance on Twitter and Instagram, @UoMDance, or like them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UoMDanceSociety.

CRISPR – the controversial yet revolutionary gene-editing tool

Written by Tori Blakeman on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Every cell in your body contains DNA—the biological template that determines who you are. Ever since the fundamental role of DNA was realised, scientists have dreamed of easily and precisely editing our genome.

Researchers have employed numerous genome-manipulating techniques in the past, but most have proved imperfect, labour-intensive, and expensive. This is where the new genome editing technology, clustered regularly-interspaced short palindromic repeats, or CRISPR, comes in.

CRISPR has taken the world of medical and biological research by storm, as this new power allows scientists to edit the genome in an incredibly quick and precise fashion. What’s more is that CRISPR has been shown to work in any organism, unleashing enormous potential for the technique.

The ease and accuracy of CRISPR will revolutionise genetic engineering, vastly increasing the pace of scientific research.

Dominating recent news headlines, CRISPR brings immense excitement, but also extreme concern. There is now speculation of when the first “CRISPR baby” will be born—a baby that will have started out as the first human embryo to have had a faulty gene edited. Using such a technique on the embryo will ensure the child, and its offspring, never carry the gene for the disease it causes.

Scientists of many disciplines, from all over the world, have rapidly adopted the use of CRISPR. Current discussions are debating the use of CRISPR in a genetic mechanism called a gene drive. This involves the use of CRISPR to genetically edit pest organisms, such as weeds or malaria-carrying mosquitos, to have a lethal gene. The gene drive will then spread the lethal gene throughout the population.

Despite the prospect of revolutionising agriculture and endemic diseases, many worry of the long-term effects of such gene editing on ecological systems.

After his recent BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Editing Life, I spoke to Matthew Cobb, professor of Zoology here at The University of Manchester, to discuss the profound impact, and challenges, of this revolutionary gene-editing tool.

I met with Professor Cobb on a dull Tuesday afternoon, for what I thought would be a quick chat. Conversing in his office for over an hour, amongst an array of scientific literature and toy dinosaurs, it became evident just how broad the applications of CRISPR are. Before exploring these applications, I first wanted to understand exactly what CRISPR is, and specifically why there has been so much excitement surrounding it.

“This [CRISPR] is a naturally occurring system in bacteria, which bacteria have been using for billions of years. It means that they [bacteria] can keep a genetic record of viruses that have infected them, and when those viruses come again, they [bacteria] can mobilise enzymes, called Cas9, to come and snip up the virus.

“CRISPR is a description of what they [the researchers] found in the genome—they found these bits of DNA, which were repeated over and over again, in different clusters, with bits in between them.

“The excitement began around five to six years ago, when people realised that the enzymes that chop up the viral DNA, were guided there by the bits of DNA in the clusters—they [the Cas9 enzymes] knew where to go. It was then realised that they could give it [the Cas9 enzyme] a different DNA target. So the enzymes, metaphorically, act as a pair of scissors, and know where to go. You can give it [the Cas9 enzyme] a sequence of DNA you want it to recognise, give it a guide, and you can then put this in any kind of cell.”

It became evident that the precision of CRISPR was something making it truly extraordinary compared to other techniques: “It [the CRISPR technique] is extremely well targeted, can be used in any kind of cell and organism, is extremely precise, and it can snip out or insert something. It then uses the cells naturally occurring machinery for sticking the sequence back together again. These combinations made people think that this [CRISPR] can be used in all sorts of ways.

“Old techniques are much more cumbersome and slow—CRISPR can be done in a matter of weeks.”

As with many biological techniques, there were originally concerns over potential “off-target effects” of CRISPR—worries that the Cas9 enzyme may act in unexpected places:

“The Cas9 enzyme is being bioengineered, can be fiddled around with to make it do whatever we want. It has been engineered already to be more effective. In a recent article in Nature, it was said that there were no off-target effects at all. This was thought to be a big obstacle towards the safe application of CRISPR, however this has now been removed.”

With CRISPR, the genetic code has never been so easy to rewrite. The recent approval of using CRISPR on a human embryo by the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryo Authority (HFEA) has sparked much debate. A team of scientists at the Francis Crick Institute, lead by Kathy Niakan, is utilising the technique to assess questions surrounding fertility. The use of such a technique in human cells seems to not worry Professor Cobb:

“We’ve been allowed to work on them [human embryos] for years. You can only work on them for 2 weeks, and then you have to dispose of them—and you are not allowed to implant them. At the Crick they are working to understand what happens in the early stages of development of the embryo, and when it goes wrong.

“This is the first time CRISPR has been used in the UK on a human embryo, however this already happened in China back in April, and it worked. To be honest, it would be more amazing if CRISPR didn’t work in something.”

I was keen to ask Professor Cobb his opinions on the potential of CRISPR advancing the reality of designer babies: “The things that we’re worried about, like genetic diseases such as Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease, are resolvable—creating a master race is not. You can’t just snip out some DNA and all of a sudden we’re going to have a master race, it doesn’t work that way. You could have blue eyes, but I don’t think that’s going to destroy society. Its just going to mean someone has wasted a lot of money on having their child born with blue eyes when they could have had whatever colour.

“The assumption is that someone will make a CRISPR baby somewhere in the world. I’m not worried about it, as it won’t change humanity. It won’t change our relationship with ourselves any more than the soft eugenics we do at the moment—in the form of genetic counselling.

“These are ethical issues that we’ve been discussing for twenty to thirty years. The only issue now is that we can do them really easily. So this changes the sharpness of the discussion, but it doesn’t alter the fundamental questions that are being debated, I don’t think.”

Despite the vast media coverage on CRISPR use in humans, there are several other promising applications of the new gene-editing technology that could revolutionise many aspects of scientific research. As a Professor of Zoology, Professor Cobb seemed extremely excited about the prospect of CRISPR use in ecology: “We want to improve our crops. At the moment we have two ways of doing it: selection, and GM (genetically modified) crops—introducing foreign genes from a different organism. And this (GM) has caused a huge row. Now the crop development people are using CRISPR.

“Those crops (CRISPR crops) will not be GM crops, not in the terms of Europe, as they will have no foreign DNA in them. So, although you need to use the Cas9 to put it in, which is from bacteria so obviously foreign, there are ways of removing this. You achieve your change, then you remove the Cas9, and in fact you now have a pure crop with just a couple of changes. So CRISPR crops will not be GM. This is going to be a much more precise way of getting the desired change without any foreign DNA.”

And what exactly does Professor Cobb find most exciting about CRISPR? “Oh I don’t know—anything! I can’t predict. I think it’s going to transform in biology. We will really be able to move away from model organisms, which aren’t really models of anything. There are many of fantastic organisms out there that have great ecology, and amazing behaviours, and we’ll be able to understand that using this system (CRISPR), as we’ll be able to go in and disrupt the genes and see what happens. CRISPR seems to work in anything. So I think it will broaden our understanding of life, and help us work out why it is the way it is.”

Professor Cobb moved on to explain the potential of CRISPR in enhancing xenotransplantation—a process involving the transplant of organs, or live cells, from a non-human animal source, into a human recipient: “If you can’t get a kidney, the best way is to use a pig, as they are very similar to us in the structure of their kidney—although this can give very bad reactions. CRISPR is being used on pigs, and they’re being altered so that, maybe, you can put them in people.”

CRISPR is being used in many areas of research, but the powerful potential, and ease and pace at which scientists can use the technique raises some questions. I asked Professor Cobb what he finds most concerning about CRISPR: “Now the problems come with the applications of CRISPR—the most obvious one being there’s the possibility of curing genetic diseases.

“Firstly, is it safe? For example, the precision of the enzyme finding its target. If something goes wrong in say a fly, its no problem you just start again. However this is different if this is in a human.

“The thing I’m most concerned about, which is the real need for regulation, is gene drives. What this gene drive does, is that it copies itself [the gene] onto the other chromosome, so you have it in both chromosomes. So very, very quickly the gene will swamp the population.

“Using flies it has been calculated that in twelve generations, everyone would have the same characteristics. This is the ‘genetic bomb’ that people are worrying about.”

Professor Cobb seemed much more concerned about the risk of CRISPR in ecology, than in medicine: “Well on the medical side, what’s the worst that could happen? Someone could die. I don’t think that the medical ethics are posing us with anything new. The problem about whether you should or shouldn’t change the human genome or not, has massive consequences on future generations.

“I think the medical issues are primarily about safety. There is an ethical issue of germline modification, however if you could remove disorders such as Huntington’s Disease, I cannot see why it wouldn’t work. As that [the Huntington’s Disease gene] is not a gene useful to us—it is a mistake that causes tragic consequences. And as far as we can see, removing this gene would have no consequences at all, other than that it would save a life. Anything about improvement, however, that is different.”

The vast applications of CRISPR in controlling the genome have brought the technology under intense ethical scrutiny. Questions are now being raised over who exactly should decide how CRISPR can be used, and how it should be regulated: “Now this is the real issue. There is an argument, suggested by many bioethicists, that this can only be decided at an international level.

“I think the reality will prove to be a mixture of local initiatives, in the UK or Europe perhaps, to say this should or shouldn’t happen, or stating procedures for controlling what’s happening, and for checking.”

After discussing the ethical implications of the technology, Professor Cobb informed me of another debate surrounding CRISPR: “There is also an associated war about credit. So who actually did the work? The head of the Broad Institute, Eric Lander, wrote a big article in Cell called ‘The heroes of CRISPR’, and, if you’ve ever read 1984 you’ll know one of the phrases in there, “he who controls the past, controls the future”, and that’s exactly what he did. So he wrote an aversion of history that’s entirely slanted towards his institution.

“So there’s a huge row going on. There’s money and a Nobel Prize involved. However, if the Nobel committee decides there were too many people involved, they won’t award it to anyone.

“Everyone is very concerned about the patents, as that is vast amounts of money. CRISPR application anywhere in the world would then have to pay money.”

In his BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Professor Cobb discussed current research projects using CRISPR, so I enquired as to whether anyone here at The University of Manchester was utilising the technique: “There is a range of all sorts of interesting things. There are people looking at mucus in frogs, somebody else looking at making new mutants in flies to look at insecticide resistance—basic biology and medicine is going to be transformed as we can manipulate genes in a very precise way.

“Andrew Doige is looking at early onset Alzheimer’s. He’s trying to make the right model to try and understand how that works. Other people are using it in synthetic biology. At the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, they’re getting it to make E.Coli to make new products.

“Sue Kimber is looking at kidney disease, mutating cells to make them like cells with diseases. Making very precise changes to mirror changes seen in diseased people.”

CRISPR is improving the pace and changing the breadth of scientific discovery, here at The University of Manchester, and around the world. If you would like to find out more about CRISPR, Matthew Cobb’s BBC Radio 4 broadcast, Editing Life, is available on BBC iPlayer Radio.

You can follow Professor Cobb on Twitter @MatthewCobb

I am vegan on a mission

Written by Matthew Perry on . Posted in News.

An impressive one in five young people now identify as vegetarian or vegan, proving that plant-based eating has thoroughly infiltrated the mainstream—and couldn’t be easier as well! Since the benefits include better skin, a reduced risk of developing cancer and a clearer conscience knowing that you’re sparing animals the terror of the abattoir, it’s no wonder that notable celebs, including David Haye and Ellie Goulding, are thriving on a vegan diet.

If you still haven’t tried one of Manchester’s many vegan-friendly spots, get yourself over to one of these top picks:

– V Revolution is vegan junk-food heaven. Located in the Northern Quarter, this 100 per cent cruelty-free retro American-style diner serves up juicy burgers, “cheesy” hot dogs and mouth-watering cakes at decent rates. It’s almost too good to be true – which means it’s certainly not to be missed.

– Not only is Teatime Collective an all-vegan ice-cream parlour (as if that weren’t enough), it also offers a mean vegan breakfast and savoury treats like “steak” and chips.

– Healthy, tasty and inexpensive can be difficult to find, but Go Falafel in Piccadilly and Rusholme has you covered. Wash down a falafel wrap with a Blueberry Blush smoothie.

– Easy-peasy vegan-cheesy! Dough Pizza Kitchen is an artisan pizza restaurant in the Northern Quarter offering mouth-watering dairy-free cheese pizzas. They even do takeaway orders for those nights in.

– If you’re in Withington, have a relaxed evening or recharge your batteries at Fuel Café Bar. This vegetarian café and music venue is a treat for your taste buds. Highlights include the chilli burrito and the chocolate and hazelnut brownie.

– The 8th Day is a vegetarian café and food co-op on Oxford Road, near to MMU. Stock up on ethical groceries and cleaning products, while you feast on delicious soups, stews, smoothies and cakes—not forgetting to get a treat or two from their in-store bakery (offering bread, wraps, sweet snacks and pies) on your way out!

Of course, you don’t even need to seek out speciality cafés to get something good to eat whilst out and about. Increased demand for vegan options means that you can eat vegan just about anywhere. Wetherspoons’ sweet potato and chickpea curry, PizzaExpress’ Pianta pizza, and Giraffe’s tapenade and meze—as well as several dishes in various restaurant and bars in the Northern Quarter—are just the tip of the iceberg. The next step can often just involve a simple case of asking if the café or restaurant can whip up or alter a dish for you!

If you’re interested in giving vegan eating a go, check out the guidelines for a vegan Tradition English Breakfast below to see how easy it is to cook vegan at home. You can also order PETA’s free vegan starter kit at peta.org.uk/vsk which provides you with recipes, advice and so much, or even take the Vegan Society’s 30 day pledge!

The Vegan’s Traditional English Breakfast
Serves 3
Cost: £2-£2.50 per person
1 Can of Baked Beans
To cook using a microwave or stove for a few minutes

1 Pack of Linda McCartney’s Vegetarian Sausages
To cook for 10-15 minutes using a preheated oven, grill or even in a frying pan

300g of Closed Cup Mushrooms
Chop and fry in a large saucepan whilst cooking the ‘Scrambled Egg’

3 large tomatoes
Chop in half and grill

1 pack of Hash browns
To cook using an oven or grill

Toast with vegan margarine (purchasable at any major supermarket)

For the ‘Scrambled Egg’

-Firm Tofu (200g)
-1 or 2 teaspoons of English Mustard
-1/2 teaspoon of salt
-1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
-1/2 teaspoon of parsley, tarragon or dill
-1 or 2 tablespoons of water

  1. Prepare the ‘Scrambled Egg’ by pressing the water from the tofu and draining it before placing the tofu in a bowl to mash. Once mashed into small pieces place into a preheated non-stick saucepan with a little oil in and cook.
  2. Leave the tofu to brown for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, while you mix the rest of the ingredients together in a jug and stir to form a liquid sauce. Taste and adjust to preference. Once the tofu has cooked, dribble the sauce over the top and mix it in, ensuring it spreads over all the tofu. Leave to cook for several more minutes and serve with the rest of your breakfast.

 

Bon appetit!

Interview: NZCA Lines

Written by Jacob Bernard-Banton on . Posted in Music.

Four years is a long wait between albums nowadays. The vocals and instruments of NZCA Lines, Michael Lovett, is well aware of this. “It was never supposed to be that long,” he says of his second album Infinite Summer, a concept album about planet Earth in the midst of a sun turned red giant. “I finished a version of the record in 2014,” he says, before being “offered to play with Metronomy”, thus delaying its release. The album’s concept came out of “reading science-fiction novels that I’d never properly read”.

Lovett hesitates where to pinpoint the source of its inspiration, yet credits album track ‘New Atmosphere’ loosely for starting it all. Of the concept itself, (“It’s not very original,” he laughs) Lovett already had some established ideas, but admits he pilfered a little from JG Ballard’s The Drowned World about “the sun expanding and the sea levels rising, and everyone getting a little bit possessed by the sun”.

Of course, talking about sci-fi in Northern Quarter’s Soup Kitchen meant that I couldn’t pass an opportunity to mention the nearby Forbidden Planet and talk turns to Lovett’s sci-fi credentials (“I don’t have much sci-fi memorabilia…the ephemera”). He remembers the time he made a Boba Fett costume for Hallowe’en when he was “seven…or maybe five”. “The helmet was really spot-on,” he says proudly.

His debut featured geeky lyrics about falling in love with an airship and formatting a hard drive—hardly conventional topics in the world of rock and pop. But it isn’t mere novelty for novelty’s sake. That’s partly because the songs on Lovett‘s debut, and indeed Infinite Summer, are absolute gems: a unique, off-kilter brand of cerebral electro-pop that doesn’t forget to feel. But it’s mostly because Lovett is pretty capable of stringing together a coherent story.

“I really wanted to make this album more of a proper concept album,” he says, and talks about approaching the album like an art project. “The first album was toying with these ideas,” he continues, “[but] it was intentionally quite vague and elusive. I wanted to be explicit.” The reason for Infinite Summer’s gestation is a fairly ordinary one: “I’m quite good at distracting myself. Spreading myself too thin basically.” He’s not the only one easily distracted. It seems nowadays we’re constantly force-fed a bombardment of new bands and new music without allowing it to digest. “It is bad. There’s a huge saturation of music. I feel my own attention span being constantly diverted. When I’m trying to work, [I turn] off my email notifications on my phone. Having said that, I really wanna [sic] work quickly and make another album.”

He says he needs to do more of “capturing the spontaneous”, though he’s still a perfectionist. He eschewed a vocal take for ‘Persephone Dreams’ made with “a proper mic” in favour of the demo recording produced on a mic “that’s not really supposed to be for vocals” when he had a nasty cold: “The quality was better but the performance wasn’t as good.”

What does he make of the increasing trend towards solo acts and duos? Is it the legitimate sound of something new, of 2016, or are people strapped for cash? “A bit of both,” says Lovett. “I could be doing this on my own if I wanted to.” However, he notes that given the spirit of the record—which saw live drums provided by Sarah Jones, erstwhile having NYPC and Hot Chip drummer, and Ash’s Charlotte Hatherley on board—“it wouldn’t make sense if I tried to do it on my own.”

He praises the theatricality of some performing artists. “Gold Panda plays by himself, but it’s quite physical, he’s really into it. You can play everything if you’re playing by yourself, so it doesn’t have to be a pared-down sound. It’ll be very interesting to look back in 10 years and think of what the sound was,” he says, regarding the sparse, electronica-addled pop du jour. “It’s definitely a very particular sound, brought about by the technology that everybody now has access to: tuned kick-drums and trap hi-hats, this clean sound, people like Flume.”

Surely that means the end of long-standing indie guitar band phenomena? Perhaps the emergence of solo artists making their own music is the new wave? “I think it comes in phases, but maybe,” he muses. “Good songwriting always stands out whatever the genre is,” before praising Field Music, Stealing Sheep and Mac DeMarco. I probe him about the partisan coverage of guitar bands over all else in the music press: you’re more likely to see Catfish & the Bottlemen or Blossoms on the front cover of Q than, say, LA Priest. He’s not entirely sure. “I think the whole synth thing is overplayed now,” he says archly. “Either way, people can get a bit purist about it. I think it really depends on the artist rather than the genre. DIIV sound like Slowdive to me. I mean, it doesn’t and it is different, but that’s the gist of it. But I guess I’m just sounding like I’m getting old really.” Where does he see the future of music going? “It’s gonna [sic] be interesting to see if a music industry exists in twenty years.”

As for music in 2086, Lovett cites some new music he discovered based around “a guy recording his voice in a room and playing the recording of his voice back and recording it again. Eventually, what you end up with after 40 replays is the just the resonant sounds of the room—you lose the voice completely, you lose any definition of the voice, it’s just the acoustic sound of the room.” It seems that Lovett is as ready for the future of music as anyone.

Government responds to university gender gap

Written by Simon Taylor on . Posted in News.

Last Thursday the government responded to the worsening gender gap by encouraging universities to attract more working class white male applicants. This follows UCAS statistics published in January 2016, showing that there were 58 per cent more females than males from working class backgrounds applying to university. This corresponds to the overall pattern of 36 per cent more female students attending universities.

Jo Johnson, the Universities and Science minister, has proposed that universities build greater partnerships with disadvantaged schools. The Office For Fair Access (OFFA) has responded warmly to the proposals which will help increase numbers of white working class males attending university from only 10 per cent towards the national average is 40 per cent.

This initiative will go alongside one aimed to encourage students with learning difficulties such as dyslexia. Moreover, the government are trying to offer more support to Black students who are shockingly 50 per cent more likely to drop out than their White peers.

Johnson claims this initiatives can be aided through “smarter spending”. The universities will be going into deprived areas to inspire those who would benefit from the opportunities that higher education offers.

Johnson claims his message is simple: “Be innovative—extend your summer programmes and taster courses to bust the myths but also come up with new ideas. And once you’ve recruited those students, help them to stay the course.”

However experts have pointed out before that working class males are underachieving in comparison with their female counterparts from a much earlier age than the last couple of years of school.

Last year The Mancunion reported that Alan Smithers, director of the Centre for Education and Employment at Buckingham University blamed the gap on the fact that “girls do much better than boys at GCSE and are more likely to go on to A-level, and they have tended to get better A-level results more or less across the board than boys.”

This appears to suggest that the impact universities can have on the number of working class boys achieving highly enough in school will be limited.

This is recognised by Johnson, who in The Guardian writes: “Raising university participation rates is a complex challenge and it is, of course, not one that universities alone can solve. Our reforms to raise attainment levels in schools will play an especially important part, but they are not the only solution.”

The popular appeal of Campaign Finance Reform

Written by Joel Kelly on . Posted in Opinion.

There aren’t many consensus issues in the USA. Opinion on same-sex marriage is split. 60 per cent of the population now support it—a record high, but the other 40 per cent are extremely active and vocal on the issue. Rowan County Clerk, Kim Davis was willing to go to Prison for refusing to sign Marriage licenses, in defiance of a Supreme Court ruling in favour of same-sex marriage (Obergefell versus Hodges).

Likewise, the Affordable Health Care Act (2009), possibly the most prominent initiative of Obama’s Presidency, remains controversial. 43 per cent of approve of it, and 51 per cent don’t. As with gay marriage, its detractors are more vocal than its supporters. Congressional Republicans have attempted to repeal ‘Obamacare’ more than 60 times but have failed to secure the two-thirds majority needed to override Obama’s veto power.

The antagonism between left and right is one thing. The antagonism within both the left and the right is something else.

Trump has shown us that a sizable part of the GOP Electorate is tired of the bog-standard D.C Politician. The brash, bold, and bigoted billionaire is a consummate Washington outsider, with no recurring soundbites, no political experience, and no policy details. It has been a good year for ‘outsiders,’ with Cruz also rising to prominence in the Presidential race. The Iowa Victor is a far-cry from John McCain who described Cruz and his Tea Party allies as “wacko birds.” A sizable amount of Republican voters remain with the establishment, throwing their lot behind Rubio, or still hanging on to a beleaguered Bush. But no individual among this bland amalgam has managed to engineer a counter-coup against the populists.

Sanders and Clinton have split Democratic voters, mainly between younger idealists and older realists. Sanders’ presents an opportunity for fundamental change while Clinton promotes herself as a more realistic incrementalist. 85 per cent of Iowa Democrats under 30, and a majority of those under 45 caucused for Sanders. The result was the closest primary vote in the USA’s History. Both camps are split on the future direction of America’s oldest party.

However, there remains one issue most American’s agree on, but which the Washington sphere is naturally unable to address. The need for Campaign Finance Reform.

84 per cent of American’s agree that money has too much influence in politics. Two of the most popular Presidential candidates, Trump and Sanders, make a point of not having a ‘Super-PAC,’ and both have received a large number of smaller donations—substantially more in Sanders’ case. Sanders’ says he doesn’t do negative campaigning but, has consistently mentioned Clinton’s financial connections to Wall St. whenever the funding issue has been brought up.

It was money, or lack thereof, which was the difference between victory and defeat in the 2014 Congressional elections. 91 per cent of victors were also the better-funded candidate. The President is unable to take action. He is cornered by a Republican majority, a Supreme Court which ruled that campaign finance regulations violate the First Amendment (Citizens United versus FEC), and perhaps even his own campaign donors. Large individual contribution constituted the majority of Obama’s campaign funding in both 2008 and 2012. If he had taken action to reform the campaign finance system in his First term he likely would have failed, and would have subsequently found it difficult to raise the funds needed to compete with Romney in 2012. Large Donors are now active in Congress, and the Executive, and are supported by the Judicial Branch.

Take, for example, the National Rifle Association (NRA). A pro-gun activists group founded in 1871, the NRA has focused on lobbying since 1975. Their “A” rating on Gun issues is essential to legislators looking to secure their backing. The NRA wins elections. 91 per cent of their endorsed candidates won in 2014. While promoting itself as a grassroots group in favour of regular gun owners, it often backs policies that many among its base don’t.

72 per cent of NRA members support universal background checks. However, Obama’s executive order demanding them was met with hostility by the Association, which only derives half of its income from membership fees. The rest comes from large gun manufacturers. They constantly portray Obama as a threat to the Second amendment, despite the fact that as a Senator he voted against the Confiscation of legally owned guns in times of emergency in 2006.

The NRA, therefore, misleads its supposed base, does not listen to their opinions, and exclusively supports positions which favour its larger donors. Is it any wonder that many American’s have no faith in this system?

The NRA is not exceptional, it is one among many. According to one Historical analysis, since 1945 interest groups have been the second most influential factor in 790 major policy changes, one place below the executive, and one place above congress. Today, all three take corporate money.

The same study concludes that the American public’s opinion has a low influence on Government policy. This is, in fact, untrue. The Public has an inordinate influence on Government policy. However, it is only a small part of the public, the high earning business people who are now legally allowed to indirectly bribe Legislators.

We can scorn Trump’s bigoted rhetoric, and the support this brings him. We can mock Sanders’ optimism, and label his supporters as idealistic dreamers. But their attempts to disassociate themselves from large donors has an understandable appeal. It’s an appeal so strong that it sometimes transcends their already thin party associations.

At the New Hampshire Republican Primary there were 2,095 write-in votes for Sander’s and, on the Democrat’s side, 1,795 write-ins for Trump.

The American electorate is sick of the same old Corporatist politics, the same old Washington Game. They’re making sure that their party higher-ups know it.

Campus Confidential: NUDE

Written by Jay Plent on . Posted in Music.

What do you get when you cross David Bowie, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Led Zeppelin? NUDE. I can assure you this is no joke.

An excellent quartet studying at Manchester’s Royal Northern College Of Music, NUDE boast a set of instantly memorable and highly entertaining songs. Though their lyrics are simple and easily accessible, their music is underpinned by instrumentals which dart and jump from rhythm to rhythm, melody to melody, and new idea to new idea.

Their musical prowess—combined with a tongue-in-cheek stage presence personified by hip thrusting and morsels of witty humour—make them an extremely likeable live act, and one which has been winning over audiences wherever they play. A blend of rock, disco and funk influences pervade much of their material; all of which has tended to be upbeat and danceable. Think of a younger, more aggressive Chic.

And NUDE certainly have an old school quality about them; they’re not a band looking to get all up in your face or make you feel as if you’re witnessing some sort of Second Coming. They may—in the eyes of some—lack an edginess in this respect, but that’s missing the point. What they are, is a band that puts on a fantastic live show, dishing out some great songs that immediately put a smile on your face.

It’s refreshing to see a band remember that music is entertainment, that it can be a feel-good force for enjoyment rather than self-indulgent typecasting. NUDE seem to fully understand this, and they just want you to dance.

Even in these early stages, NUDE are carving out a distinct sound for themselves, using their full arsenal to good effect, and writing some damn good music, so go and see them live. Get on board and expose yourself.

Find NUDE on their Facebook page here.

What does your piercing say about you?

Written by Eva Katz on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Nowadays, adorning one’s body with the likes of ink patterns or permanent jewellery is arguably the norm. Tattoos, although not completely accepted have become less taboo than their previous tramp stamp reputation. But their less permanent form of piercings, in particular, have become more popular than ever. You can now get near anywhere pierced, but the question is what does your piercing say about you?

Tongue
Possibly the most promiscuous of piercings not involving your genitals, the tongue piercing is definitely a sign that you’re still in the free and forgiving world of education and not in the big bad uniform world of serious employment. Careful though, although you may be proud of your new accessory, there’s nothing more grating than the sound of someone running that titanium bar over their teeth.

Earlobe
Let’s be honest, earlobe piercings (whether you have one or three) are pretty vanilla. You probably got them done for free at Claire’s when you were 15 to rebel against your piercing-hating mother. On guys they can have a certain hipster vibe (provided only one ear has been pierced), having both pierced, however, can be a little flamboyant.

Nose
The classic adornment for any well-travelled individual, the nose piercing screams “I’ve been places”. What the wearer won’t tell you, however, is what an awful idea it was to get said piercing in a dingy parlour somewhere downtown in Mexico, Bangkok, or Rio de Janeiro.

Lip
Positioning here is key. Don’t be foolish enough to believe that there isn’t a vast difference from one to another.

Upper lip
Let’s face it, this piercing does NOT resemble a beauty spot in any way shape or form. Sugababes’ Muyta Buena gave it a good try, but that was an era ago now. It’s well and truly, time to accept that you are not successfully channelling the likes of cake queen Marie Antoinette, instead, you just look like you’ve got something stuck on your face.

Central, below the lip
A little more emo than the upper lip and slightly more discrete at that, a central piercing is rather inoffensive in all honesty. However, you’re only asking for trouble when combining it with a tongue piercing—expect to be, quite literally, lip-locked.

Bottom lip, to the side
It’s like a performance of ‘The Cha-Cha Slide’, to the left or to the right, there’s no world in which this piercing is a good idea. Unless you’re a body modification enthusiast on a mission to embellish each and every inch of skin, then this is undoubtedly one to avoid or rapidly remove if you’ve already made this fatal error.

Eyebrow
Only the super edgy can pull this wonder off. There is a high risk of air-de-chav here so you’ve really got to look the part if you don’t want to end up resembling Little Britain’s chavette, Vicky. To truly rock this accessory, you’ll need to adopt a hardcore persona to boot. Don’t expect your mother to be won over easily with this one.

Cartilage
A staple piercing for just about every hip Fallowfielder, this piercing suggests you’re a little on the edgy side, but not overly so.

Belly button
A little reminiscent of the 90s perhaps, the belly button piercing is a teen favourite. Adding a little bling to your belly may even draw attention away from rather unloved love handles. This adornment is commonly associated with a certain level of air-headedness—think Britney Spears wannabe.

Nipple
The tongue’s least overtly promiscuous cousin, the nipple piercing is for dark horses everywhere. There’s much debate over whether it looks better on those with smaller or larger breasts, but this is one of the few piercings that can be pulled off by male or female alike.

Photo: cloudlbep@Flickr

Prince Albert
For those curious to the whereabouts of this particular piercing, I strongly advise against searching it whilst in the library, or in any public domain for that matter. A considerably painful looking piercing, it’s one that definitely begs the question: Does this give you more pleasure than pain?!

Clitoris 
#TheOnlyWayIsEssexToTheExtreme. This piercing has now been deemed illegal according to the World Health Organisation. If you already have one then you’re without a doubt a gambler; below the belt at least.

None
A complete lack of piercings raises the question of how you managed to shun this trend that has swept not only Manchester’s, but the nation’s youths in recent years. Perhaps you deserve a round of applause for your resistance against the masses. Perhaps you quite simply have an intense phobia of needles. Either way we’re sure you’ll end up middle-aged with a cheeky nipple piercing you got on your hen or stag party.

Live: Tame Impala

Written by Henry Scanlan on . Posted in Music.

Thursday 11th February 2016

Manchester Arena

8.5/10

It’s taken 6 years for Kevin Parker to amass enough disciples to fill out arenas, but that time has come, and it feels right. It may have been unimaginable back in the early days of scruffy, Cream-influenced Tame Impala. But as it turns out, Parker wears the emperor’s clothes well. He’s not the only one wearing them—the number of Kevin Parker lookalikes packed into the Manchester Arena made me feel like I was tripping out before the band had even played ‘Apocalypse Dreams’. Then the real Kevin Parker stood up and kicked into ‘Let It Happen’ and reminded us that while many of his fans may resemble him, no one quite possesses his strange presence. Like a feline creature, Parker meekly tip toes around barefoot, vacuum-packed into his jeans, staring at the floor like a psychiatric patient unwittingly gifted with musical genius.

But despite the shy mannerisms, Parker has clearly grown into his massive success, handling the enormous crowd with some admirably professional “You want one more? I can’t hear you!” kind of stage banter. It’s symbolic that despite having expressed discomfort about their biggest hit, ‘Elephant’, the band seem to have reworked the song into their set as a Black Sabbath-esque chugger. Admittedly, the band’s unease about ‘Elephant’ is understandable when you see the reaction it gets: the sight of 5,000 people sloshing pints about in one hand and yelling: “FEELS LIKE AN ELEPHANT SHAKING ITS BIG GREY TRUNK FOR THE HELL OF IT” is about as psychedelic as the Ten O’Clock News.

Still, I’m not sure Tame Impala are really trying to open the doors of perception so much as ringing the doorbell repeatedly. There isn’t a lot of food for thought in the long-term, but in the short-term a Tame Impala show is a totally dazzling experience, with the band building you up to humungous climaxes, and you surrendering your erogenous zones to melody.

The last two albums were definitely more suited to the mega crescendos and steep drops that Tame Impala enjoy pulling off live, but the highlight of the set was an Innerspeaker moment. Specifically, it was the long, meandering intro to ‘Why Won’t You Make Up Your Mind?’, which started off as Parker fiddling on his guitar—the reverberations of which were translated into vibrating lines on the projector, and built up a tonne of momentum until the crispest of drum intros.

Finally, for those concerned about Tame Impala’s transformation into something less mind-expanding and more wad-expanding: yes, they’re playing huge arena gigs now, and yes, the crowd looked like ant people from where I sat. But even from way up in the highest tier, I could see that those ant people were dutifully lighting ceremonious joints. Either that or they were holding their lighters in the air. I really hope they were lighting joints.

 

Are you the next Star in a Bra?

Written by Eva Katz on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Boobs. You either love ‘em or hate ‘em. But for those with a slightly more ample bosom they can be more of a burden than a blessing. Merely finding comfortable lingerie that doesn’t resemble that of your grandma, can prove to be a chore.

More often than not, brands seem to ignore this market niche, leaving females all over the country with little options when it comes to adorning their assets. What’s more, many ladies don’t take as good care of them as they should: for instance, when was the last time you checked for lumps?

To spread the word and a bit of big breast loving, Breast cancer awareness charity Coppafeel! have partnered up with lingerie brand Curvy Kate’s to bring you their Star in a Bra lingerie party. Catering for breasts from D – K cup, the brand champions the use of customer role models and a positive approach to body image which women can relate to. Every year they launch a fresh competition to find their next ‘Star in a bra’. All sizes, ages, shapes and heights are encouraged to enter as the brand continues to celebrate every body.

The entry stage launches 1st March 2016 on www.starinabra.com, where girls interested can find further details and upload their photos plus the reasons why they want to be the next ‘Star in a Bra’. The CoppaFeel! University boob teams will be backing the curve search across the country. Participating universities include Manchester, London, Edinburgh, Birmingham, Bristol, Nottingham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Sheffield and Plymouth.

The university’s very own Star in a Bra party will take place on 2nd March 2016 at Revolution Fallowfield from 7PM until late.

Meat and moonshine with Cane & Grain

Written by Eva Katz on . Posted in Food & Drink.

There’s just something about the prohibition era which has always held an air of secrecy and excitement isn’t there? The lengths, ideas and inventions that many would go to for a sip of the Devil’s water has certainly never failed to intrigue and amaze me. I’m not saying that I blame them, nor do I think them to be foolish, but I am dazed by the extensive creativity that the forbidden inspired. But what has this got to do with that swishy rib joint in the Northern Quarter, you ask? Well, everything.

There is no doubt that Cane & Grain channels that era of embargo to its very core. Hell, even the door leading to their first floor is a riddle in itself; so carefully hidden by the bar’s dim lighting and decorative façade. However, it only begins to hint at the further covert thrills hidden above the raucous bar below. From the panelled walls—which seemed as if they could open to reveal yet another surprise at any given moment—to the windowed bar, shelved with minuscule bottles of unknown concoctions, the room seethed enough suspense to leave you dining with goosebumps.

However this joint hasn’t chosen to situate itself just anywhere in Prohibition America, but instead it channels numerous elements of the South through nothing more so than the delicacies it has to offer. Ribs are their speciality, and my God are they special. Don’t be fooled if you’ve been unfortunate enough to sample ribs at a second-rate establishment prioritising quantity over quality, your taste buds will be duly unprepared for what’s to come. Make no mistake, quantity can be found here, too. Look no further than the Meat Fest for a meal to give you the meat sweats and sticky fingers galore. But the quality is second to none. With a multitude of marinades to choose from, it simply boils down to your preference of sweet, savoury or spicy. The Louisiana will have you appreciating why Yoncé carries hot sauce in her bag as a homage to the fine food of her home state. Just as the rum marinade will simultaneously sweeten and smoke your taste buds, accompanied by an array of pimped fries topped with a concoction of your choice, they leave little else to be desired. Other than an exquisite cocktail to cleanse your palate for that next bite.

Fortunately for you, Cane & Grain can provide that too. Drinks a plenty, no tastebuds are left neglected here. Whether you’re after sophistication, strength or subtlety, their experienced mixologist can provide a beverage to meet your heart’s desires.

The service here only enhances the experience. Attentive but not overbearing, and helpful but not forceful. Overall, you’re free to slip into the fantasy thinking that you’re no longer in Manchester but in a Louisiana speakeasy enjoying the finest forbidden fruits the Southern state has to offer.