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Day: 22 November 2016

Live: Tom Odell

Written by Jay Plent on . Posted in Music.

9th November at O2 Apollo

6/10

At the time of writing, Donald Trump is president. Whilst this may seem irrelevant, it is in fact hugely important, because it was on the day of this announcement that Tom Odell descended on Manchester to perform, continuing the tour for his latest album Wrong Crowd.

In short, his audience needed a pick-me-up (or a celebration, depending on their political opinion), and Odell delivered a set that impressed, dishing out tracks like ‘Another Love’, ‘Grow Old With Me’ and ‘Concrete’ to massive applause.

His band was an intriguing variety of backing vocalists, dual drummers and guitars, and their energy and enthusiasm for stagecraft echoed that of Odell’s. There was plenty in the way of tension; the moodiness of Odell’s first and second albums was not lost live, as the band often stepped back to allow for the man himself to ramp up the tension with a gentle nudge of audience participation.

But at times the set felt padded out. Most of the tracks ended with an elongated breakdown and build up to an additional chorus, and though this was effective the first time, after the third or fourth it felt played out and a little predictable. The audience lapped it up though, as audiences do in the spur of the moment, but at times the audience themselves were the most entertaining part of the evening.

As you can imagine, nothing quite kills the mood of a carefully constructed build up than a thick northern accent screaming ‘go on Tom lad’ on the upbeat of every climax. However, unlike the build-ups themselves, this did not stop being entertaining with repetition. For an artist with such a subdued sound, it was a surprisingly rowdy audience, a trait which Odell, to his credit, was quick to take advantage of.

Given the events of the day, it was inevitable that Odell would put in some flippant remark about the American presidential election. Whilst it felt a little forced when he began, ending his speech with the wonderfully cathartic line “he may be the most powerful man in the world, but he’s still a c**t”, was subversively funny, especially given that there was a child definitely no older than 9 years standing a foot away from me.

Overall, Tom Odell put on a convincing performance, which was definitely enhanced by the unique Manchester crowd. Tensions were high, sing-alongs were had, but ultimately Odell’s lack of compositional variety made the show enjoyable, but unremarkable.

A student life: the student journalist

Written by Jacob Nicholas on . Posted in Features.

Eliza Slawther is softly spoken, but this belies intelligence and determination. She’s hard working — not content to let The Mancunion be like any other paper — and has plans and ambitions far beyond what you would expect from the average student journalist.

First, I asked Eliza what her role in The Mancunion entails: “I’m the head film editor, so I just edit the film section along with my deputy… I decide what goes in each week and I guess I have the final say.”

Eliza’s using her position to try and make the film section more diverse and interesting. “Mostly it’s film reviews,” she told me, “but I’m trying to move away from that a little bit because its good for us to cover all the film things that we can… We got an interview with a director that was really interesting, we got to send someone to do that and we’re also covering the Manchester film festival and we do sort of previews and things”

Furthermore, Eliza is working on making a uniquely UoM film section: “I’m trying to get more up and coming film makers and try and work with them, like we got contacted by someone who used to be a student here and they’ve made a film about the jungle in Calais, so we’re going to write about that.”

All this effort to make a section unlike any other is to make it, “interesting for students, because that is our main readership.” Eliza told me, emphasising that “if someone’s already read a review of all the main films that are out there’s no point picking up The Mancunion and reading all the same things again.”

I asked Eliza whether this emphasis on a unique identity should extend to the rest of the paper, “Yeah definitely,” she answered, “because otherwise we’re like every other newspaper and that’s not what we want, we want to have our own student voice.”

Eliza also emphasised the importance of carrying out our own investigations, “because then it’s like with news and stuff you’re not just regurgitating articles that have already been written, you’re actually going out and finding your own information. It’s annoying because we’re all at university so we can’t just be running off to looking in to things but when we can it’s really important to be doing that.”

I then asked what made her get involved in student media in the first place, “I sort of thought I wanted to be a journalist but I wasn’t really sure,” she replied, “and then I ended up editing for a different newspaper and kind of enjoyed it but I felt a bit detached, because there wasn’t an office and it wasn’t based around our university so I thought I’d come here and have a go at it and then I really enjoyed it.”

And is film journalism something she’d consider a career in? “Maybe yeah, I think in general just entertainment journalism is kind of my thing.” But Eliza is not just limiting herself to writing about any one thing just yet, “I’ve been trying to write for the different sections of the newspaper, like news and lifestyle and everything to just try and get a bit of a breadth, which I think is really important for anyone who wants to do journalism. You need to spread yourself out.”

We spoke briefly about the role of Mancunion on campus. Eliza reckoned that because “the university is so big that it’s the only way students get to find out stuff that’s happening in the university, like the fight that broke out in the SU that we’re covering, I thought that was the sort of thing you’d only read here really.”

This extended to a discussion on whether The Mancunion should focus on wider issues or be more university-centric, “I think we should focus on both,” Eliza told me, “I think maybe just the fact that students are writing it means it’s always going to have a focus on students, because it’s always going to be written from our perspective and also if something happens it’ll always be how it impacts us I suppose.”

But this student focus should not mean The Mancunion does not look at wider issues, as it will not be long until they affect us too. “We’re the next generation, and in a few years we’ll be the ones who have proper jobs and everything and be sort of real grownups.”

And is student media important for wider society, not just students? “Yeah I think it really is,” Eliza responded: “Mainstream newspapers, especially when they’re written by older generations, they aren’t really that current with what’s going on in student life and I think their perception of students is quite different and sometimes students get painted in a bad light I suppose, like especially with things like housing and in Fallowfield with the parties and stuff, the mainstream newspapers present it as the students’ fault whereas with student media you get a chance to say ‘well actually this is our perspective on it.’”

Eliza also pointed out that current students will be the major journalists of the future, and writing of a student paper is “one of the only gateways into journalism, because it’s very difficult to get the same level of work experience on a normal newspaper.”

We then spoke about The Mancunion’s relationship with the university, and once again the answer came down to making a unique paper. “I think that it’s The Mancunion’s responsibility to report on things that are happening not just in the union but at the actual university, and that’s why we do the interviews with Nancy Rothwell and people like that, because where else are people going to read about it?

“Like with the freedom of information requests we can put in to the university I think we’re the only newspaper who would really report on that. So I think it’s important we keep a good relationship with the university, and report on all the great things they do, but also sort of investigate a bit and find out where our money’s going, things like that.”

I asked Eliza about The Mancunion’s relationship with the Students Union, in particular if she thought perceptions of the paper as a tool of the union are true or fair, “I don’t think [they’re] true, because anyone can write for the Mancunion who’s a student here, so it’s not like we’d ever not put out an article unless there was some major problem with it, but we put out articles with all sorts of people’s opinions, like right wing, left wing, anything and leave it open to discussion.

“So I think we’re not a tool of the union, we’re a tool of the students if anything. We will publish articles by the exec team but we’ll also publish articles that disagree with them. And that’s all part of the press I suppose, having discussions, sometimes heated ones… I think maybe there’s always a little bit of tension”

Is enabling students to have these discussions an important part of The Mancunion? “Yeah I think that definitely one of the main roles of the paper is to allow students to debate issues but in an educated way, or in a way that they’re actually writing their opinions out thoughtfully rather than just shouting or on social media. I think that’s what it should be used for. Not for really mean, insidious comments made towards just because people disagree with each other but somewhere where people can just have a civilised debate.”

And finally, the obvious question for a film editor – favourite film? “Oh my gosh that’s so on the spot! Probably Requiem for a Dream, I love that film. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Withnail and I, that’s a very hilarious film. I really liked The Lobster, which is not really a big one that I think most people say but that’s definitely in there. I’m not sure know what else. I feel like I’m one of those people that have loads of favourite films but I feel like I don’t have a favourite, it depends what mood I’m in. I mean it would be quite strange if I was film editor and I had one film that I was really settled on.”

Course: English Literature, third year

From: “Warrington, it’s about twenty minutes from Manchester, so pretty local!”

Balance of Uni life/Society life: “I’ve got myself into a lot of things this year! I do peer mentoring, I’m on the English Lit committee for the society, I’m the treasurer for that, and also do The Mancunion and work at the SU, so I feel like I never leave here, I’m here all the time. But it’s actually really helpful, I just have to time manage very well and make sure I dedicate enough time to everything, and I just try and get in to uni a bit earlier than I need to every day and stay a bit later and I feel it really helps.”

Worst bit: “When the deadline comes each week for the print paper worrying about other people to get their articles in, so having to rely on writers because if they’re too busy I’ve got to write something up and that can be quite stressful.”

Best bit: “Just how rewarding it is every week seeing a finished newspaper and it just feels great to see pieces in print.”

Where do you see yourself in 15 years time? “I’ll be 35 then so hopefully in some kind of job I enjoy! Hopefully to do with writing, or I’d love to be in the film or TV industry but that would take a while to break into. Although fifteen years, I’ve got time! So yeah film or TV but still doing writing on the side. Production or directing hopefully”

How to get involved: “Well it depends which section you want to write for, if you want to write for all of them or some of them. Just come along to the meetings, all the times are on the website, or if you can’t make the meeting then just send an email to the relevant section, and join the Facebook pages because that’s where everyone posts all the information!”

Preview: The Frost Fair

Written by Laura Joyce on . Posted in Arts.

With only five weeks left to do your last-minute shopping, visit the Manchester Christmas Markets, and get yourselves home for holidays, it is time to get festive. Well, the University of Manchester’s Whitworth Art Gallery have it covered.

This December, the Whitworth will become a Scandinavian wonderland for just one exclusive weekend, hosting a plethora of free events.The inspiration behind this exciting event has come from the Danish word ‘Hygge’. It means tradition, cosiness and warmth, as well as surrounding yourself with friends and family.

The Whitworth said: “The Frost Fair promotes art and togetherness, encouraging gallery visitors, the local community, and members of the whole family to come together and enjoy winter at the Whitworth.”

At the most wonderful time of the year, how better to celebrate with your loved ones than ice-skating. That’s right, an environmentally sustainable ice rink will be just one of the free activities available in this two-day shindig.

Short films, including images of the infamous Northern Lights, will be screened on an outdoor cinema in the Art Garden. There will be mulled wine, hot chocolate, craft ales, international street food, and even live music just to keep that festive magic in the air.

Walk The Plank, arguably the UK’s most outstanding outdoor arts companies, will also be performing an array of theatre forms in their performance of ‘The Ice Queen & Ice Queen’s Courtyard’. Taking place on the Sculpture Terrace, the display will involve puppetry and light displays. A play on the anonymity of ice and fire, this is sure to be an exciting performance from the ever-innovative theatre company.

Finally, on Sunday evening, there will be a spectacular fire and fireworks show to bring this ultimate Christmas weekend to a close.

So, I think we can give Santa Claus a rest this year — the Whitworth have it sorted.

The Frost Fair: 3 – 4 December 2016, 11am – 7pm

Chicken Katsu Curry

Written by Lily Carden on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Serves 2
Oven at 180˚C
prep time 20 mins
cook time 30 mins

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
Seasoned flour on a plate
1 beaten egg
Breadcrumbs
Butter
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2tsp medium curry powder
1tbsp plain flour
300ml chicken stock
1tsp honey
1tbsp soy sauce
¼tsp garam masala
Cooked rice to serve

Originally I made a healthy version of chicken katsu curry, baking the chicken with only a tiny spray of oil, but then I realised that sometimes only butter will do! Now, I pan fry the breadcrumbed chicken to get the golden colour and then bake in in the oven to make sure that it’s cooked through. It’s a great meal and really straightforward to make. For those who don’t like spice – this is as mild a curry as you can get, but no less flavourful for it.

Prepare the chicken: place the seasoned flour on a plate next to a bowl with the beaten egg and then a plate with breadcrumbs. Coat the chicken breasts first with the flour, then the egg and finally the breadcrumbs. Fry them in butter for a few minutes on each side, adding more butter as necessary. Place on an oven tray and put in the oven as you start simmering the sauce.

Gently sweat the diced onion and carrot in a pan with some oil and the lid on for 10 minutes, until soft. Add the curry powder and flour to the vegetables and then slowly pour in the stock, mixing all the time so it doesn’t go lumpy. Add the soy sauce and honey and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce but not stick to the bottom and disappear — add a little water if you feel there’s not enough liquid partway through. Stir the garam masala and any seasoning you would like through the sauce.

You now have three options: 1) leave the sauce as it is, you’ll have a lumpy sauce but it will still taste great, 2) strain the sauce so that it is smooth with not vegetable bits in it, 3) blend the sauce using a stick blender, this is my favourite method as you keep the healthy veg but lose the unsightly lumps.

Serve the chicken and curry sauce with rice. Try to use chopsticks if you can!

Rachel Maclean: ‘Wot u :-) about?’ at HOME

Written by Georgia Welch on . Posted in Arts.

Since opening its doors to the public in 2015, HOME Manchester has truly expanded its artistic horizons, building on the well established cinema audiences it garnered back when it was known as the Cornerhouse, and providing a platform for the most ambitious and unusual artists to showcase their work in the fantastic exhibition space it boasts alongside its theatre and cinema screens.

Out of the more peculiar exhibitions it has hosted since its inception, Rachel Maclean’s brash, original and slightly terrifying new exhibition, Wot u 🙂 about? surely takes the crown as one of the most exciting.

Acclaimed 1987-born Scottish artist, Rachel Maclean, received her BA in Drawing and Painting from Edinburgh College of Art, and will represent Scotland at the 2017 Venice Benniale.

Her newest work vividly explores the concept of happiness and self-esteem, even infusing it with a subtle commentary on the nature of technology as a means of validation. In the social media-focused world we live in, much of the artistic and televisual critique of technology we are exposed to is often generic and a little tired in its message.

Yet, Rachel Maclean’s mixed media approach and use of garish colour palettes helps to mimic the gaudy, wholesome aesthetic of children’s television, creating something altogether more unsettling and creative than we’re used to seeing.

The exhibition itself contains a range of different mediums. The wall hanging exhibits, ‘We Want Data!’ provide our initial introduction to the bizarre setting Maclean has created. Perhaps the most prominent piece was the 30-minute short film ‘It’s What’s Inside That Counts’ being projected onto three separate screens, drawing from the audience’s first encounter with this unnerving world.

Combining the bold and sickly sweet visuals of her physical pieces with undertones of nightmarish fantasy violence, the film examines the overarching concepts of transitioning between childhood and adulthood, and happiness as a commercial product — themes which are carried throughout the entirety of the exhibition.

The collection of individual 3D sculptures are yet another manifestation of this theme. They take the form of large yellow children’s TV-style monsters, visibly decaying and rotting as if to suggest the negative impact of attempting to achieve acceptance and be yourself as a teenager, yet constantly being plagued by the relentless pressure to act in a certain way by those around us.

They may be ideas we are familiar with, but Wot u 🙂 about? is a true accomplishment in terms of bringing unforgettable visual novelty and cerebral twists to a well-established topic, so be sure to catch it at HOME while you have the chance.

Wot u 🙂 about? at HOME Manchester – 29 Oct 2016 – 8 Jan 2017

Review: After Love

Written by Alasdair Bayman on . Posted in Film.

L’economie du couple — translated as After Love — hides no subliminal meanings in its title. In evoking a sense of pastness, the translated title benefits the overriding themes of melancholy in the film. Yet, behind the self-explanatory title, one finds a still introspective look into a domestic space that has plummeted from the dizzy heights of love into the realms of despair and hatred.

Set in the elegant home of divorcing couple Marie (Bèrènice Bejo) and Boris (Cédric Kahn), Joachim Lafosse’s ninth feature does not shy away from outlining the complications and degeneration of divorce and love. Both Marie and Boris have invested significant time and money into their outwardly idyllic home for their two identical twins, Jade and Margaux (Jade Soentjens & Margaux Soentjens). Boris, an architect, has designed and constructed the house himself, whilst Marie has paid out of her parent’s trust fund for all bills and materials used by Boris in the house’s construction. The fundamental crux of the divorce settlements lays in an even share of the house’s sale money — to which Marie is less than happy to do. This crux also serves as a narrative deterrent to siding with either Boris or Marie as both parties have applicable claims for more money than originally proposed.

Within the mise-en-scene, Lafosse chooses to adopt luscious peaceful whites in the home as a juxtaposition towards the internal struggles found in the adult’s divorce. However, both Bejo and Kahn give composed performances as the eponymous couple who have fallen out of love. The tender care that was once held between the two is there to see in the literal creation of their daughters, but more important can be felt in the numerous peculiar interactions between the two — including an unexpected sexual encounter. The subtlest of body movements in Bejo and Kahn’s performance depict Marie and Boris’s resentment towards their precarious situation. Still, their former love is captured in a poignant diegetic dance sequence, alongside their two charming twins. One of the film’s most powerful scenes, Lafosse channels Girlhood in a liberation and an expulsion of narrative and deep personal tension in this sequence. Modern life, in this instance, has dealt them a very bizarre and unfortunate hand.

Cinematographer Jean-Francois Hensgens delivers a striking suture into the couple’s life that alongside the natural deliverance and writing of dialogue delivers verisimilitude. In this reality, arguments between the couple, which vary from banality to the contemplative, are built towards effortlessly. For most of the duration, Hensgens and Lafosse make a conscious effort to avoid cutting away from the house itself. A significant lack of quick editing or long shots presents a tangible element towards the tension between Marie and Boris. In the latter stages of the narrative, however, a movement away from the household is formed.

Not only does this impact an overall reception of the film, but impacts a critical one. Lafosse’s inability to retain his initial artistic approach degrades the film, alongside its conclusion. Using a soft piano score — which is now a cliché of French cinema — also approximates criticism. Although this contributes to despondency, its incorporation feels somewhat tiresome in our cultural moment of art-house cinema.

What After Love shows us is the sheer destruction of a modern day divorce. Transgressing a Disney fairy-tale view of life and love, Lafosse’s world is unsympathetic and degrading to the individual. The verisimilitude at hand contributes to a complexity in the film; one that confronts its subject matter head on. Adult life is difficult, and After Love is not afraid to show this. Its courage of subject matter and overall execution make it a necessity to be viewed and discussed in light of recent cultural moments.

4/5

Review: The Blue Blue Sea

Written by Beth Armstrong on . Posted in Theatre.

With only three white chairs and a monochrome backdrop of a non-descript tower block, the staged reading of The Blue Blue Sea manages to conjure a tangible and depressive world through speech alone, reflecting the strength of Nis Momme Stockmann’s writing in this bare boned performance. Combined with the brilliantly sharp deliverance of the three actors, David Judge, Katie West, and Reuben Johnson — they give life to such a well-crafted script.

The protagonist Darko (Judge) is a deeply troubled young man and alcoholic who is shackled to his council estate but is fascinated by the stars that hang above it, though these he swears are impossible to see here. When he meets Motte (West) the estate’s teenage prostitute, equally as fixated on the blue blue sea of Norway, the pair do not so much as fall hopefully in love, but form a deep connection based on the flickering of hope they see in one another.

Motte, or moth in English, is attracted by the paradoxical light of Darko, though amid the darkness of their estate, this is not enough to save them. Nor is it enough to save Darko’s friend Ulrika, abused by her father, and literally pushed over the edge of one of the tower blocks by despair. But the play severs all false sentimentality with Darko’s bitter speech about the suffering of the rest of his neighbours, jabbing his finger at various anonymous windows in the backdrop.

We understand then that tragedy is nothing new to the estate, as common as the grey slate, the drug dealers and the ‘German and Russian kids spitting on the Turkish’.

The Blue Blue Sea is performed as part of HOME’s Berlin Now festival, and we can see subtle hints to this infamous city through David Tushingham’s clever translation; the ‘screen’ on Darko’s train refers to the looped newsreel on the Berliner Fenster of the U-Bahn, or ‘underground’ as the translation uses, effectively universalising the play.

This could very well be London, or even Manchester given Judge’s thick accent. His closing plea of ‘This isn’t Africa or South America. This is Germany, Motte’ comes as a minor shock as we are reminded of the play’s setting, though the situation of the characters is so recognisable to us, it only drives home the message of the ubiquitous nature of social disenfranchisement even in the world’s wealthiest countries.

The play’s bleak tone is broken occasionally by the comedic timing of Johnson who plays a series of chorus characters, switching effortlessly between Darko’s perpetually inebriated sidekick, a walking example of the apex of alcoholism, and a typically no-nonsense German security guard, representative of apathetic authority.

However, moments of tenderness do manage to puncture the desolation: one particularly touching scene occurs where Motte nonchalantly strips her clothes to reveal the scars on her back. ‘They’re beautiful’ marks Darko, with the surety that comes with stating a fact. But sadly the love of the young couple cannot compete against the ‘machine’ of the estate, and the blue blue sea is never glimpsed but remains for them forever a mirage.

Review: Portraits in Motion

Written by Kai Turner on . Posted in Theatre.

A lone spotlight falls upon Volker Gerling, he pulls a flip book from the mound assembled by his side and, as the pages rush by, projected onto the screen is the moving image of shy but smiling woman. So begins our journey into the intriguing world of Gerling and the many strangers he has encountered from his travels throughout Germany.

Whilst at first encounter the thought of one and a half hours of looking at flipbooks may not seem the most exciting way to spend a Saturday night, it does not take long from the moment Gerling begins to tell his unique story to become absorbed in his fantastical world.

Beginning his ambles in 2003, Gerling has since walked over 3,500km throughout Germany. As he moves from one place to the next he carries his flipbooks as a ‘moving exhibition’ which he invites passers-by to look at if they wish. He asks nothing but for each viewer to offer a donation if they enjoy what they see, and it is from these donations that Gerling pays his way, claiming he needs just €5 a day to afford all that he needs.

Gerling’s journey began when, whilst studying at art school, he decided that his chosen medium would be “Daumenkino,” or “thumb cinema” and began learning the craft of the flipbook.

He tells the story of his first attempt at composing a flipbook in which one of his friends walked through a forest from one tree to the next. As uneventful as it may sound, a lack in communication concerning the direction of the walking saw the affair end in a sudden outburst of tears, itself humorously caught on camera.

It is safe to say that since this first failed attempt, Gerling has more than mastered the art of the flipbook.

In the sparing 10-second bursts of each flip book, the individuals we meet transform from strange faces into people brimming with character. This is the power of Gerling’s artistry in capturing the essences of all those he chooses to photograph, and by the end of the show it is hard not to feel as though you have gained twenty-odd new friends.

It is clear why ‘Portraits in Motion’ won the Total Award for Innovation and Playing with Form at Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as it turns the unassuming flip book into a new form of art.

In a world in which we are so diluted with media, it becomes easy to skim from one image to the next without absorbing what is there. Yet ‘Portraits in Motion’ forces the audience to sit still and truly see what is in front of them, to appreciate the charming attraction of the people around us.

Review: HAIR the Musical

Written by Brogen Campbell on . Posted in Theatre.

Set in 1960’s New York the audience are immersed into a ‘tribe’ of hippies, who preach love and peace against the backdrop of the Vietnam War.

Despite being set in the past the play resonated with our current political climate. Calls to see past race and to avoid needless wars seem more potent now than ever with the election of Donald Trump as US President.

The musical explores the diverse bohemian lifestyle of a group of hippies living in the East village. It is extremely emotive, heartfelt and features many charismatic and eccentric characters not least the free spirited Berger (Ryan Anderson).

The main storyline follows Claude (Robert Metson) as he has to decide if he wants to resist his drafting to Vietnam.  Hair showcases the sexual revolution and rebellion against both the war and conservative society that occurred during this decade.

This musical is not for shy or prudish theatre goers. Be prepared to have your hair ruffled, sat on and draped across by the cast.  Drugs and sex is the dominant discussion of the day. Of course there is also the famous nude scene that ends Act 1 to look forward too.

You cannot help but smile and laugh whilst watching this production; you are drawn into the world of the musical through the intimate setting of the trust stage.  There are countless moments where you want to sing and dance along, as the production excellently removes the barriers of the fourth wall.

However, the play was not all happy times as it touched on more serious issues, such as pregnancy, war, racism and colonialism, even if only fleetingly.

The musical is powered by quirky songs and equally quirky costumes, although you would not be surprised to see some of these outfits being paraded in Fallowfield.

The vocals of the entire cast were phenomenal with many performances physically giving me goose bumps, most notably by Shekinah McFarlane as Dionne, Laura Johnson as Sheila and Robert Metson.  The only drawback of the show is that the vocal clarity was not always the best as many lines, although sung beautifully, were not understandable.

Yet these few bad trips did not dampen the overall high the musical left the audience on.  This overall feel-good mantra could not be more perfectly expressed than the ending, where the audience get physically invited to join the cast on stage to sing and dance to a rendition of ‘Let the sun shine in’.

The euphoric notion of the hippy lifestyle was not just embodied by the music and cast, but also the set design. The stage was rimmed with grass and the walls covered in coloured ribbons along with a fence at the rear of the stage. The fence separated the musicians from the cast, but was also used to create some beautiful imagery.

The musical left you with a feel good glow, as you cannot help smiling as you leave the theatre. I left with the optimistic thought that I really should not be worried about other people’s opinions of me.

In the words of Margaret Mead’s character ‘be free, no guilt, be whoever you are, do whatever you want to do, just so long as you don’t hurt anyone’. Andrew Patrick-Walker really is comedy gold in this part.

You can get your own high by watching Hair the Musical at Hope Mill Theatre. Get your tickets here.

Album: Romare – Love Songs Part 2

Written by Harrison Kersey on . Posted in Music.

Released 11th November via Ninja Tune

7.5/10

The latest offering from Romare is a sonic change of direction for the London producer. If you are not familiar with his work, get to know his debut Meditations On Afrocentrism is a solid EP and well worth a listen. On that project, then Love Songs Part 1 and his 2015 full-length Projections, Romare showed off a sound which was hard to define, wrapping hazy footwork percussion and bass around moody blues samples, along with some nods to house and bass music.

Love Songs Part 2 does not dispense with the sampling and genre-bending, but it definitely marks a departure from his earlier style. For one thing, it feels a bit more meticulous; the buildup of “Je T’aime’ from a guitar riff and kickdrum into a lush climax is timed with surgical precision. The tracks are a bit more sparse as well, with pause put to great effect on opener ‘Who To Love?’ as the otherworldly vocal sample stretches over gaps in the percussion. The best moments of this album are off-kilter; notes which last just a little too long and pauses that make you wait somehow add to the weird, woozy groove of a train that rolls along at its own pace.

Rather than the standard formula of buildup-drop-rinse-repeat of much contemporary dance music, Love Songs Part Two focuses on maintaining the groove. Melodies stretch out across more downtempo tracks like ‘Honey’, warping and weaving in and out of focus as vocals and drum sounds layer over each other. ‘All Night’ pairs a meaty disco bass line with chopped-up vocals and some alien-sounding synths to build up to a climax that will have you dancing in your seat whether on the bus or in the library.

A weird and very danceable album from start to finish, highly recommended listening.

Your Christmas gift guide: all wrapped up for £10

Written by Megan Byrne on . Posted in Lifestyle.

So you have picked a name out of an appropriately red and white hat and you are completely stumped on what gift to buy for that awkward housemate. Look no further because here is your fool-proof guide to getting it right — all for under a tenner.

1.The busy-bee

This gift is for that one housemate you rarely see because they are always off joining societies, doing fun runs and organising pub crawls (sometimes all at the same time). Help them keep on top of things with a cute but practical desk organiser pad which will make their mile long to-do list look much easier to manage. This one from Paperchase is only £8.00 and features adorable woodland creatures to help them juggle their numerous extra-curricular activities.

Photo: Paperchase

2.The stressed-out student

This housemate always seems to be stressed over something; whether its essays, exams, or their love life, they are always flustered about something. Give them an opportunity to take a second and chill out with a relaxing pampering gift set. This beautifully wrapped box of bathing goodies from Lush will let them soak their worries away. It contains a rose and cocoa butter Snow Angel bath melt, plus a stunningly sparkly Shoot for the Stars bath bomb with Brazilian orange oil, bergamot, and cocoa butter stars to soften their skin and calm their mind. It is a steal at just £9.95 and means you do not have to bother with sub-standard attempts at wrapping — score!

Photo: LUSH

3.The party animal

If there is a club night, this housemate had their ticket last week. This is that one friend who seems to have boundless energy when it comes to dancing, sing-alongs, and shots. Speaking of shots, this set of colourful test tube shot glasses will no doubt be appreciated during your next house party. Double brownie points if they are a chemistry student. Plus they are an absolute bargain at just £7.99 from findmeagift.co.uk. That leaves you with enough change to pop to New Zealand Wines for a mini bottle of their favourite spirit or grab a cute little bottle of Smirnoff online at drinksupermarket.com for £1.79.

Photo: findmeagift.co.uk

4.The sport-obsessive

When they are not playing it, they are watching it, and when they are not watching it, they are talking about it. It may seem easy to know what to buy for a sports fanatic but chances are they have already got all the top of the range equipment. So, why not go for a fun novelty gift that will let them practice their aim from the comfort of their sofa? This mini, wall-mounted basketball hoop from ToysRUs will relieve boredom and make for hilarious (if ill-advised) drinking games all for just £7.99.

Photo: ToysRUS

Where to play Paul Pogba?

Written by James Haughton on . Posted in Sport.

Not everything has gone to plan for Paul Pogba. He was heralded as the missing piece of the puzzle for Manchester United after the club paid a world record £89m fee to Juventus to sign him. However, because of his and his new club’s stuttering start to the season, Pogba has become the subject of fierce scrutiny. His recent underwhelming performances do not, as some suggest, prove that he is overrated, but demonstrate once again that new signings, no matter how much they were bought for, will underperform for their new clubs if they are played in a position that does not utilise their abilities, the abilities that caused them to be worth so much in the first place.

When Pogba exploded onto the world scene while at Juventus, he often played in a three-man midfield. Playing alongside two other midfielders, including the likes of Arturo Vidal, enabled him to roam across the pitch, box-to-box, without worrying about protecting his defence. Pogba’s greatest attributes — the unique mixture of power, energy and touch, and an ability to dribble past opponents with ease — were thus unhindered.

At United, however, Pogba has regularly been placed in a midfield two, primarily in a 4-2-3-1 system. The Frenchman has, therefore, been forced to concentrate his efforts on tasks that he is not suited to, for example, protecting United’s defence and patrolling the midfield. Jose Mourinho’s decision in many games this season to not play a recognised holding midfielder, playing Marouane Fellaini or Ander Herrera in that position instead, has exacerbated the problems that have plagued United’s midfield.

Fellaini and Pogba have been unable to dominate the midfield together, with opposing sides bypassing them with ease for large swathes of matches. Herrera’s performances this season, meanwhile, indicate that he could potentially become a very good defensive midfielder, but he was bought by Manchester United as a creative central midfielder, and the club needs that creativity also. Herrera and Pogba could dovetail brilliantly alongside a third, defensively minded midfielder, free to run at the opposition and create chances.

United’s midfield woes have been a constant headache for a long while now. The fruitless attempts to sign Wesley Sneijder while Alex Ferguson was still manager show that, and so do the bafflingly frequent occasions when Wayne Rooney, a striker who does not possess the passing or technical ability, and now the speed or stamina, required to transition into being a midfielder, has played in central midfield.

Playing a three-man midfield to get the best out of Pogba would, however, expose some of the other deficiencies in United’s squad. During Pogba’s time in Turin, Juventus favoured a 3-5-2 formation, which placed a great onus on the wing-backs to provide width and enabled the Old Lady to play Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini and Andrea Barzagli, three world-class centre-backs, together.

However the Red Devils have a dearth of options in every defensive position, as Eric Bailly, a summer signing, is out through injury and a wealth of defenders have either fallen out of favour or been publicly castigated by Jose Mourinho. The Portuguese manager accused Chris Smalling and Luke Shaw of being unwilling to play through pain after United’s 3-1 defeat of Swansea, and Matteo Darmian and Marcos Rojo have barely featured this season. 

If United were to attempt to play a 4-3-3, on the other hand, it would expose the other gaping hole in the squad: a scarcity of in-favour wingers. Jesse Lingard has featured prominently this season, but Ashley Young and Memphis Depay have not. Instead the likes of Marcus Rashford, Anthony Martial and Juan Mata have been preferred out wide. They are not natural wingers and so drift inside, which, coupled with the aforementioned problems at full-back, makes it difficult to stretch opponents out wide.

In contrast to United’s travails, Liverpool’s summer signings have helped to propel their new club to the top of the league table. While many, including myself, scoffed at the prices paid for Saido Mane and Georginio Wijnaldum, Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool’s transfer committee have been vindicated. They are key components in this season’s most irresistible attacking force, bamboozling defences with their movement and swift counter-attacking threat.

Joel Matip, a free signing in the summer, has been an impressive addition at centre-back. Because of the players that were signed in the summer, Klopp has been able to mould, over a short period of time, a team in his image, bold and attacking, able to not just counter-attack, but to interchange quickly and break down stubborn defences, while improving a defence that has marred recent Liverpool teams.

For Manchester United to consistently challenge for the title again, and get the best out of Paul Pogba, they need to start signing players who will gel with the existing squad and have a role in the team that makes use of their best attributes.

Manchester Weihnachtsmarkt

Written by Maria Ortega Rechkemmer on . Posted in Features.

The Manchester Christmas market is officially open!

This Christmas market has been referred to as a “European” market by some and a “German” market by others. It is an attraction on its own for all the Christmastime tourists in the UK, being one of the largest Christmas markets in the country. But what is it that makes this market so attractive?

It could be the gargantuan Santa Claus watching over you, knowing when you have been good or bad. It could also be the poffertjes, the mini Dutch pancakes, or it could be the incredible amount of German goods at your fingertips. Actually, the Manchester Christmas market is advertised as being famous for having one of the best “traditional bratwursts” with an “international atmosphere with a uniquely Mancunian flavor” according to the official UK Christmas market website.

When walking through the market you find the fresh scent of bratwursts, Glühwein and Feuerzangenbowle.
German words are plastered all over the Christmas market — in the original German spelling, no translations, and no made-up words. In fact, I would go as far as to say the Manchester Christmas market has managed to become more German than the actual German markets.

As I walked through the Christmas market with some German friends, I could not help but look at their faces. They were all smiling, laughing pointing at all the German words and some said they almost felt at home. “The smell of Glühwein is the smell of Christmas to me,” said a German Erasmus student, “I wouldn’t think that a Christmas market in the UK would be so German!” Sarah-Lena Knust, a German exchange student at the University of Manchester said that she was “surprised that everything was in German spelling, even Feuerzangenbowle, which is a hard word to pronounce for non-German native speakers.”

Why is the Christmas market in Manchester so German? Christmas markets originated in Germany and Austria, as part of the regular, open-air street markets where the locals sold goods all year-round. Traditionally, the Christmas section of the markets started at the beginning of Advent and lasted the four weeks that lead up to Christmas day. During this time, there were seasonal items, like mulled wine and gingerbread. Today you can find at least one Christmas market in every German town, from the smallest village to several markets spread across larger cities like Berlin or Munich.

“They even have Feuerzangenbowle,” said another German student, “those aren’t even allowed in most markets in Germany!”

The Feuerzangenbowle is a traditional German alcoholic drink, normally associated with the Christmas markets. Many mistake this drink for the same thing as Glühwein, or mulled wine, and although it does have mulled wine as its main ingredient, there is one element that bans it from most German Christmas markets: fire.

Feuerzangenbowle involves a rum-soaked sugarloaf that is set on fire and set over the mulled wine to slowly drip into it. It sounds like a lovely, warming drink to have during the cold Christmas season — and it is. Most cities and villages in Germany, however, have found that setting a sugarloaf soaked in alcohol on fire over more alcohol is a potential fire hazard. The German people still happily make this drink in their own homes, where the fire cannot be blamed on the city.

It was of no surprise that my German friends were in complete awe and fascination of a British city Christmas market that not only publicly sells this drink, but sells all kinds of German foods, beer and meats.

The Christmas market tradition was brought over to the UK by several German people who decided to carry the Christmas tradition over to new territory. The BBC wrote an article in 2014 about a woman named Edith Lovegrove, a woman from Cologne, Germany, who was one of the first people to bring the German Christmas market to the UK. The Christmas markets are such a popular tradition in Germany and there was nothing like it here. 17 years later, the markets seem to be going stronger than ever.

I interviewed Marcus, a German native who runs the Bavarian Käsespätzle (German cheesy pasta) stall here in the Manchester Christmas market. Marcus is from the very south of Bavaria, an area near Lake Konstanz. “I had a colleague in Germany who did markets there,” said Marcus, “he was involved in setting up the stalls [in the Manchester Christmas market] 15 years ago and he asked me [to set up a stall].” Marcus said his friend told him that, “there was no German cheese and they needed a German cheese stand in the market.” Every year Marcus comes to set up his stall and work at the market every day until Christmas, when he packs up his stall and goes back to Germany. “At first I said yeah let’s try,” said Marcus to his friend’s request, “and now I have been doing this for 15 years.”

Marcus is not the only vendor from Germany. While walking around the market with my German friends, they were all stunned at the amount of German spoken. They were also quite shocked at how stereotypically Bavarian the “German” aspect of the market seemed to be.

“What I found a little annoying,” said Knust, “is that there are a lot of stalls portraying Bavaria.” She approached the vendors themselves to ask about it. Being a German native not from Bavaria herself, Knust wanted to know why everything was so stereotypically Bavarian. Knust said: “They said they used this because people have a better known association of Germany with Bavaria than Swabia for example,” it was “for marketing reasons.”

The other German exchange students I was with said that the market almost “felt more like Oktoberfest than an actual Christmas market.” One of them, Milena Rüschendorf, said “the vendors here wear the stereotypical Bavarian clothing instead of normal clothes as they would in Germany.” The vendors with the traditional Bavarian clothes are usually only found in the renowned Oktoberfest in Bavaria, Germany. Although not representative of the country as a whole, Christmas markets, especially the Mancunian one, are still associated with Germany.

One could say that it is the “Germanness” of the market that has made it so attractive within the recent years. The Manchester market, according to the BBC, has over nine million visitors every Christmas season. With over 300 stalls, it is uniquely larger than the rest of the markets found within the UK.

Germany is also credited with having created the tradition of the Christmas tree. With both the Christmas tree and Christmas markets, Germany seems like the birthplace of the common symbols we associate with Christmas. As German as the Manchester Christmas market may seem, it is still a quite international market. There’s Italian pizza, Spanish food and hot sangria, Hungarian goulash, along with many other European foods, drinks, and stalls — something that would not be found in traditional markets in Germany.

If that Christmas spirit can be felt, smelt, and eaten in the Manchester Christmas market, with its unique Mancunian taste, then it seems like a great place to holster that Holiday spirit. You can visit the Christmas market in Albert square from 10am to 9pm each day and make your own observations of the ‘Germanness’, or not, of one of the oldest European Christmastime traditions.

 

Photo: Maria Ortega Rechkemmer

 

Why ‘sportsmanship’ isn’t in Conor McGregor’s vocabulary

Written by James Blower on . Posted in Sport.

Last weekend saw Conor ‘The Notorious’ McGregor make history, in becoming UFC’s first fighter to hold two belts simultaneously when he dispatched Eddie Alvarez with a Second Round knockout. It is impossible to have missed of course, after social media has been packed with lines from the outspoken world champion that take arrogance to new extremes. Whatever happened to sportsmanship? Or is this a practice impossible to associate with ‘sports’ which rely on an individual’s aggression?

Regardless of whether you are or are not a fan of the extreme violence inherent in this mixed martial art (MMA), you must admire McGregor’s never-ending sales pitch for the Ultimate Fighting Championships. Inside the octagon chain-linked cage, he encapsulates the adrenaline-fuelled entertainment that people pay to watch and outside, he sells himself and the sport like nobody else with his incessant, pre-fight ‘trash talking’. The man is his own brand.

It is McGregor’s rhetoric arsenal and barbed put-downs, combined with his extra aggressive combat style, that have drawn millions of viewers to the sport and who now pay big sums to stream fight nights when he is stepping into the Octagon. In lots of UFC fights, not much actually happens: as the sole aim of the sport is to render your opponent unconscious, fighters remain wary, bobbing and fainting out of each other’s reach. This is what is fantastically exciting about McGregor and undoubtedly why he has made viewing figures go through the roof — he makes things happen.

Two and a half years ago, nobody knew who this plumber’s apprentice, from a Dublin suburb, was. In this time he has risen to the top by physically and, more importantly, rhetorically outdoing his opponents. The UFC champion’s level of psychological warfare on his opponent has been likened to that of history’s greatest fighter and famously eloquent ‘goader’, Muhammed Ali. Such bold rhetoric has created an aura around these fighters which makes them and their fans feel like failure is not even an option.

MMA is the fastest growing sport in the world and UFC is becoming its most valuable franchise. Not only is it a sport, it is a form of entertainment and McGregor has found the equilibrium between the two. His rise to the top has seen him become a media phenomenon and internet sensation due to the multitude of arrogant lines that drop from his mouth every time he gives an interview. His outspoken persona has won him such a huge fan base that he has outgrown the sport: the Conor McGregor brand is now so large that it personifies UFC itself.

So it is probably fair enough that after this weekend’s historic victory he is demanding ‘shares in the company’. “You want me to stick around, let’s talk”, he joked rather threateningly after the fight. Although definitely not strapped for cash, McGregor knows the tables have turned. He now sits in the driving seat and he clearly plans to use it to his advantage. Even the wrestling federation, WWE are knocking on the star’s door offering him, like they did to Floyd ‘Money’ Mayweather in 2008, an opportunity for a one off appearance in return for vast amounts of cash. It is certain he has the personality, skills, and the chat to pull that off too.

Although it is probably widely regarded as uncommendable to act and speak in the way McGregor does the majority of the time, as a sportsman with a wide fan base, who can blame him. His persona has got him to where he is now in an astonishingly quick time and entertained a fair few people along the way. I say all credit to the lad.

An insider’s account of Manchester Labour Students

Written by Jack Ashworth on . Posted in Features.

In the wake of the tumult surrounding the United States’ controversial decision to elect Donald Trump as President, the University of Manchester is set to be rocked by another hotly contested election — in the form of the Committee Elections for  Manchester Labour Students (MLS).

Members of MLS have recently cast their votes online, hoping their respective candidates will be victorious in securing positions on the Committee of what has been hailed the “biggest Labour Students Club in the country” — according to the Labour Students website. Running for positions included Secretary and Treasurer, Events Officer, Campaigns Officer, LGBT officer and many more, candidates campaignined in the run up to the election convince would-be voters.

The candidates were allegedly largely divided into two broad camps, the left and the Labour Moderates — who dominate the current Committee — which is reflective of wider divisions within the Parliamentary Labour Party itself, something which has been very much ongoing in the last 15 months, coming to a head with Corbyn’s re-election in September this year. Although a decisive victory for the left of the party, much of the grievances held by many Labour MPs and members have yet to be resolved — leaving many ongoing divisions in an already tense political environment.

Edward Rosier, a member of the MLS and Manchester Marxists, said in regards to the supposed split within the organisation that “there were clear divisions in the society last year — the scope of which varied depending on who you talk to” and went on to comment that  “this year  in the only open meeting that has been held so far the divisions were brought up repeatedly by certain members”. With the majority of positions seeing the incumbents  being challenged by people on what Mr. Rosier identifies as “the left” of the party, many of the challengers have called for an opening up of political discourse within the society, highlighting the limited amount of open discussion currently allowed.

Mr. Rosier highlighted the lack of open meetings and debates within the society. “The divide seems to be between Corbyn supporters who want to have open meetings and discuss change within the Labour party and those who were happy with the way the society was being run with little political discussion and a focus on unity (the kind of unity where they run the society at least)”.

This split between Corbynites and moderates is not something isolated to the student movement, but is reflected in wider political discourse within the Parliamentary Labour Party itself. Many Labour MPs have openly expressed contempt for Corbyn in the wake of his re-election as leader, indicating that there has been little reconciliation amongst warring factions.

This was exemplified by scores of Labour MPs abstaining from the Party’s own motion to pressure the government to withdraw support for the Saudi military invasion of Yemen, which can be seen as a concerted effort to rebel against Corbyn. Rosier agreed that there is a split within the Labour movement, citing “when Peter Mandelson called, immediately after the democratic election of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, for him to be forced out”.

This open rebellion goes hand-in-hand with calls to reclaim the political centre-ground by many in the PLP. In the wake of developments within the global political climate, particularly the marked shift to the right in America and Europe, these cries for political moderacy have only intensified — calling for policies such as mild austerity, social welfare reforms, and a limited embrace of market economics.  Rosier however, rejects these cries for what he calls the “non-existent centre ground” and many of those within the Labour movement both in Manchester and nationally seem to agree with him, as can be seen by Corbyn’s increased majority in the recent leadership contest.

Rosier described this split as similar to the one between “those who see the need for a change and those who are resistant to it” within the society. Many are worried that the lack of unity within the left is something that may have a detrimental effect on the fight against the right, which has seen enormous gains since the last election — in particular with the advent of Brexit, the rise of UKIP and the aforementioned election of Donald Trump to the US Presidency.

While many within the Labour Party and the British Left at large have called for a more concerted effort at unity, to counter-act the resurgence of the right, some have instead called for a consolidation of leftist principles. Owen Jones, writing for The Guardian this month, called for a “new populism… rooted in working-class communities” — critiquing the very centrist-policies many in Labour are trying to return to, which he feels have failed to engage the majority of the working class both domestically and internationally.

Despite these divisions however, both sides would agree that Labour needs to progress as a unified party in order to stand a good chance in the next election. However, as both sides of the party have such different perspectives for how the left should progress, finding common cause will prove difficult. Mr. Rosier believes that the best option for the party would be to embrace “Corbyn’s vision for a more compassionate, socially democratic UK” and also advocates mandatory reselection and decries attempts by Labour centrists to “replace Corbyn with a leader no one has ever heard of so they can avoid listening to the members” —referring to Owen Smith.

Supporters of Smith, and others who would identify as being in opposition to Mr. Corbyn within the party, whilst supporting many of the positions held by Corbyn and his followers, would instead argue for a re-embracing of some of the policies prevalent within the New Labour years. Aiming to unify the party behind a more traditional, broad-church style leader — who they hope could reach out to all factions in the Labour movement.

This train of thought is something that has been largely adopted by past Committees of the MLS, who hope to avoid disagreement and internal dispute, by aiming to foster an environment of unity and consensus. This is evident in the lack of discussion that has been present in the last year, according to Mr. Rosier.

By contrast, candidates on the left claim they aim to challenge this and instead hope to find common cause through debate and discussion both within the society, whilst also endeavouring to engage with other activist groups — this could mean groups such as Socialist Students, or BME Manchester — both of which have acquired a substantial presence on campus.

We would like to state that we did reach out to many members of the Labour Students across the entire political spectrum, but with the exception of Mr. Rosier they all either refused to comment, or simply did not reply.

We really don’t need three months of Christmas

Written by Chloe Hatton on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Once again the streets are filled with the resounding chorus of ‘I swear they’re putting these things out earlier every year’. Yes, that’s right, it’s Christmas decoration season, which apparently occurs right after summer now. With Christmas decorations going up even before Halloween is over you have to ask yourself — is all this really necessary?

Does it actually make me feel any more Christmassy or am I just another pawn in the capitalist machine? Will all these shiny baubles fill the Christmas shaped hole in my heart any faster just because they’re delivered to me a good three months before? The answer is probably, no.

The fact is, nobody actually feels really Christmassy until around mid-November at the earliest, unless you’re really into Santa. It’s the same with every other holiday — who wants to eat Easter eggs in February?

Don’t get me wrong, I love holidays. I love Christmas, Easter, and Halloween, but there really is no need for them to fill up approximately half the year between them. The Christmas stock will just be left in a forgotten aisle, known only to the freakishly organised who do their Christmas shopping in August.

The obvious answer is that it’s all just a ploy by the retail sector to get us all to buy more products because they’re available so early. The joke’s on them, my Christmas shopping will still be done two days before.

The one really good thing about the holiday period, however, is the abundance of Christmas adverts. Long gone are the dull, insipid, regular adverts and out come the emotional roller coasters that will make ‘Marley and Me’ look like a walk in the park. These few minutes will have you laughing, crying, and everything in between and churn you out as a battered, emotional wreck. And yet we all love it.

We count down the days until John Lewis release theirs, waiting with bated breath as we try to watch every other major brand try to compete. They’ll never be able to. This is the saving grace of the long, tedious holiday period which leaves everybody sick of Christmas by the time it comes around, inevitably causing all the family arguments that ensue.

Do us a favour, retailers, and leave us alone until at least mid-November before you pull out the big guns; the spirit of Christmas really does not need to be around this long.

How to: Smokey Eye

Written by Bailey Petts on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

There is something very alluring about darkening around your eye and creating a shadowing effect. The interesting thing about the smokey eye is, it can really enhance your eye colour; by utilising colours from the opposite side of the colour wheel to your natural eye colour, you can make your iris appear even more striking.

After trying many different techniques and products to perfect the smokey eye, I feel I have found my favourite style.

Step 1.

I always prime my lids with a base to stop the shadow from creasing and to improve the pigmentation, my favourite primer is Laura Mercier cream shadow in Copper.

Step 2.

I usually wear a bronze colour on my lid but to show the effect of using an opposite colour to your eye colour I used a purple/red colour to bring out the green in my eyes. First push the darker eyeshadow onto your lid and then use a lighter shade of a similar colour to blend the shadow through the crease; this is what creates the ‘smokey’ effect. Normally I take the eyeshadow underneath my eyes too to recreate that grunge, Olsen twins look. I used the Charlotte Tilbury ‘Vintage Vamp’ palette.

Step 3.

Lining the waterline and the upper lash line is key to keep definition in your eyes, I occasionally draw on a winged liner but in the day I will just rub a brown eyeliner through my upper lashes. For me, there is nothing sultrier than kohl lined eyes. I use the MAC eyeliner in Teddy and the Eyeko liquid liner.

Step 4.

Apply lots and lots of mascara! I have tiny lashes so I like to clump my mascara, but that’s a personal preference. I usually use two mascaras, Rimmel Scandal eyes and then Charlotte Tilbury Legendary Lashes.

Step 5.

The final touch for the eyes is brows – for me, a natural brow is always the best, not a scouse brow but again, everyone has different tastes. I usually just comb mine upwards with a clear brow gel and voila! Your eyes should be looking smouldering and enticing.

To finish off the look, put on your favourite foundation and a nude lip to focus all of the attention onto your piercing eyes.

Review: Arrival

Written by Shema Begum on . Posted in Film.

Dennis Villeneuve, director of the highly acclaimed Prisoners and Sicario has redefined the sci-fi genre with his latest endeavour — Arrival. After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, both critics and viewers were praising the film for its unique take on what first seems to be another alien invasion film. It is no surprise that from the universal positive responses, Arrival is considered to be one to look out for at the Academy Awards.

Based on the short story “Story of Your Life” by Ted Chiang, Arrival follows mysterious alien aircrafts called “shells”, which land on Earth, scattered across continents. America goes under a state of emergency as chaos ensues. Linguistics professor Dr Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is approached by Colonel Webber (Forest Whitaker) who plays a recording of the aliens, seeking Louise to translate whether they come for war. The only way for Louise to do this is to see the aliens for herself. Joined by Ian Donnelly (Jeremy Renner), the pair attempt to break down the language barrier, and communicate with the aliens.

The only thing sci-fi about this film are the aliens, otherwise Arrival would easily pass as an intense drama. It focuses on humanity and emotive elements, which makes the film successful. The aliens are these strange octopus/dementor like creatures, which use some sort of ink to communicate with Banks and her team. The wondrous cinematography captures the inside of the shell beautifully, and coupled with Johan Johannson’s chilling score, Arrival immerses you into the suspense of what lies ahead.

At the very start of the film it is established that Banks has suffered an emotional trauma, this goes on to haunt her dream/nightmares but serves a greater purpose, which provides an incredible, yet heart-breaking twist at the end. Amy Adams and Jeremy Renner both give brilliant performances, their characters hold very different views, with Banks having a focus on language, and Donnelly preferring science. Despite this the pair undoubtedly have a connection that drives them to unravel the cryptic extra-terrestrial messages, no matter what the consequences.

Arrival is perhaps one of the most relevant films of modern day. It tackles a prevalent issue in society —communication. The film captures this global detachment, as all countries faced with the alien threat turn off their phone lines, and there is an all round lack of co-operation between them. Though ultimately it is only through working together can they solve the conundrum. Arrival is a powerful, and thought provoking film that you will continue to think about after coming out of the cinema.

4/5

Introducing the University of Manchester’s UniSlam team 2017

Written by Jake Piazza on . Posted in Books.

Tuesday the 15th of November marked the night of The Creative Writing Society’s poetry slam which would choose the team off to the prestigious nationwide Slam competition in January. UniSlam started in 2013 and is a Slam Poetry competition where each university enters a team of four or five members, plus a mentor, and performs throughout the weekend, as well as taking part in workshops and finally competing for first place. First place will get to go and compete internationally in Chicago. The event will take place on the weekend of 29th and 30th of January at the University of Leicester, and Manchester are sending a team.

The highlights of Tuesday’s Slam, which saw 7 poets compete alongside several short non-competitive open mic slots, were poems about race and exploitation through conflict and a bellowed poem about love and ballet dancing which made frequent use of romanticism through details of an anonymous girl.

Judging the event was treasurer of The Creative Writing Society and playwright Beth Woods, head of the UoM Feminist Collectives, Writers Collective Seevana Raghubeer, local poet and Roundhouse slam finalist Bob Horton, poet and co-founder of the poetry collective group Young Identity — a group who run regular events at Contact Theatre — Shirley May, and finally mentor for Young Identity and famous poet Isaiah Hull, who also performed during the evening.

First to perform as a contestant was Stella Ryley who performed a lucid and soft performance: ‘Seamstress’ about depression, which featured frequent use of imagery; performed through a very contemplative and serene tone. The second performer was Jake Piazza who performed an abstract, psychological poem about the damaging nature of mental illness and its destructive effect upon one’s own body, mind and their identity through a crawling pace and irregular delivery. Third performer and Chair of The Creative Writing Society, Roma Havers, performed a rap-like poem ‘Blood in The Water’, which was both a creative, engaging and optimistic poem about identity and performed with a free-flowing pace and clever use of wordplay.

After a short break with comedy and entertainment provided by the MC Ola Youssef, poet Alle Bloom performed an optimistic and highly comedic poem concerning the nature of existence with a lively delivery. This was followed up by Damani Dennisur, who performed an intense and dynamic spoken narrative about a boy who becomes involved in gang culture, which combined the socio-political themes of poverty, gang violence, alongside questions of identity and race together with an intense and painfully tragic narrative.

After this explosive and highly emotive performance, Kayleigh Jayshree Hicks added a political slant to the evening with ‘British Value for Money’, a poem condemning the racism and discrimination faced by ethnic minorities in British society, largely through questioning the impact of said discrimination upon a sense of both personal and national identity.

This poem was delivered with an increasingly harsh delivery, the tone of which can be deduced merely from the continually repeated mantra about receiving ‘value for money yet the hate for free’. The final performer, Liv Barnes, performed a contemplative and sombre poem about alcoholism and explored the tragic figure of the individual alcoholic as being merely one in a slow and painfully silent collective.

This theme was accompanied by frequent use of Christian symbolism and iconography to explore the nature of dependency and the nature of alcohol as means of relief, as well as vivid descriptions of setting to evoke mental imagery, the poem serving to create a highly vivid mental painting of this solitary scene.

Overall, it was a brilliant evening of seriously talented poets and performers showcasing their ability. The winners and now UniSlam team are the following people: Roma, Damani, Kayleigh, Alle and Liv.

After the event Seevana said “It was awesome to hear the unique styles and judging was fun when there was so much variation in speed, rhythm and content. Thoroughly enjoyed listening and being a part of it, the team is gonna be ace” with Beth stating “I just would like to say that it was a privilege to judge such a fantastic event, the performances were all wonderful and showed off the creative talent at The University of Manchester, and I wish the team the very best of luck at UniSlam.”

Last night we raised over £100 but still have a long way to go, in order to make sure we can get to Leicester and stay overnight, we need to raise more money. The committee is working very hard to get funding from the Union but we will also be putting on another Slam on the 8th of December to raise more funds. There will also be a crowdfunding page with rewards such as a personal poem written just for you. The team will be working very hard over the upcoming months to represent your University at UniSlam.

If you would like to support the society or get involved with any of our events we meet every Tuesday, all the details are on their Facebook page and you can contact Roma Havers for more details.

How to: do sixties

Written by Jennifer Knowles on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

The 1960s saw the beginning of a revolutionary change in the history of fashion. I visited the Gallery of Costume to view an exhibition depicting the influences of Mary Quant, the name that resonates most when we think of trends brought into play in the era.

Although original inventors of such designs are a topic of dispute, Quant popularised many features of the 60s in vogue dress among women. The most obvious and perhaps iconic garment in fashion of today is, of course, the mini skirt, which marked the sexual liberation of the women wearing them at that time in history, as it coincided with the arrival of the contraceptive pill and therefore the ability to bare flesh without shame or public condemnation. The hot pants did a similar job, the idea was to create clothes for women that they could run and jump in without the restriction of long heavy skirts tangling your legs together, allowing a physical freedom as well as a social one.

You can find pieces of original 60s clothing hiding in your local charity and vintage shops. If you are looking for a unique and truly authentic look, a trip to the Northern Quarter is definitely awaiting you. But if you are short on time or simply don’t think you can muster the effort it takes to root through endless piles of musty treasures, then take a closer look at your local high street stores. There may be more classically 60s garments strewn across the clothes rails than you might think. Take the Topshop MOTO Cord V-Neck Dress — a simple black A-line dress that comes to mid-thigh length and can be layered over t-shirts for a classic preppy 60s look.

Knee high boots were also a key feature of the era and with winter in full swing we see a lot more of these stocked on store shelves. For example, team the Black Suedette Stiletto Knee High Boots with a colourful swing dress.

Currently gripping the fashion society is the comeback of the turtleneck. A classic example of a quintessential element of 60s style, the high neck gives a certain modesty that allows for, in turn, a higher hemline, as unlike eras prior to the 60s, 2016 does not frown upon flaunting your pins once in a while. Dressed up or dressed down this garment is a winner and can be found at almost any online or high-street fashion store for as little as £12 (Boohoo.com) so you don’t have to break the bank to show off your new 60s-inspired style.

The Mary Quant: Fashion Icon exhibition at the Gallery of Costume runs from 3rd November 2016 — 5th November 2017