The Skinny Northwest April 2013 by The Skinny

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Northwest Issue 01 April 2013

MUSIC THE FLAMING LIPS EDWYN COLLINS LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY SUMMER FESTIVAL PICK ROZI PLAIN SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY KURT VILE RECORD STORE DAY FILM DEREK CIANFRANCE ON THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES A SMALL CINEMA

“I CAN'T IMAGINE BEING ANYWHERE ELSE” IN OUR DEBUT NORTHWEST ISSUE, YOU TELL US WHAT MANCHESTER AND LIVERPOOL MEAN TO YOU

BOOKS HASSAN BLASIM IN OTHER WORDS FESTIVAL WORLD BOOK NIGHT ART ANGUISH & ENTHUSIASM AT CORNERHOUSE KEVIN HUNT SHOWCASE THE MODERN LESBIAN THEATRE MANCHESTER INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL CANNIBALS TRAVEL ELECTIONS IN VENEZUELA COMEDY MACE & BURTON FASHION MANCHESTER FASHION WEEK FOOD NORTHERN VEGAN FESTIVAL CLUBS NUMBERS TURNS 10 RIP UNDERACHIEVERS ALL CAPS

erika lindberg freestyle surfer

brItIsh summertIme Is here

#CelebrAtethesuN rekOrderlig.COM

/reKOrDerlIG

MAY

P.14 THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES

P.32 KEVIN HUNT - SAGUARO, BALANCED PLASTIC, 2013

ALSO COMING UP Photo: Nick Bojdo

TRAMPLED BY TURTLES | NIGHT & DAY | SUNDAY 02 JUNE

Photo: Simon J Evans

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1 TICKET, 14 HOURS OF LIVE MUSIC ACROSS MANCHESTER’S BEST VENUES

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Contents

Editorial Northwest Editor Film & Deputy Editor Events Editor Music Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor DVD Editor Fashion Editor Food Editor Travel Editor Staff Writer

Lauren Strain Jamie Dunn Laura Howarth Dave Kerr Bernard O'Leary Ana Hine Keir Roper-Caldbeck Alexandra Fiddes Peter Simpson Paul Mitchell Bram E. Gieben

Production Production Manager Designer Sub Editor

Amy Minto Thom Isom Bram E. Gieben

Sales/Accounts Northwest Sales & Marketing Manager Sales Executives

BLACK BOOKS // THE BOTS // GAVIN JAMES GOLDEN FABLE // NIGHT ENGINE // ONLY REAL PINS // SATELLITE STORIES // SKATERS STORY BOOKS // TELEMAN // PLUS MANY MORE

Manchester // Friday 24th May

P.62 ROZI PLAIN

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Digital Media Executive Accounts Administrator

Caroline Harleaux Isobel Patience George Sully Tom McCarthy Jason Warnock Solen Collet

Digital Manager Lead Designer

Andy Thomson Maeve Redmond

Editor-in-Chief Sales Director Publisher

Rosamund West Lara Moloney Sophie Kyle

April 2013

Contents Front 06 Opinion: Northwest Editor Lauren intro-

duces the debut issue; Editor-in-chief Ros says hi; ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead bow to their idol in Hero Worship; Mystic Mark talks some BALLS.; Shot of the Month (it’s a photo!); Stop the Presses brings the last-minute news; Skinny on Tour (you could win a book!); Online Only (a guide to extra content on our site)

Heads Up: Your daily guide to the best events in Liverpool and Manchester throughout April.

Lifestyle 29

Competitions: ‘Ave a bash at winning tickets to Liverpool Sound City and Croatia’s Stop Making Sense Festival, and some nibbles.

Fashion: Let’s hope Manchester Fashion Week can get those Autumn/Winter collections on to the high street quick smart – it’s ruddy freezing.

Showcase: Liverpool-based artist Kevin Hunt explains how he reconfigures redundant objects into something new.

34 10

New in town, The Skinny asked What’s your Northwest? – and you answered, with anecdotes about identity, belonging, and rimming. Of course.

Food & Drink: What’s that you hear? The winds of change? There’ll be wind all right – the Northwest becomes a meatfree zone for the inaugural Northern Vegan Festival 2013. Plus: Phagomania celebrates the new papacy with an ostentatious ground meat sandwich.

The Flaming Lips: Wayne Coyne has lost his confetti gun. Turns out he didn't need it anyway.

Travel: In anticipation of Venezuela's upcoming elections, a traveller's look at the country in all its contradictory glory.

Director Derek Cianfrance introduces The Place Beyond the Pines, an epic tale of fate and fatherhood starring every man's bromance dream, Ryan Gosling.

Deviance: One scholar examines the dichotomy between feminist ideology and female pleasure and desire, and word of Manchester’s bear/cub scene piques our Deviance Ed’s interest.

Features

Do you ever get sick of the smell of nacho cheese and the noise of teenagers at your local World of Cine? Sam Meech, creator of A Small Cinema, has a solution. Things aren’t right with the world: but what happens after you’ve tried to do something about it? Cornerhouse’s summer group show, Anguish & Enthusiasm: What Do You Do With Your Revolution Once You’ve Got It asks the same question. “I’m pushing on and it’s invigorating”: Edwyn Collins espouses positive pop, and triumphing in the face of adversity.

20 Rory Mullarkey discusses his grisly new play Cannibals with director Michael Longhurst. If you fancy a pre-theatre meal we recommend fava beans and a nice Chianti.

Iraqi-born filmmaker and writer Hassan Blasim talks about his new collection of short stories, The Iraqi Christ, and the future of Arabic literature. In the wake of SXSW, expo-style festivals are all the rage – but what do events like Liverpool’s Sound City really do for bands? Jackmaster and Spencer humbly celebrate Numbers’ tenth anniversary, and go in search of the Pleasure Principle in a holiday park in Cornwall, which is definitely where it resides.

26 From Beacons to Dimensions, which

sounds trippy enough in itself, we pick the best of this summer’s festivals, because what everybody really wants and needs is another festival rundown (no seriously, this one is good).

Kurt Vile introduces Wakin on a Pretty Daze and insists that various rock biographies are more interesting than his own life, about which we disagree.

The Skinny

Review 41

Music: The Flaming Lips reign supreme in a month that also sees a bizarre cut from The Knife, and we survey wha gwan for Record Store Day as well as scope out the month’s gigging calendar. Clubs: We commemorate the passing of indie disco Underachievers Please Try Harder, discover house and disco in a social club with a meat raffle (!), and go Beneath the Label with All Caps. Film: Ever wanted to see James Franco dressed as a gangsta and singing a Britney ballad to ex-Disney kids? Then check out Spring Breakers, y'all. DVD: Think George A. Romero only makes movies about reanimated corpses? We review his hard-to-find 1981 oddity Knightriders, a tale of a motorbiking Arthurian jouster.

Art: Reviews of The Modern Lesbian at Manchester’s Contact, and Liverpool’s sprawling Threshold Festival.

Books: We find out what you can do as part of April’s altruistic book celebration World Book Night, and preview Liverpool’s new literary festival In Other Words.

Theatre: We assess Manchester International Festival's dramatic offerings. Warning: page contains Branagh porn.

Comedy: Laughing with rather than laughing at: Juliette Burton analyses the rise of ‘lovely comedy’.

Listings: A list! Of things! List-things! No, wait: listings! Essentially, what's happening in Liverpool and Manchester in April.

Out Back: Rozi Plain joins a cast of cracking acts for Salford’s Sounds from the Other City festival.

LIVERPOOL LISTINGS APRIL

HOOKWORMS & BALTIC FLEET

Blade Factory / Camp and Furnace w/ L’Pool Psych Fest

MARY EPWORTH & FUZZY LIGHTS

Leaf in association with mellowtone

FANG ISLAND

The Kazimier in association with evol

BETH ORTON & THE LEISURE SOCIETY

VERONICA FALLS

EDWYN COLLINS

DAUGHTER - SOLD OUT

K-X-P

The Kazimier in association with evol The Kazimier

The Philharmonic Hall

The Anglican Cathedral

Blade Factory / Camp and Furnace w/ L’Pool Psych Fest

MAY

WHY?

THE PHOENIX FOUNDATION

THE HANDSOME FAMILY

SUUNS

HOW TO DRESS WELL

JOSH ROUSE

The Kazimier in association with evol The Kazimier in association with evol The Kazimier The Kazimier Leaf in association with Bam!Bam!Bam! Leaf

JUNE

ED HARCOURT

LAMBCHOP

The Scandinavian Church The Kazimier

SEPTEMBER 27 - L’POOL INTERNATIONAL - 28 FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA Camp and Furnace

Tickets on sale from ONLINE: Ticketweb / Bido Lito! / Ticketline IN PERSON: Probe Records (School Ln) & The Brink (Parr St) FOLLOW ON TWITTER: @HARVEST_SUN @LPOOLPSYCHFEST Contents

Editorial

Hero Worship: Waterloo Records In recognition of Record Store Day, Jason Reece of ...And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead salutes his favourite shop

f there’s one thing I’ve learned from the past eight weeks of working above Kosmonaut on Tariff Street’s distinctive music policy, it’s that a region’s real character comes not from its marketing budget or what’s sanctioned as ‘cool,’ but from its people, the collectives they form and the initiative they take – even if that initiative is to play The Pigeon Detectives nine times a day. Beginning by asking you about ‘our’ Manchester and Liverpool (pages 10-11), we hope that this first Northwest edition of The Skinny gives you a glimpse of what we set out to do: that is, to shine a spotlight on the local scene while keeping a keen and critical eye on the wider arts world, to champion unknown and emergent talent alongside established names, and to celebrate, explore, challenge and revel in culture as we know it (or, even better, as we don’t know it). Partly intentionally and partly down to a sort of adrenaline-induced frenzy precipitated by Events editor Laura’s dogged determination to make us try every variety of Cadbury’s new BiscBits*, in issue one we’ve had a fair crack at swerving from the ultra-local to the international, from the grassroots and gung-ho to the global. In Film, we meet both the man who’s spearheading a community cinema revolution in Moston and Derek Cianfrance, director of one of this year’s most hotly anticipated movies, The Place Beyond the Pines (where Ryan Gosling does the Wrong Thing for the Right Girl while wearing a badass vest and driving a motorbike, as opposed to doing the Wrong Thing for the Right Girl while wearing a badass puffa jacket with a scorpion on it and driving a car). In Music, we highlight acts to catch at the ultimate in DIY, homegrown festivals – Salford’s Sounds from the Other City – and chat to Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips about how sometimes, accepting defeat can be its own form of enlightenment. In Books, Liverpool sets out its stall for its inaugural literary festival, In Other Words, while author Hassan Blasim discusses the politics and poetics behind his short story collection, The Iraqi Christ, published through Manchester’s Comma

Press. In a preview of Cornerhouse’s summer group show, Anguish & Enthusiasm: What Do You Do With Your Revolution Once You’ve Got It, Art joins curator Declan Clarke and exhibiting artist Andreas Bunte in asking what happens after history reaches a turning point; Travel visits a complicated and contradictory Venezuela on the eve of the unknown; and Food and Drink, erm, finds out what some French men are doing to burgers, because that’s important too. Maybe. There’s loads more besides, and I’ll shut up soon and let you dig in: but in sum, we hope that The Skinny is the only place in town where you’ll find an article pondering the friction between feminist ideology and female sexual desire nestling up to an account of a visit to Edwyn Collins’ London studio. If it’s not, I’m afraid we can’t give you your money back, because we’re free. Soz. *Please note, The Skinny is not even remotely in financial, ethical or spiritual cahoots with BiscBits, however it would be imprudent not to acknowledge their substantial bearing upon the production of this magazine. Significant others: Go Falafel on Newton Street (yo!), that bottle of rioja that’s on offer in Tesco at the moment (wait: that’s definitely spiritual), infinitedaftloop.com, and 14,826 plays of Todd Terje and Lindstrøm’s Lanzarote (I wanna go! I wanna go! I wanna go to bed.) [Lauren Strain]

aterloo Records in Austin, Texas is my jam... it’s Trail of Dead’s spot. This is an amazing place that has everything, and all the folks working there are great. We’ve had some fiery instore performances there too. When I was DJing a local bar every Saturday, I would drop by Waterloo to find the freshest new sounds on vinyl on the Friday. I would build my arsenal. I would spend my hard-earned cash. I would come to discover mind-blowing albums. I would get lost for hours in a daze, in a spaced out mode, soaking it all up like a sponge. This was also a spot where the community would gather and socialize. It was a place to be seen or run in to some random friends. One particularly hot day I was in looking for a new vinyl player, when I heard an English accent – a guy asking about an obscure blues record. I turned around to see Robert Plant at the register hanging out as if he was just another local. Waterloo Records keeps the spirit of

“The process of finding new music should bring people together” Jason Reece

musical congregation alive and this is so vital in this day and age to have a gathering place. It is very sacred to me that the process of finding new music should bring people together – not this isolated, on a computer in the dark, all alone way that seems to be so status quo. Yes, Waterloo is one of best. www.recordstoreday.co.uk

The Skinny on Tour

Our cover illustration is by Melissa Murphy, a Northern graphic designer based in Manchester. Her colourful warehouse building, with its windows revealing a hive of activity, is both a nod to Manchester and Liverpool’s industrial heritage, and a reference to how an increasing number of these spaces are now used: as cultural venues, from events spaces to artists’ studios. She says: “I enjoy creating stories with simple illustrations. The content of my work is mainly based around the people I meet and places I go.”

Shot of the Month RORY MULLARKEY BY JENNIFER L HALEY

This issue of The Skinny went on a jolly and paused briefly in its desperate search for coffee and cigarettes to pose next to this delightful building. But where is it? Name the city, not the building. To enter, go to www.theskinny.co.uk/ competitions and take a punt. Competition closes midnight Fri 26 Apr. Winners will be notified via email within two working days

Chat

of closing and are required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full details of terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms This month a correct guess could win you a copy of The Humans by Matt Haig, published on 9 May, courtesy of the lovely Canongate Books.

THE SKINNY

Hello from The Skinny H

ello. My nameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rosamund. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m The Skinnyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s editor-in-chief, here to provide you with a bit of background on who we are. In brief, The Skinny is a free culture and listings magazine and weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve been making a monthly edition in Scotland for nearly eight years now. Our tagline of Independent Cultural Journalism explains what we do â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we offer an objective voice, focussing on local grassroots culture alongside more well known artists and events. Many of the folk weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve covered when they were just starting out have gone on to interesting careers in their chosen art forms, a fair few to prominence. Our contributors and section editors are experts on their chosen subjects, ones who are generally at the beginnings of their careers and keen to have their voices heard, or their artwork shared. We aim to provide a means for readers to engage with the culture that surrounds them, and offer a meeting

Open call for submissions: Liverpool Art Fair Are you a visual artist working and/or living within a 25-mile radius of Liverpool? From 24-27 May, as part of Liverpool Art Month â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which came out of the Liverpool Art Prize â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Liverpool Art Fair (are you confused yet?) will showcase the work of a wide range of artists from the region; and submissions are now open for those who would like to exhibit. The work will be available to view and buy at Camp and Furnace, in Liverpool's Baltic Triangle. Visit www.liverpoolartfair.com/submit. php for more details and criteria â&#x20AC;&#x201C; entries close on 15 April at 9am. The Liverpool Getintothis Award, lovingly shortened to the GIT award, is back for a second year, offering the winning band or artist a ÂŁ1000 cash prize and a gong recognising their services to music in Merseyside. This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nominees are Baltic Fleet, Barberos, By The Sea, Nadine Carina, Clinic, Conan, Dan Croll, John Heckle, Jetta, Tyler Mensah, Stealing Sheep and Wave Machines, who all play at an invite-only event at Leaf on Bold Street on 19 April.

BALLS. with Mystic Mark

point for the different arts bubbles to collide and learn about each other. We know people who are heavily involved in the visual art scene probably listen to a fair bit of music, go to clubs, have an interest in reading books, going to the theatre, watching films, or eating nice food. This is reflected in what we write about and also in where weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re distributed â&#x20AC;&#x201C; you can pick up one of our 22,000 monthly copies of this edition in venues like bars, clubs, theatres, cinemas, galleries, gig venues and cafes. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re always looking for new places to put a pile of magazines. This is our first edition in the Northwest of England. Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t worry, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re not trying to inflict Scottish culture on you â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the magazine was made by a new team of extremely talented northerners, recruited in Liverpool and Manchester earlier this year. Its aim is to focus on local culture, to provide (on a very basic level) the events listings

which will allow someone sitting in a pub at a loose end, on a Tuesday, to find something interesting to do. Maybe theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll discover that thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a film screening on round the corner theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d never have thought of going to. Or an exhibition opening that would otherwise have seemed excluding or pretentious â&#x20AC;&#x201C; maybe theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll read an interview with the artist and decide to head along to the gallery, and then discover that exhibition openings often have free booze, and become an art fan. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the dream anyway. Our main motivation for doing this is that we like making magazines, and we like a new challenge, and it seemed like there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t anything like this around here. Our Northwest editor Lauren will be able to tell you more about what her braw plans are. I promise it wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t involve chibbing. [Rosamund West]

EMPEROR X returns to Merseyside: Chad R. Mathenyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pop/noise/folk alter-ego plays Bold Street Coffee, Liverpool, on 18 April â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bringing a full live band with him. This is a Deep Hedonia event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; see www.deephedonia.com for more details.

and unconventional approaches, forms and conceptsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, get cracking: the proposal deadline is noon on 8 Apr. For more info, go to www.andfestival.org.uk/events/diy-102013-call-for-proposals.

Made of Stone, Shane Meadowsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Stone Roses documentary, will premiere on 30 May at a secret location in Manchester (yet to be announced at time of going to press). Tickets for the event â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which will be attended by the band, Meadows and Mark Herbert, who produced the film for Warp Films â&#x20AC;&#x201C; go on sale on 17 April at 9.30am: follow www.facebook.com/madeofstonefilm for details of how to buy. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Making this film,â&#x20AC;? Meadows has said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;I got to be part of something truly remarkable, the double decade awaited â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;resurrectionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of my all time favourite band, The Stone Roses... The Roses were never allowed to reach their peak first time around so as far as I and millions of fans around the world were concerned, with this comeback the Roses could be even greater.â&#x20AC;? Live Art Development Agency (LADA) initiative DIY 10 is offering an opportunity for artists working in live art to conceive and run unusual training and professional development projects for other artists. The 20 DIY projects chosen will each receive ÂŁ1000 support and take place between Jul and Nov this year. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve got an idea for an exciting and unique project that offers something new and is geared towards the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;eclectic and often unusual needs of artists whose practices are grounded in challenging

Darkness Into Light is a new film night for Liverpool, bringing first showings of both new and little-seen rereleases to Blade Factory at Camp and Furnace on the last Tuesday of every month. The inaugural screening was Side By Side, the Keanu Reeves-produced lament to celluloid, on 26 Mar; check Darkness Into Lightâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Facebook page for upcoming screenings: bit.ly/ DarknessIntoLight We Want You! The Skinny is your magazine: a collaborative effort, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s put together by people who love their region and its culture, for people who love their region and its culture â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and our contributors are known for having something new to say as well as a passion for their areas of expertise. We are looking for writers, illustrators and photographers to help make this magazine an informed, inspiring, witty and opinionated collection of the voices and talents that make Manchester, Liverpool and the Northwest such an exciting place to be. With 22,000 copies distributed to more than 400 venues around the region, the new Northwest Skinny hopes to give writers a platform to get their voice heard, and illustrators and photographers an opportunity to showcase their work and build their portfolio. Get in touch: email lauren@theskinny.co.uk

Harmony Korine on Spring Breakers: The unconventional cinematic maverick behind Gummo and Kids discusses his uber-violent, drugs-andsex-fuelled thriller, starring James Franco. Rob Zombie on The Lords of Salem: Former White Zombie front-man, visionary film director and monster enthusiast Rob Zombie on his return to the silver screen, featuring witches, blood sacrifice, and all manner of weird shit. Over in Music, we cast a critical ear over new

Read an extended version of our interview with Hassan Blasim, the trailblazing, controversial Iraqi author of our Book of the Month, and an even more extended Q&A, featuring the full text of our interview with this important new literary figure. www.theskinny.co.uk/books

April 2013

TAURUS This month, Dysonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;no loss of suction guaranteeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; proves fatal.

GEMINI You have a bad habit of believing that the Universe isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t just a meaningless, futile void, that it should stop doing what itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been doing for 13.7 billion years simply because youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve turned up. The only thing that is â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;meant to beâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re a highlyevolved food tube whose every action is of absolutely no consequence to anything, doomed to one day be utterly erased from existence leaving no mark whatsoever on the pointless Cosmos you once subsisted in.

CANCER Maybe you should cut down on the amount of sugar in your tea. But then again, maybe you should get a job and stop masturbating through your neighbourâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s letter box.

LEO Despite all the evidence you still believe that RoboCop died for our sins.

VIRGO Foolishly you turn up to your first meeting of the Mass Debating Society with five bog rolls and a litre of lube. As it turns out, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just a load of people sat around arguing. Even so, you manage to crack one out over a heated discussion about military intervention in Syria.

LIBRA You notice your search history the terms â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;sexual diseases you contains can get from animals,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;inflatable priest,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;man farming,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;planning permission for tree house brothelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;abused by robot dad.â&#x20AC;&#x2122; After the routine deletion of your cache a pop-up window asks if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d also like to delete your personality. SCORPIO Moving into that haunted turns out to be a shrewd move house on your part as you soon find a use for all the viscous puddles of ectoplasm left around the place by wailing spirits and demonic poltergeists. Starting this month you begin churning the ectoplasm into gallons of the richest, creamiest ghost cheese. SAGITTARIUS Unsure about what exactly your character is supposed to be feeling during the porn scene youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re shooting, the director takes you to one side and sagely whispers: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Your motivation is that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting fucked really hard in your arse.â&#x20AC;? CAPRICORN Imagining all the things you could do if you won the lottery, you fantasise about being able to pay your rent on time and buying anything you like from the chocolate aisle in Iceland. Even in your wildest dreams youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re still poor.

albums from Depeche Mode, Ghostface Killah and Mudhoney. Plus, be the first to read our exchange between Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne and Mark Arm exclusively at www.theskinny. co.uk/music. 10 Years of Numbers: The Glasgow clubbing brand and label celebrates its 10-year anniversary with a new music festival, Pleasure Principle, and a new release from Rustie. Read our extended interview with founders Farley and Jackmaster.

Online Only This is our debut issue, but The Skinny Scotland has been providing the finest independent cultural journalism north of the border since 2005. This month, theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve produced a whole raft of features, columns and reviews exclusive to their paper... and you lucky people get to read it all online!

ARIES April sees you discover a demonic real-life computer game cheat written in an ancient grimoire. Jump, jump, blink, blink, squat, step forwards, step backwards, wink. All of a sudden you no longer need a poo. This only works so many times though so use it wisely. After that itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely horrible.

AQUARIUS The fact you were in the army should have dulled your senses from the roar of murder all around and left you a bitter, emotionless husk. Instead you manage to surprise everyone at a party by pulling out your acoustic guitar and singing a love song so sweet it proves youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re more sensitive than a freshly peeled bell-end.

BURGER CRYPTĂ&#x2030; (ENCRYPTED BURGER)

Phagomania! An interview with a crazy French burger sculptor, in full. Translated by George Sully â&#x20AC;&#x201C; thanks George.

PISCES â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s my party and Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll bum the dog if I want toâ&#x20AC;? fails to stand up in court. twitter.com/themysticmark

Chat

Compiled by: Laura Howarth

We hate to be the ones to say it, but it's looking like we've all been stood up by spring – the heartless *coughmumble* didn't even call. Luckily, between the PAN showcase, Daughter performing at Liverpool Cathedral and Record Store Day, you'll hardly even notice you've lost all feeling in your fingers and toes.

Wed 3 Apr

Cinematic Orchestra guitarist Stuart McCallum has been settling into the 'project' residency at Matt and Phred’s rather nicely, road-testing new material on willing audiences. Tonight he'll be joined by Cinematic band mates Luke Flowers and Phil France, punctuated with the distinct vocals of Manchester’s own Rioghnach Connolly. Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club, Manchester, 9pm, Free

Following the epic success of Rom Com Con at the Brighton and Edinburgh Fringe festivals, the comedy duo that is Mace and Burton bring their award-winning show to the Northwest. Offering a fresh perspective on the romantic comedy, the pair take a real-life romp through mushy movie land in search of answers . Frog and Bucket, Manchester, 7pm, £6 (£5)

STUART MCCALLUM

MACE AND BURTON

Mon 8 Apr

Tue 9 Apr

A new production of the dark comedy by Peter Nichols – presented by the Everyman theatre, directed by Stephen Unwin and starring that fella offa The Royle Family (aka Ralf Little) – A Day in the Death of Joe Egg is a heart-wrenching play that follows the plight of a young couple as they try to raise their disabled child, Josephine. They say if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. Everyman Playhouse, Liverpool, 5-27 Apr, 7.30pm, From £12

Enjoy a dose of beat-laden indie rock, laced with raspy vocals and infectiously catchy lyrics – such is the way of Imagine Dragons. Fresh from a tour of the US, the four Las Vegas-dwelling lads will be launching straight into a Europe-wide tour to promote their latest album, Night Visions. Tag your bestest Instagrams with #NightVisionsTour to win signed shit. The Academy, Manchester, 7pm, £11

You'd be hard pushed to find an open mic night in Liverpool that a certain Mr Johnny Sands isn't involved with in some capacity. We can't think of a better way to kick back and relax on a Tuesday night than by heading down to Leaf's Out of the Bedroom night for some acoustic loveliness. Leaf, Liverpool, 8.30pm, Free

A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG

PHOTO: SIMON ANNAND

Sun 7 Apr

IMAGINE DRAGONS

Sun 14 Apr

Mon 15 Apr

The Manchester Print Fair is back for another day of design-y bliss, where the immensely talented and creative art-folk of Manchester band together to show off their collective wares. The fair will be returning to 2022NQ for its 5th edition, crammed with over 30 illustrators, designers, artists, and screen printers set to display their work. Go, decorate your world! 2022NQ, Manchester, 12pm, Free

Mishka Henner explores the value of photography and the idea of authorship in a media-saturated world using images from a variety of sources – including the internet, television and satellite imagery. By seamlessly blending these images, Henner creates ultra-high-definition pieces where nothing is quite as it seems. Open Eye Gallery, Liverpool, Until 5 May, Free

Singin’ songs about physics and other science-y related stuff, the Dublin-based fivepiece BATS will be playing their first ever headline show in Manchester. (You might've seem them before supporting the likes of The Locust.) They'll basically be wowing us with progressive post punk, while smashing pseudo-science myths and such. KRAAK, Manchester, 7pm, £5

CATHERINE CHIALTON

PRECIOUS COMMODITIES

PHOTO: MARK McNULTY

Sat 13 Apr

BATS

Thu 18 Apr

Fri 19 Apr

Sat 20 Apr

Waiting For Brando is a new play written by two Liverpudlian fellas and based on an urban legend surrounding the film On The Waterfront. Two merchant seamen and two giants of the American stage and screen are forced to confront their past and prepare for the future in this fast-paced tale where only one thing is certain – everything will change when Brando arrives. Unity Theatre, Liverpool, Until 20 Apr, 8pm, £8

A PAN showcase event featuring NHK'Koyxen, with Rene Hell, Helm and Bill Kouligas. The Osaka-born musician and illustrator NHK'Koyxen was raised on a diet of hardcore techno and hip-hop. After a brief stint studying architecture, he's now focussing solely on the music – known for taking minimal techno into uncharted ambient bass areas of altered state reflection. Impressive stuff. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 11pm, £10

A bit like Valentine's Day – but for indie music shops – Record Store Day is upon us once again, so show your local some love. The folks at Common have teamed up with Piccadilly Records to chuck together an all-day event across the two venues, including DJs, live bands, plus special occasion beer and burgers – om nom. Common and Picadilly Records, Manchester, Free

ON THE WATERFRONT

JOHNNY SANDS

PROBE RECORDS

PICCADILLY RECORDS

NHK'KOYXEN

Wed 24 Apr

Thu 25 Apr

Fri 26 Apr

Sat 27 Apr

Helsinki-based trio, K-X-P, making experimental, otherworldly sounds – all untz and bwaauw and other onomatopoeic word-noises to that effect. Made up of Timo Kaukolampi (the K), Tuomo Puranen (the P) and alternating drummers for live shows (the X). They'll be doing a double headline thing with local boys, Gigantes. Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 8pm, £7

Catch a preview of the VERB project, a site responsive art show that is set to take over 2022NQ. The group of Manchester-based artists behind the project aim to create artworks that react to the space they're in, allowing the project to be housed in any location – artsy, or otherwise – with varying results. Inspiring stuff. 2022NQ, Manchester, Until 2 May, Free

All good things must come to an end – and legendary club night Underachievers is no exception. To say farewell, The Roadhouse will be decked out in a poster exhibition charting the club through the ages, and Ghost Outfit will be making a special appearance. Mop up your tears and lose yerself on the dancefloor once last time. The Roadhouse, Manchester, 9pm, £4

Award-winning theatre company Organised Chaos present a double bill performance exploring the theme of self and the search for meaning in life – s'all deep and stuff. In Broken, May is torn between two people and two agonising choices, while in A Lot of It About, Ben finds himself on the brink of old age and revisits key moments in his past. The Lowry Studio, Manchester, 8pm, £12

K-X-P

Chat

VERB PROJECT

UNDERACHIEVERS

(NOT THE LOWRY STUDIO)

THE SKINNY

ILLUSTRATION: THOM ISOM

Heads Up

Tue 2 Apr

Fri 5 Apr

Sat 6 Apr

Open your ears to the musical stylings of The Diamond Family Archive, AKA Laurence Collyer, the distinctly British psych/alt/freak folk pioneer, making deliciously atmospheric and mesmeric songs. Enough adjectives? Good. He'll play another spripped-back, limited capacity performance that will likely induce warm and gooey feelings. And, as per a TAKK gig, hot drinks will be up for grabs. TAKK, Manchester, 7.30pm, £6

Winter is insisting on sticking around this year – persistent bugger that it is – so inject a little summer breeze into your weekend with the light musical stylings of Jaws. The Brummy four-piece are basically putting together the playlist for your (admittedly probably short-lived and mostly damp) summer, chock full of 80s synth-y goodness and lush shimmery sounds. MelloMello, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £4

THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE

JAWS

Catch the closing night of Tony Teardrop, a brave new production written by Esther Wilson, staged outdoors in Liverpool's 'Bombed Out' church. Centred around the theme of homelessness, it follows Tony on his journey through an interior landscape in search of the true meaning of 'home'. Dress warm and wear flat shoes, (we know, we sound like your mum). Blankets and hot drinks provided. St Luke's Church, Liverpool, 8pm, from £10

Thu 11 Apr

Fri 12 Apr

Beta Band frontman and The Skinny Scotland's man-ofthe-moment (we'd like to continue the tradition down 'ere if that's alright), Steve Mason, is out on tour to showcase his recently released LP – Monkey Minds In The Devil’s Time – complete with full band. We'll see you there. Gorilla, Manchester, 7.30pm, £12.50

Skinny favourites (as in, they can do no wrong) Team Ghost will be down in't Soup Kitchen basement as part of their four-date UK tour, taking their new album, Rituals, along for the ride. Playing fuzzed-out shoegaze, the Parisbased five-piece blend caustic indie-rock with atmospheric synth textures to mesmerising effect. The Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 7.30pm, £6

Double whammy screening as part of 2022NQ's first birthday celebration, catch Shut Up And Play The Hits, the 2012 documentary following LCD Soundsystem's final performance, followed by Iceland: Beyond Sigur Ros, – the indie production by Manchester-based Serious Feather. Complete with DJ and free popcorn. 2022NQ, Manchester, 6pm, £5 SHUT UP AND PLAY THE HITS

TEAM GHOST

Tue 16 Apr

Wed 17 Apr

Barely a year old but already making sizable waves in the music realm with their delicately weaved melancholic fabic of sound, Father Sculptor, the five-piece from up Glasgowway formed in early 2012 – but have crafted a sound that's unnervingly 80s. Now touring with their debut EP Faith and Violence. The Castle Hotel, Manchester, 7.30pm, £2

The Nashville-based singer/ songwriter Winston Yellen, AKA Night Beds, will be down in the Soup Kitchen basement delighting crowds with his oh-so-hotright-now indie folk sound. Expect tracks from his latest album Country Sleep, which was penned in Johnny Cash's old digs. S'alright for some. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 7.30pm, £7

FATHER SCULPTOR

NIGHT BEDS

Mon 22 Apr

Tue 23 Apr

Lovely folk-pop lot The Leisure Society – led by Nick Hemming, of early 90s indie fame with his former group, She Talks To Angels – often invite comparisons with the Fleet Foxes; which is never a bad thing. They'll be doing their usual crowdpleasing folk thing with support from Keston Cobblers' Club. The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 7.30pm, £12

Playing a much-anticipated live outing, the moody and electronic folk-esque melodies of London-based trio, Daughter – led by Elena Tonra – engulf Liverpool's Anglican Cathedral. It's the kinda sound that could get lost in the grandiose setting of a cathedral, but more than likely it'll just sound uh-fucking-mazing. Liverpool Anglican Cathedral, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £13

Picturehouse at FACT is set to host a super exclusive screening of Pedro Almodóvar's latest film, I'm So Excited!, followed by a 40-minute live satellite Q&A with the director himself. I'm So Excited! is the latest offering by the quirky/camp Spanish director that marks a return to his crazy comedy roots. Picturehouse at FACT, Liverpool, 6.30pm, £11

THE LEISURE SOCIETY

PHOTO: PAUL HEARTFIELD

Sun 21 Apr

DAUGHTER

Sun 28 Apr

Mon 29 Apr

The ever-lovely Leaf is taken over for the day by boutique vintage fair, Retro Sunday, rammed with hand-picked retro threads courtesy of the nice ladies at Pillbox Vintage. Sunday might possibly be the best time to get your rummage on and seek out them bargains – make a day of it and mooch away the day at Leaf. Leaf, Liverpool, 12pm5pm, Free

Rounding off the month is Seattle-based five-piece Minus The Bear, hopefully feeling right at home in our similarly rainy climes, (or maybe spring will have bothered to make an appearance by then). Pieced together from various members of Botch, Kill Sadie, and Sharks Keep Moving, the indie rock quintet bring the reliably epic guitar acrobatics. Manchester Academy 3, Manchester, 7.30pm, £11

LEAF ON BOLD STREET

April 2013

I'M SO EXCITED!

MINUS THE BEAR

Chat

PHOTO: JARROD RENAUD

STEVE MASON

PHOTO: EOIN CAREY

Wed 10 Apr

TONY TEARDROP

PHOTO: LEE JEFFERIES

Thu 4 Apr

What's Your Northwest? The Skinny is new in town. We spoke to some of those involved in Manchester and Liverpool’s arts scenes about place, community, and belonging Interviews: Lauren Strain and Jamie Dunn Illustration: Melissa Murphy

Dominic Berry Poet When I left school I had no idea what I was doing with my life besides the fact I hated every job I got and wanted to do ‘something arty.’ I knew I was gay so came to Manchester for its famous gay scene. I thought this would be the place where all the bullied kids from school got together and said nice things about each other’s acne (my teenage acne was legendary). I was wrong. If you love Canal Street then that is fantastic, it is an important place and has helped a lot of people, but I am not one of them. I have never dressed right, looked right, talked right or done anything remotely cool or fashionable so for me Canal Street was just like school but with more crop tops. When I stumbled upon the much missed Greenroom theatre, I found an event run by Chloe Poems – gingham, socialist, transvestite poet magnificent – aka Gerry Potter, now my all-time favourite poet. I thought, ‘This is it! This is me!’ I quickly started writing new stuff to bring to Chloe’s open mic nights. At its best, the poetry scene can cut through social limitations in a way I have not seen other arts events do. At no other events do I see people from such broad ranges of background, belief and levels of mental health. The poetry scene, I have found, is a particularly nurturing place if your own mental health is feeling frayed.

“The weather brings everyone down to one level. It’s more important than you think” BC Camplight

Hayley Flynn Researcher and writer, and the voice behind skyliner.org, a blog that uncovers and explores the stories behind the Northwest’s hidden – and not so hidden – spaces I started looking for the back-story of a street, building or artwork when I was in an old job. I would take the office dog for a walk, and the same route every day soon became boring so I’d look for interesting architectural features around me, then investigate them that evening. I’ve seen some remarkable things, and some things that we assume to be unremarkable – from walking into what looks like a bog-standard community centre only to discover a baroque music theatre, to noticing historical artefacts hidden in plain sight, such as fading air raid shelter signs on doorways I’ve walked by a thousand times. I’ve sadly discovered how our heritage can mean so little to those who matter, with new developments being put before restoration even when locations are protected, or poor decisions leading to important buildings being left to rot. Manchester isn’t a cocksure city like the Madchester scene led people to believe; it’s also a challenging city to love because you have to work at it.

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Keith Wilson Poet and musician Creative, inventive, diverse, cheeky and irrepressible, Liverpool is a whole experience in itself: the exceedingly rare accent, the bags of attitude, the inventiveness, the warmth, the humour, the passion and the culture. If I didn’t come from Liverpool, I’d wish I did. With writing being such a solitary activity – you spend most of the time inside your own head or sitting at the laptop emptying out the contents – it’s difficult to feel part of an extended family. I do feel part of the music and theatre community, though, and – contrary to popular urban myth – it’s a thoroughly supportive band of brothers and sisters. My Liverpool is epitomised by the people: firm in times of heartache, solid and supportive in tragedy, proud and resolute in social decline and will always flick a ‘V’ at the merest whiff of prejudice. Jon Hannan OWT Creative collective What Manchester and Liverpool share is the same attitude towards ‘doing’. In the relatively short space of time since I came through Manchester School of Art, there has been a shift in expectation from an acceptance that the more ambitious designers would have to move to London to fulfil their potential, to a genuine belief that they can now fulfil those ambitions here in the Northwest. I came to Manchester at a time when the city was struggling to form a new cultural identity. [It was] a long-time industrial giant suffering a post-industrial, post-Hacienda/Factory cultural hangover, something that is occasionally still thrown at us by the less informed outsider. Today I think Manchester is an optimistic, modern city of collaboration. Mark Carlin Director, Islington Mill, Salford, and organiser, Sounds from the Other City festival I guess my Manchester is not Manchester at all but Salford! It’s got some of Greater Manchester’s most beautiful buildings that people often miss among the dereliction. Places like the Mill are so rare – it’s not built on any one defined artistic medium or practice but instead has a lot of people who are tied together by a genuine desire to make things happen. It’s also not really built on conscious decisions about what is ‘quality,’ and people are allowed to try out ideas and fail. I think that single factor is so important for any arts/creative community. You really need places to get things wrong! I do wish there was more crossover between art forms and disciplines; sometimes it feels a little like the visual arts, music and digital sectors all exist in their own places. I find that when the boundaries are blurred and things begin to merge and meet, it makes for a more inventive and imaginative community. This city is stealthy. It’s ugly to begin with but its character and colour slowly creep up on you. It’s like your favourite record – it’s never the one you love on first listen. Robyn Woolston Visual artist and winner of the Liverpool Art Prize 2012 Most of my work is what’s called ‘site-specific’ or ‘site-responsive’, so in its very essence it responds to location, material and social context. ‘Local’ is an interesting label. I can feel kinship and connection to a charity like 5 Gyres, who operate out of Santa Monica,

NORTHWEST VOICES

California, because we’re both working towards widening an awareness of plastic pollution – environmental destruction requires both ‘local’ and ‘global’ solutions. Therefore I think it’s important for an artist to engage ‘full-stop.’ I came to Liverpool as I studied Fine Art here, and originally stayed for the European Capital of Culture in 2008 – it’s been so exciting since that there’s been very little reason to leave! Plus it’s coastal – I need the ebb and flow of a tide.

Jackie Hagan Playwright, performance poet, stand-up comic and live artist I came to Manchester because I saw the programme Queer as Folk when I was 16 and saw that they had this thing here called ‘rimming’. As soon as I got here I became the ‘Lesbian Liberation Officer’ at the university and was so disappointed that I didn’t get a cape that I went back to men. By the time I found out rimming was in all the major cities I was already settled. On Oldham Street my favourite theatre, Three Minute Theatre (3mt), faces my favourite chippy (Leo’s), they do halloumi fritters: 3mt is a wonderfully bonkers and inspiring place, Gina and John who run it are like maternal Wombles, I’m relaunching my spoken word/cabaret night, Magical Animals, there on 1 May. The Manchester performance scene has enthusiastic youth, drunken stalwarts and a real enjoyment of talented weirdos, which is great. Naturally there are cliques and too many people wear hats but you’ll get that anywhere. I think people in Manchester are really up for it, in a slightly ironic, piss-taking way, but it works. No matter how weird you might be, someone out there will relate to you, I think that’s what I’ve learned. Jayne Edwards Comedian Something like stand-up brings you closer together, so you naturally support each other, but I think the Northwest circuit is unique in that all levels of acts mix together – the atmosphere is motivating. I came here for Uni – I had always wanted to do stand-up but didn’t know where to start. I met a guy at the student radio station and he told me where he had tried it. I emailed the gig straight away and spent the next few weeks waking up in a cold sweat every night at 3am. When I was first starting out, I would write in [Manchester’s] The Deaf Institute all the time. There was a waitress who would always come over and ask me what I was writing and now I see she was being friendly, but back then I was convinced she was trying to steal my ideas.

THE SKINNY

Tim Brunsden Filmmaker and blogger, liverpoolstories.blogspot.com When I moved to Liverpool from London, loads of people said, ‘What you moving up there for, it’s shit?’ People were definitely quite snobbish about the area, and I think they still are in some ways, but I’ve never seen it like that. The openness of people surprised me. It was really easy to connect. There are also lots of interesting spaces here: Liverpool is a dream for a filmmaker. There’s all the marketing stuff that drives you mad, but I think you’ve got the opportunity to do more in this region. One of my favourite places is the ferry. I know it’s a bit of a cliché but it’s just really nice. Just get a coffee or beer and sit on the deck. You get a different perspective from looking back.

Natalie Bradbury Writer, self-publisher, and founder of The Shrieking Violet zine What fascinates me about Manchester is how much history is written into the streets and buildings. You can marvel at the infrastructure of the industrial age by looking at canals and railway viaducts that are still in use; get a sense of textile magnates’ wealth by looking up at grand warehouses (even if they are now turned into apartments); try to imagine life in the former mass workplaces of mills and factories, and see remnants of industrial philanthropy in lads’ clubs and ragged schools. These aren’t the kind of heritage venues where you have to pay a tenner to get in, put plastic covers on your shoes or peer at rooms over velvet ropes. After graduating in 2008 I did a qualification in newspaper journalism but it was a terrible time to be trying to enter the media and it was difficult to even get work experience. I was unemployed for nine months, but decided to make the best of the situation so started blogging about the city around me, and then made The Shrieking Violet into a printed zine – if I couldn’t be part of the established media then I was going to make my own media. I was disillusioned with the way in which Manchester was marketed, which was all about shopping and consumption, so The Shrieking Violet was conceived as an alternative guide, encouraging readers to make their own fun, think creatively and realise the adventures they could have in the city without spending a penny. Some of my favourite interviews have been with Manchester’s street buskers, who have really interesting stories to tell, yet many people never stop to talk to them.

April 2013

BC Camplight Musician, moved to Manchester from Philadelphia after a revelation; plays The Deaf Institute, 6 Apr I quit music abruptly after a strong start to my career. Music had always come so easy for me but I gradually became confused about the whole game. I began to have identity issues as well as overall mental turbulence. I stopped writing and began to rot, got in debt and made just about every bad decision one could; without sounding overdramatic I either had to get back to business or die or go to jail. I knew I couldn’t stay in Philly. One night, desperate for answers, I sat in the desert outside my campervan and went into a bit of a trance. For some reason when I came out of it I was convinced I had to move to Manchester. One week later I was in town knowing only a couple of fans. It’s worked out. The weather brings everyone down to one level. I like that. It’s more important than you think. The Smiths couldn’t have existed in LA. Music means an awful lot to Mancunians. For some people it is everything. I credit the response I’ve received here to the overall pool of musical depth and intelligence this city possesses. I’m absolutely in love. I’m excited about my life for the first time in years. Manchester has everything to do with that. I spend about 30 hours a week at The Castle Hotel pub on Oldham Street. It may be making my liver look like a leather-covered raisin but it’s worth it. Jack Whiteley Filmmaker The arts scene in the Northwest is on the underground, it’s more in the fringes, it’s not like a commercial mainstream thing. A load of my friends had moved to Liverpool in 2007; come 2008 they’d got their own space, which then became The Kazimier. It’s essentially the reason I moved here; it’s very dear to me and has had a big influence on me and a lot of my work. There’s also a little place called Mello Mello – it’s a bit of a hangout for lots of different artists and musician types. All these places, on the surface it’s like, that’s just a nightclub, that’s just a café – but obviously it’s more than that, it’s about the kind of conversations that are had there, the ideas that are formed there. Steve Balshaw Programmer, Salford Film Festival and Grimm Up North; helps run Filmonik, which stages guerilla filmmaking events and open screenings There is a strong sense of community, a willingness to support one another, pitch in on one another’s projects. There is rivalry, but it is of a friendly kind, and born of a desire to see one another succeed. The downside, I guess, can be a degree of insularity. It’s a reaction to the fact that the film industry in the UK is so Londoncentric – indeed, it’s mostly focused in one square mile in Soho. And if you want to succeed, you need to engage with the people that are based there. This is frustrating for the rest of the country, and the result can be a defiant and strongly focused sense of localised creativity. Fat Roland Writer and member of flash fiction collective FlashTag Manchester flows through my veins like luminous liquid waste coursing through a clogged sewer; I can’t imagine being anywhere else. I write because I need to write: my appearance at live events is a kind of by-product. It’s a good job there’s such a busy literary

NORTHWEST VOICES

“Naturally there are cliques and too many people wear hats but you’ll get that anywhere” Jackie Hagan

community in this city, because otherwise I’d just be standing in rainy streets shouting my stories at walls. People have said the Manchester writing and blogging scene can seem insular, but three years ago I was not part of this scene at all: I was very much the outsider. If they’ll have me, they’ll have anyone. Writers also need support and accountability. I am a natural loner and a show-off at the same time, like a camel in sequins, so I also like having new friends with whom I can get drunk and sing Lisa Stansfield to. Daniel Carpenter Co-founder, Bad Language new writing collective The collaborations between writers who have met through literature events here are always my favourite part of doing work in the city. The [literary] scene is akin to a musical movement. It feels vibrant and fresh and unique. People treat grassroots literature events like gigs here, which helps us get on the bill at festivals like Sounds from the Other City. I like to think that in some way, we’ve helped make the literature scene in Manchester cool. My best kept secrets? Ignore the flash and busy Manchester Art Gallery and get yourself over to Blank Media Collective’s space near Oxford Road. They do great work with really interesting artists, and have a wonderful painting of Christopher Walken in fullon psychopath mode on the front of the building. Everyone should also get down to our sister night at The Castle, Tales of Whatever, where you can find people telling true stories without any notes. Jesca Hoop Musician, moved to Manchester from California after supporting Elbow on tour; plays Takk cafe, 10 Apr One thing I like about Manchester is that its musicians to a large extent are a real part of the community. They are in the pubs and parks and restaurants... Manchester doesn’t seem to believe the hype and it doesn’t accept anyone getting full of themselves. How would I define Manchester in just a few words? Builder’s brew, grey, green, brick red, Golden Virginia, curry, the Unicorn Grocery, laughter, pint after pint, long walks, long talks, late nights, dance parties, style. Keep an eye on theskinny.co.uk over the coming weeks to read more from our interviewees

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Fear and Coping in Oklahoma

With brilliant new album The Terror, The Flaming Lips take the blueprint of Embryonic to bleak new extremes. Wayne Coyne explains why he’s packing away the confetti gun and focusing on survival

Interview: Simon Jay Catling

THE FLAMING LIPS

“P

eople’s heads come into this place and they have these flesh-eating beetles [who] literally eat every molecule of flesh off of these things.” That was Wayne Coyne in 2011, describing The Flaming Lips’ morbid Halloween plans – putting out a 24-hour-long song encased within a human skull. They’re one of only a few bands on the planet who could describe that as a typical sort of gimmick – subsequently there’s been the video for The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face, featuring Grammy-winning Erykah Badu and her sister in a bath of blood and semen, an EP release inside a gummy foetus and, this year, one inside an anatomically correct chocolate heart. But as knowingly shock-baiting as the skull stunt was, it nevertheless made a warped sort of sense, and aligned with the band’s increasingly bleak thought processes. Looking at life’s vitality through the spectrum of death, it marked a further step along the desolate road that last fulllength LP Embryonic (2009) had contemplated. Not even Embryonic’s nocturnal acid freakouts, however, indicated quite how far – as Coyne puts it – “all in” they were willing to go. The Terror ’s nine tracks serve as the Lips’ own flesh-eating beetles, devouring what the group have been for the past 14 years. The LP’s synthtransmission Throbbing Gristle-isms are sickly tense in their repetition, pulling Coyne’s once fully flushed vocal into submissive, mantra-like compliance, and tearing apart memories of the singer in his giant onstage bubble, of the confetti and colour. The Oklahomans have always maintained touching distance with mortality – The Soft Bulletin’s Feeling Yourself Disintegrate and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots’ Do You Realize?? are just two examples – but with The Terror, humanity’s temporal state is their central focus, the bombast it was previously cloaked in discarded in lieu of oscillating death rattles and mechanised motifs. “It was getting to the point where, somewhere along the road, we were going to have to ask ourselves, ‘Are we going to do even more music that relates to giant balloons and confetti and things?’” ponders Coyne’s familiarly husky voice over the phone. “With Embryonic there

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were a series of songs that could be construed as an evolution from Do You Realize?? et cetera, but at some point I was forced to say, ‘We’ve got to go all the way, and we have to do it now.’” He’s just got home from SXSW when we talk (“I was wearing this fantastic chrome blue leather jacket, but the pants only arrived today. I’m stretching them out even as we speak”), and gleefully relives the band’s set, where they performed the new album in full. “It was a new version of The Flaming Lips,” he states proudly. “There’s nothing more thrilling than just going out there and going

“You have to accept that there are some things that are hopeless, that cannot be won” Wayne Coyne

for it.” At its bleakest, The Terror is enough to make you believe that The Flaming Lips have given up on finding life’s light – a search that, even in their most hopeless moments, they seemed to be clinging on to. Where Coyne once sang, ‘The doubters all were stunned / Heard louder than a gun / The sound they made was love,’ on The Soft Bulletin’s A Spoonful Weighs A Ton, new LP opener Look… The Sun Is Rising opens anxiously: ‘Love is always something you should hear / When you really listen / Fear is all you hear.’ “I think the nature of Soft Bulletin and then Yoshimi and stuff, it almost hinted that there is always hope, there is always a way, there is always a light,” he posits, “and I think that can be an absolutely true way to think! But at the same time you have to accept that there are some things that are hopeless, that cannot be won.” There is some comfort in this defeat, he

reasons. “I think we would all love to think that at the peak of our suffering and hopelessness we would just disappear or there would be no next day. But the next day always happens – and that’s great news! It’s just not that dramatic.” Indeed, part of The Terror ’s message lies in finding a personal emotional oneness from which you can face up to life’s coil: “It’s rare that we feel the intense emotions of something like Do You Realize??,” Coyne says. “Most of life is ambivalent and it’s only going in one direction anyway, but if you’ve ever been stuck somewhere for even a second without air you still suddenly think, ‘Oh my God, I just realised how much I liked breathing!’ Sometimes just getting through the day is enough.” Coyne is ever contradictory, though, and his own personality – he admits – dictates a permanently fluctuating state between extreme high and low. It’s from the latter that he approaches this search for emotional grounding, asking on Be Free, A Way: 'Did God make pain so we can know the high that nothing is?' “Early in my life I thought I got to pick my own personality,” he muses. “But then I realised that I don’t really get to pick it, I am living the personality that my DNA and all this shit’s given me, and it doesn’t allow me to live in the middle.” Living in the middle is certainly something you could never accuse Coyne of – where to start? With 1997’s Zaireeka, released on four CDs so that it had to be played simultaneously on four different soundsystems? With relaying Soft Bulletin shows through headphones? With spending seven years developing low-budget movie Christmas on Mars in his back yard? The Terror was borne out of a similarly artistically intense endeavour as these, but it didn’t initially stem from Coyne. Around January last year, the final batch of the Lips’ collaborative Heady Fwends sessions were being put together, and the rotation of musicians through the studio brought all the competing egos with them you’d expect. From Nick Cave to Yoko Ono, all were as stubbornly committed to their creative ideals as Coyne. It became too much for songwriter Steven Drozd; Coyne’s creative lieutenant had suffered a heroin relapse around the same time and, as he

MUSIC

told Pitchfork this February, struggled to cope with the number of disparate ideas he kept having to reconfigure his mind to meet. He moved to a studio adjacent to the Heady Fwends hub and unwittingly began to produce the elements that would ultimately form The Terror. Coyne’s insistence that “we never hold our music in any kind of reverence” is just one of a handful of quotes he feeds to The Skinny that part-obscures the fierce pride he has in everything he puts his name to. This pride is a trait that runs against his fatalistic view that what the Lips create isn’t of their own doing, but something that comes to them pre-ordained. “It’s like owning a three-headed dinosaur,” he says, in typically abstract fashion. “It’s not really ours, but if we didn’t take it around and show everybody, we’d be idiots. “We only made this music in the fatigue of doing the other stuff [with Heady Fwends], but it really started speaking to us and we thought, ‘Well maybe we can make a record!’” he says, as though having this almighty eureka moment. “It was sort of an accident, which is the best part of it. It made it so real. It was something we just allowed to happen.” It’s these happy accidents that drive the group, and have helped produce some of their greatest material – UK breakthrough single Race for the Prize (1999), for example. “To find a release away from these concentrated Soft Bulletin sessions, we mucked around and ended up with this song,” he recalls. “Being tired doesn’t mean you shouldn’t make art, it just means you make this art that speaks from that dimension. It’s amazing how much of our ‘weaker stuff’ has gone on to overwhelm the stuff we were focusing on.” But how long can they keep overwhelming themselves? This year marks their 30th together, and The Terror does, on occasion, have a tone of finality. “Oh, not at all,” Coyne scorns. “We’re making this music that makes us feel so at one with the universe, it’s exactly what I want to say, the way I feel, how I want to sound right now. And knowing that makes you want to live forever.” The Terror is out through Bella Union on 15 Apr www.flaminglips.com

THE SKINNY

WHEN YOU’RE THE ONLY BAND IN TOWN, ANY PERFORMANCE SHORT OF TERRIBLE IS WORTHY OF AN ENCORE. When it came to making whiskey, Jack Daniel was the consummate professional. And when it came to music, Jack knew how to show people a good time. After outfitting a group of local townsmen with secondhand instruments, Mr. Jack’s Silver Cornet Band played gigs throughout Tennessee. While they were never very good, each performance allowed friends to share a night of music and Tennessee whiskey. That alone deserved an encore. For more music and Jack, visit jackdaniels.com. J A C K D A N I E L’ S

TENNESSEE WHISKEY

Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes on set with Derek Cianfrance in The Place Beyond the Pines

Cop and Robber

New American drama The Place Beyond the Pines reunites director Derek Cianfrance with his Blue Valentine lead Ryan Gosling. Cianfrance speaks to The Skinny about this epic tale of fate and fatherhood

Interview: Tom Seymour

erek Cianfrance, the 39-year-old director of The Place Beyond the Pines, has the word ‘amigo’ tattooed across the knuckles of his right hand. They were inked a decade ago, after a long day filming; he was in a parking lot in Brooklyn messing around with a malfunctioning camera when a Latino homeless man stumbled up to him asking for help. “Hey amigo,” the vagrant said, before revealing a streaming wound under his shirt. Cianfrance stuck his hand in his pocket and handed the guy some spare change, before turning back to his work. Moments later, he realised what he’d done and turned to offer real help, but the man had already gone. It’s a fitting anecdote for a storyteller prepossessed by dramas of fate and legacy; how the most random moments can become freighted with meaning, writing themselves into lore. “I wanted to make a movie about choices that have actions that have consequences. I wanted to make a film in which the audience has to live with the aftermath of these choices, as my characters do,” Cianfrance explains. If Blue Valentine was a film about the struggle of husband and wife, then his follow-up is the struggle of fathers and sons. The Place Beyond the Pines came to Cianfrance, who released his first feature Brother Tied at the age of 23, when his wife fell pregnant with his second son, Cody, in 2007. “When you hold something so clean in your hands, it makes you realise how dirty you are,” the director says of first holding his son. Pines is, as such, a generational film: about what we bestow on those we create, about what our own creators give us to carry, about what we owe and what we inherit. “The relationships you share in your family are the most intimate relationships you will ever have,” says Cianfrance. “Families have truths they hide from the rest of the world. Cinema is voyeuristic. It allows you to peer through a window at things you aren’t supposed to see. Seeing those secrets up there on the screen; they’re the kind of films I want to make.”

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It’s a fascination that goes back a long way: “I stopped smiling for pictures when I was a kid,” he reveals. “And all I wanted to do was take pictures of people having arguments. I can remember going to Disneyland just after my parents bought me my first camera. My dad’s car got a flat in the middle of the Arizona desert. He was so stressed out, changing this tyre with traffic zipping past him at 70 miles an hour, and I got out of the car and started shooting him with my video camera. It made him so angry, but I thought the scene looked great.” In Blue Valentine, the “deeply, deeply personal” film starring Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as star-crossed lovers, Cianfrance tessellated the joyous, chaotic genesis of a marriage with a tragic, guilt-ridden break-up six years down the line. Twelve years in the making and independent in every way, Blue Valentine was both stately, sincere and stirring, a film that felt immediately iconic, as if it belonged in a different, more rarefied era. Where would – where could – Cianfrance go from there? The answer, it seems, is to mine further into himself. “I wrote Blue Valentine when I was 24,” Cianfrance says. “By the time I was able to make it, I didn’t want to make it – I wanted to make Pines. Pines is more pertinent, more of a reflection of where and who I am now.” Separated into three distinct acts, the film is set in Schenectady, an outer town in New York State. Gosling plays Luke Glanton, a drifter – maybe an outlaw – who makes a living riding a motorbike at furious speed around a spherical ‘globe of death’ for a traveling carnival. Watching the show is Eva Mendes’ Romina, a local waitress he seduced when last in town. He left without a word, and she moved on – and in – with someone else. But, without Luke’s knowledge, Romina bore him a son. The discovery of this infant child ignites a dormant paternalism in Gosling’s Luke, who jacks-in the carnival to move in with Robin (Ben

Mendelsohn), a kind and generous body-part dealer, always cradling a drink and with destitution in his stare. Long ago, we learn, Robin robbed banks and Luke – with his “unique skillset” – could do the same. Suddenly on offer is a magic bullet; Luke can be the provider, the uniter, for a family he didn’t know he had. And so, without meaning to, enters Avery Cross (Bradley Cooper), an honest, lonely police officer who chases Luke after a disastrous robbery. As Avery must try and plot his way through a police force riddled with corruption, he finds his life becoming evermore intertwined with Luke’s.

“I’d like to have Ryan Gosling in my life all the time, because he makes it a better place” Derek Cianfrance

“I’ve wanted to make a triptych film for 20 years, ever since I watched Abel Gance’s film Napoléon from 1927,” Cianfrance says. “It’s made me raise the bar in terms of the way I shoot movies.” Steve McQueen’s cinematographer and former war photographer Sean Bobbitt was brought on board to add his sensory, tangible shooting style to the production, while many of the film’s action sequences are shot in single takes using handheld cameras: “They were inspired by America’s Wildest Police Chases,” he says. The bank robbery sequences were choreographed by a man who had spent nine years in prison for holding up his local branch: “Bank robberies in movies are always so perfect,” Cianfrance says.

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“What he impressed on me again and again is how horribly messy a real bank robbery is.” Cianfrance is, it seems, a team-builder, a leader by consensus, rather than a man intent on impressing his singular vision onto the world. “My two least favourite words as a director are action and cut,” he says. “My films are made by total collaboration, a democracy of ideas. It’s a fullon relationship, and it can take years.” Michelle Williams first got the script for Blue Valentine when she was 21, and didn’t start shooting the film until she was 29. In the months leading up to the production, Gosling and Williams rented a home together on a blue collar budget, living together as husband and wife. More than once, Gosling was forced to sleep on the sofa. Similar methods were used on Pines. Bradley Cooper lived with his on-screen wife Rose Byrne, while Eva Mendes and Mahershala Ali (who plays Kofi, the other man in Mendes’ character Romina’s life) were sent out on dates at the bowling alley. Cianfrance wants his actors to read and then junk the script, to build relationships off-screen and then, on the day of the shoot, interpret the characters through instinct. But Cianfrance’s success cannot be judged without mention of his prime collaborator – a certain Ryan Gosling. Cianfrance is one of two directors Gosling has worked with on a second occasion (along with Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of Drive and the forthcoming Only God Forgives). In Blue Valentine, Gosling even began to resemble his mentor, cutting his hair into a short widow’s peak and growing a beard. “I’d like to have Ryan in my life all the time, because he makes it a better place,” Cianfrance says. “He’s a magic person and a magic actor. I wrote this for Ryan about two years before we shot Blue Valentine. When I asked him if he wanted to play a bank robber, all he asked was to ride a motorbike. I was more than happy to collaborate on that.” The Place Beyond the Pines is released in the UK 12 Apr by StudioCanal

THE SKINNY

Small Pleasures We all hate the multiplex, its strange odours, its soulless architecture, its noisy patrons and their volcano acne. But what’s a film-lover to do? Sam Meech, creator of A Small Cinema, has a solution Interview: Jamie Dunn Illustration: Caitlin Clancy

omewhere between entering through a gravel car park filled with Ford Zodiacs and their quiffed mod owners and eating birthday cake with complete strangers at the end of the screening, it occurs to you that A Small Cinema is no ordinary picture house. Based at Moston Miners Community Arts and Music Centre, it’s like a bricks and mortar equivalent of a Terence Davis film: a collision of working-class Northwest with the rich romanticism of the golden age of cinema. I arrive late for the Sunday matinee. Appropriately it’s American Graffiti, one of the great movies about nostalgia. Settling down in the front row, it becomes clear this is no ad hoc cinema with patio chairs and an out-of-focus image projected on a bed sheet. The screen is superior to that of most arts spaces, and it’s comfier too – the raked red velvet seats were reclaimed from The Plaza, Liverpool. The driving force behind this nifty community screening room is Re-dock artist Sam Meech. His inspiration: Berlin. “While looking in a listings mag for some cultural stuff to do I was amazed to find 50-odd cinemas, several of which were in walking distance,’” says the Liverpudlian of his visit to the German capital. “All were showing one or two films and all the programmes were unique.” From this smorgasbord of cinema he chose a Townes Van Zandt doc screening two minutes away through a little courtyard and up some

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steps. “I opened the door on to this landing,” recalls Meech, “and there was a guy there, with a bar, selling tickets: ‘What do you want to see?’ I said, ‘The documentary.’ He gave me a beer and a ticket, a couple more people joined, and then the same guy led us through to this thirty-seater auditorium with a lovely screen and red velvet curtains down the side. My experience of cinema has always been big places, multiplexes. I was just astonished that this kind of facility existed on a small scale.” When he returned to Liverpool a friend approached him to work on an installation featuring several artists’ videos. Meech incorporated the small-scale exhibition form he sampled in Berlin into the project. “I decided that rather then a gallery event, where people might sort of stand around and chat, I’d try to create a cinema. But I also wanted to encourage people to behave in a certain way: to come on time, to enjoy the experience of sitting down to watch some films and to really engage with them.” Some frills – velvet banquet chairs, a screen built from plywood, people dressed as ushers, popcorn, paper tickets – were added to create a kind of “theatre of small experiences.” A Small Cinema was born. Over the next few years, with the help of some funding, similar popup events were staged in several communities around Liverpool – in luncheon clubs, primary schools and then eventually a shopfront on Bold Street in the city

centre. Despite the wealth of spaces available in the Northwest, however, the politics of getting hold of them proved tricky. “Whole sections of town centres might be privately owned, so for people running cultural activities to get access to these places, even though they’re empty, there are a lot of barriers to go through just to speak to the agent, who’s likely to then say ‘[the owners] aren’t interested because it’s not going to make them a profit.’” These problems of access for the pop-up events has been balanced with A Small Cinema finding a permanent home in the 70-seater independent screening space in Moston. Meech compares attending A Small Cinema, and other indie film screenings, to ethical

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shopping; it’s like choosing your local greengrocer over Tesco. “There’s something happening with cinema where the market’s shrunk, you’ve got a few giants,” he tells me, “but in a weird way that kind of breeds people to come up with more creative solutions for sharing films. As someone who does your shopping or goes to see a film, you’ve got a choice and you should try and make yourself aware of all the choices on offer.” The solution to the monotony of the multiplex is clear: support your local retailer. A film inspired by Freidrich Engels’ The Condition of the Working Class in England screens at A Small Cinema, 20 Apr www.smallcinema.re-dock.org

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The Art of Pop Video Exhibition 14 March - 26 May / FREE Entry fact.co.uk / #artofpopvideo Image: Bjรถrk / Encyclopedia Pictura, Wanderlust, 2008, courtesy of One Little Indian, London

Enter the Void Curator Declan Clarke and exhibiting artist Andreas Bunte discuss the themes and sensitivities of Cornerhouse’s ambitious summer group show, Anguish & Enthusiasm: What Do You Do With Your Revolution Once You’ve Got It LIUBOV POPOVA MAQUETTE FOR CAPITALIST FORTRESS (1921) 15 X 21.2 CM COURTESY OF GEORGE COSTAKIS COLLECTION, THESSALONIKI, GREECE

Interview: Lauren Velvick

new group show opening on 13 April at Manchester’s Cornerhouse seeks to address the aftermath of revolutionary activity. Through new commissions and existing works that offer tentative perspectives on events past, current and future, Anguish & Enthusiasm: What Do You Do With Your Revolution Once You’ve Got It speaks of moral ambivalence in times of crisis – when ideological extremes can emerge and take over, and when the hopeful euphoria of the revolutionary moment fails. Co-curated by Sarah Perks, director of Visual Arts and Film at Cornerhouse, and Declan Clarke, whose practice involves researching and re-presenting moments of activism, the show can be seen to form a loose continuity with a series of major exhibitions at Cornerhouse that have explored socio-political concerns from a variety of viewpoints and geographical locations, including Contemporary Art Iraq in 2010, New Cartographies: Algeria-France-UK in 2011 and 2012’s Subversion. With 12 exhibiting artists approaching the themes of ‘anguish’ and ‘enthusiasm’ in vastly different ways, the show presents a diversity of voices, with personal accounts alongside symbolic explorations.

oppression was declared in 1975 only to be followed by more horror in the form of Civil War, while Kleyebe Abonnenc’s new commission does not stem from personal experience but is borne of an interest in how the use of images can affect and shape political struggle. Works that refer to a specific conflict offer perspectives on the wider themes of the show, which engage with the fundamental questions: who gets to build a new society, and who is lost along the way? A primary function of the exhibition is to approach the unglamorous, easily overlooked post-revolutionary period when the smoke has cleared and, for better or worse, the work of changing and rebuilding societies and cultures is undertaken. “There is no immediate image or example of what a post-revolution looks like, or indeed, no immediate manner in which we should think about post-revolution,” Clarke says – and he is quick to specify that Anguish & Enthusiasm is not about the act of revolution itself. Consciously avoiding clichéd references to political uprising, Clarke and Perks have instead sought to choose and commission work that takes “a thoughtful and considered approach to socio-political themes.” Clarke also offers an expanded definition, pointing out that discourse around the postrevolutionary phase is appropriate to liberation, occupation and emancipation, and that revolutions are not necessarily political, but can also be technological, social and cultural. This chimes with how Andreas Bunte describes his new commission – a set of two films that seek to deal, indirectly, with the fall of the Berlin wall. “Both films try to take account of their sites in a pragmatic and unsentimental way,” he tells me, “and provide enough room for speculaDeclan Clarke tions about individual stories yet leaving them untold.” Anguish & Enthusiasm shares its title with Previously, Bunte has focused on how mothe third chapter of Victor Serge’s Memoirs of a ments in history – and ideologies – can become Revolutionary, an autobiographical account of the representative of and embedded in the surperiod between the Russian Revolution and Civil rounding architecture, with him performing a War, and the founding of the USSR. Serge’s mem- “reading of the built environment as a cipher for, oir recounts the increasingly sinister and bloodor product of a particular social and political thirsty nature of the Bolshevik regime: the title framework.” In this new commission, where he Anguish & Enthusiasm is evocative of uncertainty, explores two abandoned former-DDR (German and the potential for horror and trauma. Democratic Republic) facilities, the reasons Many works in the exhibition refer explicitly behind the sites’ current states are inextricably to particular struggles, and their human cost. linked with the society that built them. Bunte Pocas Pascoal and Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc explains how the two facilities, after reunificaexplore the Angolan War of Independence tion, would have been closed for largely financial and subsequent Civil War through personreasons: “They didn’t quite meet the comfort of ally remembered and extensively researched the time anymore,” he says. But because of their histories: Pascoal’s 2003 film Il y a quelqu’un austere and durable form, these facilities remain: qui t’aime (There Is Always Someone Who Loves “Because of [their] solid concrete construction You) recounts her and her family’s experiences it was not possible to demolish [them]. It was of the transition from occupation to self-rule, as cheaper to just shut the door and forget about Angolan independence from Portuguese colonial them.”

“There is no immediate image or example of what a post-revolution looks like”

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JUN YANG PARIS SYNDROME (2007-8) 16:9, 10 MIN COURTESY AND COPYRIGHT THE ARTIST

While much of the work selected for Anguish & Enthusiasm cautions how revolution and activism can backfire, and examines the strange artefacts left behind, there is also a tentative sense of hope and ambition. Eoghan McTigue’s photographic piece Empty Sign (1998) depicts that symbol of radical traditions among students – the notice board – as a barren field of red. The notice board can be read in several ways: its emptiness communicates the potential for future action, while a rectangle of bright red, of course, has obvious political connotations. Artist collective Trust Your Struggle, meanwhile, have recreated a mural that refers to the ongoing police oppression suffered by the black community in Oakland, California. The work also aims to communicate the risks of ignoring – or not consulting – affected communities as Britain is regenerated. By juxtaposing differing perspectives on – and messages relating to – activism, Clarke

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hopes that “perhaps we can expand how we think about the subject and can draw more appropriate conclusions when rebuilding in the wake of future revolutions.” Anguish & Enthusiasm is an investigation: it does not give its audience conclusions, but instead offers an opportunity for insightful discourse on topics that are usually tied to adamant emotional responses, which often preclude debate. Clarke and Perks’ appreciation of the complexity and diversity surrounding post-revolutionary states is encouraging. While Anguish & Enthusiasm indicates the inherently problematic nature of mass-action, it simultaneously testifies to the vital importance of activism against injustice. Anguish & Enthusiasm: What Do You Do With Your Revolution Once You’ve Got It, Cornerhouse, Manchester, 13 Apr-18 Aug, Free www.cornerhouse.org

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Keep On Burning Edwyn Collins invites us to his west London studios to discuss his exhilarating new album Understated and his gradual triumphs over his debilitating health misfortunes Interview: Colm McAuliffe Photography: Nuria Rius

dwyn Collins is perched at the recording desk of his west London studio. His new album, Understated, is about to be released, 11 tracks of storming Northern Soul refracted through the prism of punk. The album positively purrs with brio and panache, worthy of a man with Collins’ often ramshackle yet exhilarating career, “31 years in rock 'n' roll,” as he croons on the album. And this confidence is evident in the man sitting across from me; despite his horrific health shocks – a brain haemorrhage in 2005 massively affected his main motor skills resulting in a lengthy rehabilitation period – Collins proudly sings me through as much of the album as possible and kindly dismisses his redoubtable wife Grace Maxwell in her offer to assist with the interview. Collins is not so much defiant in the face of adversity as thoroughly thriving. This flourishing of activity is not simply down to his new album. Collins is at the helm of AED Records and a much in-demand producer – recently working on Charlie Boyer and the Voyeurs’ debut album Clarietta – and has been the subject of a recent documentary entitled In Your Voice, In Your Heart, focusing on the gradual re-emergence of his identity through music. “It feels great having so much at the moment,” he starts. “Mind you, I’m tired, but what can I say? The video stuff with Ed [Lovelace] is really good and, along with Seb [Lewsley, Collins’ engineer], we worked on the Charlie Boyer album which sounds a bit like the Velvet Underground. It’s coming out on Heavenly Records and is very good as well. And with the record label, it just seems to make sense, although Grace and Susan are more in control than me!" He laughs. "I did another documentary maybe five years ago [Home Again] and this was when I wasn’t in control at all, stuttering and for six months in the hospital all I could say was ‘yes,’ ‘no’ and ‘the possibilities are endless.’ Slowly I recovered and I wanted to show people about the effects of having a stroke, having to deal with it and how it is difficult for me to communicate. And the language issues I struggle with a bit still. But my singing is okay, my speech is just a bit slow.” The new album is a heady miscellany of influences and to these ears, takes its cue from Orange Juice’s cover of Vic Godard’s Holiday Hymn, a stomping nouveau Northern Soul number. But Collins is quick to refute that Understated is rooted firmly in the past. “I do like Northern Soul a lot, along with garage bands – The Seeds – along with soul and indie. Back then, in the Orange Juice days, I was strictly punk… well, maybe a bit reticent. I liked certain things: Subway Sect, Buzzcocks, Sex Pistols… and that was it! Nowadays, I like everything. The 60s, for me, is a great time. The 70s... not bad. But the 80s? Shit!" He laughs. "But it’s getting good again, and I’m looking forward actually. I enjoyed producing The Cribs a few years ago, that sounded amazing.” The on-going rehabilitation of Collins has seen his mobility gradually improve and on Understated he has taken a considerably more hands-on role in the production and performing of the songs. “I work with Seb closely but on [opening track] Dilemma" – he breaks into the first verse – "I did the trumpets, the harmonies

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“I’m pushing on and it’s invigorating”

and it is a good line,” Collins agrees. “It means something to me, having had a stroke to deal with and having a point of view, yet I’m struggling to find the words and right sentences and to find a way forward from my position. It’s an attempt to come to terms with my stroke and the fact that a large percentage don’t survive.” Edwyn Collins However, he does use the album to reflect on his early years with Orange Juice, the Nuwith Sean [Read] the keyboard player – he said Sonics and even his time as a graphic illustrator ‘Ah, that’s good!’ and then played it. But I do it all for the Glasgow Parks Department. “[The song] with Seb and he handles the new recording desk, 31 Years goes back to Orange Juice’s first single I use it occasionally. And for the first time ever, Falling and Laughing [again, Edwyn sings us the after my stroke, I played Memphis Chords on 31 initial verse]. So that’s a long time! But in 31 Years. I can play keyboards no problem at all but Years, I’m reflecting but by the last chorus I’m just with my left hand. And harmonica.” Still a happy and carrying on with the future. And two multi-instrumentalist in the studio, then? “Yeah, years ago, I did the font for this album. It takes a I bet!” he laughs. “Memphis Chords I can manlong time.” He laughs emphatically on recalling age… just about! But solos are difficult. I can play the pre-fame days. “When I was 19, up in Glasgow, rhythm but solos are strictly a no-no.” I was working in the Parks Department, drawing Understated’s lyrical content is undeniably kingfishers, squirrels, buildings. I was quite shy buoyant, nay ebullient. Rather than ruminating on and I wanted to be in Orange Juice. I dobbed off experiences gone by, Collins appears to be clear- work several times! I remember giving a talk to all ing the way for his next step. “The album is upthese school children who were taken to see oak beat,” he admits. “It’s not sad music. I wanted it trees and sycamores and they asked me, ‘Sir, are to be fast as music can be too slow nowadays, too you a punk?’ and I said ‘Yes, I’m nature’s punk!’ It’s ponderous. But each to their own. It’s very impor- nonsense really, what a joke!” tant to me that it’s got to be positive. I’m pushing on At that time, Collins must never have imagand it’s invigorating: the chance to sing and there ined that his career would have such indefatihas to be this positive vibe. And it is direct and to gable longevity. “No, never.” In fact, he’s quite the point, I don’t know any other way!” humble about his formative years as a musician. Despite Collins’ difficulty with language, “Originally, it was the Nu-Sonics back in Glasgow his lyricism is as eloquent as ever; honesty and but the songs weren’t any good, I was seventeen. humour muscle up to artistic expression. A senti- But gradually, I wrote Falling and Laughing, and ment in Down The Line, ‘This abstract sense of now, there’s a good song! The lyrics are, to me, being, it’s over now,’ is ripe for interpretation. reflective of me. The pleasure and the pain sup“By abstract, I mean non-specific, it’s not clear port the contrast in my life.”

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Over 30 years on, Collins’ critical stock is as high as ever. Yet he doesn’t long for the commercial peaks of the mid-90s and A Girl Like You. “Around then, I was all around the world, for two years and six months. I was so tired. Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, Europe, America… I was shattered by the end of things. But now, live performances are fine. Except, for example, a song like Ghost of a Chance, it’s terrible singing it again and analysing all the words. But I’ll get it in the end.” Collins has been resident in London since the early 80s and has worked from his West Heath studios since the 90s. However, all that is about to change, as himself and Grace are on the verge of moving back to his ancestral home of Helmsdale, Sutherland. His grandfather was a stonemason who went to America in the 1880s to make his fortune. On his return, he built the main part of a cottage which Collins restored some years ago. “It’s right on top of the world!” Collins says proudly. “I own the place, it’s two hundred years old, a croft. Grace is eager to move there. And this studio is closing down, just another year to go. I’m quite sad really but it has to be done; I’m carrying on the tradition [in moving back to Helmsdale]. And we will have a studio there, two houses combined, one for domestic and one for rock ’n’ roll.” Domestic and rock ’n’ roll. Pleasure and pain. Northern Soul and punk. There may be contradictions at the heart of Edwyn Collins, but listening to Understated it’s fearlessness and fervour all the way. Edwyn Collins plays Liverpool Philharmonic Hall on 20 Apr. Understated is out now on AED Records www.edwyncollins.com

THE SKINNY

The Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama Live performances at the heart of The University of Manchester. A diverse and exciting programme including music, drama, literature, comedy and dance.

The University of Manchester, Bridgeford Street, off Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9PL Box office: 0161 275 8951

www.manchester.ac.uk/martinharriscentre www.facebook.com/MHCentre www.twitter.com/MHCentre online sales: www.quaytickets.com

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27/03/2013 15:07

Physical Theatre

Photo: Jennifer L Haley

Playwright Rory Mullarkey and director Michael Longhurst discuss the challenges of bringing Cannibals to life

fter a journey into the wilds of Russia last year, playwright Rory Mullarkey visited a Moscow history museum, where a black and white photo caught his eye. It showed a dour couple standing outside a ramshackle house. The caption read: ‘Cannibals, 1930.’ The stark directness of this image became the inspiration for Mullarkey’s first full-length play, which premieres at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre on 3 April. Cannibals tells the story of Lizaveta, a woman whose simple farm life in an ex-Soviet state is ripped apart when soldiers murder her husband. Forced on a nightmarish journey through her war-torn homeland, Lizaveta travels across a

dangerous, grisly continent – and eventually to Manchester. Thrust violently into the desperate consumerism of the 21st century, Lizaveta’s familiar notions of love and family are shattered. The play promises to be one of the most daring works the Royal Exchange has ever staged. “I pushed myself to be as bold as possible; hopefully people won’t have seen anything like it before,” says former Manchester Grammar School student Mullarkey, who wrote Cannibals while he was Pearson Playwright in Residence at the theatre in 2011. “I wanted to use my imagination as much as possible. It’s set in a different country, the protagonist is a different gender to me, she’s had a

completely different life to me. I found that freeing: I wasn’t a slave to my biography and circumstances. I could create something much more theatrical and interesting.” The man charged with bringing the playwright’s vision to life is director Michael Longhurst, who has previously worked with Mullarkey at London’s Royal Court, and whose recent credits include directing Jake Gyllenhaal in his American stage debut (in Nick Payne’s If There Is I Haven’t Found It Yet). “Cannibals is full of incredibly striking images and ideas,” Longhurst says. “I’ve never picked up a script that was like, ‘she drowned him in a river, she locked him in a car boot.’ Scene after scene had impossible things – stage directions like, ‘he eats his arm, he eats his leg, he eats himself completely, he disappears.’ It’s not a world of naturalism, so I’m forced to find a language that is theatrical that somehow conveys feeling.” This kind of imagery would be difficult to realise in any venue, but the Royal Exchange’s round space has proved a real challenge. “The practical management of bodies in space – if he dies there, how’s he going to get back there? – that’s really heightened in the round,” Longhurst explains. “You can’t have walls, you can’t do jump cuts; it’s always a journey into the round.” It’s been Longhurst’s job – in tandem with designer Chloe Lamford – to create rhythm and movement on stage. “It’s exciting because it’s forced us to

Interview: Clare Wiley

be really bold. It’ll be a real visual feast.” Ony Uhiara stars as Lizaveta, alongside Simon Armstrong, Ricky Champ, Tricia Kelly and Laurence Spellman. “The play is a mythic parable in that a girl gets trafficked from one part of the world to another,” says Longhurst. “Ony really got the quality of Lizaveta – she was able to wipe out first-world experience and cynicism, and go back to a place of real naïvety so she could go on that journey.” “By starting the play in the East and having most of it set so far away, it makes us question things we see as normal in this part of the world,” says Mullarkey. “If you come out of the theatre and look at Starbucks on St Ann’s Square a bit differently, I’d feel the play had succeeded on some level.” “It’s a massive challenge to how we live and consume,” adds Longhurst. “Lizaveta goes from living on a farm to suddenly being drowned in 21st-century consumerism. Watching her vision be opened up is thrilling, and makes us aware of the absurdities of our lives compared to what might seem like absurdities in others.’ Hopefully it will be a vital piece of theatre, it will be quite visceral.” Cannibals, Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, 3-27 Apr, £10-£35 www.royalexchange.co.uk

Create at Salford Festival 2013 Industry Preview A unique showcase of over 800 creative and talented minds Thursday 13 June 2013, 6.00pm – 9.00pm University of Salford MediaCityUK campus and the Open Centre, MediaCityUK Why you won’t want to miss this exclusive event: Experience inspirational work from our final year arts and media students Network with those shaping the future of the creative sector Enjoy impressive exhibitions and not to be missed performances.

To book your place visit: www.salford.ac.uk/create/industry-preview t: 0161 295 6165 e: create@salford.ac.uk

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THEATRE

THE SKINNY

Once Upon a Time in Iraq Interview: Bram E. Gieben

Hassan Blasim is touring the UK to promote his new collection of short stories, The Iraqi Christ. He talks to us about censorship, the surreal and violent imagery in his work, and the future of Arabic literature

assan Blasim’s fiction is angry, often surreal, mired in the violence, paranoia and chaos of the Iraqi occupation and its aftermath. The stories of his new collection The Iraqi Christ are not exploitative ‘sniper narratives’ told down the barrel of an invading soldier’s gun, nor are they chest-beating misery memoirs telling tales of oppression and violence. They are concerned with the humanity of their characters, expressed by Blasim in prose that is by turns brutal, mythic, grittily journalistic, fantastical and macabre. Blasim’s work refuses to flinch from the darker side of human nature, and displays a visionary flair for the symbolic, the anthropomorphic, and the supernatural. His work enters territory first mapped by Kafka, J.G. Ballard and William S. Burroughs – realms where other Arab writers have rarely set foot. Blasim settled in Finland eight years ago, after a four-year trek through Europe as an illegal migrant, facing extreme hardship, danger and depredation. For all the dark and intense imagery in his novels, and the focused, iconoclastic intelligence of his conversation, he is a warm, friendly interviewee, laughing frequently. When asked about the gulf that separates him from most Arabic writers, both thematically and aesthetically, he gives a wry smile. “They write in a different style in Iraq,” he says, citing a long list of problematic encounters with publishers and reviewers in Islamic countries. The problem is this: “Iraqi writers still care more about language. I care about story. If you want to be a writer, first you must know how to use the language, you must study it – it’s a very classical approach... when you stray from the classical language, you put yourself inside another taboo.” This problem with the language of his stories has seen Blasim’s work banned in some places, and ignored by publishers and newspapers across the Arabic world. “Many Arabic readers feel I use angry, dirty, filthy language,” he explains. “I care more about the street language, and what happens in the street. For years I wrote poems, and they were nearer to rap – many readers also felt that this was not poetry, because it was so dirty and angry.” Blasim embraced “the language of the streets,” especially in the cadences of his characters’ speech: “I just started to write dialogue how people talk – it’s not like I am doing something new, or surprising,” he says modestly. “I just hear how people talk about politics, how they talk about death. People in the street in Iraq make jokes when a bomb goes off. They joke about death because it’s normal – they have lived for a long time with war.” The stories depict a side of Iraqi culture that the West has rarely shown – one that only someone who has lived there could describe. “The problem is that there are not many publishers [in the West] who are searching for Iraqi writers,” says Blasim. Then there is the problem of Western military intervention: “If you are a writer or a journalist in Iraq, or an artist, you fight inside the culture, just trying to build something. And then the West shows up with another army and destroys everything...” Blasim’s work is far from documentary retellings of his own experiences, although he frequently crops up as a character. “I know how to tell stories in a literary way – I’m not interested in just reporting what I have seen in my life, in the war and while living in Iraq. All the while, while I was seeing these things, I was an artist on the inside,” he says. His stories are full of transformation, possession, and strange, symbolic supernatural agency – the stuff of nightmares. “Violence is nightmare,” says Blasim. “I

April 2013

remember one terrible week I had in prison in Iraq. But for me, now, it is not real. It is a nightmare... it’s ever-present – war is nightmare, violence is nightmare. Iraqi people talk a lot about nightmares. We say: ‘Every person has five nightmare stories.’ Bad stories, about his life. Because when you live for fifteen years inside the different rhythm of the war... it’s not a nightmare, it’s something real, in their life. I don’t think that there is always a very strong line between reality and dreams. I think when you have broken this line, it answers a lot of questions for me, in my work.” As editor of Iraqstory.com, Blasim praises the new generation of Iraqi writers for experimenting with new narrative forms and techniques, but says they still have much to learn. “In the next twenty years, a great many changes will take place in Iraqi literature. We’ll replace the classical Arabic concerns with feeling, with love and death as this big tragedy. People won’t be scared to use humour when talking about tragedies, or to make jokes about religion,” he predicts. Blasim’s next project is Iraq + 100, which lays down the gauntlet to Iraqi writers to describe their country in 100 years time. It is “a new kind of writing” entirely, as there is almost no tradition of speculative fiction in the Arab world. Nonetheless, says Blasim, as Iraqi writers, “People are always asking us ‘What will happen in Iraq in fifty years time? How do you see your country in the future?’ It’s a challenge first, to write something that’s never been done in Iraqi literature, but also it’s a chance to ask our literary people what they think about Iraq – how it’s going, where it is headed.” How does Blasim feel when his books are banned, as his first collection, The Madman of Freedom Square, was in Jordan last year? He laughs heartily. “It’s nothing! In Iraq, I made

“If you are a writer or a journalist in Iraq, or an artist, you fight inside the culture, just trying to build something. Then the West shows up with an army and destroys everything” Hassan Blasim

short films... I had problems all the time with the secret police. I’ve dealt with this for a long time. Getting my books banned is no surprise.” Blasim has an elegant solution – last year he e-published both Arabic versions of his collections for free. “The bans are nothing really,” he smiles. Blasim is a vociferous champion of the internet: “Many of my friends in Finland say: ‘You use Facebook too much!’ I say yes, but we don’t use Facebook all the time just for say, nice food, or ‘Oh, you have a nice dog.’ We take it seriously. We criticise politics, we criticise culture. For me the internet, when I met it for the first time in 2002, or 2003, I just said ‘YES. Now nobody can control me.’ Because people simply don’t have the imagination to figure out how to control me if I want to write an article online. No Arabic newspaper

BOOKS

around the world would publish it. Even if you are a famous writer, if you use this language, and you are free, then no-one will publish you.” His fiction is not always a comfortable place to inhabit, not as a reader, and not for Blasim himself: “I charge myself inside the story,” he explains. “I ask about myself, what I do, what I write. In this world, people die. Should I write a short story, when people die? Sometimes I feel guilty, like I’m a bad person. So all the time I have this dialogue inside so many stories, about literature, about books. It’s personal. Many times I’ve had to answer the question, ‘Okay, must I stop writing?’ It’s bullshit, nothing. But still, I want to talk about when we lived in Baghdad, and how important literature and art and theatre were for people. Because it’s a very big step to make life about peace, and art and democracy, and now it’s very difficult.” In interviews, Blasim often quotes from the 13th century poet Rumi: “The truth was a mirror in the hands of God. It fell, and broke into pieces. Everybody took a piece of it, and they looked at it and thought they had the truth.” Why is this quotation so enduring for him? “If you come here to Finland, a cold country, and some time you go to the forest, and you meet some old man who is drunk, he is talking about truth, also. That is what we are fighting for inside Iraqi culture – because truth is coming from everywhere. You can never say to somebody, ‘This is really the truth. This is my truth.’ Truth is still a dream. All our lives, we search for an answer to this. I don’t like people who say they have the ultimate truth.” Blasim gives another half-sad smile. “Maybe there is someone asleep somewhere, and maybe when he dreams, what he dreams is the truth. But for me, truth is everywhere.” The Iraqi Christ is published by Comma Press, out now, cover price £9.99 www.hassanblasim.com

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Business Time

Interview: Bram E. Gieben

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very band in the city wants to play at Sound City,” says Tim Tierney of The Tea Street Band. For Tierney and his bandmates, Liverpool’s ‘showcase festival’ – combining gigs, multimedia performances, conferences and workshops with industry professionals, and open to ‘delegates’ as well as gig-goers – is a unique opportunity, one they’ve grabbed with both hands for the past three years running. “I just want to set out our stall as one of the best bands in the city,” he explains. Recently, The Tea Street Band got the chance to prove their chops in an international setting, playing the first ever New York Sound City showcase – arranged by the same team behind the Liverpool event – alongside the likes of Wet Nuns and Reverend & The Makers.

“It feels like you’re a part of something” Tim Tierney

One of the key Sound City organisers is Darren Roper, who’s been on board with Sound City since its inception five years ago: “I started as a stage manager – I did Laura Marling, Noah and the Whale, Pete and the Pirates and Silver Jews in the first year,” he recalls. “I started working with the live programme director in the second year, shortlisting the bands, selecting them, promoting them. I didn’t really know much about showcase festivals at the time – I just liked bands. That is still my main focus now, to tell the truth!” Now shortlisting and booking bands, he is still passionate about Sound City: “I love music, I love Liverpool bands; I love bands who inspire me from all walks of life,” he says. One artist who would agree with Roper is Liverpool-based singer-songwriter Rebecca Hawley, one third of Stealing Sheep, another local band for whom Sound City has had a positive impact. “Every year this festival gets better,” she says. “Better line-ups, unusual venue ideas and better platforms for local artists.” This year’s festival isn’t her first rodeo, either – previous years have seen Stealing Sheep support the likes of Django Django, Clinic and Outfit. One gig led to an encounter with A&R Seymour Stein of Sire Records, he of Belle & Sebastian fame.

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DUTCH UNCLES

Hawley offers one contrast between in-the-city, showcase format festivals like Sound City and Brighton’s The Great Escape, and traditional outdoor music festivals: the camping ilk are enjoyed “usually under some kind of psychedelic influence,” she says, whereas Sound City is “more about the music.” Tierney identifies another aspect of outdoor festivals he doesn’t miss at Sound City: “I hate portaloos. They make me physically sick. Especially when they’ve been cooked all day in the sun.” But the differences between the two types of festival are superficial, he continues: “People want to watch good bands in a good atmosphere. Last year’s Sound City was brilliant. Everyone was smiling and enjoying themselves.” These festivals with some sort of business or conference element are almost as numerous as your more ‘traditional’ shindigs now – taking their blueprint, perhaps, from that grand old dame of showcase festivals, South by Southwest (SXSW), this year criticised by bands like DIIV for being a media frenzy with too much focus on networking and “industry vampires.” Roper is upfront when addressing the potential downside of festivals like these: “A lot of bands go to play them, and probably don’t get paid,” he says. “A lot of artists who come to Sound City, we give them basic expenses, if that. They get wristbands for the festival. These are bands who are very much emerging – talented but unknown people. So we offer them the opportunity to come, play Sound City, attend the conference and explore different areas of the music business – meet the right people, the right journalists. So, in some respects, certain artists might not believe Sound City is a good thing, because we’re not paying people. The more we grow, the more we’ll be able to give expenses to artists, to give a little bit back. But with 300 bands coming here, 100% of our artist budget goes on making sure those bands can say, ‘We came to Sound City and played with X,’ because that’s important for them – it’s good marketing.” Understandably, artists and bands who favour the DIY approach can be dismissive of Sound City and festivals like it – but for bands who are at the right stage of their career, and who want to break into the mainstream, the festival may offer a golden opportunity. So what is that right stage? “They need to be touring, and to be able to pick up on a showcase while doing a tour,” Roper suggests. “We need bands who are ready to play to a wider audience. We do get a lot of international

bands coming to Sound City – they’re coming to Liverpool ready, willing and able; completely enthusiastic. They’ve got very high standards. Anyone who is leaving their own international territory and coming here is just completely ready. Slick and professional.” What kind of opportunities might bands encounter at Sound City when mingling with A&Rs, journalists and gig promoters? “There is the potential for arranging releases, or potentially going and doing tours,” says Roper. “There are a lot of nice Italian and French promoters who come to England with a band – it would be a good opportunity for UK artists to try and make inroads towards doing a tour in Europe. You never know quite who you’re going to meet at Sound City. That’s the nicest thing about it. The bigger a showcase festival like ours becomes, the more opportunity there is to do business here.” Do all the bands who play take advantage of the networking opportunities? “Artists who are really driven to be successful in music as an industry, and who understand the nuances of how it works, they get really involved, and they’re really eager to come,” says Roper. “Others don’t really think that they need or want to speak to someone who distributes CDs, or someone who works in digital rights management, or in publishing. I’d say it’s about 50/50.” Sound City is as much about taking advantage of Liverpool’s more interesting venues as it is about the music. Roper is looking forward to seeing Oneohtrix Point Never and Thee Oh Sees in the intimate confines of The Kazimier, as well as some of the heavier bands on the bill, like Future of the Left and Savages. He’s also keen to catch rising urban stars Mikill Pane and Jacob Banks. He and his team have worked hard to programme a diverse line-up: “It’s a mixture of my tastes and those of the other guys in the office. There is a team of dedicated people who craft and shape it. Not everyone can know everything about every band all the time. If I ever did meet someone like that, I’d be totally in awe! I’m discovering bands all the time.” For Stealing Sheep, also playing Glastonbury, Latitude and Salford’s DIY festival Sounds from the Other City this summer, their Sound City gig is “a good opportunity to do something exclusive for our local audience. We have all our mates here, and so many good musicians,” says Hawley. Tierney, meanwhile, describes The Tea Street Band’s first year at Sound City as “probably one of the best gigs I’ve ever done,” and hopes to

MUSIC

repeat the success this year. “The amount of press and coverage you get from just being on the bill is great and something you can’t get anywhere else,” he says. “It feels like you’re a part of something.”

DON’T MISS:

Oneohtrix Point Never, 2 May @ The Kazimier Daniel Lopatin’s sonic voyages are a masterclass in the efficacy of well-produced, intricately composed drone. Using samples, found sounds, vintage synth kit and bleeding-edge studio techniques, he creates rich and involving textures. Darkstar, 4 May @ The Garage Avant-garde synth-pop trio Darkstar are one of Warp’s more interesting recent signings – their creative, twisted take on earworm pop melodies is couched in a lush bed of delicate electronics, complex rhythms and a futurist, restlessly inventive approach to lyrics. Savages, 3 May @ Art Academy Post-punk outfit Savages are the most exciting thing to come out of London in a long time – their artistic, intelligent, politicised take on the genre is by turns awkward, confessional, brutal and insanely addictive. Their eagerly anticipated debut album is out in May. Dutch Uncles, 3 May @ The Garage Indie rockers Dutch Uncles hail from the small town of Marple, outside Manchester. Their palette of influences ranges from post-rock to post-punk, from prog to neo-classical. Leftfield, arty and with a live reputation for kicking ass and taking no prisoners, they can be trusted to spin the guitars-drums-bass-vox formula into new and interesting shapes. Future of the Left, 3 May @ Screenadelica Welsh post-hardcore trio Future of the Left were formed by former members of mclusky, and indeed have eclipsed that band, building a blistering live reputation with their politically savvy, mercilessly intense lyrics and driving walls of guitar noise. Sound City, various venues, Liverpool, 2-4 May, one-day wristband £25, three-day £45, delegate pass £120 www.liverpoolsoundcity.co.uk

THE SKINNY

Photo: Adrian Lambert

Following in the footsteps of South by Southwest and New York’s CMJ Music Marathon, expo-style festivals like Liverpool’s Sound City seem to be going from strength to strength. But what do they really offer bands? The Skinny investigates

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In Their Prime J

ack Revill and Calum Morton, better known as Jackmaster and Spencer, have been busy over the last ten years. Since getting a taste for DJing in their teens, the duo, along with a committed crew of likeminded associates, have seen their celebrated Numbers club night spawn an increasingly influential label and expand well beyond its Glasgow base. Having merged Wireblock, Dress 2 Sweat and Stuff Records under the Numbers banner in 2010, and with a stack of highly praised releases from the likes of Deadboy, Jamie xx and Mosca under their belt, they have become a dominant fixture in the UK’s clubbing landscape. The latest step in their development sees them teaming up with Dedbeat to launch Pleasure Principle, a three day festival boasting an enticing line-up encompassing a wide range of electronic genres. With preparations for the weekender well underway, Revill – who was recently added to the roster for Radio 1’s In New DJs We Trust slot ponders Numbers’ seemingly inexorable rise. “It’s kind of scary and overwhelming, but it’s really good. Everything’s been going pretty well up until now. It’s taken us by surprise, as we never really planned it to happen like this, but it grew organically and we’re really chuffed to bits about it.” For Morton, the key shift has been one of scale rather than direction. “We’re not really doing anything different from what we started out doing. It’s just that it’s got bigger and bigger and it does feel like a pretty natural progression. The festival idea is something that we have been talking about for the last five or six years, on and off. We weren’t sure how it was going to happen, but we knew it would happen eventually.” The array of sounds on offer at the weekender perfectly reflects the dynamic blend of varied but somehow congruent styles that has characterised Numbers since its inception. Most predictably, pride of place at the top of the bill belongs to long-time allies and fellow Glaswegian trend-setters Hudson Mohawke and Rustie, both of whom have released albums through preeminent UK label Warp Records. Then there are the obligatory nods to the kind of house and techno that Revill and Morton fell in love with at an early

April 2013

Interview: Ronan Martin

age – acts like Detroit’s Omar S and Robert Hood being two of the prime examples. The bill also reserves space for home-grown pioneers such as UK garage selector DJ EZ, influential grime crew Ruff Sqwad, hyperactive elder statesman of reggae David Ram Jam Rodigan MBE, and early dubstep architect Loefah. Several names that have been impossible to ignore in recent years also pop up – Blawan, Joy Orbison and Floating Points spring to mind, along with in-demand DJs such as Ben UFO and Oneman. Further buttressing a stylistically diverse list, and continuing co-promoter Dedbeat’s tradition of pushing quality hip-hop, Beat Junkies’ turntablist extraordinaire J-Rocc and production maestro Just Blaze also feature. The long list of talent goes on, but what is clear from just a brief look is that, crucially, Pleasure Principle appears to have been devised in a manner befitting the spirit of the Numbers parties, a spirit that dates back to the days when they packed out tiny rooms in clammy Glasgow basements. While the line-up for the festival is impressive in its scope, nothing on the bill appears out of place; none of the acts stand out as being a cynical appeal to a lucrative crossover crowd. “Music-wise, it’s pretty much an extension of the clubs we put on in London and Glasgow,” explains Revill. “We tried not to book stuff purely based on ticket sales; we wanted to book artists that we liked. We don’t want to trade musical integrity just to make money from sales. We were first and foremost aiming to book people that we know would put on a good performance. The music has always got to be the most important thing.” The setting and overall atmosphere of the festival is significant too though, explains Morton. “For us, it was very much inspired by things like Bloc and Dedbeat. These were basically festivals based in caravan parks, with lots of people staying in a shared site and making their way to a main arena. It pretty much has a community vibe to it and people can come for the weekend and have a laugh. I think anyone who is making the effort to come down to Cornwall for it will be rewarded with a pretty amazing event.”

Jackmaster and Spencer reflect on a decade of the Numbers collective, and introduce the Pleasure Principle Weekender, which launches in Cornwall this month

Though Pleasure Principle seems like an ideal way for Numbers to mark their tenth anniversary in style, the festival is merely one element of what promises to be a hectic year. Last month saw the label release the double A-side, Triadzz/ Slasherr, by Rustie. The significance of Russell Whyte’s debut Numbers outing, the first of their anniversary year, is not lost on Jackmaster. “That was nice and it kind of felt like a bit of a homecoming for him almost. He’s one of the guys who started out on the labels that made up Numbers, and without guys like him, and Hudson Mohawke, we wouldn’t be such a big deal on the worldwide scene.”

“We don’t want to trade musical integrity just to make money from sales” Jackmaster

That Rustie’s luminescent, intricately layered productions, and those of the similarly glitzy Redinho, are so stylistically dissimilar to, say, the dark, acid-inflected techno of Italian producer Lory D is telling. Such variation reflects the label’s broad purview and the assorted tastes of the six people behind it. “We’re completely open which is probably why the label has done so well”, says Revill. “As a group, we all have very similar music tastes. In many ways we’re almost identical. But everyone has their own little nuances and it’s when all the guys come together that something special is formed.” That special something has blossomed from the earliest interactions the crew had at parties and after parties in their formative years. Though many of the collective are now based in London, and though the scope of their operations is

CLUBS

increasingly global in reach – DJ P.O.L. Style often mans a Numbers outpost in Tokyo, for instance – they remain appreciative of the rich Glasgow scene from which they emerged. For Morton, who has lived in London for many years, his hometown’s relatively contained underground community remains one of its strengths. “With other cities, as soon as they get a big bigger, the groups of people who are into the same music become a lot more disparate and a lot more spread out, whereas in Glasgow there seems to be a bit more of a vibe.” He is also optimistic that the same hotbed of creativity that nurtured Numbers will continue to enable Glasgow DJs and producers to flourish. “If you’re into buying records, you can go down to Rubadub and meet other people who are doing the same thing. “I guess everyone is pretty dedicated to what they’re doing – people like Dixon Avenue Basement Jams, that’s Kenny [Grieve] and Dan [Lurinsky] who we used to work with in Rubadub years ago. It’s great to see that label doing so well and putting out such great stuff. The same applies with Bake [All Caps] and all those boys. To us, they’re the young team, though they’re not even that young anymore and they’re now churning out pretty solid releases. I think everyone is pretty well focused in Glasgow and people are willing to get involved for the love of it.” The notion of being involved in music as a labour of love is an approach that seems to have worked well for Numbers. Rather than outlining any grandiose plans for further expansion, Jackmaster and Spencer seem committed to the same intuitive approach that has brought them this far. For now, they are set on establishing Pleasure Principle as a regular fixture in the UK’s electronic music calendar. “Beyond the festival, there are probably not any other specific big goals we have in our sights for the moment,” explains Morton. “We just want to stay true to the kind of music that we’re into and, as long as people are into that as well, only good things can happen.” Pleasure Principle Weekender, 26-28 Apr, Trevelgue Holiday Park, Cornwall Read an extended version of the interview on our website

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All Together Now: Festival Season 2013 Words: Lauren Strain and Illya Kuryakin FLOW FESTIVAL

PARKLIFE (8-9 Jun, Heaton Park, Manchester) What started out as sloppy student-fest Mad Ferret (geddit?) a few years ago has evolved into Manchester’s own ‘proper’ festival; and though the upgrade this year from Platt Fields park to a massive fuck-off venue more used to hosting firework displays and The Stone Roses removes the chance of finding yourself in an impromptu rave in a CD shop in Rusholme on the way home, a few one-off bookings and a crowd-pleasing DJ roster keep Parklife on our radar. Don’t miss: The opportunity to watch Todd Terje vs Lindstrøm duelling it out over who released last year’s finest dance record (spoiler: it was Terje), The Bug’s subterranean discomfort, young Detroit blood Danny Brown, and a still-triumphant Daphni on the decks. [LS] Tickets: Day £45, weekend £69.50 www.parklife.uk.com GOTTWOOD (20-23 Jun, Anglesey, Wales) Set in an intimate, forest-bound location and with a similar focus on the clever, experimental end of the dance music spectrum to that of Eastern Electrics (below), Gottwood is an attractive alternative to your more urban rave-ups, with an immersive environment including light shows, space to chill, and ‘luxury furnished bell tents’ for those who prefer glamping. Don’t miss: Hamburg’s Extrawelt, Warp/Rephlex/ Ninja Tune veteran Luke Vibert, Manchester’s drum and bass don Marcus Intalex, breakbeat hardcore ambassadors 2 Bad Mice, and a massive lineup of underground DJ talent. [IK] Tickets: £95 www.gottwood.co.uk EASTERN ELECTRICS (2-4 Aug, Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire) Eastern Electrics moves from the Greenwich Peninsula to Knebworth Park to present a who’s who of bleeding-edge dance music, with labels such as Hessle Audio, Hotflush and Numbers all represented. Think of it as a hipper Creamfields, with the emphasis on invention and innovation rather than straight-up hedonism. Don’t miss: The cream of UK bass music from Hessle Audio founder Ben UFO and occasional contributor Blawan, top-drawer techno, garage and bass from Numbers rising star Jackmaster and Hotflush hotstepper Joy Orbison, plus classic techno from legends such as Richie Hawtin, Dave Clarke and DJ Sneak. [IK] Tickets: Day tickets from £30, two-day from £70, weekend from £115 www.easternelectrics.com

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BEACONS (16-18 Aug, Heslaker Farm, Skipton) The brainchild of those behind respected venues like Leeds’ Nation of Shopkeepers and Liverpool’s The Shipping Forecast, Beacons matches great taste – with input from promoters including Manchester’s Now Wave – with the atmospheric surrounds of the bracing Skipton countryside. Last year’s maiden voyage felt ‘boutique’ without being tame; good food (grab the fried plantain), a small site, but still plenty rough ‘round the edges. Don’t miss: A rare UK live set from Spanish producer John Talabot, whose sultry, stealthy album Fin was undoubtedly 2012’s finest hangover soother, the aqueous, melancholic house of Floating Points, and an unforgiving Fucked Up. And as Beacons is one of those precious commodities – a UK festival that understands you don’t want to hit the airbed at 11pm – your early hours are capably catered for by savvy Irish boys Bicep and Hoya Hoya’s effortless, estimable Jon K. [LS] Tickets: £74.50 early bird (limited), £99.50 thereafter www.greetingsfrombeacons.com FESTIVAL NO 6 (13-15 Sep, Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales) Made famous by 60s psychedelic espionage TV thriller The Prisoner, Portmeirion is a wonderland of mismatched, overwrought architecture, supposedly modelled on an Italian village. In the show it served as a gilded cage for a retired spy known only as Number Six. His character gives Festival No 6 its name – but it’s not just a number, it’s a killer festival, with indie rock stalwarts rubbing shoulders with the dance intelligentsia, and a strong literary and arts strand. Don’t miss: Post-dubstep pioneers Mount Kimbie and James Blake, hyped R&B duo AlunaGeorge, punk poet John Cooper Clarke, and DJ sets from Sir Andrew of Weatherall, house originator Frankie Knuckles, and techno legend Carl Craig. [IK] Tickets: Day £65, weekend (adult) from £170 www.festivalnumber6.com LIVERPOOL INTERNATIONAL FESTIVAL OF PSYCHEDELIA (27-28 Sep, Camp and Furnace, Liverpool) As with its inaugural event last year, the second Liverpool International Festival of Psychedelia fills the caverns of Camp and Furnace with the best and weirdest of today’s expansive buzz and tripped-out dirge. The UK’s biggest celebration of psychedelic subculture also features art and film alongside the music, while Chicago’s fuggedout Trouble in Mind label curate a stage, bringing some of their finest acts with them.

Don’t miss: The first UK performance of Ty Segall’s new band Fuzz, Sacred Bones Records labelmates Psychic Ills and Chilean duo The Holydrug Couple, Liverpool’s homegrown Clinic, the naïve pop wanderings of the Netherlands’ Jacco Gardner and the proggy, knotty foliage of Carlton Melton. [LS] Tickets: £30 early bird (limited) www.liverpoolpsychfest.com

INTERNATIONAL

NUITS SONORES (7-12 May, various venues, Lyon, France) With Barcelona’s Sónar having gotten a bit too big for its boots, Lyon’s Nuits Sonores is looking ever more like one of the globe’s most sophisticated (yet still accessible) electronic line-ups. Running parallel to the festival is a programme of six installation projects, Images Sonores, bringing together artists, filmmakers, light designers and developers in creating ‘scenographic’ experiences that allow festivalgoers to participate in... erm, something. You’ll probably be too fucked to notice. Don’t miss: Phantasy’s prodigy Daniel Avery, whose tunnelling, paranoid Water Jump EP is something else played out live, Merseyside’s Evian Christ with his weird mixture of searing Holy Other-esque bandwidths and screwed hip-hop vocals, Kölsch’s stripped, sad synths, Pantha Du Prince and The Bell Laboratory performing their ambitious Elements of Light project, and the Kompakt DJ Crew high on a year of celebrating the label’s 20th anniversary. [LS] Tickets: All days and nights €148, various day/ night options available www.nuits-sonores.com MELT! (19-21 Jul, Ferropolis, Germany) Set in the island confines of Ferropolis (literally ‘city of iron’), a city-sized museum filled with machinery, vehicles and contraptions from the 20th century and situated about an hour and a half’s drive from central Berlin, Melt! boasts an enormous slab of a lineup well-balanced between dance and alt rock/indie. Don’t miss: Thom Yorke’s supergroup Atoms For Peace, Amon Tobin DJing under his stark, neo-brutalist dubstep guise as Two Fingers, an electro-pop deathmatch between CHVRCHES and Purity Ring, psychedelic hip-hop supremo Flying Lotus, and dark atmospheres from Trentemøller. [IK] Tickets: €119 www.meltfestival.de FLOW (7-11 Aug, Helsinki, Finland) Helsinki has a vibrant musical culture despite its small size, and the highlight of its musical calendar is Flow, a hipster-friendly four-day gathering

MUSIC

that focuses mainly on music, but incorporates a dynamic programme of film screenings, workshops, and top-notch food and drink. Don’t miss: The return of Swedish oddballs The Knife, Hudson Mohawke fresh from more collaboration with Lunice as TNGHT, Julia Holter’s shy, ectoplasmic pop, and man of the moment Kendrick Lamar. [IK] Tickets: Opening concert (The Knife) €54, threeday €150, four-day €180 www.flowfestival.com DIMENSIONS (5-9 Sep, Fort Punta Christo Pula, Croatia) Toting by far the classiest of the Croatian dance festivals’ lineups, and – for the heads among you – claiming a more exacting tech spec than the rest, Dimensions, only in its second year, strikes a faultless balance between euphoria and experimentalism, pleasing adrenaline hunters and chin-strokers alike (chances are you’re both). Daytimes on the beach shift to the spectacular buildings of Fort Punta Christo Pula from 8pm to 6am. Prepare to enter hedonia. Don’t miss: Pearson Sound’s spot-on sense of pace, the dark layers and recesses of WIFE, Karenn (aka Blawan and Pariah) turning aggression into some sort of art, Demdike Stare’s ground-up, grainy sonics – and, because you’re bound to be having more than a few introspective moments, respite comes in the shape of The Invisible and a live set from Portico Quartet. [LS] Tickets: £135. Those travelling from Manchester or London may like to jump aboard the Sunshine Bus, bundling coach travel and a festival ticket for £330 www.dimensionsfestival.com ICELAND AIRWAVES (30 Oct-3 Nov, various venues, Reykjavík, Iceland) Venue-hopping across downtown Reykjavík’s 101 postcode – from the ship-like hulk of the Art Museum to the tiny 12 Tónar record shop – is an experience in and of itself; combine that with a programme that mixes international artists with local unknowns, a type of hedonism known only to those who’ve spent a night in tiny house-cumbar Kaffibarinn and the opportunity to nip off and watch a geysir explode out of the earth, and you’ve got Iceland Airwaves. Don’t miss: The untethered ramblings of beyondprolific Syrian folk artist Omar Souleyman, Piccadilly Records’ album of 2012-scoopers Goat, and Icelandic pop pin-up Sin Fang. Oh and err, some German group or other. Kraftwerksomething. [LS] Tickets: SEK18.500 (just under £190) www.icelandairwaves.is

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jussi Hellsten

Festivals! They’re still happening, except all the ones you used to just roll up to now sell out months in advance ’cause every man and his dog wants to go. Here are some lesser known gems for you to throw your pay packet at instead

26th & 27th July 2013

26th

27th

BOOK NOW TO SAVE £££! DAY: £25 | WEEKEND: £35 | CAMPING: £70

EARLY BIRD Prices run out 30th April

CRAIG CAMPBELL | HOIST THE RAG

LOTS MORE ACTS STILL TO BE ANNOUNCED!

WWW.STOCKTONWEEKENDER.CO.UK FOR MORE INFO.

ONLINE (bfs apply): WWW.STOCKTONWEEKENDER.CO.UK CALL: 01642 606525 (MON-FRI, 9-5)

April 2013

PRIMAL SCREAM

THE ENEMY KT TUNSTALL DEXYS BELLOWHEAD KING CHARLES PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING RODDY HART AND THE LONESOME FIRE HOLY ESQUE VUKOVI ROMAN NOSE VIGO THIEVES NORTH TYNESIDE STEELBAND & MANY MORE TO BE ANNOUNCED WITH TEN STAGES, A DEDICATED CHILDREN’S AREA, A HOST OF OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES, LUXURY CAMPING OPTIONS, A FIREWORKS DISPLAY AND THE SPECTACULAR BURNING OF THE WICKERMAN AT MIDNIGHT ON SATURDAY, IT IS AN ADVENTURE NOT TO BE MISSED. FESTIVAL SITE NEAR DUNDRENNAN, DUMFRIES AND GALLOWAY

Strange Daze

Philadelphian folk troubadour Kurt Vile waxes poetic on rock biographies, giving up drugs, and why loving your couch doesn’t make you a slacker

Interview: Sam Briggs Photography: Gemma Burke

hen born with a name like Kurt Vile, you’d assume his destiny as a star-spangled punk rocker would be a formality. That, or a career as a lauded super villain. Delving any deeper into the now-decade long musical exploits of this particular Philadelphian reveals a trajectory that might not quite reconcile with the pugnacious threat of his moniker. He revels more in a distillation of his myriad influences, channeling Stateside guitar traditions into his inimitable brand of hypnotic, magnetic Americana. The Skinny catches up with Vile as he unwinds back home in the aftermath of a whirlwind UK press trip to promote Wakin’ on A Pretty Daze, his fifth solo album in as many years. Surrounded by what he calls the “beauty in the general urban decay” of his hometown, he strikes a witty, endearing presence, at once humble and amusing, and speaks with a sensitive awe about his progression from forklift driver to father, and introspective troubadour to international touring success. Vile initially entered the spotlight through his role in Pennsylvanian indie rockers The War on Drugs, but speaks of his occasional frustration at the lip service paid to it. “In the blogosphere people say I was a bigger part,” he explains, “but it was always Adam [Granduciel]’s thing. He’s involved in every one of my records bar the new one. He’s my favourite person of all time. But I just remember people started calling me Kurt Vile from The War on Drugs, when I had so many CD-Rs of my own, and I knew I couldn’t be in this band anymore. It didn’t bother me, it was just that the illusion was that I came out of this band. But my music was my own focus.” His friendship with Granduciel and their mutual influence is something Vile is keen to pay testament to, that without each other, “neither of us would be making the same music that we do today.” While he was paying the bills as a forklift driver, Vile’s DIY CD-Rs attracted the attention of the prolific Matador label in 2009. Critical acclaim

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and a cult fanbase soon followed, hallmarked by Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, who described Vile's second album of that year, Childish Prodigy, her “guilty pleasure. Guilty because I listen to it too much!” Vile is no stranger to the details of musical histories besides his own. A self-professed rock biography nut, he speaks with vigour about the musicians he idolises himself. “I can read into my own life, it just inspires me to keep making music. It’s the same effect for me as listening to music,” he says, “I just start idolising them even more.” He remains refreshingly humble when talking about his own career, and how he might be remembered in his own biography. “Things just aren’t as exciting as the 70s,” he jokes, “I feel like it would be a pretty boring book. I think there’s so much static in the air nowadays, but hopefully I’m still remembered and perceived with much love and respect. My career is still a bit young. I could still fall out, I could start sucking. Years would have to go by. The whole mystique of not having been there, you know? Things weren’t always as glamorous as they seem when they’re described by somebody.” In the context of his discography, Vile can be viewed as no stranger to nostalgia. His records feel filtered through the lens of an older age, as if the psychedelic haze of their delivery is inherently hued with reminiscence. Though he talks of being aware of his older influences, he resists that his music never “comes out retro. I still think it’s music of today, if not some hip style.” Similarly, his reverence for American folk greats is undermined by his insistence on having “a million influences all the time,” from his homeland or elsewhere; that “these things pound through your brain from constant consumption.” He elaborates on his recent shift in perspective: “Maybe for a while I was influenced by the loose idea of ‘Americana,’ you know, the heartland music… for a while, I had this idea that it was the purest, that the general idea came through osmosis into my

music, my own version of it.” Vile jokes about the music media’s portrayal of his persona as the wistful slacker, content on the couch: “They get really literal. It’s more that when you’re affected by some parts of the world that smush your brain and weigh down on you for a sec, and that it’s just in the moment. I think the way I write about that kind of stuff, like wanting to lay down, is because I’m never allowed to do that. It’s not like I’m making a million albums and touring all the time to prophesise – ‘we should all just be laying down.’” The misty melodies of his previous albums might suggest that their inspiration came from cannabis-induced reverie, but Vile maintains that the influence of the philosopher’s blend is currently negligible. “I’ve been anti myself smoking pot for the longest time, because I just get kind of... weird. I definitely won’t accomplish anything and just get really paranoid that people are laughing at me.”

“Things just aren’t as exciting as the 70s” Kurt Vile

Instead, it’s an entirely different seismic shift in Vile’s recent personal history that comes to bear on his current state as a songwriter. The mixing of his latest release was interrupted by the early arrival of a new addition to the Vile family, when he and his wife welcomed their second daughter into the world. As a result of his status as family man, Vile admits to having “all kinds of pressures with this record. My daughter had just been born, I had to better myself. Ultimately that pressure is a good thing, even if it does eventually kill me.” With two children to take care of, Vile

MUSIC

notes a change in his outlook. “It’s the opposite of looking back, I’m watching them move forward.” The video for latest single Never Run Away, distributed as an advert on a local Philly TV channel, is a three minute insight into the Vile living room, and the heartwarming effect his adorable daughters have on him. This lightening in mood is abundantly clear from the very cover of his new LP. Moving from the grit of the black and white introduction to 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo, Vile is now pictured in saturated colour against the clear blue sky. It’s an overall indication of the album’s feel; whereas previous records came soaked in a lo-fi smog, here we see Vile in a higher resolution, on a grander scale carried through to the closing bars of the album’s closer Goldtone. “I had these songs that dealt with more epic proportions,” describes Vile, “and I wanted to explore every kind of nook and cranny of space; filling every gap with a kind of hypnotic, pretty vibe. Once I stopped bobbing my head, I knew when a song wasn’t working. Lyrically, it’s very comfortable with itself, and very me.” Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze is a bold recording, one which sees Vile take another assured step towards staking out his own turf within the great heritage of classic American songwriting. Would he venture that it's the realisation of that cheeky confidence he has consistently offered snatches of throughout his career so far? “I go through being super confident, and then paranoid,” he replies. “I just aim towards what The Band did, where ego is always a good thing. It’s still just the idea of the early days – coming out swinging, and aspiring to be one of the greats. Making the ultimate pop song, making it totally unique, that’s always been something I aspire to. You change a little bit, the older you get… but I’m still the same guy.” Wakin’ on a Pretty Daze is released via Matador on 8 Apr Kurt Vile plays Field Day at London’s Victoria Park on 25 May www.kurtvile.com

THE SKINNY

WIN TICKETS TO STOP MAKING SENSE

WIN AN URBAN FRUIT HAMPER!

To be in with a chance of winning a pair of tickets, head along to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer this question: Stop Making Sense is held in which European country? A) Czech Republic B) Cyprus C) Croatia A music event without pretension, full of warmth and a strong sense of community, Stop Making Sense in Croatia is all about the sunshine, the people, the boat parties, the music, the escape. Bringing some of the most diverse and in-demand acts in electronic music to beautiful Tisno, with Âme & Dixon, Steve Bug, Lindstrøm, Radio Slave, T.Williams, Sebo K, Prins Thomas, Will Saul, Midland, Mano Le Tough, San Soda, Appleblim and more, SMS is a festival, a sun-drenched holiday and a thrilling mini-break all rolled into one. Come and party with Stop Making Sense, 1-4 August 2013!

Entrants must be 18 or over. The prize is festival tickets only and does not include travel, accommodation, transfers or boat parties. Competition closes midnight Fri 3 May. Winners will be notified within two working days and are required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full details of terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny. co.uk/about/terms facebook.com/stopmakingsensefestival mixcloud.com/stopmakingsensefestival/ stopmakingsense.yokaboo.com

We have a special prize to give away from our friends at Urban Fruit. In their quest to find the world’s tastiest fruit, these guys spend their days asking a lot of questions – getting to know the best farmers, following the sun to find the finest fruit to pick when it’s just right, and then gently baking it so that it’s a little more delicious and a lot more convenient to munch on the move. To be in with a chance of winning a delicious hamper packed full of Urban Fruit goodies, head along to www.theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer this simple question:

Which of these is not a type of dehydrated fruit: A) Raisins B) Dried mango C) Horse Competition closes midnight Fri 26 April. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and are required to respond within one week or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full details of terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny. co.uk/about/terms

WIN TICKETS TO SOUND CITY LIVERPOOL SOUND CITY is a live music festival that takes over Liverpool City Centre from 2-4 May. This year they will be bringing you artists such as Noah and the Whale, The Walkmen, Dexys, Bastille, Reverend and the Makers, Everything Everything and many more. To be in with a chance of winning a pair of three-day tickets to this year's Sound City, head along to www. theskinny.co.uk/competitions and answer this simple question: Which of the following bands playing Liverpool Sound City have recently had a UK Number 1 album? A) Bastille B) Dexys C) The Walkmen Competition closes midnight Wed 24 April. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and are required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Full details of terms and conditions can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/ about/terms

April 2013

COMPETITIONS

Lifestyle

Rising Design In its second year, Manchester Fashion Week promises to give a sizeable platform to up-and-coming designers and makers through its New Talent showcase and links to regional ambassadors

Photos: Imogen Watsall

Words: Alexandra Fiddes

TED BAKER

very fashion fan worth their salt knows about the Big Four – London, Milan, New York and Paris. But as soon as they’ve closed their doors (until next season anyway), another wave of less well-known but just as interesting fashion weeks begins. Tel Aviv, Cambodia, Berlin, Tokyo – and now Manchester – are just some of the new fashion weeks that have suddenly appeared around the globe over the last few years. All are looking for a piece of the action and, hopefully, the chance to promote and support their local, up-andcoming independent designers, retailers and manufacturers. Now in its second year, Manchester Fashion Week ‘13 (MCRFW13), in association with boohoo. com, will take place 22-26 April at The National Football Museum. Located in the very heart of the city centre, in part of the Urbis building, the venue will be transformed into a hub of fashionable activity, hosting 30 catwalk shows over five days, and holding 20 exhibition spaces. Monday to Wednesday will be devoted to the High Street, with shows by the likes of Forever 21, Ted Baker, Reiss, Next, and more. Thursday – our most anticipated part of the programme – will be dedicated to ‘New Talent and Education’, previewing work by Manchester College, Manchester Metropolitan University and that of smaller

Lifestyle

TED BAKER

independent labels (at the time of going to print, those taking part are still being confirmed – exciting!) Finally, Friday will see the turn of the ‘Luxury Designer’ collections. This year, Manchester Fashion Week has generously pledged to donate a percentage of exhibition and catwalk space to those new and promising independent designers and makers who are just starting out and hoping to get noticed. Fashion Week founder Jonathan Sassen explains: “We wanted to use our position as a UK Fashion Week to provide vital help to UK independents, by becoming the only fashion festival to donate 20% of all official showcase space to them.” “We may be regional,” he adds, “but we recognise our national and international responsibility and this year we wanted to create a legacy: not just for the city but one which supports the growth of the UK fashion industry.” These coveted places will be awarded by a panel of industry experts, following a stringent application process. The ‘fashion ambassadors’ include Manchester-based designer Nadine Merabi, who at the age of 30 has already shown a collection during London Fashion Week, has her garments stocked in Selfridges and has dressed many well-known names within the music and TV industries. Merabi is passionate about the ‘New

FLANNELS

Talent’ section of the MCRFW13 schedule and praises Manchester for its “100% support” of her creative business and those like it. “Fashion is not an easy industry but if you have a good work ethic, show complete commitment and have talent, you can make it,” she says.

“This year we wanted to create a legacy” Jonathan Sassen

Jo Davies of much acclaimed local boutique, Black White Denim (named as Drapers’ fourth most Inspiring Independent Boutique in 2013 and Leader of the Year in the Everywoman in Retail Awards 2012), has also been working with MCRFW13 in support of the event. “Manchester Fashion Week helps to put the Northwest shopping scene well and truly on the map!” she says. Davies will also help to select work for the New Talent show, citing “self-belief, good listening skills, creative talent and patience” as essential qualities of young designers who are just

FASHION

MULBERRY

starting out. Garment-wise, she is looking for “longevity in fit, style, colour and fabrication.” Another talented lady who will be working as a ‘fashion ambassador’ for MCRFW13 is textile designer, illustrator and all-round print genius Lisa Stannard. Northern lass Stannard currently designs for LA-based label Whitney Port, freelances for brands such as Nike, Oasis and Miss Selfridge and lectures at Manchester School of Art, so is extremely qualified to impart knowledge to those with dreams of starting a career in the business. Her tips for success? “Work hard, network, have big dreams and take care of your website and online presence: it is the easiest way for people to find you.” She adds: “Be nice to people!” In short, regional fashion weeks are springing up everywhere and can be many things – some good, some bad, some niche, some commercial. The nature of the fashion week depends on the personality and the culture of the city that hosts it. We have every hope that Manchester Fashion Week ‘13 will be supportive of the local creative community and its up-and-coming talent, and will prove an event not to be missed. For more information about the event, dates and ticket details, visit www.mcrfashionweek.com @MCRFashionWeek

THE SKINNY

MARGARET HARRISON - BANANA WOMAN 1971

LITTLE SHILPA

Glam! The Performance of Style

Redesigning Fashion: How to Change the World in Style

Tate Liverpool, until 12 May

The Hat Works Museum, Stockport, until 7 Jul

hen you think of ‘glam’, you probably think of glam rock: of Bowie as his androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust; of Elton John’s platform boots and ridiculous eyewear; of outrageous fashion and a lot of glitter. Glam! The Performance of Style at Tate Liverpool is the first exhibition that attempts to bring together the memorabilia, art and iconography of this era. It asks us to think about what all that glitter represented. In 1967, homosexuality was legalised in the UK, and people began challenging gender stereotypes in a big way. It was a time where experimentation was encouraged as well as accepted – something that can be seen throughout this exhibition. From 1971-75, glam rockers like Bowie led the way in Britain while Andy Warhol and his famous Factory were flying the glam flag in the States. Glam focused on theatrics and performance: the fashion, hairstyles and makeup of the era were outrageous, from the eclectic ‘retro-fashions’ – which included 1930s Hollywood glamour and the Teddy Boy suits of the 40s and 50s – to

trashy and flashy futuristic looks, channelling scifi and mixing it with glitter (think satin jumpsuits and shiny, metallic lipsticks). The Tate show includes both a British and American ‘Glamscape’, pooling together various vinyl sleeves, magazines, posters, artwork, some short vidoes, and a few interesting outfit choices (Alkasura’s Cherry and Ladybird Jacket from around 1972 being a personal favourite). For those of you who love music, fashion and performance, and are looking to learn a little more about the era, Glam! are hosting a free event – including performances from unsigned bands – on 11 April at Liverpool’s Camp and Furnace in homage to Andy Warhol’s Factory. You might want to dust off that jumpsuit... [Charlotte Geoghegan] 10am-5pm, £8 (concession and family tickets available) Glam! 21st Century Factory, Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 11 Apr, 7-10pm, Free www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-liverpool

co fashion has found its (buffed and manicured) feet, stepped into its heels and walked miles to change the ‘throwaway’ nature of fashion. Destination – Stockport Hat Works Museum, where the new exhibition Redesigning Fashion – How to Change the World in Style is sure to turn heads (see what we did there?) Guest-curated by milliner Sharon Bainbridge, the exhibition explores the similarities (and differences) between the 1940s ‘make do and mend’ era and present day’s sustainable fashion takeover. Bainbridge explains: “This exhibition will highlight the variety of opportunities within sustainable design and show that you can still be ahead of fashion yet be helping the environment.” The 1940s can now be seen as a crucial moment in fashion, where producing a finished piece with very few materials was a necessity due to clothes rationing, but was also a means

of self-expession and creativity. Today, a new wave of designers have again begun to look into a more sustainable way of producing high fashion, examining both ecological and ethical issues and revealing their ‘it’s easy being green’ attitude. Overlapping past and present, the exhibition will display a vast array of 1940s headpieces, loaned from the Platt Hall Gallery of Costume in Manchester, alongside modern offerings from today’s leading designers in sustainable head-wear, including Mumbai-based installation artist, milliner and fashion stylist Shilpa Chavan, founder of the global brand Little Shilpa, Elsa Cappelli Hats, upcycling milliner Jane Fryers, and fashion designer Lizzie Harrison of Antiform. This celebration of ‘eco chic’ is a must-see for sustainable fashion lovers. [Rosie Green] Free, closed Monday www.stockport.gov.uk/hatworks

20th Century Chic: 100 Years of Women’s Fashion

Strike a Pose: 50 Years of Football and Fashion

Sudley House, Liverpool

National Football Museum, Manchester, until 27 Aug

alking through the doors of Liverpool’s Sudley House is like stepping into a time machine. It’s an appropriate setting for the 20th Century Chic: 100 Years of Women’s Fashion exhibition, on display from early this spring until Easter 2014. The collection includes 12 outfits, each chosen to represent important time periods throughout the 20th Century. The outfits reflect not only the changing styles, colours and materials of the period but also the power, symbolism and role of women during ten decades. Our time travel begins in the early 1900s with an elaborate Belle Epoque evening dress from around 1907. With its tight-laced corset demonstrating the restrictions of women at the time, the richly embellished garment makes a strong statement. The exhibition then accelerates through fashion and history, pinpointing iconic styles and new manufacturing processes

April 2013

while echoing themes of feminism, politics, social change and even the impact of two world wars. As time progresses, women’s freedom from social restriction improves, with shorter hemlines and daring colours breaking social boundaries. This is particularly evident in the silk lamé evening dress from around 1925. We stop at the dawn of the 21st Century with an exciting outfit created in 1998 by Italian design house Moschino. This final outfit subtly suggests how fashion will respond to a modern age of women, now with more power and choice. 20th Century Chic cleverly combines iconic pieces by a diverse range of designers – from the established to the student – and comes highly recommended. [Jessica Campbell] 10am-5pm, Free www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/sudley

rom skinheads to WAGS, the Strike a Pose: 50 Years of Football and Fashion exhibition housed at the National Football Museum in Manchester examines the links between personal style and the beautiful game. Inspired by Paolo Hewitt and Mark Baxter’s 2004 book The Fashion of Football, From Best to Beckham, From Mod to Label Slave, the exhibition uses the early 1960s as a starting point for exploration and discussion. This was the period when the maximum wage limit for footballers was abolished, creating new ‘sports celebrities’ with a substantial disposable income – and there was no stopping them from dressing to impress! The exhibition begins by looking at the contribution of the late George Best – who had a fashion boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street – to mens’ style in the 1960s. It also shows more ‘unlikely’ style icons like Bobby Moore, as captured by photographer Terry O’Neill (whose work

FASHION

is showcased throughout), before moving on to explore the link between style and the violence of mods, skinheads and casuals on the terraces. Football fashion has its lighter moments, too, including Jose Mourinho’s celebrated Armani coat, as well as more sartorially debatable choices like the infamous white suits paired with candy striped ties worn by the Liverpool team at the 1996 Cup Final. Most of the garments here are on loan from personal collections and the show will not be touring, so whether you’re football mad or fashion crazy (or a bit of both), this exhibition is definitely worth a visit. [Lilith Haze] Mon-Sat 10am-5pm; Sun 11am-5pm, Free www.nationalfootballmuseum.com

Lifestyle

Easy Does It, installation view David Dale Gallery, Glasgow 2013

Kevin Hunt

evin Hunt is a sculptor based at The Royal Standard, an artist-led gallery, studios and social workspace in Liverpool, and is a former director of the organisation. Constructing sculpture utilising the found and redundant, his works reconfigure the detritus that surrounds us into linear and increasingly minimal structures that come to balance or are propped precariously. A recent preoccupation with both handling and moving things around has come to manifest itself in an ongoing series of works that reveal an innate complexity within the simplest of actions, gestures and forms, exposing an inherent beauty in the unnoticed, while playfully tampering with the poetics of the found form. Kevin has exhibited widely across the UK and abroad, concurrently working on a number of curatorial projects alongside his practice as an artist including co-founding CAVE, Liverpool's inaugural contemporary art fair presented during the opening weekend of Liverpool Biennial 2012 and easy does it, a three part evolving exhibition touring key artist-led spaces across the UK throughout 2013. Kevin is currently shortlisted for the 2013 Liverpool Art Prize.

“I’m really interested in the point where an object stops being just an object and becomes sculpture, becomes art. These things, before that gesture occurred, are often considered naff or tacky or construed as defunct in some way, sourcing unwanted materials in charity shops, junkyards or on eBay. In fact the materiality and form that much of the stuff I come to use is comprised of is often really immaculate; having a certain sophistication that I believe bypasses any connotation of being just a shitty necklace for instance, and I like to think in becoming sculpture, this inherent sophistication is revealed and the objects are now free to exist as the things that they really are.”

www.kevin-hunt.co.uk

SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

Seeing is Believing , plastic and tempered steel, 2012

A Useful Force, plastic and tempered steel, 2013

Empty Space, wood soaked in ink, 2012

Bibelots Divers, balanced Tupperware, 2010

Held, photograph 2012

April 2013

SHOWCASE

Scene to Be Green

From potluck parties to bake-offs and now a full-blown festival, the Northwest’s vegan scene is prepping for revolution. We meet the people who are – ahem – rooting for change

Words: Andrea Wren Ilustration: Lucy Letherland

f you think vegans are a batty bunch of treehugging, ‘I Heart Tofu’-emblazoned t-shirt wearers, you can dust off that limp stereotype and get with it – because attitudes are changing. A vegan take-over seems to be brewing, and the Northwest is no exception: with everything from vegan wine tasting sessions to Latin Americanthemed potlucks popping up all over the place, Manchester and surrounds are a hive of activity. If you’re curious about veganism, attending Manchester’s first ever massive vegan gathering, the Northern Vegan Festival, on 13 April at Sachas Hotel, would be a good place to start. A full day featuring 100 stalls representing everything vegan – food, animal charities, rescues, campaigns, societies – plus talks, children’s activities, films, entertainment and cookery demonstrations, at £1 entry it promises to be a fascinating day. “Everyone is welcome, whatever their diet,” says organiser Roddy Hanson, who, while it’s hard to estimate turn-out, reckons on a hefty two or three thousand attending. “Non-vegans will enjoy stuffing themselves with the masses of free food, and with the vegan food they can buy: Indian, English, Turkish, chocolate, burgers, sweets, and cake. We might also have a vegan beer and wine stall in a café area.” For the uninitiated, veganism is a lifestyle choice for those who don’t accept that animals are ours to use, in any way. As well as omitting animal flesh from our diets, vegans do not consume animal secretions – milk, eggs, honey – nor wear animal skins or use animal-tested products. They neither visit zoos nor ride horses. Vegans attempt to live a life that is, as close as possible, free from exploiting other sentient beings. Aside from refusing to be complicit in animal suffering, another benefit is good health. “Non-vegans who come to the festival will get the chance to learn about a diet which can improve their health and longevity,” Hanson says. “Vegans have much lower rates of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, obesity, and some cancers, than meateaters. The vegan diet is cholesterol-free.” With supermarket ranges for vegans expanding, and vegan businesses, eateries, menus and

Lifestyle

events sprouting up everywhere, the world – and particularly our little part of it – seems to be waking up to veganism. New kid on the block is V Revolution (vrevolution.co.uk) in Manchester’s Northern Quarter on Oldham Street. A café-cum-punk record shop, it’s a 100% vegan space. As well as vinyl, V Revolution sells a range of groceries such as dairy-free cheese, fake meats, and chocolate – and the funky café serves fabulous soya or hemp milk lattes with the best cupcakes you’ll taste, at excellent prices. “When we set up V Revolution it was to show a different side to veganism than that which dominates public opinion,” says owner Dominic Moss. “Being vegan doesn’t mean eating lentils and hummus – there is a whole world of delicious vegan junk food out there and I’d love to help people try it. “We have a strict no hummus, no roasted vegetable policy here. You’ll never get a risotto or any other dull ‘go-to’ vegetarian meal. Our food may be entirely plant-based, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a grilled cheese, hotdog, or jerk beef and coleslaw sandwich.” Moss adds: “Having both the records and food means we get a wider range of people in than might otherwise be expected. We have lots of non-vegan people with no interest in punk or metal, and then lots of punks and metalheads who aren’t vegan. Happily, many people who come in for one thing end up asking questions about the other.” Supplying the cupcakes is Jenny Gradwell of Cottage Cupcake Co. (cottagecupcakeco. com), who runs a vegan home-baking business from Didsbury (and is also holding a stall at the Northern Vegan Festival). She’s responsible, too, for establishing the Manchester Vegan Potluck, held at V Revolution, where attendees each bring a vegan dish to share. Having been vegan for more than seven years, Gradwell has witnessed the Manchester upsurge: “As well as V Revolution, I’ve seen two dedicated vegetarian/vegan bistros open,” she says, “which is amazing. Some brilliant social

events have started up, getting vegans together over yummy food and cake. And Manchester University’s VegSoc has been established, bringing a whole new generation of young veggies and vegans into Manchester. “I’m also pleased to see the continued success of places like Earth Café and 8th Day. And more restaurants are offering labelled vegan options on their menus, such as Dough, Bakerie and Ning. These are all signs of veganism in the 21st Century.”

“We have a strict no hummus, no roasted vegetable policy here” Dominic Moss

Manchester Vegan Society and Manchester Vegetarian and Vegan Group both hold monthly meet-ups, at Mod’s Veggie & Vegan Café at The Thirsty Scholar (facebook.com/modsveggievegancafe) and at 8th Day (eighth-day.co.uk), respectively. The quirky Cake Liberation Front (cakeliberationfront.com) ‘bake-off’, meanwhile, has been running for two years and is a popular bi-monthly get-together on a Sunday afternoon – if you bake, the only stipulation is your goodies are vegan. The next CLF is in May (date tbc, see their Facebook page for details). Founder Caroline Turner says: “I think it’s been so successful because it is open to everyone whatever their dietary preferences. I did a questionnaire once and 50 per cent of attendees weren’t actually vegan! They had friends or family who were, or had come along because they were interested in finding out more.”

FOOD & DRINK

The Bakerie Tasting Store, at The Hive off Lever Street, isn’t part of the vegan scene as such, but offers a great selection of vegan wines, with over 100 listed – and wine buyer and vegan Dale Meakin hosts regular wine tasting events, many of which consist of vegan-only wines, even though they’re not advertised that way. “I like to let people try and enjoy a wine – then I let them know it’s vegan,” he says. “Also for vegans, here they can make an informed choice about wines that are wines first, rather than wearing a badge of worthiness. It can be chosen for being a good wine, and it’s a vegan wine. Some of my favourites include the Millton Clos St Anne Pinot Noir, Meinklang wines, and Jean Bousquet wines from Argentina.” Manchester isn’t the only city starting to carve a vegan pocket for itself – the Salford Arms (salfordarmshotel.co.uk) on Chapel Street, walking distance from Manchester centre, now boasts a vegan menu every Tuesday, with vegan pizzas being offered elsewhere in the week. The Tuesday menu is the brainchild of vegan Sophia Fox, who works at the pub and encouraged her bosses to start themed evenings based on a vegetable. “My favourite dishes to stand out from these evenings have been the tempura broccoli with plum sauce, the mixed pea porridge, the sugar snap and courgette spring roll, and the salt and pepper tofu,” she says. “Everyone who has tried the food has been so surprised at the taste, vegans and non-vegans. We have weekly non-vegan customers who come in, and a few vegetarians. “Demand has increased but we want more people to know about what we are doing,” Fox says – and, with the likes of the Northern Vegan Festival on the scene, they surely will. Northern Vegan Festival, Sachas Hotel, Manchester, 13 Apr, 10am-6pm, £1, under 12s free Afterparty, The Thirsty Scholar, Manchester, 13 Apr, 6pm-late www.northernveganfestival.com Andrea Wren blogs about vegan food: www.chocolateandbeyond.co.uk

THE SKINNY

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April 2013

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Food News Where has all the rum gone? Er, we’re afraid you’re going to have to go on a long and convoluted trail to find it

Hungary isn’t all about nudist baths or floating down the Danube river – the booze (and the food) are definitely worth dabbling in too

Words: Jessica Hardiman Illustration: Thom Isom

Words: Laura Forsyth

t’s spring, a time for new beginnings – for Simon Rogan it is, anyway. Not content with running L’Enclume, his 2-Michelin star Cartmel flagship, the award-winning chef has brought his considerable talents to Manchester, taking charge of The French at The Midland Hotel. Let’s hope he can coax that hulking Manc giant up to the same level of esteem held for his Cumbrian cubbyhole. The Midland Hotel, Peter St, Manchester, from £29 for three courses. From fine dining to the quaint world of sponges, flans and gateaux: The Cake & Bake Show may just be your (piping) bag. Star foodies like Paul Hollywood, Eric Lanlard, Simon Rimmer and familiar faces from 2012’s Great British Bake Off guide you through a weekend of live demos, classes and lots of tasting of delicious produce. Manchester Central, Windmill St, Manchester, 5-7 Apr, £14.50 (£12.50). Another event for you sweet tooths: Claire Kelsey, the brains behind Manchester-based Ginger’s Comfort Emporium, a grown-up travelling ice cream van, has written Melt (published 11 Apr), a new book of her favourite ice cream recipes, ranging from Easy Berry Ripple to Smoked Sea Salt. Claire is signing her book at Manchester’s Whim Wham Cafe on 25 April. And if any of you reading this don’t like cakes and ice cream (what’s wrong with you?), solace can thankfully be found through beer, with the

Photo: Paul Downey

Round the World in 20 Drinks: Hungary

H Waterloo Beer Festival promising over 200 ales and ciders – including several from Liverpool breweries. Food is provided by local favourites Peninsula Pies and the Liverpool Cheese Company. Old Christ Church, Waterloo Rd, Merseyside, 18-21 Apr, £7 (£5). Rimmer – aka him off the telly and founder of Greens in West Didsbury – pops up again, having a busy ol’ April. Not only is he launching a trio of beers in collaboration with Robinsons Brewery, to go with steak, chicken and curry, he’s also releasing a new book on 1 April, Men Love Pies, Girls Like Hummus, which sounds like a new high for feminism. And if, after that, you need something to elevate you to higher spirits, Manchester boozers and ‘bar consultants’ The Liquorists are back with Rum Trail 4, the latest instalment in their popular series of alcoholic adventures. The pair’s bold claim of a no-hangover guarantee may well be hard to believe, but definitely serves as justification enough to challenge them to their word. The trails run from 10 Apr-3 May on selected dates, and start at £30; see theliquorists.com for details.

ungary's most celebrated boozy treat is the traditional Pálinka which has been chugged by royalty since the 14th century, originally as a ‘medicine.’ Derived from the Slavonic term ‘to burn,’ Pálinka will certainly give your cheeks a rosy glow after a few glasses. This double-distilled, multi-fruit brandy is bursting with flavours, ranging from pears, plums, apricots, and apples to other random fruit you’ve probably never heard of. Sometimes it can be made from honey but either way, you’re guaranteed the ultimate sweetly satisfying sensation. Serve at room temperature in a wide-bottom-narrow-top glass for the full fruit-based experience. Now, you can’t drink without having something to eat (responsibility and all that), so you should probably check out the national dishes. As with the booze it’s important to know, or at least be able to work out, what you’re getting as it can go horribly wrong (think mouthfuls of gravy-soaked bones and gristle, the memory still haunts me). If you want to play it safe but still taste the culture, check out anywhere serving Chicken Paprikash. The flavour is in the name; the beautiful paprika cream-soaked chicken is simple yet delicious. And vegetarians should try Lescó if they want a spin on standard vegetable: this plate is bursting with the same spice as the Chicken

Paprikash but is substituted with tomatoes, onion and peppers. If you are looking to clear your palate before or after your tasty platters, then I recommend you have a swig of Unicum. Although the name may sound dodgy, do not fear: it is created mainly using herbs, over 40 in fact. It’s pretty much one of your five-a-day. There are different variations of the drink, the most popular brand being produced by Zwack, which infuses the oaky undertones with a citrus flavour. This iconic drink has been around for centuries so if you fancy a zesty kick before, straight after, or even several hours after your meal, it's worth a shot. Or if you aren’t into syrupy brandies and liqueurs and just want to chill with a traditional beer then do not fear, as the Hungarians have got this sorted too with German-style Borsodi or a golden Dreher. There isn’t a shortage of wines, either, with variations ranging from a dry yet aromatic Furmint, to a tasty Tokaji, so you're guaranteed to find a drink to suit your food and mood. You’ll never go Hungary again. Hungary or drink-ary. Crikey. That Pálinka must have burned our brains as well as our cheeks...

Un hamburger s’il vous plaît This month’s Phagomania checks out some Frenchmen’s weird behaviour towards burgers, because why not? Words: Peter Simpson and Lewis Macdonald

magine we meet in the street. You ask us what interesting things we’ve seen lately, and we tell you that we’ve been following the work of two French graphic designers who spend their evenings creating complex and surreal pieces of photo-collage using beefburgers as the focal point. You would be within your rights to tell us that that shouldn’t exist, that we were mad for having dreamt it up, before shuffling us into some kind of padded van. Well, shuffle no more, for Fat and Furious burger is a genuine thing (fatandfuriousburger. com). What’s more, it’s bloody brilliant. The brainchild of designers Quentin and Thomas, and powered by “one love of fat, and two strong livers,” the duo’s blog is packed with a host of topical creations and some of the most bizarre food imagery since that scene in Eraserhead with the squirming roast chicken. Fancy a burger that also celebrates the coming of a new pope? These guys have made it,

April 2013

complete with mitre-style detail and little caviar jewels. What about a burger to commemorate the passing of astronaut Neil Armstrong? There it is, covered in coconut, with cream cheese and a little spaceman on top. A hunting-themed burger, with traditional rustic ingredients, on a placemat that makes the whole thing look like a shotgunwielding burger-headed monster? Yes – they have one of those too. The world of burgers is an odd place, but when you’re looking at a 007-inspired sandwich covered in gold leaf, accompanied by an ingredients list stuffed with French puns on Bond titles, it’s hard not to smile in a slightly demented fashion. You might have a point about that padded van.

MY NAME IS BUN, JAMES BUN

BURGER DE LA RENONCIATION (BURGER OF THE RENUNCIATION)

BURGER DE TROIE (BURGER OF TROY)

THE END BURGER

To find out more about Quentin and Thomas, go to theskinny.co.uk/food where Phagomania continues with a full interview with the duo, as we try to find out exactly what they’re up to fatandfuriousburger.com

FOOD

Lifestyle

Buena Suerte, Venezuela

Words & Photography: Quinten Dol

Which is to say, ‘Good Luck.’ As Venezuela mourns Hugo Chavez and prepares to hit the polls, we take a closer look at the nation in all its complexity

“Teenage girls approach you in the street for a photo and people will welcome you to their country, usually with copious amounts of rum”

San Sebastian's Walk, Henri Pittier National Park

“I

t’s all lies, whatever it is your media tells you about him. Sure, Venezuela has some issues. The biggest one is security. But he’s done great things for the country, he helps the poor, and that’s why the Americans hate him.” Miguel takes a deep breath. My friend Johan raises his eyebrows at me. Note taken – avoid the whole Chavez thing with Miguel while we’re relying on his help to cross the border into his country. “But you guys are going to love it here,” he continues. “The women, my god!” “Goddamn it, I can’t even find flour to make arepas anymore, let alone any meat! Does this happen in any of your countries?” shouts Juan two weeks later, his face going purple as he throws his four-wheel-drive off Merida’s mountain ranges towards the swamps of Los Llanos. Chavez’s price controls on staple foods have led to shortages. Big Juan soothes himself with half a bottle of cola in one gulp, and flashes a cheeky smile in the rear-view mirror. “So,” he says, addressing the men in our tour group, “how about those Venezuelan women then?” Yes, as 14 April’s election approaches and Venezuelans look down the barrel of another divisive ballot, continuing food shortages, skyrocketing inflation and life without their late Presidente, at least they can all agree that their women are smoking hot. If only that were the only thing their country was famous for. Chavismo has had a mixed impact on tourism in Venezuela: ‘mixed’ in the euphemistic sense that escalating violence (Caracas had the sixth-highest murder rate in the world in 2011), endemic corruption and a leader demonised by much of the Western media has scared most tourists away. Corrupt cops crowd the roadside, lovingly stroking the pastel-coloured Bolivars they’ve just taken from your pocket. While they’re hassling you on the highways, Venezuela’s lawless city streets remain unpatrolled: Latin America has never been the safest place to travel, but Venezuela has become decidedly more dangerous in the last 10-15 years. Ancient buses and

Lifestyle

spare part shortages lead to a lot of tedious roadside waiting; and anti-American propaganda means if you are of European descent, you might find some Venezuelans a bit distant. Still not turned off? After 16 hours on a bus seeing nothing but ‘Chavez: Heart of my Homeland’ murals, I too was demonising the big man and his stupid flag tracksuits. But the personality cult around Chavez in Venezuela is nothing on the fanaticism that surrounds locally born liberator Simon Bolivar. The Venezuelan-born 19th-century revolutionary is everywhere, from the Bolivarian University of Venezuela to Caracas’ Simon Bolivar International Airport. Following Bolivar Street or Bolivar Avenue in any given town will likely take you to Bolivar Square, past bridges and public works carrying signs pronouncing each as ‘Another work of the Bolivarian Revolution!’ The idolatry gets wearisome. Paradoxically, all the above reasons to avoid Venezuela just might translate into a compelling set of arguments to visit in the first place. Outside of Margarita Island, the mountain city of Merida and tours to Angel Falls or the swamps of Los Llanos you’re not likely to see many other backpackers. Among those Venezuelans who don’t sleep in the streets or pay attention to Chavez propaganda, a gringo will be treated like a celebrity. Teenage girls approach you in the street for a photo and people will welcome you to their country, usually with copious amounts of rum. All those beautiful Venezuelans mentioned above? They’re on the rum too, grinding away at each other in dingy clubs: it looks like someone’s taken the local social club back home and filled it with Latina supermodels. There are gorgeous beaches around Maracay and Cuyagua, everything from anacondas to caiman alligators to the world’s largest rodent on the wetlands of Los Llanos, the world’s highest waterfall at Angel Falls, and the Amazon. And for the smug travel wanker in all of us, Venezuela makes for a perfect namedrop when you’re talking travel stories at your next dinner party back

home. Stories about kids reluctant to leave their guns in the car while you go clubbing will have people clamouring for more. Finally, for the religious, those who like to walk, or those who simply find themselves around Maracay on the last Saturday of January, there’s the Caminata San Sebastian, or Saint Sebastian’s Walk. Little Juan Javier Bethancourt was born in El Playon 1983 with life-threatening complications. His father, a religious man, decided then was the time to cash in on a lifetime of belief. He trotted to the local church, slid into a pew and conjured the most achievable promise he could think of. “Look,” he prayed, “if Juan Javier reaches the age of four, I’ll walk from El Limón, near Maracay, to Ocumare on the coast. I’ll even take the kid along!” He evidently caught Saint Sebastian at a good time, and in January 1987 off went old Señor Bethencourt, up and over the jungled mountains of Henri Pittier National Park. Sr Bethancourt and his son have returned to do it all again every year since on the last Saturday of January. Word spread. Logically, it was decided that

TRAVEL

walking 42 kilometres between two Venezuelan towns of a Saturday was the key to Saint Sebastian’s benevolent heart. So it was that 12,000 Venezuelans and I set off up the jungle road from Maracay before dawn. Rounding a corner near the halfway mark, I was confronted with the uniquely Venezuelan sight of 40-yearold women wiggling their hips as a DJ blasted Gangnam Style in the middle of the jungle. Over 20 kilometres remained ahead, but in Venezuela a few minutes can always be spared for a dance. A sloth scratching itself in a tree marked the three-quarter point, and by now there was more hobbling going on than walking. Eventually, the cheering of drunken spectators announced that we’d reached tiny Ocumare. The faithful sidled off to Saint Sebastian’s church to check on the miracle they had cooking while smoke spewed out of barbecues and across the ranks of drained bodies in the square. Resting to one side with a celebratory beer, I'm approached by a family asking to take a photo with the gringo, followed by a giggling bunch of teenagers. As I sat on the floor of a bus back to El Limon, someone asked the bus driver to turn the music up. Salsa blared and strangers compared injuries and passed around bottles of rum. Chavez, regardless of your opinion on his politics, was the most recognisable symbol of Venezuela during his rule. Unfortunately, his own personality often overshadowed the joy, the endurance, the heat, the beauty and the music of his country and its people. It’s not always comfortable or completely safe, and the coming months may prove a difficult transition. But there is a Venezuela after Chavez and it’s well worth a look.

Playa Cuyagua

THE SKINNY

Female Pleasure and Desire: ‘You’re doing a PhD in what?!’ A University of Leeds research student discusses how diaries can help women to work through the conflicting messages they receive about heterosexual desire, feminism, and sexual pleasure

Words: Nichole Edwards Illustration: Laura Griffin

First, Canal Street A newbie to the Northwest queer scene tries to find out exactly what there is for a dyke and a transman to do on a Friday night in Manchester Words: Ana Hine

ometimes it’s tricky being a feminist who has sex with men. I say ‘sometimes’ in referring to myself, but the women in my research are also located on all points of that spectrum. I’m doing a PhD on how women who choose to identify as feminists experience pleasure and desire in their heterosexual practices. Up until now the pursuit of understanding female pleasure and desire has quite literally led us feminists everywhere ‘except into bed’ (to quote Kath Albury). As feminist academics, we theorise and theorise but no one is actually asking our feminist peers what they get up to in the heat of the moment. The under-theorisation of experiences of pleasure within female sexuality, particularly when engaging with the practices of feminists who have sexual relationships with men, is insufficiently studied. Better yet it is in need of being studied in order to contribute to growing dialogues surrounding female sexuality as a whole, both within and outside academia. Sexuality, on some level, impacts all of us in some way, shape or form. Why not legitimate it through research? My central question is; how do women understand and experience their own pleasure and desire? Within that I am interested in exploring how feminist values inform sexual practices and, the reverse of that, how sexual practices inform feminist values. Straightforward, right? Not a chance. What I am attempting to do in my work is use a relatively new medium within feminist sexbased research to try and aid in these understandings. If someone asked you to ‘keep a diary’ there’s a certain element of knowing what that means, a general understanding of the kinds of things you might write about. Diaries enable honesty. Openness. Reflective thinking. The diary is a safe space to actively engage with oneself, one’s

April 2013

body, and one’s experiences. As a result, it was my hope that a diary would allow participants to tell their own stories, in their own uninterrupted ways. In other words, to legitimate the body’s most intimate experiences I needed to employ a method that would match this level of intimacy. Enter, the diary. Seventeen women participated in this study, aged 21-59. Each woman kept a diary of her sexual thoughts, feelings and experiences (past and present) for a period of three months. While some participants viewed the content of their sexual practices as none of feminism’s business, so to speak, others were fundamentally at odds with the relationship between their feminism and their desire to have sex with men. I used to struggle with the latter a lot in my early 20s (this project is an extension of a master’s degree I did during that time). I found it difficult, then, to negotiate my desires in tune with a set of political values that, in the throes of passion, I often thought I wasn’t employing. Eventually I realised I was trying to justify my desires (to whom, I’m still not sure) so much so that I was denying them in an effort to embody an ideology whose underlying ‘take home message’ is, actually, that I have the right to choose. Exploring my sexuality? Essentially off the table, probably because I ‘feared’ I might enjoy something that as a feminist, or even a woman, I had been told that I shouldn’t. Most of the participants in my study are no different. Although discussions of choice are key to these women’s understandings of feminism and are present themes throughout each diary, in some instances these experiences were saturated with feelings of guilt as they questioned whether certain sexual choices placed their

personal identity as a feminist in crisis, and perhaps more importantly, open to critique. Yet, my understanding is that we need to strip away our preconceived ideas surrounding the norms of what it means to be a woman, of what we ‘should’ do in acts of sex, or in acts of gender. In other words, we need to move beyond simply addressing the constraints a woman experiences as a gendered body. Instead, we could explore what a woman is capable of as a lived body. Theoretically, this opens up the floor regarding the ways in which we can discuss sexual agency and how that agency can be embodied within these women’s experiences. The idea of having to justify certain heterosexual desires, for instance choosing to be sexually submissive and the guilt that was often found to be associated with this, is a starting point in determining what kind of relationship dominant norms have in both enabling and disabling sexual agency. As for right now, I’m knee deep in what I’ve been told for the last year and a half will be ‘the fun bit.’ I’m analysing diaries, creating lists of emerging themes, clustering those themes, making tables of those themes, starting to see how themes are related across the diaries, not reading enough theory (!!!) and overall, being generally astounded at the snapshots of women’s lives that I am able to experience and capture through such intimate writings. Purchasing a first sex toy, having an abortion, taking a vow of celibacy, receiving a diagnosis of vaginismus after years of reconciling rape: these events were experienced by the women in my research during the months they kept their diaries. Women are brave. Women experience a lot: with their bodies, their partners, their politics and, most importantly, with their selves.

DEVIANCE

oming to Manchester with the intention of checking out the queer/feminist scene, I message one of the trans-guys I know in the Northwest. Though Liverpool-based, he agrees to come down and help me get a sense of things here. We walk down Canal Street and I jot down his opinion on the bars and clubs we pass. There’s Queer, which is apparently ‘rough in the daytime,’ but a good generic gay club at night. A little on the gay male side, he says, but not exclusively or intentionally so. We pass Churchills and View before we reach REM; my friend whispers that REM is gay men only, and is quite strict on policing that. Later, people I speak to around the Canal confirm this, explaining that REM is a bear bar (among other things) with regular bear/cub nights. My curiosity is definitely spiked. I’m in Manchester on this particular weekend because it’s International Women’s Day (8 March) and, in support of LGBT Youth North West and Manchester Rape Crisis, Eden Bar are holding ‘Our Voices,’ a K+C Productions (with the support of Sparkle Manchester) evening of poetry and comedy. Eden Bar turns out to be, unsurprisingly, a lesbian and women-friendly drinking venue; the organiser, Liz Anderson, explains, “The whole point of this is that when people think of Canal Street they think gay men, but actually it’s better and safer for women than you might think.” Local poet/performers Rosie Garland and Steph Pike are among the best acts, though there’s quality scattered throughout the evening – with Christine Clarke and a talented young woman called Victoria Anne nearly lost in a racket of an ad-hoc ‘women’s band.’ My friend introduces me to another young woman named Hebe Phillips, who’s just helped set up a new Manchester Metropolitan University Fem-Liberation Society, with Chelsea Murphy (the Women’s Representative at MMU). “We’re trying to make an inclusive society while ensuring it’s a space where people can feel comfortable,” Murphy says. A lot of the jokes and poetic asides at Eden reference this idea of Manchester as a bit of a queer safe haven. Garland intones, “I wasn’t lucky enough to grow up in Manchester. I was lucky enough to move here the minute I could.” At one point the event MC, Rod Tame, calls Canal Street “A land of hope and glory holes.” The next day I run into Hebe again at the Joyce Layland LGBT Centre. She’s taking part in a women-only meeting so my friend waits outside patiently in the rain. I pop my head round the door, ask a couple of questions, and pick up a bunch of leaflets with names like, ‘The Weaker Sex? I Don’t Think So! A guide to self defence & combatting street harassment.’ Although it’s clear I’m only seeing a small cross-section of what the city and the Northwest as a whole has to offer for the LGBTQ community, what I do see over the two days I spend here I find very encouraging, especially on the women’s front. I feel at home here. I get the impression Deviance will be too. If you would be interested in telling us more about the bear/ leather scene in Manchester please get in touch at: ana.hine@theskinny.co.uk

Lifestyle

FLOW 2013 HELSINKI,FINLAND

FESTIVAL

7.–11.8.

BEACH HOUSE (US) MAYA JANE COLES (UK)

HAIM (US)

MYKKI BLANCO (US)

ALUNAGEORGE (UK)

TODD TER JE (NO)

AZELIA BANKS (US)

130 £ / 3 DAY PASS (FRI+SAT+SUN) 150 £ / 4 DAY PASS (WED+FRI+SAT+SUN)

• £15 adv Sat 13th Apr

& His Jaguar Skillsiends Fr Amazing

• £17.50 adv Sat 27th Apr

I Am Kloot

• £35 adv Tues 18th Jun

Blondie

• Tues 16th Apr

£22.50 adv

Big Country

• £12 adv Sun 12th May

Lucy Rose

• £16 adv Sun 13th Oct

Everything Everything

r • £18 adv Weds 17th Ap

The Fratellis

• £17.50 adv Sat 25th May

ang Cast & The Tw

t • £12 adv Thurs 31st Oc

Tom Odell

MANY

KRAFTWERK 3D SHOW

(GER)

W W W . S E E T I C K E T . C O M

(AU)

NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS

(SE)

THE KNIFE

(US) T

SOLANGE

DISCLOSURE (UK)

TENSNAKE (GER)

r • £11 adv Weds 24th Ap

Rudimental

£10.50 adv Sat 8th Jun •

James Skellyrs e & The Intend

• Mon 4th Nov

£14 adv

lin Gabrielle Ap

THE SKINNY

Gig Highlights

Hot Wax Break open the penny jar, call in your debtors, collectors of the world unite! This 20 April sees the sixth incarnation of Record Store Day

From the wonky West Coast folk of Mary Epworth to the raw scorch of Hookworms – via Steve Mason’s forthright bluster – April in the Northwest is a month of contrasts. Gently does it

Words: Sam Briggs Ilustration: Thom Isom

Word: David Edwards

nitially designed to celebrate the endangered species of the independent record shop, Record Store Day is now a significant date on the cultural calendar, bringing together stores and fans internationally through a series of limited releases and events arranged for the occasion. In Manchester, Soup Kitchen hosts Record Store Day Live with performances from local bands G R E A T W A V E S, Francis Lung, B L O O M, Weird Era, Kult Country and headliners Heart-Ships interspersed with DJ sets from 11am to 7pm. Shackleton brings the bass at an early – for him – slot of 8pm (ticketed separately), while eminent partiers Swing Ting keep the vibe, er... vibing 'til 3am.

STEVE MASON

by the same venue on Sunday 14th. Creosote’s unique and intoxicating blend of electronica and acoustic loveliness precedes an excellent conclusion to the venue’s April programme in the form of Veronica Falls – touring their superb second record Waiting for Something to Happen – on Wednesday 17th. April may be a time for sugar, spice and all things nice, but if all this sweetness and indiepop is too much for you, you should really consider heading across to Mello Mello on Friday 19th for The Physics House Band and Ninetails’ wonderfully fractured, cerebral prog leanings: blending math rock with expansive tapestries, they engage the synapses and roll heads skywards. Providing the highlight of Manchester’s month are perennial favourites The Wave Pictures playing three secret, tiny-capacity gigs across the city on 17 and 18 April. Grab tickets for the date of your choice and you’ll receive an email the week of the show telling you where Dave,

Photo: Alex Woodward

irst on our radar this month is the tremendous, blues-soaked and helmet-clad Bob Log III at The Ruby Lounge in Manchester (6 Apr). Expect (and accept!) the improbable. Across in Liverpool the night after (7 Apr), Mary Epworth fills Leaf on Bold Street with her folk-tilted melodies, while well-matched support comes from the effortless psych-folk atmospherics of Fuzzy Lights. If you fancy something that bit more off-kilter, however – maybe something like Devendra Banhart if he’d taken a lot more acid and studied piano that bit more intently? – then head across to The Kazimier on Monday 8 April for King Charles’ twisted folk leanings. Manchester hits back with a quadruplewhammy at Gorilla (fast becoming one of the most talked-about venues in the city): first up on Wednesday 10 April is former Beta Band frontman and The Skinny's March Issue cover star Steve Mason, fresh from the glowing reception of album Monkey Minds in the Devil’s Time. Mason continues to leave his former life in the shade with some blistering and style-crunching releases that thrill and sparkle with innovation – and this audience-with promises to be nothing less than intense. British Sea Power – one of the UK’s finest and most consistent bands of the past decade – follow on 11 and 12 April, before we witness a clash of old and new on Saturday 13th with noted indie up-and-comers Deadbeat Echoes supporting the launch of photographer Ian Tilton’s Stone Roses book Set in Stone. Sandwiched in between, Worcester’s newpsych luminaries Peace play Manchester Club Academy on Friday 12 April, doing their bit to further the welcome rebirth of psychedelia into the modern musical consciousness. Heading along the M62, on Thursday 11th Merseyside has Fang Island playing The Kazimier. Dragging their indie-pop sensibilities through a hedge of filters and reverb, they provide a distorted wake-up call before King Creosote drops

Franic and Jonny are gonna turn up. Elsewhere, The Leisure Society continue touring their gorgeous new album Alone Aboard the Ark by stopping off at The Deaf Institute (21 Apr), and the month spirals to a sumptuous conclusion with Low’s absorbing textures and melodies filling the awe-inspiring space of the Central Methodist Hall on Thursday 25th. Liverpool finishes April with a wild, weird and wonderful hat-trick of gigs. Experimental art-punk legends Pere Ubu perform their impressive new Lady From Shanghai album at Eric’s on Monday 22nd while, on the same evening, Daughter showcase debut LP If You Leave (one of 2013’s choice cuts so far) in the magnificent surroundings of Liverpool Anglican Cathedral. And if you need something that bit more quirky and genre-bending, Camp and Furnace plays host to Helsinki’s K-X-P on Wednesday 24 April with their blend of death-disco, post-punk and melodic rock. Genuinely not to be missed.

DO NOT MISS: Hookworms, Camp and Furnace, Liverpool, 4 Apr / Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 5 Apr t’s fair to say that Hookworms’ Pearl Mystic has been one of this year’s most anticipated releases among those who’ve caught the band live over the past couple of years. But no one was expecting the furious, skyscraping and era-defining slab of wonderment that came to our attention last month. Combining psychedelic space-rock leanings, drone and fuzzbox textures and muscular punk ideologies into one head-exploding package, the Leeds five-piece have set a high bar for 2013 that’s hard to imagine being surpassed, even at this early stage. Their set at the first Beacons festival in 2012 was one of the live highlights of last summer, and this month they pass by Liverpool and Manchester on consecutive nights at Camp and Furnace and Soup Kitchen, respectively. If you want to experience a truly unique band at the peak of their powers, you really don’t want to be anywhere else on these dates. Hookworms’ star is in the ascendancy. [David Edwards]

April 2013

HOOKWORMS

Photo: Kate Prior

In collaboration with Piccadilly Records, Common on Edge Street host DJs from local record labels including SWAYS, Red Deer Club, Folklore Tapes – and, of course, Piccadilly Records’ own Pasta Paul. The live line-up features Jonnie Common, Horsebeach, Emperor Zero and Bernard + Edith, while Ruf Dug of Ruf Kutz and Tusk Wax keep things going 'til late. On sale will be a cassette with contributions from all of the bands playing on the day (limited to 50 copies), and a special ‘Quiff Ale’ and ‘Piccalilli Burger’ – and you can get 10% off all of these with a RSD stamp from Piccadilly Records, which will of course be dealing a large selection of the day’s releases. Liverpool’s Probe Records describe RSD as like “the week before Christmas in a single day,” and will be offering bottles of Probe beer to grab along with your swag; 3B Records on Slater Street, meanwhile, will have “as much stock as we can get our hands on,” Stu Robinson (aka Cosmic Boogie) DJing in store, and Deekline, who’s in town for a gig that night. As for releases, we recommend you start queueing early to get your mitts on a 12” of Nicolas Jaar’s remixes of Brian Eno’s Lux and Grizzly Bear’s Sleeping Ute, a 7” of David Bowie’s The Stars (Are Out Tonight)/Where Are We Now from his new album The Next Day, a split Toy/The Horrors 12”, and reissued Caribou longplayers Start Breaking My Heart, Up In Flames and The Milk of Human Kindness. Record Store Day takes place 20 Apr in fine record shops across the UK www.recordstoreday.co.uk

MUSIC

Preview

Album of the Month The Flaming Lips

The Terror [Bella Union, 15 Apr]

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Billed as The Lips' ‘bleak, disturbing’ record (with suitably ominous title to match), the reality is that this, their thirteenth studio album, while completely lacking in any of the singalong confections (à la Yoshimi or Do You Realize??) that have engrained them in the public consciousness, is more ambient and restless than downright moody – though it is difficult to see where they’ll be getting the zorbs and giant balloons out when it comes to their legendary live shows. The Terror represents a tighter focusing of the atmospheric psychedelia of 2009’s Embryonic (and, to an extent, their multicollaborative Heady Fwends compilation from last year). Wayne

Colin Stetson

New History Warfare Vol. 3: To See More Light [Constellation, 29 Apr]

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Coyne’s voice, effect laden and in high register throughout, provides a familiar, soothing backdrop to the crescendo-building buzzsaw guitar and syncopated beats of Look...The Sun is Rising and Always There In Our Hearts, which bookend the record. In between, the comparative energy of these tracks gives way to those that join the dots, like You Lust and The Terror, which ebb and flow around sparse melodies and etherealisms to disorienting effect. Yet, the whole is an album of august eminence; an impressive addition to an illustrious canon. [Paul Mitchell] flaminglips.com

Akron/Family

Life Coach

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Sub Verses [Dead Oceans, 29 Apr]

Alphawaves [Thrill Jockey, 15 Apr]

Sometime session saxophonist Colin Stetson has been blazing a strange and experimental path with his New History Warfare series, in which unique playing / recording techniques are wed to a boldly experimental tonal minimalism. Stetson’s technical mastery impresses; but save your wonder for the jarring, semi-apocalyptic mood. Like a brooding soundtrack to an as-yet unmade David Lynch film, a cloud of unease trundles throughout, relentlessly. Meanwhile, the defiant lack of structure and Steve Reichian repetition forces engagement at an almost metaphysical level. A few tracks, such as the 15-minute To See More Light, can be gruelling, and the virtual absence of anything resembling what could be called a song will lead New History Warfare Vol. 3 to be quickly dismissed by some (a guest vocal appearances from Justin Vernon may be something of a red herring). But given room to breathe, this is a curious treat: a collection of sonic mood pieces, boasting a rare, tempestuous, dreamlike beauty. [John Nugent]

On seventh album Sub Verses, Akron/Family again manage to sound both formidably outré yet instinctively graspable. No Room is a brooding beast of an opener; a groove-based colossus that stretches itself over the best part of seven minutes, all rippling tom rolls and ever-thickening walls of noise. Way Up follows, its multi-part vocals dancing atop brutish thuds of distortion to create one of the record’s most striking couplings. Its hard-edged beauty then gracefully collapses into Until the Morning’s soulful psych-folk concoction, which in turn segues to the hectic bustle of Sand Talk – and so on, through still ambience (Sometimes 1), discordant squalls (Holy Boredom) and playedstraight doo-wop (When I Was Young). This restlessly contrastive aesthetic delivers bulk brilliance, imaginatively weaving through disparate realms; never so sharply as to shake off those clinging on by fingernails and good faith alone, but vigorously enough to ensure it’s a stimulating journey throughout. [Chris Buckle]

Originally conceived as a solo outlet for Trans Am founder Phil Manley’s homage to late krautrock visionary Conny Plank, this second album as Life Coach is another bold evolution for the prolific producer. Whereas his 2011 debut was a reflective series of uplifting ambient synth passages, Alphawaves is all live instrumentation with Manley’s mantra-like vocals casually drifting in and out of every other track, recalling NEU!’s cosmic meandering as much as QOTSA’s earliest brushes with hard-hitting psychedelia. With Manley’s Roland 606 left smouldering in the skip, Earthless guitarist Isaiah Mitchell occasionally plugs in and the drum stool comes out for sometime Golden bandmate and college chum Jon Theodore, complementing the album’s improvised feel with a loose and intuitive set of parts he recorded mostly unrehearsed on the first take. As a result, Alphawaves is more naturally experienced as a fluid, singular jam on repeat, each hypnotic track reaching for its own summit in perpetuity. [Dave Kerr]

colinstetson.com

akronfamily.bandpage.com

philmanley.com

Neon Neon

The Melvins

Trwbador

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Praxis Makes Perfect [Lex Records, 29 Apr] Neon Neon’s auspicious debut, Stainless Style, was written in homage to 80s ‘icon’ John DeLorean with the sonic palette to match, but Praxis deals with the life and times of Italian communist sympathiser Giangiacomo Feltrinelli, last seen just before dying in unexplained circumstances in 1972. A different era, but not as far as the music is concerned. It appears Boom Bip (Bryan Hollon) and Gruff Rhys have grown quite fond of the studio equipment last used by the likes of Yello, Depeche Mode and, eh, Debbie Gibson but it certainly helps that the seasoned Hollon is masterfully adept with it. Rhys’ supreme pop-writing abilities (and notable sense of humour) mean that this sophomore effort is just as much fun as the original. Power pop ballads in the form of Jaguwar and Dr Zhivago are constructed with no little tongue in bombastic cheek, counterbalanced by the ‘cheery’ denouncement of capitalism that is Shopping (I Like To) featuring none other than 80s icon Sabrina Salerno of Boys (Summertime Love) fame. A synthesised delight. Now where did we put that Rubik’s Cube? [Wilbur Kane]

Everybody Loves Sausages [Ipecac, 29 Apr] What better way to ring in Melvins’ 30th year than this snapshot of what was going on inside the impressionable minds of a young Buzz Osborne and Dale Crover back in 1983. Everybody Loves Sausages finds the duo serving up a plate load of tasty bangers that pay tribute to childhood influences, which range through proto-punk (The Kinks) and thrash (Venom) via coked-up art rock (Bowie), with an ensemble cast of their own contemporaries onboard to co-sign the love note. Echoing the experimental nature of 2000’s The Crybaby, it’s a potent reminder of their dexterity beyond the dependable sludge metal records they’ve been trading in ever since (with the exception of Freak Puke, last year’s doom jazz detour). From Jello Biafra’s alternately chilling and hilarious Bryan Ferry impression (see the ambient reworking of Roxy Music’s In Every Dream Home A Heartache), to one of the heaviest renditions of Station to Station you’ll ever get lost in, it’s a thrill to hear such eccentric moments from pop music’s past so liberally seasoned with Melvins’ own madness. Pass the sauce. [Dave Kerr]

Since forming in 2010, Carmarthenshire’s Trwbador (aka Welsh-Dutch singer Angharad Van Rijswijk and guitarist/producer Owain Gwilym) have forged a distinctive and often impressively inventive style, with whimsical vocals pinned lightly to toybox production built from glitches and loops, glockenspiel chimes and nursery rhyme melodies. Unfortunately, unless your tolerance for twee and quirk is notably high, the effect is likely to irritate more often that it bedazzles, with the monotonous lyrics of songs like Sun in the Winter and Red Handkerchiefs not helped by cutesy delivery and an over-familiarity with the upper range of audible frequencies at the expense of anything deeper (in both senses of the word). Despite these doubts, however, it’s easy to keep sight of the duo’s potential, with Rain’s sideswiping Welsh-language rap (courtesy of guesting MC Odlgymix) showcasing the more positive results of the duo’s idiosyncrasies, and the crystalline cadence of Safe best indicating their compositional talents. [Chris Buckle]

Pan American

The Knife

David Grubbs

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Cloud Room, Glass Room [Kranky, 29 Apr] Billed as an album that was ‘written to be played live,’ Mark Nelson’s umpteenth album under the Pan American moniker makes only small changes to the group’s established métier of soporific drift and shimmer. Most noticeable is the addition of fellow Labradford alumnus Bobby Donne, whose restrained basslines underpin many of these tracks; contributing a sense of weight and body while simultaneously adding to the cumulative narcotic effect of the music by dint of sheer repetition. Nelson’s fascination with minimal techno still heavily informs the rhythms of the music – with fleet-fingered percussionist Steven Hess giving a supple, understated performance behind his acoustic kit – but the predictable dubby throb of Glass Room at the Airport will have more than a few fans wishing that Nelson had spent a little more time investigating the looser, more organic modes that made 2004’s Quiet City such a masterpiece. [Mark Shukla]

Shaking the Habitual [Rabid, 8 Apr] Accompanied by a manifesto expressing distaste for the ‘already imagined,’ siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer’s first record as The Knife in seven years is a disquieting and structureless piece of work that speaks of an endemic dissatisfaction with most of the systems in which we both live and make art, its own insistent shapelessness being itself an attempt to – well – shake the habitual. Without You My Life Would Be Boring mixes scatological lyrics with junglist drums; Fracking Fluid Injection is a cacophony of rubbed blades, hooting vox and shrill warnings, while two sinussearing interruptions, Oryx and Crake, namecheck the titular characters of Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic novel. A Tooth for an Eye and Stay Out Here are the only tracks you could really refer to as songs, and to put that in perspective, the latter is an 11-minute slice of nasty rave. This will be fucking harrowing live. [Lauren Strain] theknife.net

kranky.net/artists/panamerican.html

Trwbador [Owlet Music, 1 Apr]

Review

The Plain Where the Palace Stood [Drag City, 15 Apr] The second song on David Grubbs’ first fulllength in five years, I Started to Live When My Barber Died, is a playful meditation on the creative potency of relinquishing control. Characteristically, it’s a sentiment tinged with irony and ambivalence: throughout Grubbs’ career, his work has sought to combine obsessive attention to detail with the magic of improvisation and chance. In some ways, The Plain Where the Palace Stood continues where its predecessor, An Optimist Notes the Dusk, left off: Ornamental Hermit, for example, is a typically complex, oblique slice of avant garde guitar-pop. There is, however, an unusual sense of fragmentation here. Barring the closing Third Salutation – a hauntingly minimal landscape of feedback – none of the pieces overstep the five minute mark, and the LP flirts with drone-folk and math-rock. If Grubbs is resisting the urge to impose a controlling vision, he’s nonetheless created something with its own compelling logic. [Sam Wiseman] dragcity.com/artists/david-grubbs

RECORDS

THE SKINNY

!!!

The Thermals

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Thr!!!er [Warp, 29 Apr] Throughout their 17 years, !!! have evolved from a tight, snarling punk-funk ensemble into something altogether more louche, studied and hip. What they’ve lost in youthful exuberance and attitude, they make up for with a nuanced understanding of funk and disco tropes, married to a playful indie rock sensibility, which leaves younger bands with similar influences dead in the water. When it works, the results are immaculate, as on opener Even When the Water’s Cold, with its gently pulsing Cumbia guitar and flippant, menacing lyrics (“She was better off at the bottom of a river / Than in a bed with him”). Sometimes, as on Get That Rhythm Right, the results feel overly polished – you’ll miss the Joe Strummer sneer in Nic Offer’s voice; the horns and picked riffs feel too perfect. In songwriting terms, and with regards to overall structure, it’s their strongest album in years, but struggles to recapture their early peaks. [Bram E. Gieben]

The righteous fury of The Thermals continues to burn with intensity some ten years after their debut. The subjects that singer Hutch Harris has taken aim at over the years – from war and right-wing politicians to our own complacency – are certainly worthy of debate. But such insistent moralising is not everyone’s cup of tea, particularly when the Portland band tackle a more singular theme – aggression – on Desperate Ground. Then again, nobody who listens to this album - the band’s sixth – could accuse Harris of posing or posturing. His beliefs, and their desire to challenge others, clearly comes straight from the gut. On Born to Kill, he questions the blind faith of a soldier turned madman, ready to spill blood, who snarls: “I will not be denied my destiny.” Composing polemic anthems is what The Thermals do best; anyone after a more nuanced discussion would be best advised to look elsewhere. [Chris McCall]

Sølyst

Loch Lomond

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Lead [Bureau B, 15 Apr] As the rhythmic powerhouse in krautrock/electronica/post-rock fusionists Kreidler, Thomas Klein has proved his chops as one of the most accomplished and creative drummers in the German music scene, and now he comes to the fore with his dub and techno-influenced solo debut as Sølyst. If krautrock as a movement was about taking organic, instrument-created sounds and building them into angular, avant garde sonic tapestries, then Klein’s reinvention of the template simply does the same with digital technology and sounds. The dub influence slows the pace to a narcotic, undulating throb on opener Pierbourg, which nods to the minimalist techno of Basic Channel and classic experimental synth music. Elsewhere, Polar combines glacial, echoing percussion with multifaceted, bubbling synths; Magellan propels the tempo upwards with intricately interlocking toms and pulsing laser sounds, and Euphorica nods to the minimal broken beat patterns of two-step garage. Understated and avoiding wilful experimentation in favour of smooth, rounded compositions, it’s a strong debut from Klein. [Bram E. Gieben]

Seabed [R&S, 1 Apr]

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When you’re stuck in the spaces in-between – on journeys home at uncomfortable dawns, in cold living rooms at the wrong end of the morning – you’ll want to know about Seabed’s low, slow groove, its humid, heavy atmospheres and its mournful way with melody, all delivered in frontman Lewis Rainsbury’s blasé yawn-sing (which sounds like it should belong to a man far older and jaded than his 21 years). This is a less skewed offering than 2011’s intoxicating nyc stuff and nyc bags EP – but although a reworked California Analog Dream (from 2010’s Sauna EP) loses a lot of the fog and sense of space that made its original incarnation so evocative of the San Diego landscape Rainsbury yearns for in it – Vondelpark’s long anticipated debut is an involving, inhabitable album that spooks (see: Dracula, Come On) as much as it soothes (Always Forever, Quest). [Lauren Strain]

PYYRAMIDS

Dresses [Chemikal Underground, 8 Apr] Now in its tenth year of existence, Ritchie Young’s Loch Lomond project has grown and receded through many guises, moving from solo beginnings to become a revolving, multi-headed ensemble with a small orchestra of instruments at its disposal. Fourth album Dresses (Loch Lomond’s second for Chemikal Underground) seems to wheel out every one of them, though never gratuitously; rather, this elegant collection elicits emotions through restraint, deploying strings, brass and the like with moderation. For the most part, Young’s powerful vocals remain at the forefront, imbuing songs like Virgin Mountain with a persuasive drama. But credit is claimed just as surely by others present – not least longstanding member Jason Leonard, whose ambient lap steel interludes boost the record’s pronounced cinematic beauty. Other highlights include the haunting choral harmonies of atmospheric opener Bells and the closing trumpet calls of Black Dresses, which supply the record with one final lift to the heavens – a fitting residence. [Chris Buckle] chemikal.co.uk/artists/loch-lomond/

Brightest Darkest Day [Paracadute, 15 Apr]

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PYYRAMIDS (the capitalisation and extra Y are non-negotiable, alas) are Tim Nordwind and Drea Smith – the former moonlighting from professional choreographers / occasional band OK Go, the latter formerly of He Say She Say. So not quite a supergroup, then, but a partnership with experience under its hood, and enough spark to potentially produce something exceptional. Brightest Darkest Day isn’t that something, but it has moments that come close, including Do You Think You’re Enough’s propulsive electro-rock fuzz and Paper Doll’s slow-burn indie rock – the latter strangely (and almost certainly coincidentally) reminiscent of reformed alt-poppers Drugstore. Unfortunately, these peaks only tell half the story, with songs like the noir slink of Smoke and Mirrors constituting little more than superficial zeitgeist influences that sound inviting on initial introduction but carry negligible impact. Regardless, on its debut outing, PYYRAMIDS identifies itself as a promising musical alliance; next time round, the duo may just prove it. [Chris Buckle]

Fol Chen

Dear Reader

Phoenix

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The False Alarms [Asthmatic Kitty, 4 Apr]

Rivonia [City Slang, 1 Apr]

In the four years of their existence, LA’s Fol Chen have held a month-long residency at the city’s Echo venue, organised collaborative workshops to re-assemble their first two LPs, and created their own instrument, the tetrafol. The collective are evidently not short of ideas or enthusiasm. That spirit is evident in their music, which marries vibrant, sharp-edged dance-pop with a keen lyrical focus. On The False Alarms, their third LP (and first with new singer Sinosa Loa), this mix is maintained, with an occasional nod to darker, industrial influences. The band have labelled the LP as ‘opera house,’ a pun which neatly captures their mixture of artsy abstraction and infectious silliness, but in truth it doesn’t mark a great sonic or structural shift from earlier work. Nonetheless, Loa’s smooth, crystalline vocals lend a sense of narrative and aesthetic cohesion; as a result, The False Alarms feels like their most accomplished effort yet. [Sam Wiseman]

Dear Reader (the nomdeplume of South African songwriter Cherilyn MacNeil) has named third album Rivonia after the Johannesburg neighbourhood she grew up in. But the record has more ambitious lyrical themes than childhood, with the suburb having played a significant role in the country’s unhappy history of apartheid: it was there, at a farm called Liliesleaf, that several ANC members were arrested, with the subsequent Rivonia trials leading directly to the imprisonment of numerous key figures (Nelson Mandela included). It’s an ambitious subject to set down in song, but MacNeil finds effortless ways in, tackling politics with suspicion through (imagined) recollections and oblique poetry. The music to which these tales are set, meanwhile, is vivid and puissant, with 26.04.1994 (the date prior to the elections that took Mandela to the presidency) a silvery, soaring highlight and Man of the Book’s dancing, wheezing melodies affirmation of talents finally finding full voice. [Chris Buckle]

folchen.com

dearreadermusic.com

Major Lazer

Roddy Woomble

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Free The Universe [Downtown, 15 Apr] Once upon a time, Diplo made visionary, psychedelic hip-hop music infused with ragga vocals, artfully distressed samples, and a mercurial approach to beats that saw him nod to baile funk, electro and nascent dubstep sounds. Then Diplo got famous, and founded Mad Decent. Next came Major Lazer. Their sophomore album, delayed due to a range of factors, including the permanent departure of Switch, comes on the back of world tours and remix work for a plethora of mainstream artists. Unfortunately, it’s a victim of Diplo’s success. The beats are faultless club bangers, although with perhaps a tenth of the imagination found on 2004’s Florida. They are ruined, however, by insipid, flat, character less vocals from the likes of Ezra Koenig of Vampire Weekend, Amber Coffman of Dirty Projectors, and the decidedly less scintillating likes of Bruno Mars, Wyclef, and, erm, Shaggy. Shamelessly catering to lowbrow tastes, this is a bloated, humourless, vapid album that will probably soundtrack the spring break of a million douchebags. Creatively bankrupt. [Bram E. Gieben]

April 2013

Vondelpark

Desperate Ground [Saddle Creek, 15 Apr]

Listen to Keep [Reveal, out now] The sleeve for Listen to Keep includes a snap of Roddy Woomble relaxing by a fireplace, shoes off and feet up. The music, meanwhile, evidences Woomble’s continued retreat from erstwhile noisiness, entrenching its maker deeper in the warm and familiar folk territories explored on predecessors My Secret is My Silence andThe Impossible Song & Other Songs. In short, not only does the former Idlewild frontman look comfortable on his third solo release, he sounds comfortable too. This can be taken two ways. If you were to insist on looking for negatives, it’d be relatively simple to make a claim for the album’s pedestrianism, with smooth easy-listening melodies offering few surprises. But comfort needn’t imply complacency. While the components are often stock, their arrangement is consummately considered throughout, with tracks like The Last One of My Kind possessing a pronounced pop bent and housing some of Woomble’s most striking lyrics to date. [Chris Buckle]

Bankrupt! [Atlantic, 22 Apr] Phoenix’s first LP in four years promises more experimentation than on their breakthrough, 2009’s Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, and sure, there’s a few changes to their palette which are apparent right from the get-go with Entertainment, the album’s hooky opening statement. There’s a heavier dependence on retro synthesizers and tinny, artificial-sounding drums, making this their most explicitly synth-pop outing to date. The left-turn of Love Like a Sunset from their last record has a counterpart here in the title track, which initially toys with abstract electronics up until Thomas Mars’ smooth vocals are reintroduced and the song soars calmly to its end-point. Despite the slight shift in sonics, each track here is as harmonious and inviting as ever: Bourgeois and The Real Thing both radiate joy and melancholy in equal measure. The band makes this kind of balancing act look effortless on an album bursting with treasures. [Ross Watson]

The Top Five 1 2 3 4 5

The Flaming Lips

The Terror

Akron/Family

Sub Verses

The Knife

Shaking the Habitual

Colin Stetson

New History Warfare III

Life Coach

Alphawaves

roddywoomble.com

RECORDS

Review

Wild Honey

Ghost Capsules

Kurt Vile

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Big Flash [Lazy, 15 Apr] The second LP from Madrid’s Wild Honey – essentially the work of multi-instrumentalist Guillermo Farré – is an unashamedly kitschy, backwards-gazing collection, drawing heavily on dreamy 60s outfits like the Zombies and Os Mutantes; a love of tropicalia and lounge is clear on songs like My Memory May Also Be a Wish. The influence of vintage pop throughout also brings Stereolab to mind – fittingly enough, since Tim Gane is on production duties, and has done an admirable job of giving Big Flash a sepia-tinted sheen. The LP is saved from being a mere exercise in nostalgia by a plethora of instantly catchy melodies, combined with Gane’s deftness in moulding Wild Honey’s influences together: Farré himself notes that Gane managed to expand the ‘colour and rhythm palette’ of his songs in the studio. As a result, while the emotional range of Big Flash is fairly limited, its smoothness and cohesion make it immediately likeable. [Sam Wiseman]

Ghost Capsules [O*Solo, 15 Apr] On the face of it, Ghost Capsules should work a treat, given that they are masterminded by venerated UK music producer and electronic innovator Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass, backed by a drummer and synth player, and a singer, Laura Gomez, who is decent enough. Their lyrical concerns – from twilit fantasy weirdness to futurist SF love poems – are just odd enough to justify the shamelessly pop sheen of Simenon’s production. Rooted in classic electro, tracks like Game of Thrones and Inside just have no staying power. More interesting by far are the album’s more reflective cuts – Magnetic Fields explores similar territory to Goldfrapp, while Time and Matter flirts with Purity Ring’s dark-but-saccharine aesthetic. Morgan Le Fay is like polished, radio-friendly witch house. But the bulk of the album, by focusing on 4/4 beats, misses a trick and ends up average. Not dark enough – must try harder. [Bram E.Gieben]

Album five brings with it a watershed moment in Kurt Vile’s career. Before you've even pressed play, the vivid colour saturation of the cover and extended track lengths underline a change of tone and pace from 2011’s Smoke Ring for My Halo. Less credence is given to the more tightly wound pop structures of yore, with Vile in a form that’s never overtly concerned with immediacy; here he operates on a more panoramic plane. Throughout the LP, his psychedelic abstraction manifests itself in a more freeform, shimmering haze than before. The result is a record imbued with the mood of a mellowed songwriter relaxing into his own groove amid his rich heartland heritage. The engulfing vibe of blissed-out simplicity present in lead single Wakin’ On a Pretty Day is a perfect introduction to the warm glow of its parent. An irresistible distillation of Vile’s poetic and hypnotic songcraft. [Sam Briggs]

Wiley

Bonobo

Oliver Deutschmann

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The Ascent[Warner / Boy Better Know, 1 Apr] Another Wiley album, another threat from perhaps the last surviving well-known grime rapper with any credibility left to retire – leaving us to the tender mercies of fashionable sell-outs like Tinie Tempah. Wiley has always had trouble making consistent albums, despite highlights on each release. Unfortunately, The Ascent doesn’t address these problems. It begins well, consistently dark and brutal (the intense, macho-as-fuck First Class and Skillzone). Then, predictably, it all goes wrong – Hands in the Air is a limp crowd-pleaser with an execrable X-Factor chorus; Reload is all hideous, unlistenable trance synths and tired d'n'b rhythms. Heatwave’s repellent, Cheeky Girls-aping chorus is nauseating. Album closer Humble Pie offers light relief from the chart-aimed, pandering pop hooks, but it’s too little, too late. Still a superb producer and rapper, Wiley’s instincts are too frequently off base on The Ascent, making for a disappointing, unrewarding slog. [Omar J. Kudos]

The North Borders [Ninja Tune, 1 Apr] The fifth LP from Brighton’s Bonobo (aka Simon Green) opens in understated style, as Grey Reverend’s brooding vocals overlay the gently shimmering dubstep of First Fires. It’s characteristic of an artist who has patiently honed a distinctive sound, drawing on elements of jazz and garage; the success Green has quietly assimilated is evident in the presence of Erykah Badu, whose voice is merged with a cluster of harp, strings and brass on the melancholy Heaven for the Sinner. Even by Bonobo’s standards, the shadowy atmosphere of such pieces is particularly pronounced on The North Borders, But Green still finds space to indulge in more uptempo moods: Emkay marries garage beats and vocal samples with mellow brass chords, while the percussive bells of Cirrus recall the melodic, layered shuffles of Four Tet. Ultimately, however, this is another exercise in delicacy and restraint, and it amply demonstrates the value of both. [Sam Wiseman] bonobomusic.com

wileymusic.co.uk

Out of the Dark [vidab, 1 Apr] Where Detroit techno meets its modern descendants, being made and played in techno’s current spiritual heartland of Berlin, you’ll find producer/ DJ Oliver Deutschmann, and his vidab label. A regular favourite at Berlin’s Berghain and Panorama Bar, his take on techno is clean, expansive and just the right side of minimal. Out of the Dark is his debut full-length release, after a string of 12”s on vidab and other labels. Opening with a nod to serrated retro-futurist vibes on Fever, he quickly drops into 4/4 territory with the mellower, brighter Junglo. New World Order is fantastic, with distorted dragged vocal samples and muted synths building towards a jacking, propulsive climax. Sadness Descends has a glacial, gloomy melodic beauty, while his classic cut Siem Reap is given a satisfying re-rub with extra dub-bass on the kicks. By the time the subtly acid-tinged They Bleed Glitter peaks and the album closes, you’ll be making a special place in your record bag for Mr Deutschmann. [Bram E. Gieben] soundcloud.com/oliverdeutschmann

Stone Sour

House of Gold & Bones Part II [Roadrunner, 8 Apr]

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The extent to which Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor’s “other band” Stone Sour have evolved and matured over the years is undoubtedly impressive; there are undercurrents of melancholic folk and country subtly flowing throughout House of Gold and Bones Part II, the second part of an imaginative, sprawling concept album. The story behind the lyrics isn’t particularly vital, especially when said lyrics contain a multitude of throwaway clichés like “I’m such a shitty mess” or “this is all the pain a man can take.” The project’s real strength lies in Taylor’s knack for working melody into heavy songs; a tender acoustic passage often turns into a solo-plastered freakout without warning, and the transition feels natural. With tracks like ‘82 and Sadist, the band’s pop sensibilities are pushed to the forefront – a fitting counterbalance to the album’s more aggressive moments. The kind of artistry on display here makes this their strongest outing by some margin. [Ross Watson] Playing Download Festival, Derby on 14 June stonesour.com

Letherette

Letherette [Ninja Tune, 15 Apr]

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Fitting nicely into the genre of smooth, immaculately realised, emotionally driven electronic music from which so many strong albums have emerged in recent months (Lapalux’s Nostalchic, FaltyDL’s Hardcourage), Wolverhampton’s Letherette deliver a satisfying slew of deep, house-influenced melodic cuts on their first fulllength offering. Album opener After Dawn has a gorgeous chord progression; melancholic and beautiful. D&T is sunnier; sidechained synths and echoing vocals come on like robotic 80s funk with a warmer palette, whereas Warstones is driving electro with a Gallic feel. Elsewhere, Restless combines an r'n'b hook with polished, bassheavy disco, while the chopped hip-hop beats and time stretched vocals of I Always Wanted You Back and Cold Clam vary the tempo. The more reflective moments, like the electronic shoegaze of Gas Stations and Restaurants, or Boosted, are equally well constructed. A clear standout, Hard Martha twins double-time, skittering rhythms with spacious dubstep beats and yet more delicate synth washes. A satisfying debut. [Bram E. Gieben]

Wakin On a Pretty Daze [Matador, 9 Apr]

Review

Aidan Baker

The Haxan Cloak

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Already Drowning [Gizeh Records, 15 Apr] Those coming to Already Drowning via an interest in Aidan Baker’s work with ambient drone duo Nadja be warned: here be an altogether gentler creature, with only the slightest notes of distortion and discord occasionally wading in. Billed as a “a song cycle inspired by various myths and folklore about female water spirits,” Baker’s atmospheric slowcore opus is insidiously immersive. An international cast of collaborators contribute vocals (and on occasion, translations into French and German) to compositions that are sometimes straightforwardly beautiful (for instance, the string-led sweep of 30 Days/30 Nights), while others are challengingly veiled (e.g. the insectoid, free-jazz cymbal ripples of Mélusine), but always hauntingly evocative – provided its approached with the right level of patience. Otherwise, much of Baker’s hard work will be for nought. Already Drowning is too carefully measured to impose itself on errant attentions, but liberally rewarding for those that commit time to its chilly virtues. [Chris Buckle]

EP Reviews

Excavation [Tri Angle, 15 Apr] The Haxan Cloak’s self-titled 2011 album on Aurora Borealis brought Bobby Krlic, aka The Haxan Cloak, to the attention of the ultra-hip and experimental Tri Angle label. Krlic’s atmospheric, cinematic productions are closely allied to acts like Demdike Stare or Raime, bringing to mind post-industrial landscapes: ruined cities, corpse-ridden battlefields, abandoned warehouses. A washed-out, funereal 2-step underpins Excavation Part 1, while the textured, Lovecraftian sub-bass squelches of Excavation Part 2 owe as much to dubstep dynamics as they do to ambient soundscaping. Moments of Lynchian menace and static build to the violininflected crescendo of The Mirror Reflecting Part 2; Dieu brings the rhythmic propulsion back for a syrupy slice of mutant electro, while magisterial 13-minute closer The Drop comes on like a lost Bladerunner-era Vangelis cut, vanishing into heavenly static. The Haxan Cloak’s crepuscular nightmare-scapes are hypnotic, compelling and, in their understated, minimalistic way, exquisitely beautiful, revelling in profound darkness. [Bram E. Gieben] haxancloak.tumblr.com

WALL

Darren Hayman

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Shoestring EP [Big Picnic, 1 Apr]

Four Queens EP [Fortuna POP!, 20 Apr]

WALL made her debut last year with a cover of Karen Dalton’s Something On Your Mind, a sparse, understated, synth-led number which showcased her subtle vocals in an intimate, twilit, nocturnal soundscape. Her new EP starts out in similar territory, with the title track and Place Too Low pairing barely-there beats and synths with her breathy vocals. It works, although the twee factor is dangerously close to overload, and in fact spills over into the saccharine unashamedly with the whimsically depressed Valentine. All Alone is the strongest track, with washed out hip-hop beats, what sounds like an oboe, and her vocals pushed underneath a crackling filter of analogue tape hiss. [Bram E. Gieben]

More than ten years since Hefner’s demise, Darren Hayman continues to produce the kind of wry, winsome indie that invariably featured heavily in John Peel’s Festive fifty in the late 90s. The Four Queens EP takes one song from last year’s The Violence and features three other songs about (you guessed it) queens. Henrietta Maria, sung from the perspective of Charles I, has the combination of jaunty, lo-fi pop and awkward sadness which characterised Hefner’s best moments; on the other contributions, Hayman’s deft lyrical touch remains in evidence, but their wispy arrangements and doleful mood feels less assured. [Sam Wiseman]

soundcloud.com/wall100

hefnet.com

RECORDS

THE SKINNY

Photo: Nick Bojdo

TOURIST

HOLY OTHER

FutureEverything

Islington Mill, 20-23 Mar

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At the festival launch, as we probe our amuse-bouches and survey the city from the eighth floor of NOMA53 – that beached blue alien just off Rochdale Road that doubles as The Co-operative’s headquarters when not signalling back to the mothership – it’s more than apparent that FutureEverything has come of age. What began as Futuresonic in 1996 – with the likes of Jo Apps and worriedaboutsatan (now Ghosting Season) playing to 30 people in the basement of The Bay Horse (2007) – is now an internationally attended summit; and where its curators have previously struggled to decide exactly what ‘future’ might mean in the context of a music programme (erm, Gang Gang Dance, they sound sort of... weird... right, guys? Guys?!), this year’s tech conference is

WIFE

flanked by a faultless sequence of line-ups at Islington Mill, showcasing the international (Brandt Brauer Frick) alongside the resident (Andy Stott), the in vogue (Lapalux) alongside the genuinely wayward (Hieroglyphic Being). Jackknifing from his smogged-out, strapped down hip-hop samples on the one hand to his oily, slick oscillations on the other, Lapalux deals in textures as in so many swatches of fabric. Backlit by a blinding lightshow and wrestling with his hardware, he is a bold, even cocky physical presence. Album highlight Guuurl gets the room in gear, but it’s nothing compared to the frenzy that Berlin trio Brandt Brauer Frick – with help from vocalist-cum-hype man Om’Mas Keith – induce with their extraordinary mania of wounding, techno-derived rhythms and shamanic, mesmeric sense of build and release. It’s 11pm on a Wednesday night, and it’s raining from the ceiling.

Thursday is all about wide, slow waves, from headliner Holy Other’s sad, plasmic echoes to WIFE’s diseased nocturnes. The night’s surprise revelation, however, is Tourist: while his unashamedly hands-up climactics tend towards the naïve, they stay just the right side of brash, and I Have No Fear and Never Sleep – from his recent Tonight EP – prove perfect fuel for yet another infectiously up-for-it weeknight crowd. It’s testament to this year’s programming and the gusto with which people throw themselves int o it that every night this week feels like a finale; which is just as well, because after Friday’s bruising combination of Lee Gamble’s brutalism, Andy Stott’s circuitous hauntings and a lot of junglist headfuckery courtesy of Hieroglyphic Being, yours truly wasn’t actually able to make it to the closing party. Now, how many days is it ‘til 2014? [Lauren Strain]

East India Youth / Leopard of Honour / Swimming Lessons

into anything truly exceptional. That said, their final track – full of unashamed funk and electro-pop joy – is greeted with communal swaying and a universally positive response from those in attendance. There’s undoubted potential here; they just need to prune their surfeit of ideas more precisely. East India Youth’s set is a more refined showcase of how to deftly blend ideas into something properly realised. Londoner William Doyle has a remarkable way of peaking his sumptuous soundscapes into a see-sawing, tantric beauty: new themes and ideas are gradually and appropriately introduced, from glottalstop bass to staggered, side-stepping beats, with the focus always carefully maintained on the overall construct. Above this, he spins surprisingly classic, elegant melodies, which juxtapose wonderfully with all the future-clutter. As the set veers from Vangelis-style sound-wash to shaking, driving bass, you find yourself forever in anticipation of the next moment of clarity and reinvention. [David Edwards]

www.futureeverything.org

Kraak, 12 Mar

Salford Sonic Fusion Festival Various venues, 21-24 Mar

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Following its debut in 2012, Salford Sonic Fusion Festival returns for a four day celebration of cutting-edge experimental composition and leading contemporary music ensembles. Based around the two-site campus of the University of Salford, it offers a fine showcase of music by leading contemporary composers and performers. Programming-wise, Sonic Fusion is imaginative and has a refreshingly cosmopolitan feel. Listening Cities – the culmination of a number of cultural exchanges between Salford and four European universities – is perhaps the best example of this, and makes for a dynamic series of electroacoustic events in the intimate space of MediaCity’s DockBar. Thursday afternoon’s performances, given by members of the Electroacoustic Music Research Laboratory, Corfu, are packed with brooding soundscapes brimming with dark intent. Among Friday’s events is an album launch concert from Nottingham-based duo SCAW (Sarah Watts on bass clarinet and Antony Clare on piano), who give the small audience at Peel Hall a taste of their recently expanding repertoire. On bass clarinet, an instrument not renowned for solo play, Watts shows how this deep and earthy-sounding woodwind instrument can be dynamic and full of remarkable multiphonic possibility. The festival’s sound installations equally impress, with Mark Fell’s Wave Field Synthesis placing you in the otherworldly surroundings of the University’s anechoic chamber. Standing in pitch black and immersed in the sound of 128 speakers for 15 minutes, you getthe strange feeling of experiencing sound almost as a physical presence.

April 2013

Though it’s been with us for four years, Kraak – located off the beaten track and identifiable only to those who know where to look – remains Manchester’s secret closet of artistic oddness. We clamber up the graffiti-sprayed stairwell to find Leeds’ Swimming Lessons – comprised of the solitary Ben – armed with a Telecaster and a raft of loops, pedals, emotions and ideas; and it’s quite marvellous. As eerie projections of 50s glamour beach themes swirl across him, he delivers a series of mysterious, heart-stirring missives filled with grace, drama and tension, always melodic and cerebrally considered. Leopard of Honour struggle against two things in their set: technical hiccups and occasionally aiming for too broad a palette, as if they’re still trying to find their true calling. A mixture of distorted and threatening vocals, squelchy bass, hip-hop rhythms and industrial grind with robotic overtones, their set is fascinating and full of laudable ideas, but these ideas never fully coalesce

Hostel EP by East India Youth is out now via The Quietus Phonographic Corperation www.facebook.com/eastindiayouth

Wild Nothing

With free entrance available to many of the events, Sonic Fusion provides a great chance to see fascinating performances at innovative venues; think Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival but affordable. Perhaps the only shame is poor attendance. Wintery weather certainly doesn’t help, but neither does the decision to host the festival outside of university term time, with barely a student in sight around either campus. Perhaps the main logic is to run at the same time as Manchester’s ever-popular FutureEverything; notably the Carter Tutti: HARMONIC COACTION concert at the University’s MediaCity-based Digital Performance Laboratory, and co-produced by the two festivals, is a complete sell-out. [Simon Benger]

WILD NOTHING

MUSIC

The Kazimier, 18 Mar

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Photo: Gaz Jones

EAST INDIA YOUTH

Photo: Haydn Rydings

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A newcomer to Wild Nothing might be taken aback by both the turn-out and anticipatory air at Liverpool’s marquee-like Kazimier tonight. After all, isn’t this just typically hazy, spring-break roadtrip fare? Pleasant and all, sure, but ultimately placid, even a bit... featureless? They’d be forgiven for thinking so: on first listen – nay, on several listens – Virginia native Jack Tatum’s temperate, unconcerned pop songs do little to impress themselves on the memory. But, as with sonic bedfellows Real Estate, who came to UK attention around a similar time in 2009, Wild Nothing’s trick lies precisely in seeming unremarkable, in seeming straightforward, when in fact, a few months later, Tatum’s subtle, yielding melodies’ve eked their way under your skin, like when you look at your best mate and realise you’ve been in love with them for two years, you just hadn’t noticed. What this evening’s gig shows up, however, is that this paradox in their sound – somehow intoxicating in its listlessness, confident in its mellowness – is still at its best on cuts from debut album Gemini. Though last year’s follow-up Nocturne may have hinted at a moodier, more introspective character, its songs felt far less complex than the likes of the wistful and surging Drifter or the ruminative Live in Dreams; and it’s notable that tonight’s room only really comes alive for one song from the new record – the propulsive, saucer-eyed Paradise – with the rest of the evening’s highlights belonging to the faded-photograph wanderlust of Gemini's Chinatown (‘we’re not happy ‘til we’re running away’) and encorecloser Summer Holiday. [Laura Swift]

Review

A bounty of beautiful

BANGERS & BEER

saturday 4 th may

ebration of hand hel A cel d

HAPPINESS

sunday 5th may

Stockport Victorian Market Hall Session 1

Saturday 4th May 7.00pm til 12.00am (midnight)

dandys and dames fancy dress (optional)

Session 2

Sunday 5th May 11.00am til 4.00pm

the sausage festival main event vote for the sausage of the festival Family day with children’s entertainers (children free of charge with paying adult)

Session 3

Sunday 5th May 6.00pm til 11.00pm

toffs and totty fancy dress (optional)

Stockport Sausage Festival

095 Sausagefest Poster skinnyAW.indd 1

We’re currently looking for switched-on and authoritative voices to take the reins of the following sections: ART: We’re looking for an Art editor who’s clued-up on emergent and local visual artists, with a thorough grounding and engagement in the contemporary art world as a whole, and a solid knowledge of the general span of art history. Brian Sewell wannabes need not apply. THEATRE: Do you know your stanza from your satire, your exposition from your exeunt? Are you as eager to check out the latest immersive piece from Punchdrunk as you are a 20-minute monologue at Contact Theatre? We’re looking for a Theatre editor to guide our coverage, and help establish the tone and vision of a key part of the magazine. FOOD & DRINK: As any food and drink writer worth his/her salt – ahem – will know, covering the subject in a way that’s as entertaining as it is meticulous, as vivid as it is informative, isn’t as easy as, um, peas. In our Scottish edition, it’s our Food & Drink section that brings the LOLs. We’re looking for a Northwest foodie to do the same. BOOKS: Our Books editor will help to establish the character of a key component of the magazine, and have a great deal of input into what we should be covering and how. We’re looking for someone who can

BEER PRO

IONS OT M

@sksausagefest

Available from High Peak Beer Co. Unit 25, Middle Aisle, Stockport Victorian Market Hall. (Card payment facilities now available) & Stockport Tourist Information Centre, Staircase House, 30 Market Place. e-mail: tickets@stockportsausagefest.co.uk Tel: 07730 034326

HIGH PE A

Advance tickets only £10 per session exchanged for a festival glass, banger and £3 beer or cider on arrival BE

E R - G R E AT

High Peak Beer Promotions Event

27/03/2013 12:25

grow to become a respected voice, representing contemporary fiction and providing in-depth coverage of local and national events and festivals. COMEDY: The new Comedy editor should bring ideas and personality to one of the most vital sections of the magazine. If you’re a funny bugger too, it would be a massive bonus. VENUES: The Skinny is looking for a selection of new venues editors to oversee the writing and creation of venue profiles on our website, for our Manchester and Liverpool city sections. We need people who are confident and accurate writers, with an engaging style, and a wide knowledge of the venues in their specialist city. The successful applicants will be expected to generate profiles quickly, in an informative – but not overly-opinionated – way, ensuring that each profile provides useful information for readers looking for somewhere to eat, drink and be merry. These section editor roles are unsalaried, but payment is offered on a per-page basis for features in the print publication.

We’re actively looking to fill these roles and currently processing a batch of applications from February (if you applied then, don’t worry, you’ll be considered). If you want to get involved and join the team, please send in your application as soon as possible to avoid missing out. To apply: send your CV, a couple of content ideas and samples of your writing to jobs@theskinny.co.uk with the subject line ‘[Art/Comedy/Books/etc.] Editor’. Any questions email lauren@theskinny.co.uk Advertising Sales Executive: The Skinny is reliant on skilled, knowledgeable and friendly sales staff to further deepen our connections with advertising clients and build up positive relationships that reflect our brand position. You need to have a minimum one years experience in media sales, be ambitious, have excellent phone and written skills. To apply: Please visit www.theskinny.co.uk/about/ get_involved to view the full job description and process for application.

With 22,000 copies distributed to more than 400 venues around the region, the new Northwest Skinny hopes to give writers a platform to get their voice heard.

THE SKINNY

GUEST SELECTOR: UNDERACHIEVERS PLEASE TRY HARDER

Die Harder After five years and 99 clubnights, Underachievers Please Try Harder go out in style with two final blow-outs in April. The Skinny celebrates that rarest of parties: an indie disco with teeth

Interview: Lauren Strain Illustration: Will Daw

NEUTRAL MILK HOTEL – HOLLAND, 1945 Dave Bassinder: I can’t think of a time that the ‘a one-two, a one-two-three-four’ at the beginning of this wouldn’t make me want to bounce around! It demonstrates perfectly a principle behind the clubnight, too – records that people think are obscure usually aren’t. THE PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART – YOUNG ADULT FRICTION Dave: My laptop once messed up, stuttered and looped the intro to this, but then when it sorted itself out, everybody thought it was deliberate and went mental! I accidentally became a real DJ. WEEZER – SURF WAX AMERICA Kirsty Maguire: People always seem to go the extra mile for Weezer. Over the years there’s been speaker-diving, tops off, and crowd surfing, but we reckon the biggest reaction goes for Surf Wax. I also like to go all wedding DJ and turn the volume down for the ‘you take your car to work’ bit! THIS MANY BOYFRIENDS – YOUNG LOVERS GO POP! Dave: This Many Boyfriends played their first show outside of their hometown of Leeds for us back at Saki in 2010. Then Angular Records signed them, this started getting 6 Music play, and they never looked back. ANDREW WK – PARTY HARD Dave: This is fun on the right night, but we don’t do it very often. However, there is a time you should always resort to Party Hard. It’s the getout clause when the music cuts out – or, as once happened at Saki, when the manager has to pick up one of your regulars on his shoulders to reach the flick switch to get the leccy back on. As the ironic jeers ring loud, you wheel out Party Hard and make it seem like it was all part of the ploy.

nderachievers Please Try Harder was the kind of night where the lights’d be as likely to go up to The Mountain Goats’ This Year as to The Hold Steady’s Stay Positive; where teen wallflowers who pored over David Berman lyrics in the afternoon could morph into bright young things at midnight; where you wouldn’t be the only one mouthing every syllable of The Past is a Grotesque Animal, and in fact you’d probably be circling in on the love of your life via a shared dissection of the way Kevin Barnes declares ‘it’s so embarrassing to need someone like I do you.’ “We wanted Underachievers to be more of a community than most nights – a place where people met, formed bands and drew inspiration to do things, as well as just got drunk and danced!” says founder Dave Bassinder, who started Underachievers with his university housemates in April 2008, in the basement of The Rampant Lion pub on Upper Brook Street. When the others moved on, he teamed up with club attendee Kirsty Maguire, who’d pestered him for “songs that I would probably play anyway – so the tragic cliché of DJ and requester getting together happened!” The two have run the night ever since, taking it from the, um, characterful lassitude of Saki (RIP) on Rusholme’s Curry Mile to the uniquely putrid, carpeted sweatbox of Gullivers (blessed be), and finally to its home for the last two years, The Roadhouse, where they host their last hurrahs this month: their 5th Birthday on 13 April, and The Last Ever Underachievers on the 26th. The night found its niche at a time when clubs like The Star & Garter’s Smile – the original ‘alternative’ indie disco – had started to tire, and when freshers seemed to be getting savvier

April 2013

sooner, realising that you really don’t ever need to go to 5th Avenue or 42nd Street, I mean like never, not even once in your life, no matter how much that bloke off Xfm might insist.

“There is a time you should always resort to Party Hard” Dave Bassinder

“Smile pretty much inspired most indie promoters of the modern era in some way, being the first to really swim against the tide of Madchester nights,” acknowledges Dave. “However, I’ve always made a conscious effort to move it away from being another version of that. There’s definite inspiration from Panda Panda in there, a night our friend Dom used to run at [amazing mirror-walled Chinese karaoke nightspot] Charlie’s – that was the first place I heard Why? and Animal Collective in a club. Likewise, Killing Fantasy, which used to be at Retro Bar; nights that weren’t scared of killing a dancefloor now and then.” Though they never intended to book bands, the club naturally evolved into a gig-then-party night: “There was a real problem in the city at the time with pay-to-play promoters,” Dave recalls. “I was trying for the raw feel of the old Akoustik Anarkhy and Bierkeller nights, presenting gigs

in more of a house party style.” The regular platform the night has since provided has been pivotal to the city’s lo-fi and DIY scenes, and will be sorely missed. Two of their favourite discoveries – Patterns and Ghost Outfit – play the 5th Birthday and Last Ever night, respectively. So why kill a party that, by this point, feels woven into the fabric of Manchester’s music scene? “We can’t see where else we can go with it without it becoming a brand or losing what it was to begin with,” Dave says. “Our daily working lives have got busier, and maybe we’ve got a little older. The night becoming stale was basically my biggest fear from the start, so it’s about stopping that and going out on a high.” For the two blow-outs, they’ve pledged that “no song played on the 5th Birthday night will also be played on the Last Ever night;” there’ll be a retrospective of posters around the venue, memorabilia, visuals – “probably of dogs being dicks” – and a specially put-together fanzine. Both nights will run til 4am, and no doubt be fit to bursting with that improbable mix of melancholy and jubilance that defines the very best of what we might term ‘indie’. What will they take away from the past halfdecade? “It’s massively clichéd, but honestly, meeting ace people,” Dave says. “Helping talents. Neither of us can play instruments, draw flyers, make videos. It’s fun to make stuff happen that we can’t ourselves; to shine the spotlight on others.” Underachievers Please Try Harder 5th Birthday, The Roadhouse, Manchester, 13 Apr, 10pm-4am, £4 adv, £5 otd The Last Ever Underachievers, The Roadhouse, Manchester, 26 Apr, 10pm-4am, £4 adv, £5 otd www.underachieversclub.co.uk

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JAPANDROIDS – THE HOUSE THAT HEAVEN BUILT Dave: Over the past year, this has definitely started to get the Weezer effect. You have to hold these ones back, as you know there’s always that group of lads just waiting for this. It’s the pinnacle of their night, they will probably go home after: don’t be belting this out around midnight. COMET GAIN – YOU CAN HIDE YOUR LOVE FOREVER Dave: This song is pretty much everything I want in a song. It’s not sugary, not overblown, just simple, perfect pop. They never play anywhere but London and Brighton, but us and [local promoters] Hey! Manchester got lucky when they had a [Marc] Riley session and actually had to travel for it. And guess what? They didn’t play this song. THE MAGNETIC FIELDS – THE LUCKIEST GUY ON THE LOWER EAST SIDE Kirsty: This was my first big request when I turned up at Underachievers, and Dave played it. So I guess without this song, things could have been very different! MICHAEL JACKSON – EARTH SONG Dave: We had a clubnight the day after Jacko died. The city was rife with promoters and DJs looking to commemorate/cash-in on this event. We’re not averse to playing a bit of classic pop, but dropping Billie Jean or Thriller just felt a little clichéd. But as the night wore on, so did the constant MJ requests. So at 3.30am, we had a spot of inspiration. Nobody else would do Earth Song. What followed was probably our favourite ending to a night ever. People rushed to get in front of the big industrial fans to recreate the video, and all the Saki bar staff quit sweeping to join in a wonderfully emotional Turkish family huddle. I think it was the only time they knew anything we played!

Preview

Clubbing Highlights In our first Northwest clubs round-up, Manchester flexes its muscles with Bicep, Duke Dumont and the Unabombers, while Liverpool gets physical to NHK’Koyxen and a Garden Festival warm-up Words: John Thorp Illustration: Alice Tobia

rriving the first weekend of April are two events at Salford’s Islington Mill that perfectly sum up the venue’s out-there – both geographically and stylistically – aesthetic. Returning on Friday 5 Apr, Gesamtkunstwerk (translated as ‘total or ideal work of art’) could only be at the Mill. The night is part-curated by local noise merchants Gnod, who played a blisteringly loud set at the first instalment in February; this time around, live electronics and ‘warped machine rhythms’ come from side project Dwellings, with support from Druss, and regulars. The whole shebang will be dressed by irreverent local art collective Volkov Commanders, who no doubt have something mind-bending up their sleeves (£5). The following night, meanwhile, sees underground house and techno from Bristol’s DJ October at Mill favourite Bohemian Grove (£10) – a night recently cited by Hitler as one of the reasons he won’t be going to Parklife this year. Don’t ask. Back in town, and Bicep continue their rise from blog stalwarts to disco tastemakers over at Gorilla, where they’ll be playing ‘All Night Long’ – well, for a more than respectable five hours, at least (6 Apr, £10). Muscle-loving partygoers can expect a set of rediscovered edits, Detroit techno and Italo disco, as well as a few of the lads’ own hat-tipping recent hits such as Vision of Love and $tripper. While their style and taste may be quickly reaching flavour-of-the-month status among the vest and chino patrol, Bicep’s reputation as real cratediggers is far from unjustified, and you can expect a few “What was that one?!” conversations in the taxi home, followed by months of trawling YouTube, forums and record shops only to undergo the crushing realisation that it was just an edit of Seal’s Crazy you misheard in the toilets. Fans of house, disco and really long DJ sets may also consider a seven-hour stint from Chicago’s DJ Rahaan at The Hideout (in the basement of Brooklyn Mixer) in Liverpool on Saturday 13 Apr. Regularly described as a ‘DJ’s DJ’, Rahaan has been spinning since the 80s and is a favourite on the Merseyside club scene. Furthermore, he’s returning the love financially, as the whole shebang is free in. We did the maths, and that’s just £0.00 an hour! Students, those who don’t work Fridays and those who do work Fridays but live by their own rules may well enjoy the return of Duke Dumont on Thursday 11 Apr to Manchester’s intimate Joshua Brooks, where house night Bump are celebrating their first birthday (£8). The London producer had a great spell five or so years ago, creating barking mad electro records like Hoy and an exceptional, ethereal Mystery Jets remix before seemingly all but disappearing. Then, 2012 saw a reinvigorated Turbo Recordings release the sleazy Street Walker, before The Giver became the go-to hands-in-the-air anthem for the latter part of the year. It’ll be interesting to hear what Dumont is spinning nowadays, but do check out Skream’s remix of the Duke’s festival-ready Need U (100%), which sincerely channels the spirit of Prince in a way you might not anticipate from the former dubstep poster boy. Dark and techy support comes from labelmate Sei A. In Liverpool, up-and-coming purveyors of experimental electronics Deep Hedonia are pleased to welcome NHK’Koyxen to Camp and Furnace on 16 Apr (£5 otd). One of the mainstays

Preview

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of the Pan label, his work focuses on playful manipulations and deconstructions of well-known dance tropes, which remain thrillingly physical in themselves. Heady stuff for a school night, but not to be missed by fans of forward thinking music. For an early bird price of £6, Saturday 13 Apr at Manchester’s 2022NQ sees the return of some true Manchester legends who doubtlessly hate being referred to as true Manchester legends. The Unabombers were a guiding light in the city with their Electric Chair residency at Music Box and The Roadhouse for many years, and their (whisper it) eclectic tastes and ability to drop the most unexpected record at the right time earned them legions of fans. If you’re new to the pair, be assured: they represent a bit of history and an ethos well worth repeating. To quote from founder Luke Unabomber’s own recently resuscitated Twitter, “house music is about love not big daft low carb one armed inked gym steroid nazi lads eating pimped up fit burgers zieg heiling to beatport.” Quite. Payday weekend sees two scene-defining events hit Manchester. Over in Old Trafford, The Warehouse Project returns for a final, intimate night in Victoria Warehouse’s rooms two and three (27 Apr, £20). Granted, intimate at WHP means a mere 1500 tickets, but it’s small change given the stature of the Visionquest weekend, featuring the whole VQ gang: Lee Curtiss, Shaun Reeves, Ryan Crosson and, of course, Seth Troxler. The undeniably charismatic ‘World’s Best DJ’ last delivered an all-wax New Year’s Day set at the venue, which proved to be something of a cosmic revelation for those previously unconverted. Whatever Troxler brings to the decks at WHP, however, will likely struggle to match the madness in Levenshulme on the same night, as the Klondyke Club hosts the thoughtfully named Klondyke Club Music Night Part 2 (27 Apr). Il Bosco, Ste Spandex, Metrodome, sonoapizzaman and many more top Gs make up the roster in a who’s who of the burgeoning Levenshulme boogie scene, including some of the heads behind Red Laser Disco and Wet Play, two of the finest underground dance nights in the UK, both of which have recently made the transition to labels. Entry is just £1.80, or free if you happen to be a member of the Klondyke Club, which has been around for over a century and also offers Crown Green Bowling and Reiki Healing. Expect a custom soundsystem, a free finger buffet and a meat raffle, as well as lots of obscure and irresistible house and disco. Rounding off our selections for Saturday 27 Apr, Liverpool’s Discoteca Poca are teaming up with Croatia’s much-loved Garden festival for a Garden Get-Together featuring two of the finest soundsystems in the business, Maxxi Soundsystem and Crazy P Soundsystem, in the form of a two-room bash at Liverpool’s HAUS (£11.29, oddly). The festival may be months away, but organisers promise to capture its balearic spirit with cocktails, projections, and “something to do with a speed boat” – not to mention the powerful Funktion-One soundsystems in each room. That’s at least four different types of soundsystem we’re counting. Sound. No, literally. Ticket prices are advance unless otherwise specified; some events may be more on the door

THE SKINNY

Beneath the Label: All Caps

BAND ON THE WALL

THE HOME OF REAL MUSIC

Fri 5th April

NIGHT OF THE LIVING DREAD

Beginning a series exploring some of the best club labels around, we quiz Glasgow-based selector, Bake, on the stable he co-runs with Ryan Martin and Matthew Muir

28 - 34 HIGH ST, NORTHERN QUARTER, MANCHESTER, M4 1QB

APRIL

Interview: Jean-Xavier Boucherat

6TH - BOB LOG III + SCOTT H BIRAM + guests BONES SHAKE 12TH - TO KILL A KING + guests SPRING OFFENSIVE +

SHAUNA MACKIN

14TH - ADAM GREEN + BINKI SHAPIRO 18TH - THE BLOCKHEADS + guests JERAMIAH FERRARI 19TH - FINDLAY 20TH - ULTIMATE POWER ‘DEDICATED TO THE GLORY OF THE POWER BALLAD’ 22ND - WALTER SCHREIFELS (GORILLA BISCUITS / YOUTH

OF TODAY / QUICKSAND / RIVAL SCHOOLS) + guests THE CELADORS

23RD - BROMHEADS + guests SHINES + TALL FOR JOCKEYS 25TH - THE ENID + guests ENOCHIAN THEORY 26TH - DEATH TO THE STRANGE 27TH - GUNS OR ROSES + MEGADETH UK + guests RISIN’ TIDES followed by CAGED ASYLUM

28 - WILLIAM CONTROL + guests ALTERRED 29TH - ELECTRIC GUEST TH

3RD - THE NEIGHBOURHOOD 4TH - REMAKE REMODEL ‘THE NATION’S SAVING GRACE OF ROCK’N’ROLL’ 7TH - PHOSPHORESCENT 9TH - DAVE MCPHERSON (FULL BAND SHOW) 10TH - BLACK LIGHTS 11TH - ANGEL HAZE 15TH - MATT BERRY (FULL BAND SHOW) + guests PUGWASH 17TH - THE HANDSOME FAMILY + guests SNOWAPPLE 19TH - MC LARS 21ST - ANDREW MCMAHON + guests FORT HOPE 22ND - COME - 11:11 20TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

hile some of us were busy wasting our youth on humanities degrees, others were putting in work on the things that actually matter. In this case it’s Glasgow-based label and DJ collective All Caps, a fledgling trio who’ve been getting all sorts of attention from UK club royalty in spite of having had just two releases. Yet anyone familiar with AC002, Helix’s Stacks Riddim, won’t have a hard time believing the hype. With a genuine love for what they do, and with their third release, Kowton’s hotly anticipated TFB, dropping in April, All Caps’ star is definitely on the rise. Then there’s Bake, who, despite a relatively short time in the game, has produced a muchhailed mix for LuckyMe, gone back-to-back with Ben UFO on Rinse FM, and been featured on everyone’s favourite online-sweatbox tweetparty, Boiler Room. He spoke to us ahead of this month’s Pleasure Principle festival, where he and All Caps partners Ryan and Matt will be playing alongside a troupe of seasoned Weegie tastemakers, including Hudson Mohawke, Rustie, Jackmaster and Spencer.

Was there a particular sound you were excited about at the time, or was it more of a general conflation of influences? I don’t think there was any one particular sound. We all came from a dubstep background, but then as UK tastes began to shift around 08-09, we found ourselves catching up with 30 years of electronic music. So it was definitely more this

April 2013

Stacks Riddim and the new Kowton record both have a pretty militant feel to them. Is this intentional? Can you see yourself going in a specific direction style-wise? It’s hard to say because I don’t really know, but you’re right about that militant aesthetic. I’d say it runs through the Helix and Kowton tracks because they stem from this relationship between grime and techno – two genres which share qualities that make for easy and effective crossovers. Then there’s the record coming up after Kowton by a dude called Guy Evans, which are all tracks made in the early 90s. I think the recording style lends itself to that rough, rugged nature you find in Stacks and TFB. Any names out there who you’d be really keen to work with? I guess an early ‘A&R tip’ would be these guys out of Vancouver that operate under the name Mood Hut. I think it’s a group of seven guys all producing under different names, sharing studio space. The stuff they come up with is amazing. There’s also one guy from the past I would have loved to have worked with, this cat from Chicago called Gemini. He was a genius. Nobody in Chicago was doing what he was doing in the 90s. You’re often praised for your esoteric combinations while DJing. Any thoughts on the logic behind that? Haha, you know what, as kind as that is, I think that logic is something I’m still trying to figure out! Kowton’s TFB drops on All Caps in April Decide for yourself: www.thisisluckyme.com/category/ mixtapes www.soundcloud.com/allcaps_glasgow

Wed 10th April

JOSEPHINE

Thu 11th April

TROYKA + ANTON HUNTER TRIO Fri 12th April

THE DESTROYERS + SHEELANAGIG

Sat 13th April

WE THREE AND THE DEATH RATTLE

23RD - THE BESNARD LAKES 24TH - DAVID LYNCH presents CHRYSTA BELL 25TH - CAGED ASYLUM 26TH - PARLOUR FLAMES 31ST - AN ACOUSTIC EVENING WITH ANDY CAIRNS (THERAPY?) JUNE 1ST - MARNIE STERN + guests SKY LARKIN JUNE 5TH - BORED SPIES (MEMBERS OF BITCH MAGNET + SEAM + OBEDIENT WIVES CLUB + PASTELPOWER) + guests SMALLGANG + MOUNT FABRIC

JUNE 28TH - BBC MANCHESTER INTRODUCING LIVE OCT 26TH - KNOTSLIP NOV 15TH - ANE BRUN

Coming up from

Classic Slum

BOB LOG III + SCOTT H BIRAM - 6 April - Ruby Lounge,

Thu 18th April

PERE UBU Fri 19th April

JOYCE

Sat 20th April

NUCLEUS ROOTS LIVE SOUND + TREVOR ROOTS & THE COLLABORATORS

Mon 22nd April

PAUL ROSE & THE ALL STARS

Tue 23rd April

ALICE RUSSELL

Thu 25th April

MARIUS NESET Fri 26th April

DEAD BELGIAN

Fri 26th April

SOUL:UTION

Sat 27th April

TO KILL A KING - 12 April - Ruby Lounge, Manchester ADAM GREEN & BINKI SHAPIRO - 14 April - Ruby Lounge,

CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB ft. THE APPLES

THE BLOCKHEADS - 18 April - Ruby Lounge, Manchester WALTER SCHREIFELS - 22 April - Ruby Lounge,

SONAR

Manchester

Thur 2nd May

WASHINGTON IRVING - 28 April - Castle Hotel, Manchester LUCY ROSE - 4 May - Northumbria University LIAM FROST - 11 May - The Anthony Burgess Institute,

Fri 3rd May

LIAM FROST - 12 May - The Anthony Burgess Institute,

MELBA MOORE

Manchester

SAM SALLON - 19 May - Castle Hotel, Manchester COME - 22 May - Ruby Lounge, Manchester DEXTERS - 22 May - Castle Hotel, Manchester THE BESNARD LAKES - 23 May - Ruby Lounge, Manchester CHRYSTA BELL - 24 May - Ruby Lounge, Manchester PARLOUR FLAMES - 26 May - Ruby Lounge, Manchester CAMP STAG - 26 May - Fat Cat, Stoke CAMP STAG - 29 May - Buffalo Bar, London CAMP STAG - 30 May - Castle Hotel, Manchester MARNIE STERN - 1 June - Ruby Lounge, Manchester BORED SPIES - 5 June - Ruby Lounge, Manchester

KING CREOSOTE

Sun 5th May

Tickets / Info:

bandonthewall.org ticketwall.org 0845 2 500 500 Band on the Wall, Swan Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M4 5JZ

ADVANCE TICKETS c/o:

TICKETLINE: 0161 832 1111 ★ TICKETLINE.CO.UK SEE TICKETS: 0870 264 3333 ★ SEETICKETS.COM And over the counter at Piccadilly Records, Oldham Street, Manchester

Photo © Rosanna Freedman

All Caps started out as a radio show on Glasgow's Subcity. Later you took it forward as a label. Was there something in particular that spurred you on? Ryan and Matt were the driving force behind the radio show. I’m not sure whether there was a particular reason to move on to a label format, other than that we wanted to contribute to something we loved, and we were getting sent the right music at the right time.

bombardment of different sounds, many of which were new to us.

+ guests

Tue 9th April

PEATBOG FAERIES

JOSE JAMES

MAY

BAKE

Sat 6th April

MR SCRUFF KEEP IT UNREAL

THERUBYLOUNGE.COM ★ TWITTER.COM/THERUBYLOUNGE TWITTER.COM/CLASSICSLUM ★ CLASSICSLUM/TUMBLR.COM

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Review

April Events This month’s movie highlights include the life and death of JC, a trio of horror double-bills and Pedro Almodóvar’s return to his raunchy 80s roots Words: Jamie Dunn First Position

First Position

Bernie

Director: Bess Kargman. Starring: Aran Bell, Rebecca Houseknecht, Joan Sebastian Zamora. Released: 12 Apr Certificate: 12A

Director: Richard Linklater. Starring: Jack Black, Shirley MacLaine, Matthew McConaughey. Released: 26 Apr Certificate: PG

Adopting a similar format to 2002’s spelling bee doc Spellbound, First Position is a gripping documentary that follows seven children between the ages of ten and 17 as they prepare for, and compete in, the Youth America Grand Prix ballet competition. The filmmakers are unobtrusive; voice-over is kept to a minimum, allowing the children and their talents to largely speak for themselves, while a classical score accompanies both the routines and the preparation. The entrants at the centre of Bess Kargman’s documentary are diverse in their backgrounds – from a pampered blonde, to a foster child from wartorn Sierra Leone, to a teenage boy from Colombia, each have their own challenges to face. Most impressive, however, is the dancing; the enormous toll it takes on these young bodies, and the dogged determination and dedication each contestant has. First Position will appeal to more than just ballet aficionados – fast-paced and fascinating, it reveals just how difficult it is to make something look utterly effortless. [Becky Bartlett]

Indie darling Richard Linklater returns home with Bernie, a bizarre true story of murder and community spirit in a small Texan town. Jack Black (in superb, restrained, creepy form) plays the titular funeral director, unfalteringly chirpy and beloved by all. Bernie befriends Marjorie (the indomitable Shirley MacLaine), a monstrous – not to mention monstrously wealthy – widow who is unwaveringly foul and despised for it. This odd couple become near inseparable, marking their time together with lavish spending and luxury holidays... until Bernie snaps and offs the old dame. There’s a delicious matter-of-fact absurdity here, the overwhelming strangeness of what unfolds heightened by a lack of sensationalism. While actors portray key players, some real townsfolk offer their accounts to camera. These eccentric contributions of folksy wit and wisdom provide real colour, and are treated warmly by Linklater when they could so easily have been sneered at. A beautifully constructed, smartly scripted and very funny tall tale of down-home values and darkness in the most unlikely of places. [Chris Fyvie]

Spring Breakers

The Place Beyond the Pines

rrrrr

Director: Harmony Korine. Starring: James Franco, Vanessa Hudgens, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Rachel Korine. Released: 5 Apr Certificate: 18

rrrrr

Director: Derek Cianfrance. Starring: Bradley Cooper, Ryan Gosling, Dane DeHaan, Eva Mendes, Ben Mendelsohn, Ray Liotta. Released: 12 Apr Certificate: 15

This neon-lit delirium opens with a montage of young women gyrating in slow motion as Neanderthal jocks cascade lager over their naked breasts. Knowing this, you may struggle with the next statement: Korine’s film is the smartest, most daring and aesthetically gorgeous deconstruction of narrative cinema you’ll see all year. Just when it looks like you’re in a Larry Clarklike teenage wasteland you’ll suddenly find yourself in Deliverance country. But wait – now we’re in a Tony Scott movie; keep your wits about you or the film will give you whiplash. Spring Breakers reaches an ecstatic and comedic crescendo with James Franco, as Alien, a gold-toothed gangsta rapper, playing a white baby grand piano and crooning a Britney Spears ballad to three blonde airheads, played by former Disney child stars. The WTF factor is compounded by the fact the girls are wearing pink, unicorn embroidered balaclavas and brandishing submachine guns. If Michael Mann was to take a load of hallucinogenics and shoot a Girls Gone Wild video, it might look something like this. [Jamie Dunn]

While the brutal intimacy of Derek Cianfrance’s debut, Blue Valentine, owed a great deal to John Cassavetes, this epic follow-up of family, fate and corruption recalls Michael Cimino and Sidney Lumet. And not entirely successfully. Anchoring a great cast in top form, Ryan Gosling is supercool stuntman Luke, breezing from town to town with his high-wire motorcycle show. Returning to Schenectady on tour, Luke discovers he fathered a child with Romina (Eva Mendes) during a previous visit, and resolves to stick about and play daddy. With the aid of crook Robin (Ben Mendelsohn), Luke utilises his skills in a series of bank robberies to support his broken family. A collision with Bradley Cooper’s rookie cop is inevitable. Beautifully shot, moodily scored and bold of technique, Cainfrance’s picture buckles under its own ambition. Hamstrung by it's unbalanced structure, the final act feels rushed and the necessity to neatly tie-up big themes undoes all the impressive, nuanced groundwork. With an extra hour runtime, this could have been a masterpiece. As things stand, it’s an admirable curiosity. [Chris Fyvie]

Evil Dead

Promised Land

Director: Fede Alvarez. Starring: Jane Levy, Shiloh Fernandez, Jessica Lucas. Released: 19 Apr Certificate: 18

rrrrr

Few 80s horrors have escaped the unflinching gaze of the ruthless Hollywood remake machine. But some thought The Evil Dead, Sam Raimi’s scrappy, much-loved debut, too sacred a cow to receive such treatment – especially since Raimi effectively remade it himself six years later with Evil Dead II. And yet here we are. Fede Alvarez’s re-imagining, flat and witless, doffs a deferential cap in all the wrong places. Present and correct is the bloody chainsaw, and that aggressively libidinous tree. But gone is the innovative camerawork and B-movie charm; instead we get slick, dull production values and glossy over-lighting. Gone, too, is the cheeky sense of humour; in its place, a peculiarly po-faced script. And most conspicuously of all, gone is Bruce Campbell. A bland cast of expendable twenty-somethings are scant substitute for Campbell’s angular jaw, arched eyebrow and groovy one-liners. Like most remakes, Evil Dead makes a miserably weak argument for its own existence – especially when stacked against a superior original. [John Nugent]

Fracking is a hot-button issue, but you wouldn’t know it from Promised Land, which barely stirs any passions as it trundles through a mundane plot. Matt Damon and Frances McDormand are the gas salespeople who arrive in a small town confident in their ability to persuade its inhabitants to sign over their land for a small fee. However, they haven’t reckoned on pugnacious pensioner Hal Holbrook, environmental activist John Krasinski and schoolteacher Rosemarie DeWitt, who catches Damon’s eye. With these actors and the talent behind the camera (Gus Van Sant directs; Krasinski wrote the script with Dave Eggers), the lack of impact is bewildering. Before it entirely collapses with a climactic revelation, the screenplay relies on familiar dramatic beats and confrontations, while Van Sant directs with the detached air of someone who knows he can make a film like this in his sleep. Worst of all is the way Promised Land uses the fracking theme to earn it some secondhand import while never bothering to dig beneath the surface itself. [Philip Concannon]

Review

ust a bit late for Easter, Manchester's Cornerhouse offers up The Gospel According to St. Matthew (7 & 10 Apr), the finest cinematic rendering of that ill-fated conjurer Jesus, a magician so talented he makes Dynamo look like Tommy Cooper. This is the surprisingly reverential retelling of the life of the New Testament’s golden boy by Pier Paolo Pasolini, the bad boy of Italian cinema. The story goes that Pasolini, a Marxist atheist, was inspired to make a film about JC while holed up in an Assisi hotel with only the Good Book for company. Keep that in mind the next time you check into a Travelodge. For the gorehounds who make the pilgrimage each year, horror festival Grimm Up North is no less of a religious experience. April has three Grimm Up North nights to keep you sated till the full fest in October: a pair of David Cronenberg body-horrors (Scanners & The Brood, 4 Apr, Stockport Plaza); a twisted family double feature on 17 Apr – one’s an oldie (gross-out class satire Society) and one’s a newie (Resurrection); and on 24 Apr at The Dancehouse, Manchester, you can see a preview of Shadow People and much anticipated horror anthology The ABCs of Death. Pedro Almodóvar follows 2011’s nerveshredding thriller The Skin I Live In with something altogether frothier: a workplace comedy about an ebullient cabin crew who put the cock in cockpit. It’s called I’m So Excited! and that’s exactly what the Spanish director’s fans should be as this looks like a delightful throwback to his raunchy comedies of the 80s. It opens nationwide on 3 May but make your way to FACT, in Liverpool, on 23 Apr to see a sneak preview and a Q&A with Almodóvar via satellite.

I'M SO EXCITED!

Director: Gus Van Sant. Starring: Matt Damon, John Krasinski, Frances McDormand, Rosemarie DeWitt, Hal Holbrook. Released: 19 Apr Certificate: 12A

rrrrr

FILM

Two fine music docs screen on 12 Apr at 2022NQ, in Manchester. LCD Soundsystem call it a day in Shut Up and Play the Hits, a concert movie of the band’s farewell gig, and Iceland: Beyond Sigur Rós showcases the eclectic and less celebrated music emerging from the home of the omnipresent band of the title. While not quite as trendy as the Northern Quarter, a tiny cinema in Moston has been up to something equally as radical. A Small Cinema started life as a pop-up events series but since last year it’s had a permanent space in a renovated miners’ washhouse in Moston Community Arts and Music Centre. On 20 Apr it has a screening of a documentary following a local acting group from first rehearsal to the first night performance of their self-penned play inspired by The Condition of the Working Class, Friedrich Engels’ landmark study of Victorian England.

THE SKINNY

The Collection

Knightriders

Vulgaria

rrrrr

Director: Marcus Dunstan. Starring: Josh Stewart, Emma Fitzpatrick, Christopher McDonald. Released: 29 Apr Certificate: 18 A sequel of sorts to The Collector, from 2009, The Collection opens with an entertaining scene in which a gimp-masked serial killer takes out an entire nightclub-full of particularly objectionable revellers with a series of gruesome traps. But then he picks the wrong girl for the collection of victims he keeps in the sort of steamer trunks last seen at Hogwarts. With little further ado – and even less plot – a team of badasses arrive at his house of horrors to rescue the girl. But can they survive the endless traps, the petting zoo of gurning victims, the bad taxidermy, the even worse art, and all the other familiar slasher tropes that fill the rooms of the abandoned hotel? Director Marcus Dunstan makes little attempt to create either narrative tension or characters that we might care about, instead relying on buckets of blood to keep our attention. Mostly I found myself wondering where the killer finds the time to pursue his multifarious hobbies. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

Director: George A. Romero. Starring: Ed Harris, Tom Savini, Gary Lahti. Released: 22 Apr Certificate: 15

Knightriders opens with a wonderful visual gag. Through a gauzy lens we see a naked Ed Harris awake with his lady friend in sylvan glade. After bathing in the river, they don their clothes – he, the armour of a knight; she, the the dress of a medieval maiden – before mounting their steed. Only then does the camera pan down to reveal that their mode of transport is not a noble horse, but a six-cyclinder Honda superbike. George Romero’s previously hard-to-find 1981 story of a travelling troupe of motorcyclists who stage mock Arthurian jousting tournaments is now available in a beautifully restored version on Blu-ray. Like the shows the biker-knights put on, the film is hammy, over-earnest, and often ridiculous; but, like them, it’s also a lot of fun. In the same way that Easy Rider foreshadowed the cultural struggles of the 1970s, Romero uses the motorcycle epic to dramatise the conflict between community and commercialisation that would come to characterise the Reaganite 1980s. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

May I Kill U?

Zaytoun

Director: Eran Riklis. Starring: Stephen Dorff, Abdallah El Akal, Tarik Kopty. Released: 8th 8 Apr Certificate: 15

Director: Stuart Urban. Starring: Kevin Bishop. Released: 15 Apr Certificate: 15

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A cross-conflict road movie set during the 1982 Lebanese war, Zaytoun gets plenty right. For one, it looks fantastic, with cinematographer Dan Laustsen lensing war-blasted cities and malignly mine-strewn countryside in ever arresting ways. Also earning kudos are the strong central performances: Stephen Dorff overcomes minor miscasting and an awkward accent to deliver a nuanced turn as downed Israeli pilot Yoni, while Abdallah El Akal out-thesps his older co-star as Palestinian orphan Fahed, assuredly segueing from childish bravado into confusion and sadness. Director Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree, The Syrian Bride) too earns commendation for tactfully handling Palestinian/Israeli tensions without pointing fingers or resorting to easy villains. But while there’s no doubting Zaytoun’s good intentions, the parts don't hang together as a believable whole, with characters becoming conduits for unsubtle and corny moralising. [Chris Buckle]

Director: Pang Ho-Cheung. Starring: Chapman To, Lam Suet. Released: 15 Apr Certificate: 15 A gross-out comedy from Hong Kong, the well named Vulgaria pushes the boundaries of taste in its dialogue and storyline while coyly keeping what appears on screen comparatively chaste. To Wai-Cheung is a hapless film producer who, desperate for money, travels from Hong Kong to the mainland to meet with Tyrannosaur, a blinged-out mob boss, who wants To to remake his favourite porn film. After offending the gangster and his crew by refusing to eat the unspeakable dishes they serve him at a banquet (genitals feature prominently on the menu), To must make amends by having initimate relations with a mule. Made at breakneck speed in 12 days, Vulgaria zips along at a refreshing pace buoyed up by a number of nice performances from an enthusiastic cast led by the pitch-perfect Chapman To (Infernal Affairs). If some of the gags are too culturally specific to travel well and many others simply fall flat, there are enough that are extremely funny to make this a diverting watch. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

Ten Years

Director: Jamie Linden. Starring: Channing Tatum, Justin Long, Rosario Dawson, Kate Mara. Released: 8 Apr Certificate: 15

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A bash on the head turns a mild-mannered London bobby into a serial killer, albeit one who only targets those who break the law and agree to be killed. Writer/director Stuart Urban’s low budget black comedy isn’t quite sure what it wants to do, but certainly has its moments of dark release as the reborn vigilante works his way through some thoroughly deserving scumbags. That said, Maniac Cop this ain’t and even as he cleans up the streets and develops a cult following on Twitter and YouTube, he never quite manages to shake off a distinctly British ineptitude. Kevin Bishop (an unrecognisable grown-up Jim Hawkins from Muppets Treasure Island) is fine as the dim-witted Officer Baz, but Urban’s script doesn’t really go anywhere or ultimately decide whether it wants to be a comedy or a serious depiction of a psychotic. The concept of a sociopathic policeman has a lot of potential, but this fails somewhat in the execution. [Scotty McKellar]

Middle age bites early in Middle America if this Big Chill-esque film is to be believed. A group of friends attend their ten year high school reunion and, over a night of drunken revelry, must confront the decisions they have made in life and love in the intervening years. Or, perhaps more usefully, try and have it off with that girl they fancied in chemistry. Ten Years is a decent, if underwhelming ensemble piece that usually manages to keep on the right side of sentimentality. Its greatest pleasure comes from spotting all the familiar faces in the cast, led by the increasingly ubiquitous Channing Tatum (who also produced). It is not unlikely that we’re watching a roll call of actors who will come to dominate our screens over the next decade. Chris Patt is particularly good as Cully, the high school bully determined to atone for his past behaviour, who manages only to prove that none of us ever change. [Keir Roper-Caldbeck]

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April 2013

FILM

Review

Photo: Rachel Adams

SKINNER & HOLDEN NATA MORARU

Threshold Festival JOYCE EDWARDS

The Modern Lesbian

the natural light to great effect, adding a filter to Hutton’s portrait that gives it the kind of nostalrrrrr gic look Instagram(ateurs) try so hard to achieve. While there’s a lot of laughter in the faces of the The filter is fitting for Hutton, who – her bio re‘modern lesbians’ of Rachel Adams’ new exhibiveals – helped build the ‘largest physical archive tion The Modern Lesbian at Contact, the overof UK feminist music in the UK,’ now archived in arching story is one of gay women succeeding Birmingham Central Library. despite setbacks and prejudice. The chuckling Displayed like large polaroids, the portrait face of Claud Cunningham, Black Angel clubnight photographs are impressive in their aesthetic vaDJ and promoter, contrasts sadly with her bio riety. Rosie Garland (stage name Rosie Lugosi), a description, which details some of the difficulties local performance artist, screams out of her phoshe’s faced in trying to introduce contemporary tograph in colours so distinct her skin looks like a black music to the Manchester gay scene. realist painting. Women are shown driving, workAdams displays a talent for capturing the ing at their desks in their offices, and generally personality of her subjects through the use of just ‘being.’ There are trans-activists, librarians, different photographic styles. While Cunningham ‘gender terrorists’ and a dominatrix. The modern is shown in old-fashioned sepia, Jayne Compton lesbian still seems to be overrepresented in the – of Switchflicker Records and Club Brenda – social justice sectors, but an exhibition like this is shrouded in darkness with a background of can only be an inspiration for other lesbian and blurred 90s light. bisexual women. See what is possible. [Ana Hine] Women such as Catherine Meads, Reader Free in Health Technology Assessment at Brunel www.contactmcr.com University, and Caroline Hutton – both older www.themodernlesbian.co.uk women – are captured outside, and Adams uses Contact, Manchester, until 20 Apr

globalisation and population growth through an audio visual installation that features four planet-like circular projections incorporating Hidden between the wood warehouses of Jamaica appropriated imagery of subway commuters, Street and Greenland Street, Liverpool’s Baltic weather patterns, blood cells, neuronal pathways Triangle plays host to Threshold, back for its and miniature constructed landscapes. The acthird year for three days of grassroots multi-arts companying soundscape, titled Deltra Metropol, shenanigans. creates an eerie, recurrent echo made from a seOn arrival at Camp and Furnace, where the lection of found and recorded audio sources. In majority of Threshold’s events take place, you’re the Art Attic, there’s Loci (Double Binded), a specially commissioned installation from Liverpool invited into a dizzying atmosphere, with an Art Prize-winner Robyn Woolston sculpted from eclectic mix of pop-up installations, live stages, projections, a forest of handcrafted trees, and ad metres of layered red thread. Saturday evening sees art collective RAAP hoc art events waiting to be discovered around perform Ghost Hands, a live drawing/sound perevery corner. formance that uses analog telepresence. A group Social art project Draw the Line allows us made up of two illustrators, two musicians and to sit and doodle on the tables while we watch a technician, they directly influence each other bands and enjoy a pint or two – OK, three. A through improvisational sound and art, while the favourite hangout is the cleverly titled Listening audience watches their eerie drawings appear on Within Tent: a tiny caravan turned into a cocoon a projector screen. of fairy lights and cushions, where you can chill The Threshold Escapism afterparty finishes with an iPod playing songs by some of Threshold’s off the night with DJ sets from Milk, Waxxx and artists. everisland – making the cold, drunken 15-minute Down the hall, Shoot Gallery has an imwalk back into town more than worth it. [Helen pressive collection of exhibitions. Working in Stead] dialogue, Charles Holden, Maggie Lambert and Sam Skinner explore current issues such as Various venues, Liverpool

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www.thresholdfestival.co.uk

Gallery /Urban art supply shop situated on the 2nd floor of Manchesters Afflecks Palace.

Workshops Commisions Spray Paints Paint Markers Contact Hayley on 07725519366 for any quotes. or email Dirtywork@live.co.uk 52

Review

ART

THE SKINNY

World Book Night 2013

Now in its third year, World Book Night returns on 23 April with a whole host of nationwide events designed to celebrate reading and encourage those who do not regularly read to get involved

Words: Ryan Rushton

large part of World Book Night’s festivities is the giving. For those not in the know, the process involves 20 books being chosen by an independent editorial committee; the authors waive their royalties and the publishers produce 500,000 special World Book Night editions. A person can apply to be a giver around the start of the year, with the intention being they pick their favourite of the 20 and distribute a stack to people in their community who may not usually have the opportunity, or natural inclination, to pick up Tracy Chevalier’s Girl With a Pearl Earring. This year’s list features classics like Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island, dystopian fiction in Malorie Blackman’s Noughts and Crosses and, for the first time, a graphic novel – John Wagner’s Judge Dredd: The Dark Judges. It’s

a strong offering – perhaps the broadest yet in terms of interest – but if none of these are likely to make your Goodreads profile there’s also the option to tailor World Book Night to your own ends. Don’t like any of this year’s books? Aren’t registered as a giver? Instead, why not give copies of your own favourite title to someone? How about arranging a book event in your own area? Something more niche, something that interests you. World Book Night has plenty to offer besides literary altruism. The huge variety of events across the UK and Ireland present innovative ways to engage with fellow readers and appreciate literature. For those of us in the Northwest, the place to be is surely Liverpool, which has been chosen as this year’s flagship city and, along

with London, will host a number of contributing authors. The World Book Night event at St George’s Hall on 23 April features – the organisers say – ‘readings, discussions, debates, a literary cafe and marketplace, and the chance to get up close and personal with some superstar authors.’ It also serves as kick-off for Liverpool’s inaugural literary festival, In Other Words, which you can read more about below. Greater Manchester is also set for some interesting events. Altrincham Library is hosting a murder mystery night, while five other libraries in the Hyde area are screening adaptations of this year’s books and giving away 40 copies of the originals. At the time of writing, the World Book Night events map has been live on the site for less than a week and already a number of fun

happenings are popping up. There’s also the option to add your own events, including in categories such as ‘quiz’ and ‘party,’ in addition to the usual author readings, library and bookshop events. So you’ve really no excuse not to throw your own dystopian party, perhaps quizzing your friends on the second half of Atlas Shrugged no one bothered to read; everyone donning 1984-esque grey overalls and drinking gin. Or, you know, something better than that.

thing,” says Wordscapes director Fiona Shaw, “but I hope the simple act of finding a book makes someone’s day.” Liverpool Hope University’s English department, meanwhile, are offering a somewhat loftier take on the festival with a series of five public lectures focusing on the works of Shakespeare, Austen, Hardy, F Scott Fitzgerald and Sara Paretsky, encouraging us to engage with questions on the breezy subjects of time and the human condition (23 Apr-16 May). Elsewhere, motormouth Janet Street-Porter will let loose on the “public school elite and why class still matters” as part of the Rebel Rants series (3 May). For something slightly less collegial, the Here Come The Girls event on 24 April toasts all things chick lit, with genre doyenne Jane Costello in town to launch her latest novel The Wish List. Curated in partnership with Liverpool-based literary organisation Writing on the Wall, In Other Words makes a point of celebrating the region’s literary royalty alongside guests from further afield: you can enjoy an afternoon tea with Bootle-hailing historical fiction and short story

“I hope the simple act of finding a book makes someone's day”

running a journaling workshop at In Other Words, to give us three tips on how to have a few epistolary adventures of your own...

World Book Night 2013 takes place 23 Apr, with events happening across the country www.worldbooknight.org

Paint the Town Read Between World Book Night and the reopening of the city’s Central Library, Liverpool celebrates all things literary with a new festival, In Other Words Words: Lara Williams Illustration: Ben Kither (OWT Creative)

fter two years and a £50m spit and polish, Liverpool’s Central Library officially reopens on 17 May. What better way to mark the occasion than with a festival celebrating the written and spoken word? “We knew a literature festival was the perfect way to celebrate the reopening of Central Library,” says Liverpool City Councillor for culture and tourism, Wendy Simon, of the inaugural In Other Words festival, “and we have been inundated with internationally acclaimed authors, literary agents and groups asking to be involved.” With an emphasis on the eclectic, In Other Words – which commences on World Book Night – plays host to more than 350 events, from the DIY to the more ostensibly academic, offering something for readers and writers alike. It opens with the UK & Ireland’s flagship World Book Night event, the first time it has taken place outside of London, with authors Philippa Gregory, Jasper Fforde, Patrick Ness and Jackie Kay and the enduringly wonderful Jeanette Winterson giving readings and Q&As in St George’s Hall, next door to the Central Library, on 23 April. Elsewhere, Liverpool publishers Wordscapes are organising a Guerrilla Book Swap, where readers will be provided with bookplates to attach to the front of a beloved tome, which they can then leave around the city (on the bus, in your favourite cafe, on the bar in your local) for someone else to pick up and enjoy. The project culminates in a one-day book swap at Metal at Edge Hill Station on 27 April. “It’s only a small

April 2013

Fiona Shaw

writer Maureen Lee (Empire Atrium, 28 Apr), while poets Roger McGough and Brian Patten make a rare appearance together for The Beat Goes On (St George’s Hall, 26 Apr), both having found fame separately in one of the bestselling poetry anthologies of all time, 1967’s The Mersey Sound. In Other Words, various venues, Liverpool, 23 Apr-19 May, Most events are free www.itsliverpool.com/culture

Journaling To put you in the literary mood, we caught up with Wordscapes director Fiona Shaw, who is

BOOKS

1. Appreciative journaling is a positive psychology technique which helps you notice the positive things in life 2. When you’re starting off in appreciative journaling, we’d suggest you try and capture something every day, but that’s more to get you into the routine. It might be something as simple as seeing a spring flower bloom on the way to work, a compliment from a friend, a favourite song on the radio, or a more significant milestone in your family or career, but the effect is cumulative, and overwhelmingly positive. 3. At the workshops you’ll hear a series of tips on what to notice – or questions to ask yourself if you’re struggling to see the good things, including exercises to help you develop those observations as you get more used to journaling The journaling workshop takes place 2 May, 5pm, at Metal at Edge Hill Station, Liverpool. The workshop is free. To book your place, contact helen@appreciatingpeople.co.uk

Preview

Festival of Firsts

Photo: Blake Gardner and Hemisphere

We take a look at the theatre programme of this year’s Manchester International Festival, an event that prides itself on being artist-led, its ideas coming not from the curator but the creators

Tony Teardrop St Luke's Church, Liverpool, until 6 Apr

T Words: Gareth K. Vile

he grounds of St Luke’s Church, aka ‘The Bombed-Out Church’, one of Liverpool’s most unusual and fascinating spots, are a well-known haunt of the city’s homeless community. The location inspired – and is featured as a set piece in – Tony Teardrop, a play by Liverpool writer Esther Wilson. Written in 2004 as part of the National Theatre’s regional voices scheme, it never saw the light of day as a stage production, although there have been radio adaptations. Now, as fate would have it, Tony Teardrop is being performed for the very first time in St Luke’s in a production by Cut to the Chase, known for its ambitious site-specific works, which include last year’s Titanic commemoration Treasured in Liverpool’s Anglican Cathedral. Set in a residential home for homeless alcoholics and inspired by real stories, Tony Teardrop is a biting, humorous play about people living on the edges of society. The title character is played by Manchester actor Neil Bell, best known for his role as Soz in Shane Meadows’ Dead Man’s Shoes. Of Tony Teardrop, writer Wilson says:

“Walking past St Luke’s a couple of years ago I heard a guy, a little worse for wear, say to his mate ‘let’s sit over there on that bench, we’ll get a different view.’ The other bench was just a few feet away. I was moved by the profundity of such a statement. I hope everyone involved in Tony Teardrop, including the audience, goes away with a different view of the people who are as much a part of this city as its leaders and its dignitaries.” The outdoor performance – for which ticket holders are advised to wrap up warm and bring blankets – also goes some way to helping people empathise with the lives of the homeless characters on stage. This production is part of a larger collaborative project, which also includes the striking photographic work of Lee Jeffries that will lead to an exhibition later in the year, and outreach work, including creative workshops with the city’s homeless community. [Vicky Anderson] £16, £12 conc, phone 0151 709 4776 or book online www.tonyteardrop.com

A Day in the Death of Joe Egg KENNETH BRANAGH, MACBETH

Preview

thanks to the question of Scottish independence, but its pace and brutality give it a startling relevance. The Rite of Spring is an iconic moment in dance, standing as a bristling introduction to the savage power of 20th-century art. Although theatre has lost ground to both the small and large screens, delving into its history can be a profitable reminder of its visceral immediacy. This emphasis on reworking the past isn’t simple nostalgia. It simultaneously recollects the rich heritage of performance but connects the present to the events from which the performance was conceived. The Machine might focus on a specific incident – a cerebral conflict between one man and a processor – but it opens up broader questions about the uses of technology, without descending into wild science fiction apocalypse fantasies. The Masque of Anarchy reveals how politics can beget art that can challenge the status quo. Politicians are wont to pretend that their activities are founded in pure reason or realism: The Masque of Anarchy was Shelley’s response to an event that needed more than a legislative or tyrannical reply. There is the thrill of seeing legendary artists in action: Dafoe might be better known for his film roles, but he was a member of The Wooster Group and helped to devise some of the 1980s’ most memorable experimental theatre (their LSD (...Just The High Points...) took The Crucible into psychedelic splendour), while Baryshnikov made ballet fashionable and dangerous around the same time (although his turn in Sex and the City displaced George Clooney as the silver fox fantasy). And Branagh has not been seen in Shakespeare since 2002. The pleasure of seeing accomplished performers is more immediate, more startling, than anything offered by celluloid. It is this combination of thoughtful work and celebrity names that has established MIF’s international status so rapidly: opening up unexpected venues, bringing together big names and never forgetting that theatre is a medium where big ideas can be played intimately. Reviving the past, celebrating the present and looking towards the future, Manchester International Festival seems unafraid of either risk or accessibility.

Liverpool Playhouse, 5-27 Apr

ldham-born actor Ralf Little comes to the Northwest stage for the first time this month. Best known for his television roles in shows including The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, the 33-year-old stars in A Day in the Death of Joe Egg, opening at Liverpool Playhouse on 5 April. Peter Nichols’ 1967 play has never gone out of style, with a number of high profile revivals over the years. Little plays Bri, a school teacher struggling to cope with the demands of family life with his wife Sheila (Rebecca Johnson) and their daughter Joe (Jessica Bastick-Vines). Also among the cast is Shameless star Marjorie Yates. Little, who was nominated for an Olivier award for his West End role in Notes in Falling Leaves in 2004, is excited about the part, and about treading the boards in his home region for the first time. “It’s one of those amazing plays, an extraordinary piece of writing,” he says. “It’s hilarious and heart-breaking and provocative. It is about a young married couple with a severely disabled daughter, and how they try and deal with it by

making jokes, or in any way that they can. They have to laugh – what else can you do? But it’s a challenge. If it’s not funny, you’ve failed, and if you’re a bit too flippantly funny, you’ve failed; you have to walk a line carefully, because it’s such a tricky subject matter.” A co-production with the Rose Theatre, Kingston, the play is directed by that venue’s artistic director and founder of English Touring Theatre, Stephen Unwin. Nichols, now in his eighties, visited the cast in rehearsals. He wrote the piece from an autobiographical standpoint, about a family situation to which Unwin can also relate. Little says: “Although it was written in the 60s, it doesn’t feel dated. Anything in there that is provocative is not because society’s moved on and it’s 2013, it’s because it was meant to be when Peter wrote it.” [Vicky Anderson] £12-£23 www.everymanplayhouse.com

Manchester International Festival, 4-21 Jul A DAY IN THE DEATH OF JOE EGG

www.mif.co.uk

THEATRE

THE SKINNY

Photo: Simon Annand

anchester International Festival (MIF) has already set itself at the pinnacle of British theatre programming through its imaginative combination of new commissions, famous artists and provocative collaborations. The introduction this year of reduced rate tickets for local residents demonstrates, however, that it is not an event that ignores its location. With new works coming from London’s Donmar Warehouse, itself a hive of dramatic vitality, and Robert Wilson, the veteran darling of large-scale experimental performance, MIF is challenging the Edinburgh Festival for the title of the UK’s most vigorous and daring season. The five new commissions that make up the bulk of MIF’s theatre programme can act as a handy guide to the current state of the art. The Machine, freshly scripted by Matt Charman, returns the Donmar’s artistic director Josie Rourke to her native Northwest and pitches the chess battle between grandmaster Gary Kasparov and supercomputer Deep Blue as a metaphor for the relationship between humans and technology. The Rite of Spring reimagines Stravinsky’s score in the year of its centenary as a ballet without dancers (but with falling bone powder, instead). The Masque of Anarchy builds theatre from Shelley’s poem into a site not far from the location of the Peterloo Massacre, which inspired the original. The Old Woman has Robert Wilson directing Mikhail Baryshnikov and Willem Dafoe in an adaptation of Russian author Daniil Kharms’ absurdist novella – and Macbeth reunites Kenneth Branagh with the playwright who has defined British theatre. In these selections, there is a balance between the new – Rourke and Sarah Frankcom, artistic director of Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre and director of The Masque of Anarchy – and the famous (Branagh took on the role of Britain’s most celebrated Shakespearean actor and director after the death of Olivier, and Robert Wilson has been surprising audiences since the 1970s, although more often in continental Europe and America than the UK). Yet there is a continuity of theme throughout the programme: historical sources from the recent to the Elizabethan become the foundation for thoroughly modern ruminations on culture. Macbeth has become the most over-performed of Shakespeare’s plays in recent years, possibly

The Loveliest Revolution Comedy has changed of late – stand up Juliette Burton takes a close look at the causes of the rise of loveliness

ack in the late 90s, Foster’s Comedy Award nominees at Edinburgh Fringe were those traditionally cruel comedy knights (Rich Hall, Johnny Vegas, Al Murray). In the early noughties though, loveliness crept in; sometimes musically (Flight of the Conchords), sometimes surreally (Noel Fielding, Demetri Martin), sometimes in stories (king of loveliness Daniel Kitson). In the last five years, nominees have been an increasingly long list of loveliness: 2009 – Tim Key, Idiots of Ants; 2010 – Josie Long, Sarah Millican; 2011 Josie Long (again), Meanwhile by Sam Simmons. But in 2012 loveliness landed with a nominations list more lovely than a bubble bath filled with puppies: Pappy’s, Tony Law, Josie Long (again!), Claudia O’Doherty, James Acaster and, the winner, the slightly menacing, but still oddly lovely clowning genius Doctor Brown. This style of comedy doesn’t ‘get one over’ on the audience. It’s a pathos-fuelled ‘come with me on this journey’ escapism where the hero isn’t the comedian alone but the whole audience with them. The performer isn’t in conflict with the audience, rather befriending them. The herald of this loveliness was the recession. Since it hit in 2008, we want to be not just diverted by comedy, but fully escape from the terrifying, double-dip-filled world we’re living in. We want to go on an adventure with our comedy hero – like Claudia O’Doherty in Telescope, Sam Simmons in Meanwhile and Pappy’s in their Last Show Ever. We want to be welcomed into an imagined world that helps us feel safe, uplifted and renewed. The recession also caused us to re-consider

April 2013

Illustration: Essi Kimpimäki

what and who we can trust. We can’t trust banks, we can’t trust the economy, we can’t trust to keep our jobs; but we can trust loveliness. Last year The Boy with Tape on His Face kept on selling out his 700 seat venue at the Edinburgh Fringe. When his show ended with hundreds of red balloons falling on stage, I came away so gleeful I felt like a child again. And children have an untainted ability to trust: right now we need to cling on to whatever helps us rediscover that. There are still the traditional knights of course. Adam Riches and Nick Helm were both Foster’s Award nominees in 2011 and both are brash, bullish and confrontational. And of course, there’s the cruelty comedy king; Frankie Boyle. We do need them. We need those brave knights to attack politics, religion, racism, the recession and deal with our anger for us. Lovely Comedy deals with what lies beyond anger. The Boy With Tape on His Face may not attack politics, religion, racism, the recession or anger directly but he shows us the alternative. He brings an audience together in childlike joy. Traditional standups can rip things apart but lovely comedy pulls us together again. It can help us remember our gleeful selves and rediscover that part of us that believed in knights, didn’t know what a recession was and trusted anyone who gave us a bright red balloon. All hail the new comedy cavalry. Long live loveliness.

DO YOU READ THE SKINNY IN A CASTLE? WHY NOT? GET COPIES IN YOUR VENUE 0161 236 1114 OR HIYA@THESKINNY.CO.UK WWW.THESKINNY.CO.UK

Mace & Burton’s Rom Com Con, Frog & Bucket, Manchester, 3 Apr, 7pm, £6 (£5) www.maceandburton.com

COMEDY

Review

Manchester Music Tue 02 Apr

AUSTIN LUCAS (GLOSSARY, EMMA HALLOWS)

THE STAR AND GARTER, 19:30–22:00, £8 ADV.

Indiana-based singer/songwriter doing his Americana folk thing on our side of the pond. STUART MCCALLUM: PROJECTS RESIDENCY

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Cinematic Orchestra guitarist trying out new material in the realms of beats, electronica, classical orchestration and jazz – joined by bandmates Luke Flowers and Phil France and Manchester’s own Rioghnach Connol on vocals.

CINEMA SOLORIENS (MARSHALL ALLEN, DAEVID ALLEN) BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £14 EARLYBIRD

Multi-media, film and music project featuring Marshall Allen, leader of the Sun Ra Arkestra, and Daevid Allen of psychedelic rock legends Gong and Soft Machine. THE VELVET DUKES

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Four-piece funk-meets-soul outfit hailing from the Welsh borders.

Sat 06 Apr ERIC JOHNSON

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, 20:00–22:00, £25

The electric guitar-playing legend takes to the UK as part of his globe-trotting 2013 tour. MISFITS (GOLDBLADE, DIRT BOX DISCO)

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £17.50

The longstanding American rock lot get back on the live circuit, playing a selection of horror and sci-fi hits from their bulging back catalogue. Most likely facepainted as skulls.

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, £10

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £6

LAST PARTY

Four-piece alt-rock/pop outfit hailing from Manchester – whom Johnny Marr described as “the brightest light in new music.”

RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:00, £5

Five-strong line-up of pop/acoustic bands, headlined by Northern singer/songwriter James Christy.

RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:30, £7

Five-strong death metal showcase headlined by the controversial Welsh trio, Desecration.

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (GOY BOY MCILROY) NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £5

Local live music showcase night highlighting the best of the Northwest and surrounding areas. BLIND MONK TRIO

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Three Northwest musicians putting a fresh spin on the classic, chordless jazz trio format. CREAK (BEN HEANEY, BRIAN BENSON, CONFORMIST GUERILLA, HOWARD JACOBS)

KRAAK, 19:00–23:00, £5

A sonic art live performance of noise sound music, all set to be collaborative, spontaneous, and completely unique. OLYMPIAN

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

The latest musical offering from Manchester-based singer/songwriter Aron Robinson – delivering melodic and richly layered folk, heavily influenced by his upbringing in Manchester and Canada – presenting his new EP on the night. BIG UNIT

GORILLA, 19:00–23:00, £11

Nothing but acid rock – a combination of acid house and rock’n’roll – from six Manchester fellas.

Thu 04 Apr MISSING ANDY

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, £8

Mod-influenced Essex lot led by Alex Greaves, shoehorning genres of indie, Brit rock and pop into their mix. DIVE BELLA DIVE

SMOKEY BLUE GRASS TROF NORTHERN QUARTER, 20:00–01:00, FREE

An evening of live music and DJs spanning folk, Americana, rhythm and blues, all washed down with Trof’s impressive selection of small batch and house-infused bourbons. FUZZY LIGHTS (WALTON HESSE)

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

Americana/alt-country bunch from Cambridge, touring the UK with their latest album, Rule of Twelfths. THE DIAMOND FAMILY ARCHIVE

TAKK , 19:30–22:00, £6

The musical stylings of Laurence Collyer, the distinctly British psych/alt/freak folk pioneer, making deliciously atmospheric and mesmeric songs. Enough adjectives? Good. Expect stripped back performance, as per a TAKK gig. VIDEO JAM

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:00–01:00, FREE

A new experiment in sound and moving image – short films, submitted by local and independent producers, are stripped of their soundtrack, allowing musicians and sound artists to experiment with a score in a live setting.

Fri 05 Apr

THE WILDHEARTS (EUREKA MAHINES)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £20

The British rock veterans play a series of shows throughout the UK, marking the 20th anniversary of their debut LP, Earth Vs. THE SHEEPDOGS

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £8 ADV. (£10 DOOR)

Canadian Southern rock-meetsblues four-piece touring in support of their new album, produced by The Black Keys’ Patrick Carney and Austin Scaggs. THE JAMES HUNTER SIX

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:00–22:00, £16.50

British soul singer pitched somewhere between R’n’B and rock’n’roll, touring with his first album in five years. HOOKWORMS (BASE VENTURA)

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £6

London-based four-piece, fusing dirty bass riffs, chants and big dance rhythms.

Leeds-based five-piece playing a bunch of shows throughout the UK to showcase their new album, Pearl Mystic.

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, FREE

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £TBC

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £6

ROCK AND SOUL STEW

Live music and resident DJ Stevie serving up rock and soul until the small hours.

SAUL ASHBY

One man making quite a bit of noise with his stripped-back, guitar-pop sound. HARDTAIL (SOMNIUM, MOOSE PATROL, BUSIK MAZE)

RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:00, £5

A night of grungy tinged hard rock, headlined by Manchester’s very own Hardtail.

Listings

THE

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £4

JAMES CHRISTY BAND (CLOCKWORK RADIO, PALE GREEN THINGS, KIM JENNETT, GREG LARKIN)

DESECRATION (BASEMENT TORTURE KILLINGS, ZOMBIEFIED, FOETAL JUICE, MAGPYES)

The Skinny-approved Glasgow screamers take to the road – doing their usual all-out rammy of a thing, as per the Divorce law. SOUL SESSIONS

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 19:00–00:30, £5 (£3)

Monthly event hosted by Matt and Phred’s very own house band.

Latin-American heavy metal band hailing from New Jersey, pioneers of the Latin metal genre.

Showcase event featuring some of the best up-and-coming musicians around.

Angst-laded punk rock touting Yorkshire lads, headlining for Tour’Anasaurus Rex 2013. We see what you did there.

DIVORCE (SIGHTINGS, ETAI KESHIKI, PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS PIGS, NAKED ON DRUGS, KLAUS KINSKI, MISTOA POLSTOA)

NQ LIVE, 18:30–23:00, £14

ARE WE STRANGERS NOW

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £6

Sun 07 Apr

ILL NINO (SACRED MOTHER TONGUE, MAGNACULT)

Get your fill of Swedish melodic death metal with Scar Symmetry.

TOUR’ANASAURUS REX 2013 (SUMMERLIN, A SEASON OF SECRETS, THOUSAND AUTUMNS, ODD SQUAD)

Two stages, DJs and an afterparty at 42nd – Scruff of the Neck Records are rather excited for the launch of Burnley-based Second Shepherds’ new single.

KRAAK, 16:00–23:00, £5 (£7 OTD)

SCAR SYMMETRY

Wed 03 Apr

SECOND SHEPHERDS THE THIRSTY SCHOLAR AND THE ATTIC, 19:30–01:00, £5

BC CAMPLIGHT

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £7

A rare treat, and one not to be missed – Philadelphia-born and Manchester-based Brian Christinzio will be doing his baroque pop thing.

HARDWARE (KURT DIRT, WRAPPED IN PLASTIC, JAN DOYLE BAND, NIGHTCALL) RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:00, £5

Underground and industrial electronic acts playing the best of Alt-80s, synth pop and goth. THE LITTLE UNSAID

BIG HANDS, 18:30–22:30, £4

HERON

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–23:00, £10

Folk legends formed way back in 1967, back together and playing a very special charity gig for Cancer Research UK. THE ATARIS

NQ LIVE, 18:00–23:00, £14

Indianapolis alternative indierockers who record all their songs in one take, using vintage 1940s ribbon microphones and a 1948 Gibson J-45 guitar. DEAF HAVANA: UNPLUGGED

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, 14:00–17:00, £15

Four East Coast Village lads normally known for making a rammy of rock sounds, but getting all acoustic and soulful for a UK-wide mini tour. DEAF HAVANA: UNPLUGGED

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, 19:00–22:00, £15

Four East Coast Village lads normally known for making a rammy of rock sounds, but getting all acoustic and soulful for a UK-wide mini tour. MARY EPWORTH

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

Harmony-laden synth-pop from the English songstress. BOB LOG III

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £10

The one-man blues punk dynamo and slide guitar legend that is Bob Log III takes to the stage, most likely avec crash helmet. TELEMAN

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £7

London-based indie three-piece – formed from breakaway members of Pete and the Pirates – making nerdy chic indie music, not completely unlike Alt-J. SYNAPSE (UNDER BLACKENED SKIES, TAKE HER TO ATHENA, OUR FATAL LEGACY)

RETRO BAR, 18:00–21:30, £5

Metal night with Cheshire-based groove metal band Synapse taking the headline spot.

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

Beta Band frontman and our Scotland issue March cover hunk (photographed resplendent in woolly jumper and scarf) takes his rather fine new album to a live setting; a catalytic call-to-arms with a mantric message sure to get the blood a-pumping.

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (CLOCKWORK RADIO, GYMNAST) NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £5

Local live music showcase night highlighting the best of the Northwest and surrounding areas. JOSEPHINE

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £9

Manchester-based singer influenced by the sounds of the city and her family roots in West African culture. SKUTCH MANOS

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

KRAAK, 19:00–23:00, £4 (£5 OTD)

IMAGINE DRAGONS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £11

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £17.50

North Yorkshire’s only contemporary New Orleans inspired brass band.

STEVE MASON

Mon 08 Apr

THE STAR AND GARTER, 19:00–22:00, £5 (ON THE DOOR)

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–01:00, £5

RACHEL ZEFFIRA

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £10

The Canadian composer and multi-instrumentalist brings the ethereal soundscapes, also known as one-half of goth-pop duo Cat’s Eyes, alongside The Horrors’ Faris Badwan.

Formerly The Acoustic Conquistador, Skutch Manos is a self-taught classical/flamenco guitarist chock full of flair.

THE SYSTEM (POTENTIAL VICTIMS, ANDY T, BLACK LIGHT MUTANTS)

NEW YORK BRASS BAND

A mixed-bag line up of alternative rock and post-hardcore/screamo.

UK Album launch tour for the London-based alt/folk/electronic multi-instrumentalist The Little Unsaid, otherwise known as John Elliot.

Beat-heavy indie-rock, laced with raspy vocals and infectiously catchy lyrics, as the Las Vegasdwellers embark on a Europe-wide tour with their latest album, Night Visions.

Politically-charged 80s punk band, recently reformed and gigging once more.

CHARLIE INDESTRUCTIBLE (IF LOOKS COULD KILL) RETRO BAR, 19:30–23:30, £TBC

THE HOUSE OF LOVE

Guy Chadwick-led alternative rock outfit that rose to prominence in the late 80s and early 90s with their post-Smiths guitar pop sound. JAZZ JAM (JOHNNY HUNTER)

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–00:30, FREE

Monday night jazz jam, all abilities welcome. SNOWAPPLE (IVAN CAMPO)

KRAAK, 19:30–23:00, £3

Three girls from Amsterdam doing a goose-bump-inducing pop/folk/ opera thing, with support from Manchester’s Ivan Campo.

Tue 09 Apr DIE SO FLUID (HOSTILE)

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £8

Metallic-rock styled trio known for ripping it up live. PEATBOG FAERIES

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £15 EARLYBIRD

More high octane contemporary folk from the Isle of Skye crew.

WITH ONE LAST BREATHE (ADEPT, DESPITE MY DEEPEST FEAR)

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, £8

York-based five-piece metal group, led by the very loud vocals of Sam Graves. THE LUCKY STRIKES

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7 (ADV)

Bluesy-meets-Americana bunch hailing from Southend, currently on a UK-wide tour with their latest album, Exhile and the Sea.

Wed 10 Apr JAMES BLAKE

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

The singer/songwriter and electronic producer presents his unique brand of dubbed-out soul, hybrid electro, effects-manipulated vocals and adventures in rabbit jumpers.

Fri 12 Apr BRITISH SEA POWER

GORILLA, 19:00–22:30, £13.50

The Brighton indie-rockers do their romantic, pastoral longing thing to suitably fine effect.

TO KILL A KING (SPRING OFFENSIVE)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £7

Leeds/London quartet fronted by the brooding vocals and densleycrafted songwriting of Ralph Pelleymounter. WHITE HILLS

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:30, £7

Expect psychedelia grooves, otherworldly bleeps and huge chunks of gnarly formless noise from the fuzzed-out New York rockers. PEACE

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £8

Alternative indie up-and-comers who describe their sound as ‘music to fuck you in the heart’, which is nice.

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–01:00, £5

MANCHESTER ARENA, 20:00–22:00, FROM £39.50

KAMIKAZE QUINTET

Manchester-based group playing originals and covers, with a selection of contemporary-inspired songs along the lines of The Cinematic Orchestra and Snarky Puppy. THE HOSTS

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

Sheffield-based five-piece playing catchy and anthemic rock ‘n’ roll, no doubt they’ll play their new single, September Song. SAM SMITH AND COMPANY (THE MADDING CROWD, SIGNA AURORA, SECURING CHARLIE)

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £3 (£4)

Manchester-based four-piece spanning rock’n’roll, punk and indie genres.

Sat 13 Apr THE FRATELLIS

THE RITZ, 18:00–22:00, £18

Glasgow indie-rockers led by lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, who’s also forged a solo career for himself of late. EMMURE

JOEY CAPE AND FRIENDS (JON SNODGRASS, BRIAN

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £13

Angsty five-man metal band from Queens, New York. JOSE JAMES

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–22:00, £13.50 - £15

American singer with an impressive set of pipes, touring with his latest album, No Beginning No End.

THE HUSH

Nottingham-based four-piece, causing a stir with their melodic piano pop rock, which has already landed them slots alongside Feeder, The Hoosiers and the headline spot at Y-Not Festival.

ABATTOIR BLUES LABEL LAUNCH

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 14:30–23:00, £2.50

P!NK

Alecia Beth Moore, AKA P!NK, will be delighting crowds with her musical badassery.

Mon 15 Apr SONATA ARCTICA

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £17

Finnish power metal band known for their fast-paced, melodic and keyboard-heavy music. THE VALIANT, VIRTUES, COTIDAL

RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:30, £3

Triple headliner gig with a line-up of metal/metalcore bands from across the UK. RYAN KEEN (SAM BRADLEY)

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

Totnes-based singer/songwriter doing his acoustic, folksy blues thing with highly rhythmicpercussive guitar playing and heartfelt lyrics. FUNK JAM (HENRY BOTHAM)

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Funk jam led by the house band, all abilities welcome. P!NK

MANCHESTER ARENA, 20:00–22:00, FROM £39.50

Alecia Beth Moore, AKA P!NK, will be delighting crowds with her musical badassery.

Tue 16 Apr

STAR AND DAGGER (FEDERAL CHARM)

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £8

Blues-rock-meets-metal group formed from members of White Zombie, Cycle Sluts From Hell, Eagles Of Death Metal and Queens Of The Stone Age. STUART MCCALLUM: PROJECTS RESIDENCY

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

ARCHEAN SOUNDTRACK (THE RISE AND FALL OF THE ROCKETS, MOORS, BRITISH FICTION)

Cinematic Orchestra guitarist trying out new material in the realm of beats, electronica, classical orchestration and jazz – joined by Cinematic bandmates Luke Flowers and Phil France and Manchester’s own Rioghnach Connol on vocals.

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £4

Experimental rap-meetsrock five-piece hailing from big ol’ London town. INC.

TROF FALLOWFIELD, 20:00–23:00, £5

GRAMME (JASON BOARDMAN)

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:30, £7

Mysterious lot out on tour to welcome the release of their new album, No World.

Emerging from a decade of silence with a new album – as you do – still making genre defying music.

Thu 11 Apr

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £2

FATHER SCULPTOR

Glaswegian five-piece formed in early 2012 – but with a sound that’s like they just stepped out of the 80s – launching their new EP on the evening.

BRITISH SEA POWER

GORILLA, 19:00–22:30, £13.50

The Brighton indie-rockers do their romantic, pastoral longing thing to suitably fine effect.

Wed 17 Apr

BAUER (JESSICA JONES & THE LIZARDS, ANDY JAMES)

FRANK TURNER AND THE SLEEPING SOULS

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £6

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £TBC

Australian blues guitarist and singer, nominated for Traditional Blues Female Artist of the Year at the 2010 Blues Music Awards.

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £6

Paris-based five-piece blending caustic indie-rock with ambient synth textures, led by ex-M83 frontman Nicolas Fromageau.

Things are set to get pretty crowded – two of the most upbeat and furiously energetic names in folk music share the headline spot.

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–23:00, £5

FIONA BOYES TRIO

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

TEAM GHOST

ADAM GREEN AND BINKI SHAPIRO THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £11

The former Moldy Peaches man tours his collaborative new LP of 60s-inspired duets with multi-instrumentalist rocker Binki Shapiro (of Little Joy).

Alt-rock trio hailing from Bury, with support from Manchester big-riff duo The Hyena Kill.

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:00, £10

The French indie-pop singer and Nouvelle Vague front-lady does her solo thing. Rescheduled date.

THE DESTROYERS (SHEELANAGIG) BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £13 - £15

REMOTE CONTROL UNIVERSE (THE HYENA KILL)

Hook driven and infectiously melodic four-piece emerging from the studio after a brief period of perfecting their art.

MELANIE PAIN

SKID ROW NQ LIVE, 17:00–23:00, £15

American heavy metal band formed in New Jersey back in 1986.

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £18.50

ECHOTAPE

Much-hyped five-piece band from down South. RESOLUTION DAES’ LIVE MUSIC CLUB

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 19:30–02:00, £7 (£6 ADV)

Dyslexia awareness event with a killer line up of acoustic sets, live bands and DJ sets. TROYKA, ANTON HUNTER TRIO

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £12.50

A double bill of jazz – with the rock/dance/jazz mash-up of Troyka coupled with the much-hyped sound of the Anton Hunter Trio. THE COOKIN POTS

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Four-piece offering a fresh twist on the timeless classics of the 30s and 40s jazz and swing era. THE KVB (THE ANXIETY OF LOVE)

KRAAK, 20:00–23:00, £5

London-based dark-wave duo, making darkly haunting fuzzy synth noises.

WAHLSTROM, PAUL RUCKER, CARL RAETHER) SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £11

Lagwagon front man Joey Cape doing his solo singer/songwriter thing with his immensely talented friends. HELL’S ADDICTION (TWINKLE AND THE SLUTS)

RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:30, £TBC

A Live Alliance night of punk rock with Leicester’s Hell’s Addiction headlining the show. DY-ME-A-DUZIN

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £8

The fresh-faced Brooklyn-based rising star, making waves on the music scene at the super young age of 20.

Allday event gathering some of the brightest blues and blues-inspired talent from across the country.

SET IN STONE: BOOK LAUNCH (DEADBEAT ECHOES, DRUNKEN MUNKS, SEAN CROSSEY, KILL SUAREZ) GORILLA, 19:00–23:00, £8

Legendary rock’n’roll photographer Ian Tilton is set to launch a new book featuring never before seen images of The Stone Roses; he’ll be joined on the night by a line-up of local musicians, including Deadbeat Echoes.

Sun 14 Apr JOHN FULLBRIGHT

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £10 ADV.

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, TBC

Hailing from Woody Guthrie’s hometown, the Grammy-nominated singer/songwriter heads out on the road to promote his debut album, From The Ground Up.

OBSESSIVE COMPULSIVE

KRAAK, 19:00–23:00, £5

OUR FOLD

Indie rock four-piece from Bolton. THE STAR AND GARTER, 19:00–22:00, £9

Intimate hometown show to launch the noisy Mancunian’s second album.

BATS

Five-piece post-hardcore/postpunk bunch from Dublin, heavy on the hooks and science-inspired lyrics.

The former Million Dead singer turned folk troubadour does his thing – full of his usual rockabilly charm – backed by his live band, The Sleeping Souls. TRIONOMY

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Trio doing that jazz improvisation thing, with wide ranging influences from Charles Mingus to Stravinsky. MEAT LOAF

MANCHESTER ARENA, 20:00–22:00, FROM £45

Mr Loaf takes to the UK as part of his farewell tour, playing a show of two parts – with a set of greatest hits followed by classic album Bat Out Of Hell being played in its entirety. TRIPWIRES, TOWNS

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

Double headliner show with Reading-based Tripwires and Bristol-based Towns. NIGHT BEDS

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £7

Nashville-based singer/songwriter Winston Yellen heads out on a Europe-wide tour with his latest album Country Sleep – penned in Johnny Cash’s old digs, no less.

THE SKINNY

Thu 18 Apr

LOWER THAN ATLANTIS (DINOSAUR PILE UP, BLITZ KIDS)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

Hard-rockin’ foursome hailing from Hertfordshire. THE BLOCKHEADS

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £18

A slightly augmented line-up sees the punk generation legends take to the stage to share their genre defying jazz, rock’n’roll, funk, and reggae sound.

PATENT PENDING (ERIK CHANDLER)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £10

Infectious and energetic punk-rock outfit hailing from Long Island, New York – chock with fist pumps and pop hooks, as standard. SERAFINA STEER

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £8

Last seen at Glasgow Film Festival (where she was backed by Sam, her filmmaker brother), Peckhamborn multi-instrumentalist Serafina Steer performs her own live scores using harp and vocals, touring her latest, Jarvis Cockerproduced, LP. QUEENSRYCHE

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

Progressive heavy metal band hailing from Bellevue, Washington. ARCHIVE

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £15

The London-based trip hopmeets-rock group take a break from the studio to play one of three UK dates.

ROCK, PAPER, ROCK! #24 (KIEFER, THEY’RE COMING TO GET YOU BARBARA, THOSE ROTTEN THIEVES, THE RED BLOCKS)

RETRO BAR, 19:30–23:30, £5

Rock showcase night with Manchester’s own Kiefer taking the headliner slot. ASTRA

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £9.50

Progressive psychedelic rock fivepiece from San Diego known for their ethereal, sublime and truly visionary musical soundscapes. COLIN VEARNCOMBE

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £15 ADV.

Liverpudlian singer/songwriter – active on the music scene since 1981 and best known for the 80s classic Wonderful Life. PERE UBU (GAGARIN, VARIETY LIGHTS)

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £13 - £15

Ever-experimental rock outfit hailing from Cleveland, led by charismatic vocalist David Thomas – back on the road touring their new LP, Lady from Shanghai.

AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

The alternative rock veterans return, defined as ever by the push and pull of Conrad Keely’s epic mysticism and Jason Reece’s primal punk surge, back-andtouring their latest album, Lost Songs – which they’ve dedicated to Pussy Riot. STEVE DIGGLE

FACTORY 251, 19:00–23:00, £9

Taking a break from the Buzzcocks live schedule, founding member Steve Diggle takes to the Factory to play an acoustic set covering some Buzzcocks classics alongside his solo work. CHARLI XCX

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £8

The much-hyped singer/ songwriter delivers intricate, post-apocalyptic pop in her own multi-layered performance style. XMENBTEAM (TEN EYED MAN, JOHARI WINDOW, RED SPEKTOR)

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £5

Bradford-born and nursed on a diet of pop punk and ska, Sam Parry now makes infectiously catchy music under the name xmenbteam. ENVIROLUTION FUNDRAISER

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £5

Charity event involving much live music and DJ joy – oh, and there’s an art auction and raffle too. MASKED INTRUDER

THE STAR AND GARTER, 19:00–22:00, £5

Skittle-hued punk pop four-piece hailing from Wisconsin. JOYCE

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

The Brazilian singer/songwriter star returns to Manchester for what promises to be a captivating evening. NAT BIRCHALL

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–01:00, £5

A hidden gem of the UK jazz scene, Nat Birchall will be doing his soulful jazz thing accompanied by a full band. A HAWK AND A HACKSAW

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:30, £10 ADV.

Albuquerquebased Balkan folk duo with Jeremy Barnes on the accordion and Heather Trost on violin.

Sat 20 Apr

A CAREFULLY PLANNED ALL DAYER #16

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £9

All-day music event – organised by the lovely folk at Carefully Planned – the 16th Edition sees Sorry No, Walk, Ajimal, Cecile Grey, Reno Dakota and many more on the schedule.

VERONICA FALLS

More perfectly-wrought goth-tinged pop songs from the ramshackle London four-piece, touring on the back of their new LP, Waiting For Something to Happen. THE FEELING

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £18.50

Harmless indie-popsters led by Dan Gillespie Sells’ wishy-washy vocals. KATE NASH

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £13

Ms Nash keeps it reliably chirpy with her vocally-loose melodic ramblings, touring in support of her third album.

Nottingham-based quintet led by Robert Milton, doing a rather fine line in uplifting pop harmonies.

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £13.59

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £13.50

MESH (DE/VISION, TORUL)

Bristol-based elektro/synthpop duo returning to Manchester in support of their new album Automation Baby.

\M//ETAL! #13 (THROW US TO THE WOLVES, FALTER, GIV EM HELL, YAKAVETTA) RETRO BAR, 19:00–23:30, £5

A night of alternative revelry comprising five metal bands with the Oldham-based Throw Us to The Wolves on the headline spot. RAMALAMA

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £TBC

Regular showcase event offering up three local bands for your enjoyment. MANCHESTER REGGAE SPECIAL (TREVOR ROOTS & THE COLLABORATORS, NUCLEUS ROOTS LIVE SOUND, DJ MIKEY D.O.N.)

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £10

SO SOLID CREW

The long-awaited return of the Battersea-based garage, grime and hip hop collective, responsible for such earworms as 21 Seconds. THE LEISURE SOCIETY (KESTON COBBLERS CLUB)

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £12

Lovely folk-pop lot lead by Nick Hemming – of early 90s indie fame with former group She Talks To Angels – drawing comparisons to the Fleet Foxes, which is never a bad thing.

Mon 22 Apr WALTER SCHREIFELS

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £9

New York-based musician, songwriter and producer with fingers in many pies; he’s the principal songwriter for Gorilla Biscuits, Moondog, Quicksand and Rival Schools for starters. WILEY (SKEPTA, JME)

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

Producer, MC and all-round grime master Wiley (aka Richard Cowie) does his electronic meets hip-hop fusion thing, topped off with his inimitable snappy lyrical flow.

English blues and rock virtuoso, known for his experimental takes on ways of recording his own music.

MERGER (THE SPIRIT VINES, THE MANTRA ABOVE THE SPOTLESS MELT MOON, SOPHIE MORGAN, CLACK CIRCLES, JESSICA HARWOOD)

MUNDO JAM

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

An anything goes kinda jam session, fusing styles from any musical tradition.

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £4

LAISH

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–22:00, FROM £8

The former Working For A Nuclear Free City guitarist launches his debut solo EP, Wreaths – getting all melodic with his emotive penmanship.

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

Manchester’s finest jazz musicians assemble to spread love, peace and good vibes. Lovely!

SAINT RAYMOND

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–01:00, £5

Fri 19 Apr

Fresh off a tour with Lewis Watson, Saint Raymond will be taking a break to headline a bunch of UK shows.

Four-strong line-up of all-thingsrock – from punk to alternative – headlined by the York-based five-piece A Joker’s Rage.

THE SOUL CIRCLE GANG

The fresh and ever-energetic eight-piece will be wowing audiences with a mix of original tracks and covers. DROWNING POOL (FOZZY)

NQ LIVE, 17:30–23:00, £15

Texas-based four-piece doing their loud, angry heavy metal thing.

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £6 ADV. (£7 OTD)

Seattle indie-rock lot made up of ex-members of Botch, Kill Sadie and Sharks Keep Moving. CHAS ‘N’ DAVE

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, £20

English pop-rock duo responsible for Rockney – a genre which blends pub singalongs with music hall influences and no-nonesense rock’n’roll.

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £10

Double-header of tribute acts, taking in Guns n Roses and Megadeath.

THE CLONE ROSES (CLINT BOON)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £12

Stone Roses tribute band. KREATOR (EVILE)

Liverpool Music Thu 04 Apr IMAGINE DRAGONS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, SOLDOUT

Beat-heavy indie-rock, laced with raspy vocals and infectiously catchy lyrics, as the Las Vegasdwellers embark on a Europe-wide tour with their latest album, Night Visions. Monthly acoustic club hosted by local songsmith Johnny Sands.

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:30, £8

CAMP AND FURNACE, 20:00–23:00, £6

THE GROWLERS

Leeds-based five-piece playing a bunch of shows throughout the UK to showcase their new album, Pearl Mystic.

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, £10

Four-piece playing the songs of Jacques Brel.

California quintet doing that hardcore thing led by the scratchy vocals of Jesse Barnett. MISS 600

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 19:30–02:00, £7

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £6

DRENGE (TEMPLES)

Sheffield-based brothers Eoin and Rory making sounds with guitars and drums. On tour with the neosynth group Temples.

Wed 24 Apr JAMIE N COMMONS

London-based alt-rock four piece, living up to their name by opening for Slash in Australia, touring with Taking Back Sunday in the UK, featuring Tony Hawk in their videos, and a bunch of other stuff that makes us mildly jealous.

Fri 26 Apr

HADOUKEN!

MANCHESTER ARENA, 19:30–22:00, FROM £35

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

Genre-bending dance-punk grindie band based in London, on tour to promote their latest album, Every Weekend. BLEED FROM WITHIN (HEART OF A COWARD, SILENT SCREAMS)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £7.50

Glaswegian metal band led by shouty vocalist Scott Kennedy. NEIL C YOUNG TRIO

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

Grammy-nominated composer playing feel-good music.

GET THE BLESSING (ADRIAN UTLY, ROADRUNNER HONEY)

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC, 19:30–22:30, £14

Bristol-based post jazz/prog rock outfit and winners of the BBC Jazz Award 2008 for their debut album, All Is Yes.

Thu 25 Apr

THE ENID (ENOCHIAN THEORY)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £10

CANTERBURY

FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £18

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £8

I AM GIANT

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £6

Young London-based bluesman of the indie-pop persuasion.

Melodic rock quartet playing the first of three album release specials.

BROMHEADS

ALESSI’S ARK THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7 ADV. (£9 OTD)

Dulcet-toned folk rock from the London-based musical project of Alessi Laurent-Marke.

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £18.50

London-based rockers who describe their sound as ‘death pop’, taking their name from the 1967 comedy horror film they grew up watching.

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–01:00, £6

Pop/acoustic/jazz duo made up of the Derby-based Hannah Garner and David Amar.

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £8

ROADHOUSE, 18:00–22:00, £7

DEAD BELGIAN (OTTERSGEAR)

STICK TO YOUR GUNS

Tue 23 Apr

Power metal five-piece riding along on frontman Biff Byford’s howlin’ squawk of a vocal.

HOOKWORMS (BALTIC FLEET)

Known for blending fuzzy surf with sexy psychedelia and throwing in some hypnotic melodies and tripped out lyrics – they’re calling it beach goth.

Powerful music-makers formed in 1974, who set out with the aim to avoid all the contraints and templates of genre. Praise be.

SAXON (THE QUIREBOYS)

CAMP AND FURNACE, 20:00–23:00, FREE

with heavy swing and be-bop influences.

Brighton-based five-piece outfit, doing that experimental/ alternative folk thing, with the divine vocal harmonies of Daniel Green, Emma Gatrill and Martha Rose.

Sheffield-based 50s inspired garage outfit known for their raucous, out-of-control live outings.

April 2013

Leeds-based jazz musicians playing a mix of styles inspired by early jazz/swing music in New Orleans – which has surprisingly little to do with large reptilian-based stew.

MINUS THE BEAR MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £11

JOHNNY’S ACOUSTIC CARAVAN CLUB

DOG IS DEAD

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £12

RETRO BAR, 18:00–21:30, £5

New Orleans inspired jazz trio

ALLIGATOR GUMBO QUARTET

Brit-pop/garage-rock four-

PAUL ROSE & THE ALL STARS

A JOKER’S RAGE (BLACKJACK, OUTREACH, MORPHINE GHOST)

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

BEN MARTIN TRIO

GUNS OR ROSES, MEGADETH UK (RISIN’ TIDES)

THE SUNS (WET PELICAN)

Postponed back in April 2012 and now finally going ahead, the Inaugural Atonement Fest will see a five-strong line-up of bands spanning metal and hardcore genres.

An evening of live music and DJs spanning folk, Americana, rhythm and blues, all washed down with Trof’s impressive selection of small batch and house-infused bourbons.

Dunfermline-born 80s rockers formed when Stuart Adamson left The Skids in 1981 and recruited guitar partner Bruce Watson, now back and touring under their new line-up.

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

THE STAR AND GARTER, 19:00–22:00, £6

The self-proclaimed hooligan rock’n’rollers play a trademark set, chock with attitude, as per.

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £6

American acoustic-cum-indiecum-dance-cum-punk outfit hailing from New Jersey – hookheavy with a knack for anthemic choruses, natch.

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £6

Gospel-influenced singer/songwriter and producer hailing from Virginia Beach, VA – with enviable hair genes.

CONTROL (GIMP FIST, EPIC PROBLEM)

THE RITZ, 18:00–22:00, £17.50

THE FRONT BOTTOMS

Bluesy rock guitar-legend hailing from Texas.

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £9

Multi-talented soul singer hailing from Suffolk – doing that deeply emotive raw-electro-soul thing she does so well.

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £7 (ADV)

Bright young multi-instrumentalist duo from Leeds, made up of David Fendick and Jonny Hooker.

Germany’s biggest thrash metal export with plans to abuse your eardrums (i.e. this will be loud).

ROADHOUSE, 18:00–22:00, £8

JOHNNY WINTER (VIRGIL, THE ACCELERATORS)

MATTHEW E WHITE (HELADO NEGRO)

FOSSIL COLLECTIVE

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £10

TROF NORTHERN QUARTER, 21:00–01:00, FREE

BIG COUNTRY

German beatmasters endorsing the crossover between techno/ dance and heavy metal with their signature industrial sound.

A newcomer to the European jazz scene, Norwegian saxophonist and composer Marius Neset has been making waves since the release of his debut album Golden Xplosion.

Sat 27 Apr

ATONEMENT FEST 2012

SMOKEY BLUE GRASS

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £15

MARIUS NESET BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £12

The Belfast-based punk-rock trio embark on their Europe-wide tour to promote their latest LP, All Hail Bright Futures. (Also winners of our creepiest band name award that we just made up.)

Four creative individuals making music, built up from a string section duo.

GARY MCCLURE

KMFDM (SHEEP ON DRUGS, RESIST, DEADFILMSTAR)

ALICE RUSSELL

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:00, £13 - £15

AND SO I WATCH YOU FROM AFAR

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:30, FREE

KRAAK, 19:30–23:00, £4

Sun 21 Apr

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £10

An eclectic series of laid-back concerts happening across the city where the venue is as much a focus as the music – enjoy Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet in this unique setting.

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £9

CUSP

A partnership between the Liverpool-based David McGovern and Luke Lock, merging their unique sounds and influences to create a wall of sound.

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 14:45–23:00, £5

MANCHESTER CAMERATA: UPCLOSE IV

COMA

Polish rock band who selected their name by coin toss. On tour to promote their latest musical offering, Don’t Set Your Dogs on Me. ONEREPUBLIC

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £22.50

Colorado Springs experimental pop ensemble fronted by Ryan Tedder, who formed the band back in 2002 with pal Zach Filkins.

JAMES

The longstanding Manc rockers continue their tour of classical venues, where they’ll be accompanied by a full orchestra and choir to perform a selection of songs from their back catalogue. DARWIN DEEZ

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £13

US-of-A indie-popsters fronted by curly-locked frontman Darwin Smith, touring in support of their new album, Songs For Imaginative People. HONEY RYDER

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

London-based pop, rock and folkstraddling trio, touring on the back of their second album – recorded in a five star recording studio in Thailand, no less. RUDIMENTAL

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £11

The Hackney-based quartet hit the road on the run up to the release of their new album, blending drum and bass with soul-drenched lyrics along the way. KILL FOR COMPANY (GOLD JACKS)

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £7

Manchester-based Lo-fi duo with Mike Banfield on some kind of guitar/bass hybrid, and Mark O’Donoughue taking care of the drums. THE LINES

NIGHT & DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, TBC

Four-piece indie outfit based in Wolverhampton, led by the vocally gifted Alex Ohms. DEAD BELGIAN

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:00–22:00, FROM £8

Four-piece playing the songs of Jacques Brel. CABBAGE ALLEY

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–01:00, £5

A classic quartet serving up jazz, soul and blues.

piece hailing from Chester, with support from Manchester’s own Wet Pelican. THE OTHER TRIBE

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £6

Bristol-based indie/90s rave/ synthpop group – likely to be kitted out in tribal gear and daubed in neon face paint. Just go with it. SILENT CITIES (SAMUEL JAMES ROUTLEDGE, ALVAREZ KINGS, THE SAILMAKERS)

ROADHOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £5

Manchester-based five piece punk band with varied influences across metal and punk pop. TEMPLEBYS

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–01:00, £5

Contemporary soul and funk five-piece hailing from Preston, formed on the dancefloor during a Craig Charles club set at the Kendal Calling festival in 2009. FOOLS PARADE (EARLY MOJO, DEAD RETINAS, SOCIAL ANEURYSM)

NQ LIVE, 19:00–23:00, FROM £6.75

Grunge three-piece from Chorley making dirty sub-synth sounds.

Sun 28 Apr KING CHARLES

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £10

Charming longhaired folkster and winner of the the 2009 International Songwriting Competition over America-way. WASHINGTON IRVING

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

The indie-folksters (whose story began in a basement flat back in February 2008, fact fans) take to the road as part of their UK spring tour. WILLIAM CONTROL (ALTERRED)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £10

Electronic side project of Aiden’s William Francis, touring on the back of his third LP.

GET CUBS (MIDNIGHT WIRE, LEONARD HAMMERSELY, CULTURES, BEAR AROUND YOUR NECK)

KRAAK, 19:45–23:30, £5

Much-hyped indie four-piece hailing from Burton-on-Trent, all killer riffs and catchy sing-along lyrics.

Mon 29 Apr ELECTRIC GUEST

QUIET LONER (SPARKWOOD AND 21, JOHN CANNING YATES)

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, £4

London based singer/songwriter – otherwise known as Matt Hill – demonstrates the redemptive power of country music with his highly lyrical and politically-tinged folk.

Fri 05 Apr

LIVERPOOL ROCKS! BATTLE OF THE BANDS: FINAL

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £6

The starting line up of 48 bands has been whittled down to just five, eagerly battling it out for a spot at Liverpool Sound City. Go! Support! MISSING ANDY

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 19:00–22:30, £6 (ADV)

Mod-influenced Essex lot led by Alex Greaves, shoehorning genres of indie, Brit rock and pop into their mix. JAWS

MELLOMELLO, 19:30–23:00, £4

Brummy four-piece making carefree, breezy music that will likely make up the bulk of your summer playlist. And there’s not a shark in sight. BOOTLEG BLONDIE

ERIC’S LIVE, 19:30–22:30, £5

Blondie tribute act.

COOPE, BOYES AND SIMPSON

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:30–23:00, £12

English folk trio, playing a show as part of the After 8 Series at the Liverpool Philharmonic. LOKA (PLANK!, DOMINOES, MELODIEN)

LOMAX, 20:00–00:00, £3

A gathering of Liverpool and Manchester’s psychedelic tribes, on a quest to move feet and minds.

Sat 06 Apr

ROCKABILLY EXTRAVAGANZA

CAMP AND FURNACE, 14:00–23:00, £10

All day event rammed with live music and DJs.

CABLE CARS (CLEVER CRIMINALS, THE WILLZ, BLACK DIAMOND, BOOK FOR SUNDAY)

ELEVATOR, 19:00–23:00, £5 ADV.

Widnes-based four-piece doing their rock thing with a mixture of original and cover songs.

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:00, £8

BRAZEN GOODS

BRING ME THE HORIZON

Liverpool-based five-man line-up, making fast-paced rock with a funk twist.

LA duo of Asa Taccone and Matthew Compton fuelled on funked-up pop choruses.

BUMPER, 19:30–23:00, £5

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 3 AND CLUB, 19:30–22:30, £15

Yorkshire lads known for their rock and metal musical stylings.

Listings

Liverpool Music Sun 07 Apr THE HOUSE OF LOVE

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

BOOK NOW: 0161 832 1111 www.manchesteracademy.net Tickets available from www.ticketline.co.uk

Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PR • Tel: 0161 275 2930

MARY EPWORTH (FUZZY LIGHTS, PAUL STRAWS, KIERON LEONARD, JONNIE O’HARE, MONKEY)

LEAF, 19:30–23:00, £7.50

Harmony-laden synth-pop from the English songstress. JOE BROWN

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–23:00, FROM £23

Live Music at the University of Manchester Students’ Union

Musical ledge – packing in everything from rockabilly, gospel, country, folk, and rock ‘n’ roll.

April

The Wildhearts Earth Versus The Wildhearts 20th Anniversary Tour + Eureka Machines + Baby Godzill – Friday 5th

Mon 08 Apr

Bluey Robinson + The Special K’s + Jackie D – Friday 5th Sonata Arctica – Monday 15th

Charming longhaired folkster and winner of the the 2009 International Songwriting Competition over America-way.

Lower Than Atlantis + Dinosaur Pile Up + Blitz Kids – Thursday 18th

Wed 10 Apr

Patent Pending + Erik Chandler (of Bowling For Soup) + Lacey – Thursday 18th

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

And You Will know Us By The Trail Of Dead – Friday 19th And So I Watch You From Afar + Gallops – Saturday 20th

KING CHARLES

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–23:00, £10

STEVE CONTE AND THE CRAZY TRUTH

The legendary guitarist and frontman of The Contes (formed with his brother John) tours with his new live band line-up, The Crazy Truth. IL DIVO AND KATHERINE JENKINS

Mallory Knox + Natives + Evarose – Monday 22nd

ECHO ARENA , 20:00–22:00, FROM £35

The classical crossover quartet and the mezzo soprano songstress unite; hearts break.

Hadouken – Wednesday 24th The Clone Roses & Clint Boon + The Peeks – Saturday 27th

Thu 11 Apr FANG ISLAND

Minus The Bear – Monday 29th

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–23:00, £10

Hatebreed + Demoraliser – Tuesday 30th May

From The Jam (The Greatest Hits) + Virgil & The Accelerators – Friday 3rd

Rhode Island-based alternative rock trio – self-described as ‘everyone high-fiving everyone’, which pretty much covers the stadium-sized guitar-shredding, clattering, upbeat drums and infinite “whoas” that emanate.

illumiNaughty Lucas // Atomic Pulse // Far too Loud // Hypnocoustics // Bad Tango // Krossbow and many more – Saturday 4th

Fri 12 Apr

Trailer Park Boys – Saturday 4th – Seated show

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £10

DEBORAH BONHAM (STEVE RODGERS)

Kid sister of the late John Bonham, legendary Led Zeppelin drummer, doing her own rock and blues thing.

OMD + John Foxx And The Maths – Friday 10th

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 20:00–23:00, £4

London-based three-piece making psychedelic pop music – formed at Goldsmith’s College out of a videoart and music collective. GYPSY FIRE

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £15

District 3 – Saturday 25th

Four-man gypsy jazz get-up.

The Parov Stelar Band – Thursday 30th – Doors 9pm – 2am –18+

Electronica tribute act.

Mudhoney + Meat Puppets – Friday 7th – Doors 6.30pm DANZIG 25th Anniversary Tour + Misfits Set With DOYLE – Wednesday 19th Snakecharmer + Hell To Pay – Friday 21st Highlights for the rest of year

Liverpudlian, and former Frankie Goes to Hollywood guitarist doing his solo thing. Part of the After 8 Series at the Liverpool Philharmonic.

SOLITARY CONFINEMENT (HYMN FOR THE FALLEN, IMMORTAL CONSPIRACY, ARCANE ADDICTION, BETRAY THE BLESSED) THE PICKET, 19:00–23:00, £5 ADV.

Hailing from Colorado Springs, Solitary Confinement is basically just one guy, Patrick Munson, showing off his musical prowess on lead guitar, rhythm guitar, bass, drums, keyboard, piano, lead vocals, and somehow, the harmonies too.

Modest Mouse – Tuesday 16th July The B-52’s – Tuesday 13th August Emily Portman Trio – Friday 6th September

Sat 13 Apr

Tom Odell – Saturday 19th October The Feeling - Wednesday 23rd October – Rescheduled from 20th April

Listings

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–23:00, £5

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:30–23:00, SOLD OUT

Camera Obscura – Wednesday 5th

For full listings please check out our website:

ELECTRO80S NASHER

June

www.manchesteracademy.net facebook.com/manchesteracademy

@MancAcademy

NASHER

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:30–23:00, £12

Liverpudlian, and former Frankie Goes to Hollywood guitarist doing his solo thing. Part of the After 8 Series at the Liverpool Philharmonic.

Sun 14 Apr

KING CREOSOTE (GUMMI BAKO)

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–22:30, £11.50

One-half of the inimitable Fence Records (alongside Johnny Lynch, aka The Pictish Trail), Fife-based singer/songwriter KC – otherwise known as Kenny Anderson – takes to the road for a wee jaunt of the UK.

Mon 15 Apr

FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS (FORT HOPE, PAVILIONS)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £7

London-based rockers who describe their sound as ‘death pop’, taking their name from the 1967 comedy horror film they grew up watching. LUDOVICO EINAUDI

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The Italian classical pianist tours his latest LP, perhaps best known in recent years for scoring the poignant end scene of This Is England (i.e. we wept). ENTER SHIKARI

FLORAL PAVILION, 20:00–22:30, £15

More in the way of new-wave, post-hardcore politicking from the St Albans quartet.

Tue 16 Apr

BIG COUNTRY (SIMON TOWNSHEND)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £23

Dunfermline-born 80s rockers formed when Stuart Adamson left The Skids in 1981 and recruited guitar partner Bruce Watson, now back and touring under their new line-up.

BEATY HEART

Bob Mould with Jason Narducy and Jon Wurster – Monday 20th Watsky + Dumbfounded – Wednesday 22nd

Expect psychedelia grooves, otherworldly bleeps and huge chunks of gnarly formless noise from the fuzzed-out New York rockers.

Osaka-born musician and illustrator on the PAN roster, currently taking minimal techno into uncharted ambient bass areas and altered state reflection.

Gentleman’s Dub Club – Sunday 19th The Skints – Tuesday 21st

WHITE HILLS (PLANK, MUGSTAR)

CAMP AND FURNACE, 20:00–23:00, £TBC

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–23:00, £20

The Norwich-born chanteuse showcases her latest album, Sugaring Season, the long-awaited (but bloody worth it) follow up to 2006’s Comfort Of Strangers.

The Smiths Ltd – Saturday 18th

O2 ACADEMY, 18:45–22:30, £6

Three-piece indie rock band hailing from The Wirral.

NHK’KOYXEN (BANTAM LIONS, ISOCORE)

BETH ORTON (THE LEISURE SOCIETY)

CASH – No.1 Johnny Cash Tribute – Saturday 11th

Guy Chadwick-led alternative rock outfit that rose to prominence in the late 80s and early 90s with their post-Smiths guitar pop sound.

THE WORKS (SPIRAL VANILLA)

JAGUAR SKILLS (DECIBEL, MATRIX & FUTUREBOUND, JACOB PLANT)

O2 ACADEMY, 22:00–03:00, £15

London DJ Jaguar Skills does as he does best – restoring the genre of mash-up to its full glory via his skilled craftsmanship in the art of electronic cutting and pasting. In a ninja mask. Obviously.

CAMP AND FURNACE, 18:00–23:00, £5

Wed 17 Apr THE FRATELLIS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £18

Glasgow indie-rockers led by lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, who’s also forged a solo career for himself of late.

PATENT PENDING (ERIK CHANDLER)

O2 ACADEMY, 18:30–22:30, £10

Infectious and energetic punk-rock outfit hailing from Long Island, New York – chock with fist pumps and pop hooks, as standard. VERONICA FALLS

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–23:00, £8.50

More perfectly-wrought goth-tinged pop songs from the ramshackle London four-piece, touring on the back of their new LP, Waiting For Something to Happen.

Fri 19 Apr RAISE THE YOUTH

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, TBC

Fresh-faced indie rock four-piece hailing from Liverpool – led by singer and guitarist Anthony Brady.

MANU DELAGO THE CAPSTONE , 19:30–22:00, £12.50

Fresh from performing on a World tour with Icelandic songstress Björk – Manu Delago shot to fame after uploading a video of himself playing the hang, a UFO-like hand-played sound sculpture, to YouTube. Four-million hits and counting, folks... THE PHYSICS HOUSE BAND (NINETAILS) MELLOMELLO, 19:30–23:00, £5

Brighton-based math-rock trio with a hardcore following of loyal fans, out touring their latest LP. ELEVATION

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–23:00, £5

RUDIMENTAL

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £11

The Hackney-based quartet hit the road on the run up to the release of their new album, blending drum and bass with soul-drenched lyrics along the way. K-X-P (GIGANTES)

CAMP AND FURNACE, 20:00–23:00, £7

Helsinki-based trio making experimental, other worldly sounds – all untz and bwaauw – doin’ a double headliner thing with Gigantes. PAUL ROSE

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–22:30, £14

English blues and rock virtuoso, known for his experimental takes on ways of recording his own music. FRANK HAMILTON

EAST VILLAGE ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £6

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–23:00, FROM £17.50

London-based singer/songwriter known for his highly successful EP, You, Your Cat and Me, produced at the bargain price of £800.

Sat 20 Apr

Local-boy Johnny Sands hosting a showcase evening for the finest acoustic talent from Liverpool and beyond.

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £TBC

Fri 26 Apr

U2 tribute act. BILLY OCEAN

Grammy award-winning global superstar, shot to fame after his performance at Live Aid in 1985 reached an estimated 1.9 billion people. THE RELEASED (3’S A RIOT, BOOK FOR SUNDAY)

Thu 25 Apr MAISON JOHNNY

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, FREE

GREEN DATE

The Wirral-based four-piece playing alternative rock.

Green Day tribute band.

THE KAZIMIER, 18:00–23:00, £8

CAMP AND FURNACE, 20:00–23:00, £3

BONGRIPPER

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £12

COWTOWN (OTHER EARTH)

The Chicago-based four-piece doom metal band bring the heaviness.

Leeds-based post punk trio, touring to support their new LP, Dudes Vs Bad Dudes.

LIVERPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE, 19:00–22:00, FROM £37.50

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £14.50

SIMPLE MINDS

JAMES YORKSTON

The Fife dweller and sometime The Jim Kerr-led classic rock outfit Fence Collective dabbler performs return to play five songs from each tracks from his newest album, I of their landmark first five albums. Was a Cat from a Book, as well as LAU some cherry-picked old faves. ST GEORGE’S HALL, 18:30–22:00, £16.50 MARIUS NESET Rather fine experimental folk trio THE CAPSTONE , 19:30–22:00, £15 made up of Kris Drever, Martin A newcomer to the European jazz Green and Aidan O’Rourke, touring scene, Norwegian saxophonist and their new concept album, Race composer Marius Neset has been The Loser. making waves since the release of EDWYN COLLINS his debut album Golden Xplosion. LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:00–23:00, FROM £17.50

BRIAN KENNEDY

The former Orange Juice frontman finally takes his much-praised new LP, Understated, on the road – sounding as fresh as bloody ever, now impressively in his fourth decade of recording.

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £17 ADV (£17.50 OTD)

Sun 21 Apr

EAST VILLAGE ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

KATE NASH

EAST VILLAGE ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Ms Nash keeps it reliably chirpy with her vocally-loose melodic ramblings, touring in support of her third album.

Mon 22 Apr

PERE UBU (GAGARIN, VARIETY LIGHTS)

ERIC’S LIVE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

Ever-experimental rock outfit hailing from Cleveland, led by charismatic vocalist David Thomas – back on the road touring their new LP, Lady from Shanghai. MARTI PELLOW

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:00–23:00, FROM £32.50

Former Wet Wet Wet frontman, out on tour to promote his solo album Hope. DAUGHTER

LIVERPOOL CATHEDRAL, 19:30–22:00, SOLD OUT

Moody and electronic folk-esque melodies from the London-based trio, formerly just the solo work of Elena Tonra. LITTLE COMETS

EAST VILLAGE ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £11

MICHAEL BALL

Kitchen sink-styled indie-rock quartet led by the somewhat dynamic Robert Coles.

LIVERPOOL EMPIRE THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £38.50

Tue 23 Apr

The Broadway and West End star returns to the stage to showcase his latest LP, Both Sides Now.

Wed 24 Apr

ATTACK! ATTACK!

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £9

Ohio-based Warped Tour regulars fronted by Caleb Shomo, touring with their new album, This Means War. GAZ COOMBES

THE KAZIMIER, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

The Supergrass frontman goes it alone, playing tracks from his first solo offering, Here Come The Bombs.

Belfast-based songwriter known for his belting ballads and his role as one of the four coaches on The Voice of Ireland TV show. BIG DADDY KANE

Grammy award-winning American rapper who started his musical career back in 1986 as part of the Cold Chillin’ Juice Crew, which sounds vaguely like a juice bar, but isn’t.

Sat 27 Apr I AM KLOOT

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £18.50

The Mercury-nominated Manchester trio tour their latest album, Let It All In. THE ENDINGS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £6

Power pop-meets-indie rock band from Liverpool who cite The Beatles, The Wombats and Damien Rice as their musical influences. HONEY RYDER

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 20:00–23:00, £7

London-based pop, rock and folkstraddling trio, touring on the back of their second album – recorded in a five star recording studio in Thailand, no less. THE MERSEY BEATLES

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £13.50

Beatles tribute band. THE COOPERS

MELLOMELLO, 20:00–23:00, £5

Leeds-based happy folk making folks happy with their, um, happy folk.

Sun 28 Apr TOM MCRAE

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–22:30, £16.50

Essex-born singer/songwriter adept at imbuing his songwriting with his innermost worries and woes. MINUS THE BEAR

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £11

Seattle indie-rock lot made up of ex-members of Botch, Kill Sadie and Sharks Keep Moving.

THE SKINNY

Manchester Clubs Tue 02 Apr

Pulp Party Manchester (Lacey, Leopards, The Blackout)

Sound Control, 19:30–22:30, £7

Club night hosted by Pulp stores – with multiple DJs and lotsa free stuff up for grabs. Gold Teeth

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £4

Legendary bad boy, mixed-bag night that invites use of the term ‘carnage’. Tuesday Night @ 42s

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

A 20-year-long tradition of Tuesday night revelry at 42nd Street nightclub – an indie/rock’n’roll mixed bag night popular with student folk.

Thu 04 Apr Reggae Thursday

The Deaf Institute, 21:00–01:30, Free

Weekly reggae session at the institute, serving up a blend of roots, rocksteady, onedrop, dancehall and ska.

Foreplay by Manchester Pride

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £5

Monthly club night for anyone who just can’t wait for the festival in August – all proceeds will go to Northwest LGBT charities. Trainspotting

The Deaf Institute, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Mini club night covering the best in underground house – a great place to catch-up-and coming DJs from Manchester and the surrounding areas. Murkage

Just Skank (Nu:Tone and Logistics, Delta Heavy, MC Wrec) Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Eclectic night of dubstep, drum’n’bass, garage, house and hip-hop, famous for their ridiculous line-ups. Regis (CWS, James Jaymal, Oli rowe)

Joshua Brooks, 23:00–04:00, £8 adv. (£10 OTD)

The inimitable techno legend (of Sandwell District and Downwards fame) plays a live set into the wee hours. Tiger and Woods (Claptone John Dimas)

Gorilla, 23:00–04:00, tbc

The mysterious duo, otherwise known as Larry Tiger and David Woods, serving up their disco beats til late. Zutekh (Selective Hearing)

Sound Control, 22:30–04:00, £5

Two of Hypercolours rising stars take to the basement along with the Sound Control Resident. Britpop Curious? #3

Retro Bar, 22:30–03:00, £5

Club night celebrating guitar music you can dance to, expect Suede, Blur, Primal Scream, Bowie and Idlewild. Dirty Dancefloors

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3 adv. (£6 OTD)

Goldie (Lenzman) Sound Control, 23:00–04:00, £10

A pioneer in the breakbeat jungle movement, the legendary producer/DJ Goldie will be hosting Metalheadz at Sound Control. Refuse To Lose

Retro Bar, 22:00–03:00, £4

Indie-rock, punk-pop and gruff hardcore sounds you can dance to, along the lines of AFI, The Get Up Kids, Lagwagon and Saves the Day. Urban Legends

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3

The best of pure indie, rock’n’roll, motown, classic dance and funk. DJ October

Islington Mill, 22:00–08:00, £10

Selection of underground DJs and producers from around the globe – all nighter.

Mon 08 Apr Remake Remodel

South, 23:00–03:00, £4

Alt-rock club night serving up the likes of B.R.M.C., Pixies, Ramones and T Rex.

Tue 09 Apr Die So Fluid (Hostile)

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £4

Legendary bad boy, mixed-bag night that invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

Islington Mill, 22:00–04:00, £5

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

Tuesday Night @ 42s

Sat 06 Apr

More Bounce

Fri 05 Apr

No less than a DJ mastermind, known for playing marathon sets, mixing a junk-shop bag of sounds and bringing his beats to life with squiggly, scribbled animations.

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

Karnival

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–04:00, £5 (£6 on the door)

Monthly residents party, with a fusion of house music, tech-house and future bass. Luke Solomon and Chris Duckenfield

Roadhouse, 23:00–03:00, £8

DJ and producer pair, known for infusing their sets with innovation and experimentalism, all while keeping that all important eye on the dancefloor. The Morrissey Smiths Disco

The Star and Garter, 21:00–02:30, £5

Long-standing Mancunian nightclub, likely to sell out, so arrive early. Night Fever

Roadhouse, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Club night dedicated to delivering some of the greatest movie soundtrack hits – fancy dress is pretty much mandatory with prizes for best-dressed. Crack Yr Skull

Trof Fallowfield, 21:00–03:00, free

Like a killer mix tape, Crack Yr Skull will keep you guessing with their mixed bag selection of records. Top Of The Pops ‘13 (Gus Gorman)

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £2

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by resident and guest DJs. Dots and Loops

KRAAK, 23:00–04:00, £3 (£4 after 12)

Mr Scruff

Band On The Wall, 21:00–03:00, £11 adv. (£12 OTD)

Remake Remodel

The Ruby Lounge, 23:00–04:00, £3 (£4)

Alt-rock club night serving up the likes of B.R.M.C., Pixies, Ramones and T Rex. Beach Cult

Trof Fallowfield, 22:00–03:00, Free

A night of electronic, alternative, nu-disco and tropical jamz from Trof resident DJs. Funkademia

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £6 (£5)

Mancunian nightclub institution – delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective. Lost And Found Back To The Old Tunes

NQ Live, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Monthly club night with resident DJs serving up all the hits from yesteryear. Mondo Pop!

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Mof Glimmers spinning the best of soul, funk, disco, pop, rock and so much more. Clint Boon

South, 23:00–04:00, £5

Mixed-bag night from local ledge Clint Boon.

Treehouse Vs La Loop (DVS1, Boddika, Fred P, Mickey Pearce, Juniper, Cy Humphreys, Us and Them, Angus and Perry) Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Mixed bag club night of shoegaze, psych, indie, electronic, krautrock, low-fi and pop.

Sankeys regular, with an everchanging line-up.

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Joshua Brooks, 23:00–04:00, £10

Excursions

Weekly clubber’s delight covering hip-hop, pop, funk and soul. Recentes (Danny Daze, Roska, B.Triats, Jamie George)

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Regular house and techno night showcasing new and established artists.

Beatnik (Lewis Jacobs, MissB, System of Survival)

A legendary night in the Manchester underground house movement, bringing together loud music and keen crowds. Jon Phonics (Jonny Dub, Matt Ward) Soup Kitchen, 23:00–04:00, £5

UK-based producer/DJ playing a late night set along with Jonny Dub and Matt Ward.

Bringing together the best of the UK hip hop scene under one club night roof – enjoy hip-hop, soul and reggae.

Top Of The Pops ‘13 (Christopher Dresden Styles)

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £2

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by resident and guest DJs. Selectro: 10 Years of House

NQ Live, 23:00–03:00, tbc

Celebrating 10 years of house, Selectro are going back to their roots with a blow out night spread across two rooms. Excursions

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Weekly clubber’s delight covering hip-hop, pop, funk and soul.

Regular house and techno night showcasing new and established artists.

Aren’t we all? A night of super cheap drinks for the financially challeneged, with music provided by the Large Ride Tribe DJs.

Skint

Trof Fallowfield, 21:00–03:00, £3

Gold Teeth

Metallic-rock styled trio known for ripping it up live.

A 20-year-long tradition of Tuesday night revelry at 42nd Street nightclub – an indie/rock’n’roll mixed bag night popular with student folk.

Known for keeping everyone up all night with their killer selection of rap and electronica.

UK-based DJ and producer, associated with Wolf Music.

Roadhouse, 19:30–22:00, £8

The gesamtkunstwerk crew assemble to shred up conventional electronics and reconstruct the remains – basically just the electronic/house/techno sounds we’ve come to expect of the Mill.

South, 23:00–04:00, £3

Gorilla, 23:00–04:00, £8

Recentes (Karma Kid, Braiden, Zed Bias, Friend Within, Monki)

A sweaty night of indie, rock, dance and party classics – about as unpretentious as they come. Gesamtkunstwerk

Golden Egg Medlar (Leftwing and Kody, Bodhi)

Thu 11 Apr Mint Lounge, 21:00–02:00, £10

More Bounce returns to Mint Lounge, with a rotation of widely respected DJs serving up the latest and greatest in hip-hop. Reggae Thursday

The Deaf Institute, 21:00–01:30, Free

Weekly reggae session at the institute, serving up a blend of roots, rocksteady, onedrop, dancehall and ska. Trainspotting

The Deaf Institute, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

Mini club night covering the best in underground house – a great place to catch up and coming DJs from Manchester and the surrounding areas. Deep Rooted

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–01:00, free

Eclectic musical selection to be found upstairs in the bourbon bar – expect Foals, Everything Everything, The Cure, James Brown, Outkast and more. Murkage

South, 23:00–04:00, £3

Known for keeping everyone up all night with their killer selection of rap and electronica. Bump 1st Birthday (Duke Dumont, Sei A)

Joshua Brooks, 23:00–04:00, £8

Bump is joining forces with Tiga’s label, Turbo Records, to deliver some of the world’s finest DJs for this, their first birthday bash. Skint

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

Aren’t we all? A night of super cheap drinks for the financially challeneged, with music provided by the Large Ride Tribe DJs.

Fri 12 Apr

Great Friday: Evil Nine

Sound Control, 23:00–04:00, £8

DJ duo Tom and Pat aim to keep you up all night with their genredefining breakbeat sound – and you’ll also be treated to a stunning visual display courtesy of the Meat Cassette VJs. Juicy

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £3

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Letherette

Roadhouse, 23:00–03:00, From £2

Unabombers

Emancipator

Trainspotting

POP

2022NQ, 22:00–02:30, £6

Antwerp Mansion, 19:30–03:00, £7.50

The Deaf Institute, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–04:00, £5

Part four of 2022NQ’s 1st birthday bash, Unabombers, otherwise known as Luke and Justin – the legends behind Electric Chair club night – will be taking over the decks for the evening. Urban Legends

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3

The best of pure indie, rock’n’roll, motown, classic dance and funk.

Mon 15 Apr Remake Remodel

South, 23:00–03:00, £4

Alt-rock club night serving up the likes of B.R.M.C., Pixies, Ramones and T Rex.

Tue 16 Apr Gold Teeth

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £4

Legendary bad boy, mixed-bag night that invites use of the term ‘carnage’. Tuesday Night @ 42s

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

A 20-year-long tradition of Tuesday night revelry at 42nd Street nightclub – an indie/rock’n’roll mixed bag night popular with student folk.

Thu 18 Apr Oneman

Mint Lounge, 22:00–04:00, £5 (£7.50)

Hit and Run and New Wave, joining forces to bring you one of the UK’s finest selectors, known for his ever-unpredictable sets. Reggae Thursday

The Deaf Institute, 21:00–01:30, Free

Wolverhampton-based producers making beat-driven music, out on tour with their debut album. Dirty Dancefloors

Weekly reggae session at the institute, serving up a blend of roots, rocksteady, onedrop, dancehall and ska.

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3 adv. (£6 OTD)

The Deaf Institute, 22:30–02:30, £tbc

A sweaty night of indie, rock, dance and party classics – about as unpretentious as they come.

Sat 13 Apr

Lowdown & Dirty: Scratch Perverts

Sound Control, 23:00–04:00, £10

Monthly event in the Sound Control basement, with a selection of high-profile guests taking to the decks, with this edition featuring legendary Fabric residents Scratch Perverts. GOO

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £5

Monthly club night tribute to 90s indie – expect Pulp, Nirvana, Suede, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies and more.

Underachievers: 5th Birthday (Patterns) Roadhouse, 21:00–04:00, £5

The first of two grand finales to see off a legendary Manchester club night – will also feature a poster exhibition spanning five years of underachievers. Blind Pig

Trof Fallowfield, 21:00–03:00, £free

Trof’s monthly speakeasy night, with authentic prohibition era cocktails (read: potent) and free shots for the snappy dressers. Funkademia

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £6 (£5)

Mancunian nightclub institution – delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective. Mondo Pop!

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Mof Glimmers spinning the best of soul, funk, disco, pop, rock and so much more. Clint Boon

South, 23:00–04:00, £5

Mixed-bag night from local ledge Clint Boon.

Fiesta Vs Mute (Kenny Larkin, Guti, Matthias Kaden, H2, Daniel Sanders)

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Genre-bending night with a line-up of international artists. Nyte Heet

Retro Bar, 22:00–03:00, £5

The self-proclaimed Most Awesome Clubnight in the Universe, playing classic rock, glam, trash, sleaze and cheese.

Trainspotting

Mini club night covering the best in underground house – a great place to catch up and coming DJs from Manchester and the surrounding areas. Rock & Soul Stew

Trof Fallowfield, 20:00–00:00, £2

Live music and resident DJ Stevie serving up rock and soul until the small hours. Murkage

South, 23:00–04:00, £3

Known for keeping everyone up all night with their killer selection of rap and electronica. Skint

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

Aren’t we all? A night of super cheap drinks for the financially challeneged, with music provided by the Large Ride Tribe DJs.

Fri 19 Apr

Top Of The Pops ‘13 (Disco Mums)

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £2

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by resident and guest DJs. NHK’Koyxen (Rene Hell, Helm, Bill Kouligas)

Soup Kitchen, 23:00–04:00, £10 (adv)

Osaka-born musician and illustrator on the PAN roster, currently taking minimal techno into uncharted ambient bass areas and altered state reflection. Drop The Mustard

Gorilla, 22:00–03:00, £8

Oft packed club night bursting at the seams with dancefloor filling hits.

Black Bee Soul Club (Keith Gunton, Craig ‘Swifty’ Simpson, Paul Bailey, Sam McEwen, Iwan Roberts) KRAAK, 22:30–04:00, £3 (£5 OTD)

Up-tempo Northern Soul in the Northern Quarter – inspired by the underground clubs of the 60s and 70s. NHK’Koyxen (Rene Hell, Helm, Bill Kouligas)

Soup Kitchen, 23:00–04:00, £10 (adv)

Osaka-born musician and illustrator on the PAN roster, currently taking minimal techno into uncharted ambient bass areas and altered state reflection. Facedown

NQ Live, 23:00–03:00, £tbc

Monthly metal club night with a mash-up of punk rock, hardcore, metal, emo, ska and dance. Excursions

The Oregon-based producer will be joined by violinist Ilya Goldberg to create something pretty magical. Soundwave Festival Tour

Antwerp Mansion, 19:30–03:00, £5 (£7)

Join in the countdown to Croatia’s most beautiful music festival with some sunshine-fuelled magic courtesy of Empancipator. Dirty Dancefloors

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3 adv. (£6 OTD)

A sweaty night of indie, rock, dance and party classics – about as unpretentious as they come.

Sat 20 Apr Ultimate Power

The Ruby Lounge, 22:00–03:00, £6

A new club night sweeping the nation, offering up nothing but power ballads. It’s like one big communal karaoke night. Girls On Film

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £5

Pink lady cocktails, disco balls, glitz and glamour – a monthly club night where you’re free to let your inner 80s child loose. Funkademia

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £6 (£5)

Mancunian nightclub institution – delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective. Mondo Pop!

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Mof Glimmers spinning the best of soul, funk, disco, pop, rock and so much more. Clint Boon

South, 23:00–04:00, £5

Mixed-bag night from local ledge Clint Boon. 50 Weapons Showcase (Shed, 2562, Doc Daneeka, Benjamin Damage, Jozef Z)

Mini club night covering the best in underground house – a great place to catch up and coming DJs from Manchester and the surrounding areas.

Pop classics in the music hall and glitzy girly disco in the main bar – all of which is designed to keep you dancing all night.

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–01:00, free

Mancunian nightclub institution – delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective.

Deep Rooted

Eclectic musical selection to be found upstairs in the bourbon bar – expect Foals, Everything Everything, The Cure, James Brown, Outkast and more. Murkage

South, 23:00–04:00, £3

Known for keeping everyone up all night with their killer selection of rap and electronica. Skint

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

Aren’t we all? A night of super cheap drinks for the financially challeneged, with music provided by the Large Ride Tribe DJs.

New-ish monthly event in the Sound Control basement – which this month sees the techno and electronic producer Inigo Kennedy topping the bill. Gold Teeth

Roadhouse, 21:00–04:00, £tbc

Mon 29 Apr

The Last Ever Underachievers (Ghost Outfit)

Top Of The Pops ‘13 (Justine Alderman)

Another Mof Glimmers night, serving up block party essentials with free house punch ‘til it’s gone.

Tue 23 Apr Gold Teeth

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £4

Legendary bad boy, mixed-bag night that invites use of the term ‘carnage’. Tuesday Night @ 42s

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £2

A 20-year-long tradition of Tuesday night revelry at 42nd Street nightclub – an indie/rock’n’roll mixed bag night popular with student folk.

Wed 24 Apr Mega Ran (B-Type)

KRAAK, 19:00–23:00, £8.50

Rare UK performance by the everexperimental hip hop/soul/retro artist also known as Random.

Thu 25 Apr Reggae Thursday

The Deaf Institute, 21:00–01:30, Free

Weekly reggae session at the institute, serving up a blend of roots, rocksteady, onedrop, dancehall and ska.

Alt-rock club night serving up the likes of B.R.M.C., Pixies, Ramones and T Rex.

Liverpool Clubs Tue 02 Apr Dirty Antics

Bumper, 22:30–04:00, Free (before 11) £4

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Messy Tuesday-nighter designed to keep students out of Wednesday lectures. Time to dig out your dirty shoes and lose yourself – and all your friends – on the dancefloor.

Octave One

Wed 03 Apr

Recentes (Zane Lowe, Koan Sound)

Joshua Brooks, 23:00–04:00, £12.50

Remake Remodel

South, 23:00–03:00, £4

Block Party

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3

South, 23:00–03:00, £4

Melvyn’s Big Night

Charity event to raise money for the charity Kids’n’Cancer – live bands, DJs, guest talks, arts, grafitti and more.

Regular house and techno night showcasing new and established artists.

Alt-rock club night serving up the likes of B.R.M.C., Pixies, Ramones and T Rex.

Caged Asylum

The Ruby Lounge, 23:00–03:00, £6

Varied dance-pop club night that was once voted number 1 club in the UK (MixMag Summer 2010).

Manchester’s longest running metal clubnight, delivering a night of metal as fuck tunes courtesy of their team of residents.

Mon 22 Apr

Sun 28 Apr

Antwerp Mansion, 13:00–03:00, Donation

Clique

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Urban Legends

The best of pure indie, rock’n’roll, motown, classic dance and funk.

The Deaf Institute, 22:00–03:00, £3 adv. (£5 OTD)

Gorilla, 22:00–03:00, £5

Sound Control, 23:00–04:00, £7

The best of pure indie, rock’n’roll, motown, classic dance and funk.

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Legendary bad boy, mixed-bag night that invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by resident and guest DJs.

Postmortem: 100% Metal

Fiesta (Paco Osuna, Djebali, Wolf Music, Darius Syrossian, Daniel Sanders)

Straight up rock and metal night with DJ Mikee Diablo on decks and a dress code that encourages fancy dress.

Production duo Leon Baggotts and Claire Spooner, AKA Him_Self_Her, will be playing their usual blend of house music with feeling.

Retro Bar, 22:30–03:00, £4

Mixed-bag night from local ledge Clint Boon.

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3

Leftism: Inigo Kennedy (Sunil Sharpe, AnD)

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £2

Three-strong line-up featuring drum’n’bass and jungle heavyweights, all geared up to celebrate Relapse’s return to Sound Control.

Clint Boon

South, 23:00–04:00, £5

Sound Control, 23:00–04:00, £8

Joshua Brooks, 23:00–04:00, £8

Relapse (Bad Company UK, DJ Storm, Remark)

Band On The Wall, 21:00–03:00, £15

DJ and actor Craig Charles will be manning the decks until 3am – also joined by Israeli acid jazz dancemasters, The Apples.

Genre-bending night with a line-up of international artists.

Long-running dubstep night, returning after a summer hiatus. Dusted (Him_Self_Her, Pete Smith, Carlo Gambino, Paull Stott)

Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club (The Apples)

Fri 26 Apr

All good things must come to an end – make sure you get along to say farewell to this legend of a club night.

Sankeys, 23:00–06:00, £12

Funkademia

Mint Lounge, 22:30–03:30, £6 (£5)

Mind-bending house and techno from some of Detroit’s finest, will likely sell out. Girl Unit

Soup Kitchen, 23:00–04:00, £6

Electronic artist hailing from London, part of the Night Slugs enclave, and joined by Soup Kitchen residents Boy Nukem, Blocworx and Subtonic. Hellbilly a Go-Go

Retro Bar, 22:00–03:00, £5

Horror hillbilly night of blood soaked debauchery, this time the theme is redneck horror and cowgirls. Frank Launch (Dale Howard)

Black Dog Ballroom NWS, 22:00–04:00, £5

Frank, a straight-talking new club night to hit the Manchester scene – get along to the launch to catch DJ and producer Dale Howard. Dirty Dancefloors

42nd Street Nightclub, 22:00–04:00, £3 adv. (£6 OTD)

A sweaty night of indie, rock, dance and party classics – about as unpretentious as they come.

Sat 27 Apr Caged Asylum

The Ruby Lounge, 23:00–03:00, £6

Straight up rock and metal night with DJ Mikee Diablo on decks and a dress code that encourages fancy dress.

Kill Your TV

Bumper, 20:30–05:00, £2

An anything-goes affair – think indie, punk, ska, new wave, electro and much much more – with cheap drinks thrown in as per Bumper’s usual standards.

Thu 04 Apr Juicy

The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £3

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk. Time Square

The Krazy House, 22:00–04:00, £2

Staple student night at the Krazy House, with dirt cheap drinks and a mix of music across the three floors (think: rock, indie, alternative, dance and a sprinkling of cheese) Stock Exchange

Chameleon Bar, 20:00–02:00, Free

Ease those double-dip recession woes and dance yourself silly at Chameleon’s Stock Exchange – drinks prices will fluctuate through the night – fingers crossed the market crashes.

Fri 05 Apr

Liam Bailey (Kumarachi)

The Zanzibar Club , 23:00–04:00, £8

Sleep Less Records present a double headliner, with two upand-coming drum ‘n’ bass DJs from the ever-growing underground scene.

Trof Northern Quarter, 21:00–03:00, free

Weekly clubber’s delight covering hip-hop, pop, funk and soul.

April 2013

Listings

Carpe Diem (Saytek) The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £5

First Carpe Diem of the year, with London-based house and techno live act and producer Saytec. Propaganda

Bumper, 23:00–05:00, Free (before 11) £4

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music. Thank Baa Bar It’s Friday

Baa Bar (Fleet Street), 17:00–04:00, Free

Friday-nighter with cheap drinks and a slew of DJs – check out their shooter cake if Saturday mornings ain’t that important to you. Black Sheep Fridays

Baa Bar (Victoria Street), 22:00–04:00, Free

Funky/ tech/ house night for those looking for something a lil' bit different, super cheap drinks as per Baa Bar’s usual fare.

Sat 06 Apr GetDown (wAFF)

The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £5 (adv)

GetDown returns to The Shipping Forecase, with man-of-theminute producer and live act wAFF taking the helm for a night of anything house. Rage

The Krazy House, 22:00–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag blow-out night spread out over all three floors – indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes.

Tue 09 Apr Dirty Antics

Bumper, 22:30–04:00, Free (before 11) £4

Messy Tuesday-nighter designed to keep students out of Wednesday lectures. Time to dig out your dirty shoes and lose yourself – and all your friends – on the dancefloor.

Wed 10 Apr Kill Your TV

Bumper, 20:30–05:00, £2

An anything-goes affair – think indie, punk, ska, new wave, electro and much much more – with cheap drinks thrown in as per Bumper’s usual standards.

Thu 11 Apr Juicy

The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £3

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk. Time Square

The Krazy House, 22:00–04:00, £2

Staple student night at the Krazy House, with dirt cheap drinks and a mix of music across the three floors (think: rock, indie, alternative, dance and a sprinkling of cheese) Stock Exchange

Chameleon Bar, 20:00–02:00, Free

Ease those double-dip recession woes and dance yourself silly at Chameleon’s Stock Exchange – drinks prices will fluctuate through the night – fingers crossed the market crashes.

Fri 12 Apr Propaganda

Bumper, 23:00–05:00, Free (before 11) £4

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music. Thank Baa Bar It’s Friday

Baa Bar (Fleet Street), 17:00–04:00, Free

Friday-nighter with cheap drinks and a slew of DJs – check out their shooter cake if Saturday mornings ain’t that important to you. Black Sheep Fridays

Baa Bar (Victoria Street), 22:00–04:00, Free

Funky/ tech/ house night for those looking for something a lil bit different, super cheap drinks as per Baa Bar’s usual fare.

Sat 13 Apr

Jaguar Skills (Decibel, Matrix & Futurebound, Jacob Plant) O2 Academy, 22:00–03:00, £15

Listings

Luna: 1st Birthday (Ralph Lawson) The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £9

Liverpool’s underground house night returns to The Shipping Forecast for a birthday bash, and they’ve invited Ralph Lawson to help blow out the birthday candles. Rage

The Krazy House, 22:00–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag blow-out night spread out over all three floors – indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes. Hustle Presents Rahaan

Brooklyn Mixer, 21:00–04:00, Free

Renowned Chicago DJ returns to Liverpool for an epic seven-hour session – playing deep beats engineered to move feet.

Tue 16 Apr Dirty Antics

Bumper, 22:30–04:00, Free (before 11) £4

Messy Tuesday-nighter designed to keep students out of Wednesday lectures. time to dig out your dirty shoes and lose yourself – and all your friends – on the dancefloor.

Wed 17 Apr Kill Your TV

Bumper, 20:30–05:00, £2

Thu 25 Apr Juicy

The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £3

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk. Time Square

The Krazy House, 22:00–04:00, £2

Staple student night at the Krazy House, with dirt cheap drinks and a mix of music across the three floors (think rock, indie, alternative, dance and a sprinkling of cheese) Stock Exchange

Chameleon Bar, 20:00–02:00, Free

Ease those double-dip recession woes and dance yourself silly at Chameleon’s Stock Exchange – drinks prices will fluctuate through the night – fingers crossed the market crashes.

Fri 26 Apr Propaganda

Bumper, 23:00–05:00, Free (before 11) £4

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music. Thank Baa Bar It’s Friday

Baa Bar (Fleet Street), 17:00–04:00, Free

An anything-goes affair – think indie, punk, ska, new wave, electro and much much more – with cheap drinks thrown in as per Bumper’s usual standards.

Friday-nighter with cheap drinks and a slew of DJs – check out their shooter cake if Saturday mornings ain’t that important to you.

Thu 18 Apr

Baa Bar (Victoria Street), 22:00–04:00, Free

Juicy

Black Sheep Fridays

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

Funky/ tech/ house night for those looking for something a lil bit different, super cheap drinks as per Baa Bar’s usual fare.

The Krazy House, 22:00–04:00, £2

Sat 27 Apr

The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £3

Time Square

Staple student night at the Krazy House, with dirt cheap drinks and a mix of music across the three floors (think: rock, indie, alternative, dance and a sprinkling of cheese) Stock Exchange

Chameleon Bar, 20:00–02:00, Free

Ease those double-dip recession woes and dance yourself silly at Chameleon’s Stock Exchange – drinks prices will fluctuate through the night – fingers crossed the market crashes.

Fri 19 Apr Propaganda

Bumper, 23:00–05:00, Free (before 11) £4

Student-orientated night playing the best in new and classic indie music. Thank Baa Bar It’s Friday

Baa Bar (Fleet Street), 17:00–04:00, Free

Friday-nighter with cheap drinks and a slew of DJs – check out their shooter cake if Saturday mornings ain’t that important to you. Black Sheep Fridays

Baa Bar (Victoria Street), 22:00–04:00, Free

Funky/ tech/ house night for those looking for something a lil bit different, super cheap drinks as per Baa Bar’s usual fare.

Sat 20 Apr Rage

The Krazy House, 22:00–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag blow-out night spread out over all three floors – indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes. East Village Arts Club Launch Party (Yousef)

The Krazy House, 22:00–03:00, £10

Since The Masque became the East Village Arts Club they’ve been itching for a housewarming – here it is folks, with Yousef taking the decks for a five hour set.

Tue 23 Apr Dirty Antics

Bumper, 22:30–04:00, Free (before 11) £4

Messy Tuesday-nighter designed to keep students out of Wednesday lectures. Time to dig out your dirty shoes and lose yourself – and all your friends – on the dancefloor.

Wed 24 Apr Kill Your TV

Bumper, 20:30–05:00, £2

An anything-goes affair – think indie, punk, ska, new wave, electro and much much more – with cheap drinks thrown in as per Bumper’s usual standards.

Phil Weeks

Camp and Furnace, 21:00–04:00, £10

Paris-based DJ and producer known for blending old school Chicago with a kind of nu-school French sound.

Discoteca Poca (James Morgan, Glen Jones) The Shipping Forecast, 23:00–03:00, £3

Five hours of house from The Shipping Forecast resident DJs and friends. Rage

The Krazy House, 22:00–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag blow-out night spread out over all three floors – indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes.

Manchester Capitol Theatre 140 Characters

12–13 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £7 (£4)

A new production by norfox, the Library Theatre Company’s Young People’s Theatre Company, exploring what it’s like to be a young’un surrounded by social media today. Contact The Library Theatre Company box office for tickets. Our Country’s Good

24–27 Apr, times vary, tbc

Play within a play that demonstrates the redemptive power of theatre – set in an 18th-century Australian penal colony where convicts are set the task of staging a production of Farquhar’s The Recruiting Officer.

Contact Theatre CYAC: Dystopia

3–6 Apr, times vary, £8 (£5)

The Contact Young Actors Company present a dystopian view of the world through text and physical theatre. An event changes everything. What happened? What is left? And who came out on top? Turn 2013

19–20 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £8 (£5)

Two-day festival showcasing emerging danceworks. RAW (Rhythm and Words)

22 Apr, 8:00pm – 11:00pm, Free

Regular spoken word, hip-hop and poetry night. Contact Theatre invite poets, MCs, singers, beatboxers and vocal artists to take to the stage, or you can just sit back and enjoy the show.

Theatre Mother’s Ruin

Inspector Norse

26 Apr, 8:00pm – 11:00pm, £8 (£5)

3–5 Apr, times vary, From £16

A creative collision of cabaret, live art and film starring Alternative Miss World Fancy Chance, EcoWorrier Extraordinaire Timberlina, Nathan Evans and artist Sophie Willan. Each has only 14 minutes to save the planet, how will they do it?

Manchester Arena

For The Love of Mrs Brown

9-13 APR times vary, From £21.50

Part four of the Mrs Brown series by Brendan O’Carroll, centring around our main character Agnes Brown finding a date over the internet for Valentine’s Day. Walking With Dinosaurs

various dates between 4 Apr and 17 Apr, times vary, From £25

The theatrical live event returns to the stage, a £10,000,000 production featuring 20 life-size dinosaurs. Fans of Jurassic Park unite.

Royal Exchange Theatre Cannibals

3–27 Apr, times vary, From £10

The world premiere of a unique and bold play by Manchester playwright Rory Mullarkey. Following the story of Lizaveta – a girl fleeing the forces of war on the fringe of Europe – taking shelter where she can and attempting to piece her life back together.

Royal Northern College of Music Michelangelo Drawing Blood

26–27 Apr, times vary, prices vary

Three male performers bring to life the fluid twists and turns of Michelangelo’s drawings accompanied by animation, video and music. Pack Up Your Troubles

12–13 Apr, times vary, £8

A nostalgic return to wartime Salford, told through a touching piece of musical theatre.

The Castle Hotel Cabaret in the Pub

15 Apr, 7:30pm – 11:00pm, Free

An evening of bits ‘n’ bobs – a great chance to catch polished and in-progress performances alike.

The King’s Arms Embryo 77

5 Apr, 7:30pm – 11:00pm, £5

Mixed bag night that acts as a platform for performances currently in development – you’ll see anything from short films and comedy to poetry and bands of all genres. One Play, One Day IV

7 Apr, 7:00pm – 11:00pm, £tbc

Six brand new plays, written and rehearsed within 24 hours. Madness! Mary Bell by Mary Bell

8–10 Apr, 7:30pm – 11:00pm, £8 (£6)

Chilling play exploring the life of Mary Bell, who was convicted of manslaughter in 1968 when she was just 10-years-old.

Spring Awakening (Assembled Junk)

15–21 Apr, times vary, £12 (£8)

The classic coming-of-age musical, re-set in 1939 in Germany, all awash with youth and rebellion – featuring a full live band and cast of 13. Judas Was a Ginger

29–30 Apr, 7:30pm – 11:00pm, prices vary

A dark comedy by Ryan Cerenko exploring the pressures placed on modern men to be Mr Perfect.

The Lowry Abigail’s Party

29 Apr – 4 May, times vary, From £19

After its stint at the West End, Lindsay Posner’s revival of Mike Leigh’s ever-popular play makes its way to Northwest. The Full Monty

various dates between 15-21 APR, TIME VARY, FROM £14

New stage adaptation of the BAFTA award-winning film about six steelworkers with nothing to lose (i.e. they get nekkid).

Self-assembly Swedish crime thriller that’s all rustic knitwear and Nordic walking. Twelfth Night

9 Apr, 11 Apr, 13 Apr, times vary, From £14

One of Shakespeare’s best-loved comedies (y’know, the one with a man playing a girl disguised as a boy) gets a reworking. The Taming of the Shrew

10 Apr, 12 Apr, 13 Apr, times vary, From £14

Based on the film 10 Things I Hate About You (Oh, no, wait...) The Taming of the Shrew is a tale of marrying for love versus marrying for money. Bobby

11 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10

Dark tragi-comedy charting a young boy’s journey towards the fate that befalls him as a man, told through physical theatre, music and puppetry. Rutherford and Son

16–21 Apr, times vary, From £10

Written and set up North in 1912, Rutherford and Son is a brave portrayal of an industrial Edwardian family on the brink of collapse. Taking Charlie

17–18 Apr, times vary, £10

A comedy about the real-life abduction of Charlie Chaplin’s body in 1978. The Thing About Psychopaths

18–19 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, From £5

A harsh portrayal of modern day Britain, young and ambitious Noel finds himself caught up in corporate fraud. Beyond the Fourth Wall

23–24 Apr, times vary, £10

A comedy collaboration between Cathy Crabb and Proud and Loud Art – Taylor, Katie and Peter go explore beyond the fourth wall. Broken/A Lot of It About

25–27 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £12

A double-bill performance exploring the theme of self and the search for meaning; in Broken, May is torn between two people and two agonising choices, while in A Lot of It About, Ben finds himself on the brink of old age and argues with his younger self.

Liverpool Echo Arena Rent

27 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, From £25.50

The Mousetrap

Finding Joy

2–6 Apr, times vary, From £12

24–25 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10 (£8)

Agatha Christie’s play, famous for being the longest-running show of any kind in the history of British theatre, celebrating its 60th year. Ellen Kent’s Tosca

8 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, From £10

Traditional production of Puccini’s Tosca, directed by Ellen Kent and featuring the full Chisinau National Philharmonic Orchestra & Chorus. Carmen

9 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, From £10

Dazzling production of Carmen with Ellen Kent at the creative helm – also featuring an Andalucian stallion, fountains and orange trees. 11 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, From £18.50

Sister Act tribute show.

Hairspray the Musical

22–27 Apr, times vary, From £10

Toe-tapping musical based on the film by John Waters, on tour in the Northwest and directed by Jack O’Brien with choreography by Jerry Mitchell. Following the tale of a girl with big hair and an even bigger heart.

St Luke’s Church Tony Teardrop

22 Mar – 6 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, From £10

A brave new production written by Esther Wilson and staged outdoors in St Luke’s ‘Bombed Out’ church – centred around the theme of homelessness, we follow Tony on his journey through an interior landscape in search of the true meaning of ‘home’.

Static Gallery The Crucible

10–13 Apr, times vary, From £6

Arthur Miller’s famous Tony Award-winning re-telling of the 1692 Salem witch trial hysteria, a powerful modern tragedy of one man’s search for self. Performed by the Tell Tale Theatre Company.

The Everyman & Playhouse Theatre

A Day In The Death of Joe Egg

5–27 Apr, times vary, From £12

Peter Nichols’ satiral, and oftheartbraking, comedy is one of the great plays of modern British theatre.

The Kazimier

Goin’ West: The 4th Annual Liverpool Improvathon

6–7 Apr, 1:00pm – 10:30pm, From £5

33 hours and 33 minutes of Wild Western tinged improv theatre, with sherrifs, salloons, cowboys and cowgirls. Sleepover tickets are available too – bring your jammies!

Unity Theatre

Epstein Theatre

Inspired by the story of a miner entombed in a tunnel during WW1. As the horror engulfs him, not everything in the darkness is what it seems when he discovers a strange world beneath the mud and death.

5–7 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, prices vary

Inspired play based on the barely believable story of one Liverpool FC fan and his quest to rediscover his belief in himself, his club, his city and his class. FYI, that’s a whole lotta rediscovery... If the Shoe Fits

16–20 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £15

The hit comedy, popular with all ages, takes to the Liverpool stage once again. The play follows the story of one chaotic day in the up market shoe shop Good 2 Shooz.

Liverpool Empire Theatre Hormonal Housewives

10 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £20.50

Smiley, smiley Carol Smillie and friends musing on the joys (and otherwise) of being a 21st-century woman. The Magic of Motown

12 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £24

Singalongable motown hits, capturing the original Detroit sound of The Supremes et al. Footloose

17–18 Apr, 7:30pm – 10:00pm, £17

Crowd-pleaser of a musical, complete with singalong pop-rock score and nifty dance moves a-plenty.

Michelangelo Drawing Blood

26–27 Apr, times vary, prices vary

Three male performers bring to life the fluid twists and turns of Michelangelo’s drawings accompanied by animation, video and music.

The Trench

10 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £12 (£10)

Luke Wright - Your New Favourite Poet

2 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10 (£8)

The Fringe favourite and BBC Radio 4 poet returns. Expect thighslapping acerbic wordplay and bawdy bar room ballads. The Victorian in the Wall

5–6 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £12 (£10)

The new play from Perrier Award winner Will Adamsdale – navigating the land of lattes, box sets and relationships as a Victorian man is discovered in the walls of a couple’s apartment. Light-hearted comedy with songs. Overspill

12–13 Apr, 8:00pm – 10:00pm, £10 (£8)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–02:00, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£9)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Wed 03 Apr

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–02:00, £17 (£10)

Rom Com Con (Lizzy Mace, Juliette Burton)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £6 (£5)

A real-life romp through the Rom Coms, with the comedy duo Mace and Burton. Much hilarity.

Thu 04 Apr

Big Value Thursdays (Toby Hadoke, Matt Richardson, Phil Wang)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £9 (£6)

A Frog flagship event – with four great acts to enjoy it’s stonkingly great value, too. Stand Up Thursday

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight, delivered by three top-notch comedians. Maxine Jones: Embarrassing Mother The King’s Arms, 19:30–23:00, £5

Maxine Jones lays bare her experience of hiding her jaunt into comedy from her three sons – told through stand-up and a short film.

Fri 05 Apr

Barrel of Laughs (Toby Hadoke, Will E Robo)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–02:00, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£9)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Sat 06 Apr

Barrel of Laughs (Toby Hadoke, Dom Woodward)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–02:00, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 19:00–23:00, £20 (£10)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Sun 07 Apr King Gong

The Comedy Store, 19:30–21:30, £6 (£3)

Barrel of Laughs (Mark Olver, Ava Vidal, Iain Sterling, Rob Coleman, Roger Monkhouse)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 19:00–23:00, £20 (£10)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Sun 14 Apr New Stuff

The Comedy Store, 19:30–21:30, £3

A chance for those on the circuit to test out some new, never before heard or seen material. If you’re prepared to be a bit of a guinea pig, you could see some great stuff.

Mon 15 Apr Beat The Frog

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv. (students free)

A 10-act long heckle-fest, as a handful of amateurs take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog – you decide who stays – brutal.

Thu 18 Apr

Big Value Thursdays (Phil Ellis, John Warburton, Stuart Mitchell, Richard Massara, David Longley)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £9 (£6)

A Frog flagship event – with four great acts to enjoy it’s stonkingly great value, too. Stand Up Thursday

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight, delivered by three top-notch comedians. Russell Peters

Manchester Arena, 20:00–22:00, From £36.50

The Indo-Canadian comedian and actor tours his latest show, as affectionately mocking as ever.

Fri 19 Apr

Barrel of Laughs (Phil Ellis, John Warburton, Vladimir McTavish, David Longley)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£9)

The night when ordinary folk can have a bash at stand up – all in hope of being crowned King Gong, until next month. Prestigious.

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Mon 08 Apr

Barrel of Laughs (Phil Ellis, John Warburton, Vladimir McTavish, David Longley)

Beat The Frog

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £5 adv. (students free)

A 10-act long heckle-fest, as a handful of amateurs take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog – you decide who stays – brutal.

Thu 11 Apr

Big Value Thursdays (Mark Olver, Ava Vidal, Iain Sterling, Rob Coleman, Roger Monkhouse)

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £9 (£6)

16–20 Apr, times vary, prices vary

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight, delivered by three top-notch comedians.

Waiting For Brando

Barrel of Laughs (Mark Olver, Ava Vidal, Iain Sterling, Rob Coleman, Roger Monkhouse)

Sat 13 Apr

Ali Taylor’s poetic and highlyenergetic play – a normal Friday night in Birkenhead is rocked by an explosion, and the suspicious population begin to point fingers. Director Elia Kazan, playwright Arthur Miller and two Liverpudlian seamen confront their past in this tale based on an urban myth.

Fri 12 Apr

Manchester

Back in the Habit

The ever-popular Tony and Pulitzer prize-winning musical celebrates 20 years on the stage. Beating Berlusconi!

A daring and touching play based on the true story of a woman slowly losing her memory, and her rebellious grandson who decides to become her carer.

A Frog flagship event – with four great acts to enjoy it’s stonkingly great value, too. Stand Up Thursday

The Comedy Store, 20:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Sat 20 Apr

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. The Best in Stand Up

The Comedy Store, 19:00–23:00, £20 (£10)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Sun 21 Apr Work in Progress

The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

A safe-haven for comics to road test new material, with a strict no heckling policy.

THE SKINNY

Comedy ALEX BOARDMAN’S YOUNG GUNS THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–21:30, £6

Alex Boardman, one of the writers involved with John Bishop’s Britain on BBC1 presents some fresh blood. Be nice.

Mon 22 Apr BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £5 ADV. (STUDENTS FREE)

A 10-act long heckle-fest, as a handful of amateurs take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog – you decide who stays – brutal.

Thu 25 Apr

BIG VALUE THURSDAYS (ANDY ASKINS, PETE PHILLIPSON, ALEX BOARDMAN)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £9 (£6)

A Frog flagship event – with four great acts to enjoy it’s stonkingly great value, too. STAND UP THURSDAY

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight, delivered by three top-notch comedians.

Fri 26 Apr

Thu 04 Apr

PHILBERTO (KEVIN SHEVLIN, CAIMH MCDONNELL, JIM SMALLMAN)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Fri 05 Apr

PHILBERTO (KEVIN SHEVLIN, CAIMH MCDONNELL, JIM SMALLMAN)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £18

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity. SILKY (JASON COOK, JOHN WARBURTON, NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

Sat 06 Apr

SILKY (JASON COOK, JOHN WARBURTON, NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (DAVID WARD, ANDY ASKINS, GARETH RICHARDS, ALEX BOARDMAN)

Thu 11 Apr

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £16 (£8)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£9)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians.

Sat 27 Apr

BARREL OF LAUGHS (DAVID WARD, ANDY ASKINS, GARETH RICHARDS)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:00–23:00, £20 (£10)

Regular night of stand-up featuring sets from five top class comedians. GROUP THERAPY

GORILLA, 19:00–22:30, £10

Get your giggle fix and see off the week in Group Therapy – often includes award winning funny folk.

SMUG ROBERTS (STEVE SHANYASKI, PETER BRUSH, DAVE TWENTYMAN)

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Fri 12 Apr

SMUG ROBERTS (STEVE SHANYASKI, STEVE DAY, DAVE TWENTYMAN)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

JOHN FOTHERGILL (ALEX BOARDMAN, TOM WRIGGLESWORTH, CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

Sat 13 Apr

SMUG ROBERTS (STEVE SHANYASKI, STEVE DAY, DAVE TWENTYMAN)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £18

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Sun 28 Apr

JOHN FOTHERGILL (ALEX BOARDMAN, TOM WRIGGLESWORTH, CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–21:30, £3

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

NEW STUFF

A chance for those on the circuit to test out some new, never before heard or seen material. If you’re prepared to be a bit of a guinea pig, you could see some great stuff.

Mon 29 Apr BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £5 ADV. (STUDENTS FREE)

A 10-act long heckle-fest, as a handful of amateurs take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog – you decide who stays – brutal.

Liverpool Wed 03 Apr

CHRIS RAMSEY: FEELING LUCKY

UNITY THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £SOLDOUT

Following two consecutive sell-out Edinburgh shows and a sell-out UK tour, panel show regular Chris Ramsey embarks on his biggest ever live tour. THE LAUGHTER FACTORY

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £5 (£3)

A monthly event where comics can try out their new material before the weekend shows – yes, that makes you a comedy guinea pig.

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

JIMMY CARR: GAGGING ORDER

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 20:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Carr tours his new solo show, packed with one-liners, stories and jokes done in his own admitted ‘sick’ sense of humour.

Tue 16 Apr MARK THOMAS

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

All-new selection of material from the renowned political comic.

Thu 18 Apr

JOHN WARBURTON (JOHN RYAN, HARRIET DYER, MIKE WILKINSON)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Fri 19 Apr

JOHN WARBURTON (JOHN RYAN, PRINCE ABDI, MIKE WILKINSON)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity. MARKUS BIRDMAN (DALISO CHAPONDA, TIFFANY STEVENSON, NEIL FITZMAURICE)

Sat 20 Apr

JOHN WARBURTON (JOHN RYAN, PRINCE ABDI, MIKE WILKINSON)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £18

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity. MARKUS BIRDMAN (DALISO CHAPONDA, TIFFANY STEVENSON, NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

Thu 25 Apr

ANDY ASKINS (BEN NORRIS, RICHARD MASSARA, PHIL ELLIS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Fri 26 Apr

ANDY ASKINS (BEN NORRIS, PHIL WALKER, PHIL ELLIS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £15

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity. GARY DELANEY (TOM STADE, MARTIN MOR, CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

Sat 27 Apr

ANDY ASKINS (BEN NORRIS, PHIL WALKER, PHIL ELLIS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:30–22:00, £18

Four top-notch circuit comedians (one of ‘em will be the compere) gathered together for an evening of hilarity.

Art Contact Theatre BLANK MEDIA COLLECTIVE: LEE HARDMAN AND KELLY JENKINS

22 MAR – 20 APR, NOT 24 MAR, 31 MAR, 7 APR, 14 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Micro-gallery exhibition presenting two artists’ responses to the themes of the Queer Contact 2013 festival. Both pieces focus on representations of the body and its political form. MALC STONE: TRANCHESTER

22 MAR – 20 APR, NOT 24 MAR, 31 MAR, 7 APR, 14 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A selection of portraits of Manchester’s unconventional club kids, featuring Zsa Zsa Noir, Dave Tester, Israel Delgado and more by Homoelectric’s resident photographer Malc Stone. RACHEL ADAMS: THE MODERN LESBIAN

22 MAR – 20 APR, NOT 24 MAR, 31 MAR, 7 APR, 14 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new collection of photographic representations of the stories of lesbian and bisexual women who have helped to shape the cultural, commercial and social history of the UK. Part of Queer Contact 2013.

Cornerhouse ANDREW SAWYER

22 MAR – 16 APR, NOT 25 MAR, 1 APR, 8 APR, 15 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Manchester-based freelance photographer presents two new collections of photographs taken during his residencies in Sweden and Morocco.

ANGUISH & ENTHUSIASM: WHAT DO YOU DO WITH YOUR REVOLUTION ONCE YOU’VE GOT IT

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 13 APR AND 18 AUG, TIMES VARY, FREE

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

Collection of new and recent contemporary art from around the world, exploring the concept of a successful revolution and asking important questions about what defines this success.

Manchester

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 18 APR AND 28 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

GARY DELANEY (TOM STADE, MARTIN MOR, CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £17.50

2022NQ OFF THE FENCE!

22 MAR – 5 APR, WEEKDAYS ONLY, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Mixed-media exhibition curated by Manchester-based designer, and founder of Loosebait, Nathan Linney. The works ask questions about the situations in life that force us to decide between staying on the fence and taking action. EX:AMPLE MAGAZINE HIP HOP EXHIBITION LAUNCH

11–12 APR, 6:00PM – 12:00AM, FREE

An exhibition capturing the nostalgia and atmosphere of some of Manchester’s most memorable hip-hop nights. Part of 2022NQ’s 1st birthday celebration. THE MANCHESTER PRINT FAIR

13 APR, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Gathering over 20 local artists, designers and crafters together for one big print sale – decorate your world. Part of 2022NQ’s 1st birthday celebration.

Bench Self Made Gallery CELEBRATING SKETCH CITY

29 MAR – 21 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Following the return of the now infamous Sketch City over the Easter weekend, an exhibition of the work will be available on the walls of the Self Made gallery, along with a time-lapse video of the process and mini gallery.

Castlefield Gallery

HAYLEY NEWMAN AND EMILY SPEED

22 MAR – 7 APR, NOT 25 MAR, 26 MAR, 1 APR, 2 APR, 1:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

As part of the annual Head to Head exhibition, British artists Hayley Newman and Emily Speed explore the physical limitations and emotional trajectories of female performance through sculpture, video and writing.

CLAIR GRAUBNER: FROM THE GROUND UP

Manchester School of Art graduate Clair Graubner presents a new collection of works which reflect the urban architecture of her environment, creating an autobiographical narrative within a landscape or scene.

Instituto Cervantes

CONNECTIONS: NEW PHOTOGRAPHY FROM SPAIN AND LATIN AMERICA

23 MAR – 10 MAY, 9:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

A new exhibition of work bringing together British and Hispanic artists under the common language of photography. Featuring work by Adam Lee, Daniel Moore, Erik Knudsen, Fran Martínez, Ian Maxwell and Lucy Sudden Smith.

Manchester Art Gallery RAQIB SHAW

22 MAR – 26 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

See the Manchester Art Gallery in full bloom, and discover the dark, unsettling work of Indian-born, London-based Raqib Shaw. Beyond the willows and spring flowers lie jewel encrusted artworks and a land of terrifying creatures. KARL FRITSCH JEWELLERY

22 MAR – 23 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The first UK solo exhibition of Germany-born, New Zealand-based contemporary jewellery designer Karl Fritsch. His highly sought after pieces combine precious with nonprecious materials for a uniquely unconventional result. FOCAL POINTS: ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY

22 MAR – 7 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

This collection of around 30 photographs examines how the camera can be used to explore traditional artistic themes in new and exciting ways, often making the familiar strange and the ugly beautiful.

Nexus Art Café

THIS PLACE IS MINE: SKETCHCRAWL EVENT

6 APR, 3:00PM – 5:00PM, £6

Part of a long-running project which aims to gather a wide range of personal perspectives about places across the world, come along, fill in a booklet and become part of a collective voice for your area. Oh, and there’s coffee and cake included, too.

Paper Gallery COPY

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 6 APR AND 30 APR, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A newly commission exhibition of artworks from 15 artists, all exploring the medium of photocopies to create new works and completely take over the gallery space.

The Lowry LOWRY FAVOURITES

22 MAR – 22 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of over 400 paintings and drawings from one of Britain’s best loved artists, LS Lowry, including the iconic series of paintings, Going To The Match, on loan from the Professional Footballers’ Association. CENTRE STAGE: PORTRAITS OF A LOWRY AUDIENCE

22 MAR – 12 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition by London-based photographer Katherine Green and Manchester-based filmmaker Hilary Easter-Jones that shifts the focus away from the stage, and on to the Lowry audience members.

The Portico Library

THE MANCHESTER ACADEMY OF FINE ARTS: SPRING EXHIBITION

4–30 APR, NOT 7, 14, 21, 28, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of work from 20 highly talented painters, sculptors and printmakers from the Academy of Art; including Shelia Dewsbury, Gerry Halpin, Irene Jones, Simon Mamby, John McCombs, Barbara Sykes, Malcolm Taylor and Julie Vernon.

The Whitworth Art Gallery

JOHN PIPER: THE MOUNTAINS OF WALES

Liverpool Camp & Furnace JMU STUDENT ART EXHIBITION

4–9 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Six day exhibition of work from JMU students, head to the gallery!

FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology) THE ART OF POP VIDEO

22 MAR – 26 MAY, TIMES VARY, FREE

Visual culture showcase of over 100 video clips following the history of pop video from 1920 to the present day, with emphasis placed on the recent shift in the audience’s role from passive viewer to active producer.

International Slavery Museum GEORGE OSODI: OIL BOOM, DELTA BURNS

22 MAR – 1 SEP, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Exhibition by internationallyrenowned Nigerian photographer George Osodi, who spent six years documenting the effects of the oil industry in the Niger Delta. Osodi’s aims are not to offend or incite guilt, but to inspire change.

Merseyside Maritime Museum

TITANIC AND LIVERPOOL: THE UNTOLD STORY

30 MAR – 31 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A collection of previously unseen archive footage and materials that document Liverpool’s central role in the Titanic story. The exhibition marks the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic.

Metal

THE LIVERPOOL ART PRIZE 2013

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 26 APR AND 8 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

And then there were four. Local artists Kevin Hunt, Tabitha Moses, Juliann O’Malley and Laurence Payot exhibit their work in hope of winning the prestigious Liverpool Art Prize.

SYLVIA SLEIGH

Museum of Liverpool

22 MAR – 3 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

MAY, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

VIDE EXHIBITIONS: ORDINARY WOMEN – EXTRAORDINARY LIVES

The largest exhibition of Sylvia Sleigh’s work to date in which she BERYL BAINBRIDGE: PAINTER 22 MAR – 28 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE presents a realist portrayal of both A collection of 15 paintings by the male and female figures in an atcelebrated author Beryl Bainbridge tempt to defy objectification. – the exhibition allows visitors to explore connections between her The Bluecoat paintings and her novels, and also THE UNIVERSAL ADDRESSABILITY OF DUMB THINGS catch a glimpse of her ties with 22 MAR – 14 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE Liverpool. An exploration of how our relationships with artworks and common Open Eye objects are being transformed Gallery through new technologies, curated MISHKA HENNER: PRECIOUS by Turner prize-winning artist Mark COMMODITIES Leckey. VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 22 MAR AND 5 Solo exhibition by Manchesterbased artist Mishka Henner; The Levelland Oil Field and Feedlots pieces explore the value of photography in a media-saturated world and question the idea of authorship.

Sudley House Museum

20TH CENTURY CHIC: 100 YEARS OF WOMEN’S FASHION 22 MAR – 30 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A collection of 12 evening outfits spanning 1900 to 2000, charting the changing role of women in society throughout this period, and how these changes were reflected in the fashion of the time.

Tate Liverpool

15–28 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

A touching exhibition of portraits by students from Childwall Sports and Science Academy, celebrating global women who are inspirational role models and humanitarians.

The Gallery Liverpool ORDER AND DISORDER

19–26 APR, NOT 21, TIMES VARY, FREE

A new collection of works from young Liverpool artists, on display is their reaction to the theme ‘order and disorder’.

Walker Art Gallery

JAEL AND SISERA: GENTILESCHI

22 MAR – 1 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

GLAM!: THE PERFORMANCE OF STYLE A rare opportunity to see the

22 MAR – 12 MAY, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £8

The first exhibition to explore glam style and sensibility in-depth, through painting, sculpture, installation art, film, photography and performance.

macabre depiction of Jael and Sisera by Gentileschi, on loan from The Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest. NICOLA GREEN: IN SEVEN DAYS...

23 MAR – 14 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The story of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign told in seven silk THRESHOLDS 22 MAR – 7 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE screen prints by the Edinburghbased artist Nicola Green, who An exploration of powerful themes including British identity, followed Obama on his path to migration and the global effects of presidency between August 2008 regional conflicts. The exhibition is and January 2009. split into three sections: Stranger than Self, Shifting Boundaries and Territories in the Making.

22 MAR – 7 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Collection of Welsh landscape paintings – completed by John Piper between 1945 and 1956 – showing the sublime connection between rock and sky in the Snowdonia landscape. MICHAEL LANDY: FOUR WALLS

22 MAR – 16 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Video installation exploring Landy’s father’s enthusiasm for DIY, which was abruptly halted following a spinal injury in 1977. Images in the video are overlaid with a soundtrack of his father whistling his favourite songs. RICHARD LONG: LAND ART

22 MAR – 16 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Two stone sculptures, White Onyx Line (1990) and Tideless Stones (2008), both made from quarried stone, alongside text works which distill the action and experience of a solitary walk into words. CALLUM INNES

22 MAR – 16 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Edinburgh-based abstract artist presents a collection that is more about un-painting than painting. Innes works with oil paint and turpentine to strip away layers and reveal underlying colours. BERYL KOROT: TEXT AND COMMENTARY

22 MAR – 9 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Ground-breaking work comprised of weavings, videos and paperbased scores that, when first shown in 1977, moved the video medium beyond the television’s frame and into art installation. NANCY HOLT: LAND ART

20 APR – 16 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Photography and film exhibition by land art pioneer Nancy Holt, including Trail Markers, a film made on visit to Dartmoor, and photographs of her iconic work, Sun Tunnels in The Great Basin Desert in Northern Utah.

Are you putting on an event? Send us the details at events@theskinny.co.uk Listings run on www.theskinny.co.uk and in the print magazine. It’s all free.

THE SLAUGHTER HOUSE, 20:00–23:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious lineup.

April 2013

Listings

Roam from Home