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Year: 2018

Review: Skate Kitchen

Written by Tobias Soar on . Posted in Film.

Coming-of-age flicks are the new ‘post-apocalyptic young adult drama’; they’re everywhere. Skate Kitchen, however, has a lot more going for it than its synopsis suggests.

Originally a short film, then a documentary and, finally, a fictional story based on reality, Skate Kitchen is the brainchild of director Crystal Moselle and all-girl, New York-based skate collective The Skate Kitchen. The film opens with Camille (Rachelle Vinberg) skating in her local Long Island park and injuring herself in a way known to skaters as “getting credit carded”. Once her recovery is complete and an oath to never skate again is sworn to her mother, she ventures into New York City to meet the Skate Kitchen girls. The plot slowly progresses with scenes of mischief, partying, love triangles and arguments, as is seen in most films of the genre.

What sets Skate Kitchen apart is its dedication to aesthetic; characters are filmed in close-ups for the vast majority of the feature and skate sequences are captured with a low angle and steadicam for an authentic skate montage feel. As remarked upon by an audience member in the post-feature Q&A at HOME, Crystal has truly managed to capture the essence of New York. As pretty as a helicopter shot of the Empire State may be, no human on foot will ever see the city in that way. This feel is further accentuated by the attention paid to sound design; from the wheel squeaks and chatter of the skate parks to the rolling trucks of the boards down a busy avenue filled with cars and people, this portrayal of New York is authentic and raw.

This dedication to aesthetic comes with a sacrifice: the pacing of the story. Allowing the camera to linger on a character for a couple seconds longer than expected builds atmosphere but slows the narrative flow. Another strange choice for the film is the dialogue. While slightly awkward at first, it seems to improve slightly as the story moves through its arc. As explained by the cast in the Q&A, all the phrases said in the film had actually been said by them before filming, essentially making the story a reenactment of parts of their lives, as opposed to a completely fictional tale.

The Q&A greatly enhanced the audience’s experience by contextualising the story within the real world. Crystal met the Skate Kitchen girls on the New York subway one day and, as their friendship progressed, they brainstormed a documentary which then became the story of Skate Kitchen.

Accepting the sacrifices made for aesthetic purposes, Skate Kitchen is an immersive, raw story that is relatable to most audiences, regardless of whether you’re a die-hard skater or not.

Skate Kitchen releases in the UK on 28 September.

Rating: 3/5

Artefact of the Week: ‘Snowman’ by Nate Lowman

Written by francescacasaburi on . Posted in Arts.

In an era as controversial as the one we are now living in, the everlasting battle between morality and profit has reached a turning point. A resounding example? Climate change.

Now more than ever, we are asked to make the best choice between ethics and productivity, between selfishness and the hope for a sustainable future. Each of us, no exception, can make a difference and change the way we face this global challenge.

But how do we make people realise the huge impact they have on the environment and on future generations? What are the communication strategies that speak to people making their way into our chaotic routines and modern life habits?

The answer to these questions can be found in public art, with a significant number of recent artworks and exhibitions used to achieve such purpose, exploring different visual formulae to create a debate among their viewers.

Placed in a public urban space, Whitworth Park, ‘Snowman’ (2014) by the American artist Nate Lowman is a compelling example of how art can help us bring attention to climate change and its hypothetical consequences.

Be it for its cartoonish nature, visual appeal or strangeness, ‘Snowman’ attracts a wide range of viewers walking around the park. Displaying an immediately recognisable subject matter, the sculpture strikes us for its peculiarity: it is and it is not the snowman of our imagination.

It meets our expectation for its visual features but at the same time displays them in a completely different way. The sculpture has been crafted using bronze which seems a surprising choice when aiming to evoke the texture of snow.

Not only is the material an expected choice, it is also a problematic one as the sculpture comes with a peculiar – and relatively sad – metallic inscription stating: “I will be dead soon”. But how can a metallic snowman be about to disappear?

In front of the viewer is a strong juxtaposition, an inexplicable paradox between the long-lasting quality of the material and a sense of immediacy evoked by the inscription.

This contrast denies the sculpture apparent naivety and what at first glance seemed a mere representation of a funny cartoonish character appears to have a much greater significance behind it. Lowman is not simply aiming at redefining the material both visually and conceptually. He is recognizing a broader function to his piece, deliberately placed in a public space.

The apparently obscure inscription, associated with the character of the snowman, represents Lowman’s attempt to raise awareness on climate change and global warming, two of the major social issues of our era. The inscription stands as a warning and shows the necessity of a change in direction: if the world decides not to address such challenge that is everything that will be left, a metallic snowman.

As viewers, we are impressed by the artist’s simple and yet extremely effective strategy. Choosing an accessible subject matter, he has found a formula that speaks to the public giving the viewer the opportunity to build a relationship between personal history, memory and a future they will be responsible for.

Lowman’s case confirms the importance for the public to establish a connection both visual and personal with the issue at stake, leading the audience to realise both the responsibility and power that being a citizen of the 21st century entails.

No problem too big or small

Written by Su Barton on . Posted in Freshers' Guide.

Whether you’re arriving in Manchester for the first time or coming back to a course, there’s always a lot to do and take in at this time of year. It can feel like there’s a lot of information you’re expected to think about when you’re only just getting settled and trying to make the most of Welcome Week. The start of the year is always an exciting time but if there is anything you’re unsure about, you’ve missed some information or something does go wrong, the Students’ Union Advice Service is here to help.

The Advice Service is a dedicated service for University of Manchester students, run by a team of professionally trained advisors: “we are open for advice, Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, both in and out of term times. We’re here to answer quick questions or provide ongoing support if you’re facing a problem that could take some time to resolve.”

The main information the Advice Service would like you to know is that:

We are confidential. You can speak to an advisor in the privacy of our Advice Centre. We won’t tell anyone outside the Service that you’ve contacted us unless you give us permission or there are very exceptional reasons.

We are free. You will never be charged for using the Advice Service.

We are impartial and independent. We’ll explore all your options, ensuring that the advice we provide isn’t biased or influenced by others.

We are non-judgmental. Our advisors are here to help with all types of problems, no matter what it is. We are here to help you without judging you about what has happened.

We are empowering. We’ll help you to understand your rights and we’ll give you the support, information and tools to you need to resolve the issue you are facing.

“You can come to us with questions concerning any aspect of university life, be it academic issues or student finance. We can provide advice on course changes, academic malpractice and University appeals and complaints.We can also answer questions about student finance, hardship and other money matters.”

“The Advice Services specialises in wellbeing; you can also speak to an advisor about bullying, harassment and discrimination. If you’re feeling homesick, concerned about a friend or worried about how you’ve been feeling, one of our advisors will be there to listen and offer support.”

The Advice Service is also available to help with common housing problems. They help students to tackle issues that include deposit disputes and disrepair. In addition, they helpfully provide a tenancy agreement checking service for when you are looking for accommodation in the private sector.

If something’s on your mind, no problem is ever too big or small.

Find out more about contacting an advisor at: https://manchesterstudentsunion.com/top-navigation/advice-service/contact-an-advisor

Photo: Sébastien Bertrand @flickr

Brexit is the greatest threat to Higher Education warns UCU Chief

Written by Sam Honey on . Posted in News.

The head of the world’s largest further education union has identified Brexit as the largest threat to higher education in Britain.

Sally Hunt, chair of University and College Union (UCU) voiced her concerns as uncertainty over the agreement of a Brexit deal continues to disrupt higher education planning for post-EU life.

A whole range of issues, including the intake of EU students and the future of European academics at UK institutions are at stake.

An estimated 17% of teaching and research posts at UK universities are filled by EU nationals. A UCU-backed YouGov poll, carried out before the triggering of Article 50 suggested that almost 2/3 of EU academics working in Britain were considering leaving the country.

Around 2,300 academics are believed to have already resigned their positions at UK universities since the referendum in June 2016.

However, perhaps the most pressing issue is the future of higher education research in the UK – with substantial backing provided by EU funds.

4 of the 10 Universities that will profit most from the EU’s flagship Horizon scheme – that will invest almost €80 Billion in collaborative research up to 2020 – are based in the UK, claimed Sally Hunt.

Hunt said further, “Without a deal, funding streams will be at risk and any longer-term planning will take place without our involvement. This risks leaving research projects and collaborations on hold or collapsing altogether.”

The Government has already pledged to fund EU-backed projects until the end of the decade, post-Brexit.

The ease of access to UK Higher Education is another crucial issue, with Hunt stressing that “A no-deal Brexit would also mean freedom of movement would no longer apply, leaving EU staff and students in the lurch.”

She was also quick to emphasise that the challenge Brexit posed to the country and further education was one of the biggest nationally, regardless of whether or not a deal with the EU was secured.

Professionals in Hunt’s field have already urged the government to realise the need for contingency planning for the industry’s future after March 2019.

The UCU is currently in the process of holding a vote on its members’ position on a second EU Referendum – the results are expected on 10th October.

In conversation with ‘Art on the Sly’

Written by Bella Jewell on . Posted in Arts.

In the build-up to their first event of the academic year, I spoke to three members of the elusive movement, ‘Art on the Sly’: a student-led group who are breaking down the barriers which surround the arts.

The concept behind this group stems from a desire to render art less elitist and inaccessible, a reality which majorly impedes “people who have an artistic side from expressing themselves” according to a group founder, Indigo Leveson-Gower. Indeed, Leveson-Gower neatly summarises the central philosophy of ‘Art on the Sly’ as being “the creation of an environment where people can express themselves creatively in a supportive space.”

When discussing the place of art in the student community, it became apparent that the options at the University of Manchester are surprisingly limited: Leveson-Gower recounts, for example, the difficulties there have been in setting up life drawing sessions.

This fact, however, appears to contrast the sheer demand for art stemming from the student community. Other group founders, Eleanor Moselle and Grace Conway, discussed how “loads of students do produce art, but its hidden under their bed” due to the vulnerable act of displaying one’s work. In this way, the group seeks to produce an “informal environment” in which people can display their work and take steps towards building their confidence.

The group’s first event took place on 16th March and provided the opportunity for students to display both visual and performative works. As such, the evening gave a platform to singers, performers, and spoken word artists.  

Leveson-Gower describes the “stressful and intense” run up to the event, which was organised in a period of ten days. The evening was hosted in a squatters’ residence behind Piccadilly, providing the perfect venue for a “relaxed environment” with much wall space to display artwork, according to Conway.  

With the first event of the academic year taking place on the 19th September at Goodstock on Oxford Road, the group aims to recreate the atmosphere of relaxed creativity, this time with a focus on producing art. The group describes the event as an opportunity “to explore your inner (or even outer) artist” on their Facebook event page.

The evening gathering makes up part of Alt Freshers week, a programme organised by art student, Lily Kroese. Alt Freshers collaborates a range of “more inclusive events such as life drawing and radical walking tours” to provide an alternative to the “slightly restrictive” nature of Freshers Week, according to Leveson-Gower.  

But what does the future hold for this newly established group? Moselle describes how ‘Art on the Sly’ is “looking beyond the student community,” aiming to run “a variety of events” all designed to dissolve the ‘highbrow’ perception of art as an insurmountable activity.

‘Art on the Sly’ doesn’t care what you produce. It is a group which fosters creativity in a non-judgemental environment: a rarity in a society in which the arts appear intangible to most. However, given the clear demand amongst students in Manchester – as demonstrated by the queue outside their oversubscribed launch event – this movement is gaining momentum and will only continue to blossom, bringing art to the masses.

 

Interview: Amer Anwar, author of ‘Brothers In Blood’

Written by Gurnaik Johal on . Posted in Books.

I picked up Amer Anwar’s debut novel, Brothers In Blood, because it was set in Southall, the place that I’m from. When I met him, I was on my way from Southall to get a coach up to Manchester. He was on his way back from an event promoting the book, which had just been released on September 6th.

Southall, sometimes called London’s Little India, is the sort of place where the benefits of multiculturalism are most evident. It’s been a town of immigration for a long time, with people from Wales, Ireland, India, Pakistan, Somalia and Poland making it their home. I’ve always had positive associations with the place, so I was intrigued to read a book exploring the darker side of the community. In Brothers In Blood, two friends, Zaq and Jags, search for a missing Sikh woman. Zaq is an ex-con blackmailed into becoming a detective; he’s determined to do right but often forced to do wrong. His search takes him deeper into a criminal underworld and his determination gets him in and out of trouble. The book is made up entirely of South Asian characters – it even contains Punjabi dialogue – and the gritty, violent plot makes for a gripping crime thriller.

There are plenty of unexpected twists and turns in the novel, but the story of actually getting the book published is just as eventful. I asked Anwar how he got started on the book.

“Where to start? I wrote when I was in school, but after the age of thirteen, no one’s interested in fiction. It’s all essays and factual. I could obviously write because my teachers kept calling me up thinking I’d copied my essays from books, which should have been a sign! But nobody ever said, “maybe you should look at writing as a career.” People talk a lot about working class opportunities and I think that’s case and point – nobody ever saw or thought that this guy could have a career in writing. No-one ever suggested it, so I never thought about it.

“But I’d always wanted to write, because I’d always been a reader. I started reading adult fiction when I was about ten. First it was second world war books, but adult ones – so quite violent. And then horror, fantasy, sci-fi and finally crime.

“I started reading a lot of Elmore Leonard. His writing wasn’t always cops and detectives – he would write the criminals. They were such great characters. For me, hanging out in Southall in my teens, there was all this gang stuff going on, drugs and fights etc. There were all sorts of stories. Hearing those stories and reading those books, I realised that you could write about these guys in Southall. I would have loved to read something like that. So I was waiting for someone to write that book. And nobody did. The more I thought that way, I realised that if I was ever going to write a book, I’d have to set it here. I’d have to use these characters.

“Then there were a couple of stories in the papers that gave me the germ of an idea and other things just started to stick to it over the years. But it was twenty years before I actually started writing and in that time nobody had written that Southall crime novel. Or, someone had written it, but it had never been published. Nobody wanted to publish it. And that’s sort of what ended up happening to me.

“I started doing some writing courses. First a real beginners course at an adult education center. Finishing that course, I thought, well now I’ve had an introduction, I can write this book. I sat down with the best of intentions and wrote about two pages. I looked at it the next day and thought, Jesus, this is bad. This is not good. So I gave up pretty quickly.

“The tutor told me that if you want to take it further, there’s a course at Birkbeck University; I needed the course to motivate me, to spur me on. At Birkbeck, my tutor asked what I wanted to gain from the course. I said straight out, I want to write a crime novel. I want to be published. She said alright then, start writing.

“So I had another crack at the first chapter. It still didn’t work. I picked up one of Elmore Leonard’s novels and read it to really find out how it worked. Normally I’d just read it and enjoy it, but this time I was trying to study it. At the same time I saw the film Payback with Mel Gibson, which I love. And with both of those two influences, I finally managed to nail that first chapter.”

I asked Anwar what he did once he’d finally got the first chapter finished.

“Well, I’d known about the Crime Writer’s Association Debut Dagger Award for a couple of years, but never had anything to send. But now I had this first chapter; I sent it off and forgot all about it. A couple of months later, I got a letter saying I’d been shortlisted.

“I went along to the award ceremony – the Debut Dagger (awarded for the first chapter of an unfinished novel) was the first up. They read out the shortlisted authors and then called my name. I was shocked. It was so surreal.

“After winning the award, I was contacted by four agents. They all wanted to read the rest of the book. I was like, yeah, about that… I’ve only written three chapters! I hadn’t mapped out a plot for the book, I had no idea where it was going. I was just writing to see what happened. One of them said that I could sign with her and send the book when it was finished. She asked how long it would take to finish? How long is a piece of string? I just plucked a figure out of the air. Six months?

“Five years later, I sent her a draft I was happy with. I’d written the book longhand, it ended up being around 150,000 words, which is big for a novel. I knew it had to be cut. Then I typed it up. By that point, I was doing an MA in creative writing at Birkbeck too and I was working full time. So it took a long time.

“In my head it was really good. I thought I just need to type it up, tweak it a little bit and send it off. But when I read it back, it was terrible. But the story was there.

“I went through, scene by scene, and started to write it again, fresh. A lot changed and by the fifth draft, I was happy to show it to my agent. They really liked it but gave a list of improvements. Going through the whole book again took about a year and then it went out on submission. My agent and the editors were really positive. It went out to about thirty publishers and got rejected by every single one.

“Their reasons were: it doesn’t quite fit our list, we don’t have the right mission plan, we’re not sure where or how we would sell this. The most telling one was: I could never see it breaking out to a broad audience.

“The worst thing was all the positive feedback they were giving the novel, they loved the way it was written, thought it had a great voice, great setting, gritty action. I thought, well if it’s got all that, what else do you want? There was one thing they weren’t saying. It’s got all Asian characters, set in an Asian community with lots of Asian references. Basically they felt it wouldn’t appeal to a broad (white) audience.

“We asked what needed changing? They said nothing. There was no way they could say, well it’s a little too asian. How would that look?

“Growing up, I was reading crime novels by white authors set in America. That didn’t deter me, didn’t detract from my enjoyment of them. So by the same token, the fact Brothers In Blood is set in an Asian community in London shouldn’t detract from the overall enjoyment of it being a crime thriller.

“I’d been working on the book for eight years. Nobody wanted to publish it. But I believed in it, my agent believed in it and all those publishers said it was a good book. So I thought, fuck it, I’ll publish it myself.

“I spent about six months on social media, watching how the big publishers launch their new books. I saw that they had all these graphics – my background is in design and artwork, so I thought, well I could do all that! And I saw that they sent their books out to book bloggers to create a buzz around a book. I contacted the same bloggers that they did.

“I set up a fake publishing company, with a virtual office address in East London. I designed a fake logo to go on the spine. I designed the cover. I learnt how to typeset a complete novel, then sent the files to the same printers all the big publishers use. It was on Amazon and I was able to get it into some Waterstones stores.

“I saw that it would take two years of me working on it, as my own publisher and my own marketing team. I needed the book to gain a momentum. I would go to events and meet authors and give them copies of the book. The fact that it won the Debut Dagger always got them interested. At one of these events I met Sharmaine Lovegrove who’d just set up Dialogue Books (an imprint at Little Brown dedicated to inclusivity).

“She read the book over a weekend and called me in for a meeting. She couldn’t believe that nobody had published it. She asked about the current publisher. I said, you’re looking at the current publisher! It became one of the first four acquisitions Dialogue Books made and went through another editing process.

“It essentially stayed the same book. It got a new cover, a new name and a great marketing and publicity push. Now it’s the Sunday Time Crime Club Star Pick for September and was recommended by The Observer Thrillers of the Month. This is ten years since I started writing it.

“Put simply, it does what a crime thriller should. Yeah it’s set in the Asian community, but so what? That’s exactly what we need; more working class voices, more BAME voices, LGBTQ voices. If tells a good story, it deserves to be published.”

Brothers In Blood certainly tells a good story. Zaq is an ex-con forced into looking for Rita, who goes missing to escape an overbearing family. The novel ranges from honour killings and arranged marriages to drug deals and fist fights. Anwar creates both loveable and evil characters and has an ear for witty dialogue – you’ll certainly learn some Punjabi swear words along the way. From its influences to its execution, Brothers In Blood is firmly rooted in the crime genre. It was one of the first crime thrillers I’ve ever read so I asked Anwar where someone should start if they want to get into crime fiction.

“Elmore Leonard definitely. Richard Stark is also amazing and Joe R. Lansdale, those are the three biggest influences on me. I reread them regularly. Its not just the great plot; its their styles.”

If readers are looking for more South Asian crime writers, Anwar also recommended A. A. Dhand, Khurrum Rahman and Abir Mukherjee. Though it seems that this list is growing as writers like Anwar show that a book about Asian characters does not need to be niche. The hard work seems to have payed off for Anwar: after ten years of working on the novel, Brothers In Blood is getting positive reviews and reaching a larger audience. Anwar is busy working on a sequel but for now you can find Brothers In Blood at all good bookstores (RRP £7.99).

Hot Right Now: Odetta Hartman

Written by Winona Newman on . Posted in Music.

Odetta Hartman, born in New York East Village into a liberal family who opened her eyes to a world of music, sound, and art has carried these influences into her work. Her sound is almost indescribable, it aches of a time and a music long passed yet is unmistakably modern. She is a refreshing voice and one that is gradually collecting acclaim, and no wonder with an intense musical ability coupled with an eerily dreamy aesthetic she is truly irresistible.

Odetta is a power-house and master of melody, with a mixture of collected sounds underpinned by a thundering simple bass, the strength of which reverberates throughout creating a truly unique and irresistible sound. The American singer’s second album Old Rockhounds Never Die, released last month was one of Rough Trade’s albums of the month and rightly so. It is undoubtedly a work of art and cements her as an artist to look out for.

This latest album is a heady mix of sounds. It is simultaneously sensual and sharp, ghostly archaic yet undeniably modern. Her music evokes such a strong sense of place you will be transported to the heart of an American desert-scape. Her work will bathe you in rich sounds which touch your soul.

Her music transgresses the boundary between the past and the present, carrying influences from folk and country legends such as Dylan and Neil Young. Her work is very much an ode to the past whilst being excitingly relevant. Her music is steeped in old American influence yet is electrified with the use of field recordings, some of which were recorded in her own kitchen, and an eclectic mix of instruments, all played by herself. She is truly ethereal, but not as you’ve ever heard before. She is a modern day cowgirl.

 

For fans of Jess Williamson, Tomberlin, and Wild Pink

Odetta is currently touring her second album Old Rockhounds Never Die and will be appearing for one show at The Islington, London 24/09/18.

Image rights: Sebastiaan ter Burg @ Flickr

One in three freshers experience symptoms of a mental health disorder

Written by hannahvallance on . Posted in News.

As many as one in three freshers report symptoms of a mental health disorder, a new study by the World Health Organisation (WHO) has found.

The study, of which surveyed 13,984 students in eight different countries, investigated the prevalence of a wide range of mental health disorders thought to be common amongst students, including generalised anxiety disorder, bipolar disorder, adult ADHD, major depression and substance abuse and dependence.

The study comes as thousands of new students across the country start an undergraduate degree, identified by the study as an ‘extremely sensitive’ part of the life cycle when emotional problems and mental disorders commonly occur.

35% of students who responded to the survey reported having suffered one of the disorders investigated at one stage during their life, with 31% of them having suffered from them over the 12-month period prior to taking the survey.

The findings, published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, are particularly disconcerting given that approximately 75% of all lifetime mental disorders have their onsets prior to the age of 24, especially critical as these early-onset cases are related to poorer clinical and functional outcomes than later-onset cases.

The findings follow calls from Universities UK and the youth suicide prevention charity Papyrus for all university staff to receive training in suicide intervention and prevention, amid growing concerns about the quality of services universities provide to those experiencing mental health problems.

According to estimates from the Office for National Statistics, 95 students took their own lives during the 2016-17 academic year. In the UK, suicide is the main cause of death in people under 35, with over 18,000 people suffering mental health disorders taking their own life between 2003 and 2013, The Mental Health Foundation has found.

Speaking to The Mancunion, Sarah Littlejohn, Head of The University of Manchester’s Counselling Service advised that: “The recent WHO report – although not drawing from a UK population – nonetheless raises important issues in relation to student mental health. We see the mental health and wellbeing of our students as a key priority, and offer resources at all levels.

“We offer a University-wide wellbeing framework – the Six Ways to Wellbeing – as a preventive approach to help students stay well and support their own wellbeing. The Counselling Service also offers a wide range of online tools and modules, and students can access an extensive range of workshops and groups from everything from procrastination, daily drop-in mindfulness classes to groups for low mood and anxiety.

“In addition, those who need one-to-one help can make a same-day appointment at the Counselling Service. We also support staff to support students, offering a rolling programme of training to staff in identifying and responding to mental health crisis – and we have also developed online resources to ensure all staff have access to this information.”

If you are suffering with mental health problems, or know someone who may need help, The University of Manchester offers a number of free and confidential support services that both students and staff can access. The University Counselling Service is open 9am-4pm every weekday, and can be contacted on 0161 275 2864.

 Alternatively, The University of Manchester Students’ Union offers a confidential advice service, open Monday to Friday, 10am-4pm all year round. Please ring 0161 275 2952 or email the Advice Service [email protected] to contact an advisor.

Students will graduate sooner but having paid a greater tuition per year Photo: Jebulon @ Wikimedia Commons

UoM ranked 5th in UK for graduate employability

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester has recently been ranked 5th in the UK for graduate employability.

The QS World University Rankings in graduate employability for 2019 placed UoM 35th in the world. This makes Manchester graduates the fifth most employable in the UK after Cambridge, Oxford, UCL, and Imperial.

The University of Manchester was the only Northern university to reach the top 5.

The rankings saw 500 universities across the world assessed on several different factors to make up an overall employability score. The factors that carried the most weight were employer reputation and alumni outcomes, making up a total of 55% of the overall total.

QS also looked at the partnerships faculties held with employers and employer/student connections. This involved calculating the number of individual employers who had been actively present on a university’s campus over the last year, alongside establishing which universities had been successfully working with global companies to produce research.

Graduate employment rate and employer/student connections contributed the least to the overall score at 10% each.

However, there is mixed opinion among recent graduates over whether graduating from UoM has helped them with their employability. For graduates such as Kirstie O’Mahony, who graduated in 2017 with a BA in Philosophy, it wasn’t the name of the institution but the extra-curricular opportunities offered at UoM that she felt set her apart:

“For my current job, to put it bluntly, my degree/university meant diddly squat. It was the extra-curricular activities I participated in that made me an ideal candidate”, she told The Mancunion.

“Without a shadow of a doubt I would not be in the industry I’m in without having been involved with the Manchester Media Group. People in senior positions at my workplace are impressed by the experience I got being a part of it, and that’s just phenomenal.

“If you’re going to go to a uni with 40,000 other people, you need something that gives you an edge. The name of the institution you went to alone doesn’t take you very far in my opinion.”

However, she did note that this may be different for graduates of more vocational degree programmes such as engineering or business studies.

Ciaran McLaughlin graduated in summer 2018 with a 2:1 in Maths. Speaking to The Mancunion about his graduate prospects he said: “To be honest I haven’t really been looking for a job yet as I’ve just only found the time to finish my CV. I have got a work placement sorted though but that’s only once a week and I got it due to a family friend.

“I think my experience with Manchester Media Group will be useful. Skills I learned at my time as a Mancunion contributer and being on the Fuse FM committee differ from my degree. It’s actually why I joined the Mancunion in my final year when I realised that by the time I would have finished my degree that I will have not written more than a paragraph since A levels.”

The ranking is a small drop globally and a maintenance nationally from 2018’s rankings, where UoM came in 33rd internationally but still 5th in the UK for graduate employability.

Tammy Goldfeld, Head of the Careers Service at UoM, said: “We are very proud of our high ranking in this league table. The University of Manchester is also the most targeted university in the UK by leading graduate recruiters, which means that our students have fantastic opportunities to gain new skills, increase their confidence and build professional networks for the future.”

The University of Manchester also came in 29thin the QS World University Rankings for 2019, gaining a few places on its 2018 ranking of 34th.

Photo: James Shuttleworth @ The Mancunion

New ‘simple’ burglary techniques are making students more vulnerable

Written by sambrougham on . Posted in News.

Just in-time for the influx of (re)freshers into Manchester, many are calling to re-address one of the biggest topics on students’ minds in Fallowfield: crime.

In Greater Manchester, burglars are using new techniques which make these crimes even more common. For example, ‘Cylinder Snapping’ PVC door locks, which are a common feature of many student homes.

The burglary risk in Greater Manchester is especially high; there were a reported 12 crimes of burglary per 1000 people in 2017 in the Greater Manchester region, compared to a national average of 8 burglaries per 1000 people.

Yet for many, burglaries are more than just losing valuable possessions. One third-year student whose house got broken into last year described their experience of burglary as “not just about the stuff they took, it’s more the issue of not feeling safe, feeling violated and vulnerable in my own home”. These crimes can create lasting psychological effects on victims, which can taint their student experience.

Some argue that responsibility lies with students’ landlords to ensure homes have secure locks which cannot easily be tampered with. Others suggest students need to be made more aware of the risks unique to these student neighbourhoods.

These risks can be seen on the Fallowfield Student Group on Facebook where students can stay updated on the local crime. Posts are made by students to inform other students of crimes and potential hotspots of activity. However, a third-year student commented on the group stating that “students need to still report these crimes to the police, not just to the Facebook group”.

The University of Manchester told  The Mancunion: ““The safety of our students is our first concern and of the utmost importance to the University.

“We will reach hundreds more students with information on campus and in accommodation during Welcome Week, where we also hand out equipment including light timers and personal alarms. We issue ongoing targeted communications to accredited landlords regarding safety and security.

“Students should report all crimes to the police and any student who needs support should contact the Students’ Union or the University’s support services.”

 

An evening with Funraising x Offbeat: Brazilian Wax

Written by Chloe Hatton on . Posted in Societies.

With Manchester’s 2018 Freshers week in full swing, it’s been pretty hard to choose which events to go to; there has been so much on offer!

Last week we gave you a glimmer of what to expect from Funraising’s collaboration with OffBeat, held at Night People – a night named ‘Brazilian Wax’ in aid of local charity Lasnet (Latin American Support Network) Migrant Support. We decided to head down and see what all the fuss was about.

For all you Freshers out there, or for anyone else who has missed out on the biggest up-and-coming charity society in Manchester right now, Funraising was set up by students just over a year ago. The name is pretty self-explanatory but fundamentally they aim to support of good causes and have a good time while doing it. They’re not new to hosting nights out, in the past running events such as ArtBox and PostBox, raising over £1100 for Manchester Mind. Originally set up as a blog, they are about so much more than simply collecting your cash and putting a few good tunes on in the background. They combine art with awareness, music with mental health, they are giving the people of Manchester a voice to talk about what needs to change. Safe to say, this was not going to be your typical club night.

So, we set off on Tuesday night, cans in hand, looking for a true glimpse of South American sunshine – and boy, we were not disappointed. Night People is one of Manchester’s lesser known gems, and the two room system worked perfectly for those who, like us, wanted a nice mix of genres.

The turnout for the night was really something – within half an hour of us arriving, room one had totally filled up. The smoking area outside was constantly thriving, and if you wanted space for a proper boogie, room two was the place to be. For those fed up with the usual Freshers haunts of Factory and Fifth, this really was a gorgeous alternative night, and well worth the mere £3.50 ticket fee.

Funraising are all about inclusivity, a motto equally applicable to their beats. Covering hip-hop, grime, disco, and drum and bass, all with a dash of Latin thrown in, you would have been pretty pushed to not find something that you liked on the night. Drawing on local DJ talents, we salsa-ed away to the tunes of Mambo Finn’s Brazilian drum and bass and DJ Fast Five’s Brazil-inspired hip-hop until the early hours, closing with Celine Mostarda and Don Simon playing the very best of Brazilian drum and bass, including ‘This is the Way’ and ‘Easy Boom’.

Feather boas draped the walls, and although a few of the paint splattered balloons that hung from the ceiling soon became casualties, this definitely added some entertainment to the evening. Meanwhile, if you kept your eyes to the front, you’d see a very fun display of Aleksander Brayanov’s funky visuals.

Lasnet migrant support is a charity based in Greater Manchester. Set up by a group of local volunteers with Latin American roots, their goal is to provide a network for the Latin American community in and around Manchester. Improving integration, raising awareness of issues facing their community and working towards the establishment of the Latin American community as an ethnic category are all key goals for the charity. Gatherings and get-togethers are organised through the network, giving people the opportunity to reconnect with their heritage and make new friends.

All in all, it was a fantastic night, with both Funraising and Offbeat bringing us some true carnival vibes – made even more special by the fact that they raised £702 for charity. If you fancy joining Funraising, drop them a message on Facebook. They’re currently looking for students and would love to have you join the team.

Watch out for their next event, you know it’s going to be a big one.

Introducing: Islamic Society

Written by Ellie Martin on . Posted in Societies.

Freshers week is in full swing and everyone’s busy stuffing themselves with free pizza and soaking up the atmosphere around campus.  One society that has, as usual, pulled out all the stops this year is ISoc – the Islamic Society.  The ISoc never disappoints over freshers week, and they have the awards to prove it. These include multiple best society awards, best society fundraisers, best society committee, and best society campaign.  All of their success is the result of and extremely hardworking committee, headed up this year by Zaidi Hamid.

Freshers week can be a very conflicting time for Muslim students, as many societies and activities can be incompatible with Islamic beliefs. ISoc provide a brilliant alternative, a whole month packed with exciting events suitable for Muslim students, but open and welcoming to all.  Events this year include food crawls, survival guide evenings tailored to the needs of Muslim students, mentor meet and greets, pyjama parties, and laser tag. These are all spearheaded headed by the infamous flagship Welcome Dinner, an excellent evening to mix with fellow Muslim students or go and sample some of the wide variety of food on offer, portraying the geographical vastness of Islam, ranging from Malaysia to Jamaica.

When asked what he would like prospective freshers thinking about joining the society to know, Hamid responded, “If there is one thing I’d want to freshers’ to know, it would be that the society is yours, we are here to serve you all in whatever way we can and put on the events you want to see. Let us know what we are doing well and what we can improve on; we are all ears. If you don’t know anyone yet, then the Islamic Society is the perfect place to make friends for life, our members are amazing and welcoming people, and our hardworking committee will always be on hand to ease you into events if that is what you’d prefer.”

ISoc have really taken the idea that university is for everyone to heart this year, and have provided society support for new students.  The newly formed Muslim Welfare team are there to help if freshers week is taking its toll on your well-being, as being away from home and having to look after yourself for the first time can be daunting.  They are there to provide a helping hand who anyone who needs it, and make transitions to university easier for everyone.  The Muslim community on campus also have access to Mohammed Ullah, their invaluable chaplain, who is there to be a professional figure of support if and when needed.  ISoc this year also have events organised to encourage support and inclusivity on campus, like their upcoming introduction to British Sign Language, giving attendees a basic intro to BSL, as well as an insight to struggles the deaf and hard of hearing community might face on campus.

The Islamic Society have also recently pledged to reduce their plastic consumption as a society, especially during events.  They are looking to move towards biodegradable alternatives, partnering with companies that are also moving towards this goal, as well as helping their members to reduce their plastic waste.

What’s not to love?  ISoc always smash their freshers events and this year is no different.  If you’re interested in finding out more details and getting involved, their Facebook page is extremely well designed with all the information you need easily accessible, and they reply quickly to messages.  Creating a support network around you at university can be very important, especially during first year as many of the experiences are brand new.  ISoc have designed the society extremely well to function for this purpose, creating a strong, supportive environment for Muslim and non-Muslim students alike.  One of the best societies on campus, you really can’t go wrong with ISoc and they can’t wait to welcome this new batch of freshers into their excellent community.

Manchester scientists in breakthrough at CERN

Written by Jacklin Kwan on . Posted in News, Science & Tech.

Scientists at CERN led by researchers from the University of Manchester and Lancaster University were part of a historical landmark when they managed to successfully rotate a beam of high energy protons for the first time. The technology utilises crab cavities, a type of electromagnetic container that exert a force on charged particles and deflect their orientation.

CERN successfully tested crab cavities using a beam from the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS) accelerator. Short bursts of protons were deflected using transverse radio frequencies.After the deflection, the motion of the proton bunches almost appears crab-like (in other words, they appear to move sideways– another example of the sometimes whimsical minds of scientists). In practice, these electromagnetic cavities will help increase the overlap of proton beams that are just a few centimetres long.

The breakthrough is a crucial part of the upgrade to the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). After CERN’s exciting observation of the Higgs Boson in 2012, the LHC has since been part of exciting discoveries involving exotic particles such as the elusive pentaquark. Now the accelerator is winding down for the next two years in a long shutdown before resuming business as usual in 2021 with all new detectors and data processing infrastructure.

However, crab cavities will only see their spotlight in an upgrade much further into the future. The High-Luminosity LHC (HL-LHC) will be commissioned for operation after 2025, and it is during this phase that crab cavities will increase the luminosity of collisions that take place. Luminosity is the number of possible particle collisions in a given area over a period of time. Typically, we’re looking at an area no thicker than a single human hair and lasting no more than a few nanoseconds. So, when attempting to smash tiny particles at near light speeds, luminosity is a significant indicator of a particle collider’s performance. Higher luminosity equals more collisions, which in turn will mean a higher probability of rare processes being observed by the CERN researchers.

The success of the high luminosity upgrade is also dependent on several key technological innovations coming through. One such example are these crab cavities – other key research and development will be going into unprecedented advances in beam optics, focusing magnets, machine shielding, and superconducting transmission lines.

If all goes to plan, the HL-LHC of the future has a luminosity five to ten times higher than the current collider. This substantial improvement would allow scientists to not only study the exact properties of the Higgs Boson and other processes from the Standard Model, but also perhaps physics beyond the Standard Model. The Standard Model, the predominant theory of particle physics that current scientists use to describe fundamental forces and matter in the universe, does not, for example, provide a quantum description of gravitation. The larger integrated luminosity of the HL-LHC would give researchers the ability to explore exciting possibilities such as supersymmetry.

The test of crab cavities in May was also coincided closely with the beginning of civil engineering work for the HL-LHC in June. The CERN project will be part of a massive international collaboration between 29 institutions in 13 countries. Assuming a constant budget, 950 million Swiss francs (£750 million) will be spent between 2015 and 2026.

 

Photo: Jonny Whiting

Life’s freshers’ fair complaint dropped by Office for Students

Written by Nicole Wootton-Cane on . Posted in News.

The Office for Students (OfS) have told pro-life charity Life that they have “no regulatory remit” to intervene in Life’s complaint over its rejection from several university freshers’ fairs.

The complaint was made by Life after the University of Manchester, University of Warwick and University of Liverpool’s Students’ Unions all refused Life’s application for a stall at their freshers’ fairs.

Life wrote to the Office for Students asking for these decisions to be overturned on the basis that their freedom of expression was being impeded.

However, the complaint has been dropped by the OfS after they told Life “Our regulatory responsibilities extend to universities and not students’ unions.”

In a letter from their Chief Executive Nicola Dandridge, the OfS responded: “It is OfS’s view that organisations such as Life should be able to publicise its work and services to students.”

“From the information in your letter, it would appear that your complaint relates to three students’ unions who rejected your application.

“As students’ unions are generally regulated by the Charity Commission, we have no regulatory remit to intervene in the circumstances you describe at this stage.”

The University of Manchester Students’ Union defended their decision, stating: “We are happy for charities such as this one to represent themselves on platforms such as the several debating forums we hold, but it is not appropriate for the freshers fair where there will be hundreds of new students, many of whom will already be nervous about leaving home and starting a new University career.”

The Campus Masterplan 2022

Written by Jacklin Kwan on . Posted in Science & Tech, News.

In 2012, the University consolidated the Campus Masterplan. A £1 billion investment in the upgrading and constructing campus buildings that would take place over the next ten years.

Based on their 2016 staff update which listed the projected and current expenditure of construction, most of the funding pool has been allocated to the University’s STEM facilities. Approximately £707 million of the total £1.1 billion is allotted to projects such as the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) (£330 million), the Sir Henry Royce Institution (£100 million), and the Graphene Engineering and Innovation Centre (£60 million). The final two of these projects are being externally funded.

The rest of the pool has been spread amongst more diverse projects such as building the Alliance Manchester Business School (£71 million), refurbishing Coupland 3 to be the “new home of the School of Law, the School of Dentistry, Faculty of Humanities administration, the Directorate for the Student Experience and the postgraduate hub” (£40 million), and upgrading the student residences in Fallowfield (£170 million).

 

Planned aerial view of the Manchester Engineering Campus Development
Photo: The University of Manchester

With little doubt, the University of Manchester seems to be placing its chips in its science and health faculties. In 2021, the University’s Engineering Schools are scheduled to move to the the MECD, located adjacent to the main Oxford Road campus. The MECD alone is solely funded by the University. It will be one of the largest construction projects undertaken by any British Higher Education Institution.

The University plans to transform the current Engineering buildings in North Campus, near the city centre, to be mixed-use. Aside from new residential space, North Campus will target research and STEM-related businesses that link to the University’s industrial science departments.

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell hopes that the development will “cement the reputation of the city as the place to be for technology, digital, research and development businesses”. Adding that “the development offers the opportunity to transform this quarter of the city centre, generate thousands of new jobs and advance the reputation of the University”.

Sharing the ambition for the University to become more integrated into the local economy, the Manchester City Council also approved a one-off investment of up to £21 million in July. The investment will go towards a precision medicine campus in the Corridor Manchester Enterprise Zone, which generates 20% of the city’s economic output. The investment was identified as being part of the Northern Powerhouse industrial strategy.

Theformer Chief Executive of Manchester City Council, Sir Howard Bernstein, seems enthusiastic about Manchester’s future as the heart of the Northern Powerhouse and about the role of universities in this. Sir Howard has expressed the plan to devolve growth in “higher order sectors” such as advanced materials, energy, life science, and informatics (all sectors that the University specialises in).

The rebranding of North Campus to be a business hub has been projected to create thousands of jobs. As well as the construction of the Masterplan creating hundreds of construction jobs for local workers. However, several have raised concerns that Manchester residents who have not been able to access education opportunities would be excluded the shifting labour landscape of the city.

1 in 4 UK graduates in school-leavers jobs

Written by Shivani Kaura on . Posted in News.

Studies by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have found that many new graduates lack fundamental skills expected from a degree.

While graduate unemployment rates in the UK are the lowest in the world, the OECD reported, university students are more likely to end up in non-graduate jobs related to lower incomes.

The OECD conducted a survey showing that among workers between the ages 25-64, a shocking 28% of adults in England are qualified with degrees, although that 28% are overqualified for their jobs.

Andreas Schleicher, director of the OECD education and skills division, speaking at the annual Education at a Glance survey conference in London, said: “What we see is that a lot of people in the UK get a university degree but end up in a job that does not require that degree.

“When you test the skills of those people you actually see that those people don’t have the kind of skills that would be associated with a university degree.”

The survey also showed that 40-45% of loans will never be repaid, a consequence of graduates not making enough money to reimburse the costs of their education.

“The first thing we see is that lots of people [in the UK] get a university degree – the UK ranks quite high,” Schleicher said.

“The second thing we see is, for some of them, the wage premium is not particularly great. So, you ask yourself, what’s the reason? It could be that not many degrees are needed, or it could be that the quality of those degrees is not good enough.

“I do believe that a government that asks students to pay significant fees should also have a hard look at the quality of the services that are being provided to deliver for those students.”

Results showed that in 2016, 14% of international students chose to study in the UK, second after the US, despite Brexit playing a role in the decline of European applicants.

Another point, raised by researcher Maria Holcekova, was that “graduating from a non-Russell Group university increases the probability of insecure employment, such as shift work or zero-hours contracts, compared to those without a degree.”

This was concluded after 70% of surveyed students were found not to attend elite universities, 28% were doing shift work and 17% were underemployed. Among those who did not attend university, only 19% were doing shift work and 30% were underemployed.

Damian Hinds, the education secretary, has responded stating that the survey has shown the strengths of the UK’s higher education system and has shown support for students internationally.

DIY music: Who needs record labels?

Written by Callum Lunn on . Posted in Music.

When I talk about DIY music, I’m not talking about the music video for ‘Satisfaction’ by Benny Benassi; I’m talking about writing, recording, and releasing your own original music, and it needn’t cost the earth.

DIY music is something I sort of fell into. A couple of years ago, mid-way though a boozy night at my house, a few friends and I decided to write a song, using only what we had in my house, and before the night was over. Using a cheap Argos guitar I received for a twelfth birthday present, a piece of wood for percussion, and an old Casio keyboard, we wrote a song. I didn’t have any recording equipment, so I used my computer headset. While what we ended up with on that night wasn’t exactly a musical masterpiece, it had a cool lo-fi sound. It became the start of an interesting, fun, and at times educational project.

The next time we met up I’d studied a little bit more on audio production techniques. I had both learned the ins and outs of the free (yet immensely powerful) audio production software, Audacity, and basic acoustics and recording techniques. As a result, the next song we recorded sounded far better (even if the equipment does limit just how hi-fi we could sound). While having a good recording setup is beneficial, you don’t need expensive stuff; with the right settings, even your phone may be good enough to have a good time recording.

What we ended up finding through successive sessions is that making music in this way allows for a level of creativity one might not find if they were writing with the aim of being professionally recorded. It allows you to experiment, unburdened by the considerations of a studio, or even a traditional set of instruments; we used clocks, ratchets, and sweeping up brushes throughout the album.

Once we had an album together, entirely decided by whether we liked the tracks or not, we had to figure out how to package it. Even if you’re not the graphically creative type, designing your own album art is incredibly fun. It allows you to express the feelings of your music even beyond the tracks themselves. You want hidden tracks or other novelty? It’s your call; nobody is going to stop you; that’s the beauty of doing it yourself.

The easiest (and cheapest) method of release is a digital only, online. Sites like SoundCloud and Bandcamp allow you to upload your music for free; Bandcamp even allows you to set a price. There are also services that allow you to upload your music to Spotify, iTunes, etc for either a cut of your takings or a fee.

More fun than just releasing online, however, is making some physical copies. While vinyl may be the dream, it’s expensive to get made. However, tapes and CDs are dirt cheap these days, and there’s something oddly satisfying about recording on to tape in real time. When you finally take the tape out of the deck, you’re holding something that you made from start to finish; that’s definitely something to be proud of.

photo: album artwork

Album Review: alt-J – REDUXER

Written by alexwain on . Posted in Music.

As someone who has loved alt-J from the very beginning, I was beyond excited to listen to their new album RELAXER which was released last June. However, along with many long time fans, I was surprisingly underwhelmed by it; unlike their first two albums (which I could listen to on repeat for the rest of my days), this release just didn’t capture my attention in quite the same way. Enter- REDUXER, their newest album – released on the 28th of September – which endeavours to revamp the songs from RELAXER completely, including handpicked remixes, each featuring other musicians, with some artists you should try and watch out for.

The first song on the album ‘3WW- Little Simz’ is a really chilled remix with the 24-year-old female rapper complimenting the bands’ laid-back instrumentals. Little Simz opened for Gorillaz on their Humanz tour in 2017 and for anyone who watched them at Boomtown this year might recall her feature performance of ‘Garage Palace’; she’s definitely someone to keep an eye on. Another notable song for me was, ‘House Of The Rising Sun x Tuka’. This remix in particular made the song seem so much more alive which was completely unexpected. Whilst still slowed and chilled, the Tuka remix definitely adds what was missing from the original. Both of the ‘Hit Me Like That Snare’ remixes on this release stood out to me, with Irish superstar Rejjie Snow giving off almost Childish Gambino vibes – it’s definitely something I’d listen to on a chilled summer night with mates. If you’re still wanting more, ‘In Cold Blood- Baauer Remix’ is worth checking out if you are craving something a little more dramatic in sound.

What also made this album special to me was the use of different languages from several obscure and unknown artists. French rapper Lomepal added some suave charm to ‘3WW’ whilst elsewhere, Germany’s Kontra K dished out some punchy bars to his take on ‘In Cold Blood’. I personally love hearing music from different places and alt-J have succeeded in merging their niche sound with the language of other countries as a nod to their international fans. It’s a route not often taken by huge acts, so this is both welcomed and enjoyable.

Overall this album is an immense improvement to the original, largely due to it incorporating so many different artists and perspectives. This brings the depth required for me to want to listen to the album more than once that was so desperately missing in the original. RELAXER is still an interesting new direction for alt-J, one which I can appreciate for the musical and technical genius it is and would bet that live, it would be incredible. However, REDUXER is simply stands as RELAXER’s cooler older brother, and the variety of styles it includes makes it more enjoyable for a wider audience and proves that alt-J still understand what their fans want. I don’t think I’ll ever get over the greatness of An Awesome Wave if I am honest, however alt-J’s choice of remixes seems like an attempt to almost rectify the lacklustre flow fans encountered on the last LP. I know for a fact I am going to be listening to it a lot when it comes out on the 28th–  even if you aren’t a fan of the whole thing, I’m certain you’ll find at least one that you can add to a chilled Spotify playlist!

8/10

Photo: The 1975 @Wikimedia Commons

Review: The 1975’s comeback

Written by Jasmine Bennett on . Posted in News, Music.

The 1975 re-entered the music scene after a two year break with a buzzing, guitar-led track ‘Give Yourself A Try’, the first single of the upcoming album A Brief Inquiry into Online Relationships. A distinctly new approach to production, the first track has a repetitive and glaring atmosphere. The aggressive guitar is undercut by an off-beat drum track throughout that at first listen makes it somewhat hard to love. However, the lyrics really do make the single pop. Autobiographical anecdotes fill the song, with some bordering on humorous (“getting an STD at 27 really isn’t the vibe”) juxtaposed with tragedy (“Jane took her own life at 16”). Whilst frontman Matty Healy has never been one to shy away from personal issues within his music, this particular track feels more open. There is a sense of closure on ‘Give Yourself A Try’ not previously seen on songs like ‘Is There Somebody Who Can Watch You’ or ‘She Lays Down’ from previous releases. While the odd clashing of sounds is hard to get one’s ears round at first, it eventually settles into something catchy.

Next came second single ‘Love It If We Made It’. Drawing more on previous songs with parallels to ‘UGH’ in the heavy vocals, this is arguably resident drummer (and co-producer) George Daniels’ finest production yet. Layered with drums, synths and even strings, the electropop sound is fresh and innovative. Much like sophomore hit ‘Loving Someone’, the lyrics of ‘Love It If We Made It’ draw on our current social climate. With lashings of political criticism in reference to Donald Trump’s comments and tweets, Healy also addresses his own discomfort with celebrity culture and fame. He writes once more of the issue of drugs in the industry, with a tribute to rapper  Lil Peep. The continued use of postmodern events cements The 1975 as a band who are increasingly aware of the climate into which they release music. The best of the releases by far, ‘Love It if We Made It’ is a catchy anthem that deserves to be played loud.

The 1975’s third release ‘TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME’ begins with a deliciously tropical introduction, reminiscent of some Drake summer anthem. With a more radio friendly feel to it, ‘TOOTIME’ comes across as  distinctly less serious than the previous releases. Despite beautiful instrumentals, the production alone fails to save the somewhat dullness of the repetitive lyrics discussing infidelity. There’s just something lacking in this single when compared to its predecessors. A formulaic structure the entire way through, you can tell that this track is fluffier; less personal and autobiographical than the other two singles, causing the track to come across as light relief.

The most recent release comes in the form of dreamy, gospel-style ballad ‘Sincerity Is Scary’. Beautifully produced and arguably the ‘If I Believe You’ of A Brief Inquiry, the newest track is simply gorgeous. Underlaid by the use of brass and woodwind creates an orchestral feeling which will be a joy to see portrayed on stage when the band tours in January. The chorus rings with the lyrics “Why can’t we be friends, when we are lovers?” and for the first time in the new singles, Healy’s vocals shine. There’s something incredibly self-critical about this track – melancholy even. ‘Sincerity Is Scary’ stands as true testament to The 1975’s production, lyrics and musical talent, leaving us itching for the next release.

Photo: Lerkrat Tangsri @ Pexels

Ecosia: Ending the Student Search for Sustainability

Written by emilycushlow1 on . Posted in News.

The Students’ Union are considering changing the default search engine on campus to the environmentally conscious Ecosia.

The move would see Manchester follow in the footsteps of Sussex University, who ran a similar campaign last year.

The Berlin-based non-profit was founded in 2009 by Nuremberg business administration graduate Christian Kroll. It claims to be “just as good as any other search engine”, but with the added extra of planting a new tree for (approximately) every 45 searches using the site.

The SU Activities Officer, Lizzy Haughton, told The Mancunion: “Since the very beginning of the campaign at the end of July, both students and staff from the University of Manchester have planted 18 trees from 1,269 searches!

“Now students are flooding through the doors I’m hoping to get some badges made for the campaign, and send out an email to try and recruit some students who can take over the campaign.

“While it is necessary to use at least some paper to get the message out, this will hopefully be kept to a minimum – instead I aim to get academics on board and add slides to their lectures, and increase the likes on the Facebook page. A few posters will be stuck up around campus to get raise awareness.

“Fred, from Sussex, who started this campaign, recently took a trip to Berlin to meet with Ecosia themselves, and was interviewed all about why he started this campaign. It’s a small campaign at Manchester, but is clearly becoming a much wider issue – if all university students used Ecosia to do just 3 searches per day, this would fund the planting of nearly 6 billion trees over the course of a year! IMAGINE.

“This is such a small thing that the University can make so easy for students to use, which will in turn have such a massive impact on climate change all over the world. If you’re keen on making this happen, please email [email protected].”

With social responsibility being a key part of life at the University of Manchester, Ecosia could appeal to many students, and at a university of this size, the potential scale of impact is massive.

Ecosia claim that a university of 15,000 students could finance the planting of 364,500 trees in a year’s use. The University of Manchester is currently host to over 40,000 students.

Kroll’s original inspiration for a socially positive search engine came to him whilst travelling in Nepal, but his first start up, Xabbel, failed due to Nepal having access to only around 4 hours of electricity a day. Moving his travels onto Argentina and Brazil, Kroll came across the concept of reforestation, and coupled with his non-profit search engine, Ecosia was born.