M U R M U R Issue 28 • February 2020
Welcome to MURMUR, hello@murmurmcr.com Manchester’s monthly guide to radical, independent & inclusive goings-on. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive a digital copy of MURMUR, extended articles, reviews on gigs, zines, places to eat and some literary surprises. www.murmurmcr.com
LISTEN THU 06 02
Bring Your Own Vinyl at
Strangebrew
• At the lower end of Chorlton, right next to pizza heaven Double Zero, awaits you this cosy bar. Unmatched chairs, warm atmosphere and folk playing their favourite vinyl welcome you in a relaxed atmosphere. What better way to test your tunes? FREE, 8 - 11pm
FRI 07 02
Transmute: Meuko! Meuko! (live) at
The White Hotel
• Taipei resident, producer and electronic artist Meuko! Meuko! echoes her visions of industrial decay and chopped up sonic pheres. Ghosts from traditional past transmute into experimental Gabber-Ambient waves, moving footworkers and ancient Gods move in hypnotic trance. £5 - 10, 7 - 11pm
SAT 08 02
Expansions at
All Night Flight
• Contours and Yadava settle in for an extended 8 hour set. Expect anything from jazz to latin, african, percussive, and house tickling the best out of Horticulture’s audiophile Klipschorn soundsystem.
SAT 08 02
Nabihah Iqbal at
NAM
• After her set for Video Jam on Friday musician, producer and black belt Karate all-rounder Nabihah Iqbal is hanging about town to play some tunes from her eclectic selection of records. Leaving her DJ years of Throwing Shade in the past this is a rare occasion to see her spin. FREE, 8 - midnight
WED 12 02
Moor Mother at
The White Hotel
• Daughter of Philadelphia - poet, activist and musician - Camae Ayewa susurrates Afro-future utopias. Weaving together dark sci-fi synths, and socio-political struggles in spoken word she resuscitates broken dreams and soul fire. £11, 7.30 - 10.30pm
THU 13 02
KULA collective at
Off the Square
• KULA collective is a new initiative bringing together Manchester’s creative community. Their launch event has the very talented Chi Prophecy and Jude The Obscure & their bands performing. Community United in Music are bringing two poets, Sunflower Bill and Taylor Taylor, and artist Izra Designs will be selling her prints. Expect unity and speaking truth to power! £4, 7 - 10.30pm
SAT 15 02
A Post VD Tristesse at
The White Hotel
• An experimental music tour de force storms Salfordian grounds to sonically/ sexually liberate us from repression. Mad sound engineer Colin Potter joins dream-pop hypnotist Teresa Winter and Aussie duo CS + Kreme. To save our hearts and genitalia from freezing, the heat will be on. £8/10/12, 8 - 11.30pm
FREE, 3 - 11pm
TUE 25 02
Hit the Groove 3 at
Wilderness Records
• Hit the Groove are back - and this time, they’re playing glossy-haired pop
star turned avant-garde innovator Scott Walker’s Scott 4 and Pulp: His & Hers, followed by discussion. FREE, 7 - 9pm
DA N C E SAT 01 02
High Hoops: Solar/Mozhgan/Tilly at
The White Hotel
• Squirrel along to this highly emotive, Hi-NRG party - High Hoops’ first do of the new decade! Head-squirrel Solar finds cosmic support in dark magic expert Mozhgan. Expect frequent showers of love, warm beams and mind altering sounds also from Bristol’s Tilly. £12.50, 11.59pm - 7am FRI 14 02
BAD FUN: Werkha at
YES basement
• Probably more likely GOOD FUN with a peppered dose of music from all corners of the world and seriously infectious grooves, local producer, musician and DJ takes over Valentine’s to spread universal love for all. £5/6, 11pm - 4am
SAT 15 02
Red Laser w/ LeonxLeon at
The White Hotel
• Just the right medicine to raise your endorphin levels this ruddy February. Manchester’s most loved Italo label ships in their French secret love potion LeonXLeon dishing up mixes of Acid, Italo, and Discoooooo. £8, 11.59pm - 6am
SAT 29 02
Partisan Day Party #13 at
Partisan
• On this special day that is gifted to us by the Romans only every four years come on down to dance your socks off to tunes by your friendly selectors Pharao Brunson, Princess Anna, All Hands On Deck collective members Anna and Ellen, and Jon K. This’n’That Curry, table tennis, bean bags, ex-Hacienda visual play things and buckfast make this daydream complete. £5/Free, 2pm - midnight
SAT 29 02
Cong Burn: Sa Pa (live) at
Soup Kitchen
• Dive into glistening field recording, layered soundscapes, rushing streams, dripping caves with Berlin based experimental electronic artist Sa Pa. Some of the sounds have been salvaged from a recording device lost in a police raid at Bassiani in Tbilisi in 2018. Sonic treasure. £5/8, 11pm - 4am
D
O
SAT 01 02
Folk Horror Festival III at
The Peer Hat
• Loose ends of pagan traditions and horrific tales are tied up with current day events. Explore folk horror through the lense of musical performances, lectures and more - ex-Fall member Una Baines, sound wizz Mark Pilkington and Christoffer Josiffe, regular contributor to goth mag Fortean Times.
SAT 08 02
Partisan Annual Members’ Meeting at
• Now more than ever grassroot action is necessary to help our communities thrive and support each other. Find out how to get involved with MCR’s arts and social space Partisan Collective. FREE, 2 - 5pm
TUE 11 02
ACORN Quarterly General Meeting at
Methodist Hall
Around Manchester
FREE, 7 - 9pm
• The 0161 gang are back with their fantastic and informative walking tour around Manchester’s radical hotspots. Spanning from Peterloo and the Chartists to the Spanish Civil War (and not forgetting Marx and Engels) this is not one to miss. Limited spaces though so head to 0161festival.com to book your tickets. £5, 2 - 4pm
FRI 07 02 - SUN 09 02
New Russias: Festival of Contemporary Russian Culture LEAF/MCR Art Gallery A.O.
• With today’s heightened tensions and scandalous political intrigue we could all do with a reminder of how culture can unite us. New Russians hopes to achieve that with an impressive line-up of artists, musicians and writers from that country that has so often been portrayed as the bad guy. Venues range across the city. Check out newrussias.com for more info. FREE - £10, Various Times.
THU 13 02
Queer Family Tea at
CommemorAction Piccadilly Gardens
Partisan
• Fill your bellies with food and find new pals at MCR’s most inclusive, sober family tea. January’s gathering featured a queer pop-up hairdresser. February will see the return of QFT’s Valentine Performance Special. Get in touch if you would like to show your moves! DONATIONS, 7 - 10pm
SA 15 02
IWW: Organiser Training at
Methodist Hall
• Get trained up during this one day course led by members of Manchester’s IWW (Industrial Workers of the World) to get connected with your colleagues over issues that affect you in the workplace. Join this members-led union to create positive change and equality. FREE, 1 - 5pm
SUN 16 02
Potato Day 2020 at
SAT 08 02
at
Partisan
SUN 02 02
Anti-fascist, radical History Tour
at
FREE, 12.30pm start
• ACORN - the community organisation that unrigs the system to bring justice for renters and workers - invite you to join the union and take part in electing the coordination team for the next six months.
£8/10 , 1pm - 3.30am
at
• Demonstrate solidarity with those who lost their lives crossing borders in Europe. This action is especially dedicated to the caravan of 200 migrants travelling from Algeria to Morocco in 2014. Approaching the safety of the shore, swimming in the open sea government forces opened fire. 15 people died, many went missing.Bring flowers and banners
Hulme Community Garden Centre
• Learn about the bliss of growing your own veg and find the right spud for you. Hulme Community Garden centre offer a space to learn more
about horticulture, sustainability and help grow (apart from plants) skills and well-being of the community. FREE, 11am - 4pm
SUN 23 02
Cyanotype workshop at
Isca Wines
• Our new favourite wine haunt Isca is holding a cyanotype workshop run by the talented photographer Kat Wood in collaboration with Platt Fields Market Garden — using their waste produce (dried plant cuttings, surplus fruits and veg etc) to create photo grams onto the light sensitive paper. Snacks included! Check their insta for more info. £15, 12 - 2pm
A
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THU 06 02
Yelena Popova at
The Holden Gallery
• Working in tapestry, sculpture and painting, Russian interdisciplinary artist Popova explores nuclear heritage, landscape, and the passage of time. Born in Ozyorsk - or City 40, a closed city and birthplace of the Soviet nuclear-weapons programme after World War II - Popova’s obsessive research The Scholar Stones Project culminates with this exhibition. FREE, 5.30 - 7.30pm
THU 06 02
P-ART-Y at
Soup Kitchen
• Artist-led platform Short Supply celebrate one year of generating opportunities for artists in the North. Meet the collective, swap materials and artwork and find new collaborators, or just have a little boogie. FREE, 6 - 10.30pm
THU 06 02
MUSICA! MUSICA! MUSICA! at
YES Pink room
• PINK - a new curatorial art project and exhibition space - fittingly organise their first out-of-house exhibition in the Pink Room. PINK’s space will open in April but until then help raise funds and feed your eyes on typographical delights by graphic designer and artist Raissa Pardini. FREE, 7pm - late
WED 05 02
Thumbs Up
No Matter: New Matter #6
• Venture Arts associates bring new life into the art scene and intend to brighten up this dull winter season with artwork. If you are an artist and want get involved with community projects get in touch for volunteer information.
• Inspirational Sharon Kivlan performs alongside the Aurelia Guo, whose words stick in your mind and your throat, and the prophetically lonely NJ Stallard.
at
Castlefield Gallery
FREE, every WED - SUN midday - 5.30pm
SAT 01 02 - SAT 29 02
Ocular Odyssey at
HOME
• Following ten weeks of workshops exploring print and visual language, this artwork offers an insight into some of the processes and work created throughout this collaboration between young creatives at Manchester Deaf Centre and artists Sally Gilford and Natalie Linney of Salford Makers. FREE, all times
SAT 08 02
Open Door Tour with Invisible Cities at
HOME
• Laura from Invisible Cities will be leading a tour of the Manchester Open Exhibition. Invisible Cities are a social enterprise that trains people who have experienced homelessness to become walking tour guides of Manchester. FREE, 1pm
W O R D MON 03 02
PN Review 250 at
Christie’s Bistro
at
The Castle Hotel
FREE, 7.30 - 10.30pm
THU 18 02
Sting In The Tale at
FUEL
• After last month’s rude and saucy excursions with Nell Phoenix, gather to listen to medieval stories told by London-based, community storyteller and actor Sarah Rundle. Stories from the floor are encouraged! FRI 21 Feb
GULP issue 2 launch at
Night & Day
• GULP is a new broadsheet zine displaying all the wonders within film, art, music and more. Celebrate the release of GULP No. 2 with live music by Mold, Leather Party and Organic Zip. £5, 8 - 11pm
SAT 22 02
Peter Barlow’s Cigarette #33 at
• This year’s first PBC brings you poetry from Leeds based Mau Baiocco, friendship researcher Tessa Berring, Oystercatcher Press editor Peter Hughes, and No Matter co-founder and Nell Osbourne. As ever free wine will flow, and pamphlets will be on sale. FREE, 4 - 6pm
FREE, 6.30pm
• Not necessarily a Manchester-based production - but it is a must see film for this year! Go and support your local cinema while basking in the talents of Willem Dafoe and the ex-heartthrob turned aesthete Robert Pattinson.
at
Partisan
• Read Achebe’s Things Fall Apart (1958) and join the discussion about British colonialism, African tribal history and heritage and Christian missionary. FREE, 6 - 7.30pm
WED 12 02
MIRA #3 at
SAT 01 02
The Lighthouse at
HOME
£5/9.50, see HOME for times
SAT 01 02
Invisible Women at
Working Class Movement Library
• This documentary follows the life of Luchia Fitzgerald and Angela Cooper,
PS Mirabel
• An intimate setting to get to know the work of local visual/video artists Izzy Bolt & Joe Whitmore. Watch a selection of their films and listen to the panel led by curator Nuria López de la Oliva. Get in touch with MIRA if you are an early and mid-career video artists wanting to show your work. £3, 6 - 8.30pm
WED 12 02
Sex Education at
The Lowry
• An exploration of “how we learn about sex and how it shapes our lives”, this first one-man show by Harry Clayton-Wright showcases everything from dance to self-made porn to home economics - feat. expertly chosen music, comfortable audience participation and a fantastic wedding dress. Contains themes that some may find distressing, nudity, gluten, George Michael and a terribly out of place bunny rabbit! DONATION (£5), 8 - 9pm
Waterstones Deansgate
WATCH
Book Club: Chinua Achebe
Free, 2 - 4pm
£5/7, 7 - 10pm
• The Poetry Nation Review launches its 250th issue. Founded in 1973 in Manchester it has carved its mould and gained respect internationally from publishers and poets alike. Free to attend make sure you register in advance to experience the readings of this issue’s contributors. WED 05 02
two revolutionaries who changed the face of the city’s queer scene by founding MCR’s first women’s refuge as well as a radical queer printing press.
WED 12 02 - SAT 15 02
A Little Space at
HOME
• Gecko’s shows always blend expressionistic physical theatre with surreal props and scenery in a way that’s at times both humorous and strangely relatable. In this collaboration with Mind the Gap they explore the question, “What does it mean to you to have a little space?” £5 - 20, 2 - 3.05pm / 7.30 - 8.35pm
THU 27 02
Emergency Stopgap at
Niamos
• A gallery-style exhibition of smallscale multi-disciplinary performances. Drop in and sample “the bizarre, the bold + the beautiful” in one of Manchester’s most interesting venues. It really could be anything! DONATION, 6 - 10pm (last entry 9pm)
Editors Max Abendstern, Olivia Havercroft, Lisa Lorenz, George Odysseos, Nicole Peeters & Huw Spencer Illustration Auriol Butcher DEsign Alina Jungclaus & Hendrik Schneider Layout Lisa Lorenz Print Team Trident Press
FRI 23 01 - SUN 08 03