There are few bands as iconic as Fleetwood Mac. There are also few bands as turbulent as Fleetwood Mac. And there’s few that could produce a record as influential as 1977 LP Rumours. As one of the best-selling vinyl albums of all time, we look back at Rumours, 45 years on.
Rumours has perhaps one of the longest and most convoluted histories of any record in music history. After the departure of Peter Green and a movement away from the band’s bluesy, British roots to a Californian sound with the introduction of couple, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham, Fleetwood Mac had undergone many changes.
Nicks’ and Buckingham’s introduction provided a second wind for the band, generating hits like ‘Rhiannon’ and ‘Say You Love Me.’ However, just as they gained such success, the band was thrown into turmoil. The collapse of Nicks’ and Buckingham’s relationship, as well as John and Christine McVie’s, and Mick Fleetwood’s, threatened to destroy the band and this already tense state of affairs was made worse by the band’s growing taste for cocaine.
But from this intense environment came some of Rumours’ most iconic songs. How can we talk about Rumours without talking about ‘Dreams’? We all know it, we all saw the man on his skateboard, listening to ‘Dreams’, drinking cranberry juice. Thanks to that cranberry juice TikTok, the song enjoyed a sort of renaissance and was introduced to a new audience, though it’s one of the strongest songs on the LP either way. The song details Nicks’ and Buckingham’s break up from Nicks’ perspective with all her mysticism and magic glittering throughout the lyrics. Just the bassline is recognisable enough that everyone, everywhere, will be singing “now here you go again, you say you want your freedom” when they hear it.
The drama continues with Buckingham’s side of the story, in ‘Go Your Own Way’, another of the band’s greatest hits. Buckingham is perhaps a little harsher than Nicks’ though in his telling of the end of their relationship; where she tells him “Well, who am I to keep you down?”, he tells Nicks to “Go your own way / You can call it another lonely day.” A song filled with resentment, Buckingham’s anger comes through in his frantic guitar playing.
However, there’s ‘The Chain’, a statement of intent by the band, to not allow this chaos to break them. Despite the turmoil rocking the band, they vow “never to break the chain”, and ‘The Chain’ is a true collaborative effort, with lyrics written by Nicks, and reworked by herself and Christine McVie, the bass progression written by John McVie and Mick Fleetwood and the intro recycled from another song by Buckingham. Despite their many changes in line-up, with many more to come after Rumours, ‘The Chain’ is the band at their most unified, and it’s no wonder it’s one of their most successful songs.
Photo: Stevie Nicks performing with the rest of Fleetwood Mac @ Wikimedia Commons
Other songs like Christine McVie’s ‘Songbird’, ‘Oh Daddy’, and ‘Don’t Stop’ remain fan favourites. McVie is generally known for her pop sensibilities, penning 1980s hits like ‘Everywhere’ and ‘Little Lies’. But here she presents an emotional piano ballad with ‘Songbird’ and a promise that tomorrow “will be here better than before” on the optimistic ‘Don’t Stop.’ On ‘Don’t Stop’, the band’s determination to carry on, despite the turmoil, shines through again.
Rumours closes with my favourite from the album ‘Gold Dust Woman.’ It’s Stevie Nicks at her witchy-est, complete with hazy harpsichords and otherworldly howling by Nicks. The song looks at her experiences with love and her addiction to cocaine through her career. From when she sings “Rock on Gold Dust Woman / take your silver spoon, dig your grave” through to the supernatural outro, its confessional and ethereal from the start.
Photo: the band in its 2014 incarnation @ Wikimedia Commons
A testament to the quality of the album is that there’s not enough time to talk about each song, like Buckingham’s ‘Second Hand News’ and Nick’s ‘I Don’t Want to Know.’ Universally celebrated and praised, Rumours has even been listed by Rolling Stone as seventh in their list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album has inspired countless works from artists across music, including mega stars like Harry Styles singing live with Stevie Nicks. It’s fair to say that trading their blues sound for sun-drenched California rock clearly worked out well for the band. In the decade ruled by disco, Fleetwood Mac stood out with tales of heartbreak weaved into the hippie spirit of the era. A pillar of modern music, Rumours truly stands the test of time.
For more on Fleetwood Mac, you can check their official site here and you can listen to Rumours here:
There are so many things I’ve learnt from living and studying in Manchester for just 4 months, many of which are far less academic than to be expected at university.
First, if you live in Oak House, your sleep will be sacrificed. And so will your sanity at times. Just an hour after your cleaner (thank you Marcia) has left your kitchen it will be in a state again. The honey on the floor (spilt by your flatmate on a drunken rampage) will cling to your socks, and the cheesy-fart smells from your fridge will linger every time you open it – meaning every time someone walks in, you have to tell them that it wasn’t you, it’s the fridge. My flatmate’s mum sends her cheese in the post. Cheese, in the post. But don’t get obsessed about the kitchen and the mess – if you do, you’ll absolutely never know peace.
I’ve learnt (or am learning) to tolerate a much noisier living environment. My house at home was so quiet, especially since my sister had left for uni. I had become accustomed to a peaceful home (omitting the occasional argument), and the evening ritual of watching Gogglebox with my mum on the sofa. An easy, sheltered life.
In Manchester, when I get home to my flat, it’s usually pretty lively. The two will-they-won’t-they flatmates will be giggling in the kitchen or the corridor, the flat next door is over and occupying the kitchen, doors slamming and music blaring. I’ve got about 10 minutes to change for dodgeball which a friend dragged me into, and surprisingly, I had a good time (who knew that dodgeball boys were so good looking?).
The balancing of a work and social life is probably the hardest thing. Throughout my school life, I’d say I’ve been an overachiever. I don’t think I necessarily love doing work, I don’t think I’m very smart, but something inside me needs the discipline of work, or maybe I’m seeking the validation which a good grade can provide. At Manchester, I think I’ve had to let go of this a bit more, which has not been comfortable to say the least. Although my flatmates still take the piss at how long I spend at the library, it’s not even close to the amount of time I’d dedicated to work at A-level. I think I’ve realised how much of my self-worth is tied to academic achievement, and I’ve started to question the health of this a bit more. I’m still working on it.
I’ve learnt that (most of the time) I don’t enjoy organised fun. Don’t invite me to a crazy golfing trip – I’ll probably hate every second. Card games get boring, and karaoke is only ever enjoyable for the people singing, and painful for everyone else.
I’ve learnt so much about introversion. How around other introverts, I feel like I can be the loudest in the room. But around extroverts, I go into myself. I think whilst we know what introversion is, our understanding is quite a basic and limiting one. There is a pervasive negative association with introversion, one I find to be so damaging and so intrinsically untrue. Because there absolutely is space for introverts.
I’ve cried in front of relative strangers more than I ever have in my life. It’s been incredibly embarrassing and kind of liberating at the same time. Walking down Oxford Road crying on the phone to my mum and walking past faces I’ll probably never see again. Very weird times.
I’ve learnt that you absolutely cannot force friendships. The pressure to find your ‘forever’ group of friends at uni is real, and so damaging and unrealistic. Take your time. Everything comes together in the end. Spend time with people that make you feel like you, and don’t give in to pressure or worry about how quickly people around you are making friends. Especially during freshers, the likelihood is, the people that seem the closest probably won’t speak after a few weeks.
I’ve learnt that you need to take charge of your own life. If you are not happy in a situation, do something. No more mum telling you what to do; no one can make decisions for you anymore.
It’s a week into this second semester, and I’ve decided to change accommodations. A weird (and scary) decision considering we’re already halfway through the year, and that I actually really like my flatmates. For me though, the noise in Oak House is too much. The thin walls and doors should be illegal. Hats off to anyone who truly enjoys it, you really are super-humans.
Changing accommodations feels like such a huge thing for me. I’m going to essentially have to restart the uni process – meeting my new flatmates, settling into a new home. But it feels like the right decision (I hope), and a fresh start for semester two; putting myself first in an environment I knew wasn’t right for me. Don’t be scared to make seemingly big decisions. It’s better to try than to suffer and put up.
And so, this is how I’m going into semester two at Manchester, with, I think, a clearer idea of who I am (unashamedly) and what I want from my university life.
Good luck to everyone else in first year going into your second semester. It’s so hard at times and we tend to all pretend it’s not. But try to enjoy all the moments you can, if only to acknowledge them as learning curves.
Have you ever sat somewhere and simply just observed the people going by? Maybe you’ve even sat and became fixated on a particular person with no conscious reason why. This observational, perhaps sometimes voyeuristic, gaze is cinema in its simplest form – the camera acting as proxy for the person who simply just wants to look.
The opening act of Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut The Lost Daughter bathes the viewer in this gaze and dares us to contemplate what drives this desire to look. From the outset, the atmosphere is tense and uncomfortable as the gaze sways from innocuous to threatening to seducing and back again. Then, like signs sent from heaven, strange things begin occurring. A sudden attack from a falling pine cone, a bowl of fruit coated in mould, the hissing of a large insect and the harsh rotating beam of a lighthouse through your window. And the looks. So many looks. The stares of unwelcome, even envy.
This array of visual titbits, engrossing and yet repellent sites build to a dramatic confrontation with the past. They lead to a poignant examination of trauma and depression concerned with questions of parenthood, sexual pleasure and independence.
The film does not have a traditional plot but rather creates an atmosphere to soak in, much like the characters who spend most of their days beach side on an unnamed Greek island. The journey through a past marked with tragedy and unfulfillment begins as something in the film’s present triggers a string of traumatic memories for the protagonist Leda (Olivia Colman). Every memory is then realised with an unflinching intensity and a sense of deep repression, superbly brought to life by Jessie Buckley who plays Leda’s younger self.
As the film progresses, the knot in your stomach only clenches tighter and begins to twist like an agitated snake. There are brief moments of respite, including a passionate sexual encounter and a dance/sing along to Bon Jovi’s ‘Livin’ on A Prayer’, reminiscent of the euphoria and liberty found in a similar scene in Call Me By Your Name. Yet, inevitably, the intense stares return. Somehow the film simultaneously has the coldness and hostility of a Yorgos Lanthimos film and the insular, psychological approach of Lynne Ramsay works like We Need To Talk About Kevin. Yet this is still not enough to describe the particular space in which this film occupies.
The score is particularly noteworthy in contributing to this as its brooding but sensitive strings combined with a simple, repeated piano phrase evoke the strangely seductive yet menacing trauma that haunts the film. Moreover, its intermittent presence imbues the film with an overall sense of dread – we are either left to suffer with the often grating sounds of the natural scene or invited back down by Dickon Hinchliffe’s score. However, this is not a horror movie and the characters, whilst deeply flawed, never seem truly irredeemable. Moreover, this does not appear to have a specific agenda, since the same images that feed the viewer’s deep unease can transform into ones that are so quietly moving you may shed a tear.
The result is a film that is ambiguous in most aspects yet profound in its questions and confrontations, drawing the viewer into its singular atmosphere of dread and discomfort like a snake slowly constricting on its unassuming prey. An affect not only for arts sake but to explore the heavy weight that our patriarchal society puts on women’s shoulders and the possible repercussions of rejecting it.
Starting today and continuing over the next three weeks, further UCU strikes will take place, with staff working at 68 universities in the UK striking on the Four Fights issue. At UoM, strike action will take place on 21, 22, and 28 February, and 1 and 2 March 2022.
Due to Storm Franklin, this morning’s pickets were cancelled however staff hope to be there tomorrow morning and have encouraged students to join them on the picket lines.
Screenshot : UMUCU Twitter
Over 50,000 staff across the country are expected to take part in the strikes according to Manchester World, and the UCU has announced that more than a million students may be impacted. Those who take part will be fighting for better and fairer pay and working conditions, and are demanding a £2,500 pay increase for all staff members, an end to “pay injustice” and zero-hours contracts, and action to tackle “unmanageable workloads”.
Picket lines were set up at institutions across the city in December as part of the movement of national action on pay and working conditions. However, according to the UCU, certain conditions have not been met, and several remaining issues should be addressed:
The 20% real term pay cut over the past twelve years
Unmanageable workloads faced by current university staff
Pay inequality in universities
Over-use of insecure contracts
Indeed, despite an increase of 9% in enrolment this year, many university staff are facing difficult working conditions, including 90,000 academic and professional support staff employed on insecure contracts according to the union.
The strikes could be cancelled last minute next week if an agreement between all the parties is found.
However, it is more likely that the opposite could happen as the UCU has made universities’ bosses aware that strikes could eventually be extended. The union has explained that if universities’ bosses go ahead with their decisions to deduct 100% of the pay of those staff who take action short of a strike (ASOS), strikes would then be extended for another few days. Manchester Metropolitan University’s boss for instance has threatened to withdraw 100% of pay for their staff taking part in ASOS.
As UCU general secretary Jo Grady stated, “rogue university bosses are trying to intimidate staff from taking lawful industrial action by withholding their wages. This is a deeply unfair and unprofessional response from management which will only escalate and prolong these disputes.”
When recently asked on the strikes a UoM spokesperson said:
‘We absolutely understand how important pay and working conditions, and indeed pensions, are to colleagues and we take these views and concerns very seriously.
We also recognise the right of colleagues to take this action but continue to be extremely concerned about the impact on our whole community, particularly on our students who have suffered so much over the past 22 months.
In particular, we’d like to reassure our students that we will do everything we can to minimise any impact on their teaching, learning and wider experience and will of course keep colleagues fully informed of any developments.’
Back in 2019, we reviewed the controversial Awkward Conversations with Animals U’ve F*cked. Now, Awkward Productions is back – bigger, better, badder and madder than ever before – with a new show – how to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical ‘cats’.
Whilst we previewedAwkward conversations, the show ended up being even wackier than we anticipated, so this time, I decided to sit down with Awkward Productions’ Linus Karp, the wry writer and sassy star of Jellicle, to better prepare us (and you) for what is sure to be a shocking show.
You’re a theatre-maker, not just an actor. Is it liberating to have control over the creative process, to be with it from script to stage?
I do enjoy the creative control! But I also find it difficult to ever be finished – I can’t stop tweaking the script and adding and removing sections and jokes as I go along. The Manchester audience will definitely have a show that’s a bit different from what the people in Bristol, where the show started, saw. But I do think that just means the show is more alive and keeps getting better and better.
What exactly is Jellicle‘s relation to Cats? Is it a tribute or a parody? What made you want to use Cats as a source/text?
Both! My love for the film Cats is genuine, and I think it’s because I love it so much I can also talk about the weirdness of it without it coming across as me slagging it off. There is so much fun to be had with the terrific/terrible weirdness of the film (delete as you see appropriate). I think it’s also important to mention that you don’t have to have seen Cats to enjoy the show – I wanted it to be a comedy show in it’s own right and about half of the audiences haven’t seen the film and still seem to have a good time – though having seen it is an added Jellicle bonus.
Jellicle has received rave reviews. What’s it like seeing critics and audiences alike praise your work?
Feels about time, to be honest. But genuinely it is such a thrill – I was so nervous before opening as I was scared it’d be a show only I could enjoy, so to see others enjoy, relate and laugh is the best feeling.
How does this show compare to Awkward Conversations? Are you aiming for a similar audience?
They are both funny, but Awkward was also a tragic play whereas Jellicle is a silly comedy through and through, though I think both appeal to an open minded and often young and queer audience.
Both shows involve animals – is this purely coincidental, or do you enjoy using animals in your art? If so, why?
Haha, maybe I do have a problem! I’d like to think it’s coincidental, but I also think it’s funny how differently a character can be perceived depending on whether it’s human or animal. Awkward Conversations revealed and made fun of a lot of our relationship quirks by making one of the characters animal. And I do find it funny how the stage version of Cats is seen as such a family musical with a lot of children coming to see it, when the performers are constantly thrusting, grinding, and rubbing themselves on each other. Had they not been dressed as cats it would not be considered child friendly! I’ll definitely move away from animals for the next couple of shows though!
What’s in the pipeline for the future? You seem to have outdone yourself with Jellicle. Are you on a constant mission to outdo yourself? Do you worry that there will come a point where you can’t possibly be any more provocative?
Is that a challenge? The next show is going to be more queer and political than anything I’ve done – I don’t go into it with the intention of making it provocative, but it’s probably not a show for Daily Mail readers.
Intrigued? how to live a jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit movie musical ‘cats’ plays at The Edge on 25th and 26th February, before heading to London and Belfast for its penultimate and final shows.
After a 2 year hiatus (thanks to the pandemic and various lockdowns), Burn the Floor finally arrived at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall this Valentine’s Day. An all-singing, all-dancing affair, this tour is led by the enigmatic Strictly Come Dancing star Kevin Clifton and the ever-talented Burn the Floor dance company. Although a somewhat low budget Strictly-esque performance, it’s guaranteed to be a feel-good, entertaining evening.
The show begins with a sense of excitement, anticipation and relief, all provided by frontman Kevin Clifton in his opening monologue. As a tour that has been postponed by 2 years, Clifton is thrilled that “theatre is finally back!”, with many of the original ticket holders sitting in the audience sharing his enthusiasm.
Although it takes a while to get going, cue a GCSE-drama type skit at the beginning which will definitely leave you a bit confused, the true value of this production is in the performance. From the first number, the skill and talent of all of the dancers and musicians involved in Burn the Floor is clear. The dances are well choreographed, and the songs well performed, in some instances even rivalling Dave Arch and his wonderful orchestra (10 points if you get that reference). Kevin Clifton even sings, actually pretty well, which was a welcome surprise.
The group performances certainly rival the Strictly professionals, particularly given the stamina that they are able to maintain between each number. The paso doble, one of Clifton’s specialities, showed incredible story-telling across three numbers with huge group dances and emotional duets.
At times, the small theatre stage felt a bit crowded, making it hard to appreciate all the dancers in the group numbers. This is why the contemporary dances, with their quiet emotion, stood out. The lifts were the most incredible I have ever seen – and that’s after not only 15 years of avid Strictly watching, but also attending Kevin’s previous tour.
The song selection and tracklist that this is all performed to is predictably cheesy, and at points slightly jarring. The setlist moves incoherently from a classical track mixed with an emo-rock number, to Queen to ‘Burlesque’ and then to Lady Gaga’s infamous song ‘Shallow’ from A Star is Born. Admittedly, it suits the audience and the production, but still, it might remind you of the DJ at your Aunt’s 50th birthday party.
The production value of the show is slightly jarred by Clifton’s unscripted, somewhat rambling monologues. It is of course nice that Clifton is so thrilled to be back dancing, but he does reiterate this every (what feels like) 5 minutes. Parts of Clifton’s ramblings also return to vague references to ‘Stace’ (Clifton’s girlfriend and 2018 Strictly partner, Stacey Dooley). Admittedly it was Valentine’s Day, but this did create an accidental comedic element when at each reference, the audience would turn and try and seek her out in the crowd, like some kind of mythical creature.
The venue was also only half-full, which made the panto-esque crowd engagement fall rather flat, as they couldn’t really get an atmosphere going. We were the youngest people in attendance by at least 20 years, however, so maybe some of Clifton’s older fans didn’t feel comfortable attending a show they had bought tickets to pre-Covid.
But those who were there had a great time, at the final number people were up dancing in their seats, including women who were old enough to be our grandmas. It was a genuinely heartwarming moment, and if this was most audience members’ first return to the theatre in almost two years, it was a joyous one.
Burn the Floortours the UK until Sunday 27th February, so get your tickets quick!
On February 14, the NHS Race & Health Observatory, in partnership with the University of Manchester, the University of Sussex and the University of Sheffield, published a report witnessing evidence of ethnic inequality in the British healthcare system. The report, which has been financed by the NHS, focuses on five main areas of study: mental healthcare; maternal and neonatal care; digital access to healthcare; genetic testing and genomic medicine, with a particular emphasis on ethnic disparities within the NHS staff.
The report has published evidence that ethnic minorities (and especially Black individuals) within the NHS workforce, are suffering from racist abuse by other staff and patients. Abuses include ethnic pay gaps and difficulties in career development for BAME groups. There was also evidence to suggest that the Covid-19 pandemic has disproportionately impacted ethnic minority healthcare workers, as well as their working environment, especially concerning mental health and access to PPE.
Dr Dharmi Kapadia, a Sociology Lecturer at the University of Manchester, led the report’s research, with the aim to tackle ethnic health inequity in the NHS. Kapadia joined the university’s Sociology Department in 2017 and works for the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity (CoDE). Her main research focuses are concerned with racism, health, mental health, and older people. Before the publication of the ethnic inequality report, Kapadia has previously worked on racial inequalities, especially in the mental healthcare domain.
According to Dr Kapadia, evidence provided by the report is not surprising, and was even expected. She explains that “for people who work in this field, it was not a surprise” as we live in an “institutional and structural racist system”. For her, ethnic inequalities in the NHS are only “a small part of the big picture”, and similar evidence of racial discrimination can also be found in other areas of study such as the police, criminal justice, the political system, the educational system etc.
This report, therefore, provides strong and trustworthy evidence that there is an important ethnicity problem in the NHS that needs to be addressed by politicians. Indeed, for Dr Kapadia, making a change in institutional and structural racism requires “political and financial commitment”, and needs to be acknowledged to lead to notable improvements.
According to the report, five areas of improvement should be considered by the NHS in order to address racial inequalities in the institution. These include: enforcing guidelines on ethnic monitoring data; producing and providing better NHS statistics; investing more in interpreter services to help non-English speaking patients; working to build trust with ethnic minority groups and key VCSE organisations, and finally, investing in research to understand the impact of racism on healthcare.
Dr Kapadia also insists on the importance of educating people on the questions of ethnic discrimination and racist inequalities, to enable progress and equality in these areas. Accordingly, she suggests for students to have a look at the Centre on the Dynamics of Ethnicity’s website, on which UoM academics, in association with other university researchers, publish their research. Through the publication of short reports and research summaries, these scholars aim to make accessible the work that is being done on ethnic inequalities in health, culture, employment, and education across the country. Numerous of their publications focus on the impacts of Covid-19 on ethnic minorities, but also on racism in the police or in political spheres for instance.
By now, you’ve no doubt heard (and seen photos of) Van Gogh Alive. The sunflower selfie room is the new Snapchat flower crown: a prerequisite to being a basic, boujee bitch (like yours truly). Whilst Van Gogh Alive leaves Manchester this month, determined to rinse the pockets of impressionable Insta-zombies, the city has welcomed another art exhibit: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
Whilst Van Gogh Alive is very much an immersive experience, complete with moving projections and fake flowers, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel is much more straightforward: the room (an empty store in Trafford Palazzo) is filled with canvas prints of the Sistine Chapel. Canvases are placed to your right, left and above you, allowing you to walk through it like a decorated tunnel – or, rather, like the Sistine Chapel itself.
Photo: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
We were invited to the exhibition’s lovely little press preview ahead of its official opening, where we were greeted by the its founder, Martin Biallis, the CEO of Special Entertainment Events (SEE).
Biallis has had an electrifying career in the entertainment industry, hopping around from music to film and now art. Decades ago, he co-founded Bi-Continental Management and went on to manage and promote such talents as: Tina Turner, Liza Minnelli, Joe Cocker, Duran Duran, Barry White, Eartha Kitt, Johnny Cash, Tammy Wynette, Shirley Bassey, the Pointer Sisters, the Beijing Opera, the Bolshoi Ballet, and Nena. During his work for these personalities, he managed to garner many awards for his clients including Gold, Silver and Platinum Albums and a Grammy Award for Joe Cocker’s ‘Up Where We Belong’.
Biallis’s creative spirit moved him to start envisioning a new form of entertainment; a way to bring Hollywood’s best and brightest film and television franchises to consumers in the form of highly immersive ‘themed’ travelling tours. As a result, he launched SEE in 1997 and began working with Hollywood’s biggest studios and producers to create large global tours with mass appeal.
More recently, Biallis has expanded his highly popular immersive tour experiences to encompass the worlds of art and history in order to bring humanity’s shared cultural heritages to the greater public. These sophisticated and wonderfully put together exhibits have proven to be quite successful, drawing large crowds and media attention from major television networks, print, and the internet. Such exhibits include Frida Kahlo, King Tutankhamen, and, of course, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
I’m incredibly phased by celebrities, and one of my favourite things to do as a journalist is interview people, so chatting to the inspiring Biallis about his illustrious career was super interesting. Heck, this man has worked with Tina Turner!
Georgina and I were humoured by how much Biallis name-dropped Prince Charles. Having lived in the USA for most his life, the German-born Biallis appeared to have that (ironic) American adoration of royalty – and the mistaken belief that all Britons love the Windsors. It was quite adorable. We quickly steered the conversation back to Tina Turner.
Photo: SEE Global Entertainment .
Now, I’m getting a little carried away with all of the celebrity chatter. Biallis did talk to us about his exhibition, too.
He told us that the idea for the exhibition came about from his own experience visiting the real Sistine Chapel. Whilst the Chapel is glorious, the experience is not always great: it involves a very long queue to get in, huge crowds and a short time inside, and photography is strictly banned. A sumptuous sensation, the Sistine chapel requires time and attention to be appreciated; the huge crowds and limited time do not allow you to take it in in all its glory.
This aim of this ambitious exhibition, then, is to offer visitors the experience that they are denied at the real thing. Visitors – who will be strictly limited to avoid any kind of overcrowding – get to see a recreation of the Sistine Chapel up close, for much longer, letting their eyes and minds devour the dazzling detail of Michelangelo’s masterpiece.
Even better, for my fellow BBBs (basic, boujee bitches), photography is allowed. You can pause in front of The Creation of Adam to get the perfect shot for your Instagram. I even wore a Hand of God t-shirt to the viewing, just like I wore a Van Gogh’s sunflowers shirt to Van Gogh Alive. So, if you feel awkward about getting yourself a shot for the ‘Gram, just know that you’re not the most embarrassingly extra person to have done it!
Photo: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
The frescos are displayed as 34 reproductions on 16-foot panels. Visitors will walk through the paintings, just as they would the Sistine Chapel itself, ending with The Last Judgment, which is the only work here in Manchester not replicated at its true size (the real thing covers the altar wall of the chapel at a towering 41 feet high).
Georgina and I were amazed by the quality of the prints – and more so by how much detail there was in each fresco: you can even see the brushstrokes. We later discovered that the paintings have been brought to life using a special printing technique that emulates the look and feel of the original paintings.
Each image is accompanied by informative signage, and audio guides are available to rent for a more in-depth experience.
Photo: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
So, Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel does not offer the interactive and immersive experience of Van Gogh Alive; nor is it trying to.
Van Gogh Alive invites you into the artist’s paintings with its real-life recreation of Bedroom in Arles, projections of his most famous works (including The Starry Night) on walls all around you, and the now-iconic mirrored room filled with sunflowers. It’s an experience, if ever there was one, that transports you into the eccentric world of Van Gogh – but it does not require one to use their own consciousness.
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, though perhaps equally as impressive (in different ways), does not tell you what to think. Ostensibly, it’s much more simplistic than Van Gogh Alive, but it requires your utmost attention. It welcomes you to take in the magnificence of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, but if you aren’t willing to put yourself at the mercy of its majesty, you shan’t expect anything in return.
Photo: Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.
So, if you want to experience some of the most famous works of art ever to have existed, head to Fever to get yourself a ticket. Prices vary depending on the date and time of your visit – but standard admission prices are from £11 for adults (age 13+), £8 for concessions (senior citizens, students and NHS), and £8 for children aged 4-12, with under-4s going free.
VIP admission, which offers queue jump and a free poster, starts from £14 for adults and £11.80 for concessions.
There are also family bundles available for two adults and two children that work out from £6.90 per ticket.
Entry is by timed tickets only, to limit numbers, though there will also be some availability on the door.
The entrance is through the main doors of Trafford Palazzo, opposite Primark, and close to the tram stop in TraffordCity. Trafford Palazzo, formerly known as Barton Square, is located next to the Trafford Centre – which you can get to via a bridge. You could even do what Georgina and I did – follow an elegant viewing at Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel with a trip to Five Guys and then scoff a paper bag full of chips back to the car!
Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel will be open Wednesdays to Sundays from 10am, and last entry at 6pm. It will be at Trafford Palazzo until the 27th of March.
Between the eight hour time difference in Manchester and Los Angeles, and through the powers of Zoom, I’m speaking to new wave and punk-rock legend, Clem Burke. Perhaps known best as Blondie’s veteran drummer, Burke has played with a plethora of huge names including Eurythmics, the Ramones, and Iggy Pop, to name a few.
Clem appears to be in high spirits, raring to get back out and performing. “Yesterday I did a gig at The Troubadour!” he remarks, an air of nonchalance as he references a bar which catapulted such stars as Elton John to international fame. He goes on to namedrop a few people who took part – members of Thin Lizzy and Guns N’ Roses happened to be there too.
My eyes are drawn to a painting of Che Guevara, emblazoned against a Cuban flag, hung behind Clem. In 2019, Blondie took a trip – a sort of “cultural exchange” as Clem puts it – to Havana, playing a pair of shows to some 5000 spectators. Their experiences were documented in the 2019 film Vivir en La Habana, alongside a live EP of the same name (2021): “We gave out tickets to the locals. Being in the States, there’s always an ominous air about Cuba and a fear of communism, etc. It was great to go and actually interact with the people.” He picked up the Guevara painting at an arts fair in Havana, and enthuses about Cuba’s cultural significance and arts subsidies “which they don’t really have in the US.”
Clem is, however, here to discuss Blondie’s upcoming tour and a boxset celebrating the first phase of their immense back catalogue. Both of these projects are fittingly titled Against the Odds. Why? “Well, it’s about the success of Blondie – it’s against the odds for any kind of rock band to have that.” He notes that the title has found new meaning between the pandemic and the vinyl shortage, both of which have inflicted delays on the respective projects. “Then we’ll go right from that into a bunch of US dates and start work on a new record!”
Our palette is immense, there’s very many colours to draw from.
Blondie’s previous album, 2017’s Pollinator received a rapturous (forgive the pun) response from critics, marking a deviation in sound and tone for the band. Produced by John Congleton, it was supported by the Rage and RaptureTour, in partnership with Scottish-American rock band Garbage, with frontwoman Debbie Harry donning a bee costume for many performances.
Commenting on their upcoming album, which will again be produced by Congleton, Clem tells me: “We’ll hopefully carry on with the sound of Pollinator. All of us finally came to the realisation that it works best when we’re all in the studio together recording the basic tracks. Pollinator was a little different because we solicited songs from various songwriters and musicians, one of which was your fellow Mancunian Johnny Marr. Most of the songs this time will be coming from within the band. We’ve got loads of demos and will hopefully start recording soon.”
One such demo, the oft spoken of but unreleased ‘Paint Your Face’ from sessions for The Curse of Blondie (2003) makes its way into the conversation. Will it see the light of day any time soon? “Probably, in time, all the post-80s recordings will be collected in a box but not any time soon. Thanks for reminding me about that song, I don’t know why that never made the record. I’m going to bring that up” Clem says, hinting at the potentiality of re-recording it.
Photo: Blondie ‘Blondie’ Official Album Art
Marr will also join Blondie as the opening act for their Against the Odds tour. “I’m a fan of The Smiths, and he’s friends with the others. People are going to get two great shows.”
With a discography spanning five decades, it’s difficult for Clem to put a finger on his favourite track to play live. “It’s all like one big song to me. I like playing the songs that people are really familiar with and the ones which the UK fans connect with most.” Notably, Blondie have scored more number ones in the UK than the US, with some of their most recognisable songs ‘Sunday Girl’ and ‘Denis’ – the latter a variation on ‘Denise’, popularised by fellow New Yorkers Randy & the Rainbows – topping the UK charts but not even being released as singles in America. “I like playing the old ones but as an artist you want to expand your musical horizons and creativity which is why we still make new music.”
Our look is still definitive.
Before taking a hiatus between the mid-80s and late-90s, Blondie released two of their most experimental albums, Autoamerican (1980) and The Hunter (1982). “Ironically when we turned in Autoamerican, the record company said we don’t hear any hits and that had ‘The Tide is High’ and ‘Rapture’ on it.” Of The Hunter, Clem remarks “we were all really satisfied with that album. There’s a song called ‘English Boys’ I particularly like that could’ve been a great single. Songs like, ‘War Child’, sure I contributed all the percussion.”
However, Parallel Lines (1978) is undoubtedly the definitive Blondie album, from its iconic Roberta Bayley-shot cover art to its succession of solid hits. Widely regarded as a start-to-finish classic, the record encompasses such songs as ‘One Way or Another’, ‘Hanging on the Telephone’, ‘Picture This’, ‘Sunday Girl’, and of course, ‘Heart of Glass.’
“We were never particularly sure what the world would think of what we were doing” Clem comments. The album was recorded when Blondie returned from a huge tour in support of 1978’s Plastic Letters, having recruited guitarist Frank Infante and bassist Nigel Harrison, thus becoming a six-piece. Clem notes the influence of Kraftwerk and Donna Summer on ‘Heart of Glass’ as well as the backlash the group faced by fusing disco music with punk-rock and new wave.
Initially, a slower demo known as ‘Once I Had a Love AKA The Disco Song’, the band reworked it with the support of producer Mike Chapman, whose previous credits included Sweet and Suzi Quatro. Surprisingly, Clem didn’t take to the track at first, but now acknowledges it as being “very innovative. By the time we got to ‘Rapture’ I was well on board with switching up the medium of the music […] you’ve got to have an open mind, you can’t just be tunnel vision. Our palette is immense, there’s very many colours to draw from.”
Perhaps their signature song, ‘Heart of Glass’ has stood the test of time. Clem explains how it “floated around the charts for about 50 weeks before it got into the top 5. It had a very long life of cumulative sales to keep the record alive – I don’t think you get that now with the internet. Everything is so instant […] Luckily, we have a great foundation to build on and the internet has helped a younger audience to see what we’re all about.” He compliments Miley Cyrus’ recent rendition of the song – “she did a great job.” Commenting on Blondie’s legacy, Clem says “Our look is still definitive. I think I’ve had the same haircut my entire career. We were fashion forward at the time, especially Debbie’s style.”
Always on the lookout for new and exciting bands, Clem mentions Italian rockers Måneskin as a particular favourite: “They were just on SNL. It was refreshing to see them with a few amps, no backing tracks, no elaborate production, just more what a band’s about; their charisma, sexuality, and their whole vibe coming across as individuals not with all this other media going on […] they’re a perfect band. I like Lana Del Rey a lot, and a band in LA called Primadonna.”
He acknowledges the double-standard faced by female musicians, noting Debbie Harry’s talent for song writing as well as her inimitable stage presence. “She was so glamorous; she was like our David Bowie or Mick Jagger, but her glamour kind of overshadowed her ability as a songwriter in a lot of ways. It’s just kind of catching up with us now. That was my whole modus operandi; I wanted to be in a band with someone who had that kind of power and Debbie has a great attitude.”
We never thought being commercial was wrong we just wanted to be able to do it on our own terms
In her 2019 autobiography FACE IT, Debbie describes the audition process for drummers – an advert stating ‘FREAK ENERGY ROCK DRUMMER WANTED’ – attracting the attention of a 19-year-old Clem. He explains “Debbie, Chris, and myself were in other bands on the glam-rock circuit in New York.” They would frequent Club 82, a disco bar which did a weekly rock night. “I had a band called Sweet Revenge at the time. When they put the ad in, I already knew it was them and then I talked to them on the phone. […] I really think they liked my shoes! They were red small-platformed shoes, very glam rock. […] I brought my high school mate in, Gary Valentine, he wrote ‘Presence Dear’ and our first single ‘X-Offender’, he was basically a poet who knew a few chords but wasn’t a bass player. I knew he could do it. It really was that DIY aesthetic. We never had stylists or record company people telling us what to do. Just shared aesthetics and an audiology of how we thought music should be. The whole scene was evolving in New York – everyone was influencing one another, there was, like, a synergy that happened. But maybe we had a little more commercial look of things – we never thought being commercial was wrong we just wanted to be able to do it on our own terms similarly to Warhol with his art – he wanted to be a commercial artist, but he didn’t compromise.”
Photo: Blondie ‘Parallel Lines’ Official Album Art
Throughout his career, Clem has played drums for several musical heavyweights, notably the Ramones, Eurythmics, and Nancy Sinatra, whose family he likens to the American equivalent of British royalty. In fact, he’d been asked to join the former a handful of times. He describes the experience with some disdain: “I was asked on a Monday and they expected me to play on the Friday without ever rehearsing with them. Johnny [Ramone] just really looked at it as a job. He didn’t want to do any extra work and whenever you get a new member you need to do extra work.”
During this brief stint, he was christened Elvis Ramone, a name inspired by the “combed back” hairstyle he wore during a tour with Eurythmics in support of their debut album. “I came up with the name I didn’t want to be Clemmy Ramone. An Argentinian artist did a reproduction of a photo, Elvis Ramone.” FACE IT (2019) also includes an abundance of fan art depicting iconic images of Debbie Harry. Clem shows me one of his favourite gifts from a fan: a custom-made plush doll of him.
The most important thing is to be able to make your mistakes in public.
Whilst on the subject of gifts, it is notable that Clem gave one of his drum kits to the University of Chichester in 2008 as part of the Clem Burke Drumming Project. He will receive an honorary doctorate there later this year. The drumkit in question was recently played by BBC weather presenter Owain Wyn-Evans as part of his charity drum-a-thon for Children in Need, a project Clem was “happy to be a small part of.”
But his involvement with Chichester dates back some 15 years when Professor Marcus Smith wrote to Clem asking him to be part of his study on the physical and mental effects of drumming. “He would wire me up, take my blood levels, he would come to Blondie gigs and do it. It’s very academic. […] I’m older now, being able to do what I do, you’ve got to stay on top of your game with your mental and physical health.”
Last time Clem was in the UK, he played with tribute band Bootleg Blondie. He was watching the band play at a football recreation hall when they invited him on stage for a song. This soon developed into Clem joining the group for the rest of their tour. “We rehearsed, I curated the set, choosing older songs that we don’t necessarily play in the legitimate Blondie.”
Expecting to be playing smaller venues, Clem was delighted to join Bootleg Blondie at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in 2019. “My name was up on the marquee. It was a bit controversial with my partners in Blondie, but I think it only enhanced the whole Blondie experience. In the UK there’s a big market for tribute bands. It’s all about the music, they want to hear the songs and have a night out.”
With some unexpected time on his hands over the past two years, Clem has been working on a memoir, due out in 2023. “It’s probably going to be called ‘The Other Side of the Dream’ because I’m basically on the other side now. When you want to have a career, you have goals […] The dream basically came true for all intents and purposes. I really can’t complain about anything, I’m very fortunate.”
Clem is adamant about having no regrets, and attributes his, and Blondie’s success to hard work and determination. “I did a lot of things right. I was going to college, working a job, and playing in the band simultaneously. Not a lot of people were willing to do that. It took effort. I had to take the bus and a train, sometimes carrying gear, to get to Club 82.”
When I ask what his best piece of advice would be, he says “The most important thing is to be able to make your mistakes in public. CBGBs was like a workshop. It didn’t have to be picture perfect. It’s all about the effort.”
Blondie’s box set collection Blondie 1974-1982: Against the Odds will be released later this year.
Blondie will embark on a UK arena tour during April and May 2022, including a date at Manchester’s AO Arena on 1st May. You can buy remaining tickets here.
The fashion of the early 2000s is taking the world by pink, glittery storm. The hottest of the hot for any Paris Hilton devotee twenty years ago is a guaranteed 2022 must-have. Think rimless glasses, low waisted trousers, tracksuits, rhinestones, Uggs, micro skirts, skinny scarves, the list goes on.
The nostalgia factor undoubtedly contributed to the resurgence of these trends. We all want to take a trip down memory lane to revisit a less serious, more excessively sparkly fashion era. In general, the inclination towards colour and fun seems to be a reaction to the late 2010s preference for minimalist, ‘tasteful’ aesthetics. But the obsession with the early naughts didn’t appear all at once, the likes of baby tees and flares were the first to be adopted by the fashion forward. These safer, more subtle nods to the era of excess were later followed by full blown rhinestone mania.
We’ve yet to reach skirt-worn-over-trousers level of crazy, but one trend making a comeback is the trusty ironic graphic tee. Modelled best by female Hollywood stars such as Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Megan Fox, and naturally, Paris Hilton, these tees are the cornerstone of an off duty 00s celeb look.
Photo: Maia Penny @ The Mancunion
An audio clip of Paris Hilton proclaiming her love for 2000s fashion and listing her do’s and don’ts went viral on TikTok, spawning hundreds of 00s inspired fashion videos. One of the items she mentions is: ‘Graphic tees. T-shirts are the best way to show the world your most profound thoughts’. The irony in her answers is an example of the sassy 00s girl mentality, embodied in slogans such as ‘Don’t be Jealous’, ‘Queen of the Universe’, ‘Got Blow?’ and ‘Stop being desperate’, which was famously edited to read ‘Stop being poor’.
Although Paris used to be known as a shallow heiress, famous for her role in the reality TV show The Simple Life, she has claimed that her persona is predominantly fabricated for the camera. Her intentionally trashy, party girl image went hand in hand with the hyperbolic phrases and humorous slogans that were emblazoned across her chest in the noughties. The revival of 2000s trends, like ironic graphic tees, is aligned with the re-examination of major female tabloid figures. The internet is saturated with discussion and support for women who had been condemned by the media in the past.
The ‘Free Britney’ movement along with TikTok trends like ‘bimbofication’ prove that women are fighting back against being put into boxes and taking back the femininity they have been mocked for previously. Ironic 00s t-shirts then, with their slogans alluding to a girly, bimbo-like attitude, are a big middle finger to those who might roll their eyes at a beautifully made-up blonde. She might as well be wearing a bedazzled ‘I heart me’ t-shirt if the critics are already watching.
Photo: Maia Penny @ The Mancunion
Britney Spears’s most iconic slogan t-shirt moment was when she wore the ‘Dump him’ tee after splitting from Justin Timberlake. In an era when tabloids were everything, and the age of social media was not yet upon us, the slogan tee was a great way to make a statement. In this case, a picture really was worth a thousand words, or just two biting ones in Britney’s case.
The social media of today grants celebrities a degree of control over their own image which was not a possibility in the 00s; but a t-shirt could show the world a message quickly and easily when captured by the paparazzi. Other examples of her finest ironic t-shirt moments are ‘I am the American Dream’, ‘Move Bitch’ and ‘The bigger the better’. The satiric tone of the slogans gives a funny twist to comfortable everyday wear, and the phrases perfectly encapsulate the slightly absurd and overzealous excess of McBling fashion.
If you’re inspired by these noughties icons, the best way to find a similar t-shirt would be an online shop like Etsy, or if you’re looking for the real deal, you can find plenty of real vintage shirts on Depop and Vinted. Alternatively, you could try scouting out your local charity shops, and look out for a pair of low-waist bootleg jeans while you’re at it.
If Paris was advising you, she would probably tell you to style your graphic tee with Juicy Couture tracksuit bottoms for maximum 00s value, but she maintains that you must ‘always wear ones that are colourful, or else you’ll actually look like you’re going to the gym. Ew’. I’m not sure if our fitness-crazed society in 2022 would still agree with Paris that going to the gym is ‘Ew’, but some of her advice is certainly worth taking: ‘last, but literally never least, 2000s babes always look like they’re having fun. And if you’re not having fun, then just leave’.
While she doesn’t reinvent the wheel, Alix Page shows potential on her new EP.
19-year-old Californian singer Alix Page‘s debut EP Old News isn’t a game-changer in the Indie Pop genre but is by no means poor in quality. Her work is very Gen Z in its aesthetic, with her confessional, nostalgic lyrics that detail young love and heartbreak, interweaved with guitars and strings throughout. Fitting in well with her contemporaries but not at all times distinguishing itself from them, it’s a solid start from Page.
Old News’ strength lies in it’s two 2021 singles
‘Radiohead’, like much of the EP, details a collapsing relationship, with Page singing over subtle acoustic guitar and, later in the song, strings that add to the melancholic tone. On ‘25’, Page wonders what she’ll come to think about a former relationship at the age of 25, giving a sense of existentialism to her work that many Gen-Z listeners will find relatable. ’25’ is also much more anthemic than ‘Radiohead’, with guitars throughout, highlighting one of the EP’s stronger points, its diversity in its instrumentation. The difference in the production of these two songs, one subtle and one anthemic, shows potential in how she can use her sound.
The EP’s weakest moments are in the two other songs. The EP’s opener ‘True + Honest’ is a solid song, but is perhaps a little forgettable. The grungy guitar gives the song a slight edge, but it lacks the subtlety of ‘Radiohead’ or the anthemic nature of ‘25’, falling slightly in the middle and committing to neither. Similarly, ‘June Gloom’ suffers the same issues, again describing a collapsing relationship in a clear and relatable way, but failing to be particularly memorable. Where other songs on the EP have a memorable difference to the others, with even ‘True + Honest’ standing out with its grungy guitar, ‘June Gloom’ does not vary its sound other than through some synths that it opens with.
Final Thoughts
Ultimately, Page plants her flag in the alt-pop genre successfully, weaving her stories of heartbreak into her indie pop sensibilities. While not ground-breaking, Alix Page’s debut EP shows strong potential and space for her to move forward. The diversity in some of its sounds are perhaps its strongest point, with the two singles having much different production. The two non-singles aren’t as distinctive though and are the EP’s weaker points. However, as Old News is her first EP there is much room for Page to grow and develop her sound into something uniquely her own.
6/10.
Check out Alix Page’s website for any tour details and updates here and check out other reviews from The Mancunion here.
I’m not all that familiar with the work of the late, great Sir Noël Coward. I know he’s a darling of British theatre – a playwright, composer, director, actor, and singer all in one – but I’ve never seen any of his plays. I know a little bit about Blithe Spirit, but only because it recently starred Jennifer Saunders, and that peaked my interest. Similarly, the only reason I wanted to see Private Lives was because it stars Patricia Hodge, OBE – who most people now recognise from Miranda, in which she played the title character’s mad, marvellous mother.
I’m quite fond of fabulous older women – especially Saunders’ Absolutely Fabulous co-star, Joanna Lumley, DBE FRGS – and leap at the chance of getting to see them on stage (especially because it could be my last chance to do so). won’t only go to see them in plays and musicals but also in conversation: I’ve seen both Lumley and Dame Doan Collins DBE in conversation, and I’ve seen Toyah Wilcox in a play and in conversation (and I’m still bitter I missed her sold-out gig a few weeks back).
My love of older women, and desire to see them on stage (before they kick the bucket), extends to the concert stage: in May, I’m seeing Blondie (Debbie Harry’s band), and in June, I’m seeing Diana Ross, Dionne Warwick, and Gladys Knight!
So, when I saw that Hodge was starring in some old play about an old couple, I knew I had to go and see it. Even better – the play also stars the beloved Nigel Havers, whose production company is behind the play.
Photo: Tristram Kenton.
I knew that Private Lives, a play from the year 1930, was not going to be my cup of tea. The audience was exactly as expected: White, middle-class, and anywhere from middle-aged to fossilised. This, along with the hellish journey getting to the theatre – insane traffic and an inability to get into a restaurant thanks to football fans – had me looking forward to the curtain call before the show even started.
However, this all changed when we walked into the auditorium. The curtain was already up, revealing a set that was splendid and sumptuous: the outside of a French hotel, complete with patio doors and balconies. We were immediately transported to the destination of the play: a high-class holiday destination.
I’m a sucker for a spectacular set, especially one that takes me to the setting of the show without requiring too much thought or imagination – and after my turbulent journey getting to the theatre, my headspace was already full – with dark thoughts.
Thank gosh, I thought, as I sank down in my seat, ready to watch the show as passively as possible.
Photo: Tristram Kenton.
The play opened with Elyot (Havers) and his new wife, Sibyl (Natalie Walter), coming out of one of the apartments and onto the balcony. They’re on their honeymoon, yet they seem to be spending most of it talking about Elyot’s ex-wife, Amanda. After they go back into the apartment, Amanda (Hodge) and her new husband, Victor (Dugald Bruce-Lockhart), come out of their apartment – which is next door – and onto their balcony.
This scene mirrors the previous one: Amanda and Victor are also on their honeymoon, and they, too, seem to be spending most of it talking about Amanda’s ex-husband, Elyot. It was a wonderful introduction to the characters that masterfully established the context. We were quickly informed of what was happening, and the influx of information was given to us with brilliant British humour.
Whilst the play is from 1930, the comedy still hit. Perhaps that’s testament to how fantastically funny Coward’s sense of humour was, if not even ahead of its time. Conversely, it could be evident of how little British comedy has developed over the last century – but either way, I found myself chuckling over the two-hour runtime (albeit never bursting into laughter).
Photo: Tristram Kenton.
The show plays around with stereotypes. I was expecting reductive portrayals of women, for instance, the scorned, older ex-wife and the jealous, younger new wife. Sure, the characters had those qualities, but that’s understandable because a comedy of manners (or anti-sentimental comedy) relies on archetypes to tell its story. That said, the women were much more interesting and likeable than is often the case. Further, the male characters, too, embodied archetypes – especially Havers’ misogynistic, aged playboy laughter.
I do wonder, though, what the audience response was to the play back in the day. When Amanda called Elyot out for his hypocrisy towards their adultery, he justified it with, “Because I’m a man”. The audience let out a huge gasp, horrified and humoured. My friend, Madison, joked that back in the 1930s, there would have been no response!
The mirroring of scenes continued throughout the play, and it made for some funny moments. Whilst it allowed us to expect what was coming, the outcome was sometimes a little different to what we expected, which added to the humour. It really is a well-written script – not groundbreaking, not even the most memorable, but solid. The play knows what it wants to achieve, and it sets out to get it.
Photo: Tristram Kenton.
The second act saw the stage transformed into the inside of an opulent Parisian apartment. It oozed wealth and flamboyance.
Whilst the first act set the scene, the action really picked up in the second, gradually getting more and more dramatic – and funny. Part way through the second act, the lights went out and the curtain came down so that the crew could change the set a little. The play then reached its peak; the whole “third act” was basically just a giant argument b the four main characters, but we were also introduced to the criminally underwritten maid, Louise (Aïcha Kossoko).
The play’s unexpected but understandable ending was satisfying, poetic, and hilarious. It really was the perfect way to end a farcical comedy about a divorced couple marrying younger people and accidentally reuniting on their honeymoons!
It’s the beginning of the year, which means cold dark days and, for many of us, exams and deadlines. For me, it also means one of the best times to read short stories. They make the perfect study and screen breaks, and are ideal to read when you feel like you have no time.
Snapshots of the Apocalypse is a short story collection by Katy Wimhurst, mixing magical realism with dystopia in stories that imagine a post-apocalyptic world. This also makes them a fitting pandemic read, so long as it is alternate universes you fancy, rather than comfort reading.
Sixty percent of author royalties from Snapshots of the Apocalypse will go to charities fighting the neuroimmune illness M.E, an illness Wimhurst herself suffers from. In an interview with 3AM Magazine, Wimhurst says she only started writing fiction after she became chronically ill in her 30s, and it then became a focus for her imagination.
As a collection, the stories worked wonderfully well together, allowing the thoughtfulness of dystopian, speculative fiction or magic realism, without the overwhelming immersion a novel of the same type can create. Many of the stories are set in the future, though only a generation or so ahead. Wimhurst describes them as ‘off-kilter worlds that illuminate our own’.
The titular story ‘Snapshots of the Apocalypse’ opens the collection. It won the Tate Modern short story competition in 2009, and, in the story, the Tate has become the Tate Art and Refuge Centre, or TARC. It is an ‘ark’ for those needing shelter or food, and the protagonist reluctantly makes her way there. Though the descriptions of a London-but-not-London were captivating, some details were over-explained where the reader could be left to figure it out for themselves, such as with types of rain named after ex-Prime Ministers.
I enjoyed both ‘Haunted by Paradise’ and ‘The Colour of Dulton’ which were whimsical and funny stories, fluidly weaving magical moments in a recognisable reality. ‘Knitting to Oblivion’ was less persuasive, and toes the line of bizarre too closely, with characters frantically knitting as objects disappeared around them. ‘Ticket to Nowhere’ also felt childish in its conceptual simplicity, and, unlike in other stories, I had no desire to know more about the world depicted.
Wimhurt’s immense creativity is revealed in her ability to imagine multiple different detailed worlds. Complex worlds in ‘The Wings of Digging’, where the world is divided into those who can and cannot fly, with the former, ‘Floatas’,treated as second class citizens, and in ‘The Job Lottery’ where jobs are assigned near randomly through different challenges each year, made me want to know more about the worlds, and to have the stories continued.
Snapshots of the Apocalypse is published by Fly on the Wall. Fly on the Wall is a social enterprise company and a not for profit publisher, based in Manchester. They publish short stories, poetry and photography books on pressing issues. Fly on the Wall Press was on the regional shortlist for The British Book Awards’ Small Press of the Year 2021.
Thank you to Fly on the Wall for providing this copy of Snapshots of the Apocalypse.
Willy Russell’s Blood Brothers is back in Manchester, and I was so pleased to be able to attend the opening night. I studied the play a long time ago, so I was really excited to see it come to life on stage, and it did not disappoint.
Blood Brothers is a musical about two twin brothers separated at birth, both never knowing the truth about their relationship. The show covers themes from superstition to social class, framing the very different lives the two brothers were set to lead. Throughout the play, the Narrator (Robbie Scotcher) remains on stage, always watching, luring in the background, reminding the characters of the awful fate if the brothers ever discovered the truth. After all, the show begins with the death of two men, their bodies being covered and a mother crying, forewarning the audience from the start that something dreadful is going to happen. Throughout the whole play, the audience tensely awaits the sound of gunshots.
Photo: Blood Brothers
The play is set in Liverpool in the mid 1980s, where working-class families struggled to make ends meet, unemployment levels were high, and Thatcher’s reign was in full force. The historical context of Liverpool, and the experiences of those living on the ‘never never’, is crucial to truly understanding the life of Mrs. Johnstone – and why the lives of Mickey and Eddie differed so much. From the difference in schooling to their financial situations, the two brothers are defined by their class, which becomes the divide and motivator for their demise.
Linda, played by Carly Burns, is the childhood sweetheart to both Micky and Eddie. Her performance was sweet and beautiful due to her love for both of the brothers despite her life beginning to mirror that of Mrs. Johnstone. Micky, Eddie and Linda conveyed adolescence, coming of age, and the realities of life, as the audience watched them emotionally grow up, with changes in costumes signifying their ageing.
Photo: Blood Brothers
The cast was incredible; even with last minute changes, they brought the play to life.
The energy from both brothers, Micky played by Josh Capper in a last-minute cast change, and Eddie played by Joel Benedict, took the audience on a journey through their lives. Their comical performance of acting like children shooting guns, pulling their sweaters over their knees and burying worms, to becoming adults was very believable.
Less, however, can be said for the character of Sammy who was played by Pete Washington; swapped in last minute. His bad boy attitude is Sammy’s prime attribute, one minute stealing sweets, the next shooting an air gun. Pete Washington, despite looking quite a lot older then an 8 year-old, actually made the play much more humorous, what with seeing a grown man pretending to be a cowboy!
With the theme of superstition weaved throughout the performance, it made sense for the cast size to be 13, a notoriously unlucky number for some. The limited cast number meant many parts were doubled up; the milkman became a gynaecologist midway through!
Mrs. Johnstone, played by Niki Evans, sang about her love of dancing and falling in love with her husband, who compared her beauty to that of Marilyn Monroe. It painted a scene of adolescent love and joy. However, soon we learn that Mrs. Johnston is already on her 7th child with twins on the way. Her husband has left her for someone who looks more like Marilyn Monroe, and she is alone, struggling to provide for her children and battling debt collectors, police officers and her family.
Niki Evans’ voice was faultless; her emotion came through every note as she toyed with the emotions of the audience, willing them to sympathise with her as she gave away one of her twin sons. As the play went on, Mrs. Johnston is given a fresh start, a ‘Bright New Day’, rehoused in the countryside, her life is completely transformed. You can’t help but smile with Mrs. Johnstone as she embraces her chance of a new life.
Photo: Blood Brothers
The set, itself, perfectly showed off the two contrasting lives, one side being the council estate where the Johnstone family lived, the other a grand mansion where the Lyon’s family lived. The exterior of the homes served as a constant reminder of the divides social class can have in society. Everything about the lighting and the costumes were in parallel to the ‘Sign of the Times’, which brought the play I read as a child even more to life.
Even though there were last-minute cast changes on opening night, the cast was seamless. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire show and would love to see it all over again, as emotional as it is!
Blood Brothers plays at the Palace Theatre until 26th February before continuing its UK tour. If you can’t make it this time, don’t fret, for the musical returns to Greater Manchester from 18th until 22nd October, at the Lowry’s Lyric Theatre in Salford.
Recently, it was reported by the Telegraph that the University of Edinburgh was looking to pay students £15 an hour to become “critical readers” in order to decolonise their curriculum. This news story did not materialise out of the blue, no matter what the Facebook comments may say. It is representative of a change that is sweeping across education in its entirety, and is gaining more and more prominence with every passing year.
In order to discuss this topic and find out what the University of Manchester is doing to take an active role in the changes education is undergoing, I talked to Dr Clara Dawson, a senior lecturer in the English and American Studies Department, to discuss the decolonisation of the curriculum at Manchester and, particularly, of the literature course.
First of all, it is important to understand what the ‘decolonising of the curriculum’ actually means. Dr Dawson states that, although it is a subjective term and every individual and institution approaches it in a different way, she sees it as broken down into two general branches: 1) what we teach and 2) how we teach.
Not only, as Dr Dawson explains, must we think about what we teach in terms of syllabi, authors and the balance of curriculums, we must also think about how and under what guise we do that. This could involve, she suggests, considering ideas such as universities examining their own links to colonial history and the sole authority of the lecturer perhaps needing to be decentralised in order to motivate a more diverse conversation around education.
Having established the ‘what’, the next logical question would be ‘why’. Why do we need to decolonise the curriculum, where has this motivation come from? In fact, Dr Dawson goes on to explain, a lot of the drive has come from students themselves. There is, she says, a desire from a growing number of students to look honestly at their own and their education’s history, to reject a complicity in the present as well as analysing the past.
This desire can also be seen to be intertwined with the recent progressive movements that have pushed ideas of race, class and gender into the spotlight and out of the rugs they have been swept under. For example, as Dr Dawson elucidates on, her own work in Victorian literature has become ever more pertinent due to the re-examination of eminent Victorian figures and their links to discrimination, which has often resulted in the toppling of statues during protests. Such protests and movements have brought the past into the present and has re-examined it, linking history to issues that are still highly relevant in today’s world.
However, the decolonisation of the curriculum is not just a theory or a movement, all around the country it is being practically implemented and Dr Dawson outlines just how this can be and is achieved practically. She outlines that the practical implementation is a combination of both short and long-term goals that will shift the curriculum to a more progressive point, something she and her department are actively aiming to achieve at The University of Manchester.
Certainly, she asserts, whilst short-term solutions such as adding authors that deviate from the white male canon in order to create a more equally diverse course certainly provide a starting point, much more must be done over a longer period of time in order to fully address the issue.
Dr Dawson goes on to outline what the University of Manchester is doing in the long-term, with ideas such as possibly adding an MA in critical race theory, designing specific modules around race and empire and shaping degrees on a macroscale to promote a far more diverse experience.
The next 10-20 years will certainly be a crucial point in the decolonisation of the curriculum. As Dr Dawson states, the decolonisation movement is not going to go away until not only education, but society in general, as a product of the educational systems we all pass through, is far more aware of itself and its position in its past, present and future and how we can achieve equality in social justice in everything we do. But, although we have a long way to go, positive change certainly is happening, and there is no doubt we should all do our bit to embrace, support and champion that change for a more enlightened future generation.
The New Year inspires people to promise themselves something grand… which often ends in dropping it after the first week. “I’ll start reading”, “I’ll get back into reading”or “I’ll read every day” are common resolutions and I want to help you stay on track with them if you’ve struggled with keeping up with reading.
We’ll start with how. How do you make sure you make reading a habit and follow your reading goals?
Tip #1
Firstly, I like to decide how much time I want to spend on a specific book. It can be a week, two or more but the most important thing is to identify the number of days you are aiming for. Then take the page count and divide it by the number of days. If you are just getting into reading, 10-25 pages is a good start, and you can always adjust this method in the process.
Personally, I like to mark the ‘target’ page with a page marker so I can visibly see what I have to reach. Reaching your daily quota is very satisfying and it can inspire you to read even a tiny bit more, which lowers the number of days you aimed for and feels like an additional achievement.
Tip #2
Try having a specific time of day you read, even if it’s just for 10 minutes. In the morning, just after waking up, maybe in the afternoon, during a study break, or at night just before sleep (which helps you to fall asleep or, if the book is captivating, ruins your sleep schedule, so take this into account). Implementing reading into your routine guarantees that you’ll read at least a little bit every day and adds up to finishing the books faster than expected.
But what do I read?
Finding the right book is difficult, especially if you don’t know yet what you like, and everyone’s taste is wildly different, so here is a short list of easy-to-read, engaging books of different types:
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett
Witty and captivating, this book can make you audibly laugh. You follow an angel and a demon from the beginning of time to the end of the world, the latter of which, of course, happens in England. The writing flows well and the fascinating characters lead the story in funny and unexpected directions.
Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life by Bryan Lee O’Malley
Graphic novels can definitely help you get into reading. Beautiful illustrations, great stories, they seem to have it all. The Scott Pilgrim series are mostly known for the Edgar Wright movie, but I would argue that the comics are worth the read and include details that would have made the movie better.
Because Internet: Understanding the New Rules of Language by Gretchen McCulloch
Do you prefer non-fiction? Have you noticed how emojis and their meaning changes over time? Do your grandparents write ellipsis/dot dot dots at the end of every sentence…? This book has the answer to this and many other linguistic questions that are presented in an accessible but interesting way.
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 by Cho Nam-Joo
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1982 is written in a simple, clear style, and is so realistic, it hurts. This account of one (and every) woman’s life is a piercing look into the way women are treated in South Korea but will resonate with people of all backgrounds. Another book at just 150 pages long, it is perfect for getting back into reading.
I hope you’ve found this list helpful and added something to your to-be-read list! Best of luck in your reading journey.
Just under a year after the strange online event that was the 2021 Academy Awards, the Oscars will be returning to our screens on March 27th in traditional style. Full crowds, red carpets, and a return to its traditional home in the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles represent a tentative yet hopeful step forward in our return to cinematic normality post COVID.
What should you expect this year? It’s actually quite hard to predict. Omicron has continued to delay awards contests meaning an out and out winner has so far not surfaced. However, in preparation for the big day expect more controversial decisions, last minute mistakes and a wealth of inconsistencies and robberies. Therefore, we at The Mancunion thought we’d have a crack at predicting the results ourselves. Will we predict correctly? Who knows? Will we moan if our opinions don’t come true? Most definitely.
Best Picture
Benjy (chief film editor):Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog has emerged as the front runner for this year’s Best Picture and in all likelihood will win it. However, to me Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast has all the sentimentality and hard-hitting social commentary required to win this. Stylishly filmed in black and white Belfast may be a good bet given the Academy Awards and Golden Globes have a history of awarding Best Picture to different films.
Florrie (deputy film editor): With its recent success at the Golden Globes, winning Best Picture, and a massive 12 Oscar nominations, ThePower of The Dog seems to be the one to watch.
Michal (senior cultural editor): If there is one thing that became clear after this year’s Oscar nominations, it is the strength of The Power of the Dog. This Best Picture frontrunner managed to get an impressive number of 12 nominations, with shocking nods in production design, sound, and supporting actor for Jesse Plemons. It might seem that The Power of the Dog is set for an Oscar glory, especially with its main rivals, Belfast and Licorice Pizza, missing a crucial editing nomination. Yet, in the era of the preferential ballot, you can never be certain about the Best Picture winner.
Joe (investigations editor): This year’s Best Picture is a competitive category, but I predict that Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog will beat the rest to take home the award. The Academy seems to be giving a lot of love to Campion’s Western so it makes sense that Netflix’s prize pooch will take home top honours.
Best Director
B: Campion will sweep up.
F: Let’s have another female win, Jane Campion with ThePower of The Dog.
M: It seems like the Best Director will be an easy win for Jane Campion. One thing that seems baffling is the snub of Dune’s Denis Villeneuve, especially considering that the film is the clear frontrunner in several below-the-line categories: editing, cinematography, production design, visual effects etc.
J: Despite tough competition from Academy favourites Steven Spielberg, Kenneth Branagh, and Paul Thomas Anderson, I predict that Jane Campion will win the coveted statuette.
Best Actress
B: Nomination snubs have been the talking point in this category. Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) would’ve been a solid choice but she hasn’t made it! Whilst Nicole Kidman is favourite, I would like to see the award go to Olivia Colman for The Lost Daughter. A brilliant performance and a classic Oscar Bait film if I’ve ever seen one.
F: Seems as though everyone’s a little shocked about the missing Lady Gaga. Although her performance in House Of Gucci was certainly memorable, I am over the moon that Olivia Colman has made this category. Her performance is beautiful and heart breaking in The Lost Daughter. With moments of true discomfort and sadness, she manages to create a subtext which is hard to bear. Olivia for the win.
M: In the past few weeks, it remained clear that Best Actress seems to be between Lady Gaga (House of Gucci) and Nicole Kidman (Being the Ricardos). With Lady Gaga getting a shocking nominations snub, Golden Globe winner Nicole Kidman remains the most logical choice. However, if we have seen a few shocking decisions in this category in this season already, we can definitely see another one on the night.
J: A surprising Gaga snub has opened the category and really anyone could win it. That being said, I predict the Academy will go for a familiar favourite in Nicole Kidman but if Kristen Stewart wins for Spencer, I am done with the Oscars.
Best Actor
B: A more obvious list of nominees it’s got to be Benedict Cumberbatch in The Power of the Dog. Will Smith in KingRichard will definitely provide adequate competition whilst Denzel Washington in The Tragedy of Macbeth would be my personal, but incredibly unlikely choice. I just don’t see Cumberbatch losing this.
F: This feels like a completely new role for Cumberbatch, and I think he deserves his first win.
M: The lead actor category remains more or less open. Will Smith (King Richard) is on his way to win his first Oscar. However, the Academy’s love for The Power of the Dog means that Benedict Cumberbatch might pull off a surprise win here.
J: Another tight race between multiple stars will make for tense viewing but I think Benedict Cumberbatch will take Will Smith’s promised crown in an upset that will have Smith fans up in arms.
Best Supporting Actress
B: Another difficult category to predict. Kirsten Dunst is in with a shot for her role in (yet again) The Power of the Dog, whilst I’d like to see Ruth Negga gain recognition for her role in Passing. However, after her Golden Globe win, I have a feeling Ariana DeBose will probably win this for West Side Story.
F: I would love to see Jessie Buckley win alongside Olivia Colman. Their performances lie together, both aligning with the character so well that we are swept away by the emotive subtext of the film.
M: Supporting categories have seemed locked in for a long time, and it would be unreasonable to bet on anyone other than Ariana DeBose (West Side Story).
J: Once again a highly competitive category, it could really be anyone’s night but I’m going to go for Jessie Buckley to win for The Lost Daughter. A relative newcomer to Oscar season, Buckley’s deeply emotive performance will surely resonate with voters looking to make another star.
Best Supporting Actor
B: Kodi Smit-McPhee looks to be taking this award home for The Power of the Dog but faces stiff competition from the host of Belfast stars in the running.
F: Can we take Jared Leto out of the running? I think with the amount of recognition The Power of the Dog is getting, I can see Kodi Smit-McPhee winning best supporting actor.
M: Much like the above, best supporting actor seems like an obvious choice in Kodi Smit-McPhee (The Power of the Dog).
J: Kodi Smit-McPhee is the current frontrunner, but I think (probably incorrectly) that the Oscar will go to Troy Kotsur for CODA. A win would make him the first deaf actor to win an Oscar (his CODA co-star Marlee Matlin won gold back in ‘87) and his touching performance hopefully tugged on the Academy’s heartstrings.
Screenplay Categories
B: The Golden Globe for the Best Original Screenplay has already been won by Kenneth Branagh and I have a feeling he will sweep up the Oscar. However, he does face stiff competition in the form of Licorice Pizza and even Adam McKay’s Don’t Look Up.
F: I would love to see Drive My Car win best adapted screenplay. Hamaguchi integrates three short stories from Murakami’s Men without women collection with ease. Although it has been said that Murakami’s literature isn’t meant for cinema, Hamaguchi manages to create the meditative nature of a Murakami novel, forefronting the character’s emotional landscapes effortlessly. I hope Best Original screenplay will go to Paul Thomas Anderson.
M: The Best Adapted Screenplay category seems like another win for Jane Campion. On the other hand, Best Original Screenplay looks like an interesting two-horse race between Paul Thomas Anderson (Licorice Pizza) and Kenneth Branagh (Belfast). Both films did not do well on the nomination’s morning, missing some important nods they were supposed to get. Right now, I would say Paul Thomas Anderson is likely to win his first ever Oscar – he’ll definitely win the Writers’ Guild Award due to Belfast being ineligible there, and he might surprise at BAFTAs as well. However, it is certainly not yet over for Branagh.
J: For the Best Original Screenplay I predict that voters will award Branagh’s Belfast for its screenplay but really Paul Thomas Anderson’s Licorice Pizza could be in with a chance. However, if Don’t Look Up Wins then I will simply look down at my phone screen as I go on twitter to malign McKay’s monument to mediocrity. Best Adapted Screenplay: The idealist in me is backing CODA as it took a bog-standard story and turned it into one of the best films of the year. I’m probably wrong but a man can dream.
Best Musical Score
B: Hans Zimmer’s soundtrack for Dune was truly astonishing and is the clear winner in this category. However, whilst not a score, Billie Eilish’s No Time to Die is bound to win best song.
F: I can’t see anything other than Dune winning this category. With an epic score and incredible cinematography, I won’t be surprised if the film wins in both.
M: As mentioned above, Dune has seen a host of nominations, most notably in its sound, and score, making it the obvious choice this year.
J: Dune will easily win by the simple fact that Hans Zimmer’s music could win awards if it was one note played on repeat. A left-field choice will be Nicholas Brittell for Don’t Look Up – he’d be a worthy winner because his talent lies in being the best part of overrated films and shows (yes I am looking at you Succession).
Other Notable Categories
B: Regarding best non-English speaking film it’s got to be Drive My Car whilst I hope Dune gains recognition for its stunning visual effects.
F: As a Murakami fan (and now a Hamaguchi fan) I am ready to see the portrait of grief, loss and loneliness, that is Drive My Car, win Best International Feature.
M: One thing worth mentioning is the success of this season’s critic’s favourite, Drive My Car. Despite being a 3-hour long, international film, rather inaccessible to mainstream audiences, and despite not having any large studio funding its awards campaign, the Japanese masterpiece managed to find its way into Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay. All this on top of Best International Feature, which it is clearly winning. It is yet another important step for the Academy, which has been proving that it is becoming more aware of international cinema.
J: West Side Story could easily win costume whilst Dune will sweep every technical award. Summer of Soul will win Best Documentary and Drive My Car will triumph in the Best International Feature Category. I predict a lot of snubs for King Richard as its momentum never really gathered and seems to be playing second-fiddle to Belfast as the Academy’s forever the Bridesmaid but never the Bride film this year.
Like many others, following exam season I was itching for a break. After encountering Ryanair’s ‘Buy One, Get One Free’ sale one day, I booked some ridiculously cheap flights to Krakow. Intrigued by its growing reputation as a cheap getaway, I was also keen on seeing some of the history I had been studying last semester. So, with a friend, I boarded the 43 to Manchester Airport, touching down in snowy Krakow just a few hours later.
The snowy scenes that greeted us at Krakow Main Train Station – Simrun Nijjar
My aims for this trip were twofold: Firstly to learn about and see the history of the country. Secondly, to also enjoy the very cheap local food and drink (after all, is that not one of the main purposes of going on holiday?) My endeavours were successful, leaving me with much to recommend.
What To Do?
Krakow’s Old Town is hailed as one of the most beautiful parts of Poland. This I certainly discovered to be true. The main square of Rynek Glowny is the largest medieval town square in Europe with plenty of eateries around it and a gorgeous Basilica in the centre.
The sideroads off the main square also have an adorable medieval charm to them and are littered with a range of shops selling anything from chunky jewellery to wines. The Old Town also includes old fortresses and castles such as Wawel Castle and Florian’s Gate representing the city’s old fortifications which are all worth seeing.
St Mary’s Basilica in Rynek Glowny
Exploring the city’s more recent history, it is worth visiting the former Jewish Quarter, Kazimierz, and the area that was the former Krakow Ghetto. Seeing the small size of the Ghetto was a sobering reality and created a new level of understanding. Further meaning was added with a visit to Schindler’s Factory which recounted not just Oskar Schindler’s story, but the story of the city throughout the 1900s.
We also took a tram ride to the outskirts of Krakow to Krakow Arcade Museum which holds a collection of over 150 arcade games. Paying a flat rate of around £10 at the door meant we were free to play anything we wanted and ‘continue’ on games as many times as we wanted.
Florian’s Gate in the Old Town. By Simrun Nijjar
A short bus ride to the town of Wieliczka allowed us to take a guided tour around Wieliczka Salt Mines which was full of chandeliers, lakes, sculptures, and chapels all made of salt. The number of hours of work that had been done 135m underground was astounding, making the mine worth a visit.
On our final day in Krakow, we took a coach to the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. We decided against a guided tour as the site was well signposted and not having anyone rushing us along allowed us the time and space for reflection and mourning. The site showed the sombre realities of the Holocaust and continues to serve as a warning. However, if you do decide to visit, ensure you are going with the right intentions as there were a few visitors who were taking selfies and seemed to be there just because they had read it was a ‘must-see’.
What To Eat and Drink?
Polish cuisine is a meat eater’s dream, with wild boar, venison, goose, and duck being staples on any menu. Although limited, vegetarian options are present with alternatives such as ‘Russian’ pierogi (dumplings) usually being stuffed with vegetarian foods such as potatoes, onions, and fried mushrooms. For pescatarians, there are also plenty of fish options. Pierogi are Polish dumplings that come with savoury but also sweet stuffing which you can choose yourself. In Wieliczka, we visited a tasty family-run pierogi called ‘Djin Dobry’. Establishments like this are available everywhere, enabling you to support small Polish businesses.
For eating and drinking, we found that the former Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz was the place to be. If you want to experience some fine dining on your trip, it won’t be as expensive as you may first think. A three-course meal and bottle of wine at Michellin-starred ‘Szara Kazimierz’ totalled up to £40 a head and was certainly worth it. Another night we ate at ‘Zalewajka’, enjoying not just delicious food but a drink tasting platter of cherry, apricot, mixed berries, walnut, and wormwood vodkas.
The shopfront of Holcer. Photo: Simrun Nijjar
As you would expect, the choice of vodka drinks was immense with bars such as ‘Pijalnia Wodki i Piwa’ offering £1 craft vodka shots. There was also an abundance of craft beers with Omerta offering over 20 European beers on tap (be careful, many of them were between 6%-10% ABV) in a relaxed environment. Alchemia also offered craft beers to the sounds of German techno in a prohibition-style bar and was one of the only places we visited that did cocktails.
However, there is more to Krakow than vodka and beer. In ‘Holcer’, we tried sweet Polish mead, mulled white wine with honey and coffee with custard liqueur in a vintage environment, with the shopfront signs dating back from before World War I.
All in all, I would recommend braving the cold temperatures for a cheap break to Krakow. There’s so much to do that can suit anyone’s budget! With that in mind, it’d be hard to say no to quaint and historic views.
A study has emerged in the JAMA Surgery medical journal suggesting a dramatic 15% increase in chance of a poor outcome in females treated by a male surgeon.
The study also found a 32% greater chance of death in female patients when operated on by male surgeons when compared to their female counterparts.
The research findings are based on 1.3 million surgical patients in Ontario, Canada over a period of more than ten years. The participants all underwent a range of common operations performed by nearly three thousand surgeons.
The observations from this study are undeniably very alarming. Questions about gender biases have long been directed at the surgical vocation. The inflexibility of surgical rotations in accommodating part-time work is seen as a common barrier for women progressing to the upper echelons of the profession, with 86% of the most senior surgeons (consultants) in the UK being male.
There is clearly a large proportional over-representation of male surgeons at the senior end of the specialty. More senior surgeons will generally take on more challenging operative procedures due to their experience. With more challenging surgeries generally producing worse outcomes, it is reasonable to attribute the gender imbalance in patient outcome in part to this structural feature of the profession.
Death following surgery is a rare event. However, this does not change the significance of the study. Despite the individual risk increase equating to only one extra death for every six hundred and twenty five surgeries performed, it is still crucial that any inequities in outcome based on the gender of the patient are addressed.
Whether the revelations from this study can be explained away by differences in the structure of the profession is up for debate currently. Whatever the outcome of further scrutiny, it seems clear that more female surgeons in the profession can only be a benefit to patients.
The Manchester Women’s derby took place on Sunday amidst a busy weekend for women’s football, with title contenders Arsenal and Chelsea facing each other on Friday in a London derby. Whilst United entered Sunday’s match unbeaten in their previous 9 WSL games, they are yet to have beaten City in a derby.
City got off to a quick start, when Lauren Hemp, the 21-year-old rising star created a big chance in the 7th minute, but sent the ball flying over the bar. Although City’s attacking press was strong throughout the match, United’s defence were able to keep the scoreline at 0-0 at the halftime mark.
City continued their dominance in the second half as Jess Park received the ball at the edge of the box from Demi Stokes, but her shot cannoned off the post. Ella Toone created United’s best chance with a powerful shot that was saved by Ellie Roebuck, in her hundredth appearance for City, aged only 22.
As the game neared the 81st minute, City were finally able to claim their lead, as late substitute Caroline Weir impressively lobbed the ball over United’s goalkeeper Mary Earps and into the top corner, just 6 minutes after she entered the pitch, to choruses of ‘Sweet Caroline’ from the crowd.
What does this mean for the table?
The match has interesting implications on the table, as City climb up to 5th position, only 2 points behind United. With 8 matches left to play, this brings City back into the battle for Champions League qualification, whilst United edge away from the title contest, 6 points behind current leaders Arsenal. However, United remain ahead of City in the table, and these tight score lines demonstrate the quality gap at the top of the league closing. With the Euros coming up this summer, City’s return to form could be key to the Lionesses success, with 8 of their players named in England’s first squad selection this season.
What does this mean for the wider game? What can we take from this match in terms of the wider women’s game? The Manchester women’s derby was played in front of a home crowd of 5317, with tickets having sold out in the week prior. Such demand asks the question of why the match wasn’t hosted at the Etihad. Gareth Taylor seemed assured in the decision to remain on home ground at the Academy Stadium, where the players are most comfortable. He stated the only reason to move would be to fit the demand of fans to attend the game. This demand however, cannot be ignored – creating live, busy atmospheres at stadiums, and strengthening connections between the men and women’s teams in a club is essential to the growth of the game.
Hosting women’s matches in larger stadiums is therefore a question that has developed with the game. Many of the women’s stadiums are located outside of their major city centres, limiting the accessibility of matches by increasing travel time. This is certainly the case for United, who play in Leigh Sports Village, over an hour away from central Manchester. Manchester City women’s stadium is, however, easily accessible in its location next to the Etihad. Such proximity to the men’s stadium also works to connect the teams, creating club unification between the teams.
Limiting numbers for such a pivotal game seems like a wasted opportunity. In 2019, City hosted the opening match of the WSL at the Etihad to a crowd of 34,000. Later in the season, both Anfield and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium hosted their respective derbies. The North London derby broke the record for attendance at the WSL with a crowd of 38,262. With clubs selling tickets in blocks, the fans were concentrated together, ensuring a lively atmosphere even without filling the larger stadiums.
Whilst of course ensuring the ‘home’ advantage in front of a full, smaller stadium is attractive, we have witnessed from TV viewings, ticket demand and previous turnouts, that the demand is there. Hearing the roar of fans as Weir scored the winner leaves me with little doubt of the potential atmosphere at the Etihad were the crowd to be tripled. Eidevall, Arsenal’s new manager stated after their match that ‘there was only one thing wrong, and that was that it was played in front of an audience of 3,000 and not 30,000. That is what is wrong with today’s game’.
If, in conjunction with the London derby, the two games had been heavily publicised to both new and old fans of the women’s game, and hosted without a clash of premier league football, these matches could be hugely important in growing and inspiring the women’s game.
We therefore leave Derby weekend with a contentious title race and a quality display of football as the excitement, coverage and club allegiance in the women’s game only continues to grow.
You can read about the previous Manchester women’s derby here.
