The 4^th of May was a very busy day for Leeds politically, no less than three different groups of people were out demonstrating!   The first and probably the largest being the annual May Day celebrations to mark the passing of International Worker’s Day, technically on May 1st. About 300 people attended this march through the city centre of Leeds. A strong outing, though tiny when ranked against other celebrations worldwide such as  Havana, Cuba, where hundreds of thousands took part. In total there are over 80 countries that celebrate Worker’s Day as a national holiday, many more like the UK take part unofficially and the spirit of this demonstration is very much one of solidarity. It’s about working class unity at home and across the globe. This working class attitude of global solidarity has a long history, the communist manifesto, published as far back as 1848, called for ‘workers of the world’ to ‘unite’ and its seems clear a large proportion of those who came out to celebrate feel they belong to a global class of workers, rather than to any nationality or flag. 

The second demonstration was in many ways the complete opposite of the May Day march, the EDL had come to a council estate in Moortown to protest against a new community center which had received some of its funding  from an Islamic charity. The EDL and a minority of the residents in Moortown felt this constituted a Mosque and draped in St George flags they took to the streets (not before stopping off at the pub) with a message of division and hatred. I won’t pretend my feelings towards the EDL are not biased, in fact the final demonstration and the one I was lucky enough to take part in, was a Unite against Fascism demonstration  intended as a counter to the presence of the EDL. The people here wanted to make it clear that the voice of the EDL does not represent the majority of people in Leeds. Throughout the day people participating in the International Workers’ day march would gradually filter down towards Moortown to support this counter-demonstration, which included several speakers and disco music under the guise of the English Disco Lovers. 

Although the police did a good job of keeping the two groups separate so as to avoid trouble, me and a small group of others were able to get past the police line in order to take a closer look at the EDL protest, it’s hard to glean if the purpose of the demonstration was to make a political statement about the building of Mosques in the UK, or to intimidate the local Muslim and Asian population. A total of four EDL members were arrested during their demonstration and the behavior of the group in general resembled drunken hooligans more than concerned and angry citizens. It’s hard to imagine how these people think they will ease the problems faced by their community with such an aggressive display and such divisive politics that can only serve to further fracture this community and to isolate people from minority backgrounds. My belief is that the majority of problems faced by the residents of these areas are the result of government policy, a sever lack of social housing is a serious issue and its clear that there are not enough stable and well paid jobs across the UK. The responsibility for these problems lie with government ministers and the greedy bankers who destroyed our economy. Though the EDL would like to blame them on immigrants, the sad truth is that they are problems which affect people from ethnic minority backgrounds disproportionately, in fact  if you are part of an ethnic minority you are twice as likely to live in a low income household, than if you are white and British. The politics of the EDL blame the victims for the problems and only worsen the sense of community in the area, after the demonstration UaF received several letters from people in the estate who had felt intimidating by the EDL march and who felt multiculturalism was something to be valued. 

There is a lot the community of Moortown could learn from the spirit of solidarity seen on the International Workers’ Day march, people of all backgrounds need to come together and demand more housing, more jobs and better wages. All of which would help to create better material conditions for people living in Moortown and similar areas, In the meantime the very act of coming together would hopefully enrich community life and break down the barriers between residents.  Creating a real community in the area would improve the living standards of everyone and hopefully with the EDL gone this is something the residents of Moortown can work towards. 

For those who aren’t aware of what The Met Ball is exactly, it’s the annual ball that celebrates the opening of the fashion exhibit at the costume institute that takes place in the infamous museum “The Met”. The red carpet event takes place in none other than the museum itself which is located in New York City and is hosted by Vogue who also creates the guest list. A whole host of fabulously dressed celebrities attend the annual event which includes a cocktail hour and a formal dinner. All attendees are dressed to the 10’ns and this year was no exception.

Each year the event has a dress code theme. Previous years have included “Super Heroes, Fashion and Fantasy” “The house of Chanel” and “Goddess: the classical mode”, this year the theme was “Punk, Chaos to Couture”, and the celebrities definitely didn’t disappoint. Below are a few of my favourite outfits from 2013. Both fabulous and the crazy!

What punk rocker goes out without some serious studs? 2013’s new “IT” girl, Cara Delevingne looked fantastic whilst rocking the punk theme wearing a studded Burberry Gown with some fantastic Dominic Jones jewellery.

Madonna definitely didn’t disappoint either, going for a very traditional punk look, mixing fish nets and a grey tartan belted blazer by Givenchy Couture by Riccardo Tisci and some hot pink heels! The Jewellery definitely enhances the punk rocker look in this outfit.

Before I even took a look at the celebrity’s outfits properly I’d heard that I was to check out Kim K’s crazy outfit. Here’s Kim and Kanye showing off Kim’s baby bump to the world while she shows off in a Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci floral gown with matching shoes and gloves. Some have compared it to your grandma’s sofa, some have said it’s beautiful. I’ll let you decide?

Florence Welch’s outfit is by far my personal favourite from 2013. Her beautiful hair against this black velvet gown by Givenchy Couture by Riccardo Tisci looks fantastic. The tassels and black velvet screams Punk Couture.

Katy Perry looking very medieval I think you’ll agree, but none the less fabulous. Katy chose this Dolce & Gabbana beaded dress and crown from the autumn/winter 2013-14 collection, teamed with accessories and jewellery by David Yurman.

Now for Miley Cyrus, she rocked up in this mesh dress from Marc Jacobs’ autumn/winter 2013-14 collection and wore Eddie Borgo jewellery. Taking the punk theme very literally by sticking her hair up to a sharp point, brave but I think she definitely looks punk rock.

Finally Nicole Richie looks fabulous with her new sprayed white hair, which perfectly matches this custom made Topshop column white dress with beading.

Whilst Nintendo report losses of $189m and upwards Sony and Microsoft are building upon the strength of their brands and preparing to launch new hardware. Can the Japanese veteran keep up or is this the end?

Since launch last year the Wii U has only seen sales of 3.45m, and while Nintendo spokesfolk pass this off as it only having been available for less time than I’ve been waiting for the new Animal Crossing game, it’s clear they are sweating it behind closed doors.

Where the Wii U fails is the lack of a stellar line up at launch, both the PS3 and Xbox 360 arrived at the same time as Call of Duty titles, apart from a weak contribution from the Italian plumber and ZombiU there was nothing for fans, not even a new Zelda game (sulk). Fans don’t see the point in buying a console with just the ‘TBA’ release date promise for the games they want.

Asda also recently cut their price for the Wii U by around £50 depending on the package and many in the industry believe there will soon be an official announcement whereby the Wii U will follow the 3DS with an official price cut to encourage sales. Nintendo have also been attempting to bury the news by announcing many new possibilities for the Wii U (Virtual Console, Wind Waker).

Windfall Island and the Red Lion in HD – you have my interest, Nintendo.

EA dealt a further blow to Nintendo with reports suggesting that it is highly likely that their games will not be available on the console due to issues in testing. Though for some EA is not a thing to be missed, it will most likely not go unnoticed.

So instead we turn our attention to Microsoft and Sony, waiting with baited breath for the consoles that they bring us next, each also backing new versions of Kinect and Move respectively. Both consoles will be on shelves by the end of this year and with titles such as COD: Ghosts and Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag promised for the merry season the launches are set to be the big fish in the pond, eating Nintendo’s food, and probably Nintendo too.

The most bizarre pre-launch Xbox/PS4 rumours:

3: That the Ps4 will be better than the new Xbox

This one’s personal, with both consoles set to be released around the festive period it’s time to gear up for the ultimate showdown between Sony and Microsoft. I know which side I fall on, hash it out in the poll and your comments.

2: That they will look like any of the pictures you’ve seen on the internet

Put ‘Xbox 720′ or ‘PS4′ into Google images and you’ll find images that are more dubious than the takeaway you decide to have after a heavy Saturday night, some look more realistic than others, some I’d actually like to see (above), & then there are those than you can tell are fake. Kudos to the people who have nothing better to do than create a Wii U tablet/PS Move hybrid, enjoy life in your mother’s basement.

1: The new Xbox will always have to be connected to the internet

You can talk about it as much as you want, and whinge that you won’t be able to do that on your Virgin Media Broadband (me neither), I just don’t see ‘always on’ happening.

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Students love freebies!

A lot of students love chicken!

Tomorrow (May 7th), KFC are giving you a free piece of chicken! It’s all part of their new advertising campaign to reassure us that its chicken is A grade quality.

The managing director for KFC in the UK and Ireland is Martin Shuker. He explains to us in a short promotional video how their chicken carries the Red Tractor (link) symbol.

If you want to watch the video, see the link below. If you want FREE CHICKEN. Simply ‘click here’. It’s only valid on the 7th May.

Enjoy.

KFC – How we freshly prepare our chicken: http://youtu.be/YkvlhepnABo

Live at Leeds is fast approaching, and if you’re anything like me, the inevitable question of “Oh god, what do I wear?!” has probably started creeping into your head.

Well, we at The Met Online saw this as the perfect excuse to continue our fashion in music feature. We asked four mega babes from different aspects of the Leeds music scene to show us their favourite festival looks, and provide us with some much needed inspiration!
Forget the typical festival staples of mud coated wellies, floaty dresses and sunglasses – think dramatic pieces that will take you from day to night, and shoes that look less than sensible, but won’t leave hobbling off home before it gets dark.

Take a peek at the super fun outfits that our girls put together as we chatted to them in the Brudenell Social Club about which bands they are most excited to see come Saturday!

Louisa Osborn is one half of Witch Hunt – a sparkly Leeds based band with a sinister edge. This is the first year they are playing Live at Leeds, which is super exciting! Catch them at Leeds Met stage 2  at 5pm on Saturday.

Louisa’s picks: Heart-ships (I’m hoping to grab their new EP very soon. It’s amazing, and even more amazing live!), Sky Larkin, The Staves (will be beautiful in the church!), Battle Lines, Post War Glamour Girls

Heather Varley dabbles in promotion, DJing and is a general all-round behind the scenes babe. Check out her latest venture Campsite this Sunday @ Nation of Shopkeepers.

Heather’s top picks: Little Comets, Ms Mr, Dan Croll, Troumaca, Nadine Carina – they are all making forward thinking, engaging music and are setting the bar high for this years festival season!

Luciel Brown is one half of Leeds band Psychic Hill, an avid supporter of the local music scene, and owner of the best pair of dungarees I have ever seen.  Check out the bands she is most excited to see on Saturday!

Luciel’s picks: Splashh, Mi Mye, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Unknown Mortal Orchestra

The multi-talented Stephanie Pullen is a DJ/promoter/music editor, and most importantly, is the marketing intern for this year’s Live at Leeds! Steph shared her awesome style and highlight for this year’s line up with us.

Steph’s picks: Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Melody’s Echo Chamber, Menace Beach, The Walkmen, Skaters

Words – Kaitlyn Bullen

Models – Louisa Osborn, Heather Varley, Luciel Brown, Stephanie Pullen

Photography – Jessie Leong – http://www.jessieleong.com/ – https://www.facebook.com/jessieleongphotographyuk

For more info on Live At Leeds, check out the official webiste here.

I’m sure a lot of us are guilty of avoiding eye contact with the ‘beggar’ obstructing our path in the street, either throwing what change we have at them or possibly just walking on by because ‘they only use that money on drugs and alcohol anyway’.  However, homelessness in the UK is becoming a real problem with government statistics in 2012 showing that 2,309 are sleeping rough – an increase of 31% on 2010.

The short definition of being homeless is ‘is without a home, therefore typically living on the streets’ however, this explanation doesn’t encompass the variety of reasons why an individual may have become homeless, when in fact, a recent survey showed there are around 15 factors which contribute to homelessness.  The common thought is that many beggars have faced economic problems due to alcohol or drug misuse, although in reality, many often suffer with an acute lack of self-esteem, have a serve mental health issue or could even be unable to support themselves after leaving an abusive relationship or family problems.

Therefore, many homeless people are begging as a need and not for the greed of fueling an addiction.  There are up to 100 people a night who sleep rough in Leeds, so homeless shelter St. Georges Crypt have started a new scheme in conjunction with the council to help those in need.

Crypt is run by Chris Fields and aims to help the homeless and disadvantaged across Yorkshire, raising money through events and donations.  As the council  is planning to become a lot stricter with begging in the streets, with police stepping up the amount of arrests for those caught, their new voucher scheme encompasses the idea that instead of us throwing our loose change at the homelessness, we can give them a voucher worth £1.

The vouchers will be on sale at supermarkets, libraries and churches and will mean that the homeless will be able to redeem a meal and a shower at the St. Georges Crypt homeless shelter.

The vouchers are also aiming to change people’s perception of the homeless, in particular students, as not just a form of intimidation or even a form of anti-social behaviour.  Designers are including real life stories of some of their clients on the vouchers, as well as flyers and posters to create a level of understanding between the public and the homeless.

Malevolence were up first. Every show the bands have picked a more local band to open up first and the Sheffield group were a really good choice. If you remember, I saw the band at The Well back in December (See Here) and I remember a lot of the same faces from before. The crowd were definitely into it and it got the show off to a really good energetic start with a lot of moshing and stage dives.

Heart Of A Coward.
Photography by Kirsten Thorpe

Silent Screams were up next. I haven’t really listened to them so I did not know what to expect. Hearing from other people they are apparently a good band, to which I definitely agree although there is nothing greatly defining about them. Definitely let down by the lack of any fan reaction – the band still put everything they had into their performance although you could tell there was some frustration with lack of movement.

Heart of a Coward are a band that only released their debut album “Hope and Hinderance” last year but have made waves in the music scene. The album features heavy hitting songs that most fans can clearly relate to. The show was really enjoyable with many heavy hitting guitar riffs and gnarly (yes it is appropriate) breakdowns which made for an in your face show. Vocalist Jamie Graham has the crowd riled and constantly moving, even to getting a wall of death going, but still takes his time to acknowledge the fact there are younger kids around that do not want to be hit in the face. He makes sure the crowd understands that there should be a respect level there for people that want to be near the front but don’t want to get hurt. I related to this straight away due to one guy during Malevolence’s set kicking me in the back of the head and another stage diving on me and some others whilst another girl and myself had our DSLR cameras out. The performance is so energetic and a lot of fun, this band is a definite must see if you get the chance.

Bleed From Within
Photography by Kirsten Thorpe

Bleed From Within are a band from Scotland that was founded is 2005. With their recent release of their album “Uprising” they are truely making a name for themselves. Metal Hammer described their new cd as a “thunderous piece of work; parts Lamb of God, parts Black Crown-era Suicide Silence and parts Pantera, it’s a stunning display of the kind of power and groove-laden muscle that modern metal is able to produce when done right.” I found out about them through Ghostfest as they have played main stage for the past 2 years, they didn’t disappoint crowds then and they certainly didn’t disappoint when headlining their own show either. With this being their first headline tour in the UK in over 4 years, the band said they were worried but with what the reactions from the crowd were going to be like, especially with their new album but they have absolutely no reason to be. The crowd packed in to the front and straight from the beginning there was movement. For the last set of the night the lighting had all been changed and there were a lot of strobes and flashes that really enhanced the performance and made it  a lot more fun for both band and crowd. Although I really feel that it should have been done before Heart of a Coward for their performance too. It was awesome to hear how the band have progressed from their first two albums and hear new songs, “Leech” is a definite stand out new song for me.

Check out the video interview I did with Scott Kennedy before the show.

More photographs can be seen at; Kirsten Thorpe Photography

Last Saturday over 1000 people marched in Leeds, waving banners and pickets, chanting down megaphones and demanding that the policy of the Conservative government known as the bedroom tax, is not implemented. This new tax came into effect on April 1st and is actually part of the Welfare Reform Act 2012, the term ‘bedroom tax’ is a colloquialism that has stuck, much the same as Margaret Thatcher’s ‘poll tax’. There are two expressed intentions of the tax. The first is to force people living in houses too large to downsize, however this is clearly not a practical goal, for starters there are not enough one bedroom properties available for people to move to. According to left-wing writer Owen Jones there are 180,000 social tenants ‘under-occupying’ two bedroom homes, but less than 70,000 one bedroom social houses available. The second stated aim is to reduce the amount the government spends on housing benefits, but the policy has been criticized as potentially costing more than it saves, this is because evicting tenants costs money and forces them out of cheap government housing and into emergency B&B’s and private accommodation, at the expense of the taxpayer.   

The tax only applies to social housing and will affect over 650,000 homes, or around 2 million people. Most of which are from the poorest sectors of society. Since the Conservative government of Thatcher there has been a drastic decrease in the amount of social housing built, meanwhile her right to buy scheme sold off even more of these state owned properties meaning that waiting lists increased and local councils were forced to be more selective about who got the slim pickings left over. A report by the housing futures network shows that over two thirds of those affected earn under £150, 41% claim to run out of money before the end of the week or month and perhaps most disgusting of all, 72% of households affected include someone with a major disability or serious health concern. Many of these are hard working people and those who don’t have work are often victims of the recession, caused by greedy bankers and worsened by government austerity. For some the difficulties finding work can be traced back to Thatcher, under her leadership industry declined from 17.6% of GDP to 15.8%, at the same time unemployment hit heights of 11.9%, something not seen since the great depression. This destruction of jobs and industry had lasting impacts, it took secure jobs out of communities, secure jobs which have never been successfully replaced. The report also details how people claim to use their ‘spare’ rooms, 15% are couples who do not sleep in one room, 13% have children who frequently stay over, 9% use their spare rooms to store equipment related to a medical condition or disability and 5% have careers who occasionally need to stay overnight.  Even though these people need their extra rooms, they will all be hit by the indiscriminate bedroom tax. These are not the people who caused this crisis, yet they seem to be expected to pay for it.   

Almost ludicrously a policy proposed by the Lib-Dems, the mansion tax, has been completely rejected. It makes no sense for the government to be squeezing people living in poverty for their spare change, while there are around 750,000 second homes in Britain. Many of these belong to MPs and policies like the Bedroom Tax force us to ask serious questions about who our government represents. This is why I proudly carried my ‘axe the bedroom tax’ picket around Leeds, along with over a thousand others. We refuse to live in a democracy where the poor are expected to pay for the mistakes of the rich. This tax came into power several weeks ago, soon evictions will start, families will be forced out of their homes and onto the street, even disabled and mentally ill people are not exempt. This is not a Britain I want to be a part of. Luckily a fightback is under way and at the protest many people seemed in high spirits, various campaign groups have been set up across the country and many tenants are simply refusing to pay. With enough popular support for activism, the tax can be defeated. It won’t be the first time, in 1990 an angry British public forced the government to abandon the poll tax, another policy which unfairly attacked the poor.  

If you want to get involved  you can join the Socialist Worker Student Society at the Met, we meet Mondays at 5, Broadcasting Place AG10. You can contact me directly for more information at lewisridgway13@live.co.uk   

If you, or someone you know is affected by the bedroom tax contact benefitjustice@gmail.com for support and details of what’s happening in your area.  

References:  

The Report from the housing support network can be found here: http://www.affinitysutton.com/pdf/20111010%20AS%20Housing%20Futures%20report%20-%20final.pdf  

The statistics on Margaret Thatcher came from the Guardian, here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/datablog/2013/apr/08/britain-changed-margaret-thatcher-charts  

Owen Jones’ fantastic article on the bedroom tax can be found here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/datablog/2013/apr/08/britain-changed-margaret-thatcher-charts 

Emmanuel  Bicharri better known as Essence B is a London based artist who is sending shock waves through the underground scene with his collection of Afrobeat club hits such as “Ghost money, Superwhine and Talk am” under independent London based Nigerian record label ‘Lodafriq Entertainment’.

His first taste of the spotlight came at a school concert when he performed P.Diddy’s smash hit single “I’ll be missing you at St. Paul’s Way Community School in Bow, East London.  After graduating from the University of East London with a Media and Communications BSc and working in the retail banking sector for a period of time, he returned to his love for the arts.

The journey towards becoming an established underground artist saw Essence B spend time in events management and club promotions whilst developing himself as an artist in the genre of Hip Hop and R&B working with talented producers Supreme of the Arts and Omari Neosoul.

Essence B first performance as an aspiring artist saw him perform at CARGO in Shorditch, hosted by REWIND Magazine. After a lot of moving around in East and North London, Essence B settled in Barking, East London, where he started to slowly cement himself as an established underground artist, performing regularly at Club Ambassador and Solar Bar and releasing his first single on iTunes with Horus Music Records. Essence B later teamed up with Lodafriq Entertainment which changed his creative direction, turning to Afrobeats. He performed his first Afrobeat single “Ghost money” produced by O.Y Productions at the reputable IF BAR in Ilford, Essex.

Essence B latest project “We Work” with his cousin “Diamond B”, Amah Beltus, a second year Law student at Leeds Metropolitan University, is a catchy Funky House club banger fused with a Afrobeat influence. They recently shot the music video in Leeds at Ritz Wine Bar accompanied with a debut performance of the single at “Leeds Love Afrobeats”, a promotional club night organised by students of Leeds Metropolitan University. “We Work” has received a high volume of downloads and received huge buzz on Facebook and other social media sites.

From the humble beginnings of a local artist performing in Barking, East London, Essence B is now performing all across London & Essex, Leeds, Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Manchester and Bolton, as well as reaching people in Europe and Africa. He has also started to hit the TV screens with a recent guest appearance on the “Sporah Show” (www.sporahshow.com), an African talk which is broadcasted worldwide via SKY 182 with a debut performance of “Ghost money”.  It’s amazing how this underground artist is continuing to grow and is making such an impact on the music scene without the assistance of a major record label behind him-hats off to him. Essence B is most definitely an artist we can appreciate for his music and progress.

To find out more about Essence B check out his website and follow him on his social media networks.

http://www.youtube.com/essencebvevo

https://twitter.com/Essenceartist

https://www.facebook.com/EssenceBuk

Leeds Met SU is pleased to announce that the ACS is back and better than ever!

The African Caribbean Society aims to embrace African and Caribbean culture with anyone who is interested. We want to stress that it is not down to colour, class or creed, but instead the idea of community and socialising. It’s a great way to meet new people and find out about different cultures. Everyone is more than welcome!

We have spoken to the people and heard your voice, there will be more emphasis placed on our wide range of beautiful cultures and we will aim to showcase that to the best of our ability. Another key aspect we feel is important to provide to the members of the ACS is making the most of your education and employability skills and of course making sure you enjoying yourselves.

As the term is coming to an end we will hold a meet and greet shortly, providing you a chance to unwind after the stress of the academic year and give you all a sendoff ready for the exciting events that the ACS will be putting on next term.

We have close ties with Leeds University ACS and other African Caribbean societies in the North and we will make the most of this, so that there is the opportunity to get involved with their events and visit different cities.

You may have already seen the committee and the posters around university campus recruiting new members, but if you haven’t just get in touch to sign yourself up and make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest information. If you have any ideas we are listening and will make sure your voice gets heard.

You can contact us on for more information on:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LeedsMetACS

Twitter: https://twitter.com/LmuACs

Email: Leedsmetacs@live.co.uk