Month: November 2022

Manchester Opera House is having a custard pie fight

Written by pipcarew on 8th November 2022. Posted in Theatre.

The UK’s first ever touring production of Bugsy Malone is coming to the Manchester Opera House this November. Paul Williams’ iconic musical is a family-friendly story about rival gangs in prohibition-era New York, renowned for its young and talented cast.

The Sunday Times has already described this new production as “an infectiously joyous staging.” Both comedic and romantic, Bugsy Malone is a “whomping big crowd-pleasing hit” (The Times) that caters to any musical lover.

Expect to be transported to a world of glamour, showgirls, speakeasies, and plenty of custard pies. With memorable tracks such as ‘My Name Is Tallulah,’ ‘Fat Sam’s Grand Slam’, and the hauntingly beautiful ‘I’m Feeling Fine,’ there’s nonstop fun for those both familiar and unacquainted with Alan Parker’s 1976 film, which cast Jodie Foster and Scott Baio into the limelight.

The film was first turned into a stage musical in 1983, with Catherine Zeta-Jones as Tallulah. The cast featured only children but had adults provide the vocals offstage. In 1983, the National Youth Music Theatre mounted an all-youth version, It premiered at the Queens Theatre, with a cast of 40, lead by Sheridan Smith and including Jamie Bell. It was revived at the Lyric Hammersmith in 2015 and again in 2016. It is this revival which is currently touring the UK.

Follow Bugsy and friends through their scrapes and curtain calls in this show-stopping revival which is bound to have you on your feet when the curtain falls.

Bugsy Malone is at Manchester Opera House from November 8 to 12 – and tours the UK until late February 2023.

The Lowry transports us from Salford to Bombay

Written by Jay Darcy on 8th November 2022. Posted in Theatre.

Brand-new musical Bombay Superstar has been labelled, “a retro Bollywood musical,” “a fun VHS generation Bollywood musical,” and “a glittering new story of love and betrayal set in the Golden Age of Bollywood cinema”.

I’m sold!

Based on the films and songs of Bollywood icons like Amitabh Bachchan and Rekha, Bombay Superstar is, at its heart, a love story between a blooming starlet, Laila, and the dashing hero, Sikander. They star together in blockbuster musicals, where heroes wear their hearts on their sleeves and rescue beautiful damsels from the clutches of villains on the mean streets of Bombay.

Laila and Sikander’s passion is ignited secretly between the pop and disco numbers. Soon, the boundaries between what is real and what is imaginary start to blur. When the deceit is unmasked, the intensity of their emotions threatens to burn everything in the city of hope and dreams. Will there be a happily ever after for the star-crossed lovers?

Set to a sizzling soundtrack of iconic Bollywood songs from the 70s and 80s, with a cast of 11, live music and vibrant costumes, Bombay Superstar brings the riot of colour, music, romance, and melodrama from the Bollywood big screen flamboyantly to life on stage.

The original Bollywood songs are courtesy of Sereama Plc., whilst new songs are hailed by Robby Khela, and musical direction is by Hinal Pattani.

Bombay Superstar is the 50th show from Phizzical, who create bold, adventurous work which brings new perspectives to South Asian stories, challenges the status quo, and empowers the next generation of theatre makers. Bombay Superstar comes to Manchester alongside a fine selection of South Asian theatre.

Bombay Superstar runs at The Lowry (Quays Theatre) from November 8 to 12, before heading to MAST Mayflower Studios from November 15 to 19 – the final stop of its UK tour.

The Lowry invites you to stay the night (in Jaipur)

Written by Jay Darcy on 8th November 2022. Posted in Theatre.

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is a new play based on the best-selling novel, These Foolish Things, by Deborah Moggach OBE FRSL. The play has strategically been named after the more famous, much-loved film adaptation.

The film had quite the cast: Dame Judith Olivia Dench CH DBE FRSA, Bill Nighy, Dame Penelope Wilton DBE, Dev Patel, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup, Tom Wilkinson OBE, and Dame Maggie Smith CH DBE. Whilst the play’s all-star cast does not shine quite as bright as the film’s, it has to be one of the best stage casts so far this year.

The cast is lead by Hayley Mills, an Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe winner, and three-times BAFTA and three-times Golden Globe nominee. Mills is best-known for playing the lead roles in the original edition of The Parent Trap films. She starred in a total of four films; the latter three as an adult. She is also known for Tiger Bay, Pollyanna, In Search of the Castaways, Summer Magic, and Wild at Heart.

BAFTA nominee Paul Nicholas gets second-top billing. On-screen, Nicholas is known for Tommy, Just Good Friends, Sunburn, and EastEnders. His stage credits, however, are more impressive: he starred in the original West End cast of Jesus Christ Superstar, the original casts of Cats and Blondel, and the original UK tour of Doctor Doolittle.

The top trio is rounded off with Rula Lenska, who starred in the original cast of Seven Deadly Sins Four Deadly Sinners. On-screen, she is known for Rock Follies, Cluedo, and, more recently, Coronation Street. She also had quite the memorable stint on Celebrity Big Brother: as well as being accidentally locked in the loo, Lenska attracted the attention of the media by indulging in a role-play task, in which George Galloway MP pretended to be a cat licking milk from Lensk’a cupped hands, and Lenska stroked his ears and moustache. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel promises lots of fun, but it probably won’t be quite as entertaining as that…

The play also stars Andy de la Tour (Notting Hill, Olivier Twist, The Brief), Rekha John-Cheriyan (Tomb Raider, Four Weddings and a Funeral, Hollyoaks), Marlene Sidaway (Coronation Street, Quest of Eagles, Andy Robson, Pride and Prejudice, Mum), and Richenda Carey (The Darling Buds of May, Rodger and Badger, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Monarch of the Glen, Criminal Justice, Residue, Fallet, Downton Abbey, The Protégé).

A joyous comedy about taking risks, finding love and embracing second chances, even in the most surprising of places, the play takes us on a journey to India with an eclectic group of British retirees as they embark on a new life. The luxury residence is far from the opulence they were promised, but as their lives begin to intertwine, they are charmed in unexpected and life-changing ways.

Get ready for the journey of a lifetime!

The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel runs at The Lowry (Lyric Theatre) from November 8 to 12 and tours the UK until early June 2023 – including a stint on Queen Mary 2, a transatlantic crossing from Southampton to New York!

Please note: Mills, Nicholas, Lenska, De La Tour, Sidaway, and Carey depart the hotel after Theatre Royal Nottingham (February 7-11), whilst Harmage Singh Kalirai checks out after Theatre Royal Bath (November 28 – December 3) – ahead of the stint on the voyage.

‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ at Warehouse Project’s Halloween night

Written by Serena Jemmett on 8th November 2022. Posted in Music.

The Warehouse Project (WHP) was joined by headliner Annie Mac, and other DJs including LF System, Nia Archives, and JAGUAR on Halloweekend (Saturday October 29). The Depot was filled with devils, ghouls, angels, fairies, elves, you name it, the list goes on… Whilst the night certainly didn’t feel like we were in hell, it dropped just short of being heavenly – largely due to the high expectations of LF System not being reached. The standout performance of the night was Nia Archives, making the night feel like it peaked too early.

Kicking off my trip to the Mayfair Depot was DJ Boring at the concourse stage, and it certainly wasn’t boring. DJ Boring rocked his set in his Asics, and he did the job of getting us in high spirits with pumping beats and crowd-pleasing remixes. The concourse stage was quite something; sick visuals of fire, skeletons, and eyes on screen hanging from the ceiling. The lasers added to the intensity of the drops.

Before the changeover between Nia Archives and himself, they hugged behind the decks, and it truly was a wholesome moment. It was heart-warming witnessing the changeover up close and the applause between sets. The DJ community seems supportive and caring of each other.

Nia Archives walked onto the concourse stage in baby pink Juicy Couture tracksuit and a small cuddly dog – dressed as Paris Hilton! It took a few minutes for her to get into her stride but as soon as she played a remix of ‘Gypsy Woman’, she had the crowd’s full approval and attention. Occasionally she looked back for reassurance and a thumbs up from her crew, but this was hardly noticeable during her set, especially when she picked up the mic and screamed “Manchester! I wanna see you skanking!”

Before her set, she’d teased some new breaks on her Instagram story and these breaks delivered, for example, using Yeah Yeah Yeahs‘ ‘Heads Will Roll’. Following a rewind, she again picked up the mic to exclaim “reeeeeewind,” which the crowd loved and got involved with screaming it back.

Nia Archives; Serena Jemmett @ The Mancunion

Previously when I’ve seen Nia, the sound let her down with a lack of bass. This wasn’t the case at Warehouse Project. The floor was shaking with the bass, you could feel it in your heart, and that’s how you know it’s going to be a good night.

When playing her own tracks, Nia picked up the mic to sing along. Her set was broken up with her own tracks and it meant the set flowed really well. Another key aspect was it was reassuring to see men enjoying her set carefree. This is especially welcome given the discrimination that female DJs face.

Nia truly knows how to work the crowd with random men telling me “this is so good init,” to which I obviously agreed. Towards the end of her set, she played her tracks ‘Sober Feels’, ‘Forbidden Feelingz’, and ended with her recent release ‘Baiana’. At the end there were prolonged chants of “Nia! Nia! Nia!” and long applause. I almost felt secondary awkwardness for the next DJ as he had a high bar to live up to.

Next up was JAGUAR from BBC Introducing Dance. Aided by some dancers, JAGUAR’s set was definitely causing people to bust some moves. This set was something else, I was absolutely loving it, and it was clear WHP pulled out all the stops for the Halloween special. The dancers at first were cats, so I had originally thought they were to match JAGUAR, as part of the cat family… But, midway through the set the two cats were replaced by four men with clown face painting and white suits. These dancers 100% encouraged the crowd to move more than the classic sway, head nod, and occasional gun fingers.

JAGUAR knew how to keep the crowd engaged – I imagine due to her BBC dance show – her set was filled with massive dance classics, sampled and mixed into beats and bassline. These dance classics included ‘Murder on the Dance Floor’ and ‘Poison’. The lasers in the archive were also a great addition.

Again, jumping back to her presenter status, this experience showed as she knew how and when to interact with the crowd, selectively saying “let’s blow this one up,” and “happy Halloween.” She did really well not to get distracted by the dancers in front of her too, cos wow oh wow they were so funny, but in a good way.

Later on, Annie Mac was joined by flame dancers on stage, truly adding to the Halloween ambience. Towards the beginning of her set, she interacted with the crowd shouting “What’s up Manchester!”, this, to me, showed her experience and why she’s one of the most in demand DJs. She had a set of over an hour and half, filled with dance hits and a sweet yet deep baseline – I know they almost contradict each other but it’s the only way I can describe. Again, the lasers stood out as great production from the WHP organisers. At this point in the night, clearly the heat of all attendees was too much for some, who had stripped and abandoned their clothes on the floor…

Midway through her set, Mac played LF System’s ‘Afraid to Feel’, which in a way I find slightly controversial. Those, like me, who had started expiring and craving cheesy chips, but were wanting to see LF system play their hit track (which lasted seven weeks at number one), no longer had that motivation to long it out (because the hit had already been played). I don’t think it was necessarily intentional, but it was an interesting choice, especially as at the end of her set she thanked the crowd and said “Happy Halloween Warehouse Project, make some noise for LF System.”

During Mac’s set, WHP released confetti multiple times – further proving my point that they put in the work for a great production. Towards the end of her set, it started to feel a bit repetitive, however, she brought it back with the remix of Whitney Houston’s ‘It’s Not Right But Its Okay’, and Eliza Rose’s ‘B.O.T.A (Baddest Of Them All)’.

LF System were also on the main stage and joined by flame and fire dancers again. The Scottish duo found success in the charts with their track ‘Afraid To Feel’ – which samples Silk’s ‘I Can’t Stop (Turning You On)’. They were clearly buzzing and having a great time on stage behind the decks. Those who had lasted were treated with a good set – although I was slightly underwhelmed. I did have high expectations as I had been told by some mates that LF System were great up in Edinburgh, so I did feel slightly let down. However, this is not to say I would see them again.

It was actually really interesting spectating and reviewing this Warehouse Project – going into the night in a more analytical mindset made me notice thing I hadn’t beforehand: for example, the debate and discussion around phones at music events. The majority of the time I didn’t see phones; I saw people enjoying themselves, the company of their mates, and enjoying the tracks. But when a huge drop or an unreal track came on everyone got their phones out around at the same time; and for about two minutes it was a sea of phones, and that’s all you could see. It almost sounds a bit like an episode of Black Mirror.

Overall, I felt like WHP was busy, but in comparison to the night before (Solid Grooves), it clearly was not… compare my picture and this video below:

@hanowennn
Busiest of the whole season feel sorry for u if u lost ur mates #warehouseproject #whp #solidgrooves #HolidayModeActivated #EndlessJourney #StopScammerTime
♬ original sound – Han

The damaging resurgence of Heroin Chic

Written by lolasharp on 8th November 2022. Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Trigger warning: Discusses body image and weight

The compelling influence that social media has on our society today has created an accessible pathway for trends to discretely pass through our everyday lives. Apps such as Tik Tok and the prominence of social media influencers have highlighted the damaging effect that body trends can have on society.

The rise of the influencer

The 21st century has vastly transformed our perspective of fame due to the impact of social media. The newfound profession of ‘influencing’ allows for anyone to be in the spotlight of fame expeditiously, for almost anything.

The role of influencing is defined as ‘an individual’s ability to affect other people’s thinking in a social community. However, the term now widely represents someone with a large following on social media, whether they choose to influence an audience or not. Influencing is mainly performed on Instagram, or more recently, Tik Tok.

TikTok, created in 2016 but rising to popularity in 2020 as a by-product of the COVID-19 lockdown, has induced an increase of influencers. In some cases, overnight, with those perceived to be ordinary members of society gaining millions of followers rapidly.

Some would argue that the Kardashian and Jenner sisters are the original influencers. Kim, Kourtney and Khloé individually have a following of up to 330 million on Instagram alone, exerting their true influence on social media users. Known for their hourglass physique; created through the cosmetic procedure of a Brazilian Butt Lift, Kim and her sisters have had a powerful hold on society for a long time.

Recently however, fans have noticed that while the Kardashians are known for their curvy aesthetic, they have publicly discussed their weight loss and noticeably, their famous curves have decreased in size. This, combined with the reappearance of the ‘heroin chic’ aesthetic proposes the harmful direction that body trends may be heading towards the near future.

The influencing impact

With millions of young impressionable teenagers admiring those with a mass following, the effect of what those in power distribute can be extreme.

Instagram is one of, if not the main source to spread these ideals to those ranging from the young age of 13. Many Instagram models make a substantial income from social media forcing a great pressure to fit into the societal standards of beauty that are trending to appeal to a larger audience. The problem is that an online identity can hugely differ from a realistic persona, where there isn’t the option to edit out imperfections in real life.

In the 21st century, not only is the conformity of plastic surgery to beauty standards a true issue but the overuse of editing software on Instagram photos creates a false perception of beauty. The normality of creating a false illusion of appearance is a growing problem in society. Through editing applications and plastic surgery, and the term natural beauty is skewed.

Body image itself has always been a prevalent issue in society, especially for young women, but the addition of social media has added another level of complexity to this topic.

The true danger of Brazilian Butt Lifts

A Brazilian butt lift, known as a BBL, is a procedure of transferring fat from either the abdomen, hips, lower back, or thighs into the buttocks to create an hourglass appearance, which has been idolised in the recent decade. While it is glamorised in our media today, the procedure is known to be very dangerous with a mortality rate of one in three thousand, the highest mortality rate of common plastic surgery procedures.

BBL procedures have greatly increased since the Kardashian sisters publicly addressed that they had undergone this procedure. While this is cosmetic, the movement has encouraged the portrayal of a variety of body types in the modelling and influencing sector.

What exactly is ‘Heroin Chic’?

The body trend of ‘heroin chic’ has resurfaced on Tik Tok in the previous months, worrying social media users about the new glamourised body type that is being idealised in our society.

The cover name of heroin chic refers to an aesthetic from the early 90s led by models such as Kate Moss, promoting the look of pale skin, dark under eyes and a thin physique alluding to the public drug use of models at the time. While drug use was not directly glamorised in the media, the life that supermodels occupied hinted at it, with magazines picturing 90s models partying and looking unhealthily slim.

The trend of the 2000s has recently dominated the fashion and beauty sector of our lives. With this has come the toxic body ideals that are once again pushed onto young, influenced members of society.

Depicted through the Kardashians’ curvy body image and the incorporation of a variety of body types in the modelling industry, it appeared that we had started to overcome the stigma that models needed to have a slim physique and follow unhealthy addictive patterns to be perceived as beautiful.

Yet even the Kardashians (particularly Khloé, Kim, and Kylie) who were known for driving up the popularity of the BBL and curvier body types now seem to be slimming down and speaking of their dramatic weight loss. Which in turn is further perpetuating this swing back to ‘Heroin Chic’. This is especially worrying considering their huge influence on beauty standards in the current social climate.

What needs to change?

With the reversal of BBLs, the glamorisation of smoking, and the popularisation of the ‘Y2k’ lifestyle through the promotion of heroin chic I fear that we may be reverting to old patterns.

As a generation, we need to inspire one another to embrace our own perception of beauty, whatever that may be. We don’t need to edit out our imperfections or get plastic surgery if we feel pressured to. In the near future, I hope that the modelling and influencing industry does not revert to the old damaging ideals we used to overlook as normal in society.

“Beautiful and timeless”: Bob Dylan brings Rough and Rowdy Ways to Manchester

Written by Alex Cooper on 8th November 2022. Posted in Music.

In Manchester, you’re never far away from music history. The scene where we find ourselves, the Manchester Apollo, is less than two miles away from the Free Trade Hall, the sight of the infamous 1966 “Judas” accusation squared at Bob Dylan that shook the very core of rock n’ roll discourses. 56 years on, fans again congregate in this city to see the same individual, yet nearly everything about the show has changed. This is the genius of Bob Dylan at work.

Dylan, now 81, has taken the Rough and Rowdy Ways tour to the UK, his first shows here in 5 years. As the Manchester date coincides with the first anniversary of the first date of the tour, it’s staggering to process Dylan’s relentless desire to showcase his latest direction. Like any generational talent in any discipline, not only are you in awe of who you’re witnessing, you’re in awe of the atmosphere of control that one person possesses. Bob Dylan makes a one-off tour show feel like a residency.

Every element of the stage show worked towards timelessness. A prerequisite was for every audience member to put their phones in a locked bag, catapulting the Apollo back to pre-smartphone times. Aged yellow curtains framed the stage, blending with the gold detail of the Apollo roof. We concurrently existed in the present moment, and wherever Dylan wanted to situate us. Strangers talked to each other, with seasoned fans trading stories of where and when they saw him last and what it meant to them. There was palpable excitement but also reverence, and a real sense of occasion.

With the time being but a rumour given the absence of phones, Bob Dylan arrived on stage in a world unconcerned by the clock. The lights came down, and the curtains were lit to echo an old blues club or wine bar. The black-clad band assumed their positions across the stage. Two thirds along sat an upright piano, behind which an obscured Dylan, in a grey blazer, struck up the first notes of his masterclass.

Opening with a loose, piano-led rendition of ‘Watching the River Flow’, Dylan took the restlessness of the original recorded vocal and improvised upon it. The trademark rising intonation was immediately recognisable, prompting nostalgia-fuelled rapture from the audience. I’m not ashamed to say that I was visibly moved by the experience; Dylan’s aged and wise voice still carried his past and permitted you to connect your own memories and periods in your life to his illustrious career. Landmark events cause you to evaluate and reflect, and it became immediately apparent that this was one of those moments.

His band members surrounded the piano like satellites, watching Dylan for subtleties in his key playing and adjusting accordingly. Instrumentally, the show was incredibly accomplished; the band had some of the most technically astonishing musicians going. Yet, naturally, all the members of the band very clearly worked for Dylan and followed his lead with serious attentiveness.

‘I Contain Multitudes’, the opener of 2020’s Rough and Rowdy Ways, receives intermittent bursts of joy from the audience among hearing references; particularly in hearing Dylan namedrop “them British bad boys, the Rolling Stones.” Dylan played nine out of the ten songs from Rough and Rowdy Ways and played the other eight of the set in a thematically in-keeping style. Blonde on Blonde’s classic ‘Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way and I’ll Go Mine’ and the 1979 funk song ‘Gotta Serve Somebody’ were reworked to fall effortlessly into the musing blues.

The beauty of Dylan’s show was how he analysed you, and the meaning that audience members attributed to each chord, and each line’s delivery. Dylan’s show is a post-modern masterpiece; the meaning that it holds for you feels as important as what the intended meaning was. His music is affirmative; Dylan denies himself authorial identity and invites you to listen and take what you want from it. It’s an open book; ‘I Contain Multitudes’ is perhaps a doctrine.

Penultimately playing 2020’s ‘Goodbye Jimmy Reed’, the band sounded as crisp as the recorded version and prompted scattered cheers from audience members in the space between vocal delivery. Ending with the 1981 ballad ‘Every Grain of Sand’, the final notes out of Dylan’s mouth were through a harmonica, again causing emotionally charged jubilation from the crowd. A flash of the past, and one final surprise of variation, Dylan and the band received their standing ovation. After returning to the stage to receive the ovation once more, they were gone.

Next time you looked at the stage, there was barely a trace of what had preceded. The curtains were taken up, and the staging deconstructed. The conversations had when exiting the theatre were peppered with routine, stressing about traffic and work tomorrow. Yet, for the duration of the show, the Apollo was transported to a place of comfort and profound emotion. Dylan causes you to impose the music onto different chapters of your life, and his astonishing talent for vision pushes you to have a different outlook. The beauty is in the ordinary; Dylan’s ordinary forces one to see their life as extraordinary.

Coral coloured school lockers with a denim jacket hanging off one

Heartbreak High: Another teen show entering its flop era?

Written by Imogen Mingos on 8th November 2022. Posted in TV.

Over the years, there have been numerous TV series portraying teenage life, from British classics Skins and Waterloo Road to big hits like Euphoria and Sex Education. After so many shows focusing on the topic, it does beg the question: is this genre overdone?

The new kid on the block (kind of) is Heartbreak High: Netflix’s reboot of the 90s Australian classic that aired for seven seasons and has been praised for its gritty depiction of teen life in Sydney. This September, Hartley High made a comeback, but this time with increased diversity, social media, and a lot of new slang.

There’s no debate that high school TV shows are well-trodden ground, especially when this one, in particular, is a reboot of its 90s predecessor, but, at this point, does it even matter? Part of the appeal of teen series is that they are relatable for their watchers. Crushes, feeling like a social pariah, discovering a sense of self, arguments with friends, parties, and sex are almost all universal experiences for teenagers during their secondary and high school years. Therefore, the shows depicting them are arguably merely mirrors for young adults to watch their lives through.

With Euphoria-inspired makeup, a sex education class echoing the detention scene of The Breakfast Club, one would think that this would put Heartbreak High in the background of Netflix shows… but this isn’t the case. The series has garnered over 33 million hours of viewing time and 100% on Rotten Tomatoes so far. NME has even called it the “new gold standard for the genre” but if that hasn’t convinced you to watch it yet, then read on for more.

Despite the show approaching familiar territory, there is a freshness to Heartbreak High that goes beyond the soundtrack and the Australian Gen-Z slang. Most noticeable was the non-binary and autistic representation through the characters of Darren (James Majoos) and Quinni (Chloe Hayden). Majoos is openly non-binary and Hayden has a TikTok account documenting her experiences with autism which has a following of 500,000. Both actors, along with lead Ayesha Madon, were cast before the script was written and had a considerable amount of input into their characters.

Fans have also been praising the other main queer, people of colour, and first-nations characters starring in the show since Australian productions aren’t usually known for their diversity. Most importantly, however, as NME so aptly puts it: “The show lets each character breathe without burdening them only with identity plots”. This was also emphasised by the casting of lesser-known actors in the lead roles: Madon had had only one acting credit prior to Heartbreak High and Majoos had not had any. That being said, you certainly wouldn’t notice it from the acting performances delivered by both.

The directors did a commendable job of creating a realistic high school universe where “every sex act, however obscure, has a name, astrology is serious, and self-helpisms are real speech”. It didn’t feel like these things were shovelled in unnecessarily by writers from another generation, but rather that a lot of the dialogue could have come from actual teenage conversations.

It is also worth pointing out that the teenagers’ outfits were admirable as they were original and eye-catching but felt realistic enough that teenagers would actually wear them to high school. NME described the show as having a “vibrant world where even the extras dress with main-character flair” which was certainly the case.

So is Heartbreak High worth your time? Having a backdrop other than the U.K. or the U.S. was definitely refreshing, as were the characters and the representation. Overall, the plot is engaging, the show is fun, and it makes me want to relive my teen years (to some extent!). If you’re a fan of teen high-school series and are looking for some nostalgia of your secondary-school years, then you should definitely rack off and open Netflix right now.

Opinion: Is Haaland the best player in the world?

Written by The Mancunion on 7th November 2022. Posted in Sport.

“Erling Haaland will not live up to the expectation … because he is not the player that everybody thinks he is.” It is safe to say Rory Jennings is regretting his pre-season prediction.

After a mere two months playing in the English Premier League for Manchester City, it is an understatement to say that Erling Haaland has hit the ground running at his new home. In just nine appearances, Haaland has scored an eye-watering fifteen goals – already more than the career Premier League goal count of league legends, such as Luka Modric and Dimitri Payet.

Haaland has become the first Premier League player to score three hat-tricks in three successive home games. He is also the quickest player in Premier League history to reach a tally of three hat-tricks, doing so in just eight games. Any potential comparisons made between Haaland and strikers at other Premier League clubs – namely Liverpool’s Darwin Nunez – have already been blown out of the water. Conversations are now starting to turn to whether the twenty-two year old Norwegian is in fact the best player on Earth currently.

There is certainly evidence that backs up the claims of pundits such as ESPN’s Mark Ogden, who wholly argue that Haaland is currently the world’s best player. The goal scoring contribution that the Norwegian has made so far at Manchester City is simply unmatched by any other striker in Europe’s ‘top five’ leagues. For instance, his closest adversary in the Premier League, Harry Kane, already lags a whole seven goals behind him in the goal scoring charts.

The effect that he has had at his new club is near beyond belief, with City’s average goal count per game having increased from 2.61 to 3.67. It also must not be forgotten that Haaland’s current form is nothing new. The player already having plied his trade in the German Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund over the past few seasons, where he scored sixty-two goals in sixty-seven appearances.

However, while Haaland’s statistics are undoubtedly impressive, and I am just as in awe of Haaland’s mind-boggling conversion rate as a centre-forward; I still currently believe that any proclamation that the Norwegian is the best player in the world is wrong. This belief of mine ultimately does not come down to any real criticism of the 22 year old, yet more so the whole nature of debates and statements around any given player being the “best in the world.”

It is simply impossible to compare two high-level players who play in different positions, and unilaterally state that one is ‘better’ than another. For instance, how it is possible to compare Haaland, who plays as a centre-forward and is proclaimed by some to be the best in the world due to his goal-scoring ability; and Thibaut Courtois, also proclaimed by some to be the best player in the world, but instead as a result of his shot-stopping ability as a goalkeeper.

Moreover, there is a complete lack of reliable measures to define what exactly can constitute a player being considered one of the best in the world. Many consider a clear defining factor in whether a player is one of the ‘greats’ to be whether they have won the World Cup for their nation. Haaland – due to his nation of origin being Norway – will almost certainly never win anything on the international stage.

However, the lack of a World Cup will not make Haaland an objectively worse player at all; or an objectively worse player than Simone Barone, a wholly uninspiring mid-table Serie A journeyman, who picked up the ultimate international prize with the Italian ‘Azzurri’ in 2006.

Therefore, I have come to the conclusion, that despite my intense admiration for the dazzling goal scoring ability of Erling Haaland, that has lit up the Premier League over the past few weeks, he can simply not be described as the current best footballer in the world. This is due to the total unreliability of the measures by which a player can be defined as such.

Instead, I believe in the mantra of BT Sport Pundit and legendary ex-player Rio Ferdinand back in 2018, when he was discussing the debate around Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi. When faced by the prospect of watching two insanely talented footballers, “just enjoy it”. Don’t be someone who concerns themselves with trying to objectively define someone as the best as any attempt to do so will simply lead to an inadequate answer.

Words by Thomas Woodcock

Pottering around at HandleBar

Written by Erin Botten on 7th November 2022. Posted in Arts.

If you’ve read our latest Fallowfield review, you know that HandleBar has a lot to offer. From cakes, pints, venue space, and bike workshops – the impressive new business also hosts a variety of craft events throughout the month. The latest? A very wholesome session of ‘Pottery with Dave‘.

I’ll set the scene for you: It’s the night of Halloween and three Toy Story aliens have stumbled into HandleBar. Was anyone else dressed up in dungarees and headbands? No, but that didn’t matter. The night was young, and there were ceramics to be made. The result of that evening’s crunchy festivities can only be described as breathtaking and boozy, with our homes since littered with handmade clay pumpkins. What more could you ask for on Halloween?

The night started by grabbing a few drinks at the bar and mingling with fellow wannabe potters. Steve, the owner of HandleBar, welcomed everyone enthusiastically, setting a cosy and friendly atmosphere for the night ahead. There was a host of people at the event – from students to couples, to Didsbury stragglers eager to drink wine and sculpt. It was a strong turnout considering Halloween in Fallowfield is a night typically spent getting drunk on cheap vodka from New Zealand Wines. At HandleBar, not only were we preing with banging tunes on comfy sofas, but the heating was on! I knew where I’d rather be.

Drinks in hand, we were guided to the back of the bar where there were tables equipped with all the tools we’d need. Aprons, sieves, fine needles, boxwood modelling tools, paint brushes, and generous slabs of clay were set out for each table. The main aim? To make pumpkins. There was an endless array of creative paths to take – all of which were encouraged by Pottery Dave.

During a quick tutorial on how to make our pumpkins using the pinch pot method, Dave explained the natural science of the clay we were using. Turns out, clay is incredibly sustainable, with our clay needing only an air-dry in order to set. We could also shape it any way we wanted, with the support of Dave, who taught us how to use each tool and create texture with sieves. After just five minutes of clay education and comedy from Steve, we were ready to seize the night with our pottery skills!

In total, we had two hours to make whatever pumpkin our hearts desired, driven by the knowledge that we were, in fact, competing against one another. There would be three prizes, all judged by Steve and varying in value, which encouraged an unexpected eagerness to create something totally unique. This did mean some of us went a little rogue, with results differing in beauty.

Notably, Dave was a constant and welcoming presence throughout the event, chatting with guests and giving tips. Turns out, the man has an impressive history with Manchester’s architecture and has sculpted everything from huge chimneys to school murals. It’s fair to say HandleBar sourced a great teacher.

The sculpting itself was really fun, albeit reminiscent of primary school art classes with our messy hands and unlimited imagination. There seemed to be no finish line with our clay masterpieces – there was always something new to add. For instance, why stop at a stalk and eyes when you can make moustaches, eyebrows, hair, cheeks, or tongues?

Even better still, our pieces weren’t confined to mere mantle decor. By creating a lid at the base of the pumpkins, we could create tealights, transforming our creations into actual jack-o’-lanterns! This aspect added to the wholesomeness of the workshop.

The session never felt rushed or tiresome. Nor did it feel dependent on drinks like most nights out. Instead, it was therapeutic. There were no expectations or pressure to make something amazing. It was freeing to play with clay and just see where it went. Over the course of two hours, I made two ghosts (just because I could), a tiny pumpkin, and a pumpkin tealight. Even if my sculptures didn’t look as elaborate as other guests’, there was still a sense of pride in what I’d made.

As for the competition, alas my table did not win. Pottery Steve spent the night slyly judging from afar, before bounding back at the end of the session, slapping his own creation on the table. Turns out, he’s spent two hours crafting what can only be described as more of an aubergine than a pumpkin.

The next ten minutes were tense, as Steve scrutinised the works before him, and also tried to recall what the prizes even were. The outcome of the event was impressive, with creations ranging from hyper-realistic pumpkins to goofy ensembles. It was stiff competition. Either way, everyone was a winner that night, and all participants walked home with a new skill and home decor.

Overall, I’d definitely recommend HandleBar art workshops. It’s a chance to have a social evening without feeling like you’ve left the house. Plus, you can be back in bed by 10pm! It seems HandleBar is an undiscovered asset in Fallowfield waiting to take off, and I can see why. They have something for everyone, and I look forward to seeing what they host next.

For more events and prices at HandleBar, click here or follow them on Instagram. To sign up, just send them a DM.

November events: Drink & Doodle, Open Mic Night, Pottery with Dave, life drawing, World Cup viewing! All events start at 7:30, with 100% of the proceeds going to the organisers.

Opening times: Monday and Tuesday 7pm – 1am. Wednesday to Sunday 12pm – 1/1:30am

Fashion sketches stuck on a wall with a close-up of one showing a red dress and another showing a blue and white outfit

Why is the EU looking to cut fashion shows?

Written by Imogen Mingos on 7th November 2022. Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

Fashion Month has passed, with some truly eye-catching looks. From Bella Hadid’s spray-on dress for Coperni or Cher closing the runway for Balmain, there’s no doubt that the SS23 will be remembered for a while to come. However, in the wake of these collections, there has been talk of the European Union reducing fashion shows by 2030 on their mission to be more sustainable.

The report was first mentioned by Pambianco News and an article has since been shared by NSS Magazine with additional information. It was said that the EU would be “taking steps to curb polluting production processes and energy waste within the fashion industry,” by reducing show schedules, producing fabrics that are durable and recyclable, and using responsible waste disposal.

NSS Magazine also had a quote from the head of Estonia’s EU delegation herself, Vivian Loonela, who said that the EU needs “a sustainable textile strategy, with the goal of diverting as many items as possible from store shelves and people’s closets to recycling and reuse programs by 2030.” This seems like a sensible premise, especially since the article gave the figure of approximately 11 kilograms of textiles per year being discarded by each person in the EU.

But as there’s little to no information released about this prospect; we know nothing about their strategies really other than to reduce show schedules at the Fashion Weeks held in the EU (Paris and Milan). A Forbes article on this year’s New York Fashion Week listed some of the biggest problems to do with the fashion industry’s sustainability namely greenwashing, the Higg index, data protocols, and labour rights. One would assume that these things will factor into the EU’s mission of tackling sustainability in the fashion industry, rather than just limiting the number of shows a week.

A good place to look would be the UK’s Sustainable Fashion Week which was also held this year in September. The event was run by Amelia Twine and Amber Rochette who wanted to create a sustainable yet accessible fashion movement. They used four key themes – rewear, repurpose, regenerate, reconnect – as the foundation for their event which aimed to share skills and knowledge in order to drive social change at a local level. They included speakers on sustainability, clothes swaps, mending circles, sewing workshops and street stitching, as well as their own fashion shows to create a function with the same duration as one of the big four Fashion Weeks entirely focused on sustainability.

Most fashion enthusiasts will be aware, to an extent, of the lack of sustainability involved in the industry. Despite the apparel business’ worth of $1.5 trillion, every step forward seems to be faced with two steps back. It is responsible for over 2-10% of global carbon emissions, being the second most damaging industry to the planet (behind only the oil industry) and greenwashing its consumers so they are led to believe that a company is more environmentally friendly than it actually is. This alone is without taking into consideration the major fast fashion brands such as SHEIN that push out up to 10 000 items per day.

There is no right answer. There is no one way to dramatically improve sustainability in the industry, but is cutting back fashion shows the best move? In our opinion, no. Brands should be looking at using more sustainable fabrics like cotton or recycled polyester and nylon in their clothing, carbon-neutral runway shows (as Dior did in 2020), and donating to charities like the Rainforest Alliance. Nearly 150 brands already joined French President Macron’s ‘Fashion Pact’ back in 2019, so is the EU reducing show schedules just a more extreme extension of this? Perhaps. Hopefully, more information about their plan will be made available soon.

Live review: Sorry pour their hearts out at White Hotel

Written by Francesca Hall on 6th November 2022. Posted in Music.

Sorry released their second album Anywhere But Here last month. The sequel to their playful 2020 debut 925, it consists of 13 heart-wrenchingly sincere tracks, each grappling with themes of isolation, lost love, and death.

The day after Halloween, Sorry brought their new material to White Hotel in Salford. They played an impressively lengthy set that lasted over an hour and included songs from both albums, as well as from their EP Twixtustwain, released last year. Warming up the stage for Sorry were Teeth Machine, a new London band whose nineties-inspired instrumentals and haunting vocals set the tone for the rest of the night.

Sorry’s set began with Anywhere But Here‘s album opener ‘Let The Lights On’, a snappy and energetic track that immediately filled the venue with a buzz, as if someone had flicked the switch on an electric current. Lead singer Asha Lorenz, clad in a black Kappa tracksuit with her hood pulled tight around her face, appeared like a deer in the headlights as she surveyed the throbbing crowd before her. But despite her ostensible timidity, she played each song with the ease of a well-seasoned performer, and she barely even needed to open her mouth for surprisingly resonant, emotionally-charged notes to come flowing out.

‘Right Round The Clock’, the first song on 925, came next. It is always tricky for a band to tour their brand new album, because many fans make it obvious when they are only there to hear the older material. Sorry were clearly aware of the challenge of playing new songs, and had carefully crafted the setlist so that it moved deftly between their older and more recent work.

The set then continued with ‘Willow Tree’, ‘There’s So Many People That Want To Be Loved’, and ‘Key To The City’ from Anywhere But Here, and Asha relaxed into the performance, taking her hood down and visibly dropping her guard. She spat out the lyrics to each song with such intense passion that you couldn’t help being drawn into her musical world: a world of seedy nightclubs and love affairs in darkened cinemas, of lonely figures walking their dogs in cemeteries.

Guitarist Louis O’Bryen invited both singers from Teeth Machine onstage for ‘I Miss The Fool’, and they provided soft, ghostly harmonies as Asha vulnerably admitted to the hushed audience: “I miss the fool that I loved / I just wanna laugh but I can’t”. This is a side to Sorry that we have rarely glimpsed before; their debut was coated in a thick, comfortable layer of irony and humour that, over the course of the last two years, has been eroded by life’s hard blows.

Heartbreaks, mental health issues, the suffocating experience of living in London as a young musician – the band have poured their innermost anxieties into this new material. Watching them play it live seemed almost invasive, as if each member were reliving the pain that had gone into making the album.

The set built in energy as it progressed, the atmosphere becoming noticeably more electric. ‘More’ and ‘Baltimore’ gave the crowd a chance to shake off the emotional weight of the previous tracks, while the upbeat ‘Cigarette Packet’ and ‘Starstruck’ got everyone properly dancing. Drummer Lincoln Barrett threw his entire body into his kit with a look of furious concentration on his face, his cymbals combining with strobe lighting to create a cacophonous, disorientating thunderstorm inside the venue.

Sorry played ‘Again’, the new record’s poignant final song, and disappeared behind the curtain for a moment, giving fans a chance to pounce on the setlists that the band had left behind (with one girl even clambering fully onstage to retrieve the last one).

But the night wasn’t over just yet. Sorry returned to the stage for an encore, playing one of 925‘s standout songs ‘As The Sun Sets’ before ending on ‘Closer’, arguably the most honest, emotive song on the new album. “I never wanted to be that guy / I never thought I could be that guy”, Asha sang, a note of self-loathing and regret in her fragile voice, and the band launched into one last cathartic wig-out before leaving the stage for good.

Anywhere But Here is out now on Domino Records, and you can stream it below:

Monday blues: How to start your week well

Written by The Mancunion on 6th November 2022. Posted in Lifestyle.

If you’re anything at all like me, at least once a week you’ll feel a sudden surge of great intentions. ‘This is the week I’m going to get my life together’, I’ll vow to my long-suffering housemates as I determine to become the kind of student that my 2016 Pinterest fooled me into thinking I’d be.

Despite my Insta feed being flooded with various versions of the ‘clean-girl’, ‘Monday-motivation’, and ‘balanced’ lifestyle aesthetics, sometimes I think there’s just too much advice. Frankly, it’s impossible to remember if I’m meant to drink my chia and lemon water before or after my 5:30 pm self-worth journal session.

So whether that Fresher’s feeling has worn off and you’re finally grappling with the lack of imposed routine, or you’ve had to begrudgingly accept that uni work actually counts towards your final degree, I’m here to cut through the clutter with the top tricks and tips for making the most of a Monday morning and starting the week as you mean to go on.

Alarms

Unfortunately, there’s no real way of sugarcoating this one. We’re well into Autumn now and it’s become increasingly likely that you’re up before the sun. Not even the impending clock changes really take the edge off that one. If you’re still refusing to turn on the heating it feels like being under the covers might be the warmest part of your day.

Three words: Get. Over. It.

On Sunday night put your alarm on full volume and abandon that baby in the furthest corner of your room. One more thing: during that sedated stumble across your room, whack those bedroom lights on. Yes, in the moment it feels like hell, and your retinas might be burning from the inside, but either way you’re certainly out of bed.

Deep breath, you’ll be okay. Everything gets easier from here.

Movement

You’re awake now, no going back. So, in the words of my idol, Olivia Newton-John, “let’s get physical.”

A run, a full-blown leg-day workout, ten simple star jumps: the form of exercise does not matter. You could even whack on some cheesy tunes and dance like you’re in 42s and have left your dignity at the door. Just five minutes of concentrated exercise in the morning has a number of proven benefits – improved mood, higher energy, increased alertness, and concentration.

Seems scary? Luckily there are so many great apps and YouTube videos designed to help motivate you. Personally, I’d recommend the 30 Days Pilates challenge app (free of course), but Yoga with Adriene is always a winner – because who can say no to a downwards dog?

Culture

Listen to the radio, read a passage from a book or a page of a newspaper (Mancunion anyone?). Do anything that captures your attention and connects you to the rest of the world.

If like me you want to start the week feeling smug, the go-to is always BBC Radio 4. My genuine knowledge of current events might be embarrassingly limited but at least I can pretend to hold my own against the Politics and International Relations students.

Alternatively, you can never go wrong with a podcast. There’s even a great article on our website with astrology-based suggestions if you’re in need of something new.

Music

In a similar vein, every main character needs a backing track. When you’re trying to harness energy and alacrity, silence is stifling, certainly not golden.

Switch on Spotify and get those tunes blasting. 2010’s Throwbacks, Top 100 Musical Tracks, 1950s Love songs. Cheesy? Sing-a-long? Genuinely quite tasteful? It doesn’t matter.

My single stipulation is this – sad, self-pitying ballads are banned until at least 5 pm.

Shower

This is the hill I am prepared to die on. Morning shower supremacy. If you’re not already a disciple, fear not, you don’t have to sacrifice your Sunday evening bathe, shave and whatnot. But listen: we can do both.

Grab that loofah and get to work. Scrub away a weekend that’s left you worse for wear and remerge fresh-faced and fighting fit. I want you reborn, almost virginal in your cleanliness.

A shower gets the blood pumping, flowing to your brain, and shaking you into action. (Also, no one wants to be known as the sweaty seminar kid).

Breakfast

Moment of honesty… I’m sometimes guilty of substituting breakfast for a very strong coffee – and it’s not something I’m proud of. Best advice: have something in your fridge that you’re really looking forward to eating. Smoothie? Eggs? Toast? Protein Shake? Chocolate cake? Whatever floats your boat.

Eating something delicious for breakfast serves a three-fold purpose: Not only will it provide momentary Monday joy and give you the energy to put all your good intentions into practice, but it also guarantees you won’t be that one person in the lecture whose stomach is moaning louder than their housemates ex-gf.

Walking to Uni

I understand that the morning ride on the 142 might be fundamental to the Fallowfield experience, and I’m probably undertaking a Herculean task attempting to change that, but I’m still going to try.

The bus route on a Monday morning is a misery. It’s no surprise people dread the start of the week when their day begins with a painfully slow, dreary journey with only bleak, grey, zombie-faced peers for company.

I’m not suggesting you sacrifice that well-deserved seat that comes from boarding the bus pre-OP stop. Instead, consider riding most of the way there and getting off a few stops before uni. After all, ten minutes of walking is still beneficial and much more palatable than 40 minutes.

Give it a go once and I guarantee you’ll be surprised how much difference it makes. A 9 am lecture is a lot more bearable if both your brain and body have been engaged already, and if you time it right you could even treat yourself to something from Lidl’s bakery section.

Sunday Night

You know those Instagram girlies I mentioned earlier, the people who seem perpetually put together? Want to know their secret? PREPARATION.

You wouldn’t catch them scrambling around in the morning, one shoe on, frantically brushing their teeth, rehousing the contents of their wardrobe to the floor because they just cannot find their keys anywhere (definitely not a personal anecdote).

Monday Mornings are shaped by your Sunday Night. And the good news – it takes less than ten minutes.

Treat yo’(future) self and get your life in order. Labs tomorrow? Check your coat is clean. Know you need a certain textbook? Locate it and place it front and centre on your desk. Laptop – charging. Keys – located. Meals – Prepped. Hotel – Trivago.

It truly doesn’t take long, you can keep Netflix streaming in the background and, unlike any part of a night out after 2:30 am, the repercussions are actually rewarding. The motto I live by? Fake it till you make it. Wake up secure that you’re semi-sorted and head into your day determined to trick everyone else into thinking you’ve got the rest of your life just as secure.

Whether you start to incorporate just one or two of these into your routine or fully submerge yourself in my unsolicited, non-scientific (but very well-meaning) advice, I wish you all the best as you transform your Monday mood and mindset.

See you on the walk to uni!

…or not.

Words by Matilda Child

Live Review: Marlon Williams dazzled with a surprisingly theatrical show

Written by Molly Gregson on 6th November 2022. Posted in Music.

Maori folk singer Marlon Williams returned to Manchester to tour his new Album My Boy in a stunningly chaotic affair

Heckling is generally reviled at intimate live shows, and usually, for good reason- the inebriated rambles of those inflicted with main character syndrome generally feel disrespectful. But Marlon Williams embraced the drunken calls of “I love you” at his show in The Pink Room at YES, and engaged in the bizarre anecdotes of past interactions with crowd members, creating a conversational, warm and truly comforting gig,

The New Zealand singer/songwriter returned to Manchester to tour his 80’s soft rock-inspired new album My Boy. This album marked a significant departure for Williams, a move away from crooning country songs to a more synth-pop-focused, upbeat sound. Following in the footsteps of Alex Cameron’s 2019 Album Miami Memory, My Boy takes a sardonic twist on the 80s, marked by retro drum patterns and dated ideas of masculinity that Williams effortlessly mocks in his magnificent voice. But it’s not the cliche and derivative 80s throwback sound that so many indie bands over the past few years have tried to emulate, Williams’ Maori heritage is ever present in every aspect of his sound. It’s playful, easygoing and vocally stunning- qualities that make it perfect for a live show!

On this gloomy Sunday evening, the pastel pink walls of Manchester’s most aesthetically pleasing venue were relatively empty as the opening act, New Zealand singer Reb Fountain emerged on stage. This is a shame as her performance was one that definitely deserved a full audience. Fountain’s wild eyes, belting voice and sultry dances made for an impeccable stage presence that felt like a character removed from the soft-spoken woman who sincerely thanked the audience in between each song. Highlights of her set included the deeply personal and tragic ‘Hey Mom’ and the PJ Harvey-esque rock ballad ‘Don’t You Know Who I Am’ that tackled issues of one’s own identity crisis.

By the end of her set, the room had filled to capacity and anticipation for Marlon William’s entrance began:

Williams has always had a flair for the theatrical, and he did not disappoint as he entered the stage with swagger, dressed in a blue geometric print shirt, hands adorned with rings and a big fat finger plaster. He had been going through his bag the night before in Leeds and cut his finger, resulting in him apologising in advance for “sh*t guitar playing.”

He opened his set with an old familiar sound launching into some older and more acoustic tunes. He started with ‘Devil’s Daughter’- a simple ballad from his 2020 collaboration album with country duo Kacy & Clayton. ‘Come To Me’ followed suit as a mellow opener of his 2018 album Make Way for Love set to a background of lush instrumentation. Later this transitioned into ‘I Know a Jeweller’, a song that merges bluegrass sounds with a slowed-down bossa nova groove.

Williams then turned to address the crowd, recounting the last time he played in Manchester. This is when the first of the crowd call-outs started – and possibly the strangest one – as a man yelled “Marlon do you remember when I hugged you in the toilets?”An embarrassed-looking Williams retorted, “Oh yes I remember,” before discussing how the guy had started playing Williams’ own music back to him while they were both using a urinal. He proceeded to, semi-jokingly, talk about how uncomfortable it is to have a fan serenade you with your own music whilst using the toilet.

Getting back on track, Williams and his band began a chorus of ‘doo doo doos’ as they headed into the title track of the new album, ‘My Boy’. The audience had been loosened by the bizarre ramblings of the crowd member and the track certainly takes a more upbeat and attention-grabbing approach than the previous songs, so this is where the gig really began to warm up.

During ‘Morning Crystals’ Williams made sure the crowd was aware that no, the song does not refer to drugs, but rather teardrops- a correction that needed to be made as I had indeed read the song as an ode to sex, drugs and rock and roll- with the bridge of the song leaning into an Elvis Presley character. Williams certainly embodied Elvis in his performance of the track, grabbing the mic from its stand and dancing with abandon as he twisted and spun across the stage. At this point a call from the audience asked if a profusely sweating Williams needed a tissue to mop his brow, he accepted and tossed the tissue back to the fan with the bravado of an 80s heartthrob.

‘What’s Chasing You’ felt like the magnum opus of the set. It’s my personal favourite of Williams’ discography and I adored hearing it live. It’s catchy and harmonic and it more than lived up to its studio recording.

Williams has previously expressed a desire in recording a full album in Maori, paying tribute to his biological and cultural heritage, as he attributes much of his musical identity to traditional Maori music. Here he gave us a taste of that, playing an unreleased song, ‘Aua atu rā’ – a phrase he said translates roughly as ‘it doesn’t matter’ but that the people of Leeds interpreted as meaning “F**k it.”

He began translating the lyrics in spoken form, incorporating the Leeds interpretation into his translation. Synchronised choruses of ‘F**k it’ could be heard coming from the audience as Williams went through the main lyrics: “Have mercy on me. The boat is falling apart. F**k it!” Hearing Williams sing in Maori put the rest of his music into context, and it becomes so clear to see the Maori references in all of his country and folk songs once he plays something so unapologetically Maori.

The transition from this breezy, mellow song and its simple lighting choices to the intense strobe lighting of ‘Party Boy’ threw me off. It’s one of Williams’ biggest and catchiest songs and despite being from an earlier album, sounds reminiscent of My Boy. It’s a classic pop song; danceable and fun.

There’s a theme running through Marlon Williams’ set list and his discography at large. His songs are beautiful, melodic harmonies and written with simple yet effective lyricism. And it works- really well! His talent is undeniable and his personality is ever present in both his more humorous songs and the more earnest ones.

‘Promises’ is the finale to My Boy and the final song in the setlist. It’s a raw and passionate ode to the promise of love.

“I am my love don’t let me die away” he belts as the crowd watches in awe. It’s a cover of a Barbara Streisand song but Marlon Williams makes it his own, transforming it from an upbeat disco tune to a heart-wrenching ballad. His vocal talents were impossible to refute before, but this song truly encapsulates his gift.

Williams returned for an encore, of course, but without the company of his band. He picked up his acoustic guitar with its trademark ‘MW’ embroidered on the strap and started chatting to the audience, taking requests for his next song. After a front row member begged him to play ‘Beautiful Dress’, he agreed, stating that he hadn’t played the song in years. It was an unconventional encore, but it added to the sense of audience participation that had been building all night.

He followed this up with the return of his band and the remarkable ‘Nobody Gets What They Want Anymore”- a duet originally sung with New Zealand folk artist Aldous Harding, but at YES, the audience became William’s counterpart, filling the role of a duet partner.

It would have made a great finale to the show, but Williams’ had one more unconventional and theatrical trick up his sleeve. He announced he would close the show with Smokey Robinson’s 60’s classic ‘Ooh Baby Baby’.

I went into this show expecting a mellow folksy gig. I knew that Marlon Williams’ sound was diverse and hard to pin down but I was not expecting bossa nova, soul, Maori, disco, country, soft rock and folk all in one setlist!

Marlon Williams and his New Zealand breeziness make any environment feel warm and welcoming. His engagement with the audience and his general conversational humour made the gig feel collaborative and made him seem so humble, yet his theatrical antics and vocal talents make it so clear why he is the one on that stage. And wow does he own that Stage!

To hell and back (in a good way): The Pretty Reckless live

Written by Owen Scott on 5th November 2022. Posted in Music.

As the female-fronted band with the most number one’s on the Billboard charts, rock music is something The Pretty Reckless understand well. Fronted by actress, model, and singer Taylor Momsen, they’ve toured with Halestorm, Shinedown and opened for Chris Cornell for Soundgarden’s last performance. Here, they’re touring for their new album Death by Rock and Roll, with The Cruel Knives in tow.

The set opened with ‘Death by Rock and Roll’, a song that serves a dual purpose for the band, at once memorialising their friend and long-time collaborator Kato Khandwala and serving as a mission statement for the band. With this anthemic opener, the band set the tone for the rest of the evening: there would be rock, and lots of it.

Taylor Momsen. Owen Scott @The Mancunion

The band went on to play ‘Only Love Can Save Me Now’ and ‘And So It Went’ from their new album, with the former’s anthemic chorus sweeping across the crowd, who faithfully sang along to each word. When Taylor Momsen began to sing one of the band’s most well-known songs, ‘Make Me Wanna Die’, the excitement was palpable. The room had got extremely hot with the excitement and movement of the crowd, something Momsen herself acknowledged with, “Are you hot? I know you’re sexy but are you hot?” Between each following song, she had a witty line ready for the audience, to keep the pauses between songs from feeling like pauses.

The band covered a range of songs from their discography, a discography which contains 12 years’ worth of songs. Playing songs from Light Me Up, like ‘Goin’ Down’, and ‘Sweet Things’ from Going to Hell, they delivered consistently strong performances, as one thing from each song’s lyrics and Momsem’s chat between songs became clear: the band think they’re going to hell, and they want you to have fun with them on their journey.

The standout on their journey to hell was ‘Heaven Knows’, another of their most popular hits, with the line, “Oh Lord, Heaven knows, we belong way down below,” being sung like a revelatory cheer, by both Momsen and the crowd. The crowd featured a long guitar solo at the end, which may have gone on for a moment too long, but the band’s skill has to be applauded.

Returning to the stage for the encore with ‘Learn to Fly’ and ‘Fucked Up World’ the band delivered another extended solo, this time a very extended drum solo, featuring Julia Garner’s famous line in Ozark: “If you wanna stop me, you’re going to have to f***ing kill me!” With the drums and electronic sounds, it felt strangely reminiscent of The Warehouse Project for a moment.

The Cruel Knives. Owen Scott @The Mancunion

The support act, The Cruel Knives, set the scene well, with their soaring vocals and guitars. It was reminiscent of the heyday of bands like Sleeping with Sirens, recalling the sounds and aesthetics of early 2010s rock. Some instances of the microphone cutting out at the start threatened to throw their set into jeopardy, but the band proved the show must go on and continue, delivering a great performance after that minor issue was fixed.

Overall, The Pretty Reckless can be summed up with the name of their album and the tour Death by Rock and Roll. It’s clearly a philosophy for them, all of their songs rooted in the tropes of rock and roll we all know and love, i.e. hell, witches etc. Though some choices, such as the drum solo, could have been cut shorter, they delivered a strong set and showed their love for rock music.

You can check out more from The Pretty Reckless on their website here, and their latest album Death by Rock and Roll here:

My Policeman review: Captivating or criminal?

Written by Belle Lewes on 5th November 2022. Posted in Film.

My Policeman, adapted from the 2012 novel of the same name by Bethan Roberts, is a heart-warming love story that feels overwhelmingly predictable.

The film adaptation has been highly anticipated due to its star-studded cast, ranging from Rupert Everett to none other than Harry Styles. Ironically, the acting in My Policeman was perhaps the greatest downfall of the film.

Strung between two timelines, Director Michael Grandage, opens with a disorienting and fraught dynamic between husband and wife Marion (Gina McKee) and Tom (Linus Roache), alongside a bed-ridden stroke victim, Patrick (Rupert Everett). Everett’s performance is engaging from the off. Despite being unable to speak, he manages to convey years of pent-up rage and betrayal with no dialogue at all.

Thankfully, the film then takes a step back in time to 1950s Brighton to relieve the audience of their confusion. Emma Corrin plays younger Marion, and we see an awkward but delicate love story unfold between her and Tom (Harry Styles). Thankfully, Styles’ scenes are broadly limited to playing a charming young man with a handsome smile (nothing out of the ordinary for the former boy-band member). Styles is still continually upstaged by Corrin, the emotional tensions between the two actors often feeling forced and somewhat uncomfortable.

The saving grace for the younger cast is Patrick (David Dawson) the captivating art curator. His presence between the two lovers continually poses a threat to their relationship. While the first section of the film is dedicated to a heterosexual couple, after a short trip back to the present day and the older generation, we can see that all is not quite as straight as it seems.

The love story between young Tom and Patrick that follows is undeniably charming. While Styles is clearly less practiced in acting than his counterpart Dawson, the two ultimately had great on-screen chemistry, although even this was mostly orchestrated through camera angles and fleeting physical touch. Furthermore, despite poor Marion’s betrayal, you can’t help but root for the ill-fated lovers.

Additionally, the film’s presentation of deep-rooted homophobia in 1950s England is tragically realistic, speaking on marrying for “protection”, homophobic violence, and the threat of imprisonment which constantly looms in Tom’s police uniform. The strong discomfort felt in both homophobic and misogynistic scenes suggests that regardless of the occasionally weak acting, this film is a brilliant social commentary on 1950s England.

The simple and somewhat predictable story offers a satisfactory conclusion to the trio’s tumultuous lives. If you manage to make it this far, the ending is more evocative than the entire previous 1 hour and 45 minutes. My Policeman is certainly a pretty tale with beautiful panning shots of Brighton, but if you’re looking for Oscar winning performances, perhaps this isn’t the film for you.

3/5.

My Policeman was released on Prime Video on November 4 and is in cinemas now.

Crying in Manchester: Japanese Breakfast at the Albert Hall

Written by Erin Osman on 5th November 2022. Posted in Music.

Like the title of their latest album Jubilee suggests, Japanese Breakfast were indeed jubilant. As a result of Covid, their European tour had been postponed since March – but to a sold-out Manchester audience, it certainly did not disappoint.

The band were impeccable: fully fleshed with trumpets, a huge gold gong, and bass guitars. On top of this, Michelle Zauner’s performance was captivating. It felt neurotic but somehow joyous, with strung-out minor chords creating a sense of calm despite the seemingly counteractive gig environment.

The support from this tour comes from Brooklyn-based band, Barrie. They came out in matching white outfits, creating a kind of etherealness which continued throughout their performance. The band had choreographed a vogue-esque dance to accompany their lyrics. I’d never seen anything like it, but its quirkiness became endearing and I couldn’t help myself from dancing along with them – trying and failing to copy their moves.

Their songs reminded me of Frankie Cosmos, with influences of Japanese Breakfast: electronic notes, minor chords, and strung-out melodies. I’m always slightly lax about a support band, but Barrie definitely held their own.

Warm-up band Barrie – Photo: Erin Osman @ The Mancunion

Then it was Japanese Breakfast’s turn. When lead singer Michelle Zauner took the stage at Manchester’s Albert Hall, clad in an all-white floaty dress, chunky black platforms, and a bright-red hair tie, there was a lot to be jubilant about.

The first notes of ‘Paprika’ reverberate around the crowd for a few moments before the lyrics begin. The song is about the connection Zauner makes with her audience through her lyrics and when performing. It is a song which breaks the fourth wall: she is singing about her singing, performing a song which itself is about performing. Without physically reading her lyrics, it would be easy to miss what Zauner is saying. But this seems done almost on purpose, as Zauner continues to explore big, sweeping ideas but through a medium that is energetic and upbeat, rather than sombre and overly serious.

Without much conversation, the band quickly moves on to their next song on the setlist: ‘Be Sweet’. Much more upbeat, and sounding like a song straight out of the 80s, the sound of the song belies some of its more desperate lyrics. In the song, Zauner sings about the longingness to mend a broken relationship: the lyrics “make it up to me,” are repeated throughout, as she pleads with her partner to “be sweet to me.”

After ‘In Heaven’ and ‘The Woman That Loves You’, comes ‘Kokomo, IN’. This song is stripped back of some of the electronic sounds which feature throughout Jubilee. It is a ballad about teenage love and loneliness, about a partner moving on, and about the person left behind.

A cheer comes from the audience when the first notes of the next song start to play. ‘Road head’ is a crowd favourite. The song only has two verses, but its clever lyricism is what makes it so popular. Zauner describes the song as being about “that really ugly moment when you try to do something sexually wild to save a relationship.“

She describes how she wrote it about an ex-boyfriend who made her feel bad about her music career. Now, Zauner is the one with the last laugh: repeating something her ex-boyfriend could have easily said to her before – ‘dream on, baby’.

One of my favourites on her new album, Savage Good Boy, does not require any opening chords – and so its lyrics begin instantly. In the song, Zauner adopts the personality of a rich man, buying a bunker to save him and his lover from an impending apocalypse. Her adoption of such a perspective feels empowering. It is Zauner making the money, behaving badly, drinking wine, and getting what she wants. And the crowd loves it.

‘Boyish’ and ‘Slide Tackle’ are some of the next songs on the list. ‘Boyish’ is heavily neurotic, a song about a woman who is insecure about her relationship and about her partner. My favourite line in the song expresses Zauner’s songwriting skills perfectly: “I can’t get you off my mind / I can’t get you off in general,” plays on sentence structure to communicate the feeling of sexual inadequacy.

It is a song, more broadly, about unrequited love, and how such love might make someone act. The girl in the song is desperate, angry, and overly self-critical, and the slowness and sound of the song reinforces this.

‘Slide Tackle’ brings the vibes back up. The crowd starts moving again, and Zauner and her husband/bass player/pianist Peter Bradley share a rare moment of intimacy on stage as they walk towards each other until their foreheads meet, with the lines “be good to me,” providing the musical backdrop. ‘Slide Tackle’ was followed by one of my favourite Japanese Breakfast songs, ‘Everybody Wants To Love You’. And for the encore, the band treated us to two more favourites, ‘Posing for Cars’ and finally, ‘Driving Woman’.

Michelle Zauner is on top of the world right now. Her memoir, Crying in H Mart published in April 2021, achieving critical acclaim and debuting at number two on the New York Times best-seller list. Her prose writing is as good as her songwriting, as she weaves together the themes of family, food, grief, love, and culture.

After her mother died of cancer in 2014, Zauner found herself frequenting the isles of Korean supermarket H-mart, crying over Mandu and jars of kimchi. Her memoir is a love letter to Korean food, and an attempt to continue the relationship she had with her mother through a new-found love of Korean cooking. I’ve been recommending the book to every one of my long-suffering friends, and now, I’m recommending it to you.

Overall, Japanese Breakfast put on a phenomenal show. The band was superb, and Michelle Zauner, like in all of her other projects, gave us something that was palpably real.

Live review: Leo Sayer at Bridgewater Hall

Written by Jay Darcy on 5th November 2022. Posted in Music.

To celebrate his remarkable 50-year career, Leo Sayer has embarked on a huge tour around the UK. I recently had the pleasure of interviewing him, and he admitted that people have tried to put him off performing in Manchester because it is hard to sell tickets, but he did it anyway – and he blew the roof off Bridgewater Hall! I don’t recall seeing any spare seats in the stalls, so Sayer should be glad he ignored that advice (or lack thereof).

The concert opened very casually. There was no opening act. There was no big opening number. Instead, Sayer strolled onstage and just started talking. He wished us a happy Halloween and introduced his band.

It was quite refreshing to attend a concert with such a relaxed atmosphere. I was reminded of Cher‘s farewell tour. Now, that was obviously a huge production (it’s Cher, y’all), but before she was transported from the ceiling, she crept through the curtains and waved at her fans. Sayer and Cher know that they are legends; they don’t feel the need to prove themselves, and they certainly don’t take themselves too seriously.

Sayer’s opening song was his third single and first hit, ‘The Show Must Go On’ – the name of a tour. Opening the show with this song was a reminder that A) his music is still with us after all these years and B) he isn’t going anywhere. Indeed, whilst Cher recently bid adieu, Sayer told me this is an anniversary tour, not a farewell.

He next sang ‘One Man Band’, which allowed him to show off his dramatic side. As he sang the lyric about rain, and the sound of rain pouring flooded the speakers, he pretended to get wet.

After this, he had a dig at Donald Trump and the UK Conservative Party for being dishonest; he told us that in this current age of lying, he had to tell us the truth behind his next song, ‘Moonlighting’. Some in the audience laughed and even cheered whilst others stayed silent – some of them, bored of politics and frustrated that their evening of escapism had been politicised; others, Tories.

After singing a couple of lesser-known songs, Sayer showed off his harmonica skills at the beginning and end of ‘Raining in My Heart’ – an instrument he used regularly for the rest of the show. This was followed by his ‘Have You Ever Been in Love’, the little-known ‘Bedsitter Land’, ‘Orchard Road’, and ‘I Can’t Stop Loving You (Though I Try)’ – a sad but sweet end to the first act.

‘Have You Ever Been in Love’ (1982) and ‘Orchard Road’ (1983) were his last top 10 and top 20 hits, respectively, until he topped the charts in 2006 with ‘Thunder in My Heart Again’ – Meck‘s remix of Sayer’s ‘Thunder in My Heart’ (1977).

Sayer actually opened the second act with ‘Thunder in My Heart’, a wise decision, for it got the crowd going again after the mellow end of the first act and the relaxed interval.

After performing ‘More Than I Can Say’, a woman in the audience asked Sayer if he had gotten her note. He then picked it up off the stage floor and read it out. Apparently, Sayer and this lady, Dawn, had danced together 40 years ago, and she wanted another dance. Sayer came down and hugged her – and even posed for a photo with her, much to the security’s chagrin and concern. A male audience member then jokingly shouted out, “Can I have a kiss?” Ah, middle-aged male humour, eh?

Sayer then shifted the tone again, with two The Beatles covers: ‘Eleanor Rigby’ and ‘Across the Universe’. He admitted to being worried about performing them in Liverpool, especially because he has messed around with the songs – but he proudly proclaimed that one should be able to change songs if they please.

Sayer then brought the mood back up again (and got the audience on their feet) with his signature hit, ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. If anybody in that audience didn’t feel like dancing, I don’t think they feel at all! Towards the end of the song, he leaned over and gripped the hand of an adoring fan and twirled her around.

The last three songs of the main act were ‘When I Need You’, ‘Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)’, and ‘How Much Love’.

The encore was made up of two Roger Daltrey songs that a then-unknown Sayer had written for Daltrey’s debut studio album, Daltrey. The first was the little-known ‘It’s a Hard Life’, but Sayer followed it with ‘Giving It All Away’ (Daltrey’s dazzling debut single).

Whilst The Who were uber successful, Daltrey did not have much luck on the charts as a soloist – save for this spectacular song. Sayer has always loved it; he even covered it for his second studio album, alongside another track he wrote for Daltrey: ‘One Man Band’. I said that Sayer does not feel the need to prove himself, but he certainly wanted us to know that he is responsible for Daltrey’s only solo hit.

It is hard to believe that Leo Sayer is 74 years old. His voice has aged like fine wine; he even still hits a few of those high notes. He has so much energy, and that energy is infectious. The only Sayer song I knew before watching the concert was ‘You Make Me Feel Like Dancing’. It is one of my all-time favourite songs, and I will go to gigs just to hear artists sing my favourite songs. But I left this gig appreciative of Sayer’s wider catalogue and undeniably artistry.

Leo Sayer is touring the UK with The Show Must Go On – 50th Anniversary Tour until November 12.

Chemistry of KA-BOOM!

Written by Blake Crompton on 5th November 2022. Posted in Science & Tech.

As winter approaches, there are many glorious occasions to celebrate. However, one occasion has the ability to take us straight back to childhood – Bonfire Night. There’s always something magical about the sound and sight of fireworks, be it holding a sparkler at maximum arm’s length for fear that you’d burn yourself, or watching them go ‘wheeee’ and ‘ka-boom’ from your living room window. But, what’s the science behind fireworks?

Modern-day fireworks originated as simple ‘firecrackers’ in the Song Dynasty, China, in around the 9^th century. They are an elegant use of an invention that has historically contributed to beautiful celebration and terrible devastation – gunpowder.

The first known explosive was derived from a sulphur and charcoal fuel, combined with a potassium nitrate oxidiser. This combination is still widely used as a principal ingredient in fireworks, due to its classification as a ‘low- explosive’. When it’s ignited, its slow decomposition rate will allow it to burn slower and for longer; hence why we can see the firework climb into the sky.

Fireworks are able to explode in different colours due to a component of pyrotechnical design that will be familiar to many from GCSE science classes, where teachers often set alight magnesium coils. The chemistry of organometallics, which are substances which contain carbon-metal bonding, provides much of the scientific explanation for the bright colours seen. For example, Sodium is often included to provide an optically intense gold/yellow emission, and Barium Chloride helps turn fireworks green. Sparklers are mainly composed of Iron and Aluminium metal to produce sparks and white/silver sparking effects, which give them their namesake.

All these need to be ultimately held together by a binder, that will contain the fuel and colour components together whilst preventing spontaneous combustion. They include time-delayed fuses to allow fireworks to travel high up before forming their star pattern.

Take a moment to reflect on the centuries-old chemistry that enables you to enjoy a fireworks display this 5th November.

A look at celebrity halloween costumes: from works of art to classic characters

Written by Imogen Mingos on 5th November 2022. Posted in Fashion & Beauty.

There is always much anticipation felt for celebrity Halloween costumes, particularly towards the Kardashian-Jenners and supermodels like the Hadid sisters. Celebs normally sport more than one look per year for various events and parties, which gives us plenty of inspiration for creative costumes. Some have been stunning, others horrifying, and some hilarious. But there’s no doubt that all have been anything short of iconic. So get your notes app out and start writing! Here are some of our favourite celebrity Halloween costumes so far…

Hailey Bieber (2021) – Britney Spears

Starting off strong is Hailey Bieber, who wore no less than four Britney Spears-inspired outfits for last year’s Halloween celebrations. The iconic looks were taken from Spears’ music videos for ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’, ‘Oops!… I Did it Again’, ‘Slave 4 U’, and her 1999 cover shot for Rolling Stone magazine. Her recreations were almost as iconic as the real looks and definitely provided some fierce competition for others to live up to in 2021.

hailey bieber dressed up as britney spears for halloween (2021) pic.twitter.com/0yJQsuzo5c
— 2000s (@2000sthetic) October 30, 2022

Sophie Turner and Joe Jonas (2018) – Morticia and Gomez Addams

A couple’s costume that we loved was Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s rendition of Morticia and Gomez Addams back in 2018. The photos were stunning! Jonas wore a black pinstripe suit with his hair slicked back and ‘Thing’ on his shoulder. Turner wore a black maxi dress with a thigh-high slit, jet black hair, pale makeup with red lipstick, and held a bouquet of roses that she gradually cut leaving just the stems. A classic look but one that was recreated beautifully.

Happy Halloween from Morticia & Gomez Addams pic.twitter.com/FhLJuz0i9C
— J O E J O N A S (@joejonas) November 1, 2018

Lil Nas X (2021) – Lord Voldemort

The Grammy-winning singer, known for his artistic and dramatic album covers delivered, a fantastic recreation of Lord Voldemort from the Harry Potter film series – it looked like it could have come right from the movie set. It was a creepy look with excellent makeup and special effects, perfect for Halloween.

he who must be called by your name pic.twitter.com/G5MeIQmTGu
— im not reading all that (@LilNasX) October 31, 2021

Bella Hadid (2020) – Lichtenstein-inspired painting

The younger of the Hadid sisters delivered a truly stunning and creative look as she painted herself to look like one of the characters in Lichtenstein’s pop art. Bella posted a video of her showing off her look, as well as photos of Lichtenstein’s actual work. With an electric blue wig and half of her face painted with white dots and black contour lines, she looked nothing short of spectacular.

Bella Hadid as Lichtenstein for halloween 🦋 pic.twitter.com/3xPReAEXH8
— ARCHIVES BELLA HADID (@archivesbells) October 31, 2021

Harry Styles (2021) – Dorothy Gale

Styles is known for his flamboyant and colourful outfits, so fans expected something tremendous from his Halloween costume last year – and he delivered. The singer put is own spin on Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz wearing a blue gingham pattern dress with a matching bow, red tights, and, of course, red sparkly kitten-heeled shoes. He tied it all together with red blush, and his tattoos on display to create a seamless blend of masculine and feminine in his recreation of the 1939 film’s main character.

Harry Styles dressed as Dorothy on stage at Madison Square Garden. 🎃 pic.twitter.com/QWSCcI5ZFb
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) October 31, 2021

Paris Hilton (2020) – Blue Fairy

Media personality and model Paris Hilton doesn’t usually dress up as specific characters, but rather takes inspiration from archetypes and aesthetics for her Halloween costumes. Staying on brand in 2020, she dressed up as a blue fairy with large holographic wings, a sequined body suit and a tiara. In our opinion, it made for a nice change from the light and dark angel costumes usually worn!

She was made of fairy dust. ✨ Her mind as fragile as fairy wings. ⚡️ Her eyes as bright as the twinkling stars. 💫 And a heart of gold to match. ✨✨🧚🏻‍♀️✨✨ pic.twitter.com/oHRlWYzZ4p
— ParisHilton (@ParisHilton) November 5, 2020

Gigi Hadid (2019) – The Mask

Gigi Hadid delivered a truly iconic Halloween look in 2019, when she went as Jim Carey in The Mask – but the high-fashion version (of course)! She wore the bright yellow suit complete with a shirt, monochrome tie and yellow hat, and painted her face green. The look was more glam than that of the 1994 film, however, as she subtly contoured her face and applied a minimal amount of green eye makeup, as well as large gold hoops. Overall, it was a unique look executed brilliantly.

2019: Gigi Hadid dressing up as The Mask for Halloween.
2020: Please just wear a mask this Halloween. (📷: Patrick Ta) pic.twitter.com/cUbN2ztoZN
— E! News (@enews) October 31, 2020

Heidi Klum (2015) – Jessica Rabbit

Former supermodel Heidi Klum is known for being a Halloween enthusiast and consistently delivers full-out costumes for the spooky season. 2015 was no exception for Klum, as she dressed up as Jessica Rabbit with the full red gown, wig, shoes, purple gloves, and makeup (including prosthetics). According to instyle.com, the costume took a total of 10 hours to complete! There’s no question of Klum’s dedication to Halloween costumes so one can only wait eagerly to see what she wears in the following years!

Heidi Klum’s Jessica Rabbit Halloween Costume. pic.twitter.com/UcyhNpnhjW
— Greg Hogben (@MyDaughtersArmy) November 1, 2015

Burtka-Harris family (2017) – Carnival of Curiosities

As Insider magazine says, “If Heidi Klum is the queen of Halloween, then Neil Patrick Harris must be the king,” as his family’s Halloween costumes have become legendary! Inspired by everything from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to Star Wars, Hollywood icons to Disneyworld’s Haunted Mansion characters, each year there is intrigue around what the family choose. Our personal favourite was their 2017 ‘Carnival of Curiosities’ featuring a twisted ringleader and clown, a strong man, and a bearded lady. Definitely, one to look to for group costume inspiration!

Omg!! Happy Halloween!! 🎪 #Carnival #BurtkaHarrisHalloween pic.twitter.com/gCgzfhwmS9
— Burtka-Harris & Tarlos 🏳️‍🌈 (@Neil69David) October 31, 2017

Megan Thee Stallion (2022) – Glam pumpkin head

Finally, we have one of a handful of teasers for this year’s celebrity Halloween costumes, and my personal favourite to kick off the spooky season was from Megan Thee Stallion. The rapper posted a photo of herself wearing a carved pumpkin head while reading a book and drinking, what looked like, a mimosa. I thought it was a classic look that set the mood perfectly for October.

pic.twitter.com/MTB6fCeZiR
— TINA SNOW (@theestallion) October 2, 2021

Review: The Lion King

Written by Katie Bray on 5th November 2022. Posted in Theatre.

Disney’s award-winning musical The Lion King has finally arrived at Manchester’s Palace Theatre and has been so successful that the residency has been extended, again, so hunt down your tickets quickly before the hyenas snatch the remains!

The story follows Simba (Stephenson Ardern-Sodje), a lion cub destined to become king after his father Mufasa (Jean-Luc Guizonne) is killed by his treacherous uncle, Scar (Richard Hurst). Blaming himself for his father’s death, Simba runs away, meeting witty meerkat Timon (Alan Mchale) and flatulent warthog Pumba (Carl Sanderson), who teach him their carefree ways, before his love, Nala (Nokwanda Khuzwayo), and wise baboon Rafiki (Thandazile Soni) call him back to reclaim his rightful place on the throne and in the circle of life.

I awaited the show with excited anticipation for such a purrrfect theatrical reinterpretation of one of the best animated movies ever made. I was slightly apprehensive about how realistic the animal characters would feel but was immediately overwhelmed by the realism from the range of colourful costumes and makeup designs, realistic animalistic movements and interpretive dance (also used in more ‘violent’ moments), all performed with such breath-taking fluidity.

The show features intricately designed puppets of cheetahs, hyenas (Rebecca Omogbehin, Simon Trinder and Owain Rhys Davies), meerkats, warthogs, and hornbills, mobiles of flying birds and buzzards, stilted giraffes and enormous elephants, projections, shadow puppets, and lion and buffalo costumes.

Even the grass was occasionally transformed into costumes to ensure that nature moved with liveliness, or it was used to hide certain puppetry effects, or as a backdrop, dragged slowly as a character moved in the opposite direction.

‘I Just Can’t Wait to Be King’ added more abstract representations of animals, including giraffes leaning over the audience from the stage, animals ridden by the cubs, and a dash of colour and fun. An especially impressive effect was used in Scar’s costume with a mask that had a frame behind the neck allowing it to move according to the actor’s stance, creating a prowling and realistic version of scar, which at times covered the human actor entirely in an unnerving but brilliant effect as he skulked in elephant-bone structures.

I cried a total of three times in the most impressive of scenes. The first occasion was during ‘Circle of Life’, which brought so much life and immersion to the audience who gasped as the musical harmonies built, animal puppets were slowly brought upon all sections of the stage, and every space of the theatre was used, including the aisles, for surprising closeup displays of the puppetry of elephants and more.

Musical instruments were spread across the orchestra pit, singers were placed onstage and at the sides of the audience, and drummers were placed in the boxes – which added a sense of immersion that drew the audience into a jaw-dropping experience. Even the staired structure of Pride Rock and the iconic lifting of Simba were incredible sights to behold, earning immediate applause from the audience. It’s an emotional, awe-inspiring, and immersive experience unlike any other.

Particularly amazing puppetry was seen in Zazu (Matthew Forbes), the life-size Timon, Pumba and his extendable tongue, and a fascinating cheetah attached through a series of wires to each part of the actor’s body to create seamlessly graceful movements. The giraffe and elephant were also spectacular, with massive and grand structures that seemed almost impossible to physically exist. It was as if each person and creature were separate entities, performing together with vivacity.

Whilst every moment gripped me, one of the most impactful moments was the tear-jerking stampede scene, which seemed an almost impossible feat to take to recreate on stage… boy, was I wrong!

Scar’s now infamous betrayal was portrayed with a layering of screens to resemble the canyon structure before shadow buffalos came to life, quickly moving down the canyon side towards the levitating Simba (seen hanging on a tree branch) when the buffalos finally reach the main stage as tribal masked dancers.

Mufasa climbs the cliffside screens before Scar appears from above, and Mufasa falls, harnessed in a cacophony of lights and screams, followed by a brilliantly-portrayed young Simba and later lionesses, alongside Rafiki, who pine over his death. This moment was all the more heart-wrenching due to the perfect portrayal of Simba and Mufasa’s relationship as light-hearted, loving, well-humoured and protective, with playful antics as well as serious reflections on mortality in ‘They Live in You/He Lives in You (Reprise)’, featuring a grand version of the Mufasa storm cloud which looms lovingly over Simba.

Beyond the spectacles of set and costumes (produced by Richard Hudson, Julie Taymor, and Michael Curry), amazing acting and interpretive dances, the performance never missed a beat, always understanding how to lighten or dramatisise the more emotional moments to effectively impact the viewer, yet able to simultaneously balance these emotions with puns, fourth wall-breaks, and region-based jokes, for instance, Zazu stating that the curtains “look like something from Bury Market” had the audience in stitches.

The musical introduces new songs, including The Lion King 2’s ‘He Lives in You’, as well as songs created especially for the musical, including: Simba’s power ballad ‘Endless Nights’, Nala’s reflective ‘Shadowland’, the hyena trio’s ‘Chow Down’, and the ensembles gospel-like ‘One by One’. These perfectly fit with the songs translated from the original movie and added extra emotional reflection of each character’s inner turmoil, thoughts and unexpressed feelings.

The stage musical also introduces a blend of different song styles and cultural influences, ranging from Japanese to African, in their costume representations and more. Indeed, each costume represents something about Africa or the character’s mannerisms; the circular structure of Mufasa’s mask representing the sun and his enforcement of the circle of life, unlike his sharp-quilled brother Scar, whilst Rafiki represents an African healer, adorned with medicinal bottles and shells.

My personal favourite song addition was adult Simba’s ‘Endless Nights’ and both versions of ‘They/He Lives in You’ which were sung with such raw emotion, especially by Simba. Saying this, every singer from the ensemble to the main cast was phenomenal in their dancing and singing roles, and it would be impossible to choose just one performer as a favourite. Even the child actors were astounding in their roles.

One of the most fun moments of the musical was always going to be ‘Hakuna Matata’. The transition from young to adult Simba was fun, recycling Simba’s iconic Tarzan swing from the movie before the interval. Every scene transitioned between characters, times and places with such grace that it felt so effective and life-filled; this experience is the closest anyone will ever feel to the world of The Lion King.

I was overwhelmed by the intricate attention to detail and emotion that paid respect to an animated classic with its own flare and charisma, potentially even beating the movie! The cast should be full of pride at their achievements, creating a lifelike and immersive Pride Lands experience for viewers of all ages to enjoy.

With over 150 people onstage and backstage needed to maintain the show, and 230-odd puppets used, and the use of several languages, it is a show of dedication and love, deeply rooted in the animation as a love letter to culture and music. It is a musical spectacular which unsurprisingly saw the whole audience united in a standing ovation.

The Lion King is at the Palace Theatre until March 11 2023. After this huge run, the UK tour visits Sunderland Empire from March 16 to May 6 and Birmingham Hippodrome from July 6 to September 16, with more venues to be announced.

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