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Month: September 2018

Scientists make breakthrough in TB treatment

Potential solutions have been discovered that help to treat tuberculosis (TB), an airborne disease.

Tuberculosis is a disease that affects the lungs, and is one of the most prevalent diseases in India and parts of Africa. This disease occurs in approximately 33 per cent of the global population. Science journals report that around 1.6 million people die from untreated tuberculosis every year.

Research on this disease has been one of the most focused subjects in the past decade.  Though the proportions are much smaller in the UK, they have been at the risk of rising. Now, scientists at the University have led a study that suggest at a groundbreaking treatment.

In previous years, the majority of research has been focused on developing anti-bacterial solutions. However, Mycobacterium tuberculosis has been developing increasing resistance to treatments due to growing and continuous usage of antibiotics. The solution to the problem is not temporary, meaning that the same patients who were once victims of tuberculosis could also have a relapse later in life.

Recent research suggests another mode of treatment, appropriate for the current situation. This method involves first attacking the bacterial defence of the infection instead of the bacteria itself. The study was led by Professor Lydia Tabernero, and focused on developing drugs that could attack bacteria’s defences. In order to attack that defence, an agent known as MptpB is used to kill the tuberculosis strain. This, according to Professor Tabernero, removes a “remarkable amount of burden on the bacteria”.

Professor Tabernero, speaking to the BBC World Service, states that it works by blocking defence mechanisms of the pathogens. Research carried out by Rudgers University in the US conclude the drug works on guinea pigs. The treatment also works on multi-drug-resistant bacteria.

Professor Tabernero later said, “The fact that the animal studies showed our compound, which doesn’t kill the bacteria directly, resulted in a significant reduction in the bacterial burden is remarkable. For more than 60 years, the only weapon doctors have been able to use against TB is antibiotics.”

“Resistance is becoming an increasingly worrying problem and the prolonged treatment is difficult and distressing for patients. And with current treatments, there’s no guarantee the disease will be eliminated: antibiotics do not clear the infection and the risk of being infected with drug-resistant bacteria is very high. But by disabling this clandestine bacteria’s defences we’re thrilled to find a way that enhances the chances of the body’s immune system to do its job, and thus eliminate the pathogen.”

Professor Tabernero added, “The great thing about targeting MptpB is that there’s nothing similar in humans – so our blocking compound is not toxic to human cells. Because the bacteria hasn’t been threatened directly, it is less likely to develop resistance against this new agent, and this will be a major advantage over current antibiotics, for which bacteria had already become resistant. TB is an amazingly difficult disease to treat so we feel this is a significant breakthrough.”

How severe is your asthma? Check your watch!

Asthma, as we know, is a common chronic respiratory disease marked by spasmodic attacks in the bronchi of the lungs, affecting over 5.4 million people in the UK. The severity of asthma can depend on many factors like environmental and genetic interactions. However, recent research suggests even our body clock has its say in relation to how serious the effects of asthma can be, and how conditions respond to treatment. The study, led by Senior Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Respiratory Physician Dr. Hannah Durrington from the University of Manchester, says that the findings have important implications on clinical practice in asthma and other inflammatory conditions.

The research was funded by Asthma UK, the JP Moulton Charitable Trust, the North West Lung Charity, and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre. Over 300 asthmatics sputum samples were analysed during the study. It was found that patients were twice as likely to have more inflammatory cells – or eosinophils – in morning clinical trials than afternoon ones.

Eosinophils, a biomarker in the sputum, are a type of disease-fighting leukocytes, better known as white blood cells. The cells are crucial in fighting various forms of infection or inflammation. They are used to guide treatment in severe asthma patients because of this. Though doctors have long known that asthma symptoms are at their worst in the small hours of the morning, previous research has attributed the worsening symptoms to biological causes rather than as an impact of lying down.

The research has shown that the inflammation is worse at around 4am. This could mean that the administering of the prevention medications, addressing inflammation, at certain points in our circadian clock could have greater benefits. Dr. Durrington says that, “these research results are really exciting but at an early stage. Our aim was to understand more about how the body clock affects the biochemistry of a person with asthma. But, we are pleased because our work should help with the accurate diagnosis and treatment of asthma in the future.”

Dr. Durrington also works at an asthma clinic in Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). She explained the constructive ripple effects these findings could have on the effectiveness of treatment of other ailments as well. She explained that, “we feel it may also have important implications on other lung conditions, as well as outside respiratory medicine. Our results show different clinical decisions could be made depending on whether the patient has a morning or afternoon appointment. It also points towards opportunities for more personalised treatment for asthma care in the future. In the same way that measuring glucose levels in diabetes allows adjustment of insulin dosing, we may see asthmatics monitoring their biomarker chemicals during the day, to help inform optimum treatment times.” The American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine has published her study.

Asthma is a long-term, protracting condition and can severely interfere with the daily lives of those affected. Fortunately, over the last few years, science has taken significant strides to raise the living standards of asthma sufferers. Inhalers and medications introduced over recent decades have helped in coping with the illness, but there’s still room for improvement.

With the elevating pollution levels, there has been a widespread increase in the concentrations of triggers for an asthma attack. These triggers can include pollens, dust mites, allergens, and other air pollutants. Moreover, the available medication is quite unpredictably selective and does not work effectively in several cases. So, despite the ever-growing scientific progress, a permanent cure for asthma is still not in sight. However, studies like these are a silver lining. Especially for those who have endured the disease for what may seem like a lifetime, this is a positive development.

Why it matters if Brett Kavanaugh gets selected for the Supreme Court

The Brett Kavanaugh nomination has become a crisis of conscience for America — will the sexual misconduct allegations against a powerful man be taken seriously by the Senate, or will they be brushed aside? The outcome of this nomination is a turning point. His appointment would raise questions about the success of the #MeToo movement and could present the Supreme Court with a crisis of legitimacy.

Until Sunday, Christine Blasey Ford was Kavanaugh’s sole accuser; now she stands alongside Deborah Raminez who has accused him of the same crime — sexual misconduct. Prior to Raminez’s statement, many were skeptical of Ford’s accusations, including President Donald Trump, who suggested the allegations were suspect as Ford never filed a police report, and argued that the allegations against Kavanaugh were the most “unfair and unjust thing to happen to a candidate for anything”.

Ford’s story is a reminder of just how far the #MeToo movement has to go. Even today, a lone woman’s voice, particularly on sexual misconduct, isn’t given the weighting it deserves.

If Brett Kavanaugh were to be selected for the Supreme Court this would bring the legitimacy of the Court into crisis. Here, a man carrying multiple accusations of sexual assault has been nominated by a president who has already been accused of several sexual assaults, to serve alongside Clarence Thomas a justice who has also been accused of the same crimes.

Undoubtedly, this would damage the perception of the Court in the #MeToo era and raise further questions for the court as an institution of social justice. How can a judge like Kavanaugh be deemed a viable candidate to be one of the most powerful moral arbiters in the American political system? This is particularly significant in the context of wider political disillusionment, where declining faith in political institutions has been seen across the board.

It remains problematic that until there are multiple accusations, a single woman’s word is not taken seriously. Trump’s continued support for Kavanaugh’s selection is reflective of the cultural misogyny which prevails in society today, despite the growing prominence of the #MeToo movement. If Kavanaugh is selected, this controversy would cause a political firestorm.

Talking to Tatti Lashes

Tatti Lashes is one of the world’s hottest beauty brands, specialising in strip and semi-permanent lashes. The brand was created by best friends Elliot Barton and Charlotte Tiplady, who had been working in the beauty industry for over ten years. The Tatti Lashes story is an inspiring one, from the more humbling beginnings of a basement in Liverpool, to being one of Europe’s leading lash lines. Huge celebrity fans include Kris Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Cardi B, Nicki Minaj, Christina Aguilera and more, all within two years of starting the business.

Despite its immense success, Tatti has remained true to its industry roots, maintaining its famous 60% make up artist (MUA) discount that has amassed the firm a number of loyal followers. Its cult following of MUAs has led to endorsement from some of YouTube’s biggest beauty giants such as Nikkie Tutorials and Jeffree Star. After a momentous few weeks for Tatti, due to a number of Hollywood celebs being spotted in the product and successfully hosting Manchester MUA mmmmitchell’s beauty masterclass, we had the pleasure of visiting Tatti Lashes’ ever-expanding HQ. We sat down with CEO Elliot Barton and Digital Director Ryan Barton to talk rapid growth, breaking the US market and what’s next for this truly exciting brand.

Q: What inspired you to start Tatti Lashes?

Elliot: Well, me and Charlotte, my business partner, both had salons in Liverpool which is really big for make up, same as the rest of North West. We were both eyelash technicians ourselves and whilst we were working we noticed a huge gap in the market. The lashes on the market at the time were all really basic, one-wear strips, especially compared to America, so we wanted to create an eyelash that was for the everyday person but also one that could be used, be cleaned, and coming from the industry ourselves we wanted to offer MUA discount from the start.

Ryan: We found a gap in the market for quality and affordability, and by coinciding the two of them that’s why the brand has grown so much.

Elliot: Our challenge when first starting the brand was to develop the best quality materials and eyelashes but getting the most affordable price possible. That was possibly our biggest struggle.

Ryan: I think when you get your pricing structure right and find the balance; the only way is up really. You’re providing something that a customer is willing to invest in because of the longevity of the lashes, able to be worn up to 20 times is such a big win for us because you’ll find other lash brands out there do compromise on quality for price.

Q: As Tatti Lashes has boomed and gone global, I’m sure you’ve had to upscale your business from just operating as a duo. What are the main ways the business has changed since you first started and are you still as involved?

Elliot: When me and Charlotte first started we did every aspect of the business: customer service, quality checking every single lash, packing the orders, and sending them out to be shipped. When we first started shipping the orders we were hand-writing them, going through the basic postal system, and it probably didn’t look the most professional. But as we’ve grown we are still just as hands on, but we have such an amazing team to help take that weight off us.

Ryan: I’ve worked in digital for the last 8 years and it was quite a weird one, to be fair, because Elliot and Charlotte had their Instagram account that was doing really well, and it suddenly became the time to get a website, because of the order volume. It got to the point where I was that involved with Tatti Lashes on a daily basis and it was growing so much, that I quit my job to come and work for my brother, which has been great. I think it works really well because Elliot and Charlotte are so creative, whereas I’m really data focused and analytical. So we compliment each other, as they know their vision and their product inside out.

Elliot: We only had about 12 different styles of lashes online for the majority of time since we started out, but ever since we have got our team, we have 40 odd styles because me and Charlotte have had the time to move back into the creative role that the brand needs.

Ryan: Looking back, it is crazy how far we have come. We started as a Liverpool brand, then went into a North West brand then all of a sudden we’re a big UK brand with celebrity followers, with 20% of our revenue coming from the US, which is a famously hard market to crack. Last time I counted we had sold our product in 82 countries, which is impressive. We’re now pretty established online; according to Google we are the biggest eyelash brand in Europe.

Q: The success of the mmmmitchell masterclass and TLMitchell lash being worn by Jeffree Star must’ve been a whirlwind. Who have you been happiest to see wear your lashes?

Elliot: I’ve always been obsessed with Nikkietutorials; she’s such a huge blogger. Once we were sitting in here and we got a tag on Instagram just before Christmas from her wearing our lashes, and we were thinking we’ve never sent her any lashes and you could never get her contact, so we were thinking ‘how has she got them?’ For me that was huge, for being the celebrity she is, paying with her own money, and ordering just through word of mouth is so special. We were sending her a thank you box as she spent a fair bit of money, and just as we were sending it, another order came through from her! So it shows she really must’ve liked them and she used them in a lot of YouTube videos, which was great for us.

Elliot: Mitchell has done so well, he’s only just turned 20. We have a great working relationship with him, that’s why we wanted to do the masterclass, as it just made sense. We have both grown together. And with Jeffree Star wearing TLMitchell, it was amazing for us at the same time.

Ryan: Yeah, Jeffree Star was amazing, that day alone we were the most searched eyelash brand in the world, because of the impact of his following – I wish we could get him more often!

Q: Instagram has clearly transformed the make up industry forever. What advice would you give to young people who want to start on their own business ventures?

Elliot: I think Instagram has been amazing for us, it was through our page that we sold our product 2 years ago.

Ryan: Instagram is probably the platform with the largest organic reach. I would advise any new business, especially in the beauty industry, that Instagram is the way forward as it’s so visual. We are a social media brand and it’s the be-all and end-all of the brand.

Elliot: I do every single Instagram post that’s ever posted; I make sure I still do it to this day. Although the team help, I can’t give it up, people don’t realise how much work actually goes into the caption or the one image that you’ve posted, there’s a reason behind it.

Ryan: Because it is so important to us, Elliot was in LA 2 weeks ago, and he was getting up at mad times to draft our posts as they’re 8 hours behind!

Elliot: Last week we had such a good week, we had Cardi B and Nicki Minaj wearing Tatti Lashes at New York Fashion Week where there was a bit of a fight so we played around with it and put it on our front page as ‘who wore it better’. In that same week both Minaj, and Cardi B had them on again, and then we had Kris Jenner all in one week. Never did we think that we would have Hollywood stars in them, it’s surreal.

Q: What is your favourite Tatti product?

Elliot: To be honest, TL3 and TL4 are the best sellers by far.

Ryan: Its TL3 to date. But what you’ll find in terms of units sold, there is only ever a 10% difference between them

Elliot: Charlotte, my business partner, will say TL23 is the underdog, that it’s so underrated. She actually wore that one for her wedding. It’s such an everyday but glam lash.

Ryan: I’d have to say TLMitchell because when we launched it we had built up huge excitement. We saw 286 sales in 12 minutes.

Elliot: For me TLMitchell is also super special because of the work we put in, it went into production 100 times until we got it right. Mitchell was so involved with them  and there’s no other lash out there like it.

Q: What’s next for Tatti Lashes?

Ryan: Growing our presence both in the US market and offline, is up our sleeve .

Elliot: Getting in a few stores that sit right with us, is next. It’s amazing to ever have that choice. Some of the brands that have contacted us I would have never thought in a million years would be possible or us to say no to, but we have to do what is right for us really.

Ryan: We also may have a few new products coming out…. but we can’t reveal this just yet!

Telltale Games to shut down

Now, it’s never nice to hear about a developer shutting up shop no matter what, but it’s especially sad when the studio in question is pretty much universally loved by most, even if their track record has a history of peaks and troughs. Those in the gaming community have been rocked by last week’s news that Telltale Games — developers of The Wolf Among Us, Tales from The Borderlands, the much-loved The Walking Dead series, and many more — is set to shut down in the coming months.

The story broke in less than graceful circumstances as well, with several of the roughly 250 staff members that were laid off taking to social media to inform the internet of their bad news, even before Telltale itself had made a statement. The responses were more than sad: they were downright shocking. Collective sorrow from those affected and fans alike quickly turned to anger with the news that the terminations were abrupt and without any severance whatsoever.

This is somewhat telling of the recent climate at the studio, as even before this latest development, it was revealed last November that around 90 people were axed from the company. Whilst at that time people could only speculate as to the reason why, with most suggesting a dip in the more recent figures, that speculation has now been pretty much confirmed, as CEO Pete Hawley commented: “We released some of our best content this year and received a tremendous amount of positive feedback, but ultimately, that did not translate to sales.”

Whilst the success of its flagship franchise in The Walking Dead has kept a loyal, core audience since its inception in 2012, the performance of releases like Minecraft: Story Mode and even more high-profile releases such as the Games of Thrones and Batman series failed to reach the commercial or critical heights of their prevailing predecessor. Moreover, given the big-name franchises that Telltale has come to work with as a result of earlier success, there is a case to be made that the studio’s demise could come down to the huge licensing fees taken on as a result of these collaborations.

Photo: Flickr @BagoGames

Hawley, in fact, is yet another symptom of the wider problems that the studio has been experiencing as of late. He was brought in to replace Kevin Bruner (formerly of Lucasarts) who, despite founding the company, was then ousted and even sued Telltale in June for financial damages. The company that had once been hailed for revitalising the ‘choose-your-own-adventure’ genre and made a habit of earning awards, had now turned into a highly toxic work environment. Many had begun to criticise the studio for not only mistreating its staff but also losing the crucial element of choice that made their games so attractive.

As well as the Bruner ousting and the sacking of nearly 25% of the workforce last year, this mass exodus had been foreshadowed throughout the past 18 months. Many staff members voluntarily resigned after complaining of being stretched too thin: working overtime on more than one project without any added incentive other than having to meet unrealistic deadlines.

It’s been confirmed by the company that a small team of 25 people are set to remain at Telltale to finish the ongoing season of The Walking Dead, which happens to be (somewhat fortunately in this case) the 3rd and final of the series. However, one of the worst parts about this is not only that for so many it had seemed inevitable but that, despite the studio’s struggles, they had numerous irons in the fire that might have rescued them given the time and financial endurance.

Not only was the studio scheduled to complete the second season of what many regard as Telltale’s greatest work, The Wolf Among Us, but it was also set to develop a new series using the highly popular Stranger Things IP. So, not only will players never get to revisit Telltale’s interpretations on universes such as Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, but the countless hours that they sank into prospective projects have now been flushed down the toilet, highlighting just how ruthless the industry can be given the wrong management.

The one silver lining in this latest development, on the other hand, are the amazing signs of solidarity shown by many within the community. Thousands have shared the tragedy of Telltale’s former staff via social media and many developers such as Cory Barlog, director of the most recent God of War, have even offered work to those left in the cold by Telltale’s downfall.

Screenshot: Twitter @corybarlog

Despite the sadness, perhaps it is best that the talented folks that brought us so much joy with their unique storytelling prowess, can now, hopefully, move on to greener pastures and continue to produce amazing content in a structure that will allow them to continue flourishing as creators. Rest in Peace, Telltale Games.

Album Review: Black Honey – Black Honey

As a band that has already made a big name for itself by being an ever-present and stand-out force on the indie-rock touring circuit, the release of an LP has been a long time coming. Finally ready to seep flowingly into our ears, Black Honey is a pleasant and satisfying gift to fans.

The influences on this album are obvious but also starkly vast in range. The guitars throughout are a distinct mix of shoegaze and ‘90s grunge. It’s easy to think of a louder Lana Del Rey on one of the album’s slow-downs, ‘Blue Romance’. The solo guitar riff at the tail end of ‘Into The Nightmare’ even sounds like it’s been lifted straight out of an old-style Western epic. To be fair, the image of the four-piece stepping out in the desolate Wild West for a final shoot-down, clad heavily in flares and suede and Stetsons is not a great stretch of the imagination. You almost get the impression that these tunes were deliberately hand-crafted to soundtrack such a scene.

Repetition is rife on the album. Frontwoman Izzy B. Phillips croons her lines as if to drill them into your head, but by no means in a way that is uninviting. In fact, on tracks such as ‘Baby’, the effect almost seems to lull you into a soothing state of melodic trance.

Some bands may cower away from entering the realm of pop on their debut so as not to be thrust into today’s cluster of wannabe-radio-friendly, manufactured profit-makers, but Black Honey have crawled right into it. Crucially, they manage to not give off such an air. The use of Auto-Tune throws our minds right back to 2000s pop, and, dare it be suggested, early Britney Spears has been resurrected for a 2018, edgier update during ‘I Only Hurt the Ones I Love’.

Like most, Black Honey is a record of romantic woes. Tales of how “I’ll only walk, only walk away from” the lover of a broken-down fling in ‘Hello Today’ echo seamlessly into the seemingly-linked kick-back found in ‘Dig’’s “Do I wanna be told the truth? When I fell for a lie like you”.

Black Honey is a pleasing debut that somehow manages to juxtapose a cosmic spread of influences all the while still sounding only like the music of its namesake hosts.

8/10

Gaming in Manchester: Development edition part two

Last time out, we looked at some of the biggest studios in Manchester, as well as some of the more established indie studios. This week, I’ve dug a bit deeper to speak a bit more about some of the hidden gems and rough diamonds in the city and to see what’s in development.

First up we have a very rough diamond indeed in the form of gambling megacorp. Scientific Games. Undoubtedly the largest games company you will never have heard of, Scientific have a library of 250 games. Total assets are estimated to be several billion as of 2015 and their Manchester offices are one of 13 worldwide. With 250 commercial and manufacturing facilities across the world, Scientific are a global leviathan. Their Manchester office is said to focus on the “Real Money Gaming side of [their] business.”

Somewhat up the other end of the spectrum lie the rest of our developers, first among whom are Acid Nerve. Acid Nerve’s first major game was Titan Souls, and the hard-as-nails action puzzler has received a lot of critical acclaim — although is not for the faint of heart. It was published by Devolver Digital, who you may know from their subversive E3 presentations.

Parallel Circles are another recently formed studio looking to make their first major release. Their founders, who previously worked at TT games, “decided to leave the premier league to start a new adventure on their own, giving their projects the polishing, care and love that the AAA industry can rarely deliver.” Their first game, Flat Heroes, will be a minimalist local multiplayer game with a focus on super-fast-paced gameplay. It was selected in EGX’s famous Leftfield collection in 2016.

Flat Heroes. photo:Mancunion

 

Odd Bug are another company with just the one title to their name. The Lost Bear, a hand-drawn 2D side-scrolling platformer for VR, is about as Indie as they come, but has again been positively received by those who have played it.

Another are Prospect Games, whose first release, Unbox: Newbie’s Adventure, has been released on the PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC. The game, which sees you play as “the world’s first self-delivering cardboard boxes,” is a real romp worth playing, although will still set you back a princely £19.99 on the PlayStation Store. They are currently working on Robot Champions, an online arcade robot fighting game set for release in 2019, and the mysterious but fascinating-looking TerraWurm.

Finally, we have Sigtrap Games, whose debut title Sublevel Zero is described by the studio as “zero-g[ravity] combat at its most intense.” Sublevel Zero came out to positive reception and is available on PS4, Xbox One, PC, and VR (PC only). The studio is currently working on bringing it to The Nintendo Switch.

So there we have it, the Manchester development scene in its wide and wonderful variety. The Mancunion hopes to bring more from these developers over the next 9 months – regardless of whether we do or not, I doubt this will be the last you hear of many of them.

Campaign SupaNova: Putting the Focus on Social Justice

On Thursday 27th of September, Campaign Supanova, organised by campaign coordinator Polly Bark, descended on the University of Manchester Students’ Union. Months in the making, over 30 campaigns were present to share the ideas and work they have carried out across Manchester.
The concept of putting the spotlight on the university’s campaigns is not new; in previous years, a conference has been held with the same intention of giving campaigns a space to speak. However, after focus groups with students, it was decided to introduce the festival format in 2018 to give the campaigns a bigger chance to showcase their work. Although the campaigns do participate in the Fresher’s Fair, Campaign Supanova aimed to give a more focused approach to presenting the work done by the students. With social justice being a large part of the Student’s Union, the campaign organisers hoped to “inspire even more activism, social justice, volunteering and charity work”, according to Bark. Bark also highlighted that the festival did not solely focus on campaigning but on community work as a whole, with a stall dedicated to teaching students how to campaign and how to get involved in the community in a variety of ways.
Lasting the entire day, the campaign featured campaign stalls, Thirsty Girls DJ, spoken word from artists such as January and Maria Cicortas, and art from the Manchester Print Fair. One campaign stall, Make Misogyny a Hate Crime, gave a passionate description of their work, highlighting the fact that 45% of women have been sexually harassed. Their stall drummed up attention for their Women’s Rally on the 5th of December, where they intend to face the mayor and present their case, and encourage anyone who supports their cause to attend. Numerous other stalls displayed similar passion, and the number of students involved demonstrated the scale of social justice and community work within the university.

Interested in getting involved with any of the work mentioned in this article? Check out: https://manchesterstudentsunion.com/campaigns

Live Review: WHP 2018 – Welcome to The Warehouse

The Warehouse Project opened its doors on Saturday for what is said to be the last season at the famed Store Street venue. It was a techno and house night, but you could always hear the artist’s originality with the cool and strange places they took these genres to. The night lasted from 5pm to 5am because of extended opening hours and it’s safe to assume you’d need to be very intoxicated to last the full ride.

I’m usually not an avid listener of house and techno but most of the acts were very impressive. Unless you arrived with enough time before the last entry, it’s likely that Mall Grab would’ve been the first act you saw. The 24-year-old Australian DJ has made waves across the world and moved from his home country to London a few years ago. Some of his set was dance-infused, chilled and had an attractive lo-fi quality. The other parts were quite intense and made the room shake, all while being accompanied by mesmerising light shows.

Following on the main stage was the Berlin-based, Korean artist Peggy Gou. She was definitely one of the night’s best acts. Her songs blended pulsating house and techno beats with syncopated rhythms, forming an audibly dazzling soundscape.

Over in Room 2, London-based DJ Midland meshed together funky beats and trance rhythms in a surprisingly satisfying way. Towards the end of the night, Michigan artist Seth Troxler took to the main stage and presented his stripped back sound with unsettling vocal samples sprinkled throughout. This, combined with colourful and psychedelic imagery on the front screens, made for a slightly bizarre yet thrilling backdrop.

This was my first experience of Warehouse Project and it certainly didn’t let down my expectations. The venue is an awesome place and is easy to navigate quickly even with masses of people. The high vaulted ceilings instilled an impressive sense of space to move around in.

The Warehouse Project is a beloved institution of Manchester’s dance music scene and although it will be sad to see it leave Store Street, I can’t wait for another year of good times and going hard as it moves to its new residence.

9/10

Album Review: Iridescence by Brockhampton

Brockhampton, the talented self-proclaimed ‘boyband’, returns in 2018 with a new project. After dropping 3 albums in 2017 the boys are back with another. Many expected Brockhampton to drop Puppy in early June but allegations aimed at ex-member Ameer Vann ultimately saw the proposed release being dropped and Vann being kicked out.

After being teased with tracks ‘1997 DIANA’, ‘1998 TRUMAN’, and ‘1999 WILDFIRE’, Brockhampton finally dropped Iridescence, the 15-song album. This was the first label-backed project by the band, after signing a $15 million deal with RCA in The States; recordings took place in both Hawaii and at the iconic Abbey Road Studio in London.

Many Brockhampton fans may have been excited about the new project or even worried that without Vann, Brockhampton would crumble. I would like to remind people that Vann isn’t the only member who has left Brockhampton. Singer Rodney Tenor (one of the faces on the All-American Trash cover art) and producer Albert Gordon (an important part of Brockhampton’s early work), both left the group.

Their respective departures didn’t affect the Saturation trilogy being a success, albeit Vann was a larger contributor to the group then either Tenor or Gordon. This is why I did expect his departure to affect the sound and direction of this release.

Like Ameer, I felt the fun samples and jumpy beats were missing here. Compared to the Saturation trilogy, the choice of samples made the beats sound darker – I wouldn’t say this was bad or good but it makes me curious about the direction of future projects. The second thing that struck me was the promotion of Joba, Merlyn and Bearface’s vocals. It was a pleasant surprise to here Merlyn taking on more of the lyrical load. In fact, he spat my favourite lyric “Colonized Christian, now I’m losing my religion” on opener ‘NEW ORLEANS’. Joba (one of the most versatile members of the boyband) further flexed his wide skill set. The catchy lines, fun deliveries, and originality are three things which definitely have not departed.

The project starts on ‘NEW ORLEANS’ and seamlessly transitions into ‘Thug Life’. The latter features Bearface’s verse from “New Orleans”, which contains possibly the most ear-pleasing adlib of the year – “Ah” has never sounded so good.  The album flows between sounds and genres like you would expect from any of Brockhampton’s discography. We experience an impressive journey of going down to the abrasive dark sounds on ‘J’OUVERT’ and rising to heart-filled, Auto-Tuned ballads such as ‘SAN MARCOS’, and then finding a way to harmonise both of these styles on ‘WEIGHT’.

Iridescence ends on ‘FABRIC’ which is a perfect closer with de facto leader Kevin Abstract criticizing media outlets for focussing too much on Vann’s behaviour and not enough on the group’s success. “Why the hell the BBC only writes about me when it comes down to controversy? What about three CDs in one year with no label?” he laments.

Iridescence failed to grab my attention like other Brockhampton projects on my first listen. Once listening through a few times, I came to appreciate the album. I’m glad they didn’t try and push out another Saturation. They evolved. This evolution, however, did not do enough for me to rank it higher than other Brockhampton releases. Although I like Iridescence, it is probably my least favourite of their work.

This album is an important first step in Brockhampton finding a new style in an era post-Ameer Vann.

6/10

The Debate: did Wolf Alice deserve the 2018 Mercury Prize?

For:

The mercury award helps to bring bands and musicians into the limelight. Wolf Alice deserved this, they’ve worked so hard as a band and they deserved to be more readily recognised for it. Of course, as a band they’ve have had many tours, and two best selling albums but prior to this Mercury win they were not a household name. This will give them that more well-rounded recognition that they are so worthy of.

It has been argued that Wolf Alice was a safe choice to win.  But I disagree, I think going for Noel Gallagher or Arctic Monkeys would have been safe — how controversial. Wolf Alice aren’t a basic guitar band, nor are they strikingly inaccessible; this album was progressive and by melding genres together, it allowed for both the band and the album to be more inclusive. The sound of Visions of a Life is bold, exciting, and totally immersive.

It is important to say that if the judges had wanted a bog standard guitar band, they could have gone for Arctic Monkeys or even Nadine Shah. If they had wanted something with more edge and hip-hop vibes, they could have gone for King Krule. Wolf Alice’s Visions of a Life merges many different aspects of music and moves the band away from their indie beginnings. It shows the bands growth in a positive, and futuristic way. The album is beautifully creative, moving through many sub-genres with a perfect fluidity. As an entity, it is very pleasing to listen to; from track one, ‘Heavenward’, to the title track, ‘Visions of a Life’. It brings in aspects of electro-folk, post-punk, indie, and so much more than just plain old rock.

Wolf Alice are, arguably, one of the smaller names on the list. The Mercury is helping to bring them further into the limelight. No, they are not an unknown band, but in comparison to Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and the Arctic Monkeys they are not selling out arenas or headlining major festivals. Yet.

The Mercury Award is of such prestige that giving it to a band like the Arctic Monkeys would be a very peculiar choice, just as giving it Ed Sheeran in 2017 would have been. This is only their second album and it is the second to reach number 2 in the charts. Having both albums do this well should, and deserves to be, recognised. By giving Visions of a Life, the Mercury Award the industry is giving back to the band and helping them to be noticed as an ever-evolving and intriguing group to watch and follow.

Another point worth exploring is that the Mercury Award itself is at fault slightly for the backlash. It could be argued that there is an issue with inclusivity.  Yes, Grime, Jazz Fusion, and other underground genres are pushing through. Sampha beating out Stormzy, Ed Sheeran and The xx in 2017, shows how the Mercury Award focuses on quite easy listening music. Despite the last few winners not being guitar wielding indie bands, the shortlist is still disproportionate in terms of the British population’s genre preferences.

 

Against:

The Mercury prize is very simple: it gives an award to the best album released by a British or Irish artist in the last 12 months. There’s a £25,000 cheque, and a lovely gold award handed out on the night to the winners. That’s it. The beauty of the prize is that it’s so simple — it’s the best album, from an artist from one or two countries, with a small prize fund.

Wolf Alice, therefore, did deserve a Mercury Prize — in 2015 for My Love Is Cool — but not for Visions of a Life (VoaL).

VoaL is far more ambitious than My Love Is Cool, but ambition has to be tempered with an overall direction: at times, it feels as if the sophomore effort is experimenting for the sake of experimentation. “St. Purple & Green” comes across as filler before the sprawling seven-minute title track. The preceding track, “Sadboy”, is a good song in itself, but fails to act as a good bridge between the dream-like “St. Purple & Green” and fiesta “Space & Time”. All this contributes to an album that’s beautifully competent and brilliantly produced, but not nearly as memorable as their debut.

A lot of the conversation around Wolf Alice being a safe choice for the award comes back to the 2015 ceremony: that night, Benjamin Clementine won for his truly mesmeric debut At Least For Now. This was a bolt from the blue, with the near-universal reaction being “who?!” Compared to the Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, and Noel Gallagher, Wolf Alice are unknown. However, they’re not Benjamin Clementine unknown. They’re not Nadine Shah unknown. They’ve released two albums and had countless tours. Wolf Alice, as much as my 16-year-old self is at pains to say, are now a big band. We can throw out the argument that they were given the award for publicity and exposure, as other artists on that list are in much more need of it.

There’s a misconception that the Mercury Prize favours guitar bands, but it frequently challenges this assumption — Dizzee Rascal won in 2003 before grime had even left the capital in a major way. Indeed, the past three winners all were black, London-born, hip-hop influenced artists: the shift to a guitar-led nomination list might only be a blip this year. However, there are more effervescent acts on the list. The aforementioned Nadine Shah’s superlative-inducing Holiday Destination takes aim at almost everything wrong with our world and still ties it up into a nicely delivered, focused package. The Arctic Monkeys’ Tranquility Base Hotel and Casino also would be an unsafe choice: lounge rock has never won. By moving away from London hip-hop, Mercury had an opportunity to really make a statement. Instead, they chose an artist very much of the indie zeitgeist, again from the capital, who already have an established following.

The Mercury Prize, up until 2018, has often surprised by going on a limb and picking something no one has ever heard of but has been justified by its true musical excellence. This year it’s surprised by picking something that a lot of people have heard, which very few describe as truly excellent.

In conversation with LAUREL

LAUREL is p*ssed off, and she wants you to know it.

With herself, with the world, and most explicitly, with the ‘you’ to whom she refers in almost every song.

There is a tried-and-tested formula immediately apparent in the contrastingly catchy, poppy music of much of her set, meeting the beautiful and melancholy voice that perfectly matches it.

“If you loved me, why did you leave? / If you need me, why did you go? / If you want me, why don’t you see?” she sings in ‘All Star’, the opening song of the set.

The raw emotion, and the obvious fact that these are her words, written by herself, give the lyrics real weight. It is impossible not to pay attention. This isn’t to say that her songs are difficult to relate to, though.

Whilst singles like the stomping ‘Adored’ (a song “about loving the feeling of being adored, but not the person offering it”) might be a little specific, themes of love, heartbreak, and anger are universal.

The minimalist set up on stage aids in terms of build-up. She is flanked by two guitarists and a drummer; all three of whom, are not fazed by the gravity of some of her lyrics. They are clearly, and endearingly, having a great time and sound brilliant to match.

The middle of her set at Soup Kitchen featured a three-song solo section, with ‘Sun King’, a song “very special” to her, especially heartening. Songs from singles earlier than her newest album DOGVIOLET  like ‘San Francisco’ and encore track ‘Blue Blood’ offer an insight into pre-DOGVIOLET LAUREL.

Were comparisons at all necessary, one might say that her music has advanced from a British Lana Del Rey to a Florence Welch in waiting. But they aren’t. With the acclaimed release of her debut album, LAUREL is at a stage where she should be respected as an artist in her own right, and one who doesn’t need to be likened to others. It is her individuality that makes her so special, and if she continues performing and recording as strong music as she has so far, she will undoubtedly go far.

I had the chance to catch-up with LAUREL before she took to the dingy Soup Kitchen stage. Here is what she had to say:

DOGVIOLET has a slightly different sound to some of your earlier singles like ‘Come Together’, would you say that was a deliberate change or was it just what felt right at the time of writing it?

 Yeah, it came out on the 24th… I guess that was a while ago now! It has definitely got a different sound to the first stuff that I released, and it was definitely deliberate. I picked my guitar back up and just changed my tastes a bit and started swaying towards this style. It came out really naturally, though, I wasn’t thinking “I need to make it sound like this” it just happened that way. The first song I produced in that style was ‘Life Worth Living’, which is the first song on the album, but I released it a couple of years ago. It just came together: it took a while and it wasn’t right for a while but then this sound happened, and I decided that that was what I was going to try and create more of on the album.

You’re going all over Europe on this tour, do you have anywhere you’re particularly looking forward to playing?

I’m really excited to play London. It’s my hometown, and we’re playing The Dome so that’s going to be fucking amazing. I’m also excited to go back to Poland, I love Poland and have always played really good gigs there: the crowds are amazing and it’s a beautiful country. I’m also looking forward to going to Budapest and Prague, because I’ve never been before, but sadly I might not get that much time to look around!

Regarding the new album, you’ve said that you’ve tried “to capture the true mania that comes from love; although a beautiful feeling, it can often feel a lot uglier.” Do you use song-writing and music as a mechanism to deal with, to exorcise, and to better understand things life throws at you?

100% yes. I often wonder what people do if they don’t write music! I’ve been in some really dark places or just been fucking mad, sometimes irrationally and just don’t want to speak to anyone, and my music becomes somewhere to put those emotions. Whether the song ends up on an album or not, or whether I ever even listen to it again, for a brief moment I am putting that energy somewhere and after I finish that song I feel so much better. It happened recently and I just thought: how do people deal with things without song-writing? You have to find a way to channel emotions, and I don’t know how I’d do it if I didn’t do this. Instead of running away from my emotions it helps me face them front on. To be honest, it’s the only reason I write songs.

So you wouldn’t write something like ‘Eleanor Rigby’ for example, that isn’t personal to the singer’s own life?

 No, I’ve tried! I did do when I was younger and playing folk music and hadn’t been in love so I think I was writing about other things because I hadn’t had much life experience myself. But I find it a bit harder to write storytelling: I know you can feel passionate about someone else’s story but I have to really be deep inside what I’m writing about for it to come out easily in my writing. I find it hard to write in the third person.

In terms of how personal DOGVIOLET is, it also paradoxically does a great job of feeling equally relatable to anyone, from someone feeling a first love to someone twice your age!

Yeah, I think the subject matter is something everyone of a certain age has been through. A lot of the songs, when I listen to them, are very situational because I remember the exact time in my life that I wrote them. It isn’t the situations themselves that are correlating in people’s lives, but rather the feelings — frustration, hate, love, obsession, addiction — which are relatable to people in every sense, not just the ones I was thinking about when I wrote the songs.

Were you listening to anything yourself during the writing process?

There’s a track by The Neighbourhood that I really like called ‘Sweater Weather’. I was listening to that a lot. I love the lyrics because of how conversational they are — I love conversational lyrics, and I love the production. I listened to a lot of Florence + The Machine, I think she’s amazing.

A lot of people have mentioned similarities in my music to hers which is funny because they never did that on my earlier music and I probably listened to more of her then. But I just like how she has alternative music that’s also pop and doesn’t go off on a tangent and really has a clear point to it. I also listened to a lot of Talking Heads, Pet Shop Boys, and Fleetwood Mac — all those classic bands. Whilst I was producing and mixing the album, though, I didn’t listen to any other music because you immediately start comparing and wondering whether you should be doing what they’re doing.

On another topic, tell us about the book, The Mutterings of a LAUREL, that you announced today!

Yeah! It’s the first test run and I’m only selling it on the tour for now, but I wrote it whilst I was finishing the album. It references my life whilst I was writing the music, so whilst it doesn’t actually speak that much about music and my career other than a chapter about touring, it just shows what was going on in my life whilst I was writing songs. And, I think, if you listen to the album and read the book you can tell when the songs were written. It’s a journal, but there are days where I didn’t write anything so it’s quite loose in that sense.

So did you start with the idea you were you were going to make a book out of it?

No, funnily, the first chapter explains this. I write “starting a journal is probably a bad idea” and mention that I’m thinking about writing a book, but I never thought this journal would turn into one. I started writing every day and the writing was quite creative, not just statements about what I’m doing, and I just decided I was going to turn this into something. It’s taken a while, but I’m really pleased with it.

Going back to your music, but looking at the future, is there anyone you’d really love to collaborate with?

Hmm. I’m trying to think. One person I’d really love to collaborate with is someone whose EP I’ve been listening to recently and she’s fucking awesome: Maggie Rogers. I really love her EP. It’s so sick, and the production is quite poppy, but I’ve heard some of her acoustic stuff and it really is just top class songwriting. So that would be fun. She’s fucking cool.

Brilliant! Lastly, any plans for album number two?

Always! I’ve written half of it already. I think this time I’m going to get somebody else to help me produce it, though, rather than doing it all by myself. I’ve already recorded some demos that I think sound great.

Album Review: The Story So Far – Proper Dose

While it may be easy to think of The Story So Far as relative newcomers to the pop-punk scene, they have in truth been around for over a decade. Established in 2007 in California, The Story So Far have released several critically-acclaimed albums, bringing an edgier, more hardcore-influenced sound to the genre than many of their contemporaries.

Their latest release, Proper Dose, comes after the longest interval between the band’s album releases to date; their last album was the eponymous The Story So Far in 2015. With Proper Dose, the band show their more adult, mature side; deviating (though not completely) from the usual pop-punk fayre of relationship angst and hometown hating.

As the title of the album implies, there are plenty of references to drugs; the first single from the album, ‘Out of It’, details the experience of numbing one’s feelings using, as lead singer Parker Cannon describes it, an “appropriate opiate”. While it may be easy to include drug references for the sake of it, and I do think that maybe that did happen once or twice on the album, I am of the opinion that for the most part they are appropriate and work well.

The theme of numbed feelings continues into the second single, ‘Upside Down’, which attacks the feelings of getting older and moving away from the feelings that may have motivated the band to write in the way they used to.

This is really compounded in the album’s acoustic, sad track, ‘Take Me as You Please’. This is where there are echoes of the traditional pop-punk style — the song is about a lost relationship, but rather than dwell on it as the band may have done in other albums, the theme is, as with much of the album, about moving on. Again, featuring references to drugs, it’s perhaps about how these can modulate — and moderate — emotions. The instrumentation, even on the more upbeat tracks, reflects the new mood of the album; more calm and measured.

Overall, the album presents a much more melancholy, mature feeling than their previous releases. As the saying goes, write what you know; The Story So Far have definitely followed this mantra to great success. Could they have written a good album with less mature, reflective, more stereotypical pop-punk lyrics? I don’t doubt it. Would it be as sincere and enjoyable? Probably not.

As well as the band, I think their fans are maturing, too. People who were in their teens in 2007 are now adults in their twenties (and perhaps even thirties); they have a different, more reflective outlook on life. For your favourite bands to mature with you is probably a welcome experience for many.

8/10

Menna Fitzpatrick: In Her Own Words

Entirely blind except for 3% vision in her right eye, Menna Fitzpatrick hit headlines across the world this February when she won four medals, and Britain’s only Gold, at the Winter Paralympics in Pyeongchang. The 20-year old Mancunian now has her eyes firmly set on becoming a world champion in January.

Before jetting off for training in Germany, Fitzpatrick is currently leading Ski Confidence camps, aimed at raising the profile of snow sports across the country, which she sees as crucial, ”Winter Sports is an amazing sport to be a part of, and it’s so sociable. There are so many universities and schools at the moment that have snow sports teams. The schools that I went to didn’t do those sorts of things. I think it’s a recent thing in the last few years (and) we’re starting to get there in terms of opportunities.”

She is teaching beginners at Chill Factore, a trip down memory lane for the gold medallist, who recalls first being discovered on the same slopes, ”Yes that’s right! It was about 7 years ago now that I was spotted here. It’s been a dream of mine for a long time to go to the Paralympics –  my aim was always to go to Pyeongchang 2018. I didn’t realise that it could actually become possible until I reached the World Cup circuit in Aspen, Colorado two and a half years ago.”

That meteoric rise has seen her become Britain’s most decorated Winter Paralympian after just one games, and Fitzpatrick recognises the challenge of equating the Winter showpiece’s reputation with the Summer games, ”It’s slowly getting better, as the level of interest in Paralympic sport grows, so will the competition. The standard of the sport is also changing — even from Sochi four years ago — athletes are having to work harder to keep at the top which is really exciting.”

This well-needed awareness has been boosted by her story, with many encapsulated by her ability to ski to such a high standard, with the little vision she has. Working closely with guide Jen Kenhoe, she explained how the two collaborate on the slope, ”We have two-way Bluetooth headsets on our helmets so that we can communicate. Jen will go down ahead of me wearing a bright orange jacket that contrasts with the snow, which helps me with the visibility. With the vision I do have I can make out Jen’s exaggerated movements — that gives me an indication of when she’s about to take a turn, for example, and then I have to do the same, 2 seconds or even a millisecond later. It may sound like we’re shouting at each other, but we’re just trying to get the message across!”.

The pair are very close, with Fitzpatrick has even described Kenhoe as a ‘sister’. She elaborated to explain how such a connection off-slope aided their success when competing, ”We have a really good relationship. One of our strengths is that we get on so well — everything is very natural and because of that we don’t have to work on the teamwork and communication side of things. It’ll be the little things Jen does, like pointing out a step, that reinforces the trust between us. That is really important when it comes to the skiing.”

This close teamwork and the achievements that she now has under the belt make Fitzpatrick one of the most experienced athlete’s in her field, but she admits that you can never quite shake the anxiety of performing and outlined how she deals with nerves, ”I still have nerves every time I get into that start gate. We chat to a sports psychologist and she gives us strategies to help us manage. There are essentially three strategies that I used for the Paralympic games. The first is to focus on the butterflies in your stomach and imagine that you are trying to get them into a formation, the second is to try and think calmly under pressure at all times. Finally, there’s Yogic breathing. Don’t try all these at once, they won’t work! Although, when I tried I did end up picturing butterflies doing yoga…”

As the 20-year old talked through her coping mechanisms, carefully-crafted relationship with her guide and her long-term commitment to the sport, a picture of a dedicated, enthusiastic Paralympian, already at the top of her field emerged. Having been recognised with MBE in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list this year, her remarkable success has put skiing at the top of her priorities list, and she discussed how once-hobby has now blended into a full-time job, ”I do explain that my profession is a full-time athlete. The saying is true though, if you find something that you love, it doesn’t feel like work. That is the case for me most days. When you have those days that it’s raining, windy, and there’s a 4am wake up, you do lose your motivation a little bit and then it feels a bit more like a job again. We work so hard though, we get a lot out of training by the end of it.”

She certainly harbours an intense training schedule and will be abroad for almost all of November and December, preparing for the world championships. Despite this, Fitzpatrick already has her eyes firmly set on the future.

‘’There’s Beijing 2022 to look forward to’’. ‘’My plan is to just keep going, keep training, and use every moment to get better.’’

Serena Williams and her lack of regret

Serena Williams denies that she was coached from the stands by Patrick Mouratoglou in the US Open Final. This is despite him admitting that he “was coaching but I don’t think she looked at me. Everybody does it.”

Speaking on The Sunday Project on Australia’s Network Ten, Williams said “I just don’t understand what he was talking about. I asked him [Mouratoglou] ‘what are you talking about you were coaching? We don’t have signals, we’ve never had signals.

“He said he made a motion. So I was like ‘you made a motion and now you told people that you’re coaching me – that doesn’t make sense, why would you say that?’”

“I was on the other side. I didn’t see the motion. It was just a really confusing moment, I think, for him.”

In the US Open final this year, Williams was penalised three times. Once for coaching, once for racquet smashing that resulted in a point penalty, and once for verbal abuse that led to a docked game.

The American told the umpire Carlos Ramos “you will never ever ever be on another court of mine as long as you live.” After the dust settled on the incident she told The Sunday Project “what I’m trying to do most of all is to recover from that and move on.”

It seems that part of the moving on process involved forgetting that certain events took place as Williams chose to ignore questions about whether she regretted breaking her racquet on the court. Remorse for her actions also seems to be absent from that process as neither the umpire nor her opponent Naomi Osaka, who was booed to tears during her win, received any form of apology.

This latest interview seems to be more about sweeping the issues under the rug than acknowledging what she said was wrong and growing as a person and athlete. It is interesting that she chose to speak only about the one code violation for which there was at least some argument, and not about her tirade about how she was unjustly treated because she was a woman.

There are many instances of sexism in sport, and having situations like this, where the athlete blames sexism for her own actions or, perhaps, an incorrect call from an umpire, devalues those real claims. It would have been a far greater moment for women’s sport if Williams admitted that anger got the better of her and apologised. She could have then used the limelight as a platform to get a proper discussion about sexism going.

Instead, we are just pretending that none of what she said actually happened and the tennis world is even more divided than it already was. It is a shame as this could have been the beginning of a large step forward, rather than a small step back.

On the Loan: Manchester United Women 3-0 Sheffield United Women

Welcome to a brand-new addition to The Mancunion. On the Loan is not just about giving you a match report, but a review of the whole experience from different teams in the North-West. It takes the wealthy world of football and asks, can it be enjoyed on a student budget? We start with Manchester United Women against Sheffield United Women.

The Match: Manchester United Women were playing their first home league game in 13 years, having been disbanded in 2005 in order for the club to focus on their youth set-up. Having won their first game in the Women’s Championship a resounding 12-0 away at Aston Villa, we were expecting big things from a side with a young and promising squad.

Alex Greenward, the former Liverpool player now turned Manchester United captain, said in her programme notes that the target of the club this year was to return to top division having re-entered in the lowest (second) division. Given their performance on Thursday night, this ambition does not look particularly challenging to achieve. With England legend Casey Stoney watching on as the new United manager, they set to work against Sheffield United on a wet Thursday evening.

After twelve comfortable minutes, Lauren James was brought down in the area, and Katie Zelem cooly converted the penalty. Later, Sheffield forced a rare, but exceptional, save from veteran keeper Chamberlain. Hanson, however, ruined any chance of an equaliser for Sheffield by adding United’s second, cutting in from wide and curling an effort over Hobbs in the Sheffield net.

If the first half proved how dominant United could be, the second half had us staple them down as title favourites, with Lauren James — just sixteen years old — pulling the strings in the midfield and playing both attacking and defensive roles, such was the space open to her. She will be a commanding influence wherever this exciting United team end up. Substitute Lizzie Arnot wrapped up the points with a tap-in midway through the second half. A comfortable 3-0 win confirmed United remain top of the table.

The Commute:

This is the area where Manchester United Women may struggle gaining student support. They play their home matches at Leigh Sports Village, where buses are more frequent to Wigan, rather than Manchester. To get there from Fallowfield we had to drive an hour and a half, and although we have travelled further for matches, the Manchester rush hour traffic was infuriating. That traffic is made unavoidable given that the games kick off at 19:00.

There are a lot of more local games that we will cover in the coming weeks and months, but we recommend going to watch Manchester United Women if you have a car, not least because of the excellent price.

The Cost:

The reason we started On the Loan was to find football to watch without having to go over our student budget. Manchester United Women offer excellent value for money. A £5 ticket with a free programme — although that may have been due to it being their first home league game — makes this one of the cheaper teams to attend in the local area.

I will admit that On the Loan has caused my pie intake to rise exponentially and, with no meat and potato available, I resorted to the cheese and onion. What surprised me about this was that it didn’t taste like sick in a pastry, but actually quite nice. The pie and a Pepsi set me back £4.30, and I also had to provide a few quid for petrol.

Overall, a night at the football cost me £12.30, which in the modern age, is extremely reasonable, especially as you are seeing one of the best up and coming teams in English Women’s football.

Score:

8.5/10 – We can’t find any fault in the cost, but we did get rained on a fair bit and the second half was a bit flat with United looking so comfortable.

On the Loan can also be found on Instagram, @ontheloan for more football experiences both in the UK and abroad.

James Richardson: “The staple of English pundits that float around don’t really have any expertise to bring to it”

James Richardson is a football broadcaster, podcast host, and journalist who specialises in Italian league Serie A. His love for all things Italian was sparked by a girl he met in Rome, 1990, which resulted in him learning the language and the league. That girl started a chain of events ultimately creating one of the greatest football shows of all time, Channel 4’s Football Italia.

26 years after it debuted, Football Italia still holds a place in the hearts of those who watched it every week. “There were a unique combination of circumstances in the early 90’s that caused it to be successful and the biggest factor of them all was Paul Gascoigne. Everyone was desperate to see just how he would get on in Italy.” Says Richardson.

“On one hand, because it was the biggest test an English footballer could have at the time and secondly because he hadn’t played anywhere in 18 months.” Gascoigne missed the entire 1991/92 season after suffering a ruptured cruciate ligament in his right knee while playing for Tottenham Hotspur. During his recovery, there was a media circus about whether he would sign for Italian club Lazio or not, which he eventually did for £5.5 million.

“We were all really interested to see how he would do, whether he was still Gazza. So you have that and the fact that it was essentially the only football that was on TV because Sky had just taken the English First Division away.”

“It was also in Italy where we had just had a really successful World Cup with Italia 90. There was a great vibe around those stadiums, those same grounds where we had seen the World Cup take place. All the big stars of that World Cup were still playing there. It felt almost like a window into another world of football.”

“You wouldn’t have those things now, not least because everyone’s schedule is saturated by football.” That certainly is one of the difficulties for the modern football fan, a wealth of options and limited time makes it difficult to know what to watch. “I think certainly for Football Italia, doing a proper highlights show with context of who these players are and what these games mean is something that we really don’t see all that much of on TV [nowadays].”

“We don’t get a proper Spanish show or a proper Italian show. We were doing something along those lines on BT with the European Football Show before it was cancelled, but there will always be a place for a show like Football Italia.”

Nowadays you can find Richardson on BT Sport’s Champions League Goals Show. Hosted on BT Sport 1 it has a panel of experts, one for each of the top European leagues, who watch all the night’s games giving opinions and analysis on the action as it happens. The most attractive aspect of the show is that every goal is shown, allowing the viewer to have a rounded knowledge of the week’s action.

Having a panel of experts rather than pundits was something Richardson was adamant about from the outset. “Whilst a former pro can give you a unique insight on how to play the game, when you’re dealing with foreign matches there is no point in having someone with only a cursory knowledge, or someone who has just read some research notes into a fixture. They won’t be able to give you anything beyond truisms, whereas an expert or journalist will be able to really bring you information that you wouldn’t otherwise get.”

“Unless the pundit is someone who has maybe played at that club ten years before, most of the time you’ll be giving them more information than they are giving you, which is not really the right dynamic for pre-game or post-game analysis. I’m really a strong believer that pundits can be ex-players, only ex-players can know what it’s like to be on the pitch, but equally, in terms of summing up a game it’s not like they are the only one who can do it.”

“If you were to buy a newspaper and all the match reports were written by ex-pros, I don’t know how much fun that would be. We trust journalists to do the job of reporting and analysing in print and in other forms of media so why punditry should only be the province of former players is something that I’m not clear on.”

“I guess that’s just the way it’s always been done but particularly as I say with foreign matches, the staple of English pundits that float around don’t really have any expertise to bring to it. It made total sense to use people that actually know and understand what these games are and BT was completely on board with that.”

With the results of the show being so positive there have been calls to introduce experts and journalists to other programs such as Match of the Day. “I think everyone in the country has a view on what they would do if they were in charge of it and it’s difficult because it kind of belongs to everyone.”

“Equally it’s extremely difficult to plot an editorial course that’s going to upset the least amount of people, but I do think you could do that more with shows like that. It is a show that, in as much as they try and do other things, has a lot of things they haven’t tried to do yet.”

Another potential opportunity is for Match of the Day, highlight type, shows of different European leagues. “I think one of the issues is an audience for that because things are getting increasingly fragmented. Sky did have the rights for La Liga and then they, for whatever reason, decided it wasn’t a viable thing. BT got rid of the European Football Show and I guess [the] audience was probably a significant reason for that.”

“I think now that everyone watches television on demand it means that people can catch up whenever they want. So I absolutely think there is room for a highlights show for things like the Italian and Spanish leagues. Everyone loves to see Italian or Spanish goals but most people would struggle to find 90 minutes of their Saturday or Sunday night to sit down and watch two foreign teams in a league which they might not have too much skin in themselves.”

“A properly put together and explained highlights show though is always something that will be popular, perhaps even more so than the live games.”

With BBC, BT Sport, Sky, and now Eleven Sports owning rights to different leagues it is becoming increasingly difficult, and expensive, to keep up to date with what’s going on regardless of the format. “You need three subscriptions now to watch the biggest leagues. I think it must be really hard for the average viewer. It costs me a fortune but then it’s kind of what I do anyway.”

“Then again if you go back 20 or 30 years nobody really expected to be able to watch all of these things on TV. We had a brief period in which suddenly there was everything all over the place and now we are reverting to an era in which you maybe specialise in one league. There’s no question about it though, it is frustrating for a lot of people to not be able to follow the sport they love in different countries.”

“Living in fear”: Horror as cockroaches infest Owens Park

Students in an Owens Park flat are demanding financial compensation after they were left “traumatised” by a cockroach infestation in their hall.

Those living in Little Court, one of the Owens Park buildings, have also complained about sewage leaking from their taps and flooding in one of the bedrooms.

Residents told The Mancunion that they felt the University were neglecting to invest in them due to Owens Park being earmarked for demolition in the near future.

The first years, who moved into the University-owned halls at the beginning of Welcome Week, believe that the insects were already in the flat before they arrived due to the presence of cockroach traps in one of the bedrooms.

First-year Midwifery student Honor Kelly said the cockroach traps were already in her room when she moved in on Saturday 17th of September: “At first I didn’t realise, like I didn’t check them. I didn’t know what they were, I just assumed every room would have them.

“Then the more that we found we realised [the University] had already put traps down, so we looked in them and they were full of cockroaches so I think they must have known that my room was a hub for them before I moved in.”

Honor told The Mancunion that she has a fear of bugs, and described hearing the cockroaches scratching at the walls at night when trying to sleep, something her flatmates say they also heard.

“I’ve been here a week and I’ve already slept in the common room because I could hear them in the walls.”

Photo: Anya Lyons
Photo: Anya Lyons

Residents claim that they have had no responses from the University, despite them sending several emails. The students say they have also contacted ResLife and the main Fallowfield Campus reception regarding the issue.

The flat is shared by thirty-two people, who share four toilets and four showers between them. The students, who are catered for, pay £144 a week to live there.

“You expect your uni halls to be a bit grotty, but not like this,” said Anya Lyons, a first year Politics and Economics student. “This is too much.

“Pest control said it will take five weeks to make a dent in the population. I don’t want to live for five weeks in fear.”

“The thing is, [the University] obviously were aware. Even if it was just one cleaner that went to the shop and bought some traps, someone was aware. It makes me angry, they must be breaking some kind of rule.”

Photo: Anya Lyons
Photo: Anya Lyons

The students said they felt torn between wanting to move accommodation and also wanting to stay together. They told The Mancunion that they wanted financial compensation for the situation:

“Ideally I want a rent reduction, but you actually live in fear. I hate bugs, but they’ve been really sneaky about it, they’ve allowed us all to become friends so we don’t want to move because they wouldn’t put all of us together.” Honor commented.

“Even like £20 a week off, just something, a gesture would help. We just feel like they don’t really care.” added Anya.

Another student in the flat reported that her room had flooded during the course of the week. “A gutter broke, and there was water all over my room, soaked into my carpet.” she told The Mancunion.

“At first they said they were going to move me but they came back and said there were no spare rooms. All they did was give me towels.”

The residents then showed us a recently recorded video of another flat in Little Court that appeared to show sewage coming from the taps. One girl had opted to leave the flat because of the conditions.

Rebecca Hopkins, a first year PPE student from the flat with the broken taps, told us that that the problem had started last week.

“I’d say it’s a mix of food and sewage [coming out the taps]. We were told it would be dealt with the night it started and it wasn’t. Then they said they’d deal with it in two days, but all they’ve done is put signs over the taps saying to not use them.”

Flatmate Annie Lamb added: “I feel like we pay the most out of anyone. There have been quite a few issues so far, we just want some money back.”

Students expressed views about Little Court being unfit for purpose; “I read that the new development is a multi-million pound project,” Anya said, “So I just feel like they’re trying to squeeze the rent out of us. They don’t take the issue with the cockroaches seriously because we’re the last year that will have to deal with them.”

A University spokesperson has responded, saying: “The University is committed to giving all students the best possible service in all of our halls and we will react quickly to any maintenance requests. There is currently no planned demolition date for Owens Park and we have continued to invest in Owens Park, including a refurbishment of areas of the hall in Summer 2018.

“In Flat x [redacted], prior to current residents arriving in September there were no reports of the presence of cockroaches. The area concerned has previously been treated for cockroaches, and traps are left for monitoring purposes as part of our housing management practice. Following the reports received the University has been working with its pest contractor to eradicate the problem.

“In Flat x [redacted] we had reports that a blocked pipe had caused some flooding. This was not sewage and we have spoken to the residents to inform them that work is being carried out this afternoon [Thursday] to fix the problem.”

Owens Park, where Little Court is situated, was built in 1964 and forms a large part of the University of Manchester Fallowfield Campus.

The University is currently building new, modern halls of residence on the Fallowfield Campus, which have been rumoured to be replacements for Owens Park and Oak House. However, plans have been plagued by setbacks.

The Students’ Union advised: “Students affected by the infestation or leaking sewage can contact the Students’ Union Advice Service for further advice and support. An advisor will look at what action you have taken so far, set out your options and advise on your next steps.

“You may want to consider making an accommodation complaint and one of the SU’s advisors can guide you through this process. Advice Service opening hours are Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm.

“Find out more about contacting an advisor here – https://manchesterstudentsunion.com/top-navigation/advice-service/contact-an-advisor.”

If you or a friend have experienced similar problems in your university halls, you can email [email protected]

Chuka Umunna brings People’s Vote campaign to UoM

Chuka Umunna recently visited the University of Manchester Students’ Union to give a talk about the People’s Vote campaign.

Umunna, who is a Labour MP for Streatham, gave the talk during Campaign Supernova, a day of campaigning festivities hosted by the SU.

He told The Mancunion: “This issue, Brexit, is going to affect younger generations more than any other, and so we’ve got to make sure that their voices are heard.

“My worry is that a lot of young people, over a million who can now vote haven’t had any say in this.

“I think really to bring this campaign alive we need to put young people right at the centre of it so I’m here at my own university trying to get more people involved with it.”

People’s Vote is an all-parliamentary campaign group founded in July 2017, calling for a public vote on a final Brexit deal. Umunna is co-chair of the group with Anna Soubry MP.

He encouraged young people who want to get involved with the People’s Vote campaign, telling them: “Sign up to the campaign online, physically go and visit your Member of Parliament, and make sure you email them, you write to them, and ensure that they can hear your voice.

“We know that the majority of young people want a say on this and don’t like the fact that we’re leaving the European Union, but that won’t be heard unless you speak up and have your say.”

Clapping banned at Students’ Union events

Jazz hands will be used instead of traditional clapping, whooping, and cheering at University of Manchester Students’ Union (SU) events, following a motion voted through the first Senate session of the academic year, held on Thursday 27th September.

It was argued that the loud noise of traditional clapping and whooping pose an issue to students with anxiety or sensory issues. BSL (British Sign Language) clapping – or, jazz hands – would be a more inclusive form of expression.

Liberation and Access Officer Sara Khan authored the motion, called ‘Making Senate More Accessible’. It resolved to swap out audible clapping for BSL clapping at SU events, and to “encourage student groups and societies to do the same, and to include BSL clapping as a part of inclusion training”.

The National Union of Students (NUS) has been using BSL clapping since 2015. Khan’s motion received little opposition in Senate.

Thrice per semester, the SU holds a Senate session where students can bring forward motions to amend the SU constitution.

All motions are voted on by attendees, which include a variety of stakeholders in the student community: for example representatives from University halls, student media representatives, random members of the student body, and our SU exec officers. Each motion needs a 66% majority to get passed.

Sara Khan also proposed a second motion to the September Senate, campaigning for greater QTIPOC (Queer, Trans, and Intersex People of Colour) inclusion and advocacy.

The motion steers the SU to “ring-fence £500 for QTIPOC events and campaigns” and “include representation of, support for, and advocacy for QTIPOC in the role descriptions for part-time BME, LGBTQ and Trans officers”.

Sara Khan herself was absent from Senate. This meant the Senate’s questions about which fund the £500 would be ring-fenced from were unanswered. As a consequence, they voted to postpone the motion for the next Senate session, which will be held on Thursday 8th November.

The September Senate passed another motion titled: ‘Lobbying UoM to Make Resit Examinations Flexible for International Students’. This motion resolved to “actively lobby the university to enable international students to undertake resit exams in their home countries”.

Author Riddi Viswanathan noted: “Other Russell group institutions enable their international students to undertake resits in their home countries through partnerships with British council centres or other university verified assessment centres”.

One Senate representative questioned the exclusionary nature of the motion to domestic students: “If you live 600 miles away in Scotland, you’ll still have to travel 6 or 7 hours to resit an examination.”

Viswanathan expressed interest in expanding the accessibility of remote resits to national students, after it proves successful with international students.

The fourth motion was to ‘Make Islamophobia Awareness Month, Black History Month, LGBT history Month and Global Week Compulsory Campaigns’. This motion was not passed.

A number of Senate attendees were made uncomfortable by the word ‘compulsory’.

“Might this mean exec officers have to forsake some of their other duties to accommodate this?” Laura, the Fallowfield Community Officer, asked.

Shamima Khonat, the Community, Campaigns and Citizenship Officer, who proposed the motion, responded that she was confident there would not be any problems: “This is what we were elected for.”

Riddi argued for the motion: “The SU needs to be mandated to carry them out no matter who carries them out. Who carries them out is not known.”

This did not convince the Senate. One attendee closed the debate off: “We can resubmit it next month, with the wording changed from ‘compulsory’ to ‘priority’, and with proper steps laid out with a hierarchy of who the responsibility will fall to. You don’t pass something that’s sub-par.”