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Month: September 2019

Power stations photo: Steve Buissinne @pixabay

Greenwashing: an environmental publicity stunt

Written by Anna Jin on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Powerful corporations are re-branding themselves to follow the status quo to attract customers in a tactic called greenwashing.

Recently, an increasing number of brands are talking about sustainability and using greenwashing to make a profit and increase their popularity. Greenwashing gives the impression that the company is environmentally conscious, when in reality it is a PR move to sell more products and increase their sales. The message is “buy our product to show you’re an environmentally conscious person!” But, their ultimate goal is hard to miss: buy more.

When brands are talking about ‘plastic-free’, they are not talking about reducing the amount of packaging they use, but for us as consumers to get rid of the plastic we have and purchase replacement items, such as glass food containers and metal or paper straws. Although we may not buy these in plastic packaging, there is still plenty of waste being made by manufacturers in the making and distributing of these products.

Our capitalist society wishes us to buy new items instead of reducing or reusing what we have, which is the opposite of being sustainable. Many people fall into this trap because it is currently fashionable, therefore appealing for consumers. Having a fully sustainable lifestyle means using what you have (remember; Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), not increasing your consumption by following the latest eco-friendly trends.

We have all heard of the simple narrative of sustainable living; to save the planet everything you have must be reusable and you must strive to create no waste at all. Messages like this give the movement a reputation of being privileged and restrictive. Many people, especially those on a limited budget, cannot afford to purchase items that are branded as eco-friendly or zero waste as these are often more expensive.

Even though many would prefer to believe that we can change the world solely on our own, in truth it is much more important to come together to campaign for bigger, systematic changes. As individuals we can change our habits to have less of a negative impact on the environment, but most carbon emissions are caused by large corporations. We need to pay more attention to these businesses and the people in power who can make the necessary decisions to bring about large-scale change.

Go to environmental protests, and most importantly, vote. Make your voice heard by casting your vote for those who believe in combating global warming and would make changes you want to see. By focusing on our own individual plastic consumption or choices, we are ignoring the larger changes that need to be made.

The people and companies causing the most harm are off the hook whilst we are preoccupied buying another reusable coffee cup. Focusing on ourselves seems like the easier choice, but not the better one long term.

How I got over a cultural identity crisis at university

Written by Devi Joshi on . Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Indian culture is kaleidoscopic. From the yellow haldi used to colour our food, to the crimson red of our wedding lenghas, the dried paint we throw at one another during Holi, to the fireworks we set off at Diwali. There is a richness which saturates each and every part of our lives.

When I was younger, going to a wedding was like stepping into a Bollywood movie, a stained glass window brought to life. The clashing colours of the saris worn by women were made all the more beautiful by the intricate beading and embellishment which adorned them, reflecting golden light across the hall, glittering, dizzying, like when you stare into the sun too long and blink. I was awestruck.

Then came my rebellious phase.

If your teenage years are dominated by intense introspection and misplaced anger, I spent these years distancing myself from my culture. I went from being amazed by the colours which brightened my childhood, to thinking of them as garish, the embroidery tacky, the flowing layers and layers of silk and the ever-shifting silhouettes, melodramatic and messy.

In silent protest, I wore almost entirely black for the majority of my angsty teenage years. Where Indian fashion is characterised by loose layers, I wore figure-hugging pencil skirts and tight blouses. Where Indian jewellery is bright gold, intricate, and extravagant, I got a scaffolding piercing with a steel bar.

Rachael Zoe once said “style is a way to say who you are without having to speak.” At the time, I thought my fashion choices were simply a blazon rejection of my cultural heritage. But, they in fact pointed to complex, silent anxieties I had about my identity that I didn’t know how to navigate.

When you are born and raised in a country with a long, brutal history of colonialism in your ancestral home, with a long history of assimilation on the part of your people, it is easy to internalise the narrative that your culture is ‘lesser’ – especially when the country you are raised in always sees you as an outsider – despite the fact you are British.

I spent my teens struggling to find a way to be both British and Asian, the clashing values and ideals overwhelming me, the biases against people who looked like me ingrained so deeply I didn’t realise that they were there.

The place I grew up in West London is often called ‘Little India’. Walking down Southall Broadway is being transported. The streets are always overflowing with people, the air is filled with the smell of fresh samosas and the clamour of a hundred different languages. There are shops filled with a rainbow of shalwar kameez, saris, lehngas, all bejewelled and glittering under the warm store lights. In fabric shops, reams of silk and patterned cotton, peacocked and paisley, are stacked from floor to ceiling in jumbled rows. I felt out of place, too adapted to Western culture to understand the chaos and its synaesthetic vibrancy.

When a place serves as the backdrop to your life, it is easy to take it for granted, to misunderstand it. I did not realise this until I moved to Manchester for university, and was wholly unprepared for the culture shock. I went from constantly seeing my identity reflected back at me to being overwhelmed by the whiteness of the city I now lived in.

At home, I felt I wasn’t ‘Indian enough’ – I’m not religious, and I don’t speak my family tongue. So, to make up for it, I rejected everything that reminded me of this perceived failure. Now I was in Manchester, I felt a sudden need to cling onto my heritage, to outwardly express it, to weave it haphazardly into the very fibres of my identity and hide behind it.

I put all my black clothes in a bag and dropped them off at the nearest Oxfam. I started buying jewel tones, deep burgundies, navies. Then brighter. A fluorescent rainbow jumper. An emerald green bum-bag. I got my nose pierced with a gold stud. I was clearly overcompensating.

There is a psychological phenomenon called ‘enclothed cognition’ which describes the way – as Jia Tolentino writes in her essay ‘Always be Optimizing’ – “clothes that come with cultural scripts can actually alter cognitive function.”

Looking back, I realised that in both of these versions of me, I was using fashion, not to influence what other people thought of me, but to try and change who I was internally. I wore all black to strip away any hint of heritage and reassure myself of my British identity, then bright colours to convince myself I was Indian enough, to define myself (or potentially defend myself) against an alien whiteness I had never really experienced before.

This phase, luckily, was short-lived and, now in my third year of University, I have finally found my style. Understanding the layers and layers which contribute to my own sense of identity has freed me from performative dressing and allowed me to explore my own unique cultural heritage. I try and draw inspiration from Indian fashion, the interplaying timbre of different fabrics, the repeated patterns, the glamour, the liveliness, even if I still stay away from the more vivid hues. And, I feel more authentically me than I have done in a long time.

UoM “pioneer” student wins place at Digital Academy

Written by Megan Oyinka on . Posted in News.

Six students from Electrical and Electronic Engineering and Computer Science departments have been selected to pilot the Siemens Digital Academy this summer, with University of Manchester student, Ariana Escobar Chalen, being one of those selected.

According to Siemens: “The Academy has been created to prepare high-potential undergraduates to thrive in a future of industrial digitalisation.”

The newly established scheme gives selected students £3,000 of sponsorship, up to 12 weeks of paid summer internships and an opportunity to join the Simens Graduate Scheme. The academy also offers digital training and Digital Academy Events. It aims to offer its students a “practical, collaborative space” to explore the industry and to put their academic work into a real-world context.

The list of successful applicants was unveiled at a launch event at Siemens Digital Factory in Congleton. Winners includes students from across the country; Nikhil Patel and Miles Moran from Newcastle University; Thomas Edwards from the University of Sheffield; Diana Crintea from the University of Southampton; Maryem Khan from the University of Loughborough; and Ariana Escobar Chalen from the University of Manchester .

The students were chosen after completing the Sir William Siemens Challenge, a two-day hackathon-style event, also known as “Mindsphere Live”, which was held at the University of Sheffield. The event involved 84 promising engineering students from partner universities.

Nikhil Patel said: “Being part of the Digital Academy gives me an insight into how Siemens operates as a business and it also provides me with the means to be able to make a difference.

“It gives me the opportunity to develop my technical and transferable skills whilst working on real, cutting-edge projects. I think that being a part of this scheme will help to accelerate my career progression and allow me to grow as an individual, with the help of Siemens.”

Ian Donald, Head of R&D at Siemens Digital Factory in Congleton commented: “The Digital Academy takes that experience [Mindspace live] to the next level. It illustrates that engineering is a practical subject where the real and virtual worlds co-exist and where data plays an increasingly important part in creating value.

“It’s not just about sitting at a computer, it’s really hands-on. It’s about interaction, working in teams to solve actual problems – which is what this pilot cohort will be doing this summer.”

Students visit Siemens Digital Factory in Congleton
Photo: Siemens Digital Academy

Applications for the second ‘MindSphere Live’ competition are open now. The competition is open to 17 universities and gives those that enter the opportunity to engineer a device that fulfills a given set of criteria.

Aside from the grand prize of the Sir William Siemens Award, applicants can win internships or graduate roles, or, in Ariana’s case, a place at the ‘Digital Academy’. The winning team will also have their device displayed in the University of Sheffield MindSphere Lounge.

More information on Siemens MindSphere event and Digital academy can be found on their website.

UoM 6th-best for promoting good sexual health

Written by Lauren Davies on . Posted in News.

The University of Manchester has ranked as the sixth-best university in the UK for promoting good sexual health on campus, with 61% of students believing that the University offered good access to sexual health services.

Online doctor Zava surveyed 1001 students at 50 universities and analysed each institution’s sexual health services, including: Online support, available hours, accessibility, and location of the facilities. Manchester scored 63.75 out of 100 overall, scoring 25 out of 25 for the ‘quality and access to online information’. 

However, 16% of the surveyed students felt the University did not offer adequate sexual health services, citing concerns such as “access to a nurse, free condoms, and STI test kits”. Student Advice in the Students’ Union (SU) does offer support as well as “free contraception like condoms and femidoms”.

Despite the work of the University and SU, 91% of surveyed Manchester students felt “more could be done to promote good sexual health”.

The University of Liverpool topped the table, in part due to a walk-in onsite sexual health service. The University of Manchester currently has no onsite facility, with the nearest clinic, The Hathersage Centre, just under a mile away from campus. In the survey, the University of Manchester scored 10 out of 25 for both the location of clinics and their accessibility.

On average, students have unprotected sex 12 times while at university, with 26% of students in Manchester having had “unprotected sex between one and five times since starting university”. Unprotected sex may lead to the contracting or spreading of an STI, so sexual health education and support can be crucial in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.

Zava’s statistics highlight the importance of demystifying and normalising sexual health checks, as over “1 in 3 (39%) of Manchester students would put off getting checked for an STI due to embarrassment in front of a doctor or nurse”, whilst “33% are worried about being seen by peers”, and 25% wouldn’t get checked due to a “lack of knowledge when it comes to getting tested”.

While the top-ten-ranking demonstrates the majority of students are confident in the University’s sexual health services, some of the results suggest that there are still steps that the University could take to improve access to sexual health services, as well as resources for students to educate themselves on how to protect their sexual health.

tuition fee Photo: Discott @ Wikimedia Commons

Sheffield University to provide compulsory climate change lectures

Written by Megan Oyinka on . Posted in News.

The University of Sheffield’s new sustainable development course is due to hit lecture theatres in the next five years.

The compulsory course, which was created in response to the climate emergency, “encourages a holistic approach to sustainability knowledge that goes beyond ‘being green’”, says the University.

The initiative will mean that classes on sustainable development will be embedded in every degree programme. Sheffield has also outlined that they plan to work with its Students’ Union and course reps to make sure that the series of lectures can be easily embedded into the structure of each degree.

Professor Lamberts of Sheffield University said: “We are embedding education for sustainable development into the curriculum of every single course. There is a reason for doing this: whether our students go on to become engineers, doctors, linguists or historians, it doesn’t matter. We want every single one of them to be equipped with the education, the knowledge, the skills, the values and the attributes that they need to work and live in a sustainable way.”

The programme called ‘Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)’ originated as a United Nations initiative. It gives participants the chance to learn about the changes they can make to their lives, attitudes, and values to create a more sustainable society.

A spokesperson for Sheffield said: “The University is committed to helping tackle the global challenges we face, including many aspects of sustainable development.

“Our new sustainability strategy and action plan, being published later this year, will include new guidance on University flights, including helping staff to consider whether they need to fly and encouraging other travel options.”

Despite its radical initiative, Sheffield is not the only university seen to be taking steps to highlight the issue of climate change. In August, Goldsmiths announced that beef has been banned from their cafeterias in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint.

SU Activities and Development Officer Lizzy Haughton, who has been campaigning on the issue at UoM for over a year, states: “Embedding sustainability into the curriculum is so important if we are to tackle climate breakdown efficiently, intelligently, and with creativity.”

She mentions that even though sustainability may not be everyone’s favourite subject, we will have to learn about it one way or another: “We need everyone on board this time, we have a matter of years left to change things, and people are currently dying across the world in the Global South because of our criminal inaction.

“It’s high time Universities took a stand in changing that, and get their students educated on this issue. Once we know the full facts about climate breakdown, we can choose to make a change for the better, or we can choose to ignore it and be complicit in catastrophic changes across the world.”

Photo: the nonbinary flag. Kye Rowan @ Wikipediacommons

Ignoring they/them pronouns: stop using grammar as an excuse

Written by Kate Jackson on . Posted in Opinion.

Sam Smith, who came out as nonbinary earlier this year, announced in September that they are changing their pronouns to they/them. Speaking on twitter they said: “After a lifetime of being at war with my gender I’ve decided to embrace myself for who I am, inside and out.”

In response, people questioned the ‘appropriateness’ of using they/them to refer to a singular person. A number of people who refuse to acknowledge the need or use of they/them pronouns like to hang their hat on language, and how it is used, to challenge the existence of nonbinary individuals (and those who choose to use gender-neutral pronouns).

However, there is no linguistic basis in which to oppose the use of they/them. Not only have the Oxford English Dictionary seen ‘they’ be used in the English language as a pronoun as early as the 1300s , but it is also extremely common in everyday situations for they/them to be used in relation to a singular person, particularly when the gender of an individual is unknown.

If it is not enough for people that they/them has been used to refer to a singular entity for hundreds of years, the Merriam-Webster Dictionary has, coincidentally, in the days following Sam Smith’s announcement, expanded their definition of ‘they’. Their definition of the word now includes references ‘to a single person whose gender identity is nonbinary’.

Yes, there may be some academics who still wince at the use of they/them in formal writing, but this is a minor issue that frequently occurs when language is evolving – as it always has, and always will do.

I believe, in reality, people do not have a problem with the logistics of how they/them is being used. Their issue lies with the nonbinary individuals themselves. In most cases, interrogating the grammar of they/them is merely a smokescreen for groups or individuals who are attempting to undermine or erase those who are not conforming to their views on gender identity.

Therefore, those who say they are choosing to disengage from politics or ‘political correctness’, by ignoring the request to use they/them pronouns, are not, in fact, remaining apolitical. A political statement is being made every single time you choose to ignore an individual’s chosen pronouns. By attempting to undermine the right people have to decide how they are referred to by others, you are deciding that they are not worthy of the most basic level of respect.

“It costs you nothing to use an individual’s chosen pronouns,” is a common response to those who ignore them. And it’s true: it costs you nothing to use they/them when referring to Sam Smith or any other nonbinary individual.

We should care more, however, about respecting nonbinary individuals in every single context, and not just the scenarios that are palatable or ‘easy’ for people to get on board with. Using the correct pronouns can only help nonbinary individuals so much if they are then going to be discriminated against in other areas of their life.

Using correct pronouns should definitely not be our only focus or goal – but it’s certainly a good place to start.

The John Rylands Library, which is part of Manchester University. Located in Manchester, Lancashire, England, UK. Photo: Mdbeckwith @Commons Wikimedia

Artefact of the Week: John Rylands Library

Written by Chess Bradley on . Posted in Arts.

From the Simon building to The Tower, you’d think the University of Manchester had acquired exclusively ugly buildings. But in Deansgate, beyond the student-hub of the Oxford Road Corridor lies a gem.

The John Rylands library is stunning, and has recently been named as one of the most beautiful libraries in Europe. It is often lazily compared to Hogwarts, but don’t let the possibility of adults running around the library in gowns put you off.

A particular highlight of the building, opened in 1900, is the historic reading room. Open to the public, it’s a study space so beautiful that it almost offsets the stress of pending deadlines. Almost. Partly because who wants to be crying in the background of tourists’ photos?

The library was built by Enriqueta Rylands – in memory of her husband and Manchester’s first multi-millionaire, John Rylands – and designed by Basil Champney. Although it opened its doors for the first time 1900, in 1972, the library merged with the University of Manchester Library, and in 2003 a new entrance wing was created.

The combination of modern and Gothic-style architecture within the entrance is especially pleasing. The tall white walls beautifully exhibit art, while framing some of the original windows and the glass entrance allows the exterior of building to reflect the grandeur within.

It’s easy to feel under-dressed at the John Rylands. In the reading room, there is a temptation to don brown loafers, jewel tones and thick jumpers. Equally, when entering through the modern entrance, it’s easy to feel self-conscious in Primark joggers as you pass Giorgio Armani.

As intended from the Victorian era opening, the John Rylands is an escape from its busy Manchester surroundings. Whether you’re perusing archives for your history dissertation, or just want a quiet wander around somewhere, the John Rylands is a luxurious alternative to withering away in Blue 3.

CBD oil photo:vaping360 @flickr

Cannabidiol: Wellness with an edge

Written by Joe Manock on . Posted in Lifestyle.

Cannabidiol (CBD) related products have enjoyed an exponential rise in sales within the UK. CBD is a compound found in cannabis plants which contains no psychoactive properties. The substance is mostly ingested as an oil to be dropped under the tongue, or as an e-liquid to be vaped.

According to the Centre for Medicinal Cannabis (CMC) approximately 1.3 million UK consumers spend £300 million a year on CBD products. If this trajectory is sustained, the industry will be worth £1 billion per annum by 2025. An amusing array of unlikely CBD products are contributing to its increase in popularity, such as CBD cappuccinos and CBD hummus!

The health benefits associated with CBD are dazzling. It is accredited with the ability to reduce anxiety, improve sleep, aid chronic pain and serve as an anti-inflammatory for sore joints. It seems as if promoters of the product sing its praise endlessly, but can they be trusted?

One worrying aspect of the CBD boom is that products often contain dramatically lower levels of CBD than advertised. A recent study by the CMC found that 38% of CBD products had less than half of the advertised amount of CBD, and only 38% were within 10% of the quoted range. Given that the majority of products have a lower CBD content than advertised, it’s questionable that these products have much effect at all. And even the advertised levels are unlikely to have an impact as these are lower doses than those used in clinical trials, therefore the scientific evidence available on CBD is not applicable to many products currently being sold. It is difficult to differentiate between a low dose and a placebo, meaning users are dripping away their money on these products with low levels of CBD.

The meteoric rise of CBD and its unwillingness to dissipate into the void of previous wellness trends (for example goji berries, flaxseed, and spirulina) is down to the image that it evokes. CBD is an incarnation of wellness that embodies a certain edge that many find attractive due to its connection to cannabis, which enriches it with a different character to other conventional health products.

The unique lure of CBD is exploitable and to stop people being conned by commercial CBD the sector requires greater regulation and more research into the impact of smaller dosages to remove the ambiguity around these products.  Due to the lack of THC, the psychoactive element in cannabis, in CBD may have a useful medical application in treating diseases like epilepsy which is currently being studied. But for now, CBD remains an inviting wellness trend that does not live up to its name.

Photo: Victoria Evans

The Tale of 8 Cafes: Coffee-spots you can’t miss…

Written by dominicfung on . Posted in Food & Drink.

Idlehands – Because Pie Not?

Idlehands is one shop in the Northern Quarter that if you visit once, you will most definitely visit twice. Their coffee art, plant collection, and wall prints are every hipster’s dream, but their pies are what keep you there. Assuming they haven’t already been snapped up, there is a selection of three different pies each day so you will be spoilt for choice and taste. The perfect pick-me-up or occasional sweet treat is here. Have a slice and idle around for a bit.

Takk – A cafe of three flavours

With Manchester being the size that it is, it’s unsurprising that Takk has three different branches you could visit. As one of the earliest players in the coffee scene, they’ve had time to set up their aesthetic heaven cafes throughout the city. Only a stone throws away from Uni Place, you’ll see a David Lynch, Mulholland Drive-esque, blue neon sign directing you to your next caffeine hit. Down the road is their mini-Hatch bar for a condensed experience for those who just can’t get enough of Takk. If you’re looking for where it all began, head down to Northern Quarter on Tariff street – a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens. It’s a familiar sight to the Ali-G: People with their heads down, tapping away on laptops with their headphones in. However, in Takk, this studious environment is certainly more knowledgeable about coffee roasts and with more ‘Hygge’ Scandinavian touches.

Siop Shop – Dough or Dough Not?

Fresh doughnuts, cute coffee cups, and school-day dinner trays – what more could you want? The Welsh owned cafe, Siop Shop, makes sugar-highs to rival even the likes of Krispy Kreme and Tim Hortons!

After hours of seminars and lectures, this bright little cafe tucked away on Tib Street is a welcome change of pace from the echoing lecture halls that we’re all too familiar with.

Pot Kettle Black – BRB, going PKB

Feeling boujee? Go down to the Barton Arcade and check out Pot Kettle Black. Their facilities boast an in-house bakery and own iconic “G’day Love!” newspapers that can be found on any of their tables. These papers, unlike most, swap Brexit stories and warnings of imminent apocalypse for a warm, open-armed welcome.

This Australia-inspired cafe is just the thing for anyone wanting to spice up their Instagram on a student budget. For those not wanting to drop the extra £2.50 on a fresh croissant, each coffee does come with a complementary wafer to add a little sugar to your experience.

Foundation – The Basis of Work

In about two months time, when every waking hour is spent in the same, sterile spot in the library, you may crave a change of scenery. Foundation is the perfect study spot: Free WiFi, great coffee and enough seats for you and that one special study buddy who gets you through the day. Not to mention they do great food with snacking mezze plates (hummus, crudités and pitta) and amazing salads, including roast chicken, avocado and sun-dried tomato.

You have two choices of destination: make the five-minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens to Northern Quarter where you’ll find it opposite Stevenson Square’s graffiti wall, or go to the nearby branch on Whitworth Street paired with the Locke hotels.

Ancoats – Simple

Only a little further out from the centre, you’ll find Ancoats Coffee in… you guessed it, Ancoats. Being ten minutes further away than most Northern Quarter student spots, this cafe is a safe haven from the usual hustle and bustle of uni life. One perk of the added distance is the guarantee that on the day before your exam – when you roll out of bed with your greasy fringe scraped back with no concealer – there’ll be no recognisable faces. Moreover, Ancoats coffee is right next to the Rochdale Canal and has its own roastery going on inside, so you can be sure that the coffee is as fresh as it’s going to get.

Federal: The Aussie Sunshine spot

What Manchester cafe list would be complete without Federal being included? The Australian-made, go-to brunch spot for anyone that’s been living in Manchester for over a year who hasn’t been living under a rock. Federal offers the perfect hangover cure: all day brunch.

With options of french toast, eggs’ Benedict, Portuguese custard tarts (which you need) and even better; Bloody Marys, Mimosas, and Bellinis to start the day (or end the night, depending on your perspective). They don’t take reservations though and are a firm favourite of many, so get there early or pray that the other 500,000 people in Manchester have decided not to have brunch that day.

Anchor Coffee – A good place to dock

An anomaly on this list, Anchor coffee, exclusively ’employs’ volunteers. Every coffee is made with genuine interest and passion rather than the drive to get through the day just to cover rent. Subsequently, this unique spot really does have a great atmosphere. Anchor is a perfect option between lectures when there isn’t quite enough time to take a nap as it’s only a few minutes from campus on Moss Lane.

From Poverty to Poetry: Natives by Akala

Written by alianawaz on . Posted in Books.

The US hip-hop scene is familiar with socially-conscious MCs, who rap about their experiences of marginalisation, racism, and poverty in society. The likes of Immortal Technique, Mos Def, and Nas have inspired a wave of similarly socially conscious rappers in the UK, including Akala.

Named Kingslee James McLean Daley at birth, the 35-year-old was born to a Scottish mother and a Jamaican father. He is known for his four-part stay in Fire in the Booth with Charlie Sloth. He tackles different issues in society such as a corrupt elite, racism in education, and the prejudice of the national press.

Akala’s first book Natives: Race and Class in the Ruins of Empire, can be seen as a comprehensive extension of his Fire in the Booth performances, exploring uncomfortable and hard-hitting truths about the toxic relationship between race and class in Britain. The rapper, journalist, author, activist, and poet deconstructs the myth of meritocracy in Natives, through a narrative that is part-biographical, part-polemic.

Natives takes the reader on a journey through the beginnings of Akala’s life, growing up as working-class, and mixed race in 1980s Camden. The book discusses race and class privileges in the UK, supported by unsettling statistics that draw attention to the not so passive nature of British racism. In an era of far-right political resurgence, Akala argues that the effect of the British Empire is pervasive in contemporary society, widening his own experiences to explain broader social, historical, political factors that have shaped the world we experience today.

London has recently seen a spike in knife-crime, which some of the British media blame on a certain culture, and music. Natives is an essential read in this climate, as Akala critiques this take by comparing London’s knife-crime to Glasgow, who equally suffer from stabbings, and yet is majority working-class and white, therefore it is reported differently. Akala breaks down the class component of crime, as well as race.

Akala ends the book with a contemplation of what the experience of a child born in 2018 that was born into a similar family to his. He finds the future not too positive, given current trends. The conclusive tone of the book is if you are not angry, you are not paying attention.

The definite book of body language

Review: ‘The Definitive Book of Body Language’ by Allan and Barbara Pease

Written by jamiemattinson on . Posted in Books.

I frequently find myself sat studying in a busy library, noticing body language during interactions between people around me. Often, I notice a stark difference in freshers interacting and third years interacting with one another. If you yourself find it difficult to interpret or convey what gestures communicate, Allan and Barbara Pease’s book may be ideal.

Reading the book, I realised it could help to improve relationships with those around me. Because of this, I’d recommend it to anybody who wants to improve their relationships with the people they interact with.

The book is divided into 19 chapters, 15-16 of which deal directly with specific aspects of body language. Language such as foot positioning, hand gestures, and the handling of objects like cigarettes. It codifies certain gestures like the ‘steeple’ and the ‘catapult’, and details the emotions and attitudes likely to be present in a person displaying them. You can also understand how such gestures are likely to be received and reacted to by others.

The authors discuss the subtle and sometimes not so subtle messages such gestures send in the context of evolutionary history. The book generally makes a lot of sense and can be quite satisfying to read. They also give practical applications and pieces of advice about which gestures may be more useful in certain contexts, as well as how best to respond or behave around people based on the gestures and body language they display.

Did you ever really pay much attention to which way your palm faced when you addressed people? Or how often you bring your hand near your mouth when you lie and why that is?

I was slightly disappointed by the book’s ethnocentrism and simplicity. The authors admit that aspects of body language, and its psychological messages, can vary from culture to culture. The issue is how they skim over this very nonchalantly.

They focus almost exclusively on business and dating contexts, and exclusively heterosexual ones at that. Generalisations and claims are made with little evidence out there to actually support them. I did feel when reading that I was being sold to, marketed ideas rather than objectively presented with them. I’m not sure how applicable to real life some claims made may actually be.

Nevertheless, the book covers the limited specific contexts it does cover quite well. It isn’t perfect and I would take its claims with a pinch of salt. However, the ideas and applications offered in the book do feel reasonable and useful at a basic level.

I am glad I read it despite my criticisms, and I do feel more equipped to read people’s body language better than before.

If I was going to try and sum up the message and relevance of the book in a couple of sentences it would go as follows: Your gestures and non-verbal communication say more to people than even your words a lot of the time. By becoming cognisant of how body-language portrays people’s attitudes, you can improve your communication.

Review: Fifty and Nifty at Salford Arts Theatre

Written by Ella Marsden on . Posted in Theatre.

Fifty and Nifty is a fun, fast-paced and sometimes outrageous comedy with a twist. Self-appointed matriarch of middle-aged and above self-help classes, Marjorie, terrorises a small town with her vicious tongue and small-minded opinions on growing old.

The members of the classes all have varied experiences on growing old and the play aims to validate these experiences and say you can still be nifty over fifty!

The show revolves around the lives and experiences of a variety of older people brought together Breakfast Club style in the format of a self-help group. The performance manages to balance the different stories effectively against each other, without exhausting or overwhelming any individual characters.

We are also instilled with care and concern for each character but of particular notice is the storyline which traces a gay dancer in coming out to his father, and, in turn, revealing the man he wants to marry is suspected to be his illegitimate brother. Despite the dramatic turn of events, the actors never over act and they manage to steer well clear of soap opera territory.

The beauty of this play was the comedic performances. The characters were all incredibly distinctive and individual, which was important in the aim of digressing from stereotypes of old age. The comedic timing was executed flawlessly as the jokes may have been cheesy, but they were not slapstick or over-exaggerated. The fourth wall was brought down in moments of audience interaction and I appreciated that this was not over-done.

Despite the huge size of the cast, the actors seemed united onstage. This meant the energy of the entire ensemble was electric and a feeling of well-wishing and unity was abundant. There were many small moments of discourse onstage, adding to the naturalistic performances and depth of the characters.

Guests came to the self-help group to encourage the fifty and nifty go-ers to embrace their old age and get active with varying degrees of success. Dancers, yoga teachers, and a particularly amusing OAP gymnast, added a fast pace to the performance and provided much needed light relief from some of the heavier storylines.

The topic of staying young whatever your age is quite a novel one in theatre, but this performance covered it both extensively and effectively. From scandal, to sex, to stockings, there were no stereotypes of growing old uncovered and overturned. I am sure there was not a single audience-member who left that performance with a doubt that you can be both fifty and nifty.

Photo: Luca Bolton

Musical Theatre Society get set for 2019/20

Written by Florence Love on . Posted in Societies.

The Musical Theatre Society have just completed their first round of auditions for their upcoming musical, Legally Blonde. 

UMMTS offer another programme alongside their main musical event, to give performers more opportunities to develop their skills. Their Manchester Musical Revue runs separately from their main show, and aims to give more students a chance at getting on stage in a more relaxed environment. 

The program has had a lot of success. Their recent show ‘Foolproof’ was nominated for “Best Musical Revue” by the National Operatic and Dramatic Society. They performed “The Fear”, which was also shown at the Edinburgh Fringe. 

Manchester Musical Revue is an interesting creative project. The team starts with a Director, Musical Director, and Producer. Once the rest of the cast have signed up, the team decided on a theme for the show. After that, it’s up to the cast to interpret the theme as they want, and the show gets built around the ideas of the members. It a great collaborative effort and means there is a lot of creative freedom. The music in the show is chosen around how the story develops, and can range from charts hits, classical musical theatre tunes or songs written by the cast especially for the show. 

Photo: UMMTS
Photo: UMMTS

Previously, themes have included Disney, fear, and villains. This year’s theme will be “heroes”.  A script is written around the theme and songs are picked based on what works. Often the song lyrics are changed to work with the story and characters, or for coming effect!

The project is designed to be flexible. It works for every member of the cast as shows are built around the talents and experience of the team. For those who are looking to get into musical theatre, but are perhaps not sure about their confidence on stage, or those looking to get more experience before auditioning, it can be a great way of getting started.  

No experience is necessary to get involved. Auditions for performers will be released this week, check out their Facebook page for the details.

2000trees festival

Review: 2000trees Festival 2019

Written by Eleanor Roberts on . Posted in Music.

A farm in Gloucestershire sounds, to many, like possibly one of the most boring locations imaginable. However, 2000trees Festival proved all preconceptions false in their 12th year of running, with a veritable legion of phenomenal musicians over three days. The fortune of lovely weather furthered the fun for all involved by providing a lovely setting to watch acts on any of the five different stages spread across the site.

At first glance, the spread of options of things to explore seemed overwhelming, but an understanding of the area came quickly. Even without the stages, there were stalls aplenty with festival necessities; merchandise, all kinds of food (from Italian to sushi to burgers and even breakfast), and the opposite of a small number of bars! Even the massive crowds added to the excitement – far from being intimidating, the swathes of people simply having a good time and enjoying the music only furthered the laid-back but animated atmosphere. Opportunities were also provided at allocated times to meet certain bands; signings were handled efficiently and were well-organised whilst not being rushed.

The stalls themselves functioned on a convenient cashless system; once money was paid through a website, festival-goers simply needed to present the RFID cards on their admission wristbands in order to make payments. Although, any excess amounts left on accounts needed to be retrieved after the festival at a £1 charge, the argument that this is worth it simply for the ease of payment is a strong one.

Throughout the weekend, performers remained energetic and delighted to be there, as well as encouraging an environment of acceptance and positivity. Many acts mentioned their friends as recommendations for artists to watch later and the camaraderie between everyone in attendance was commented on by several musicians, including Sean McGowan and the memorably-named itoldyouiwouldeatyou. There were even particularly emphatic instances of aggressive positivity. The likes of Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly praised the inclusive atmosphere of 2000trees whilst condemning discrimination in the wider world, whilst Josh Franceschi, lead vocalist of headliners You Me At Six, colourfully criticised the political situation at the same time as praising the crowd.

A main point of appeal for the festival is the constant stream of music to listen to, varying from the more well-known acts playing on the Main Stage to those playing The Axiom, and even the acoustic sets played during the Forest Sessions a little further towards the main campsite. The Forest even hosted performers playing other stages at other times, most notably Deaf Havana, Saturday’s headliner. Despite having a set that evening, Saturday afternoon witnessed a more casual and enjoyably chaotic acoustic performance, which had no pre-planned setlist and included a spontaneous singalong rendition of Robbie Williams’ ‘Angels’.

Standout performances occurred throughout the weekend across the site, from the headliners to some slightly lesser-known bands. As It Is particularly stood out on the Main Stage on Friday evening; their dark aesthetic contrasted stunningly with the golden sunset as they played hits from across their three albums. They pleasingly balanced harder songs, including the hardcore version of their song ‘The Question, The Answer’ from their most recent EP Anger: Reimagined, with a somewhat lighter tone. The showstopping headline act from You Me At Six was truly the only possible way to follow up. Songs echoed across the massive audience from the entire duration of the band’s career, ranging from a singalong to ‘Save It For The Bedroom’ from their debut album to tracks such as ‘Straight To My Head’ from their most recent album VI.

Another particularly memorable performance was given by Frank Iero and the Future Violents on Saturday night. With mosh pits and crowd surfing from start to finish, the set, which was played over at The Cave, was filled with energy and enjoyment throughout. Saturday’s headliners Deaf Havana were no less enthusiastic, and their music was audible from across the site.

Lesser known bands playing the Neu Stage and The Axiom appeared no less delighted to be performing, and brought their own energy and enthusiasm to their performances. The Bottom Line were a particular highlight, with upbeat songs which had even those with no knowledge of the band enthusiastically dancing along and aiding their vocalist in crowd-surfing. itoldyouiwouldeatyou brought hilarious comments to add to the enjoyable, positive atmosphere at their set.

With an enormous variety of performers and a phenomenal number of stalls to look at, there’s always something to do at 2000trees. The continuous music and constant variety across the stages throughout the day all but guarantees any music lover to find at least one act to suit their tastes across the weekend , and anyone exploring will certainly find their efforts rewarded. And, on the off chance that you can’t – there’s always the bars.

9/10

CAOS appoints first female conductor

Written by Ellie Martin on . Posted in Societies.

The Choir and Orchestra Society (CAOS) have just appointed their first ever female music director.  

Francesca Peilober-Richardson is a Master’s graduate from the University of York. She was given the position last week after the society held auditions. Peilober-Richardson was the only woman to try out for the role.

Female conductors are a rare breed amongst the classical music community. The reasons for this are as wide as the patriarchy itself stretches, but can be boiled down to the fact that composing and conducting music was traditionally reserved for men. 

We have moved on significantly from the days of all-male orchestras. This is what makes today’s statistics about the amount of female conductors all the more astonishing.

A survey in 2014 listing the top 150 conductors worldwide showed that only five were female. It’s strange that this is the case, because the ratio of men and women is fairly equal in most other areas of classical music.

Professional and student orchestras usually have a balance of male and female players, although some sections like percussion can be more male dominated. An orchestra may be one of the rare professional environments where there will be an even split of men and women, with hardly any role – or in this case instrument – being characterised as particularly male or female. 

Blind auditions are fairly common place in orchestras. Candidates play behind screens so that judges will not be influenced by their gender, race, or age. This has resulted in a fairly equal gender balance in professional musicians. 

The amount of female composers has also grown significantly in recent years. With organisations like the Alliance for Female Film Composers working to make female written music more visible (or audible) it is becoming more and more common for women to succeed in composition roles.

Why then is the imbalance amongst conductors so pronounced? It seems that women are successful in all other sectors of the music industry. Despite the amount of women being trained, the position of conductor remains illusive. 

When interviewing for this article, I was happy to find out that Peilober-Richardson had actually written her dissertation on the topic of female conductors and their presence in the music industry. 

The most interesting part of her research were the surveys she took of musicians and their attitudes towards female conductors. Peilober-Richardson asked a group of musicians to choose from a list all the female conductors they had heard of. Most well known was Marin Alsop, who made history recently by being the first women to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, 23% of participants saying they were aware of her work.

Alsop has been interviewed many times about her position as one of the first prominent female conductors. When asked why she thinks there is such a distinct lack of female conductors, she always responds that it’s a mix between society’s uneasiness at seeing women in these leadership roles, and that because there have never been any popular female conductors – so women don’t have many role models to follow in the footsteps of.

Alsop also comments on how female conductors are perceived by musicians. She points out that societies view on women has an affect of how they are seen. “If a woman makes a gesture, it is interpreted in a totally different way from a man making the same gesture.”

Peilober-Richardson made another shocking discovery during her research. When she asked the question, ‘What year do you think the first female conductor with a titled position in England was?’, she was shocked that the majority of votes were within 1900s – 1950s.

Only one person voted for the correct answer. Marin Alsop was made the principle conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 2002 – only 17 years ago, and within the lifetimes of many undergraduate students today.

Surprisingly, most members of CAOS said they had had a lot of experience with female conductors. Many of them had had female conductors at school orchestras, brass bands, or wind ensembles. A lot of them also reported having female music teachers, both at school and for private lessons.

The problem seems to arise when they advanced to university or professional level. We can see that women are popular teachers, but not popular leaders. There is no lack in the amount of women qualified and capable of conducting. However, society would prefer that women stay in caring, nurturing roles than lead a symphony.

CAOS have taken an important step forward for women in the classical music industry. Many of the female members of the society said that they were excited to have a female leader at this level, with some saying that “it was inspiring to see a women at the podium, it’s good to feel that women can be taken seriously”, and re-iterated their belief that “the more visible female conductors can become, the more society will accept them.”

Keep an eye out for CAOS’s winter concert to experience watching an orchestra with a female conductor for yourself.

In conversation: Russell Howard

Written by Camila Florencia Rusailh on . Posted in Theatre.

It’s been over a decade since Russell Howard became one of the nation’s most renowned comedians, with his TV series Good News and his stand-up shows putting a signature hopeful twist on the bleakest of news. In light of his brand new stand-up show Respite and an upcoming Manchester Arena tour date, I spoke to Russell about what Respite means to him at this point in his career.

C: What exactly are you trying to “make sense of” within Respite?

R: The main thing I’ve figured out is my obsession with the news and why it only shows us at our worst or most banal… but I also find it funny. So that’s the main thing I’m trying to figure out – why I’ve fallen out of love with humanity. I think a lot of it is the fact that you view people through social media. That isn’t us – that’s us pretending to be somebody.

C: Considering how a significant proportion of your work has involved topical comedy, engaging with news outlets, and the social media platforms where information first breaks or is discussed, what’s made you take a step back from social media?

R: The honest truth is that I have a job where I can go on stage every night and show the world my thoughts when they are finished. If I were to tweet every idea for a joke I had… [he laughs] I’m quite old in the way that I really like going to comedy clubs with a piece of paper and just trying stuff out. I want to prepare a three-course meal rather than throw sweets.

Aside from his ‘old-school’ methods, we spoke about the developments between his early career and current television work with Sky. Far from his early gigs touring student unions, he now has an epic team behind his Sky show that makes him feel “like the frontman of a band: I kind of co-write all the songs, but I feel a responsibility to make it as good as I possibly can for all the people who put this effort in.”

Photo: Russell Howard

R: In the last tour, there was quite a big bit about how 1 in 4 women aged 16-25 self-harm. It properly upset me, I just couldn’t get my head around it. So I ended up – just because I was obsessed with it – talking about it on stage and trying to understand it and make it passionate and funny.

C: Seeing as we’re on the topic of shocking statistics, I read that you’ve written material about knife crime in this show for the first time. Why now and why for Respite?

R: I met a guy called Mark Prince who runs a charity that talks to young people who are at risk of joining gangs. His son was killed as a result of knife crime, and these young men and women really respect and understand him.

He uses what they did in Glasgow (which used to be the murder capital in Europe) by looking at these young people as victims caught in a cycle of violence, rather than as offenders. A lot of the comedy in my show is about the absurd ways that government is trying to solve this violence.

There was an MP called Christopher Chope who said “maybe young people wouldn’t get stabbed if they were fitter” which is an extraordinary thing to say. This was the same week that people were losing their minds over the Game of Thrones ending because it didn’t go how they wanted it to. We’re so obsessed with our little worlds that we get angry at things sometimes that we shouldn’t; like how the dragon programme didn’t end how the dragon programme should have ended.

C: Listening to you describe what Respite means to you reminds me of one of my dad’s sayings, which roughly translates to “you’re better off laughing than crying about it”. 

R: That’s exactly what it is; laughter is fucking vital. It’s like a socially acceptable orgasm when you get that slightly-snotty deep laughter and end up revealing your true giggle. [Stand up] is one of the few places where you can zone out and everybody’s kind of in the moment, albeit listening to one mad dictator at the top… that’s why it’s called Respite, because laughter is life’s lube.

C: I’d like to take you back to being 26 years old and nominated for the Perrier prize, which you’ve previously described as being the breakthrough moment of your career. Can you still remember what your ambitions were at that point in your career, before becoming a household name?

R: The funny thing is that it’s kind of the same as it’s always been. I’m just obsessed with making the perfect hour-long comedy show. Like ‘Here and Now’ by Richard Pryor or ‘Arizona Bay’ by Bill Hicks… you just want to get that. That was my ambition then – to get the best show, and it still is.

C: Considering how transformative this last decade alone has been for you and how Respite itself is about the changes we are taking on as a society…  In your dreams, what will the next 10 years look like?

R: This beautiful mechanism called social media has allowed everyone to be directed towards what they’re angry about… it’ll be interesting to see in ten years time what’s allowed on social media and the way in which it’ll be running elections and changing lives. 

C: It’s definitely a tool for unity, but perhaps we haven’t quite figured out how to unite in the best way.

R: I think you’re completely right… We need young people to understand it, because they’re the experts in using social media to tell people how they feel. When you look at Goop, Kim Kardashian or influencers… ‘pretty’ people have figured out how to monetise vulnerability more so than ever, in order to convince teenagers to give them money. It would be great for that to get sorted out.

I really hope – forget about comedy – I really hope that, sooner or later, politicians make a real effort to connect with us. I’d love a left-wing ‘Farage’ who doesn’t give a fuck to blitz through and try to reconnect people, like back in the 2012 Olympics when there was such a togetherness.

Russel Howard will be performing at Manchester Arena on 2nd October. For a full list of upcoming shows and tickets for Respite, visit Russell’s website. 

For the chance to win free tickets, enter The Mancunion’s giveaway competition on Twitter and Facebook – winners will be announced on the 27th of September.

Review: The Day Shall Come

Written by Tom Kuson on . Posted in Film.

The director of the funniest film about terrorism returns with the second funniest film about terrorism, and the FBI’s role in creating it.

Chris Morris is known best for his television work, namely The Day Today and Brass Eye, satirising current affairs news programming in the 90s. The writing was dark and edgy – before such terms became a lame self-label – with Morris famously receiving a huge backlash for the Brass Eye episode ‘Paedogeddon!’. However, controversy for the sake of controversy was never his goal, with Morris once saying doing so is “one of the most boring things you can do”.

Jihadi terrorists were the subjects of satire in Four Lions, and those who struggled with the film object not to an assault on the moral senses, but because how well it humanises the mostly young, delusional men to a point where it’s too tragic to watch the inevitable unfold. Where Morris’ writing differs from contemporary comedy that’s written by comedians desperate to offend, is that Morris punches up against power: First, you laugh, then you get his message.

A tabloid that published a piece condemning that now-renowned episode on paedophilia preceded it with a photo of a fifteen year-old girl with a caption highlighting her “grown” figure.

The Day Shall Come, Morris’ latest, aims at the FBI’s entrapment methods used to catch terrorists. “Based on one hundred true stories”, it tells of funding terror, targeting vulnerable people, and going to ridiculous lengths to guide them through self-incrimination.

 

The narrative core revolves around agent Kendra (Anna Kendrick), eager to prove herself in a male-dominated workplace, and Moses (Marchánt Davis) — a self-proclaimed “Black Santa” who aims to overthrow the government using magic and a horse, shunning the “white tools” of firearms. A common motif of his campaign is to topple the cranes of construction sites. Living in a small farm with a handful of followers, Moses justifies his journey with conspiratorial rhetoric — conspiracies that become less ridiculous as the film progresses.

Unlike Four Lions, the terrorists in The Day Shall Come are never a threat to be feared. In fact, they are poverty stricken with, arguably, legitimate grievances.

This pained, misguided optimism is portrayed brilliantly through the performance of Marchánt Davis, and Danielle Brooks (his partner Venus) who is desperate to keep herself and their daughter safe. Conversely, the moral hand rests on agent Kendra, often in an ethically corrupt and disingenuous sense. Like religious extremism in Four Lions, the FBI makes otherwise good people do terrible things.

Unfortunately, this emphasis results in a less funny film. There is also a technical issue with pacing and writing, namely how directionless the story sometimes felt. Converse to the sketch narrative structure of Four Lions which simply followed a through-line of the terror plot, the multiple narratives and shifting motives in this film feels like a detriment — especially when lots of the humour is situational and the situation is unclear.

The Day Shall Come is intelligent and thought-provoking, and Morris pulls it off with unsurprising nuance. If lives are still ruined and the panic of terror is sustained by the FBI’s “fake” terror plots, to what extent are they really fake? This is a film that everyone should check out when it releases in October.

4/5.

ChathamHouse@flickr

The Conservative Party’s disdain for the law marks the beginning of its end

Written by George Walker on . Posted in Opinion.

Boris Johnson’s prorogation of Parliament, at a time of huge political instability, was ruled as unlawful by the UK’s Supreme Court.

Supreme Court president Lady Hale said the suspension “had the effect of frustrating or preventing the ability of Parliament to carry out its constitutional functions without reasonable justification”.

Boris Johnson responded in typical brazen form, saying he accepted it but “profoundly disagreed” with it.

This judgement has significant consequences for Boris Johnson and the UK’s constitution as a whole. The conclusion essentially sets a legal precedent. The Supreme Court may, in the future, intervene should the Executive try and prevent Parliament’s constitutional role of holding the former to account.  It also confirms that Parliament is the senior partner, and the Executive its junior.

Where does this damning indictment of Boris Johnson’s government leave the Conservative Party? Remember, this is the Conservative and Unionist Party, the representation of business interests, the monarchy, an independent judiciary, the Union, and the rule of law. It seems that the question of Brexit has driven the party into total ideological turmoil, curiously abandoning key historically British conservative principles without notice for their political project in the current, and the future.

It was only two weeks ago that Conservative business minister Kwasi Kwarteng brought into question the legitimacy of the independent judiciary. In an interview with Andrew Neil, he said people are questioning the impartiality of judges and many “are saying the judges are biased”. Although he didn’t explicitly undermine the judiciary, we all know the politics woven into this words. 

Without its historical principles the Conservative Party is a busted flush: the party has given up its legitimacy in an attempt to grapple to power. They lack any sort of radical political agenda to transform the country for the better, losing their way in the quagmires of Brexit.

Compare this to the vibrancy of their opposition. At this year’s Labour conference, a whole host of new transformative policy proposals were made. These included: a commitment to a Green New Deal and zero carbon emissions by 2030, a commitment to halve food bank use within one year of government, £60bn of investment for free loans of electric cars to ordinary people, and the abolition of private schooling.

Across the dispatch box, ideas and inspiration for a Conservative political future are bereft. Their principles abandoned, reputation tarnished, and membership ignored, they currently resemble a rabbit in the political headlights. It’s not as if they didn’t see this coming: top figures in this government have said how a prorogation of parliament would spell an end for the Conservatives.

In a leadership debate this year Chancellor Sajid Javid said proroguing Parliament would be the actions of a “dictator”, and that you “do not deliver democracy by trashing democracy”. When the Tory grandees proclaim the end of democracy on their own terms, you know they’re finished.

Let’s be clever enough to fully grasp the historical moment taking place here. Edmund Burke, the intellectual harbinger of British conservatism, once proclaimed: “Society is a partnership of the dead, the living and the unborn,”, but I doubt he foresaw the recklessness with which a certain Mr Boris Johnson would govern in order to cling onto power, at the expense of his party: past, present, and future. 

 

Boomtown

Review: Boomtown Festival Chapter 11: ‘A Radical City’

Written by owentrimming on . Posted in Music.

A Radical City indeed.

Boomtown enters a new decade, somehow surpassing the expectations gained over the last ten years. Truly a festival like no other, this is not your average trip to the “fair”. Across eleven districts there was certainty something for everyone. However, Boomtown went beyond putting on a weekend of music, with its festival ethos shifting focus towards protecting the environment.

Thursday night saw a strong start to the festival, with a superb performance from Little Dragon. Sat atop Whistlers Green, The Lighthouse stage provided the perfect venue for their unique brand of Electronica. The set was well suited to a Boomtown crowd, with more upbeat versions of songs getting the crowd moving. Improvisation gave their tracks greater depth while still recognisable as Little Dragon. Fan favourites ‘Ritual Union’ and SBTRK collab, ‘Wildfire’ went down a treat as expected.

Friday’s opening ceremony marked the official beginning to the festival. A colourful celebration of carnival culture lit up The Lion’s Den stage, projecting into the natural amphitheatre in which it was nested. The ceremony also conveyed a strong message concerning the ever-growing climate crisis. As part of their green mission, Boomtown, with partner charity Treesisters, pledged to plant a tree for every person in attendance. The sea of people at the ‘Lion’s Den’ would have made an impressive forest on their own, with the whole festival adding up to 66,000 trees!

Friday also saw the brand new Relic stage christened with a highly anticipated Shy FX set. The former headquarters of the fictional corporation, Bang Hai, has been left to ruin and has since merged with the surrounding nature. This was the place to find the biggest drum and bass names of the weekend. As the barriers came down punters charged for a chance of being at the front. Forty minutes in Shy FX’s set was going strong, however high winds were taking their toll on the exposed towers. Ripped from the stage a panel flew into the audience. Those affected seemingly shrugged it off and continued to dance, however due to safety concerns, the stage was unsurprisingly shut down.

The cancellation of Boardmasters festival made headlines the same weekend. Even with weather less severe than Cornwall, Boomtown took a battering from the elements, though the feeling throughout the festival was that clinging on in the wind and rain was preferable to a quiet weekend at home. Sets were temporarily moved from Relic, although it soon reopened to the delight of many a raver.

Those in the techno camp (rather than DnB) would find themselves at home at the Nucleus stage. At the centre of new district, AREA 404, the post-apocalyptic wasteland seemed perfect for techno on a massive scale. Highlights included huge sets from Carl Cox and Amelie Lens. However, topping them all was Four Tet, with Kieran Hebden taking the audience on a journey through electronica. Injected with a techno beat and set to an impressive light show, the whole affair was simply mesmerising. A masterful mix of tracks demonstrated why he is one of best on the scene.

By Saturday morning many festival goers had already been going hard for three nights, with the biggest one yet to come! So, who better to wake them up than General Levy at the Lion’s Den? Perhaps a set better suited to midnight rather than noon, his performance of ‘Incredible’ proved that “Jungle is massive”, no matter what the time of day.

The Lion’s Den boasts being the largest reggae stage in Europe, hosting everyone from legend, Sister Nancy, to the apparent head of the new generation of reggae, Chronixx. Saturday night saw two of the best acts back to back, with outstanding shows from Groove Armada and The Streets. With over two decades of big beat behind them Groove Armada stayed true to their name with one of the most enjoyable sets of the weekend. Hits like ‘I See You Baby’ and ‘Get Down’ never go amiss, with the crowd staying lively throughout. Finishing with ‘Superstylin’ the bar was set high… but Mike Skinner and Co were not to be outdone.

The Streets earned the title of act of the weekend. Every track felt like a classic with fans following every line. The 2002 debut Original Pirate Material featured heavily, having aged excellently. Skinner’s lyricism sums up the best and worst of British culture in a way that still stands true today. Even with success, The Streets remain connected to their audience with the mood staying casual. Antics from Skinner included champagne spraying, drinking fan’s Guinness and an obligatory crowd surf. More notably though was the waterfall cleanse. Skinner climbed into the stage side cascade to perform ‘It’s Too Late’ from above. A set full of highlights came to a close with an encore of ‘Blinded by the Lights’, followed by ‘Fit But You Know It’. Finishing on an unarguable garage classic sent the crowd flying off into the night, but you would be hard pressed to find anything to surpass their set.

Ms Lauren Hill seemed unfit to share the same stage the next night. Having gained a reputation for lateness at Glastonbury, Hill turned up a whole hour late to her headline spot. Some fans may have forgiven her due to her delivery of ‘Doo Wop (That Thing)’ and The Fugees classic, ‘Ready or Not’, during her shortened set. Still her treatment of fans felt insulting considering the quality of acts elsewhere that night.

For example, Downtown district’s Pagoda stage was host to DJ Patrick Topping that same day. Not only did Topping turn up on time, he also delivered a consistently solid Tech-house set for seven hours! Simultaneously the Town Centre was booming with beats from Hip Hop veterans Salt-N-Pepa. Is there anyone out there who would not dance to tunes ‘Shoop’ and ‘Push It’? More than anything, Lauren Hill was a lesson in exploring what the rest of the festival had to offer.

The closing ceremony felt like a sub-par climax compared to most of the weekend. However, how can a festival like Boomtown be summed up in a ten-minute show? Or even a thousand-word review for that matter? With one final message to “Leave no trace”, an outstanding five days of music came to an end. Many unfortunately did leave a trace, with tents and rubbish strewn across the South Downs site. Disappointing to see, but, with a 40% reduction in tents abandoned, the organisers must be given credit for their efforts to create a greener festival.

The excitement for Chapter 12 is already rife, and rightly so. Boomtown manages to create an immersive atmosphere unique to a festival that only seems to be getting better by the year.

9/10

Preview: Trojan Horse

Written by Jay Darcy on . Posted in Theatre.

Trojan Horse is a new play based on a local story that hit the national press. ‘Hardline’ Muslim teachers and governors were accused of plotting extremism in Birmingham schools.

The play comes from multi-award winning verbatim and documentary touring theatre company, LUNG, who make theatre with, for and about communities. It was originally developed with Leeds Playhouse.

LUNG are known for never shying away from provocative subjects. Their successful production, Chilcot, was based on the government inquiry into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq war.

For Trojan Horse, LUNG have taken real-life testimonies from those at the heart of the UK Government’s inquiry to investigate what really happened.

The piece has a small cast of five actors and runs at only 75 minutes. However, the source material is 200 hours of interviews with around 90 witnesses.

The five characters are a pupil, a schoolteacher, a governor, a headteacher, and a Birmingham city council worker. The play also critically examines the role of government and Westminster in the affair.

In a nutshell, Trojan Horse tells the story of a community torn apart by racial division, “British values,” and the culture of Prevent.

The play’s writer, Helen Monks, grew up in Birmingham and revealed one of the reasons she wanted to write this play.“There’s still a lot of fear around everything […] We thought it was history. But when we went to Birmingham, it became clear very quickly that it’s ongoing and has not been resolved. People are still incredibly divided about it.”

Trojan Horse is relevant because it’s true. As previously mentioned, it is a theatrical adaptation of a true story. Furthermore, accusations of having sympathies with Islamic terrorist organisations is an everyday reality for British Muslims. And, unsurprisingly, Islamophobia has risen drastically in recent years.

The piece has been critically acclaimed, recieving 5-star reviews from WhatsOnStage and British Theatre Guide and 4-star reviews from The Independent and The Stage.

In addition, it won both the Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award and Fringe First Award in 2018.

There are many reasons to go and see this play – from its undeniable relevance to the interesting and intriguing story it is based upon.

Trojan Horse runs at the The Studio at The Lowry from 8th until 12th October, followed by a tour around the UK until 21st November.