Monday 30th June 2025
Blog Page 1034

John Mann MP addresses Antisemitism with OULC

Guy Bennett-Jones
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John Mann MP addresses Antisemitism with OULC

John Mann MP, Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group against Antisemitism, addressed OULC on Monday. He stressed the need of OULC to accept the Macpherson definition of racism, whereby a racist incident is “any incident which is perceived to be racists by the victim or any other person”.

Mann emphasised the difference between debates about Israel and Jews and other minorities such as the Rohingyas in Burma. Relating to his position as chair of the APPG against Antisemitism, he said “I receive scores of emails asking ‘Who is paying me?’ and ‘Who is pulling my strings?’ Isn’t is strange that I don’t receive these types of emails for any other issue.”

Mann touched on the long history of antisemitism, claiming that Britain is reverting to the antisemitism common in the 1980s. He stressed the public’s propensity to jump to conclusions of conspiracy when talking about Israeli politics.

Asked whether he condemned Malia Bouattia, Mann replied that although he didn’t agree with her, there are two ways to fix these problems.

“I’ve not been happy with her statements. [But] there are two options. One is you call them out, you condemn them, you isolate them. The other is you educate them. I called for Naz Shah not to be suspended by the Labour party. I was working with her and my office was working with her.”

I thought it was very significant that a prominent, reasonably young, Muslim women MP had shown she understood why what she’d said was offensive.”

Talking about attitudes in the UK, Mann said “I represent one of the most white working class communities in Britain, there is what I call a benign antisemitism in my constituency. If you said ‘Jews’ and ‘money’ people wold make an association immediately – Jews are rich….This type of low-level anti-Semitism is usually in the Muslim community.”

Mann has recently made national news for shouting at Ken Livingstone declaring him a ‘Nazi apologist’ after Livingstone defended Naz Shah.

After Mann’s talk, OULC passed a motion on empowering women in the Club. Noting that men dominate both OULC events and the committee, the motion introduces gender quotas. It also states that one of the holders of the position of Chair and Deputy Chair (both equal in co-chair status) must identify wholly or partially as a woman.

Two committee positions will also be reserved for those “who self-identify partly or wholly as a women or transfeminine.” If no women stand, the committee will produce a report and a remedy.

During the Q and A, David Parton, Co-chair of OULC, twice encouraged those who self-identified as women to ask a question. Following the talk, all men had to vacate the room so the women members of OULC could hold a discussion in private.

This article was amended to correct a previous error concerning the gender status of holders of the positions of Chair and Deputy Chair

Live review: We Are Scientists

Calum Bradshaw
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Live review: We Are Scientists

As a pre-teen I vividly remember shredding corners in Burnout 3 as We Are Scientists’ ‘The Great Escape’ jangled behind the roar of my desperately out of control car. A decade later, as I queued in characteristic Bristol drizzle to see the band perform the second major gig of their UK tour, I wondered if they had ever become more than a video game’s backing track, or had simply faded into the traffic.

My concerns soon disappeared. On this side of the pond to promote their latest release, Helter Seltzer, We Are Scientists sure know how to put on a show. From the headbanging opening of fan favourite ‘This Scene Is Dead’ to the pseudo-electro chimes of ‘Too Late’, the three men sharing the stage held the low-ceilinged Bierkeller enraptured.

Frontman Keith Murray and bassist Chris Cain played a short acoustic set in Bristol’s Rise record shop earlier that day, during which they asked for “any requests – so long as they’re ‘The Great Escape’…” This throwaway quip had scared me at the time – were We Are Scientists a one-trick indie rock pony? Far from it. Besides new material, there’s the strong four album back catalogue to dig through, littered with big-chorus bangers seemingly designed to set small venues like the Bierkeller alight. The opening riff of ‘Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt’ was almost drowned out by the roar that greeted its arrival, while the anthemic ‘After Hours’ brought with it arm-waving and moshing in equal measure.

Murray and Cain kept the audience laughing with quickfire asides between songs, but this was in no way an apology for, or an attempt to cover up any musical shortcomings. In fact I was glad of the brief interludes from the evening’s break-neck freneticism.

“David Cameron, you wanker!”

Ellen Peirson-Hagger
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“David Cameron, you wanker!”

Wolf Alice were the band of last summer. The fiery North London-based quartet played a multitude of festivals and had their faces plastered all over NME. They gigged relentlessly, playing sold-out shows across the UK in March, April and September, as well as across North America throughout May. Last year also saw the release of the alt-rock group’s debut album My Love Is Cool, nominated for both the Mercury Prize and the BRIT Award for Best Album. When I speak to guitarist Joff Oddie and drummer Joel Amey before their headline set at Oxford’s O2 Academy, they are (unsurprisingly, for a band who are by now well used to this touring malarkey), very relaxed. “This must be the fourth time we’ve played this venue”, says Joff, almost having to count the number of alcohol-aided, sweat-infused shows on his fingers. Joel talks of “crowds kicking the shit out of each other. It’s not that we like to see people hurting each other, but seeing that many people move en masse… that’s the reaction we play for.”

It’s a reaction they get later that night, playing the venue’s larger room for the first time. Even early on, during support sets from Bloody Knees and Swim Deep, the crowd are anxious to get moving. By the time Wolf Alice appear, with Joel and Joff joined by lead Ellie Rowsell and bassist Theo Ellis, the room is sticky. But the energy of the crowd does not cease throughout their set, although the tunes peak early and the exciting anguish in their sound plateaus after the fourth song or so, stalling any expected sense of momentum. The crowd don’t seem to catch on, though. Earlier, Joff had said, “I think our live shows are a bit more aggressive than the record.” Just a bit.

It is fans like these, moving with wild thrust, who are so crucial for a band whose live shows are such a vital part of their existence. Joff mentions one girl and her dad who come to every Oxford show, and Joel is even grateful for fans teaching him how to play his own tracks. Laughing, he says “There was a phase where I couldn’t remember what I ’ d done on ‘I’m a Germ’ and so I found someone who’d covered it on YouTube and I was like ‘Fuck yeah! That’s what I did!’ It was so helpful, having someone teach me to play the songs.” It is this lack of pretension which makes Wolf Alice so likeable.

They are likeable, too, because they know what it is to be a fan. Joel tells me how he used to go to every gig of The Horrors, made especially exciting because they played such unusual venues. “But I became disillusioned with fandom pretty fucking quickly when I realised how much it costs you.” Furthermore, these unusual, independent venues just aren’t around anymore.

For two ordinary boys swept up in the whirlwind of rock ‘n’ roll, the politics of their industry is still very much at the forefront of what they do. Joff gets most riled up when considering the money behind it all, but he’s unsure of Wolf Alice’s position in all of this. “I don’t know if there’s much bands can do. I think it’s all about funding from the top down. Our government are cutting arts funding – and this is a part of that. If you want the output, the arts need to be accessible. David Cameron, you wanker!”

Yet art that has come out of times of strife has so often excelled. “Grime is the punk sound of now”, Joel says. “It’s frustrated colloquial poetry, self-sufficiency; it’s putting on your own shows. The work you have to undertake to do that is phenomenal. That’s why I have a lot of respect for so many people who are killing it right now.” It’s not just grime’s practical output, but the musical output too, that gets Joel so impressed: “There’s so much being made all the time. It’s physical music. You’ve gotta be fucking astute, like lyrically smart.”

As Joff reminds me, “You should never judge the industry by the few anomalies that go through”. But, surely their home-grown success, alongside their continuing down-to-earth nature, can only instill a hope that the British music industry still has something to give.

A Beginner’s Guide to… Kikagaku Moyo

Richard Birch
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A Beginner’s Guide to… Kikagaku Moyo

Modern psychedelic rock music has within it a decidedly conservative element – an insular attitude that music peaked in ‘67 (man), that all modern music is rubbish and that a musician’s life goal is to imitate that which came before. Kikagaku Moyo however take the spirit of ‘67 to be the key – to push the form forward, whatever that may mean.

The sitar becomes the lead instrument, yet it doesn’t feel at all like cliched raga rock. Instead, guitars drenched with reverb and tremolo form the backdrop to unearthly harmonies, while the drums form unobtrusive and atmospheric trills and frills around the lilting sway of the sitar and bass. It is perversely fitting, then, that a band so sonically supernatural should write their songs about nature. “It’s in three parts – first a blizzard, then a gentle stroll in the woods finding birds, foxes and squirrels, and finally a descent into a bottomless cave,” says drummer Go Kurosawa of new single ‘Green Sugar’.

The band’s aim of creating evocative landscapes with their music is achieved. Expressive and richly produced, their cavernous sound fuses airy musical forms with modern electronic techniques to hint at the other side of the psychedelic vision: the yin and the yang, the dark side of the moon. If you hear this band, you are hearing the future of neopsych.

The changing times of pop music

Thomas Athey
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The changing times of pop music

The music industry sees itself as ahead of the curve. In one regard however, its members may be wishing they were lagging behind the pack as the industry has been one of the first to be transformed by the advent of digital technology. In any free market the price of a commodity is pushed by the invisible hand to equal the marginal cost of producing a new unit. Unfortunately thanks to new digital technology, for music, this price has become virtually zero.

With it so difficult to make money directly in this environment, the industry has responded by showing ads alongside music. For this to work there needs to be volume, best achieved by grouping together as many artists in one place as possible. This necessitates the formation of monopolies on methods of dispersing music, hence the dominance of Spotify and YouTube in their respective spheres.

This places a huge amount of bargaining power in the hands of companies; prompting a number of prominent musicians to speak out against the amount Spotify pays per listen, with the amount being around an average of about half a penny per listen, meaning artists have to receive around 2.5 million plays, only to earn what they would working for a year on the minimum wage.

This is not the type of environment likely to continue to motivate large numbers of people to try their luck at music – potentially depriving us of future greats. Diversity is likely to lose out, with only the wealthy able to stick at it long enough. With extreme free market competition on one hand, and an industry dominated by monopolies on the other, it seems there are no good options left for the music industry.

This is about more than just whether the next Smiths will be unable to get the ball rolling – these kinds of technological influences are spreading to other areas of life. If the geniuses of the music industry can think of a way out of this conundrum, then we should all take note. If not, it does not bode well for creativity in the future.

Shops to try in Oxford

Alice Baldock
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Shops to try in Oxford

For bop costumes: Cowley Road charity shops

Now that Poundland has closed and Primark has become considerably smaller, students are lacking viable yet cost-effective ways of producing bop costumes. For many, this will be the chance to slack off and to come to a bop in a witty yet low-effort costume. Whilst decorating a t-shirt with cereal and fake-blood can make an amusing ‘Cereal Killer’ Halloween costume, sometimes more effort is needed. Without our go-to shops this term, you could head to Cowley Road and scout out the charity shops there. They are useful for buying a lot of costume jewellery, purchasing disposable shirts to cut up and decorating or finding hilarious accessories like secondhand top hats. Not to mention you’ll be helping charities and reducing waste by purchasing recycled products.

Where: Cowley Road
When: Opening times vary

For vintage: Lou Lou’s Vintage Fair

Lou Lou’s is not just a place to buy vintage clothing, it’s an event. The fair visits Oxford several times throughout the year with fashion trends from the 1940s through to the 1990s. As well as getting an outfit from the past, you can change your face and hair to match it with a vintage beauty salon travelling with the fair. Once you’re done wandering through the Town Hall, you can even have a vintage tea party (maybe dressed and made-up to match the food), whist listening to live music performances.

Where: Oxford Town Hall
When: Saturday of 4th Week

For sporty stuff: Eau de Vie

Oxford is an incredibly sporty place. Perhaps because it’s full of students who
have had these hobbies their whole lives. More likely though, these students need some kind of outlet to come to terms with their workload. Or maybe they’re procrastinating. Either way, you can’t take a stroll around the meadows without being accompanied of several runners, nor can you go to the river without seeing a rowing team out on the water and you can’t walk along Iffley Road without seeing students carrying rackets, bats or yoga mats. Eau de Vie is the answer to those who need athletic wear that is both practical and beautiful. It is a treatment centre and yoga studio in addition to being a boutique shop. Not only do they sell tness leggings, the leggings sparkle. You can get everything you need to get sweaty and then to relax afterwards with the shop stocking sportswear on one side and skin care and massage oils on the other side.

Where: 34 Cowley Road
When: Monday-Saturday, 9:30am-8:30pm

For formalwear: Aspire Style

Entering Aspire Style is like entering the dressing room you wished you had. They stock clothing, accessories, gifts and jewellery, most of which is vintage inspired without the price tag of some vintage shops. Their formal dresses are the most coveted products inside, coming in a range of styles and patterns. Some of the pieces are so whimsical you’ll feel a little silly just looking at them; formally fitted dresses with prints resembling flamingos or even sailing boats. Whatever special occasion you need an outfit for, Aspire Style should be able to provide. Their gifts are also perfect for friends who like the just-slightly-odd kind of decorations or are avid tea-drinkers or travellers. Copious, excellently slogan-ed mugs: ‘Tea makes everything better’ being a perhaps not entirely true but certainly an optimistic choice. And for travellers, there are things like wallets for passports and plane tickets, and money boxes for you to turn pennies into places to visit. And if none of this convinces you, who doesn’t want a lamp shaped like an origami fox, after all?

Where: 21 High Street
When: Monday-Saturday, 10.00am-6.00pm, Sunday and Bank Holidays, 11.30am-5.00pm

Set for Summer

Aini Putkonen
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Set for Summer

Photography: Richard Wakefield

Models: Eleanor McCann and Katie Burns

Clothes and Accessories: Aspire Style

Hair and Makeup: Brothers Oxford

Styling: Aini Putkonen

Creative Directing: Aini Putkonen and Emmanuelle Soffe

Set for Summer

Ben Ray
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Set for Summer

The coming of May took Cherwell to the University of Oxford Botanic Garden to help celebrate vivid spring hues.

Photography: Richard Wakefield

Models: Eleanor McCann & Katie Burns

Clothes & accessories: Aspire Style

Styling: Aini Putkonen

Creative directing: Aini Putkonen & Emmanuelle Soffe

A Peek at Pistol Shooting

Aigerim Saudabayeva
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A Peek at Pistol Shooting

In the run-up to Pistol Shooting Cuppers, the Cherwell decided to see what this sport is all about. The Cuppers are hosted by the Oxford University Pistol Club (OUPC) and are taking place in 3rd week. They are open to all levels of experience. The preliminary round is set for Thursday from 18:30 to 20:30 and the finals are to take place on Sunday from 10:30 to 13:30.

David Robinson, a member of the Team England National Squad and a holder of an Extraordinary Blue Status for Pistol Shooting (which is usually a half-Blue sport), has kindly provided the Cherwell with a taster session. The OUPC trains at the Cricket Schools, which are located at the Iffley Road Sports Center. The Cricket Schools are the building located next to the grandstand on the running track – if ever in doubt, the Iffley reception desk gives great directions.

Robinson told, Cherwell, “pistol shooting is a target sport that requires dexterity, a stable platform and a low resting heart rate in order to perform well. In essence you fire projectiles down range at a stationary target, at varying distances, at varying speeds, with a variety of firearms, depending on the course of fire. The aim is to hit the middle of the target precisely and accurately, shot after shot. Sounds easy right? But unfortunately it is not. It requires calm and patience to repeat the shot process time and time again.”

After a rundown of the safety rules and the anatomy of the air-pistol along with quick instructions on how to load one, Robinson let me have a go with a cartridge pistol, which contains 5 shots. Right away, I got a glimpse of what Robinson was getting at in his ‘pistol-shooting in a nutshell.’ As I tried to narrow down on the target, my hand was quivering – breathing properly and the correct stance helped remedy the situation. The air pistol that I used weighed approximately 1 kilogram, and my arm was not used to holding something while stretched straight right out in front of me. Once, in the correct position with my hand on my waist and feet shoulder width apart, I mimicked Robinson’s movements, with a deep breath in I raised the pistol. On the exhale, I tried my best to take aim by lowering the pistol and focusing on the front sight. Unsurprisingly I missed the target completely. A common mistake for a total beginner, like me, is to not keep the wrist stable when pulling the trigger and a desire to aim for the middle of the target; instead one needs to point at the base of the black circle on the target ring.

Robinson also told Cherwell that a common mistake for a novice is: “assuming a pistol with almost no recoil is like a .44 Magnum from an action film. By anticipating recoil, the shot path is likely to be off centre and probably not on the target at all.”

With a few more tips from Robinson, I managed to hit two of my shots within the 9-ring. In all the sport is very safe as long as all protocol is followed. The pistols must always be pointed down the range, and the club instructs anyone interested in the proper ways of safe handling of firearms. Having given the sport a go for about an hour, it is very easy to comprehend, but it is more complex than it looks. There are many minute details that one must keep in mind. Robinson put it well saying that it is easy to pick up and hard to master. He sees pistol shooting as meditation, and in a way it was a very calming experience. From the moment one raises the pistol to the moment when one follows-through the shot, it is just you and the target.

The air pistol shooting experience was completely novel and unique, but the club has so much more to offer. The club has a range of firearms in their armory. Due to safety regulations only air-pistols can be shot in the Cricket Schools. The club uses standard Olympic air pistols, black powder muzzle loaded revolvers, gallery rifles (similar to the leaver action rifles seen in Western movies) and lightweight sport rifles. With a vast alumni network, the club is always open to cultivating their members’ interests. In addition to this, members compete in all the disciplines listed and get to do so at ranges outside of Oxford the main one used is the National Rifle Association range in Bisley, Surrey. There are many opportunities to put one’s skills to the test. Members compete in county, national and postal competitions. There are also additional matches such as the past vs. present members, a town vs. gown, and of course the varsity matches, of which there are two.

The Smallbore Varsity took place in early March with Oxford taking a tight victory with a score of 2166 to 2157. The Smallbore Varsity match uses air pistols, such as the one that I got to try. The competition consists of 4 rounds of 5 rapid-fire shots, where the competitor has 10 seconds to aim and shoot their round, and of 20 precision shots also taken in 4 rounds with 20 seconds per round. The Fullbore Varsity involves gallery and lightweight rifles and has a long-standing tradition. The first Fullbore Varsity match took place in 1908. The Fullbore Varsity match is coming up in July and will take part during the historic Imperial Meeting in Bisley. The squad is just commencing training for this fixture.

What sets OUPC apart from other shooting clubs, such as clay pigeon or rifle, here at Oxford is the range of firearms that one can try out as a member and a chance to compete in a diverse range of disciplines and competitions. The club also offers annual trips to Switzerland to give members a chance to shoot real pistols and semi-autos. Robinson mentioned that the three clubs have a very strong relationship and many OUPC members give the other clubs a try as well based on their skillset. At the end of the day, the main difference is the type of target that you want to hit and the type of firearms that you want to shoot with.

As I have learned through my taster session, OUPC is a very welcoming club and encourages anyone interested to try it out. It truly is a unique experience – in comparison to other sports that I have done in the past, this one really forces you to be mentally tough and to have impeccable concentration skills. It was a great break in the day, because for the few seconds that I took for each shot, I had a chance to completely clear my mind. The club is all-inclusive with a very strong women’s varsity club and actively promotes safe recreational gun usage. If you are at all interested in giving OUPC, do check out their website or shoot an e-mail to the captain Kahhong Tai ([email protected]).

 

The Best Cocktail Bars in Oxford

Mabel Whitchurch
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The Best Cocktail Bars in Oxford
  1. The Varsity Club

Set over 4 floors including a rooftop bar with stunning views, The Varsity Club runs away with the prize for the most attractive cocktail bar. Chic and cool with cocktails served from midday to midnight, this is the place to be. The drinks are original, ranging from a “Maple”, (maple, peppercorn and clove syrup, honey tequila and bitters sprayed leaf) to an equally complex “Habenero” (chilli and vanilla vodka, pink pigeon rum, lime Juice, vanilla sugar, orange juice and bitters).

Offers: Two for £9; Monday to Friday midday-7pm, all day Sunday.

Strangest cocktail: “Beetroot”; beet shrub, tomato juice, vodka, aperol, worcester, tobasco and horseradish.

2. The Duke of Cambridge

The hub of Little Clarendon Street, the Duke of Cambridge’s popularity pays testament to its quality. The pub-like exterior is deceptive; inside, it’s decorated with fairy lights entwined in branches and low tables create booths down the length of the room. Cheaper than the Varsity Club – with arguably just as good a cocktail menu – you can’t go far wrong with this classic.

Offers: happy hour, 5-9pm Sunday-Thursday, 5-7:30pm Friday-Saturday, all hours Sunday-Thursday with an Oxford Union Card.

Best named cocktail: “Big Mac”; Jim Beam bourbon and berry liqueur with lime, raspberry and cranberry juice.

3. Raoul’s

Down the road from the Duke of Cambridge, the interior of Raoul’s is not overwhelming but the drinks speak for themselves. Raoul’s will present you with the biggest cocktail menu you’ve ever seen; they claim to use more fruit than any other bar in Oxford. This is where you’ll find the cocktails of the very best quality.

Offers: 30 per cent off; 4-8pm with anOxford Union card.

Best dessert-turned-cocktail: “Banoffee Pieface”; banana blended with vanilla sugar, lime, toffee sauce and rum.

4. Angels

Angels is the smallest bar on the list and bursts with character. It leaves you with an overwhelming impression of pink – the walls, the lighting, even the seats are a deep cosy pink. While not necessarily the classiest bar in Oxford, it’s definitely dependable and always busy. The drinks menu is almost as long as Raoul’s and the cocktails are almost as inventive as The Varsity Club. Almost.

Offers: “Heavenly Hour”; 4.30-9pm every day.

Best twist on a classic: “Passion Fruit Martini”; vodka, passion fruit and passion fruit purée shaken (not stirred) with vanilla syrup.

5. Freud

Near the bottom of Walton Street, Freud majestically stands out as the most unusual cocktail bar in Oxford. Set inside an old church, huge pillars mark the outside in an acro- politan fashion and inside high ceilings and stained glass make your evening un- forgettable. Cocktails are good value and they also offer a mean food menu – think mediterranean platters and feta pizzas.

Offers: few and far between

Strongest cocktail: “Homeboy”; white rum, apricot brandy, triple sec, orange and pineapple.

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