The Skinny Northwest November 2015 by The Skinny

.CO.UK

INDEPENDENT FREE

CULT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

November 2015 Liverpool and Manchester Issue 32

MUSIC The Mountain Goats !!! Zyna Hel COMEDY Nish Kumar ART Jordan Alex Smith Life in Songzhuang Niamh O’Malley FILM Saoirse Ronan Tangerine Carol

CLUBS Kelvin Brown Henry Wu BOOKS Shuntaro Tanikawa Chigozie Obioma THEATRE Homotopia GIFT GUIDES The Resurgence of Board Games Alternative Foodie Christmas

BOOK NOW: 0161 832 1111 MANchesteracademy.net BLACKBERRY SMOKE FRIDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

SKINDRED

+ CROSSFAITH + HED PE + YASHIN SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER

GARBAGE - 20 YEARS QUEER + DUTCH UNCLES FRIDAY 13TH NOVEMBER

THE WEDDING PRESENT

+ THE VASELINES + CINERAMA + EMMA POLLOCK SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

FUSE ODG

MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

HAPPY MONDAYS

THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

MEGADOG: DREADZONE + EAT STATIC + SYSTEM 7

+ DJ MICHAEL DOG + MC TBAG + VJ’S PEEKA & EEFEE SATURDAY 21ST NOVEMBER

FRANK TURNER & THE SLEEPING SOULS + SKINNY LISTER + WILL VARLEY TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER

A TRIBUTE TO MANCH25TER FT: THE CLONE ROSES, THE OASIS EXPERIENCE, THESE SMITHS, TRUE ORDER PLUS SPECIAL GUEST DJ PHIL BECKETT (STONE ROSES TOUR DJ)

FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER

FORMERLY THE MDH

IMPERICON NEVER SAY DIE! TOUR 2015 FT: THE AMITY AFFLICTION + DEFEATER + BEING AS AN OCEAN + CRUEL HAND + FIT FOR A KING + BURNING DOWN ALASKA MONDAY 9TH NOVEMBER

FORMERLY THE HOP & GRAPE

THE PARLOTONES

+ BLACK SONIC REVOLVER + RYAN JARVIS SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

LEAVES EYES

SEPULTURA - 30TH ANNIVERSARY TOUR

SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER

TOVE LO

MAVERICK SABRE

TRACER

TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER

NORTHSIDE

FRIDAY 6TH NOVEMBER

PRIDES

TUESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER

DAN REED NETWORK

MONDAY 9TH NOVEMBER

+ LIAM BAILEY WEDNESDAY 11TH NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 12TH NOVEMBER

PERIPHERY

FORMERLY THE CELLAR

+ ELECTRIC BOYS + THE KING LOT TUESDAY 20TH OCTOBER

JESUS JONES

MS MR

FRIDAY 13TH NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 7TH NOVEMBER

+ VEIL OF MAYA + GOOD TIGER SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

MY LIFE STORY

LONELY THE BRAVE

KATZENJAMMER

PORTICO

SUNDAY 15TH NOVEMBER

THE FRATELLIS

+ THE CROOKES MONDAY 16TH NOVEMBER

BRANTLEY GILBERT

WEDNESDAY 18TH NOVEMBER

KREPT & KONAN

+ BLACK PEAKS TUESDAY 10TH NOVEMBER

SATURDAY 14TH NOVEMBER

MODESTEP

+ DAUDI MATSIKO THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

SUNDAY 22ND NOVEMBER

ZEBRAHEAD

BACKYARD BABIES

FRIDAY 27TH NOVEMBER

+ HEAVY TIGERS TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER

THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS

AREA 11

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER

THURSDAY 19TH NOVEMBER

+ MYTH CITY WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

STRIKING MATCHES

BEARTOOTH

WEDNESDAY 2ND DECEMBER

THURSDAY 26TH NOVEMBER

AVERAGE WHITE BAND

HURRICANE #1

TUESDAY 8TH DECEMBER

TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 27TH NOVEMBER

NECK DEEP

THE INTERNET AND THUNDERCAT

THE DOORS ALIVE

WEDNESDAY 9TH DECEMBER

HURTS

APOCALYPTICA

THURSDAY 10TH DECEMBER

FRIDAY 12TH FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER

HEY VIOLET

MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

BUGZY MALONE

THURSDAY 3RD DECEMBER

NOTHING MORE

SOUL II SOUL FT. JAZZIE B & CARON WHEELER

THE SELECTER

THE RUTLES

LISSIE

THE HIGH

SUNDAY 13TH DECEMBER

+ INME + THE DIRTY YOUTH FRIDAY 15TH JANUARY

ONE OK ROCK

HOWIE DAY

ESCAPE THE FATE

THURSDAY 28TH JANUARY

THE STORY SO FAR

RON POPE & THE NIGHTHAWKS

THE GHOST INSIDE

NEW MODEL ARMY

GUN + DUB PISTOLS + TV SMITH SATURDAY 5TH DECEMBER

THE DARKNESS - BLAST OF OUR KIND TOUR THESE RAVEN SKIES + THE RIVER 68’S THURSDAY 10TH DECEMBER THURSDAY 4TH FEBRUARY

THURSDAY 18TH FEBRUARY

+ JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET + AFTER SHOW DJ SET FROM NORMAN JAY MBE SATURDAY 20TH FEBRUARY

THE ‘WHERE’S LARRY?’ TOUR

TRUTV IMPRACTICAL JOKERS THE TENDERLOINS SUNDAY 28TH FEBRUARY

WOLF ALICE

THURSDAY 10TH MARCH

CHRIS RAMSEY: ALL GROWED UP WEDNESDAY 11TH MARCH

GRIMES

+ HANA SATURDAY 12TH MARCH

BOYCE AVENUE

SUNDAY 13TH MARCH

GIGANTIC VOL 3 FT: THE WONDER STUFF + HOUSE OF LOVE + THE DARLING BUDS, THE FRANK AND WALTERS, BMX BANDITS, CUD, S*M*A*S*H, THE TELESCOPES, MENSWE@R, BIVOUAC & JACK ADAPTOR (THE FAMILY CAT) SATURDAY 28TH MAY

FRIDAY 20TH NOVEMBER

WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER

FRIDAY 4TH DECEMBER SATURDAY 5TH DECEMBER MONDAY 7TH DECEMBER WEDNESDAY 9TH DECEMBER

NAHKO AND MEDICINE FOR THE PEOPLE

MATT BERRY AND THE MAYPOLES MAXI JAZZ & THE E-TYPE BOYS THE ZOMBIES THE LOX

SATURDAY 28TH NOVEMBER

THE ARISTOCRATS

TUESDAY 1ST DECEMBER

TUESDAY 15TH DECEMBER

EVIL BLIZZARD’S BLIZZMAS BALL

MONDAY 7TH DECEMBER

SATURDAY 19TH DECEMBER

ALIEN ANT FARM

WEDNESDAY 9TH DECEMBER

TUESDAY 15TH DECEMBER + TREVOR HALL + TRUETT SATURDAY 16TH JANUARY

THURSDAY 11TH FEBRUARY

SYMPHONY X

CANCER BATS

SATURDAY 13TH FEBRUARY

SNUFF

SUNDAY 21ST FEBRUARY

+ THE SHEEPDOGS SUNDAY 24TH JANUARY

ROACHFORD

SATURDAY 19TH MARCH

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS

ROMEO’S DAUGHTER

BASEMENT

MATT & KIM

FRIDAY 22ND JANUARY

BAABA MAAL

SATURDAY 23RD JANUARY

THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT

THURSDAY 18TH FEBRUARY

SATURDAY 23RD JANUARY

MONDAY 1ST FEBRUARY

+ TIGERS JAW + ALEX G WEDNESDAY 10TH FEBRUARY

PVRIS

WEDNESDAY 6TH APRIL

facebook.com/manchesteracademy

@manchesteracademy

BOY & BEAR

LIFE OF AGONY

FRIDAY 18TH MARCH SATURDAY 2ND APRIL

THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING

MONDAY 4TH APRIL

CASH

MANCHESTER ACADEMY PRESENTS TUESDAY 24TH NOVEMBER

(THE UK’S NO.1 JOHNNY CASH TRIBUTE) SATURDAY 30TH APRIL

PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT FRIDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER

FOR UP TO DATE LISTINGS VISIT MANChesteracademy.net

Photo: Timothy Saccenti

P.26 Niamh O'Malley

P.36 Xinyue Zhang

P.38 Jordan Alex Smith

November 2015

I N D E P E N D E N T

C U LT U R A L

J O U R N A L I S M

Issue 32, November 2015 ÂŠ Radge Media Ltd. Get in touch: E: hiya@theskinny.co.uk T: 0161 833 3124 P: The Skinny, Second Floor, Swan Buildings, 20 Swan Street, Manchester, M4 5JW The Skinny is distributing 22,710 copies across Liverpool and Manchester, a wide range of advertising packages and affordable ways to promote your business are available. Get in touch to find out more.

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Printed by Mortons Print Limited, Horncastle ABC verified Jan â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Dec 2014: 22,710

Printed on 100% recycled paper

Contents

Editorial Northwest Editor Film & Deputy Editor Events Editor Music Editor Art Editor Books Editor Clubs Editor Comedy Editor Deviance Editor Fashion Editor Food Editor Tech Editor Travel Editor

Lauren Strain Jamie Dunn Simon Jay Catling Dave Kerr Sacha Waldron Holly Rimmer-Tagoe Daniel Jones John Stansfield Kate Pasola Alexandra Fiddes Lauren Phillips John Donaghy Paul Mitchell

Production Production Manager Designer Sub Editor Editorial Assistant

Amy Minto Thom Isom Kristian Doyle Will Fitzpatrick

Sales Commercial Director Sales & Digital Marketing Analyst Sales Executive

Nicola Taylor Caroline Harleaux Issy Patience

Lead Designer

Sigrid Schmeisser

General Manager

Kyla Hall

Editor-in-Chief Chief Operating Officer Publisher

Rosamund West Lara Moloney Sophie Kyle

THE SKINNY

Photo: Bethany Grace

P.10 Oneohtrix Point Never

Contents Up Front

Lifestyle

Chat & Opinion: Welcome to the magazine! Get yr news fix with Stop the Presses, Spot the Difference to win a book, admire our Shot of the Month and despair of your future with BALLS.

Your Christmas gift guides start here! (We know, we know.) First up: board games are in the midst of a renaissance. We ask why, in a digital age, the industry is experiencing such a boom.

08 Heads Up: Squeeze in some culture be-

Gift Guide: We suggest some experiential gifts, from foraging for wild mushrooms to swimming with sharks.

tween all that Christmas shopping with our handy events calendar. Alternatively, just sack off the shopping ’til 24 Dec and do everything listed here instead.

Features

We speak to extraordinary young actor Saoirse Ronan about her nuanced performance in Brooklyn – but all she wants to talk about is doing a musical.

Clever-boy standup comedian Nish Kumar talks political correctness, leftwing comedy and the many benefits of giving your show a weird title.

Showcase: Manchester School of Art graduate Jordan Alex Smith blurs the line between the work and talking about the work in his witty, provocative art.

Deviance: Our Deviance editor spitballs some possible alternative titles for the section, which has proved controversial since its inception.

Todd Haynes’ new film, Carol, is a tender love story between two women in 1950s New York. The legendary new queer cinema pioneer tells us about his struggle to get it to the screen. Transgender buddy movie Tangerine is the year’s most effervescent indie comedy – director Sean Baker reveals how he captured it all on his iPhone. Plus we take a look at the programme for HOME’s final ¡Viva! Weekender of 2015. The Mountain Goats’ John Darnielle gives us the lowdown on his band’s wrestling-themed concept album, Beat the Champ, ahead of their UK tour. !!! frontman Nic Offer details the selfscrutiny, silliness and tally charts that went into making rambunctious sixth album As If. Ahead of the publication of his New Selected Poems, we look at the work of Shuntaro Tanikawa, one of Japan's bestkept literary secrets.

Review 41

Clubs: Jazz chord menace Henry Wu selects five records you need to delve into; plus, a look at new venue Hidden and your clubbing highlights for November.

Art: Reviews of Tania Kovats’ Evaporation at the Museum of Science and Industry, and Ai Weiwei’s landmark show at the Royal Academy – a show to travel for.

Kelvin Brown, one half of legendary club night Eyes Down, chats about making art and the joys of endless discovery. Homotopia festival’s artistic director, Gary Everett, muses on the power of theatre to explore LGBTQ issues. Glasgow-based Canadian artist Julian Tolhurst sheds light on life in a Chinese art village. A trip to Liverpool’s Bluecoat has us considering the concepts at the heart of Dublin-based artist Niamh O'Malley’s practice. Nigerian writer Chigozie Obioma explains why he’d rather his book The Fishermen be widely read than prize-winning.

November 2015

Music: Enter the dark electro-pop world of New Blood Zyna Hel; relive the sensory splendour of Sheffield’s Sensoria Festival, and have a listen to this month’s new records, including albums from Ólafur Arnolds and Floating Points.

Film: Michael Fassbender plays Steve Jobs in the Aaron Sorkin-scripted, Danny Boyle-directed biopic of the late Apple co-founder. What did we think? DVD/Theatre: Get set to wear out your pause button as Magic Mike XXL bumps and grinds its way to DVD. Plus reviews of duologue The Notebook at Contact and HOME’s epic new show, The Oresteia. Books: Our reviewer read Morrissey’s List of the Lost and heaven knows he's miserable now. Elsewhere, get a postHalloween scare with Ghost: 100 Stories to Read with the Lights On. Comedy: This month’s Spotlight falls on standup and swamp-dwelling environmental-activist wannabe, Sean Morley.

Competitions: Win tickets to see captivating Norwegian singer Ane Brun and win artwork from Open Culture's Winter Arts Market.

Listings: EVERYTHING THAT IS HAPPENING.

The Last Word: Hip-hop pioneers A Tribe Called Quest drop by to make sense of their past and present.

The Skinny November.qxp_Layout 1 29/10/2015 08:35 Page 1

Liverpool’s Newest Venue

Music Room

Music Room is a small, friendly and informal venue which opened its doors this October. Music Room is a home for emerging Liverpool artists, a new space for city festival events and a place to try out new things. Have a drink at the bar, grab a bite to eat and come and enjoy!

Highlights announced so far include;

Emily Portman Trio Sunday 15 November 8pm –

Thea Gilmore

Tuesday 17 November 8pm

Fashion: Exquisite pieces from designers Xinyue Zhang and Yifei Liu, shown off in a shoot by photographer Bethany Grace.

Food & Drink: Veganism is on the rise – we investigate. Plus your monthly food news, and reviews of Mowgli and Abel's Dining Room.

Fearless electronic/noise musician Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never, shows us around his Garden of Delete and considers the corrosion of memory, and growing up in an era before we were able to self-edit.

Gift Guide: Alternative foodie gift ideas for those food lovers in your life.

–

Rob Vincent & Gary Edward Jones Sunday 22 November 8pm –

Boo Hewerdine

Wednesday 25 November 8pm –

Gary Lucas

The Captain Beefheart Symposium The Jeff Buckley Symposium 26 – 29 November –

Tom Robinson Friday 4 December 8pm

Box Office liverpoolphil.com 0151 709 3789

–

I Am Kloot’s John Bramwell

Saturday 5 December 8pm

Contents

espite what isitchristmas.com might tell you, “It’s Christmaaaaas!” OK, OK, it’s really not, but we’ve scorned all propriety and compiled a few gift guides for you anyway (with more to follow in the December issue). Who knows, maybe they’ll encourage you to get your shopping done early? You’ll be thanking us when you’re crying onto your twelfth mediocre bratwurst in a heaving crowd of angry people. Turn to page 28 for our section editors’ 100% genuine recommendations, from boardgames that turn you into ghosts and psychics, to shark dives, to revolutionary culinary inventions: you too could be changing lives with the purchase of a DreamGriddle(™). You’ll be relieved to hear that this rampant festive spirit has not leached into the deep waters of serious cultural journalism elsewhere in the magazine; for example, sharing their thoughts on a life stranded in the data firmament, the rise of leftwing comedy and the lyricism of pro-wrestling are electronic provocateur Oneohtrix Point Never (p10), Edinburgh Fringe breakout star Nish Kumar (p15) and John Darnielle of cult Californian band The Mountain Goats (p19), respectively. We’re nothing if not eclectic. What else? Film looks at a trio of movies presenting different women’s tales of home, belonging and identity: outstanding young Irish actor Saoirse Ronan talks about her role in Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s bestselling novel Brooklyn (p12); director Todd Haynes describes working with Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett for Carol, the unflinching story of a forbidden relationship (p16), and Sean Baker describes how the infectious atmosphere of rabid, run-down LA influenced his story of two trans women exacting revenge amid the grizzled haze of Hollywood (p18).

It’s a truly international issue, too, as Booker Prize-nominated author Chigozie Obioma discusses the turbulences of Nigeria in relation to his startling novel, The Fishermen (p27); Japan’s foremost poet Shuntaro Tanikawa tells us about the relationship between song and text in his fine, fine work (p21), and artist Julian Tolhurst relates his experiences of living in an art community in China (p25). Any more? Sure! Our featured artist Jordan Alex Smith granulates the boundaries of art and discourse in his text-led practice, showcased on page 38; Manchester legend Kelvin Brown tells us how a life spent digging into the deepest musical grooves has informed his visual art (p22); the Deviance section invites you, yes you, to help decide whether we should rename it, and what it should be called (p40); hell, we’ve even got an interview with the founding members of A Tribe Called Quest (turn to the back). That should just about do you ’til December 1st. This issue of The Skinny was brought to you by us. We hope you like it.

Jenny Lee Lindberg

Music chats to Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker about latest album Currents, genres and the crossing of wires, while Warpaint bassist Jenny Lee Lindberg gives us the lowdown on her debut solo album as jennylee. In Film, we’ll be speaking to model-turned-actor Agyness Deyn about her lead turn in Terence Davies long–awaited melodrama Sunset Song,

and the mighty Guy Maddin tells us about his latest fever dream movie, The Forbidden Room. Oh, and it’s Christmas, so expect the usual look-back at the bestest albums, movies, games and novels of the year. Plus we’ll be handing out surefire tips on the DVDs and books you should give to your love ones to fool them into thinking you care.

ON THE COVER: Oneohtrix Point Never by Timothy Saccenti timothysaccenti.com

www.jockmooney.com

The December Issue: Out 1 Dec

Spot the Difference

Shot of the Month

Micachu & The Shapes at The Kazimier, 23 Oct, by Andy Von Pip

Chat

Photo: Marie Hazelwood

Editorial

Only the lonely know the way Roy Orbison feels, so we’ve paired him up with his exact double for company. But wait! The eagle-eyed among you may notice one subtle-but-crucial difference between these two Big O’s. Paws for a moment and have a think: if you have a ruff idea of the answer, head to theskinny. co.uk/competitions and share your findings.

Come up with the funniest and most inventive bone mot and you could win a copy of Black Mass by Dick Lehr and Gerard O’Neill, courtesy of our ever-lovin’ pals at Canongate. Competition closes midnight Sun 29 Nov. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 48 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. The winner will receive the ticket by email. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny. co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions

THE SKINNY

Coffee on Chapel Street in Salford. A collaborative creative meetup for illustrating and generally catching up with other like-minded souls, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no experience required to join in, and at the end of each series of meetups the group will produce a document or exhibition around whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s been created. More information at facebook.com/colouringclub. The Merseyrail Sound Station Festival returns on 21 Nov at Moorfields Station with a shortlist of ten artists competing in front of a panel of industry judges, including last yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winner Blue Saint, to win a prize of a yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of management, recording time and free Merseyside travel. Among those hoping to turn heads at this yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s showcase are 19 year-old singer songwriter Katy Alex and punk rockers The Basement Effect. More information at merseyrailsoundstation.com. If youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re picking us up before 10 Nov then the Greater Manchester Comedy Fringe Festival is happening right now and you still have a chance to see the likes of previous James Acaster support Stuart Laws at The Kingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Arms (6 Nov) and recent Edinburgh Fringe success story Will Seaward at the Hope Mill Theatre (7-8 Nov) as part of dozens of shows featuring the latest young laugh merchants regionally and beyond. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk. In top news for Quays Culture, the digital art and event co-ordinators have had their recent light installation, Aeolian Light, selected to be part of the prestigious Lumen Prize's Global Tour 2015/16. Originally installed at The Lowry Plaza at the end of last year, it will now visit Shanghai, New York, London and Caerphilly Castle in Wales. Visit quaysculture.com for more information. After the success of their first hangout, the Colouring Club return again on 22 Nov to Honest

A couple of new openings that popped up recently: No. 1 Watson Street replaces Taps down near Deansgate, open for â&#x20AC;&#x153;great beer and great foodâ&#x20AC;? (onewatsonstreet.co.uk), and Cottonopolis takes over an old tailors on 16 Newton Street, opening its doors on 13 Nov. Taking influence from traditional Japanese cooking, expect a mean line in small plates, and plenty of sake (cottonopolis-nq.com). Manchester-based mental health charity 42nd Street, who work with young people under stress, have received ÂŁ516,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) with further support from LandAid and the Redevco Foundation, which will allow them to open new venue The Horsfall in May 2016. While the exact location has yet to be made public, the charity are taking inspiration from the Ancoats Art Museum, which in the 19th century saw founder Thomas C Horsfall seek to promote wellbeing and social change through contact with art and nature. Follow developments at 42ndstreet.org.uk. Castlefield Gallery have commissioned recent National Media Museum-exhibiting artist and Royal British Society of Sculptors Bursary Award-winner Liz West to create a brand new art installation, to be unveiled on 25 Nov. Through No. 3 will be a six-metre long triangular prism corridor of light and colour installed on Crown Square in Spinningfields, and will be opened to the public by West and Michael Ingall, CEO of commissioning partner Allied London.

Starred Up

Online Only Eyes to the website On its release last year, David Mackenzieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Starred Up turned heads and earned plaudits for its intense portrayal of prison life. Now the filmâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s score has undergone the remake treatment. We catch up with Mackenzie to find out why he's still immersed in the music. theskinny.co.uk/music

Remember Jamie from The Thick of It? Well, improbably, the actor who played him, Paul Higgins, has now written a non-expletives-laden musical called The Choir with Deacon Blueâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ricky Ross. We find out what thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s all about. theskinny.co.uk/theatre

Stirling-based party Jelly Roll Soul talk about their leap into releasing records, kicking things off with the distinctive Tanz EP from Sirrahttam. theskinny.co.uk/clubs

We speak to one half of legendary club night Eyes Down, Kelvin Brown, on page 22. He kindly dropped off a fresh batch of tunes for our latest Skinned mix series. Have a listen at theskinny.co.uk/clubs

BALLS. with Mystic Mark ARIES â&#x20AC;&#x153;Is there anybody there?â&#x20AC;? you ask, huddled around the Ouija board with the other believers at the seance, each with a single trembling finger on the rim of the glass. The tension builds as the glass edges forward, nudging spookily across the board to gasps from the gathered crowd, sliding all the way over to stop resolutely at â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;NO.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

TAURUS Running out of cat food, you decide to blend up one cat and feed it to the other.

GEMINI Letting one go during supper, your father tells you off for your rudeness, demanding you never fart at the dinner table again. You excuse yourself to continue your fart in the toilet, but he stops you and instead leads you to the new fart room heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just had installed. The room boasts gleaming floor-toceiling tiles, a basin for washing your hands after each fart and a plethora of reading materials to keep you occupied during longer farts.

Katy Alex

CANCER Your head is meaty and hard like a ball of unchewable gristle.

LEO Donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t judge people for what race they are. Race them in a car instead. That way, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re all in the same race. Because when you think about it, the only race that really matters is the F1 race.

Colouring Club

November 2015

VIRGO Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be the first to admit that youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re the least arrogant person in the universe. LIBRA A starfish can lose a leg and grow it back. But when you lose a leg this month all you can grow is a moustache.

SCORPIO Hearing your five-year-old crying in the night you get up to comfort her. She had a nightmare about the bogey man. You give her a hug and explain thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just plain silly, the bogey man doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t exist. If you were her, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d be far more afraid of opening your eyes to see the moist, goat-like thorax of a demon crawling out of the mirror, skittering onto the ceiling above the bed and burping an insane hurricane of wasps into her silent, screaming face.

SAGITTARIUS When injured it is often best for Sagittarius to be destroyed.

CAPRICORN Your MP explains in their reply to your letter regarding the situation in the Middle East, that the intricate web of socio-political, historical, religious and cultural problems means the war in Syria is unlikely to be solved by the creation of a gigantic super-robot battalion of flying robots with guns where their arms would be and rocket packs and laser eyes that go zzeeeewwww that can blow up anything even a diamond which is the toughest thing in the world, but they sincerely hope they can rely on your vote in the upcoming by-election.

AQUARIUS Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s titanic solidified corpse begins to thaw out in Antarctica as global warming makes the glaciers melt. PISCES To cut a long story short, you get your bell-end trapped in the door of a spaceship.

twitter.com/themysticmark facebook.com/themysticmark

Chat

After its success at last year's Homotopia festival, award-winning LGBT literary salon Polari returns to the fest to showcase the best in established and emerging queer literary talent, hosted by Paul Burston and VG Lee. Homotopia's programme also features performance, and exhibitions like Zanele Muholi's VULKANI/RISE at Open Eye Gallery. Unity Theatre, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £10 (£7)

London to Brighton

Mon 9 Nov

Following a stunning show at Gullivers this summer – which involved wigs, visuals of throwing up chains and karaoke – Norwegian solo artist Jenny Hval returns in support of her latest record Apocalypse, girl, an intensely delivered, multi-faceted deconstruction of issues around sexuality, capitalism and femininity. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 7.30pm, £8

An annual celebration of sequential art in all its forms, Thought Bubble festival includes everything from superhero comics to independent and small-press artists and writers. This year it features guests including Kate Beaton and Rick Remender, and plays host to the British Comic Awards. Various venues, Leeds, until 15 Nov, prices vary

Jenny Hval

Photo: Michael Barrow

Sun 8 Nov

Polari

Thought Bubble

Sun 15 Nov

A blockbusting line-up from the good people at High Hoops sees DJ QU bringing snarling house straight outta East Coast US, while the legendary Amir Alexander and Parisian producer French Fries are among those providing the extras at one of Manchester's brightest new night spots. Hidden, Manchester, 10pm, from £10

The breathtakingly brilliant Julia Holter tops the bill at the second High and Lonesome Festival, which acts as a celebration of solo artists at home and abroad. Joining the Domino-signed artist in Leeds will be the maverick Josh T. Pearson, as he goes through yet another resurrection. Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, noon, £20

The wonderfully literary John Darnielle brings his group The Mountain Goats to Gorilla. A master of finely observed, slightly surreal vignettes that blur realities, Darnielle is one of modern indie's characters, and the group are touring in support of their 15th studio LP, Beat the Champ. Gorilla, Manchester, 7.30pm, £20

Hidden

Julia Holter

Thu 19 Nov

Fri 20 Nov

Sat 21 Nov

A sexual and psychological drama, Nemesis comes to the Lantern Theatre, setting the scene quickly when a young man is tied to a chair, a hood over his head, while a father and daughter interrogate him. All three reveal secrets that'll irrevocably alter their lives. Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, until 21 Nov, £10.50

Nine days of new and experimental music courtesy of Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival commence tonight with, among others, The Riot Ensemble, who'll be presenting work by respected Polish composer Jagoda Szmytka at Bates Mill Blending Shed. Various venues, Huddersfield, until 29 Nov, prices vary

Manchester-based soundsystem Red Eye Hi-Fi are celebrating their sixth birthday with an almighty Birthday Carnival, and they're doing it in style. Bristolvia-Trinidad rhythm addicts Jus Now join UK dancehall queen Lady Chann in heading up a formidable bill of Caribbean-inspired sounds. Gorilla, Manchester, 11pm, from £6

Lantern Theatre

The Riot Ensemble

Fri 27 Nov

In a perfectly chilled double billing, Flying Lotus collaborator and bass virtuoso Thundercat teams up with Odd Future members and slow jam specialists The Internet for a hot and heavy night of grooves. Both have new material to showcase in LPs The Beyond / Where the Giants Roam and Ego Death, respectively. Academy 2, Manchester, 7.30pm, £17.50

Two of the UK's brightest grime producers and DJs come to 24 Kitchen Street tonight. Kahn’s recent cuts on Mala’s Deep Medi label have been enjoying plenty of hype, while fellow Bristolian Neek has been garnering plaudits for his self-founded Bandulu label. 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool, 11pm, £6

ATP Festival looks set to celebrate its umpteenth return with a rather fine Nightmare Before Christmas indeed. Courtney Barnett heads a lineup that also boasts Thee Oh Sees, Jessica Pratt, Natalie Prass and more. Pontins, Prestatyn, until 29 Nov, prices vary

Thundercat

Chat

Kahn & Neek

Photo: James Gould

Thu 26 Nov

Photo: Ross Gilmore

Wed 25 Nov

Photo: Ye Rin Mok

Sat 14 Nov

Photo: Gemma Parker

Fri 13 Nov

The Mountain Goats

Lady Chann

Courtney Barnett

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Photo: Krystyna FitzGerald Morris

“But it’s getting cold! I just want to stay in!” Quit your whining you misery, ’cause this stuff is a) great and b) mostly indoors, including several opportunities to say a weepy goodbye to The Kazimier and even a chance to welcome in Christmas, six weeks early.

Touring film festival Homeless Film Festival comes to HOME today, showcasing the feature-length London to Brighton and a series of shorts tackling themes and issues surrounding homelessness. The timing is particularly poignant given the backdrop of Manchester's own homelessness crisis, which has grown exponentially in five years. HOME, Manchester, until 4 Nov, times and prices vary

Photo: An Englishman in San Diego

Compiled by: Simon Jay Catling

Wed 4 Nov

Photo: DL Anderson

Heads Up

Tue 3 Nov

Fri 6 Nov

Sat 7 Nov

Gracia Querejeta's film Felices 140 opens the final season of the year for ¡Viva! film festival and its Spanish cinema programme. Political thriller Lasa eta Zabala and blackly humorous animation Pos eso are among the other films being showcased over five days. HOME, Manchester, until 9 Nov, prices vary

Debuting last month, the Brewers Market returns to Canal Mills in Leeds, promising a three-day beer festival celebrating craft beer alongside guest wine, food and drink tasting, a Portobello Road gin bar, street food, live art and music. Cloudwater and Magic Rock breweries, plus BoozyQ BBQ, are among those signed up. Canal Mills, Leeds, until 8 Nov, prices vary

Club nights Hot Plate and Worried About Henry team up for a hard hitting night in the 24 Kitchen Street basement, with ascendant producer Murlo returning to plug his new eight track EP, Odyssey. Expect him to draw from grime, dancehall, bassline and more. 24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool, 11pm, from £3

Murlo

Wed 11 Nov

Thu 12 Nov

Carl Grose’s play Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other Love Songs) returns to Liverpool, where it received its world premiere last year. Directed by Mike Shepherd and produced by Kneehigh, it's a radical take on the plight of contract killer Macheath as he falls in love and faces the hangman’s noose. Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, until 14 Nov, from £16

Still on the right side of 30, former Chortle Student and Newcomer award winner Joe Lycett has featured regularly on BBC comedy panel shows and radio stations alike. He wins over fans with his warm delivery and observational tales about attitudes towards sexuality, putting down the ill-informed with humour but not nastiness. Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £Returns

New Jersey rockers Titus Andronicus come to Liverpool celebrating ten years of being together, as well as fourth album The Most Lamentable Tragedy. A 93-minute epic, the new LP sees them on fine form and as verbose as you'd expect from a band named after one of Shakespeare's most violent plays. The Kazimier, Liverpool, 8pm, £12

Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other Love Songs)

Photo: Steve Tanner

Tue 10 Nov

Titus Andronicus

Joe Lycett

Tue 17 Nov

Wed 18 Nov

"A masterclass in tonal diversity, expressionist narrative and finespun drama" says our man Gary Kaill of Julia Kent's latest LP, Asperities, towards the back of this 'ere magazine. A former collaborator with Antony Hegarty, the Canadian cellist comes to the Brudenell tonight. Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 7.30pm, £6

FACT continues its good work in supporting the regional film community with the return of Liverpool Film Night, a celebration of Merseyside's finest filmmakers. Expect a series of shorts from a diverse array of talent, selected by the FACT team. FACT, Liverpool, 6.45pm, £6 (£5)

Mid-November is reyt early to be getting festive, but we'll forgive Islington Mill as Christmas at the Mill is always a reliably jovial affair. The studio space incumbents will be offering their wares, The Northern Quarter Boys Choir and St Philip's Singing Collective will provide cards, and there’ll be plenty of mulled wine to go around. Islington Mill, Salford, until 19 Nov, Free

Julia Kent

Photo: Pepe Fotografia

Mon 16 Nov

Liverpool Film Night

Sun 22 Nov

Mon 23 Nov

Tue 24 Nov

Standup comedian Nish Kumar calls into The Lowry as part of his first solo tour, having been endorsed by everyone from Stewart Lee to Milton Jones and David O'Doherty. Intelligent and inventive without going over your head, Kumar is rising quickly. The Lowry Studio, Salford, 8pm, from £10

As part of the ever excellent Cornerstone Festival, pianist Clare Hammond – recently selected as a BBC Music magazine 'Rising Star' – performs the world premiere of two new works for piano and film: Hände, by Liverpudlian composer Ken Hesketh, and Ed Hughes' The Nose. The Capstone Theatre, Liverpool, 5pm, Free

Playing one of just two UK dates on this tour, Kranky signings Disappears are in Manchester, having taken a turn for the dark side at the beginning of this year with latest album Irreal – a sparse, brooding record that prompted comparisons with fellow US experimenters Liars. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 7.30pm, £8

Nish Kumar

Christmas at the Mill

Disappears

Clare Hammond

Sun 29 Nov

Mon 30 Nov

Stealing Sheep's final party at The Kazimier, Mythopoeia III sees the Liverpool trio perform a special set, entitled Legs. They'll also be joined by the similarly skewed Dutch Uncles, Outfit, Nadine Carina, lo-fi group Joey Fourr and much more besides, all spilling out into the Kaz Garden and neighbouring Art Academy. The Kazimier, Liverpool, 8pm, £16

An appearance on the new Jean-Michel Jarre album is just the latest note on the CV of one of the world's most recognisable and respected pianists, Lang Lang. In a special show at the Bridgewater Hall, he'll be performing Tchaikovsky's The Seasons Op.37 – one of three pieces this evening. Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, 7.30pm, from £29

Tucked away in Via on Canal Street, Sidekick Comedy has quietly been putting on rib-testing nights monthly for two years at a low, low price. Tonight's instalment features former Mr Leather contestant John Pendal, the sharp wit of Danny Pensive and surrealist Christopher Cantrill. Via, Manchester, 7pm, £2

Dutch Uncles

November 2015

Photo: Stuart Moulding

Sat 28 Nov

Lang Lang

John Pendal

Chat

Photo: Zorn Orlic

Brewers Market

Photo: Bruce Haydn

Lasa eta Zabala

Phoot: Justin Gardner

Thu 5 Nov

S RE AT U FE

Never Never Land Daniel Lopatin, aka Oneohtrix Point Never reminisces over alt metal adolescence, conjures up a parallel universe known as Garden of Delete and allows himself to be swept up in a messy cosmic fortune

Photo: Timothy Saccenti

Interview: Jon Davies

omething’s in the air, but then again something always is. From the open confessionals of LiveJournal to the ‘one-left’ temptation on Facebook, only the most self-aware are carefully redacting their online history. For most, history no longer rots, it just lays inert on a server thousands of miles further away than your parents’ dusty photo albums. These artefacts lend to an IRL muckiness that we sometimes can’t escape. Oneohtrix Point Never’s Daniel Lopatin alluded to this on his previous long player, R Plus Seven, most notably the track Still Life; its yawning choir melodies, non-sequitur lappings of noise bludgeoned into submission by a vortexing trance pattern towards the end. Its video by Jon Rafman was removed from YouTube – the collage of food or fecal debris jammed into the keyboard, subterranean weirdos playing with guns and children’s underwear, and furries drowning in quicksand considered too graphic for viewers within virtual touching distance of a lurking community. With controversy surrounding the dispatch Lopatin slinked off into his own rabbit hole. Then came a public press release, half an update for the fans and half an admission into a weird semi-fictional zone Lopatin had found himself in. His body is described as both disintegrating and regressing into adolescence,

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his only marker of outside time being the ‘repugnant aroma of cumtrees’ in the Spring as he befriended Ezra, the perennially pubescent humanoid with a dog named Void. Naturally, they started a band, coagulated and then Ezra left, leaving various millennium-marked curios. The release ends with ‘EZRA DITCHED ME TO SAVE MY LIFE.’ From the typography to the use of oblivious teenage language that flies in the face of astute emotional irony, Garden of Delete is set in a world where there is no escape from puberty and shame. In a roundabout way the story isn’t too far from the truth. The genesis of G.o.D. comes from a crazy time between records for Lopatin, during which he created a new soundtrack for sci-fi anime Magnetic Rose, and rekindled his obsession with drumming thanks to an exhibition by video artist Jacob Ciocci, advancing Oneohtrix’s penchant for syncopated rhythms. An invitation to support Nine Inch Nails and Soundgarden on an amphitheatre tour served to inspire both musically and psychologically. Despite Oneohtrix Point Never progressing on to new audiences and territory, Lopatin was sucked into nostalgia mode. Along with listening to FM radio stations specialising in alternative metal and rock in order to “get it into my bones again, and regain

the impulse,” the Nine Inch Nails tour opened up a rarely explored period in his life: “This was an opportunity to revisit my youth. When I started making my own decisions with buying music, grunge was mechanised in the worst way possible; I was in the process of being tricked or seduced. So while I was on this tour I was thinking about how I encountered both of those bands then.”

“It’s best to just think of memories as interesting, life-affirming newnesses” Daniel Lopatin

While NIN were mutually appreciated by both Lopatin and his older sister, “Soundgarden was something I was pummeled with by the industry. I remember that I returned one of their tapes at a store and swapped it for Rush’s

MUSIC

Counterparts, which changed my life. I remember encountering this music realising ‘this is who I am.’” Subsequent to the invite from Trent Reznor, Lopatin began working on a new set that paid homage to his youth, which he could best describe as “Cyberdrone,” accompanied by a new tongue-in-cheek doctoring of Korn’s logo. From then on, it was telling that he would be having a lot of fun with producing the new record. His home at Warp Records, home to resident jester Aphex Twin, gave Lopatin licence to ‘take the piss’ in anticipation of the record. Presented to the fans was not only the story of Ezra, but ‘lost’ cybermetal group Kaoss Edge, complete with outdated website of broken hyperlinks and mall goth artwork that felt like the future two decades prior. The concepts were created to quench Lopatin’s boredom between completion and release of the record, as well as to serve as a “reference to the music industry, the oppressive features of being a musician and selling records in 2015. That also means that I’m allowed to make fun of myself, the label, managers... that’s part of G.o.D.; there are very dynamic and complex information trade routes at play these days.” While most record releases feel like an impenetrable exercise in control of identity, Garden of Delete found a new way to subvert the

THE SKINNY

culture of leaks by releasing MIDI files for fans to reinterpret melodies before even hearing the final outcomes. However, this was no attempt to create a new model of dissemination before the inevitable leak; “I’m actually just trying to entertain myself, having them appropriate my melodies before anyone’s heard these songs I’ve slaved over. Instead of waiting for it, I’ve just actualised it so I can put it on display instead of being a victim of it… It’s not politics, it’s sadomasochism.” And this is where the pain for pleasure comes full circle in Garden of Delete. No recent music has been so disdainfully assigned to the dustbin of history like alt.rock’s transition to nu metal, and it’s fascinating to see Oneohtrix dredge up the facets of vulnerability and angst found in outsider culture. Arguably metallers, grungers, grebos – whatever you want to call them – were the last teenage tribe to come to fruition before we learnt how to curate our online identity through selfies, emotionally neutral statuses or checking-in with bae. If you’re feeling particularly sadomasochistic, try to find your old online journals and see how you handle your online activity now. Similarly, revisiting some of the finer lyrics of the alternative metal era like ‘give me something to break; how about your fucking face?’ and the unintelligible squeals of pain from Korn’s Jonathan Davis, it’s easy to see why we recoil in disgust that nu metal was the soundtrack of many adolescences.

Photo: Timothy Saccenti

“What does a traumatic memory of music fermenting inside a corroded egg of time sound like?” Daniel Lopatin

Somewhat paradoxically to the nature of the internet’s permanence, trying to find your old profiles and aliases from obsolete social websites is a patchy struggle at best. Since Myspace revamped itself as a music-oriented platform, many memories have been lost, at least to the point of public use. Much like halfforgotten memories, the random amnesia from the data lake serves as a reflection of Lopatin’s state of mind as well as the compositional approach best described as vertical, in that sound designs are haphazardly smashed together as if two different songs were glitching upon each other. Unsurprisingly for Lopatin the memories that float to the surface are “the potent ones involving some kind of trauma. I tend to think about ways to formalise my own perception a lot. So in terms of adolescence, what does a traumatic memory of music fermenting inside a corroded egg of time sound like?” Lopatin understands that nostalgia is nothing more than a reinterpretation of the past, and can be

November 2015

served up as an existential novelty of “all kinds of failures and hallucinations... it’s best to just think of memories as interesting, life affirming newnesses.” The way Daniel Lopatin deals with this trauma on the surface of Garden of Delete conjures up grotesque images in today’s sensibilities. Akin to the maximalist tendencies of Rustie and Evian Christ, Oneohtrix Point Never has a brash way with trancey arpeggiations, except they’re offset by MIDI acoustic basslines and melting guitar solos shown in Ezra and I Bite Through It. There are double kick frenzies in Sticky Drama and a headbanger ending on SPDK, while the second half of Freaky Eyes conjures up Y2K’s forgotten euphoria, disintegrating before our ears. All these speculative visions left to the wayside 15 years into the future; optimism for the 21st century exacerbated by teenage angst feels like a distant joke. But was this reality more grotesque than today’s sterile self-awareness? For some, including Lopatin, the confession and shame go hand

in hand with a forgotten innocence where obsession meant sharing. Congratulating Lopatin on Kaoss Edge’s exhaustive website and the myth of Ezra as exciting marketing tools, Lopatin disagrees vehemently. “That’s just not marketing, it was for me and people as obsessive as I am, and it’s a way to collaborate with my friends who are all over the world,” as is the sharing of the MIDI files and Ezra developed with his mentor known as The Seurat System. The dawn of broadband brought unlimited connection to the world where you felt like you could make a best friend on a chat service with someone on the other side of the world because you sent them a bootleg of a leaked album. Nowadays, the internet community’s operation of sharing is of cynicism, unrelenting yet platitudinal, totally self-mediated and way too tasteful. Much like the internet in its liberating adolescence, the conception of Garden of Delete is deliberately and deliciously messy. In asking directly what the kernel of inspiration was for the record, Lopatin’s answer is obtuse yet telling:

MUSIC

“I get really excited by something, and I memetically take that over.” Oneohtrix doesn’t seem led by concrete concepts, but perhaps concepts lead him into slowly forming sonic hallucinations where journalists try to put a pigeonhole on what he’s trying to say. His music, even to the listener, has that way of exploring “what alchemical relationships happen if I let thought become more real.” Serendipitous happenings abound; returning from Ciocci’s exhibition, Lopatin was inspired to start making his trademark Eccojam exercises using old rock tracks for interesting drum rhythms, including industrial metal group Fear Factory, an inspiration to Kaoss Edge. “That was when I got the email about the Nine Inch Nails tour and I thought to myself, ‘What the fuck is going on? Is the collective unconsciousness so pervasive that when I think of anything crazy, things will appear?’” Garden of Delete is released on 13 Nov via Warp Records pointnever.com

Feature

This Must Be the Place Saoirse Ronan, Ireland’s best young acting export of the last decade, heads into adult leading roles with Brooklyn, an adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s beloved novel. The Skinny talks to the star about immigrant stories, career goals and doing a musical

Interview: Josh Slater-Williams

“O

h god, I do really love Singin’ in the Rain. I loved Gene Kelly so much, and I loved watching him perform.” The Skinny is chatting with Saoirse Ronan just a few hours before her new film, Brooklyn, has a red carpet launch for its European premiere at this year’s London Film Festival, and we’ve broached the topic of favourite movies from the era of the film’s 1950s setting. “What else did I love?” she continues. “I loved anything with Bette Davis. She was terrific. Maybe that was more late 40s, but she worked into the 50s as well. All About Eve would be 50s and I love All About Eve.” The question is inspired by Ronan’s character in the film, who goes to see the aforementioned Kelly musical, swoons over Gary Cooper with a friend, and has a conversation about John Ford’s The Quiet Man, released in 1952, the year in which Brooklyn is set. At the time of writing, news has just come through that The Quiet Man’s female lead, Maureen O’Hara, has passed away at age 95. The Dublin-born star’s career really took off with Ford’s Oscar-winning How Green Was My Valley (1941), also set in Ireland, and despite becoming a US citizen as her Hollywood work prospered, she retained Irish citizenship and was publicly vocal about sharing her heritage and promoting her home country to the world, both on screen and off. It may be a bit hasty to compare a Golden Age Hollywood legend with a 21-year-old performer, but reading up on O’Hara’s legacy does set off a few light bulbs in the mind regarding Ronan, in terms of her own career so far and her new film. Both actors have worked with some of the best filmmakers of their era. In Ronan’s short career she’s starred in Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones, Peter Weir’s The Way Back and Neil Jordan’s Byzantium. She’s also worked twice with Joe Wright, in Hanna and Atonement, and for the latter she received an Oscar nomination, aged

13. This comparison’s mileage may vary depending on whether you consider these directors comparable in quality to O’Hara collaborators like Ford, Carol Reed, Nicholas Ray and Alfred Hitchcock, but whatever your thoughts on these current filmmakers, it’s a pretty remarkable resume for someone barely out of her teens. A primer on the new film first: Brooklyn is an adaptation of Colm Tóibín’s much acclaimed 2009 novel of the same name and is brought to the screen by Irish director John Crowley. Ronan plays Eilis Lacey, a young Irish woman who immigrates to the eponymous New York borough with the help of her sister (played by Fiona Glascott) and a church-related sponsorship for a life of “better” prospects. Initially, Eilis is devastatingly homesick, but gradually she makes friends and begins dating a young Italian-American man,

Tony (Emory Cohen). But just as her new life and love prosper, a disruption back in Ireland forces her to return home. While there, she subsequently develops feelings for a local man, Jim (Domhnall Gleeson), and other forces seem determined to keep her around. It seems like the new, different life she has created for herself in the States will have to be left behind.

“I’m in my twenties now and I would like the roles I take to reflect that age” Saoirse Ronan

As adapted by Nick Hornby, Brooklyn doesn’t offer any weak links in terms of the characters surrounding Eilis. Where a less sensitive screenwriter might reduce the people she meets to broad caricatures, particularly when it comes to the various issues of ethnicity in the story, every supporting player feels like a well-rounded person in their own right, with lives of their own beyond our protagonist’s story, from Julie Walters’ boarding house matron, Mrs Kehoe, to Mad Men’s Jessica Paré as a work supervisor. “You don’t see that very often,” Ronan agrees. “It’s one thing to have one lead performance that is quite strong, and we see that a lot in films and it’s great and people comment on it and all that stuff, but [it’s rare] to have every single person play their roles so well and have so many well-written characters – even if they only come in for a couple of scenes. “Nick put it really well the other day,” she continues. “He said that when he’s writing he likes to be able to walk all the way around a character and see everything from their perspective and love their life. And I thought that was a really great way to put it, and it makes sense when you read his stuff because everyone along the way, whether they knock her down a bit or help her up, all of these characters are really essential to her moving forward.” We throw in the suggestion that, though you wouldn’t necessarily want to deviate from Eilis’s

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FILM

story, you could plausibly follow a completely different film with nearly any other character in the movie as a lead and it would probably prove compelling. Ronan starts chuckling: “Well, they said for a while that if we were ever gonna do a spin-off, we’d do a spin-off of Ma Kehoe’s and all the girls in the boarding house.” Despite the story’s tragedy and longing, Brooklyn is a surprisingly funny film, and the boarding house scenes play a big part in that. When we ask about other filmmaking routes she’d like to explore, Ronan seems particularly interested in pursuing something more lighthearted. “I’d love to do a musical,” she says. “I’ve always wanted to do one. I dunno if I’m a good enough singer but I’d still love to do it. I’ve always wanted to do comedy, but it scares me how hard it is. And directors-wise, I’d love to work with Lenny Abrahamson, the Irish director, and I quite like the idea as well of, just ’cause I love TV so much, doing an eight-part drama or something like that.” One thing she’s less keen to do is stick with the teen roles she’s been so accustomed to. “You know, I’m in my twenties now and I would like the roles I take to kind of reflect that age. Unless it’s really great I don’t wanna go back too far, [though] it is a fascinating journey to see someone grow up and be introduced to the adult world. So many films that we’ve grown up with and we watch all the time are kind of solely about that. But no, I’m ready to move on to that next sort of step now and play people who have already gone through that.” When we go back to asking about her musical ambitions, there’s a hint of a mini-dance with her arms while she’s sat on the sofa of the Soho hotel suite – where she’s still in a light-blue floral dress and high heels from a press conference earlier that morning. “I just like the idea of, like, doing a little dance routine and singing some songs, going into the recording studio, laying down some tracks. That’s the goal.” Her distinctive, very expressive pale blue eyes, which have been used so prominently in films like Atonement and Hanna, grow particularly big as we discuss future endeavours like this. It’s an encouraging sign that, although her teen-star mantle is being put to rest, the spark that first drew the world to Saoirse Ronan shows no sign of fading with adulthood. Brooklyn is released 6 Nov by Lionsgate

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November 2015

Smarty of the Left Ahead of his gig at the Lowry, Newsjack host Nish Kumar talks political correctness, leftwing comedy and the many benefits of giving your shows incomprehensible names

Interview: Jon Whiteley an agenda.’” Comics on the left are often accused of intolerance; of either actively no-platforming rightwing comics, or at the very least dismissing their blue-rosette colleagues. “It just makes for better comedy, I think, in satire if you’re not tubthumping for one particular party.” Before breaking into standup, Kumar cut his teeth as a sketch act: first in the Durham Revue, and then as one half of double act The Gentlemen of Leisure, with Tom Neenan. Even though he’s still dipping into sketch through Newsjack, the transition from sketch performer to standup can be a painful one. Kumar continues to collaborate, though, if not during the initial writing process then in the honing of his standup: “It’s always helped to collaborate with people, because you can learn from other people’s working methods. But what it also gave me was a sort of certain rigorousness in writing because we would always focus on almost every word in the show in sketch shows.” He’s a tight performer, for sure: the thoroughness and precision of a sketch writer is stamped on all his routines.

ish Kumar is a clever boy, or so says the blurb for his new show. (“The general conceit of the show [came about] because I kept on lazily describing myself as ‘just a clever boy’ when people ask me what sort of standup I do,” he explains.) Kumar’s been a rising presence on the national comedy circuit for years now, and more recently turned his upbeat intellect to Radio 4 Extra’s weekly satire mill, Newsjack, which he started hosting back in February this year. His show, Long Word... Long Word... Blah Blah Blah... I’m So Clever, pushes his cleverboy image to the foreground. “I got off-hand comments saying ‘long word, long word, blah blah, I’m so clever,’ and I sort of slowly realised that that was a funny name for a show and now I’ve really had to live with the consequences of that decision,” he says. With his previous show portentously titled Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity, you can’t help but feel that he was inviting this kind of feedback. The title of the new show is both a savvy comment on dismissive reviewers looking to puncture his intellectual ambitions and a cattle grid to keep out the rabble: “I think if you give your show a bit of a weird title, it helps you find the right people to come see you... I really found that by giving it a weird title, I had better shows and didn’t have to firefight drunk people. So now I think I’ll just give them long-winded, increasingly incomprehensible titles because it seems to be working for me.”

November 2015

As well as being a knowingly clever show, it’s backed up with sharp polemic. “It’s quite political. It’s really about the idea of what being a leftwing comedian means to me. So it’s just sort of about the state of the left in a broader sense but also from the perspective of comedy in the left wing and it’s a pointed defence of political correctness. It’s sort of leftist standup, basically.” It’s no secret that openly political leftist comedy has enjoyed a renaissance since 2010, both at the Fringe and at a regional level, with even lesser-known comics able to tour political shows in a way that would be unthinkable five years ago. Long Word is no exception. With political correctness being such a big theme in the show, it’s bound to draw ire, especially given that big American names such as Jerry Seinfeld and Chris Rock have come out recently saying it’s ruining comedy. Tempting though it is to dismiss this as two middle-aged millionaires lambasting young people for finding different things funny, political correctness – and its censorious effect on comedy – is a debate that keeps getting dragged up. “I think post-alternative comedy, it’s been great. There’s been less bullies in comedy now and I just think it’s been a good thing,” Kumar says. In America, the debate often centres on college audiences, whose supposed cowardice is pushing comics to self-censor. “I’ve never played in America, so I don’t know what’s going on in their college campuses. I did a gig at a university on Monday and I don’t feel like anyone was particularly

censored or constrained by what they could and couldn’t say.” Working for the BBC, Kumar is more than familiar with what it looks like to write comedy under strict restrictions. Although it’s constantly under fire for its supposed political bias, the Beeb’s non-partisan obligations create serious work for the creative teams behind their shows. “People who accuse the BBC of bias, and I’m talking about people from the left and the right, have no idea the amount of work that goes into trying to preserve impartiality. They have absolutely no clue. I think it would make people’s head spin.” This drills all the way down to individual gags and sketches: “It’s constantly people chiming in and going, ‘Have we got enough jokes about...?’ ‘Are we balancing our coverage?’ I can’t speak across departments but in comedy a lot of people are working really hard to make sure that the BBC is maintaining its impartiality and I’m sort of sick of reading thinkpieces and blogs about how biased the BBC is one way or another.” It’s clear that when everyone thinks you’re biased against them, you’re not actually biased at all: “You know, we sort of work hard to make sure that everybody gets a kicking.” Despite the constraints placed upon the Newsjack team, it’s a burden that Kumar gladly carries. “It’s an open-submissions show, so it’s new writers, and what you don’t want to do is put too many barriers down for new writers. So you don’t want to say, ‘Listen, we’re only going after this party this week,’ or, ‘Your sketch has to have

COMEDY

“People who accuse the BBC of bias have no idea the amount of work that goes into trying to preserve impartiality. I think it would make people’s heads spin” Nish Kumar

Standup isn’t about laser precision, though; it’s about the unique voice of the comic. “I feel like my standup really needs to come from me, exclusively. But in terms of building a show, I’ve been lucky, I have a lot of nice friends who are very good comedians and it’s a great resource to have them come and do notes.” This sounding board allows him to fine-tune material that is otherwise quite personal. “There’s a group of my mates who’ve been going a similar length of time and we all sort of give quite detailed notes when we go and see people, because you’ll think of things on your own and then sometimes it’s easy to lose perspective on why something’s not working.” His industriousness is clearly paying off; he’s clocked up appearances recently on Comedy Central and Have I Got News for You, with more broadcasts going out during the tour. “And then I’m gonna sleep for two weeks, to be quite frank with you. That’s like, my number one priority.” Well justified, no doubt, especially when you consider how important it is for clever boys to get a good night’s sleep. Nish Kumar plays the Lowry, Salford, 22 Nov, as part of the Long Word tour. You can pick up copies of his DVD of Ruminations on the Nature of Subjectivity at the merch table

Feature

Criminal Lovers Todd Haynes has been making films – some of modern cinema’s smartest and most daring – for nearly three decades. At this year’s London Film Festival he discusses his stunning new picture, Carol, a tremulous love story between two women in 1950s New York Interview: Philip Concannon

hile watching Todd Haynes’ Carol early on a Wednesday morning, and when speaking to the director just over 24 hours later, the film is constantly replaying in this writer’s mind. The odd thing is that the details that keep percolating upwards passed almost unoticed while watching the film; it’s only later that the significance and emotional weight of every fleeting glance, every gesture and every touch becomes apparent. The forbidden relationship at the centre of the film, between young shopgirl Therese (Rooney Mara) and the older, married Carol (Cate Blanchett), is constructed almost entirely from these moments, with a silent exchange of looks between the two characters at the end of the film carrying an indelible power. This is a film that quietly breaks your heart. “I didn’t really think of it as so quiet when I was making it, but I think it’s just my preference,” Haynes says when told of this reaction. “I really love the disquiet that Therese would feel in the company of Carol, and that there was not a simple, easy or immediate rapport between the women. I mean, there was a conflict, there was interest and curiosity, but there are a lot of moments that were indecipherable to Therese. Carol came with a complex web of issues in her life and an ambivalence about this relationship that Therese has to keep navigating, so that silence and those moments of indecipherability were really important and loaded. They create anxiety but they also create desire, and I love the tension that produces.” That tension, and that exploration of conflicted desire within the constraints of a conservative era, is something Haynes handled masterfully in Far from Heaven. Also set in the 50s, that 2002 film followed a well-to-do housewife (Julianne Moore) who falls in love with her black gardener (Dennis Haysbert) around the time that she discovers her husband (Dennis Quaid) is gay. Carol, an adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s novel The Price of Salt, is so perfectly attuned to Haynes’ sensibility that it comes as a surprise to learn he didn’t originate the project. “I was given the script [by Phyllis Nagy] and the novel, which I had not read before and didn’t know, in the same moment in May of 2013,” he explains “and there had already been a long history preceding this project. I had actually heard about it through Sandy Powell [costume designer on Far from Heaven], who was planning to do

costumes, and she told me that Cate was already attached to this and [The Crying Game producer] Liz Karlsen was producing it. So I knew it existed, but I kind of forgot about it and was working on other things before it came to me.”

“Silence and moments of indecipherability are really important and loaded. They create anxiety but they also create desire” Todd Haynes

The book might feel like an anomaly in Highsmith’s body of work, which is best known for dark tales of murder and psychological intrigue (Strangers on a Train, The Talented Mr Ripley). For Haynes, however, it was the way in which Highsmith approached this subject matter from the perspective of a crime novelist that was most intriguing. “It made you feel like falling in love was like having committed a murder,” he says, “and having to recount and examine all of the evidence stacking up against you to see what your chances are of getting away with it. Every detail and nuance, particularly if it’s coming from your object of desire, is a sign to be decoded and you start to fixate on it to try and read what it means. So there’s a kind of pathology to it.” Although it’s tempting to use Far from Heaven as a point of reference for Carol, this is a very different film. While the earlier picture was intended as an overt tribute to the films of Douglas Sirk, Carol feels like a love story rooted in a recognisably real depiction

of 1950s America, shot in muted tones by the great Ed Lachman (who shot Haynes’ Far from Heaven, I’m Not There and mini-series Mildred Pierce) and with performances that don’t feel stylised. Instead of looking to greats like Sirk for inspiration this time, the 54-year-old filmmaker talks enthusiastically about a little-known film from 1956 called Lovers and Lollipops: “It had a female character at the centre of the story and the way she moved, and her range of gestures, was quite different from the way actresses from movies in that time behaved, and yet it was still quite codified and very particular to the time,” Haynes explains. “It just felt more like a documentary, like it wasn’t filtered through Hollywood language, and that was very interesting. I felt like there were aspects of femininity that had gone away, and that I wanted to be really true to.” This is Haynes’ first feature film since 2007’s I’m Not There, his unconventional take on Bob Dylan, and despite having established himself as one of the most interesting and artistically adventurous filmmakers in American independent cinema over the past 25 years, making films like Carol hasn’t become any easier. “Velvet Goldmine, because it had a music theme and a lot of young people in it, was a little bit easier to finance, but it was still a very modest budget and I’ve never felt that I’ve had any other than a modest budget for the ambitions of the project,” he says. “It has really narrowed because people just don’t go to the theatres to see those movies as much, so financing has dried up. And DVD sales, that whole ancillary part that

supplemented independent filmmaking for so long, has now gone away with streaming and the way we watch things today.” Is it any wonder that more independent filmmakers are taking the opportunities offered by television? After all, Haynes found the experience of making the miniseries Mildred Pierce in 2011 to be an extremely rewarding one. “The more open dramatic form of the miniseries was already an exceptionally different and interesting challenge, but you have to shoot so many pages a day for TV and that was the biggest daily challenge,” he recalls. “But I loved working with HBO, and once we all agreed on the budget and were greenlit I felt a kind of security under me that I hadn’t felt before.” Part of Haynes’ attraction to television is that there seems to be a lot more space for the kind of stories he wants to tell. “There are probably more and more dramatic programmes with female characters. Showtime seemed to specialise in women-driven stories for a while and HBO is catching up a bit, but all of that is helping competition and broadens what we get to see, and that has not been the case in independent filmmaking.” While the rise of the TV serial over the last decade or so has been great to see, we can’t help thinking about what we would lose in terms of cinema if filmmakers like Haynes make the full transition to television. It’s hard to imagine a version of Carol existing as a miniseries without it being more narrative- and dialogue-driven, and consequently losing those almost imperceptible touches that gradually accumulate such emotional force, particularly when viewed on a huge cinema screen. We’re still marvelling at the way Haynes has crafted this film and concocted such a tangible sense of yearning, sadness and chemistry, but when asked about it, he typically demurs: “All you can do is provide a conscious series of decisions and specific choices showing who these people are and expressing it at different moments, and to use all the tools of the medium – the music, the visual language, the silences – to inform those things.” Ultimately, it’s up to the viewer, he says: “They bring the emotion and they bring what’s alive to the film.” Haynes is entrusting his delicate and beautiful new movie to us. Let’s treat it well. Carol is released 27 Nov by StudioCanal Haynes’ 1995 masterpiece Safe screens at HOME, Manchester, 11 and 15 Nov, and is the influence for HOME’s new group exhibition, which opens 14 Nov

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THE SKINNY

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New Spanish Cinema

Some highlights of HOME’s final ¡Viva! weekender Words: Jamie Dunn

Pos eso

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Tangerine Dreams Tangerine is the most exciting and invigorating indie film of the year. Its director, Sean Baker, talks us through the ins and outs of creating this vivid slice-of-life comedy about two transgender LA sex workers and capturing it all on an iPhone lens

angerine is not your typical Christmas movie. You’ll probably realise this while watching the scene in which a hyperactive transgender prostitute drags a skinny white girl kicking and screaming from a fleapit motel room that doubles as a makeshift brothel, with each space in the tiny apartment (bedroom, hallways, cupboards, shower) being used for some sex act, like a Russian doll of debauchery. Or maybe it’s just the opening line that gives it away: “Merry Christmas Eve, bitch.” This raucously funny comedy takes the form of a day in the life of Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Mya Taylor), best friends, trans women, and sex workers in West Hollywood. We meet the pair as they share a single doughnut at a garish, Formica-clad dive called Donut Time on the corner of Santa Monica Boulevard and Highland Avenue, where they’re celebrating Sin-Dee’s recent emancipation following a 28-day jail stint. When we meet the film’s director, Sean Baker, at a fancy London hotel a million miles from Tangerine’s hardscrabble streets, he explains that this notorious stretch of Los Angeles, which acts as the city’s unofficial red light district, was his chief inspiration for the movie. Actually, it was his entire pitch to producers Mark and Jay Duplass. “Mark said, ‘OK, what’s your idea?’ and I just said, ‘Santa Monica and Highland,’ and that’s all I had to say. He knew the intersection.” The simple plot kicks off as soon as Alexandra lets slip that Sin-Dee’s boyfriend and pimp, Chester (played by Baker regular James Ransone), has been stepping out on her. What makes matters worse is that the other woman was born a woman. Or, to use Sin-Dee and Alexandra’s vernacular, she’s “a real fish, like a girl with a vagina and everything.” Hell hath no fury like a trans woman scorned. With this revelation Sin-Dee heads off on a rampage looking for revenge, like a pint-sized Godzilla in leopard print blouse and white hotpants. Baker’s expressive camera loops and twirls as it tries to keep up with her. “I would love to take credit and say that I envisioned this hyperactive style from the

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beginning,” says the director when we commend him for the film’s breakneck pace, “but it wasn’t like that.” Baker had something more austere in mind, a gritty social-realist drama with observational camera and no music. His leading ladies weren’t having any of it, though. “Mya said to me, ‘You can show all the brutal reality, but you need to make this funny. It’s not fair if you make this movie and it only appeals to the geriatric arthouse crowd. It also has to appeal to the girls on the street.’” The chaotic nature of the location also played its part. The film feels as hopped-up as its residents – “crystal meth is like an epidemic around there and it just rubbed off on us.” Baker and his crew were shooting on the hoof and on the edge. “Chris [Bergoch, Tangerine’s co-writer] got his wallet stolen on the first day of filming,” Baker reveals. “We were always holding our equipment and looking over our shoulder because we had no idea what was going on around us. We didn’t have security, so the manic shoot just made its way into the movie.”

“Crystal meth is like an epidemic around there and it just rubbed off on us” Sean Baker

Tangerine might be the first case in film history where a meagre budget has helped enhance the aesthetic. Since its premiere at Sundance in January this year, Baker’s film has been known, unofficially, as “that iPhone movie” – it was shot entirely on iPhone 5s. Sounds like an arty gimmick, right? You’re probably picturing the ugly, out-of-focus video you made on your last night out, or the shaky footage you shot at that gig last month. Think again. With the addition of a

Interview: Jamie Dunn

handheld Steadicam support, an $8 app, and some prototype anamorphic adapter lenses, Baker manages to merge the supersaturated colour of iPhone footage with the sweeping, cinematic grandeur of a Sergio Leone movie. What’s most pleasing about Tangerine, however, is that it brings to life on screen a subculture that’s rarely visible in mainstream culture. A big part of this success is down to the casting: Rodriguez and Taylor are both non-actors and from this world. Baker found them while scouting in the neighbourhood’s LGBTQ community centre and shaped his film around them. “It wasn’t just about casting trans people to play trans roles,” explains Baker. “It was also about getting approval from them, about input from them, about basically consulting them. We would give them dialogue and they would say, ‘That sounds like a 35-year-old white boy wrote that.’ And I’d be like, ‘OK, that’s out the window.’ That’s what I wanted.” This did put Baker on a bit of a learning curve: “You would hear the girls say a word and you would just be like, ‘Definition?’” Casting trans women to play trans women might seem a no-brainer, but it’s against the grain of Hollywood’s current philosophy. From Chris Sarandon in Dog Day Afternoon, to Jared Leto in Dallas Buyers Club, to Eddie Redmayne in the upcoming The Danish Girl, cisgender actors have been playing transgender characters for years and been showered with awards in the process. Baker’s attitude to this casting trend is pragmatic as well as political. “Look, hopefully down the line none of this stuff matters, everyone is accepted, humankind becomes one, et cetera,” he says. “But right now we’re in 2015 and you have to look at where we are in history. There is a very high unemployment rate among trans people, even higher among trans women of colour, so if there are roles out there and you can help them get jobs, why not do that on the level of human decency. That’s all I’m saying. I’m not saying Eddie shouldn’t have his job – he should, he’s a wonderful actor and I’m sure he did a great job. But I’m just talking about right now in 2015. Maybe we should be thinking a different way until acceptance is universal.” Tangerine is released 13 Nov by Metrodome

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o you know what he did, your cunting son?” Not a line you’d expect from a stop-motion claymation directed by a veteran of Wallace and Gromit animation-house Aardman, but you’ll find it, along with plenty of other blush-inducing lines and copious scenes of inventive violence, in the gloriously dark comedy Pos eso (6&7 Nov), directed by Samuel Ortí Martí aka SAM. The film, one of the absolute must-sees from HOME’s latest ¡Viva! weekender, follows the familial strife of a flamenco superstar, Trini, who’s slowly coming to the realisation that her son, Damian (of course), may be possessed by the devil. Her only hope is Father Lenin, a priest losing his faith. If you haven’t guessed from that description, Pos eso is a cheeky riff on The Exorcist by way of The Omen, but SAM packs in plenty of other references to keep things surprising, from A Trip to the Moon to Raiders of the Lost Ark. Family discord is also at the heart of festival opener film Felices 140 (5&9 Nov). This biting moral comedy concerns a 40th birthday celebration that turns nasty when the birthday girl reveals to the gathered guests that she’s won the Euromillions jackpot. Soon friends and family are plotting how to get a share of the bounty. Puncturing the hypocrisy of the Spanish middleclass is director Gracia Querejeta’s speciality, and this is one of her most cutting efforts. Requisitos para ser una persona normal (6&7 Nov) delivers comedy of the quirkier kind. There are shades of Miranda July in this debut from actor Leticia Dolera (she played the chainsaw-wielding bride in Rec 3), who also stars as a 30-year-old who’s trying to fit in. Her plan for normality is a checklist that includes getting herself a job, a social life and – the requirement of any romantic comedy – a boyfriend. But who will she choose? The good-looking charmer, or her chunky best pal who holds her head under the duvet when he breaks wind? Dolera’s film doesn’t deliver many surprises, but it does have oodles of charm. ¡Viva! isn’t all laughs. Another highlight is Pablo Malo’s incendiary drama Lasa eta Zabala (7&8 Nov), which takes as its starting point the real-life assassinations of two Basque separatists by Spain’s state-sponsored anti-terrorist group GAL, and follows the ensuing murder trial, which the State tried to curtail. If you’re unfamiliar with Basque Country politics, fear not: Malo will be in Manchester for a Q&A after the screening on the 7th, where you can pick his brains. ¡Viva! will be reinvented next year as a multi-artform festival. Until then, enjoy this packed weekend of Spanish cinematic delights. ¡Viva! Presents New Spanish Cinema runs 5-9 Nov at HOME, Manchester. For full details, go to homemcr.org/event/viva-presents-new-spanish-cinema

THE SKINNY

Title Contender As The Mountain Goats return to UK shores to promote wrestling-themed concept album Beat the Champ, John Darnielle tells us about morality and inspiration

Photo: Lissa Gotwals

Interview: Will Fitzpatrick

s muses go, John Darnielle’s seems to wander more than most. Over the past six years alone, he’s dealt with subjects ranging from mental illness to tarot to a variety of takes on Christianity. He’s also successfully negotiated a journey across musical horizons, beginning in a somewhat lo-fi manner (from 1991’s cassette-only Taboo IV: The Homecoming until 2002’s All Hail West Texas, The Mountain Goats often amounted to little more than Darnielle, a guitar and a portastudio) before finally arriving at the rather more intricate explorations of American music that he now crafts with a full band. As if to confound us further, his latest record is about a relatively unlikely subject. It’s called Beat the Champ and, as the sleeve notes proudly declare, it is “an album about professional wrestling.” It’s also quite beautiful. Even from the other end of a crackling phone line, Darnielle’s presence positively shimmers. He’s warm and fascinating – much like his music, applying some truth to the old notion that a writer can’t help but put themselves into their work. We plump for the obvious question first: what inspired him to write an album about such unusual subject matter? “It’s funny,” he begins. “When they teach you about literature, you come away with the impression that writers wake up one morning and go, ‘What shall my theme be?’ But it’s not like that for me. I just start working and see where my ideas go. So I’m at the piano, just playing a little something, then I ad-lib a line of whatever comes into my mind until I get a good idea. Then I start following the images wherever they go. “The first one I wrote was [album opener] Southwestern Territory – it follows this idea of a wrestler working for small pay around the country. When I was a kid, wrestlers seemed very glamorous… you grow up and you think, ‘Oh wow, that didn’t pay very well at all.’ They had to work five days a week like everybody else, and fly where the work was. So I had this loose idea, telling the story, and when I went to write another song, I had a similar story in mind. I thought it would be

November 2015

pretty unusual for a record to have just two songs that were about wrestling, so I kept going.” As ever with The Mountain Goats, it’s the detail that makes this album so absorbing. The aforementioned sleeve notes reminisce about being taken as a child to watch matches at LA’s Grand Olympic Auditorium (“I would not cheer the heels,” they declare solemnly), while The Legend of Chavo Guerrero – the album’s most glistening slice of bright-eyed pop – sees a young Darnielle mapping out the life of his hero, and cursing the villains (“I would pray nightly for their death”). There’s great significance placed on good triumphing over evil; almost a morality structure. “When I was a kid I had a real strong desire for good to win out,” he explains. “I remember the first time that we went through The Lord of the Rings when I was 11 or 12, and the idea of this dark power wanting to ruin and darken an entire land was offensive to me. Same with the witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I was horrified by these evil people who – as in wrestling – do evil for the sake of evil. That to me was outrageous. It was very much a moral position for me as a child.” This innate sense of right and wrong may lie at the root of his fandom, but Darnielle’s fascination with wrestling extends far beyond the battles fought in the ring. Indeed, and perhaps inevitably for a born raconteur with a keen eye for minutiae, he proves quite a historian of the sport. “I was following it during a time called ‘the days of the territory,’ when there was no overarching wrestling federation, just these small regional scenes. Very minor operations, run by ambitious businessmen – sort of like carnies, putting on this show that was half hoodwinkery to make as much money as possible. “In the 80s, [WWE founders] the McMahon family bought up the smaller territories and made a single one, which of course was good for the wrestlers – they made a lot more money – but the charm of the regional territories was very much the charm of the local [music] scene: if you

have good small bands around, and a good scene gets going, nobody who’s not from where you’re from will ever understand how cool that was. That makes it kind of special, like a family, and wrestling was like that when I was a kid. It was a secret, almost.”

“In writing, you can get lost enough that you get unmoored, and you’re not sure where you’re going. That’s an exciting and mysterious place” John Darnielle

Once Darnielle gets going, there’s almost no stopping him, and soon our questions lead to enthusiastic, scene-setting explanations of the sport’s context: “There was a tradition in wrestling for many years called ‘kayfabe,’” he continues. “That meant that you did not tell people who weren’t in the business that it wasn’t all real. Under kayfabe, a masked wrestler would never be seen without his mask. [Iconic Mexican luchador] El Santo, legendarily, nobody saw him without his mask on – nobody, who didn’t already know him from family connections. “Now everybody’s in on the joke – that’s cool too, but it’s very different. Everybody knew that it

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was to some degree staged and planned, but it was much more like theatre in that everybody pretended it was real in order to have a true cathartic experience.” Do you ever lament the passing of that era? “I try not to lament the passing of anything. I really think it’s a bad habit to get into, ’cause that’s how you get old.” He laughs. “But like I say, the wrestlers back in those days were not getting paid very well at all. There are few athletes who sacrifice more of their bodies for sport, you know? Their backs and knees are all messed up by the time they turn 40. “I’m really glad these artists are making a good living, I’m glad more people are able to enjoy it. But at the same time, it’s like when a band you like gets successful and you go, ‘Well, it was cooler when it was smaller.’ I’m sure it was, but it’s cooler for the band that they don’t have to sleep on people’s couches.” Beyond the wrestling veneer, however, the album also explores darker themes, as Darnielle explains: “It’s the most explicitly death-obsessed record of mine in a long time. There’s Stabbed to Death Outside San Juan, Luna and The Ballad of Bull Ramos – plenty of death. And then there’s a lot of imagined death in Fire Editorial. So I think in a way this is an album about mortality, and the sort of fantasies we can preoccupy ourselves with on the way to our eventual end.” Do you still manage to immerse yourself in anything that offers that sense of escape? “You know, it’s funny… I don’t know if it’s just maturity or the busyness of life, but it does get harder. For example, when I was a kid, there was this legendary surgeon’s photograph of the Loch Ness monster – you could really immerse yourself in that concept because the information was so scant. Well, now you can go watch as many YouTubes as you like of people telling the story of the photograph, and the way the hoax was concocted. Practically all mystery, you can go online and dispel for yourself.” Is the absence of that mystery one of the reasons why you write? “In writing, you can get lost enough that you sort of get unmoored, and you don’t know where you are, and you’re not sure where you’re going. That’s an exciting and mysterious place.” It’s precisely this delight in the unknown that makes Darnielle’s writing so consistently surprising – and one of the many reasons why Beat the Champ is such an excellent record. It also makes it difficult to spot an overall theme to his work, however. Not that this concerns him too much: “I always assume that if anybody is writing a bunch of songs during a period of their life, there’s going to be an overarching theme, but I don’t know if it’s there for the writer to know. There’s a sense in which you never know exactly what you’re writing about – this actually goes back to the first question. “Maybe there are some people, and this is how I always imagine British writers of the 19th century, going, ‘I shall address the theme of nobility and man, and for these purposes I will invent a character who strives to be noble from mean origins,’ or whatever. But I just tell a story, and then I tell 11 more, and then I have an album. And then I think it’s for other people to tell me what I did, or what I wound up writing about. It has to remain a little mysterious to me.” The Mountain Goats play Leeds Brudenell Social Club on 12 Nov and Manchester Gorilla on 15 Nov. Beat the Champ is out now via Merge mountain-goats.com

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Trust Your Gut !!! (Chk Chk Chk) frontman Nic Offer details the self-scrutiny, silliness and tally charts that went into making rambunctious sixth album As If

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obody is as real as what you just did right there.” There’s a sample on !!!’s newest album As If that’s taken from radio DJ Mister Cee’s interview live on Hot 97, in which he breaks down his involvement with a transgender prostitute and starts to find confidence discussing his own sexuality, through co-host Ebro’s support and encouragement. The on-air conversation traverses legalities, moralities and the pitfalls of self-expression, marked by honesty and anxiety. As an example of trying to stay true to yourself, and the resultant difficulties finding that truth can cause, you won’t get much realer. Nic Offer, lead showman of !!!, wonders whether internal conflicts of (self-) interest might be the backbone of their new record – and possibly, of the band more generally – hypothesising, “I guess… we’re just trying to keep expanding our cliché?” If they have one, !!!’s cliché is that they’re the showiest, danciest punk outfit this side of the 80s. The band’s hyperbolic moniker has found standardised pronunciation as Chk Chk Chk – although the group initially claimed that any monosyllabic sound repeated three times over would do. It proved an infamous, potentially gimmicky and later certifiably un-Google-able title, but lives on as a reminder of the flamboyant Californians’ determination to shake it up. “We were really high-minded, kind of pretentious when we started,” Offer laughs. “We really wanted to change music. But there’s still that attitude in trying to push the music as far as it goes, though; that’s how we feel we keep punk.” In short: call them what you want, because !!! works better as an attitude than a band name. Some 18 years since the band’s inception, the line-up has seen rapid-fire changes alongside their well-documented irreverence for genre. To date !!! consists of Offer, Rafael Cohen, Allan Wilson, Mario Andreoni, Dan Gorman and Paul Quattrone, with some nine alumni to keep count of, too. In 2000 their self-titled debut record opened the floodgates for early

Interview: Katie Hawthorne Photography: Gemma Burke

noughties dance-punk, ushering in bands like LCD Soundsystem and Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Building on the moody post-punk floor-fillers so popular in the 70s and 80s, !!! injected a highly welcome dose of kooky, unselfconscious humour into their rabble-rousing party-starters. Moving to esteemed label Warp in 2004 confirmed the band’s status as risk-taking good timers, renowned for their obscenely energetic live performances – something Offer’s still proud of: “Everyone always says the shows are better than the records!” In more recent years, their punk credentials have been called into question – apparently hidden beneath gyrating hips and fluorescent lights. A surface listen to their latest, discoballed record, As If, could reinforce that doubt, but beneath the glitzy surface lays a steely core. Offer explains, “We all really responded to punk, but what we responded to was being yourself, doing your thing. But then it got locked into something very rigid and close-minded… So when we first started doing dance punk, there were punks mad at us for not being Black Flag. But that’s not the attitude, that’s not what we were in punk for. Then, a few years after dance punk, everyone was like, ‘Why aren’t you doing that dance thing anymore?’” He laughs, hard. “That was never what it was about. To us, the whole punk attitude should be a search for something more, like: ‘Society is bullshit, so what can we do?’” Rather than non-conformism through your classic snot and spit, !!! circa 2015 are taking a much more introspective, self-aware route: attacking big, existential questions through obstinate independence, and with a little help from their friends. The band decided to outsource the tracklisting of their sixth album; after sending a multitude of demo tracks to friends and family, the record was compiled based upon their “pretty brutal” feedback. “We gave them a week to listen and then everyone turned their votes

back in. Our manager/secretary set us up with a proper tally sheet, with the votes all laid out so you could see what the boys voted for, what the girls voted for, what the older people voted for, what the younger people voted for… Yeah, it was proper! You could see it all. I was like, ‘Oh, OK, guess that track didn’t work out!’” Offer admits that some of his favourites failed to make the cut, but !!! stuck resolutely to democracy – and yielded the rewards. Lead single Freedom! ’15 topped the tally, and has been “hands down the most talked about in all the reviews so far,” Offer muses. “It wasn’t what we’d have anticipated, but friends will tell you what you need to be told!”

“The monkey was controversial. People thought it was toooo far” Nic Offer

Offer describes As If as a “grab bag.” The title’s a quasi-pun on the idea of dressing up in other musical voices and attitudes – and it reflects the “many different techniques, different producers” which had a hand in the record’s genesis. As a handy guide to navigating its complicated waters, Offer has created a kind of treasure map – a short series of blogs and an accompanying YouTube playlist which demarcate the reference points and samples sprinkled within As If. From the obvious to the downright unlikely, the hints include Blawan, Erykah Badu, The Cure, Sparks, Jam City and the ever reclusive Jai Paul. Some clues will have you slapping your forehead – of course Badu’s On & On influenced the vocals in Sick Ass Moon. Others straight up can’t be found within the record’s walls: The

Cure are only namechecked thanks to Lovesong playing in a coffee shop at a fortuitous moment – “a simple, eternal song.” Offer is quick to refute any specific intent behind the “treasure map,” though. “I don’t know why we did it,” he says, slowly. “People were like, ‘Oh that’s interesting.’ And we were like, ‘Oh, it is?!’ But it must be tiring, I would think, for a critic to get another press pack that says, ‘Here’s a band’s new record and this is why it’s the most incredible thing they’ve ever done.’ And it seemed, also, like a strange record… so this is our way of explaining that we were just trying lots of things out. You won’t necessarily like everything you’ll find in there, but hopefully there’s some gems and rubies for you.” Spanning house, disco, funk, punk, soul and thoroughly indulgent pop, the most consistent thread you’ll find through As If is of selfrealisation, driven by Offer’s mindset that “you have to be unafraid to let anything happen.” It’s a deceptively simple mantra given the powerful current of shoulder-shimmying silliness and panto-sized winks; tracks titled Ooo, Sick Ass Moon and Lucy Mongoosey are just the tip of one big, flamboyant iceberg. Finger-snapping one liners like “She said her favourite Beatles song is Wonderwall” nestle against huge Europop choruses, sassy backing vocals asking, “How’s it working for you baby?” and perfectly timed autotune. Crafted to bring a grin and set you sweating (Offer says, multiple times, that sweat is very important), it’s a record that demands semi-baffled but completely enthusiastic participation. As a third layer of icing on an already very sticky cake, the album’s promo material features the most famous monkey in showbiz, liberal use of intentionally terrible Photoshop and full eye contact, face-to-camera lip-sync videos. Watch Bam City if you think this sounds like exaggeration – it’s a million miles from your average, label-endorsed promotional vid. Offer is excited; “It’s so good that you notice that, we fought for all those things. And you’ll be surprised, there’s more to come! I will tell you, though, that the monkey was controversial. People thought it was toooo far. Too ridiculous.” This begs the question; what could possibly be too ridiculous for !!!? “Well, there’s a pile of vetoed ideas… There are certainly times we’ve just gone too far. But I mean, take Lucy Mongoosey – it’s not even some huge inside joke to the band, it just opens up a strange world, something you have to imagine. The name describes the beat, it had that feel… and that’s why it felt OK.” “You take an artist like Prince, and people always told him, ‘You can’t do this! Don’t do this! This is crazy!’ But he’d do it, and he was always right, he only trusted himself… But then suddenly he was kind of too far into his ego? He was too far gone. So there’s always that self-doubt; have I gone too far? Are we over the hill? Can we still do this? It really gets confusing, and that was part of the struggle with the record. Even with track I Feel So Free – ‘I try to listen to the little voice I hear inside, but it’s hard to trust it when everyone out here’s so uptight.’ It’s a simple, basic couplet but it’s a very intense thing that I think everybody battles with. That thing of knowing what your true self really wants, and then what society… or whatever… is telling you you’re supposed to do.” It’s hard work, trusting your gut. “True. But I always get in the mood when the right groove comes on.” As If is released on 6 Nov via Warp chkchkchk.net

Feature

MUSIC

THE SKINNY

Escaping East Ahead of the publication of his New Selected Poems, we look at the work of Shuntaro Tanikawa, one of Japan’s best-kept literary secrets

n Japanese Buddhist culture, time is thought of as a continuous flow. There is no beginning and no end; instead, Zen advocates unhurried meditation and awareness. This can be seen in the Japanese gardens that frequent cities across the Western world: water, rocks and flowers are chosen for their symbolic value and to assist contemplation. The sense of an evolving continuum is also an apt description of one of Japan’s most highly regarded writers. Shuntaro Tanikawa published his first poetry collection, Two Billion Light Years of Solitude, in 1952, quickly capturing the attention of the Japanese public. He has gone on to publish prolifically, and to avoid the peaks and troughs usually associated with a poetic writing career. Tanikawa seamlessly straddles the divide between literary and popular; he is the most widely read modern poet in Japan and is also touted as a future winner of the Nobel prize for literature. A reason for Tanikawa’s spanning the divide between immense popularity and critical recognition, a position which any contemporary poet would envy, is his deceptively simple use of language. He avoids wordiness while at the same time enriching his poems with meanings that can be read on numerous levels. You can read his poems as simply a ‘moment’ – a feeling of elation, a glimpse of desire or a quick dose of comedy – but echoes of the past creep into every syllable, along with allusions to history and myth. In the poem A Night, Tanikawa depicts ‘A good old man… ascending towards the sub-stratosphere on a chariot especially dispatched.’ Death, birth and being are tossed together in a tangle of philosophy and references to Ancient Greece. He has a knack for making the difficult and the profound suddenly appear clear and precise.

November 2015

Interview: Holly Rimmer-Tagoe Illustration: Tom Saffill

“I basically regard poetry as fiction. The first person is both the author and a character in the poem” - Shuntaro Tanikawa

And yet, among Western readers, Tanikawa is largely unknown. Unless you’re au fait with the intricacies of Japanese poetry, it’s highly likely that you have never come across his work. The reaction to Marlon James’s recent Man Booker Prize win suggests that some literary bods are surprised that there is such a thing as writers who live in Jamaica and equally astonished that they can actually be quite good. James’s win was quickly labelled representative of a ‘renaissance in Jamaican writing’ to mask the fact that work from Jamaica is largely both ignored and unknown by British critics. There is a pervading notion that the best work is exclusively AngloAmerican, meaning that other markets and talents are often overlooked. Carcanet Press are going some way to rectify this by publishing Tanikawa’s New Selected Poems, a collection drawing on the wealth of his poetry across the decades.

Tanikawa’s body of work is highly experimental; the form of his poems constantly shifts from epic and satire to sonnet and prose. When reading his poetry, there is a strong sense that he sees the technical elements of poetry, form and rhythm as secondary to the content and ideas of his work. He views form as an organic process, rather than an artifice used to give meaning to language. “I start writing a poem unconscious of a form,” he says, speaking to The Skinny through his translators William I Elliott and Kazuo Kawamura. “As I go on writing, a ‘form’ is born naturally. It sometimes happens that I use a ready-made form such as a sonnet.” New Selected Poems shows a poet with a delicate hand threading a multitude of ideas together with an invisible needle. Tanikawa manages to do what few poets can: to keep the reader transfixed and unconscious of the poet’s work. The thread of lyrical flexibility and emotional intelligence always remains hidden. One example of this unseen complexity is his manipulation of the first-person pronoun ‘I.’ The ‘I’ is constantly changing and comes to stand in for – not exclusively – humankind, a wanderer, a writer post-Shakespeare, a carpenter. Pretty much whatever the reader imagines ‘I’ to be. As Tanikawa writes, in poem 55 from 62 Sonnets (1953), ‘I am a discarded vessel in the shape of waiting, knowing I’ll never be filled.’ ‘I’ takes on symbolic significance and reflects the relationship between the individual and the wider external forces of community and society. “I basically regard poetry as fiction,” Tanikawa says. “The first person ‘I’ in my poem is both the author, who is myself, as well as a character in the poem. ‘Self’ is the depth of collective unconscious and is fluid.”

BOOKS

For Tanikawa, his work is also deeply musical: “Because English ‘song’ and Japanese ‘uta’ contain different implications, how ‘song’ differs from ‘poem’ is hard to answer, but there’s no doubt that there is something in my poems that can be called ‘uta.’ Compared to the traditional Japanese form called ‘tanka’ (often called ‘uta’), well, my poems are different from that kind of ‘uta.’ It’s just that I’m a person who needs, for living, music more than poetry; so I think that music has greatly influenced my poems.” The late neurologist Oliver Sacks, who writes beautifully about his patients with varying brain defects, draws parallels between the creation of music and the act of writing. In his 2007 book Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, Sacks explains how music is an innate human sensibility and how words and language are mapped onto music, rather than the other way around: ‘Our poetry, our ballads, our songs are full of repetition… We are attracted to repetition, even as adults; we want the stimulus and the reward again and again.’ You can certainly hear the towering musical stimulus in Tanikawa’s poems; sometimes as a crescendo, sometimes as a slow ebb. Tanikawa recoils from the term ‘post-war poet,’ which critics often dub him, preferring to describe his work as simply following “right along in the tradition of Japanese poetry.” Either way, he is steaming ahead with more writing, continuing to combine literary and mass appeal, while smashing the cloying nostalgia and tweed jackets that poetry has become wedded to – some British poets could learn a lot from him. New Selected Poems, translated by William I Elliot and Kazuo Kawamura, is out now, published by Carcanet Press, RRP £12.99

Feature

Migrations of Sound One half of legendary club night Eyes Down, Kelvin Brown is the newest esteemed guest in our Skinned mix series, dropping off a fresh batch of odd numbers for your listening pleasure. He tells us about making art and the joys of endless discovery

Interview: Daniel Jones

Eyes Down means a lot to a lot of people in Manchester; how did you first meet (co-founder) Jon K? I met Jon not long after I first moved up to Manchester and we connected as we’d both grown up in the Midlands. He was a resident at

a hip-hop and jungle night called SubTub, and it was about the time that I became a resident at the Electric Chair. The idea for Eyes Down came about because of an empty Friday night slot at Dry Bar, which, at the time, was somewhere you could do something musically interesting.

“Most of the work I make as an artist comes directly from my interest in music in some way” Kelvin Brown

The opportunity brought together a group of five people who all had vague connections to each other, including Jack Croal and Gawain Forster and Christian Wood, who is now better known as Il Bosco, the man behind Red Laser. He was the one who came up with the name, and started out as a resident along with myself and Jon, but his increasing commitment to Friends and Family (the Fat City Records club night) meant that he eventually stepped away. About the same time Jon and I took an increasingly leftfield approach to the music we played, and the rest of it sort of took its own course... It’s also important to note that when we started the night all those years ago, it went

All nights are memorable in their own right, but which Eyes Down guest stands out for you personally? My god, there have been too many to mention, and they were all really memorable for different reasons! Obviously the first time Moodymann played was really important. He didn’t have an agent at the time, and was something of an enigma for a lot of people, especially in Manchester, a city which has always had such a strong affinity to music from Detroit. After hearing so many rumours about him, he turned out to be a really lovely guy to deal with, and he played amazing records to an equally amazing room full of people, so that was a great night. The first time Recloose played was a pretty special night for us, as was the time Charlie Dark came and brought Ade (Abdul Forsyth), the owner and resident DJ at Plastic People in London. On something of a narcissistic note, the nights without guests were always really important to us, especially the period we were regularly doing Eyes Down at Plastic People, which had an incredible reputation at the time. Ade was a really important figure in shaping how we thought about what the night could be, both in terms of the depth and bravery of his selection, and how important sound, light levels and every detail of the club was in creating the atmosphere in which you could play leftfield music.

The Ten Commandments at NewBridge Project Space, Newcastle

Feature

As a DJ who has most bases covered, what styles are you currently digging, and what do you need to dig more into? I need to dig more into all types of music, always! It’s the problem with having such broad taste, I always feel like a complete beginner as far as most types of music go. Just when you think you have a handle on African music, you have a conversation with someone like Miles from Soundway Records, and you realise you know nothing! Or I’ll think I’ve got a grip on Brazilian music, then Floating Points will play something I’ve never heard and I realise I have to go back to school. Right now I’m digging more into minimalist/contemporary classical music, and people that sit right on the dividing line between music and sound recording like Alvin Lucier and Chris Watson. There’s a huge amount of great stuff right out on the outer limits of what music can be, and for years my knowledge of that world hasn’t extended much past Steve Reich, Terry Riley, John Cage and the like, so I’m desperately playing catchup.

without saying that the graphical side was important. The Manchester music scene has always had really strong visual identity, and if you went into record shops at the time you’d constantly see record sleeves and club posters designed by people like Andy Votel and Nick Fry. Those guys set the bar very high, and having a strong, individual visual identity was kind of expected.

CLUBS

Tell us a bit about the mix you’ve recorded for us… Predictably it covers quite a lot of ground, but that’s the only way I know how to play records. I have something of a musical ADHD, so it’s impossible for me to stay with one type of music for long. As soon as I play a house track, I can feel the inescapable pull of jazz, or a post-punk record! It’s pretty much the records that I’ve found myself playing out on dancefloors a lot recently. With the exception of a few new tracks, a lot of them are records I bought and played a lot many years ago. There’s something of a cycle for me, where you discover a record and it sounds really fresh regardless of whether it’s brand new or 40 years old, then you play it a few times and it doesn’t sound so fresh anymore, so it goes onto a shelf at the farthest reaches of my record room for a decade or so. Then, some spark makes you go back to it all those years later, and a bit of distance reminds you how amazing it sounded the first time around. It’s the great thing about having a library of music you’re constantly adding to – there’s always stuff that’s waiting to be rediscovered, and listened to with different ears. Photo: Kuba Ryniewicz

Do you feel more at ease producing art than music? I’ve spent most of my life collecting and playing records, which, in a strange way, has got in the way of actually making music. I found myself too close to it and years of working in a record shop left me with too acute an awareness of the subtle differences between an average record and an amazing one. Whenever I sat down in front of a sampler in the studio, all I could think was it’s not going to be as good as Pete Rock, or a Ron Trent record on Prescription or whatever else I was listening to at the time. That left me creatively frustrated for a long time, but along the way I amassed a lot of field recordings I’d taken. I was always interested in the more conceptual side of art, but not being as intimately connected to it in the way I am with music is liberating because I can just get on and do it. I was lucky enough to study at the Royal College of Art in London, and there I learned how to take the collections of sound recordings and my amateurish collages and make them ‘feel like art’ enough that people were willing to put them in art galleries. Most of the work I make as an artist comes directly from my interest in music in some way; I spent a while in Johannesburg creating an archive of the stories from the music scene there under apartheid, and the thing that originally appealed to me about the Ten Commandments project I’m working on was the fact that DeMille created a fake version of ancient Egypt, which immediately made me think of Sun Ra! My practice is very much concerned with the connections and significance people find in music, film and other cultural artefacts, and that’s a direct result of spending most of my life playing records to people.

Photo: Chris Paul Daniels

The Skinny: Hi Kelvin, what’s on your plate at the minute? Kelvin Brown: Right now I’m just finishing a project that’s getting exhibited in Newcastle throughout November, then it will tour to London at some point at the start of next year. It’s a multiscreen video installation that’s very loosely based on Cecil B DeMille’s 1923 film The Ten Commandments. I went over to California in August to find the ruins of the set he built for the film, and which have ended up buried in the desert for the last 80 years or so. Currently, making and exhibiting art takes up most of my time.

Listen to Kelvin’s mix for The Skinny, Skinned #10, at theskinny.co.uk/clubs

The Ten Commandments exhibition is at NewBridge Project Space, Newcastle, until 7 Nov soundcloud.com/kelvin-brown kelvinbrown.co.uk

THE SKINNY

Theatrical Cornucopia Fri 6th Nov • £12 adv

AIDS contraction is on the rise, more than half of the Commonwealth criminalises homosexuality and transphobia is as present as ever. Gary Everett, artistic director of Homotopia, explains how theatre and the arts can help

TUES 3 NOV 7PM

Interview: Kate Pasola

SHIKARI SOUND SYSTEM DJ SET ALL PROFITS GOING TO SAVE THE CHILDREN CHARITY

Tues 10th Nov • £17.50 adv

FRI 6 NOV 7PM

Thurs 12th Nov • £19 adv

SAT 7 NOV 10PM 18+

Sat 14th Nov • £20 adv

THE CORONAS

WEDS 4 NOV 5.30PM

POSI-VIBES FEST

THE BASEMENT EFFECT CHIBUKU

MON 9 NOV 7PM

HOT 8 BRASS BAND

Reverend & The Makers Deaf Havana

Wed 25th Nov • £19.50 adv

The Wailers Performing the

CHIBUKU

album Legend in its entirety

SUN 15 NOV 7PM

Sat 28th Nov • £8 adv

WEDS 18 NOV 7.30PM

Sat 28th Nov • £10 adv

EZRA FURMAN KEYWEST

FRI 20 NOV 7PM

ANTIHERO

THEATRE

Thurs 19th Nov • £20 adv

Sun 22nd Nov • £15 adv

SAT 14 NOV 10PM 18+

November 2015

Newton Faulkner

THURS 12 NOV 7PM

SAINT RAYMOND

Homotopia takes place 30 Oct-1 Dec at venues across Liverpool. For the full lineup, go to homotopia.net/2015-festival

Joey Bada$$

Sat 21st Nov • £14 adv

SAT 14 NOV 7PM

activism in new and contemporary ways. For example, many of the performances have strands of comedy and playfulness woven into them. The “gently political” Big Girl’s Blouse features a joyful Kate O’Donnell confiding about life as a transgender person in the 1970s, drenched in sparkly chiffon and an even sparklier perspective. And The Butch Monologues, despite driving social change through their soliloquies about sexuality, are potent and rib tickling in equal parts. Even Ecce Homo!, Naughty Nickers’ cabaret act which discusses the AIDS epidemic, is set to be a “hom-com” studded with songs, facepaint and glee. “You have to tease people in. I think that having playful, anarchic elements in there helps invite the audience in. And they appreciate that, actually.” Along with comedic aspects, the theatrical lineup is also peppered with multimedia approaches, as with the specially commissioned Scandinavia Has Been Good to Me, an autobiographical piece which explores Mandy Romero’s newfound trans identity upon her relocation to Liverpool, touching on stories of lost friends to lack of access to AIDS treatment. But 2015’s Homotopia isn’t where it ends. As an ongoing project, Everett wants to draw attention to the fact that over two thirds of Commonwealth member states regard homosexuality as illegal, causing tragic obstacles for those who need to access AIDS treatment and support. “Homophobia and transphobia are not like a virus, where it’s about medicine and research and science. They’re insidious. They happen across borders in ways that you can’t always map or investigate or interrogate or challenge. It’s a more difficult beast to manage or maintain.” A difficult beast, indeed – but one that the creative forces behind Homotopia are seemingly fit to wrestle.

The Fratellis

WEDS 11 NOV 7PM

BERNIE TORMÉ

n case you needed a reminder, Homotopia is Liverpool’s annual LGBTQ arts festival that brings a fleet of exhibitions, debates, films and live performances before an ever-growing Northwestern audience. You probably don’t need that memo, though, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the programme has swollen to over 50 events – a handsome portion of which are dedicated to live performance and theatre. Secondly, since its tenth birthday a couple of years ago, Homotopia has managed to anchor itself to public awareness beyond its usual fourweek residence. Indeed, the festival is becoming quite the evergreen affair. And even if that hadn’t lassoed your attention, you’re sure to have spotted their scarlet programme, emblazoned with this year’s theme: ART = LIFE – an inversion of the AIDS activism slogan ‘SILENCE = DEATH’. The festival draws to its finale on World AIDS Day, so it’s apt that the festival should be curated around the theme of AIDS awareness. “Gay culture has been commodified, somewhat,” we’re told by Gary Everett, artistic director of Homotopia. “Because of all the bars and clubs and hedonism, a lot of the key themes about life and health and responsibility are lost. We’re not a health promotion agency, but it’s important that people can take a breath, see an exhibition or a piece of theatre, and can see outside of that bubble we’ve created.” I tell Everett that it seems like the discourse about AIDS and HIV has been maintained mostly through the means of teary Comic Relief shorts and dated musical Rent, so it’s difficult for young people to engage with this important and relevant issue. But Everett, among others, has spotted the cycle, and laments the steep rise in not only contraction of AIDS itself, but also the ignorance surrounding it. “The point I’m making is that the message that was quite harsh and critical and clear in the 80s and 90s is gone, y’know? It’s been watered down, and doesn’t have the same immediacy.” He sees the arts as a tonic for invigorating that vital

Lucy Rose + Flyte + C Duncan

Public Service Broadcasting

LIGHT YOU UP & WSTR

Sat 7th Nov • £15 adv

WEDS 11 NOV 7PM

STRIKING MATCHES

Big Girl's Blouse

The Sunshine Underground

SAT 21 NOV 7PM

BRIX & THE EXTRICATED

SAT 21 NOV 11PM 18+

THIRD PARTY PRESENTS

RELEASE

THURS 26 NOV 10PM 18+

COLOURS

FRI 27 NOV 7PM

FOUR STAR MARY

SAT 28 NOV 7.30PM

DODGY

The Sherlocks The Hummingbirds Mon 30th Nov • £10 adv

Jaws + Nai Harvest Tues 1st Dec • £15 adv

Courtney Barnett Tues 1st Dec • £13.50 adv

The Rifles (Acoustic) Wed 2nd Dec • £30 adv

Public Enemy

Thurs 3rd Dec • £12.50 adv

Electric Six

SUN 29 NOV 7PM

Thurs 3rd Dec • £22.50 adv

FRI 4 DEC 7PM

Sat 5th Dec • £20 adv

NOTHING BUT THIEVES HANDS LIKE HOUSES

SAT 5 DEC 7PM

IAN PROWSE & AMSTERDAM SAT 5 DEC 10PM 18+

CHIBUKU

TUES 8 DEC 7PM

VOLPONE

THURS 10 DEC 7PM

THE ZOMBIES

FRI 11 DEC 7PM

THE BALCONY

FT. KENNY HOLLAND & WESLEY STROMBERG FROM EMBLEM3

Scouting For Girls The Rutles

Fri 11th Dec • £25 adv Sat 12th Dec • SOLD OUT

Echo & The Bunnymen Sat 19th Dec • £16 adv

The Beat

Sat 19th Dec • £18.50 adv

The Damned

Fri 22nd Jan 2016 • £17.50 adv

Daughter

Fri 29th Jan 2016 • £16.50 adv

WEDS 16 DEC 6.30PM & FRI 18 DEC 6.30PM

Gabrielle Aplin

THURS 17 DEC 6.30PM & SAT 19 DEC 6.30PM

Little Comets

HENRY IV PART 1

HENRY IV PART 2

SAT 9 JAN 2016 7PM

Sun 14th Feb 2016 • £12 adv

Tues 8th Mar 2016 • £24 adv

ALIEN ANT FARM + INME

The Stranglers

SAT 23 JAN 2016 7PM (RESCHEDULED DATE - ORIGINAL TICKETS VALID)

Wed 9th Mar 2016 • £22 adv

LOUIS BERRY

FRI 29 JAN 2016 7.30PM

LINDI ORTEGA

FRI 11 MAR 2016 7PM

TRAGEDY

AN ALL METAL TRIBUTE TO THE BEE GEES

WEDS 27 APR 2016 7PM

Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox Sat 12th Mar 2016 • £16 adv

Foxes

Mon 21st Mar 2016 • £15 adv

Half Moon Run

THE BLUETONES

Feature

THEY E AT CULTUR E PR ES E NTS

SATURDAY 14 NOVEMBER // 8PM ED ACZEL

THE RANDOM FLAPPING OF A BUTTERFLY’S WINGS

“Britain’s greatest living anti-comedian” The Guardian

WEDNESDAY 18 & THURSDAY 19 NOVEMBER // 8PM RECKLESS SLEEPERS

THE LAST SUPPER

“There is something about the simplicity of this show that is unbearably moving” The Guardian

WEDNESDAY 25TH NOVEMBER // 8PM FIGS IN WIGS

SHOW OFF

“Figs in Wigs prove that silly and whiplash smart go hand in hand” The Guardian

WEDNESDAY 9 DECEMBER // 8PM BRIGITTE APHRODITE

MY BEAUTIFUL BLACK DOG

“Imagine The Mighty Boosh crossed with the best episode of Girls. Prepare to cry and laugh several times over. You’ll leave a better person” Elle Magazine SOUTH MEADOW LANE, PRESTON, LANCASHIRE PR1 8JP 15 mins from the train station, 5 mins in a taxi.

01772 499425 // NEWCONTINENTAL.NET SEETICKETS.COM // WEGOTTICKETS.COM // SKIDDLE.COM

This season is supported by New Theatre in Your Neighbourhood which is funded by Arts Council England and the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation.

THE SKINNY

Life in a Chinese Art Village Glasgow-based Canadian artist Julian Tolhurst discusses his three and a half years living, teaching and working as an artist in China

Interview: Adam Benmakhlouf

or three and a half years, newly Glasgowbased artist Julian Tolhurst taught and lived as an artist in China. Breaking the Canadian expat’s “five-minute rule” (“you have five minutes to talk about where you used to live then you have to shut up because no one cares”), he gives an insight into his experience of teaching, making and exhibiting work in China. When Tolhurst says he worked within a Chinese art community, there’s a more literal edge, as he lived in an art village called Songzhuang. “It’s 30 minutes outside Beijing. There are people that are just barely getting by, making and painting whatever they want. Then there are people that are really rich, all in that one community. But the entire community, about 7000 people, all make their living either selling food to artists, stretching canvasses, or running foundries for artists.” Some of the success of the Songzhuang artists’ colony may be explained by the availability of large and affordable studios. Tolhurst worked in a “huge” studio with its own bedroom, kitchen and bathroom for 3000 Canadian dollars (about £1500) a year. There were a few false starts before Tolhurst found himself in a comfortable setup. Initially, he visited Songzhuang a few times before being able to learn of any opportunities. “It was so inaccessible because I didn’t speak the language. A lot of people do speak English but it’s not as prevalent as people would think.” Gradually picking up the language, he was able to rent a space within the building for a special effects company. “After two months, everything was knocked down apart from my studio. They waited for me to get all my drawings and paints out, then they knocked it down. It hadn’t been scheduled to be knocked down for six more months but they just got ahead of schedule.” While studio space might still be relatively cheap, “those opportunities are disappearing as more people hear about it and go for residencies.” Though in this case on a more international level, he sees a parallel too with the kind of gentrification that’s more familiar within areas of specific cities that host artist communities until they become prohibitively expensive. “There was a place downtown called 798 [in Beijing]. It was the hip place for artists to live and make work. Now it’s only where the galleries are. It’s all shops and restaurants around them. There are barely any artists – unless they’re well to do – that live there.”

Julian Tolhurst - Assimilation Game (2014)

As well as the more generous spatial economy within Songzhuang, the increased political engagement within his community of friends and artists began to inform his work. Some care was necessary when making this kind of work within China’s current political framework. “You can do it in a quiet way and you’re probably okay. But if suddenly you get a lot of exposure from it you might get into trouble.” With careful reserve, Tolhurst at the time chose not to exhibit a lot of the works made in Songzhuang. With the village’s reputation as a dense community of artists, it attracted different kinds of public and private attention. “A woman just showed up on my door and she was just looking around artists in the village, for works to collect. She was from Shenzhen, to the south, a city which has become wealthy by building things for the entire world. She just came to my studio and was looking around.” Just the same, being known as a centre for artmaking, there were often visits from police officials. “They come around and look at what

you’re making.” During his time there, Tolhurst knew of one artist who had acquired Australian citizenship then returned to China and began to make models of Tiananmen Square from ground meat. “He was picked up [by police] in Songzhuang. I don’t know how long he disappeared for before people found out. I only knew of him from going to openings… He made the mistake of publicising one of the works, as well as speaking out on a radio programme in Singapore.” These kinds of interventions “came in fits and waves.”

“Every day you see something in China you’ve never seen before in your life” Julian Tolhurst

Julian Tolhurst - Red Heads

November 2015

Coextensive with this atmosphere of top-down authority and supervision, there’s a certain novelty of certain first-time experiences “like if you go to an indie rock club there. It’s not that long ago that just wouldn’t have existed. It may have existed before 1989, but then been quelled for a good number of years after. Quite regularly you’ll show up and the whole place will have just been shut down. So weird things do still happen in an authoritarian way. When you see people enjoying it and dancing ... [there’s] the added tension, which also makes it more exciting in some ways, or more relevant.” On a more collective scale of activism, Tolhurst brings up the Umbrella Movement, the pro-democracy political group that spontaneously formed during street protests in Hong Kong. Recently, he began a sculptural collaboration with a tattoo shop in Hong Kong that had been involved in the front line of street protests during the Umbrella Movement’s formation. “I went

ART

down and interviewed [the people in the] tattoo shop that had been involved. I took a bunch of sculptures of heads that had been gagged. It was in Chinese New Year’s when I went down, carrying a whole suitcase of subversive sculptures. But that wasn’t unusual, people would carry chickens, or whole cases of eggs. So they [officers] see six heads and think fuck it, go through.” He left the heads with the tattoo shop workers, who have made various interventions, like chiselling the eyes out and drawing on top of them. As an active participant in both the contemporary art and the teaching communities, Tolhurst experienced the duality of the avantgarde intentions of practitioners and the “strict ways of schooling.” Often, schools are “based on being technically really good at life drawing, controlling oil paint or calligraphy” and “following your teacher.” Even among courses that emphasised contemporary art practice, there was still the emphasis on making work that looks something like the work of your teacher. “Teacher” can be used as a mark of respect. “If you’re an artist and you’ve been doing it a long time, as a form of respect you’re called Teacher.” Now recently settled in Glasgow, Tolhurst stays in contact with friends and contemporaries in China with social media apps like WeChat. Doing a quick search online for these kinds of apps, there are plenty of Facebook – currently banned in China – substitutes, or the YouTube replacements like Youku and Toudu. Apps like these are important for Tolhurst, so he can maintain an artistic as well as social connection with China while in Glasgow. He set himself a goal of posting a new artwork each day in the Moments section – broadly similar to a Facebook wall. Looking forward to his own return to China in the future, Tolhurst advises me, “As a journalist you should go out there. There are so many journalists living in China full time because the stories that come out every day.” With this last suggestion, he tells me a saying that’s equal parts encouragement and disclaimer: “Every day you see something in China you’ve never seen before in your life.” juliantolhurst.com

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View Finder A new exhibition at the Bluecoat presents recent work by multidisciplinary artist Niamh O’Malley. We pay a visit and consider the concepts at the heart of her practice

Interview: Kyle Nathan Brown

n early October, the Liverpool’s Bluecoat gallery opened the doors to its new exhibition, Glasshouse, the first UK solo show of Dublinbased artist Niamh O’Malley. Born in County Mayo, Ireland, O’Malley received a PhD in practice-led research in 2003 from the University of Ulster in Belfast and now lives and works in Dublin. Professionally working since 1996, she has exhibited in a number of both group and solo shows internationally, including an international studio programme residency at MoMA PS1 in New York. At the preview evening for Glasshouse, the rooms are full of art-exhibition-preview-eveninggoers, of which The Skinny is one. The gallery is filled with sharp angles and thick lines of wood and glass, and sketchy lines and smudges of black and grey paint; and everything is surrounded by a flock of free-wine guzzlers. Previews and openings are quite possibly the worst times to view an exhibition, as it seems you can never fully experience the work; instead you experience wafts and murmurs of chitchat and general art appreciation. We revisit the exhibition on a different day, and it’s clearer that the gallery’s brutalist interior holds compositions of glass and wood, some with paint and some without, drawings and prints on paper with more glass and wood, and three video pieces (two on TV screens and one projected). The works in the show containing representational content all make reference to nature or landscape, and it’s the video pieces that first capture our attention. The first of these is Quarry (2011). In a dark room on a bench against a wall, the viewer sits facing the ten-minute projection: static shots of walls with falling bricks and white rocks at an Irish limestone quarry. The images are crisp white, with perfect definition due to the black screen behind. Throughout the piece,

Window (2013)

however, this detail is distorted by what appear to be frosted or textured panes of glass; out of focus, they enter and exit at the forefront of the shot. These sheets of glass are the piece’s only hint towards its not having been shot in black and white, as the rest of the scenery is so subtle in colour. The piece is an exercise in image-making: by framing, cropping and enhancing the view captured by the camera, the artist focuses her, and consequently our, attention on the specific image. Another video piece (and the exhibition’s namesake), Glasshouse (2014), is a two-channel loop on HD TV screens in black and white that uses similar methods in observing a space. In this piece, the camera pans across a row of derelict greenhouses that, like the elements in

Quarry, obstruct the view of the natural scenery of overgrown grass and plants. Of her video work, O’Malley says she is “interested in a form of documentation which is trying to observe and even scan the surface or the actuality of the site, while being aware of the limitations of its form (video). “The site or space becomes important in that I made a decision to ‘observe’ it and therefore gave it attention.” From this, we can further understand the artist’s ideas in practice. By using video as a creative medium – as mark-making – the space becomes the subject, and the attention it is given becomes the context of the work. In another room, we are confronted by Window (2013): a wooden seating platform holds up a wooden frame, birch and oak, with the painted glass standing central. At the exhibition preview the chitchat continues as people sit awkwardly on the artwork. (During my revisit I consider sitting upon it but decide I would gain little from it.)

“It is a process of learning through making rather than thinking about making” Niamh O’Malley

Nephin (2014)

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The piece, which is around 7ft tall, is essentially a window that allows us our own viewfinder, depending on which side we stand. On the artist’s website a description of the piece states that ‘The painting, which is visible from front and back – becomes a limitless translucent form, complicating ideas of reverse, background, and negative space.’ The paint is applied as abstract marks, with indications to landscapes and natural form. There are delicately painted leaves on a branch at one side of the piece – reminding the viewer of a window to a large natural garden – some shrubbery in the foreground and simple reminders of nature across the whole. The marks are vague blocks of black and grey, yet nothing seeks to remind of manmade form, only nature. A work of solid design and construction, there are no frills or decoration here, strongly suggestive of nature.

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Other pieces – again, of glass and wood and paint – assembled in a strong, collage-like fashion are reminiscent of Dada artists or even Rauschenberg; but these are different. Their strength is in their simple designs and basic use of materials, as seems to be the case with the majority of O’Malley’s work. To a question regarding the process of selecting materials, O’Malley says that “a piece of glass gets some marks on it, sits on a shelf and becomes observed over time for what it does… and perhaps even becomes a work. It is a process of learning through making rather than thinking about making.” This willingness to allow the work, in a sense, to become itself and then, as the artist, bring attention to it gives insight into O’Malley’s artistic process. In a way, the ends justify the means, both of which rely on the relationship between the materials. Elsewhere one also sees, on the gallery walls and floors, more of the same compositional constructs that seem to relate to each other while also being completely individual. Double Glass (2014), Hollow (2014), Tilted Glass (2015) – all of these works are at the same time comparable and dissimilar. This could be said to come from the artist’s way of using material so honestly. It is the simplicity of the work – the blatancy of “that is wood, that is glass, that is paint,” and so on – that allows this paradox. In accordance with this, there is a struggle, too, to find one theme to apply to the exhibition. In one way, O’Malley focuses, conceptually, on images and attention and is interested in “our relationship to landscape as an image and how we conjure it in our minds and relate to it with our viewing bodies.” Yet in another, mark-making and composition take centre stage. This speaks loudly of the artist’s abilities and readiness to experiment confidently within her practice. What can be said for sure is that Glasshouse is a well-curated exhibition, showcasing the artist’s recent work, and allowing viewers unfamiliar with Niamh O’Malley to experience an array of concepts and mediums from her repertoire. Niamh O’Malley: Glasshouse runs at the Bluecoat, Liverpool, until 10 Jan. Artist Madeline Hall leads a free tour of the exhibition on 7 Nov, 2pm, and the gallery’s head of programme, Marie-Anne McQuay, leads a tour on 28 Nov, 2pm niamhomalley.com | thebluecoat.co.uk This article has been commissioned by the Contemporary Visual Arts Network North West (CVAN NW), as part of a regional critical writing development programme, supported by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.

THE SKINNY

Story of a Nation Chigozie Obioma is less interested in the Booker Prize trophy he might have won than in the lifeblood the shortlist offered his novel The Fishermen – inciting interest in his literary work, but also questions on the state of a nation: Nigeria

Photo: Zach Mueller

Interview: Alan Bett

hings fall apart. A truism of life. Nations, families, individuals; whether through a civilisation’s crumbling mortar, an unravelling of social thread, or, in the case of Chigozie Obioma’s outstanding debut novel The Fishermen, the unbearable weight of words. Things fall apart. Obioma’s hopes of winning the 2015 Booker Prize fell apart on 13 October. He was among the five losing shortlisters as Marlon James gathered the trophy. If you watch the televised coverage of the plush and pretentious ceremony, the 28-year-old Obioma is shown smiling and relaxed, and I doubt he was overly affected by the result. “The biggest thing a writer can ask for is that a book be read,” he suggests towards the end of our interview, conducted months before the bow ties and bubbly and showing a healthy detachment from such trivialities and baubles. He has simpler, purer aims. “I didn’t write it for myself,” he says. “I didn’t write it to decorate my room. I want people to read it.” When we speak, back during the summer, the Booker longlist has just recently been announced. Obioma’s resulting coyness at our congratulations sits in stark contrast to the strong and insightful answers offered throughout the rest of our time. Perhaps he’s simply modest? Yet at this suggestion he quickly reverts to his previous mode of assured certainty. “No, I’m trying to be as successful as possible,” he says. “The truth is it was unexpected. It would be crazy for you to have a debut novel and be hoping for the Booker Prize. But it’s very welcome news... Nobody was talking about it [The Fishermen] anymore. It was almost out of conversation. But the Booker mention has a way of popping new life into it. For that I am extremely grateful.” And, true to that statement we are talking about his book here and now. As are many others. Born and raised in Nigeria, Obioma travelled abroad to study, and now returns the favour as an overseas educator – first completing a bachelor’s degree in Cyprus before becoming assistant professor of literature and creative writing at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In the flesh he is easy to warm to; erudite and flawlessly mannered. Today, dressed in a sharply cut blue blazer with a stately looking crest stitched

November 2015

to its breast pocket – we neglect to ask whether this serves a function or is simply ornamental. Throughout our conversation, he tackles grand issues head-on (specifically Nigeria’s) but punctuates his weighty words with smiles and laughter. A natural storyteller on page and in person, he respects that age-old craft over ostentatious technique. “One can get lost in trying to do something experimental with fiction and not have the core, the spine which is the story.” The power of storytelling was a lesson learned as a sickly child on his hospital bed. “My dad took it upon himself to stay with me during these periods,” he remembers. “So, he was always telling these stories. I just discovered I loved hearing these make-believe worlds, tales of people who existed once before.” He believed these stories were of his father’s making, then later came the revelation. “When I was well and at home, one day I remember dad was back from work and very tired and I was like, man, tell me a story, is it only when I am ill that you tell me one? And he was like, just read them yourself, and pulled a book from his shelf… It was a big discovery for me, I was so happy that I didn’t need to wait for him, so I began to read.” And eventually of course to write a novel aligned with the reality of contemporary Nigeria but steeped in its ancient myths. The Fishermen is the story of a family. It is the story of a country. It can be read as one or both – the metaphor as subtle as it is strong. Four close brothers, the fishermen, encounter a madman as they return home one day. His frenzied prophecy that one of them will kill another deals a mortal blow, a crack which spreads violently to divide brother from brother. Obioma wrote the book as a tribute to his own many brothers, but also, he states on the book’s inside cover, as ‘a wake-up call to a dwindling nation.’ ‘The madman has entered our house with violence, defiling our sacred grounds, claiming the single truth of the universe.’ These words of South African poet Mazisi Kunene also adorn The Fishermen’s introductory pages and prophesise the book’s tragedy by recounting history. “So here he is actually talking about the Europeans who came to Africa and colonised the people,”

says Obioma. “Same with Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe. When the British forces came the Africans were laughing at them, they were like, these guys are just mad people, they have a woman as their leader, how can you have a woman? Because we were very patriarchal. And they believe in one god. Instead we have gods for thunder, for water, for everything. So we thought they were actually crazy people. But in the end of the day the madman overpowers them and enslaves them.”

“I feel like there should be a sort of dismantling of Nigeria” Chigozie Obioma

This forms the crux of the novel, and, for Chigozie Obioma, the story of Nigeria itself. Because often in life, things really do fall apart; ‘the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,’ claims Yeats in The Second Coming, earlier in the poem writing that ‘The falcon cannot hear the falconer.’ In The Fishermen, the boy’s mother is likened to a falconer. She tries in vain to guide her children while the boys fly ever further out of reach. Obioma says that “At the same time that I was plotting the novel, I was reading Will Durant’s [The Story of ] Civilisation, where he says that a civilisation cannot be destroyed from the outside, it has to come from within.” Although the seed of doubt may have origins elsewhere, as in Nigeria’s history the novel suggests. “We were disparate states, then one day the British come and say ‘be a nation,’ and we follow. It was just one word. They have gone more than 50 years now and we still continue to run that country.” Modern Nigeria originated from British colonial rule, the merging of states and lands, peoples and tribes. The British worked to seal any splits,

BOOKS

offering support to Federal Nigeria during the brutal civil war of 1967-70, when an Eastern state declared itself the Republic of Biafra in an attempt to break away – a picture painfully drawn in Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s epic novel Half of a Yellow Sun. “That is a problem,” Obioma suggests of the existing national arrangement, “Because Nigeria does not have the facility to be one country. I’m not calling for chaos but I do believe that the people of Nigeria do not feel the sense of ownership of the country. It’s a foreign idea to them, it remains a foreign idea.” He talks of an entity where soldiers prioritise salary over country and leaders merely wish to enrich themselves. “Everyone has allegiance to their tribe and their families and their kindred, but to the country? No. So I feel like there should be a sort of dismantling of Nigeria. We could have a referendum for example. Let’s just destroy the idea first and then we can decide for ourselves. “If you look at most European countries after the Second World War for example, they all achieved national integration first, before sovereignty,” Obioma continues. “That means that the French were already French before they started France. But the reverse is the case in most colonial countries. We already had Nigeria before we started trying to become Nigerians, and we are still struggling to be Nigerians.” This is why it became necessary to travel before allowing himself to look back upon his own country. “My philosophy rests on one thing the Igbos say. There’s a particular type of drum, which we believe if I’ve beaten the drum here you won’t hear it, it’ll just be messy. But if you are at the other end of the street you hear it clearer.” What that means, Obioma clarifies, is that “when you break from something you see it clearer. If you are with someone every day… you don’t really miss them. When you miss them is when you begin to remember the snippets of conversation… oh, you know, this is the shoe he or she might be wearing now. So, I love that perspective that distance gives.” And so, while sitting on distant shores and considering his country, things did not fall apart for this most exciting young novelist. They fell into place. The Fishermen is out now, published by One, RRP £14.99

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LE TY LI FE S

Gift Guide: Another Roll of the Dice

With board game sales growing every year, we take a look at the state of modern tabletop gaming and examine why, in a digital age, the industry is experiencing such a boom. (By the way, we’d recommend any of these games as a Christmas present...)

Words: Liam Patrick Hainey Illustration: Josie Sommer

here is a renaissance taking place in the world of board games. A healthy scene consisting of meet-ups, gaming sessions and the occasional convention exists throughout the Northwest. In the heart of Manchester there is Fan Boy Three, which hosts gaming sessions every night, while in Liverpool, the Scythe and Teacup cafe offers food and board games to the masses. The board game or tabletop scene is thriving, not just in these cities, but across the country. It’s a puzzling phenomenon for those for whom the phrase ‘board games’ may call to mind traumatic memories of parents passiveaggressively playing out their unspoken marital issues across a Monopoly board, or conjure up latent resentment over games of Scrabble lost to a precocious younger sibling. But the contemporary world of board games has little or nothing to do with these dated ‘classics.’ Instead, the variety of games available on the shelves of your local game shop is likely to cater to any taste you can imagine. Take, for example, Dixit. Released in 2008, Dixit is a French card game designed by Jean Louis-Roubira and wonderfully illustrated by Marie Cardouat. Each player holds a hand of the game’s cards, which feature surreal, dream-like images. Players take it in turn to become the Storyteller, who selects a card from their hand and gives a clue as to what it is. That clue can be anything: a story, a single word, a song, whatever you like. Mysterium, meanwhile, is a more recent Polish game, set for its first English-language release later this year. Like Dixit, there is a collection of cards bearing strange and beautiful art work. It’s essentially a ‘whodunnit’ murder mystery where all but one of the players take the role of a psychic. The remaining player is a ghost who must use these cards to create a dreamscape for the psychics. The psychics then interpret these visions in order to deduce who the murderer is. By allowing players such creative freedom, these games bring out the best of each participant’s imagination. They come alive not because of their rules and mechanics but because of the people playing them. They change and adapt to different groups and take place almost entirely inside the players’ heads. Perhaps you want something a bit chewier? Games like Pandemic are played cooperatively, with each of the players taking on the role of an emergency-response operative fighting to contain global outbreaks of deadly viruses. A big map of the world is laid out across the table and you and your friends dart around it trying to beat back these deadly contagions. Pandemic is currently being adapted by game design maverick Rob Daviau. His adaptation, titled Pandemic Legacy, is set for release later this year. In Legacy, the actions you take in every game will have consequences for each subsequent game. This could include placing stickers over certain sections of the rule book, opening sealed boxes with new components hidden away, or even tearing up some of the game’s cards so that they can never be used again. Daviau has done things like this before, and it’s a perfect example of how designers are bringing fresh ideas to games that confound expectations and subvert conventions. Cooperative or team based games, where communication is key, will be familiar to digital gamers but the joy of Pandemic, and co-op games like it, is that the planning and execution

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of your grand strategy is done in your own living room with your pals sat across from you, not at the other end of a headset. This social aspect is a key component of the successful tabletop resurgence. Indeed there are countless games that rely on the social dynamics and thought processes that being in a group creates. Dead of Winter, which was released late last year but seems only now to be reliably available in UK stores, is a zombie survival game set in a bleak post-apocalyptic winter. This game will ask you to make terrible choices: do you rescue the children hiding in the wilderness outside your compound knowing full well they’re just more mouths to feed?

“There is a humanity to cooperative board games that video gaming cannot hope to replicate” Like Pandemic, Dead of Winter is a cooperative game. However, every time you play, one of those in your group may or may not be a traitor working towards their own ends rather than the good of the whole team. So while you’re forced to work together, suspicion and paranoia hang heavy over the table. Games like Dead of Winter create a palpable atmosphere that relies entirely on the interactions between players. There is a humanity to games like these that video gaming cannot hope to replicate. This is not to denigrate video games but rather to point out that tabletop gaming offers something

that the digital realm simply can’t – and, though board games cannot hope to compete with the sheer scale of the video gaming industry (for comparison’s sake, the North American tabletop gaming industry is worth something in the region of $700 million to the video game industry’s $70 billion), what’s interesting is that the tabletop gaming figure has been growing at somewhere between 15% and 20% for the last few years. While it’s difficult to pinpoint the exact cause or moment that represents the start of this renaissance, there are a few things that it’s fair to assume have contributed. Kickstarter has certainly helped. In 2013 there was more money pledged to support board games than video games by a margin of around $7 million. Board games are expensive things to produce and, due to their bulky nature, ship. Kickstarter provides publishers a guaranteed level of interest and minimises the guesswork involved in production numbers: Euphoria from Stonemaier Games and the hugely lucrative Zombicide series from Guillotine Games are examples of successful products with outstanding production values delivered via crowdfunding. Another factor that has led to a renewed interest in tabletop gaming is the drift of ‘geek culture’ from the peripheries of society and into the mainstream. With the advent of geek chic came the demystification of comic books, video games, cartoons and whatever else them nerds get up to. No longer is the local comic book store a place of dread but rather a gateway into an interesting new subculture. While this shift was important to the resurgent games industry, there is one particular game that deserves a lot of credit for getting it to where it is: the granddaddy of contemporary gaming, Settlers of Catan. First published in 1995 by German designer Klaus Teuber, it was, and continues to be, a runaway success. Key to its success is that it resembles many game elements that someone who has only ever been exposed to Monopoly would be

GIFT GUIDES

familiar with. Little wooden houses that you have to build, trade and negotiation with other players, a couple of dice – all are present. But the way that Catan uses these tools of game design is quite unlike Monopoly. There’s no rolling to see what space you land on, there is nothing that makes you skip a go and there are definitely no beauty contests. But the very fact that Catan includes pieces and components that are immediately recognisable to anyone makes it less scary for the player whose most adventurous gaming experience so far is the Harry Potter version of Risk. It’s somewhat illuminating that the Green Bay Packers, one of the best known NFL teams, are enthusiastic Catan players. Even American football players, pop culture’s definition of the anti-nerd, have succumbed to the charm of tabletop gaming. Waterstones and, before its demise, Borders have also played their part. Every one of the big bookshops has always had a game section, and stocking Catan next to Cluedo and Jenga carries the implication that Catan isn’t that intimidating or complex – and that’s the truth. Many of these games aren’t any more complex than the games you played in your childhood; most of them are certainly mercifully shorter than Monopoly, and many of them are better. New designers with new ideas are emerging constantly, and while the very notion of unplugged gaming might at first glance seem to be a thing of the past, its reliance on the physical world and its insistence on the proximity of participants seems almost radically fresh in a time where we rely on softly glowing LED screens for all our entertainment. So next time you wander past your local game store, pop in, browse the shelves and absorb the different games you’ll find there. Then, once you’ve done that, invest in a big old box of fun – you and your friends won’t regret it.

THE SKINNY

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Northern Greats: Christmas on the Square An ice rink, ‘penguin dodgems’ and tip-top hot chocolate... It’s time to wrap up warm and look forward to festive season at the Great Northern Warehouse

t the hands of programming collective Future Artists, the Great Northern Warehouse and its surrounding square have become a destination for great food, drink and one-off events over the course of 2015. Now, they’re getting in the mood for Christmas (hold that groan – it’s November and totally legit to start digging out your Xmas knits) with plans for an ice rink outside the building, and warming treats served up inside. The group’s head honcho, Mark Ashmore, told us what we can look forward to this season. The Skinny: You filled the square with activities over the summer – and we hear you’ve got more planned for the winter. Can you give us an overview of what’s in store? Mark Ashmore: In response to this whole #NortherPowerhouse thing that is going around at the moment, we decided that we should really make the square into the default northern destination this Christmas, so we have built a 300-capacity ice rink which will go over our amphitheatre, with a 30-metre high helter skelter sat nicely outside. We have called it ‘Manchester on Ice,’ but of course all skaters are welcome, from wherever they live!

There’s a lot of competition when it comes to Christmas in Manchester, with many different markets and activities all across town. What makes the Great Northern’s plans different? Two things: Star Wars and the only ice rink in Manchester. You can go see the movie of the year [at the AMC Cinemas] and then pretend you’re on the planet Hoth being attacked by AT-AT Walkers on our ice rink! Will there be special events on the ice rink? There are quite a lot of things happening on the ice; our tenants Almost Famous, Home Sweet Home and All Star Lanes all have special events planned. We are hosting a New Year’s Eve countdown on 31 Dec, so will be open ‘til 12.30am on the ice – that’s pretty special. And I personally am organising for children’s charities and those displaced by war and climate change to be able to come and experience Manchester on Ice for free, so if you work for a children’s charity and want to book a free slot, email info@futureartists.co.uk and we can send you info.

November 2015

What else will we be able to do to stay toasty? We are in talks with some famous former Olympic champions to come on down and teach you how to do some pro skating tricks, so that should keep you toasty! All our restaurants on the square have nice cosy warm heaters so if it gets too cold, head into, say, Home Sweet Home for an amazing hot chocolate. THE

Were any penguins harmed in the making of the ‘penguin dodgems’? These are one of my favourite things – our penguin dodgems are hopefully going to become the thing of Manchester folklore. Avoiding the question there...! We’ve talked a lot about the square – what will you be going to make the inside of the Warehouse as festive as outside? Well, we have B.EAT STREET holding about ten Christmas parties in their space, so that will be busy, and with Spectre and Star Wars coming out, alongside the final part of The Hunger Games, the AMC will be busy. We have decided to give the inside a bit of an action theme this Christmas, so expect street art and some interesting interpretations of Christmas. You might see John McClane running by with vest and no socks!

TETLEY THE

WINTER WINTER WAGON WAGON THE

THE TETLEY TETLEY ATATTHE

And finally: tell us what the New Year has in store for the Great Northern and Future Artists. In short, each month will have a major event that is on an international level, from local events such as the Manchester 10k to Manchester Day Parade (which we sponsor each year), to the Manchester International Film Festival, which will see its second year with us. We will be hosting an international street art festival, a summer fair and a few secret surprises. Manchester on Ice opens on 6 Nov. To book tickets go to manchesteronice.com thegreatnorthern.com | @gnwarehouse

EXPERIENCE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THIS CHRISTMAS NEW FESTIVE DISHES, SEASONAL ART WORKSHOPS & EVENTS The Tetley, Hunslet Road, Leeds, LS10 1JQ / www.thetetley.org

Gift Guide: Experiences Objects are so 2014. It’s all about the journey, man! With that in mind, we’ve put together a selection of experiential gift ideas, from foraging for mushrooms to, uh, scrambling up an ice wall, for the adventurous loved one in your life Words: Rue d’Olfe Illustration: Nick Booton (Bruï Studio)

For the Booze Hound What better way to give the gift of expensive wine without actually having to buy it than to send your favourite oenologist on a tasting course? And what better way to enjoy the taste of expensive wine without actually having to buy it than to join them as their companion? Manchester Wine School (manchesterwineschool.com) offers a wide range of experiences, from single evening tastings (£25) up to eightmonth courses (£95), plus courses accredited by the Wine & Spirit Education Trust, so you can genuinely get pickled in the name of learning. (Keep an eye on Hanging Ditch and Salut Wines for tastings/workshops, too – the latter has reinvigorated quaffing in Manchester with its alcoholic vending machines. You read that correctly.) For mixology, book your loved ones in for a cocktail masterclass at Santa Chupitos (santachupitos.com) – this well-loved Liverpool den mixes seasonal specials with a solid set of standards, and their experts will show you how they’re made (and let you drink ’em) pretty much any night of the week. For the Wild at Heart If your foodie friend is more likely to get their trotters in the trough than sniff for sulfites, a foraging course could be right up their, er, valley. Discover the Wild (discoverthewild.co.uk) is a Greater Manchester-based natural history company led by ‘The Mad Forager’ David Winnard, who leads forages looking for mushrooms, seasonal hedgerow delicacies including spring greens and berries, and even edible flowers. Handily, Discover the Wild offers gift vouchers for any one-day foraging course (£35), so your pal can choose their preferred bounty. Also offering gift vouchers is Eden Wild Food (edenwildfood.co.uk), led by Matthew Normansell, who offers public and private courses covering areas including the Wirral, Greater Manchester and North Wales (a 3-4 hour ‘half day’ course starts at £20). Further afield, Taste the Wild runs woodland and coastal foraging courses in North Yorkshire (prices start at £75; tastethewild.co.uk). For the Actually Wild Those who feel that, in general, life doesn’t bring them close enough to a shark would surely be grateful for the gift of shark proximity. You can be the one to bestow this upon them by purchasing a voucher for a shark dive experience at Cheshire’s Blue Planet Aquarium, which offers packages for both beginners and qualified divers (£95 and up, blueplanetaquarium.com).

Lifestyle

If it’s more of a casual stroll along the seabed that you’re after, you can do just that at the SeaLife Centre in Manchester, which opened its new SeaTREK attraction, Europe’s first sea bed walk, this year. Simply pop on what looks like an underwater spacesuit and spend ten magical minutes in the company of a giant green sea turtle called Ernie. Lovely. (£60, visitsealife.com/manchester/seatrek) Options for the non-aquatically inclined include Chester Zoo’s experience days (from £59), which range from fruit bat to meerkat encounters as well as the mixed blessing of ‘Zookeeper for a Day’, where you can balance the excitement of making friends with rhinoceros with mucking out rhino-sized poop. One for that sadistic third cousin. (chesterzoo.org) For the Art Grad It can be difficult to buy for an art lover: judging taste is a tricky thing; there are only so many unopened boxes of oil pastels one needs and, well, that Koons is a little on the pricey side. Thankfully, a gift membership to Tate Liverpool gets them free, unlimited entry to all Tate exhibitions (in London too), a subscription to Tate magazine, exclusive talks and more, all bundled in a snazzy box designed by Turner Prize winner Martin Creed (£75, tate. org.uk/join-support/tate-member-patron). Tate Liverpool exhibitions for 2016 include Francis Bacon, Maria Lassnig and Yves Klein. If possession of the elixir of knowledge isn’t enough for more materialistically minded mates, then those of you with £300 at the bottom of your stocking can book a lucky so-and-so (or group) in to get their photo taken by Martin Parr at The Hepworth Wakefield. For one day only (20 Feb), the renowned photographer will be on site shooting portraits in front of a rhubarb-inspired backdrop. (“Rhubarb...?” It ties into a recent commission, for which Parr took portraits of Rhubarb Triangle farmers.) Pets and props are welcome. (hepworthwakefield.org) For the Brainiac Finicky film buff for a friend? Snooty cineaste for a suitor? Manchester’s HOME to the rescue: the arts complex continues Cornerhouse’s legacy of educational offerings with courses exploring auteurs and oeuvres. Coming up: Examining Pier Paolo Pasolini (eight weeks, starts 12 Jan, £80/£60). Beats a third copy of 22 Jump Street on DVD anyway. (Or does it?) Not confident enough to commit your companion to two months of Italian genius? You could always just get them gift vouchers to the tune of a HOME membership: £25 for the year

gets your movie addict two free cinema tickets, discounts on further ones and priority booking for the theatre. (homemcr.org) If your pal’d prefer to get behind rather than in front of the screen, then Scriptwriting North’s introduction to writing for TV and film, held at FACT Liverpool on 6 Feb (£65), aims to help participants develop characters and get a grip on structure – perfect for that literary layabout who’s been threatening to write the next Queer as Folk since you graduated, if only someone’d give ’em a kick up the proverbial. (scriptwritingnorth.co.uk) For the Lazy Enforced exercise masquerading as a seasonal gift: it’s what Christmas is made for! Salford’s Helly Hansen Watersports Centre (salfordcommunityleisure.co.uk/watersports-centre) offers gift vouchers for any splashy activity, from

GIFT GUIDES

powerboating to windsurfing to stand up paddleboating – which probably isn’t as relaxing as it sounds – and there are top quality watersports centres in Liverpool and Leeds too. Perhaps you have a friend for whom the prospect of hauling themselves up a towering edifice of ice would appeal? Look no further than Vertical Chill ice climbing, offering sessions suitable for beginners as well as seasoned winter climbers (vertical-chill.com). On that note, Manchester’s Chill Factore is known for boasting the UK’s longest indoor snow slope, and you can send your loved one hurtling down it from around £30 and up (chillfactore.com). And if that all sounds like too much effort, simply hole up in a pitch black sensory deprivation flotation tank to reflect on the meaning of existence, and whether or not you can still feel your elbows (from £35, floatlevel.co.uk).

THE SKINNY

The Alternative Foodie Gift Guide Imagine the food-obsessed person in your life. Now picture them on Christmas day – the third Toblerone; a novelty apron; an elaborate nut-cracking set. Look at their face. It doesn’t have to be this way. The Skinny’s Alternative Foodie Gift Guide is here

Really, Really, Ridiculously Good Gifts Chocolate equals life, we all know this. But look beyond the Cadbury’s selection box and there’s a whole world out there. Take Mast Brothers, for example: award-winning Brooklyn chocolatiers who put innovation, craftsmanship and an eye for design at the centre of their offering. Not only do their bars taste amazing, with flavours such as Black Truffle, Goat Milk and Almond, but they look incredible too. Each bar comes in a unique, wallpaper-like wrapper, inspired by everything from The Memphis Group to geology. £7, mastbrothers.co.uk Have you ever settled down to watch your favourite film and felt that a can of Tango wasn’t quite the right match? Enter Cocktails of the Movies by Will Francis; a look into the elaborate world of mixology in film. Featuring clever illustrations from Stacey Marsh, it covers the recipes and back stories behind beverages featured in 64 iconic films, including The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Big Lebowski and A Clockwork Orange. The Moloko Plus is a highlight, minus the added opiates of course. A must for cocktail and film buffs alike. £14.99, Amazon.co.uk For those who like to get their kicks via more wholesome pursuits, there’s always TWIG Teas. This cold-brew tea brand was inspired by a trip to a Japanese teahouse, where leaves are steeped in cold water rather than hot in order to produce a smoother, sweeter brew. The Keemun Brew is the brand’s most popular, and is known for its malty, nutty flavour. Every bottle is handmade in East London and they look pretty neat on your kitchen counter, too. £12 for 4, tastemakr.co

November 2015

Words: Peter Simpson and Lauren Phillips Illustration: Andy Carter

Bizarre-but-fun Gifts Sometimes a practical gift just won’t cut it, and while some men just want to watch the world burn, others will settle for the world being confused at its Christmas presents. For those people, we recommend the Dream Griddle’s combination alarm clock and hot plate. Well, recommend may be too strong a word, for the Dream Griddle isn’t a real item. It’s one of a range of prank gift boxes, designed to emulate bizarre gifts while also offering a handy receptacle in which to place a real gift. Let’s turn to the Amazon reviews for a second: “Completely fooled my aunt into thinking she had gotten a combination clock/griddle; needless to say, she was a bit disappointed…” Imagine that – come Christmas morning that could be you, disappointing your loved ones. Well, more so than usual. £10, Amazon.co.uk Next, Firebox’s Molecular Gastronomy Kit, the food equivalent of a video game cheat code that sends you straight to the final boss. A set of equipment designed to aid in experimenting with a host of super-modern techniques, it essentially boils down to a series of pipettes, spoons and sachets, an instructional DVD and a firm handshake for good luck (handshake provided separately). Can your siblings bring the world of scientific fine dining into your kitchen on Boxing Day? Probably not, but we may as well watch them try. £49, firebox.co.uk Or why not try the Bar-ista, a device to clamp a coffee cup to your bicycle. A hot cup of coffee attached to the front of a moving bike – the only way this could go wrong is if the cyclist

had to stop suddenly, or go uphill, or downhill, or over a bump. Sounds fine to us. It’s a great gift for that friend who likes to take slow rides on completely flat roads with no traffic, rather than headcase commuter cyclists who think they’re in the Thunderdome; after all, second-degree burns are for life, not just for Christmas. $20, ridepdw.com

“While some men just want to watch the world burn, others will settle for the world being confused at its Christmas presents” ‘Are You Local?’ Gifts While we can thank the internet for a lot of things (cats, GIFs of Drake dancing, etc.), there’s something about online shopping that can feel a bit soulless, a bit empty. Shopping IRL can reap

GIFT GUIDES

many a gift you won’t find anywhere else, so it pays to keep things local. Craft beer fans can head to Manchester brewery Cloudwater Brew Co for ‘Saturdays at Cloudwater’ – a tour and tasting at its Piccadilly HQ. Though tucked away under the railway arches, this boutique operation sells its wares in some of the Northwest’s best craft beer venues including Manchester’s Port Street Beer House, and Tall Boys in Leeds, so your foodie pal is probably already a fan. It’s free, but it’s the thought that counts. cloudwaterbrew.co/events Shelfie lovers everywhere could do worse than Joseph Hartley’s wonderfully minimal ceramics this Christmas. Clean, simple, but always practical, this Manchester maker’s goods are the ideal choice for design fans. His latest collection, ‘The Makery’, is designed to complement making and eating bread at home, and, like a good sourdough, is created using only three ingredients: wood, clay and cloth. Available at various stockists including Trove, Manchester, and Bluecoat Display Centre, Liverpool. Now, what’s better than cake? That’s right, MULTIPLE CAKES. Why not give the gift that keeps on giving, with a regular delivery of your loved one’s favourite local pastry? Liverpool legends Baltic Bakehouse offer a bespoke order and pick-up service, while over in Manchester, NQ favourites Common will deliver their nowcult doughnut boxes direct to your desk or office. Hello obesity! balticbakehouse.co.uk; aplacecalledcommon.co.uk theskinny.co.uk/food

Lifestyle

Food News It’s time to start building that winter weight, snack fans. Here are our November food and drink picks to get you well on your way Words: Lauren Phillips

Eighth Day

Unicorn

The Rise of Veganism We need to talk about vegans. The hemp-wearing, dreadlocked cliches of yore? Forget them. There’s a new band of bright young things changing the face of a divisive movement, and what it means to be vegan in 2015

ow does something long-associated with activism, eccentrics and the occasional eye roll make its way into mainstream diets? It starts, like a lot of things these days, with kale. More specifically, the KALE sweatshirt alumni clogging Instagram feeds with all things #wellness. For many, this is a welcome shift from The Dirty Food Parade – invading eateries everywhere from Shoreditch to Southport – and offers a healthier option for those en route to self-improvement. What began with an aversion to gluten has morphed into an aversion to sugar, then meat, and finally dairy, until voila: we’re in full vegan territory. International cuisine has played a major role, too. The influx of Nordic and Korean food – both heavy on vegetables and vegan mainstay tofu – and the influence of chefs like Ottolenghi have resulted in a more engaged, captive audience, ready to open their hearts (and mouths) to a different way of eating. Then there’re the entrepreneurial types. Frustrated with the lack of vegan options on offer, brands and startups are dreaming up some of the most innovative foodstuffs since Micro Chips. Cheese, ice cream, and even pulled pork are no longer reserved for the chosen few and are available at the click of a mouse. Where the magic’s really happening, though, is here in the Northwest. Unsurprising really, given its major vegetarian and vegan credentials. The Vegetarian Society was founded here in 1847, and Donald Watson, the man behind the Vegan Society, spent most of his life in Cumbria.

November 2015

Local institutions like Eighth Day Café, Unicorn and Earth have been serving vegan mouths for decades, but it’s the slew of newer spots that reflects just how quickly the movement is on the rise.

“The influx of Nordic and Korean food and the influence of chefs like Ottolenghi have resulted in an audience ready to embrace a different way of eating” Cowherds Cafe, the health-food wagon on Salford’s Greengate Square, is a welcome addition to the street-food scene, while Bistro 1847 proves that veganism and fine dining can easily

ase in gently with a celebration of the Northwest’s independent coffee scene at Cup North – a two-day party that brings together professionals, roasters, baristas and fans of all things bean. Expect a bevy of speakers, workshops, tastings and more, plus plenty of food to curb those caffeine shakes. Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 7-8 Nov, from £10 (tickets via Eventbrite), cupnorth.co.uk Coffee’s the order of the day over in Liverpool too, with the launch of new cafe and bakery Furrow. As well as its own special brews, there’s artisan bread from local champions Baltic Bakehouse sitting perfectly alongside a nifty little breakfast and lunch menu. Allerton Road, Liverpool, furrowcafe.co.uk Fresh off an MFDF15 win for Best Street Food, Latin American eatery Yakumama is hosting another highly anticipated supper club this month. It’ll be transforming its spot in Spinningfields’ The Kitchens into a cosy little den for a four-course banquet of its flavoursome bites and South American beers. The menu is TBC, and will be announced a week before the event, but c’mon, you know it’ll be good. The Kitchens, Manchester, 18 Nov, 7pm, £27.50 (tickets via Eventbrite), @yakumamamcr

Words: Lauren Phillips

go hand-in-hand. Keen to show that modern vegan food isn’t all about clean living, places like Manchester’s V Revolution and Liverpool’s The Old Hardware Shop offer up veganised versions of junk-food favourites; from fake bacon to dairy-free milkshakes. You only need to glance at the lineup of this year’s Giant Northern Vegan Festival to see the scale and variety of vegan food today. It’s not just these specialty joints taking veganism to new heights. Some of the region’s most popular eateries have seen the light, too. The likes of Common, Trove and Soup Kitchen in Manchester, Il Forno in Liverpool and Bundobust in Leeds are all local favourites offering up vegan options like it’s no big deal. Creating delicious food that’s accessible to all is something food blogger Ava SzajnaHopgood, aka Guacandroll (shakeguacandroll. com), has been championing too. Her ’zine, Cooking Vegan for People Who Don’t (stocked in Soup Kitchen and compiled with creative collective Generic Greeting), was designed to convince non-converts just how damn easy and tasty a vegan diet can be. The writer also decided to launch Good + Full, the supper club she set up with fellow vegan Jenny Oakenfold, in Manchester rather than her native London. “People in Manchester are so much more receptive to vegan food,” she says. “In London, it’s very much a part of an elite lifestyle, reserved for the wellness crowd.” A food movement that started here instead of London or New York? I’d say that’s something well worth celebrating.

FOOD AND DRINK

Furrow Cafe

Eliminate food waste while listening to The Smiths? Sounds like a party to us. The team behind campaign group Disco Soup are inviting people along to (where else?) Salford Lads’ Club to peel and chop their way through Halloween’s leftover pumpkins and magic them into a hearty, wintertime soup. Drop in whenever you like, and don’t forget to bring a mug. 7 Nov, 12-4pm, free, @realjunkfoodmcr For those staving off obesity until the festive season, there’s always The Art of the Pizza Box – the latest installation at pizzeria-cumgallery PLY. New York-based creatives Scott Wiener and Steph Mantis will showcase 80 pizza boxes from an impressive 1000+ collection, each sourced from across the globe and featuring its own unique artwork. Head along for drinks and a chance to create the pizza box of your dreams. PLY, Manchester, until 20 Dec, free, @PLYMcr Though scheduled for a mid-October launch party, Manchester newcomer The Pilcrow Pub had to delay festivities due to a neighbourhood fire. Not to be deterred, the team behind this truly unique project – built from scratch using a mix of traditional craft and modern design – aims to welcome people back on site for beer, pizza and general revelry at some point soon. Keep an eye on @ThePilcrowPub for updates.

Lifestyle

Mowgli, Liverpool

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This Indian street-food spot is new to Manchester, so it's only right that we check out how the Liverpool original measures up

Common

Abel's Dining Room

Abel’s Dining Room, Manchester

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Fed up of dirty burgers? A spruced up addition to the Northern Quarter offers a relaxed alternative Since its opening in December 2014, the Abel Heywood Pub has garnered a quiet appreciation among NQ dwellers. An impressive bar menu, a more-than-fine selection of craft beers and niche quiz nights (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, anyone?) has ensured a steady flow of feet, but it’s the latest venture that has this writer’s attention. Abel’s Dining Room aims to take the venue’s food offering literally to the next level. One floor up, and headed by Abode alumnus Jamie Dargie, the new concept is a celebration of modern British fare. In a Manchester food scene that’s thriving, but dominated by the Dirty Food crowd and polished fine-dining, Abel’s is a welcome addition that sits somewhere nicely in the middle. Think the relaxed vibe of your local with the added bonus of clever, thought-out food that you eat with an actual knife and fork. Not to simplify what’s on offer here; the menu boasts an impressive variety of local ingredients, cooked in ways you don’t often see in these parts. They make things easier for you by offering choices from a fixed menu – four starters, six mains (including two fish and a veggie option), and four desserts. On this particular night, we’re given the chance to sample a bit of everything (#blessed), and steel ourselves for the inevitable loosening of top buttons. Pan-seared scallops arrive alongside homemade bacon frazzles – a match made in umami heaven, though a little on the cold side. Traditionalists will enjoy the Jerusalem artichoke soup, with its perfect consistency and charming little pesto crostini, but it’s the braised pig cheeks that shine here; juicy, rich and melt-inthe-mouth delicious. Babe beware, this chef knows his pork. Onward, then, to mains. My companion has been eyeing up the bone-in pork loin from the

Lifestyle

Mowgli opened on Bold Street late last year and has become a firm favourite with locals, picking up some rave reviews along the way. It doesn’t take bookings, so heading out on a cold Thursday evening without a table secured is enough to give me a mild panic attack. The restaurant is reassuringly busy and the friendly waiter who greets us takes our names, and informs us the wait will be around half an hour and that the bar area is full. No big deal; we nip around the corner to Bier while we wait, and have a couple of beers there. Suitably buzzed, we head back over and take a seat at the bar while we wait for a table to open up. The bar menu offers a range of beers and tempting cocktails. My partner opts for a bottle of Schiehallion craft lager and I decide to try one of the cocktails – a lychee rose martini, made with vodka, fresh lychee and lemon juice shaken with rose petals. It looks almost too good to drink, but I’m glad I resist the urge to stare at it all night because it’s one of the best cocktails I’ve had in a long time. The delicate flavours of lychee and rose are followed by a warming vodka hit. It’s so good I have to order another two just to check it the first wasn’t a fluke. Once we’re seated at the table, our waiter asks if we’ve eaten here before. We tell him we haven’t and he talks us through the format: three or four plates for each person dining, and the food comes out as soon as it’s ready. The menu is almost too good-looking, making it hard to choose just three dishes. After much umming and ahhing, I opt for the Himalayan cheese on toast, tea-steeped chickpeas, the

temple dahl and some puri. My partner chooses the Bombay chip butty, Mowgli sticky wings and the bunny chow. The food arrives quickly and smells amazing. The best thing about street food is as soon as your food arrives, you can tuck in – none of that polite waiting around. The star dish is the Himalayan cheese on toast: tangy cheddar, melted with coriander and a lovely, spicy red onion and green chilli pickle. Cheese on toast in an Indian restaurant is a strange concept, but once you look past that and see the melted, cheesy gorgeousness, you’ll be fine. The chickpeas and dahl are thoroughly enjoyable when soaked up with a soft, warm puri. The chickpeas could be a little spicier, but are fine for my weak, British taste buds. My spice-loving partner is slightly disappointed with the lack of heat from his bunny chow too, but is pleasantly surprised by the amount of tender lamb within. The Bombay chip butty is his first choice, and it’s easy to see why, as it’s a real flavour-packed mouthful: a roti wrap, filled with fenugreek, turmeric fries, more of that delicious chilli pickle, coriander, and tomato relish. The sticky, messy wings are another big hit, absolutely soaked in a mouth-watering Manchurian slick made with spiced molasses, dark rum, cumin, garam masala, popped mustard seeds and sesame. (The finger bowl is gratefully received.) So, does Mowgli Liverpool measure up to its Manchester counterpart? Yes, it absolutely does; quick, delicious food, amazing cocktails and friendly staff. [Claire Reid] If you liked Mowgli, try: Chaat Cart at The Kitchens, Manchester Petra, Manchester Maharaja, Liverpool Mowgli, 69 Bold St, Liverpool, L1 4EZ @mowglistfood

offset, and is pleasantly surprised with the apple brandy purée and a baby toffee apple that come with. The roasted chicken will no doubt be a crowd-pleaser, served with smoked bacon, nicely caramelised shallots and a slurry of red wine, but let’s take a moment to remember the braised short-rib of beef. Marinated in beef liquor and cooked with the same magical touch as those pig cheeks, they disappear in no time at all. A special shout out to my girl, the confit of salmon, who definitely held her own among the carnivore heavyweights thanks to a hot tartare sauce and buttery braised potatoes. The jeans are tightening at this point, but dessert is the best part of any meal (these hips don’t lie), and we soldier on to the next course with a bravery that is frankly admirable. ‘The Manchester Plate’ is a miniature tribute to the city’s food dynasty, with a Vimto pavlova, Manchester tart and Eccles cake that bring massive smiles to our faces. They’re all easily swallowed in one mouthful (by this mouth, anyway) so are a great option if you can’t face anything too heavy. A spiced apple crumble with a disappointing granola topping might upset some, but fear not, butter lovers: the iced peanut butter parfait is here for you. And for those not big on desserts, the three of you can enjoy a local cheese board, complete with jellied quince and water biscuits. It’s not often you can eat out for less than £50 these days, but that’s the beauty of a fixed menu – two courses for £18.95 or three for £22.95 and you’re winning. The focus here, like all good eateries, is on seasonal produce, so you can expect a regular rotation of dishes, all alongside a cask ale and your victory prize for outstanding Buffy knowledge. [Lauren Phillips] If you liked Abel’s Dining Room, try: Mr Thomas’s Chop House, Manchester The Monro, Liverpool Hawksmoor, Manchester Abel’s Dining Room, 38 Turner St, Manchester, M4 1DZ @abelheywoodnq

Mowgli

FOOD AND DRINK

THE SKINNY

OPENING EARLY 2016 ADVERTISING FEATURE

Here for Beer Combining lengthy ale and wine lists with a tantalising food menu, No1 Watson Street is a beer house with a difference. We meet the new kid on the block

You’re setting up shop on the Great Northern square. What was it that attracted you to the area? It’s an area that is becoming incredibly popular in Manchester. I looked at what Taps was and envisaged what could be, and the location was one of the best elements. So we decided to keep the location, and with more and more venues opening this side of the Northern Quarter, it seems as though we got in at the right time! You also head up champagne bar Épernay. What makes No1 Watson Street different? Épernay is well known for focusing on champagnes, wines and cocktails. The basic premise of No1 is that it’s beer led, but with a great wine and cocktail list and really great food. We have taken the underlying ethos of premium quality products and excellent customer service, and we have implemented that. Each brand has its own identity and atmosphere that matches the

November 2015

The beer and wine lists are really extensive. What makes the lists so special? What can people expect from them? We want to have as large a range of beers as possible, to welcome as many different palates as possible. With the sheer quantity of beers out there, it can be difficult to know which one is best suited to each individual. We’re home to over 60 varieties of beers, ales and ciders and so, with that, it’s our aim to talk to people and find what their preferences are and introduce them to their perfect pint. We’ve used the knowledge of Épernay’s own in-house sommelier to create a focused but innovative wine list that complements the beer and food. Pizza is a major part of your food menu. Do you take a traditional approach or mix things up? Pizzas are a simple idea, which, when combined with a high-quality chef, can be turned into something innovative, different and memorable. The pizza which ticks all those boxes so far has to be the chicken waffle with maple syrup. Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. The spicy avocado option is also going down a treat. One guy also said he has eaten the best meatball sub of his life here, and another guy said the same about the prawns, so that’s a promising start! And finally: can you sum up No1 Watson Street in three words? Comfortable, exciting, delicious. No1 Watson Street, Great Northern square, Manchester M3 4EE @onewatsonst onewatsonstreet.co.uk

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The Skinny: Tell us about the idea behind No1 Watson Street – what inspired you to open it? Chris Payne: I wanted to produce a comfortable, welcoming environment which had great products, primarily focused on beer. I also really enjoy a nice beer, and was looking for somewhere different in Manchester where I could enjoy all the different varieties in a home-from-home environment.

products and style we want to create, but both have their foundations in quality customer service and exciting products.

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ot content with changing how Mancunians drink champagne, the team behind glamorous bar Épernay have another project on the horizon. No1 Watson Street is the newest member of the foodie clan around the Great Northern square, and will sit in the spot once occupied by Taps. It promises to bring craft beers, tasty plates and a relaxed vibe to Manchester’s fastest growing neighbourhood. We spoke to owner Chris Payne about the new venture, and what punters can expect.

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CAN’T WAIT? VISIT OUR CURRENT LOCATION, OPEN 12 - 6 WEDS - MON 88 OLDHAM STREET, M4 1LF

Xinyue Zhang

Feature

FASHION

THE SKINNY

Top - Yifei Liu, Trousers - Xinyue Zhang

Top and Skirt - Xinyue Zhang, Boots - Zara

Shoot Credits

Photographer & Styling: Bethany Grace Make Up & Hair Styling: Molly Sheridan Model: Paighton @ Model Team

Top - Yifei Liu,Trousers and wool wrap - Xinyue Zhang

November 2015

FASHION

Lifestyle

Jordan Alex Smith “N

ot so much meat on the bones. An interview with my thoughts if my thoughts were wearing clear-frame glasses. The Swedish artist ‘Tobias Karlsson’ said to me once, ‘What has been, what will be, what could be.’ I like the idea of what could happen and where it could go. Studio in my pocket, scraps of paper and bus ticket scribblings behind glass. An intervention. Undermining and re-re-tweeting #Culture. This could be the artwork. What happens if it’s then reprinted thousands of times Walter? This one is the original right here. Cut and paste. Now? I just did a show as part of ‘Deptford X’ in South London. It consisted of some nice framed drawings as well as site-specific drawings on cardboard and various other found materials. Titled ‘Ideaology’, the show was about contemporary culture and what it means to be a post-artschool human being with minimal funds.”

jordansmith.co.uk @JordyMyth Post Painter

Post Manifesto

SHOWCASE

Black Square

THE SKINNY

Devoted

Minimalis

Un_Titled

November 2015

SHOWCASE

Gay Malaise As a young gay man, the prospect of approaching other men is often more than just nerve-racking – it’s dangerous. Deviance investigates… Words: Toby Sharpe Illustration: Elena Boils

ou’re a gay man. Life’s not been great, necessarily, but you can get married now (though not in Northern Ireland), and society seems to believe that everything is now utterly peachy – equality has been won. In reality, the rainbow of your gay life is now so vast and overwhelming it just looks grey. Even the simplest of situations are fraught with tension. Take walking down the street. If you look at a guy, perhaps your eyes will meet: maybe you’ll fall in love, move to a semi-detached in Fulham, have a brood of beautiful and academically successful children. Or, if you’re unlucky, perhaps he’ll punch you because he’s uncomfortable that you’re gay and appeared to be checking him out. Depressingly, that man may very well head further down the street and whistle at a passing woman. He will not notice the irony. In an art gallery this summer, I gazed mournfully at a man, only to write about him in my journal about him rather than asking him out. My friends later asked why on earth I hadn’t asked for his number. Truth is, I could handle the indignity and the humiliation of being rejected (or being told he was flattered but heterosexual) – but honestly, I feared getting a big old slap. A broken nose wouldn’t look good on me. It may sound hyperbolic, but rates of homophobic hate crime aren’t dwindling (in fact, they rapidly bloomed from 2013 to 2014 according to The Guardian and Stonewall’s report). It is not often safe to be perceived as gay, particularly the further one edges away from metropolitan hubs, but even the cities aren’t safe. Recently, there have been high-profile hate crimes on the streets of major cities across the UK; take, for example the murder of Ian Baynham in Trafalgar Square, just minutes from SoHo and the most supposedly queer-friendly spaces in the country.

Margaret Atwood once said that men fear that women will laugh at them, whereas women fear men will kill them. A tired adage that floats around the internet is that the true definition of homophobia is that men fear they will be treated by other men as they treat women. As a skinny gay guy wandering the streets, both phrases ring true. As one passes packs of men on a night out, one observes the socially accepted norm – that the patriarchy grants men free rein to leer, ogle and catcall women as much as they wish. But for a man to look at a man is charged in a different way – the voyeur risks becoming a victim. I’ve been sneered at, yelled at, charged at, and those are only the examples where the bark has been worse than the bite.

“Perhaps you’ll fall in love. Or, maybe he’ll punch you” What’s a boy to do? Acting like the worst of the lads is not an option. At best, it’s aggressive, and at worst it plunges you into danger. Straight men are at liberty to act chivalrously or with gracious vulnerability when approaching women, whereas gay men are unable to emulate that behaviour. A nervous gay man hitting on a straight guy is still too fraught with risk, and perhaps only indicates further one’s precarious position. With few options at hand for gay men seeking lovers, we risk melting into the background, becoming a silent minority in a heteronormative world. I do not in any way think that this gay issue rivals the violence and micro-aggressions that

women face every day. I am concerned, though, that as gay rights superficially advance and provision is made for gay men to have active sex lives and avenues of expression, some basic equalities are denied. Equalities like the freedom to walk round without staring at the ground whenever another man passes by. Which brings us back to the topic at hand

– gaze. Particularly as homophobic crime is disproportionately targeted against the young, it is imperative that young people coming to terms with their sexuality are shown that it is permissible to look around them. Not just to see if there’s someone giving them a saucy wink, but in order to gauge whether danger’s headed their way.

And Now for Something Completely Deviant… Crikey Moses – we’re considering renaming Deviance! But we’re not doing it without you...

ast month, The Skinny turned ten. We threw a sparkly shindig with a Skinny cake and a gulf of gin, all in celebration of the papery delights we’ve been placing under your loyal eyeballs over the last few years. But that’s not where it ended. Our section editors also got glittery-eyed as they reminisced over the histories of their respective sections. From Music to Books, Theatre to Film, there are many yarns to be spun for each... But none more than the luscious, pink-fonted arena of debate that is Deviance. I got in touch with the very first Deviance editor – Nine – and we had a chinwag about the section. To catch you up, let’s just say it hasn’t always been smooth sailing – especially when it came to what the hell we should be calling this section. During the interview (which you can read in full online at theskinny.co.uk), it transpired that Nine was still unkeen on ‘Deviance’. That, among countless other things, left us all wondering whether it is, indeed, time for change.

Lifestyle

Yep. We’re proposing that we rename Deviance. But, wait – don’t lose your shit just yet! Yes, change is ruddy uncomfortable at the best of times. Also, the task of finding a name for this section that is accurate, appropriate, striking and nonoffensive is a harder balance to strike than cracking a Mary Berry Florentine recipe. But we’re not doing this without you, our readers. You refuse to let shitty things happen, or, if they’ve already happened, you refuse to let them continue. We trust you. So pick well. Option 1: Intersections Conceptually, intersectionality means acknowledging that, in short, it’s difficult to be a woman in a patriarchal world, but it’s even harder to be a woman of colour, or a less able woman, or a trans woman, or a woman with a low income (the list continues). Deviance is committed to that ideology; but the section’s intentions extend beyond that. Nine puts it pretty well: “Gender and

Words: Kate Pasola

sexuality aren’t just issues for those from the margins... One of the main goals should be to amplify marginalised voices. But at the same time, people whose identities carry more privilege are also affected by gender and sexuality issues that aren’t talked about enough... It’s good to have a space where all of that can potentially be tackled.” It also refers nicely to the intersections at which people stand when making the sorts of life decisions we discuss in ‘Deviance.’

Option 3: Deviance Deciding to keep the name ‘Deviance’ is as much of a statement as changing it, hence it is one of our four options. It was originally chosen in order to reclaim a term used often used as a weapon against those who don’t conform. Out of context, it perhaps comes across as a little offensive or reductive – but it’s also name held close to the hearts to a number of Skinny writers and readers.

Option 2: FLESH A bit of a wildcard, perhaps. It’s in capitals because it’s an acronym for a bunch of the things we regularly cover in Deviance – Feminism; Love and LGBTQIA* issues; Equality; Sexuality and Spectrums; Human rights. Deviance is dedicated to the things that affect human beings, universally and individually – and flesh is the human common denominator. It’s got a good ring out-loud too: “The FLESH section”.

Option 4: I’ve Got a Better Idea, and It’s “_______” Don’t fancy any of the above? Come on then, hit us up with your best idea, and maybe you’ll wind up being responsible for our brand new name. Wouldn’t that be exciting?

DEVIANCE

Head to the website to have your say: tinyurl.com/deviance-survey

THE SKINNY

RE V IE CHVRCHES

Photo: Ann-Margaret Campbell

Photo: Nuria Riu

Ibeyi

Gig Highlights Remember remember, er, all of November, because it’s full of musical dynamite, from Jenny Hval to Ex Hex and the return of MONEY

ur month begins with a pair of familiar faces as no other than two of this year’s Skinny cover stars go head-to-head on the very same night in Manchester! Has our lavish and fawning praise of Norwegian multimedia artist Jenny Hval (on our June cover) and French-Cuban pop duo Ibeyi (February) led to exposure, fame and wild riches? Well, both acts have jumped up a venue size since earlier in the year at least, with Hval bringing her dramatic stage show to Soup Kitchen, and Ibeyi’s intertwining vocal harmonies filling Gorilla, both on 8 Nov. Needless to say, we recommend cloning yourself to attend. (They both play Leeds Brudenell Social Club on 7 Nov, too.) This month is also about returning local heroes. Step forward Mr Dan Croll, who plays his first show in his adopted hometown of Liverpool in 18 months as he prepares to unveil the followup to 2014’s debut LP Sweet Disarray. Croll is playing the Buyers Club on 12 Nov, a new venue which, though in its early stages, already looks like being a future hotspot for a Liverpool live scene in need of a boost, what with the impending closure of The Kazimier. Weep with us. (Croll is also at The Deaf Institute on 9 Nov.) In Manchester, MONEY play their first show in their adopted hometown since October last

Words: William Gunn

year, as they preview material from their upcoming second album, Suicide Songs. They’ll be doing so at their pals Sways Records’ new place, The White Hotel (11 Nov). The more generous among MONEY’s followers describe frontman Jamie Lee as a poet, and he’s in good company this month as a host of literary lads descend on the region. Top billing probably goes to John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats (Gorilla, 15 Nov; also at Leeds Brudenell Social Club on 12 Nov), a songwriter who’s a master of finely observed, slightly surreal vignettes that blur realities. There’s plenty more from Darnielle on page 19, so let’s instead turn our attentions closer to home – and to the Wirral’s Bill Ryder-Jones, playing in support of new record West Kirby County Primary. The former Coral man is in love with the written word, having previously recorded an album in homage to Italo Calvino’s playful novella If on a winter’s night a traveller, and his latest finds him on suitably tale-telling form. His home show at District (14 Nov) is likely to be packed (he also plays Manchester’s Gullivers on 13 Nov). Elsewhere, former Beat Happening man Calvin Johnson drops in for a show at the

seldom-used Nexus Art Cafe (21 Nov), with a new retrospective from his previous project due out, while Americana-influenced local chap Jo Rose – who won our hearts with his debut LP Spurs last year – debuts a full band at Gullivers (15 Nov). If you’re after something with a bit more ‘oof ’ about it, mind, you’ll probably want to direct yourself to Ex Hex. The trio mix a familiar DC hardcore urgency with some suitably bubblegumflavoured chorus fare – to Headrow House in Leeds (7 Nov) and the Ruby Lounge in Manchester (8 Nov) for them. There’s also all sorts of unholy guitar-based punishment going down at Islington Mill in Salford on 20 Nov, as you’re provided not only with proggy stalwarts Teeth of the Sea, but also their Rocket Recordings brethren Hey Colossus, who’ve released two albums that could both feasibly wind up somewhere high in album of the year territory. Horns up, etc. etc. At the poppier end of the spectrum on the same night, there’s the continuing tearaway success of Scottish trio CHVRCHES to contend with at Albert Hall, the group building on the glimmering synth foundations of debut album The Bones of What You Believe with the even bolder Every Open Eye. Good luck trying to get a return for 20 Nov, but they also play the night

before. You feel it’ll only be a matter of time before Ady Suleiman joins them at that level, the velvet-voiced songwriter quickly rising through the ranks with the backing of enormolabel Sony. You can check on the soul enthusiast’s progress at Liverpool’s Magnet (11 Nov; also at Soup Kitchen, 17 Nov). If you’re still hankering for some slow jams after that, then get yourself to Manchester Academy 2 (25 Nov) where Odd Future members, the silky smooth The Internet, co-headline with long-time Flying Lotus collaborator Thundercat. There’s all that and a couple of righteous local independent showcases to tell you about. First up, the ever-impressive audiovisual collective Video Jam will take to the Manchester Jewish Museum on 12 Nov, teaming up musicians, including Bahrain-via-London psychedelic wanderers Flamingods, with contemporary film shorts. Then at Islington Mill on 14 Nov there’s Ladyfest Mcr, an event that celebrates women in music and art, as well as acting as a forum of discussion for issues around equality that still persist in 2015. Among those on the music bill include ex-Au Pairs’ Lesley Woods, and riotous local post-punk four-piece Ill.

Mythopoeia III The Kazimier, 28 Nov

s the Kazimier enters its final weeks of existence, there has been one upside to its impending demise – namely every top Liverpool act, promoter and party trying to cram as many performances into the much-loved space as possible before the doors close for the final time. For Stealing Sheep, that’s allowed them to assemble perhaps their strongest Mythopoeia lineup yet, as the pop trio host their third and final late-night party at the Kaz.

November 2015

They’ll be performing themselves, with a specially created “synth-dance” performance entitled Legs, and they'll be joined by an embarrassment of riches including long-time Skinny favourites Outfit and the C86-reminiscent indie-pop of Bathymetry. Travelling across from Manchester, meanwhile, are Memphis Industriessigned art-rock lot Dutch Uncles and post-punk four-piece PINS, with Nadine Carina and Joey Fourr further down the bill. Even with the likes of Abandon Silence also saying their farewells this month, Mythopoeia is all set up for a departing party – spilling out into the Kaz Garden and Arts Academy – that’ll live long in the memory.

MUSIC

Stealing Sheep

Review

Photo: Magnus Aske Blikeng.

Do Not Miss

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Manic depression stopped me from playing to the point of getting rid of my guitar to pay for somewhere to live. Help Musicians UK got me back on my feet. I dread to think where I would be without them. We helped Matt when a crisis stopped him from performing. Can we help you? helpmusicians.org.uk 020 7239 9100

Backing musicians throughout their careers. Registered Charity No 228089.

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Help Musicians UK - Matt QP.indd 1

26/10/2015 14:04:27

THE SKINNY

Sensoria Music & Film Festival 2015, Sheffield rrrrr

Outfit

Liverpool Music Week Opening Party The Kazimier, 23 Oct

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In comparison to the Autumn calendar's other big Liverpool music gathering, Psych Fest, Liverpool Music Week's curation policy eschews concept beyond simply booking the acts they like. This leads to wildly diverse if not wholly coherent bills like tonight’s busy opening party in the pit of the Kazimier, which sees the overdriven stoner fug of Micachu and the Shapes’ new material rub up side-by-side with the polished, tangential pop of Outfit, and the thoughtful digital manipulations of Darkstar and Holly Herndon – all underpinned by an atmospheric, frequently haunting collage from up on high by DJs Kepla and Ling above the stage. With, consequently, no crescendo to proceedings, each act instead takes their allotted time as a challenge to test the malleability of the crowd, and mould the surroundings into their own. Mica Levi is perhaps the most disarming, her group playing up to the druggy haze of their latest record Good Sad Happy Bad. The trio throw the record’s undeniable if sometimes hidden hooks between themselves until they’re left beaten and bowed, lost in the group’s cloying fuzz, Levi’s throaty vocal content to lurk in the middle of it all. Outfit – up next, and a group whose own material dances around textured nuance – come across as glintingly crystalline in contrast, only heightened by the inclusion of three

Speedy Ortiz / Parakeet Sound Control, 16 Oct

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Tethering a blissful vocal through the swelling refrains of her bandmates, Parakeet frontwoman Mariko Doi James leads a sound which is restlessly dreamy. While their set has resonances of pure elation, they also take detours into the achingly sad. Guitars sparkle into reverb and are offset by Doi James’ plummeting basslines to produce little cathartic bruises of melody, making them an ideal support slot for Speedy Ortiz, a band who relish vulnerability with a side of menace. Leading the set with The Graduates from latest album Foil Deer, Speedy Ortiz own the stage with an endearing shyness, polarised by a determined and occasionally violent lyricism. With a ’90s throwback sound reminiscent

November 2015

of their more accessible cuts from debut LP Performance (Elephant Days, Spraypaint and Thank God I Was Dreaming). In another time, another era, they’d be held up alongside the likes of OMD and Talk Talk as masters of deep-thinking pop music; tonight they make do with a partisan home crowd hanging off their every beat. Given that their latest record, Foam Island, deals with the divide between the southerndominated thinking of the Government and the post-industrial north, Darkstar wind up sounding a darn sight prettier than expected. The pair look over banks of analogue equipment (although two glowing Apple signs lurk mysteriously at their feet), while pirouetting out the more melodic elements of their sound in lieu of anything overly grizzled in the lo-end department. The tension of Foam Island is maintained only by the cold, disconnect of Aiden Whalley’s vocal. It’s Holly Herndon who takes the role of de-facto headliner and, joined by husband and visualist Matt Dryhurst plus Colin Self, she picks up with what she’s been doing most of the summer: deconstructing conventional techno patterns to create a fractured audio picture of her inner workings. Images flash across the screen above, blurring technology with nature and images of people taken from her previous shows. The rigidness of the set’s initial glottal movements melts away as layer on layer of sound is piled onto the soundsystem – a devastating force that, in this oddly shaped mix of a bill, will linger the longest in the memory. [Simon Jay Catling]

Photos: Andy Von Pip

Holly Herdon

According to Cabaret Voltaire’s Stephen Mallinder, speaking in the documentary Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay, the city of Sheffield is synonymous with ‘unstructured noise, cacophonous noise, beautiful music – those sonic moments we were all surrounded by.’ Mallinder is right – the sound of the immediate environment integrated into technology is at the core of the music that has emerged from the city, a place which was at the centre of the European industrial revolution and, some 150 years later, the birthplace of a new, harsh protoelectronic sound that appeared to tap into a sonic spectre redolent of the steady progress of manufacturing industries and urban planning. The documentary was playing as part of the remarkable calibration of live music, cinéconcerts, talks and documentary screenings at Sensoria festival, the title itself a nod to Cabaret Voltaire’s own 1984 single of the same name. The UK may be teeming, bursting with endless music and film festivals, but Sensoria is unique in that it not only readily engages with its host city but also seeks to actively question and redefine its engagement with Sheffield – how and why do artists annex themselves to and amplify the sound of the city? Of course, the idea of a city having its own sonic trademark isn’t unique to Sheffield. The festival opened with B-Movie: Lust and Sound in West Berlin, a rollicking account of Manchester native Mark Reeder’s life at the core of progressive electronic music in 1980s Berlin. The film showcases some remarkable archive footage and staged re-enactments, as we follow Reeder’s endless pursuit through the city’s nefarious drug-fuelled culture and his encounters with a series of exceptional figures in the industrial and burgeoning electronic music scene – including the ubiquitous members of Einstürzende Neubauten along with Gudrun Gut and her pioneering electronic outfit Malaria! – all with a pounding Krautrock, post-punk and techno soundtrack. Despite the fact that many of the characters Reeder encounters often appear to be immersed in some sort of perpetual drug binge, there is a very real resilience to his restless explorations through the cut-up city skyline, as he proves to be a hyperactive and ultra-connected guide: “Berlin was like Disneyland for depressives,” he remarks. But Sensoria isn’t rooted in the past. In fact, this year’s festival very much looked to the future specifically through the triumvirate of acts performing at the city’s Abbeydale Picture House, a (now sadly disused) cinema space dating from 1920. Its interior proffered a fitting deconstructing opulence to the fractal, popping electronics of Factory Floor, Friday night’s headline act. Trimmed to a duo of Nik Colk Void and Gabriel Gurnsey, the black-clad pair channelled

the spectral spirits within the picture house and conjured up a relentless, palpitating mélange of mantric rhythms. This was Factory Floor’s debut performance in Sheffield yet they still managed to appear somewhat emblematic of Sensoria festival; so very post-industrial, so very digital and the inexorable source of a bloody good night out. But even more impressive was the support act, Julie Ann Campbell, aka Lonelady. Her second album, Hinterland, out earlier this year on Warp, is a magnificently urgent dérive through the cement-coloured byways of northern England, crackling with synths straight from the gates of Heaven (17) and impeccable pop sensibilities. Lonelady is even better live, her set augmented by a series of isolated topographical slogans and a relentless disco grind; the anxious sound of 21st-century psychogeography. Meanwhile, down in the basement, an altogether more bellicose beat was emerging, that of Sheffield’s own Blood Sport. While the band – consisting of drums, guitar, baritone guitar and all manner of warped vocals – may have coined the term ‘aggro beat’ to describe their feral experimentalism, on the evidence of this appearance they have honed and defined their sound into something somewhat more palatable, if no less pugnacious. The entirely bass-less sounds suggest a thwarted funk which is given shape by the sheer size of the noise produced, and while there are echoes of early Cabaret Voltaire and Clock DVA stirring within the mix, Blood Sport are a resolutely modern proposition. The very final act The Skinny saw before we packed up and departed dear Sheffield was John Robb and his evergreen, ever-punk Membranes. This seemed an apt fitting for a finale; the ubiquitous Robb’s career as punk frontman, music critic, record label boss and all-round northern powerhouse neatly encompassed the magnificent range of opportunities and events within this year’s Sensoria programme – and Robb’s curious on-stage presence, calibrating combative intensity with affable banter, hauled and ferried his troupe of renegade rockabillys through the heady scientific concepts of new album (and first since 1989) Dark Matter/Dark Energy. “I’m an unapologetic, middle aged, fucked up, twenty first century man… I know too much and I feel everything and it disgusts me,” screams Robb on, appropriately, 21st Century Man. But this feels like a misnomer; The Membranes have unrelenting fun on stage, devoid of unnecessary mystique or any form of self-consciousness and Robb – rather like his erstwhile Lancastrian contemporary Mark Reeder – is an ultra-enthusiastic conductor at the vanguard of sweaty punk rock. Perhaps the same can be said for Sensoria. While the festival is unafraid to delve into potent and provocative waters, it does so while ensuring you have a staggeringly good time. [Colm McAuliffe] Read the full review at theskinny.co.uk/music

of early Pavement, the odd meticulousness of Sebadoh and the slacker fuzz of Veruca Salt, the Massachusetts quartet are happy to push sounds to their limits but also to strip songs down to their barest elements. On Plough, singer/guitarist Sadie Dupuis executes the pleading breakdown with an assertive cool, while the R’n’B influenced Puffer is given extended sequences with which the bass heavy groove is allowed to saunter into a post-punk dirge. Engagement with the audience is limited to exchanges where Dupuis keeps the audience in check, reminding everyone mid-set (following what she later refers to as a ‘kerfuffle’ in the crowd) that ‘touching people without their consent is not okay’, marking Speedy Ortiz as an increasingly vital live band unwilling to tolerate the outdated machismo that can sadly dominate shows. [Amy Roberts]

MUSIC

Lonelady

Review

Album of the Month Oneohtrix Point Never

Garden of Delete [Warp, 13 Nov]

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If 2013’s R Plus Seven was a landscape of delicate synthwork and angelic choral sounds glossing over a murky atmosphere, then Garden of Delete flips the script in this seemingly aggressive record; muscular in tone, schizophrenic in delivery, all the while possessing a maniacal grin on its face. Take Mutant Standard, an eightminute epic that eagerly builds on an understated mix of ambient synth washes and a muted bass rhythm only to be obliterated by a myriad of trance patterns that hurtle into something resembling a cyber mosh pit.

Bill Wells And Friends

FOUND

Collaborative Works [Erased Tapes, 30 Oct]

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karaokekalk.bandcamp.com

pointnever.com

Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm

Nursery Rhymes [Karaoke Kalk, 20 Nov] Reworked nursery rhymes, you say? Recorded by musical catalyst Bill Wells alongside collaborators old and new? Ok, whatever. Yo La Tengo announce their presence early on, lighting up Three Blind Mice with their familiar krautfuzz glow before cracking open Humpty Dumpty’s tumbling rhythm in a manner entirely appropriate to the song’s doomed hero. Wells’ own arrangements are gorgeous too, falling majestically into the space between Amy Allison’s doleful rendition of Shoo Fly and Bridget St John’s unexpectedly sensuous Ding Dong Bell. There are some marvellous performances here. When problems do arise, it’s not courtesy of the musicians themselves, but the nauseous guff that plagues some of the source material: for example, the dulcet tones of Syd Straw cannot rescue the familiar-yet-moronic melody of Oranges And Lemons. Still, it’s the darkness at the heart of the songs that provides the album’s spark – when everything ignites, it’s all sorts of spectacular. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Even the angsty I Bite Through It feels less glowering and more like a fit of rage, each stutter of overdriven melody like you’re stuck in the endless glitch of a shoot ’em up; even an attempt at a guitar solo goes hilariously awry. Each track is a tightly compacted exercise in aural vertigo save for Animals, sounding like Daft Punk on a major comedown and the lush, schmaltzy closer No Good, alluding to Oneohtrix’s penchant for the kitsch. Arguably this is Oneohtrix’s antiambient record, where rhythm takes centre stage and refuses to be polite; just listen to the exhilarating metal drums in Sticky Drama. Deep thrills. [Jon Davies]

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Individually, Ólafur Arnalds and Nils Frahm have been making some of the finest ambient, neoclassical music of the past decade, seemingly relentlessly and at will. Both have demonstrated a collaborative bent in the past (special nod to Frahm’s stellar 9Fingers with Anne Muller from 2010) and in recent weeks, the Icelander and German have together accelerated their prolific, collegiate natures. Collaborative Works is a double album, collating four EPs the pair have recorded and the soundtrack of a live visual show, Trance Frendz. While the EPs are peppered with beauty and some surprising snippets of glitch, it’s disc two that thrills most. Trance Frendz is an improvised masterpiece, showing why these two young composers are often cited as the vanguard of the nebulous classical indie scene. There’s much to love here, and many subtleties that will escape the casual listener, but which will keep unravelling and revealing themselves to those willing to dedicate the headspace. [Finbarr Bermingham]

Cloning [Chemikal Underground, 6 Nov]

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Over their various iterations, Edinburgh collective FOUND have reshaped and overhauled their sound accordingly. Now down to a bare-bones two piece after the departure of fellow founder Tommy Perman, remaining duo Ziggy Campbell and Kev Sim have cleared the decks once again for fourth album Cloning. After the relative simplicity of 2011’s Factorycraft it’s clear that the creeping bent of FOUND’s more experimental leanings are returning to the fore here. Burgeoning with vintage synths, toying with 80s sci-fi soundscapes and shot through with a filmic quality, Cloning is an album of growing depth and nuance. However, it’s tempered by more immediate melodies and a penchant for buoyant, victory lap style bass riffs from extended opener A Souvenir For Every Hope You Had onwards. Small pockets of entwining interludes and some recurring themes give Cloning some scale and gravitas, but underneath the layers it’s a wonderfully warm and welcoming record. [Darren Carle] chemikal.co.uk

arnaldsfrahm.com

Holy Sons

Darren Hayman

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Fall of Man [Thrill Jockey, 13 Nov] For a man who once admitted to taking drugs every day since he was 16, Portland songwriter and drummer Emil Amos is a prolific musician. Claiming to have written over a thousand songs, Amos also plies his trade in both post-rock favourites Grails and doom metallers OM, with his Holy Sons project allowing this languid polymath to stretch out and indulge his love of avant-folk and classic ‘70s balladry. The ghosts of troubled, cracked and paranoid forefathers like Skip Spence and Dennis Wilson haunt this album’s vaguely sad air but what wins through is the sheer listenability of so many of these songs. I Told You is full of warm Deep Purple-esque organs, while dreamy guitar lines and Amos’ own sweet double-tracked vocals emerge as if from nowhere on Boil It Down. The spooky but skilful production only adds to the impression Amos has a come a long way from his roots in lo-fi home recording. Long may he stay there. [Jamie Bowman]

Florence [Fika Recordings, 6 Nov]

Disappears

Low: Live In Chicago [Sonic Cathedral, 20 Nov]

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Tender hearts beware. Hayman’s second album of 2015 is a significant step down from the orchestrations of his stirring William Morris tribute, Chants For Socialists. But its modesty does little to diminish its unerring eye for the lovelorn, the lonely and the lost. Florence takes its name from the city Hayman recorded it in, and indie pop purists will pounce on the fact that his ‘studio’ was no less than Elizabeth ‘Allo Darlin’’ Morris’s apartment in the city. With titles like Didn’t I Say Don’t Fall In Love With Him, When You’re Lonely Don’t Be and Break Up With Him (“He don’t even know what to do / With a sweet little mess like you”), Hayman’s songs play out like an all too convincing been-there-done-that commentary from the sidelines. An open-hearted exercise in melancholy, Florence is the work of a man who, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, still believes in a thing called love. Amen to that. [Gary Kaill]

Philip Glass aside, why on earth would anyone choose to take on Bowie’s Low? There is context: the opening of last year’s Bowie exhibition in Chicago, and the opportunity for acts to reinterpret back catalogue over a series of live events. Disappears certainly don't lack ambition, but still; for a guitar-centric band to take on musical territory of considerable nuance (and considerable Brian Eno) without significant structural deviation feels pedestrian – particularly on the poppier tracks Breaking Glass and Sound and Vision, the riff-work cute but crying out for something beyond the bierkeller cover-band treatment. Side B – perhaps Bowie at his most experimental – is more of a success, the guitars and pedals forced to transcribe Eno’s brooding, counter-intuitive synth cadences. Yet even here the question of why? remains unanswered. Maybe you had to be there. [Duncan Harman]

hefnet.com

disappearsmusic.com

holysons.bandcamp.com

David Mackenzie & Tony Doogan

Video

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Starred Up: Film Music Reworked [Good Grace, 6 Nov]

The Entertainers [Third Man Records, 13 Nov]

You could be forgiven for responding to news of Starred Up: Film Music Reworked with the question: what film music? Within the context of David Mackenzie’s searing prison drama, the score played an almost invisible role, residing in the bottom end of the mix and only occasionally making its presence more obvious. Now, however, the material gets a chance at the spotlight, albeit having first undergone significant renovations. The results don’t need moving images to feel cinematic, particularly more abstract tracks like Respite/Paradise and Violence – the latter of which conjures a palpable air of danger in keeping with its title. Similarly confrontational is Crossing the Line, which opens with a barrage of digital noise before introducing an ominous, pulsating theme straight out of the John Carpenter handbook. But it’s Credit that will keep you coming back, its soaring melody reaching out through the bars to touch the sky. [Chris Buckle]

“I will achieve and fulfill my destiny!” snarls Daniel Fried. Can’t fault his conviction, that’s for sure – not content with releasing some of the best gritty power pop in recent memory with Radioactivity and Mind Spiders, he returns to this garage rock outfit for a second album via Jack White’s label. Know what? This ain’t bad either. The Entertainers suggests Fried (playing under his ‘TV’s Daniel’ pseudonym) owns some pretty good records: hints of Hot Snakes and New Bomb Turks pepper the likes of New Immortals, draping post-hardcore angularity all over their too-punk-to-suck sass. Muddy psych-blues grooves and a new wave shimmy also rear their heads on occasion, keeping things nice’n’spiky just when you think you’ve got ‘em pegged. The only thing missing, annoyingly, is truly essential songs – it’s all enjoyable enough, but there’s little to get you scrabbling for the repeat button. [Will Fitzpatrick]

sigmafilms.com/films/starred-up/

facebook.com/cultofvideo

Review

RECORDS

Lanterns On The Lake

Beings [Bella Union, 13 Nov]

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Beyond the success of 2013’s Until the Colours Run, Newcastle’s Lanterns On The Lake continue to maintain their commitment to producing high quality soundscapes with a unique sensibility. Beings is haunting and delicate, with a soulful self-effacing aura to put a tremor in your bones. Hazel Wilde’s vocals evoke a mystical narrative accompanied by the tiptoe of the ride cymbal in songs such as Faultlines, while humble and poignant piano glazes the space between this constructed dream world and reality in Stepping Down. Tracks travel fluidly between each other, creating a velvet mélange of acoustic rock with elements of pop and grunge; Of Dust and Matter explores the emotional cracks between reason and experience, gleaned with a morose ecstasy hard to find in modern indie rock. A truly excellent work that rarely falters, representative of the band’s creative prowess and untempered dreams. [Mina Green] lanternsonthelake.com

THE SKINNY

Soldiers Of Fortune

USA Nails

The Silent Set

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Early Risers [Mexican Summer, 6 Nov]

No Pleasure [Smalltown America, 6 Nov]

Teeth Out [mini50, 6 Nov]

Not to denigrate the indie rock royalty gathered here, but this supergroup impresses more convincingly by dint of the recording credits than the fruit of their endeavours. Matt Sweeney (Chavez) and Kid Millions (Oneida, Man Forever… how long have you got?) are undoubtedly phenomenal musicians, responsible for some truly killer records – it’s nice to hear ‘em having fun on the Stephen Malkmus-led Campus Swagger and the surging Nails. Still, ‘fun’ often depends on which side of the microphone you’re sat. Soldiers Of Fortune are essentially a jam band: regardless of the talent, energy or CVs of those involved (including guests like Cass McCombs and Comets On Fire’s Ethan Miller), too many tracks devolve into predictable bar-band blues with little payoff. It’s not a sign of diminishing powers; just some laffs between pals, better served in the practice room than etched into a slab o’wax. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Let’s get it out of the way: USA Nails are a post-hardcore supergroup featuring members of the British underground scene’s finest acts of the past decade, including Oceansize, Future Of The Left, Kong and Silent Front. However, while their previous effort Sonic Moist sounded a bit like a side project, No Pleasure has a red-eyed life of its own; roadworn and irritated, its rabid face pressed against the glass. Out the window went the awkward techy moments replaced by a mix of Drive Like Jehu headbangers, nods to psychedelia and a throttling of hardcore for good measure. In fact it’s the sharp injecting of speed that stands out, the album’s midpoint Laugh It Up hammering home the maniacal nature of No Pleasure, while the amp-hissing closer I Cannot Drink Enough sends the album into a psychotic delirium. [Jon Davies]

The curious may well be pulled in by the presence of Nils Frahm and Heather Woods Broderick (whose recent Glider album is one of the unsung jewels of 2015), but The Silence Set are a stout enough proposition to make their case without the need for starry patronage: their guests merely add colour. Teeth Out, an exquisite display of baroque songcraft, took three years to shape and record and, in line with its provenance, it takes its time getting under your skin. The Swedish pairing of Dag Rosenqvist and Johan G Winther employ simple and largely traditional instrumentation, with just enough electronic accompaniment and processing to add drama and bite. At its best, as on Woods Broderick’s Worry, Glory or the startling opener We Will Die Enraged, The Silence Set are largely true to their name but the effect is often shattering nevertheless. [Gary Kaill]

soldiers-of-fortune.bandcamp.com

facebook.com/usanailsband

mini50records.bandcamp.com

Floating Points

Black International

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Elaenia [Pluto, 6 Nov] As one of the well-known faces of Shoreditch’s now defunct Plastic People nightclub (further alumni include Caribou and Four Tet), Floating Points’ debut album has finally arrived after multiple well-received EPs and five long years in the works. As befitting a music obsessed neuroscience graduate, the sounds here are as eclectic as much as they are cerebral, with Kenny Wheeler, Toru Takemitsu and Moreton Subotnick all cited as influences. Automated synths play out a like a Tarkovskian dream sequence on opener Nespole, while closing track Peroration Six sounds not a million miles away from Radiohead’s Everything in it’s Right Place if it were to be somehow channeled through a prog rock, jazz-fusion prism. Single-handedly justifying the wait is the three-part, 10minute chef-d’œuvre that is Silhouettes (I, II & III), which could almost pass as a threnody with its weaving, elegiac strings and operatic vocals. A sublime introduction. [Graeme Campbell] floatingpoints.co.uk

Steeple Remove

A Lesson In Repression [Good Grief, 30 Oct]

Position Normal [Gonzai Recordings, 20 Nov]

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Having grinded on the Scottish circuit for several years now, powerhouse drummer Craig Peebles and guitarist/frontman Stewart Allan return with a refined sophomore excursion. The Edinburgh duo’s second offering regularly deviates from its predecessor’s straightjacket of punk rock, transformative in its abilities to push boundaries. It’s a textured beast, with a sound that ricochets through its own essence, ghost-like and enchanting yet frivolous in its experimental prowess. Their sound is riddled with euphoric bursts and prolonged lapses between the gritty, scratching guitar and occasional strum of a lone acoustic. The dirty, visceral punk of Silence is contrasted with songs such as Panopticon, acting as a mellow, reflective companion with a dark reverb through the soundscape of its own breath. Deliciously self-aware, the record forces its fingers around the throats of our preconceptions, at least temporarily quenching the thirst for that much-needed full-blown punk rock revival. [Mina Green]

The French experimentalists’ fifth long player – out in their homeland at the beginning of the year – receives its physical UK release amidst a mélange of Motorik grooves, power-pop persuasion and measured (if occasionally feisty) atonality. Not that the charm is Gallic in nature; the reference points suggest a night in with Echo and the Bunnymen, early Ride and Spacemen 3, what with all the strident synth motifs (Silver Banana; Imaginary Girl), scuzzy guitars (Calling Up) and bass-pinioned momentum (Sunshine) on offer. Maybe not the most stylistically original record you’re likely to hear, but there’s enough tricks up Steeple Remove’s sleeves to keep interest levels high – particularly the way in which Mirrors and Home Run both spiral out of focus at the mid-point, exposing the bones of each track through tangential prodding at melody and beat. The unpredictability here helps to push at perception, and while you’re never quite certain where the agenda may sit, it’s a rewarding uncertainty nonetheless. [Duncan Harman]

blackinternational.co.uk

facebook.com/SteepleRemoveFR

CocoRosie

!!!

Trust Fund

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Heartache City [Lost Girl, 13 Nov]

As If [Warp, 6 Nov]

How sad this is to see: ‘freak folk’ twosome CocoRosie, somehow missing their proverbial ‘spark’. Bianca and Sierra Casady, the pixie-larynx’d sisters with a decade of bewitching, occult records under their belts, hit a few dud notes with the tranquilised Heartache City. As if with the sponge tool on Photoshop, most of the colour’s been sapped away. It’s only in rare glimpses (the full-bodied chorus in Lost Girls, or the title track’s handclap beat) that we’re reminded of their former textures. It’s an otherwise stripped-down affair, reduced to sobering piano and conventional drums, without the eccentric electronics and beatboxing of yesteryear. Even the off-kilter rap-poetry appears joyless (Forget Me Not, Tim and Tina); they’ve always been the lyrical equivalent of touching something slimey in the dark, but here the spooky words sound neutered. Opting for a sparser sound can work its own magic, of course, but for CocoRosie, the result is a malnourished record, lacking the rosier cheeks of past efforts. [George Sully]

!!! – the band so obnoxiously named that knowing how to pronounce the symbols certifies you a know-it-all – have returned with a record of flamboyant dance music that’s as supremely confident as their hard-to-Google title. The irreverent Californian outfit have always had a rebellious streak, and it’s currently best reflected in how decidedly un-hip this record is. Single Freedom! 15 has a prolonged, outrageously disco-vibed “ba-a-byy-y” taking pride of place within its chorus, and the slick, bassy breakdown is built for multiple enthusiastic shoulder shimmies. There’s a lot of silliness, but !!! are strict ringmasters. A precisely calibrated, thoroughly considered act, it takes a real head for heights to loop “I got this funk” with a relatively straight face, and without putting a single foot wrong. While As If probably isn’t a reference to Cher’s timeless catchphrase in Clueless, the record definitely embodies something of Alicia Silverstone’s unquestionable teen sass; a hair-flicking, impeccably dressed triumph. [Katie Hawthorne]

cocorosiemusic.com

chkchkchk.net

Tuff Love

Parquet Courts

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Dregs EP [Lost Map Records, 6 Nov]

Junk. Dross. And now Dregs. Tuff Love are nothing if not self-effacing but the Glasgow duo’s apparent modesty belies the sly sophistication and developing craft behind their three EPs to date. Those of us who’re pinning our hopes on Julie Eistenstein and Suse Bear making the leap from homespun, DIY promise to an act with real stature and – whisper it – an album in them, can start to breathe easy. If Dregs really is true to its name, then a full length set has ‘down in one’ written all over it. Pitched somewhere in that dreampop netherworld between breezy and melancholy, the pair’s stock in trade harmonies and chiming guitar reveal more than a hint of shoegaze. Both Duke and Crocodile draw a line back to early Lush, and surely it’s no coincidence that Tuff Love toured with Ride recently. Five tracks: every one a woozy doozy. So, what do you think of the show so far? [Gary Kaill] lostmap.com/tuff-love

Monastic Living EP [Rough Trade, 13 Nov] Parquet Courts have been busy on the road, and they want you to know. Monastic Living is a surprisingly chaste title for a compilation of thoughts from a touring rock band, but in their quasi-religious vow of silence (the record’s 99% instrumental) the New York four-piece explore some pretty revealing territory via wonky walls of noise, experimenting with abrupt scene changes and weird new backdrops. The record is impulsive, flickering, ideas caught in pencil lines on scrunched pages. Some sketches are hard to penetrate, intentionally obtuse. Other tracks, like the swaggering snippet Poverty and Obedience, feel a bit like reading the first page of a brand new novel – only to have it wrested from your hands. The dusty, bass-heavy slow jam Prison Conversion is fully fleshed, one of the few tracks permitted the space to fully expand... and it makes you wonder; what’s the deal? Is Monastic Living just a postcard from the van, or an outline of the shape of things to come? [Katie Hawthorne]

Seems Unfair [Turnstile, 30 Oct] Forget connotations of entitlement, Trust Fund have an almighty work ethic. Seems Unfair is Ellis Jones and co.’s second album this year, following the release of (excellent) debut LP No One’s Coming For Us back in February. It bursts with all the energy and shiny-eyed excitement of a band just realising the power at their fingertips. Creepy indie-pop that glows in the dark, Seems Unfair daubs its brighter, hookier hooks with a pragmatic dose of doom and gloom. “Everybody’s body freaks them out,” sings Jones on Football – both caustic and empathetic, like a best friend who won’t tolerate your bullshit. Tracks like the quietly anthemic Big Asda have floated on Trust Fund’s corner of the internet for a while now, and it’s truly exciting to hear them put to record by prolific Leeds producer MJ (of Hookworms). Life’s not fair, but Trust Fund’s got your back. Emotionally, not financially. [Katie Hawthorne] trustfund.bandcamp.com

The Top Five 1

Oneohtrix Point Never

Lanterns On The Lake

Garden of Delete Beings

!!!

As if

USA Nails

Floating Points

No Pleasure

Elaenia

parquetcourts.wordpress.com

November 2015

RECORDS

Review

Constellation Woman Zyna Hel – aka visual artist Elisabeth Oswell – is intent on creating a world of her own with her dark electro pop. Taking inspiration from the likes of Britney, Kate Bush and Goldfrapp, she explains how a French childhood first lit her creative flames Interview: Chris McCall Photography: Mihaela Bodlovic

he town of Pont-Audemer in HauteNormandie was thankfully spared the devastation endured by neighbouring settlements during the D-Day landings and subsequent battle between the Allies and Nazi occupiers. Its historic half-timbered buildings and canal-lined streets give it an otherworldly feel; a perfect place, then, for children with fertile minds. This was the home of Elisabeth Oswell, aka electro pop singer Zyna Hel, until the age of 12. She followed her parents across the channel from England and fell in love with this unique place. Her music and her striking visual style combine to create an ethereal atmosphere that a growing number of people are choosing to explore. “I’m really fascinated by the occult and consciousness,” she explains. “When I was eight, my dad brought home a book club catalogue, and told me I could have any book I wanted. I vividly recall finding this book called Le Pendule – meaning The Pendulum – all about dowsing. I’ve always had a strong connection to those things; I’ve read the tarot since I was 14. I’m really interested in Carl Jung and the collective consciousness.” Zyna – pronounced Xena, like the warrior princess (Zyna means ‘the welcoming one’ and is from the Greek Xenia. Hel is the Norse goddess of the underworld) – has released less than a handful of songs, but has already caused a stir, playing one of her first gigs at All Tomorow’s Parties and making a well-received appearance at the Wickerman Festival in July. She’s now ready to record her debut album with respected Glasgow producer Julian Corrie, having won a grant from Women Make Music, part of the PRS for Music Foundation. It seems the ideal time to find out more about this singular performer. The Skinny meets Hel on a weekday night in a Glasgow coffee shop; it’s so busy it more resembles a city centre bar on a Friday. “I thought it would be quiet!” she smiles. Glasgow has been home for several months. Previously, she lived in Brighton, studying music and visual arts, and singing with Hush Arbors, Keith Wood’s American psych-folk project. While the former provided valuable training, and the latter offered exciting opportunities to support the likes of Sonic Youth and Dinosaur Jr, Hel was set on pursuing her own musical vision. “Hush Arbors was someone else’s music, someone else’s hard work,” she recalls. “I realised I wanted to do something myself and I had to start writing my own music. It still feels like it’s not really a choice. If someone came along and told me to give this up I couldn’t; it’s a compulsion. I think creativity can be unpleasant. It’s this nebulous thing you have to chase and sometimes it’s not there. It can wake you up in the middle in the night. Especially when you haven’t made anything in a while, but then when you do create, it feels like nothing else.” It was while living in Normandy that Hel first tasted performance, courtesy of a son et lumière, an outdoor show in which the whole community was invited to take part. “People don’t separate what they do with their kids in the same way as they do in the UK. It’s a more open culture in so many ways. We would go out for dinner with our parents and just fall asleep at the table. When I moved back to the UK I found it quite jarring. I love the UK, but I feel a strong connection

Review

with French culture. I feel maybe that’s shaped my personality.” As entertaining as it was, it was music – specifically the work of one French pop sensation – and not theatre-group that really opened her eyes to boundless creative possibilities. “The first time I remember being completely blown away by a performer was when I saw Mylène Farmer,” she enthuses. “She’s huge in France – but no one has heard of her here. She has this song about knowing she was a boy, written about a trans-woman. I thought it was a really powerful song, and there was such conviction in the way she delivered it. She was always kind of half-naked in her music videos, but not in a provocative way... she was just really comfortable with her sexuality. I was really blown away the first time I saw her. Every strong female performer gives me permission to do that myself.” Two of Hel’s songs already in circulation, Constellation Woman and Catacombs, provide an illuminating insight into the kind of themes she will explore on her album. “My first single, Catacombs is about relationships between mother and daughter,” she continues. “In that sense my songs are very personal, some of them are very feminist. That’s something that’s always been important to me. As a kid I loved Kate Bush – even though my mum wouldn’t let me play her as she hated her voice. I remember listening to Running Up That Hill under the covers and thinking she was talking about swapping roles with a man; I thought it was her power song about women getting to the top. I used to wonder why all bosses were men since I was tiny. I was very aware of the differences in the way girls and boys were treated. It felt so silly to me. I think that has fed itself into part of me.”

“I had to start writing my own music. It’s not really a choice” Zyna Hel

Following on from her love of Mylène Farmer and Kate Bush, Hel was gradually drawn to other strong female performers. “I loved Britney, Destiny’s Child, Madonna... all of those people have been a huge influence on me. Maybe not always musically, but in terms of being singularly themselves. I loved Alison Goldfrapp. My mum used to say to me: ‘When I was growing up, I could either be a cook or a secretary.’ She wasn’t from a rich family. I guess maybe my generation are some of the first who can decide to go out and do what we want to. It might still be hard, it might still be a journey for all sorts of reasons, but there aren’t the same sorts of external limitations for the most part.” The aforementioned Catacombs was produced by Ben Power, better known as one half of Fuck Buttons, and now recording as Blanck Mass. It’s illustrative of the dark, enchanting electro that provides an ideal backdrop for Hel’s unique

vocals. She has already built up a solid working relationship with Corrie, who will oversee the recording of her first LP this month. “I’ve worked with so many people; I’m such a perfectionist,” she smiles. “The music might sound good, but there’s no point if it doesn’t feel right. I’ve worked with people who have done some amazing things and it’s just not felt right. I think Julian has an insight into my music.” While the album is still some way off from being released, the music industry has already taken notice. “I’m already speaking to some labels but I’m not supposed to talk too much about that,” she laughs. “I’m only going to go with a label if it feels right. I have a very strong idea of what I want and I would only go with a label who were on board with that. One of the downsides of how the music industry is changing is that labels don’t take the chance to develop artists anymore. They don’t give them the chance to see what they can really do. More and more artists

MUSIC

are having to incubate themselves. People making music now have to be tenacious. You have to love it. It’s fucking hard work, because you’re having to do it yourself. Things have really shifted in the last ten years.” Those who have been fortunate to witness one of Zyna Hel’s rare live shows – “I haven’t played loads as I’ve been developing the music and the visual aspect” – will have an idea of what to expect from her album when it does appear. Yet the only person who really knows what’s in store is Hel herself. “I want to create a world that other people can step into,” she says. “Maybe it’s because of growing up in a world where you feel you don’t belong, so you create a world you feel safe and comfortable in – but also because it’s really fun. For me that’s what great art does – it creates a space and atmosphere of its own.” zynahel.com

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THE SKINNY 27/10/2015 09:40

Guest Selector: Henry Wu C

ast your mind back to the early 90s Spielberg oeuvre and you might find memories of the Jurassic Park geneticist responsible for recreating all the dinosaurs, Dr Henry Wu. A stone cold maverick in his field, Wu is intent on using extracts of DNA to engineer a new breed of life, modifying genetic makeup to monstrous effect. It seems his namesake, South London’s Henry Wu, shares more than East Asian heritage. The latter Wu’s productions have been gestating for a few years now and his studio workouts are yielding greater results. The emerging sound is usually heavy on the Rhodes, high on chance procedure and borne from the soul, jazz and hip-hop sensibilities that filter through the extended 22a collective. Before he takes to the Soup Kitchen basement this month, why not delve a little deeper into the musical genome with these five chronological selections? First, a bit of context from the man himself... “I was gonna try and name five albums that no one had heard of, in a bid to show off my extensive musical knowledge. Instead, I ended up listing five that you’ve probably heard of, but may not have sat down and listened to as an album. I think it’s rare nowadays to listen through pieces of music from start to finish. “I decided to go for well known music because I think we tend to try too hard sometimes to find the rarest music that nobody has heard of in an attempt to flex our muscles but, sometimes, a by-product of that is you miss the obvious stuff. The stuff that was actually playing on commercial TV and radio at one point and at the same time being great music – these five albums will be easy to find on any format!” Herbie Hancock - Headhunters [Columbia] (1974) This album is so good it qualified for the group stages of the ’74 World Cup. Many people will talk about Herbie when mentioning this record but those breaks you hear are the works of Harvey Mason – now combine that with Paul Jackson on bass and you have the funkiest rhythm section, man!

November 2015

Interview: Daniel Jones Jaco Pastorius - Jaco Pastorius [Epic] (1976) Despite claiming to be the greatest bass player that ever lived, Jaco Pastorius was a pretty humble guy. You don’t get musicians like this anymore though, straight attitude! Herbie pops up on this record as well on the Kuru track. Q-Tip - Kamaal The Abstract [Battery] (2001) My favourite Q-Tip album without a shadow of a doubt. You won’t hear about this one as much, but some great musicians feature throughout the record, Kevin Kendricks and Kenny Garrett to name a few. And you get to experience Q-Tip bring out the Luther Vandross in him. Dizzee Rascal - Boy in da Corner [XL] (2003) When this came out at school we all went nuts. This used to get bumped daily and everyone was spitting his lyrics. It was a very exciting time because it was the first record for me which signified grime’s entrance to the world. Hearing someone with such a distinctive London accent made us all realise that UK MCs could have this unique identity which separated us from American rappers. Outkast - Speakerboxx/The Love Below [LaFace] (2003) I can’t think of many albums since this one that came through with such a strong concept and identity, so many references to jazz and bebop yet it was no less a commercial hit than Drake is now. The productions and compositions are so timeless, you realise how irrelevant it is to try and define a record by genre because this breaks down all the boundries. I recently heard Alex Nut drop a few sneaky ones off the album too! Henry Wu plays Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 27 Nov

Photo: Stuart Holt

Rapturous jazz chord menace Henry Wu explains why you need to read more into these five renowned albums

Luke Vibert, Who Else? The genre-hopping master and lover of playful samples ponders his approach to production and DJing Interview: Ronan Martin

ast month saw the release of Bizarster, Luke Vibert’s seventh studio album under his own name – that figure grows significantly if you consider his work under aliases such as drum’n’bass project Plug, the junglist Amen Andrews guise and the Wagon Christ moniker, through which he presents spaced-out trip-hop of gratifying looseness. Also dabbling in everything else from acid and rave to disco and hip-hop over 25 years, and always doing so in a distinctive fashion, the veteran producer is by now fairly comfortable in shifting perspective with ease. On his latest offering, many of these styles sit side by side, somehow tied together by that unmistakable Vibert touch. “It’s a big old mix of stuff Mike [Paradinas, of Planet Mu] hand-picked from tons of tracks from the last few years,” he tells us. It’s easy to imagine he has the same kind of vast cache of unreleased music as fellow traveller Aphex Twin, who recently sent sections of the internet into meltdown with a mass dump of years’ worth of tracks via an obscure Soundcloud alias – an idea Vibert admits does have a certain appeal for him too. Yet while many may have initially speculated about the possibility that Richard D. James’ bulk upload, and last year’s release of the album Syro, was a way of drawing a line under one era in the history of Aphex Twin, it somehow seems less likely that Vibert could ever be as pre-meditated in his approach. Rather, he seems content to continually revisit different styles and aliases whenever the notion takes him – evidenced with this year’s welcome return to the spellbinding disco house of his alias Kerrier District, a move which delighted many who had suspected the project had been consigned to history. That said, when asked if he feels any pressure or level of expectation when producing new work, or whether he instead takes a more carefree approach, his answer is tellingly simple: “Pretty much the latter.”

CLUBS

This nonchalant sensibility is also writ large in the tongue-in-cheek flourishes found throughout Bizarster, firmly placing it within the Vibert canon. Whether through playful samples, cartoonish sound effects or simply in the use of silly track titles, Vibert has always appeared to shirk the po-faced indulgence that plagues many electronic artists – even those who have had much less of an impact and lasting influence than the 42-year-old from Cornwall. “It’s pretty subconscious,” he says of the way in which this skittish side finds its way into his music through the oddball samples and sounds he utilises to devastating effect. “It’s just putting bits together, one by one. I sometimes don’t quite realise what’s happening under my nose!” Unsurprisingly, Vibert’s approach to DJing is as intuitive as the way he produces music. In the past he has spoken about how he rarely plans his sets until shortly before taking to the booth, taking his cue from whoever has warmed up and feeling his way through the set by instinct. “I love the varied nature of DJing,” he explains, comparing it to his back catalogue, in terms of the variety of moods on offer. “But obviously a nice banging set every now and then clears the air out,” he jokes. All told, it would seem that very little has changed for Luke Vibert, in terms of how he views his working processes at least. Can he pinpoint any shift at all in recent years? “Hard to say, really. I suppose I must have become more knowledgeable somehow, but it doesn’t particularly feel like it.” In fact, his reflections on making music would seem to echo the sentiments of his most enthusiastic fans, who rather convincingly point out that however retrospective some of his output may feel, it still blows most of the contemporary competition out of the water: “It feels pretty damn similar to 25 years ago, I’m happy to report.” We suspect that feeling is mutual, Luke. Bizarster is out now on Planet Mu

Review

Hidden in the Open In a UK-wide climate of club closures, one writer takes a look at the impact (so far) of Manchester’s newest music and arts hub, Hidden, and what it might mean for the city’s clubbing scene Words: Kamila Rymajdo

Clubbing Highlights F

irst off in Manchester, Project 13 bring in Teklife’s DJ Spinn to the cavernous Soup Kitchen basement on 5 Nov, fresh off the back of his scorching Danny Brown collab, Dubby, full of Chicago footwork and general beefiness (£7). The following day sees Belgian producer San Soda going all night long at Soup Kitchen in the latest instalment of the Zutekh series (£10). Abandon Silence lead part two of their Kazimier farewell parties over in Liverpool come 6 Nov, which looks poised to set us in warm stead for the rest of the month no matter how low the temperatures drop (£15; only a few left). Over in the Baltic Triangle on 7 Nov, disco legend and Studio 54 resident Nicky Siano – also responsible for bringing NYC’s The Gallery to the forefront of a musical movement – hits up Baltic Social for a grooving four-hour marathon. A chance to get yer dancing shoes polished and Lionel Blairs at the ready (£17.50). Scouse stalwarts Chibuku also return on 7 Nov after their daytime session in October, merging London duo Dusky with funk and rhythm connoisseur Seven Davis Jr and NTS’s finest flame-haired selector, Moxie (£16). Back in Manchester, TERNESC boss and everyone’s favourite tattooed modular whizz, Blawan, gets down and dirty via aggressive analogue workouts, heading up the bill along with Eli Verveine at Hidden on 7 Nov (£13.50). The day before, Hidden also hosts Night Slugs main man Bok Bok, the Rinse FM-aligned Roska and Kim Ann Foxman all for just a fiver. Ex-Hercules and Love Affair artist Foxman will also be going B2B with the ever-jackin’ Heidi over at Circus’s Camp and Furnace takeover on the 28th. On 11 Nov, local Liverpool favourite Mele enjoys his first slot as part of a year-long residency at the Shipping Forecast – fiver in. Expect the crème de la crème if you’re into bass-heavy bangers and nostalgic rave with Toddla T thrown in the mix and a fair share of acid, too. The guys behind the Forecast also bring Midland below ground, as he continues on his all-night-long set supremacy across the UK on 13 Nov (£10). In Manchester, DJ Qu racks up snarling house straight outta East Coast US, joined by legend of the game Amir Alexander and Parisian producer French Fries, at Hidden on 13 Nov. Manchester-based Bohemian Grove affiliate Means&3rd is also on show to offer less than gentle encouragement to those thinking about

Review

Words: Leah Connolly Illustration: Leah Curran heading down early (£10). The following night (14 Nov) sees Hidden serve up yet more Stateside talent, this time with Levon Vincent at the helm, with a little help from Fabric favourite Craig Richards (£12). Dirty double, maybe? Also on 14 Nov, sampling mastermind turned bandleader Max Graef flies in from Berlin to get busy at 1 Primrose Street until the early morn – well, 4am (£9). There’s also the Hudd Traxx tenth birthday party on the same night at the Whiskey Jar, a chance to catch some top drawer Euro talent in the form of Agnès and Iron Curtis (£10). Local lad and label head Eddie Leader will be making an appearance, too! Back to Merseyside. The newly opened Buyers Club comes from the team behind Bold Street Coffee (as well as others in the city), tucked away at The Picket’s old space just behind the Old Blind School and fusing great food, quality drinks and stellar lineups to match. You’ve got Glasgow’s Dixon Avenue Basement Jams on 19 Nov – you know, the guys who brought you Marquis Hawkes’s debut – hurling their full-throttle, no-holds-barred techno/acid out to the sweaty masses. Bargain at £5. One for all the Simpsons fans out there, Friday 20 Nov welcomes Keith Tenniswood – aka Radioactive Man – to the Whiskey Jar (£8). Tenniswood, a resident of Bloc, is a true British legend, mates with Andrew Weatherall and a guy who has skirted the perimeter of dance culture for the past 20-odd years. 20 Nov also sees new night Hold Tight bring their A/V assault to new NQ spot Texture. Watch out for sounds from resident party boy Szajna who, incidentally, also brews his own brand of hot sauce (£3). A true wizard behind the Berghain decks, and still rattling brains (and speaker systems) almost a year on since her head-splitting Essential Mix debut, Panorama Bar resident Steffi is set to teach us all a lesson on 27 Nov at the acoustically treated Mantra Live in Ancoats (£12 earlybird). And to cap off the month in Liverpool, Abandon Silence return for part three of their Kazimier farewell with help from Jeremy Underground Paris on 27 Nov (£12). The day after on 28 Nov, Osunlade makes his Merseyside debut at Magnet, a warm-up affair for the sunny climes of SuncéBeat next year (£14). All in all, it’s not looking so grim up north this November... theskinny.co.uk/clubs

Photo: Gemma Parker

Despite the November chills creeping in, it’s still best to dress to sweat

eartwarming isn’t usually the word chosen to describe a superclub, but that’s exactly how the inception and now operation of Manchester’s newest music and arts hub, Hidden, comes across. Since the Manchester Evening News’ reporting on the redevelopment of the former textile mill back in February, Hidden has been slowly and surely gaining attention from the city’s ravers, with its grand opening on August Bank Holiday weekend a complete sellout. Now the club, situated just outside of the city centre near Strangeways, is home to many of Manchester’s leading promoters, from Love Dose to Meat Free, Mvson to Mellow Yellow, and has already hosted some of the world’s most alluring live techno acts such as Magic Mountain High and Xosar; legends DJ Bone, Ben Sims and Fred P; and local heroes Greg Wilson and Chimpo. Against a backdrop of a huge wave of club closures across the country, the ambitious redevelopment was a brave move from the owners. Aesthetically it’s obvious that the venue’s been a labour of love, from the graffiti artwork to the excellent bespoke sound system, the disco balls and records hanging from the ceiling, and the preened outside area. What’s really interesting about the project, though, is how the work that’s gone into it has played out on social media. With the redevelopers posting about the ups and downs of turning the derelict building into a fully functioning club, Hidden has given punters an insider’s view of getting a business up and running against the odds. When those odds make anyone opening a new club right now look a little crazy, the sheer scale of this project makes it even more compelling. It seems these people really have put their lives on the line, investing their every last penny. Over the past few months since first hearing about the redevelopment, I’ve followed their story with interest and then awe. Perhaps this is the reason the space has met with such unprecedented positivity, whether from DJs, punters, or the promoters who’ve left more established venues to set up shop in the mill.

There’s an honesty about it that can be missing from the club scene – you can tell this isn’t about making money, but about creating culture in a climate where culture is being taken away like benefits. As a result the project has reignited a feeling of community among the key players of the Manchester scene and that response keeps mushrooming, creating an even bigger buzz. If you need confirmation, just flick through the photos from any of their parties – there’s sheer joy on those ravers’ faces. With Hidden’s competition being another year of predictable bookings at the Warehouse Project and Sankeys taking over WHP’s former home at Victoria Warehouse, the venue is a breath of fresh air on the superclub circuit. It gives punters, seasoned and fresh, a motive to go on a really big night out – and on top of what’s booked for the weekends, Hidden’s midweek parties have revitalised the weekday calendar. Who wouldn’t want the option of catching Marshall Jefferson on a Wednesday or Floating Points on a Thursday? The comparisons with Islington Mill were drawn even before work began, and they are fairly accurate. The club’s commitment to creating low-cost studio and exhibition spaces over the coming months should make that prediction even more of a reality. Band nights are also on the cards, and there’s already been daytime yoga. All this within the space of two months shows that, if there’s a will, there’s definitely a way. Despite the notable closure of Roadhouse, we are starting to see more and more alternative venues popping up around town, intent on shaking things up a bit. Places like Hidden do seem to offer much-needed respite from the standard commercialisation of nights on the town. Perhaps the writing is on the wall, albeit a digital one: “We hope we can be the next chapter of Manchester’s cultural history,” the owners profess on their Facebook page – and it looks like they really could be. Upcoming events at Hidden include Blawan (7 Nov), High Hoops with DJ Qu, Amir Alexander, French Fries and more (13 Nov), and Levon Vincent (14 Nov) hidden.club

CLUBS

THE SKINNY

Tania Kovats: Evaporation

Ai Weiwei

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Museum of Science and Industry

Royal Academy of Art, London

Ai Weiwei - Coloured Vases (2006) Tania Kovats - All the Seas (2012-14)

“My job is to complicate things, to make things beautiful. The facts only mean things if they’re also given imaginative space.” At a panel event concerning climate change, hosted by literary magazine Granta, writer and birdwatcher Tim Dee is describing how he views his role as a creative writer communicating scientific fact. In other words, the facts can be reported – the job of the science journalist – but perhaps it takes a story for us to understand them. Dee’s comments happen to come only days after the launch of Evaporation, a new exhibition by artist Tania Kovats at the Museum of Science and Industry, and they provide a perfect summation of Kovats’ undertaking. Inviting audiences to reflect on our relationship to water and the ocean, Evaporation is a collection of beautiful works created to communicate ideas about the impact of human life on this blue planet. It is the second of climate change awareness project Cape Farewell’s Lovelock Art Commissions, which allow an artist to research scientist and environmentalist James Lovelock’s work, take inspiration from it and use their practice to explore its messages. (Cape Farewell has also historically run expeditions to the Arctic with a ragtag bunch of artists on board, in the hope that the art they make as a result of their experience will further understanding of climate change on a wider scale; past voyagers include Laurie

Anderson, Jarvis Cocker and Antony Gormley.) Lovelock’s Gaia Theory holds that the Earth is a single living, self-regulating superorganism, and Kovats represents this interconnectedness in a striking display of more than 200 glass bottles, each containing water from a different sea. The vessels, some slim, some squat, are not individually labelled, and while this may frustrate the inquisitive viewer, it helps to underline the idea of coexistence; that All the Seas are, in a sense, one being. Most striking, however, is the exhibition’s huge centre piece: a trio of metal cut-outs of the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans, created strip by strip and then daringly coaxed into bowls. Stained and degraded, yet scalloped at the edges with delicate detail, they sit on their white plates like three rusted oysters. Though they have an immediate presence, it is perhaps the way in which the bowls’ creation is explained, through drawings and components fixed to the facing walls, that helps to make them so involving – and the rest of the exhibition could benefit from similar insight into the artist’s process. That said, the simplicity of display allows the works to speak emotionally rather than didactically, which is, after all, what the Farewell project is looking for. [Lauren Strain] Runs until 15 May msimanchester.org.uk/whats-on/exhibition/evaporation

It’s Friday 23 October and I’m sat on a train from Manchester to London; I’m travelling to see an exhibition of work by China’s most recognisable artist, Ai Weiwei. I glance through a tattered newspaper to learn that Xi Jinping, China’s president, is due to tour Manchester, in all its glorious Northern Powerhouse potential, later that day. Protests are expected due to China’s questionable human rights record. Ai Weiwei is an artist who has openly condemned China’s apparent disregard for human rights and free speech, and who in 2011 was notoriously imprisoned by the Chinese authorities for “inciting subversion of state power.” I have been looking forward to this exhibition for some time. It seems to me long overdue, putting aside the curious Ai Weiwei exhibition at Blenheim Palace last year. Fortunately, this survey of his work turns out to be graceful and deeply pertinent, with an often hair-raising lightness of touch in curation. One work particularly is breathtaking in its rust-covered enormity. Straight (2008-12) is displayed across the floor of one gallery, and is composed in 90 tonnes of meticulously stacked steel reinforcing bars. The bars were originally twisted and warped in the 2008 Sichuan earthquake and have been straightened once again by a workforce of 100 people. The result is haunting and solemn, holding the echoes of those lives destroyed.

Ai Weiwei is very much at his best when he introduces his ideas through clever and subtle interventions. In another gallery we see a procession of bright, simply painted Coloured Vases from the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD). These valuable and ancient antiques are appropriated into works of artistic commodity, and raise questions about how we value history and ideas, the intervention of the artist’s hand increasing the value dramatically. China’s state capitalism is further examined in a crossover of art and heritage with several sculptures created in influential materials. These imposing cubes, such as A Ton of Tea (2011) for example, ape familiar minimalist works, this one in particular formed of compressed Pu-erh tea, the block a traditional method of transporting and trading tea from hundreds of years ago. Ai Weiwei is an artist demonstrative of trial over adversity and is fast becoming a household name worldwide. His work is clever, revealing and often shocking. The RA exhibition skilfully dodges making this exhibition into a personality sideshow and instead addresses important political questions. If you can cope with the crowds, this astute exhibition is not to be missed. [Matthew Retallick] Runs until 13 Dec royalacademy.org.uk

HEART SHAPED LIKE A BASEBALL BAT Alfie Strong 06/11/2015 - 19/12/2015

Manchester Jewellers Network celebrate 150 years of Alice 21/11/15 – 14/02/16

Manchester Craft & Design Centre, 17 Oak Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 5Jd Open Monday – Saturday 10Am - 5:30Pm, Sunday 11-5Pm 0161 832 4274

CRAFTANDDESIGN.COM @ManchesterCraft // @McrJewellers #ExploringWonderland Manchester.Craft // ManchesterJewellers

Chester Street, Wrexham LL13 8BE www.periclo.org oriel.wrecsam@wrexham.gov.uk

November 2015

ART

Review

Film Event Highlights This month’s film highlights include artists’ films, animation and amour Words: Simon Bland

limey. 2015 is almost over, what happened there, ay? Anyway, no time to get all reflective. There are plenty of movie events to catch before we start wondering where the time went. First up this month has to be HOME’s Artist Film Weekender (27-29 Nov), featuring a selection of moving-image work from the visual artists. Highlights include the relationship-themed compilation Transactions of Desire; David Blandy and Wong Ping’s exploration of identity and nationality, Both Sides Now 2, and the Friedrich Engelsfocused The Most Cruel of All Goddesses. HOME also have an all-nighter planned (14-15 Nov) as part of the BFI’s Love season, inviting viewers on an intimate one-night stand to inspect all areas of big-screen romance. David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, Krzysztof Kieslowski’s A Short Film About Love, the controversial In the Realm of the Senses, dark melodrama The Duke of Burgundy, steamy office drama Secretary, David Cronenberg’s Dead Ringers, the X-rated Last Tango in Paris and classic Letter from an Unknown Woman round out this night-long love affair. Heartbreakingly good. Grimm Up North get in on the mushy love action too by hosting four screenings at Manchester Central Library, each looking at a very different aspect of celluloid sex appeal. Here you’ll find Vertigo (3 Nov), Fatal Attraction (10 Nov), A Matter of Life and Death (17 Nov) and Rebecca (19 Nov), each introduced by a special guest speaker. Also in Manchester, Joshua Brooks welcomes the always ace Cultivate Film Club for a special Black History Season double bill of Andrew Lang’s boxing doc, Sons of Cuba, and Céline Sciamma’s coming-of-age drama, Girlhood (8 Nov).

Blue Velvet

In Liverpool, Cheap Thrills and Think Cinema team up for an Italian horror double bill at the Liverpool Small Cinema featuring Mario Bava’s influential proto-slasher Blood and Black Lace and Dario Argento’s supernatural giallo outing Inferno (26 Nov). Too dark for ya? Head to FACT for a selection of favourites back on the big screen including 90s kids classic Matilda (28 Nov), David Lean’s bittersweet Brief Encounter (15 Nov) and Mike Nichols seminal release, The Graduate (8 Nov). I think they’re trying to seduce us. Finally, also taking place at HOME is the first Manchester Animation Festival (17-19 Nov), which aims to introduce you to a host of emerging local talent. The event boasts three days of shorts, features and masterclasses showcasing a variety of animation styles, from Lego to stop motion and everything in between.

Review

Steve Jobs

My Skinny Sister

Tangerine

Brooklyn

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Director: Sean Baker Starring: Kitana Kiki Rodriguez, Mya Taylor, Mickey O’Hagan Released: 13 Nov Certificate: 15

Director: John Crowley Starring: Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson Released: 6 Nov Certificate: 12A

“Merry Christmas Eve, bitch!” So goes the opening line of Tangerine, a single-night screwball set on the West Hollywood strip that comes at you like a Jim Jarmusch movie on amphetamines. This exchange is between Sin-Dee (Rodriguez) and Alexandra (Taylor), who are best friends, trans women and working girls. They’re celebrating Sin-Dee’s recent emancipation over a donut when Alexandra lets slip that Sin-Dee’s pimp/boyfriend has been cheating on her with a “real fish” (meaning a non-trans woman). So sets off an apoplectic Sin-Dee out for revenge and a hilarious chain of events that ends before the night is through at the same crummy donut shop. Director Sean Baker’s expressive camera (remarkably, this gorgeous film was shot using iPhone 5s) keeps pace with his firecracker heroines – both non-actors – following their adventure through LA’s shimmering afternoon light. The film is so rambunctious and fast-paced that you hardly notice it slip into a humanist drama just sweet enough to oust It’s a Wonderful Life from your Christmas movie rotation. [Jamie Dunn]

Adapted from Colm Tóibín’s beloved novel, Brooklyn is a refreshingly oldfashioned melodrama with depths that transcend its initial lightweightlooking tearjerker packaging. Saoirse Ronan makes an impressive move towards adult leading roles as Eilis, a young Irish immigrant navigating her way through Brooklyn in 1952, her older sister having funded her move there for a “better life.” Devastating homesickness eventually makes way for hard-hitting romance as she falls for Italian-American lad Tony (Cohen, very sweet). But a disruption back in Ireland sees her return there for a while, subsequently falling for another man (Gleeson) as other forces seem determined to prevent her returning to her new home. Despite little flair in the visual storytelling department, Brooklyn is a touching romance and nuanced exploration of how perceptions of home and family shift as life throws us new opportunities. It’s also, despite the tragedy and longing, one of the year’s funnier films thanks to a game cast and Nick Hornby’s screenplay, the latter commendable for engaging with various ethnicities head-on without resorting to stereotypes. [Josh Slater-Williams]

My Skinny Sister

Carol

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Director: Sanna Lenken Starring: Rebecka Josephson, Amy Deasismont, Annika Hallin Released: 27 Nov Certificate: 15

Director: Todd Haynes Starring: Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler Released: 27 Nov Certificate: 15

My Skinny Sister follows the trials of bulimic teenage ice skater Katja (Deasismont) as seen from the viewpoint of her bright younger sister, Stella (Josephson). With a mixture of awe and jealousy, Stella regards her older sister as an idol to be emulated, and it’s through Stella that with creeping dread we realise the extent of Katja’s eating disorder. Stella comes across Katja binging on crisps from the dustbin, peeks in through the toilet door to see her purging and witnesses her fainting on the ice. Coupled with Katja’s nose bleeds and increasingly panicked behaviour around family meals, My Skinny Sister offers one of the most accurate portrayals of bulimia on screen, and touches on the almost virus-like way in which eating disorders can spread to those around the sufferer, with Stella scrutinising herself in the mirror, losing body confidence and refusing food like her tortured sister. This strength is also Lenken’s film’s weakness, however. By the film’s denouement, Katja is little more than an object in Stella’s character development. [Rachel Bowles]

“I’m charting the correlation between what characters say and what they mean,” says a film buff while watching Sunset Boulevard in Todd Haynes’ Carol. This gloriously romantic film’s dialogue needs similar decoding, but not so its glances. As soon as flinty store clerk Therese (Mara) meets eyes with our title character (a radiant Blanchett) across a teeming department store, we palpably feel their attraction. This is the 1950s, though, and Therese is reticent to express her feelings: “I want to ask you things, but I’m not sure you want that.” “Ask,” replies Carol, achingly. These women are trapped by their era’s conformity. Carol and Therese try to kindle a love affair, but the men who wish to own them continually snuff it out. Haynes’ images mirror the couple’s imprisonment, framing them in doorways and through windows. But like Carol says to her jealous ex-husband (Chandler), love is “like science, it’s like pinball.” Haynes is telling us that, thrillingly, passion burns hotter than fear. For Carol and Therese, the chemical reaction has begun; the ball bearings are in motion. [Jamie Dunn]

Steve Jobs

Radiator

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Director: Danny Boyle Starring: Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen Released: 13 Nov Certificate: 15 There are few writers operating in mainstream media today who exhibit the kind of auteurial control we see from Aaron Sorkin. His screenplay for Steve Jobs – full of the breakneck dialogue and quick-witted humour that characterises his work – even manages to overpower the trademark panache of Danny Boyle. If the film is a symphony then Sorkin is its conductor, and he’s fortunate to have Michael Fassbender in first chair, giving a remarkable performance as the fabled Apple co-founder. Myth-making is the film’s raison d’être. This is not a traditional biopic, but rather a character study meticulously constructed to reflect both incredible vision and inescapable faults. Separated into three 40-minute sections, each one chronicles a fictionalised version of the minutes immediately before a big product launch: the Macintosh in 1984, the NeXT in 1988, and the iMac in 1998. Accused by some of being a character assassination, this is much more than that: it’s a nuanced portrait of an undoubtedly great man through several complicated and sometimes fraught relationships. [Ben Nicholson]

FILM

Director: Tom Browne Starring: Richard Johnson, Gemma Jones, Daniel Cerqueira Released: 27 Nov Certificate: TBC

Radiator ranks British film veterans Barbara Broccoli and Rachel Weisz among its squad of executive producers – though this muscle is scarcely to be seen in a quiet effort from director Tom Browne, who also shares writing duties with co-star Daniel Cerqueira. The latter plays fictional Daniel, a middle-aged bachelor bidden to return from London to rural Cumbria by Maria, his fraught mother (Jones). She’s ostensibly concerned for the wellbeing of ageing patriarch Leonard (Johnson). Just which of her two men, husband or son, she’s truly looking out for becomes less clear as things unravel. Johnson is certainly strong as the dying old lion to Cerqueira’s slightly wan whelp, but it’s Jones at the top of the acting triumvir. She’s both stoic and brittle in the face of her tyrannical invalid husband. She also does the best with Browne and Cerqueira’s occasionally stagey, self-conscious dialogue. Radiator is a thoughtful film, though, and not without moments of lightness and beauty. It gently probes the line between companionship and dependence. [Angus Sutherland]

THE SKINNY

Magic Mike XXL

The Skull

Ant-Man

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Director: Gregory Jacobs Starring: Channing Tatum, Joe Manganiello Released: 30 Nov Certificate: 15

Magic Mike XXL, which swaps the original film’s “stripper Boogie Nights” beats for a looser road movie setup, may initially seem like a typical cash-in sequel, albeit one retaining most of the first’s key personnel – Steven Soderbergh is still around on cinematography duty, with directing handled by long-time collaborator Gregory Jacobs. In a most welcome surprise, not only is the euphoric, ofthilarious XXL a better film than its predecessor, it’s a revelation as the most (casually) progressive mainstream movie of recent memory. An all-inclusive film overflowing with positive energy and life, it has real depths (if you’re not completely inattentive) regarding notions of women’s sexuality, body-positivity and platonic male love, but never stops to pat itself on its back. Elsewhere, the cast is exceptionally entertaining, especially a revelatory Jada Pinkett Smith, replacing and outshining Matthew McConaughey in the role of magnetic impresario. This is the Nashville of male-entertainer films. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Director: Freddie Francis Starring: Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee Released: Out now Certificate: 12 Produced by Amicus Productions – Hammer Films’ big rival – and featuring Hammer’s two most recognisable stars, Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, The Skull epitomises British horror cinema in the 60s. Directed by Academy Award-winning cinematographer Freddie Francis, the film trails Peter Cushing’s occult expert as he spirals into a dark underworld touched by madness and death after coming into contact with the exhumed skull of the Marquis de Sade. The somewhat rote script is lent gravitas by Cushing and Lee (in a rare non-villainous role) and the film is elevated by a couple of inspired sequences – in particular, a chilling near-silent game of Russian roulette that acts as a centrepiece. Those not already fans of Hammer’s and Amicus’s particular brands of Gothic horror are unlikely to be won over, but for fans of the studios The Skull is sure to be a welcome addition to their DVD collection. [Michael Jaconelli]

Director: Peyton Reed Starring: Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas Released: 30 Nov Certificate: 12 As self-aware as the name demands, Marvel’s latest hero belies his size to be a hugely enjoyable addition to the studio’s growing superhero universe. Helmed by Peyton Reed, enlisted after the departure of fan-favourite Edgar Wright, Ant-Man is like a super-powered heist movie, mixing fantastic invention with a tried, tested and all-too-familiar formula. Michael Douglas is perfect as the exposition-spouting Hank Pym, who entrusts his natty shrinking suit to ex-con Scott Lang (Rudd) for one big job. Rudd effortlessly embodies one of the little guys in this big world. His easy charm and deadpan delivery is deployed for emphatic leading-man harmony, although the uproarious Michael Peña threatens to steal the show. Though perhaps not as mould-breaking as some hoped, there’s plenty to enjoy here, with a punch-up in a briefcase and a final showdown on a toy train-set in a little girl’s bedroom inspired subversions of Marvel Studio’s already wearisome tropes. [Ben Nicholson]

Brand: A Second Coming

Dragon Inn

The Naked Prey

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It’s 15th-century China. A noble minister has been executed and his children exiled by ferocious eunuch Cao (Ying). Despatched to murder the exiles before they reach the border, Cao’s secret police commandeer the isolated Dragon Gate Inn to await their quarry. They are met there by swordsman Xiao (Shi Jun) who seems determined to get in the way. Dragon Inn is a clear ancestor of films like Ang Lee’s Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Action blossoms from controlled, elegant moves into bursts of superhuman speed and agility. Bodies pirouette across vivid landscapes and through the air, the camera their graceful partner in motion. Its flowing sequences would be reason enough to seek out this wuxia landmark. But what sets Dragon Inn apart is the deadly precision of its dialogue – nimble wit that stalks, pounces and often prevails in tandem with the action, until the final scene, where it finds its mark. [Kirsty Leckie-Palmer]

Photo: Hugo Glendinning

“I’d rather you shoot my pets than release this film.” So Russell Brand is reported to have told director Ondi Timoner prior to a premiere from which he was conspicuously absent. One struggles to comprehend the comic’s reservations, however, given his evident egotism and the extent to which he’s deified by Brand: A Second Coming. The documentary peddles a narrative in which Brand found himself disenchanted with the spiritually unfulfilling world of celebrity and instead decided to direct his energies toward political activism. If various talking heads are to be believed, he’s a taboobusting iconoclast in the mould of Lenny Bruce, and it’s on this basis that his recent activity is considered. Viewers are free to contemplate the man’s motivations and psyche, but no more so than when watching his past body of work. Timoner seems reluctant to probe him and consequently offers little in the way of revelation. [Lewis Porteous]

Director: King Hu Starring: Bai Ying, Shang Kuan Ling-Feng Released: Out now Certificate: 12

The Notebook Contact

rrrrr Two bespectacled men in matching grey suits and maroon sweaters step out onto a bare stage. What follows is Forced Entertainment's version of Hungarian writer Ágota Kristóf's novel, The Notebook, directed by Tim Etchells. Standing alongside each other, these two men (Richard Lowdon and Robin Arthur) open the notebooks each are carrying, and in unison – as if from one shared perspective – they read from inside, unveiling their joint diary. The pages contain a child’s eye view of life during wartime. The duologue describes the experiences of two inseparable twin boys who are evacuated to their grandmother’s farm during World War Two. They start out poor and socially eschewed but, by the end of the story, the war has brought poverty down on everyone. The story the boys have to tell is a horrific and timeless one, full of the violence of war, the mindless victimisation of the innocent and the desperation of survival in a crumbling society. It is a grim

November 2015

and fascinatingly grotesque look at the brutal extremes humankind can take and inflict. The boys are sociopaths, emotionally numbed to every encounter; the notebook they read from only ever reports fact and never feeling. An inherently dark and subversive humour is heightened by their deadpan delivery. At other times, the notebook’s objectivity is pointed, forcing the audience to consider their personal ethics and politics in the wider context of war. Both Arthur and Lowdon give faultless and compelling performances, portraying the preteen boys very well. The delivery is intense and so incredibly in sync that the piece feels truly like one single performance rather than two separate ones. The problem with The Notebook, however, is its length. Running over two hours without a break means the very unique performances are overused, and it ultimately becomes a matter of endurance for the audience to get through such brutal subject matter. [Emma Nuttall] The Notebook is at Battersea Arts Centre, London, 3-14 Nov

Director: Cornel Wilde Starring: Cornel Wilde, Gert van der Berg Released: Out now Certificate: 12 Sixties survival thriller The Naked Prey sets off on a bad footing, with an uncomfortable voiceover that’s liable to trigger alarm bells in modern audiences (“A hundred years ago, Africa was a vast, dark unknown… And man, lacking the will to understand other men, became like beasts”). The suspicions linger into an opening act that prefigures the “savage tribe” brand of video nasty typified by Cannibal Holocaust, as a group of white hunters are set upon by barbaric natives and subjected to graphically inventive tortures. Then, gradually, over the course of an extended cat-andmouse chase across scorched scrubland, a more nuanced, critical work emerges. Ex-matinee idol Cornel Wilde impresses on both sides of the camera, giving a committed, physical performance in the lead role and keeping the action lean and relentless in his capacity as director, and, while some representational choices have dated better than others, the final result more than holds up. [Chris Buckle]

Photo: Graeme Cooper

Director: Ondi Timoner Starring: Russell Brand, Noel Gallagher Released: 9 Nov Certificate: 15

The Oresteia

Hedydd Dylan’s portrayal of the condemned prophetess Cassandra is particularly compelling, rrrrr though it is the haunting depiction of the Furies HOME’s staging of Aeschylus’s ancient that really stands out. tragedy The Oresteia is dark, strange and Laura Hopkins’ set is stark but delightfully sharply relevant. versatile and darkly suggestive: the stage floor is In the third major production of The covered in black pebbles, set against a backdrop Oresteia this year, Ted Hughes’ pithy translation of chains which separates the seen from the is pared down to just over 100 minutes, picking unseen, the living from the dead. up pace as it hurtles through its story of If this all leaves the production feeling family feuds. disconcertingly strange, it is surely apt: after Returning triumphant from the Trojan all, ancient drama is profoundly alien to modern War, Agamemnon is murdered by his wife, theatre. However, this strangeness creates a Clytemnestra, to avenge the sacrifice of their mood that is more thought-provoking than it daughter. What follows is a bloody cycle of reis moving. venge, initiating a debate of right and wrong. As an exploration of war and justice, The Oresteia is unflinchingly provocative for today’s Directed by classicist Blanche McIntyre, it audiences. Not only are the repercussions of is not surprising that this version of Aeschylus’s current conflict reaching our shores, but with trilogy engages heavily with the idiosyncrasies the recent clash between government and the of ancient drama. The two choruses – formed House of Lords over tax credits, the play’s of local volunteers and strongly led by Ronke challenge to ancient power and its appeal to the Adekoluejo and Daniel Millar – function well as a surrogate audience, reacting and commenting on people demonstrate the impeccable timeliness of HOME’s production. [Alice Horne] the action, while the role-swapping of the main characters creates a nuanced layer of meaning. HOME

The Oresteia is at HOME, Manchester until 14 Nov

DVD / THEATRE

Review

Book Highlights Literary festival season continues this month, while music and words combine across the Northwest Words: Abby Kearney Illustration: Sonny Ross

ollowing a year-long sabbatical, during which he captained a crime writers’ five-a-side football team, Ian Rankin returns with a new Detective Rebus novel, Even Dogs in the Wild. Rebus, in retirement and restless, takes on a final case: the murder of a high-ranking lawyer. Rankin will discuss the novel with journalist Mark Lawson at the Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama on 10 Nov, as part of the Guardian Live events series. Rankin will also be talking about the reasons for his recent break, his fatigue from writing prolifically – he averages a novel a year – and the death of two close friends, including fellow novelist Iain Banks. Elsewhere, music and literary festival Louder than Words takes place 13-15 Nov at Manchester’s Palace Hotel. The festival celebrates ‘all words… associated with the music industry.’ A pretty immense task, but the festival’s

BOOK OF THE MONTH List of the Lost By Morrissey

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schedule displays an impressively broad programme. Topics for discussion include riot grrrl and feminism, ’zine-making, being a mod, copyright and prog rock. Also programmed are workshops on self-publishing and music production, and a series of acoustic, slam poetry and spoken word performances, including a set from Bad Language. Staying with music, Billy Bragg, singersongwriter and social activist, will be speaking at Waterstones Deansgate on 25 Nov, promoting his new book, A Lover Sings. The book is a collection of 70 of Bragg’s best-known lyrics, each annotated by the author. Including pieces like A New England and Levi Stubbs’ Tears, Bragg promises the collection will weave “everyday observation with much broader concerns” and his talk will focus on his experience of songwriting and his political commitments,

and how they both impact each other. Andy Brooks, aka Testament, is a Guinness World Record-holding beatboxer and rapper, currently part of the beatbox choir Shlomo and the Lip Factory based at the Southbank Centre. On 17 Nov, he performs Blake Remixed at the Unity Theatre, a show which blends UK hip-hop with the poetry of William Blake, using a live DJ and video installation. Expect to hear classic poetry in a whole new light. Finally, on 12 Nov, acclaimed biographer Carole Angier will discuss her recent biography of Italian Jewish chemist, writer and Auschwitz survivor Primo Levi, at Liverpool’s Mountford Hall. 2015 marks the 70th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, and Levi’s memoir If This Is a Man is regarded as being among the most essential written accounts of the experience of internment. Levi later published celebrated

Dancing in the Dark

Pond

By Claire-Louise Bennett

By Karl Ove Knausgaard

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Never meet your heroes. And now, never read their books it seems. I have, and heaven knows I’m miserable now. In List of the Lost, Morrissey – a 56-year-old virgin novelist, untouched by editorial hands – delivers this absurd tale, built around the blunt sporting metaphor of a track relay team. The text, unfettered by grammar yet encumbered with juvenile alliteration, is impenetrable (as is one character in a hilariously confused sex scene). This inscrutability is unrelated to any depth or complexity, but instead simple illiteracy – the author’s mock-classic prose reading like Mills & Boon on ketamine. Working through its 128 pages feels like freefalling through a garbled dream. Time and place remain opaque and characterisation stretches barely beyond names, while single sentences stretch over half pages. Worst of all is a godlike ‘voice of Morrissey’ narration which digresses into diatribes on his favourite subjects – vegetarianism, establishment, monarchy – like a thematic stalker, dragging the reader so far from the narrative path we forget where we were. It is tempting to believe this is grand jest rather than pretentious folly. That Morrissey will announce that reversing the first and last words of each sentence transforms this unfinished puzzle into some sort of masterpiece. But, tragically no. The truth is that if 100 monkeys with 100 typewriters will eventually produce Hamlet, a solitary baboon could turn this out in a week. [Alan Bett]

Since the first of the series was originally published in 2009, Karl Ove Knausgaard’s My Struggle has sent a literary shockwave rippling down through every level of the cultural hierarchy, simultaneously becoming a national bestseller with unparalleled mass appeal and sweeping up award after award as critics heralded it as one of the great works of its time. A novel in six volumes charting his growth into a writer, the book stands as its own origin story and has been constantly compared to Proust’s In Search of Lost Time, in terms both of its structure and significance. While each volume drifts dreamily between different points in Knausgaard’s life, Dancing in the Dark (My Struggle: 4) focuses mainly on the author at eighteen years old. He spends his days teaching at a tiny village school in northern Norway and his nights in a drunken haze, thrashing about in the dark in a frenzied pursuit of meaning, art and sex. It’s at this time that he soaks up the works of writers like Hemingway, whose plain-spoken, understated style he would eventually make his own, lending his prose its unembellished beauty. As the English version of each volume arrives, the comparisons to Proust start to sound less and less hyperbolic, and Knausgaard’s status as a giant of contemporary literature moves further beyond question. He tells his story and builds his literary legacy with each turning page. [Ross McIndoe]

Out now, published by Penguin, RRP £7.99

Out now, published by Vintage, RRP £8.99

A nameless woman is lost in her solitude, her thoughts and wishes. Nature and the mundane objects around her come to life and find their voice in Pond, a collection of short stories by emerging talent Claire-Louise Bennett – originally discovered and published by the exciting Irish literary magazine Stinging Fly. Introducing a fresh 21st-century version of the modernist stream of consciousness, Pond appears as a detailed account of the rumbling mind of the text’s one and only protagonist, alongside her relationship with her surroundings. Generally funny and dainty, although inexplicably enigmatic at times, it is a collection that leaves plenty of room for the reader’s own personal interpretation. It is therefore sure to attract and delight a like-minded creative and contemplative audience, yet, with its lack of a traditional narrative, it might puzzle more literal minds. However, the beauty of Bennett’s poetic writing style is undeniable. Her ability to smoothly merge everyday activities and lifeless entities, such as ottomans and control knobs, with more profound considerations and past experiences is rare and uncanny. The titular pond is one of timeless dreams, riddles, intimate thoughts, melancholy and almost-forgotten memories. At the heart of the collection, A Little Before Seven and Finishing Touch are the finest examples of Bennett’s literary talent and attention to detail, as well as her delicate sensibility. Definitely a promising author to keep an eye on. [Vanessa Piras]

short stories, novels, essays and poems. Angier’s biography sets a new style for biographical writing, with The Double Bond not only detailing Levi’s life, but also describing Angier’s own struggles in researching her subject. Guardian Live: Ian Rankin, Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama, University of Manchester, Tue 10 Nov, 7pm, £12, events.manchester.ac.uk Louder than Words festival, The Palace Hotel, Manchester, Fri 13-Sun 15 Nov, times vary, £60, louderthanwordsfest.com Billy Bragg, Waterstones Deansgate, Manchester, Wed 25 Nov, 7.30pm, £6(£4), waterstones.com/events Testament, Unity Theatre, Liverpool, Tue 17 Nov, 8pm, £10(£8/£6), unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk Carole Angier, Mountford Hall, University of Liverpool, Thu 12 Nov, 5.30pm, free (booking essential), liv.ac.uk/events/zaina/

Ghost: 100 Stories to Read with the Lights On By Louise Welsh

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Certain writers you’d expect to see in a collection of ghost stories: Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker, of course. But how about Hilary Mantel, Kazuo Ishiguro, Graham Greene, DH Lawrence, and Elizabeth Gaskell? Louise Welsh has had the terrifying task of gathering together the best ghost stories of all time – tales of things that go bump in the night, cannibals, poltergeists, haunted houses, the lot. And it turns out that everyone’s been at it. There are ghost stories here from Pliny the Younger right through to the modern master of shorts, Helen Simpson. Sir Walter Scott even makes an appearance. The cast is broad and the book itself a monster, at nearly 800 pages. The ghost story is infinitely adaptable, if this collection is anything to go by. These are just the most recent forms of a tale told ever since two people sat alone in the dark. Pliny tells us about a haunted house. Burns sings of Tam o’ Shanter. Ishiguro steps into his creepiest mode to tell the story of a gourmet cannibal – tired of the trend for human flesh, his hunger compels him to eat a ghost. The ghost story isn’t always so earnestly chilling: PG Wodehouse tips up to have a spot of fun with the genre, as does Oscar Wilde. But whether humorous or unsettling, one thing is clear. Every writer has a skeleton in their closet. [Galen O’Hanlon] Out now, published by Head of Zeus, RRP £20

Out now, published by Fitzcarraldo Editions, RRP £10.99

Review

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

Spotlight: Sean Morley He’s brought one of the UK’s biggest comedy awards to a standstill and aspires to become a swamp-dwelling environmental activist. Meet Sheffield’s dad-fighting comedian

iting his inspirations as Japanese fashion model and singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Jason Manford’s younger brother Colin, it can be hard to know where exactly to place Sean Morley. He recently barged his way into the semifinal of the prestigious BBC New Comedy Award by telling the audience to stop ‘laugh heckling’ and eventually shutting the whole gig down because it wasn’t quite going how he’d like, and he is on a one-man mission to become a millionaire by endlessly trading up, taking in handmade puppets, Titanic laserdiscs and some vodka jams along the way. File under unfileable. First gig: “My first ‘proper gig’ was one of Michael Bottomley’s ‘ding ding, stop that now’ shows at the Blessington Carriage in Derby. I had devised a loose five minutes on the ambiguity of the phrase ‘fly tipping.’ ‘But you see,’ I say – one hand on the microphone stand, smiling shyly at the floor – ‘flies can’t be tipped, can they? They HAVE WINGS!’ Cards up, sent packing – that poor naïve boy.” Best gig: “The first gig that comes to mind was when I did A Man Walks into a Bar, in Bristol, about a year ago. It was around the time that my act, as it currently stands, was still kind of a new idea and I hadn’t fully committed to it. I was booked to headline, and the only ‘material’ I did came at the very end as I hung off a balustrade, next to a barricade I created by the toilets, and told a long mournful story about my grandmother, cheese and the Trojan Horse conspiracy in the West Midlands schooling system. A great gig and something blossomed deep inside my heart.” Worst gig: “Seriously? OK, sure. I have a horrid memory of something intimidating and disastrous in Liverpool during my earliest gigging memories. It was a reasonably large venue, thrust staging and packed with people with Groupon discount tickets. The MC threatened one of the audience members with sexual assault in front of her family, and said that anyone who used the toilets during the interval was gay. I wandered on and started talking about flies, and tipping – and was suitably crucified. I had a sentence that ended with ‘[something or other] is dead’ – and a voice from the crowd went ‘so are you mate.’ Raucous laughter, applause, a second wave of each. They loved this heckler, and were unified in hating me. I brought the room together like no one else on the night did, and yet I lost the competition to someone doing Madeleine McCann jokes – at this point Madeleine McCann had been gone for five years.”

November 2015

Interview: John Stansfield

Favourite venue: “The back room of the New Oxford in Salford – it’s a room you need to enter in order to access the female toilets, so you’re guaranteed a captive audience of women with full bladders. Luckily for me, that is my key demographic.” Best heckle you’ve heard and the best putdown you’ve heard (it can be one of your own if you want): “SCENE 1. INT. COMEDY CLUB. HECKLER: Get off, you’re shit. COMEDIAN (stuttering, nervous, apologetic): I’m… I’m really sorry. Comedian shuts off microphone. Technician shuts off PA system. Lights shut down one by one, each bulb blinking out in turn. Doors are sealed, deadlocks slide into place. Everyone pulls their bags and coats closer towards them and prepares for a difficult night.”

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Aspirations: “Universal acclaim.” [Please place a thumbs up, and a clock emoji here, as though to say ‘Come on guys’ but also ‘Time’s ticking here, so let’s not mess around’ – Sean Morley] What would you be doing if you weren’t doing standup? “Have you ever heard of ‘Swamp Thing’??? I would love to transition into something akin to that.” If you could be haunted by anyone, who would it be and why? “Rosa Parks. She’s only been dead ten years, wouldn’t be hard to get her up to speed.” If you were on death row, what would your last meal be? And why are you on death row? “Full Pardon Sandwich and Big Murder, respectively.” What’s the largest animal you think you could beat in a fight? No weapons. “My dad! If he’d just put down his weapons for a moment and actually show me some RESPECT.” Question from past Spotlighter Will Duggan: What use are comedians to the wider society? “We dull the senses, we are an opiate forestalling the revolution – we are a cog of the ‘Everything’s OK’ brigade laughing with our friends while people die cold and penniless in the street.” Sean Morley plays Top Joe’s Regular Gig at The Well Space, Roscoe Street, Liverpool, 14 Nov, 7.30pm Follow Sean’s misadventures on Twitter: @SeanMorleyBrand or at youtube.com/seancomedymorley

COMEDY

Review

Win a pair of tickets to Ane Brun

Win art by artists at this year’s Winter Arts Market

Acclaimed Norwegian singer and composer Ane Brun comes to Manchester for a rare performance on Friday 4 December, in support of her new album When I'm Free.

Merseyside’s largest arts and crafts market, the Winter Arts Market features work from more than 200 of the region’s best artists, designers and makers. With everything from handmade jewellery and greetings cards to decorations, photography and vintage clothing for sale, it’s the perfect place to grab a unique Christmas gift for your loved ones.

The critically acclaimed LP was awarded four stars by Metro, MOJO, The Sunday Times and Uncut on release in September. The Irish Times described the record as "Distinctive, spontaneous (and immeasurably confident with it),” and Brun as “possessing a crystal-clear voice… she sets a beguiling soul/jazz trap from which there is no escape. Not that you’d want to." For your chance to win a pair of tickets to Ane Brun’s upcoming Manchester gig at Gorilla on 4 Dec, simply head along to theskinny.co.uk/

competitions and correctly answer the following question: What is the name of Ane Brun's new studio album? A) When I'm Free B) When Doves Cry C) When a Man Loves a Woman Competition closes midnight Sun 29 Nov. Entrants must be 18 or over. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms More info: thisisgorilla.com

There’ll also be a range of other activities on offer with a kid-friendly craft workshop and live music, plus delicious food and drink from Cuthbert’s Café in the North Entrance all weekend. It’s not to be missed!

At The Entwistle Group, we have engineers, experts, techies, colour specialist, designers, professional printers and even people who like binding! So when combined with all the very latest applications, digital print and finishing equipment there’s not much we can’t do.

WE CAN PRODUCE PRETTY MUCH ANYTHING....

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In which decade was St George’s Hall opened to the public? A) 1840s B) 1850s C) 1860s Competition closes midnight Sun 29 Nov. Winners will be notified via email within two working days of closing and will be required to respond within 24 hours or the prize will be offered to another entrant. Our Ts&Cs can be found at www.theskinny.co.uk/about/terms

Two of this year’s artists, Sean Mort and Nick Booton, have each given us a screenprint to give

We know how stressful things can be, that’s why at Entwistle we commit ourselves to meeting your deadlines. Whether you’re in Marketing & PR an Architect, Estate Agent, Legal Professional, Engineer, Financier or Designer we know the pressure’s on, which is why we’re here to help make your ideas work.

away. For your chance to win both prints, simply head across to theskinny.com/competitions and correctly answer the following question:

More info: winterartsmarket.com seanmort.com | bruistudio.com

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Manchester Music Tue 03 Nov DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

The Ben Gibbard led four-piece do their heart-on-sleeve indie-rock thing, with gem of a song I Will Follow You Into The Dark getting us every bloody time. CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £15

Indie rock’n’roll quintet full of guitars and songs about love an’ that. MCALMONT AND BUTLER (THE MAGIC NUMBERS)

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £19.50

Reunion of two of the 90s most prominent songwriters, with David McAlmont joined by former Suede guitarist Bernard Butler. JAMIE LAWSON

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £SOLD OUT

Acoustic singer/songwriter sharing tracks from his latest LP. BRIAN AUGER’S OBLIVION EXPRESS FT. ALEX LIGERTWOOD

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £15

The internationally-acclaimed Brian Auger’s Oblivion Express returns to Band on the Wall featuring former Santana lead singer Alex Ligertwood. RACING GLACIERS

EAGLE INN, 19:30–23:00, £6

Post-rock unit lazing a trail through reality since summer 2013. SILENT HILL LIVE

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £25

Special live event celebrating the first live performance in the UK from Japanese video game composer and sound director Akira Yamaoka. JOJO MAYER AND NERVE

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 17:45–22:00, FROM £10

The NYC live electronic veterans come to the UK, assimilating a wide range of electronic styles and going down the improv route. HOLY HOLY

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £7

Musical project born of awardwinning singer songwriter Timothy Carroll from Brisbane and guitarist/composer Oscar Dawson (Ali Barter, Dukes of Windsor) from Melbourne. MOTLEY CRUE

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, FROM £35

Yer man Tommy Lee and co. embarking what they claim is going to be their final tour.

Wed 04 Nov

CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £15

Indie rock’n’roll quintet full of guitars and songs about love an’ that. METZ (PROTOMARTYR)

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

THE HALLÉ BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

The Halle’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works. DARLIA

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £9

Blackpool boys done good bringing their hard-lined rock music to the masses. TWENTY ONE PILOTS (JEREMY LOOPS)

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £13.50

Ohio-born synthpop duo on the Fueled by Ramen roster.

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £10

MARIBOU STATE

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:00–23:00, £9

Atmospheric post-dubstep vibes care of the UK garage duo.

Thu 05 Nov GRAVEYARD

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:00–23:00, £15

The Swedish blues rockers make their return to the UK. THE MAGIC BAND

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £22.50

Original members Denny Walley, Mark Boston and John French celebrate the music of the late Don Van Vliet (aka Captain Beefheart), sharing the stage with guitarist Eric Klerks and drummer Craig Bunch to re-visit the classic tunes with renewed fervour.

November 2015

THE SISTERS (JAMES MOTTERSHEAD + MORE) MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £7

Manchester-based indie rockers. DEERHUNTER

THE RITZ, 19:00–22:00, £15

Having operated amongst a mire of genres within their selfproclaimed ‘ambient punk’ label, Deerhunter take to the road to tour their sixth LP – a gem of a thing built on scuzzy garage riffs and heavily treated, lo-fi vocals.

Sat 07 Nov MS MR

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £13.50

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

Zapp unleashes funky, high-energy music for dancing, loving and good times. BOY AND BEAR

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Sydney-based indie quintet deftly mixing driving indie-folk sounds with dainty choral harmonies. JENNY HVAL

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00-22:00, £8

The affecting singer and sharp vocalist continues to tour her beautiful new LP Apocalypse, Girl.

Mon 09 Nov THE CORONAS

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £10

Irish indie-rockers led by Danny O’Reilly, who started penning tunes at the tender age of 13.

TANKUS THE HENGE

FUEL CAFE BAR, 20:00-00:00, FREE

Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts graduate and winner of the Musicians Benevolent Fund’s National Songwriter of the Year Award continues his ascent.

South London singer songwriter influenced by Patti Smith and Iggy Pop among others. GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £7

Six sharply dressed gentlemen from London drawing on rock, ragtime, reggae, blues, funk, disco, gypsy punk and Django. ELLA HENDERSON

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Pop songstress who was on 2012’s X Factor. THIRD EYE BLIND

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £19.50

San Francisco rockers based around the songwriting of Stephan Jenkins and Brad Hargreaves. SILENT HILL LIVE

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £25

Special live event celebrating the first live performance in the UK from Japanese video game composer and sound director Akira Yamaoka. DJ FORMAT AND ABDOMINAL

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

That’s right, the dynamic duo are back with new material, playing their first UK dates in some ten years! GANG OF FOUR

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:30–23:00, £15

English post-punk group, formed in 1977 in Leeds, playing a strippeddown mix of punk rock, funk and dub, with an emphasis on the social and political ills of society.

Fri 06 Nov THE PARLOTONES

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £13

South African rockers who have achieved multi-platinum status in their own country – go them! DINOSAUR PILE-UP (HYENA)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, £8

Leeds-based alternative rock lot led by singer and guitarist Matt Bigland.

MANCHESTER CAMERATA (SECOND CHANCES)

THE RED PAINTINGS

The acoustic folk singer/songwriter returns to British shores.

Lustrous-haired French/Cuban musical duo consisting of twin sisters, Lisa-Kaindé and Naomi Diaz.

New York-based duo, made up of vocalist Lizzy Plapinger and producer Max Hershenow, who also run indie label Neon Gold Records.

MISTY MILLER

GORILLA, 19:00–23:00, £10

BOBBY LONG (SHAUNA MACKIN + DAIV )

JESUS JONES MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £16.50

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC RNCM, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14

Teenage Derry-born singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist signed to Rough Trade and nominated for the 201 Mercury Prize.

EVERY TIME I DIE SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £14

ZAPP BAND (DJ FINEST)

The Toronto-based grunge trio bring the energy and volume as only they know how. SOAK

IBEYI GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

Giving the classical canon a modern twist. SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £7

Orchestral art rockers formed in Victoria, but relocated to sunny LA. ELLA EYRE

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £16

Young Brit School graduate built on feisty songwriting, a bountiful crop of curly hair and powerhouse vocals that belie her years.

THE STARKINS + SIXTY MINUTE MAN (THE SSS + COMMON TREE FROGS ) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

The Starkins come to Manchester to release their second single Wasted.

TV WONDER

Discordant guitar pop from the Netherlands, TV Wonder released their debut EP on Brighton indie label Faux Discx. SHAM 69

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £10

Old school-styled English punk ensemble formed in Hersham way back when (aka 1976), out and touring under Jimmy Purdsey’s original 1977 line-up.

YOUTH CLUB (DECLAN MCKENNA + THE SECRET FAMILY)

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £6

Up and coming Southend-on-Sea based indie pop troupe head north.

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC RNCM, 20:00–22:30, £21

A rare opportunity to see legendary New Orleans trumpeter Leroy Jones. MONEY

THE WHITE HOTEL, 20:00-00:00, £11

The Bella Union-signed formerly Manchester-based group return to their spiritual home at the new Sways HQ, with new material from their forthcoming second LP in tow.

Thu 12 Nov LAWSON

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

London-based foursome completed by the later addition of singer/songwriter Andy Brown, who apparently bonded with the rest of the band over pear cider, as you do. TRACER

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £13

Rock trio with a sound reminiscent of 90s grunge and stoner rock, pumped up with stadium-sized riffs. EPICA (ELUVEITIE + SCAR SYMMETRY)

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £16

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £11

LEAVES EYES (DIABLUS IN MUSICA + REIGN OF SIRIUS)

Glaswegian synthpop trio who had the honour of performing at the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM, 20:00–22:00, £5

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £14

JOEY FOURR

FALLOW CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £3

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £20

Symphonic metal five-piece hailing from Germany and Norway, formed in 2003 by Theatre of Tragedy front lady, Liv Kristine.

PRIDES

Drum machine-powered alternative trio out airing tracks from their debut LP.

BBC PHILHARMONIC

Tue 10 Nov

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £14

The BBC Philharmonic’s Autumn schedule sees Auntie’s finest orchestra explore classical mainstays and more leftfield compositions. EAGLES OF DEATH METAL

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £18.50

Queens of the Stone Age man Josh Homme heads out on the road with his pal Jesse Hughes. FREAKOUT HONEY

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

New psych types on the scene, Freakout Honey headline Night and Day. URBAN BASH

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £10

Featuring multiple Mobo award winner Tim Westwood, Geko, Robba Hollow, 24k, Rio, MC Hypes, TJ Lryics, Slay, Steff, Keeks + DJ Silva, DJ Drizz and DJ Win. SAMM HENSHAW

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £7

20 year-old whose debut P has been influenced by Hozier, Lauryn Hill and Paolo Nutini.

Sun 08 Nov UNITED FRUIT

FALLOW CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

Mighty Glasgow quartet known for their all-out post-hardcore abrasion served at F1 velocity. 100 YEARS OF BOLLYWOOD MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM, 19:00–21:00, £8

Funky drummers and a 6 piece horn section are coming to MJM to celebrate a century of Bollywood. KADAVAR

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:30, £13.50

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £10

American rapper known to his mammy as Curtis James Jackson III.

LEROY JONES

Longstanding Welsh rockers mixing heavy metal, alternative rock, punk rock and reggae into their mash-up mix.

SKINDRED (CROSSFAITH + HED YE + YASHIN)

50 CENT

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, FROM £35.50

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 18:00–23:00, £13

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £7.50

20 year-old MC from South London causing a stir.

Symphonic metal heads who specialise in mixing hard, technical and fast soundscapes with intimate and slow moments.

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £15

Alabama hip-hopster, aka Michael Wayne Atha.

IMPERICON NEVER SAY DIE! TOUR (THE AMITY AFFLICTION + DEFEATER + BEING AS AN OCEAN + CRUEL HAND + MORE)

LOYLE CARNER

Impericon bring their Never Say Die tour to the Northwest, with a mixed bag line-up of metal bands.

Riff-driven hard rock from Berlin, all doom and gloom, in the realm of Black Sabbath et al.

YELAWOLF

DAN CROLL

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £10

New York-hailing metalcore bunch

THE ORDINARY BOYS (FAITALA + FLIGHT OF ARROWS )

Preston et al take to a live setting in a slightly rejigged line-up, with the addition of ex-Spectrals guitarist Louis Jones. EX HEX

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £11

Washington rock trio led by singer/ guitarist Mary Timony (also of Helium and Wild Flag).

TREACHEROUS ORCHESTRA

Vibrant Glasgow folk collective mixing traditional rootsy Scottish tunes with contemporary influences, all bagpipes and whistles and loveliness. LORD HURON

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £14

LA-based folk pop outfit formed around Chicago native, Ben Schneider.

LONELY THE BRAVE (BLACK PEAKS)

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £10

Self-described ‘epic-rock’ fourpiece from Cambridge. TOVE LO

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £16.50

Swedish dirty pop musician.

NIGHT AND DAY LOCAL SHOWCASE (MAISETTO + CRACKED VINYL + REVOLUTION IN PARADISE ) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

Live music showcase, giving a stage to local up-and-coming performers. DAVE MATTHEWS BAND

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:30–23:00, £35

American rock unit led by founder and songwriter/guitarist Dave Matthews.

Wed 11 Nov MAVERICK SABRE

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £16.50

London born, Irish-raised, soulful hip-hop singer/songwriter discovered by Plan B. THE HALLÉ

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 14:15–16:15, FROM £11

The Halle’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works.

NIGHT AND DAY LOCAL SHOWCASE (YOUNG MONARCH + MOVING MOSCOW + SOPHO ) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

Live music showcase, giving a stage to local up-and-coming performers. FIDLAR

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £15.50

Bratty West Coast punks return to the UK with new material.

VIDEO JAM

The video and music curators host a special night at the Jewish Museum, featuring the psychedelic rhythms of Flamingods among others. SAN FERMIN

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £10

Brooklyn-based alternative lot led by composer Ellis Ludwig-Leone. THE HALLÉ

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

The Halle’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works. CURVED AIR

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £16

The vintage 70s rockers get their prog on once again for their latest tour. PATRICK WATSON

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £14

The revered Canadian solo artist returns to the UK with new material in tow. MEGADETH + LAMB OF GOD

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 17:30–23:00, £28.50

Two of metal’s biggest names hit the road together, bringing all the punishing riffs you could hope to cope with and more.

Fri 13 Nov

REVEREND AND THE MAKERS (THE SHERLOCKS + FRANKO FRAIZE)

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £14

Jon McClure and his band hit the road to showcase tracks from their new album. GARBAGE (DUTCH UNCLES)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £27.50

Shirley Manson et al play a special show in celebration of the 20th anniversary of their self-titled debut LP. IMAGINE DRAGONS

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, £30

More beat-heavy indie-rock, laced with raspy vocals and infectiously catchy lyrics, as the Las Vegasdwellers head out on tour. KING KING

WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

British bluesbreakers and multiaward winners at the British Blues Awards. BILL RYDER-JONES

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £10

The masterful Wirral songwriter heads our way.

The original Jesus Jones line-up take to the road again, 27 years after first forming. BBC PHILHARMONIC

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

The BBC Philharmonic’s Autumn schedule sees Auntie’s finest orchestra explore classical mainstays and more leftfield compositions. SONIC JESUS + THE BLACK DELTA MOVEMENT

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:00–23:00, £8

The psych heads from Italy come to the Mill. CORY HENRY AND THE FUNK APOSTLES

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £14

Multi-instrumentalist and producer whose primary instrument is the organ. ANDREYA TRIANA

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

A unique voice either on her own or when collaborating with artists such as Bonobo, the soul singer hits the road again. Y-KEY OPERATORS (THE MOODS + THE USUAL SUSPECTS)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, £1

Indie five-piece including a front man going by the name of Woz. LIKE TORCHES

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £6

The rockers take to the road having just completed their new album with Yellowcard producer Ryan Key.

THE GREAT VOICES OF SOUL (PATTI LABELLE + THE WHISPERS + MELI’SA MORGAN)

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, FROM £50

A host of soul legends descend upon the Apollo. BLACK TAMBOURINES

EAGLE INN, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

Falmouth psych rockers return north. SFX (JOSEPHINE)

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE, 18:00–19:00, FREE

Described as Manchester’s soulful chanteuse, Josephine plays, still basking in the glory of her widely acclaimed debut album Portrait.

Sat 14 Nov

THE WEDDING PRESENT (BADLY DRAWN BOY + CINERAMA + EMMA POLLOCK)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 18:00–23:00, £18

David Gedge takes his cult 80s concern out on the road for a special set of dates. IAN PROWSE

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £10

The Cheshire singer/songwriter, who also fronts Pele and Amsterdam, does his solo thing. THE LOVELY EGGS

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £SOLD OUT

The Lancaster duo of Holly Ross and David Blackwell do their purebread punk thing, sung in Ross’ unmistakably northern lilt. THE ORB (DAVE DK)

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, FROM £18

The legendary ambient producers drift dreamily towards the end of their third decade in existence.

MY LIFE STORY (TALK IN CODE + THE ORIELLES + MORE)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £15

Orchestral indie pop lot still going strong after more than 20 years. TUFF LOVE

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

Female-fronted trio of the fuzzy lo-fi guitar pop variety, built on wispy soft vocals and loud instruments. NORTHSIDE (BLACK SONIC REVOLVER + RYAN JARVIS)

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £15

The 1989-formed Manc lot take to the road as part of their reunion tour. WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?...THIS IS! (KILLAMONJAMBO)

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:30–23:00, £10 (£6)

The latest WTA? Night, which promises to reject corporate pop and revel in true independence. MY IGLOO (THE HAYDN FUNK PROJECT + BAD SUGAR + DIRTY FLOWERS )

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

Seven-piece garage rock and Zappa-influenced locals.

PERIPHERY (VEIL OF MAYA + GOOD TIGER)

WAVVES SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £15

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £14

Californian rock unit formed and led by singer/songwriter Nathan Williams.

LA PRIEST

The Alkaline Trio takes to the road solo for a headline set.

Washington DC metallers return to the UK, their influence on the metal landscape looming large. SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £10

Former Late Of The Pier frontman in his solo psych-pop guise. CROBOT

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £10

Sounding like a relic of an era when fuzz-drenched hard rock was delivered with greasy swagger and reckless abandon, Crobot were formed in 2012 by guitarist Chris Bishop and singer Brandon Yeagley.

LADYFEST MCR (LESLEY WOODS + ILL + FACTORY ACTS + AJAH UK + MORE) ISLINGTON MILL, 12:00–00:00, £10

Featuring a mix of legendary female performers, local favourites and up-and-coming bands from across the country, Ladyfest MCR showcases some of the finest female talent in Manchester and beyond.

Sun 15 Nov ADMIRAL FALLOW

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £10

Louis Abbott and his merry ensemble stage their usual rousing collective rabble of a thing. KATZENJAMMER

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £15.50

All-female Norwegian quartet whose musical style is a fusion of pop/rock and country-folk. YOUNG HUSBAND

EAGLE INN, 19:00–23:00, £8

Built on the back of front man Euan Hinshelwood’s lo-fi bedroom project output, Young Husband has grown into a fully fledging fourpiece, producing heavier, psyche influenced sounds. THE MOUNTAIN GOATS

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £20

John Darnielle, the face behind the Goats, brings his unique vocal quality and lyrical dexterity to bear – moving from acoustic rock to barbershop folk. THE HALLÉ

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

The Hall&eacute;’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works. JO ROSE

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £6

The country and Americana influenced singer makes his full band debut after a year going solo in support of last year’s LP Spurs. TOM WILLIAMS

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £8

Formerly Tom Williams & The Boat, the singer songwriter comes to land for his latest tour. PENTAGRAM

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:30, £17

Bobby Liebling continues his improbable come back after being down and out for years, bringing the hard rock pioneers to the UK with new material in tow.

Mon 16 Nov

THE FRATELLIS (THE CROOKES)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £17.50

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

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Indie singer/songwriter, aka Callum Burrows, continues his ascent. KACEY MUSGRAVES

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

Young American country music songstress, in her time nominated for myriad Country Music Association awards. EZRA FURMAN

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £12

American singer/songwriter gaining increasing mileage on national radio. FUSE ODG

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

London-born Ghanian muso with a fondness for baseball caps worn backwards. Ain’t we all.

DAN ANDRIANO

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

Tue 17 Nov JAMES MORRISON

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £26.50

Solo singer/songwriter who started his days as a busker in Cornwall, before being propelled into the spotlight with his twomillion selling debut LP. THE ENEMY (FRANKO FRAIZE + TAPESTRY)

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £14

The Coventry-formed indierockers take to the road. WE ARE THE OCEAN

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:30, £12

Essex-based rock quartet led by Liam Cromby and his catchy choruses. DUCKTAILS

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £10

Solo side project of Real Estate’s Matt Mondanile, making shimmery guitar pop sounds. ALBERT HAMMOND JR

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

LA-based musician, best known as The Strokes guitarist and for being Albert Hammond’s wee lad. SEPULTURA (EVILE)

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £17

Brazilian heavy metal bunch with 13 studios album to their name to date.

TUESDAY LIVE (GREAT RHYTHMS IN MIND + HAYDN FUNK PROJECT + MORE) JOSHUA BROOKS, 20:00–23:00, £4

A host of local talent take to the stage for Joshua Brooks new music night. JOHN JOSEPH BRILL

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £5

JJB (no, not the sports store) play a headline set. YACHT

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £10

Los Angeles-based group of artists that make moving music, presentations, videos, texts, and appearances for beings and their screens.

TOMMASO CAPPELLATO’S ASTRAL TRAVEL (GLOWROGUES)

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £10

Drummer, composer, producer and band leader who has has extensively travelled the world, touring and collaborating with many influential artists. ADY SULEIMAN

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £5

The solo songwriter heads out on his first solo tour of the UK.

Wed 18 Nov BEANS ON TOAST

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £10

Politically-charged one man folkmachine from London, via Essex. PALMA VIOLETS

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £12

South London garage-rock quartet, based on the musical partnership of frontmen Sam Fryer and Chilli Jesson. MAXIMO PARK

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The British alternative rock quartet take to the road to celebrate their 10th anniversary. BRANTLEY GILBERT

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:00–23:00, £16

Bringing raw, emotive country and southern rock, all the way from Jefferson, Georgia.

KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS (WAXAHATCHEE) THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £15

The Philadelphian chap and his merry band bring it with a set of accessible melodies cocked askew, marrying the introspection of the nocturnal stoner with the exploration of a troubadour frontiersman. THEPETEBOX

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £8

Beat boxing a’cappella type far better than them ones you normally see hanging out on street corners.

Listings

Manchester Music KELLY CLARKSON MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, FROM £29.50

One of reality TV’s early beneficiaries, who’s gone to have a quite excellent pop career thank you very much.

Thu 19 Nov

SPECTRES (POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS)

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £7

Formidable Bristol noise rockers who recently sought to oust Sam Smith and confuse newspapers with their own soundtrack for new Bond film Spectre. HAPPY MONDAYS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £28.50

The full line-up take to the stage – as in Bez, Gary Whelan, Mark Day, Paul Davies, Paul Ryder, Rowetta and Shaun Ryder. CHVRCHES

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

Electro-pop trio from up Glasgowway, currently embarking on a mammoth world tour HIATUS KAIYOTE (REMI)

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £15

The future soul quartet from Melbourne, made up of Nai, Perrin, Paul and Simon, tour their latest album Choose Your Weapon. CALAITA FLAMENCO SON

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

A night of Spanish flamenco.

NEW FACES (SEAFRET + FLYTE + DAN OWEN + JACK WATTS)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £8

Communion bring you the names on their collective lips for next year. PORTICO

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

London-based (formerly Quartet) known for their distinct and inimitable sound, drawing on influences as wide-reaching as Mount Kimbie and Bon Iver – also known for their use of the hang, a UFO like percussion instrument. MARTHA FFION

EAGLE INN, 19:00–23:00, £6

Fuzz pop Irish singer/songwriter signed to Lost Map Records. KREPT + KONAN

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:00–23:00, £13

Forerunners of the burgeoning UK grime scene double up. UNCLE ACID AND THE DEADBEATS

GORILLA, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Psychedelic doom band hailing from Cambridge, drawing influences from late 60s metal. MIKAL CRONIN

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

The Californian singer-songwriter returns with his third album MCIII to promote. JUNK

MINT LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £4

Blending male and female vocals a la The Pastels and The Vaselines, with the Big Muff moments of Dinosaur Jr.

Fri 20 Nov HAPPY MONDAYS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £28.50

The full line-up take to the stage – as in Bez, Gary Whelan, Mark Day, Paul Davies, Paul Ryder, Rowetta and Shaun Ryder. CHVRCHES

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Electro-pop trio from up Glasgowway, currently embarking on a mammoth world tour COCKNEY REJECTS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £15

English punk rock band behind the song Oi Oi Oi – you could say they named an entire generation of music. FEROCIOUS DOG

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £11

FEED THE KID (KING KARTEL + MAYFLOWER) THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, £6

Apparently formed to “give their mate’s gingerbread kid a future”, the local rockers can count Terry Christian among their fans. BBC PHILHARMONIC

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

The BBC Philharmonic’s Autumn schedule sees Auntie’s finest orchestra explore classical mainstays and more leftfield compositions. DUNE RATS

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £7

The Aussie stoner pop ensemble take to the road. OSCAR

FALLOW CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

Off-kilter pop musings disappointingly not from the Chelsea footballer of the same name.

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, FROM £35

The one-time Pop Idol singer/ songwriter tours on the back of his latest studio album. MODESTEP

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £14

London dubstep-styled rockers out and touring some new tunes. MANCHESTER CAMERATA (GUZZO MEETS MONTERO)

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC RNCM, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Country rock duo who’ve been featured on the NBC hit drama series Nashville. BRIX AND THE EXTRICATED

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £18

JOHN NEWMAN

The young singer/songwriter and producer does his thing, responsible for a slew of UK dance hits in recent years.

STICKY FINGERS (BOOTLEG RASCAL)

EAGLE INN, 19:00–23:00

Chris Butler’s ongoing project featuring revolving collaborators enters a new incarnation. KAGOULE (MAN MADE)

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £5

Nottingham based rock troupe out on tour in support of debut album Urth.

TEETH OF THE SEA + HEY COLOSSUS (LAKE OF SNAKES + MOTHERS + NASDAQ) ISLINGTON MILL, 19:00–01:00, £10

Reuniting the party trifecta of Manchester promoters, Bad Uncle Music, Grey Lantern and Fat Out Till You Pass Out bring a hard hitting line-up to Islington Mill headed by the Rocket Recordings pairing.

Sat 21 Nov NERO

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £16.50

Electronic dance duo made up of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray, accompanied by Alana Watson on vocal duties.

EVERYTHING EVERYTHING (BERNARD AND EDITH)

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

Manchester residing indie-rock quartet. THE HYENA KILL

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £7

Manchester-based duo, made up of Steven Dobb and Lorna Blundell, fond of riffs and grooves. TRC

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £8

Aggressive hardcore seven-piece hailing from London, blending street punk with underground hip-hop. THE HALLÉ

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

The Halle’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works. SLAVES

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £13.50

Two white middle class guys named Slaves. Hmm. Standard two-piece rock. L//NES (TONES + MIDNIGHT SONS + BEAT THE BANDIT )

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

A blend of post-punk sounds, powerhouse bass and drums. GYPTIAN (DJ MIKEY DON)

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–23:00, £18.50

The Gregory Isaacs-reminiscent artist returns with his latest live show. MEGADOG (DREADZONE + EAT STATIC + MORE)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 21:00–02:00, £25

ELVIS PERKINS

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £6

The legendary Scottish soulmeets-funk outfit play a set of hits.

FRANK TURNER (SKINNY LISTER + WILL VARLEY)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £25

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. NINE BLACK ALPS

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £10

London-based pop duo, consisting of Josephine Vander Gucht and Anthony West. SHINING

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

American indie/folk duo hailing from Brooklyn, comprised of Molly Hamilton’s syrupy-sweet vocals, with Robert Earl Thomas on’t guitar. THE WAILERS

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £19.50

HATCHAM SOCIAL

Indie pop lot hailing from London, named after the old English word, Hatcham, meaning a ‘clearing in the woods’, don’tchaknow. TUESDAY LIVE (MEGAN DIXON HOOD + DIVING STATION + MORE) JOSHUA BROOKS, 20:00–23:00, £4

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £16

ALTERED SKY

FACTORY 251, 19:00–22:00, £7

Rockin’ female-fronted Glasgow five-piece, rolling along on Ana Nowosielska’s strong vocal. MARINA AND THE DIAMONDS

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £22

Marina Lambrini Diamandis plays under her stage name, knocking out the new-wave pop hits. LOSCIL

EAGLE INN, 19:00–23:00

Vancouver-based electronic chap weaving his magic on a series of cinematic-sounding pieces rich with his trademark beautiful textures. LUKE SITAL-SINGH

SACRED TRINITY CHURCH, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

BACKYARD BABIES (HEAVY TIGERS + JUNKSTARS)

Swedish rock troupe on the go since 1987. SLAYER (ANTHRAX)

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £39.50

The thrash titans tour their twelfth studio LP Repentless. ANDY SHEPPARD

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £20

An ECM recording artist, bandleader and composer, Andy Sheppard is one of Europe’s leading saxophonists and one of a very few British musicians to have made a significant impact on the international jazz scene. THE MEN THAT WILL NOT BE BLAMED FOR NOTHING

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £8

The 2008-formed steampunks do their thing. KANO

GORILLA, 19:00–23:00, £15

Promising young London singer/ songwriter with an innate ability to capture the raw emotion of a moment in song.

One of the original UK grime dons makes a welcome return to live venues across the country.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £9

The Chicago-based four-piece play one of just two UK dates and the first in Manchester since 2011, promoting latest LP Irreal.

MAX JURY

Young Iowa singer/songwriter built on a love of great American songwriting from the likes of Bob Dylan, Gram Parsons and Paul Simon.

DISAPPEARS

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £8

HIGH TYDE

FALLOW CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

ALL TVVINS

Brighton indie teens on the rise.

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–23:00, £7

Wed 25 Nov

CHARLIE WORSHAM

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £13

The new solo pop guise of exAdebisi Shank member, All Tvvins.

ELECTRIC SIX

The Warner Music-signed Nashville songwriter crosses the pond. MARILYN MANSON

Detroit underdogs with enough joyful hooks, mischievous wordplay and unexpected pathos to worm their way into your heart.

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £29.50

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £10

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £11.50

MATT CORBY

MERCURY REV

Aussie singer/songwriter known for his captivating live performances.

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

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £14.50

The shock rock heavyweight tours his new LP The Pale Emperor.

tThe 80s-formed alternative rock stalwarts take their new LP out on the road. RAKETAKANON

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £6.50

Out on tour in support of their first album RKTKN #1. THE ALBUM LEAF

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £15

American solo project founded in San Diego California by Jimmy LaValle. known for his use of synthesizers, electronics and a Rhodes piano.

The former Oceansize frontman and Biffy Clyro touring member tours his new project. THE INTERNET + THUNDERCAT

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £17.50

Trip-hop duo, made up of DJ, singer and producer Syd tha Kyd and producer Matt Martians (of OFWGKTA), are joined by Fly Lo pal Thundercat for a mighty double headliner.

Thu 26 Nov KARIMA FRANCIS

Dutch singer/songwriter specialising in lyrical tales of romance set over a blend of Samba, jazz, bossa nova, mambo and crackling vinyl.

WIDOWSPEAK

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:30–23:00, £8

Mon 23 Nov

THE SLOW READERS CLUB GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £8

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £10

A host of local talent take to the stage for Joshua Brooks new music night.

Ultra-cult Italian noise rock/ proto-jazz pioneers.

BELLOWHEAD O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, FROM £19.50

MANCHESTER JEWISH MUSEUM, 19:30–22:00, £6

Norwegian metal band who started out slightly differently — as an acoustic jazz quartet in 1999. ZU (CIRCUIT BREAKER + SCHOOLHOUSE)

VENNART THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £11

Manc rock quintet led by Sam Forrest on vocals and guitar, renowned for their energetic and somewhat anarchic live shows.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £7.50

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

WE ARE WILLOW

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £22.50

OH WONDER

GORILLA, 18:30–22:00, £23.50

British electronic and fusion music producer/songwriter.

AVERAGE WHITE BAND

The reggae legends perform their album, erm, Legend in its entirety.

Australian reggae/indie fusion outfit.

NITIN SAWHNEY

Tue 24 Nov

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £8

Live band unit featuring none other than former Fall member Brix Smith-Start.

The American folk-rock singer/ songwriter heads to our shores.

Listings

WILL YOUNG (LEMAR)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–23:00, £8

Sun 22 Nov

Giving the classical canon a modern twist.

Mutant electronica and acid techno.

Ten-piece dub reggae bunch hailing from Manchester, serving up danceable tunes by the shed load.

American alternative hip-hop chappie, aka Charles Andrew Bothwell when he’s off duty.

STRIKING MATCHES

The Mansfield-based band, mixing up traditional instruments – think fiddles and whistles – with buzz saw rock’n’roll vibes. EXTRA LOVE

ASTRONAUTALIS SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £10

WALK THE MOON

The Cincinnati lyrical indie lot come to the UK. AREA 11 (MYTH CITY)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £11

Electronic-tinged hard rockers from Bristol, known for their energised and varied live sets.

WHYTE HORSES (MT WOLF + MY GREY HORSE)

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £8

Manchester duo making breezy psychedelic dream pop. ROISIN MURPHY

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

Best known as vocalist of late 90s favourites Moloko, Ms Murphy tours her latest – and rather glorious – solo LP.

Nest-haired, quirky-voiced singer/ songwriter from Blackpool. CARO EMERALD

OPERA HOUSE, 19:30–22:00, FROM £26.40

HUGH CORNWELL

WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE, 19:00–22:00, £20

The Stranglers frontman heads out on his own, joined by a select batch of musical pals. MOTIONLESS IN WHITE

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £17

Metalcore/goth lot from Pennsylvania. THE HALLÉ

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £11

The Halle’s Autumn schedule sees the renowned orchestra go through some of the finest pieces of the classical canon as well as more contemporary works. LOOP

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £15

Longstanding London-based trance-styled guitar lot, founded back in 1986 by Robert Hampson and his then girlfriend Becky Stewart. BEARTOOTH (68 + BLOODTOOTH)

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:00–23:00, £10

Fast and heavy riffs courtesy of Columbus five-piece Beartooth. MINI MANSIONS

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, £10

LA-based band of rockers featuring Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman.

NIGHT AND DAY LOCAL SHOWCASE (THE VISITORS + KINDEST OF THIEVES + THE PRIONS ) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

Live music showcase, giving a stage to local up-and-coming performers. MEET AND JAM

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–23:00, £5

Regional heats of a national competition that could see the lucky winning artist gain a development contract with Island Records. GHOSTPOET

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–23:00, £13

The experimental hip-hop producer plays a unique intimate show of new material. GREEN JELLY

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £12

The veteran group return, best known for their surprise top 40 hit Three Little Pigs in 1993. DÄLEK (CHARLES HAYWARD + FROM THE KITES OF SAN QUENTIN + MICHAEL O’NEIL + PETER PARKER)

ISLINGTON MILL, 19:30–01:00, £10

The hip-hop innovators get back on the road with a new line-up around the revered MC.

Fri 27 Nov ZEBRAHEAD

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

The Orange Country punk rockers arrive in the UK once again. DURAN DURAN

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, FROM £35

The legendary 80s new wavers pump out the hits. SCOUTING FOR GIRLS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £22.50

The English pop trio showcase their fourth album, Still Thinking About You.

Beast of a contemporary English folk ensemble (there’s 11 of ‘em) fusing folk, funk, rock, world, jazz, music hall and classical music into their mix. MOLOTOV JUKEBOX

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £12.50

Genre-bending six-piece outfit blending gypsy, samba, ska and dubstep influences into one danceable whole. FOZZY

SOUND CONTROL, 18:30–22:00, £15

The most interesting thing about Fozzy is that WWE wrestler Chris Jericho is their front man. Why need know anymore? GLASS CAVES (TWISTED DOLLS + CIRCUS WOLVES)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–22:00, £8

A blend of alternative rock and indie rock. Rock seems to be the theme there. MEAT WAVE

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £7

The Chicago garage punks plunge y’all into slacker rock heaven. MDOU MOCTAR

ISLINGTON MILL, 20:00–02:00, £8

Tuareg songwriter and musician based in Agadez, Niger, one of the first musicians to perform modern electronic adaptations of Tuareg guitar music. LEELA JAMES

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

The lyrically honest songwriter hits the road again. ALISON WONDERLAND

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £10

She’s collaborated with Wayne Coyne, made number one on the US Electronic Billboard and done a load of other things that make us think Alison Wonderland is probably going to be Pretty Big. BBC MANCHESTER INTRODUCING LIVE (MAN MADE + NUDE + LIAM MCCLAIR)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, FREE

Local showcase courtesy of the local arm of the BBC. THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA

ALBERT HALL, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Electro/indie outfit from Manchester, churning out everything from catchy upbeat indie tunes to introspective ballads.

Local super young looking Liverpool rockers who count Biffy Clyro as one of their main influences.

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £16.50

Discordant guitar pop from the Netherlands, TV Wonder released their debut EP on Brighton indie label Faux Discx.

APOCALYPTICA

Finnish metal unit composed of a trio of cellists and a drummer. JUDAS PRIEST

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £38.50

The Birmingham heavy metal unit do their noise-heavy thing.

Sun 29 Nov

MUSIC CONNEX LIVE SHOWCASE (KENYA + FUNMILAYO NGOZI + NIA SIMMONS + TRISTAN + MORE) BAND ON THE WALL, 19:00–23:00, £10

Showcasing the best independent soul talent from across the globe. TOBIAS JESSO JR

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Vancouver artist who’s been picking up plaudits since his early demos and has finally got his debut LP, Goon, all sorted and out into the world. RUCK UP THE PLACE!

FUEL, 17:00–22:00, £DONATIONS

A long afternoon of music and poetry, hosted by Stephen James.

NICK HARPER

The English singer/songwriter and guitarist does his acoustic folk-rock thing, complete with trademark acerbic lyrics. JAWS

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 18:30–22:30, £10

Brummy four-piece making carefree, breezy music. And not a shark in sight. EVIL SCARECROW

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £10

Parody metal band from Nottingham, monstrous in appearance and captivating in performance. ZEDD

THE RITZ, 18:00–22:00, £15

One of the EDM scene’s brightest new stars, Zedd (aka Anton Zaslavski), brings the energy for the evening. PAUL WELLER

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, £38

The Jam and The Style Council singer/songwriter, doing his solo thing with that haircut. CARA DILLON

WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE, 20:00–23:00, £18.50

Delicate-voiced Irish singer/ songwriter, joined live by her partner and husband Sam Lakeman (brother of Seth). TIGERTAILZ (THE RESTLESS VENTURE)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:30, £8

The Welsh glam legends do their darndest to sleaze things up. THE LANCASHIRE HOTPOTS

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £13

Five northern blokes in flat caps singing songs about the wonders of modern day life.

ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works.

THE MANALISHI (RED RUM CLUB + SOLAR EXPRESS + THE NEW HAZE + STRAND + THE BOHOS)

THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

Local Zanzibar Club showcase. TOR UNDERSETH

THE LANTERN THEATRE, 19:30–22:30, £10.50 (£8.50)

Sun 08 Nov

A.O.S.O.O.N

Mon 30 Nov ALEX CORNISH

BAND ON THE WALL, 18:00–23:00, £12

The Edinburgh singer/songwriter and his effortlessly laid-back DIY folk-pop songs, sewn together with some live musical trickery. AKALA

GORILLA, 19:30–23:00, £12

Award-winning hip-hop artist and younger brother of rapper Ms. Dynamite, currently carving out his own path with his rap, rock and electro influences. COURTNEY BARNETT

Alternative hardcore band from Long Island, New York.

FACTORY 251, 19:00–22:00, £12.50

LUCY ROSE (FLYTE + C DUNCAN)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £15

Singer/songwriter who has contributed vocals to Bombay Bicycle Club tracks, now striking out on her lonesome.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £6

‘Gangsta folk’ duo from London.

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £7

Sat 28 Nov

Sat 07 Nov

60’s psychedelia and club influenced project.

The Australian singer/songwriter comes to the UK with her debut LP sending her stratospheric.

Aspirant south London electronic pop types.

TV WONDER

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 20:00–23:00, £4

International keyboardist and composer Tor Underseth will perform music from his new album Dark Visions.

DESERT SOUND COLONY

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:00–22:00, £7

Following an intensive period of recording and after the massive success of their recent sell out show at the Roundhouse, The Cinematic Orchestra return to the live stage. FORMATION

THE BASEMENT EFFECT ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £6

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £15

STRAY FROM THE PATH

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £9

Liverpool Music

THE MAGIC BAND

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £18.50

Mon 09 Nov THE 1975

LIVERPOOL GUILD OF STUDENTS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Local indie rockers done “good”, depending on what you measure that by. STUFF

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £6

Five-piece live band mixing electronic, jazz and future funk. DJ FORMAT AND ABDOMINAL

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

That’s right, the dynamic duo are back with new material, playing their first UK dates in some ten years!

Tue 10 Nov THE FRATELLIS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

Tue 03 Nov THE CORONAS

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £10

Irish indie-rockers led by Danny O’Reilly, who started penning tunes at the tender age of 13. GONG

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £17.50

The legendary prog-jazz eccentrics Gong play to mark the memory of late main man Daevid Allen.

Wed 04 Nov SUNDARA KARMA

THE MAGNET , 19:30–23:00, £6

Young Reading-based quartet who sum themselves up as ‘four pointy-shoe wearing sun-huggers with music to awaken the soul’. That’ll do us. POSI-VIBES FEST (SHIKARI SOUND SYSTEM)

Glasgow indie-rockers led by lead vocalist and guitarist Jon Fratelli, who’s also forged a solo career for himself of late. SHAM 69

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £10

Old school-styled English punk ensemble formed in Hersham way back when (aka 1976), out and touring under Jimmy Purdsey’s original 1977 line-up.

Wed 11 Nov STRIKING MATCHES

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Country rock duo who’ve been featured on the NBC hit drama series Nashville. LIGHT YOU UP (WSTR)

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £7

Birmingham alternative rockmeets-pop fivesome. YOUTH CLUB

STUDIO 2, 19:00–23:45, £6

ARTS CLUB, 17:30–23:00, FROM £8

Up and coming Southend-on-Sea based indie pop troupe head north.

EMILIO PINCHI

The solo songwriter heads out on his first solo tour of the UK.

Enter Shikari open up their soundsystem for the latest PosiVibes Fest. THE LANTERN THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £6

Singer/Songwriter, Emilio Pinchi carves his own perspective on folkpunk and offers a stark outlook on everyday life.

ADY SULEIMAN

THE MAGNET , 19:30–23:00, £5

Thu 12 Nov PARADISE LOST

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £16

Fri 06 Nov

Longstanding gothic metal-styled hellraisers.

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £12

STUDIO 2, 19:00–23:45, £7

THE SUNSHINE UNDERGROUND

Still partying like nu-rave never went away, the Shrewsburyvia-Leeds group return for an acoustic performance.

DEXTERS

Indie rock five-piece hailing from East London, a dab hand at penning catchy wee guitar anthems.

THE SKINNY

Liverpool Music BERNIE TORME ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £10

Replacement guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne following the tragic death of Randy Rhoads, the Irish axe-wielder goes it alone. JOEY BADA$$

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £19

Brooklyn prodigy now a full-on blown-up success story.

ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works.

Fri 13 Nov HAPPY MONDAYS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The full line-up take to the stage – as in Bez, Gary Whelan, Mark Day, Paul Davies, Paul Ryder, Rowetta and Shaun Ryder. STEPHEN LANGSTAFF

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, £10

Liverpool-based singer/songwriter playing a much-anticipated hometown gig. ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works. MEET AND JAM

VIEW TWO GALLERY, 19:30–23:00, £5

Regional heats of a national competition that could see the lucky winning artist gain a development contract with Island Records.

Sat 14 Nov NEWTON FAULKNER

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £20

London-based singer/songwriter known for his guitar playing which involves rhythmically tapping and hitting his guitar’s body.

BUZZCOCKS THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £18.50

The original punk rockers take to the road, a little balder but still in possession of all the hits. ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works.

Fri 20 Nov JAMES MORRISON

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Solo singer/songwriter who started his days as a busker in Cornwall, before being propelled into the spotlight with his twomillion selling debut LP.

NEW FACES (DAN OWEN + FLYTE + JACK WATTS + SEAFRET)

STUDIO 2, 19:00–23:45, £8

Communion bring you the names on their collective lips for next year. YAK

THE MAGNET , 19:30–23:00, £7

Psych pop types, one of whom used to play in Peace for a bit. ANTIHERO

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £6

Local rockers.

DEAD GOOD GATHERING

VARIOUS VENUES, 18:00–23:00, PRICES VARY

Two days and over twenty punk bands cram into the back of Maguire’s for the annual Dead Good Gathering.

Sat 21 Nov

HYPNOTIC BRASS ENSEMBLE

CAMP AND FURNACE, 19:00–03:00, £16

Youthful jazz renegades and band of brothers; pretty much as authentic as you can get, without Sun Ra trumpeter Phil Cohran actually being their father. Oh wait, he is. NICK HARPER

LEAF, 19:30–23:00, £12.50

Indie singer/songwriter, aka Callum Burrows, continues his ascent.

The English singer/songwriter and guitarist does his acoustic folk-rock thing, complete with trademark acerbic lyrics.

DISTRICT, 19:30–23:00, £10

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £14

SAINT RAYMOND

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

BILL RYDER-JONES

The masterful Wirral songwriter heads our way. THE STOPOUTS

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 20:00–23:00, £4

descend on another unwitting audience.

Sun 15 Nov

EZRA FURMAN (THE BIG MOON)

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

American singer/songwriter gaining increasing mileage on national radio. ALEX G

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £12.50

Pennsylvania native (aka Alex Giannascoli) making bruised and melodic guitar pop.

REVEREND AND THE MAKERS

Jon McClure and his band hit the road to showcase tracks from their new album. ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works. BRIX AND THE EXTRICATED

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £14

Live band unit featuring none other than former Fall member Brix Smith-Start. SONS OF KEMET

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £11

Tue 17 Nov

2013 MOBO winners return to the Kazimier, now well established as one of UK jazz’ most diverse bands.

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, £10

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

BEANS ON TOAST

Politically-charged one man folkmachine from London, via Essex. TESTAMENT

UNITY THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £10 (£8)

World Record-holding beatboxer and acclaimed rapper Testament smashes together UK Hip Hop with the iconic poetry of William Blake to create his first original theatre show.

Wed 18 Nov

HOWIE PAYNE (KARIMA FRANCIS)

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, £7

The mysterious singer songwriter tours ahead of the release of his first studio LP in six years. KEYWEST

ARTS CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £15

Multi-platinum Irish act with five number one singles in their homeland.

Thu 19 Nov

PUBLIC SERVICE BROADCASTING (SMOKE FAIRIES) O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £20

Experimental duo made up of J. Willgood Esq and his drumming companion Wrigglesworth, sampling old public information films and archive material and setting them to new music.

November 2015

BRIDGET KELLY

Roc Nation-signed R ‘n’ B singer straight outta, er, Manhattan. DEAD GOOD GATHERING

VARIOUS VENUES, 18:00–23:00, PRICES VARY

Two days and over twenty punk bands cram into the back of Maguire’s for the annual Dead Good Gathering. CIVILIAN (BILLON)

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 22:00–03:00, £6

New club night Civilian bringing the finest selection of house and garage infused sounds.

Sun 22 Nov

DEAF HAVANA (THE XCERTS)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £15

Four East Coast Village lads making a rammy of rock sounds. ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works.

Mon 23 Nov CHAD VALLEY

O2 ACADEMY, 18:00–23:00, £10

More warm and bubbly discostyled chillwave courtesy of the one-man band that is Hugo Manuel.

Tue 24 Nov SLAVES

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

Two white middle class guys named Slaves. Hmm. Standard two-piece rock.

Wed 25 Nov THE WAILERS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £19.50

The reggae legends perform their album, erm, Legend in its entirety.

Thu 26 Nov KVELERTAK

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £10

Norwegian rock ensemble led by Erlend Hjelvik. THIS IS THE KIT

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, £8.50

Musical project of Kate Stables and pals, layering primal and hushed electric textures onto songs of unaffected beauty. STEREOPHONICS

LIVERPOOL GUILD OF STUDENTS, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The Welsh rockers take in some “intimate” dates ahead of their arena tour in December. CARA DILLON

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 20:00–23:00, £20.50

Delicate-voiced Irish singer/ songwriter, joined live by her partner and husband Sam Lakeman (brother of Seth). ROYAL LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, PRICES VARY

The Phil’s in-house orchestra return for another season of classical selections and modern re-works.

THE BUTTERFLY’S BALL AND THE GRASSHOPPER’S FEAST (THE STAIRS + THE WICKED WHISPERS) THE KAZIMIER, 19:00–23:00, £15

Reformed cult group The Stairs top the bill at Electone Records annual bash.

Fri 27 Nov THE HIGH KINGS

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £18

Irish folk quintet, dazzling audiences with their multi-instrumental skills racking up a total of 13 instruments between ‘em.

THE SLOW READERS CLUB (ETCHES + THE HAZE + THE LEVONS) THE MAGNET , 19:30–23:30, £7

Electro/indie outfit from Manchester, churning out everything from catchy upbeat indie tunes to introspective ballads. CALAITA FLAMENCO SON

THE LANTERN THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £9 (£7)

A night of Spanish flamenco. FOUR STAR MARY

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £15

The Los Angeles Americana troupe return to the UK with nearly two decades of touring under their belt.

Sat 28 Nov DODGY

ARTS CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £15

Reformed Britpop rockers made up of Nigel Clark, Andy Miller and Mathew Priest. BEARDYMAN

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 20:00–23:00, £18.50 (£16.50)

The London-based beatboxing king (known to his mammy as Darren Foreman) plays a set of his livelooping beatbox. THE HUMMINGBIRDS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £10

The Hummingbirds are six lads from Liverpool blending Merseybeat heritage with folky rhythms. SHOWADDYWADDY

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, £19.50

The Teddy Boy-dressing pop group who were into revivalism before revivalism became cool return with their mix of covers from the 50’s and 60’s. THE SHERLOCKS

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £8

Sheffield indie-rock unit made up of two sets of brothers.

MYTHOPOEIA III: LEGS (DUTCH UNCLES + OUTFIT + STEALING SHEEP + JOEY FOURR + BATHYMETRY + MORE) THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–04:00, £16

The final Stealing Sheep bash to take place at the Kazimier, featuring some of Liverpool’s more explorative musical talent. RENOUNCED

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 19:00–23:00, £6

London-based metalcore group come up north.

Sun 29 Nov NOTHING BUT THIEVES

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £9

The Southend on Sea ensemble take their new LP out on the road.

Mon 30 Nov JAWS (NAI HARVEST)

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £10

Brummy four-piece making carefree, breezy music. And not a shark in sight.

Manchester Clubs

Manchester Clubs SWINDLE LIVE + BPM DJS BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–03:00, £12

Band on the Wall welcome one of the most interesting new minds in music, Swindle, dubbed the ‘Herbie Hancock of improvised grime’. COWBELL PRESENTS KILL THE DJ

ISLINGTON MILL, 22:00–05:00, £12

Kill the DJ showcase with Ivan Smagghe and C.A.R.

HIDDENEVENTS X RECENTES (BOK BOK + KIM ANN FOXMAN + ROSKA + MORE) HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, £5

House maestro Bok Bok headlines a special Hidden team-up with Recentes. ZUTEKH (SAN SODA)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00-04:00, £10 Dub flavoured house all night.

Sat 07 Nov GIRLS ON FILM

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

Tue 03 Nov

Pink lady cocktails, disco balls, glitz and glamour – a monthly club night where you’re free to let your inner 80s child loose.

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, £4.50

BAND ON THE WALL, 22:00–03:00, £12

GOLD TEETH

Legendary weekly mixed-bag night, often invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

Wed 04 Nov MAD HATTERS TEA PARTY

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £8

The Mad Hatter’s Tea Party is about three things: cheap Drinks, fancy dress hats and underground house music. So no full fancy dress, you got that?

Thu 05 Nov F//CK

FACTORY 251, 22:30–05:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT (£5 AFTER)

Student Thursday-nighter, with resident DJs Steve Davies, Bill Murray’s Rock n Soul club, and Nicola Bear serving up anything from retro classics to electro mash ups across three rooms. BASEMENT SESSIONS

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £2

MR SCRUFF KEEP IT UNREAL

Keep it Unreal with Mr Scruff at the controls all night long. FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

Mancunian nightclub institution, delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective. CLINT BOON

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £7 (£5)

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon. MR SCRUFF KEEP IT UNREAL

BAND ON THE WALL, 22:00–03:00, £12

Keep it Unreal with Mr Scruff at the controls all night long. FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Thu 12 Nov F//CK

FACTORY 251, 22:30–05:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT (£5 AFTER)

BASEMENT SESSIONS

WHISKEY JAR, 22:00-04:00, £10

SOULJAM

The best in soul, funk and boogie. SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £2

Every week DJs from South’s favourite Manchester club nights take control of the decks to bring you top quality house and techno through a Funktion One system.

DUB POLICE + CASPA + SUBSCAPE + FALLEN 45 + MORE

ANTWERP MANSION, 22:00–03:00, FROM £5

Dub Police join forces with Fresh Creative to host a massive night at Antwerp Mansion.

Fri 13 Nov

JUICY (A TRIBUTE TO DJ MUSTARD)

TOP OF THE POPS

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £3

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by residents and guest DJs. #FRI251

FACTORY 251, 22:30–05:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT

TIM WRIGHT

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–03:00, £5

ANTICS (PINS (DJ) + ABJECTS)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00-04:00, FROM £4

TEXTURE, 22:00–03:00, FROM £5

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 22:00–04:00, FREE

The finest in underground house and techno.

TRUST

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

Tech house German DJ Nick Curly brings his Trust party to Gorilla. DEADBOLT

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £4

A whole night of alternative revelry with a soundtrack of hardcore, pop punk and metal. TOP OF THE POPS

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £3

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by residents and guest DJs. #FRI251

FACTORY 251, 22:30–05:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Student Friday-nighter, with mashups in room one, indie, funk and Motown in room two, and electro house in room three. HIGHER GROUND

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

House music hot property, Riva Starr (aka one half of the duo responsible for Eat Sleep Rave Repeat) plays a special headline set. THE WORKERS REUNION

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £20

Malia, Zante and Ayia Nara workers come together for the first time for the last night of the 2015 season. Terrifying. AUDIO FARM LIVE PRESENTS GREEN PAW PROJECT DAY AND NIGHT FUNDRAISER PARTY (MAMMA MOONSHIRE + HARRY HAMMOND AND THE MIDNIGHT EXPERIENCE)

ISLINGTON MILL, 16:00–01:00, £7

One off fundraiser event for a charity that is run by the members of Audio Farm Festival; Green Paw Project. HIDDENEVENTS (BLAWAN + BELLA SARIS + ELI VERVEINE)

HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, £13.50

South London innovator Blawan tops a mighty bill.

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £3

SILENT TREATMENT + MIA (ALEXKID)

JACOB COID

The Fuse and Desolat man comes to Joshua Brooks.

The sounds of the 60s from Motown to rock ‘n’ roll.

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 22:00–04:00, FREE

Rebel Music’s Jacob Coid supplies an unpredictable mix of his left-ofcentre collection, featuring Dylan to Dre, the Strokes to Snoop Dogg, Bowie to the Beastie Boys and anything in between. THE DOG HOUSE

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Alternative rock and metal night.

VOLK (ALEX.DO + STEPHANIE SYKES + SETAOC MASS) JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–05:00, FROM £8

The latest instalment in a series of intimate, Berlin-influenced house and techno events held in various locations across the UK…

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–04:00, £5

Tue 10 Nov GOLD TEETH

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, £4.50

Legendary weekly mixed-bag night, often invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

JACOB COID

FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

TIM WRIGHT

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long. A RAFTERS REUNION!

BAND ON THE WALL, 22:00–03:00, £10

The original jazz funk tastemakers Colin Curtis, John Grant and Hewan Clarke return, following their halcyon days in the late 70s and early 80s. RETRO 26 BIRTHDAY

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, £15

Monthly club night tribute to 90s indie – expect Pulp, Nirvana, Suede, Smashing Pumpkins, Pixies and more.

SWING AND SHOUT (GYPSY UNIT + THE RUBBER DUCK ORCHESTRA + BISCUITHEAD AND THE BISCUIT BADGERS + HEDGE GODS + MORE) HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, FROM £6.50

A mixed bag night of gypsy, ska, punk, electro, swing and everything in between. TOP OF THE POPS

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £3

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by residents and guest DJs.

PLAYGROUND 2ND BIRTHDAY (RADIOACTIVE MAN) WHISKEY JAR, 21:00-04:00, £8

One half of the Lone Swordsmen with Andrew Weatherall, Radioactive Man joins in the celebrations. JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 22:00–04:00, FREE

SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

Magna Carta return with the a hard hitting line-up. RHYTHM THEORY (AND)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–05:00, £8

Rhythm Theory start their series of Local Heroes parties with Manchester’s own AnD.

THE DEATH OF RAVE: WAREHOUSE INSURRECTION (THE SPRAWL + POWELL + VEREKER + CRONO + ACRE)

SECRET LOCATION, 23:00–05:00, £10

Paul Taylor’s legendary Retro night rolls into town, featuring and allstar cast of friends and family for a night of pure house music classics.

Faktion and Project 13 team up to present a night of Death of Rave dons including Powell and Vereker, as well as The Sprawl; a project from Mumdance, Logos and Shapednoise.

SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

Sat 21 Nov

SANKEYS SATURDAYS (ANDHIM + JOHN DIMAS + MICHAEL JAMES)

Some of the international dance circuits biggest spinners pop up at Sankeys. HIDDENEVENTS X LO FI (LEVON VINCENT + CRAIG RICHARDS + MOLLY)

HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, £12

FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

Mancunian nightclub institution, delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective. CLINT BOON

The mighty Levon Vincent comes to Hidden. Music is Love’s Head Honcho Oli Furness takes to the Basement of Joshua Brooks for a night of house, techno and hedonism.

Relapse present another typically colossal night of drum & bass, jungle, breakcore and more.

HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, FROM £12

Tue 17 Nov

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 23:00–03:00, £5

HIGH HOOPS (DJ QU + AMIR ALEXANDER + FRENCH FRIES)

The disco, funk and house enthusiasts present another block busting line-up. CRASH THE WEDDING

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4

Where the DJ is set to wedding reception tunes every. Single. Night. KOMODO (HOTT LIKE DETROIT)

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £7

Komodo returns with Bolton and Birmingham duo HLD.

BODY CLOCK (STEPHEN MORRIS + RICHARD FEARLESS + CHRONONAUTZ)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, FROM £6

New night from new Manchester resident Gabriel Gurnsey of Factory Floor. SHELTER (DOORLY + KYDUS)

SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

Raucous house night at the veteran night spot. GRAND THEFT AUDIO V DRUM DUB

SOUTH, 22:00–04:00, £10

Grand Theft Audio and DrumDub join forces for the first time to present Jump Up legend Hazard as well as the Manchester debut of Teddy Killerz from Russia. RENEGADE HARDWARE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–04:00, £8.41

Celebrating 20 years of Renegade Hardware in Manchester.

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–03:00, £1.50

Sat 14 Nov

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

LOWDOWN (STANTON WARRIORS)

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £12

More Lowdown fun, this time with Stanton Warriors manning the decks.

GOO

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

Rebel Music’s Jacob Coid supplies an unpredictable mix of his left-ofcentre collection, featuring Dylan to Dre, the Strokes to Snoop Dogg, Bowie to the Beastie Boys and anything in between.

Wed 11 Nov JUICY

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon.

CHERRY

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £4

Celebrating all things naughty from the noughties, with a music policy that spans 2000’s pop and houseparty anthems.

Free special of the indie club night mixing live music with alternative tunes.

Fri 06 Nov

CLINT BOON

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £7 (£5)

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

Student Friday-nighter, with mashups in room one, indie, funk and Motown in room two, and electro house in room three.

RIVA STARR

A chance to catch some top drawer Euro talent in the form of Agnès and Iron Curti.

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by Funktion One Sound.

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

Chicago-based Teklife co-founder DJ Spinn comes to Soup.

HUDD TRAXX 10TH BIRTHDAY

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, £3

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by Funktion One Sound.

MODULAR (TRUTH BE TOLD + GRINI + MODULAR RESIDENTS)

FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

Mancunian nightclub institution, delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective.

Every week DJs from South’s favourite Manchester club nights take control of the decks to bring you top quality house and techno through a Funktion One system. DJ SPINN

MAX GRAEF,

1 PRIMROSE STREET, 23:00-4:00, £9 The boundary pushing DJ and producer, pitches up to 1 Primrose Street.

Fri 20 Nov

GIRLS ON FILM

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

Pink lady cocktails, disco balls, glitz and glamour – a monthly club night where you’re free to let your inner 80s child loose.

VIBE (OLI FURNESS)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–04:00, FROM £5

GOLD TEETH

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, £4.50

Legendary weekly mixed-bag night, often invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

Wed 18 Nov JUICY

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–03:00, £1.50

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £7 (£5)

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon. RELAPSE (MEFJUS)

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £15

HOWLING RHYTHM

The 60s soul and Motown-centric night returns for another outing, serving up even more Northern soul and funk courtesy of the Howling Rhythm residents. FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by Funktion One Sound.

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £4

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

MISCHIEF

Resident Dan Hills play a range of genres from house, funk and hip-hop.

Thu 19 Nov

HIATUS KAIYOTE (REMI)

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £15

The future soul quartet from Melbourne, made up of Nai, Perrin, Paul and Simon, tour their latest album Choose Your Weapon. TRAPPED AUDIO 1ST BIRTHDAY

MINT LOUNGE, 23:00–03:30, FROM £4

Trapped Audio return with a full line-up including V.I.V.E.K and Dego Ranking, OH91 and more. BASEMENT SESSIONS

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £2

Every week DJs from South’s favourite Manchester club nights take control of the decks to bring you top quality house and techno through a Funktion One system.

TIM WRIGHT

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

RED EYE HIFI 6TH BIRTHDAY (LADY CHANN + JUS KNOW + MORE) GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £6

The dancehall party starters celebrate their sixth birthday with a host of special guests.

SANKEYS SATURDAYS (TODD TERRY + FRANKY RIZARDO + BONTAN + JOZEF K) SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

Some of the international dance circuits biggest spinners pop up at Sankeys. MELLOW YELLOW – THE LOVE TRAIN PARTY

HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, £8

60s, 70s an 80s disco.

POOKU (ARAPU + RHADOW)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–04:00, £10

Pooku launch party showcasing underground minimal and techno house.

Listings

Tue 24 Nov GOLD TEETH

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, £4.50

Legendary weekly mixed-bag night, often invites use of the term ‘carnage’.

Wed 25 Nov JUICY

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–03:00, £1.50

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

Thu 26 Nov BASEMENT SESSIONS

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £2

Every week DJs from South’s favourite Manchester club nights take control of the decks to bring you top quality house and techno through a Funktion One system.

Fri 27 Nov CHERRY

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £4

Celebrating all things naughty from the noughties, with a music policy that spans 2000’s pop and houseparty anthems. MEAT FREE

MANTRA LIVE, 23:00-05:00, FROM £12

One of Manchester's most consistently brilliant club nights continues with Panorama Bar resident Steffi on the decks. UPTOWN

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £3

The best in disco, funk, boogie and party classics. TOP OF THE POPS

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £3

Get your weekend off to a great start with this healthy mix of dancefloor fillers and guilty pleasures served up by residents and guest DJs. JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 22:00–04:00, FREE

Rebel Music’s Jacob Coid supplies an unpredictable mix of his leftof-centre collection, featuring Dylan to Dre, the Strokes to Snoop Dogg, Bowie to the Beastie Boys and anything in between. INSIDE OUT (HENRY WU)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, £7

The latest Inside Out at Soup Kitchen welcomes Henry Wu onto the decks. SWAMP 81 (ZED BIAS + LOEFAH + PALEMAN + CHUNKY)

SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

THIS FEELING CLUBNIGHT (JAKE EVANS + OTHERKIN + HELLO OPERATOR + PUPPET REBELLION + MORE) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–02:00, £3

The indie club night returns for a November instalment.

CRAIG CHARLES FUNK & SOUL CLUB FT. THE BLACKBYRDS LIVE

BAND ON THE WALL, 21:00–03:00, £20

The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club returns with a set off funky floor fillers from Craig Charles. SOLÄ

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

Grime special from the party starters.

SANKEYS SATURDAYS (THOMAS MELCHIOR + STEPHANE GHENACIA CHAPPELL)

SANKEYS, 23:00–06:00, £12

Some of the international dance circuits biggest spinners pop up at Sankeys. KONOBA DUB PRESENTS STATE OF MIND

XOLO, 22:00–04:00, FROM £8

The New Zealand duo make their Manchester debut after ten years in the game. FUNKADEMIA 20TH BIRTHDAY

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

The Mancunian nightclub institution celebrates two decades delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective.

Liverpool Clubs Tue 03 Nov DIRTY ANTICS

BUMPER, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM (FROM £3 AFTER)

MODUS and Transmission Funk team up to present the househeavyweight and Robsoul label bossman Phil Weeks.

Sat 28 Nov GIRLS ON FILM

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

Pink lady cocktails, disco balls, glitz and glamour – a monthly club night where you’re free to let your inner 80s child loose. CLINT BOON

Boogaloo is back to provide golden oldies and the nu skool gems.

Thu 05 Nov VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by Funktion One Sound. ULTIMATE ANTHEMS

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 22:30–03:00, £6

The sister of Ultimate Power with more of the same classic pop and rock ballads. TIM WRIGHT

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

24 KITCHEN STREET, 15:00–23:00, £7

HushushMedia brings its First event to 24 Kitchen Street, bringing Birmingham’s own Sox to Liverpool.&nbsp;

Tue 10 Nov DIRTY ANTICS

BUMPER, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM (FROM £3 AFTER)

Messy Tuesday-nighter, bring your dirty shoes.

Thu 19 Nov VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

R’n’b, hip-hop and urban floorfillers. GET YOUR WOOD ON

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

The best of all three floors at the Krazyhouse packed into one. SOLAR

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Three floors playing everything from house, hip hop and old skool anthems.

Wed 11 Nov

Fri 20 Nov

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 23:00-03:00, £5

THE KAZIMIER, 22:00–04:00, £17

MELE’S MANOR WITH TODDLA T

Mele continues his residency at The Shipping Forecast with special guest Toddla T!

FOUR TET

Kieran Hebden takes to the stage under his Four Tet moniker, bringing the electronica awash with abstract sensibilities.

VIBE THURSDAYS

R’n’b, hip-hop and urban floorfillers. THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

The best of all three floors at the Krazyhouse packed into one. SOLAR

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

TREND FRIDAYS

Everything from R ‘n’ B to old skool garage, hip-hop and deep house. THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

Friday night capers at Liverpool’s gnarliest rock club. CATFACE

BUMPER, 22:00–05:00, FREE

R’n’b, hip-hop and urban floorfillers. THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

Fri 13 Nov

Sat 21 Nov

GET YOUR WOOD ON

SOLAR

Three floors playing everything from house, hip hop and old skool anthems.

Fri 06 Nov TREND FRIDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £2 (£3 AFTER 12:30AM)

Everything from R ‘n’ B to old skool garage, hip-hop and deep house. AMBUSH!

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

Friday night capers at Liverpool’s gnarliest rock club. CATFACE

BUMPER, 22:00–05:00, FREE

TREND FRIDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £2 (£3 AFTER 12:30AM)

Everything from R ‘n’ B to old skool garage, hip-hop and deep house. MIDLAND

THE SHIPPING FORECAST, 22:00–03:00, £10 (£8)

The UK bass talent drops into the Shipping Forecast basement. AMBUSH!

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

Friday night capers at Liverpool’s gnarliest rock club. CATFACE

BUMPER, 22:00–05:00, FREE

New night at the notorious Bumper, where drawing whiskers on your face gets you free entry. HAPPY MONDAYS AFTERSHOW

New night at the notorious Bumper, where drawing whiskers on your face gets you free entry.

Aftershow partying following the Madchester veterans earlier show.

THE KAZIMIER, 22:00–04:00, £15

Sat 14 Nov

ABANDON SILENCE (AME + OPTIMO + THE DRIFTER)

RAGE

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag night spread out over all three floors, serving up indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes. PEOPLES BALEARIC DISCO PRESENTS NICKY SIANO

THE BALTIC SOCIAL, 21:00–03:00, £17.50

Former co-owner of the legendary club The Gallery in New York, and able to launch the careers of the likes of Grace Jones and Loleatta Holloway as well as working with Frankie Knuckles and Arthur Russell, Nicky Siano drops in for some disco magic. PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth RnB and urban floor fillers. SCRATCH PERVERTS

CONSTELLATIONS, 22:00–04:00, £5

Listings

SOX

Messy Tuesday-nighter, bring your dirty shoes.

Three floors playing everything from house, hip hop and old skool anthems.

The legendary Fabric residents fawn over their vinyl selections.

The two promoters present Murlo, who'll be playing a wide array of music from grime to bassline to dancehall to RnB.

BUMPER, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM (FROM £3 AFTER)

New night at the notorious Bumper, where drawing whiskers on your face gets you free entry.

Sat 07 Nov

FACTORY SATURDAYS

24 KITCHEN STREET, 23:00–03:00, FROM £3

DIRTY ANTICS

GET YOUR WOOD ON

24 KITCHEN STREET, 22:00–04:00, FROM £3

ALBERT HALL, 21:00–04:00, £19.50

Cuff Records label bosses Anime Edge and Dance headline this showcase night.

HOT PLATE X WORRIED ABOUT HENRY

Tue 17 Nov

AMBUSH!

BOOGALOO’S MID-WEEK JAM

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon. CUFF

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Playing deep house and techno in the main room with some garage and bass in the side rooms.&nbsp;

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Playing deep house and techno in the main room with some garage and bass in the side rooms.&nbsp;

Wed 04 Nov

The revered clubnight continues its farewell to the Kazimier with another big ol’ party.

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £7 (£5)

SATURDAYS IT’S BETTER

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £2 (£3 AFTER 12:30AM)

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 22:00–04:00, £10

The rising stars, Beatport charttoppers, Radio 1 darlings and allround club smash brothers stage a deck takeover, with support from a plethora of house and techno DJs.

ARTS CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £16 (£14)

The legendary producer, whose influence has touched too much to mention, makes a rare visit to the UK.

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

HIDDEN, 22:00–04:00, £12

MODUS + TRANSMISSION FUNK (PHIL WEEKS)

DUSKY AND FRIENDS

ARTS CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £16 (£14)

AN EVENING WITH GEORGIO (GEORGIO MORODER + SEVERINO + PHIL CHARNOCK + THRISTIAN + MORE)

Thu 12 Nov

The best of all three floors at the Krazyhouse packed into one.

Part two of the Lost In Space series sees Dutch duo Detroit Swindle take the reigns for an evening of house, funk, soul and disco.

VINYL DEMAND THE MAGNET , 22:00–06:00, £10

Feel good house music with additional special guests.

Messy Tuesday-nighter, bring your dirty shoes.

The Swamp 81 crew descend on Sankeys.

LOST IN SPACE (DETROIT SWINDLE)

Liverpool Clubs

O2 ACADEMY, 23:00–03:00, £5

RAGE

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag night spread out over all three floors, serving up indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes. DIXON AVENUE BASEMENT JAMS

BUYERS CLUB, 22:00-02:00, £4

The Glaswegian crew’s Big Miz makes his way south. PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth RnB and urban floor fillers. MEINE NACHT

THE LANTERN THEATRE, 22:00–02:00, £10.50

Meine Nacht reaches far beyond the confines of ‘normal’ nightlife, expect eclecticism in all its forms.

FREEZE – THE 10TH BIRTHDAY PARTY (NICOLAS JAAR + POWELL + MORE) THE GARAGE, 22:00–04:00, FROM £18

None other than Nicolas Jaar will be dropping in to help the legendary Liverpool club promoters celebrate their tenth year in existence.

RAGE

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag night spread out over all three floors, serving up indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes.

CATFACE BUMPER, 22:00–05:00, FREE

New night at the notorious Bumper, where drawing whiskers on your face gets you free entry. ABANDON SILENCE (JEREMY UNDERGROUND + MUNEE)

THE KAZIMIER, 22:00–04:00, £SOLD OUT

The revered clubnight continues its farewell to the Kazimier with another big ol’ party.

Sat 28 Nov RAGE

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–05:00, £3

Mixed-bag night spread out over all three floors, serving up indie, rock, alternative and dance tunes. HUSTLE (SUNCEBEAT PARTY)

THE MAGNET , 17:00–07:00, £14

The latest Hustle fun with another stellar line-up of selectors. HUSTLE (MARCELLUS PITTMAN)

CONSTELLATIONS, 17:00–07:00, £12

The latest Hustle fun with another stellar line-up of selectors. PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth RnB and urban floor fillers.

CIRCUS (ADAM BEYER + LUCIANO + DARIUS SYROSSIAN B2B SANTE B2B SIDNEY CHARLES + MORE)

CAMP AND FURNACE, 14:00–23:00, £27.50 (£24.50)

Yousef brings back his acclaimed Circus night with an almighty day party at Camp and Furnace featuring some of the night’s biggest bookings to-date. SATURDAYS IT’S BETTER

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Playing deep house and techno in the main room with some garage and bass in the side rooms.&nbsp;

Manchester Theatre Contact Theatre THIS LAST TEMPEST

26 NOV, 27 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £13 (£7)

A sequel to Shakespeare’s The Tempest, sees Caliban and Ariel left alone on the enchanted island, as Prospero’s ship sails over the horizon and out of view...

Theatre Manchester

Opera House

Royal Exchange Theatre

27 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.90

UNTIL 21 NOV, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £16

TOSCA

Scottish Opera take on Anthony Besch’s treasured production of Tosca, which transports Puccini’s drama to Fascist Italy in the early 1940s.

A sinister and surreal thriller from Alistair McDowall, writer of Talk Show , Brilliant Adventures (Bruntwood Prize winner) and Captain Amazing.

15 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £15.90

The Dancehouse Theatre

THE CIRCUS OF HORRORS

Prepare thyself for a whirlwind of contortionists, flying aerialists, demon dwarfs, sword swallowers, and any other weird thing you can think of – yep, it could only be The Circus of Horrors. PAM ANN

22 NOV, 7:30PM-10:00PM, FROM £24.90

The international comedy sensation Pam Ann shines a light on air travel and the culuture surrounding it, drawing inspiration from news stories. JERSEY BOYS

UNTIL 7 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £23.90

Fresh from their sell-out hit shows Midnight Tango and Dance ’Til Dawn, Strictly superstars Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace star in this new production. AND THEN THERE WERE NONE

16–21 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12.15

Retelling of one of the master crime writer’s most baffling mysteries, in which ten strangers arrive at a house on a remote island after receiving an invitation from an unknown host. Matinee performances also available. MIRACLE ON 34TH STREET

23–25 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.65

One of the most popular films of all time comes to the stage. Matinees available. ELLEN KENT’S CARMEN

28 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £17.90

HOME

Palace Theatre

UNTIL 14 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

10–21 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £15

Tue 24 Nov DIRTY ANTICS

BUMPER, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM (FROM £3 AFTER)

Messy Tuesday-nighter, bring your dirty shoes. HUSTLE (MARCELLUS PITTMAN)

THE MAGNET , 19:00–07:00, £12

The latest Hustle fun with another stellar line-up of selectors.

Thu 26 Nov VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

R’n’b, hip-hop and urban floorfillers. KAHN & NEAK

24 KITCHEN STREET, 23:00-4:00, £6

Two of the UK's brightest grime producers and DJs come to 24 Kitchen Street. GET YOUR WOOD ON

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

The best of all three floors at the Krazyhouse packed into one. SOLAR

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Three floors playing everything from house, hip hop and old skool anthems.

Fri 27 Nov TREND FRIDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £2 (£3 AFTER 12:30AM)

THE ORESTEIA

Taking the translation by one of the great poets of the twentieth century, Ted Hughes, this swiftmoving, newly cut version radically condenses Aeschylus’ epic trilogy into one play. UNITY 1918

5–7 NOV, 7:45PM – 10:00PM, FROM £2

A gothic romance, filled with dark comedy and the desperate embrace of life at the edge of death. Matinee available.

Hope Mill Theatre THE SÉANCE

6-7 NOV, TIMES VARY, £10 (£8)

In this new comedy play written by Andrew Siddall, Danny is determined to make an honest woman out of his soul mate Kate even after his initial disastrous attempt at proposing.

Islington Mill

LYDIA LUNCH’S FROM THE PAGE TO THE STAGE

3 NOV, 7:00PM – 11:00PM, £3

Live show performed by the 24 participants who took part in the two from the Page to the Stage workshops that took place at Islington Mill during Lunch’s Samarbeta residency..

THE BOX OF TRICKS

31 OCT, 27 NOV, 28 NOV, 7:30PM-10:30PM, £10 (£8)

4-7 NOV, 7:30PM – 9:30PM, £7 (£5)

GARLANDS, 22:00–02:00, £5 (£4)

Playing deep house and techno in the main room with some garage and bass in the side rooms.&nbsp;

The King’s Arms

THE LAST TANGO

Smoonth RnB and urban floor fillers. SATURDAYS IT’S BETTER

A showcase of creativity and talent alongside a culmination of enthusiasm and energy, Heatherlea Dance celebrates on a journey Around the World with a vibrant display of young dancers performing to music from all corners of the globe.

10–14 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £20.40

A new multi-media production based on Ovid’s classic tale of lovers willing to sacrifice everything to be together forever.

PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

26–27 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£6)

AROUND THE WORLD

21 NOV, 22 NOV, TIMES VARY, FROM £10

Intense drama written by Ric Brady and Stephen M Hornby: when Mike returns home for his estranged brother’s funeral, he is met with difficult realisations about his brother and the events that drove them apart.

True life story of multiplebucketload selling group The Four Seasons, from their beginnings to their extended run along the hit parade. Matinee performances also available.

Dazzling production of Carmen with Ellen Kent at the creative helm – also featuring an Andalucian stallion, fountains and orange trees for your general wonderment.

PYRAMUS AND THISBE

POMONA

GUYS AND DOLLS

Big production version of the music theatre favourite of gamblers and dancers, missionaries and sinners. Matinees also available. THE GLENN MILLER STORY

2–7 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £21.40

Tommy Steele leads a 16-piece orchestral cast to tell the story of Glenn Miller, who vanished over the English Channel as he flew to Paris to entertain the troops during the Second World War. Matinee performances also available. ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET’S LEST WE FORGET

24 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £11.90

A poignant reflection on World War I, Lest We Forget features three works expressing the experiences of those who fought the war, and those who stayed behind. ENGLISH NATIONAL BALLET’S ROMEO AND JULIET

26–28 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £11.90

English National Ballet brings the famous love story to the stage with Rudolf Nureyev’s inventive and passionate choreography and Prokofiev’s exhilarating score performed live by English National Ballet Philharmonic. Matinees available.

THE DISSOLUTION OF PERCY

Exploring the slow movement of gender politics from the 19th century to the present day, The Dissolution of Percy focuses on the lust of one man for a married woman. KISSING FROGS

25 NOV, 26 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£8)

Meet Jess. 30 years old. Still single. No children. Join her in her desperate mission…To find a husband. A comedy set to an 80s sountrack.

The Lowry Studio

The Lowry: Quays Theatre TIPPING POINT

11-14 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £18

Ockham’s Razor return with their fourth production, Tipping Point — an original and groundbreaking piece of physical theatre based on the stories and relationships inherent in circus. Matinees available. LA MERDA

5-6 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £18

In Cristian Ceresoli’s critically acclaimed angry play, a ‘young’, ‘ugly’ and literally naked Silvia Gallerano captivatingly reveals her revolting secrets, as she struggles with obstinacy, resistance and courage. THE REVENGERS TRAGEDY

19–21 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £16

A radical reworking of Middleton’s classic 17th century play. Matinees available. CADIZ

26–27 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £20

Jesus Fernandez and four artists hailing from Cadiz present an intimate performance based on Andalucian roots that features original flamenco music and dance.

Three Minute Theatre CHUGGERS

4 NOV, 5 NOV, 7:15PM – 8:15PM, £6 (£5)

Play about Chuggers - as the public and the press know them. Universally avoided, they lie waiting, ready to pounce with their charismatic approach to raising money.

Waterside Arts Centre NINE LIVES

16 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£8)

One man and a suitcase filled with the past, uncertainty, high heels, brokenness, African dancing shells and hope. He’s going to have to pay extra to fly with that. WHAT’S THE MATTER WITH YOU?

26–28 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £8 (£6)

This show tackles the big bad world of mental health, beginning by asking: what’s your story, your

UPON AWAKENING

18 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

Liverpool Theatre

The Lowry: Lyric Theatre

Echo Arena

Upon Awakening explores a real life story of adversity, the pivotal moment that propelled its protagonists into recovery from addiction.

THE BARBER OF SEVILLE

10-14 NOV, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.50

An opulent, period production of Rossini’s vivacious comedy. Matinees available. SLEEPING BEAUTY

24-28 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £29

A gothic romance for all ages, Matthew Bourne’s Sleeping Beauty is back by popular demand. Matinees available. LES BALLETS TROCADERO DE MONTE CARLO

6–7 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £24

As the darlings of the ballet world, The Trocks combine a genuine love of ballet with parody and preening in their laugh-a-minute shows. Matinees available. JENUFA

10–14 NOV, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.50

Janacek opera telling a moving story of love, jealousy and sacrifice. Matinees available. KISS ME KATE

13–14 NOV, 7:15PM – 10:00PM, FROM £25

Opera North return to The Lowry with a brand new production of Cole Porter’s multi award-winning Broadway classic. Matinees available. THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT TIME

17–21 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £18

After a smash-hit run across the UK, Manchester’s ‘Best Visiting Production’ returns to the stage to end its first UK tour. Matinees available.

PAM ANN

27 NOV, 8:00PM – 11:00PM, FROM £21

The international comedy sensation Pam Ann shines a light on air travel and the culuture surrounding it, drawing inspiration from news stories. CHINA NATIONAL PEKING OPERA

13–15 NOV, 7:30PM – 11:00PM, FROM £25

The renowned Peking Opera return to the UK a decade after their previous visit.

Epstein Theatre HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL

13–14 NOV, 5:30PM – 7:30PM, £14.50 (£12.50)

The LHK Theatre Group deliver their take on the all-singing alldancing Disney Channel musical – tweens and Glee fans unite! THE DREAMBOYS

6 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:30PM, £25

Glamour show courtesy of loads of oiled-up blokes possessing the most chiselled abs since we last looked round The Skinny office. Ahem.

Everyman Theatre

DEAD DOG IN A SUITCASE

10–14 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

Based on John Gay’s Beggar's Opera, Dead Dog in a Suitcase (and other love songs) is busting with wit, wonder and weirdness. An extraordinary cast of actor musicians shoot, hoot and shimmy their way through this twisted morality tale of our times.

Everything from R ‘n’ B to old skool garage, hip-hop and deep house. AMBUSH!

THE KRAZYHOUSE, 22:30–04:00, £TBC

Friday night capers at Liverpool’s gnarliest rock club.

THE SKINNY

Liverpool Playhouse HETTY FEATHER

3-7 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

From best-selling author Jacqueline Wilson, the tale of plucky Hetty Feather is brought to life on stage with an original musical score, circus skills and a huge heart. Matinees available. FLARE PATH

10–14 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

Set in 1942, against a backdrop of heartache and quiet bravery, Flare Path paints an evocative portrait of life in wartime Britain for the RAF bomber crews, their wives and sweethearts, who were left awaiting their return. Matinees available.

Comedy

Manchester Tue 03 Nov

XS MALARKEY (LOST VOICE GUY + MICHAEL J DOLAN + IAN LANE + SAM SMITH + MC TOBY HADOKE)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans. HELGI STEINAR GUNNLAUGSSON

GULLIVERS, 21:00–21:30, £5

ROS BALLINGER GULLIVERS, 19:30–20:30, £3

Want to spice up your love life? Not sure what S&M stands for? Fifty Shades of Grey made you angry and confused? Never fear! Comedian Ros Ballinger is here to guide you through the strange, wonderful world of beginner’s BDSM. CRIMES AGAINST HILARITY

THE SEVEN OAKS, 20:32–22:32, £3

DAVID O’DOHERTY

OPERATION PERFECT TEASET

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £16 (£14 CONCESSION)

GULLIVERS, 20:00–21:00, £6 (£5)

TUESDAY’S TICKLES WITH PENELLA MELLOR

WILL SEAWARD

For one night only, as part of the Greater Manchester Comedy Festival, award winning comedian Penella Mellor is gathering her favourite local acts especially for you! Confirmed so far: Freda Chattington, Big Lou and Colin Manford.

David O’Doherty, the Lidl Enya, the broken Buble, is delighted to present an evening of talking and songs played on a stupid keyboard from 1986. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:00–21:00, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

Royal Court Theatre

Nothing To Declare is a stand-up comedy routine from a confused, single guy in his late 20’s. Born in Iceland, raised in America and later moving to China - Helgi Steinar has become a man with no sense of national borders.

After a sell out show at the Greater Manchester Fringe they&rsquo;re back showcasing some of the best up-and-coming comedians performing Crimes Against Hilarity in the North West today.

BARREL OF LAUGHS ( DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + PAT MONAHAN + HARRIET DYER + DAVID HADDINGHAM)

UNTIL 14 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £21

TAURUS BAR, 20:00–21:00, FREE

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £18 (£13)

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £5 (£4)

This solo stand-up comedy show is the true story of how a shy Baptist boy from Watford became an unlikely international sex ambassador, when he won the 25th annual International Mr. Leather contest in Chicago in May 2003.

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late.

GULLIVERS, 20:00–21:00, £6 (£5)

LET IT BE

KAREN SHERRARD

West End show charting the meteoric rise of the Beatles, taking the audience on a musical journey through all the hits, from their early days at the Cavern Club to global hits like Yesterday and Hey Jude. Matinees also available.

Welcome to the village fête in Llanfairchwaraesboncen, nestled in the South Wales Valleys. Join your host, 76 year old village busybody Iris Evans, in a fun-filled romp complete with competitions, slide shows and audience participation.

St George’s Hall

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £5

MURDER

13 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:30PM, £16.50

LoveHistory, producers of the popular Catacombs of Liverpool’s Dark History series, delve deeper into Liverpool’s history to bring its murderous past to a stage setting for the very first time.

The Lantern Theatre THE CARETAKER

RICHARD PULSFORD

Following a successful run at the 2015 Edinburgh Festival Fringe Richard now performs his show, full of gags, puns, one liners and wordplay, in Manchester. TONY BASNETT

THE OLD MONKEY, 20:00–21:00, £2

Tony Basnett survives on good fortune. Join the Harrogate Comedian of the Year and World Series finalist for his debut show before his luck runs out.

12 NOV, 13 NOV, 14 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10.50 (£8.50)

THE SIXTY MINUTE MEN (PKW PRODUCTIONS)

BROKEN BISCUITS

One hour of original stand-up and sketch comedy from Liam Hurley, Sam Harlow and Sam Stroker, the boys behind B*stards of Young.

29 JUL, 8 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £10.50 (£8.50)

Wed 04 Nov

Harold Pinter’s haunting play about a tramp taken in by brothers Mick and Aston and systematically punished.

Back by popular demand. A moving tale of two best friends who are torn apart when Rita’s son James takes a fatal bullet in Afghanistan saving Maggie’s son Paul. NEMESIS

19–21 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10.50

The play is set in a disused warehouse. A young man is tied to a chair, a hood over his head. A Father and Daughter interrogate him.

The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts SENSE AND SENSIBILITY

26–28 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £9 (£4.50)

LIPA present their take on the Austen classic.

Unity Theatre HOME

24-25 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£10)

A devised multidisciplinary performance inspired by Euripides’ Medea. THE WITCHES OF EASTWICK

5–7 NOV, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £9 (£4.50)

Frustrated and bored by their mundane lives, three women become besotted with a charismatic and mysterious man who appears suddenly in their small town. Matinee available.

THE RUMINATION OF ISAIAH SQUIFF

18 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £8 (£6.50)

Old fashioned farce and a splash of Python-esque surrealism as we follow the trials and tribulations of eccentric ophthalmologist Isaiah Squiff.

Various venues HOMOTOPIA

29 OCT–4 DEC, 10:00AM – 10:00PM, PRICES VARY

A month long celebration of LGBT theatre and art, as well as tackling issues facing the community today. Full programme at homotopia.net.

November 2015

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £3

ANGELS ON FIRE

GULLIVERS, 19:00–20:00, £5 (£2)

Hard-hitting satire about sex, money, politics, climate change, green nonsense, contemporary art and other aspects of the human comedy: an occasional poem: and original songs plus some old favourites. THE MANIC, THE MOROSE AND THE MARRIED

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £3

JOHN PENDAL

OPERATION PERFECT TEASET

Operation Perfect Teaset return from Edinburgh Fringe with their dark wit and surreal comedy sketches. They continue to be the only show to bring you poorly executed tap dance renditions of significant historical events.

Fri 06 Nov ALAN CARR

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 20:00–23:00, £30

The chat show comic returns to his stand-up roots with a new show about life an’ that. DAVID O’DOHERTY

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £16 (£14 CONCESSION)

David O’Doherty, the Lidl Enya, the broken Buble, is delighted to present an evening of talking and songs played on a stupid keyboard from 1986. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

BARREL OF LAUGHS ( DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + PAT MONAHAN + HARRIET DYER + DAVID HADDINGHAM)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £15 (£10)

Join three regulars of the stand up scene for an hour of comedy. High energy MC Mike Milling (the Manic) introduces extended sets from Peter Pontification (the Morose) and Theresa Farlow (the Married).

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late.

FRED’S ALE HOUSE, 19:30–22:00, £5

ROYAL EXCHANGE THEATRE, 18:00–19:00, FREE

FRED’S COMEDY CLUB (PAT MONAHAN + DARREN HARRIOTT)

COMIC FX (MIKE WILKINSON)

The first Wednesday of each month sees Fred’s Ale House open their doors to comedians from the area and beyond.

Support to Peter Kay, Johnny Vegas, Ross Noble and others, Mike Wilkinson comes to Comic FX.

Thu 05 Nov

High-energy, left field stand-up for people who’ve read a book, without pictures, and enjoyed it. Mustachioed comedian WLTM audience with GSOH for fun, maybe more. Fresh from a sell out run at this year’s Edinburgh Fringe 2015.

ALAN CARR

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 20:00–23:00, £30

The chat show comic returns to his stand-up roots with a new show about life an’ that. STAND UP THURSDAY

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk. THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + PAT MONAHAN + CERYS NELMES + MARK CRAM + DAVID HADDINGHAM)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–00:00, £10 (£7)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks. CHUGGERS

THREE MINUTE THEATRE, 19:15–20:15, £6 (£5)

Play about Chuggers - as the public and the press know them. Universally avoided, they lie waiting, ready to pounce with their charismatic approach to raising money.

JAMES ROSS

TAURUS BAR, 20:30–21:30, £5 (£3)

STUART LAWS

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, £5

Stand up comedy from the man who makes all the comedy with Turtle Canyon Comedy and supported James Acaster on tour, he was also a young ornithologist and rocks a pretty sweet gilet. DAVID O’DOHERTY

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, FROM £14

David O’Doherty, the Lidl Enya, the broken Bublé, is delighted to present an evening of talking and songs played on a stupid keyboard from 1986.

Sat 07 Nov ALAN CARR

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 20:00–23:00, £30

The chat show comic returns to his stand-up roots with a new show about life an’ that.

ROS BALLINGER

GULLIVERS, 19:30–20:30, £3

OPERATION PERFECT TEASET

GULLIVERS, 21:30–22:30, £8 (£5)

HOPE MILL THEATRE, 16:00–17:00, £8 (£6.50)

Fresh from a Five Star run at the Edinburgh Fringe, booming-voiced comedian Will Seaward attempts to create the legendary Philosopher’s Stone and turn base metals into gold, live onstage. WILL SEAWARD

HOPE MILL THEATRE, 21:00–22:00, £8 (£6.50)

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:30–22:30, £5

Renowned entertainer, amateur hairdresser and world record holder for the longest time a man has carried a toaster, Henry von Stifle is ready to share his secrets of working in North Korea for MI5 – all along to the entire soundtrack to Enter the Dragon. WILL HUTCHBY

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, FREE

Someone recently said: Will Hutchby has an amazing stage presence, a great personality, if he had some real jokes he’d be a comedian. So he’s written some. DAVID O’DOHERTY

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 21:00–23:00, FROM £14

David O’Doherty, the Lidl Enya, the broken Bublé, is delighted to present an evening of talking and songs played on a stupid keyboard from 1986.

Fresh from a Five Star run at the Edinburgh Fringe, booming-voiced comedian Will Seaward attempts to create the legendary Philosopher’s Stone and turn base metals into gold, live onstage.

Mon 09 Nov

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, FREE

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, £5

DAVID STANIER

This time it’s the best bits, some new best bits, games, prizes and lots of fun as he gets ready for that Edinburgh festival 2016. COMEDY SPORTZ UK

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £3

Take one monologist who tells true stories from their life based on your suggestions. A team of improvisers then make up comedy sketches about their stories. With players from North West improv troupe- ComedySportz. CHRIS KEHOE

TAURUS BAR, 20:00–21:00, £3 (£1)

“The mind is everything. What you think you become.” So said Buddha who clearly thought himself to be a poorly made garden ornament. Now, 2.500 years later, awardwinning comedian and piratical misanthrope Chris Kehoe, fights a losing battle with idiocy. DAVID O’DOHERTY

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, FROM £14

David O’Doherty, the Lidl Enya, the broken Bublé, is delighted to present an evening of talking and songs played on a stupid keyboard from 1986. UPFRONT COMEDY

CONTACT THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £15 (£10)

Curtis Walker (The Real McCoy) is joined by outrageous 3 Non Blondes star Ninia Benjamin, fast rising local talent Marcus Hercules and host John Simmit.

Sun 08 Nov NEW STUFF

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–21:30, £6 (£4)

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice. PIETER EGRIEGA

TAURUS BAR, 20:00–21:00, £5

Visit Egriega’s new show and get acomic insight into the world of internet dating. Meet the yachtsman who named his sailing boat Fellatio… and the fat Casanova called Gary who swapped a good girl for a love bite and Chlamydia.

BEAT THE FROG (DAN NIGHTINGALE)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £3 (FREE FOR STUDENTS)

Chortle Award winning new acts night Hosted by Dan Nightingale. HELGI STEINAR GUNNLAUGSSON

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £5 (£4)

Christopher Cantrill takes you on an illustrated adventure to Tiddleminster - Britain’s ultimate ‘staycation’ timeshare opportunity. Visit the inhabitants, see the sights and even solve a mystery! JAMES AND SEABURN

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:30–22:30, £4 (£2)

Thrown together by quirk of fate and sticking together through necessity, Nicola James and Ian Seaburn present Piano Chocolat, a fun-filled journey through modern life, touching on themes as diverse as alien invasion, charity stunts and career angst.

Tue 10 Nov

XS MALARKEY (PHIL BUCKLEY + RICK MURTAGH + GABRIEL EBULUE + MC TOBY HADOKE + MORE)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans. CHRISTOPHER CANTRILL

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:30–22:30, £5 (£4)

TRUTH DETECTIVE THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £5 (£4)

What we do with recycling? How to win friends and influence people, what is Jeremy Corbyn hiding in his tweed Jacket? Watching Countdown and what not to say on Twitter all covered in varying degrees of detail and mirth.

TAURUS BAR, 19:30–20:30, £5 (£4)

AMY GLEDHILL AND NICOLA REDMAN

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £5 (£4)

Wondering how Amy and Nic came to be in a sketch duo? So are they. Join them as they piece together the past, looking back on pivotal moments in their lives. With the help of an inappropriate scrap book. And crisps.

Wed 11 Nov FRED MACAULEY

WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE, 20:00–22:30, £14 (£12)

How is life for Fred since leaving BBC Radio Scotland after all these years? And why did he leave? The Scottish comedian appears on tour with nearly 30 years of laughs under his belt. HARRY ENFIELD AND PAUL WHITEHOUSE

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 18:30–22:00, FROM £32.50

The comedy double act revive a quarter of a century of classic comedy characters, expect Loadsamoney, Kevin the Teenager, Julio Geordio, The Scoucers and more.

Thu 12 Nov STAND UP THURSDAY

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk. THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (FREDDY QUINNE + NICK DIXON + JACK KIRWAN + WAYNE BEESE + MICKEY D)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–00:00, £10 (£7)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks.

COMEDYSPORTZ

THE BEST IN STAND UP

WATERSIDE ARTS CENTRE, 18:30–22:00, £7 (£5)

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Comedy improv show with two teams battling it out for the biggest laughs, serving up sketches, songs and scenes with audience participation playing a key role in the development.

Sun 15 Nov

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–21:30, £4 (£2)

Sun 22 Nov

NEW COMEDIANS

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice. DEAD CAT COMEDY PRESENTS… COMEDY DOUBLES! (HOLLY BURN + SPENCER JONES)

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:30–22:30, £8

Two hours of wall-to-wall silliness from two of the UK’s freshest and funniest physical comedians.

Mon 16 Nov

BEAT THE FROG (KATIE MULGREW)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £3 (FREE FOR STUDENTS)

Chortle Award winning new acts night Hosted by Dan Nightingale.

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late. SMUG ROBERTS (EL BALDINIHO + JONATHAN MAYOR)

THE BAMFORD, 19:30–22:30, £8

Manchester comic delivering a healthy dose of down to earth comedy.

Sat 14 Nov FRANKIE BOYLE

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 20:00–23:00, £20

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a new tour, having successfully transformed himself from crude loudmouth to biting social commentator. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:00–21:00, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians. THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (TOBY HADOKE + JONNY AWSUM + NICK DIXON + MICKEY D) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £18 (£13)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late.

Star of Britains Got Talent Hypnodog convinces audience members that they’re members of the Pussycat Dolls, break dancers, and other such frivolities. NISH KUMAR

THE LOWRY STUDIO, 20:00-22:0, FROM £12

Stand-up comedy from a clever boy. As heard on The Now Show (BBC Radio 4) and host of Newsjack (BBC Radio 4 Extra).

Mon 23 Nov BEAT THE FROG (DANNY MCLOUGHLIN)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £3 (FREE FOR STUDENTS)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

Tue 24 Nov

XS MALARKEY (HOLLY BURN + JOEY PAGE + WILL HUTCHBY + ROB ROUSE + MC TOBY HADOKE)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans. STACY MAKISHI

CONTACT THEATRE, 20:00–22:00, £13 (£7)

Meaningful, absurd, incredibly clever and witty – the return of Stacy Makishi.

Wed 18 Nov

FOREVER MCR (TOM SHORT + SOPHIE WILLAN)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £10 (£7)

Thu 19 Nov

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £15 (£10)

HYPNODOG (HYPNODOG)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

Tue 17 Nov

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

BARREL OF LAUGHS (TOBY HADOKE + NICK DIXON + PETER BRUSH + MICKEY D)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £18 (£13)

One of the southern hemisphere’s finest comes to The Frog and Bucket to perform a solo show.

Fri 13 Nov

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (ANDREW RYAN + TOM STADE + ROBERT WHITE + JOHN LYNN)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late.

MICKEY D (MICKEY D)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £TBC

The Heroes Project are hosting a fast flowing conveyor belt of comedy featuring a string of top notch comics.

THE BEST IN STAND UP

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

STAND UP THURSDAY

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk. THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (TOM STADE + DARREN HARRIOT + JACK CAMPBELL + JOHN LYNN)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £10 (£7)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks.

Fri 20 Nov

THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (ANDREW RYAN + TOM STADE + ROBERT WHITE + JOHN LYNN) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £15 (£10)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late. HARRY ENFIELD AND PAUL WHITEHOUSE

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 18:30–22:00, FROM £32.50

Chortle Award winning new acts night Hosted by Dan Nightingale. XS MALARKEY (PHIL JERROD + RACHEL PARRIS + JOE D’ARCY + PAUL PARSON + MC TOBY HADOKE)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans.

Thu 26 Nov STAND UP THURSDAY

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk. THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (KATIE MULGREW + BARRY DODDS + PHIL PAGETT + BEN LAWES + DALISO CHAPONDA)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–00:00, £10 (£7)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks.

Fri 27 Nov

THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (BARRY DODDS + DALISO CHAPONDA + SEYMOUR MACE + DAVID LONGLEY) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £15 (£10)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late. TERRY CHRISTIAN

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £15

From the streets of inner-city Manchester to the boulevards of Beverly Hills, Terry Christian’s debut stand-up show, The Naked Confessions of a Recovering Catholic takes a snapshot of life, overlooked by an all-seeing, and often unforgiving, God.

Sat 28 Nov THE BEST IN STAND UP

The comedy double act revive a quarter of a century of classic comedy characters, expect Loadsamoney, Kevin the Teenager, Julio Geordio, The Scoucers and more.

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:00–21:00, £22 (£16)

Sat 21 Nov

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

THE BEST IN STAND UP

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:00–21:00, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians. THE BEST IN STAND UP

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

Listings

Manchester Comedy BARREL OF LAUGHS (BARRY DODDS + DALISO CHAPONDA + SEYMOUR MACE + MICK FERRY) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–02:00, £18 (£13)

Watch four top class comics, sat comfortably at a table while enjoying your comedy with food and drinks, followed by Frog and Bucket’s classic cheesy disco until late. TERRY CHRISTIAN’S NAKED CONFESSIONS OF A RECOVERING CATHOLIC

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £15

Sun 29 Nov NEW STUFF

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–21:30, £6 (£4)

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice. LIVE FROM THE AIRING CUPBOARD: A XMAS SURVIVAL GUIDE (RED REDMOND + THICK RICHARD)

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £8

Comedy

Liverpool LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £14

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

Sun 08 Nov FRANKIE BOYLE

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The inimitable Mr Boyle presents a new tour, having successfully transformed himself from crude loudmouth to biting social commentator. TESTING THE WATER (MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Showcase night for up-andcomers and undiscovered stars, offering a great value night out if you don’t mind being a comedy guinea pig.

Wed 11 Nov JOE LYCETT

THE LANTERN THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The bi-monthly satirical variety night returns with a range of comedy, spoken word, dance, music and horror whilst having a much deserved poke at ol’ Saint Nick and his green minions

Charming and fresh faced young thing, Joe Lycett brings the jokes.

Mon 30 Nov

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

BEAT THE FROG (DAN NIGHTINGALE)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £3 (FREE FOR STUDENTS)

Chortle Award winning new acts night Hosted by Dan Nightingale.

SIDEKICK COMEDY (KATE MCCABE + DANNY PENSIVE + CHRIS CANTRILL + JOHN PENDAL) VIA, 19:30–22:00, £2

Your friendly,monthly, neighbourhood comedy gig. All comedians are hero-approved.

Liverpool Comedy Thu 05 Nov

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Thu 12 Nov

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk. LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. HARRY ENFIELD + PAUL WHITEHOUSE

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, £37.50

THE BRINDLEY, 20:00–23:00, £15

Fri 13 Nov BOILING POINT

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way. LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

Listings

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

Fri 20 Nov BOILING POINT

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way. LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk. LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

BOILING POINT

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way. LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way. LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk. LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. REEVES AND MORTIMER

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £29.50

Sun 15 Nov

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Showcase night for up-andcomers and undiscovered stars, offering a great value night out if you don’t mind being a comedy guinea pig.

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £22.50

A new tour from the awardwinning TV comedy. So don’t read too much into awards.

Sat 28 Nov BOILING POINT

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way. LAUGHTERHOUSE

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk. LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £22.50

A new tour from the awardwinning TV comedy. So don’t read too much into awards.

Sun 29 Nov

TESTING THE WATER (MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Showcase night for up-andcomers and undiscovered stars, offering a great value night out if you don’t mind being a comedy guinea pig.

Manchester Art Artzu Gallery

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

20 NOV – 5 DEC, NOT 22 NOV, 23 NOV, 29 NOV, 30 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. PANTI

EPSTEIN THEATRE, 19:00–22:30, £14 (£12)

Sun 22 Nov

Sat 14 Nov

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

TESTING THE WATER (MC PAUL SMITH)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Sat 07 Nov New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way.

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

Accidental activist Panti Bliss returns with her smash hit comedy show, High Heels in Low Places.

The comedy double act revive a quarter of a century of classic comedy characters, expect Loadsamoney, Kevin the Teenager, Julio Geordio, The Scousers and more.

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

MANFORD’S COMEDY CLUB

The veteran comedian duo head out on their first tour in 20 years in celebration of a quarter of a century of working together. Just to make you feel old.

BOILING POINT

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £14.00

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

BOILING POINT

LAUGHTERHOUSE

Sat 21 Nov

Fri 06 Nov New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way.

Thu 19 Nov

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. BOILING POINT

LAUGHTERHOUSE

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

Jason Manford has carefully select some of his favourite comedians to give you the best night out you’ve had for a long time!

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk. LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

Wed 18 Nov

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

LAUGHTERHOUSE THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 19:00–22:00, £15

TESTING THE WATER (MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Showcase night for up-andcomers and undiscovered stars, offering a great value night out if you don’t mind being a comedy guinea pig.

Tue 24 Nov

HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £22.50

A new tour from the awardwinning TV comedy. So don’t read too much into awards.

A TASTE OF HONEY

New exhibition from Manchester based artist, Chris Acheson who captures the many facets of everyday city life in the 1960s in a series of contemporary film still style paintings with a modern twist.

Bury Art Gallery and Museum MODERN HISTORY VOL. III

UNTIL 21 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

One of a series of contemporary art exhibitionsworking between Bureau and guest curator Lynda Morris.

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art

BOTH SIDES NOW: IT WAS THE BEST OF TIMES, IT WAS THE WORST OF TIMES?

UNTIL 6 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A new tour from the awardwinning TV comedy. So don’t read too much into awards.

Thu 26 Nov

HOME

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

UNTIL 8 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £22.50

LIVERPOOL COMEDY CENTRAL

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone. HOW NOW MRS BROWN COW

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £22.50

A new tour from the awardwinning TV comedy. So don’t read too much into awards.

Fri 27 Nov BOILING POINT

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 18:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

New and established comics take to the stage (found upstairs at Holiday Inn, Lime Street), for an evening of chuckles with their resident compere leading the way.

Manchester Instituto Cervantes SELF EXILE

UNTIL 15 DEC, 9:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Work from Raul Loya who, focusing on painting, printmaking and drawing, has since 2002 been taking part in a number of group shows, mainly in Mexico, but also in Chicago and the UK. AUTO EXILO / SELF EXILE

UNTIL 15 DEC, 9:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Solo exhibition showing some of Raul Loya’s works from 20082015, including painting and prints.

MMU: Special Collections

ARE WE THERE YET? 150 YEARS OF PROGRESS TOWARDS EQUALITY

UNTIL 6 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition exploring the progress that has been made in the UK towards achieving equality, in terms of suffrage, gender, disability, sexuality and race, over the last 150 years.

Manchester Art Gallery ABSENT PRESENCE

UNTIL 3 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Inspired by Exposed Painting Green Lake by contemporary artist Callum Innes, this new display of works from the gallery’s collection takes its inspiration from this painting, looking at how art captures a moment in time. AN EXHIBITION FOR MODERN LIVING

UNTIL 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Matthew Darbyshire’s largest solo exhibition to date, including ten of his large-scale environments from the last decade and new sculptural works for the Gallery’s grand 19th century entrance hall. THE SEA FULL STOP

UNTIL 25 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

Artists’ film and video works from the UK, China and Hong Kong spanning a quarter century will be presented in a new exhibition that seeks to draw comparisons between the identity and culture of China and the UK.

Wed 25 Nov

Art

HOME PROJECTS: DR.ME

Work by design studio DR.ME, taken from their recent year-long project 365 Days of Collage which draws upon advertising ephemera, travel supplements, ethnographic magazines and material sourced from thrift stores.

Hondartza Fraga’s imaginary seascapes explore our understanding of the sea, and give the focus of a seascape back to the sea. HALF-LIFE OF A MIRACLE

UNTIL 17 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Half-life of a Miracle presents a decade of photography and film by British contemporary artist Pat Flynn from 2005 to 2015 for the most comprehensive survey of his art to date. HOUSE PROUD

UNTIL 1 APR, TIMES VARY, FREE

Exhibition of glass, metalwork and furniture inspired by the Gallery’s pioneering Industrial Art Collection.

Manchester Craft and Design Centre HATCHED: TWELVE HANDPICKED MAKERS, FRESH FROM THE BOX

UNTIL 9 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:00AM – 5:30PM, FREE

An exhibition to mark the end of the Crafts Council’s six-month creative business development programme, Hatched features 12 of the North’s best emerging designer-makers, including ceramicists, jewellers, furniture makers and more.

Museum of Science and Industry EVAPORATION

UNTIL 15 MAY, FREE

Seas, oceans and tides celebrated in sculptural form by James Lovelock Art Commission artist Tania Kovats, Evaporation comprises a range of works including three large-scale metal bowls which reflect the shapes of the world’s oceans with their own salt water hydro-cycle.

National Football Museum

Liverpool Art

UNTIL 5 JUN, TIMES VARY, FREE

FACT

PITCH TO PIXEL: THE WORLD OF FOOTBALL GAMING

What happens when computer games, meet the beautiful game.

Nexus Art Café

TOBIAS PEARSON PHOTOGRAPHY

1 NOV – 31 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Large portraits of Manchester based people who have overcome adversity.

OBJECT / A

THE THIRD HAND PROSTHESIS

UNTIL 28 NOV, 12:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

New work by artist Rowena Harris.

Paper Gallery

SEMIOTIC GUERRILLA WARFARE PART I

UNTIL 12 DEC, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A new collaboration between Charlie Smith London and PAPER, bringing together artists with connections to both galleries creating a network which links artistic practice between Manchester and London.

The Holden Gallery MODEL BEHAVIOUR

UNTIL 11 DEC, WEEKDAYS ONLY, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Holden Gallery presents its first exhibition of the season, exploring the impulse, desire and obsession involved in trying to make something visible.

The Lowry

RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW

UNTIL 28 FEB, TIMES VARY, FREE

Bringing together artists selected by seven curators at the forefront of digital art, this exhibition promises to challenge audiences’ understanding of what art can be.

The Portico Library

LESIONS IN THE LANDSCAPE

UNTIL 22 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

Artist Shona Illingworth investigates the effect the experience of amnesia and broken cultural memory has on individual and collective agency, identity and the capacity to imagine the future. HUMAN FUTURES EXPOSITION

6–29 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

GEORGE OSODI: OIL BOOM, DELTA BURNS

UNTIL 31 DEC, 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. BROKEN LIVES

UNTIL 24 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Photographs depicting the slavery that continues to exist in modern day India.

Lady Lever Art Gallery PUTTING ON THE GLITZ

UNTIL 28 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Dazzling 1930s evening gowns take centre stage in the Putting on the Glitz exhibition, revealing how the glitz and glamour of Hollywood was reflected in the fashions of the period.

UNTIL 27 FEB, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Museum of Liverpool

Whitworth Art Gallery RICHARD FORSTER

UNTIL 3 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Bristol artist displays a series of his complex pencil drawings, made with an intense level of skill and a lonely determination over many months, drawing from photographs rather than life. BEDWYR WILLIAMS

UNTIL 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

From a tiny pebble caught in a terrazzo floor, to the infinite enormity of the cosmos, acclaimed Welsh artist Bedwyr Williams invites you on a journey through his extraordinary installation, The Starry Messenger. ART_TEXTILES

UNTIL 31 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

Including artists such as Magdalena Abakanowicz, Tracey Emin, Grayson Perry, Ghada Amer and Kimsooja who use textiles as a powerful tool for expressing ideas about the social, political and artistic.

The Atkinson ELEMENTAL

UNTIL 15 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Bluecoat

Waterside Arts Centre

A new exhibition bringing stopmotion animation to life, showcasing the work of world-renowned puppet makers Mackinnon and Saunders.

Works from the Centre Pompidou, Tate and MMK collections sees over 60 major, post 1945 artworks come together from their prestigious galleries. On display will be works by Marcel Duchamp, Claes Oldenburg, Bridget Riley, Dorothea Tanning and more.

International Slavery Museum

The 15th anniversary of Liverpool Hope University's Cornerstone Arts Festival, bringing together music, drama, dance and art lovers to enjoy a week-long series of events. Full details at hope.ac.uk/ cornerstonefestival.

PUPPET MASTERS: CELEBRATING ANIMATION

20 NOV – 14 FEB, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £8.80 (£6.60)

Two series of Antony Gormley drawings: Body & Light and North Light. The works evoke fleeting moments of illumination in the darkness of the body, the earth, the ocean or deep space.

Liverpool Hope University

Jenny Eden exhibits a body of work that investigates the development of contemporary abstract painting in terms of composition and response.

WORKS TO KNOW BY HEART: AN IMAGINED MUSEUM

Eight international artists present the final outcomes of their residencies across the globe inspired by the idea of re-evaluating how we see our surroundings as part of a pop up exhibition.

2–28 NOV, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

PAINTING WITH CONTENT

Tate Liverpool

THE CORNERSTONE FESTIVAL 20-28 NOV, PRICES VARY

IT’S GLAM UP NORTH

UNTIL 6 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of works by some of the biggest names in art and design, curated by photographer Rankin. POPPIES: WOMEN AND WAR

UNTIL 5 JUN, NOT 25 DEC, 26 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Exhibition featuring striking portraits of women whose lives have been affected by conflict, from the First World War to present day. GROWING UP IN THE CITY

UNTIL 25 SEP, NOT 25 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Photographs of Liverpool childhood over time.

Open Eye Gallery VUKANI/RISE

UNTIL 29 NOV, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

South African photographer and visual activist Zanele Muholir explores gender, race and sexuality, particularly in relation to South African society and political landscape.

St George’s Hall

EXHIBITION ON SHENYANG WORLD WAR ALLIED PRISONERS CAMP

GLASSHOUSE

UNTIL 10 JAN, TIMES VARY, FREE

The first major solo show in a UK public gallery by Dublin based artist Niamh O’Malley. Working across video, drawing, painting, print & sculpture, O’Malley’s work is distinctive for her use of reflective surfaces such as mirror and glass. DO NOT YET FOLD YOUR WINGS

UNTIL 22 NOV, TIMES VARY, FREE

A multi-media art work by Bisakha Sarker that reflects on the notion of a meaningful life as presented in Dr Atul Gawande’s 2014 Reith Lecture series The Future of Medicine. SCANDINAVIA HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME

20 NOV, 8:00PM – 9:30PM, £10 (£8)

The premiere of a new performance by Mandy Romero which completes the trilogy of autobiographical shows which began at The Bluecoat in 2010 with Stevenage.

Unity Theatre HOME

UNTIL 25 NOV, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£10)

A devised multidisciplinary performance inspired by Euripides’ Medea.

Victoria Gallery and Museum THE AUDOBON GALLERY

UNTIL 19 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Permanent gallery of wildlife artist and naturalist John James Audubon. EMMA GREGORY

UNTIL 2 APR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The former Sir John Cass, Central School of Art and UCLan presents work from her wider collection.

Walker Art Gallery REALITY

UNTIL 29 NOV, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Walter Sickert, Francis Bacon, Lucian Freud, LS Lowry, George Shaw, Alison Watt and John Bratby are among the artists exhibited in this display which explores the role of painting within contemporary art. TRANSFORMATION: ONE MAN’S CROSS-DRESSING WARDROBE

UNTIL 31 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Sixteen garments of Peter Farrer’s, who was born in 1926 and has been cross-dressing since he was 14. PUG VIRUS

UNTIL 3 JAN, NOT 25 DEC, 1 JAN, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A sculpture by British artist John Walter, exploring the relationship between visual culture and HIV today. INSPIRED BY LIVERPOOL’S PAST

19 NOV – 28 MAR, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Small display showing a new commission by Paul Scott, together with a selection of Liverpool ceramics from our historic collections that inspired him.

7–15 NOV, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

A chance to relive the POWs’ dark days in the camp and illustrate their tenacious, relentless and intelligent struggle against the Japanese soldiers through historic photographs as well as archives, diaries, memoirs and caricatures on display.

THE SKINNY

Tribe after Tribe The 25th anniversary re-release of People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm opens a retrospective phase in A Tribe Called Quest’s legacy. We speak to the founding quartet about resolving beats, rhymes and strife

ew artists in music have led their fans on a longer, bumpier journey than A Tribe Called Quest. In 2011, the most talked-about hip-hop documentary of all time, Michael Rapaport’s Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of a Tribe Called Quest, hit cinema screens, telling the story of the group’s rise and fall from mellow, Afrocentric teenage beginnings in the early 1990s, to multiplatinum-selling stardom to ego-driven civil war. With this backdrop in mind, and the way the film finished by alluding to the sixth and final album still owed as part of their initial record deal, it appears impossible to discuss Tribe in any detail without also trying to understand what new equilibrium, if any, the group has reached in 2015. It has taken four years for the dust to settle. And not only has it settled: it has been brushed off the record shelves to make way for the November re-release of People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm – the group’s classic freshman album, first released in 1990, whose 25th birthday was in April earlier this year. The release includes an A-list roster of remixes from Pharrell, J. Cole and Cee-Lo. It is yet another example of a golden era outfit meeting the nostalgic demand for old-school authenticity that lives on in the genre’s marketplace. Although it would be their multi-platinum selling sophomore release, The Low End Theory, that took Tribe to worldwide acclaim in 1991, People’s Instinctive Travels should need no introduction. The album spawned three singles – I Left My Wallet in El Segundo, Bonita Applebum and Can I Kick It? – each with an iconic accompanying video. It was born out of a time and place whose precise context cannot be ignored in any discussion about the roots of hip-hop: Queens, New York, at the dawn of a new decade and musical era. Pro-blackness and street commentary were still developing as central lyrical themes. This was back when the genre was bubbling away in the urban melting pots of East and West coast America, barely getting radio play, largely ignored by the mainstream. Q-Tip’s smooth, upbeat flow and conscious tongue-in-cheek raps, and the crew’s eclectic use of jazz and soul sampling throughout the

album, were all sonically unprecedented elements, rolled into one. As industry bible The Source’s Matty C concluded at the time, in his now-cherished review (in which he gave the album one of the magazine’s first-ever ‘5-Mic’ ratings): “Ultimately what makes this album so slamming is the skilful synthesis of beats we love under samples we’ve never heard. Quest has carved out their own distinctive groove within hip-hop’s spectrum of styles. All we have to do is drop the needle in it, kick our corns up, and start traveling.” Speaking to the group in the here and now, The Skinny seeks to clarify a few matters early on; does this re-release mean anything for the future of A Tribe Called Quest? “No – unfortunately, I wouldn’t say that,” answers Tribe’s feisty MC, Phife Dawg, quite frankly. “Given that we aren’t even a group any more, and we’re not doing shows, if people still have a craving for that album, we might as well give it. It’s the 25th anniversary, so it’s only right… but in terms of any new material? Nah, I don’t think that’s going to happen.” Over the course of the same evening, we also speak – separately – to Jarobi White, Tribe’s bouncy, on-and-off member, who first left the group back in 1991, as well as veteran producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad (enigmatic frontman Q-Tip responds via a concise e-mail). Though it’s clear that these men are still artistically bound by their memories of youth, and are all similarly humble and excited about reminiscing on their success, there is an undeniable sense of closure in their voices. The focus now is on making the name last, according to Q-Tip, who suggests that his simple wish is to “hopefully extend what we’ve done as a group and elevate it further.” “Right now, our focus is on celebrating our rich legacy,” Ali expands. “There are a lot of people out there still raising their kids on Tribe – no different to how my mom raised me on Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder. To fast-forward twenty-five years and be considered as part of that ilk? We want to celebrate that.” For seasoned fans it’s often difficult to hear artists talk like this – about having moved on

Interview: Ciaran Thapar from the output that initially bound us to them, emotionally. The collective tone from the four men, however, is nonetheless one of unwavering acceptance; honest, as ever, but uplifting rather than cynical. This is in stark contrast to some of the scenes of tense bickering between Q-Tip and Phife Dawg shown in Rapaport’s documentary, which many people criticised for diverting attention away from the exploration of Tribe’s roots and genius, towards the reality TV style drama of a soured relationship.

“There are a lot of people out there still raising their kids on Tribe – no different to how my mom raised me on Ella Fitzgerald and Stevie Wonder” Ali Shaheed Muhammad

“Now, what happened, happened… everything was real. But they paid too much attention to it. Everybody says their favourite part of that movie is when Tip breaks down the Can I Kick It? drums. I think people wanted to see more of that. The production techniques, the artists we sampled, what inspired us,” Jarobi suggests. His words are echoed by Ali, who describes the film as a “missed opportunity” for its lack of conversation about the depth and meaning of their music. As is perhaps expected, Phife’s analysis is most grounded: “I thought the documentary was cool for the simple fact that it’s life… you can’t have beats and rhymes without the life.”

Having addressed the issue of group dynamics, we move swiftly on to the music. Broadly speaking, each member has his own way of explaining two things. At first they seem to share a mutual peace with the idea that A Tribe Called Quest ought to be, above all, cherished in retrospect – no longer discussed as an active artistic vehicle, but instead viewed fondly with respect, like a goldenframed group portrait on hip-hop’s mantlepiece. “We are all in our 40s, you know? I was in New York City the other day and a little kid came up and was like, ‘Yo, Jarobi! My Dad would totally bug out right now,’” the group’s so-called ‘spiritual leader’ exclaims, chuckling in near disbelief. “It’s crazy… but every generation goes through this. For my parents, it was the 25th anniversary of Motown, honouring people like Smokey Robinson and the Temptations. 25 years from now, people are going to be playing Fetty Wap and Future and Drake. That’s how the cycle goes.” Second, they all express the belief that People’s Instinctive Travels should serve as a reminder of the originality-driven ethos of early New York hip-hop. Each discusses this view in particular reference to the current state of the genre, and the tendency of modern rappers to stick to tried-and-tested formulae, rather than break the mould. “I think in hip-hop as a whole, there is a lot of laziness going on,” Phife Dawg suggests. “This rapper sounds like that rapper who sounds like that rapper. Back in the early 1990s, everybody had their own way.” To some, this might sound like the spiel of an artist simply failing to come to terms with the way things have changed. But few would deny that the mass influence Phife and his group of childhood friends have had over the way hip-hop has evolved into an international phenomenon is enough to qualify his opinion. “You have a select few who stand out, like J. Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Joey Bada$$ and the whole Pro Era Crew… the whole of Top Dawg Entertainment…they aren’t interested in sounding like the next man,” he continues. “With the music right now… you can only talk about the same sort of subjects – hooking up with a bunch of women, drinking and smoking – for so long. There is more to real life than that. That’s why people look back to when things were more meaningful,” Ali says, going into greater depth. “Our aim as kids was to think outside the box; be part of the conversation, you know, with the likes of Run DMC and Public Enemy… but keep our own identity. Exploring the backdrop of being young New Yorkers in a way that was honest and sincere.” Q-Tip makes two important associations that reveal his stylistic origins as an MC: “My main source of inspiration came from watching and listening to Slick Rick and Rakim.” Of course, it is all too easy to dismiss the present way of doing things in rose-tinted remembrance of the past. The fact remains, however, that A Tribe Called Quest’s long, winding path in 2015 seems to now be entering a calmer, more reflective phase than ever before. The music-making epoch of their careers may no longer be active. But neither is the tension that has plagued the group since 1998. With the re-release of People’s Instinctive Travels comes the twofold opportunity to make greater sense of both the past and present of hip-hop – and do so while nodding your head to the immovable rhythm of Tribe’s legacy. Peoples’ Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm is released 13 Nov via Legacy Recordings atribecalledquest.com

November 2015

MUSIC

Out back

best of 2015 album of the year

sufjan stevens

public service broadcasting

carrie & lowell

the race for space

tame impala

currents

kurt vile

bâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;lieve iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m goin down

john grant

grey tickles, black pressure

courtney barnett

sometimes i sit and think, and sometimes i just sit

new order

music complete

father john misty

i love you, honeybear

hot chip

why make sense?

sleaford mods

key markets

julia holter

have you in my wilderness bjork

vulnicura

the fopp list

get the lowdown on the best albums of 2015 in this monthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edition of the fopp list, free magazine in-store now while stocks last

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