Collin Daniel Richards has been charged with murder only hours after rising Spanish golfer Celia Barquín Arozamena was found dead on an golf course in Iowa, USA. Aged just 22, Barquín won the European Ladies Amateur Championship in Slovakia this July after shooting a course-record 63.
She was found by police at the Coldwater Golf Links in Ames after golfers discovered an unattended golf bag on the course early Monday morning and alerted authorities. A police report determined that Barquín had died following an assault.
Originally from Spain, she came to the United States to study civil engineering and became a rising talent in the amateur golf world. Her university, Iowa State, had named her ‘Female Athlete of the Year’ and said the following about her passing: “Celia had an infectious smile, a bubbly personality, and anyone fortunate enough to know her was blessed. Our Cyclone [university team nickname] family mourns the tragic loss of Celia, a spectacular student-athlete and ISU ambassador.”
Her victory in the European Championship allowed her the opportunity to break into professional golf with invitations to the British and US Opens next year. Nacho Gervás, a technical director for the Spanish Golf Federation, said to El País newspaper: “She was a player who was heading for the very top, without a doubt.”
Barquín was part of the Spanish team that achieved a second and third place finish in the European Amateur Team Championships in 2015 and 2016 respectively. Ranked number 69 nationally by magazine Golfweek, she also became the second women’s golfer in Iowa State history to earn a medal at a conference tournament when she claimed the 2018 Big 12 Championship in April.
ISU’s head women’s golf coach Christie Martens said Barquín was “loved by all her teammates and friends” and was an “outstanding representative of our school.”
“We will never forget her competitive drive to be the best and her passion for life.”
At the end of November, Valve will be releasing their first self-made game since Dota 2. This will also be their first foray into the genre of not-so-cardboard, card, games with the release of Artifact. With Magic: The Gathering (M:TG) and Netrunner designer Richard Garfield on board, it’s, unsurprisingly, expected to be a successful title. Also unsurprisingly, it is going to follow the predatory model that plagues many trading card games (TCGs). Does it have to be that way, though?
As a former Yu-Gi-Oh player and board game collector with friends into M:TG, it’s difficult for me not to be skeptical of the economy for Artifact. TCGs have an ever-changing competitive meta stimulated by the release of brand new cards throughout the year. Anyone trying to win and stay competitive can’t exactly avoid buying into the new cards, because they necessarily invite new styles of play that weren’t balanced for in the original set.
Consider, for example, the card ‘Skull Servant’ from Yu-Gi-Oh. It was such a worthless monster card that if you were to play it you might as well have slapped an eight of clubs on the field. The card was brought out around 2002, but it wasn’t until 2005 that the card ‘King of the Skull Servants’ was released, which tied ‘Skull Servant’ into a much more competitively relevant deck.
Eventually, the meta becomes a rabid hound with a scent for the pound, chasing you and nipping at your heels as you throw money at it until you are down to your lint. Obviously, some people can afford to keep putting their cash in, but most of us will probably end up on the dog meat pile.
The ‘power creep’ has appeared in all major, digital, trading card games. Despite F2P models such as Hearthstone’s inbuilt quests, rewards, and in-game currency theoretically offering you cards for free, it is the unrealistic time investment which will send you back to opening packs. Recent assessments see Hearthstone as a game costing you upwards of £300 per year to get all the cards in the game. Even if completion is not your goal and you would simply like to remain competitive, you’re going to hand over a lot of cash and time.
Infinity Wars: Animated Trading Card Game was fairly ‘progressive’, offering a free selection of decks to play with each week alongside opportunities to earn packs. At the time I was playing, I was telling myself the lie that fun in trading card games could be had without paying.
Even with the varied decks each week, I knew I was missing out on the point of these types of games – to theorycraft deck strategies, discuss your ideas, and try them out. So let’s all just admit, if you want to play these games you are in for the long-haul or don’t bother.
So what’s different for Artifact? Well, the fact that it has a secondary market through Steam to buy and sell specific cards for money certainly brings it closer to its physical counterpart. If you’re going into Artifact new to the genre, or a veteran Hearthstone player, my advice is don’t buy the packs. It will always be more cost effective to simply buy the specific cards you want or need, rather than piecing together the rubbish commons, and duplicates into a cardboard house you’ll soon need to live in – though you can’t even do that because they’re made of computer machine magic.
This raises the problem of rarity and how much rarer cards will sell for. That often depends on current popular strategies and cards. While you might think Artifact having fewer tiers of rarity would ensure that the lows and highs of the market don’t vary wildly that is not always the case.
Take, for example, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive which has a plethora of skins for your gun. While the ‘Kraken’ shotgun and the M4A4 ‘Asiimov’ are the same rarity and in the same container the prices are wildly different. The former costs you around £3 while the other £40. The price reflects the guns use in-game, so the rarity is only a factor of the price.
Making a popular competitive deck for M:TG can set you back between £200-1000; popular Mythic Rare cards such as ‘Snapcaster Mage’ will cost you £40-50.
Thankfully, Artifact’s cards are cold, soulless, and digital and so the prices are going to be much less. Whatsmore, if packs are constantly available to buy, their resale value will plummet. Crucially, the secondary market will be completely controlled by Valve and according to IGN, the designers of Artifact are aiming to push the cost of cards down as much as possible, believing that common cards will be available for a few cents.
Garfield is clearly aware of the issue of markets and wants to address it. Frankly, there might be a benefit in capping the maximum price of cards and artificially pushing them into the ground, rather than relying on the free market. The worry with that is that as more expansions are released older cards will become obsolete. If, however, a good card or two remain in the old sets their prices are likely to explode as people are less inclined to open potentially worthless packs.
The self-regulation of markets implied by Adam Smith’s ‘invisible hand’ needs to become a hard iron fist to create affordable card-games. Valve are always going take their cut from the sales regardless, and with the vast swathes of paid cosmetic opportunities to explore (animated cards, custom card backs, player boards, etc.) there is never going to be a huge financial loss for them.
The trading card game isn’t the only format in town, with the arrival of Living Card Games (LCG). With this format, expansions are released and you get all the cards in the set for the money you pay. Garfield’s Netrunner was recreated in an LCG format and became the recently out of print, yet successful, Android: Netrunner. Hopefully, the digital world catches up to this, and we can start seeing much fairer business models for people that want to devote their loving affection to their decks and not gamble away their hard-earned student loans.
It is undeniable that the established rhetoric which damns casual sex still dominates our society. However, there is an increasingly popular move away from prudence in favour of sexual transparency. The University of Manchester has created space for sex-positive activism, a move which has allowed personal exploration to take place.
Freshers’ Week is characterised by young adults let loose on the city without parental restrictions. However, the common narrative of regretted one-night stands overshadows a wealth of sex-positive conversations and actions happening in Manchester. According to the Archives of Sexual Behavior, 1 in 4 young adults (aged 20-24) are choosing abstinence. However, this does not mean that sexual awareness has stagnated. The rise in media focused on alternative identities has led to a greater number of people exploring their own sexuality.
University is a time of self-exploration, and there is no better city to do that in. In recent years, advice services and inclusivity have become a primary focus within the University of Manchester. This year, the University jumped 25 places on the charity Stonewall’s Top 100 Employer list to 16th. Paul Marks-Jones, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion Partner, said the new ranking proves LGBTQ+ members are “an important and valued part of the workforce.” Additionally, the LGBT Foundation, a non-profit organisation based in Manchester, holds events, running comedy events, craft workshops, and much more to “increase skills and reduce feelings of isolation.”
There are multiple opportunities to get involved in sex positive activism at UoM, for example the annual Reclaim the Night march in February. The march aims to spread awareness about street harassment directed towards women. Sex Week, run by the Student Union, holds panel discussions and art exhibitions with the aim of encouraging the creative side to sex. The University also hosts numerous sex-positive societies, such as the LGBTQ society. The society work to create a “welcoming and safe environment” for everyone who identifies as LGBTQ+ and holds weekly coffee meetings as well as Mental Health and Wellbeing Support events.
It is extremely common to feel alone in your personal sexual experiences at university, especially when those experiences are negative. The University of Manchester offers numerous services to students who need help. You can contact the University at [email protected]. Additional information about sexual health services and advice is available at fresh4manchester.nhs.uk. Here you can find your closest clinic and get answers to any questions you may have regarding sexual health.
It is easy to feel pressure to have sex, especially during Freshers’ Week. Manchester as a city, and as a University, has a wealth of support services to offer students who may be concerned about, or are exploring, their sexuality. Beyond that, the work of groups and societies to expand conversations about sex are contributing to greater inclusivity. Sex has expanded beyond its traditional definition, and formed communities effecting active change. So, while at University, embrace the opportunity to start a sexual revolution of your own.
This week, thousands of Freshers will descend upon Manchester. Many of them, no doubt excited to explore the university’s infamous breadth of opportunities for debauchery. Manchester’s far-reaching reputation for nightlife can make coming here seem overwhelming. This is a particular problem if such exploits are just not your thing, and finding alternative social events can seem daunting.
According to a survey from the Office of National Statistics released last year, over a quarter of 16-24 year olds have stated that they do not drink alcohol. Whether it be for cultural, religious or personal reasons, avoiding alcohol or preferring a different focus to your Freshers week needn’t be seen as a condemnation to the peripheries of university social life. There are plenty of ways to enjoy your Manchester Freshers experience, minus the booze!
One of the many benefits of going to University in a city like Manchester is that there is so much to do outside of the traditional student world. The city has a host of cultural activities: from multiple cinemas, and art galleries, to a great skate park that welcomes beginners. There’s plenty to do in the city that doesn’t revolve around alcohol. So, if you fancy a break from the endless leaflets for cheap drinks at Revs or free entry to Tiger Tiger, venture beyond Oxford Road and make the most of being in a new city by exploring the many fantastic opportunities Manchester itself has to offer.
Whilst exploring the city can provide plenty of ways to have fun without alcohol, Freshers week is also an important chance to immerse yourself in student life. The University of Manchester has hundreds of societies catering to all kinds of hobbies, and meeting people you share a passion with could be a great way to get involved in student life and make friends without the focus on alcohol. There are also societies for which avoiding alcohol is an intrinsic part of their ethos, such as the Islamic Society. During Freshers week, ISoc will be hosting completely alcohol-free events including a Pyjama Party and LazerQuest trip.
This year there is also an ‘Alternative Freshers Week’ being organised by students from MMU, UOM and Salford University. This is a student led alternative Welcome Week that is working with LGBT societies, Feminist societies, and People & Planet societies on a number of incredible events. These include a DIY art exhibition, environmental activism workshops, and organised discussions focused on sexuality and gender diversity. ‘Alternative Freshers’ offers the chance to meet with fellow creatives and get involved in Manchester’s rich art scene and proud culture of social activism.
Manchester offers a wealth of ways to experience a Freshers outside of the booze fuelled stereotype. However, it is also important to note that being sober does not exclude you from regular Freshers events. While many new students may find a bit of Dutch courage helpful in going to parties and attending events such as Pangaea, it’s by no means a requirement. You’ll discover that despite expectations, there is no judgement for your choices regarding whether you choose to drink. Everyone is ultimately here to make friends and the overwhelming majority of your fellow Freshers won’t care if you’ve got a drink in your hand, they’ll just be glad you’re there.
Struggling to know what to do this Freshers week? Are you feeling a bit overwhelmed by all the choice? If this is the case, then look no further – we’ve picked out some events that are taking place during Freshers week and beyond.
Whether it’s sports, academic, or recreational societies you’re looking for, there really is something for everyone. This is only a small snippet of the events that are taking place, so make sure you head down to the Societies and Sports Fairs on the 19th and 20th of September in Manchester Academy to find out what else is on offer.
Funraising x Offbeat: Brazilian Wax
When: 18th of September 22:30- 4:00
Where: Night People, 105-107 Princess Street
Who: Funraising is a platform set up by students who essentially want to have a good time whilst also raising money for charity, and blogging about all things socially focused, including mental health, the environment, and art. They have raised thousands of pounds for charity in the past through various events such as Artbox, a (not very) silent auction.
What: This time, Funraising are collaborating with Offbeat to bring you a night full of Latin rhythms, from samba to drum and bass to brazilian funk. All money raised from the night will go to Manchester-based migrant support network, LASNET. Tickets are on sale on Skiddle for £4, or can be bought on the door for £5.
Gaming Society Games Night
When: 17th of September 19:30-22:30
Where: The Grove, Whitworth Park Halls
Who: The Gaming Society aims to provide a space for like-minded gamers to come together once or twice a week and puts on various events like tournaments, meals, and pub quizzes.
What: The Gaming Society are giving freshers the chance to check out their weekly console night, with various setups such as Guitar Hero, Mario Kart, various party and fighting games and much more. There will also be areas for members to socialise and meet other gamers.
Comedy Society Introduction/Pub Crawl
When: 21st of September 19:00
Where: Squirrels Bar
Who: The Comedy Society (ComSoc) are notorious for running sessions on Stand-Up, Sketch, Improvisation and Radio comedy, and this year is destined to be their best. If you’re a student who loves comedy, whether this is as a writer, performer, or fan, this is the place for you.
What: The evening starts with an informal talk about events coming up later in the year, including showcases in November and March, before moving into the city to experience some of Manchester’s comedy scene and, of course, the very best of Manchester nightlife.
Women’s Rugby Taster Session
When: Saturday 22nd September 10:30
Where: Didsbury Toc H Rugby Club
Who: UMWRFC is a club built on enjoyment, development and friendship. Whether you are international standard or have never held a rugby ball before, they’d love to see you at training!
What: The rugby taster session is a great way for women to give rugby a go. All levels are welcome! During the session, participants will get to do a variety of rugby based games and exercises, as well as meet the committee and other rugby girls. There will also be free food and drink provided – what more could you want? If you don’t fancy trying to find the rugby club on your own, a group will also be meeting at Owen’s Park at 9:30.
Jack and the ‘Beakerstalk’ Auditions
When: 25th and 26th of September 19:00-21:00
Where: Room 6 (25th) and Room 7 (26th) of the SU
Who: The Pantomime Society don’t like to take themselves too seriously, they love to just have fun and be a bit silly, whilst putting on some of the weirdest shows around.
What: ‘Jack and the Beakerstalk’ is the Pantomime Society’s upcoming Christmas production. These audition sessions will not only give you the chance to be in it, but also see what future rehearsals will be like. If you want to be in the chorus or the crew you don’t need to audition. But in these sessions you’ll still get to play fun drama games, learn a dance, and meet new people. There is no prep needed for auditions, so just turn up and have fun!
Computer Science Bar Crawl
When: 19th of September 19:00
Where: Ford Madox Wetherspoons
Who: The Computer Science Society is, predictably, aimed at Computer Science students. The society has been running for 12 years and gives students the chance to take part in events and socials outside of their studies.
What: The pub crawl is mainly aimed at getting Computer Science freshers to meet their course-mates; and what better way to do this than through some drinks? Starting at Ford Maddox, the pub crawl will move to a different pub every hour. Featuring the Turing Tap, the Footage, The Courtyard, and the Garrett.
I’m going to start off by saying I really, really liked Spider-man, but for a long time I couldn’t figure out why. The plot and dialogue are good but not without flaws, the world building is magnificent but sometimes feels superficial, and the villains are interesting, but hardly a rogue gallery of fan’s favourites.
I think this is because Spider-man’s sometimes elusive brilliance is almost entirely mechanical, or, in other words, found in the sheer joy of the gameplay. Certainly, I can’t remember a game that feels as good as Spider-man does to simply play. This, in turn, feeds back into the plot, the setting and the villains, embellishing the drama to make it feel more high-octane, providing truly memorable boss fights for even the most obscure bosses, and turning New York from a static beauty into a living, breathing playground.
This mechanical achievement is perhaps most obvious in the combat system. The combat, which underpins much of your activity in the game, takes the smoothly animated panache of the Batman: Arkham series, using basic block and attack controls as a basis on which to build a whole network of special web attacks, suit abilities and combos to embellish every fight into something different, and ensuring that, even after many such fights (and there are a lot), the game still has something to offer that feels fresh and exciting.
Webs are a powerful tool in Spider-man’s extensive arsenal. photo:Insomniac
Combat can thusly be approached in a plethora of different ways. You can meticulously take out gang members one by one, or thin the herd before launching a full-frontal assault. Alternatively, you can just attack, which is where the fun really begins. In hand to hand combat, you are given a huge arsenal of options. You can fly towards your opponents with webs, hit them with manhole covers, or stun/trap/freeze them with one of your many gadgets. Additionally, each Spider-suit (an honorable mention to the artists to designed these, by the way) you unlock grants you an extra ability, such as the power to lower gravity or deflect bullets.
Traversing the city is equally as satisfying, probably finally taking the crown from the head of the fabled Spider-man 2. Whether you’re flying between the huge skyscrapers that make up most of Central Manhattan or hardly avoiding smacking the ground when swinging tree-to-tree in Central Park, just travelling doing nothing in particular about is so compulsively addictive that I never even needed to use the fast travel feature, which, for a map as large as Insomniac’s Manhattan, is quite a feat.
The thing is, with both combat and traversal alike, that you barely even notice any of this happening. Spider-man is one of those rarest of games where the superb work done by the developers means that hand, controller, game and mind all seem to be in perfect, intuitive synchrony all the time.
The background against which this all takes place is, admittedly, a little less subtle and finessed. The prologue sees Spider-man bust the operation of Wilson Fisk (A.K.A Kingpin), and from then on the main plot of the game looks at the power vacuum that opens up in Fisk’s wake. The plot that ensues follows the production of a mysterious chemical called GR-27, and weaves in a number of villains, forefront among whom is Mister Negative.
photo:Insomniac
I suspect the reason for casting Mister Negative in this starring role is that his biography is sufficiently obscure as to allow Insomniac to make some vital alterations to his character history that form the backbone of his motivations within the game’s story, and so he can bring to light the story line of another recognisable villain (arguably two or three of them, actually) but it does result in the feeling that Mister Negative is somehow a supporting cast member in his own show.
Nonetheless, progressing through the central narrative is a romp. Despite the villains being somewhat B-list, they are woven together well in a story that manages to be both epic – admittedly through the truly superlative set-pieces that punctuate the main quest line rather than its narrative content – and touching at the same time. Indeed, although there is plenty of tepid, PG 13 banter and moral righteousness along with a level of foreshadowing that is truly unprecedented even in the Marvel universe, the story is sprinkled with quirky, well-written and emotional scenes that hit home with surprising effectiveness. The end, especially, really tugged on the heartstrings.
The gameplay in the main story is also packed with variety, taking you not only through your bog standard combat grunt clear-outs, but wonderfully composed cinematic cut-scenes complete with a tasteful dusting of quick-time events, excellently designed sneaking missions, quirky errands and truly memorable boss fights. There’s even some basic logic puzzles meant to emulate Peter Parker’s lab experiments, though, mercifully, these can be skipped. This helps to patch over the uneven pacing of the narrative, which plods along for a reasonably long time before exploding into life quite spectacularly.
Whilst this is all going on, Manhattan, which might be the most beautifully rendered city ever to have appeared in a video game, slowly falls apart, turning from its original self to, as Peter Parker puts it, “like some dystopian sci-fi movie.” Although Manhattan is in transition throughout the game, its elegance remains throughout, from the towering peaks of midtown and the financial district with their hall of mirrors glass panels, to the residential apartments of Harlem to the flat greenery of Central Park. Of course, its verticality also makes it an ideal setting for Spider-man from a gameplay point of view, but the quality of its recreation really is something to behold.
photo:Insomniac
Unfortunately, if I do have one major criticism of this game, and sadly I do, it’s how the city is filled. Side quests in Spider-man seem to have been inspired by Assassin’s Creed, and not just in volume, but content. Spider-man’s side quests do pay some lip service to some absent villains, but for the most part are repetitive, formulaic and hastily put together without a thought to narrative.
There are degrees in this issue: taking out enemy checkpoints is as fun as you might expect given how good Spider-man’s combat is, and bomb challenges are fast-paced enough to be worth doing, but finding fifty-fiveof Peter Parker’s old backpacks? Helping Howard recapture twelve of his bloody stray pigeons? Photographing local landmarks? I mean, come on, there’s even radio towers to climb up to, which even Ubisoft made a meme of in Far Cry 5. This also makes the endgame disappointingly empty, which is all the more disappointing given Insomniac have already lined up some DLC.
Nonetheless, Spider-man is an amazing game. Technically and mechanically, it might just be the best, most highly polished game ever made and even manages to sneak a few powerful emotional punches into an engaging, if poorly paced, narrative. Although it does feel as if this game was very much written with a sequel in mind (it even ends on somewhat of a cliffhanger), it utterly enthralls you from beginning to end, and, ultimately, leaves you hungry for that second installment, even seducing you into wanting to complete its unfortunately monotonous side quests because it really is that playable. For a game series that will no doubt go on to be one of the next big dynasties of the PlayStation platform, the fact that this is just the first attempt is almost scary.
Serena Williams has suffered many times throughout her career from racist and sexist remarks. The American tennis player, who has won 23 singles Grand Slams, has arguably had the greatest positive impact on the female game alongside others such as Billie Jean King. However, her recent remarks about sexism after being sanctioned during the US Open Final have done little to advance women’s tennis or progress the conversation around equality in sport across the board.
Wiliams was ultimately fined $17,000 for three separate violations during the final which she lost to Naomi Osaka. The first violation came after the umpire Carlos Ramos judged a gesture from Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou to be coaching. Coaching within the context of a Grand Slam refers to the player’s coach giving information through words or hand gestures during the warm up or the game itself. This is prohibited and if the umpire notices this the player will be penalised.
It is up to the umpire’s judgement what qualifies as coaching and Ramos decided a hand gesture was enough to have potentially given Williams an unfair advantage. This is something she denies, telling the umpire during the game she would “never cheat to win and would rather lose”. Mouratoglou came out and said in an interview that he “was coaching but I don’t think she looked at me. Everybody does it.”
It’s a weak defence. The umpire has to do his best to try and monitor as much as possible and it often seems that coaching slips through the cracks and goes unseen. But it is clearly against the rules, no matter how inconsistently people are reprimanded for it. Earlier in the Open tournament Nick Krygios was also accused of coaching. Mohamed Lahyani, the umpire in that game, handled the rule break differently and went to talk to Krygios.
Williams’ second code violation came in the second set with the score at 3-2. This time it was for racquet abuse leading to Williams being docked a point. Williams became incredibly angry at the penalty, saying to Ramos: “You owe me an apology, I have never cheated in my life.” The game continued briefly but at the changeover, with the score 4-3 to Osaka, she added: “You will never, ever, ever be on another court of mine as long as you live.”
Ramos, an umpire with a reputation for not being intimidated by players, has taken charge of finals at all Grand Slams, as well as the Olympic Games. Both of the decisions he made were according to tournament rules. Whether or not the rules, specifically the one on coaching, should be changed to reflect how the modern game is played is a separate, equally necessary, discussion. Naturally the crowd in New York sided with Williams, and the atmosphere grew increasingly toxic as the game progressed.
Her remarks led to Ramos dishing out a third code violation, penalising her a game. Now Osaka was just one game away from victory at 5-3 up. Boos echoed around the stadium and Williams refused to continue, demanding to talk to the tournament referee. Eventually she finished the match and Osaka became the first Japanese player to win a Grand Slam at just 20 years of age.
Osaka’s special moment, beating her idol for a Grand Slam, was ruined by the disgraceful actions of the fans. They continued to boo and berate her during the ceremony. Rather than enjoying the moment she apologised for winning and covered her eyes to hide her tears. Williams, in her runners-up speech, told the crowd to respect Osaka for her achievement. A move that showed Williams’ great sportsmanship that was partially hidden by anger and frustration.
Were Ramos’ actions sexist? Objectively, looking at the three calls, there is nothing to suggest that these were anything other than the right decisions. If the umpire notices coaching, it is a violation. The two subsequent violations were incredibly clear, and if Ramos did not act upon them, there would have been a large backlash about him favouring Williams.
British number four Liam Broady tweeted about the incident: “I think [it to be] incredibly strong from the umpire to not be intimidated by a GOAT of the game and hand out the game penalty. You shouldn’t talk to anybody in this way whether they’re an umpire or person on the street.”
At last year’s US Open Italian player Fabio Fognini was fined $96,000 for verbal abuse he hurled at a female umpire. While this was far worse than Williams, it shows that this is an issue that is taken seriously, regardless of gender.
Williams making this a sexism issue, when the umpire adhered to the rules of the game, takes the light away from actual gender issues in the sport. A recent example of which is Alizé Cornet getting a violation for adjusting her top after accidentally putting it on back to front, while the male players can take their tops off without issue, a decision the US Open since condemned.
As an incredible role model for young women, Williams’ energy is best spent where it can bring about the biggest positive change. Women’s tennis has come an awful long way with her in it, but it is events like these that cause small bumps on the tough road to sporting equality.
It’s home to two of Europe’s biggest football teams, Premiership side Sale Sharks, and one of the oldest cricket grounds in the country.
Manchester is by definition one of the nation’s great centres of sport.
And in that spirit, it has been named ESPN’s sporting city of the year for 2018.
The study is a collaboration between the American broadcaster and the University of Bath and assesses cities based on 12 factors considered most important to fans, including the likes of History, Success, and Local Talent.
Although in benefit of a rich sporting history, it is all about the present for the city, with Manchester City racing to a record-breaking title victory last season, while rivals Manchester United also boosted the area’s reputation with a 2nd place finish in the Premier League and a run to the FA Cup Final.
Aside from the two heavyweights the city also boasts 5 football league sides, and exciting non-league projects, such as FC United of Manchester and Ryan Giggs-backed Salford City FC.
There has also been strong representation in the Local Talent category, with the likes of Marcus Rashford, Jesse Lingard, and Phil Foden, all born-and-bred Mancunians, making a splash for their clubs this year.
Such success stories and a prosperous environment for youth participation in sport is all down to Manchester’s remarkable track-record in grassroots programmes.
This November, the Manchester FA is preparing to host the fourth edition of its annual Grassroots awards, that recognises contributions to youth football across the region.
“For our clubs at the top to succeed, there needs to a dedicated hardcore of volunteers”, said Mayor Andy Burnham.
“Whether it is junior football, community rugby, amateur boxing or village cricket, none of it is possible without a strong network of coaches and parents”.
Former Manchester United star Bryan Robson was also keen to comment on Manchester’s enduring legacy in the world of Boxing, “I’ve always looked, and Manchester has always had great boxers as well. A lot of boxers come from the city and you go around Manchester and everybody really is into their sport”.
Some of the sport’s most-famed names hail from the city, including Amir Khan, Ricky Hatton, and Tyson Fury.
Manchester’s Olympic-grade sporting Infrastructure, built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games, also needs no introduction – The city has twice bid to hold the Games, in 1996 and 2000.
ESPN’s Senior Editor Steve Saunders praised the city’s performance in the annual rankings as it achieved a second victory, “Manchester’s consistency has been impressive over the years. It has never dropped out of the top two and now returns to first place in the fourth year”.
Elsewhere in the list, Liverpool, that was crowned the top city for football supporters, dropped to second overall having relinquished its 2017 title. Edinburgh follows in third place, its highest ever finish, while the capital, London ranks an unexpectedly-low 4th place.
It was an all-around strong performance for the North, however, with 8 of the top 10 cities in the rankings, and only prevented from a clean sweep of the top 5 by London.
It is a trap many would-be influencers fall into; thinking that the protest march is a relic of the 1960s, alongside free-love and tie-dye. In a time when politics seems increasingly privatised out of democratic decision making, it is easy to dismiss the persuasive element of a group of fresh-faced youthful activities advancing en masse to the stern face of the establishment. However, direct action can only be ignored if its organisers allow it to be.
It frequently feels as if protest movements now start with their own ends in sight. Assumptions of politicians’ apathy and a divided public form the basis of a disenchanted youth’s rejection of engaging in civil disruption. This is a cynicism it is understandable to have developed in the face of so many failings – think of the Independence protests in Catalonia or the anti-Trump sentiments – but these frustrated although ultimately overridden campaigns are just what is most frequently reported on. There is a far greater level of political engagement than the public is made aware of, but it doesn’t make the headlines. From leafleting for their local MPs to simply signing petitions they find on social media; young people are not nearly as lethargic as they are often depicted to be.
For instance, the rise of Momentum in the Labour Party is described in the mainstream media as a kind of hostile take-over, and even within the hard left who should be supporting the demographic change in the party there is a suspicion of the newly active sub-sect. Arguably, this is far more a result of the view that any kind of activism is bound to fail in the political climate of the 21st Century rather than a rejection of the spirit of change or the radical policies that Momentum stand for.
Parallels could even be drawn between the suspicion of Momentum and the antipathy towards the Brexit campaign. Although in terms of the aims and supporters of the two groups they are at polar opposites, they both represent the potential for genuine mobilisation of the politically disenfranchised. Following the shock result of the EU Referendum there was a prevailing feeling of surprise at the possibility of a radical movement being able to achieve such major change in a system which has been stifled by a neo-liberal conservatism across the political spectrum.
The trope that is most often used to put down protest movements is that they cannot survive the ‘trolling’ and ‘flame wars’ of social media. As the internet becomes the primary medium for engagement with political and social issues, those who have not been raised as natives to the cyberspace see it as a hindrance to passion in campaigning. Whilst there is definitely space to see a general desensitisation as a result of over-exposure to distressing footage of a number of global issues. There is also a mass of evidence that the power of social media has been harnessed by social activists to inspire otherwise uninformed or uninterested parties. Whether the campaign behind the Leave vote in the Brexit referendum was based on an accurate or ethical rhetoric, it most certainly succeeded in tapping into a reserve of energy for action both virtual and tangible.
Take another example from the U.K. of the fossil free and divestment campaign across university campuses. Despite an assertion that environmental issues are the reserve of scientists and experts, students have demonstrated that so-called ‘Blockadia’, a term coined by Naomi Klein to describe the front-lines of resistance to the extractive fossil fuel industry, has both a physical and virtual existence. Thus, like the Leave campaign, it transcends the gap between the tangible world of protest and the art of online dissent, creating a new era of direct action. So far, the movement has persuaded 68 Universities across Great Britain some form of divestment from the fossil fuel industry, with tactics ranging of subtle ‘subverting’ to more extreme measures at the King’s University in London where students took on a 2 week long hunger strike until the University committed to full divestment.
What these examples show is that although protest looks different for thee avocado toast munching and Instagram sharing generation it is not a dead art. Whilst still employing the power of physical occupation or marching, activists have learnt not to reject technology and social media because of its potentially diluting effects but to harness it as another facet of direct action.
Pupils across the country will be sitting the 11+ exam this month to determine the path of their secondary education. There are a total of 164 grammar schools in England with Greater Manchester being one of the few regions of the country that still implements a selective process for secondary education.
In today’s society where social equality is forever being promoted, there is a lot of controversy surrounding such a system whereby children as young as 10 are categorised according to their academic performance in exam conditions. Different regions use different examinations, however they all tend to cover the areas of maths, verbal reasoning, and non-verbal reasoning.
A lot of people find issue with such a system; the main reason being the pressure placed on the children to succeed and the subsequent pressure present within a grammar school itself. According to the NSPCC, Childline provided a total of 3135 counselling sessions related to exam stress in the academic year 2016 to 2017. With statistics like this, it seems nonsensical that we should begin the exam process with children as young as ten years old. This pressure can come from parents, primary schools, or even from the pupil themselves.
Photo: PxHere
A secondary education is important, it is the stepping stone for A-Levels and potentially even future University places. Re-iterating to the pupil, however, that this exam will be a determining factor for the rest of their lives can only incite stress and potentially create a negative attitude towards future examinations. Placing children in a competitive atmosphere at this age will also undoubtedly produce negative feelings amongst peers, be it through a drive to succeed and ‘beat’ other candidates, or a sense of unworthiness created by failure. At an age where the process of examination cannot fully be understood, we need to question whether this is the most effective method of segregating pupils, or indeed whether they need to be segregated at all.
We can also consider grammar schools as being intrinsically linked with social elitism. This concept stems from the fact that grammar schools have traditionally existed as Independent schools before state support was extended to them in the 1900s. It is also arguable that this idea is today supported by the finances involved with tuition, which would of course give the candidate an advantage. In the BBC’s Grammar School Debate televised in June this year, it was argued that tuition is not necessary for a child to succeed. The debate went so far as to suggest that in fact tuition could even pose a disadvantage, pushing children to succeed when they may struggle without the additional help once they reach the grammar school.
I personally would argue the opposite, and I think that anyone who glances at the first page of a non-verbal reasoning paper would agree with me. The structure of these exams makes it such that without having had any preparation, any pupil would struggle to answer the questions, no matter how academically gifted they were. This is particularly the case for pupils coming from schools which do not support the system, and do not introduce the pupils at all to these specific types of questions. I believe tuition to be a necessary step even just if it simply introduces the pupil to the format of the paper as well as an explanation of exam-style conditions, which they presumably would not have experienced before. That is before you consider that if every other child is receiving tuition, the one who doesn’t will of course automatically be at a disadvantage.
It is easy to see the negatives of the entrance test system, this is without even delving into the pros and cons of the grammar schools themselves. The issues discussed in this article are, however, arguably key structures that exist within today’s education system in general. The reason we have a problem with the entrance test, presumably, is that it is a system implemented for young children. If, however, we are going to question the ideals associated with the 11+ system, we must then surely begin to question these formations as they are present elsewhere in the education system.
If it is wrong to put such pressure as competitive exams onto children at the age of ten, is it right to do so once they reach sixteen, eighteen, or twenty-one? If so, at which age exactly can we say the rule changes? Similarly, with sorts of social elitism stemming from tuition fees, if this is unfair for a child of ten or eleven, surely it does not become fair once that child reaches their GCSEs and needs a little help alongside the school process? Far from discouraging people from questioning these problems, however, what I suggest is that the questioning does not just stop once the child turns twelve. Instead, we need to recognise that this structure highlights issues that need to be tackled within our education system as a whole.
Cricket legend Alastair Cook finished his 12 year batting career with a century in the fifth Test against India at The Oval. His 147 helped guide England to a 4-1 series win in the final match of the Summer.
“The timing is right” he said in an interview with Sky Sports, “I started noticing things in my game and preparations were missing. That edge isn’t there.”
Cook got his first start as part of the England side touring India in early 2006. The team suffered heavily from stomach complaints, an issue that often dogs the team in India. That didn’t stop Cook however, as he scored a promising 60 in the first innings and followed it up with a fantastic 104* in the second.
The centuries came thick and fast, and in December 2012, once more facing India, he became England’s record centurion in Kolkata. Lighting up Eden Gardens he reached 190 in 377 balls before ultimately being run out by Kohli.
Three years and many standing ovations later it was time for another major record to be broken, Cook this time surpassing Graham Gooch as England’s record Test runs batsman.
For his farewell Test this week, the crowd at The Oval gave him an ovation at every opportunity they could. He began day four on 46, quickly reaching his half-century early on in the morning session. With every over that passed the fans grew more tense, anticipating the opportunity of a final century.
His stint at the crease wasn’t just plain sailing. On 72 India appealed for a catch at silly point, but to the relief of almost everyone in the ground, he was found not out. On he powered, and soon he reached 96. The crowd rose to their feet; only Jadeja could stop Cook now.
The delivery came, Cook leaned back and cut the ball through point for a comfortable single. The ball rolled out to Jaspit Bumrah, a player who has had a great Test series. A momentary lapse in concentration saw him throw well beyond the stumps, rolling all the way for a boundary. Play was paused for several minutes as The Oval marked the occasion.
When he finally fell for 147, every Indian fielder on the pitch came to shake his hand and, for one final time, the crowd commended Cook. An extraordinary career for an extraordinary cricketer.
James Anderson broke Glen McGrath’s record for wickets taken by a fast bowler in the final Test match against India this week. The Englishman took the final wicket in the game that saw Alastair Cook bow out of international cricket.
His tally of 564 leaves him fourth in the list of all-time wicket-takers. Only spin bowlers Anil Kumble (619, India), Shane Warne (708, Australian), and Muttiah Muralitharan (800, Sri Lanka) have taken more.
Anderson, 36, deserves a lot of praised for maintaining fitness levels and drive over his long career, which has undoubtedly contributed to his success. The hardest thing for a bowler at the top of his game is to maintain that level for many years. Far too often have we seen great bowlers retire early due to injuries or losing their edge.
Mitchell Johnson is a prime example. The Australian played 73 Test matches taking 313 wickets leaving him as the fourth best wicket-taker for his country when he retired. He had a tumultuous career, losing his place in the side due to stints of poor form at times, but also winning ICC Cricketer of the year twice too. Had Johnson had the longevity of Anderson, he could have been challenging for that record too. Gough, Harmison, and Jones too ended their careers early as their bodies let them down.
McGrath was dignified as his record was broken, challenging Anderson to take more wickets. “If he can raise the bar to 600 wickets, that’s an incredible effort. I was proud to hold it for as long as I did. For it to be beaten by somebody like Jimmy Anderson is great”
“I have a lot of respect for Jimmy. He’s been an incredible bowler for a long time. To have played well over 140 Tests and just keep running in, day in, day out, and remain at the top of his game. Yeah, I’m very proud Jimmy’s got there.”
Fellow Englishman Stuart Broad is the next most likely active player to break Anderson’s record. Four years younger and 133 wickets behind, if Broad can keep up with the physicality of a packed cricketing schedule he may eclipse his teammate. McGrath doubts that the record will be broken any time soon, “just to play enough games to get anywhere near it is tough in itself.” Anderson has currently played 143 Test matches, 11 more than any other fast bowler.
He says he isn’t done with Test cricket quite yet though. “I don’t really think about it. I play my best when I focus on what’s ahead of me; the next game, the next series, whatever it is. I don’t like looking too far ahead. I don’t think it helps certainly me or the team.”
England will be hoping they can continue their winning form in tours of Sri Lanka and West Indies this winter. Continuing their momentum will be crucial as the side looks forward to next summer’s Ashes.
As the academic year starts again and we take the journey back to the city that we love, we have a special edition of our Fashion Player of the Week. This week we feature our favourite Mancunion men who have re-defined the very DNA of Manchester’s style all in their own unique way.
Liam Gallagher – an iconic Mancunian in both his infamous attitude and style, Liam’s baggy frontman look defined the uniform of the 90s and gave Manchester an emblem of mod style for years to come. Think bucket hats, polos, parkas and a pair of gazelles. Furthermore, Liam’s influence on Manchester’s fashion scene goes beyond his personal styling; his own successful clothing label, Pretty Green, is based in central Manchester.
Peter Saville – arguably the most iconic graphic designer of all time – was born in Manchester and found fame when designing record covers for Factory records. His influence has transpired the fields of art and fashion for decades, working with icons such as Joy Division and New Order to Raf Simons and Kanye West. Most recently, Saville has redesigned Burberry’s iconic check for Ricardo Tisci’s upcoming creative redirection of the house. Saville’s creative vision has created some of the 21st century’s most iconic designs.
Umar Kamani – As one of Manchester’s fastest growing business moguls as owner of PrettyLittleThing, Kamani has definitively made Manchester the fast-fashion capital of the world. Taking the USA by storm by frequently dressing the Kardashians, part of PLT’s success is down to Kamani’s own strong sense of personal style, mixing and matching with the family’s own boohooMAN with bold monogram pieces from Gucci, Balenciaga and Fendi. With such a keen eye on trend, no wonder PLT has been the fastest growing e-commerce site in the world.
Oscar-Pinto Hervia – Although born in Chile, Oscar Pinto’s legacy in Manchester spans over two decades since the opening of Hervia Baazaar. Although the first Hervia store was destroyed as a result of an IRA bomb, this didn’t stop Pinto from creating the best destination in the North for some of the world’s most fashion forward brands such as Rick Owens, Yoji Yamamoto to KTZ and Comme des Garçons.
To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before is a wonderfully cringe-worthy film and reminiscent of the fleeting yet intense crushes we all have had, and still have. The film, based on the book by Jenny Han, was released on Netflix in August 2018.
The film follows a 16-year-old, Lara-Jean, as she tries to navigate the disaster of her secret love letters being received by her crushes. While watching this film, I frequently squealed with glee as it did not hold back on adorable conversations or gestures successfully capturing the nature of teenage romance.
But, it is more than just another teen-romcom. It shows diversity in a casual way: the main character is Korean-American, yet this is not the focus of the plot nor her main character trait, which I applaud. Often, if a film does have a non-white lead this is because the story will use this as a source of conflict or heavily stereotype the character, which is unnecessary.
In an article that the author, Jenny Han, wrote for The New York Times she said that an Asian-American actress was hugely important and non-negotiable in this instance. In the article she writes that a producer suggested the race of an actor didn’t matter, instead it’s about their ability to embody the character. But, it does matter. It matters so that actors who are often marginalised get an opportunity to perform. It matters that children can grow up and see themselves represented, so they feel beautiful too. And it matters, because there needs to be a change.
Lana Condor is Vietnamese-American and does a marvelous job of capturing the whirl-wind of emotions that comes with romance, and what it’s like being 16 trying to figure yourself out. I don’t believe that a ‘white actress’ would have done a better job that would justify them being cast instead. Making lead-characters more ethnically diverse is hugely empowering for people of colour.
Another aspect of importance in the film is how sex is discussed. In one in which Lara-Jean’s dad hands her an envelope of condoms and briefly discusses the need for protected sex. It’s not done in a way to shame or accuse, but to empower and inform. I think that films being more willing to mention safe sex will educate both children, and parents, about this aspect of growing up. Lara-Jean responds with slight-awkwardness and humour, but it’s necessary that the dad-daughter duo have the ability to talk about sex and contraception in this practical manner.
The film itself is comfortingly predictable and what you’d want from a teen-romcom. It has heart-warming relationships between friends, family and of course romantic ones too. Watch it at your next sleepover with face masks and a tub of ice cream and enjoy getting swept up in this love story.
The pro-life charity, Life, have filed an official complaint with the Office for Students after being refused a stall at the University of Manchester’s freshers’ fair, who argued that it did not think that the fair was the correct platform for Life.
It has also been refused stalls by The University of Warwick Students’ Union and The Guild of Students – University of Liverpool.
In the letter to the Office for Students, Anne Scanlan, the Director of Education for Life, wrote: “It is clear that the university student unions […] are discriminating against Life and denying us a platform because they do not agree with our pro-life views”.
“In doing so, they are impeding freedom of expression of views which they do not agree with but other students may want to hear”.
She went on to call the refusal “discrimination” and argued that it was stifling Life’s right to freedom of expression.
Additionally, Senior Education and Media officer at Life, Mark Bhagwandin, told The Mancunion that the rejection was “surprising and disappointing”.
In a statement, the Students’ Union Exec Team stood by the decision, arguing that the stall was not student-led and therefore could not be guaranteed to be representing the view of students, saying: “Although we have different political parties with stalls at the freshers fair (which are all student-led societies), these campaign on a range of different issues that allow students to choose themselves whether or not to support and join any of their individual campaigns.
“Life charity are promoting a very sensitive issue that specifically campaign against one of the values we hold as a Union: giving women a choice to do what they want with their bodies.”
Last month, Office for Students chair Sir Michael Barber issued a statement, which explained: “The Office for Students will work to ensure all registered providers have robust and effective management and governance arrangements in place to protect and promote freedom of speech”, adding “where we have concerns, we will not hesitate to intervene to uphold this fundamental principle”.
Freedom of expression has been a contentious issue on university campuses across the world, with several high-profile controversial speakers being ‘no-platformed’ — prohibited from speaking. In 2015, students at Cardiff University attempted to block feminist academic Germaine Greer from speaking at the university, and in 2017 UC Berkeley cancelled a lecture by alt-right activist Milo Yiannopoulos after violent student protests.
A survey conducted in 2016 showed 63% of students were in favour of the National Union of Students (NUS) enforcing a ‘no platforming’ policy which would allow them to block certain individuals or organisations from speaking at their events.
The University of Manchester Students’ Union insisted that this was not an example of no-platforming, 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.”
However, there is no clear consensus between students on the issue. A second-year student who chose to comment anonymously told The Mancunion: “even though there may be a clear majority of pro-choice opinions among students, I think it is vital to ensure all perspectives are represented at an event that functions to provide new undergraduates with platforms to express their views throughout their time at university.”
Life has not previously held a stall at the University of Manchester freshers fair, but has done so at other universities across the country. This was the first time the charity applied for a stall at the University of Manchester. They expect a response from the Office for Students within the next week.
A new Argos store has recently launched inside the Sainsbury’s Fallowfield supermarket. The store, which opened in late August, will allow customers a convenient place to pick up items they have ordered from Argos online.
20,000 of Argos’ online products are reported to be available for same day collection in store.
Gareth Toms, Store Manager at Sainsbury’s Fallowfield, said: “We are thrilled to welcome Argos and its fantastic colleagues to our team in Fallowfield. The opening is great news for our customers, who are always looking for easier, more convenient ways to shop”.
Sainsbury’s Fallowfield is a popular shopping destination for University of Manchester students, located just a five-minute walk from UoM’s Fallowfield campus.
Universities UK and youth charity, Papyrus, have called for university staff to receive suicide prevention training after a rise in the number of deaths related to suicide at UK universities.
Sam Gyimah, higher education minister, threatened UK institutions earlier this summer that they risked, “failing an entire generation of students”. This followed after the Office of National Statistics released data that 95 students had taken their own lives in the 2016-2017 academic year.
In June, Gyimah also said: “a proposal should be made that would lead to students being asked if they want to opt in to an alert system authorising their university to contact their parents if they find themselves in a mental health crisis.”
The Priory Group, a mental health care provider, has stated that depression and anxiety-related issues are the most common problem faced by Britain’s students.
A report released by the Priory has shown that mental health problems have risen exponentially in the past 10 years, with studies showing that 18 universities in the UK in 2013, found that one in four were “too afraid” to mention their mental health problem to friends.
The annual Universities UK conference, held in Sheffield earlier this year, had vice-chancellor of the University of Bristol, Hugh Brady, suggest a guidance for university staff to use to prevent suicide amongst students alongside other members of institutional staff.
The guidance says, staff should use, “alert systems to detect patterns of difficulty such as not engaging with academic work, running into academic difficulties or dropping off the academic radar”, as well as keeping account of non-academic hints such as, not paying rent or taking part in extra-curricular activities.
A University of Manchester spokesperson said: “The University recognises the importance of working across the institution to reduce student risk and improve wellbeing.
“We have significantly expanded our training of general support staff in the area of mental health and risk awareness and each year aim to train around 600 staff in mental health and risk awareness. In addition to the monthly rolling programme of training open to all staff in responding to risk and mental health crisis, we provide full day training to our security staff and this summer we provided training to the 350 staff in Residential Life – including cleaners, reception and admin staff. We have also developed an eLearning module for staff on this issue to increase the reach of this training across the institution.”
Suicide, according to the Office of National Statistics, is the most common cause of death amongst young adults in the UK, although, rates amongst students are the lowest compared to the general population.
If you are in need of mental health support, the University offers a counselling service, available here: https://www.counsellingservice.manchester.ac.uk// The Students’ Union also offer a confidential advice service, available here: https://manchesterstudentsunion.com/top-navigation/advice-service/contact-an-advisor.
It has been over two decades since the Spice Girls reigned as pop’s homegrown princesses. But it was not just their string of internationally chart-topping hits that took everyone by storm; their style was just as infamous. By each coming up with their own unique personas, the Spice Girls used their individual style to make their looks just as iconic as their hits.
Today, in Deansgate’s Manchester Central Convention Complex, their fashion can be enjoyed again. Dozens of the Spice Girls’ on-stage costumes, red carpet couture and even personal attire are on display together for the first time, courtesy of touring collection company SpiceUp. We see where playfulness meets trendsetting, where the intricacies of design meet colours that pop. With each outfit there is a caption of who wore it, where and when, easing a trip down memory lane for nostalgic viewers and an absolute thrill for super fans and fashion lovers alike.
It’s not hard to picture in your mind the clothing character of each member but seeing it in person is a whole different ride. Right before your eyes are Geri’s legendary Union Jack dress and glittery boots. The doll dresses and the pink and the shockingly-high platformed trainers could only be identified with Emma. Mel B’s wardrobe is made up of a sea of animal prints and dramatic, fur-trimmed, floor-length coats.
Interestingly, you can observe Mel C’s athleisure looks, with the tracksuits and crop tops, to not be vastly different from what today’s leading pop females might step out onto the festival stage clad in.
Whilst her outfits may not be the most eye-catching when walking around the space, it is perhaps Victoria Beckham’s stage and personal pieces that tell the greatest story. In 2008, the singer-turned-designer launched her namesake high-end clothing line. The garments you will see strutting down her catwalks today are not dissimilar to those she wore in her heyday.
Tales of the group’s split are among the reading material at the exhibition but it’s obvious that etched between the personal drama the young women did have a lot of fun and built their legacy through their style.
SpiceUp has continued its journey and has relocated to the Great Northern Shopping and Entertainment Complex. The exhibition will remain open to the public until 30th September.
Romanticism seems to be undergoing a huge revival in pop music and at the helm of this movement stands Pale Waves, the indie-pop foursome from Manchester. For a while now, the group have been generating buzz with their seamlessly juxtaposed blend of woe-is-me lyricisms and shimmering electropop. We’ve grown accustomed to Pale Waves only in short bursts through handful of singles and an EP before this – so how well do they fare on a 14 track album?
Firstly, the production on My Mind Makes Noises is flawless; Pale Waves have managed to curate a vivid soundscape that would not seem out of place as the soundtrack to a cliché teen romance movie. Opener ‘Eighteen’, with its pulsing synth rhythm and triumphant guitar strokes lays on thick this notion of a blossoming romance. The amplified backing vocals on the line “I finally felt like I could feel for the first time” is a subtle but powerful way of conveying the lovesick passion that front woman Heather Baron-Gracie continues to dish out across the album.
Long time fans of the band will be pleasantly surprised at all the tweaks and modifications that tracks such as ‘There’s a Honey’ and ‘Television Romance’ have undergone. The songs sound dreamier, sharper even, with an intoxicatingly sweeter edge that showcases how dedicated Pale Waves are to perfecting their work. Conversely, those same fans who have been here from the start might be miffed that classics such as ‘The Tide’ and ‘Heavenly’ have bit the dust.
But where Pale Waves fall short, and what is of significant detriment to their album, is a lack of exploration in to themes beyond melodramatic teenage heartbreak. After 14 songs (equating to just under an hour) of Baron-Gracie whining about failed relationships, distinguishing between tracks becomes nearly impossible and the formulaic nature of their song writing becomes abundantly clear.
I hate to say it, I really do, but there are certain parts to this album and this band that feel like a carbon copy of The 1975. It’s a comparison that Pale Waves have been eager to escape, not out of disdain for their label mates but more so they can forge their own identity. Unfortunately, this is only achieved in moderation. The poignant album closer ‘Karl (I Wonder What It’s Like To Die)’ whilst sincere in its motives bears an uncanny and uncomfortable resemblance to The 1975’s ‘Nana’ – an acoustic ballad that appears at the end of their 2016 sophomore release. This may just be coincidental, but it’s enough to make you squirm with gritted teeth.
Singing about lost lovers is not exactly unchartered waters for a pop band but to continually lament on the past is not only toxic for oneself (Heather, take note), but also imposes limits to what could have been an otherwise enjoyable debut. At its best, it’s a shimmery, nostalgic experience; at its worst, it’s repetitive and tiresome. Pale Waves have certainly come a long way, but what a shame that originality was allowed to fall by the wayside in the process.
