MURMUR issue sixteen February 2019
Manchester’s monthly newsletter
MURMUR
issue sixeen // February 2019
Editors: Olivia Havercroft, Nicole Peeters Huw Spencer, Tom Waring & George Odysseos Design: Lisa Lorenz Print: Team Trident Press
Raquel enjoys creating playful and naive illustrations from her studio in the magical hills of Todmorden.
murmurmanchester@gmail.com
Welcome to MURMUR: Your alternative guide to Manchester’s independent, radical & inclusive events
L I S T E N 12 February Charlotte Keeffe/Birchall/ Cheetham + Arma Agharta @ The Peer Hat
Arma Agharta calls himself the »spiritual leader of the world wide music underground«, and with 20 years of experience in touring the DIY scene with his strange, hypnotic sound performances that some describe as happenings, we have to agree he might be. Tonight’s line-up also includes jazz trumpet player Charlotte Keeffe with David Birchall on guitar and Andrew Cheetham on percussion. £6, 8.30 - 11pm
16 - 17 February Black Magic: Slow Knife / Aughra / The Noh Show @ The King’s Arms
Curated by artist Louise Woodcock, don’t expect a normal gig. After navigating through traumatic installations, undergoing an intense session of couple speed-hating and having a toxic sip of Love Potion No. 9, find solace in the magical sounds of Slow Knife and Aughra. £4, Sat 7.30pm - Sun 11.30pm
19 February International Teachers of Pop @ YES
»Nerd disco« from the founders of Moonlandingz, Adrian Flanagan and Dean Honer, who teamed up with Leonore Wheatley of The Soundcarriers and Whyte Horses. With their catchy pop melodies and
Illustration: Raquel Lowsley
Insta: @raquellowsley
energetic live shows including live dancers, come and see what the hype is about! £11, 7.30 - 10.30pm
20 February Big Joanie / Secret Power / Bleach Body @ Peer Hat
Do NOT miss the incredible Big Joanie, who in their words are »like The Ronettes filtered through 80s DIY and 90s riot grrrl, with a sprinkling of dashikis«. If that’s not enough for you, their activist work disrupting the racism in the punk & LGBTQ scene should convince you. Love them, £6.50, 7.30 - 10.30pm
D A N C E 2 February Dust Off No.4 w/ Joe @ Hulme / Secret Location
The leafiest, friendliest rave there is ― right in your neighbourhood! If you’re up for adventures, and love koalas, this is the one for you. Dust Off are remapping their territory from Salford’s notorious hotelier paradise to a community run secret space. Get in touch via dustoffevent@gmail.com for more info on location and Tiago and the koala. £10, 11pm - 6am
7 February All Hands On Deck @ Common
A new space in the city for womxn, non-binary and gender nonconforming DJs, supported by collective All Hands On Deck. They will take over Common on the first Thursday of every month from February onwards. The perfect eve to relaxedly vibe off the week’s unrest and meet some new pals. Common is fully accessible with gender-neutral toilets. FREE, 7pm - Midnight
7 February Eclair FiFi @ Soup Kitchen
Fancy a mid-week dance-off, anyone? This sweet pastry is well worth the sleep deprivation. Our to date favourite Glaswegian DJane knows how to make you swivel off into space effortlessly with an eclectic mix of House, Disco and Techno. £10, 11pm - 3am
8 February Friend Zone @ Partisan Collective
Have you been missing a little pop in your life, too? A poppin’ night of sweet’n’sticky pink molasses? A little poppedipop? This wholesome dance night invites you to come as you are, be who you want to be, and offers a safer space where no one gives a bloomin Britney who you fancy to kiss or hug (consensually of course). Spice Girls, One Direction, Prince: ahoy! FREE (members)/£5, 7 - 11.59pm
15 February Sambroso All Stars present: The Buena Vista @ Band on the Wall
Sambroso Noda, el corazon of London’s Cuban community, presents one of the most iconic albums in living memory, live. The first show sold out, so get tickets quick! £15, 7.30 - 11pm
23 February La Discothèque @ Albert Hall
Disco debauchery w/ Dimitri from Paris, the founder of House music (you DO know his »French Kiss«) Lil’ Louis, queer party aficionados Horse Meat Disco & special guests. Not to be missed! £20, 9pm - 4am
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L E A R N 9 February LGBT History Month Glyn Salton-Cox »Queer Communism« @ Working Class Movement Library
February is LGBT History Month so why not pop on over the river and head on down to this free talk on Queer radicalism and its intersections with Communist politics in 1930s Britain. Glyn Salton-Cox, author of Queer Communism and the Ministry of Love, will explore this theme and offer a queer Marxist perspective on 20th century intellectual, literary and cultural history, as well as offer some considerations on populism and resistance today. With such a fantastic topic (and light refreshments available) this is not one to miss! FREE, 2 - 4pm
10 February Eamonn McCann War and an Irish Town @ Chorlton Irish Club
Join veteran Irish activist Eamonn McCann for a discussion about his experience in the civil rights movement in Northern Ireland and a presentation of his republished classic account »War and an Irish Town«. Following the talk, there will be a screening of Michael’s Fanning’s documentary »The Day the Troubles Began« that features interviews with participants and explores the global uprisings that inspired them. £4/£5, 2 - 4.15pm
17 February Potato Day @ Hulme Community Garden Centre
Get sorted for seed potatoes and learn EVERYTHING about this fabulous root veg. 28 varieties of little brown balls of joy will be for sale, plastic free of course. Hot potato-ey food will be on sale and lots of free family friendly activities are on the roll. FREE, 11am - 4pm
A R T
Social Justice Spotlight: ACORN
6 February Hidden Spaces @ Rogue Studios
ACORN Tenants’ Union Manchester: A voice for private renters, ACORN provide support for a whole range of issues tenants face ― including unscrupulous landlords, unwarranted evictions, and damp, pest and structural problems. ACORN want a better deal for all tenants and to improve standards for renters across the board ― including a campaign to ban tenancy fees and support those facing discrimination (such as people on housing benefits). They have provided unwavering support for those who have felt helpless in the face of tenancy problems and are truly a joy to behold. Join them now from as little as one hour of wages per month, and support a change where one is desperately needed.
This exhibition engages the work of a group of MA students currently studying at Manchester School of Art who explore the previously overlooked, disregarded and obscured areas of the urban environment. The artwork on show proposes new ways of looking at the metropolis through a variety of different mediums, perspectives and ways of thinking. FREE, 6.30 - 9.00pm
VERNISSAGE MARATHON! 7 FEBRUARY Preview No.1: Chinternet Ugly @ CFCCA (Chinese Centre for CA)
Chinternet Ugly is an ode to the beauty and chaos of China’s world wide web. Exploring the representation of reality through technology, from pop aesthetics and blemish-correcting software to the dark side of the internet, the exhibition features work from six young new media artists and celebrated internet artist Ying Miao. FREE, 6 - 8pm
Preview No.2: Simeon Barclay - Life Room @ The Holden Gallery
Simeon Barclay’s first solo exhibition in Manchester focuses on the topic of how we shape and perform our identity. Drawing on images from the pop culture he grew up with while using industrial materials from his background in manufacturing, his work rewrites narratives from the viewpoint of a black, working class northern male. FREE, 5.30 - 7.30pm
Preview No.3: Why Don’t You @ AIR Gallery
A multi-disciplinary, sensory exploration of the effect of social media traps affecting our perception of empathy. Olwyn Carroll challenges the viewers to question their emotive reactions on Instagram, FB and Co. Are our emotions pure commodity? Has our empathy become a secret currency on social media to pull ourselves out of the blues? Underlined by soundscapes of currentmoodgirl, the exhibition runs until 2nd March. FREE, 6 - 9pm
Preview No.4: Borderline @ LEAF Portland St
Nothing to do with Madonna but still worth a visit! This exhibition explores contested territories and crossing borders, showcasing the works of Manchester School of Art students from a grand array of disciplines such as Illustration, Fashion and Interior Architecture. FREE, 7 - 11pm
14 February Exhibition Preview: Sources by Joe Preston @ Castlefield Gallery
Sources features work by artists from a range of backgrounds, cultures and generations. This exhibition uses film and sculpture to challenge notions of »post-truth«, »fake news« and »alternative facts«, considering the local - from South Yorkshire - to the global, with images and film from Armenia, Iran, and the Gambia. FREE, 6 - 8pm
15 February (ongoing) Sixteen @ HOME // New Adelphi Exhibition Gallery // Atrium of Manchester Central Library // 42nd Street // The Horsfall Space ☞
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Sixteen Continued: What’s it like to be sixteen years old now? This exhibition, across a range of Manchester galleries, works with photography, film, social media, audio recordings and writing to bring together the faces and voices of more than a hundred young people from diverse communities across the United Kingdom. FREE
W A T C H 3 February Screening 05: Dheepan & La Haine @YES
Above the Line and YES present two films on poverty and social struggles in France. Considering the negative media attention on refugees nowadays, Dheepan tells the important story of a Sri Lankan Tamil struggling with the racism of their host country. Following this is the absolute classic of European cinema La Haine, which focuses on three friends in the poverty-stricken banlieue of Paris in the aftermath of a riot. FREE, 5 - 10pm
7 - 28 February Four Films by Stephen Cone @ Number 70 Oxford Street
Throughout February, Bigger Than Life and Man Met are showcasing a Stephen Cone film every Saturday. Cone’s films all received rave reviews but never made it to any major film festivals, urging Indiewire to call him »the best queer filmmaker ignored by the film world«. Come and see The Wise Kids (7/2), Black Box (14/2), Henry Gamble’s Birthday Party (21/2) and Princess Cyd (28/2). Cone himself will make an appearance on Skype. FREE, 7.45 - 9pm
25 February Love & Desire in Palestine @ HOME MCR
Cinema Palestino and Creative Interruptions present you a selection of Palestinian films meeting love under pressure in three ways: Family, Home & Romance. The screenings will be followed by a Q&A with one of the directors, Nahed Awad, shining light on love under occupation and her experience as a filmmaker in Gaza. Book tickets via HOME, 6.15 - 9.15pm
D O Regular Event QTIPOC Crafty Sundays Every 4th Sunday of the Month @ LGBT Centre
A chance to meet lovely fellow QTIPOC pals and get your creative juices flowing at the end the old and start of the new week. This safer space is here for you to learn and share craft skills and have a wholesome evening together. FREE, from 6pm
5 February The Black Market @ Fairfield Social Club
Art on the Sly brings you dancey art market shindigg free of charge, grattis, umsonst, for nisch, nix, nada. Support your local artist artillery and get your leg and brain mouvements reinvigorated by an all-female DJ line-up. Black market shopping has never felt so good! DONATIONS, 6 - 11.59pm
16 February Building Equality: Racial Justice & The Housing Movement @ The Powerhouse Moss Side From the US to the UK, people of colour are more likely to be affected adversely by poor housing. Join Salford-based author Andrea Gibbons and Oxford Labour councillor Shaista Aziz to discuss how we can create a racially just housing movement. FREE, 2.30 - 4.30pm
unbelievable maneuvers through time and space. Expect the unexpected, but be assured in any case this will be an evening of excellence. £3+ DONATION, 7.30 - 10.30pm
8 February Peter Barlow’s Cigarette #30 @ Gullivers
Wow, barely within the glimpse of an eye ar kid Pete has hit 30! This time the PBC team serves up transpennine poetry by translation mago Dan Eltringham, transnationalism troubadour Ágnes Lehoczky, feminist phrase-fantomas Denise Riley and PBC co-founder Gareth Twose, he’s awesome too! FREE, 6 - 9pm
20 February No Matter #5 @ The Castle Hotel
The fabulous poetry purveyors No Matter return for another session. This month, they present virtuoso Sophie Robinson, author of Rabbit, a visceral journey of healing and acceptance. Also, Indo-Swiss Pratyusha, whose edgeless images provoke reflections on borders and human nature. FREE, 7.30pm
21 February MCR in Translation @ Z-arts
Translation as an art form requires both the skill to mimic the style and voice of the original text as well as to never show that a transfer has taken place. In these talks and workshops hosted by Comma Press and Multilingual Manchester, learn about why translation matters and get some inside tips on how to get published. FREE, 10am - 5pm
W O R D A Gentle Reminder: 2 February Manchester Indie Book Fair @ Anthony Burgess Foundation
Buy books, but skip Amazon for once and take the road less travelled. The very best indie publishers of the North are showcasing their work at Manchester’s prime literary spot. Stalls will be manned by Dostoyevsky Wannabe, Carcanet and If P then Q amongst others. FREE, noon - 6pm
4 February FLIM Night: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure @ 3M Theatre Jump on the Wyld Stallyns band waggon and enjoy this completely new interpretation of Bill S, Preston ESQ. and Ted Theodore Logan’s
m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r m u r
THERE MAY BE A PRET but don’t forget your local businesses
While the new University Green development on Oxford Road is championing some MCRowned businesses, the opening of conglomerates Pret and Five Guys may be a threat to smaller, locally owned cafés and shops around the area. If you are a student or a staff member of either of the universities, don’t forget our local and affordable cafés nearby, such as Sidney St, Takk, or 8th Day. And before you try and obtain that free coffee, think about where your £££ is going - according to the Guardian, as of 2018, Pret was not an accredited living wage employer and subjects its staff to frequent weekly mystery shopping checks.