Every November since 2003, millions have attempted to grow their moustaches for a great cause. Movember has helped to fund over 1300 men’s health programmes across the world. Their core aims are to support the 10.8 million men facing life with prostate cancer and to help the millions who are diagnosed with testicular cancer, the most common cancer in the world amongst young men. Alongside these initiatives, Movember encourages conversations surrounding men’s mental health and suicide prevention. With young men accounting for 69% of all suicide, the slogan speaks for itself; “Men are dying too young. We can’t afford to stay silent.”
The signature fundraising method for Movember consists of men growing out their moustaches, successfully or unsuccessfully, to raise money and more importantly, awareness. University of Manchester University AU teams have been getting involved for many years now. UoM Rugby came top of the fundraising totals in 2021, smashing their initial target of £2.5K and raising a total of £4K for the charity. Their fundraising methods included the ‘2K a Day’ challenge – where they would run 2K every day for the month of November – bucket collections in the SU and of course, the notorious moustaches.
I spoke to UoM Rugby Chairman, Patrick Dargan, about the club’s plans for this year and what the Movember charity meant to UoM Rugby. “In the rugby community, there is a massive stigma around men’s mental health and UoM Rugby tries really hard to focus on providing a brilliant support system to all the boys,” Dargan said.
Members of the team have undergone mental health training with the University so that they can provide support to anyone in the club. “The UoM Rugby support system is brilliant,” Patrick stated, explaining “most importantly it is a topic that is taken very seriously.”
Regarding the fundraising plans for this year, Patrick said the club is aiming for a target amount of £5K. With a larger number of players taking part in the 2022 campaign, it is extremely likely we will see rugby exceed their target once again. You can track their moustache progress on social media at @uomrugbyunion.
There are multiple exciting fundraisers around campus that students can get involved with this Movember. If you wish to donate to this worthy cause in any way possible, visit the Movember website.
The list of events are as follows:
Saturday November 20 – UoM Movember team x UoM Esports Society
The UoM Esports society are preparing a live gaming broadcast filled with activities. All donations to the live stream on twitch.tv/uomesports will go to Movember.
Thursday November 24 – UoM Medics Sports
The University of Manchester Medical School and its numerous sports teams, including rugby and football, are coming together to raise money for the cause.
Friday November 25 – UoM Movember Team Talent Contest
A ‘Talent Competition’ hosted by the Movember fundraising team will allow the UoM student body to showcase any special and hidden talents in music, stand-up or even moustaches! Donations and proceeds from the event will go to the University of Manchester Movember fund.
If you would like any extra information on fundraisers, follow @uomraiseandgive and @movember_uom on social media.
You can also email [email protected] if you or your team wish to sign up!
Escape to Freight Island’s Sunday Roast dinner is brought to us by the team at Carnival. With top quality meats and all the trimmings, it’s definitely worth coming down and having a nibble.
Before our starters, we tried the sourdough with cauliflower butter snack, which believe it or not did taste like cauliflower. It was warm and autumnal and felt like you dipped a piece of bread in soup.
To start we had the duck leg and the cheddar churros. The cheddar churros were different from any starter (or churro for that matter) that I’ve ever had before. However, as far as churros go, I’d say these were more like deep-fried cheese batons. A level up from mozzarella sticks, if you will.
Whilst the cheddar churros were crispy and cheesy and the pickle dip was lovely, the duck leg outshone them both. The duck leg, plainly put, was delicious. It fell off the fork and melted in your mouth. The red cabbage ketchup which accompanied the duck was unreal. Overall there was so much flavour, it was a strong start from Freight Island and potential the star of the show.
Photo: Hannah Wellock @ The Mancunion
For mains, we had to go with the classics, a cheese and onion pie for the veggies amongst us and roasted porchetta stuffed with peach, sage, and pancetta, both with all the trimmings and cauliflower cheese on the side – a Sunday roast must!
The porchetta was very well balanced with a caramelised, sweet, crunchy exterior and a chewy and fatty meat interior. The sweetness from the peaches in the stuffing was a great match for the sweetness on the outside of the meat which was completed with an accompaniment of apple sauce.
As for the pie, the cheese and onion had amazing flavours, it was incredibly creamy and rich, but did have a little bit of a soggy bottom – not that that mattered as the pastry melted in your mouth.
On to the trimmings! Right off the back, the Yorkshire puddings dominated the plate (quite rightly so): it was nearly as big as my head! What more could you want?
They went heavy on the veg with arguably too many greens and perfectly cooked carrots – you know the type, a good texture, a nice flavour, and soft but crunchy. They hit the nail on the head with the roasties nail on the head. They were the perfect combination of crispy and fluffy. My only complaint was that the gravy wasn’t quite thick enough…
Photo: Hannah Wellock @ The Mancunion
Cauliflower cheese is up next. It was good, but not the best cauli cheese I’ve ever had. The white sauce sat in the happy medium, not too thin and not too thick. We were told at the beginning of lunch that they were behind on prep so that might explain the lack of caramelised onions and herb crunch as described on the menu.
To be honest, we didn’t necessarily need it as the portions were massive and the meal was cheesy enough what with the cheese churros AND the cheese and onion pie.
I’m the kind of person who looks at the desserts first when deciding what to order – I have a huge sweet tooth. So it was only right that I tried what Freight Island had to offer.
The sticky toffee pudding – a post-roast classic – looked and tasted amazing, it was crispy and gooey with lots of flavour and a massive portion, definitely shareable. The other, somewhat unusual, dessert they have to offer is grilled English strawberries, elderflower and honey mascarpone.
Photo: Hannah Wellock @ The Mancunion
Overall, Freight Island pulled it out of the bag with their Sunday Roast. It’s surely up there with the contenders for the top spot as one of Manchester’s best roasts.
Sunday Roasts are served at Escape to Freight Island every Sunday 12-8pm.
It’s not often that you enter a gig with a medieval cowl, a designated AI manufactured identity and a genuine sense of fear for the nights’ events.The Order is a conceptual show created by South London alternative band HMLTD.
The premise is as follows:“Influenced by The Stanford Prison Experiment, ‘The Wave’, and Adorno’s The Authoritarian Personality, a mini totalitarian state will be created inside Heaven. HMLTD will preside over a cult of personality, issuing commands to the audience, according to a predetermined class division.”
The Order is an experiment of what happens when you manufacture a class system and tell people that they have systematic privileges and powers over others. Respectfully of course – HMLTD stressed beforehand that everyone would be made to feel safe and only had to participate as much as they were comfortable doing so.
HMLTD have always been a heavily political band, aligning themselves with left leaning social positions, so I was intrigued by this show. How would this avant-garde band use the concept of a hypothetical fascist microcosmic state to comment on the irrationality of class systems?
Photo: HMLTD at Heaven – Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
“Are you a subject or an authority?” a voice asked me in the queue for Heaven, London’s LGBT+ super-club/venue. I was a designated member of the “authority”, determined by the ticket I had bought prior to the event. I had no idea what this meant going into it, except that the tickets were priced slightly higher and came with a free piece of exclusive merch.
From then on, me and my authority gig companion were partially segregated from the subjects; queuing in separate places, handed different informative leaflets displaying our roles as members of our respective classes and given our merch. This turned out to be hoods, with the words “HMLTD The order” displayed on them. The leaflets contained a QR code to create an artificial intelligence identity card.
We were told to upload a photo to get our new identities. This would be our character for the night. I became Thu Hamrick, a Lemurian Timelord, born in 2086 in the Musk commemorative space station on Mars. I was to remain in character and to keep my ID card on me at all times. It was an unorthodox experience to say the least- and this was only the queue to get into the event!
Photo: Molly in the cowl – Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
The role of the authority was to abide the rules of The Machine, the on-stage panopticon style Big Brother at the top of The Order’s hierarchy. This would bark out orders and we were told to obey them and ensure that the subjects did too. The subjects were taking orders from us, and we were taking orders from the machine.
Other members of the order included secret police, who could order us to show our identification cards at any point, and the class agitators, radicals who were attempting to undermine The Order. The authority were told to co-operate with the secret police: we were to report anyone we suspected to be a class agitator and to prevent the subjects from overthrowing The Order. In return, we were offered privileges, including access to an “authority only” bar during the entirety of the show.
Photo: Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
Once inside, the venue appeared relatively normal. There was a clear division between the cowl-wearing and the non-adorned but only in a similar way to the division between different ticket tiers at a festival. Members of the secret police soon approached us and showed a picture of a man, known as Tarzan, who we were to report on if we sighted him in the crowd, but they soon retreated and we were left alone, the atmosphere returning to normality.
Kirin J Callinan, known here under the pseudonym Anaemic Adonis, entered the stage in a green cropped tank top, a matching green plaid kilt and a thin John Waters style moustache. His brand of queer 80s inspired electro-pop felt very fitting for a night of queer subversion on the rigidity of totalitarianism. His trademark flamboyancy took stage and you quickly forgot that the concert was anything more than a normal show. His performance could have been a headline one – I was amazed by the energy he gave to this supporting set. The one shame was that everything was done through backing tracks, with the exception of his own guitar. I would have loved to see a live band accompanying him.
Photo: Kirin J Callinan – Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
During this set, Kirin unexpectedly brought out gothic theatre performer Genie Genie for what HMLTD called on their Instagram stories “Weimar Cabaret”- an art form centred around sex, politics, and darkly comic hedonism. This consisted of some spoken word, dramatic movements and screaming that resembled something out of the Theatre of Cruelty. It was utterly bizarre and felt so out of place with the rest of Callinan’s set. But honestly, it was interesting to experience such a unique style of performance and it added to the sense of unease and the unpredictability of the evening.
Next on the bill was Walt Disco, a queer-fronted new romantic, alternative band. Lead singer Jocelyn Si held so much instant charisma and felt so effortlessly glam rock.
Photo: Walt Disco – Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
Walt Disco shot to success over their 2022 debut album Unlearning but they’ve been steadily releasing music since 2018. You can immediately tell that while their breakthrough success is new, they as a band are not. They seem so self-assured and have all the breezy looseness of a band wholly comfortable in each other’s company.
Jocelyn is an unpredictable force of nature, and they know how to please a crowd, prancing across the stage, flirting with the audience and occasionally even death dropping – their stage presence really is incredible. My favourite from their album was the whimsical ‘How Cool Are You’, but its overlay of weird and chaotic circus sounds was more suited to the studio session than a live setting and I was left feeling slightly disappointed. Their performance of ‘Selfish Lover’ was the best of their set. It’s an anthemic ode to “sh*t sex” (Jocelyn’s words) and Walt Disco truly gave their all to it. Their performance was outstanding and made me wish that I had experienced them play a headline tour.
Up to this point, the concert felt like a normal live show- alternative but conventional in its approach. I knew, however, that this was where that changed.
The Machine began ordering the audience to take their places. ‘Big Brother’ was a high pitched vocaloid accompanied by a picture of moving eye. HMLTD began appearing on stage, one by one emerging by their instruments, all except for frontman Henry Spychalski. Behind them, rapid fire images of seemingly randomised pop culture iconography and prominent propaganda images began to circulate; images of the Soviet Union, Rosie the Riveter, TikTok, Donald Trump etc.
A hooded man appeared on stage, dressed in the same cowls that we, the authority, were wearing. He and the band began reciting the Pink Floyd classic ‘In The Flesh?’. The lyrics “Tell me, is something eluding you, sunshine? / Is this not what you expected to see?” rang true as it became clear that it was not in fact Spychalski in front of us, but Callinan.
‘In The Flesh?’, the opener to Pink Floyd’s conceptual album, The Wall, sees the character of Pink imagining himself as a fascist dictator overseeing and performing to an obeying audience. Thematically it fitted: HMLTD were introducing their own conceptual show with their characters of fascist dictators overseeing their ‘citizens’ at Heaven.
Spychalski jumped on stage, dressed in a leather-bondage military outfit that matched the rest of the band. They wore leather berets, leather trousers and had a sash of plastic bullets draped across them. Without addressing the crowd, they opened their set with the bold statement song ‘The West is Dead’. Spychalski informed the audience a total of 16 times that the West is dead and here, the statement is a scathing reminder that we are under the totalitarian power system of The Order, and no longer have access to the Western cultural comforts system outside of Heaven.
HMLTD then began playing their older work. This was their first UK show since early 2020 and it had been twice rearranged due to various Covid strains, so they tried to make it a show for fans who had patiently been waiting for a tour. They played ‘Music!’, ‘Proxy Love’ and ‘Kinkaku-ji’- all songs released prior to their 2020 debut album, West Of Eden. Various commands appeared on stage during these songs. The machine told us to clap, to jump, to sing at specified intervals – nothing too vicious to begin.
For ‘Satan, Luella and I’, HMLTD brought out Abigaille, singer of The Dinner Party and girlfriend of Spychalski to sing as a duet. The song took on a more flirtatious angle than its two studio versions as the paired shared so much chemistry on stage. “Luella, babe, won’t you marry me now”, Spychalski serenaded, as someone threw a ring at the couple on stage. They ran with the gesture, taking turns to get on one knee and propose to one another – “as a joke”, they clarified after the song concluded.
Photo: Abigaille and Spychalski – Molly Gregson @ The Mancunion
My position in the front row prevented complete participation with the events of The Order. Had I been in the middle of the crowd, perhaps the conceptual experience and crowd interactions with both subjects and other authority members would have been greater. But for me, sadly, a lot of the gig played out fairly normally. I noticed that the front rows were almost entirely occupied with members of the authority, but I wasn’t sure if this was coincidence or enforced class segregation.
‘Where’s Joanna’ – a cartoonishly grotesque fan favourite, saw more vigorous orders from The Machine. We were ordered to mosh, to make a corridor in the crowd for Spychalski to move through, and to bend down and rise-up in succession. It then became obvious and indeed policed if people were disobeying this.
‘Flex’ saw HMLTD bring on another guest, Jazz Alonso of XVOTO, who originally featured on the song. She appeared like a pantomime villain, calling the audience worms and peasants, and thanking The Machine for existing to provide order. “Do I need a witness? Had an apparition and I saw god”- Spychalski proclaimed in the bridge of the song, taking on a short-lived American Preacher affectation before returning to his normal singing voice. ‘Flex’ is another early single from the band and embraces a lot more glitchy gothic electronica than their more contemporary music utilises, so it’s not surprising that they change up the way it’s played live.
The Machine then commanded us to stomp. HMLTD provided the rhythm and we were to obey it. They used this rhythm as the basis for the first performance of a new song ‘The End is Now’. They promised new releases coming very soon, teasing the new album’s name and the themes and insisting that we could work them out “if we had been paying attention”. The Machine also told us to sing, which initially confused the crowd, who was unfamiliar with the unreleased song. But HMLTD instructed us on how to chant the single-line chorus, and soon the audience was self-policing the stomping and the chanting in line with what The Machine said.
Spychalski announced that they had one or potentially two more songs to play. This, he said, depended on the citizens, and whether they’d managed to overthrow The Order. And with that, they began playing the strobe and bass heavy ‘Stained’. The Machine began to freeze and malfunction on stage and balloons fell into the audience. Everyone began passing these forward to the stage until Spychalski was surrounded onstage by balloons, screaming into strobe lights.
The lights came up and it was announced that the class agitators had overthrown The Order. In celebration, HMLTD invited all citizens of The Order to raid the stage. Euphoric scenes emerged as we all clambered on stage to mark the breakdown of the hierarchy and the fall of authority. I ended up next to Keyboardist Seth Evans, and together; authority, subject and band we all sang ‘Blank Slate’. The song marks the close of their dystopian debut record; it’s an uplifting song about how the end of a society brings us opportunities to create a new world – one where “the world is ours”. This is exactly what happened, The Order was destroyed, and the stage became ours.
I don’t entirely know how The Order ended up being overthrown, and my regret from that night is that I didn’t feel as invested in the plot of the show as I wanted to be. I found out after, that Tarzan, the man the secret police had warned us about, was in charge of The Machine (and also the special effects) so my hunch is that he may have been a key class agitator. But this show is something special and the intimacy and elation that was present during that on-stage finale is something I have never experienced at another live show. There are some kinks in the production that I think need to be worked out if they were to continue to tour this project. But overall, it’s an ambitious and bizarre show and HMLTD pulled off the concept well.
There are two main problems with recipe books that face the everyday student: they are often far too expensive, and far too heavy. No student really wants to spend £30 on a book that’s going to give them back problems as they walk back home from Waterstones in Deansgate to a bus in Piccadilly.
This is where Rufus Cavendish’s The Little book of… series comes in, particularly his Little Book of Chillies and his Little Book of Curry. Coming in at £6 brand new, and only about 10cm by 15cm, they are the perfect price range and size to be easily bought and taken anywhere – curry night at a mates couldn’t be easier.
Despite its small size, both books are packed to the brim with not just recipes, but also fun facts, spice guides, fascinating titbits of history, and everything in between.
Written in a very relaxed, conversational, and informative prose, it is incredibly easy to read and does the true job of a cookbook very well; to be interesting enough to read whilst your rice is taking far longer than you thought it would.
Both books have a ‘cooking with’ chapter containing recipes, there’s an array of curry recipes including classics like Bhunas and Baltis as well as a Japanese Katsu and a selection of side dishes. While the ‘Cooking with Chillies’ chapter has every kind of recipe from chillied condiments to hot desserts, even a jalapeno margarita to spice things up.
For any budding chef, these pocket guides are the perfect introduction to the world of curries and chillies. There are top tips for cooking curry littered throughout, including how to properly use lemongrass. ‘The Big Names’ gives the history of, as it says on the tin, all the big names in the curry game as well as the main spice combinations.
And for the spice lovers, the Little Book of Chillies, gives the heat level and scoville units of a selection of different chillies, again including “the big names” like Serrano and Cayenne, as well as some “honourable mentions.” The perfect guide to levelling up your spice game.
Designed well, written in an easy-going and thought-out manner, and containing lots of interesting information and tasty recipes, these little gems are definitely a kitchen must-have for a curry or chilli connoisseur.
The under-representation of women in mechanics is felt across every sector, and the bike industry is no different. While there has been an increase in women mechanics in recent years, the number still pales in comparison to men. Not only are there far fewer female mechanics but women and girls in general are less likely to be confident fixing their bikes if they need to.
Belinda, a mechanic at Platt Fields Bike Hub, is dedicated to changing this. She is passionate about teaching people how to ride and fix bikes, especially women. From mid-August 2022, she began organising women’s only bike mechanics workshops at the Bike Hub. Due to the success and demand, she has now expanded the reach of her workshops to Station South cycle café in Levenshulme and has also begun running women’s only bike rides to help build confidence on the road.
Belinda became a mechanic “out of necessity.” She worked for a company which taught cycling proficiency in schools, teaching children how to ride bikes out on the road. She recalls that “sometimes when there was something wrong with the bikes, I didn’t know how to fix them. So the guy’s [were] like, ‘don’t worry, I can do it’.” Every time this happened she got really frustrated with herself. “I really loved teaching cycling and teaching people how to ride a bike, but I knew nothing about the mechanics of it.”
Wanting to push for representation further spurred Belinda to pursue her career and many community projects. “The more that the general public sees that women and also people of colour are fixing bikes, these things start to become normalised,” hopefully inspiring the next generation. “Like follows like, so if you see it, and think there’s a space, you feel like ‘yeah, I can become it’”.
Photo: Camillo Corsetti Antonini @ Unsplash
As a result, Belinda began volunteering at Platt Field’s Bike Hub. From there, she wanted to learn more, eventually securing funding from Cycling UK to become a qualified mechanic, and gaining a paid position at the Bike Hub.
Belinda also has her own organisation called Bee Pedal Ready, which she feels “very passionate about.” Like her career as a mechanic, this project was also born out of necessity: “I realised that I was massively a minority in it on both sides of the coin: diversity and also being a woman.”
The frustration of being one of the few women in bike mechanics in Manchester is coupled with the frustration of being one of the few people of colour in the industry. With Jamaican and Nigerian roots, Belinda feels very strongly about representation: “There need to be more women in the industry and there needs to be a lot more of a mix of diversity within the industry”.
“I did some research beforehand to see how many women would want to do [mechanic work] if I did a session which was women only. I found out that there were a lot of women who were really interested.”
After the first few sessions, she realised “that actually lots and lots of people want to fix bikes. I just think it’s about space to be able to do that.” The bike mechanics courses are very accessible and beginner friendly, open to women with no bike knowledge who want to get more hands-on. They start off with an introduction to the bike, going through the different components, puncture repair, and understanding breaks and gears.
For Black History Month, Belinda organised a bike ride for the BIPOC community, hoping to create a space for diversity and give people confidence on the road. She is also doing a lot of women’s only rides. Lack of confidence is one of the most significant barriers to women cycling and fixing bikes, and a staggeringly low 28% of bike trips in the UK are made by women. These projects getting women pedalling are an invaluable step towards equalising the numbers, and giving women the confidence to get cycling and fixing.
When asked about whether her gender had impacted her experience in the industry, and she acknowledged that “when I was volunteering and then when I was training, I learned that I was perceived differently than the guys, sometimes positive, sometimes negative, but generally positive.”
Nevertheless, sexist comments do come her way. She uses the example of “when a guy comes inside and then they look at you and go ‘oh, where’s the mechanic?’” Belinda was speaking with the women at Bristol Bike Project and they said it happens a lot. So much so that Bristol Bike Project keep a fake moustache behind the counter so that when a man comes in and asks them “where’s the mechanic?” they simply put the moustache on.
“You keep going to different shops and you’re like it’s the same, it’s the same, it’s the same white male demographic. So, you know, that can sometimes not feel like a setback, but feel like you have to really just push to go forward.”
Despite the barriers faced as a woman, Belinda expresses she feels “like I’ve been really supported, to be honest. Platts have been really cool in supporting us [Bee Pedal Ready] and Cycling UK. If it wasn’t for them being able to fund me then I would definitely not be sat here having the qualification of a bike mechanic.”
Her experience is hopefully a testament to the fact that gender need not be a barrier to pursuing a career in mechanics. However, it is not just gender that can be a barrier to mechanics or simply riding bikes, it’s also an economics issue: “There’s a presumption that everyone has a bike”, but, as Belinda has learned through engaging with the community, “lots of areas [in] Manchester don’t have that.”
It may also be a cultural matter. She comments that “there are lots of people from different cultures who don’t know how to ride as adults,” and it is important to create a space for them to feel safe and become confident, especially on roads. “There are a few incredible [women] mechanics here in Manchester, but they’re few and far between.”
Photo: Autumn Studio @ Unsplash
This has motivated Belinda to reach out to female mechanics across the UK. She was inspired by a recent visit to Nottingham, where she visited the women-led collective Women in Tandem. “They do what I want to be doing, which is, own a shop which is their own.” The lack of women in the industry can feel overwhelming. “Walking into an all-male space, the energy changes. And when I was working with Women in Tandem, I was like ‘oh my god, this is what’s possible.’”
In Bristol, there is a collective of frame builders. Further afield, there is a women’s cooperative in Edinburgh called Bespoke.
With so few women nationally, Belinda would love “to get a group of all the female mechanics together and have a collective,” explaining, “it’s very inspiring for me to know that they’re out there and doing amazing things.” Belinda’s dream is to one day have her own shop. “I would love to have a place where it’s not just now and again. It’s like there’s a women’s workshop on every single week.”
In the meantime, she is organising as many workshops and rides as she can. “The idea and the aim is for me to keep learning so the more I know, the more I can pass on.”
There are plenty of sessions running throughout November, from bike rides to maintenance workshops, with many more to come. From learning how to ride a bike, to mastering how to fix one, they’re opportunities not to be missed.
You can find out more about Belinda and Bee Pedal Ready on Instagram @beepedalready and on Facebook at Bee Pedal Ready
Running for five seasons from 2008 to 2012, BBC’s Merlin was a light-hearted fantasy drama that captured the hearts of many. Featuring quintessential magical and medieval elements (dragons, trolls, tournaments, etc.), it was the perfect show to watch on a Saturday night… in fact, it still is.
Loosely based on the tales of King Arthur, the show follows the life of young Merlin (Colin Morgan) as he grapples with his wizarding powers in Camelot. Faced with magic being illegal under the rule of King Uther (Anthony Head), Merlin has to hide his powers. He develops into a powerful wizard while also being the manservant to the arrogant Prince Arthur (Bradley James). With the guidance of Gaius (Richard Wilson) and The Dragon (voiced by John Hurt), Merlin undergoes countless adventures against various fantastical creatures.
Merlin’s most endearing aspect is the undeniable chemistry between all the actors. Especially the friendship between Arthur and Merlin, which develops into a lovable bromance. The iconic love story between Guinevere (Angel Coulby) and Arthur is portrayed beautifully. Guinevere, who begins as a servant at court, becomes every bit the great Queen of Camelot. Despite its light-hearted reputation, Merlin has its fair share of villains, too. The most memorable is Morgana (Katie McGrath): although she first appears as a well-liked member of court and a sister figure to Arthur, she soon becomes a powerful sorceress who rivals Merlin with her powers.
Since the show ended, Merlin has become a cult classic with a devoted fan base. After all, it was nominated for multiple awards and won a BAFTA for Best Visual Effects in 2011. Merlin remains the perfect comfort show to distract from real life with its medieval setting and magical elements. Even its iconic introduction (“In a land of myth and a time of magic…”) will set your heart alight with nostalgia.
All 5 series of Merlin are available on BBC iPlayer.
Gavin and Stacey (2007-2010) is a classic sitcom that centres around Essex-lad Gavin (Matthey Horne), and Welsh Stacey (Joanna Page), who find romance through their humdrum office jobs. Over the three seasons, their relationship develops from flirty phone calls, to wedding planning, and into married life. Flitting between Barry Island and Billericay, we follow them and their friends, Smithy and Nessa (James Corden and Ruth Jones), navigating long-distance relationships and delicate family dynamics. To make it even better, all this is set to an amazingly nostalgic mid-2000s indie soundtrack.
It’s clear to see why Gavin and Stacey has gained such a cult following, boasting a stellar supporting cast. We all know someone like Rob Brydon’s eccentric Uncle Bryn, or Alison Steadman’s larger-than-life Pam. The beauty of the show, however, came from its simplicity. From weddings to family dinners to job interviews, these everyday occasions are injected with fun through the whip-smart writing and recurring jokes (did someone say Fishing Trip?).
It’s not just all jokes and no plot, though. Our connection to these characters gives the show a surprisingly dramatic weight for a seemingly light-hearted little comedy series. We feel the shock of Nessa’s pregnancy, we ache with Gavin and Stacey when they struggle to conceive… we especially share Smithy’s pain over the politics of ordering a group takeaway. It somehow manages to balance being exaggerated yet realistic, bawdy yet family-friendly, and light-hearted yet poignant.
It swiftly became a BBC phenomenon, spiralling James Corden from minor British comedian to famous (or infamous) American talk-show host. While Corden’s public image has soured, Gavin and Stacey has aged like fine wine: 15 years after its initial release, it still stands the test of time, providing nostalgia to original fans, and connecting with a whole new generation of viewers. The huge success of 2019’s Christmas reunion episode, which was watched by 11.6 million people, proves that Gavin and Stacey is, and always will be, “well lush”.
All 3 series of Gavin and Stacey are available on BBC iPlayer.
As the semester rolls on and summer days blur into hazy memories, more and more of us are bound to experience homesickness. Maybe a familiar smell or song transports us back in time, leaving us longing for home comforts. For many, homesickness results in an overwhelming feeling of sadness as we leave, or prepare to leave home.
What is homesickness, really?
Homesickness is categorised as a psychological syndrome, characterised by stress and anxiety. Recently, it has been described as a ‘mini-grief’ given its parallel symptoms with bereavement. While most cases are minor, others are extreme and can be associated with mental and physical health problems such as agoraphobia, separation anxiety, nausea, and depression.
Johannes Hofer, a 17th-century Swiss physician, coined the Greek term ‘nostalgia’ (meaning the pain of returning) to describe homesickness in his patients. As time has passed, the use of nostalgia as a medical term has faded, and with it the serious concern once given to homesickness. In a world that relies on mobility for economic output and social progress, sufferers are often branded as immature and trivial, although the experience is clearly widespread.
Cohesive social groups exhibit better teamwork and are therefore more likely to survive. Group hunting was more effective and offered increased predator protection. Groups also allowed cooperative care of children and increased offspring survival rate. Therefore, genes that favour sociality were selected for our gene pool. An urge to remain in the group, which manifests as homesickness, may well have contributed to the success of the human lineage.
A positive take on missing home
Homesickness is prevalent at university, with 50% of UK university students experiencing it within their first year, with levels amongst females disproportionally high. Adjusting to a new culture and making friends is all part of the fresher experience, but can also induce a degree of stress. Stress, depression, and low self-esteem are risk factors that render us students vulnerable to homesickness.
But don’t despair! Homesickness at university can be easily prevented and treated. One study found that 70% of homesick cases at university were caused by issues prior to leaving home, such as unresolved familial tension. This provides a compelling argument for mitigation.
Universities should initiate social connections between students prior to university and encourage practising time away from home. But what can you do to help yourself? Socialise with friends, be active, join a society, explore your new city, and if possible resist the urge to go home too often!
Even if homesickness is no longer considered a disease, it still requires compassionate treatment. In fact, we need to reframe our current view of homesickness as a weakness and instead celebrate missing home. It simply means we value our friends, family, and a sense of community.
Fight Night, one of the most notorious student nights of the year, returns this month. Getting dressed up with your friends, preing way too hard, and finally Ubering to the AO Arena where the hip flask you smuggled in definitely comes in handy. I went along to training to see the students taking part in the event on November 24, to understand what it was that encouraged them to sign up and to see how gruelling their training really is.
Here is a brief overview of the night; 24 students are selected out of the many who apply. They are then put to three sessions of training each week for eight weeks, finally leading up to their white-collar match in November. Each fighter is paired up based on their skill level and weight and they compete for 360 seconds – two sets of three-minute bouts. There are three judges who award points and after each match, a winner is crowned, either the red or the blue fighter.
Photo: Antonio Ross @ The Mancunion
The training they go through is extensive; footwork, fitness, technique, and determination are all taught at the Moss Side Fire Station Boxing Gym owned by Maurice. These students come away dripping in sweat, yet with bright smiles stretching across all of their faces.
Although there was a high sense of nerves when asking these students how they felt approaching their fights, one could see the commitment they had to put on the best performance, making themselves and their coaches (Danny and Maurice) proud.
Upon entering their training, I was greeted by Maurice Core, a retired professional boxer who won nine of his ten first professional fights. Maurice was the definition of fitness, casually doing pull-ups whilst explaining the history behind the Moss Side gym where he learnt his trade, and now passes on his knowledge to others.
Maurice has been training the students for the Manchester Fight Night since it began five years ago and seemed to thoroughly enjoy watching them improve as his coaching is predominantly voluntary. Moss Side gym’s spirit and energy was unmatched and Maurice’s pride in the centre was evident.
Photo: Antonio Ross @ The Mancunion
As the students filed in for their training, they began sparring, skipping, press ups, and more with barely a few minutes break in their hour-long session. They were certainly put through their paces, yet all seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the atmosphere and pressure to perform surrounding them. Most of these students have no experience with fighting, and despite being out of their comfort zone they all thrived. The competitors were putting every effort into getting into the best shape possible and learning as much as they could.
After continuously hitting a boxing bag, Danny made them all raise their arms to the sky and hold it for a minute as he shouted: “Winners do not quit. Keep your arms raised as you will be doing this after you win your fight. Losers will drop their arms.”
Knowing that half of the students in the room would not win their fight did not seem to faze anyone in there. They had separated comradeship from the competition. They were no longer students working out together, they were boxers with a clear aim to win in mind.
However, it seems wrong to brush over the violence being taught to these students. There has been a couple of injuries during training, but this only proves that this is not for the faint-hearted. The attention of the night lures many in, but it is those who really want to compete who succeed. I posed the question to many of them of how their families reacted when told that they were taking part in Fight Night.
Esme Russell told us that her sisters “were all for it,” yet she had not told her Grandparents for they would rightly worry about her safety. Immi Phillips’ sister had a similar reaction, but her dad took a while to come around, eventually agreeing to be there on the night to support her in her fight. Most of these students faced resistance from their close ones when they accepted their place on Fight Night but, on seeing their determination to fight it didn’t take long to gain support.
Upon asking the fighters why they signed up I was faced with a mixture of responses. A large amount admitted to signing up drunk or on a whim, whilst Amatullah Khan responded by saying she was disappointed to not be selected last year so she signed up again and was happily picked this time around. Even with her family not wanting her to do it.
There were a couple of fighters who had experience with boxing, but the majority were new to the craft. With less than three weeks now until they fight, the tension is building. Will you be there on the night to support them? Do you agree with the ethics behind Fight Night? Let us know!
Photo: Antonio Ross @ The Mancunion
For updates on the fighters and Fight Night, follow them on their Instagram: @manchester_fight_night, and Facebook: @ManchesterFightNight
If you’d like to buy a ticket or just want more information on Manchester Student Fight Night click here.
“This is the story of what happened when I finally gave in – when I felt it all” – Maggie Rogers’ voice called out to the audience in a monologue backed by her six-piece band, whilst a dim red light pulsed on stage. Seconds later, the stage was fully illuminated by colours of white and red as Rogers entered dancing (as she spent the rest of the night) in a vinyl leather jacket, iridescent white dress and knee-high leather boots. The crowd erupted into chaotic applause and she began vocalising to the introduction of ‘Overdrive’, the opening track from her latest album, Surrender.
Photo: Maggie Rogers – Amara Uzokwe @ The Mancunion
The American singer rose to fame in 2016 after her song ‘Alaska’ impressed musical legend, Pharrell Williams in a viral clip. In the years following, she would release her folk-pop debut LP Heard It In A Past Life (2019) – which earned her a Grammy Award nomination for Best New Artist in 2020 – and embark on a headline world tour as well as support both HAIM and Kacey Musgraves on their headline tours in 2018 and 2019 respectively.
Notably, she would go on to collaborate with indie-folk singer, Phoebe Bridgers on a cover of ‘Iris’ by The Goo Goo Dolls, which Bridgers had promised to make if Donald Trump lost the US elections in 2020. They released the song for 24 hours on Bandcamp with proceeds going to Fair Fight Action and recently rereleased it, this time with proceeds going to The Brigid Alliance. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Rogers, after an intense four years, retreated to Maine, where the seeds of inspiration for her second album would begin to sprout. In July 2022, she released her electropop influenced sophomore album, Surrender, written in her parents’ garage, New York City, and the UK.
Photo: Samia – Amara Uzokwe @ The Mancunion
On November 5, she brought her Feral Joy tour to Manchester’s o2 Victoria Warehouse, her largest show of the tour at the time of the performance. The night began with a charming set from indie pop/rock singer Samia, who opened with the slow-building, tearjerker ‘Pool’, from her debut album The Baby. She described her set as “mostly sad” but still found a way to bust a move during almost every guitar solo.
Samia mainly played songs from her debut album, including ‘Big Wheel’ and ‘Is there Something in the Movies?’, and her latest synthpop single ‘Mad at Me’ from her upcoming second album Honey. She complimented Rogers’ “feral joy” effortlessly and will be headlining her first (sold out) UK headline show at XOYO in London on November 11.
As ‘Overdrive’ ended and the distorted drums from her single ‘Want Want’ began, Rogers was grinning ear to ear, visibly “finding peace in distortion” as she claimed in her album trailer published to YouTube ahead of the album’s release. She then led into her R&B influenced track ‘Say It’ from her first album, then ‘Honey’ and crowd favourite ‘Love You for A Long Time’.
Photo: Maggie Rogers – Amara Uzokwe @ The Mancunion
When there was a brief technical difficulty during ‘Symphony’, resulting in Rogers leaving the stage, her band took centre stage until her return which ended in an impressive jazz-inspired improvisation of ‘Love You For A Long Time’. During the set, Rogers stated that she’d “been waiting three years for this” and she seemed just as excited to play her older popular songs such as ‘Alaska’ and ‘Back In My Body’ as her newer ones such as ‘Anywhere With You’.
When she was not dancing with a plain white sheet as a backdrop (a clear nod to the album title), she had an acoustic guitar in hand and flexed her extensive vocals with her slower songs such as ‘Horses’. On the track, she yearns to feel the freedom of wild horses, and the performance ended with her tearing up, in awe of hearing the crowd sing the words back to her.
She certainly knew how to command the crowd as, during ‘Light On’, she managed to get the entire venue to get down on the floor before the final chorus. This resulted in an extended applause from the crowd. Following this, she led into the lead single from Surrender, ‘That’s Where I Am’, in which she sings, “It all works out in the end / Wherever you go / That’s where I am” – a thoughtful sentiment to sing to such a devoted crowd. Throughout the show, the singer left no section of the daisy-covered stage untouched and even handed out bouquets of daisies to the crowd at the end.
It was as if there was electricity pulsing through Rogers’ veins the entire night, but most significantly, in the middle of her set, when she performed ‘Shatter’. During the bridge, she sang, “I just wish that I could hear a new Bowie again” before crumpling to the floor. Within seconds, though, she was back up yelling the words, “I don’t really care if it nearly kills me / I’d give you the world if you asked me to” to a dancing crowd of cowboy hats and glittery faces. Rogers, choking up due to the shear passion of the crowd, closed the encore with ‘Fallingwater’ and then ‘Different Kind of World’. She described the latter as an “ending prayer”, and it was a soothing end to a thrilling night.
Surrender is out now, and you can stream it below.
Bongo’s Bingo is making its return to Manchester in full festive force. Tickets for the December show at the Albert Hall, named the Winner Takes it All, are on sale now. The renowned bingo rave events will feature ABBA-inspired nights, exciting prizes and rave rounds.
The UK’s first and leading bingo rave experience prides itself on revitalising a quaint British tradition to provide an unforgettable night out. Ideal for groups, the event would make for a great post-work party, society social or flat night out.
Only a ten-minute walk from Manchester’s Christmas markets, there’s time for a quick ice skate and hot chocolate beforehand. Bongo’s Bingo is set to pull out every stop possible, a must before going home for the holidays.
Photo: Bongos Bingo @ Bongos Bingo
Jonny Bongo says: “Christmas is my favourite time of the year and we are going national with The Winner Takes It All after launching it in Liverpool last Xmas. We are making our shows as good as we possibly can, featuring all of the usual Bongo’s Bingo antics and a big fat dollop of Xmas love from us too. The Albert Hall will be bouncing with these Christmas party dates at The Winner Takes It All.”
Bongo Bingo’s nights will be running on these dates throughout December: 4, 9, 16 to 18, 23 and 30.
Parkinson’s disease affects around 145,000 people in the UK with two more new cases diagnosed every hour. The disease is believed to occur due to a combination of genetic and environmental factors. It is triggered by the loss of nerve cells in the brain, leading to a reduction in the amount of dopamine circulating in the body. Dopamine is extremely important in regulating body movement and a loss of these nerve cells leads to slow movement and rigid muscles.
Despite the high prevalence and extensive research into the disease, there is currently no cure for Parkinson’s. However, medications like Levodopa can help relieve symptoms. Levodopa is administered in tablet or liquid form and is broken down into dopamine. In this way, treatments for Parkinson’s aim to maintain the quality of life for patients.
An unexpected hero
There is no specific test for Parkinson’s disease, making a definite diagnosis difficult. However, scientists have found a surprising way to detect those with early-stage Parkinson’s disease. This is all thanks to an unexpected hero, Joy Milne, whose husband Les was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 45, 12 years after Joy had first noticed an odd smell coming from her husband.
Joy has a rare condition known as hereditary hyperosmia which gives her a heightened sense of smell. This allowed her to detect the “musty rather unpleasant smell,” given off by Les. After her husband’s diagnosis, Milne was able to put two and two together while meeting others in a Parkinson’s UK support group. She realised the distinctive smell was present in all of those attending the support group.
Sniffing out a diagnosis
This discovery intrigued a large group of scientists who began to discuss the possibility of using Milne’s sensitivity to odours to develop an early diagnostic test. The scientists put Milne’s nose to the test, asking her to smell six t-shirts worn by patients with Parkinson’s and six t-shirts worn by healthy volunteers. Milne was then asked to determine which participants had Parkinson’s based on the smell of their t-shirts. She was able to correctly identify all but one patient, a healthy volunteer who she misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s. Eight months after this experiment, it was found that the patient did in fact have the disease.
After this study, scientists took swabs from the volunteers and analysed them using mass spectroscopy, a process which allows scientists to understand what individual molecules a compound is made up of. From this, researchers hoped to identify a unique molecule which could be screened for in patients with suspected Parkinson’s to aid early diagnosis.
A breakthrough
Now, researchers at The University of Manchester have developed a simple cotton swab test which can be performed in as little as 3 minutes. It involves taking a swab of sebum from the neck, an oily substance which is secreted from glands under the skin. Altered sebum production is known to occur in patients with Parkinson’s. In particular, triacyl glycerides and diglycerides, have been shown to be expressed at higher levels in the sebum of those with the disease. It is these changes in the sebum of PD patients which produced the distinctive odour detected by Joy Milne, and now forms the basis of a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s disease.
The current focus now is to do just that. The University of Manchester has launched a new company, Sebomix Ltd., which enables the development of this test, in order for it to be used in the clinic. With the involvement of charities including Parkinson’s UK, trials have begun, with over 2000 patients being recruited.
The hope is that it is not long until an early diagnosis is standard in those presenting symptoms of Parkinson’s. As for Joy, she is proud of the work she’s done with her nose. She says this was the last thing she and Les spoke about, and he made her promise to continue helping in the search for a diagnostic test for Parkinson’s. In her own words, “I’ve kept my promise. So it should make an awful lot of difference.”
As we settle into the midst of the winter period, it becomes a matter of necessity to find comforting, but equally delicious winter food. This week, I was lucky enough to taste some of The Bay Horse Tavern’s new winter menu.
The Bay Horse Tavern is a modern and sophisticated take on an old Victorian Pub in the heart of the Northern Quarter. Its atmosphere is perfect to warm you up on a cold Wintery day, with wooden floors and tables set against deep blue wallpaper, white tiling, and chic but amusing decor (like the porcelain busts of the Beatles in their Sergeant Peppers outfits in a glass case). You can also encounter some pretty cute pups as it is dog-friendly.
The staff are friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is one of comforting elegance. We pick our cocktails from the seasonal range and I have the Sloe-ver Club, a fruity spiced cocktail with Portobello Sloe Gin with rose pineau, orange, blackberry, and lemon. It has a great mix of warm, winter-spice richness but is paired with just enough freshness to balance.
My friend has a Jacked Rose, a zingy sweet cocktail made with Jack Daniel’s Apple, rose, pomegranate, and lemon; which is even fresh enough for someone like me, who is not so keen on sweet cocktails. To wash my starter down I have the House Pilsner, a fresh, classic larger that you can’t really fault.
For our starters, we both have the Salt Beef Mini Yorkshire Puddings, topped with Horseradish cream and Watercress. As a Yorkshire lass myself, I always have apprehension about ordering Yorkshires when out. Suffice to say though, these did not disappoint. They were fluffy and soft on the inside but the right amount of crunchy on the outside, and successfully avoided the crime of being far too chewy. They were also huge, which is the desired size for a Yorkshire Pudding, and felt almost big enough to be a second main. The beef was pulled, salty, and melt-in-your-mouth delicious while the dashes of horseradish cream complimented the rich gravy and beef well.
Photo: Lucy Giles@ The Mancunion
By now we were already feeling well-fed, but eagerly awaiting our next dish.
For our mains, I ordered the Mushroom Pudding, a kind of soft pie filled with stew-like mushrooms in a bath of mushy peas. The filling was earthy and full-bodied, and the mushrooms were cut small which created a mince-like texture and did a great job of making a hearty vegetarian dish. The pastry acted like a pie crust encasing it in the dish, but was largely softer than a usual pie crust, which certainly gave it a more puddingy feel that made it feel not just comforting, but also indulgent. The mushy peas were also impressive as they were neither lumpy nor watery, but soft, creamy, and impressive for someone who is usually averse to having mushy peas. It came with triple-cooked chips and what I am now nominating as probably the best gravy I have ever tasted (I wish that was an exaggeration). It was rich in flavour, and thick, smooth, and almost velvety in texture.
My friend ordered The Bay Horse Fish and Chips, as according to her, she is a fish and chip connoisseur. The fish was haddock that came with tartare, mushy peas or curry sauce (you can also order both). The haddock was fresh and well battered, a crispy indulgence without being too greasy or overly stodgy. The tartare sauce was creamy and piquant, and for my friend, it was another winner.
Photo: Lucy Giles @ The Mancunion
We cleaned our plates, more than satiated and our taste buds satisfied. We did not have enough room for dessert, so instead stayed a bit longer to continue soaking up the warm atmosphere. We left with full bellies and warm hearts, back into the frosty winter cold down the cobbled streets of the Northern Quarter.
With dishes so big but equally elegant, this is a great place to take your parents if they come and pick you up for the Christmas break. Equally, while it is not the cheapest, the prices are not ridiculous for the amount of food you get. It’s definitely the right choice if you are looking to spend a bit more on a nice meal, rather than a last-minute stop at Mcdonald’s.
The Bay Horse Tavern is open Monday – Friday 12 pm–midnight and, Saturday & Sunday 11 am – midnight. Food is served daily until 9 pm. Breakfast is served daily until 2 pm. Roasts are every Sunday 12 pm – 9 pm.
Shortly after Manchester United completed a 1-0 win over West Ham across town, a different away end descended on Manchester Academy, this time for Australian three-piece DMA’s. The band come to Manchester on a three-date tour, before their extensive UK road trip after their upcoming album How Many Dreams? is released.
DMA’s could easily be mistaken for a Manchester band. Drawing influence from the lyricism of Noel Gallagher and raspy vocals of Liam Gallagher, DMA’s perhaps wish they grew up in Burnage rather than New South Wales. However, their commanding live presence in the UK and legions of returning fans suggest that they have been fully adopted by the UK, with their hugely successful live album recorded at Brixton Academy and their high billing at festivals. Just last year the band completed a three show residency at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse, so the turn around for another sold out show is very impressive.
Main support came from fellow New South Welshmen Pacific Avenue. Up-tempo and jangly like compatriots Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever, soaring Declan McKenna style choruses complimented their catchy instrumentals. Pacific Avenue delivered nuts-and-bolts indie, while dressed in glam-rock style matching trousers of different colours. It was a suitable warmup for the naturally late Sunday crowd, the highlight being the finale of the band’s most popular song ‘Something Good’.
Relentless chants greeted DMA’s synthy intro, and they jumped straight into ‘Timeless’ off their much loved first album Hills End. The band filled the Academy’s wide stage, with a pleasing symmetry of the two guitarists at each end and lead vocalist Tommy O’Dell front and centre, leading the immediately manic crowd with nonchalance and pure ease. The opening run of songs consolidated their commanding position; the irresistible hooks of ‘The Glow’ and ‘Silver’ almost brought a primitive response from Manchester Academy. Even new single of three weeks, ‘Everybody’s Saying Thursday’s The Weekend’, is met with the same energy of fan favourites.
The DMA’s live show is a very democratic experience; the three core members all had their moments in the spotlight, and the touring members kept the show on the straight and narrow. Lead vocalist Tommy O’Dell rarely drew attention to himself, save for a few galvanizations of the already rabid crowd. Guitarist Johnny Took led most of the in-between chat, reiterating how much the UK means to them as a band. Matt Mason took the limelight in the outro of ‘Hello Girlfriend’, repeating the refrain of “such a funny thing for me try to explain”, doubling the length of the record and prompting jubilation from the crowd. There is a lot of love for this band.
The set carried on in much the same fashion: DMA’s played the opening chords of a song, and the crowd took it forward. The majority of the crowd lived and breathed DMA’s’ music, and it is testament to their ability to write and perform anthems and produce that much euphoria for a mass audience. Finishing the main set on the aptly named ‘Play It Out’, chants of the band’s name reverberated around the room.
Photo: DMA’s – Alex Cooper @ The Mancunion
Like all great sets, the encore played was wall-to-wall bangers. The band know the drill by now; save your biggest songs until last. The back to back of ‘Feels Like 37’ and ‘Lay Down’ has to be one of the best in this genre of live music; O’Dell’s raspy vocals sprawled all over the clattering instrumentals and sound even sweeter than the record. The band were fully obscured by the amount of people on shoulders, ending somewhat surprisingly with a cover of Cher’s ‘Believe’. It was a little bit of climb down from the pure joy of ‘Lay Down’, but still a fun singalong to round off a great and energetic set.
DMA’s do what they do best with effortlessness. The expansion of their sound to a synth driven direction is still a work in progress, but the guitar driven bangers of their first three albums work as well in a live environment as you’d expect them to. DMA’s are here to stay, and there is a very firm place for them in the UK scene – at the moment, there is not many that do it better.
DMA’s return to Manchester on April 20 2023 at O2 Apollo, and you can buy tickets here.
Dandy Style is a new exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery, marking the opening of the institution’s new dedicated fashion gallery.
The exhibition opened on 7 October and showcases a selection of costumes, fine art, and unseen pieces from the gallery’s own collection. There are also various loans from other museums and individuals on display.
Dandy Style charts the history and development of men’s fashion in Britain over the last 250 years, inviting visitors to contemplate the multifaceted nature of male image and identity.
The exhibition is split into two sections: the Decorated Dandy, and the Tailored Dandy. The galleries premiere with portraits ‘The Dandy’ and ‘The Tailor’ by Turner Prize winner Lubaina Himid, which introduce the theme of the exhibition. Both galleries present differing interpretations of Dandy Style, and explore how other designers and artists have incorporated it into their work.
Gallery 13 – themed on the Decorated Dandy – considers more daring styles in the collection, and captures the playful side of men’s fashion. The Decorated Dandy is framed as someone unafraid of extravagance, so naturally many of the pieces on show feature vibrant colours and bold prints.
The gallery’s central arrangement includes a jacket and jeans set by Vivienne Westwood, decorated with Boucher’s ‘Hercules and Omphale’, as well as a striking jumpsuit with asymmetric sections of block colour.
Photo: Michael Pollard @ Dandy Style, Manchester Art Gallery
The curation weaves the historical and contemporary together. In addition to the modern runway examples, the gallery presents earlier examples of outlandish designs such as expertly embroidered smoking jackets and military-inspired suits.
In contrast, gallery 18, situated on the floor above, celebrates the sophistication of subtlety. Focusing on more subdued pieces, this section documents the changing trends in men’s tailoring.
The inclusion of a series of large-scale photographs in the Decorated Dandy is mirrored in the layout of gallery 18. A comparison between the two captures the contrast in theme, for example, Charles Jeffrey’s striking tartan design is contrasted by the more sober navy suit sported by David Beckham.
To complement this, Next in Fashion finalist Daniel Fletcher’s white and navy two-piece provides an excellent example of a modest but expertly crafted piece. Finally, a tracksuit designed by Fred Perry and Nicholas Daley highlights the potential for experimentation even within more understated designs.
Photo: Michael Pollard @ Dandy Style, Manchester Art Gallery
One of the exhibition’s more memorable pieces was Colin Jones’ photograph of Mick Jagger in a Grenadier Guards-style bandsman jacket. The jacket was also pictured on British hip-hop duo Young T and Bugsey. These portraits were displayed alongside a magazine spread featuring Harry Styles in similar attire.
The display highlights Styles’ position as an essential personality in contemporary men’s fashion, with many of his outfits pushing against the gendered boundaries between ‘menswear’ and ‘womenswear’.
Jones’ work speaks not only to the endurance of the 60s influence but also to the relevance of this exhibition at a time of innovation and redefinition in the world of men’s fashion.
Himid’s portraits were certainly highlights of the exhibition. The ‘Dandy’ and the ‘Tailor’ were selected from a collection of five life-sized portraits originally commissioned by the Gallery of Costume at Platt Hall.
Photo: Michael Pollard @ Manchester Art Gallery
Photo: Michael Pollard @ Manchester Art Gallery
Her inspiration drew from the collection of West African textiles in Platt Hall’s stores. This inspiration led to a body of work that explores how clothing aids expressions of masculinity and self-image. For example, Himid describes the ‘Dandy’ as a portrait of someone “who is not afraid to be seen as elegant and bold.”
However, while some pieces were accompanied by quotes from designers and models, at times the display felt impersonal. The development of art and fashion in this context would have benefitted from the inclusion of more emotive, personal testimony.
Overall, the exhibition contrasts historic and contemporary fashion and provides a level platform for each of the art forms displayed.
Curated by Dr Miles Lambert, Rebecca Milner and Dr Shaun Cole, Dandy Style is on display at Manchester Art Gallery until May 1 2023.
A new investigation conducted by the University of Manchester has found strong evidence that there is “institutional racism” in the justice system.
Experts from the University of Manchester, alongside barrister Keir Monteith KC, have conducted an investigation into racism in the justice system.
The report, drawn from a survey of 373 legal professionals, found significant evidence for the discrimination of racial minorities by judges, with 95% saying they had witnessed some racial prejudice.
Despite this, under half of respondents in the investigation who have worked as judicial office holders had received race training in the past three years.
The report found that young black male defendants were the most targeted. One statement from a participant said: “I saw Magistrates/DJs [District Judges] routinely disbelieve young black applicants, particularly in cases where their account differed from the police account.”
Professor Eithne Quinn, the report’s academic lead author, stated that “judges often play a role in fuelling and normalising the terrible disparities in our legal system”, and called for wider awareness of this problem.
Whilst the report did find some judges actively attempted to mitigate prejudice, very few of the respondents noted this. Monteith stated “it is impossible to have diversity and inclusion if the system itself unfairly discriminates”.
This is not a new issue, according to Monteith. Speaking on a YouTube video produced by Garden Court Chambers in 2020, Monteith spoke of the “need to turn up the volume in terms of our approach in Court”.
“After the protests and demands, there’s been change, but not close to enough. When you … still have racism in and out of the court room you know you have a massive problem”.
It’s always exciting when two major fashion brands announce a limited-edition collaboration, so you can only imagine the anticipation when Gucci Vault and Palace Skateboards confirmed the rumours of their collaboration in October. As High Snobiety said, they are, “Two of the world’s biggest, coolest brands casually linking up for a massively brilliant collection.” So if you’re eager to find out what is waiting in store for fans, how readily available the collection is, then keep reading.
2022 was a big year for both brands in terms of collaborations, as Gucci teamed up with popular brands such as Adidas, North Face, and Harry Styles himself. Meanwhile, Palace joined forces with both Calvin Klein and Mercedes. It’s safe to say that people were thrilled when they found out about the Gucci x Palace collection.
One writer for High Snobiety described it as being, “designed instinctively for the streets,” and “a love letter to cultural crossover.”
Gucci’s creative director, Alessandro Michele, called the collab the place where fashion, “comes alive.”
The collaboration finally dropped on the 21st of October in Palace’s flagship stores, as well as in Vault’s pop-up stores in Europe and Asia.
Since Gucci is known for its bold and colourful outfits, and Palace produces one-off items of streetwear, it was bound to be full of statement pieces to be worn by celebrities and influencers. They released a trailer showcasing the collection and emphasising that it would be ground-breaking and totally out of this world. It opens with a flying building covering the city and its population in shadows with an ominous voice saying, “People of Earth. You are the chosen ones. Prepare yourselves. Palace Gucci is here.” It then fast-forwards to a house party wherein everyone is debuting the collection. There are aliens, levitating skateboards, quintuplets, poodles, and black cats, as well as bold hair and makeup including two men painted completely in gold. But what does the collection actually feature?
The collection contains a massive range of clothing and accessories from jeans to tracksuit trousers and sweatshirts to knitted tank tops. Arguably, the most exciting feature was the move forward from a male-only clothing line, as this collaboration also debuted Palace’s womenswear which had miniskirts, canvas tops, and bags with the familiar Gucci monogram embossed on them.
As of the 28th of October, the embroidered leather jacket, duffle bag, blue baggy jeans, white hoodie from the men’s collection, and skate decks were already sold out, leaving only items ranging from £370 to £7240 still available. However, the collection contained more than just clothes and accessories; Gucci x Palace are selling 50 Moto Guzzi motorbikes and ten Conforti safes for £42,500 and £92,000 respectively.
The collection is obviously unique with plenty of prominent statement pieces that are bound to make appearances at celebrity events in the coming months, but also that could be worn in people’s everyday lives. I don’t think the collection is too out there to be unwearable or too high fashion. The marriage between streetwear and runway has been beautifully executed. The Y2K style baby tees would add to any basic outfit worn by celebrities to do their grocery shopping, and the monogrammed jeans could elevate any look.
Of course, the collection is not likely to feature on a student’s wish list but nonetheless, there’s no doubt that the collaboration wasn’t a landmark in streetwear and high fashion crossovers. In my opinion, I couldn’t think of two better brands to work together for a more bold and creative collection as the year comes closer to its end.
There is an inexplicable magic in turning animations into stage productions. When our beloved two-dimensional heroes and feared villains appear in front of (and, indeed, next to and above) us in real life, we welcome them as old friends that many of us have known since childhood.
Although Disney has created successful theatre productions of many of its classics (including Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Little Mermaid, and Frozen), there is one that is unlike any other. One that is not only an entertaining musical genius but, also, an evergreen visual phenomenon and a spectacular feast for the eyes.
It has been 24 years since Julie Taymor’s visionary and Tony Award-winning stage adaptation of The Lion King premiered on Broadway. It has graced stages all around the world, and it is still going strong in Broadway and the West End. But this time, it has finally come back to Manchester, for only the second time.
After so many years and performances, one might wonder if there is anything left to say about this musical. The opening night at Palace Theatre proved to me that there always is. After watching this production for the fourth time, I left the theatre the very same way as when I first saw it: completely and unapologetically in awe. I think that is enough cause for me to write these words and say: “long live the (Lion) King!”
Taymor’s adaptation follows the storyline of the 1994 animated film. Mufasa, the King of the Pridelands prepares his son, Simba, for the throne. However, the king is killed by his treacherous brother Scar, who then banishes Simba in order to become the new monarch himself. While the young cub grows up to become a mighty lion under the mentoring of his new friends (a strange duo of a warthog and a meerkat), the natural order is destroyed back in the Pridelands. It is up to Simba to take his rightful place as king to restore the circle of life.
While the stage production takes absolutely nothing away from its animated forefather, it adds to and complements it. For example, there are a few additional songs that emphasise character development, including ‘He Lives in You‘(from The Lion King 2), ‘Shadowland‘, ‘Endless Nights‘, ‘Chow Down’, and ‘One by One’.
Although these songs certainly add to the experience, what is truly mind-blowing about Taymor’s version is its breathtaking stage production. No wonder it has been performed to over 110 million guests in nine languages! The artistry and craftsmanship of Taymor and Michael Curry’s 232 (!) puppets (including shadow and rod puppets, as well as bunraku), masks, projections, interactive costumes, sound effects, and other technological and engineering triumphs took over 34,000 hours to create. Now that’s what I call dedication!
In addition to this, Richard Hudson’s scenic design uses every inch of the stage by applying forced perspective that creates the illusion of large spaces, thus conjuring the beauty of the vast African landscape: this effect is especially jaw-dropping at the wildebeest stampede. Last but not least, Michael Ward must be named for the characters’ hair and makeup, as he, working closely with Taymor and Hudson, brought synthesis and synergy to the immersive experience by the unique yet fitting usage of colours and styles that beautifully complement the breathtaking costumes, thus creating and completing holistic, visually hypnotising characters.
Of course, as The Lion King is a musical in which, by definition, the storyline is advanced through music, I must pay my respect to the creators and the performers of the wonderful songs and tracks. They were originally written by Tim Rice, Elton John, and Hans Zimmer, who received several awards for it, including the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, the Academy Award for Best Original Song (‘Can You Feel the Love Tonight‘, and the Academy Award for Best Original Score.
These pieces of music still affect us in the most sincere ways and make us go back to this collection of masterpieces again and again. In the stage production, we experience the deep emotional layers of these songs that only the live orchestra and the choir can reveal.
The audience’s enthusiasm and ecstatic energy at the beginning of the show cannot be described, it must be experienced. When the first lights of the rising sun appear during the musical’s opening number, ‘Circle of Life’, the auditorium immediately turns into a safari, and we find ourselves on the prairies of the Pridelands. Among others, a gigantic elephant, a black rhino, a cheetah, giraffes, birds, antelopes, and zebras surround us on their parade to welcome and pay their respect to the newborn Simba.
It was a very sweet realisation that I found myself just as excited to be so close to these ‘animals’ as when I saw them in real life at Masai Mara, when I lived in Kenya. It is because the interpretative dancers’ choreography reflect the mannerism of each species, thus making them hybrid—both zooid and anthropomorphic—actors. Taylor calls it “the double event”, in which “the puppeteers aren’t hidden. Instead, they are actors and dancers who incarnate the world populated by lions, hyenas, ostriches, giraffes”.
In Taylor’s The Lion King, not only is the fourth wall “broken”, but there are simply no walls at all: we are very much involved throughout the performance. Furthermore, the musical instruments and the singers are spread out and surround us, the actors walk across the auditorium smiling and waving at us, the drummers are playing in balcony boxes, and the jokes are aimed directly at us.
As I watched the show as a critic, my eyes wandered around the room to get a sense of its reception. Fortunately, the smiles, pointing fingers, dropped jaws, and tearful eyes on people of all ages and cultural backgrounds confirmed to me that I am by no means biased towards my favourite musical. One could figuratively cut the ecstatic energies in the room, which reminded me why I love live performances so much: parents who grew up on the animation cried together with their children who might have just watched The Lion King for the first time.
The show’s predominantly Black cast (a deliberate casting decision based on the problematic lack of diversity in the characterisation of people of colour in most musicals) rightfully received a roaring standing ovation: we stood up to join the animals of the Pridelands in their celebration of The Lion King.
Both the child and the adult actors deserve preys for their professionalism and, importantly, enthusiasm. After all, we must not forget that theatre actors have a difficult job in that they often perform the same show for several months (even years!), yet they must always bring their very best to perform it every day as if for the first time.
There are, of course, subtle but efficient ways to spice things up. Here, the Manchester-specific jokes (e.g. “We should send you back to Salford”; “looks like something from Bury Market”) and the modern popular cultural references (e.g. an excerpt of a song from Frozen) make the show feel very contemporary and prove that there are many ways to keep such a classic afresh. As I said: there is always something new and unexpected to this musical.
This wasn’t the first time I saw Taymor’s The Lion King, and it certainly won’t be the last, either… but it was possibly the best performance I will ever see. This adaption of The Lion King is simply as good as musical theatre gets.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a singer-songwriter with as much infectious, wide-eyed charisma as the acclaimed Australian artist Stella Donnelly. Boasting a back catalogue of fretful indie gems – and sporting the same fringe as everyone’s favourite sixth-form art teacher – Donnelly wows her audience at Manchester’s Band on the Wall.
Before I unashamedly gush over Stella Donnelly, high praise is also due for her support act, Albertine Sarges. The Berlin-based art-rocker launches into a set characterised by jutting bass lines, fitful staccato guitar, improv flute solos, and dance moves that Lindsey Kemp would have been proud of. Their live sound is miraculously both confusing and involving – think Neu at their most elastic, or Talking Heads at their most angular. It’s a mess. A joyous, bizarre, dance-inducing mess.
Photo: Albertine Sarges @ Ailish O’Leary Austin
When it’s time for Stella Donnelly to usher the audience into her chaotic world of festive family fall-outs (‘Seasons Greetings’), Donnelly stands alone on stage. Just her, a guitar, and a spotlight. The tender intricacies of the opening song, ‘U Owe Me’, slowly spider out across the venue, a sound laden with justified angst against a misogynist employer (“You’re jerking off to the CCTV / While I’m pouring pints of flat VB”). Suddenly, it becomes excitingly clear. We’re watching a singer who wants to put right a fair few wrongs.
Donnelly goes onto tell us that new songs are a lot like new underwear – “that sexy, new G-string… y’know the one that still hurts a bit to wear, but you’re trying to get used to it?” She then takes us “underwear shopping” (her words, not mine) with the track ‘Lungs‘ – the opening number on her sophomore album Flood. It sees the singer cover new ground, her trademark ear-worm melodies somersaulting over a post-punk rhythm section.
Photo: Stella Donnelly @ Ailish O’Leary Austin
There’s a newfound grit that wasn’t present on her debut LP, met with the approving bobbing of heads. Lo and behold, the “G-string” comparison is apt. ‘Lungs’ features a Joy Division-tinted backbeat that is slightly uncomfortable, yes, but undeniably sexy. Another highlight from her new album proves to be the single ‘How Was Your Day?’, in which a toxic relationship narrative hides inside a Trojan horse of pure pop perfection. The crowd sing along to a joyfully infectious chorus, completely soaking up Donnelly’s self-aware juxtaposition. Again, slightly uncomfortable, but sexy.
Donnelly refers to her old material as “the underwear with holes in that you should’ve thrown away years ago, but you still just love ’em”: another fitting metaphor. With its carefree surf-guitar and unapologetic Lily Allen influence, it’s easy to forget that classic single ‘Old Man’ is about sexual harassment (one would imagine that it’s easily the sunniest song ever written about the topic). Donnelly delivers her vocals with a mix of angst-ridden conviction, as well as evident love for her younger-self’s irreverent songwriting. It’s the perfect pair of old underwear. The meaning may be ugly, but both Donnelly and her fanbase can’t ever bring themselves to part with the song’s bubbly buoyancy.
Photo: Stella Donnelly @ Ailish O’Leary Austin
Old favourite ‘Mosquito’ – a song in which female pleasure is foregrounded against a backdrop of yearning instrumentation – is met with an emotional response. Donnelly interrupts the song to inform us that she recently had to explain to her grandmother what a vibrator was, a discussion which was apparently met with confusion… and interest.
Donnelly’s tendency to highlight female-centric sexuality creates a visceral sense of empowerment. Tears, laughter and innuendo are frequently shared between artist and audience: we feel as though we are part of some sort of safe-space forum, like old friends nursing a pint together. With her rouge-red lipsticked smile, soaring stage presence, and a talent for in-between-song-chat topped only by Sheffield’s finest sex/class raconteur Mr Jarvis Cocker, it’s plain to see why Stella Donnelly’s live show is a success. Inclusive, involving, liberating: Stella, it was a pleasure going underwear shopping with you.
Flood, the new album by Stella Donnelly, is out now on Secretly Canadian Records, and you can stream it below.
The University and College Union (UCU) has announced that lecturers from all UK universities will be striking on November 24, 25, and 30.
70,000 UCU members are set to deliver the biggest picket lines seen in the history of University strikes, although this number may be lower, given historic low turnouts. The NUS (National Union of Students) has backed the strikes, which are estimated to impact 2.5 million students. The UCU have announced that “disruption can be avoided if employers act fast and make improved offers.”
Thursday November 24 and Friday 25 will see the total stopping of work from those staff represented by the Union. Industrial action of short strike (ASoS) will begin on November 23. This includes refusing to make up work lost as a result of strike action and refusing to cover for absent colleagues.
On Wednesday November 30 there will be a demonstration in London, set to be the largest in UCU history. Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has announced his support and commitment to join the picket line.
The average vice-chancellor salary is £270,000.
Meanwhile, university staff are overworked, undervalued and underpaid.
Strike action is set to escalate in the new year, with potential marking and assessments boycotts, if the demands of the November strikes are not met by University employers.
On October 24 the union voted “overwhelmingly” in support of strike action. The two separate disputes driving the strike action are pension cuts and pay and working conditions. UCU saw an 84.9% vote in favour of strike action over pension cuts, with a 60.2% turnout. The pay and working conditions ballot passed with 81.1% in favour and a 57.8% turnout.
According to UCU, frontline teaching staff are signed to precarious short-term contracts. Further issues concerning higher education pay include ethnic, gender and disability pay gaps. University staff are typically expected to work beyond their designated hours, despite having seen the rate of their pay fall to three-quarters of its 2009 value.
When contacted for comment, A University spokesperson said:
“We are disappointed at the outcome of the University and College Union’s (UCU’s) ballots in favour of industrial action in relation to pay and working conditions and the USS pension. These were aggregated ballots across all institutions. We are already planning mitigations to minimise the impact on our students and ensure they continue to receive the experience they deserve.
“We appreciate the difficult and challenging times in which we are living, and we are taking active steps to support our staff and students.
“We will communicate further once we have confirmed details of the action which will be taken by UCU in response to the result.”
The University of Manchester Students’ Union has been contacted for comment.
