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Month: April 2019

Review: Home, I’m Darling

After being adequately intrigued by the synopsis of Home, I’m Darling I was quite excited to watch the show on it’s opening night in The Lowry Theatre, however the performance left me feeling somewhat bemused by its message.

Set in modern day, we follow the life of housewife Judy. She and her husband Johnny transformed their home and life into the 1950s, with dinner on the table to greet Johnny after work – slippers at the ready, a sixty-year-old fridge that only sometimes works, and an extremely loudly-decorated house which is quite aptly referred to as a “gingham palace”.

At first the message seemed clear, Judy was demonstrating a post-modern form of feminism, allowing her to be her true self, and exercising her right to choose whatever life she wanted. In fact this message was somewhat over-pedalled at first in opposition to her radical feminist mother who was disapproving of her lifestyle.

However, in the second half of the performance this message became muddled. If the play was highlighting the flaws and contradictions of radical feminist ideas, and we were we supposed to want Judy to be able to choose what she wanted, then why were we watching the life she so desperately defended fall apart?

Following a monologue from Judy’s mother, I was left thinking that indeed it was the radical feminist concepts against housework that the play was championing – or was it neither, and as an audience we were being introduced to the idea that no one way is perfect. Either way, I left feeling a bit aimless after the curtain call.

Katherine Parkinson’s performance was wonderful. Far from her performance in much loved The IT Crowd, however Parkinson kept the same quick wit and unmistakable facial expressions that made her character one of comic treasure in the hit show.

Other characters, such as Marcus – the best friend, were slightly overplayed. Some delicate topics were covered so brashly that the entire audience didn’t know what to make of them, with some audience members finding cues to laugh at the wrong moments. A particular example of this was during a heartfelt speech about non-consensual sex between a husband and wife in the 1950s. The tittering from the audience left me cringing at what was supposed to be a serious scene.

All in all the play was enjoyable for it’s comedic parts, it’s highly elaborate set design (which can only be described as an absolute triumph) and perfectly timed scene changes that fit the swing music and dancers beautifully. However, the tone didn’t quite fit the serious nature of the topics and political message it was trying to send.

¡Viva! 2019: Kingdom

It’s not often you walk into a theatre and the actors are already onstage, smoking and chatting. I was scrambling for my ticket to check if I had accidentally arrived late when the lights dimmed.

There is silence. Long silence. The actors look at us. We look at them. Nothing.

Estamos bien,” one finally says.

我们没有问题,” says another.

It’s fine for me,” says the last.

And with that we are off, head-first, backwards, and upside-down into a show the likes of which we have never seen before, a phenomenal and mercurial blend of stage performance, monologues, languages, comedy, musical performance, and interactive video production.

Kingdom, HOME’s ¡Viva! Spanish & Latin American Festival headline production by Barcelona theatre company Señor Serrano, sweeps through the history of capitalism and the consequences of constant growth with an almost obsessive focus on one particular example of it: los platanos. Bananas. The rise and fall, and rise, and fall, and rise, and fall of bananas.

Pablo Rosal leads the way, with a fanciful rambling of how everyone is okay, everything is fine, there’s no problem and nothing to see here. And from there it unfurls.

Just five people curate the whole experience. The actors use live projection to create a film in front of our eyes, with clever and hilarious camerawork — onstage a man stepping through potted plants, onscreen an intrepid explorer, sweating and clambering through thick Costa Rican overgrowth. Here we have discovered bananas — the next step is creating a demand for them.

The show flows seamlessly as a ballerina’s dress from one scene to the next, fewer seconds going spare than at Takeru Kobayashi’s dinner table. Incredible musical performances, including a Chinese rap song from Wang Ping-Hsiang and a multi-instrumental masterclass from Nico Roig, perfectly complement the live SFX mixing of David Muñiz, all while dressed as a big yellow banana.

A bizarre and hilarious show that comes with a sincere critique of capitalism and its ever-fluctuating nature, Kingdom is as much an escapist fantasy as it is a documentary. The energy, lights, and Diego Anido’s body are stripped at a pivotal moment in the show, as the actor contorts himself in excruciating silence, a subtle yet powerful physical representation of the post-Wall Street crash famine.

Footage from old King Kong movies are green screened onto fake newspaper covers, around miniature models blown up into full-size towns and trains and cargo through the brilliant live film, which ties the show together with a nice bow on top. It is patently obvious that even the most minuscule of details have been considered for hours, somehow without obscuring the overall picture. It’s fantastic.

Señor Serrano are set to take the theatre-film hybrid around Italy, France, and Spain for the remainder of the year. If your future travels align, or you just hate consumerism that much, then get yourself there — just leave all your bananas by the door when you do.

 

5/5.

True crime and social justice with Professor Ian Burney

It seems the world has a strange fascination with the gruesome. Netflix is churning out eight-part documentaries on chilling cases every few weeks or so: Abducted in Plain Sight, The Ted Bundy Tapes… Now we can even watch over 400 minutes on The Disappearance of Madeleine McCann, as if we haven’t already spent the last decade rehashing the case in public media, Twitter threads, and in Spoons on a Thursday afternoon. We’re bombarded with the terrifying, the shocking, and sometimes even the stupidest cases, but each one seems to leave the viewer with a deep-seated sense of injustice. 

Harmless fascination or terrifyingly creepy of us all? The answer is probably both, but crucially this obsession is nothing new, and part of it is to do with a historically documented trend of societal demands for the truth, and for the proof of innocence. 

Professor Ian Burney is set to create a detailed monograph study on one particular pocket of history, 1950s America, in order to find out more about what an interest in innocence and guilt means in the context of politics, relationships, and social injustice throughout history.

Ian’s office has every book you can imagine on crime. The Berkeley-educated professor is a seasoned lecturer at the University of Manchester on the history of British forensics. In particular, Burney is intrigued by the ways in which developments of forensics have aided in the quest for innocence and truth in society.

With the introduction of DNA evidence, crime scenes have become the site of scientific proof. Once a DNA match is found, a case can almost be said to be solved through bodily fluids alone. Without DNA evidence, cases seem to be cast with a “what if” that leaves people head scratching, and that makes Netflix millions of dollars of revenue. The Making of a Murderer was hugely popular amongst avid Netflix bingers who, according to Ian, are simply hungry for the truth of the matter.

It’s not that we have suddenly as a society become obsessed with true crime, rather we are a product of our own mighty desire to know what really happened and why. “The same concerns are being articulated, but in a different way,” Ian explains.

Ian’s first book, which was in actual fact his PhD thesis, delved into the uniqueness of British inquests. “Investigation into suspicious deaths was important for the British public to know there was nothing untoward going on,” Ian explained. Thus was born the idea of ‘citizen jurors,’ groups of which can be found pocketed throughout history, including those who have signed a petition after watching The Making of a Murderer.

Professor Burney’s study focuses on one particular citizen’s jury in the 1950s, lead by American famed author Stanley Gardner and his Court of Last Resort.

Gardner was a novelist, whose experience as a barrister fuelled his crime writing. The Court of Last Resort parallelled his fictional work, where a popular lawyer sorts the truth of cases which were never as clear cut as they first appeared.

“Gardner was this weird guy,” Ian points out. “He was a frontiersman, he dressed in a Sheriff’s hat and wore a little tin badge.” Gardner took it upon himself to be the poster boy for American liberty, fighting for the (supposed) little guy of the era, the “frustrated, lower class, blue collar” men.

According to Ian, Gardner had an “entire media empire at his disposal.” He would write up cases in his court (which had no legal standing) would trial in a men’s magazine of the era for hunting and fishing. The audience were usually men suffering from a “crisis of masculinity,” stuck in “post-war suburban conformity.” Reading and engaging with the court of last resort for these men was “reawakening a feeling of masculine vigilance.”

“The Kennedy assassination was a key moment in which ideas around paranoia in the deep state turned to the concept that the enemy is the state,” Ian explains. “Very quickly the Court of Last Resort became not a defence of American liberties, but a defence of the individual against the state.”

Further research into the Court of Last Resort will be beneficial to our understanding of historical context to innocence, especially, it seems, in understanding just whose innocence matters.

When the “innocence project,” which sought to prove the innocence of incarcerated individuals through DNA testing, took off in the 1990s, Professor Burney states that “the headline is, it’s a lot of African American men who were falsely accused.” Citizen jurors and their desire for proof of innocence seemed to “[reflect] upon the structural injustices of the time.”

However in the 1950s, Gardner would reject African American cases in his Court of Last Resort, their innocence was not the innocence that mattered.

Unfortunately, it feels like we haven’t come much further than Gardner’s definition of innocence. When you watch true crime documentaries on Netflix, how many of the cases are about African American men who have been wrongly imprisoned? Whose story is it, anyway?

If you are interested in the topics discussed, “From Sherlock Holmes to CSI: a history of forensic medicine” is a free choice module taught by Professor Ian Burney.

Review: Brewski

Brewski is a North American ‘comfort food’ restaurant just at the back of St. Peter’s square, and it certainly lives up to its moniker. After our meal, we walked away groaningly full and fairly close to entering a food-induced coma on the Magic Bus. Brewksi is one of those restaurants where you can’t help but gaze around the room with covetous eyes at the cheese platter sailing past, or the burritos. Expect unapologetically comedogenic food, like the deep fried chicken and blue cheese burger, perfect for a cold Manchester night. It’s definitely worth a visit, even if you should choose your dishes carefully.

The house wine we tried was outstanding: a supple, velvety red at a fairly reasonable price. Another friend enjoyed one of the large array of gins, which was delicious. Although I have to agree with her one complaint. Why does everywhere now garnish gin with so much rosemary that it makes it difficult to actually drink?

For food I ordered the classic burger, while my friends ordered the classic mac and cheese, the vegetarian poutine, and the Texan burger. The mains were frustratingly uneven. The mac and cheese was a delight, with a gorgeously coloured and silkily creamy sauce. It almost felt a shame to eat it – you could daub it onto your walls and Farrow and Ball would be jealous. The burgers weren’t bad, but they weren’t outstanding. Although, in fairness to Brewski, Almost Famous has ruined me in that respect. A bad note: the chips that came with the burger were incredibly bland. Would it hurt to season them?

The poutine, a Québécois Canadian dish comprising of chips, gravy and cheese curds, was underwhelming. I generally believe that people who go to a restaurant and fail to try their regional specialities should be ashamed of themselves, but it really isn’t worth it with poutine, at least at Brewski. I’ve had better variants on cheese, chips and gravy at Krunchy Fried Chicken. I’ll reserve full judgement as it might well be better in Canada. However, if you don’t go to Brewski for any other reason, you should pop in just for their applewood smoked hot cheese dip, which is a thing of dreams. It arrives in its very own mini frying pan, a bubbling little vat of cheese perfect for dipping chips, burgers- it is so wonderfully indulgent you could eat it with a spoon.

Brewski also scores well on desserts. I’ve had New York cheesecake from several famous locations in New York itself, and Brewski’s version, surprisingly, tops them all. It’s firm without being claggy, creamy without being overwhelming. My friend had the Oreo brownie. Though I tend to be wary of Oreo desserts because they can end up quite dry, this was just right. It had a close biscuit texture which kept that chocolatey and yet slightly bitter redolence. Let’s hope Brewski smooths out its flaws, because then it could be a truly great restaurant.

3/5

Review: My Thai

It’s quite strange that nothing reminds me more of my North Yorkshire home than My Thai takeaway. It’s the restaurant I turn to when things are getting me down at university and the first takeaway I ask for when I get home. A trip to their restaurants, Northern Quarter or Albert Square, always lifts the spirits. They are bustling and cheerful with bright graffiti and street food inspired decor of low benches and corrugated iron. I’ll take the bus back to Fallowfield with a little bag filled to bursting with cartons of food. My dad once told me that when tripping and falling as a child, I flung my hands over my head to save my ice cream. I severely hope I’m never in an accident on the 142, because I’m pretty sure my immediate instinct would be to protect the curry.

I’ve tried many of My Thai’s offerings, from their chicken satay to their pad thai, but my order always remains the same. I start with their pork dumplings and spring onions. They almost taste pickled from their swim in sharp fish sauce, a glinting deep copper colour. I’ll often pour the dregs over my main, duck green curry with jasmine rice. Although it certainly doesn’t need any adornment, it’s just that I’m loathe to waste any of the starter. The green curry is restorative enough to chase away fresher’s flu, quail egg colour freckled with coconut milk. Tender pieces of bamboo, courgette, carrot and pepper bob within. Gentle heat radiates throughout, with an extra flash when you bite down on a red chilli. Just enough to jumpstart your sinuses.

My Thai is pretty cheap for a restaurant which creates its food with such loving care. The pork dumplings, green curry and jasmine rice come to £10, and you’ll find that’s more than enough food for one. Though its execution is far more sophisticated, its spirit reminds me of Took Lae Dee, a restaurant crammed into a convenience store called Foodland, with which I fell in love in Pattaya. Took Lae Dee charged barely a pound for all its dishes. You get your money’s worth at both places.

For those of you who aren’t a creature of habit like me, My Thai does have an extensive menu. There is even a ‘Foodie’ menu section. I’ve only tried the yellow and red curries, but I’d vouch for the rest of it on the spot. It’s probably the closest you can get to the comfort of a family meal while living away from home.

4/5

 

Come Dine With Me: student edition

Let’s face it. You’re not a uni house if you don’t argue constantly over whose cooking is best. Every mealtime becomes a territorial display as you finesse your microwave cottage pie with a sprig of coriander and look judgingly towards the doughy pancakes your flatmate has decided to call Yorkshire puddings. Well, the four of us are no different. We decided, after considerable months of argument, to finally sit down and discover whose cooking would triumph in an evening we’re calling Come Dine with Me, mainly because we can’t think of anything more original.

Kate Fawcett played bartender for the evening and welcomed us upon arrival with a sunny concoction, served beautifully from a microwaveable plastic jug. Her homemade Bellinis proved simple, but delicious, combining the tart flavour of refrigerated peach juice with a sparkling prosecco that both quenched our thirst and boosted our spirits.

Next, came Holly Ktorou’s starter. Her Greek family roots came out to play as she created a sort of mezze board or platter. The hummus was creamy and packed with garlic and fresh tzatziki kept the flavours light and refreshing. However, this course was let down by the revelation that the flatbreads had not been handmade by the contestant as assured. They were in fact created by her flatmate. A tasty, scandalous opener.

The main course was Catrin Stewart’s Mediterranean vegetable lasagne which was accompanied by greens cooked in mint and lemon. Both aspects of this course were irritatingly delicious, making it no competition as to who the winner was. The lasagne was crisp on the outside and creamy on the inside, packed full of Mediterranean vegetables and a whole lot of cheese. The greens were the perfect side dish. Deliciously crunchy and zesty, they almost overshadowed the main itself. Almost.

For dessert, we were faced with what seemed like a make-shift student creation of a classic chocolate brownie by Helena Young. Yet, the salted caramel flavour with a generous topping of salted pretzels meant this was no ordinary brownie. From first glance, we were dubious, thinking that the baker had surely walked down quite the wrong aisle in Sainsbury’s when picking up this pretzel topping. But we can now report that no other topping will do. Plain old chocolate brownies just won’t make the cut at a dinner party any more. Yes, even a student one. This course even gets added points for its insta-worthiness!

Our express Come Dine With Me evening was; although we may say so ourselves, a huge success. Despite a few hiccups, each contestant blew it out of the park with their creations. We crushed the stereotype that students can’t cook.

If you want to try it out yourselves, we recommend combining it into one evening. As we all know, it can be difficult to find one free evening at busy points in the term, let alone four or five to run a come dine with me competition. The single evening also meant less pressure on each cook and less money spent overall. By the end of the night, instead of drunkenly arguing over who should have won and insulting each other – we were gushing over our cooking skills. What a wonderful evening. There’s nothing left to say, other than ‘Enjoy the money, Jane, we hope it makes you happy’.

 

 

In Conversation with The Night Café

From the moment lead singer and guitarist Sean Martin picks up the phone, it’s clear his band have an exciting year ahead of them. Up-and-coming Liverpudlian indie rockers The Night Café’s new single has kicked them into action. “Endless Lovers is a good tune to show people we’re doing something a bit different”.

Sean is elated with crowds singing the words back to him already: “‘Did you hear that, or am I imagining it?’ I got proper emotional”. After three more singles released monthly will come their debut album, made “a journey from start to finish”, currently still in the works. “I am absolutely made up about it”.

After meeting at Leeds over matching Scouse accents, The Night Café are set to perform with Circa Waves on their April tour, at Manchester Victoria Warehouse on the 19th of April.

The band was also recently announced for Manchester Dot to Dot Festival 2019. Sean has never been as a fan – probably because the last two years he was there performing. Where they were once terms-and-conditions subscript and playing “sweaty” basements, this year the festival poster reads ‘The Night Café’ front and centre, large and in charge.

“It’s mad, that”, says Sean. “They used our song for the promotional video too. I love Jordan Kay, below us on the poster”, adding his love for the “amazing” Swim Deep. “I always get shy meeting people I’m actually interested in though”.

This is a testament to the energy they have put into their live performances, especially at Dot to Dot. “One year my guitar strings snapped on the last song and I ended up jumping into the crowd. I can’t wait – the whole festival’s like a pub crawl, basically”.

The band have played a myriad of Manchester venues, from Academy 3 and Night and Day Café (“we played Night and Day Café… and we’re The Night Café”), to their venue this year – Albert Hall. “It’s one of my favourite venues, I can’t wait”, says Sean. “Manchester’s my favourite place to perform outside of Liverpool. We’ve never played a bad Manchester crowd.”

Then, proper festival season. After performing Community Festival at Finsbury Park, London, The Night Café will come to Castlefield Bowl, Manchester not long after, the “massive outdoor dome” that Sean describes as “one of the bucket list venues”.

Not only that, but Reading and Leeds Festival comes with exciting news too, and Sean sounds elated. As the first festival he ever went to, Leeds holds plenty of memories for Sean, whose band will play on the Radio 1 stage for the first time. “Last year I said: we’ll be there next year. But I didn’t even believe it myself.”

Anything else to add? Sean drops a teaser: near the end of the year, The Night Café will perform the biggest headline show of their careers, venue remaining secret, but Sean is most excited for this out of everything.

What looks to become a pivotal year for the band might end up with a grandstand finish.

Live Review: Psychedelic Porn Crumpets

Psychedelic Porn Crumpets performed an energetic sold-out performance in The Pink Room at YES- one of Manchester’s newer and more intimate gig venues. Having only discovered this unique band in the past few months I was unsure how their psych rock music would come across live, but they didn’t disappoint, and the impact of their music live was something I won’t forget.

Most of their songs comprise of catchy licks, intricate melodies, and psychedelic effects- quite a distinctive sound- I would encourage fans of the likes of Pond and King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard to give their stuff a listen. They played a lovely set-list of songs including a few newer ones to keep the crowd on their toes and kept a consistent upbeat pace throughout which the crowd quite happily formed multiple mosh-pits. The venue was packed with fans from all over coming to watch Australian hailing Psychedelic Porn Crumpets and the atmosphere was buzzing from start to finish.

Some of my favourites that they played included: ‘Found God in a Tomato’, ‘Marmalade March’, ‘Dependent on Mary’- to which the entire of the front of the crowd sat in lines and rowed in formation to the beat, jumping up at the bridge and going wild to the flawlessly played guitar solo. ‘Keen for Kick Ons?’ one of their newer tracks released earlier this year, and a classic- ‘Cubensis Lenses’ also got the crowd going wild.

With their distinct style and unusual name and I was happily surprised to find the venue bursting from the seams, the glowing room of pink made for an enthralling setting for this foursome, and they dominated the stage and the room with the grace of a band who know exactly what they want from a gig.

Having been introduced to the band by seeing some of their music videos on YouTube consisting of outer-space themed psychedelic graphics, I would have loved for them to have some visuals to go along with the glistening smoky pink lights. Another thing I wished for was an encore, with the crowd chanting “Psychedelic Porn Crumpets” to the rhythm of ‘7 Nation Army’ and clapping for the band to play one more song, I felt slightly amiss as they failed to return- the set being relatively short considering the amount of excitement they elicited from the audience.

Despite this, the ending of their set was incredible- finishing with their most loved and much-anticipated track ‘Cornflake’ the room completely erupted. Pressed against the speakers at the front of the stage close enough to touch the lead singer, behind me a crowd of strangers throwing themselves at each other in one giant mosh pit- it was everything I didn’t expect but had hoped for from the night.

PPC are a relatively new band and I expect the next time they play in Manchester they will sell out a much bigger venue- so keep an eye out for future tickets as these are a band that you should pay attention to.

For a taste of their psychedelic wonderment check out: ‘Cornflake’  and also their newest music video ‘Keen For Kick Ons?’.

8/10

Live Review: Loski

A look at Loski’s career shows it to be perhaps one of the most unexpected progressions from a UK rapper in the last few years. From his roots as a member of the drill collective Harlem Spartans who burst onto the scene in 2016 with music that had refreshingly new levels of energy and aggression, the south London native has since established himself as a versatile and reliable fixture in the current landscape.

The release of ‘Forrest Gump’ in 2018 marked a transition for Loski from these harsh drill sounds to more upbeat and vibrant afrobeat influences and also signaled a high-water mark for his career which proved even more remarkable considering his young age of only 18 at the time. A year on and with the release of a new mixtape Mad Move and an eponymous tour, Loski seems set to solidify his position in the game.

DigDat provided the brief support act, performing his breakout tune ‘Air Force’ to a decent reception before abruptly making way for the main man. After a slightly delayed entrance, Loski comes on stage to hefty cheers. He starts the show by quickly running through the tracklist of his latest mixtape, with obvious highlights including ‘Calm Down’, ‘Something New’ and ‘Live Like That’. Despite a relatively low-key stage presence, the rapping was generally pretty tight, but some moments fell flat when the audience’s participation was not as impressive when the mic was turned to them.

The crowd is beginning to warm up and the introduction of Manchester native Aitch to perform two dynamic songs stirred them even more. His stage presence and sharp delivery got everyone energetic with Loski returning to go through some of his back-catalogue. The older drill tunes like ‘Money and Beef’ and ‘Hazards’ were standout and their gritty energy made an emphatic impact, especially as DigDat re-joined for their recent collaboration ‘No Cap’ making up for his short initial cameo with a lively performance. A fight within the crowd put a dampener on the closing track ‘Forrest Gump’ which everyone was clearly looking forward to and Loski left after a quick thank you to the audience for the turnout.

Overall, while he is clearly on a wave of momentum at the moment and the inclusion of guests definitely livened up the performance as a whole, the lack of stage presence from all parties made the show a rather tame affair. Certain songs definitely made more of an impact than others largely thanks to an excitable crowd who provided significant support to the songs and their impact. However, this performance generally did not display Loski as an artist hungry to capitalise on his rising popularity in the scene, instead, it seemed to highlight one of the worst characteristics a live show can have – complacency.

5/10

Album Review: GREY Area by Little Simz

In an era where the hip-hop realm has been dominated by 808s and triplet hi-hats, standing out from the crowd in this scene is proving more difficult each year; the ‘trap’ sound has established itself as a monolith in the music world. With insanely popular albums such as Lil Pump’s Harvard Dropout being released at the end of last month, and Juice WLRD’s Death Race for Love earlier this month, 25 year old rapper Little Simz (Simbi Ajikawo) has a lot of competition to shine through.

Being praised by Kendrick Lamar, as well as touring with Gorillaz on the Humanz Tour, Simz has sought out to craft an introspective, personal album ladened with tight flows and witty lyricism. Her previous album Stillness in Wonderland was based off of Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland and took Simz on a journey of soul-searching and personal analysis. Despite receiving Lamar and Jay-Z’s seal of approval, Pitchfork referred to her previous work as “full of ideas and unsure how to express them”. Given this dichotomy of reception, Simz evidently has a lot to prove on her new release GREY Area.

Indeed, Simz comes in with all guns blazing, grinding as hard as she can in order to be distinguished from the homogenous sounds one hears in hip-hop today.

Opening up with ‘Offence’, Simz raps over an electronic bassline with Asian woodwind as an accompaniment that illuminates through generic trap beats. Delivering confident and somewhat egotistical bars, Simz refers to herself as “Picasso with a pen”, enforcing her desire to be recognised as one of the artistic titans of hip hop. This sass and aggression carry on through to the following track ‘Boss’, which hears Simz wailing during the hook over an overdriven bass riff, paired up with an energetic delivery and a frantic flow.

A similar, albeit slightly darker tone of voice, is found on ‘Venom’, where Simz spits over staccato strings that are contrasted with ambient trip-hop-esque beat. It is evident that Simz is harking back to the dreamy soundscapes found in Stillness in Wonderland, which prove to be successful in crafting a simultaneously eerie and dramatic track. Opening up with “life sucks and I never tried suicide”,  Simz delivers an onslaught of introspective poetry, the subject matter fitting the atmosphere of the instrumental wonderfully. Thus far, it is evident that Simz is willing to experiment with the beats she uses in her songs, as well as not shying away from a more angry, dynamic vocal delivery.

Further proving her versatility, Simz teams up with Cleo Sol on ‘Selfish’ to deliver a soulful performance. Reflecting the duality of her musicianship, Simz raps over a barebone beat with a slightly muffled drum loop. With lyrics that provide a simultaneously retrospective and boastful account of the work she has put in to be where she is in the game, Simz shows that despite her confidence in her ability, she is aware that nothing has been handed to her on a plate.

The theme of retrospection is further explored on ‘101 FM’, which recall “dreams of getting out the flats”, harking back to a time before she broke into the rap game. Lyrics detailing the loss of a friend to the prison system as well as memories of recording early tracks are recited over another East-Asian inspired beat; indeed, Simz remembers her roots, and becoming a prominent artist in the scene has not changed her outlook on her past.

Overall, this album is full of audacious, boastful bars at one end, but is also tinged with memories of her past and the graft Simz has made to cement her position in the music scene. Her flows are rhythmic and groovy, whilst her vocal delivery is never short of impassioned. My favourite aspect is probably the beats which deviate from the homogenous trap sound, and instead, take inspiration from her previous works and Asian instrumentation. Coming in at 10 tracks with a run time of 35 minutes, Simz provides an ‘all killer, no filler’ album, with every track making sense to one another.

All in all, a very enjoyable listen, parts of it may indeed perhaps invoke empathy to those who have not grown up in the sort of background Simz has.

8/10

In Conversation with Anteros

Anteros, who played Soup Kitchen just six months ago, returned to Gorilla with their new album tour. Laura, the band’s frontwoman calling the venue-size step up “scary…it feels like your birthday party, especially when you’re headlining…you don’t know who’s going to turn up.”

This was the seventh night of their UK tour, the bigger venues giving them “more to play around with” in terms of set design and lighting. The band seems to be riding on the buzz of their new album; When We Land released earlier this year, which they’ve played in its entirety each gig.

The album seems to be an embodiment of Laura’s own experience through her twenties and the wisdom she’s accumulated. The album combines some of their most popular singles (such as ‘Breakfast’ and self-titled ‘Anteros’) with new material and is up-tempo, catchy, and uplifting with a few calmer moments such as the new song ‘Let it Out’. Which, according to Laura, was the “first song [she] wrote on her own”.

Laura describes her development as a songwriter, as “when it’s you writing it’s just you, with your heart on your sleeve and you’re critical, it’s a strange space to be in.” But after the release of their album, she’s “finding it more fun…not every song has to sound the same, you can be vulnerable sometimes, you can have moments of sass, that’s alright.”

‘Let it Out’ falling on the more vulnerable side was written by Laura amidst a London heatwave on a keyboard she had no training to play, simply playing the notes “that felt right”. Due to the personal nature of the song and its conception Laura never thought of it as a contender for the album but after taking it into the studio the band realised it was the moment of calm vulnerability the album needed; “It’s a nice moment in the set, it’s a nice moment on the album.” ‘Let it Out’ in particular is “about that fear…when you’re in your twenties you tend to put a lot of your traits to one side because you’re worried about being liked and what that would do to people’s perceptions of you” and despite worries about “how it would translate” on stage, now forms one of Laura’s favourite on-stage moments.

In this way there’s almost a coming-of-age feel to the album which seems to resonate across generations with Harry reflecting on the age-range of their audience; “there’s 40 and 50 year olds talking to teens about music, it’s great.”

But perhaps, in particular, it’s younger women that the band really inspires, a lot of whom join her on stage each time the band play ‘Bonnie’. Despite not being on the album, “Bonnie wasn’t even a question whether that was still going to happen” as “Bonnie’s the one moment where it’s like no this is still for the women” as by getting as many women as possible on the stage and into that space the band hope to reverse the ideas of women as a minority within the music industry.

This ‘Bonnie experience’ has extended past the stage with the band organising “Bonnie-meets” for 6 or 7 of the girls attending each gig to get together beforehand and “talk about things they worry about” and for Laura, it’s an hour escape from the male-dominated world in which she works.

She reflects more widely about the positives of communicating in this way, especially “in an age where social media has us all in our own bubbles. We have all these big ideas but what are we actually doing to put them in practice.” She says this is particularly true of girls who are often taught to be in competition rather than collaboration with each other. Laura suggests that if someone had done the same for her; “sat [her] down and talked [her] through it…there would have been fewer tears, less stress.”

The advice she gives young women starting out is that “it’s better for men to be scared of you…you need to be brave enough to protect yourself.” She says to “play the game” you’ve had to pretend to be unsure, unknowing “aloof” in the past but “in music, you need to be taken seriously and it’s okay to be serious.”

The band are excited to be heading back to both TRUCK and Y Not festival this year, calling TRUCK, last year the best festival they’ve played at, a true “dear-diary moment…one of those times where the stars just align.” This year they’re playing a later slot of 7 pm on the Nest Stage – “we’re not headlining…yet” they laugh. Ultimately that’s their goal and one they’re united in; “The dreams to be headlining Pyramid Stage, hell yeah!”

The energy this band pervade and give back to their fans is admirable and we can definitely see them on that headline spot one day. By their own admission, they’re moving up slowly, taking each step as it comes, and killing each one.

Live Review: Fontaines D.C.

Fontaines D.C. are the hype band of 2019: a run of eclectic, well received singles and fearsome live performances on the likes of KEXP and 6 Music have seen them win a level of press attention equalled by touring buddies IDLES and Shame in recent years.

Rocking up to Gorilla on Saturday just a day after their debut album Dogrel was released to five-star reviews from The Guardian and NME, the excitement of the sold-out crowd became tinged with nerves as show-time neared. Could they really live up to expectations?

Warming things up for the Dubliners were their Irish cohorts, Just Mustard. One of the leading figures in the Irish DIY scene, they brought their moody, shoegaze-indebted sound to an appreciative Mancunian audience. Frontwoman Katie Ball’s siren-esque vocals and understated cool will no doubt draw comparisons to Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell, and fans of their early work will have found much to enjoy from the Dundalk band. Drawing tracks from last year’s debut Wednesday, the highlight was the haunting ‘Frank’, recently confirmed as their latest single.

Fontaines took to the stage, pounding the mesmerising post-punk whirl of ‘Hurricane Laughter’ — a track that pulls together many of the band’s influences: the gothic, stabbing guitar of Siouxsie and the Banshees, and the nightmarish soundscapes of fellow Dubliners Girl Band. However, as frontman Grian Chatten sung-spoke the song’s repetitive lyrics, it felt he was summoning the spirit of Mancunian frontmen Ian Curtis and, in particular, Mark E Smith. Chatten is truly a frontman of their league: their next song, ‘Sha Sha Sha’ is their weakest yet, a cumbersome garage riff and not much else. In concert though, Chatten sold it to the crowd, pumping his fist along to the chorus and ensuring an enthusiastic singalong from the crowd.

The crowd was in a frenzy now. Fans started to crowd surf and mosh as the band tore through the furious ‘Chequeless Reckless’ and ‘Television Screens’, but the crowd was suitably hushed for the heart-breaking ‘Roy’s Tune’. As Chatten sang the song’s chorus, “Hey love, are you hanging on?”, the crowd asked him back, and they meant it.

As they tore into ‘Liberty Belle’, which inspired a sing-along despite only being a day old, it became apparent what makes Fontaines stand out from their post-punk peers: they don’t just write strong, punky jams. They write fully-fledged anthems, with an eye for minute detail and a street-smart spirit. Another anthem, ‘Boys In The Better Land’, recalled early Oasis, not just with its roaring guitars, but in the groups of young men whom it inspired to spray the floor in Red Stripe.

Things fell quiet again for ‘Dublin City Sky’. The traditional-style Irish Ballad wears its influences on its sleeve (it is, effectively, a mash-up of The Pogues’, ‘Sally McLennane’, and ‘A Rainy Night in Soho’), and before leaving the stage to a bruising no-nonsense, no-encore finish, the band treated a gleeful audience to one final shout-along in the form of album opener ‘Big’.

“My childhood was small, but I’m gonna be big!” roared Chatten

Too right they are.

10/10

Live Review: Nao

I’d seen Nao once before in 2015. ‘Bad Blood’ was her newest single and though her performance buzzed with optimism and confidence, it felt wrong that it was to half a room in the small Leeds space, Headrow House. Everything about her performance demanded something bigger than a 150-person capacity and a pre-recorded backing track.

Three years and two albums later, it finally feels like Nao has grown into the space she had always suited.

Saturn, her newest album, is all about the identity shift in a person’s 20s, the loss of direction and, hopefully, the leap into your own best future. It certainly applies to Nao, who finally jumped into stardom and devoted her entire self to the album and the tour, creating a perfect success story. The album throbs with heartache from lovers and friends but is, beneath it all, an ode to when things go right and her newest tour pulls together all these feelings.

Manchester Albert Hall’s grand organ is decorated with planets and balloons line the ceiling. A full band enters first and following them Nao appears on an improvised stage set up in the middle of the crowd to break into ‘Another Lifetime’. The accompaniment is clean and tight, the sound is well levelled, and her smile glows through the room as a fan hands her a bouquet. Another two songs in, she talks about the album and what it means to her. She describes the difficulty of tour life and the choice of leaving everything else behind, only to say she wouldn’t change a single thing about it, breaking right into ‘Love Supreme’.

I was constantly thinking about how much the show had changed since her early days. The upscaling in venue and budget, the band, but also Nao’s more competent and natural performance. ‘Orbit’ had a choreographed hand-fan routine, ‘Inhale Exhale’ had a new jam section and a surprise cover of D’angelo’s ‘Brown Sugar’ made it onto the setlist.

The only issue I picked up on that night was the support, Jamie Isaac. Though he’s obviously talented, why an artist more similar to Nao (even one from her own record label, Little Tokyo) wasn’t chosen to support seems dubious. It seems like a manager’s match-up and it did little for the night. This is not to detract from the headliner though, Nao puts on a fantastic show and one she can truly call hers. The most exciting part is wondering what heights she can reach next.

9/10

May student Senate delayed

The final 2018/19 edition of Students’ Union (SU) Senate has been pushed back a week, The Mancunion has learned.

Originally scheduled for 9th May, Senate will now be held on the 16th – the day after the start of the University’s exam period. This also means policy submissions can now be made up until 5th May, with amendments submitted by the 12th. The steering committee, who oversee the running of Senate, will now meet on the 13th.

The shift has been brought about due to fears SU staff could be overworked during the week of the 9th, with staff members being required to work the evenings of Tuesday 7th and Wednesday 8th May due to awards evenings – the Teaching and Volunteering Awards and Societies, Halls, and Campaigns Awards respectively. Senate taking place on the 9th would therefore require staff to work three evenings in a row, which has raised some fears of staff burnout.

Another reason for the delay was the timescale involved in scrutinising policy – the original date would have meant the scrutiny panel met on the 1st May, which was unfeasible given various absences from the panel. The Scrutiny Panel will now meet on May 8th, providing time to examine the proposals for May’s Senate.

Despite being the highest decision making body at the SU, Senate frequently struggles to hit quorate – the number of attendees required for motions to be debated – so with this edition taking place during exam season, concerns will be raised over how many students will attend, and if the meeting goes ahead at all.

Olivia Meisl, SU Education Officer, said: “I think it’s unfortunate, but due to when the Easter break has fallen, the week we’d originally scheduled it for also has numerous nights of awards recognising to our outstanding students and lecturers. Unfortunately, there is no ideal solution to this. However, the SU democracy team have worked really hard to ensure the Scrutiny Panel is still going to meet and goes ahead in the proper manner.

“I think quoracy might be lower, but it generally is lower at this time of year anyway.”

One student who chose to stay anonymous said: “The re-scheduling… is highly questionable. This meeting should be accessible to the student body and should therefore take place as quickly after Easter as possible, to ensure students can attend.

“The final meeting of a highly turbulent year for the SU, where the issue of possible by-elections for the General Sec and Postgrad officer persist, should not be quietly moved to a date where quoracy will be consequently reduced.”

Senate has been a source of high-profile stories this year, with the infamous so-called ‘clapping ban’ passed in September, and the March edition saw an amendment to implement a ‘sensitivity reader’ and BAME editorial quota on The Mancunion.

Live Review: The Hunna

The Hunna rocked onto stage to the aggressive and vivacious heavy guitars and drums of ‘We Could Be’, there was a surge of screaming and chaotic jumping up and down from the crowd. It wasn’t hard to see that Manchester Academy was sold out, from the snaking queues outside the building before the gig, to the crowd of ecstatic fans filling every inch of the room when the show started.

The flashing red and blue lights only added to the intensity as frontman Ryan Potter’s energetic and heartfelt vocals joined the mass of fans in singing the catchy lyrics of one of the band’s most loved songs. He cryptically told the audience that the song meant a lot to the band after recent struggles with “bad people” who had been “taking advantage” of the band and its fans. This only added to the forceful and heartfelt performance, and it was obvious to anyone watching that the singer meant every word he sang.

The stage presence of the band was confident and cool, with the members wearing minimalistic outfits of skinny ripped jeans and tank tops, appealing to the crowd of pop-punk lovers who were mostly aged 14 to 25. The band continued to play a mix of songs from their 2016 album 100 and 2018 album Dare. I was impressed by the sheer amount of songs that the band managed to fit into the set, cramming every moment with tireless effort and spirit.

The setlist was mostly composed of heavy rock, with pulsating beats and screaming guitars that left the crowd no choice but to dance and sing along. The rowdy energy of the fans was incredible, with a huge mosh pit forming during the song ‘Y.D.W.I.W.M’. This energy was increased by the band’s efforts to get involved with the crowd, joining in with the collective chanting of “Manchester” which took over the room. After the animated audiences shouted along to the catchy choruses of the many fan favourites which were played, singer Ryan Potter even affirmed that it was “the best ‘Dare’ had ever been.” The only time that the surging electricity of the fans dropped was during the emotional and beautiful acoustic rendition of ‘Brother’, in which the frantic mosh pits were replaced by a sea of twinkling lights from the torches of countless phones.

As well as blasting out well known classics, The Hunna also included a few new songs in their set list. With another reference to the unnamed “bad people”, the band asked the crowd to sing along as loud as possible to the tune of new song ‘I get high to forget’. Later on in the encore, the frontman even jumped into the audience and crowd surfed while aggressively belting the lyrics to another new song which was apparently only written four days before the show, potentially called ‘What are You Waiting For’.

The band explained the unusualness of playing a new song rather than a popular, well-known track in the encore by saying that they loved it so much that they wanted to play it for everyone. These new songs were much heavier than previous tracks, with a new sound that was much more distinctive, creating a sense of the band coming into themselves as artists. The new album is set for release this year.

The Hunna then finished the show with a powerful performance of ‘Never Enough’, which left fans both exhilarated and aching for more.

9/10

Live Review: Barns Courtney

English singer, songwriter, and musician Barns Courtney played at Manchester Academy on Friday, and it was a performance to remember. Supporting The Hunna, the pop-folk, blues-rock artist was a perfect fit for the crowd of pop-punk, rock-loving teenagers and twenty-year-olds. As the lights flashed to mark his entry onto the stage, Barns Courtney was greeted by a wave of cheering and applause.

Dressed in a bold burgundy suit with a black and white polka dot shirt and scarf, the Ipswich-born musician rocked onto the stage with astounding amounts of energy. The heavy drums and guitar-led music were accompanied by his fierce, raw vocals to create a distinctive and captivating sound which is classic of Barns Courtney. The singer belted the lyrics in a rough and primal way which shocked and impressed the crowd, while still inviting them to sing along to the melodic choruses. With effortlessly confident stage presence, the rock artist called for the audience to echo his playful tunes, as well as demanding that the crowd move and enjoy themselves, shouting, “when I shout jump, what do you do?”

Going another step further to ensure that every concert-goer was involved, he even jumped into the audience and crowd surfed in typical rock and roll fashion while singing the anthem and fan favourite ‘Kicks’. This was received with enthusiastic screams by the exhilarated crowd.

The half-hour performance included songs from his 2017 EP The Dull Dreams and 2017 album The Attractions of Youth, many of which seemed to be well known by the crowd. The gig then ended with a passionate rendition of ‘Glitter and Gold’, Barns Courtney’s most popular song which reached number one on the Spotify viral chart and number two on iTunes alternative chart when it was released in 2017. The artist finished with a heartfelt thank you to the audience, expressing his gratitude for our enthusiasm and support. The same sense of raw emotion pervades each of his songs, coming from the musicians difficult past. The upcoming artist has taken 10 years to get to the stage, going through rough times and even being homeless to get to where he is now, hence the passion and dedicated energy of his performance.

Barns Courtney is definitely a name to watch in the rock and alternative scene: he is insanely talented and finally getting the recognition he deserves. His sound is a combination of Kings of Leon and Mumford and Sons but has an individual edge which makes his music immediately stand out. His songs have made TV appearances in popular shows such as Suits, Teen Wolf, and Lucifer, and Netflix’s original series, Safe used ‘Glitter and Gold’ as its intro song. Notably, he has also collaborated with globally recognised, English electronic music band The Prodigy, with the track ‘Give Me a Signal’. This widened his horizons beyond the pop-folk and rock genres that he is used to. In addition to The Hunna, he has also performed as support for huge artists such as The Who, The Libertines, Ed Sheeran, The Lumineers, Tom Odell, and Blur.

9/10

Album Review: Love by MARINA

After a four year break MARINA has finally returned with a new music concept which is set to cover two seven track albums. Her return reveals the rather sad loss of “the diamonds” moniker (which was a reference to her devoted fan base). The newest albums are set to depart from the ferocious intensity portrayed across the masterfully produced 2012 Electra Heart and 2015 Froot. Instead, MARINA seems to be focusing quite prominently on the themes of happiness and contentment over the vivid characterisation in her previous incarnations.

The first installment Love traces her recent journey to recovering from loss and adjusting to change in health. Upon this knowledge, I was initially impressed although ever so slightly concerned. I hoped her time away from songwriting would not jeopardise the quality of the content.

However, after hearing the first single release ‘Handmade Heaven’ I quickly sidelined my fears. This track is without doubt vastly different from anything MARINA has released before but it has a beautifully stripped back quality. Deeply reflective upon the environment and nature, it captures her gentle side with a real lyrical elegance. A slow and brooding synth compliments her sparkling vocals with a noticeably more subdued but undoubtably confident, relaxed tone.

This seamlessly flowed into the other tracks including stand out single ‘Orange Trees’ which I did admittedly, at first find intensely annoying. The repetition of “orange” makes the first listen a tricky one and I would be lying if I said I did not skip the track a few times. However, it is clear that despite the lack of bold choices here, MARINA is still able to create pleasurable music. Although perhaps slightly disappointing in this aspect,  it is not a surprising move for an artist who has made a name for herself by regularly striking the balance in creating pop tracks without pandering to the desires of public and pop culture.

Tracks such as ‘Baby’ (her only track to be released in 2018) feature Spanish lyricism from Puerto Rican artist Luis Fonsi which is a really nice touch and reflects her newly experimental, culturally diverse take on pop music. Of course this is the only track on the record to explore this and therefore time will only tell if this is set to continue. This is nonetheless promising to see within her growing discography.

The album tackles some crushing moments of heartbreak, especially on ‘End of the Earth’ which bravely steps into the destructive nature of an intense relationship. The intensely melodic synth sound, again completes this track bringing this first instalment to a moody cliff hanger ending.

The second instalment Fear is set for release on 26th April 2019 and is set to follow a similar pattern to the first. Only in time will we discover the true content of this much darker sounding album but I can’t help but hope for a re-emergence of Electra Heart . Even if only for one track, just to know that bold, brave character remains just below the surface.

7/10

 

 

Preview: Bluedot Festival 2019

On 21st July 2019, it will be 50 years since the Apollo moon landings.  What better way to celebrate than to see New Order play in the shadow of the Lovell Telescope at Bluedot festival in Cheshire?  Other headliners include Hot Chip on Friday 19th July and Kraftwerk, the pioneers of electronic music, on Saturday 20th July.  Seeing such legendary bands in the proximity of the iconic British structure the Lovell Telescope really isn’t one to miss.  Get yourself to the Jodrell Bank Observatory (JBO) in Cheshire to immerse yourself in all that is great in the world of music and science.

Bluedot Festival takes place on 18th to 21st July 2019 at the JBO in Cheshire.  This festival is a bit different from most as it cleverly combines music and science for a unique festival experience.  Don’t worry if the mention of science is resurrecting unpleasant memories of GCSE science classes, Bluedot seamlessly unites music and science so that they complement each other.  Bluedot integrates the most relevant and forward thinking discoveries in science into a festival environment in the form of talks, demonstrations, immersive installations, and telescope projection pieces and more.  There really is something for everyone with plenty of activities aimed at children.

For example, why not catch Liz Bonnin talk about ‘The Problem with Plastics’ on the Saturday?  With global warming reaching scary heights it is imperative that such issues are discussed, and choosing to host a talk at a festival is opening the debate up to children, teenagers, and adults.  It’s great to see festivals such as Bluedot engage in such important topics.

However admittedly for most people, it is the music that lures them to Bluedot.  Officially held since 2016, Bluedot has seen acts such as New Order, Pixies, Alt-J, The Chemical Brothers, Gary Numan, Hot Chip, Orbital, Underworld, The Flaming Lips, and Jean-Michel Jarre take to its stages to name just a few. Watching one of your favourite artists to the backdrop of the looming Lovell Telescope really would be an unforgettable experience, concocting a futuristic atmosphere that no other festival could recreate.

Famous scientists at Bluedot include Richard Dawkins and the University of Manchester’s very own Brian Cox.  Although the focus this year may be on Neil Armstrong, the first man to have stepped foot on the moon, women in science will not be forgotten!  There will be a talk from Helen Sharman, Britain’s first astronaut, held on Friday.

Bluedot festival 2019 will see Kraftwerk, New Order, Hot Chip, and many more take to the stage in a friendly and respectful festival environment in the midst of scientific and artistic celebration.  Commemorate some of humanity’s greatest achievements in science by visiting Bluedot this year and see some amazing bands.

https://www.discoverthebluedot.com/

Preview: Truck Festival

The Oxfordshire festival, described as ‘The Godfather of the small festival scene’ is pulling out all the stops when it comes to their 2019 lineup. TRUCK truly is the king of the small festival, with six stages and six campsites it’s the perfect size to pull in big headliners but still has that cozy, community feel, all good festivals should have. This year headliners include Wolf Alice, Foals, and Two Door Cinema Club, with the likes of Slaves, Nothing But Thieves, IDLES, Shame, and Kate Nash thrown into the mix as well.

The festival has been running since 1998 and has a reputation, within the indie, rock, and punk genres especially, for being not only a mud bath (with last year being a gloriously sunny exception) but a great down-to-earth festival. With great music and food, it’s popular with all ages, from families to hardcore festival goers and music lovers, and you’ll be hard pressed to find better crowds. With a wide range of tent sizes and style, the festival is especially good at championing up-and-coming sounds with music coming from every corner all day. This year Lady Bird, a three-piece punk band from Kent, are returning to the festival, having played last year, where they were met with a tent-full of adrenaline-pumped fans. They’re joined on the lineup by those such as Haze, the fantastic Easy Life, and Heavy Lungs. With those such as Superfood, Honeyblood, and Tom Grennan playing these stages in past years we know the organisers have a sharp ear for talent.

Shame and IDLES are two of the most talented up-and-coming punk bands, with IDLES release of their highly respected 2018 album ‘Joy as an Act of Resistance’ and  Shame’s ‘Songs of Praise’ leading the way for young post-punk, following in the footsteps of the big-boys of punk, Slaves, also playing. Some might call it a holy trinity of punk and with Charlie’s stage presence it’s sure to feel like a spiritual experience.

With the, we think it’s fair to say, slow demise of festival lineup standards TRUCK seems to have really stepped up; with Wolf Alice, last years Mercury Prize winners with their jaw-droppingly beautiful ‘Visions of a Life’ taking prime spot. Last year we commended TRUCK’s inclusion of smaller women-led bands so it’s truly fantastic to see Ellie Roswell take the headline spot she deserves. Especially after taking a short break, the band’s fans are sure to be excited by this announcement. Foals, currently on a worldwide tour will join Wolf Alice, taking another headlining spot and rightly so, with a vast discography they really can put on a show and we can’t wait to see what they do with the TRUCK’s main stage.

With more acts still to be announced we’re sure TRUCK festival will be one of the best on offer this summer and will continue its (hopefully not too muddy) reign as one of the last authentic, high-quality music festivals.

Visit Truck Festival for more information and tickets!

Live Review: Bass Music Awards 2019

On Sunday 21st of April, the esteemed and highly anticipated Bass Music Awards returned once again to Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse. Those lucky enough to go to the award ceremony and dinner will know that the winners included some of the biggest names in bass music right now. The Industry Panel awarded 4 categories: Best Event 2018 — Rampage, Best Track — ‘Police in Helicopter’ by Benny L, Best Album — Connections by Friction, Best Record Label — Helicopter. With the public having the chance to vote and show their support for their favourite artists, winners were revealed to be: Best Bass DJ — Skepsis, Best DJ — Andy C, Best Group — Crucast, Best Live Act — SaSaSaS, and last of all Best MC — Bru-C.

I was fortunate enough to go to the after party which was set to end the night with a celebration as one of the biggest events for bass music in 2019. On arrival at Victoria Warehouse it was clear this was the perfect venue for an event of this size and calibre, with the vast, industrial expanse of the old warehouse creating an underground-style rave with both ‘the Expanse’ and ‘the Bunker’ boasting incredible sound and light systems which transformed each into their own ravers paradise. I was surprised, as although it was busy, I would have expected a bigger and fuller crowd, the main stage filling up for the most popular acts, however in between tending to lack the energy I was expecting.

O2 had devised a token system for drinks, meaning you had to queue for tokens separately and then for drinks which was slightly annoying and there being no option to buy a single token meant you felt slightly mugged off not being able to spend remaining tokens without buying another 5 more. Despite this, the organisation of the event was commendable, there were a lot of staff and security and you never had to queue too long for drinks, the toilet, or the smoking area which tends to happen at other similar events such as The Warehouse Project at Store Street last year.

I stayed mainly in ‘the Expanse’, of course, other people’s experiences would have differed hugely depending on favoured DJ’s, however being in the main stage captured the prominent energetic vibe of the night. Friction was the first act of the evening that I saw, and although their set included many well-known songs, the sound system at this point led to an underwhelming beginning. Following this, Hype and Hazard I found, unfortunately, to have a slightly anti-climactic set, especially considering they were preceding Pendulum and had the opportunity to build an excited crowd up even more. The drops just didn’t have the full impact I think they were expecting and although everyone was dancing (and sweating) it seemed more like we were waiting for a drop that never came nor truly satisfied such an adrenaline-filled crowd. Pendulum were clearly the biggest hit of the night and performed an incredible set including some classics and remixes (‘Tarantula’/ ‘bonfire’) which made everyone go wild. For the whole set, everyone was dancing and despite being hotter than the desert in the middle of the crowd this didn’t stop the audience from throwing their best moves and jumping in time with the beat. The lighting system during Pendulum was non-stop and matched the energy given by the crowd for the rest of the evening. Victoria Warehouse lived up to their reputation of providing an immersive event following Pendulum.

Sub Focus followed Pendulum, keeping the energetic crowd going for another hour-long set, with hit song Trouble being one of the many songs they span into an hour long, non-stop set. The crowd was still alive by this point but following their exit and the onset of Dj Guv, they slowly disappeared. Drum and Bass heavyweight Dj Guv kept the crowd going with his high powered set which sent the bass rippling through anyone that was left to watch.

Overall, the Bass Music Awards were overhyped, however, provided an immersive evening of light performance and heavyweight bass artists. Although some Dj’s were disappointing, the electric crowd following Pendulum’s explosive set provided a very open and exciting atmosphere. Victoria Warehouse is a venue to visit if you are looking for powerful headline sets from internationally known artists. Smaller artists may be slightly underwhelming.

7/10