The Student Union fashion show went ahead earlier this week, showcasing work from a number of students. Thrift Soc and Fashion Soc worked in collaboration with SU staff and charity Raise and Give to hold the event.
Student models were cast by Fashion Soc and a swap shop was organised by Thrift Soc to collect clothes for each of the looks shown. Both menswear and womenswear looks took to the runway with a mixture of outfits ranging from streetwear fits to classic looks.
Amongst our favourites was an all black outfit that worked with textures and layering to add interest. A sheer shirt was worn over a black bra, paired with straight leg suit trousers and heels for a strong look.
Photo: Thrift Soc @ University of Manchester
A red bodycon corseted dress in a playful look. This time with heeled ankle boots.
Photo: Thrift Soc @ University of Manchester
One of our personal favourite menswear looks: baggy jeans and an oversized sweater. Comfort-oreinted, this look reminds us most of student style.
Photo: Thrift Soc @ University of Manchester
Similar to the last, this outfit uses oversized pieces, showcasing a flowing black maxi coat as a statement piece.
Photo: Thrift Soc @ University of Manchester
Lastly, one of our most interesting picks from the show. A metallic wasit coat worn on its own, paired with simple bottoms and lighter coloured boots.
Photo: Thrift Soc @ University of Manchester
The range of outfits put together truly reflects the diversity of student style at the University of Manchester and made for an outstanding show. Congratulations to everyone that took part!
Students have been turned away from the Main Library on the week of their dissertation deadlines.
Due to the Bank Holiday leaving many alternate study spots closed, a large queue formed outside the library with students waiting for around 30-40 minutes for a seat.
Photo: Shikhar Talwar @ The Mancunion
Once inside the library, many students had to run around for a spot in the Main Library or Ali G to find a space to study and some took longer if they were looking for a space with accessible plug sockets.
One student we spoke to had to sit on a stool nestled in the bookcases in order to be in reach of a plug socket.
Photo: Grace Warner
Emily, a third-year student who spent an average of 48 hours a week in the Main Library completing her dissertation told The Mancunion,
“The library is a very old building and has a distinct issue with plug sockets which are essential to studying, particularly with hybrid learning formats.”
“There are enough seats in theory but you can’t stay there all day, as laptops die or you need a break. From experience, around half the spots in Blue don’t have plug sockets and Red has very few. Our study spaces should reflect the style of learning and the resources we need to do that.”
A student was refused entry because they had a meal deal in their hands. They were asked to finish the meal outside the library before being allowed in.
Photo: Shikhar Talwar @ The Mancunion
Inside the library, more queues had formed, the longest queues being outside the second-floor women’s bathroom. The first-floor bathrooms have also been closed for cleaning purposes for a couple of hours.
Students could also be seen sharing desks and having to stand up on awkward cabinets to get some space to study. Some were also sitting down next to the closest charging point, leaving them without a desk or a chair.
A third-year student with a pressing dissertation deadline told The Mancunion, “I walked around for over 10 minutes looking for somewhere to sit, but it was extremely busy and crowded. Some of my friends were left having to sit on the floor in a corridor due to not finding a seat.”
“I managed to find a spot on the ground floor but had to go all the way up to the fourth floor just to use the toilet.”
After yet another ‘no space’ incident in Ali G, I went on a mission to visit all the libraries available to UoM students. Below are the hidden gems I found across our university campus, ensuring you’ll never have to be seatless again!
Joule Library
Photo: Jordan Norris @ The Mancunion
Located in the heart of Manchester’s North campus via the Sackville Street Building, Joule Library is a little out of the way. The campus’ STEM students, who typically frequent Joule, revealed that it’s mostly empty and has an abundance of seats
Top tip: sit next to the wall where plug sockets can be found at your feet. There are also printers in the library for all your printing, scanning and copying needs.
For at-home students, Joule is super close to Piccadilly station, making it a comfortable studying spot for those who commute. In terms of food, there’s a Starbucks nearby, and other shops at the station. Leon does amazing Mexican food, and with its 10% student discount, it won’t eat too much into your bank!
You will like it if: You can tolerate STEM students… And if you like a quiet and studious space.
Drawbacks: It’s not the easiest place to find, being quite a bit out of the way. And, there are no lifts for Floor E, making it slightly inaccessible.
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 17:00
Kantorowich library
Photo: Ausrine Naujalyte @ The Mancunion
Quiet and cosy, the Kantorowich library is located in the Humanities building on Bridgeford Street. It mainly holds collections about education, environment and development. It has a nice resting area for group study, but it can only fit a couple of groups at a time.
The library has a couple of printers and some vending machines in the foyer. If you fancy a brew, there’s Arthur’s Brew – located in the Arthur Lewis Building – open until 3:30 pm.
You will like it if: You prefer mid-size libraries where most students sit next to each other, and you can always find a place to study. If having access to a water cooler is a priority for you, then the Kantorowich library is also ideal.
Drawbacks: There is a limited number of sockets, most of them being next to the windows (aka on one side of the giant tables).
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 17:00
Art and Archaeology Site Library
Photo: Jordan Norris @ The Mancunion
If you think Kantorowich library is hidden, you must not know about this site found in the Mansfield Cooper building, next to the Main Library. Although this library is quite small, I have never seen more than five people there at a time. So, you’ll definitely be able to find a computer or power socket.
There is a printer and five PCs in the library.
The closest cafes are inside the Main Library and Ali G, plus there is a Costa nearby.
You will like it if: You want to browse art books. Or if you like not following the mainstream (*cough* Main Library or Ali G). It is quiet and empty, the perfect place to get that essay done!
Drawbacks: You have to take a lift or go up the stairs to find it. The door to the library is sometimes a hassle to open too, and confused me a lot at first (though I needed a card to get in).
Opening times: Monday to Friday, 9:00 – 17:00
Samuel Alexander
Photo: Ausrine Naujalyte @ The Mancunion
This study space is located on the Lower Ground floor inside the Samuel Alexander Building, next to the now-closed Lime Cafe. The open-plan space is adorned with computer clusters, printers, vending machines, and many tonnes of tables. Bathrooms (which are always empty, compared to the ten-minute wait at the main library toilets) are also found near the entrance to the café.
The closest food vendors include Costa Coffee, Alan Gilbert café and a variety of shops on Oxford Road.
You will like it if: You like knowing that you’ll always find a free space to study. Plus, if you like modern, Ikea-ish places to study. It’s cool, crisp, and clean – the perfect study place!
Drawbacks: Like most parts of Sam Alex, it’s quite difficult to find. But, if you enter the building at its South entrance (opposite the Ellen Wilkinson building), and take the elevator/steps near the entrance, you shouldn’t have much difficulty locating the Lime Café.
If you do manage to find your way to the back of the building from the main entrance, the receptionist will point you in the right direction.
The Whitworth Art Gallery, next door to Denmark Road, is only a 5 minute walk from the main campus. It’s filled with hardwood furniture, making it a traditional 20th century study space. Choose from sofas and tables with easy access to plug sockets.
In addition, just outside there’s a charming garden where you can bask in the sun and read or study on one of the benches. The perfect spot for a study break as we enter into the summer months. Another point of interest is the beautiful Whitworth Café, which could be a delicious escape from all the studying.
You will like it if: Being able to study in fresh spring air is exciting to you. Also if you love being surrounded by art.
Drawbacks: As it’s not a library, it doesn’t have some of the services such as printers or computer clusters. Places are quite limited (however, it’s usually empty).
Disclaimer: All of these comments may not reflect reality during exam season. The Mancunion doesn’t take responsibility for not finding a space to sit during tough times.
A viral post from this year claimed that the German tax on books is much lower than the one set for period products such as pads and tampons, at 7% and 19% respectively. Therefore, a book was released which contained 15 tampons and was sold at a lower price than the packet would cost if it was sold as sanitary products.
Interestingly, I found that the original claim was true, but the law has been changed and now both items would have the same 7% tax – a win for book protests and a step in the right direction for ending period poverty.
The post inspired me to look into what other ways the book form was used for non-book purposes. Hiding objects in books is an old practice – many films use it as a way to smuggle in tools for escaping from prison or to hide valuables in a book-safe. However, while looking into this topic, I discovered “blooks” (“book-like” objects) that were exhibited at the Grolier Club in Manhattan a couple years ago.
A preservation librarian called Mindell Dubansky has been collecting “blooks” for over 20 years and this exhibition consisted of items from her vast collection. 130 “blooks” were displayed, less than a third of the entire Dubansky’s collection.
Some of the more interesting items include:
an alarm clock (of course shaped as a book) by Lava Simplex, a company that is mostly known for their lava lamps,
“blooks” filled with paper caps that explode when opened,
a small candle lantern which is surrounded by a book-like case.
But what is the purpose of blooks?
Some answers are quite simple – book lovers love books and there is a market for book merchandise. The best way to test this claim is to search for gifts for bookworms – you’ll find dozens of BuzzFeed articles, Pinterest posts and guides to finding the perfect gift for the Rory Gilmore in your life.
It’s clear that the “Tampon Book” was an item produced as a way to protest the fact that sanitary products were categorised as luxury items and luckily this categorisation was changed. Books and protests are linked concepts, as many manifestos are books or leaflets, but protesting by using the form or the concept of the book is a powerful idea.
And finally, hiding things in books (book safes or book flasks) makes a lot of sense – these objects blend in with the rest of the bookshelf and don’t require a secret location. They also make quite good gag gifts and therefore are popular with gift givers.
To many people books are objects worthy of respect and care – not everyone would use a book to replace a broken sofa leg. Owning objects that are shaped as books and using books as a way to protest suggests that we understand their power and worth.
Strange Waves is back and it’s wavier and more exciting than ever. After a pandemic induced break from the scene, the intimate festival returned to Manchester on 1st April at the 02 Ritz.
While it might seem grandiose for me to call this a ‘festival’- after all, the set-up is more like a band with support – Strange Waves V certainly had the heart of one. Delivering top act after top act for £25, the event was relatively accessible and there was a mix of students there on the night. The bonus of events like these are that pretty much everyone’s guaranteed a good time and maybe even a new listen.
Admittedly, the atmosphere was dulled by the early start time at 6pm. Bands such as Sunflower Bean seemed to sense this, telling the crowd to be more rowdy and ‘make some noise!’ was a bit of an ask at 8:30pm. Whether the sun had set or not though, we were all in for a treat as all the artists delivered on the Strange Waves and Good Vibes. Acts such as The Lounge Society, Audiobooks, Honeyglaze, Melts and Primaqueen took to the stage for a night of music, poetry and exciting performances. Unfortunately I had to leave before Dry Cleaning came on, but the post-punk band (coming to Glastonbury this year) is sure to have ended the night on a high.
In the spotlight:
W.H. LUNG perform at the 02 Ritz, Photo: @strange_waves on instagram
W. H. LUNG
W. H. LUNG, the Mancunian band that takes their name from a Chinese supermarket in the city, brought energy and dynamism to the stage. Joe Evans brought an unearthly animation to their set, dancing with an angular liquidity that seemed to owe something to Hugh Grant’s Love Actually bop. The fierce eye contact was hard to avoid, and at several points Evans disappeared beneath the crowd line, breaking into the audience to unleash a fever of movement. It’s hard not to fixate on the frontman here, but all of the band excelled, the tracks being particularly elevated by Hannah Pearce on synth and vocals. All of the bands this night seemed to relish performance in a way that spoke to the lack of gigs and live audiences over the last few years. W. H. LUNG is a reminder of the new life that live performance breathes into music, and the crowd felt the same, yo-yoing in time to the beats. Recent releases like ‘Somebody like’ ignited the crowd. Fusing melancholy with electronic beats, here the synth became an almost eerie swoon of pain. Evans’ strange and compelling dancing brought a new light to this meeting of melodrama and precise ‘proto-house’ sounds.
Julia Cumming performs, Photo: @sunflowerbean on instagram
Sunflower Bean
Sunflower Bean have a handle on that 100% USA soft-rock that translates so well over here in the UK. Their sounds are irresistibly catchy, caught somewhere between Camera Obscura and The Cardigans, songs like their cover of Neil Young’s ‘Harvest Moon’ making them sound like Obscura’s American cousin. With their first album since 2018, Headful of Sugar, being released on May 6th, the band were clearly invigorated by both the audience, and their new material. They obviously relished the performance which – a few technical issues aside including a guitar string snapping! – was smooth and lively. ‘I don’t have control sometimes’ is a confident and punchy new single, coming in at just 2.32 mins and immediately becoming an earworm. Again, the early start time seemed to make for a more relaxed crowd than Julia Cumming, frontwoman, was prepared for; she handled it well though, and Sunflower Bean gave the set their all. With their new album coming soon, the band are hitting the ground running in the UK with these first-rate singles and the endless energy of their performance.
It’s one of the greatest (is it?) love stories (is it?) of all time… Let’s reword that…
An epic story of love, revenge, and redemption, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights follows Heathcliff, who is rescued from the Liverpool docks as a child, adopted by the Earnshaws, and taken to live at Wuthering Heights. He finds a kindred spirit in Catherine Earnshaw, and a fierce love ignites. When forced apart, a brutal chain of events is unleashed.
The story has been told time and time again – even through song (heck, Kate Bush’s debut single is arguably better than the novel itself) – but Wise Children promise something different. Shot through with music, dance, passion and hope, Emma Rice transforms Emily Brontë’s masterpiece into a powerful and uniquely theatrical experience.
Wise Children is an inventive and innovative theatre company lead by the aforementioned Emma Rice. Rice is, weirdly, a controversial figure in the theatre industry – largely due to her audacious innovation (and daring lighting).
The company’s past productions are Bagdad Cafe, Romantics Anonymous, Malory Towers, and Wise Children (the basis for the company’s name). I caught their adaptation of Angela Carter’s Wise Children at HOME back in 2019 – and though I did not review it, I wish I had done, for it offered so, so, so, so, soo much to discuss (and deconstruct).
I wouldn’t call myself a fan of Wuthering Heights, but I do find the story to be particularly interesting (to say the least). I’m also fascinated with the Brontë sisters, who lived not too far from me, and I absolutely adore Kate Bush and her musical retelling of the story. I was not too fond of the Royal Exchange Theatre’s adaptation of Wuthering Heights a few years back (nor was the writer who reviewed it, but another writer loved it). However, I adored Wise Children’s Wise Children (confusing, I know), so I’ve got relatively high expectations for the company’s latest offering.
Lucy McCormick and Liam Tamne lead the company of performers and musicians in this intoxicating revenge tragedy for our time. I’m particularly excited about seeing Tamne onstage again, after seeing him as Ramses (one of the co-leads) in The Prince of Egypt last year. He is also known for his appearances on Eurovision: You Decide and The Voice.
Wuthering Heights plays at the Lowry (Lyric Theatre) from 3rd until 7th May, before continuing its UK tour until the end of May – though Wise Children’s website says that more dates are to be announced soon, so stay tuned!
Since winning the third series of Britain’s Got Talent in 2009, dazzling dance troupe Diversity have so far sold out nine UK and Irish tours and sold over 600,000 tickets. Their last tour, Born Ready, was critically acclaimed and saw all of its 48 shows sell out.
Their current tour, Connected, is set to be even bigger and better. As they promised their fans on the Born Ready tour, they will continue the legacy of Diversity and never let anyone tell them they cannot achieve something. To take them into the new decade of Diversity, leader and choreographer Ashley has created and directed a new show, which centres around the world of social media, the internet, and the digital era we now live in – but more importantly, how this connects us all.
Diversity have never shied away from social commentary. They received new notoriety when they performed a tribute to Black Lives Matter on Britain’s Got Talent – which received a staggering 24,500 complaints from pitiful Pritt sticks (dismissed by Ofcom, of course). Ballsy judge Alesha Dixon memorably wore a massive BLM necklace the following week. It was a pop culture moment, if ever there was one. Diversity will surely bring the same badass energy to this tour, what with it tackling social and cultural issues.
Apart from their incredible live shows, Diversity are undoubtedly certified TV superstars. Banjo returned as a judge on Dancing on Ice earlier this year. He is also host and creative in the BAFTA-nominated The Real Full Monty and International Emmy Award, Broadcast Award, and Royal Television Society award-winning The Real Full Monty: Ladies Night, with both shows raising awareness of Prostate and Breast Cancer, respectively. Ashley was also behind two hit series of Flirty Dancing and appeared as a guest judge in place of Simon Cowell on Britain’s Got Talent last year. Last summer, Ashley hosted brand-new Saturday night show The Void.
Fellow Diversity member, and Ashley’s brother, Jordan Banjo hosted two series of BBC 1’s primetime and BAFTA-nominated show The Greatest Dancer. Jordan is also radio royalty – presenting Kiss Breakfast every weekday with fellow Diversity member Perri Kiely.
Diversity bring Connected to Manchester Opera House from 5th until 7th May (with a matinee on the last day,), before continuing their UK tour until June.
