Wall-E is a beautiful Pixar Disney film following the eponymous robot and his adventure to bring humanity back to Earth – but watching this film again in the age of Coronavirus brings some harrowing truths to the surface.
Set in the future but more relevant than ever today, WALL-E depicts a suffocated planet Earth – so strewn with litter humans have been forced to leave. As they float in space, robots have been left to clear up their mess back home.
Described as a romance set in a dystopian future constructed as a children’s tale, WALL-E hints at days to come. And they may be here sooner than we might have thought.
Wall-E Pixar
During the first months of lockdown, we saw our beaches litter-free for the first time.
Pavements and walkways were clean and pollution levels were at an all-time low. People were realising their appreciation for nature and the joy it brought them during their permitted hour of outdoor exercise.
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But a relaxation in the rules has brought a lacklustre attitude to our surroundings. The sunlight we had once soaked up from our windows or from a quick walk around the block suddenly became a calling card to race to the beach.
Within hours, tourist spots were overcrowded and left in a disgusting state – with locals forced to tidy the leftover piles of debris.
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It has become clear that some are fed up of finding litter strewn across their paths and walkways – with one nineteen-year-old sharing his despair at the scene of Formby Beach.
“It looked disgusting and I felt like I had to do something,” said Matthew Baines.
“I went to clear up on a number of occasions, but as an individual I collected around 10-15 bin bags full of rubbish.
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“If you bring things to the beach, you should take it home with you, you carried it on to the beach, why can’t you carry it off the beach?”
Matthew Baines @ Formby Beach
As well as the environment, WALL-E also deals with the elements of separation, dependency and affinity – three topics that have proven particularly prevalent during the past 100 days or so.
Humans in the movie are bed bound, glued to a screen and unable to do anything without the aid of a robot, whilst WALL-E himself longs for a physical connection.
In waking life, being without the ones we love for such an extended period of time has been extremely difficult – and many of us are still waiting for that first hug when this is finally all over.
Wall-E Pixar
Technology has helped us stay connected with friends and family, but mental health has been a huge factor for many – especially those who have struggled to find motivation to get out of bed.
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It it this growing reliance on tech for basic needs – such as turning on a light or winding up the blind – that WALL-E warns of.
Memes have circulated social media about whether we will forget how to socialise when we go back into society. But for all the romantics out there, Wall-E does offer some hope – suggesting that true love prevails any disaster and humanity can work together no matter what.
For an hour-and-a-half, sit down and watch WALL-E this weekend.
It’ll hit you harder now than it ever did before.
Wall-E is currently available to rewatch on Disney +
News
Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Jess Walmsley -
4th July 2020 
