MURMUR issue seven May 2018
ÂťYou will feel much more free. You will care less about the future, or the past, and you will live in the moment. You will live life for what it is: a sequence of experiences.ÂŤ
In memory of Dmitry For his friends & loved ones.
Manchester’s monthly newsletter
MURMUR
Illustration: Olivia Havercrof t Words: Dmitr y Smirnov
Editors: Olivia Havercroft, Nicole Peeters Huw Spencer & Tom Waring Design: Lisa Lorenz
Welcome to MURMUR: Your alternative guide to Manchester’s independent, radical & inclusive events
Welcome to MURMUR’s first spring edition! We’re looking forward to bring you more outdoorsy events over the next months.
L I S T E N 4 May Kamasi Washington @ Albert Hall
Legendary jazz saxophonist Kamasi Washington plays likely the best show at the Albert Hall this year. £25, 7.30pm - 11.30pm
3 May Granfalloon, NALA, The Wyrding Module, Mangabros and Whathappenedonthatisland @ The Peer Hat Another Folktronica/Electro/Ambient/ Experimental from the pervasively lovely Tilted Fiction promotions. £4, 7pm-11pm
6 May Sounds from the Other City
Salford’s celebration of new music and art - no. 14 - returns with another devastating line-up over the bank holiday weekend. SFTOC not only reveals the finest new talent, it appreciates the work of the independent promoters who bring the music to us. Including venues such as a doctors surgery, a church, a community centre and pub, SFTOC interweaves the community into the festival. Murmur recommends Goat Girl @ the Now Wave Stage, DIY punk CRUMBS @ the Bad Uncle Stage, PINS DJ set @ the Eagle Inn. £27, 3pm - 4am
issue seven // May 2018
murmurmanchester@gmail.com
7 May Badaboum + DUDS @ FUEL
Weird electro organs? Reverb galore? Messy, hectic, wise, whistling, hot, einszweidrei? All of this and so much more! Brought to you dear listener by all female French power bundle Badaboum. Supported by Manchester’s DUDS. Aye, do we have to say more? Oh, yes! It’s kinda free: Suggested donation £5, 7pm - late
9 May Cucumber Concerts present: Dream English Kid, BODDY, and Emily Oldfield @ FUEL
Support new anglo-german promoter Cucumber Collectives, who has brought together Dream English Kid, an ethereal and understated four piece from Preston, with support from Kraut pop BODDY and poet/mental health activist Emily Oldfield, the second show by new promoter Cucumber Concerts brings German and English music together in sync. £5/4 advance, 8pm - 12am
16 May Ari Roar + Wyoming @ The Eagle Inn
Ari Roar’s Calm Down could easily be part of the Garden State soundtrack. With its gentle twists and turns this lo-fi gem navigates through 15 songs in just under 30 minutes. A blessing for our short attention spans, our nostalgia yearning hearts and teenage memories. Support comes from our favourite German synth-pop outfit in exile: Wyoming. £7, 7.30pm - late
18 May U.S. Girls @ Soup Kitchen
Girl group vocals with a 80s twist, U.S. Girls are part of another of Now Wave’s illustrious shows. Imagine if Lesley Gore was born in 1979 and went to school with Robert Smith. £12, 7.30pm - late
18 May UGLY! presents Pearl City @ The White Hotel
More sister power from our favourite gal Greta of Pearl City. After her collaboration with sister Olwyn, UGLY bring a new Carroll fusion to the White Hotel with Velvet. Young female talent from Manchester f lexing their muscles! £5, 7.30pm - late
21 May Screaming Females @ Soup Kitchen
New Jersey DIY-punk luminaries Screaming Females play at Soup Kitchen, touring their new album. Pitchfork describe it as ‘like comforting a friend with a fireworks show’. Is this enticing enough? £8, 7.30pm - late
29 May Femi Kuti + DJ SNO @ Band on the Wall
The eldest son of Fela Kuti returns to Band on the Wall to debut his new album, One People One World. £25, 7.30pm-11pm
D A N C E 4 May RITE @ Partisan Collective
»This is a party, not a club night!« RITE is ready to turn the Partisan space into a forest, a playground for audiovisual exploration and indulgence in the weird and beautiful. We escape the grey city scape to meet our new soul mate, celebrate diversity, creativity and togetherness through art and dance. A night to remember: RITE take three, features some brilliant DJ sets from Banana Hill, Wax the Van, Heads Up just to name a few. Last Entry: 10.30pm (!) £5/£8, 9pm - 4am
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5 May House Party w/ Kiss Me Again & Microdosing @ Partisan Collective
Following on from Momentum’s panel discussion on the future of affordable housing in the UK they will be throwing a House Party to »make all your municipal dreams come true« supported by Kiss Me Again DJs ahead of their regular slot at Soup Kitchen. If more chilled vibes take your fancy pop upstairs from Partisan’s basement to see the second f loor transformed yet again for Microdosing. Expect shamanistic rituals, chess games, cuddles and grooves. What a melange! FREE (donations very welcome) 7pm - midnight
5 May Kiss Me Again 20th party @ Soup Kitchen
Murmur’s favourites Kiss Me Again are in their 20th rendition! Join them at Soup Kitchen with Homoelectric residents Kath McDermott & Philippa Jarman! £5, midnight-4am
18 May Red Laser Basement Blast @ Partisan Collective
Pull up your socks and get synthed into Red Laser’s Partisan debut by the film screening of Italo Disco Legacy. Expect bangers, cannoli, mediterranean f lirtations. Beaches including corny sunsets diving into the med sea are your destination. £7 midnight - 4pm
22 May Anti-Matter #1 @ Night & Day
Night & Day cafe hosts the first ever ANTI-MATTER night. A trip through the strange world of brainfeeder, stones throw records and more. Expect to hear music by j dilla, MF DOOM, kamasi washington, caribou, four tet, and many more. £1, 8pm-1am
D O 2, 9, 16 & 23 May 4X4 Manchester: City of Change @ Anthony Burgess Institute
FOUR talks on the city at the Anthony Burgess Institute. Talks consider the creation of Manchester, its destruction, the resurrection and its ongoing development. Essential for anyone interested in urban development, community, change, architecture and the social lives of cities. FREE, 5.15pm - 7.30pm
5 May Municipal Dreams: The Future of Council Housing @ Partisan Collective
12 May DIY RISO Beginner’s Course @ Partisan Collective
6 May Northwest Zine Fest @ Partisan Collective
26 May Boothstock 2018 w/ South Island Son, Sophro & Chloe Foy @ The Carlton Club
Join Manchester Momentum for a panel discussion on the future of affordable housing in the UK with three exciting speakers: John Boughton - Author of Municipal Dreams: The Rise and Fall of Council Housing; Rachael Gibbons, programme lead of the Working Class Heroes project for RECLAIM, and Andrea Gibbons, author of City of Segregation, housing activist and L.A. housing crisis expert. FREE, 4.30pm - 7pm
Support over 40 independent zine makers at Northwest Zine Fest who are back after a break of a year! Including zine-making workshops with Team Trident Press and Shy Bairns, a radical bird-watching session, an introduction to feminist zine making, photogram workshop by the lovely folk of Wednesday’s Child and open mic/readings. And it’s free! As they say, tell your friends cos it’s gonna be a good one. FREE, 12pm - 5pm
7 May Celebrate Festival Whalley Range @ Manley Park
Last year we met a lovely Spanish lady while eating ice cream on a bench in the sun. She shared her story with us and left us feeling proud of Manchester’s community spirit. She’s been coming to the festival since its initiation two decades ago. Every year! This festival brings generations and people from all walks of life together, to celebrate togetherness and local activism. FREE, noon - 6pm
10 May Manchester Momentum: Windrush Public Meeting @ West Indian Sports & Social Community Club See Diane Abbott, Shadow Home Secretary; Afzal Khan, Shadow Immigration Minister; Marcia Hutchinson MBE, Writer; and Anthony Brown, Windrush Migrant, speak on how we can support best those affected in our community FREE, 7pm - 9am
10 May Scribbling out Sexism @ People’s History Museum
The exhibition »Savage Ink: The Cartoon & The Caricature« includes the work of prolific female cartoonists breaking the mould with their incredible artform. Meet one of the women behind the pens, graphic novelist and cartoonist Kate Evans, for discussion, debate, and defeating the patriarchy! FREE, 6.30pm - 7.30pm
Team Trident Press’s monthly RISO session – learn the basics about risography and how to use it right. We’ll be using the RISO at Partisan to explore the machine and understand how to make use of this unique printing method for DIY projects like zines, f lyers and posters. Book in advance via Eventbrite. Tickets from: £10, 1pm - 6pm
A fundraiser for THE BOOTH CENTRE, a relentlessly incredible homeless support organisation: FREE, donations welcome; 2pm - 7pm
A R T 24 May Oh Sh*t, What Now? @ The Whitworth
For students, graduates, and young creatives, »Oh Sh*t… What Now?« attempts to make a genuine and honest attempt at bridging the gap into the creative industry. FREE, 7pm - 8.30pm
REVIEW
PAIN
JOURNAL
»Think of a medieval ice-cream van«. Alex MacDonald’s image captures much of the boldness of Pain, a journal of new writing published in Manchester in September 2017. Edited by Vala Thorodds and Luke Allan, the collection carves a space between forgetting and remembering, loss and laughter. Adam Crothers leapfrogs death with an address to a ceramic knight. Amy Key sub-tweets your attachment to birthday candles but wants you to grow old with her. Rebecca Perry’s essay on childhood and everything-inbetween closes the collection with an affecting account of movement, body and memory. The second edition is out soon. Listen out for the ice-cream van. ☞ painpoetry.co.uk
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25 May Doc’n Roll MCR Play Your Gender @ HOMEmcr
W A T C H 1 - 5 May ¡Viva! Spanish & American Festival 2018 @HOMEmcr
Latin
For its 24th edition, ¡Viva! returns with a HOME-wide celebration of film, theatre and visual art from across Spain and Latin America. Murmur’s picks are the play Things Easily Forgotten, the film Los Nadie, the exhibition Overtures. Various prices and times, see www.HOMEmcr.org for more detailed information
3-6 May Pilot Light TV festival @ HOMEmcr
Pilot Light TV festival is a communal TV experience where fans and industry come together to celebrate the past, present and future of Television and Web Series. Murmur recommends The World According to Woke Charlotte, examining the impact Sex and the City had on women of colour, and Cakes and Candles Q&A and zine workshop! Various prices and times, see pilotlightfestival.co.uk for details.
18 May Italo Disco Legacy: Film Screening @ Partisan Collective
Premiering at Berghain earlier this year and currently making the rounds across Europe, this documentary takes a deep delve into the history of underground Italo disco music. Film tickets will also get you into the after party, Red Laser’s 4 hour, no-messing, debut at Partisan’s basement. £8, 10pm - midnight
19 May Girl Gang Mcr #3: Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion @ The Lowry Join Girl Gang Manchester for an immersive celebration of the 90’s classic celebrating life long female friendships, repairing youthful wounds and reminding us all that it’s OK to be average. Plus, an after party to celebrate afterwards! £10, 7pm - 1am
25 May Doc’n Roll MCR - Raving Iran @ Plant Noma
Come and watch the BFI funded Raving Iran: Anoosh and Arash are at the centre of Tehran’s underground techno scene. Tired of hiding from the police and their stagnating career, they organise one last techno rave in the desert. £6, 6pm - 8pm
Also part of the Doc’n’Roll festival, Play Your Gender is a film about women in the music industry. Juno Awardwinning producer Kinnie Starr is on a quest to find out why this disparity exists by speaking to music industry stars and veterans about the realities of being a woman in the recording studio. £6, 6.15pm - 8.15pm
W O R D 3 May Can: Irmin Schmidt & Rob Young w/ Stuart Maconie @ Waterstones Deansgate All Gates Open by Rob Young and Irmin Schmidt, is the definitive story of the most inf luential and revered avant-garde band of the late twentieth century: Can. Rob and Irmin will be appearing in conversation with Stuart Maconie. £5, 6.30pm - 8.30pm
7 May FLIM NITE: The Big Lebowsky @3MinuteTheatre
Performances inspired by Joel and Ethan Coen’s masterpiece. The Dude, White Russians, bowling alleys or Steve Buscemi’s immaculate 90s boy band haircut. What will this beautiful blend be? Roll out the carpet for this exciting spectacle, wait… where has it gone? £3 donation, 7.30pm - late
15 May An evening with Akala @ RNCM
Akala, the BAFTA- and MOBO-awardwinning musician and political commentator, visits Manchester to discuss his new book Natives, about race, class, and power. £22 (includes a copy of the book), 6pm - 9pm
20 May Murmur #4 @Common
This new-ish spoken word Sunday evening is quickly becoming one of Manchester’s poetry staples. This edition will bring you guests from Leeds, London, and Wellington. Never heard of Zarf, For Every Year or Pamper me to Hell and Back? Well, this will change shortly! FREE, 7pm - 10pm Hello! We, the editors of MURMUR, can take no responsibility for the words said and events spiralling from any of the listing. Please stay mindful, share
E A T 25 - 28 May Where The Light Gets In @ Common & Plant NOMA
For those of you who love food, join the incredible Where The Light Gets In in partnership with Common and Plant NOMA, for a celebration of Northern Food Culture. A Good Feed are laying on a four-day spread of the best food options the North has to offer, with a focus on great ingredients, community and skill. Not only a food festival, A Good Feed will also be holding workshops that look at HOW the food industry can provide community and skill development opportunities for people in towns and cities. Not to be missed. FREE
REVIEW
MACKIE MAYOR 1 EAGLE ST · M4 5BU Mackie Mayor is a feat of architectural and culinary greatness. The outside of the building is fairly unassuming, but as you enter you are hit twice - first by the amazing atmosphere (it seems to be staffed and populated by an entirely decent bunch) and second the absolutely beautiful renovated structure. We went there at prime time on a Saturday night and found the only two seats left in the house - you’ve got to be quick but it’s worth it. We ate at La Cucina who are putting out d are I say - the best pasta I’ve eaten in Manchester so far? (Willing to be challenged). The crab linguine was a delight, wild garlic bread was inspired. Everything has been thought out meticulously - the acoustics, the layout it never appears too busy but always has a buzz. A well kept secret, but everyone knows about it. Tues to Thurs 10am - 10pm Fri 10am -11pm Sat 9am - 11pm Sun 9am - 8pm, Mon Closed
the love and respect the ones around you. Get in touch if you’d like us to feature your event or get involved with MURMUR in general. MURMUR xoxo
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