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Month: May 2016

T in the Park Preview

Written by Charlie Chipchase on . Posted in Music.

One of Scotland’s major music festivals returns to its recently changed location at Strathallan Castle in Perthshire. T in the Park has always been strong in combining acts both old and new across a diverse range of styles. This year certainly does not disappoint. 2016’s line-up is undoubtedly one of the most exciting yet, bringing together some of the biggest names both from home and abroad.

The headliner that will most likely be igniting the biggest buzz across the fields is Manchester’s very own The Stone Roses. 2011 saw their triumphant ‘resurrection’ 15 years after their breakup, culminating in a series of concerts that included Coachella and our local Heaton Park. Their presence at T in the Park has been heightened because this is their only scheduled performance aside from their concerts at Manchester’s Etihad Stadium in June. More recently, the band has just released their first new material in over 20 years, leading to anticipation of a new album. 2016 is fast becoming a major year for the Roses, and T in the Park will play a significant role.

Continuing the theme of established rock legends, Red Hot Chili Peppers will also be headlining. The band have similarly upped the ante by recently releasing their first new single in four years, titled ‘Dark Necessities’. The band will be riding off the release their new album The Getaway, which is released on June the 17th. LCD Soundsystem also return after five years of disbandment, despite stating that their performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City would be their ‘last ever’.

Alongside the big names of old, T in the Park is also welcoming some of the best acts that the younger generation has to offer. Calvin Harris, Disclosure, and Chase & Status are confirmed, demonstrating the festival’s ability to incorporate acts more associated with the electronic and dance scene. This theme continues slightly further down the line-up with the likes of Jamie xx, Annie Mac, and Skream among others. It is this variety of musical styles both old and new that will make T in the Park one of the most exciting festivals this summer.

Find more details on the official website here.

When: 8th – 10th July 2016

Where: Strathallan Castle, Perthshire, Scotland

United Player Ratings: West Ham vs Manchester United

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Uncategorised.

The two sides met for the fourth time this season; drawing in December and March before United snatched a 2-1 win at the Boleyn Ground in an FA Cup replay in April. It promised to be a close game and extra incentive was provided for both clubs. For the Reds, Champions League football would be sealed with wins in the last two games of the season due to City’s slip up against Arsenal on Sunday. For the Hammers, their last ever game at the Boleyn Ground, their home for 112 years, before moving to the Olympic Stadium next season. Like against Norwich, this promised to be a good game. Unlike Norwich, this was actually a good game.

Manchester United played a very attacking starting 11, with Rooney, Herrera, Mata, Martial and Rashford all making the team. It was a statement of intent from Van Gaal. While this lifted the optimism of fans, it was quickly put in jeopardy as rumours started circulating that the Red Devils’ team bus was late (the last time that happened they got tonked 3-0 by Spurs). Not only were they late, but they had been harassed and ‘attacked’ (sort of) by drunken West Ham fans outside of the stadium, throwing bottles and other objects at the windows and shattering the outer layers of glass on the team coach. Rooney and Van Gaal spoke out before the game condemning the behaviour and fans feared that the incident may have put the players off their game.

It certainly seemed like it did for the first half. The Red Devils were torn to shreds by the Hammers’ midfield and were lucky to only be 1-0 down by the break. However, Van Gaal’s men came out of the dressing room much more motivated and looked the more dangerous going forward in the early stages of the second half. Martial hit the Hammers with two quick goals to give the travelling United faithful hope. That hope was drowned out however, as West Ham came back to win 3-2 in stunning fashion. It cannot be argued that they didn’t deserve it.

 

De Gea: 6

Couldn’t have done anything for the first two goals and was harshly criticised for the third. His back-four did not mark Reid properly and let the Kiwi fire a powerful header past the Spaniard’s left hand. Made himself big to block a shot from Carroll in a one on one in the first half.

Rojo: 4

Yet again poor. The Argentinian has no composure at the back and is wasteful going forward. It is understandable that Van Gaal wanted one more brutish defender to combat West Ham’s height from set pieces, but Rojo is clearly not as good as Borthwick-Jackson is as a left back. It was his poor clearance that led to the opening goal and he was completely destroyed over the ninety by the combination of Antonio and Lanzini.

Blind: 3

At the beginning of the season when Van Gaal continuously played Blind at centre back many fans were stating that it was an accident waiting to happen. While the Dutch holding midfielder/left back has mostly proven fans wrong, Tuesday night highlighted why Blind is hopelessly ill equipped. His positioning was awful; giving away a goal to Antonio by playing him onside and handed Carroll a one on one with De Gea in the first half for the same reason. Didn’t close Sakho’s strike down quickly enough and deflected the ball past De Gea for the opener. While he did improve in the second half, he allowed Reid the chance which won West Ham the game late on. United are desperate for a top class centre back to partner Smalling.

Smalling: 6

The only Manchester United defender that can have a reasonable amount of respect for himself. Won 5 aerials against a very physical team, however, was second place to Carroll with 9, his opposite man. Failed to organise his defence at set pieces and was guilty of, yet again, grappling players inside the box. It has been a reoccurring theme this season, conceding a penalty to Newcastle for it and will continue to concede penalties as long as he plays rugby on the football pitch.

Valencia: 5

Was reasonably industrious down the right hand side, getting forward often and making tackles high up the pitch. Gave away free kicks too often to a team of their set piece capability, one of which picked him up a booking and the other led to the Hammers’ winner. Faded as the match went on and was substituted for Januzaj for more attacking impetus.

Schneiderlin: 3

His worst game in a United shirt this season. Was completely ineffectual as an anchor and allowed wave after wave of attack batter his defence during the first half. Was meant to be marking Lanzini in the build up to the first goal but allowed the tricky Argentine space, which led to the opening goal. His passing was very wayward and was substituted at half time for Carrick, in the hope of adding some composure.

Martial: 8

Manchester’s savour (at least for a moment). The Frenchman raided down West Ham’s right flank all evening, a constant nuisance for both Antonio and Kouyaté, who had been instructed to double up on him. Was in the right place at the right time for the tap in and his cross/shot after a mazy run fooled Randolph and snuck into the back of the net. He also got back defensively and even made a clearance off the line from a Carroll header.

Rooney: 6

Was being constantly praised by the commentators for his ‘Hollywood’ cross-field passes but was inconsistent when in possession, often losing the ball or being tackled. Did well winning the ball in the build up to the second goal. Had very little influence on the game other than that. Much more needs to be delivered if Rooney wants to deserve that £300 a week contract which he has been thieving for the last two/three years.

Herrera: 4

As hard it is for me to say this, as Herrera’s biggest fan, the Spanish midfielder had a really poor game. He was dispossessed the joint highest on the pitch (4), had an awful pass accuracy of 65% and gave away too many fouls around the box, one of which led to the second West Ham goal. While the former Bilbao player needs more game time, the performances are going to need to be a lot better than the role he played on Tuesday night.

Mata: 6

One of the less rubbish players for the Red Devils; looked creative every time he received the ball. Unfortunately, that was not very often due to his isolation on the right wing. His pace does not allow him to excel in that position, like Martial does on the opposite side, however, he linked up with Rashford and Martial excellently for the opening goal.

Rashford: 6

A quite game for the Mancunian. His opposite numbers were clearly haunted by his world-class goal against them last month, and so gave the youngster very little room to manoeuvre. When he did find the space, he was dangerous. Influential in the first goal and assisted Martial for the second. Will look to get into games more in the future however.

Substitutes

Carrick: 6

Had a calming influence on the pitch and United grew in stature with his composure. However, he did little to protect the back four and failed to upset West Ham’s attacks.

Lingard: N/A

Replaced Herrera in the 82nd minute. Ran around a bit, as he does. That was about all he did.

Januzaj: N/A

Touched the ball once. I think.

 

What now?

It is hard to say. West Ham gave an incredible performance and deserved all three points; the narrative of the game was perfect for their last ever game at the Boleyn Ground. United need to regroup now and hope City slip up against a rejuvenated Swansea, while beating Bournemouth themselves. At the end of the day, Champions League football is not really that important to the fans right now. The priority is consistency in performance, something that has been significantly lacking under Van Gaal, and the majority of big clubs this season. The FA Cup would be nice, but if it meant Van Gaal staying, how happy would United fans be about winning it? It is a fascinating paradox, one which will be interestingly played out in soap-opera like fashion over the Summer, no doubt.

Live: Bloc Party

Written by Liam Killeen on . Posted in Music.

3rd December 2015

8.5/10

Bloc Party’s much-anticipated return was well worth the wait, yet their chilled out, more experimental sound split the crowd, with a sizeable amount of naysayers letting their opinions be known. They covered a good range of material, still managing to capture the energetic attitude that hasn’t faltered for over 10 years now, however their new tracks often left some unconvinced of the restyle.

Opening their set rather riskily with a new track, ‘Eden’, came as an instrumental statement from new members Louise Bartle and Justin Harris, that they could fill the indie shoes of their predecessors, and it was well received. The set that followed was rife with numerous old-but-gold Bloc Party songs to please the crowd, with interspersed new material from their upcoming 2016 album, Hymns. These new tracks went down well for the majority, even their new single, ‘The Love Within’, which has received masses of criticism for its unusual dubstep-sounding synth riff. The experimenting with loop pedals and sampling in their new material left those that came to hear only the hits at a loss, with one member of the crowd taking it upon himself to throw his shoe at the stage and declare “it’s all shite, play Helicopter.” Playing just under 20 songs with an unfaltering drive, the set left the crowd indifferently exhausted yet pleasantly surprised with ‘Bloc Party Mark II’.

The band’s chemistry felt slightly awkward at times, but with them still having only performed together for a short period, this was understandable, with Kele Okereke’s confidence overlooking this small issue. The wide range of material pleased everybody covering tracks from every album, even the angry shoeless man received ‘Helicopter’ in the encore of the set.

Bloc Party could be poised for a comeback regardless of the hesitancy many harbour over the new line-up. The band managed to reproduce the old tracks seamlessly whilst interweaving a new experimental style that can definitely be said to stem from frontman Kele’s solo pursuits. The crowd did seem to be split between those that had come for the new Bloc Party and those that just wanted the more popular hits and this, at times, did disrupt the atmosphere of the gig. Bloc Party themselves, however, lived up to every expectation and cleared any doubts about their upcoming album; let’s hope it went down in the studio as successfully as it did in the Albert Hall.

Festival Preview: Secret Garden Party

Written by Liam Killeen on . Posted in Music.

This summer the Cambridgeshire countryside will once again be host to the weird and wonderful music and art of the Secret Garden Party. Located in the small rural village of Abbots Ripton, about an hour and a half drive from London, with the theme ‘Gardeners of the Galaxy’, this year can promise to be just as bizarre as previous years where naked trampolining, mud wrestling and twerking OAPs have occurred. Secret Garden Party, in the same way that all unusual activity tastes are accounted for, covers all bases with regards camping/glamping, offering the standard two-man tent in a puddle scenario as well as ‘Boutique camping’ in Royal Safari Tents, Octopads, Tipis, Bell Tents, Lotus Tents, Vintage Showman Caravans and Yurts.

The line up for this year also caters to all musical inclinations with headliners Scottish rockers Primal Scream, Dream pop duo Air, and electronica artist Caribou. Also on the bill are indie trio Little Comets, country star Lissie, and house duo Maribou State. The festival also gives its fair share of recognition to up-and-coming artists such as folk star Billie Marten, Mercury award nominee C Duncan, and Sundara Karma.

With such an extensive line up, camping options and zany activities Secret Garden Party looks like it will live up to and even surpass previous years as it grows. Since winning Secret Productions’ Best Medium Sized Festival almost five years ago now, the festival has grown in popularity and the line up has also improved in tandem, allowing it to compete with the larger festivals. For those that want a wacky but more refined festival this year with a line-up that has both established as well as newer artists Secret Garden Party 2016 will rise to the occasion.

Working and consuming away from progress

Written by Tristan Parsons on . Posted in Opinion.

Too many people will have missed voting in the recent May elections because they were busy with their work. This common excuse may be considered weak, since polling stations were open until 10pm. However, the working day remains a deterrent, however minor, on some people engaging with the voting process. The leader of the Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, has even proposed that major election days should be national holidays.

This stands as a metaphor for the way in which the nature of our lives places strain on democracy and society. Since the 1960s and 1970s, social capital (the connections we share with each other) has been on the decline.

In his 2000 book Bowling Alone, Robert Putnam concludes that the major reason for the decline of social capital in the United States (a pattern observable in most Western developed counties) is the progress that women have made into the workplace. Before this change in the labour force, the role of the average woman in a broader societal context was the gluing together of communities and families. Therefore, when this tradition was abandoned, frequencies of community meetings, occasions of having friends over, and numbers of bowling club memberships fell.

This is a strange collision: of the liberalisation of attitude towards women, and the resulting decline of socialising, and thus the encroachment of the shackling effects of individual confinement. Of course neither I nor Putnam are placing blame on women and their dastardly escape from housewifery. Since men and women hold equal capacity for social interaction, it is far more insightful to look at this phenomenon from a gender-neutral (and indeed, non-heteronormative) perspective: because more women are working, average working hours have increased, and as a result, social capital has declined. There are other contributing factors, such as the continuing decline of memberships of trade unions since the 1970s, or low rates of couples living together.

And after the end of the workday, what are the leisure activities most practiced? The average Briton spends eight hours and 41 minutes on media devices per day. Some of the content communicated via these devices is relevant: Television is not an entirely barren desert littered with bland and meaningless entertainment, and social media is not only used for constant observation of the lives of others. But whilst it might be beneficial for one to read a book, or to engage in proactive searching for truths, rather than the passivity of social media-based news, all of these activities are of solitude.

We have built something quite frightening: A way of being that revolves around work and media. It should not surprise us, however. In the developed West, our economies are measured on production and consumption—GDP. The logical conclusion of this philosophy is that the happiest societies are those that produce and consume the most per person. However, the bulk of research points towards the opposite: The most post-materialistic of people are the happiest. Of course, at lower levels of income, financial security is essential, but research also suggests that regardless of one’s wealth, it is social connections that create happy lives.

So, striving for wealth and material consumption is misguided at the individual level. More concerning, however, is that the very means by which high GDP is achieved, namely, work and consumerism, dampen the questioning of this system. Every mass political campaign or movement is inherently social. By spending less time building up social capital, the ability of our societies to take collective action is reduced. Further to this, lower social capital means lower resilience against trouble, because people are less likely to help each other. This trouble might take an environmental form, such as droughts in the South East England or the recent floods in the North of England. Although events such as these do tend to bring communities together in the immediate sense, it quickly fades after the event.

Thus, the present economic system dampens our protest and weakens us against external threat. Media has hooked us in to lethargic hours of acceptance of our condition; governments have actively sought to reduce protest through anti-trade union laws. But the solutions cannot come from the top down. With all the challenges we face, from continuing austerity to climate change, it is imperative that this way of living is changed.

In all of this, there is a risk of romanticising the past and so reducing hope in the present. But there is hope. Today’s youth is the most connected in all of history. Despite its criticisms, social media technologies have the potential to work wonders for organisation, with Egypt’s 2011 uprising often cited as an extreme example of this.

If we can harness the good of social media (and the whole of the Internet, for that matter) when it matters, there is hope for social change: A well organised and more broadly educated public, with the capacity to motivate change.

Win the chance to DJ at Parklife

Written by news on . Posted in News.

Nando’s are giving away the extraordinary opportunity for one student DJ to perform at this summer’s Parklife festival, as well as free entry and free chicken for two.

The popular restaurant chain are planning to let one lucky Manchester student follow in the footsteps of artists such as Hudson Mohawke and Hannah Wants in playing on the Nando’s Cock O’Van stage at the festival in Heaton Park on the 11th and 12th of June.

Entrants only need to share one of their mixes, from Mixcloud or YouTube, on Twitter with the hashtag #RuleTheRoost by the 1st of June.

The mixes will then be judged by top DJ Skream who will pick the winning DJ for this once-in-a-lifetime prize which also includes free festival entry and Nando’s for two.

The competition is open to students over 18 and entrants must be available across the Parklife weekend, 11th and 12th of June, as set times are yet to be confirmed. Transport and accommodation are not included.

Album: James Blake – The Colour In Anything

Written by Flora Jackson on . Posted in Music.

Released 6th of May via Polydor

How do you release an album in an age when no one’s buying albums? The question is surely on every artist’s mind since The Life of Pablo debacle earlier this year. Gone are the days of a teaser single and a release date; if you’re not plastering lemon posters all over the city, you’re doing something wrong. And thus, taking cues from recent collaborator Beyoncé, James Blake appears on Annie Mac’s Radio 1 show, debuting a single and slyly mentioning that The Colour in Anything would be released in just a few hours. Compare a certain band’s antics over the same week, fiddling with opacity settings on their website and deleting their social media presence with, I’m sure, some deep political motivation; James Blake’s casual comment was no less planned, yet far more dignified. And just like Lemonade, The Colour in Anything builds its hype not through gimmicks, but through music.

The single debuted on the Annie Mac show is also the opener to the album; ‘Radio Silence’ washes into life with Blake’s signature falsetto and steady, sumptuous beat. The melody adapts a very shrewdly-chosen Bill Withers lyric, the tension from lost love quietly simmering before bursting in a flash of synthesisers that will be familiar to anyone who span ‘Retrograde’ a hundred times in 2013. It is, quite simply, classic James Blake. And it’s also among the most misleading opening tracks in musical history, because from here the album takes a decidedly more organic turn.

From the opening notes of second track ‘Points’, a stoic melancholy pervades the album. Lyrically, James Blake draws from that staple of downbeat, the break-up; on ‘Points’, a dub-inflected track with repeating and subtly layering vocals, he plays with people’s propensity for change, lamenting that “it’s sad that you’re no longer her.” The theme continues on the delicious title track, which along with ‘f.o.r.e.v.e.r.’ is one of two tracks performed entirely on the piano, both swooning and shivering so hard they would make Adele blush; here it’s his personal change that’s at stake, as he beautifully posits how one day he might not find—you guessed it—the colour in anything. These are sentiments as old as the dawn, but rarely have they been put so simply and so sweetly. Such age-old ideas are less prevalent on the at once hilarious and heart-breaking ‘Put That Away and Talk to Me’; detailing the omnipresent screen’s erosion of love (see Damon Albarn’s ‘The Selfish Giant’ from 2014), what should be a piss-take becomes unfairly powerful thanks to Blake’s delivery of the title, his often honey-like voice suddenly snarling with pent-up indignation.

What’s great about this album is how the various songs on this album explore the end of a relationship through different perspectives, moods and genres; what’s outstanding about this album is that it spans seventeen tracks and succeeds on that front every single time. There is not a moment misplaced on this album, no song, no lyric, no bar; but beyond that, there’s barely a moment repeated. Blake channels his electronica roots at times, such as on previous single ‘Timeless’, whose groove is expounded at the start but obliterated by a siren-like synthesiser that throws the track into an entirely more panicked direction. This is the track on which the fabled Kanye verse was to appear; that Blake turned down the greatest rock star in the world should be evidence enough of the confidence this album exudes. Indeed, it’s crucial that James Blake’s voice is the primary component of the album, as his vocals encapsulate the emotion of the music behind them. On two tracks, both co-written with Frank Ocean, he manipulates his own vocals into a feminine tone and register, with incredible execution.

Duetting with his female doppelgänger on ‘Always’, he gives the sentiments of the album an even more timeless tone; we sense his lyrics are intimately personal, but there are individual lines that any broken heart in any era could grab onto. His one concession, his one guest vocalist, is perfectly chosen; Justin Vernon of Bon Iver, the godfather of neo-mope, lends his inimitable voice to ‘I Need a Forest Fire’, a track that would fit perfectly among his own best works. Perhaps that’s the key to this album; James Blake seems to perfectly fit each hat he tries, be it soul (‘My Willing Heart’), dance (‘I Hope My Life’) or, on standout track ‘Choose Me’, world-fusion. He steers the album through every facet of feeling, driving us to euphoria on ‘Two Men Down’ and bringing us to tears on ‘The Colour in Anything’. Everything he tries, works.

“Music can’t be everything,” sighs Blake on album closer ‘Meet You In the Maze’, a track indebted to Justin Vernon’s influence on the album with its acapella autotune choir engaging in harmonies that wouldn’t be out of place on an Eric Whitacre number. It’s a bold line to close your album on, and in this case it’s simply incorrect; the previous 75 minutes prove it. Because across these 17 tracks, James Blake manages to channel the very core of humanity, the instinctual emotion behind every rash decision, into a musical form. This is an album whose beats judder and sway in tandem with its lyrical narrator’s anguish; it’s an album both entirely conceptual and wholly hummable. In a supposed “post-album” world, it’s not a breath of fresh air, it’s a ray of sunlight superheating through a window and waking you up early. It is the triumph of music over statement, and unquestionably one of the decade’s classics. Roll over, Radiohead.

10/10

Festival Preview: Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia

Written by Jacob Nicholas on . Posted in Music.

Liverpool, England
23-24 September

Returning for the 5th time, Liverpool Psych Festival promises to bring together every kind of music that messes with your head. Headlining are the endlessly shapeshifting Horrors, as well as Welsh ridiculousness peddlers Super Furry Animals. The lineup has something for everyone, from the retrofuturist revivalism of krautrock purists Cavern of Antimatter to the iconic, genre shaping experiments of Silver Apples to darker, shoegazier affairs like Spectres and Taman Shud. The acts cover drone to garage psych to lo-fi Brainfeedr-type affairs and everything in-between. However, what really makes the festival special isn’t just the musical variety but the national variety. The ‘International’ is in the title for a reason – Liverpool Psych Fest is a truly global affair, with bands coming not just Britain and America but Andalucía, Sweden, Mexico, Italy and more. Perhaps most exciting then is Tokyo label Guruguru Brain’s showcase, bringing bands not just from Japan but Pakistan and Taiwan, such as Minami Deutsch’s endless motorik charge, and Nawksh’s madcap productions. These acts are exceptional and otherwise hard to see in the UK, so having so many of them in one place is rare and brilliant. Whilst writing about psychedelic bands is usually just filled with mundane drug references, Liverpool Psych Festival deserves more. It doesn’t just provide lazy imitations of bands that were tedious by the time our parents were students, but music that’s genuinely exciting, varied and intelligent. These bands, composers and producers are pushing forward and doing what all the best modern music should – taking what came before and changing, twisting and combining it to create brand new, mind-altering sounds, not just music for some middle-aged divorcee at The Happy Mondays staring at his hands by the time the support act’s finished. Kill the Pink Floyd tribute act, this will be so much better.

Reading Festival 2016 – A Preview

Written by Hannah Brierley on . Posted in Music.

A bit like Leeds…but the better one down south.

Reading and Leeds are two of the biggest annual rock music festivals in the UK. Running every year simultaneously on August bank holiday weekend. However Reading, the ‘original’ of the two, has been running slightly longer since they started in 1971 compared to Leeds starting in 1999. Through the years they have both experimented with different genres of music, but with Indie, Alternative, and Rock remaining the main dominant contenders.

And let’s be honest here, with Reading being further down south, there’s far more chance of sunshine, therefore less mud, and then less chance of an embarrassing drunken mud wrestle. Reading have had massive names headlining previously, such as The Rolling Stones, New Order, Oasis, Eminem; the list goes on and on. This year they have even more headliners than ever, with five in total, meaning even more talent squeezed into one weekend.

Friday night opens with Co-headliners Foals and Disclosure, Scottish pop band CHVRCHES, with other appearances such as Maximo Park and Asking Alexandria.

Saturday night has a whole mixture of big names, such as the much-acclaimed Eagles of Death Metal. Radio One’s one to watch in 2016, Jack Garratt, and Blossoms. Finishing the night with the world famous Red Hot Chili Peppers.

And as if this wasn’t enough, as the weekend comes to a close, it definitely will not start to tone down the names of those playing, offering The 1975, The Vaccines, and Half Moon Run, headlining with the almighty Biffy Clyro, who have only just announced their upcoming album Ellipsis. Biffy are also co-headlining with American counterparts Fall Out Boy!

Sunshine, alcohol and five headliners.

…. Is this more than you bargained for yet?

Newcastle SU introduces cheap drug testing kits for students

Written by Charlie Spargo on . Posted in News.

In a move to ensure greater drug safety on campus, Newcastle University Students’ Union (NUSU) has become the first SU in the UK to offer kits to test for the contents of drugs to students.

For only £3 at the Union’s Advice Service students can buy a kit which can test for adulterants in drugs, using a colour changing substance that can be compared against a chart to find out what substances are really present, as part of the campaign ‘Test Your Drugs, Don’t Test Yourself’.

Each kit has tests for ecstasy and ketamine which flag up other foreign substances if they are present in the drug so as to alert the user if their drug contains a chemical other than what they were expecting, and are on offer at less than half of the retail price.

The movement to introduce these was achieved by the Newcastle arm of Students for Safer Drug Policy (SSDP), a nationwide organisation aiming to create “an open platform of discussion for drug-related issues and to develop sensible drug policies.” It recognises that unknown substances mixed in with drugs can often be more dangerous than the illegal substance itself.

“We aim to put the lives and wellbeing of young people first”, said Holly Robinson, SSDP President.

“Although drugs are illegal, statistics suggest lots of young people still use illegal drugs, and that the prevalence of this use is even higher within student communities.

“We recognise the safest way to take drugs is not to take drugs but, as some individuals will always choose to take them, we believe it is important to make information and services available to minimise the risks.”

Newcastle University reversed its zero-tolerance policy on drugs in 2015 after lobbying by SSDP. University management have welcomed the new, cheap testing kits, reinforcing that it is not condoning drug use but contributing to safety.

In recent weeks Manchester clubbers have been repeatedly warned to take extra care buying or taking drugs, following a number of incidents. Last week a 17-year-old died after taking a pink ‘Mastercard’ pill, which allegedly contains twice as much MDMA per tablet as normal. Only a few days later, two 21-year-olds were hospitalised by a red ‘Lego’ pill.

Club of the Year: Mr Scruff’s ‘Keep it Unreal’

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

Mr Scruff’s sets are veritable feasts of eclecticism. As one of the lesser known Manchester musical heroes, Scruff’s legendary ‘Keep it Unreal’ club nights have developed a deserved cult following over the last decade. To start with, Band on The Wall is a great choice of venue; aside from the levelled dance floor there was a spacious chill out zone full of sofas. Music is piped through to this room so you won’t miss anything; with Mr Scruff’s sets being as eclectic as they are, this is a godsend– you don’t want to miss a beat. I challenge you to name any other club night that has a stand selling tea, biscuits and fruit like Mr Scruff’s tea shop, alongside heavily discounted records and merchandise.
The set itself was a work of art, lasting 5 hours and spanning nearly every genre, from disco, to jazz, to reggae, to house, to reggaeton. In what would normally be a jarring mix of genres, Scruff managed to perfect craft the atmosphere and ease through each transition of style. Example: our arrival was met with Born Under A Rhyming Planet’s ambient gem ‘Analogue Heaven’ drifting seamlessly into Paul McCartney dazzling ‘Secret Friend’, the most eclectic of choices. Genius. Who knew Macca was making proto-house in 1980? Mr Scruff, that’s who.
As night approached morning, Scruff turned things up a notch with Bileo’s disco screamer ‘You Can Win’, as well as the rare cut that is Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes’ ‘Prayin’. Somehow, the atmosphere dipped at no point, even as Scruff moved into Peruvian tropical house from Quechuaboi, and into the better known ‘Disco Balls’ by Flying Lotus. As the set began to close up with 30 minutes to go, Scruff played some choice cuts from his own back catalogue including the fantastic ‘Get On Down’.
The ‘no phones on the dance floor’ policy gave the night a very relaxed vibe, as fears of being captured drooling in the side of someone else’s picture or being dazzled by camera flashes were allayed. Worryingly this also meant no Shazam. For those of us prone to FOMO, being stuck on a dancefloor with no Shazam is like being stranded in the peak district without a map, but thankfully Mr Scruff uploads all of his sets online afterwards, the code for which you are given on a card upon entry, so that the next day you have a ticket to go on an expedition across the internet discovering all of the obscure artists and labels that Scruff has so lovingly stitched together into one giant patchwork. If we can recommend one thing to do before you leave Manchester, this is it.

Gig of the Year: Grimes

Written by Mancunion on . Posted in Music.

She came, she saw, she conquered our hearts. The usually blasé and disaffected Mancunion Music team couldn’t contain themselves. They were reportedly covered in glitter, drinking a bit too much Lucozade and shouting “I LOVE YOU” in between giggles and squeals.
Flanked by three bamboozling backing dancers, the gig was an audio-visual extravaganza from beginning to end. After set opener ‘Genesis’, the set largely focused on new album Art Angels, with ‘REALiTi’, ‘Flesh Without Blood’ and ‘Scream’ following in quick succession.
Grimes’ disciples of freaks and geeks were all in attendance, looking either incredibly futuristic or incredibly dated, many managing both at the same time. Grimes herself is impossible to periodize, but she definitely looks like she’s appeared from the future. Springing between the stage and her synths and still belting out her ranging vocals. Despite the ferocity of tracks like ‘Scream’, Grimes was endearingly bashful when it came to talking to the crowd in between songs. She even swerved doing an encore as she professed to “getting so nervous coming on stage that I wouldn’t come back on”. Not that this mattered, for despite the disappointing omission of ‘California’, the show was practically perfect.
Grimes’ movement from underground to unashamed pop is telling of music at the moment; gone are the days of generic watered down indie boy bands and indie rock, and in with interesting genre spurning multi platform performers and artists. High octane, brash, colourful and exciting; this is how live music should be done. “I’ll never be your dream girl”, sang Grimes at the end of ‘Butterfly’. Claire, you will always be our dream girl.

Opinion: Rewinds

Written by Tai Kolade on . Posted in Music.

“Bound 4 the bound bound 4 the reload”… yeah Oxide and Neutrino, maybe not.

“Re-e-wind when the crowd say bo selecta”… Oh sorry Craig, can you hear that silence? Maybe it’s because the crowd never says bo selecta!

This is not a rant at old school garage, oh no, this is a rant at the rewind. Just picture it now, there you are cutting your shapes or windin’ on down and then THAT banger comes on. You know, the tune that makes you and your fellow revellers come bounding through flinging their limbs about and then… the rewind, the pull up, the reload, whatever you want to call that irritating scratching sound of the DJ spinning back the turntable. I hate it. I hate it. I hate it.

Why? For me, its always to do with the timing of which they hit reverse. As I placed the scene before, the rewind occurs at that peak of excitement, when the mix of inebriation and joy hit the special summit of euphoria and then, so suddenly, with a few flicks, it’s gone. No matter what the song is it will never rise to hit that same level of euphoria as you (Mr or Mrs DJ) so deservedly had them at and then so nonchalantly threw away. What bonus do you get from the rewind? The song’s lost its impact, and I’ve lost my exuberance. Before you had the crowd hitting the ceiling, now they barely get 3cm of air. I’m not hyped anymore… I’m not hyped anymore. You see?

Maybe I’m wrong. Do I simply not understand the use of the rewind? Are rewinds an ingrained expectation within some genres? The cries from the crowd muffle my apparent obverse distaste for it. Let’s take Grime for example. When the bars of the MC stab across the dance floor, “Everybody’s locked in like them man ah hard”, but after yet another rewind (the jockey has already done it three times already in the night), the track’s oomph is long gone. This isn’t just a problem confined to DJs, it’s infiltrating live acts too. How can Jay Z and Kanye have the audacity, I repeat, the audacity to reload ‘Niggas in Paris’ 11 times when they perform it!? (Note: they were in Paris when they did this and they did stop at a normal interlude in the song to the rewind it). You can say this is not exactly the same as DJ rewinding, but in essence, it is. It’s a form of self-indulgence that they believe that what they just played was so good we deserve to hear it again.

Doing some research, I have found that the rewind is ingrained in some music cultures. Reggae historian David Katz points to the plausible beginning for the rewind being in Jamaica 1968, where an instrumental played by Ruddy Redwood sends the crowd into hysteria. He was made to play it for 30 minutes over again and again. But this was something that the people had never experienced before, a new sound. Something that was historical. Not some bait song that you know will get a half-hearted reaction, and has been overplayed just music ten too many times.

It seems that I am not alone in my disdain. For those who support my noble quest to stop the rewinds, there is a website that stands up for our cause. Subtly named bantherewind.com, you can download pdf stickers and iron-on t-shirt labels to openly show you hate. Those who don’t want to go this far, an obnoxious “BOO!” will be enough.

United Player Ratings: Norwich City vs Manchester United

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

United fans have been looking forward to the end of the season for a while now. With top four seemingly too big a haul, the Reds rely on FA Cup glory if they are going to salvage anything from Van Gaal’s second campaign at the club. However, being the unpredictable Premier League season that it has been, United needed to take all three points from Norwich if there was any hope of Champions League football next season. Norwich, on the other hand, needed three points desperately if they were going to have any chance of staying in the top division. Two teams hanging from metaphorical cliff edges by their fingernails based on fans’ expectation; surely this was going to be a thrilling contest…

Quite the opposite. United failed to break down one of the worst defences in the league and needed to rely on a Bassong error to open the scoring. They didn’t look like scoring again afterwards and their defence was flaky to say the least. If Jerome or Mbokani were more clinical, United could have easily lost this one. Fortunately for them, Mata managed to clinch all three points with his second half strike.

Player Ratings [10 = CR7 days (good); 1 = Bebe (bad)]

De Gea: 6

Nothing to write home about for the Manchester United player of the year. Had to be alert early on to clutch Jerome’s poor header but had little to do other than that. Distribution was not his best but another clean sheet is always good.

Darmian: N/A

Was only on the pitch for 15 minutes before picking up an ankle injury which ended his game. Looked confident going forward. Van Gaal was probably ecstatic that he managed to get his full-back substitution in before the end of the first half.

Rojo: 5

Not a good day for the Argentine but not a terrible one either. Looked really hesitant in a central defensive position and was caught out early when he allowed Jerome to peel off for a free header. Seemed to hoof the ball out of the back whenever it came to him. 71 per cent pass accuracy is not good enough for Van Gaal’s pass-it-out-the-back philosophy.

Smalling: 7

Commanding as ever protecting the United goal. Won ten aerial duels, six more than the next best, Jerome. Was not fazed by the introduction of a much more physical striker in Mbokani in the second half. Played the ball out of the back comfortably and effectively. Should have scored with a header from a corner in the first half. Probably United’s most consistent player this season.

Valencia: 7

Has looked much better than his normal self in the last two seasons since coming back from injury. Was United’s most attacking player and also defended well. Linked up well with Mata and Herrera which was the much more fluid side of United’s attack. Annoyingly, the most one-footed player to ever play football.

Carrick: 6

Played averagely in front of the back four. Spread the play well to either wing but is so slow with his movement that he is reducing United’s attacking pace when in possession. Made a few good defensive contributions and was replaced by Fosu-Mensah in the final minutes.

Memphis: 3

Woeful performance. Looks really short of confidence and lacking in motivation too. Early on, he gave up on loose balls which a player like Lingard or Rashford would have harried like excitable terriers. Had the worst pass accuracy of United’s attacking players, was dispossessed the most on the pitch and didn’t have a single shot on target. Went close with a free-kick in the dying moments but something radical needs to change in the Dutchman’s mindset if he wants to achieve his well-documented potential.

Lingard: 5

Ran tirelessly as he usually does but to little effect. His passing was decent at 89% but he seemed shot of creativity. Failed to have chemistry of any sort with Memphis on the right and was too far away from Rooney to effectively link up. Hard to blame him when he is so naturally a winger. He will be looking forward to better days donning the Red and White.

Herrera: 7

Ran tirelessly to a very good effect. In the role that suits him best: box-to-box midfield. Had a worse pass accuracy % than Lingard but played a third more successful passes than the Mancunian. Added a quick tempo to United’s play and his link up with Mata on the right was very fluid; the two have a close relationship and you can tell on pitch through the chemistry and dynamic they bring to the game. Made more tackles than anyone on the pitch (6) and looked dangerous in the Canaries final third.

Mata: 7 (MOTM)

So often is he isolated on the right hand wing, however, today he made it his own. Completed more passes than any other player on the pitch with the highest pass accuracy (96%). Sprinted a solid 30 yards to get into the position to score after Rooney had seemingly run into a dead end, and what a cool finish it was. Placed on the far right had side of the pitch by Van Gaal because he wanted two energetic midfielders in the centre of the park. However, when in search for a goal, it is hard not to dream about how much more fluid a central attacking partnership of Herrera and Mata might be.

Rooney: 6

Was very isolated up front by himself, which caused him to drop deep and look for the ball meaning that United played the majority of the match without a striker. Rooney struggles to make any runs past defenders and so his evolution into a midfielder makes much more sense now that his pace has gone. His touch was as abysmal as it gets; every ball sprayed towards him seemed to bounce off his shin into the path of a Norwich defender. Under pressure, both Rashford and Martial have shown that they are much more composed than the Scouser is. That being said, he did set the goal up on a plate for Mata (and later Schneiderlin), however, I am not sure if that way Rooney’s plan when he failed to take two shooting opportunities.

Subs

Borthwick-Jackson: 6

Came on for the injured Darmian and put some excellent crosses into the penalty area in the second half, unfortunately no-one made the effort to get onto the end of them. Put in a good shift defensively, shutting out Redmond who looked lively at the start.

Schneiderlin: N/A

Replaced Lingard in the 78th minute and managed to string a few passes together. Had a great opportunity to make it 2-0 but skewed the ball wide of the far post.

Fosu-Mensah: N/A

Made a cameo in midfield (apparently his strongest position) in the final five minutes but did not manage to impact the game enough.

 

Looking Forward

The Red Devils are going to need to put in a much more convincing performance against West Ham on Tuesday if any hope of retaining Champions League football is realistic. The Hammers lost against Swansea dramatically on Saturday but it is unlikely that they will put in as bad a performance as that against Manchester United, as it is their final ever game at the Boleyn Ground before moving into the Olympic stadium next season. Rashford, Blind and (hopefully) Martial will return to the starting eleven to make a stronger, more dynamic showing against the Hammers.

 

All statistic from WhoScored.com

Rio 2016: Worst Olympics ever?

Written by Jeremy Smith on . Posted in Sport, Uncategorised.

Marc Leishman is probably not the first name which comes to mind when arguing against the Rio 2016 Olympics. However, by the time of the posturing and the ceremony of the 2016 Rio Olympics is in full swing his name could very well be the most important, since Leishman, the 32-year-old Australian golfer, has officially decided to pull out of participating in the 2016 Games. Leishman has pulled out stating concerns about the Zika virus which he fears he could transmit to his wife who has a poor immune system. While this withdrawal will likely not bring the Games to a grinding halt it does raise the question as to whether the 2016 Rio Olympics will be a failure.

For the Leishman issue is merely a microcosm for greater concerns surrounding the Olympics and the Zika virus. Russia’s Sports minister Vitaly Mutko recently expressed that the Russian athletes were particular vulnerable to these diseases because of impact their heavy training system has on immune systems. Furthermore it is not just the Zika virus which is a cause for health risk for athletes and spectators. In December 2015 the Associated Press confirmed that virus levels in the waters intended for sailing events were widespread and showed no signs of abating. Therefore the tropical climate which Brazil is renowned for could in fact be its very own undoing in its attempts to host a successful games. Indeed the rowers could most be at risk from these appalling sanitary conditions with many having to get polio and hepatitis a jabs before travelling to Brazil with the Brazil Olympics committee conceding that the water will not be clean in time for the games and that indeed there is a significant risk of infection.

Yet health issues are not the only problems which Brazil indeed ironically at a time of crisis when strong political leadership is needed the Brazilian political system is offering just the opposite. The political instability in Brazil is ferocious and partisan with the vote for impeachment looming. There is a distinct possibility within the next week that a vote could be passed impeaching its Current Prime Minister Dilma Roussef. The ramifications this vote would have for Brazil especially leading up to the Olympics is huge. The Olympics can be an opportunity to place your country at the fulcrum of the world stage and potentially draw huge economic benefits as well as a sense of national unity. Indeed in the previous two Olympic held in London and Beijing while they both served different purposes both did manage to unite the country briefly around the idea of showing the best of what its counties had to offer. However in Brazil this expectation is becoming unrealistic due to the impeachment crisis which has essentially politically halved the country. The incumbent Prime Minster Roussef represents the Workers party, who have been dominant in Brazil for the last decade and whose follower’s ae loyally devotional. Yet in wake of impeachment it seems that she cannot dodge these allegations of corruption resulting in deeply divided country.

This political division has potential to have deeply negative ramifications in every process of the Olympics. Firstly you will have the deeply awkward moments during the opening ceremony where Dilma, even if impeached and barred from public office, will be bearing the Olympic flame as Brazil’s political representative. Furthermore in this political climate it is far less likely that the ebullient nature and spirit of goodwill of the London Olympics will be felt on the streets of Rio. Indeed it is of the wide scale corruption alleged in the Oderbrecht case which exemplifies the distrust between the Brazilian public and its apparatus charged with delivering the games. Oderbrecht is a company which is charged with building the rail service from the beach to the Olympic park yet it was discovered that a lot of the money given to Oderbrecht to build this infrastructure had been pocketed by politicians. It is instances such as this which have caused such outrage on the streets of Rio. Indeed the overseas spectators heading to Rio expecting its famed carnival atmosphere may be in for a rude shock following the political crises which have emerged preceding the games. Moreover it is not just political unrest which will be pervasive in Rio this summer many favelas have been displaced to outer suburbs, committing many human rights violations and it is a possibility that if you’re a spectator at the games you’re chances of interacting with the vibrant culture of the people of Rio are significantly diminished.

Previous Olympic Games have always been meant to serve a purpose, London’s in 2012 was intended to inspire a new generation to take up sport, Beijing in 2008 to announce China’s dominance as a world power. Rio will be looking to emulate the example of Beijing in 2008 however the preparations so far can be considered to be verging on disastrous. No doubt when the Olympics starts the people of Rio will attempt to be enthusiastic about a sporting event which could provide enhanced transport links and a chance for Brazil to display itself on the world stage. However considering the political division, widespread corruption and human rights violations present in its planning having such enthusiasm may be a hard task.

A United Perspective: Manchester United vs Leicester City

Written by Magnus Henderson on . Posted in Sport.

Manchester United hosted the league leaders, Leicester City, on Sunday for potentially one of the most important football matches in recent history. Three points for the Foxes would clinch them the title. In a world where finance now dominates football and investment is paramount for silverware, the rise of Leicester has been truly absurd. The most hotly-contested league in the world, which contains many of the richest clubs, is being led by a team which was promoted in 2014 and rock-bottom of the Premier League a year and a half ago.

It is already being debated, but if Leicester do win the league, it would probably be the biggest underdog success story in modern football. And so the fairytale continues; the Foxes needed to beat the team with the most Premier League trophies in England to obtain their first. United came back from Vardy’s record-breaking strike at the King Power to draw 1-1 in November, and needed to get three points off them the second time round if their push for top four was realistic.

Before the game it was hard to pin either team as favourites. United have performed much better recently, winning four in a row since their defeat to Tottenham, and have looked progressive in an attacking sense too. Leicester rolled over a poor Swansea team last weekend but did not look comfortable when they were tested by West Ham prior to that, needing a last-minute penalty to snatch a draw.

United yet again lined up in the 4-1-4-1 formation which has brought the team the most success in the past two seasons. The only change from the dramatic win over Everton in the FA Cup semi-final was Valencia in for Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right back. That meant that Fellaini and Rojo retained their places in the team, to the fans’ dismay; while the former did have one of his better games against Everton, his poor touch and lack of mobility slows down United’s attacking potency.

The likes of Ander Herrera allow United a more fluid offence. Rojo, like the Belgian, has had a pretty inconsistent season, and most of his best performances have not been exceedingly impressive. Borthwick-Jackson has seemingly disappeared from the first team squad despite looking very composed and creative for a 19-year-old; the young Mancunian helped the under-21s win their respective league on the 19th of April but has not been involved with the senior squad since.

Rooney once again took up his new box-to-box role alongside Fellaini, flanked by the youthful trio of Martial on the left, Lingard on the right and Rashford up top. The more experienced trio of Blind, Smalling and De Gea made up the heart of defence as usual and Carrick was instructed to dictate play from deep.

United began the quicker of the two sides, penning Leicester in their own half by winning the ball high up the pitch and probing with their wingers and wingbacks on both flanks. In the eight minute the Reds broke through Leicester’s typically solid defence. Lingard and Valencia combined down the right before the right-back clipped in an outside-of-the-foot cross to the back post where Martial side-footed in the opener.

The Frenchman’s new chant rang around the Stretford End, as it had done outside Wembley the weekend before; “Tony Martial came from France, the English press said he had no chance, 50 million down the drain, Tony Martial scores again”. It’s classy enough to even make the neutrals smile.

United continued to press Leicester relentlessly high up the pitch, which made them susceptible to counterattacks. Kanté was instrumental in breaking up United’s attacks in front of their penalty area while Drinkwater attempted to spread the play wide to Mahrez or forward to Ulloa and Okazaki.

Lingard should have scored shortly after the first goal, however he was denied by a fantastic reaction save from Kasper Schmeichel. Leicester grew in confidence and won a free kick to the left of the United area in the 16th minute. Drinkwater capitalised by clipping a cross into the mixer for Morgan to outmuscle and outjump Rojo for the equaliser.

Flares were lit in the Leicester end and partying ensued. The match played out with Leicester happy conceding possession—65 per cent by the end of the game—and hitting United on the break. The Reds were unable to up the tempo enough break through the tight defence. Both sides could have given away penalties; Rojo left a leg out for Mahrez to go over while Drinkwater pulled back Depay. The latter was sent off for a second yellow but Michael Oliver placed the foul outside of the box, controversially so. The game petered out as some predicted. Both teams have very good defensive records and that was proved in the second half.

One of the best moments of the match came after the final whistle. Leicester players applauded their travelling fans and so left the pitch after the United players. As the Foxes walked towards the tunnel, the remaining United fans inside Old Trafford respectfully gave them a standing ovation. Not often are club prejudices forgotten, but appreciation was deserved for their unbelievable achievements this season.

Ranieri smartly did not play to win, knowing with so little left of the season that a point would be valuable, even though three points would have won them the title. The result practically ends United’s chances of Champions League football next season, even though Manchester City lost. United fans had clearly accepted this with their chants towards the end of the match about Wembley, the only way to salvage some positivity from this season.

Galactico heartache for City, but now they face Arsenal

Written by Harry Newton on . Posted in Sport.

Heartache in the Sun

Wednesday saw Manchester City make history as they appeared in their first Champions League semi-final (second leg), however the game in Madrid was somewhat marred by a lacklustre performance from the blues, as Real Madrid were the victors in the match and City were outplayed. There was only one goal over the two legs, which was a deflected cross from Gareth Bale, which meant that despite City not playing the best they could they still only needed one goal to go through to the final of the competition. Fernandinho in the first half came very close to hitting the post, and Sergio Agüero sprung into life in the second half to shoot from distance and just skim over the top of the crossbar. The midfield pairing of Fernando and Fernandinho that worked well in the first half of the first leg a week before, was joined by Yaya Touré back from injury in a hope to bolster the midfield. But it was Luka Modrić who won the midfield battle, despite Sergio Agüero dropping deep for most of the game to try and help his midfield friends out. It must be said that this game will not make Yaya Touré’s season highlights video.

This summer there will presumably be a bit of a sale on at City, as many of the first team squad will see their careers at the club come to an end, meaning that this game would have been their last chance to make progress and get to the Champions League Final with the Blues. The players may be downhearted about this missed opportunity, but the fans shouldn’t be. The players leaving will be replaced by an injection of a younger crop striving to make even more history in the competition. Reaching the semi-finals was a landmark that will only help the club in the future of this competition, despite how this may not feel like a positive in the direct aftermath of the game.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Big week for the Top Four

Not making it through to the Champions League Final means that there is only one way that City can qualify for the Champions League next season—by finishing in the top four this season. Currently they are sitting happily in fourth place, but a big week in the race for Champions League football is ahead of us! Third place Arsenal travel to Manchester to play fourth place City, and fifth place Manchester United will be facing sixth place West Ham on Tuesday at Upton Park for the stadium’s last Premier League game. All four sides are still within a shot of getting in the top four, and with these being the penultimate fixtures of the season, the advantage will go to whichever sides come out on top in these games.

Vincent Kompany

Captain Vincent Kompany only managed three games this time after coming back from injury, as he trudged off in the first ten minutes of the Champions League semi-final in Madrid, to be replaced by Eliaquim Mangala. He became the first player in Champions League history to be substituted twice within the first ten minutes of a game in the competition, but that isn’t the record he was hoping to break on Wednesday evening. Prior to the first leg in the competition Kompany was expressing how he describes his injuries as “comebacks” due to the astonishing amount of times he has managed to pull up his socks again, put on his boots, and get back in the City team playing top quality football. Kompany will be hoping to do the same again next season and get a good pre-season of fitness behind him, as it’s certain he’s played his last game this season. Whether he goes to the European Championship with Belgium is a different matter. Despite being captain of the national side, now is a time for Kompany to consider his future and try to regain the fitness he once had.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Arsenal

The North London side have seen Spurs leapfrog them this season for the first time in what seems like forever, sparking mass outcries from the fans and protests for Arsène Wenger to leave the club. The Gunners may have consistently finished in the top four since the Tyrannosaurus Rex became extinct, but they haven’t mounted a successful title challenge since Bruce Forsyth turned twelve, three hundred years ago. City will be hoping to take advantage of the Arsenal fans’ protests at The Etihad on Sunday for the 4pm kick off, and leave them behind in fourth place.

Héctor Bellerín was named in the PFA Team of the Year last week, when Riyad Mahrez picked up his gong for player of the season, so he will be a tough nut to crack down the left wing for either Jesús Navas, Raheem Sterling, Kevin de Bruyne, or ex-Arsenal man Samir Nasri if he proves fit enough. Not only that though, as the pacey right-back will pour his efforts into a quick counter-attack whenever the moment arises. He is one of the quickest players in the league so Gaël Clichy will have to be eagle-eyed to stop him giving his side the advantage. Arsenal have a wealth in attacking flare that City will have to concentrate on if they are to out-strength the Londoners—but they do have a weakness at the back that could be exploited. City’s seven-game unbeaten run in all competitions was put to an end by Southampton last Sunday, and stretched to another loss at the hands of Real Madrid, so you’d like to think that the players will be up for this game and give the fans something to sing for in the last home fixture of the season.

Last Time

Arsenal won 2-0 in January last year when they last came to Manchester. City fans will remember this game for a dodgy penalty. Perhaps revenge is in order.

Final Farewells

With Pep Guardiola arriving in the coming weeks, this will be Manuel Pellegrini’s penultimate game for Manchester City—and his final game at The Etihad. The Chilean took over the club from Roberto Mancini and has since won two Capital One Cups, the Barclays Premier League, and reached a Champions League semi-final. When you add this to the fact that he boasts the most impressive win percentage for a Manchester City manager, it is obvious that Pellegrini will forever remain in the memories of the City fans. However, the time has come for change, so on Sunday the City faithful will in no doubt be in fine spirit singing the name of their beloved manager who made history with the club!

Although nothing has been confirmed by the club, various sources suggest that there may be a few players leaving the club in the summer that have been at City for some time. Pablo Zabaleta and Yaya Touré are two names that are constantly popping up in the press as players who are considering their future with the club. Both are over the age of 30 and past their best years for The Blues, it’s certainly possible that this may also be their last game at The Etihad Stadium as a Manchester City player. Touré has scored countless important goals, including the only goal in the 2011 FA Cup Final when City won their first trophy in 35 years, and Zabaleta has become a City favourite since his transfer to the club in 2008, so both will no doubt get a great reaction from the fans.

Prediction

Manchester City 1-1 Arsenal

With the title already decided, the top four competition has gripped the nation, so it only makes sense for this game to end inconclusively and leave everyone on the edge of their seats on the final day of the season. Plus, I’ve got Mesut Özil in my fantasy team and I’m still sitting in second place!