One of the simplest ways to realise what you think about a film is to ask how it made you feel. In the case of this sluggish, ugly, and disassembled product known as the Slender Man movie, I just feel unequivocally angry.
At one point during the film, I found myself demanding that it make me feel something other than rage and frustration. ‘Scare me!’ I wanted to scream at the loosely tied together assembly of clips that was barely passing for a movie. ‘Invest me in these characters!’ ‘Have a jump scare which actually works!’ ‘Shoot something so it actually looks interesting!’ Anything, other than anger at the fact that I had handed over £4.99 of my money to sit here, would have been welcome.
Despite my frustration, the film was not justified in causing this emotion; the movie was simply nothing. The character development literally began and ended with ‘the ginger one,’ ‘the sassy one,’ ‘the weird one,’ and ‘the main one.’ The plot, or what passes for it, sees said group look for ways to summon Slender Man and, shock of all shocks, suddenly face a race against time to escape his clutches as they are picked off one by one.
Imagine A Nightmare on Elm Street if all the suspense and tension was replaced with failed jump-scares, if none of the characters had any noteworthy or memorable traits, and if it was entirely shot with a dull-grey colour palette. On top of all that, the film was just completely and utterly forgettable. About all I can remember is that at every moment it went out of its way to rip off better, classic horror movies that I could have been watching instead.
It did not have to be this way. It is not as if Slender Man, as a character, would not make for a compelling horror villain. He is an ageless entity that preys on children and anyone who so much as manages to glimpse it. That could work in a very Lovecraftian fear of the unknown sense. Instead, we have Sony desperately holding onto whatever credibility they now have; they pull together the bare amount of shots, with the bare amount of care to reach the bare length for a feature film and throw all of that onto a screen. ‘Thank you for buying a ticket, now go home and we’ll try to forget this whole thing ever happened’ appears to be their mantra.
To drop the final nail in the coffin, it is easy to tell that the actors are really trying. The child-actors are actually good, desperately trying to bridge a sisterhood connection between these friends a-la a female version of IT or Stranger Things. The rushed script added no material to work with and the hasty editing managed to do a good job of chopping to pieces any effort the actresses attempted to put into this film.
I have rarely come across a monstrosity that managed to make me feel so strongly, whilst doing so little and trying even less. In a year where horror movies have come so far, A Quiet Place, Hereditary, and Ghost Stories, for example, it is disappointing to see a film treat audiences with such disrespect. It is not even funny enough to qualify as daftly entertaining horror. Instead, it is just ugly, dimly lit nastiness which Sony should be thanking their lucky stars they can soon bin and forget about.
Theresa May’s recent trip to Africa saw her visit Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, in order to recuperate relationships outside of the EU in the wake of Brexit. A perfectly legitimate course of action in the face of the terrifying economic isolationism on the horizon, however this trip was not just a coffee and a catch up. Rather, it was a calculated search for an easy replacement to the EU trade partners, preferably this time one which doesn’t demand as much in return. The Conservatives are seeking to retain dominate the economies of the Commonwealth and reap for themselves the benefits of new and innovative science and technology industries.
The openness with which government spokespeople described it as a mission to open up African markets for UK businesses smacks of a cynicism which denies, from the start, a genuinely egalitarian global partnership. This is despite the fact that Brexit provides the UK with the opportunity to expand trade outside of Europe, not only to distribute more evenly the benefits that globalisation provides but to deepen the cultural dialogue that should be the result of international trade and labour migration as well. Yet, perhaps unsurprisingly, this is not the attitude that the Conservatives and government departments such as the Department for International Development (DFID) have taken.
This is because the word ‘global’ has become skewed; fair trade, diplomatic equality, and ‘special relationships’ have become the preserve of Western Europe and America. The burgeoning relationships with Nigeria, South Africa, and Kenya are not replacements for the ties with the EU. The UK is not taking its African partners seriously, as it does with Western Europe, America or Australia, because international trade is still inextricably intertwined with imperialistic ideas of race and global hierarchy.
As is evident in a lack of commitment by May to change the system for Nigerians and Kenyans to attain work or study visas in the UK. This process is currently incredibly complicated and can be expensive. It has been raised by a number of African leaders, in particular the Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta, as an impediment to an equal and genuine partnership. However, despite the solidifying of all the agreements which benefit the UK, this particular sticking point has been glossed over. Arguably, the Conservatives are seeking to keep the friends in need at an arm’s length, willing to feed them with scraps but not to invite them to the dinner table.
The economic details of the new ‘partnerships’ announced in the wake of May’s visit reveal how the British government are prioritising their own financial gain regardless of the implications for those nations it claims to support in the Commonwealth. In Kenya DFID will be donating funding to a number of research projects whilst the Department for International Trade (DFIT) are supplying a “one stop shop of UK excellence and support”. A surprising gift given the UK’s lack of technological renown; it is doubtful anyone is particularly looking for British guidance when it comes to innovation. This quasi-missionary venture is clearly an attempt to be a mentor, which is perhaps not so much harmful as just patronising. When looked at alongside the refusal to equate with more open borders or study opportunities in the UK, the venture leaves a bitter aftertaste.
The rhetoric adopted towards the newly exploited African markets is deeply paternalistic and heavily rests on the idea that any interactions between the UK and African countries, namely those in the Commonwealth, is and always be, a form of international aid. For example, once major aspect of the renewed partnerships with African economies is the opening of new High Commissions in countries that up until now Britain has had little diplomatic interaction with, such as Lesotho and Eswatini. As well as the opening up of embassies in Chad and Mauritiana. However, the money for these is being taken out of the fixed Foreign Aid budget, despite it being borne out of our own necessity for partnerships outside of Europe. Furthermore, there is a distinctly military dimension to much of the future collaboration, the government are spending even more of the foreign aid budget on funding anti-extremism programs in Nigeria and Kenya.
Whether this paternalism is always intentional isn’t always easy to discern, but the British government, especially under the Conservatives, are finding it hard to shake an imperialistic tint to their actions. This points to the aforementioned skewing of globalisation which seems to excuse the UK being able to pick up or drop its African fellows as and when they chose, having the power in the global hierarchy to decide who reaps the benefits of growing economies.
It’s already apparent that a generation that has never known life without the internet is invading the scene. A generation that is now climbing the ladder in film, television and music. Pop superstars supported by giant labels have had to make way for a wave of self-made artists that have built their career on the internet. Music is now accessible instead of acquirable. Social instead of solitary. Even now on my Spotify account, I can see the songs my friends are enjoying in real time.
The days of LimeWire and shoddy MP3 apps are over. So too are burned CDs with a mix of songs bought for $1.29 each on iTunes. In with the new; music sharing apps like Soundcloud and Spotify and amateur music production apps like Garageband make the process of crafting your own music and discovering others’ that much simpler. These platforms are the foundation of a swathe of newbies bending and twisting genres to find their niche in what is now such a saturated scene.
I’d like to talk about two artists who are prime examples of this, pushing for their own unique sounds. “It was like a terrible day, my hair was disgusting, my skin was so gross,” pop artist Clairo recalls in an interview with Fader speaking on her music video of ‘Pretty Girl’. “It was bad but I decided that it was the perfect day for me to make the music video.”
Like many aspiring artists these days, Clairo started her career as a hobby on Soundcloud, uploading unusual covers of songs before writing her own songs. In August of 2017, she posted the music video for ‘Pretty Girl’, at the time one of her first originals. Made in half an hour with zero budget, the video features the artist dancing in front of her webcam in her bedroom. She has since become a big name in ‘bedroom pop’, a term she herself has deemed limiting.
With the bedroom pop Spotify playlist having almost 200,000 followers, it could be argued it is the trendiest new sound of 2018. Gus Dapperton, Rex Orange Country and my next artist all feature in the playlist. In his TEDxTeen talk, Steve Lacy recalls sending his “random ideas and horrible beats” to mutual friends The Internet, eventually leading to his contribution to their album Ego Death.
Lacy in 2018 is a hugely in-demand songwriter and producer, working with names like Frank Ocean, Tyler, the Creator, Kali Uchis and Goldlink. His 2017 EP Steve Lacy’s Demo has been critically acclaimed for its depth and maturity from an artist of such a young age, despite using zero professional equipment or software.
With this in mind, watching Lacy anxiously rub his hands together as he stumbles through his presentation at TEDxTeen makes one realise how remarkably normal he seems. He comes across as an average Joe with a hobby and not a great deal of money. He has succeeded off the back of his own talent with only GarageBand and his phone’s in-built microphone to carry him forward.
On the Beatles’ first tour of the US, their gigs were attended by so many screaming fans the music was only semi-audible. They were superstars. Escorted in nothing less than armoured cars and limousines, their followers would crusade to airports and hotels just for a glimpse of their iconic haircuts. How the world has changed since. Artists have come and gone since then but have still sat atop these great pedestals. The internet’s rise has accomplished the most wonderful thing. Not only are we immeasurably more connected with each other, but also with our idols. These days we can see them liking posts, sharing their breakfasts or tweeting for song requests for their setlist later that night.
The new generation of performers and producers have proven that there is still space to innovate even from your own dimly-lit bedroom. The pedestal has been lowered. The pathway to musical success is becoming clearer to young aspirers, all thanks to the internet.
Anti-immigration stickers have been placed across campus by far-right group Generation Identity.
The stickers, which appeared across Oxford Road on Monday afternoon, called for readers to “Join the patriotic revolution.”
The text on the stickers read: “Against mass immigration? Want to protect your free speech? Love your English identity?”
The words were set against a backdrop of pictures including figures in burqas standing outside the Houses of Parliament. Another picture showed a protest to free far-right activist and ex-English Defence League leader Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, also known as Tommy Robinson.
A tweet from the Generation Identity North West twitter account showed stickers placed around the University of Manchester Students’ Union. One was pictured under the ‘Safe Space’ sign on the top floor of union. Another was stuck on the mural that the Students’ Union exec painted over with a poem by Maya Angelou during the summer.
The tweet was captioned “Reject safe spaces! Reject Left-Wing echo chambers! Reject the destruction of our Heritage!”
In response, a spokesperson for the University of Manchester said: “The University of Manchester completely rejects the views expressed by these stickers and posters and the organisations responsible for them.”
“As an institution, we are proud of the University’s diverse staff and student body and will continue to promote a message of inclusivity across campus.”
A student-led protest took place on Wednesday afternoon in response to the stickers. One of the organisers, Conor Cooley, third-year Maths student and student campaigner for Stand Up to Racism told The Mancunion:
“Generation Identity is a fascist and deeply racist group. Given that they have been putting stickers up across our university, we think it is really important to have a really public message and show that we don’t believe in and support that kind of ideology and we want a more welcoming atmosphere for the university as a whole.
“Protests like this can really make a difference to students who might feel attacked by these stickers”.
Generation Identity describe themselves as a “Pan European Patriotic Identitarian movement”. The group started in France as the youth-wing of the far-right Bloc Identitaire. The group has factions across Europe, prominently in Austria, Germany and Italy.
The UK and Ireland branch was launched in October 2017 after Generation Identity hung a banner from Westminster Bridge in London, reading “Defend London, Stop Islamisation.”
Their website describes their main aims as: “Stop the Islamisation of Europe,” “Oppose globalisation,” and “Stop and reverse the Great Replacement.”
In March 2018, identitarian writer and prominent Generation Identity member Martin Sellner was barred from entering the UK. He was due to give a speech at Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park, London. His girlfriend, Brittany Pettibone, was also barred.
Regarding the incident, a Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force has the power to refuse entry to an individual if it is considered that his or her presence in the UK is not conducive to the public good.”
The Students’ Union have been contacted for comment.
City became the first English side to lose four consecutive champions league games, as they were beaten by Lyon at the Etihad. City were strong favourites going into their European opener but started the game without Benjamin Mendy or Sergio Aguerö due to injury.
After a slow start, the sky blues fell behind as Maxwell Cornet swept in following a Fabian Delph mistake. The French side extended the lead just minutes from half-time when Nabil Fekir held off three defenders to smash home from just outside the box after Fernandinho needlessly lost possession in midfield.
The home side improved in the second half, and although Bernardo Silva gave City almost half an hour to find an equaliser after slotting home, the unusually sub-par hosts could not avoid defeat for the first time this season. The extent of Guardiola’s absence from the touchline will be debated, but it certainly seemed as if they were lacking the kind of energy and intent so often present in his sides. The carelessness of City was alarmingly apparent to see – sloppy mistakes allowed Lyon to easily create chances and keep city stretched at all times. It’s a rocky start to the new Champions League season for the Manchester club, who are learning the hard way that there is no drifting through games in Europe’s premier competition.
Starting 11:
Team Prospect/Analysis:
As Pep Guardiola’s third managerial experiment, Manchester City are slowly monopolising English football, with a high-pressing, total football approach that saw them blow away sides on their way to a 100-point league title victory. Pep has worked to mould his team, not just through high-profile signings like Benjamin Mendy and Bernardo Silva, but also by working to improve players already at the club – Raheem Sterling a starring example. Using a 4-3-3, City are driven by their use of width, supported by wingbacks Walker and Mendy. There is also an emphasis on a creative midfield, who create dangerous opportunities by building from the back – often the side’s sheer intensity and rapid movement of the ball that make them difficult to play against.
After last season’s quarter-final disappointment against Liverpool, the club looks to have asserted their status as serious challengers in the Champions League, alongside the annual favourites – the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid. Pep Guardiola’s team have the players to compete with such teams and can be forgiven for already thinking ahead to the knockout stages. In the group, Lyon have proved their ability, but City should have enough quality to aim for close to maximum points in their meetings with Hoffenheim and Shakhtar Donetsk. Their only weakness is the inexperience of a squad that includes many players that have never made the semi-final stage in the competition. As they found out at Anfield in April, they can also be vulnerable to the counter-attack and have at times struggled against sides that open them up by mirroring their total football tactics.
Despite this, Guardiola’s side would not look out of place in the final four, and it will be their big-game mentalities that determine their chance for a first European crown.
Individual Group Rival Profiles:
Hoffenheim:
Under the guidance of one of Europe’s brightest young coaches, Julian Nagelsmann, Hoffeinheim have broken into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time, having lost to Liverpool at the play-off stage last year. Nagelsmann has achieved top-four finishes in both of his first two seasons at the club and tends to employ a 3-4-3 formation that can be easily transformed into a 5-man backline. Look out for Arsenal starlet Reiss Nelson, who has joined on a season-long loan, and Nicho Schulz, considered a possible heir to Mesut Ozil’s throne, having made his Germany debut this month.
Shakhtar Donetsk:
Ukrainian heavyweights Shakhtar are experienced UCL competitors, having appeared in the group stage in five of their last six seasons, making it to the round of 16 in three of those. Driven by Brazilian stars Taison and Junior Moares, who has scored 7 in 8 so far this season, they are notorious for supplying some of Europe’s top talent in recent years, including Fernandinho, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Willian, and Douglas Costa. Manager Paulo Fonesca prefers to use a 4-2-3-1 system, with two wingers that can move central to create a dense midfield and used such tactics when they were the first team to beat Man. City last season. With history in the Champions League and a strong squad, Shakhtar will be expected to rival Lyon to escape the group.
Lyon:
The French side have been in and out of Europe’s premier competition in recent years and peaked with by reaching the semi-finals in 2010. The team impressed domestically last season, finishing just 2 points behind 2nd placed Monaco in Ligue 1, but disappointingly exited the Europa League in the round of 16. One of the Champions League’s more youthful sides, the likes of Nabil Fekir, Moussa Dembele and Memphis Depay will all pose a threat in a fluid attacking system. The club’s pitfalls will likely be inexperience and the liability to get hit on the counter, but there’s more than enough quality in this team to overcome that.
Manchester United kicked off their Champions League Group H campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win over Swiss side Young Boys. Paul Pogba grabbed two goals in a game which he began to show signs of the dominance shown in his World Cup victory this summer.
The first was the product of some great link up play with fellow midfielder Fred. Pogba showed some tidy footwork to work an opening to shoot and left the keeper with no chance as the ball sailed into the top left hand corner from 18 yards out.
The Frenchman made it a brace from the penalty spot after a dubious call from a Luke Shaw cross. The ball did strike the arm of the defender Kevin Mbabu but there was little more he could do to move his arms out of the way. Later in the game a similar incident happened this time with Shaw getting hit on the arm but the referee was unmoved. The brace is Pogba’s third in his 101 appearances for the club.
Anthony Martial, who came into the starting 11 in place of Alexis Sanchez, sealed the deal just after the hour mark. He made a positive run into the box and was rewarded with a deflected shot that Young Boys keeper David von Ballmoos could do nothing about.
The game wasn’t all one way traffic though, and Young Boys had several opportunities that they perhaps should have put away. Guillaume Hoarau headed wide from close range while Mohamed Ali Camara kept de Gea on his toes with a good long range effort.
The scoreline is a little unflattering for the Swiss team but they played some incredibly attractive football from the first whistle to the last. Despite the home fans relentless support at the Stade de Suisse, their players lacked the clinical edge that decides matches on the highest stage.
Jose Mourinho’s next test in Europe is again Spanish club Valencia at home on 2nd October. They lost 2-0 to Juventus in a game which saw Ronaldo get a red card on his Old Lady European debut.
Starting 11:
Prospects:
There is a feeling of uncertainty around Manchester United’s Champions League campaign this season. Whether they topped the group or dropped down into the Europa League, the fans would not be particularly surprised. The general sentiment about the current regime is one of underperforming, both as a team and individual players.
Pogba for example has received a lot of criticism. His dominance in the World Cup this summer showed he has the ability to be a true leader, one worthy of the captain’s armband, however this hasn’t been seen consistently for his club. Lindelöf too has lacked that sureness he demonstrated for Sweden.
Conversely there are other players really pushing on in the early stages of this season. Luke Shaw especially looks to be making this year his own, with a string of powerful performances. The 23 year old is crucial to United’s defence with Ashley Young nearing the end of his career. Anthony Martial and Marcus Rashford will see many more minutes through squad rotation with the hope that both of them can push on in their development and really make it difficult for Jose Mourinho to pick his starting 11.
The squad is definitely both deep enough and talented enough to qualify for the knockout stages. How far they progress after that is tough to predict. A kind draw and they may find safe passage to the Quarter or Semi-finals. Alternatively, they could be drawn against one of the favourites such as Barcelona and really struggle. Mourinho has refused to speculate about how far he feels United can go but he will surely be hoping to guide his side to at least the Semi Finals.
Three other teams in the group preview:
BSC Young Boys:
Swiss side BSC Young Boys make their Champions League debut this season. The team is fairly unknown on the European stage and are a wildcard in Group H. Under new manager Gerardo Seoane they play a very attacking style of football and won’t be intimidated by the likes of Manchester United and Juventus.
An important point to note about Young Boys is that their pitch is artificial. This means that they will have an advantage over other teams when playing at home who are used to grass. The harder surface will affect the bounce of the ball and increases the risk of injury to those on the pitch.
Juventus:
Turin based team Juventus are undoubtedly favourites in Group H. The Old Lady have reached the final twice in the last four seasons and, with the addition of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, are looking to to win the competition for the first time since the 1995/96 season. A side that featured Didier Deschamps, Antonio Conte and Marcello Lippi as manager.
Their only stumbling block will perhaps be Ronaldo’s former club Manchester United. Except in the event of a major upset the Red Devils are the only side that can hold a candle to the strength of this squad.
Valencia:
Marcelino’s Valencia have returned to the Champions League after a two year absence. The side, who reached consecutive finals at the turn of the millennium, will be hoping to keep a strong home form and will try to steal points away from home. Realistically coming second in this group would be a phenomenal achievement, but the expectation is to at least get third place to get into the Europa League.
After coming forth in La Liga last season Marcelino will be hoping to push on and challenge for a top three finish. They have a lot of work to do though following no wins in their opening four games.
Georgia-based Hi-Rez studios are known these days for games such as Smite, Paladins, and their upcoming jump on the Battle Royale bandwagon, Realm Royale. Back in 2012, however, they released the now largely-forgotten FPS, Tribes: Ascend.
The fifth (and to date latest) instalment in the Tribes series was the first to be developed by Hi-Rez, headed by cofounder and COO Todd Harris. Speaking in 2011, Harris described the game as a “modern successor” to fan favourite Tribes 2. And a worthy successor it proved to be. Tribes: Ascend received over a million downloads in its first month alone, receiving widespread critical acclaim; a rare feat for a free-to-play multiplayer game. Its early reviews were aglow with praise: Eurogamer awarded it a rare 10/10, and the average Metacritic score to this day stands at 86%.
Tribes as a series has always had a set of unique and innovative features that make it like no other FPS around, and their modern implementation in Ascend left nothing to be desired. Chief among these elements is the game’s movement system. Every playable class comes equipped with skis and a jetpack. These skis allow the player to remove friction between them and the ground. By utilising the hilly terrain in the game’s massive maps, the player can quickly gain massive amounts of speed, then use the jetpack to traverse the air.
This works in tandem with the game’s weapon system; unlike most traditional FPS games, guns in their traditional sense are de-emphasised. The player is instead presented with a selection of primarily explosive projectile weapons, very few of which are hit-scan (i.e. when a weapon is fired, the projectile does not travel at an infinite speed). As most of these weapons are explosive (and the player is not immune to their own weapons), these can be combined with the movement system to either trade health for speed, or stop an enemy in their tracks.
On top of this, each team has a defensive aspect. The team’s base has destructible devices that, when functioning, help players around the base. For example, radar scanners reveal the locations of enemies in the base without a line-of-sight. These systems are all also dependent on a generator being online – if it is knocked out, the team will lose these boons including health and armour recharge stations. This provides yet another dimension to this already impressively intricate game.
The game also features a voice chat system that needs no microphones and isn’t plagued by screaming children or mocking teenagers. Each player character has dozens of voice lines that can be used to ask questions, inform your teammates of your actions, or taunt the other team. These range from informative statements to rampant cries of ‘Shazbot!’, a reference to Robin William’s Mork and Mindy that has persisted throughout each instalment of Tribes to date.
Playing the game for the first time is admittedly very daunting, and the learning curve is immensely steep. In Ascend, you can’t just pick up the game and carry the match straight away. Aiming requires a complete rethink from traditional FPS games; standing still is almost a guaranteed death for any but the most armour-heavy of loadouts. The effort is worth it, though; flying towards the flag at 250km/h, popping a quick ‘spinfusor’ pellet towards the enemy, catching them in mid-air, grabbing the flag and flying away all within a second makes you feel godly. The skill cap is very high – you can play for hundreds of hours and still have things to learn and weapons to master.
I spent a great deal of time playing Ascend in its heyday. The free-to-play economy was well balanced; extra weapons were not hard to obtain but all nine initial classes were powerful enough with their default loadout.
At the time, Tribes: Ascend also had a brilliant community. Some very funny memes were spread around (often involving the similarly speedy Sonic the Hedgehog), the game’s pre-recorded voice lines were parodied, and there was a healthy, competitive spirit.
Going to the game now, however, is a different story altogether. At the time of writing, the game has a 24-hour peak of 31 players. There are two active servers, and they are full of the absolutely die-hard playerbase whose skills are too intense for me to even begin to have fun playing.
The dire state of Tribes: Ascend today.
I suppose it’s worth looking at the Hi-Rez’s rocky relationship with the game in order to ascertain what went wrong. Within a year of its 2012 release, the studio announced there were to be no more major updates to the game; staff were taken off the development team to focus on much-maligned MOBA Smite. That same year, the studio announced via Reddit that Smite was already more profitable than Ascend. Despite Hi-Rez saying that they were going to release an official development kit to allow users to create their own maps and servers, one never materialised. In response, the community created an unofficial development kit, but this has never been condoned by the studio.
Two years of radio silence from the developer followed, and the game’s player base seriously dwindled. Then, the game received near-complete overhaul in September 2015. This completely rebalanced the game, rolling the nine defined-role classes (such as sniper, technician, etc) into three meta-classes. These classes (light, medium, and heavy) were much more customisable and fluid than previously. The previous system of ‘perks’ was also dissolved into the meta-classes. This was met with initial ire from what was left of the community. They thought that they had been left behind and were confused as to why Hi-Rez would release such a major patch ‘out of the blue’. However, it did bring the experience closer to that of Tribes 2, and so for the hardcore player base, the changes were appreciated.
Looking at the Steam charts for the game, this major update did little to improve the number of long-term players. Hi-Rez stuck with the game for a short while longer, releasing a few more patches before finally giving up in September 2016 in the face of a dwindling player count, announcing that the game would not receive any further updates.
Since then, various login issues and a general decline in the player base have completely stripped the game of life. While a few do remain, the game is a shadow of its former glory; something I think is a real shame. It’s such an innovative and unique game that provides a play experience that can be so challenging, yet so rewarding. It really shows the best of the FPS genre, and it’s a sad thing to see it in the state it is now.
It’s a game I think any PC gamer who enjoys a challenging FPS should play. It still holds up today, graphically and performance-wise. It’s just unfortunate that there will be very few people to play with.
But does the game have to die? I don’t think so. I don’t expect Hi-Rez to resume work on Ascend; if they just released the official development kit they promised all those years ago, there’s no reason the game shouldn’t experience a resurgence. New community maps and community hosted servers (rather than the private servers you still have to pay for) could breathe some much needed new life into the experience. I’m sure I speak for the whole Tribes community when I say to Hi-Rez that we’d hate to see one of the best games in this oft-samey genre die.
Homelessness is a visible problem around the city of Manchester, and one that many students would like to help resolve. One University of Manchester student is leading the way to fight the battle.
Sylvie Copley has been heavily involved in The Big Change Society. She talks about how students can get involved in the society and make a difference.
The society’s three main aims are fundraising, volunteering and holding conferences. They work to increase awareness about homelessness and interact with charities to improve the lives of people without permanent accommodation.
Sylvie suggests that the best way to tackle homelessness is to get involved. The Big Change Society provides a platform through which students can be put in contact with charities and those in need. It also offers ambassador training. This helps equip students with the skills needed to engage effectively with the homeless community.
As well as direct involvement, Sylvie has some suggestions of what not to do when interacting with those living on the streets. She says “don’t look away or purposely avoid their eyes.” Recognising that it can be uncomfortable being asked for change, Sylvie still suggests responding directly to those requests. “So much of their day is spent alone”, she says, “talk to people, get to know their names”. Interaction and conversation are as, if not more, valuable than money.
“Students have a lot of time, but not a lot of money,” says Sylvie. This is why The Big Change Society encourages volunteering. The society is connected to another group called Love for the Streets. It holds regular events and club nights to raise money and awareness for homeless charities. Attending charity events is the most accessible and fun way to make a difference. There are many upcoming events run by these societies, well worth checking out.
Kenyan athlete Eluid Kipchoge took an incredible 78 seconds of the previous marathon record, recording a time of 2 hr 01 min 39 sec. Incidentally, this was previously held by fellow Kenyan Dennis Kimetto and was also set in Berlin. 78 seconds is the largest margin of difference in a new marathon record since 1967 when Derek Clayton broke it by 2 minutes and 24 seconds. Kipchoge adds this record to his gold medal won at the Rio Olympics and a third London Marathon win earlier this year.
“I lack words to describe this day. I am really grateful, happy to smash the world record” said Kipchoge. “It was hard. I ran my own race, I trusted my trainers, my programme, and my coach. That’s what pushed me in the last kilometres.” From the competition at the start of the race, it was clear that the victory would be his. The only remaining question being how fast could be run.
In 2017 Kipchoge was at the centre of Nike’s controversial attempt to break the two-hour marathon record as part of their Breaking2 project. The time was not officially recognised due to there being 30 elite athletes rotating to keep up the pace. This experiment, however, with a time of 2 hr 00 min 25 sec, showed that while the two-hour barrier may not be attainable yet, the world record certainly was.
Kipchoge’s time is certainly an amazing breakthrough in the marathon, however the 33-year-old Kenyan has been in a league of his own for many years now. Victory in Berlin made it 10 victories out of 11 starts with this occasion being his ninth straight win. A streak of this kind has not been seen in the modern era. Until now, the only accolade he was missing was the world record.
His last two visits to Berlin showed that all he needed was the right conditions. In 2015, he won with a time of 2 hours and 4 minutes dead. This time is especially impressive considering he ran most of the race with the insoles of his shoes flapping with every step. Then in 2017, he ran 2 hours 3 minutes and 32 seconds in the wet. Finally, in his third trip to Berlin, the weather was perfect. This was his chance to break the record and it was a chance that he took full advantage of.
Often, being a person of colour is a challenge. I am under no illusions that things are ‘better’, but racism is in no way fixed and there are times that this is forgotten. The everyday challenges I face come in the form of casual comments or ignorant generalisations. Tame examples include: “Are you actually black though?” and “Isn’t twerking something your people do?” Half the time I don’t know whether to respond with polite education or run far, far away from the speaker. Something that crops up time and again are the numerous and varying opinions on the use of the ‘n-word’.
As a black woman, I often find myself being questioned as if I can answer for my whole race. This is something I cannot and will not attempt to do. But here is what I, personally, think the ‘n-word’ represents and why I support the blatant double standard it creates.
It is widely known that this word is a pejorative term and a racial slur. It is also widely understood that black people reclaimed this particular word in order to strip it of its hegemonic power. Often, it is used as a term of endearment, familiarity, even belonging, and some may go as far as to say respect.
I, for one, think this exemplifies a genius control of language; stripping the word of its power from right underneath it. It is largely understood that those who do not identify as being part of the black community, are not allowed to utter the word. This may be to avoid causing offence or, perhaps, to simply avoid the backlash.
The conversation around the use of the ‘n-word’ often revolves around its use in popular music. Do songs using the word legitimise its use outside of a specific community? My answer: no. It would certainly be the easy option to ban the public use of the ‘n-word’. This would be wrong for reasons beyond the free speech infringements. Music, and its ability to remind people of what has changed and what has not, is so important.
Removing the ‘n-word’ from vocabulary would be tantamount to erasing parts of history. Issues of racism, of all kinds, can never be forgotten, even if, in a Utopian future, this bigotry is eliminated. Given that Golding, a white author, used the word in ‘Lord of the Flies’ (a school curriculum text), why are we even questioning its use by black artists?
To me, the double standard of the ‘n-word’ is a clever reminder on a linguistic level. Hundreds of years of oppression and double standards meant black people were not classed as people and then one day, they turned around and created their own double standard; a word that their oppressors could not use. Is it small? Is it trivial? Clearly not since we’re still talking about it.
Attempting to trace the career of Spike Lee and his cultural impact would prove somewhat tricky to say the least. His latest film – The BlacKkKlansman – proves no easier.
Lee is most accomplished for his confrontational dramas based on various societal issues. From Jungle Fever discussing interracial relationships, to 25th Hour’s evaluation of post-9/11 America, he’s tackled them all. But he is almost certainly known more for his outspoken political views and comments regarding the state of society than entertainment films.
He brought us one of the smartest, most nuanced, and thought provoking films about racial tension in Do The Right Thing. Yet it’s frustrating that he received more think-pieces written about him because he said he didn’t want to go and see a Tarantino movie, than for the film itself.
He’s often described as being more of an artist who makes points than an artist who makes films, which I personally have always despised, given that he’s proven he can write well rounded characters and shoot his films in interesting ways multiple times. In many ways, that’s the reason why his new film, BlacKkKlansman, shouldn’t appeal to me at all.
It explores the story of two undercover detectives, one a black man and the other a white Jew, who work together to create the identity of a KKK inductee to infiltrate the Klan. For the most part the film is more focused on making a point than it is in being a great movie. However, if there’s anything Spike Lee has proven that he is good at, it’s making a point. And BlacKkKlansman, despite its flaws, acts as a great expression piece detailing the evolution of racism in America over the past few decades.
The film opens with Ron Stallworth, the aforementioned black male infiltrator, accepting a job offer to be the town of Colorado Springs’ first black police officer in the 1970’s. He is placed in the records room dealing with racist comments on a daily basis from co-officers. We see Ron use his initiative to work his way up to a job in investigations, where he makes a phone call to the head of a local Klan division to gain access.
Accidentally using his first name, fellow officer Flip Zimmerman has to act as the face, while Stallworth acts as the voice over the phone in an undercover investigation. From this point, the film largely moves off into a direction from following Stallworth’s career to more of a simple detective story simply following the case.
Whilst watching the film, it was during this middle portion that it felt most uninteresting. Lee doesn’t shoot the investigation in any particular way, and his script, co-written with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz and Kevin Willmott, does little to flesh out the characters to much depth. It is also at this point which we see Ron and Flip interacting with members of the Klan, which the script makes its central point regarding the roots of modern racism and the rise of the far right.
There were touches in the dialogue which resemble racial tensions and conflicts occurring in the US today, such as KKK members complaining about it no longer being acceptable to use various racial slurs, characters discuss language tactics used by the group to soften their racist rhetoric, and having the group consistently use the phrase ‘America first’ designed to eerily replicate nationalist talking points used in today’s political climate. There’s even a scene in which Stallworth laughs off the possibility of the American people electing someone like Klan leader David Duke as President, before being abrasively told to ‘Wake up!’
It’s also no mistake that Lee has placed Duke like a Grand Moff Tarkin villain figure over the Klan. He is a character still very much active in political conversation regarding white supremacy, while also controlling his army. This makes it clear that Lee wants you to view the film through a modern lens and explore the foundations of modern far right ideology.
When Lee bookends the film opening with a racist speech by an American governor (played by Alec Baldwin), this agenda is made crystal clear. The speech was played over various Klan and Jim Crow-era footage, and ended with modern clips and videos from the more recent Charlottesville riots, including the infamous murder of Heather Heyer and even going as far as to include Trump’s attempt to dismiss the heavy hand that white supremacy played in both instances. The point is clear, and in Spike Lee’s hands, it’s most certainly well made.
Yet this intention comes at the expense of its narratives and themes. It makes little effort to explore the racism within the police force Stallworth works in, taking a ‘some cops are racist, some cops are good’ view, with little nuance or introspection. Perhaps the biggest victim comes in the form of Laura Harrier’s character, Patrice, a young powerful leader of a black student union in Colorado. She is allocated, for most of the film, to the clichéd female love interest for whom the main character, Ron Stallworth, must maintain a lie. In this case, Stallworth has to pretend he isn’t really a cop – or ‘pig’ as Patrice frequently calls them – in order to stay with them, before she inevitably finds out and later forgives him.
Harrier tries to give the character some more levity, and she gives a powerful performance, but the script gives her too little to work with to really stand out. This is especially grating when she is pulled over and groped by a racist male police officer for a brief moment, and the film makes little effort to explore the impact or culture of this horrendous abuse of power and sexual assault, instead just using it as set up to her and Ron getting revenge on the same officer at the end.
Yet, Lee does still make the effort to have his film shot in a unique way. He manages to work in his trademark dolly shot to pitch perfect effect towards the movie’s conclusion. All in all, Spike Lee has done well to craft yet another film that brings uncomfortable topics regarding racial tension into the mainstream.
After a long spell of seemingly falling under the radar, it’s refreshing to see him project these issues onto a big-screen studio film. BlackKklansman may not have the emotional connections of Do The Right Thing, but it’s an exploration and a point of right-wing radicalism that will hopefully prove he is more than a controversial interview.
After sellout live shows in Birmingham, London and Dublin, the massively popular podcast ‘The Totally Football Show’ is once again heading out of the studio and hitting the road, coming to Manchester on 5th October.
The show will be hosted by iconic football broadcaster James Richardson. Richardson made his name presenting Gazetta Football Italia on Channel 4 in the 90’s and is known more recently for hosting the BT Sport Champions League Goals Show along with The World’s Strongest Man on Channel 5.
He’ll be joined by some of the country’s finest football writers at the RNCM Theatre. Rory Smith is a journalist, broadcaster and author whose book Mister was nominated for the William Hill Sports Book of the Year award in 2016. You can find he work in the New York Times where he is Chief Soccer Correspondent.
Daniel Storey was Deputy Editor of Football365 until September 2018 and is now a freelance journalist who has written for The Independent, The Guardian and Sky Sports amongst many others. Lastly, James Horncastle is a fountain of Italian football knowledge. He joins Richardson on the BT Sports Goals Show as well as writing for almost every major, reputable English publication about Serie A.
The Totally Football Show Live will continue the podcast’s trademark puns and punditry, with football tales far too risqué to be included in the regular show, as well as the opportunity for the audience to win prizes for putting their footballing queries to the panel.
If you want to get tickets for the event, which takes place on Friday 5th October at 8pm at the RNCM Theatre on Oxford Road, you can go here. Tickets are £22 for what will undoubtedly be a fantastic evenings entertainment.
The Totally Football Show podcast began in the summer of 2017 and is my personal favourite football podcast. After eleven years behind The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast, presenter James Richardson and producer Ben Green decided to go it alone, setting up their own production company Muddy Knees Media with fellow football journalist and broadcaster Iain Macintosh, with their mission being to shake up the podcasting landscape.
This is a goal they have arguably already achieved, with their free, twice-weekly podcast receiving over 35 million downloads since it launched making it one of the biggest podcasts in the world. Their free flowing jokes, effortless chemistry and fearlessness in the face of difficult topics and events make it a must listen for football fans.
Muddy Knees Media also have three spin-off football podcasts — The Totally Football League Show, Golazzo: The Totally Italian Football Show, and The Totally Scottish Football Show — focussing on life beyond the Premier League and Champions League, as well as a cycling podcast with Bradley Wiggins, and a weekly wrestling show. Other, non-sport titles are due in 2019.
New episodes of The Totally Football Show podcast are released every Monday and Thursday. You can find it on your favourite podcast provider. You can find them on Twitter at @thetotallyshow, Facebook, or their website.
The White Hotel nightclub in Salford has issued a statement after a “violent incident” took place in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The venue said they were “shocked and upset”, and urged any witnessed of the event to get in touch with Greater Manchester Police.
Eyewitness accounts in Fallowfield Students’ Group (FSG) suggest that a fight broke out outside the nightclub after a group was thrown out by door staff after “chucking stuff around.”
Allegedly, the group went on to get into a car and drive into those they had been fighting with.
Police were called to The White Hotel at around 5:20am on Sunday morning.
However, no further details have been released by Greater Manchester Police.
Manchester’s ‘night tsar’ Sacha Lord commented via twitter, writing “Everyone in Greater Mcr has a right to go for a night out, enjoy themselves and return home safely.”
“I’ll be working with both GMP and grassroots venues such as the White Hotel to ensure we prioritise the safety of our residents at night time.”
Tesco has confirmed its Fallowfield store will close on October 6.
The Tesco Express is one of the area’s only shops with late closing on a Sunday.
The move will also lead to the closure of the Post Office situated inside. The nearest alternatives for Fallowfield residents will be in adjacent suburbs, such as Withington or Burnage.
The store closure was confirmed by Tesco’s official Twitter account which stated it did not know the reason for the closure.
Staff at the store have also confirmed the closure, but they could not give a reason or say what the site will be used for in future. The manager was not available on several occasions when contacted for comment.
Separately Tesco is launching a new branch of discount stores called Jack’s, set to take on Aldi and Lidl. The shops will sell only own-brand products, unlike Tesco stores which sell thousands of labelled items.
Its planning to open 15 Jack’s in the next 12 months, with five existing Tesco branches being rebranded.
Mental illness remains one of the biggest internet topics of the day. While half of the social media world are campaigning for it to be taken seriously, the other half are sharing memes demeaning the subject. Given the health-related impact of this subject, why should social media have free reign to facilitate, and even encourage derogatory statements?
After years of portraying impossibly perfect lives on social media, we seem, lately, to have shifted to the other end of the spectrum. Instead of blemish-free photos and like-counts which approach infinity, internet users seem determined to make cynical jokes about their lives. Whatever your thoughts on this transition, there comes a real problem when comments on mental illness begin to become a part of this conversation.
One of the most detrimental trends at the moment is a certain encouragement to neglect proper treatment for mental illness in favour of so-called ‘natural treatments’. Put bluntly, fresh air or a stroll in the park are not effective treatments for long-term mental health conditions. A picture of a fluffy cat is quite simply not an ‘instant anti-depressant’. Similar advice is also shared around in real life, but the online world accelerates the circulation of such ideas. Of course, laughter is positive and exercise is beneficial, but it is likely that for a sufferer of mental illness these methods alone will not suffice.
Social media users need to stop telling people to listen to music, breathe, or take a country walk. Whilst these are useful methods in the short term and have the potential to have a real impact, there are huge dangers associated with prescribing these things in lieu of mainstream care.
Asserting that a mental illness is easily curable serves to dramatically undermine the severity of the situation. Medication may not be for everyone; equally though, it should not be rejected on the basis that a social media user has informed you that country strolls are just as effective. Bear in mind that medication is the answer for some people and if they are continually seeing these ‘natural treatments’ being shared online, they may be less inclined to choose the treatment that could potentially save their life.
Memes like this and the use of the language of mental illness to describe normal emotions misinforms our perception of mental conditions. We begin here to approach the well-known debate of having a ‘down day’ versus having depression. For someone having a ‘down day’ or an abnormally low period, a chat with a friend or something similar can do a world of good. The complacent use of niche language and the broadcasting of undermining memes blurs the boundaries between mental illness and healthy emotions. This consequently erodes the notion of depression as an illness in its own right.
I completely support the movement to overcome stigmas but we cannot normalise mental illness to the point where it becomes the norm. Memes are supposed to be funny because they are relatable and this is exactly where the problem lies; mental illness is not relatable for the majority of the population.
As a side effect of breaking down the notion of mental illness, we begin simultaneously to mock the concept of mental wellness. The suggestion that such symptoms are so widely spread and so common calls the prospect of recovery into question. If panic attacks, depressive episodes, and suicidal thoughts are portrayed as unavoidable, the sufferer becomes more likely to accept these feelings and becomes less inclined to work towards a recovery.
So, no thank you Facebook, the most powerful anti-depressant does not have 4 hooves and a swishy tail, nor are two handfuls of cashews the therapeutic equivalent of a prescription dose ofanti-depressants. The most powerful anti-depressant will come in a tablet form, will require serious consideration before being administered, and can be a very effective and realistic solution to a long-term mental health illness. Mental illness is just that, an illness, and how anyone could feasibly ‘like’ a comment that says it could be cured with a handful of nuts is beyond me.
On the 6th September, the 2017/18 MA Creative Writing class launched The Manchester Anthology VI at HOME. At the event, the writers read small sections of their work, showcasing a wide range of styles, forms and subject matter. Each piece seemed to be completely unique but hearing them read aloud together, it was clear there was something equally intriguing across all the work.
The anthology contains poems, short stories and extracts from novels. From the freezing waters of Antartica to post-revolutionary Iran, reading the anthology doesn’t just feel like reading the work of one class, but reading work from around the world.
While much the work is personal and at some points seemingly autobiographical, a lot of the stories and poems deal with political issues. For example, Thomas Lee’s The Matter of Britain takes readers into “an exaggerated post-Brexit dystopia”; it’s fun to read, but scary to think about. While Lee’s work takes us into the future, stories like Windmills by J.C.Wilson, take us into the past. Windmills is an extract from “a novel of several interconnected lives impacted by the Yugoslav Wars”, and as is the case with much of the work in the anthology, I look forward to reading more of it.
The poetry in the anthology is just as diverse in style as the prose. Joe Carrick-Varty, a winner of the 2017/18 New Poets Prize, writes simple but affecting poems. In Swing Set, he manages to capture something significant in a small moment, which I think is the mark of a poet worth reading. Roma Havers’ poems are similarly intimate but experiment further with form, pushing the language of the everyday in fun and unexpected ways.
Sadly I can only provide a snapshot of the work in the collection — there are 26 writers in total — but I hope it is clear that the range of voices and perspectives throughout The Manchester Anthology VI provides something for everyone. Whether you like poetry of fiction, crime or sci-fi, realism or surrealism, there’ll be more than a few new writers of interest here. It will be interesting to see which of these writers go on to publish books and whether parts of these stories and poems will make their way into their future work. As Kamila Shamsie, author of Home Fire, writes in her introduction to the anthology: “so much is achieved and — even more excitingly — so much more is promised.” So keep an eye out for what these writers do next, but for now, you can read the full anthology for free at www.themanchesteranthologyvi.blogspot.com
From 30th September to 5th December, Manchester will play host to some of the world’s best writers. The lineup for this year’s Manchester Literature Festival may be the most diverse yet, with poets, novelists, memoirists and non-fiction writers from across the globe taking part in events throughout the city.
From Man Booker-nominated novelists like Esi Edugyan and Guy Gunaratne to household names like Graham Norton and Jo Brand, there’s certainly something for everyone at this year’s festival. Celebrated poets Nick Laird and Terrance Hayes appear alongside acclaimed non-fiction writers like Afua Hirsch, author of BRIT(ish). There’s a great mix of best-selling writers and rising stars; nowhere else will you get the chance to meet the makers of Slay in Your Lane: The Black Girl Bible one day and Olivia Laing, author of Crudo, the next. While most writers at the festival have just brought out new books, some events reappraise older work, what with a Celebration of Muriel Spark and a Celebration of the Life and Work of James Baldwin to look forward to.
But the festival is not just about readings and live events, as there are plenty of workshops and walking tours alongside these. If you’re looking to get all cultural, check out the festival lineup and keep an eye out for The MancunionBooks Section, where we’ll be previewing and reviewing events from the festival.
Tickets are relatively cheap and student discounts are available. Some events are free but are selling out fast.
OutStageUs is an annual event which was held in the Aldridge Studio at the Lowry. Hope Theatre invited open submissions, intending to present a ‘diverse range’ of LGBTQ+ performances. The pieces themselves were varied, both in content and quality. There were also many moving, troubling, and memorable moments to make the evening worthwhile.
The night began with Conor Hunt’s ‘Kings of Idle Land’, a scene of two male ‘friends’ in 2001. One grappling with his sexuality and one out and proud. I laughed out loud at the line ‘she smells of wet dog and sadness’, however chemistry between the actors was lacking – making their climactic kiss at the end feel predictable rather than revelatory.
Little Dear Films’ shadowy and sensual short, ‘His Hands’, represented the duality of sexuality in terms of role reversal. Aaron Blake and Philip Brisebois acted well and there were some highly memorable images; phallic lipstick, intimate eye contact and, of course, the ‘hands’ of both men. Closing the first act, ‘I Know Why The Gay Man Dances’, combined recorded poetry with dance. MJ Manning’s physicality was skilful and fluid, although the audio at times felt disconnected from the movement.
Daniel Waterhouse’s four-part series ‘Queer Talk’ was compelling, framing the evening with personal stories from different men. ‘Reign’ told the story of an openly gay mayor with touching sincerity. In contrast, ‘Convert’, the story of a straight man overcoming internalised homophobia felt rather jarring. His growing acceptance of other sexualities seemed based on their usefulness to him. ‘Reared’ in the second act was poignant, reflecting upon the historical abuse of queer men who stayed silent out of shame. ‘Pink & Bloom’, performed by Waterhouse himself, was heartfelt and performed with ease and undeniable likability.
The first act left me a little cold, as a night which claimed to be representing ‘Manchester’s rich LGBT+ community’ spent its first half exclusively representing gay, mostly white men.
Starting the second act with Adam Zane’s ‘Jock Night 2’- which was, admittedly, very funny- implied this lack of inclusivity would continue. Fortunately, Xenia Lily’s ‘Pastel Pride’ covered new ground. It tackled themes such as RuPaul’s exclusion of trans drag queens and the invisibility of ‘straight-passing’ lesbians in the queer community.
Rob Ward’s ‘There’s Something I Need to Say’ was the standout of the night, ingeniously subverting the conventional coming-out narrative. Sue McCormick and Ward’s comic timing was faultless when he ‘came out’ to his mother (after much inner turmoil) as a Corbyn voter. In the ensuing horror, his mother (McCormick) came out as a lesbian. Yet, hilariously, it was Ward’s confession, not McCormick’s, which was deemed unforgivable.
Lee Johnson’s ‘Pride’ (read by Keaton Lansley) was the impressive final performance. It was a vivid reminder of the true consequences of homophobia, often lost in the rainbow-striped sheen of Canal Street and modern pride. ‘We’re the lucky ones’, said Lansley, calling to mind those who aren’t so lucky.
OutStageUs could have been more inclusive. To be truly representative, the creative team could have selected more submissions showcasing the queer female, bisexual or trans experience. Overall, the evening was very enjoyable, and the occasional inconsistencies in quality were ameliorated by the standout pieces. I look forward to next year’s selections.
An emphasis was put on the idea of bringing the female characters in the play to the fore. I appreciated the irony that both plays are named for their male leads. The concept was strongly portrayed by the impressive presences of Melissa Johns as Amelia and Kezrena James as Bianca in Othello. The addition of the a cappella singing of ‘Oh Sister’ by Anjana Vasan also supported the more female – centric aspects. However, I didn’t feel like this was emphasised enough to be central to this retelling. The standout performances in the first half (Othello) was the cunning Iago (Collings) and the witty, oblivious Cassio (Sandy Grierson).
I was unsure of Ery Nzaramba’s portrayal of Othello. I found it stilted and bordering on a childlike tantrum at times. However, I don’t know whether this was a deliberate choice in order to contrast the stronger female characters. Kirsten Foster grew on me with her Desdemona, switching impressively from a smiling, obedient wife, to powerful and commandeering. The toxic and violent relationship between Iago (Samuel Collings) and Amelia (Melissa Johns) was completely believable even given their limited scenes together.
I am loath to spoil any of clever twists and links between the two plays (split by the interval). I will say that rarely have I gasped and flinched at one performance so much! This performance kept the audience on their toes in the best way. Beyond the show’s many twists and turns, the well known and expected death’s absolutely terrifying and lifelike.
The design of the Othello set (Basia Binkowska) was stark and impressive. A wall of tin sheeting left only the front of the stage for the action, complete with an overhead walkway. The tin wall put powerful emphasis on the violence in Othello, each bang reverberating through the theatre.
The second half, Macbeth, was very impressive. Sandy Grierson seemed made to play Macbeth, not just because of his Scottish accent, but his presence and ability to demonstrate the layers of Macbeth’s inner conflict and lust for power. The overhead gantry was also made use of in very clever ways, having the witches stood above the scenes, always watching and meddling. This added another layer and sense of foreboding.
A special mention must go to Kezrena James’ delivery of the classic Act 1 Scene 5 Lady Macbeth speech (“unsex me here, and fill me from the crown to the toe top-full”), it was powerful and haunting, just as if she were becoming a witch herself. A further mention to Samuel Collings’ incredibly genuine grief-stricken scene when he finds out his wife and children have been killed.
For Macbeth, the whole stage was used and the design was very imposing. Wall to wall shiny black tiles and a white tiled floor. Stark in a completely different way and making the primary colour costumes really pop against the sterile environment.
This show had a great visceral power and comments beautifully on the connections of Shakespeare’s plays. I may not have experienced it the way it was intended but I highly recommend it, nothing quite prepares you for OthelloMacbeth.
Since Andrew Hozier-Byrne’s self-titled debut album, released exactly 4 years ago, the ethereal king of all things mystical and harmonious has finally returned.
Despite Hozier releasing the faultless Better Love in 2016 for the film The Legend of Tarzan, a role who he could have undoubtedly taken himself, fans have been left high and dry with only a teasing of what we could have expected from future Hozier. But fear not, the angelic, old-souled God of the pixies has reappeared with the mighty Nina Cried Power EP.
Even though there are clear similarities between Nina Cried Power and Hozier in that each track consists of forceful yet composed preaching which is enveloped in a blanket of electrifying warmth, it is clear that the new EP is stretching towards a more real and grounded objective.
Nina Cried Power is a protest and it’s also a recognition of those who have fought tirelessly for what they believe in. Yet again, we have another artist who is using their platform to express important, possibly previous-unheard cries. This EP is a potent, spine-tingling and beautiful record that not only serves as a reminder that people are still suffering in the 21stcentury but also that we must not forget past suffering.
My personal favourite ‘Shrike’ perhaps could easily mask itself as a love song but I’m sure is alluding to the Northern Ireland conflict, especially given that he was born in Bray. The song begins with Hozier’s signature finger-plucking before reaching a climax with strained and desperate vocals. It is haunting, it is wistful, and it is raw. This is all evident within seconds of the song before Hozier begins to sing. Amongst beautiful imagery, Hozier juxtaposes a songbird with “bodies lay mounted” and a “glorious thorn”. Perhaps delving a little too deep but certainly something I noticed on this track, he really does seem to stress his northern Irish accent, demonstrating just how personal and important such a message is.
However, the track that the entire EP was named after presents fans with a more upbeat, rebellious and assured melody complete with harmonies and a chorus composed of utter soul. I can only imagine what this song will sound like on his typically candle-lit, minimalistic stage. A spiritual experience I’m sure. Coupled with a stirring video showing inclusivity of all regardless of colour, race, ability, gender, and sexuality, ‘Nina Cried Power’ is essential and powerful. Mavis Staples, a prestigious American singer, actress and civil rights activist joins Hozier in his sermon at the latter end forming a concoction of gospel, profound and compelling vocals.
‘Moment’s Silence (Common Tongue)’ and ‘NFWMB’ are the remaining two songs that are really rooted in Hozier’s core sound. The former initially resembling ‘Like Real People Do’ and the latter resembling ‘It Will Come Back’ that featured on his debut. Hearing such clear ties may result in assurance for die-hard fans given we are hearing a lot of shifts in artist’s sounds lately, some we may not have complete faith in.
What is crystal clear, unlike his 2014-2015 rival James Bay, Hozier has cemented his identity as one of the rawest, most genuine and most exciting musicians of the current alternative scene.
