The Skinny Northwest July 2015

P.12 Amy

P.24. Kathryn Jospeh

P.27 Hannah Wallace

P.47 Jessie Cave

July 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 28, June 2015 Š 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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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 Theatre 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 Jamie Faulkner John Donaghy Alecia Marshall 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

Printed on 100% recycled paper

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Contents

THE SKINNY

Contents

THE 10 STOREY HIGH SCULPTURE MADE OF LUMINOUS BALLOONS THAT YOU COLOUR IN!

Up Front

Chat & Opinion: Welcome to the

06 magazine! You know the drill: News in Stop the Presses, culinary melancholy in What Are You Having For Lunch?, the thrill of winning things with Spot the Difference. Plus, Shot of the Month and all your BALLS.

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Fashion: Graduate Fashion Week Gold Award Winner Hannah Wallace talks about her collection, which takes inspiration from rioters and astronauts.

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Showcase: With her degree show project, Back Window Looking at Dads Shed, this month’s Showcase artist Victoria Ruane is “retrieving elusive moments in time.”

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Food & Drink: The cult of healthy eating gets a dressing down, while we find authentic Thai flavours at Siam Smiles and sample Common’s new food menu following the Northern Quarter bar’s recent spit and polish.

Heads Up: It’s like a calendar, but

08 instead of saying things like “dentist appointment” and “bin night,” it gently reminds you of the best cultural events happening in the Northwest.

Features

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Ahead of their return to the UK this month, The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel breaks something of a silence to share his reaction to the phenomenal success of Lost in the Dream, and what the next chapter might hold for the band.

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This month sees three poignant takes on pop icons ( Amy, Love & Mercy and Eden) reach our cinema screens. Each of these music movies are very different in form, but what they have in common is an innovative streak, a refusal to fall for the familiar music movie cliches. We speak to the filmmakers behind them.

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The Class of 2015: We survey the crop of new talent from the region’s graduating art schools, including Manchester School of Art and Liverpool School of Art and Design.

18

After a decade at the helm of Manchester International Festival, its mastermind, Alex Poots, will stand down after this year’s edition to take up the reins at a new arts centre in New York.

He expounds the biennial Festival’s commitment to new work and its artists, and lets us in on a fantasy collaboration he’s determined to make come true.

20 When people ask Greg Wilson about the Haçienda he always tells them, “the best Manchester club by a long shot at that point in time was Legend.” Here’s why.

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Canadian comedian Glenn Wool talks divine jacuzzi intervention.

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Natasha Pulley discusses her beguiling debut novel and Simon Napier-Bell offers some opinion on the pharmacologically fuelled world that is the music business.

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They may have been out of the game for four decades, but seminal garage outfit The Sonics still have plenty of energy.

We speak to Gerry Roslie about his band’s return.

With her debut LP, Kathryn Joseph crafted one of the year's most raw, unflinching and remarkable records.

She reflects on its recent SAY Award success.

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Music: We’ve live reports from Jenny Hval, Africa Oyé and Supersonic and reviews of new records from Tame Impala, Sleaford Mods and Trembling Bells, while young motorik two-piece Man of Moon are our New Blood.

Clubs: Having wowed us two years ago with Shangaan Electro, Soweto-based producer Nozinja returns, while chronology proves slippery in a lightly spangled report from Gottwood festival.

Weds 15 – Sat 18 July 17.00 – 19.30 Non Illuminated — 21.00 – 22.30 Illuminated

Summer evenings at MediaCityUK FREE No booking required

DVD: A few classics are out on Blu-ray, including Sam Fuller’s brash western Forty Guns and the little seen Orson Welles joint Chimes at Midnight.

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Books: Reviews of Don Winslow’s powerhouse crime thriller The Cartel and John Darnielle’s first novel Wolf in White Van. Plus, the month’s literary event highlights.

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For more special events visit: bit.ly/mini-burble — The Piazza, MediaCityUK Salford M50 2EQ

Presented by

Film: Three great movies with a music connection (Eden, Amy and Love & Mercy) and two kickass animations (Pixar’s Inside Out and Song of the Sea) make up this month’s top cinema releases.

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Travel: One writer’s personal journey to Malawi – the 'Warm Heart of Africa' – exposes a raft of questions.

July 2015

FIRST FLIGHT TUES 14 JULY FROM 9PM

Review 35

Lifestyle 25

Deviance: Skinny Redhead talks Japanese bondage; plus, an examination of the moral panic surrounding the amateur porn industry.

Art/Theatre: Reviews of HOME’s debut exhibition and the first in a series of ‘Open’ exhibitions at Open Eye Gallery; plus David Slack describes a strippeddown 24:7 Theatre Festival.

Comedy: Standup nuts can take in the best of the Fringe before it's even begun, with a ton of previews across the region – we pick out the highlights, as well as delve into the weird worlds of Norris & Parker and Jessie Cave.

Competitions: Win tickets to Jackson Pollock at Tate Liverpool, and Edinburgh International Book Festival!

Listings: Put that fiddly smartphone away! Here’s a great big list of what’s going on in the Northwest, spread across easily digestible sheets of paper.

(Note: do not literally eat our listings.)

Funded by

TICKETS FROM JUST £19.50

The Tetley - Leeds Bank Holiday Weekend Sat 29th & Sun 30th August

2 DAYS OF MUSIC, FOOD AND ART IN THE HEART OF LEEDS CITY CENTRE BANK HOLIDAY WEEKEND 29TH & 30TH AUGUST - 11AM - 11PM

ROISIN MURPHY / LITTLE DRAGON / YASIIN BEY AKA MOS DEF TODD TERJE / SOUL II SOUL / KERRI CHANDLER / JOHN TALABOT JULIO BASHMORE / JOY ORBISON / BLACK COFFEE / HEIDI GRANDMASTER FLASH / ÂME / BICEP / FATIMA & THE EGLO BAND PATRICK TOPPING / B.TRAITS / MR SCRUFF / CRAIG CHARLES SHADOW CHILD / PREDITAH / ROMARE / ERRORS / DUTCH UNCLES AND MANY MORE

WWW.THEGARDENPARTYLEEDS.COM

Out back: Space rock trio Failure reveal the albums that make up their DNA in this month’s Under the Influence.

Contents

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Editorial

an it really be that time of year again? It feels like – well, hell, not two years since we were last gearing up for Manchester International Festival, but apparently it has indeed been that long; and seeing as last time The Skinny was only a few months into its existence here in the Northwest, we thought we’d do the whole affair a bit more justice than we were able to back then. As such, we’ve an invigorating chat with its founding director, Alex Poots, who after the fifth iteration of the biennial event will hand over the reins to National Theatre Wales’s John McGrath, and move to New York to head up new arts venue The Shed. While the MIF programme, upon its announcement, is often the subject of heated debate, the concentration on its arguable faults (Albarn again?!) can too swiftly obscure the sheer range, ambition and emotional heart of what has been a quite extraordinary decade of commissioning – and, lucky buggers that we are, we get to see it all here in the Northwest first. Let’s face it, though, the thing we’re all most excited about is that really nice seating they put in Albert Square. You can have a drink and sit outside until pretty late at night and everything.

Elsewhere in this month’s issue, Film brings us a triple bill of poignant pictures about pop icons. There’s Love & Mercy, a vivid biopic looking at two turning points in the life of The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson; Eden, an intoxicating drama that lets us luxuriate in the 90s French electronic scene that spawned Daft Punk; and, last but certainly not least, Amy, Asif Kapadia’s heartbreaking documentary on the life and times of the late Amy Winehouse. All are very different in form, but what they have in common is a refusal to fall for the familiar music movie clichés at every turn – and a director with a sensitive understanding of the subject at the heart of their film.

Music’s headliner this edition is something of an exclusive with one Adam Granduciel, whose band The War on Drugs recently found themselves waking up somewhere in the middle of explosive success, music tabloid controversy and a relentless touring schedule. He spared us some

time on the blower as they prepare to return to Europe (including End of the Road festival).

Beyond that, we’ve a profile of the winner of Graduate Fashion Week’s most prestigious award about her spacesuit- and riot gear-inspired menswear; an exploration of bondage as performance art, and an interview with Ron Weasley’s girlfriend. All in a month’s work. Be sure, too, to check out our Art crew’s reports from three of the region’s major art schools’ degree show – with our Showcase this month coming from MMU Photography graduate Victoria Ruane, whose sensitive, moving degree show work, exploring her grandmother’s life through the prism of memory loss, really touched a nerve when we visited the department in June.

I’ll finish by pestering you, yes you, to come to our ace showcase of ace young comedians, who’ll be presenting all the ace ideas and fancies and perversions that come out of their ace brains on 12 July at The King’s Arms, Salford.

The Skinny Spotlight is a night of stand-up, sketch and more from some of the best upand-coming comedic talents in the Northwest right now, curated by our Comedy editor and featuring the stars of this month’s issue, Norris & Parker (turn to page 46), as well as a veritable multitude of stars from issues past including Jayne Edwards, Will Setchell and Danny Sutcliffe.

It’s all MC’d by Freddy Quinne, it kicks off at 7.30pm and it’s only a fiver, so basically 0.000004p per laugh. Tickets are available in advance from greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk or you can just rock up on the night. But you should totally buy a ticket. Yes. [Lauren Strain] ON THE COVER: The War on Drugs,

by Phil Sharp Phil is a portrait photographer living and working in Tottenham, London. Recent subjects include Anton Newcombe, Frank Carter and Ezra Furman.

If you see him, ask him about the time he accidentally spent 9 hours in a canoe, deep in the Honduran rain forest.

Shot of the Month

The August Issue: Out 28 July

Gil Scott-Heron

In a nod to Liverpool International Music Festival’s homage to Gil Scott-Heron, next issue we’ll have an exploration of the man’s life and work, with contributions from some of those he influenced and collaborated with. An homage to an homage, if you will.

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Chat

Photo: Markus Thorsen

Jenny Hval, Gullivers, 11 Jun by Michael Barrow

We also catch up with one of our past cover stars, East India Youth; and comedian Phil Ellis tells us about a heady year since winning the Comedy Award for Best Newcomer at last year’s Fringe with his anarchic kids’ show, Funz & Gamez.

www.jockmooney.com

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THE SKINNY

To help raise donations for Mustard Tree, a Manchester charity that supports the homeless, businesses in the Northern Quarter will be offering events/discounts in return for donations over the week of 20-25 July. The initiative is to help raise awareness and donations of female hygiene products. For more information follow @themustardtree on Twitter.

TheSkinny.co.uk just had a facelift! We are all kinds of excited, so have a scan at the new design for extended event listings, all of our feature coverage and more.

Very important news. Caspa the llama set a new Guinness World Record at DogFest! “How high did Caspa jump?� we hear you ask. He left this planet’s surface by 1.13m. To put it in context, that’s about as high as Michael Jordan’s kneecap.

Caspa’s owner, Sue Williams, said: “Caspa is a real show off� Next year, an ocelot will jump as high as Janette Krankie’s armpit.

We’re counting down the days to The Skinny Spotlight, a showcase of some of the best young comics in the Northwest put together by our Comedy editor, John Stansfield. As part of the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, we’ll be presentin’ the fine talents of Norris & Parker (see page 46), Danny Sutcliffe, Will Setchell, Jayne Edwards, Sam & Tom, Will Duggan and Jack Evans, with the ever reliable Freddy Quinne as master of ceremonies, at The King’s Arms, Salford, from 7.30pm – for just five of your English pounds. You can buy advance tickets from greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk (oh, and register your attendance on our Facebook event to make us look reyt popular).

We’re pleased to be associated with a new stage at The Garden Party, Leeds, programmed by the good people at Now Wave and Eat Your Own Ears.

The bill features Dutch Uncles, Errors, Haealos, Whilk and Misky, Bambooman and Jack Straight Up, plus Now Wave and EYOE DJs. The Garden Party takes place at The Tetley, 29-30 Aug. See thegardenpartyleeds.com for tickets and full lineup.

Now biennial, 2016 will be the sixth Barnaby Festival and it’s looking for submissions. If you’re an artist or curator based in Macclesfield and have an idea for a site-specific artwork, go to barnabyfestival.org.uk to find out more.

Spot the Difference

Errors play The Garden Party, Leeds. Here’s one of them on the Isle of Jura. Lovely.

We’re delighted to exclusively announce the acts playing the Cardinal Fuzz Sonic Attack stage at Liverpool Psych Fest in September.

There’s Manchester three-piece Dead Sea Apes, San Francisco mind-benders Lumerians, Nottingham’s Cult of Dom Keller, and Bristol rockers The Heads. The Heads’ frontman Simon Price also performs on the Cardinal Fuzz stage with his Kandodo 3 project. Liverpool Psych Fest, 25-26 Sep, liverpoolpsychfest.com.

Fancy writing in this here magazine? The Skinny is looking for music critics based in and around Liverpool who are passionate about their local music scene and can turn that passion into

with Mystic Mark

Teddy bears are notoriously difficult to tell apart using the human eye, but if you look really

closely at the two teddies above you might be able to spot some differences. If you believe you can, you could be in with the chance of winning a copy of The Radleys by Matt Haig, courtesy of great Edinburgh publishing house Canongate.

Head across to theskinny/co.uk/competitions to take part.

Competition closes midnight Thursday 30 July. 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. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions

Online Only Eyes to the website Our Film writers have spent two weeks up at the Edinburgh International Film Festival scoffing haggis canapĂŠs and dancing the reel with the likes of Karen Gillan and Alexander SkarsgĂĽrd.

Reviews and interviews at theskinny.co.uk/film Once again, our sister paper is publishing details of the Edinburgh International Book Festival’s late-night programme, Unbound: find interviews with John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats and Ryan Gattis at theskinny.co.uk/books While we report from the degree shows in the Northwest, so our Scottish Art team have been

July 2015

One of Berghain's finest, Norman Nodge goes hard with eight hypnotic plays from the powerplant in this month’s DJ Chart: theskinny.co.uk/clubs And finally! Two things you really need. A foodie’s guide to surviving the summer, and an A-Z of sandwiches. Yes. theskinny.co.uk/food

CANCER You decide to have a quiet one this Saturday by going for a sausage supper and getting the ambulance home to the hospital.

LEO Restless twitching Uranus arrives in your relationship quadrant.

VIRGO The police are clearly too realistic in this universe.

all the time. But your blood runs cold this month when, after a long ringing session, someone picks up on the other end.

SCORPIO JD Wetherspoon’s now conveniently stocks a little basket of Heinz Lube sachets on the table by the toilets, but there’s never enough in just one.

SAGITTARIUS As a Sagittarius you should never burn to death because it will hurt.

TAURUS You’re an expert at the crossword maze, that shit is way too easy.

GEMINI Everyone always goes on about houses being haunted, but due to the amount of people who have died outside, the number of homeless ghosts is disproportionately huge and getting larger with each day of Tory rule. Street exorcists pushing homeless ghosts out of the town centre doesn’t solve the problem, and only leads to thousands of vagrant poltergeists taking shelter below the bridge you walk under on the way home from work. You complain to the council that the tunnel is so over-haunted it’s becoming a safety issue, with the tarmac increasingly slippy with ectoplasm and the whirling tornado of bemoaning howls and takeaway cartons blocking the path to your own cosy home.

scouring the Class of 2015 for new talent up north. See who caught their eye: theskinny.co.uk/art

Sound and Music is seeking composer-curators to partner, as part of its 2015-16 programme and beyond. If you’re a UK-based composer keen to curate and organise performance series, festivals or tours of new music, you’ve until 20 Jul to apply. Head to soundandmusic.org for more info.

BALLS. ARIES US announces plans to fit the The moon with a giant googly eye to prove that God exists. It is hoped that centrifugal force will allow the googly eye to bounce around and judge humanity from on high.

Famously created by scientists from the DNA of President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt, Jr., the teddy bear has become a cultural icon. Hailing from deepest darkest Peru (although some species have been known to dwell in the Hundred Acre Wood) they survive mostly on marmalade sandwiches and human flesh. As we discovered in documentaries like Ted and Ted 2, teddy bears are incorrigible drug and booze fiends – and horribly racist. They are cuddly, though.

erudite and entertaining prose. We’re also on the hunt for journalists keen to report on the Northwest’s film scene. Please drop an email to jobs@theskinny.co.uk titled “Liverpool music writer� or “Northwest Film Writer�. In both cases, please include examples of your writing and details of what you’re most interested in writing about.

LIBRA You have two phones. One for making calls with and another that you jam up your arse on vibrate mode and call

CAPRICORN With house prices in the City of Dis having gone through the roof lately, increasing numbers of demon immigrants from hell begin flooding onto the surface of the planet to enter the booming human flesh rental market. In response to the demand your soul gets evicted from your body due to your inability to look after the property. New tenants will be arriving on the first of the month, a family of 12 demons and their Rottweiler, Baz. Having seen your earthly vessel advertised in a property shop window in the bowels of hell, the new occupants of your dead-eyed former body plan to renovate the place by pulling out a few supporting bones and putting in a second ribcage.

AQUARIUS Sponsored by Take a Break This week in Take a Break: “I married a lizard by mistake�, “My tongue was so delicious I ATE IT�, “I’m ADDICTED to being interviewed by Take a Break�, “Exercise tips: Force your TITS through a letterbox�, “PUZZLES�, and much, much more.

PISCES You invent the world’s first car which runs entirely on scabs.

twitter.com/themysticmark facebook.com/themysticmark

Chat

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Mon 6 Jul

One of the finest UK punk bands currently on the independent touring circuit, Sauna Youth are back with a scuzzily brilliant new record, Distractions, which documents modern London living through a raucous, hook-laden prism. They're supporting US group VexX here but, for us, this bill's all about them. Gullivers, Manchester, 3pm, £7

We're big fans of David McLean's Tombed Visions label at The Skinny, and tonight he hosts an evening of envelope-pushing drone, ambient and jazzinspired music featuring labelmate Sam Andreae, McLean's own collaboration with Golden Lab man Nick Mitchell, and Polish collective Shepherd of Cats (who sound wonderfully discordant). Islington Mill, Salford, 7.30pm, £5

Sauna Youth

Photo: RobinChristian

Sun 5 Jul

David McLean

Fri 10 Jul

Sat 11 Jul

Sun 12 Jul

The intergalactic boogie-funk of Hot Shot Sounds man Inkswell – who last year released an LP on the BBE Music Label, which can boast J Dilla, J Spinna and Kenny Dope in its back catalogue – heads up the first Inside Out party. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 11pm, £6

Over 20 years old and still providing studio space and a real environment for artistic development within Leeds, East Street Arts are throwing their studios open for the weekend, with spaces at Patrick Studios, Union 105 and Barkston Studios available to view. Various venues, Leeds, until 12 Jul, Free

It's us! We had such a ballin' time hosting The Skinny Spotlight comedy showcase in Liverpool last year that we're back, this time for the Greater Manchester Fringe and with rib-ticklers Danny Sutcliffe, Will Setchell and Jayne Edwards on the bill, among others. Paramedics may or may not be on hand to re-stitch sides. The King's Arms, Salford, 7pm, £5

Inkswell

The Skriker

The Skinny Spotlight

East Street Arts Open Studios

Thu 16 Jul

Fri 17 Jul

Sat 18 Jul

A phenomenal lineup courtesy of Chew Disco sees 23-year-old NYC rapper Cakes da Killa make his Manchester debut, comparisons with Foxy Brown ringing in his ears. He's joined by Night School coldwave artist Apostille on an eclectic bill. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 8pm, £8

Four Tet headlines one of two Warehouse Project contributions to Manchester International Festival. The ever-acclaimed producer is joined by a stellar supporting cast, including ex-Battles member Tyondai Braxton and Young Turks producer Koreless, who impressed at FutureEverything earlier this year. Mayfield Depot, Manchester, 7pm, from £19.50

Enjoy three days of costume, music and samba in Liverpool once again as the Brazilica Festival returns, promising a packed programme of events. The centrepiece of course remains today's carnival parade, which promises to bring the flavour of Rio to Merseyside.

Friggin' huge statue of Jesus not included. Various venues, Liverpool, 8pm, Free

Four Tet

Cakes da Killa

Fri 24 Jul

Wed 22 Jul

Thu 23 Jul

It's not all one-way traffic up north this month.

Promising solo artist C Duncan comes down from Scotland, breaking out of the home studio he recorded his richly immersive debut LP Architect in, to play a set of his classically influenced, intimate songs. Eagle Inn, Salford, 7.30pm, £7

Not one for the sensitive souls among us, Michael J Dolan's standup show is a cynical, nihilistic attack on the western world and the futility of life. It's an approach that could easily fall into self-indulgence but Dolan does it with irresistible wit. Tiger Lounge, Manchester, 7pm, £5

C Duncan

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Chat

Brazilica Festival

Michael J Dolan

When Arts Council funding was pulled last year it looked like the end for 24:7 festival. However, the new theatre showcase has rallied around and packs four main productions – as well as monologues and Q&As – into one 'Big Festival Weekend,' in what remains a vital platform for new talent. Various venues, Manchester, until 26 Jul, prices vary The Plant, at 24:7 Theatre Festival

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jonty Wilde

Jackson Pollock - Portrait and a Dream (1912-1956)

Photo: Lucy Ridges

In a rare public appearance (ahem) Maxine Peake returns to Manchester International Festival to star in a stunning production of Caryl Churchill's part-fairytale, partnarrative of a fractured England, The Skriker. If that's not enough star power, Antony Hegarty and Nico Muhly have created a live score for the much-anticipated play. Royal Exchange Theatre, Manchester, until 1 Aug, from £15

Illustration: Vicky Ledsom

It’s your final chance to see a comedian ever again (until autumn) before they all hole up in Edinburgh!

Elsewhere, there’s lots of new theatre with both Shiny New and 24:7 festivals returning, each promising a clutch of ones to watch.

Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots explores the hugely influential American artist’s 'black pourings,' a lesser known but significant part of his practice. The Tate have assembled the largest number of Pollock’s black pourings ever exhibited in the UK, with some never before seen in this country. Tate Liverpool, until 18 Oct, £10

Photo: David Munn

Compiled by: Simon Jay Catling

Wed 1 Jul

Photo: Pollock-Krasner Foundation

Heads Up

Tue 30 Jun

Thu 2 Jul

Fri 3 Jul

Sat 4 Jul

The Bluecoat screen Punk Show, an ambient documentary about legendary Liverpool punk venue Eric's. Based on BBC Radio Merseyside broadcaster Roger Hill's diaries from 1979 to 1980 and featuring a soundtrack composed by Teardrop Explodes' Alan Gill, it shines a light on one of the more fertile but less-documented scenes of the time. The Bluecoat, Liverpool, 7.30pm, £2

Tonight sees a rare appearance up north for London death metallers Grave Miasma, playing the last date of their tour before heading into the studio to write the follow-up to 2013's Tibetan-infused, monstrous debut, Odori Sepulcrorum. Let's just pretend that they didn't used to be called Goat Molestör. The Zanzibar Club, Liverpool, 6.30pm, £10

It gets pretty quiet in clubland over the summer, but one night not to miss is an all night long set by ManMakeMusic/Aus Music producer and DJ Leon Vynehall, in town for Zutekh. A Boiler Room favourite, he'll be playing from 10 'til 4. Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 10pm, £12.50

Thu 9 Jul

Back with their first album in eight years (it takes a while to get over Johnny Marr, OK?), Modest Mouse are still at their best when howling through material from seminal records The Lonesome Crowded West and Good News for People Who Like Bad News. We presume they still do that, otherwise we'll be miffed. The Ritz, Manchester, 7pm, £17.50

More Edinburgh preview fun comes to Matchbox Comedy Club, with the real life 'IT rock and roll consultants' Foxdog Studios bringing their bizarre, interactive and frequently hilarious show to the Lantern. Think something along the lines of Flight of the Conchords but a little nerdier – if that's possible. Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, 8pm, £3

Chester's Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre returns for a sixth year, with locals praying to the weather gods to allow them a sunny Romeo & Juliet in the round, amid the leafy surroundings of the centrally located park.

Grosvenor Park, Chester, 7.30pm, from £19

Foxdog Studios

Grosvenor Park Open Air Theatre

Photo: Mark McNulty

Wed 8 Jul

Photo: Luke Winter

Tue 7 Jul

Modest Mouse

Leon Vynehall

Grave Miasma

Roger Hill

Wed 15 Jul

New Yorker, Sunday Times and GQ writer Ed Caesar drops by Manchester to discuss new book Two Hours, in which he looks at how and why the marathon has remained one of the most enduringly inspirational sporting pursuits, as well as pondering who might break the magic two-hour barrier. Waterstones Deansgate, Manchester, 7pm, £4

A true Motown legend comes to the Arts Club as Martha Reeves brings a re-jigged Vandellas to Liverpool to perform classics from her five decade-long career. Expect the likes of I'm Ready for Love, Nowhere to Run, Dancing in the Street and more.

Arts Club, Liverpool, 7pm, £22.50

As part of the Flare International Festival of New Theatre, artist Jamal Harewood presents The Privileged, a one-person show whereby he seeks to create communities through the temporary nature of an event. Expect something highly interactive, as Harewood breaks down barriers between audience and performer. Contact, Manchester, 1pm, £5

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas

The Privileged

Mon 20 Jul

Tue 21 Jul

In a city not shy on markets, the Summer Arts Market at St George's Hall can certainly stake a claim to being one of Liverpool's biggest and best. More than 100 artists, designers and makers will be selling their wares, with food and drink courtesy of Cuthbert's Bakehouse.

St George's Hall, Liverpool, 18-19 Jul, 10am, £2

With literally sod all on today, why not catch up on one of the Northwest's long-running exhibitions?

Our tip would be the re-booted Cornerhouse-nowHOME Projects, with print artist Magda Archer's #givemeeverythingandnothingbaby the inaugural exhibition in the new venue. HOME, Manchester, until 31 Aug, Free

Canadian standup comedian Glenn Wool brings new work to the Unity Theatre; like everyone else capable of cracking a gag, he's on his way to Edinburgh, so tonight's a good chance to catch him as he tunes up his mix of political commentary and whimsically daft capers. Unity Theatre, Liverpool, 8pm, £5

Summer Arts Market

#givemeeverythingandnothingbaby

Photo: Simon Liddiard

Sun 19 Jul

Glenn Wool

Sun 26 Jul

Mon 27 Jul

Most of the summer's northern multi-venue crawls are now done, with one of the biggest hitters, Sheffield's city-spanning Tramlines festival bringing up the rear in fine style. Highlights from this incredibly cheap weekender come from the promoters' electronic choices, including Evian Christ, Romare and Blanck Mass. Various venues, Sheffield, until 26 Jul, prices vary

The folks at Hot Water Comedy have Edinburgh previews all month, and arguably their finest bill comes tonight, with the theatrical observations of Brennan Reece and the self-deprecating kookiness of Stepanie Laing. An absolute bargain for the entrance price of less than a pint. The Holiday Inn, Lime St, Liverpool, 7pm, £3

Shiny New Festival returns for another week-long celebration of new theatrical talent. Now in its fourth year, the showcase's highlight could well be Follow/Unfollow, which addresses the thirst for fame and the speed at which online virality can achieve it. Lantern Theatre, Liverpool, until 2 Aug, prices vary

Evian Christ

July 2015

Photo: Stuart Moulding

Sat 25 Jul

Stephanie Laing

Follow/Unfollow

Chat

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Photo: POD Productions

Ed Caesar Greg Wilson

Photo: Tara Yarahmadi)

Tue 14 Jul

Photo: John Graham

Mon 13 Jul

Under the Pressure Ahead of their return to the UK this month, The War on Drugs frontman Adam Granduciel breaks something of a silence to share his reaction to the phenomenal success of Lost in the Dream, and what the next chapter might hold for the band

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he perpetual struggle of a band on the periphery of mainstream success has been abundantly documented across popular music’s lifespan; what’s much more rare, however, is the true success story. Ask anyone what leads to crossover acceptance and you’re more likely to hear murmurings of financial backing or privileged position than the quality of the music or simple hard work. And yet, there sit The War on Drugs. With the release of 2014’s Lost in the Dream LP – their third since 2008’s debut album – the Philadelphia outfit, led by front man Adam Granduciel, rose suddenly from the shady fringes of the indie music world to the blinding limelight, thanks to the rarest of attributions; steady, honest, rock and roll songs.

And there they stayed for most of 2014 before something of a recoiling – if not from the stage then at least from the wide arms of the press. Instigated, perhaps, by an all-too public spat with Sun Kil Moon’s Mark Kozelek, Granduciel’s voice has seldom been heard from since, even as the ‘album of the year’ accolades came pouring his way. And it’s no real surprise.

He mostly kept a dignified silence throughout

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Kozelek’s very public string of bizarre antagonisms and it was clear how keen he was to put the whole escapade behind him, especially now as the band begin to turn their attention to the next chapter in an already triumphant story.

At odds with the period that informed the record, which included a year of welldocumented depression for Granduciel, Lost in the Dream was the most unhurried snowball; a sprawling, monumental record which steadily grew into something far greater than even the band themselves could have imagined.

“I remember the start of this journey like it was yesterday,” says Granduciel, when The Skinny catches up with him, mere hours before his band's return to Europe. “When the record first came out, shows were selling really well and we were really surprised. But you never think, ‘Oh wow, this record is doing great!’ It’s much more specific than that, like, ‘Oh, it’s cool that so many people came out on a Sunday!’ Then you open your eyes a year later and you’re playing a sold-out show at Brixton Academy.”

The band’s rise didn’t quite happen in the blink of an eye, though. The War on Drugs played more than 175 shows in 2014, capitalising somewhat on the burgeoning success, but also simply thriving in the cloud that was billowing around them. “I don’t really know why it happened to us,” he says of their climb. ”Nor do I really want, or need, to know. It’s just cool; it is what it is. It just felt like a record that kept growing as we kept playing shows and visiting everyone’s city.”

Granduciel has a charming air of composure. The War on Drugs is his project, built up over a decade, but their current standing certainly doesn’t seem to faze him. “Life is funny in many ways,” he says when pushed for his own reflections. “It’s been a great 18 months both for the band and for all of us individually. Success wasn’t something I’d really thought about or even really wanted,” he adds. “Even the idea that a record I made would do what this one has just wasn’t something I ever thought about.“ Whether it was a phenomenon he’d considered or not, the success came. With another summer of festivals ahead – including End of the Road, T in the Park and a whole lot more across

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Interview: Tom Johnson Photography: Phil Sharp

Europe – are they at home on the big stage? “We definitely feel confident up there and that it’s a place where we belong,” says Granduciel. “I think some of our songs are perfect for big festivals and it feels so great to get up in front of a big crowd and just play a bunch of rockers.” That being said, the band’s elevated status can occasionally cast them as something of an anomaly in the field. At Scotland’s T in the Park, for instance, they’re sandwiched between David Guetta and Afrojack; not the kind of acts you would necessarily associate with the band’s nuanced sun-kissed jams. “It’s fun to be the underdog in a mainstream world!” Granduciel enthuses.

“Sometimes it’s where I feel most comfortable actually; to just get out there without too much hype and do your thing. It’s just like being back in the club, like the old days!”

With talk of the days gone by, The Skinny asks Granduciel if he ever reflects on just how far the band have come. Debut record Wagonwheel Blues sold a little over 3000 copies, before Slave Ambient opened them up to something of a larger crowd. The goodwill generated by Lost in the Dream, however, has resulted in nearly two

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full years spent on the road. Has he even had time to miss the life he’s left behind? “Well, I’ve been used to the touring life for a long time, but now it is getting to a point where it’s truly exhausting,” he admits. “But, you know, that’s the gig. That’s the real life. I love touring more than anything. It’s just what I do.” That being said, Granduciel concedes that he misses aspects of home life: “I haven’t been to a show for a while.

I miss that. I miss that small town feeling, especially spending time with your friends and going to shows every night, or just hanging out at a bar. It’s one of those things where we’ve been travelling for two years now and I feel completely out of the loop. I don’t know what’s going on in most people’s lives and, while it is what it is, I’m just getting to that part of it where I notice it a lot more and it’s having a greater effect on me.”

As the band begin to look at the next chapter, there have recently been murmurings of where they might go next; occasional mentions of studio time and sketches of new songs. While it would seem easy for the group to go down the classic ‘life on tour’ route, given that they’ve done little else in the time since ...Dream’s release, Granduciel insists there’ll be nothing of the sort. “I don’t think anybody wants to hear what it’s like to be on tour,” he says flatly.

“I don’t really want to say too much more at this point but, you know, I just write about life, and it’s all one life; different takes on the same thing.“ His reticence to fully discuss new material is understandable, though he does allude to a certain ambition for the next record. “There are still a lot of things I love about recording that I haven’t taken, sonically, as far as I’ve either wanted to or been able to,” he says with excitement. “That’s where this band will really work well, I think…

“We’re not going to be a band that sells a million records.

Or maybe we will, I don’t know, that would be pretty sweet…”

Adam Granduciel

“I had some demos that I’d written here in New York; we’ve played them through and the band all seem to love them. I’m just not going to get too excited,” he adds. “I think you have to let it take its own shape. Wait for the songs to start talking together over time. In the moment I get very excited, and I really do love some of them, but I have to push them aside for a while as I can’t offer them the necessary attention just now… like so many other things in life.”

For the first time in our conversation Granduciel sounds somewhat wary, and it’s true to say that the weight of expectation now, naturally, lies upon his shoulders. Not only does

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he have to follow up the widescreen beauty of last year’s irresistibly euphoric masterpiece, but there was also the recent announcement that the band has signed a two-album deal with major label heavyweights Atlantic Records.

“That was a really hard decision. It still is a hard decision,” he says of the new deal. “The most important thing to me is that I continue to have the creative freedom to do whatever I want to do with the music I make, and if a label is down with that then I’ll listen to what they have to say.” There’s an air of defiance in his voice when he says this, as if he has to justify why signing with one of the biggest names in the game is a good thing. There’s always been some underhand snobbery about such issues but, in truth, it should be seen as the absolute

cherry on the cake, the defining moment for the band thus far. “I’m really excited to work with them,” he notes. “I mean, all labels are trying to sell as many records as possible and find new ways to sell a record – and that’s all we want, too. I don’t think much will change; we’re not going to be a band that sells a million records.

Or maybe we will, I don’t know, that would be pretty sweet…”

If anything sums up the band’s journey over the past two years it’s that moment right there; the sudden light switch of realisation that maybe they could now shift a million copies, happening in mid-sentence, in real time. “I think we just want to know that the next record will have a good home,” he ponders, “and that we’ll be able to keep doing what we want to do, which

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is to make a living for these six people. That’s always been the most important thing.”

If The War on Drugs were indeed lost in the dream for much of the past 18 months, then now they seem anything but. As the dust begins to settle on their success thus far, Granduciel seems fully alive to the possibilities of where this road might take his band of men next; flourishing in the face of it all, thriving in a business in which so many seem to fall by the wayside. A million records? Don’t bet against it.

The War on Drugs play O2 Academy, Sheffield on 9 Jul; T in the Park’s Radio 1 Stage, Strathallan Castle, Perthshire on 10 Jul and End of the Road, Wiltshire on 6 Sep thewarondrugs.net

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Chasing Amy Sharp-eyed director Asif Kapadia’s latest documentary charts the rise and premature demise of controversial soul singer Amy Winehouse. We talk to him ahead of the film’s UK premiere about its genesis and challenges

Interview: George Sully particularly comfortable.” This interview is also being filmed; Kapadia cocks his head at The Skinny’s cameras with a wry smile. “Especially if you’ve only just met them!”

He would meet them in a private studio in Soho, mic on the table, nothing else. “The lighting was particularly bad in this space, so I used to turn the lights off – pretty much dim them right down, almost to the point where we were sitting in the dark – and they’d open up. They just felt more comfortable. They’d speak about very personal things, and they’d cry, and it’d be quite heavy, quite intense.

“In the end I spoke to about a hundred people like that, and some people more than once,” he concludes. “Really, that’s when we realised... this is what the movie’s gonna be. It’s all going to be constructed out of this audio, which to begin with was just research, but actually it became the film.”

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sif Kapadia is a man fast becoming known for powerful documentaries, though to say that with only two under his belt is testament to his talent. Like his widely feted F1 feature Senna before it, Amy, which tells the story of soul singer Amy Winehouse’s life and career, is an unflinching and engrossing journey, delicately assembled and teeming with never-before-seen archive footage.

It’s certainly a tough subject. As lauded as Winehouse’s music was (five Grammys, three Ivor Novellos, a Mercury nod and a Brit award), her insalubrious persona rubbed people up the wrong way. “For me that’s the big challenge,” Kapadia explains. “To pick a subject that you think you’re not interested in and try and get the audience to buy into it and find it interesting.”

Indeed, those who praised Senna often did so despite confessing a lack of interest in the sport. For Kapadia, this was partly the impetus.

“The aim was to get people who don’t like sport, or Formula One, who think the most boring thing on Earth is people going nreeoww round and round in circles for two hours, to watch the film.”

This mentality was especially relevant to Amy. The impression many have of the troubled star is one skewed by sensationalist tabloids.

In the years leading up to her death, she was frequently caricatured by comedians and journalists alike, her bulimic frame (her brother has claimed the eating disorder was a contributing factor to her death) and substance abuse the butt of endless mockery. Her still-warm body was even lampooned as a Halloween costume.

Dehumanised by the media, she was rendered a guilt-free bull’s-eye. “Everyone bought into it; everyone thought she was a waste of space.”

Without getting too preachy, the director suggests Amy is a kind of mirror. “The audience and journalists who have seen the film do think a little bit about how complicit they were in what happened,” he says. “People who watch it think it’s about her, but then they realise, it’s actually about us.”

So how did the film come about?

Senna quickly became the highest grossing UK documentary of all time, scooping BAFTAs

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for best documentary and best editing in 2012.

“I got offered a lot of films about sports people,” Kapadia laughs. “I just thought, ‘I don’t want to do another sports film.’ So it was a question of trying to find the right subject.”

The right subject, it turned out, was quite unexpected. “James [Gay-Rees], who produced Senna, had received a call from someone at Universal Music who said, ‘We really loved it.

Would you be interested in doing a film like that about Amy?’” Gay-Rees called the director the next day: an instant yes.

Kapadia, a Londoner himself, was drawn to the star’s background in the capital, especially since he was working on a film for the London Olympics at the time. “I happened to be thinking about the city, so the timing was kind of perfect.”

Reuniting his Senna dream team, Kapadia had no idea what shape the picture would take.

“With Senna, I had a writer on the film – Manish [Pandey] – who knew everything; read every book, seen every race, had a photographic memory,” he recalls. “On Amy, there wasn’t an expert. Different people were there for different periods of her life.” There were gaps to fill, in other words. “The toughest thing was just figuring out: what is the story? What are we saying?

What is the movie about?”

The answers lay with her friends and colleagues, but winning them over would not be easy. Remarkably, help came partly in the edit of the film itself.

Senna, applauded for ditching the tired talking-heads format seen in countless other documentaries, used purely audio interviews as a counterpoint to its wealth of vivid archive video. This was Chris King’s method, Kapadia’s editor (also known for cutting the Banksy doc Exit Through the Gift Shop). Maintaining this characteristic approach for Amy was not only a stylistic choice, but pivotal in earning the trust of certain key players.

“Because everybody was so nervous about talking, or they’d never spoken publicly before...

I just wanted to make them feel comfortable,” explains the director. “Putting a camera up in front of people’s faces doesn’t make people

“People who watch Amy think it’s about her, but then they realise, it’s actually about us” Asif Kapadia

Trust was key, and earning it came in gradual victories. “The film really comes out of the trust of most of these people, because they then supplied me with the photographs, the home movies, the videos, the phone calls...”

Some of the most arresting footage comes at the beginning: candid tour videos courtesy of Nick Shymansky, Winehouse’s first A&R manager.

“Nick was really the first person to trust me, and that was like the opening of the door. That’s when I thought, OK, maybe we’ve got a film.” It is often quite mundane snippets, just her being “silly, and playing pool, and hanging out, and doing her makeup in the loo... ordinary things,” but made all the more poignant knowing the hassled megastar she’ll become. Thanks to Shymansky, similar breakthroughs eventually came with Winehouse’s childhood friends Juliette Ashby and Lauren Gilbert, who provide clips from her youth and heart-wrenching anecdotes about her later decline.

Accumulating this trove of recordings, the next task was forming a coherent structure. “On

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Senna it was very easy to track the narrative, because you have this guy’s measurable journey [through the sport],” producer Gay-Rees comments at the Q&A that followed Amy’s UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival.

“This was a much more ephemeral story, because she was much more intangible.”

One visually engaging aspect of the film is the use of on-screen typography to bring her heartfelt, funny, and deeply personal writing to life. “It seemed quite clear, from very early on, that the songs were gonna be key; the spine of the film,” Kapadia explains. “The lyrics were Amy at her most eloquent.”

In a clip included in the film, Winehouse herself says “I wouldn’t write anything unless it was directly personal to me, just ’cause I wouldn’t be able to tell the story right.” Kapadia agrees: “[Her lyrics] really give you the roadmap to her life. She had it all written down.”

The tragedy, when it comes, is a gut-punch, and though no outright responsibility is laid at anyone’s door, culprits are there if you seek them out. Winehouse’s father, Mitch, doesn’t come across well. Her turbulent relationship (and drug use) with ex-husband Blake Fielder, and the media at large, both play clear roles.

But when pushed on the question of heroes and villains, Kapadia stresses objectivity. “It’s not about pointing the finger in one particular direction. It’s much more complicated than that.”

To round up, we suggest a kinship between Senna and Amy’s titular tragic figures. Is there something about these two otherwise very different people that drew him to commit them to celluloid? “I suppose I’m interested in the outsider or the underdog. I find those stories much more interesting than heroes. Classical heroes – boring.”

But the 43-year-old, whose work began in fiction and whose current project is the period romance Ali and Nino, doesn’t want to be put in a box, saying that the films’ thematic similarity was serendipitous. “I think it is a coincidence, they just sort of came along. There was something there that grabbed me, at that moment in time.”

So what’s next? More documentaries or dramas? “I just like making films. I don’t really worry about if it’s a fiction, short film, feature film, whatever it might be,” he says. “I like the freedom of just wandering, tripping over a film – ‘Oh, I’ll make that one.’ It’s quite random. There’s no master plan.”

Amy had its UK premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival and is released across the UK on 2 Jul by Altitude amyfilm.co.uk

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July 2015

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Pet Sights and Sounds Love & Mercy tells the story of Beach Boys legend Brian Wilson without falling back on the many cliches of the music biopic. Director Bill Pohlad reveals how he brought the life of this troubled genius to the screen Interview: Josh Slater-Williams

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Arrested Development Mia Hansen-Løve discusses her brilliant new film, Eden, an intimate epic telling the history of the French Touch music scene through one DJ’s bloodshot eyes Interview: Jamie Dunn

M

ia Hansen-Løve is sitting with legs folded Buddha-like on a straight-back chair in a London hotel conference room. In her hand she’s unconsciously fiddling with a card of stickers covered in Disney princesses. She sees them catch The Skinny’s eye. “My daughter was playing in here before,” she explains. “I should put them away, really. People will think I’m weird.” She carries on playing. One gets the impression the 34-year-old filmmaker doesn’t worry too much about what other people think of her.

You can see this strength of character in her small but exquisite body of work. Her first three features (All Is Forgiven, The Father of My Children and Goodbye First Love) reveal a filmmaker with a distinct voice all her own; one that is concerned with organic rhythm and gentle ironies rather than grand dramatics or convoluted scenarios.

Take her latest film, Eden, which charts the rise of French house music from the early 90s to the present day. A more conventional filmmaker might want to tell the story from the point-ofview of one of the scene’s superstars, say, Daft Punk. That electronic duo do make an appearance as baby-faced house party wax-spinners, but Hansen-Løve’s focus instead is Paul, a contemporary of Daft Punk’s (he’s at the party where they premiere Da Funk) who didn’t quite make it.

Hansen-Løve based the character on her own brother, Sven Hansen-Løve, who was a DJ on the French Touch scene and ended up left behind by the wave. “I’m much more inspired by people I know intimately than by fantasy stories,” she says when asked about her choice to base the film on her brother’s experiences, “but also I thought it could be much more universal because, for every two Daft Punks, how many Pauls are there? A lot of people can connect with that music deeply, but as far as it has to do with their lives and their path, I think Paul’s path is a very common one. That’s what would make [Eden’s story] universal.”

The film is an intimate epic. It’s set over two decades, has dozens of characters, and scenes

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on either sides of the Atlantic, but it never strays far from its lead protagonist’s emotional imbroglios. “You’d think in 20 years you’d have lots of big events and dramatic moments, but – partly unconsciously – I avoid them and instead look at the aftermath or the moments that people don’t care about – but they are crucial to me.” HansenLøve is well aware this approach won’t be to every filmgoer’s taste. “Maybe I’m losing part of the public that need the more frontal storytelling,” she concedes, “but then I think about the other part of the public who can still connect with the film even more deeply from the fact that it is not conventional.”

As the years roll on, Paul’s DJ regime leaves him in a kind of limbo, a world of euphoric, coke-fuelled nights that prevent him joining his friends in a more adult and family orientated lifestyle. It’s a pattern she’s observed in her brother and her other DJ friends and acquaintances. “It’s strange, actually, to see people who spend their lives in nightclubs, who don’t sleep at night, take drugs and alcohol; some of them die, but some of them seem to stay as if they were 25 forever.” Like in all tales of eternal youth, this blessing eventually becomes a curse. “Girls come and go and leave again, people die, the music changes – everything changes except [Paul].

He’s just like a vampire who stays young forever.

At first you think it’s a power, but then it gets quite sad at some point.”

Like in Hansen-Løve’s previous film, Goodbye First Love, which takes place over eight years, there are no facile efforts to make Paul look older over the film’s timespan, which serves to enhance his arrested development. “In all the films where you have these special effects to make the actors look older, for me they make the films look like cinema,” she says. “I was always more excited to make the films give a feeling of life. I’m not saying it’s the perfect solution, because the perfect solution would have been to wait 20 years, like in Boyhood, but I am not patient enough.”

honestly grew up more as a Beatles guy than a Beach Boys guy, but I’ve admitted that to Brian, so he’s aware,” says Bill Pohlad with a little smile.

We’re speaking to Pohlad ahead of the UK premiere of his gorgeous and tragic Brian Wilson biopic Love & Mercy at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and he begins by explaining how his musical alliances started to change. “As I got older, I think I started to appreciate The Beach Boys much more, and then, just spontaneously, about ten years ago, I got into Pet Sounds in a much deeper way. I mean, it’s something I always appreciated, but I didn’t really plumb the depths of it until more recently.

And so when this project came along, I was kind of perfectly keyed up for it, I think.”

A producer on such acclaimed films as The Tree of Life and 12 Years a Slave, Pohlad’s journey to becoming its director was a circuitous one. “It came [as] a script floating around Hollywood called Heroes and Villains that dealt with [Wilson’s] life. It was a good script, but it just didn’t do it the way that I thought it should.

And so I said, ‘this doesn’t work for me, but if it doesn’t work out, come back and we’ll start over.’ So they did, and I started working on it as a producer and with Oren Moverman [Oscarnominated for 2009’s The Messenger] as the writer, and we started playing with this concept of the two strands and where we would meet these two strands.”

In order to avoid the kind of music biopic tropes Pohlad describes as “being a slave to every beat of a person’s story,” Love & Mercy offers a more formally bold narrative than the sort of films expertly parodied in spoof Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. One of its two interspersed strands concerns Wilson in the 1960s at the height of his powers, where he is played by Paul

Dano. The other sees John Cusack play Wilson in the 1980s, post-breakdown, forming a romance that enrages his therapist, Dr Eugene Landy (Paul Giamatti), who’s taken control of every aspect of Wilson’s life.

“It was just part of that overall feeling of not being slaves to convention,” Pohlad says, “so we didn’t wanna have prosthetics or something to make them look alike, or to make them look exactly like Brian. To me, it was more exciting just to let them find this kind of inner Brian, if you will, and find it in their own way. And then, hopefully, the harmony of those two kind of separate performances is what creates the ultimate picture. Obviously it could have gone wrong, it could have been bad. But thankfully, with these two great actors, it came out like we’d hoped.”

Also key to capturing Brian’s spirit is the film’s sound and music, with Oscar-winner Atticus Ross (The Social Network) brought in to create some mesmerising soundscapes. “The things that Brian hears in his head, the harmonies and the orchestrations and the arrangements, are part of his genius. But he hears them all the time and he can’t necessarily shut them off, so that’s part of his madness too, if you will.

We call them the mind trips: we had written into the script these times when you would go into Brian’s head and hear this cacophony of sounds, and when I was thinking about how we’d realise those on screen I thought about The Beatles’ Revolution 9, which seemed like the kind of thing that I could imagine: dissonant and not a continuous melody but a collage in a way.”

The end result of Pohlad’s efforts is an intimate and often astounding depiction of a genius.

One hopes it kicks off a revolution of its own within biopic cinema – wouldn’t that be nice?

Love & Mercy is released 10 Jul by Sony Pictures

Eden is released 24 Jul by Metrodome

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The School Of...

Reporting on the region’s degree shows, our Art team finds a range of talent across the Northwest. This year’s Manchester School of Art show offers some particularly notable names, as well as an interesting experiment in curation Words: Sacha Waldron

1.79308995x10 -5 N 23.80756626 N This vinyl text from Christopher Paul Curry, he tells us in the work’s title, shows “The gravitational attraction between two works of art, below the gravitational attraction between Manchester School of Art and the Moon.” this work, which amusingly comes with its own dimensions of 34cm x 120cm, is part of The Holden Gallery’s ‘The School Of…’ exhibitionwithin-an-exhibition, showpiece of MMU’s 2015 degree shows (which have a title way too long to reproduce here). The exhibition is curated

by MOSTYN’s Adam Carr, who has chosen to split up the selected students, taken from Fine Art, Photography and Interactive Arts, into separate ‘schools’ or groups of enquiry – The School of Biology & Social Sciences, The School of Geometry & Mathematics and The School of Horology & Wizardry – each denoted with a colourful line down the wall to tell you which department you’re in.

This may sound a bit complicated, and on the super hot, stuffy and packed private view night, it’s certainly too much to be bothered with, but on a subsequent visit – an altogether calmer, midweek afternoon experience – it is a really engaging way to thematically approach a pick of the work on offer across the University. “The exhibition,” says Carr by way of wall text, “also considers the function and history of Manchester School of Art – the second oldest in the country after The Royal College of Art – as well as Arts Schools in general.” It also breaks down some of the boundaries between the courses. In the labyrinthine corridors and surrounding galleries the courses are, of course, clearly separated, and it is enjoyable to experience the mix-up of work in the curated show without necessarily knowing which student came from where or which peer group. It would actually have been nice to see this show continue (it closed on 24 June) to see if it had an afterlife beyond the rest of the degree shows.

A soothing female voice welcomes you to the exhibition. Something about a circle, a clip, a small vehicle. It could be instructions for something; the voice sounds very reasonable. At

first it seems like the voice is married to Emily Harbot’s spinning wooden arm, which draws a pen circle on white hardboard in the centre of the gallery floor. The motion is constant and mesmeric, the voice steady and comforting – this is a much preferable Geometry and Mathematics experience to ones remembered from school. These two works work so well together that it is surprising to find that the audio work, in fact, comes from a different student, Nina Bristow, whose unassuming little black speaker box occupies a corner space in the Biology department. (Bristow also has a space upstairs in the degree show proper that is just painted white and occupied by an unoccupied projector stand and a chair. I thought I overhead another student saying she had already taken her work down but I hope not – I rather liked it, empty and disappointing.)

Back in the Holden Gallery, crazy flicker lines courtesy of Joe Brotherton tucked away in between two columns, also in the Biology department, are interesting. Things just look better between columns… just look at anything they show at GoMA in Glasgow. Another light-up line installation, although slightly and shoddily lo-fi (as is always the way with trying to create black-out spaces for student shows), catches the eye later, from Lorna Jones. Over a criss-cross of white ropes she has managed to project a little worm of a beam of light, which follows its path and finally lights up the whole rope net in a sort of jagged Alpine landscape. Perhaps this is very simple to do, but it seems very clever and quite beautiful in a science museum kind of way (so, the best way).

Strong photographic work comes from Katie Meadow, whose prints of glimpses of an old woman in various poses are paired with text underneath (also acting as their titles) – Stewed Fruits, Red Cherry Pie and Sultana Sponge.

Composed and Parr-ian, these images really work, the words evocative and the woman nonidentified; all of our grannies or great-aunts at some point in memory. Elsewhere, Meadow has an ‘imagined archive’ built up from diaries she bought at a car boot sale which are less successful – imagined archives seem to be replacing the big fuck-off black or white cubes that seemed to be at every degree show ten years ago. Next to

Christopher Paul Curry

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Georgia Alexandra Kerr

Meadow, Aimee Walker’s pinkish latexy medicinal skin work with a circular nipple is also quite attractive, and, close to both of these, James Robertson’s cardboard asthma inhaler, on its plinth, is really quite delicate and moreish.

“This is a much preferable Geometry and Mathematics experience to ones remembered from school” Less impressive is the Department of Horology & Wizardry. Gideon Vass’s Horses video is pretty diverting. A circle of horses stand as if placed or choreographed and then slowly wander off or become out of sync, often looking at the camera with a mixture of awkwardness or bored acceptance – they seem to be saying, “Yes Gideon, whatever, please fuck off now.” Nearby a plinth is covered with Blumenthal vs Martian pastel pink popping candy vs cocaine. It spills off onto the floor pleasingly as its plinthian cup runneth over (by Annie Hanegraaf). Above this, Jordan Alex Smith has written in Hollywood child murder handwriting “the point where it starts to become confusing,” and then points to a small frame stating that this point is “forty two thousand one hundred and thirty eight pounds.”

We don’t know what this refers to – has he just won the lottery? Has a beloved granny died? Did he sell his writing bits and bobs which appear all over the degree show, to Saatchi? Maybe he sent Trinny and she liked it…

Final mentions for the Holden show are Charlie Hitchen’s corner pasted views of

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interiors and exteriors – a good use of the gallery space although the actual images themselves are less interesting. Elliot Minor’s wooden wall-mounted construction Siciliana is super with its pared down greys, whites and blacks (he is also showing some nice stuff in the rest of the show) and finally, Tom Lambe deserves a mention with his installation of graduation certificates from 69 of his fellow classmates. The work is entitled One Million, Eight Hundred and Sixty Three Thousand Pounds, which refers to the amount those students have contributed to the school and the economy in general. It is nicely installed also, in a more formal Don Celender or 70s conceptual kind of way, which is pleasing.

There is an overwhelming amount to see over the rest of the shows. Our mentions however, go to Carwyn Rhys-Jones’s images of Wales, Amy Hodge’s scrunched-up paper, Nadine Nevitt’s images of Rhyl and Olivia Madden’s photographs of sites where murders have taken place around the UK. Also enjoyable is Stewart Honeyman’s wallpaper of sausage, bacon, eggs and tomato. These guys are all from the photography department.

Upstairs in Fine Art and Interactive Arts there are a few quite horrible painted pseudoinstallation environments and a large amount of good painting, drawing and print (poor on sculpture). Of note are David Pearson’s almost disappeared jellyfish, Laura Hopkinson’s Carl Andre folded thingummies; Henry Northcroft Brown’s miniature man on a miniature asteroid; Georgia Alexandra Kerr’s Lissitzky/Hepworth bubble prints; Jade Fawcett’s odd, colourful odes to Bruce McLean and public art of 20 years ago, and the sublime sublime of Kathleen Martin. In fact, if I had any extra money, this is the work I would want on my wall. The bruise-like blues fade to almost imperceptible orangey yellow. The process seems laborious yet surprisingly loose and subtle.

The graduating cohort is really impressive this year. You can’t see the show any more but these are our ones to watch in future, and can demonstrate how to do a jolly good and worthy of attention degree show. degreeshow.mmu.ac.uk

THE SKINNY

Exposé From crocheted nudes to cutting back beards, this year’s UCLan graduates explore ideas of stripping away and laying bare Words: Abby Kearney

‘E

xposé’ is the theme of UCLan’s Fine Art Degree show. It’s unclear whether this is a strict theme, or just nominal, but as an umbrella for the disparate pieces on show, it’s apt: there’s lots of work here exploring ideas of revealing and making bare.

The show spreads, maze-like, through UCLan’s Hanover building. The lower floor is organised into rigid little brightly lit surgery-esque cells, each artist occupying a cell, or its wall. On the upper floors, where there’s a bit more coherence between works, the pieces interact with each other and the space itself. There’s piped music, geographically driven audio pieces, hanging sculptural works that play with light and light pieces that play with each other, and it’s all more complete, immersive.

Myriad subjects are tackled: unrest, time, memory, aesthetics, hairdressers as political community. Media used are disparate: wax, tapestry, analogue film, text. The show’s overall strength is this variety, of ideas, of approaches.

And if these ideas are not always perfectly realised or sometimes a bit obscure, they are ambitious and compelling.

Occupying a large wall of the upper floor are two excellent crochet pieces by Ellen Stott.

Ellen Scott

They are crocheted nudes, mimicking Titian’s Venus of Urbino and Manet’s Olympia. The nudes are pixelated with blocks of reds and blues, which frustrates voyeurs, unless they observe the pieces with a specific squint and from a specific stance. The use of crocheting, identified as a historically feminine pastime, is intended as a comment on ideas of “women’s work.” Though exactly what the comment is, is more difficult to discern. The subversion of the subject?

In the main lobby, Ann Hampson’s work Journey is played out over six television sets. It shows a quick line drawing moving across the TV screens, representing landscape as seen through train windows. It’s well-considered, quiet, meditative, interesting in how it represents and plays with space.

In the more harshly lit cells of the lower floor, Ross Armstrong’s cartoon images of the settings for the 2011 London riots are juxtaposed into before-and-afters on a flat-screen

TV. These images can literally be taken away on calling cards, depiction of riot one side, artist’s details on the reverse. As a comment on the circulation of stock, decontextualised images of destruction that came to define the riots – in memes, in media – it’s effective. I take a card, not really sure of my motivation, though now complicit in the passive consumption criticised.

There’s a scene in Paula Smith’s video piece in which the video’s subject, a man with an overgrown, scratchy looking beard, is talking about cutting the beard. The conversation is banal: the practical details of cutting the beard, the best time to do it, where. The camera then pans out, revealing the context; a hospital, the walls papered with “get well soons.” It’s an affecting, neat illustration of the everydayness of the experience of illness – the subject is terminally ill – in contrast to abstract, de-humanised and capitalised “Illness.”

A strong, understated, series of photographs by Alexandra Gregoriadou, which show incongruous sculptural intrusions in built and natural settings, occupies the wall of an otherwise bare space in the show. There’s a tree, bottomed by a grate, photo-shopped into an empty white-walled room. Displayed together they generate an unsettling effect that’s produced by the uncanny.

The exhibition spreads through a number of rooms and floors and crevices and staircases, and on our visit there were students (still) in each of the spaces, discussing their work. All the accompanying materials for the show are very thorough and nice looking. The sense of ambition from the works, and the degree show’s execution, is strong and encouraging. To go, embarrassingly, cloyingly, full circle: it’s an exposé of talent.

canvas and sculpture, from behind they’re reminiscent of Céline Condorelli’s Additionals, and it’s easy to imagine other, often social, uses beyond the show.

Further into the show there are some good photographs of sandwiches in plastic bags, which we noted down at the time as being made

by Jack Harmsworth but, on later research, it seems he makes drawings/paintings of old men’s heads, which we don’t remember seeing in the exhibition. This brings us on to the way the show is labelled and catalogued. Each work has a little yellow raffle ticket Sellotaped in front of it with a number on. You then take the rather cute little yellow publication/catalogue and cross reference the number with a numbered name in the back of the book. So far, fine(ish), but no helpful little pictures or anything. Then the same student’s number matches to one in the front of the book and you find some cut-up poems, sometimes in English, sometimes in gobbledygook.

Look for the number again in the centre of the book and you find the descriptions of the work or statement. More often than not these are just as confusing as the written experiments in the front. This seems overly complicated and not

very illuminating. Perhaps that’s the point of the raffle tickets: it doesn’t matter who made what, like a lucky dip. But if someone had wanted, for example, to buy those sandwich photographs, or show them in a future exhibition – that’s an opportunity missed for that student because of unnecessary detective work.

Anyway. Focusing on the positives: we enjoy the biscuit coloured painting with figures and birds from Jon Schofield. From his work description in the publication, it might be about primordial births and cyclic wombs, but it’s hard to tell. The painting is just the right and interesting side of ugly. This work is next to a really quite horrid Gormley-ripped figure and silhouette,

by Jonathan Shaw. Although it’s pretty nasty, the two works work oddly well in tandem; these two should show together more often. As a little aside to this, when trying to find out what other work Shaw makes, the publication directs us to his Instagram, which contains, weirdly and pleasingly, just four posts – a snowman, a baby, a pony and two wrinkled peppers. Like it.

Best in show among this year’s JMU students goes to the only work given its own room, on the ground floor of the building and away

from the majority of the other works. A projection fills one wall, showing a disembodied, undulating Beckett head talking, in stilted computer speak, about her feelings, often including memories and thoughts on situations alluding to her perceived physical bodily presence in certain scenarios. Made by Richard Coburn, his work is not only the ponderous, slightly moany Red Dwarf Holly head, but also the setup of the room.

Chairs are set out in audience in front of the head, yet you can also see the head on the Mac computer screen set up next to it. It seems as if the head is actually within the computer controlling the larger projected head. In this way the characters seem split and, in the sterile, slightly corporate feel of the JMU meeting room, there’s a feeling that you’ve been called to a meeting with both of them.

So what to say for closing comments? A few good bits but also some dull – do not, however, see this write up as gratuitous criticism of the whole JMU course or students, but as a rallying call to the current second years. [Sacha Waldron]

uclancreativefocus.com/degreeshows

Doll Glaze Gossip Sandwiches, disembodied heads and a miniature coliseum: it’s Liverpool School of Art and Design degree show 2015 Words: Sacha Waldron

U

nfortunately there is nothing to really blow you away at this year’s John Moores Fine Art degree show, which has been titled Doll Glaze Gossip. There is a generally unenergetic feel to much of the individual work and to the show as a whole, and we think someone has forgotten turn on a few of the projections. This could be, of course, our fault. We’re here on the afternoon of the final day of the show and it’s rather like the final week of Venice – after all that exertion, work, adrenalin and footfall, it’s finally over, the air squeezed out like a deflated balloon. Far more impressive is the work on show in the graphic design/illustration group, exhibiting a couple of floors down, which still feels like it has some life left in it.

There are (or ‘were’ by the time you read this) a couple of students and works to linger on.

Jenn Challinor has some nice black and white images, particularly one of someone holding a miniature coliseum in the palm of their hands, mounted on a white plywood structure. The point of the structure isn’t clear, but it does make you walk around it to see more of the work, and this is slightly more interesting than had it just been mounted on the wall. There are some other interesting ply moments in the main section of the show; although practical in hanging

July 2015

ART

ljmu.ac.uk

Feature

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Bright Lights, Big City This year’s Manchester International Festival is to be its founding director’s last. Alex Poots reflects on ten years of ambitious programming – and the dream collaborations yet to be realised

here exists, nudging the top of the social zeitgeist at the time of writing, a mobile dating app called Happn, which matches users as they pass each other on their local streets.

They often ‘cross paths’ more than once, although there’s no official line on exactly how many of these ships-in-the-night moments surely constitute fate as logged by GPS. As director of Manchester International Festival, you have to assume Alex Poots does not use Happn. He’s happily married, for starters, and – after a decade overseeing the growth of MIF – about to move permanently to New York with his wife and two children to begin an equally prestigious role programming the city’s highly anticipated new arts venture, The Shed. But if he did, you would probably cross paths with Poots so often that fate might be the only reasonable conclusion. From meetings, to site visits, to artist liaisons, to dinners, Poots constantly zips across Manchester with little time to waste.

The biennial festival ultimately spans just over a fortnight for its audience but, for Poots, its development is a constant concern, an eternally spinning wheel – even if, at least for him, it’s finally about to stop.

“I’d say two thirds of [this year’s festival] had already been put in place by last October, when I realised it was going to be my last,” he explains, wide-eyed, excitable and, yes, a little late back from a meeting at the other side of town. “I think I worked even harder on this one. I didn’t want it to look like it didn’t matter because I had a new job. I wanted this one to be at least as good, and maybe even surpass what we’ve done before.

“Who knows,” he shrugs, cautiously.

You can’t help but get the impression that, by now, Poots does know. In the ten years since MIF and its flagship commission – Monkey: Journey to the West, a bonkers Mandarin opera written by one of the kings of Britpop – arrived in Manchester with no little fanfare, the festival has been littered with creative risks, of which the majority have paid off. Documentary maker Adam Curtis created a startling haunted house for 2009’s It Felt Like a Kiss. The same year, artist Jeremy Deller was given free rein to produce a city wide Procession, and in 2011, Björk premiered her new album, Biophilia, as an encompassing theatre piece at the Museum of Science and Industry.

It’s a well worn tale at this point, but Poots ended up captaining MIF by mistake. Then based at English National Opera (ENO), also commissioning new work, in 2004 he was simply consulting for Manchester City Council, which was rich with the afterglow of the world’s attention during the 2002 Commonwealth Games

and suddenly possessed with the confidence to envision an international arts festival that would rival Avignon, Edinburgh and Melbourne. By the time he was comfortably on the train homebound for London, his boat-rocking ideas had won him a role he didn’t even know he was up for.

At the time, Poots had only held office at ENO for just under a year. As the MIF programme will attest, he is a loyal sort, and handing in his resignation so soon seemed unfortunate; but he was generously told, “if I wanted to take it, I could take it. Which was really cool. If he hadn’t said that, I’d have had to say no, and this has been the best job I’ve ever had.”

Among these jobs was one with Manchester’s own Factory Records, to which Poots’s student band were briefly signed in the early 90s. The label’s eclecticism and ambition naturally appealed (“how counter-intuitive their success had been... an indie pop label with a classical division was pretty out there at that point”), and he soon put down his trumpet to manage the band full time. While Tony Wilson wasn’t able to witness MIF’s complete evolution, he was able to catch the scent, early on, of the event’s likeminded penchant to mix ‘classic’ art with radical new approaches. “We had June Tabor, the folk singer, performing Love Will Tear Us Apart in pitch darkness,” Poots remembers of the 2007 festival, “and Tony came for that. He didn’t know that was going to be played. And he was very frail, I walked him out, but he looked at me and grabbed my arm and said, ‘I love this fucking city.’ I never heard from him again and from what I gather from his friend Peter Saville, that was the last performance he ever saw.”

“This has been the best job I’ve ever had” Alex Poots

If Poots were to have a catchphrase, it might well be ‘artist-led.’ (Famously, he only agreed to take the reins of MIF after stipulating five conditions: “One was they delay it a year, two was that it was biennial, three was to invest serious money into it, four was that, while they were investing serious money, they keep their hands off, and five was that it be artist-led.”) He loves his artists, and he loves the freedom MIF is able to give them. Some – Marina Abramovic, Maxine Peake, The xx, theatre company

Björk, Biophilia, MIF 2011

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Maxine Peake & Sarah Amankwah in rehearsals for The Skriker, MIF 2015

Photo: Carsten Windhorst

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Punchdrunk and, most notably, Damon Albarn – have featured more years than they haven’t. This has led to a few murmurs, loud ones at that, suggesting Poots takes something of a ‘jobs for the boys’ approach in his construction of the event.

Sure, it’s a treat to see Willem Dafoe in your local curry house, but does Manchester necessarily need to get used to him, with so much other talent available?

“The devil’s always in the detail,” Poots offers by way of explanation. “No other festival commissions all new work, so it’s difficult to compare it. We’re closer to, say, the National Theatre, or the Young Vic. They go one step further and have associate artists, [who] do something new every year. So if each festival was only new artists, the chances of all the works being successful would be greatly reduced. What you need to do is develop relationships.

“Take Damon, who I’ve known for 15 years, since we did Mali Music at the Barbican,” he says. “When we did Monkey in 2005, it was only because he trusted me that he agreed to do an opera, which was maybe the riskiest thing he’s done, possibly ever. He could have been ridiculed as a big pop star trying to do something for the stage. There was no way he’d be writing a musical now if we hadn’t been on a journey together.

“The idea that we’d done all that work and [then] somebody else got the cream of Damon’s first musical... We’ve put in all the hours, all the hard work, and then we don’t bring him back because somebody might say [we] don’t have enough imagination? Valid as that criticism is.”

The musical in question, wonder.land, is arguably the centrepiece of Poots’s concluding season at MIF, a bold, colourful and ambitious au revoir that’ll hopefully prove as truly psychedelic as its promotional artwork. The 2015 festival seems very colourful in general, especially when compared to 2013’s rather downbeat edition, featuring a particularly bleak Macbeth from the mind of Kenneth Branagh, and the doom-spelling Massive Attack v Adam Curtis (“You’re such a dour Scot, they told me,” remarks Poots). Given that, the lack of truly political content this year might disappoint. Recent electoral results considered, a rapid restaging of 2013’s stirring The Masque of Anarchy, delivered in monologue by Maxine Peake, might even be welcomed by some. “ The Skriker is very political – it’s about consumption, greed, destroying the planet and revenge,” rebuffs Poots, referring to the

THEATRE

upcoming production of Caryl Churchill’s experimental theatre piece, also starring Peake. “And in a way, if Masque was about not treating people with dignity, this is about the consequences of not treating our environment with dignity. There are things that are not political, but socially very relevant. Wonder.land is a big, open-hearted musical about a girl from a difficult background who seeks refuge in the internet, and goes down the rabbit hole and loses control. And I’d say Neck of the Woods is about prejudice, and how we always have to have outsiders. It’s about the creation of the other.”

With Poots having been given such control, you suspect it is in the shows themselves that one can find a better map of his instincts and tastes than any interview could provide. When he departs for the Big Apple, his position is to be filled by John McGrath, who, having previously helmed the programme at Contact Theatre, has spent the past seven years building National Theatre Wales in a style not dissimilar to Poots’s own work in Manchester. So with his own legacy nearly, neatly sealed, in what direction would Poots like to see MIF head?

“What I’m enjoying watching is Manchester becoming a great city of the future, that people want to live in and enjoy,” he says, after a few moments of thought. “The transformation between the 70s and where it’s heading, if we’ve helped a little with that, then that’s something to be proud of.”

The walls of MIF’s vast offices are lined with posters from their huge back catalogue of shows, some still doing business (literally, for both Manchester City Council and the festival itself) on the international market. But, for a man who once engineered a meeting between Aphex Twin and Stockhausen, what opportunity – if any – has slipped through Poots’s well-connected fingers?

“Staging Jay Z’s The Black Album,’” he concludes, without pause. “Jay Z performing it, to be directed by [avant-garde stage director] Robert Wilson, who’s endlessly curious – to take him completely out of his comfort zone, to take on hip-hop culture. The three of us met, three times, and as [Jay Z’s] management explained, I had two of three yes responses. Yes to doing it, yes to the way we’re doing it, but when are we going to do it? I haven’t given up.”

Manchester International Festival runs 2-19 July.

For the full programme, go to mif.co.uk

THE SKINNY

Photo: Jonathan Keenan

Interview: John Thorp

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A Brief History of… Legend Greg Wilson harks back to the heart of the original jazz-funk scene in Manchester, and the club where it all started – Legend

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o matter where I am in the world, people will ask me about The Haçienda – it’s a magical name for so many. They’ll say, “Wow! The Haçienda must have been really something…” and always seem surprised when I tell them that it wasn’t so great, for a variety of reasons, back in ’83 when I was there. The best Manchester club by a long shot at that point in time was Legend, and what a club it was.

Legend (or ‘Legends’ as it was known by many) was phenomenal. There’s nothing comparable nowadays, they just don’t make them like that anymore. My debut night was August 12th 1981, and I’d play every Wednesday up until the end of 1983 when I retired as a DJ. In that time Legend became one of the places to be in Manchester.

It wasn’t like that to start with, though.

There were only about 80 people there on that first night, almost all of whom were black kids who were seriously into their music and dancing.

I had a lot to live up to. The night, originally launched when the club opened almost a year earlier, had previously been successful with Nicky Flavell and then John Grant at the helm.

John Grant was one of the big names on the jazzfunk scene up North back then, right up there with Colin Curtis and Mike Shaft, who hosted the Piccadilly Radio soul show, TCOB (Taking Care of Business). When John Grant defected to host a joint blues and soul show on Piccadilly Radio, the bulk of his 300-strong audience left with him.

Something had to be done, so, given the success of my Tuesday sessions at Wigan Pier (owned by the same company), I was given a crack at halting the slide before it was too late and all was lost. It was very much last chance saloon for the Wednesday at Legend.

I knew I had my work cut out if this wasn’t to be a short-lived experience. Although there were so few people in the club, what they lacked in quantity, they made up for in quality. I was instantly aware that those who had turned out were serious music heads. During those first few weeks, I played a selection of mainly US imports, with a few UK jazz-funk releases thrown in for good measure.

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Tracks included the likes of Archie Bell’s Any Time Is Right (US 12”), Bob James’s Sign of the Times (US LP), Central Line’s Walking into Sunshine (UK 12”), Denroy Morgan’s I’ll Do Anything for You (US 12”), Donald Byrd’s Love Has Come Around (US 12”), Inversions’ Loco-Moto (UK 12”), Level 42’s Turn It On (UK 12”), Morrissey Mullen’s Slipstream (UK LP), Rahmlee’s Think (US LP), Richie Cole’s New York Afternoon (US LP) and Roy Ayers’ Land of Milk and Honey (US LP).

I generally found tracks like this in places like Spin Inn in Manchester. Along with a couple of shops in London, this was the UK’s leading import stockist and they distributed to other shops in the region, which meant they had the latest music first. Spin Inn was central to the scene in the North, the hub around which everything revolved.

“There’s nothing comparable to Legend nowadays, they just don’t make them like that anymore”

the superior venue that it undoubtedly was, but that I also set myself apart from all the other DJs on the jazz-funk scene.

It was following this that I became known as ‘a mixing DJ’ – this was at a time when no other DJs on the scene in the North were placing the emphasis on mixing. Word began to spread and the queues began to grow for that Wednesday night slot. Popular as it was with the crowds, nobody could have loved it more than me. Every Wednesday circa 82/83, I was in DJ heaven. There was a real sense of being right at the cuttingedge, that what was happening in this building was really special.

The social conditions of the time, and the fact that the audience was largely made up of a new generation of British black people who refused to take the abuse and prejudice that their parents’ generation had been subjected to, gave the night an intensity I’ve never experienced elsewhere. This was the place where people could release the pressure of their daily existence by

letting it all out on the dancefloor. It was a cathartic environment for many people.

Of course, as with any high-energy environment, there were occasional flare-ups between different people, generally from different areas and as a result of dance challenges. Before breakdancing arrived on the scene, there was a whole thing around the jazz fusion style of dancing, with crews from different cities battling against each other.

As for the aesthetics, even the environment was out of this world. It had a space-age metallic décor (15,000 steel cans were spot-welded together at different levels to form its unique silver ceiling) and the lasers bouncing off all these metallic surfaces was really quite something.

The sound system was the best I’d ever heard in a club anywhere at that time; the subbass (another unique feature back then) would practically punch you in the chest! The lighting was even more impressive than Wigan Pier, which was an achievement in itself. Like the Pier, it was one of the precious few clubs in the UK to place the emphasis firmly on its sound and lighting and, as such, the DJ and light jock were regarded as the company’s most valued employees.

By May ’82, there were queues right up Princess Street every week, with people travelling in from all over the North and the Midlands, and even as far as London – if you didn’t get there early you might not get in at all!

When I left in ’83, Legend continued as the primary place to get your fill of the best black/ dance music throughout the 1980s, with DJs like Stu Allan, Colin Curtis, Mike Shaft and Chad Jackson all having residencies at one point or another. The famous London acid-house party Spectrum also held their Manchester events at Legend at the height of the rave era and the Happy Mondays recorded their videos to both Wrote for Luck and WFL in the club at the tail-end of the 80s (not in The Haçienda, as many people assume).

In the 1990s, Legend became 5th Avenue. It’s still one of the best-loved clubs in Manchester, although the interior, clientele and atmosphere are remarkably different these days...

Wilson is due to release three records on his new multimedia label, Super Weird Substance, this month – for more info head to superweirdsubstance.com He plays Paradise at The Garage, Liverpool, a night ‘celebrating a Britsh love affair with NYC’s dance culture’, 4 Jul, 10pm

Unlike in other clubs, the crowd weren’t really interested in the microphone patter, which was the DJ norm back then in the UK. For them it was all about the music, so with this in mind I made what would turn out to be a pivotal decision.

I resolved to change my approach more towards mixing the records that I played, taking advantage of the fact that Legend had three Technics SL-1200s (the first I’d ever seen in this country). A state-of-the-art venue like Legend demanded a radical new approach to musical presentation and, if we were to turn the tide, it was vital that we not only promoted the club as

CLUBS

THE SKINNY

Pulling the Wool over Your Eyes Ahead of multiple dates across Manchester and Liverpool this month, Canadian comedian Glenn Wool talks divine jacuzzi intervention

Photo: Steve Ullathorne

Interview: Jon Whiteley

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or all his laid-back Canuck stoner schtick, Glenn Wool is a very busy man. Speaking through a hungover haze, the veteran stand up of 20 years breaks down his past week: “I had to shoot a commercial on Tuesday, doing the Sex Pistols credit card – I’m the spokesperson for that, ha – and then I shot The John Bishop Show on Wednesday, presented the Kerrang! Awards on Thursday and then went to Ireland for three days.” This whistlestop weekend tour had taken a toll on his liver, but clearly not dampened his diligence; he was out on stage that very night previewing his forthcoming Fringe show, Creator, I Am but a Pawn.

The show takes on a spiritual theme: “It’s about whether or not there’s an unseen hand in any of my travels. A ghostly passenger who’s watching, because some of the things, I’m like, ‘Am I making God laugh?’ Some of the situations I get into I’m like ‘Come on, somebody had to have set that up.’” It’s a departure from last year’s Wool’s Gold, which was more of a ‘greatest hits’ show. “It’s kind of new this year. This one’s interesting because it’s actually sticking to the theme that I named it – because you name them so far in advance, ‘What’s the theme? Err… I don’t know.’”

July 2015

“As you get older, you want to write a good show that’s gonna consume you. It’s going to consume your life!”

Glenn Wool

For a lot of acts, the early summer months are spent frantically chiselling gags into shape in time for their August debut, but Creator had a little longer to gestate: “I only do a new show every two years now. I used to write one every year and there’s benefits to that – sometimes you can really push yourself and come up with something – but I think just as you get a little older, you wanna write a good show that’s gonna

consume you. It’s going to consume your life!”

The long game pays well, as it allows material to bleed into his club work. “I think there’s nothing better – for a joke you’re going to tell in a theatre – if you can make that click in a club, that’s absolutely going to bombard a theatre crowd.

Depending on how you’re doing it though, you keep the swears out and it’s a good joke, you know? Sometimes we’ve got jokes we tell in clubs that we’d never even tell in a locker room.”

Religion is, of course, one of those things that’s hard to make work in live comedy; too thorny for the theatre and too weighty for a Friday night – though a viewing of Wool’s essential hour No Land’s Man on Netflix will show you he’s more than capable of making faith funny.

He sidesteps the controversy in the new show by looking at God as the original prankster, taking the religion out of God. “I’m not opposed to religion. Any time people start shouting about ‘Oh, it’s the root of all evil’ – I really don’t think it is,” he muses. “When I was very little, I was very scared about it, which is probably why I’m not that religious now.”

Wool shook off his Christian upbringing early on, bunking off Sunday school (“they don’t know YOU, they don’t take attendance.”) He

COMEDY

remembers, “So while all the kids were walking I would just branch off and just go run around the church for a while. When they were coming back, I would rejoin them,” he laughs. “But then I started asking questions and churches never like questions, especially from kids that they can’t, you know, threaten with Hell.”

The show’s name and its theme comes from one New Year’s Eve, when Wool was taking a particularly soul-searching sauna. “My friend calls and he’s like, ‘Okay, the party’s down in Vancouver and it’s gonna be here and see you in an hour,’ and I was like ‘Yeah, yeah okay’ and then I just took a breath and thought, I don’t want to go all the way, I don’t want to take a train for an hour right now and then I don’t know anybody at that party and I just in my head said ‘Let it go kid, just let it go – don’t go chasing, you’re having fun here.’” No sooner had he ditched his evening plans and slid into an introspective hot tub than “the door flew open: five young women in bikinis and one dude with a tray of jello shots lolloping along behind them came in and they’re like, ‘Oh, is it okay if we get in the hot tub with ya?’ and I was like ‘Yeah, it is.’”

Now the jacuzzi philosopher is fronting an advertising campaign for a Virgin Money credit card – an odd fate for one of the original rock ‘n’ roll comedians, even when the plastic carries its own punk credentials. His opinion on all this?

“Well – ha – I know what it would have been had I not been connected to it. But, er, the way I looked at it, Richard Branson is actually responsible for that album [Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols] being finished, you know?

Virgin Records did that, so there is a connection.

My feeling is, the Sex Pistols didn’t make a whole ton of money, so any way they can monetise that, that’s their own business. And I like the Sex Pistols, and I have three credit cards. It would be hypocritical of me not to do it.” He’s more than a little proud of his contribution to the history of punk. “I listened to the song Anarchy in the UK and I was just like ‘Oh, you know what, in my own little way I’m now connected to that and that’s such a fantastic song and a fantastic sentiment.

Put my picture up. I don’t mind.’”

His love of music is written through everything he does, from his material to his very image. Talking about his appearance on BBC One’s variety tentpole The John Bishop Show, one of his main sources of anticipation was choosing his own entrance music: “When John said, ‘Please welcome to the stage, Glenn Wool’ to the strains of The Tragically Hip’s New Orleans is Sinking – which I think is one of the most fantastic songs; it’s like the unofficial Canadian national anthem.

And it’s my favourite band. So just to take the stage in one of the finest moments of my life – just to have them provide the background music for that too, it was just unbelievable.”

The truly faithful read religious meaning into everything, and there’s more than a little of that in Wool – that sense of wonder. To him, God isn’t the fire-and-brimstone patriarch who stamps out childish curiosity: he’s an omnipotent ‘bro’ who magics you a hot tub just when you’re at your most stoic. “I think it’s philosophy, and philosophy is a good thing, you know?” Plus, who knows, maybe God’s also a fan of Ontarian rock.

Glenn Wool plays Manchester, 8-11 Jul: The Old Monkey (8th), The Comedy Store (9-11), Frog and Bucket (16-18), The Railway Pub (20th); and Unity Theatre, Liverpool, 21 Jul. There could well be more – he’s playing about a million shows, as well as Edinburgh Fringe. Check glennwool.com

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Stop the Clocks As Natasha Pulley releases her acclaimed debut novel, The Skinny talks to her about history writing itself and finding her feet in the present Interview: Ceris Aston

O

ne cold November evening in 1883, telegraph operator Thaniel Steepleton is disturbed by a late telegram to the Home Office: news of a bomb threat from Clan na Gael.

Returning home early he finds the door ajar, his dishes washed and a small velvet box containing a gold pocket watch. These two incidents mark a beginning, whence the reader is drawn into a fantastic Victorian London unlike any to be found in history books.

Natasha Pulley’s The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a beguiling, occasionally disturbing tale, exploring the nature of genius and human flaws, of possibility and the nature of free will. If a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane – well, then, what if there were two butterflies, or none? What multiple fates might hang upon the stroke of a butterfly’s wing? The future is uncertain and unfixed, and the smallest chance may alter everything.

The debut novelist is funny and thoughtful in our phone conversation, giving each question due consideration and occasionally inserting one of her own – the chance to quiz a reader is an enticing one. The Watchmaker of Filigree Street started life as a short story “one Christmas eve six or seven years ago.” By the time Pulley started her masters in creative writing at the University of East Anglia, she had already completed a first draft of the novel,

which was revised and built upon in response to peer feedback. The deal with Bloomsbury went through before she went to Japan – “I think about two years ago now; I knew this was coming for a long time.”

With another two novels in the works, I ask how has she kept up the necessary level of self-discipline? “I really wouldn’t like to say how much coffee I drank over the course of the book! Probably dangerous levels,” Pulley reflects. “I think what I do is sketch writing – I write very fast for a few days and produce six or seven thousand words quickly. Usually, most of these get deleted again. The deletion process is like rubbing out pencil lines on a sketch once you start painting. Of course I always hit these troughs where I don’t know what happens next, then I need to go away and do a load of research and then come back.”

Meticulously researched, The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a compelling mixture of fact and fantasy – more than once I find myself exclaiming that something apparently fantastic is grounded in reality. “There were moments that made me think it was remarkable how things fit together. It was always set in London, in Knightsbridge. I looked into Knightsbridge and whether there were really any Japanese people living there, and found out about a show village in Hyde Park. One of the things I found out,

that I was very pleased about, was that Gilbert and Sullivan went to the village to research The Mikado and recruited a girl to help with tutoring the actors. It’s one of the strange examples where historical fiction sort of writes itself. Very weird – but that’s what happened.”

Despite the compelling nature of the world that she has created, Pulley has no desire to immerse herself and join her characters in Victorian London. “I think I’d fare very badly,” she muses. “Mainly because I’m very short-sighted and I wear contact lenses, so I would have been more or less blind in any other period of history than now. Whenever anybody says ‘which period of history would you fare best in?’ my answer is

always pretty much ‘right now, really.’”

There’s a lot to be said for the present moment, and while the enormity of publishing her first novel hasn’t quite sunk in yet, Pulley says frankly: “I think I’m just getting cumulatively happier and happier now.”

The end of the book leaves the reader yearning for a sequel – and for a pet clockwork octopus (read it, you’ll see). While the latter desire may be doomed to frustration, fans of Pulley can take cheer – the novelist is currently working on the third in the series. Projected caffeine consumption undisclosed.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is out on 2 Jul, published

by Bloomsbury, RRP £12.99

The Business The ultimate observer of the music business, Simon NapierBell talks us through its pharmacologically fuelled history as chronicled in his all-encompassing book Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay

“A

ny artist who comes into the music business is doing exactly that. They’ve decided they don’t want to be an artist, they don’t want to sing for the birds and find their inner soul. They want to do business, they want to make music to sell.”

It’s an opinion to shatter naïve fan illusions of creative ideals; but it is given credence by the fact the man who utters it has been perfectly placed throughout his professional life to understand that the most important line in mainstream music is the dotted one – a line of artistic compromise, clearly drawn the moment a performer signs upon it.

Simon Napier-Bell, originally a keen jazz musician, instead became enticed by what lay behind the music: “I realised, to be honest, it really wasn’t the music I was interested in… it was stories, the business... it was the gossip.”

So he entered this world, initially as manager of The Yardbirds, later to discover Marc Bolan and sign Wham! – conjuring their overnight international stardom as the first pop group to play Communist China. Preceding all this, NapierBell wrote the lyrics to Dusty Springfield’s UK number one You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, abandoning this lyrical career once exposed to the 1960s’ soulless, battery-hen method of hitmaking (witnessing Carole King and Neil Sedaka grinding out eight-hour days, writing in sweatbox cells for United Artists). He is both the ultimate

22

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Interview: Alan Bett

instigator and observer, ideally positioned to write Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay, a hugely informed and highly enjoyable history of the whole thing.

“Not a history of music,” he’s keen to stress. “A history of the music business. It’s very important, this difference.”

“As a manager it’s not your job to cure an artist of anything” Simon Napier-Bell

He guides the reader along a musical and mercantile journey from pre-Broadway and ragtime, through the amphetamine fuelled formation of rock ‘n’ roll and on to rap, disco, boybands and beyond, introducing us to the monstrous moguls at the top of the tree, publishers, managers, A&R men and assorted hustlers, entrepreneurs and songwriters. Oh, and of course, the stars, those most accidental and interchangeable commodities: “The record company had this thing… they make 10,000% profit by taking vinyl and turning it into a record and to do that they need a label and a song and

an artist, and the artist is just seen as one of the four or five things that are needed: ‘We’ll use this one or that one.’” As Keith Richards once commented, “Record companies would love to get rid of musicians entirely, those bothersome things who talk back and want to do it better.”

So Napier-Bell became the bridge between rampant capitalism and his artist’s fragile creativity. “You do sit in the middle, you sympathise with both sides. The main thing is to draw them together. You know that you’re going to have to pull your artists towards commercialism.” But although he felt an enormous responsibility for his artists, parental guidance was an indulgence too far – especially when it came to the dangerous terrain of narcotics, which in his previous book, Black Vinyl, White Powder, are placed on an equal level of importance as the music itself.

“I think it’s always been a huge part of creativity... music always coalesced around parties and places where drink was,” he says. “Alcohol from the very beginning was a part of how music was performed and where it was performed; popular music, anyway.” As the world turned, booze was joined by powder and pills, with musicians always amongst the early adopters – a double edged sword of danger and creative opportunity. “As a manager it’s not your job to cure an artist of anything,” he states, with a hint of self-absolution. “Groups don’t hire managers to moralise about their private lives.” Besides,

BOOKS

those on the business end often behaved no better, and Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay lists the names and indiscretions of moguls and managers enticed for all the wrong reasons into a business where bad behaviour is not only tolerated but encouraged. “It used to be thought that that’s why the artists came into it,” he agrees. “They’ll get sex and drugs and applause, but actually it’s quite clear that’s why most of the major figures on the business side come into it too.” It’s a rogues’ roster, the book highlighting many lesser-spotted industry characters alongside the more notorious: The Who’s Kit Lambert, The Beatles’ Brian Epstein and Led Zeppelin’s behemoth of bad behaviour, Peter Grant.

Yet focusing solely on these salacious tales of drugs and debauchery misrepresents the achievement of Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay, an unparalleled insight into the music business from its birth. As much as it is magical, it’s often a business like any other, where commerce rules and what’s created is not only art but product. With Napier-Bell’s self-deprecating allusions to his anecdotes and observations as simple gossip, it’s possible to underplay his contribution to the music business – substantial while a part of it, incomparable when chronicling it.

Ta-ra-ra-Boom-de-ay is out now in paperback, published

by Unbound, RRP £8.99 Black Vinyl, White Powder is also available in multiple formats

THE SKINNY

Prophets of Boom With the seminal garage outfit sounding as fiery now as in their 60s heyday, The Sonics’ Gerry Roslie explains why it’s just as sweet second time around

Photo: Beth Chalmers

Interview: Gary Kaill

“O

h, yeah, we had so many worries. After 40 years, you don’t know where everybody’s attitude is at. Have we forgotten more than we know? It’s a difficult situation.

We had a lot of ‘ring rust,’ as they say in boxing!”

Gerry Roslie is at home in Tacoma, Washington, the city where his band The Sonics formed in the early 60s. He’s talking about the recording of their recently released fourth album, This Is The Sonics. With bands now reforming on an almost hourly basis, The Sonics’ return to recording puts it all into head-spinning perspective.

Sleater-Kinney fans waited patiently for, huh, a decade. The Sonics’ new album, the band’s first since 1967’s Introducing The Sonics, ends a nearhalf century break from recording.

Recruited by founder member Larry Parypa to play keys in the second iteration of the band in 1964, keyboard player Roslie became their lead singer and The Sonics’ scuzzed-up rhythm and blues saw them rapidly establish a nationwide following despite the preferences of American radio for a cleaner, cleaner-living sound. Early breakout single The Witch – still a live set staple – led to them recording their 1965 debut album, Here Are The Sonics. A second album, Boom, appeared the following year. With label bosses keen to build on their success, they set about recording Introducing The Sonics in LA but the band’s own developing tastes and the label’s desire for a more polished sound led to them quickly drifting apart. A one-off live show in 1972 and an album of old material recorded by Roslie with a new lineup (1980’s Sinderella) was all their loyal and patient fan base had to keep

July 2015

their hopes alive. That, it seemed, was that.

But somehow, perhaps given impetus by the ubiquitous 2004 Land Rover ad that featured their version of Have Love, Will Travel, the offers just kept on coming. “We were all split up, you know, split up all over the place,” explains Roslie.

“It had been 40 years. But we kept getting calls from this promoter in New York – a guy called John Weiss – he had this garage rock festival called Cavestomp and he kept asking us to play; year after year he’d ask us. So finally we thought we’d try and see whether we could, whether we were able to play together after all that time. So we gave it a go, we jammed it up, and it was still sounding good so we said we’d play. We played the Friday and the Sunday and that kicked everything off, the whole thing. We were worried, of course; people in New York, if they don’t like you, they let you know!”

The Sonics made their initial recordings in Seattle. Since their re-emergence, and the support of next-generation acts who’ve held them up as influences – the band has taken to the stage in recent years with the likes of Mudhoney and Eddie Vedder – the city is still revered as the birthplace of grunge. Roslie is flattered by the attention of the next generation (“They’re always so respectful and polite when they tell me how much our music meant. It’s kinda hard to get your head around – we were just these young punks!”) but paints a picture of an entirely different place in the early 60s: “Well it was different music, primarily, back then, of course – kinda rough and raw in those early days. There were bands all over the place, you know. But I think

everything changed when The Beatles appeared.

The moment they broke through, that led to even more bands getting going. So yeah, it was great, really busy and a whole lot going on.”

“We were just these young punks!”

Gerry Roslie

“We were really big fans of The Beatles,” continues Roslie. “We didn’t necessarily want to be them but we did admire the songs and the songwriting talent. We were developing our own style. Actually, more importantly, they were much better musicians than we were!” Like The Beatles, who quickly cast off their beat group beginnings once they became comfortable with the recording process, did The Sonics ever consider more left-field exploration? “Mmm. The main thing was that we all had the same attitude to the band and to the music. Everybody wanted to do the same driving music; we didn’t do many love songs. There were a lot of bands emerging who were clearly trying to second guess the whole thing, even trying to copy The Beatles; a lot of bands were trying to do that. But that really wasn’t our thing. We were just too loud and whatever you wanna call it – just too reckless.”

It was perhaps this recklessness, and their desire to explore their growing capabilities – albeit within a chosen framework – that led to

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the group’s eventual falling apart around that ill-fated third album. Roslie is frank about the growing disconnection between band and label: “Well we went down to LA for a week or two to record and it started to become clear that the way we played, which is just loud and very direct, wasn’t what the engineer in the studio wanted.

So he said to our guitarist, ‘Oh you don’t have to play like that.’ And he was referring to all the feedback we liked to use and the dark tones we had. So he said that they would add what they wanted back in the booth, post-recording, you know? So that was very frustrating because he wasn’t trying to get our sound; he was trying to get what he wanted. We went in there, these crazy kids from the Seattle area, and all of a sudden they were trying to mould us into something we weren’t, and we didn’t like that at all.” Was the band simply trying to capture its onstage sound?

“Absolutely! I mean, you couldn’t see them doing that to Eric Clapton or someone! He’d play his way and tell them to record it.”

With the band now back as a fully functioning concern, it’s been a strange experience for them to try to pick up the pieces. With the return of Roslie, Parypa and original saxophonist Rob Lind, the addition of new members Freddie Dennis on bass and Dusty Watson on drums has helped spark the new lineup. Even so, four decades is a long time. “And I’m not kidding when I say we’d been 40 years apart,” says Roslie. “We hadn’t called each other or anything. We all just went to back to our previous lives, if you will – normal occupations, you know?” Difficult to renew those old relationships? “Yeah. A little bit.

But mostly, it’s about the music. It’s always the music. So when we got together, it was all about jamming – going back to the songs, trying on new ideas, just seeing what everybody’s attitude is.

Fortunately, the attitude hadn’t changed one bit.

Everybody wanted to rock ‘n’ roll and they wanted to rock hard, which is what we do. Nobody wanted to sit down and play!”

Their recent studio offering makes that much perfectly clear. Roslie may have just inched his way into his seventies but This Is The Sonics breathes fire in a way that leads you to suspect they’ve simply pulled it from the vaults.

A cover of The Kinks’ The Hard Way is pure punk: “We were fans of The Kinks since they started out. We had a similar vibe in those early days.”

With attention turning to their most extensive run of touring since the 60s, Roslie is looking forward to getting back on the tour bus and has high hopes for their forthcoming UK dates. “Well, right after that New York thing, where we first came out of the cave so to speak, we were asked to go to England,” he says. “So we did that, and because that went so well, we proceeded to do some more. And you know the amazing thing? So many young people are coming out to the shows.

Plus, those early shows, after we came back, we had no idea what was going to happen. ‘Are they going to be throwing tomatoes at us or what?’

But it was a real shock, a really pleasant shock.

It was déjà vu! It was like 40 years ago all over again. There were teens, early twenties – a real mix alongside the older fans. So, yeah, we love the UK. You guys over there always got it.” The whole experience of being in a band again, does it help keep you young? “Does it keep me young?

Hell, yeah! Yeah, it does. Different scenery, different people, different cultures. It makes you feel like everything is new.”

The Sonics play Unity Works, Wakefield, 23 Jul; The Ruby Lounge, Manchester, 24 Jul and Wickerman, Dundrennan, 25 Jul thesonicsboom.com

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23

The Bones of Us All From truly sorrowful beginnings, Kathryn Joseph has crafted one of the year’s most raw, unflinching and remarkable records. To celebrate her Scottish Album of the Year Award win, she reflects upon the album’s success Interview: Tom Johnson

M

usic as escapism isn’t a particularly uncommon occurrence; it’s a much rarer event, however, to be transported not only out of your own world but deep into that of another.

The music of Kathryn Joseph undoubtedly holds such power. Bare-boned and loose of tongue, to hear her poignant, tender songs isn’t just to sense their weight but to fully live inside of them.

They aren’t reflections upon times of strife; they simply are them – one and the same.

Her staggering SAY Award winner, Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled LP, was finally released this year, though it was actually recorded back in 2011 when Joseph found herself living next door to her now musical-partner Marcus Mackay and his wife, Claire, from hits the fan Records, who would end up releasing the album. “I knew they had a studio, and they knew I played, but we never spoke about it,” she says of it now. “And then they came to the John Knox Sex Club show I played and it all started there.”

It wasn’t quite as straightforward as that sounds, however. “The thought of recording made me feel sick,” she says, with a laugh. “Any time I’ve done it I’ve hated it – all of it is my worst nightmare.” Which might leave you wondering why she did it at all. “Honestly, I don’t know,” she admits. “I was pregnant and crazy!”

It’s hard to imagine a record as strikingly beautiful as the one we have now coming from such restrained beginnings, but Joseph insists there was no great plan for it. “I never felt like we were making something beautiful. I just thought my songs were shit, and that this is all really embarrassing.”

The apparent disregard for her own work is at odds with her recent success, but then Kathryn Joseph isn’t trying to be a pop star.

If anything she’s the anti-pop star: cripplingly self-deprecating and seemingly perplexed by the

24

Feature

limelight she sits within. Which, to some extent, also explains why it took so long for this record to see the light of day. “There was just this huge amount of time that passed. Sometimes I liked it and then there were times I thought it was fucking terrible, and everyone just waited for me to decide that it was finished.”

“The thought of recording made me feel sick. Any time I’ve done it I’ve hated it – all of it is my worst nightmare” Kathryn Joseph

Thankfully, however, lady luck got involved to help move the process along; Joseph bumped into Mackay on the street one day, having now moved out of their adjoining house. “I told him that it was really hard for me because I’m extremely negative, and I think everything is pointless, and then I cried the whole way home, pushing my buggy. That was the first time I thought, ‘fuck, maybe I care about this more than I realised.’”

Again, it’s a further indication of her hesitancy that she needed a chance meeting to kickstart this whole thing, for to hear just a single breath of Joseph’s voice in flight is to know just

how much these songs matter. It’s not hard, either, to understand where that reluctance came from. “The thing is, the truth of me is mental,” she says, reflectively. “The reason for me doing all of this is because I had a son who only lived for a week, but to have to say that out loud just seemed so humiliating. But then I also can’t cope with lying or pretending, so I can’t make up some nice bio to pretend otherwise. I’m just not able to do that.”

So much creativity is born of anguish and loss but it rarely comes from such a raw place as it does for Joseph, and the songs on her record.

Fragile and understated, the words hit like a sucker-punch – which is why it’s affected so many, so quickly.

Then there are her stunning live shows.

Joined by Mackay on percussion, they’re dense and evocative, the kind of event that can split your day in two. “I’d never played with anyone before him and can’t even imagine it differently now,” she says. “I just love it so much. It’s like what I think drugs feel like.”

With a high like that, it’s no surprise to learn of a similarly brutal comedown. “Every time I play I’m pretty much wanting to kill myself the next day,” she confesses. “It’s just how I feel. It’s the blackness. I find myself thinking that it’s so weird that I want to do this. It’s my worst nightmare and yet I put myself there anyway.” Which again leads to the question of why she continues to do it. “Because at that time it feels like the greatest thing,” she says. “Being in that moment is the

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only time that none of this feels weird at all.”

With just the interviews and songs, Joseph might come across as something of a sorrowful character, but in real life she’s anything but. A spirited live wire, endlessly gracious and grateful for any interest in her work, it made her an extremely popular nominee for this year’s Scottish Album of the Year Award. “I wasn’t even nervous because I didn’t think at any point they would say my name,” she says today of the win.

Whether or not Kathryn Joseph allows herself to reflect upon the recent adoration for her work isn’t for anyone else to enforce, but there’s no doubt that what she’s created is a remarkable document. In an age of hype and showmanship it’s quietly, organically, become one of the year’s most talked about records. Does she still feel as uncomfortable now as she was when starting this journey? “It feels much less humiliating,” she says. “There have been so many lovely things; one after the other. It doesn’t even feel real.”

There aren’t many albums that could come from such a desolate place as Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled, to trump the major-label likes of Paolo Nutini and Belle & Sebastian on a major award’s short list, but then there simply aren’t many artists quite like Kathryn Joseph; one of a kind, and so much more besides.

Bones You Have Thrown Me and Blood I’ve Spilled is out now on Hits the Fan Records kathrynjoseph.co.uk

THE SKINNY

LI FE ST

The Aid Paradox

Y LE

A personal journey to Warm Heart of Africa Malawi exposes a raft of questions

A new friend connected by my parents meets us at the airport. She's driven across central Malawi to pick us up, a journey of four hours each way. Acts like this, of almost ludicrous kindness, are frequent during our time in this country. As we cross the ridge of the rift valley, she stops on a lookout point, producing a bottle of fizz and some cups from the boot. “Welcome to Africa,” she says, as we survey the bush stretching as far as the eye can see under the baking African sun.

It's an odd and beautiful thing, to gaze first upon land that has been so storied in family history.

Disoriented by two days of airports and a drive across the African bush, arriving at Lake of Stars festival after dark is a strange experience.

Friends who took an earlier flight greet us with beers. We sit on a wall and discuss the oddities of being in Africa, surrounded by Scottish voices, swimming in the Lake, the unaccustomed threat of crocodiles. The festival itself is on the beach, on the banks of the Lake. At night it thrums with life, the beats and buzz of music from across the globe – Malawi, Zimbabwe, South Africa, London, Edinburgh… In the day we wander with the rest of the festival-goers, anaesthetised by the sun and the sparkling waters and the ever-present Carlsberg green label.

It is strange to be in a place we expected to be so other and to be among friends. It is strange that the Danes have chosen to form a monopoly on beer in this tiny African nation. The world is small and the air is warm and the music is loud. Baobabs, the most magical of trees, litter the grounds. And there are no crocodiles.

In a lodge on the slopes of Mount Mulanje, we sip sundowners on a wall and watch that magical African sunset spool out. A group nearby are English speakers, a mix of ages and ghostly pale in the way only we Scots and Irish can really achieve.

We eavesdrop – is that a Weegie accent? In the bar, we hear their story. A group of west coasters assemble each year in the Mulange area to do some good, bringing with them suitcases of sanitary towels and a few teenaged girls to help empower the Malawian girls through their example of independence and drive. The girls seem mainly interested in taking selfies and learning new dances from YouTube. We privately wonder about the good of all this aid.

Mulange is the magic mountain, a massif sprouting from the surrounding flatlands, giddy vertical ascents topped with a vast and labyrinthine plateau. People get lost here, regularly.

Legend says that the ghosts take the foreign spirits, a Hanging Rock-esque mythology that may be a convenient front, a creative narrative hook for tourism, or good old-fashioned ill-prepared walkers getting lost on a big mountain.

The side of Mulange is constantly smoking.

Our guide on a walk to Likhubula waterfall tells us that these fires are illegal charcoal production.

Deforestation in the country is a huge issue – the landscape is being reduced to desert, fertile soil replaced with dust and the omnipresent blue plastic bags given away with each and every purchase embedded in the dirt. Here on the Mulange hillside the trees are burned to provide direct income for people living hand to mouth. They can sell this charcoal and buy their children food.

Elsewhere, they're burned to make bricks, a building material introduced by the Europeans and generally regarded to be much less efficient than the mud that they replaced.

It is a beautiful country, Malawi, warm both climatically and emotionally – few who visit escape with their hearts unscathed. But it is also a country of brutal, devastating poverty and a large-scale aid effort which, paradoxically, often manages to exacerbate existing problems. There are a million orphans, thanks in large part to HIV, and lack of female reproductive determination. Girls are forced into prostitution at a young age to pay to attend school, then are forced from school when they fall pregnant.

The missionaries want to help, but instead help to spread AIDS by preaching against either sex out of wedlock or condoms. An NGO sees the plight of women and creates a project to help only women; so the men, disenfranchised and excluded from the project, destroy its fruits. A slow growth project spends years in a community teaching about water sanitation, using a two bucket system so there is clean water for drinking and water for washing hands and dishes; a do-gooder with a saviour complex installs a filter on the village pump and tells the community they don't need to worry anymore, there is clean water for everyone. The village stop using separate buckets, and water

borne diseases rear their head again. And no one was taught how to clean the filter.

On the flipside, stories abound of projects that slowly create a difference, led by communities. A library is being built, slowly slowly, by local fundraising. The hospital constructed for a comparative pittance has reduced the local death rate by 70%. A mobile app that triages infants, such a basic thing to those used to European healthcare, has processed thousands of children and significantly reduced the mortality rate from meningitis. Outside Lilongwe, a model village is growing, resurrecting traditional mud building techniques.

Liwonde National Park is as close to the Garden of Eden as anything I have seen or imagined. Visitors stay in luxurious pitched tents across the hippo and crocodile-filled Shire river. A mother croc gestates her eggs on the bank opposite our verandah. It is simultaneously terrifying and exhilarating. Thrice-daily safaris take us into the bush, onto the water, through the crocodiles and the hippos. At dusk, sipping the obligatory sundowners, we see our first elephant, a teen male making his way alone to the watering hole.

Our guide tells us how he, as a Malawian native, became a guide. There is little formal training in the country to assist in gaining the knowledge necessary to be the expert on the African flora and fauna required to show tourists around the bush. Most of the guides are westerners with an exhaustive understanding of the Latin names and genus from their textbooks. But he grew up here, and has observed the animals all his life.

On the water safari we see herds of elephants at the water hole, babies joyously rolling in the mud, each adult accompanied by its own personal egret to tend to its bugs. The Lonely Planet cameramen in our boat – who previously suggested tempting crocs by sticking their arms in the water – want us as close as possible to an enormous bull elephant on the shoreline, eyeing us warily.

We sit, awestruck, three metres from him, until he starts to stamp. lakeofstars.org

Photo: Fraser Douglas

Our first sight of Malawi is the sun-drenched, arid land I've been hearing about since birth. A purple jacaranda blooms over the tiny airport terminal. A queue stretches outside the arrivals hall – ebola is rife in west Africa, and everyone must have their temperature checked before entering the country. The fact that the current outbreak's hot zone is closer to the UK than it is to Malawi, in southeastern Africa, is irrelevant – this country's health system is tiny, precarious, underfunded, and can't handle an epidemic, particularly one of such virulence.

My grandparents were married in Malawi, in Livingstonia in the north in the early 40s. Both from the East End of Glasgow, they met in a church choir before my grandfather came out here to manage a tobacco plantation. They were colonialists, a fact that is riddled with ambiguity; but the fact remains, they followed an opportunity and contributed to a country they grew to love.

My grandmother, an english teacher, came out during the Second World War, travelling by convoy through a U-boat-filled Atlantic followed by three weeks standing up in a truck. “And the whole time I was thinking,” she used to tell us, “if he's not there to meet me, I'm going to turn around and go back.” My mother was born here, and, thanks to her Malawian nanny, bilingual in Chinyanja and English until the family's return to Scotland when she was 5.

They lived on the banks of Lake Malawi – photos reveal a brick building, a rose garden, chickens, many dogs; views across the water and the rising cloud of the nkungo flies in the centre. Inherited fragments of their letters home reveal an ambiguous relationship with the country at this fractious point in history just prior to the end of British rule. Supporters of the independence movement, they found themselves out of step with much of Malawi's European community.

Coming out in the late 90s to see my mother's birthplace, my parents found the mango grove grandma planted as seedlings and their old house, within a modern nation blighted by AIDS in whose history Scotland played a defining role. They came back and started projects which have had an astonishing impact. The relationship with Malawi is something which, oddly, defines my family.

Words: Rosamund West

July 2015

TRAVEL

Lifestyle

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Artfully Bound Skinny Redhead talks bondage, Japanese shibari and why she’s keen to bring rope work out of the fetish world and into the mainstream

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ver heard of Japanese bondage? What about rope self-suspension? Well, for those of you who perhaps aren’t members of your local fetish club, chances are you’ve already seen it in one guise or another. If not, don’t worry, Edinburghbased artist Skinny Redhead is about to make sure you have.

Forget any preconceptions you may have about bondage – that it’s kinky or shocking or taboo. This is bondage in its purest, most beautiful form. And it’s utterly captivating.

Take a look at Fifty Shades of Grey director Sam Taylor-Johnson’s photo exhibit from 2004, Self Portrait Suspended. Here she’s tied up by a bondage expert, but as she digitally removes the ropes from the images, any immediate link to bondage is hidden. FKA Twigs’ Pendulum video, on the other hand, where she spends most of the song suspended in an intricate rig, gives a better idea of exactly what the art form entails.

The exact definitions and distinctions between the two Japanese forms of rope bondage, kinbaku and shibari, are constantly debated in the West, but in essence they involve being

Interview: Natalie Dewinter

tied with ropes in complex and visually striking patterns. Kinbaku is performed by two people, a dominant (the rigger) and a submissive, while shibari is one person doing their own rigging.

Until recently, it’s been kept almost exclusively within the fetish community, but it’s long been a favourite subject for fine art photographers too.

But in an almost pioneering move, Skinny Redhead is bringing shibari out of the fetish world, off the gallery walls and performing it live. Neither a redhead (currently blonde) nor skinny (more super fit gymnast), hers is not a stage name that’ll help you find her in a crowd.

So when we meet for a chat in a bar, it’s lucky that I’d seen her perform a couple of weeks earlier; both myself and the audience held enraptured as she twirled and floated on the stage before us.

Skinny Redhead’s path to shibari came via modelling. At the end of one particular shoot, the photographer asked if she’d be interested in being tied up. “There was no intimacy to that shoot,” she explains, “but I remember seeing all the bits of rope in the air like dust. And I

remember the smell of the rope.” A couple more shoots and she was hooked.

Although she started out performing at fetish clubs and events, Skinny Redhead is determined to bring rope work to wider audiences.

“Why should it be limited to the world of fetish?

Why not let others see it? Why think that some people might think it’s weird? It’s like any art; people get different things from it.”

Exactly what I got from shibari was curiously mystical. I mean, fetishists, sailors and Wonder Woman aside, the last time most people had anything to do with a bundle of rope was likely to be high school, when we were expected to shimmy up the length of one in PE. I definitely didn’t get any sensual pleasure from the rope back then, but I do remember the wonder of something so slight being able to hold my weight. So it surprised me to see Skinny Redhead perform and realise the power of the rope again, not just in holding her, but in the hold it had over me and the audience.

The perfect illustration of shibari’s almost hypnotic allure is a shot of the audience from

that night, where every single person is staring at the stage in a kind of wonder. When I showed it to her, Skinny Redhead was amazed. “Oh wow, I’ve never seen the audience before.” My assumption – that this was due to the immense concentration needed while performing – was way off.

“No, I’m just spinning too fast,” she laughed. “But I hear the music. And I make up a little story in my head each night, just like I want the audience to. That’s why I don’t have a title for my performances. I want to give them the freedom to choose what they want to feel. I don’t want to manipulate their thoughts.”

Skinny Redhead will be performing throughout the Edinburgh Fringe. Proving both she and shibari are indeed something to behold, she’ll then be appearing all over the UK and Europe. So get yourself along to a show and see for yourself where rope work takes your mind. If you can manage to pull your eyes away from the stage for a second, be sure to take a look at the audience for yourself.

hefty financial burden too, shelling out for lingerie, travel expenses, medical treatment – which is challenging, especially in America, due to expensive healthcare and the physically demanding nature of porn. “In the amateur world you’re just processed meat,” Rachel dryly admits in the documentary, reminding us that the cheapness may please far-removed audiences seeking realism, but is felt first-hand by the actresses featured.

What the future holds for porn is an interesting prospect; it’ll no doubt continue to grow

and diversify as technology does, but will its power dynamics ever change? I’d like to believe they will; feminist porn is now a realistic option, even if it is chronically overlooked. Pornography should be more than a medley of disembodied dicks being rammed into every orifice. And the sooner amateur porn reflects this, the sooner society can stop the scaremongering.

Panic at the Porno What do processed meat and amateur porn have in common?

Our writer examines the moral panic surrounding the amateur adult industry, and explains why she feels torn when it comes to porn. Contains graphic descriptions Words: Liv McMahon Illustration: Kim Thompson

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othing quite exemplifies the revolutionary impact of the internet like porn. No longer a spectator sport, porn is now bottom-up, non-exclusive and participatory. Google hosts a seemingly endless amount of sites catering to every sexual specialty imaginable, so much so that last year our coalition government took measures to ban facesitting, female ejaculation and fisting (to name a few).

Pornhub’s ‘Amateur’ category boasts an ever-increasing 34,000 videos. What’s odd is that despite huge advancements, porn remains a topic divided along the same lines of debate as decades ago: anti-porn or anti-censorship, with no apparent in-between. As a feminist, I feel torn when it comes to porn, believing strongly that women should be free to opt into a career in porn or sex work of any kind. Yet the question lingers uncomfortably – is porn inherently misogynistic?

This confliction came to a head after seeing Hot Girls Wanted, a Netflix documentary produced by Rashida Jones. Filmmakers followed teens who pursued careers in amateur porn after discovering ads on Craigslist.

The documentary graphically portrays male producers “punishing” young porn actresses by combining hardcore sex with vomit-inducing

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tactics. Certain parts – such as the snippets from horrific ‘facial abuse’ videos, regarded as a necessary evil in an American girl’s amateur porn career – make for particularly difficult viewing.

As a type of porn, amateur comes closest to the idea of ‘realcore.’ Lo-fi filming paints a picture of authenticity, as does the impression that those involved are actually enjoying themselves and want to be there. Tressa, the documentary’s protagonist, is presented as an innocent beacon of academic excellence, who lost all direction and integrity upon entering a corrupting sex industry. She epitomises a timeless moral panic surrounding porn – that this sacrificial porno-lamb could very well be your daughter. Society’s porn anxiety rarely prompts a concrete solution. Instead, we vilify and criticise young women for their choices, rather than the porn kings whose camera lenses and jump cuts typify the male gaze.

Comparing amateur porn to Uber, The Washington Post warned that “breaking out of an old model means escaping regulations protecting workers.” California’s enforcement of condoms in pornography prompted a mass migration of porn production to locations like Miami, where producers aren’t subject to health restrictions. Actors and actresses carry a

DEVIANCE

Read more debate at theskinny.co.uk/sexuality

THE SKINNY

Rioter Interview: Morgan McTiernan

Photos: Matt Smith

This year’s winner of the Gold award at Graduate Fashion Week, Hannah Wallace talks about her outstanding graduate collection, which takes inspiration from rioters and astronauts – and the layers of protection they must wear

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annah Wallace, a 25-year-old menswear design graduate of Manchester School of Art, was named winner of the George Gold Award at this year’s Graduate Fashion Week (GFW).

Previous winners include Matthew Williamson, Burberry’s Christopher Bailey, and Stella McCartney.

Wallace is surely on the path towards a great career in fashion. Upon graduating this June, she begins an internship with George at Asda in Leicestershire, as assistant designer in the men’s outerwear division.

Wallace was originally enrolled at Gateway sixth form college in Leicestershire to study philosophy, sociology and health and social care when she realised that she wanted to undertake a fashion design course, as she found “the practical and creative teaching methods much more intriguing.”

“I’ve always been into drawing, illustrating and sewing and would often alter my own clothes, so I went for it!” she explains. “I then went on to study a two-year BTEC in fashion and clothing at Leicester College, another two-year foundation degree in fashion at New College Nottingham and finally on to a BA fashion degree at the Manchester School of Art.” Of her design process, Wallace says that she likes “to do a bit of trend research and forecasting to see what is different and then interpret a concept into my own. Looking at culture and youth subculture, I continuously sample, toile and experiment with different textures, scale of silhouette and techniques to create something distinctive.” She says her work is best described as “outlandish, urban and technical,” and that

July 2015

her brand and graduate collection, Pluto Close, was inspired by “the uprising of rioters against the government, and astronauts; especially the protective layers that are necessary to both types of individuals, as they are thought of as second skins.”

Her research has comprised “a combination of subculture, science and engineering, and I have individually translated my research through design methods such as digital prints, scale and construction. The ability to combine and individually recreate significant rebellions throughout history touches upon discovery, change, conflict, uprising, progression, innovation and protection. The courage and freedom that a rioter possesses have influenced my eccentric designs.”

Eccentricity is indeed a quality that carries through her graduate collection, which features black balaclavas, silver puffer jackets and mesh shorts. The pieces combine futurism with a rebellious urban style, for example in the puffer jacket, which “focuses on the insulation of the jacket and the crossover in references taken from a space suit and a masked rioter.”

Describing the creation of her fabrics, Wallace comments that she “heat-bonded emergency blankets to a lightweight nylon. I used the emergency foil reflective blankets because of their many uses and colour. Derived from NASA technology, the aluminium helps redirect infrared energy which is crucial to any rioter.

“The long sleeves and cords are an exaggeration of traditional silhouettes and were inspired by the skyscraper tower blocks taken from my research,” she adds. Using “a

diverse variety of waterproof and water-resistant material” as well as making and binding her own fabrics, she contextualises British urban street with space-age technology to materialise her ideas.

“The courage and freedom that a rioter possesses have influenced my eccentric designs” Hannah Wallace

Wallace mentions that the designs throughout her collection have “discrete similarities that display my imaginative and innovative style of work.” Her “vast variation of research” has allowed her to develop “a collection that is interactive and insulated, as well as breathable fabrics that enable flexibility and capacity in construction” – and to create an innovative menswear brand. The name Pluto Close was taken from a block of maisonette flats on a council estate in Leicester, Highfields. It echoes one of Wallace’s original concepts – space and astronomy – “so the connection was inexorable,”

FASHION

she says. “I also wanted to reflect residential areas which were notorious for rebellions and upheaval within my research. The digital prints, logos and silhouettes in my collection have been inspired by the scale and layout of the architecture on the estate.”

In enhancing her graphic skills Wallace worked with Matt Smith, a graphics student, who designed her logo and shot her collection lookbook. Since graduating and winning the prestigious prize at GFW, Wallace has had buyers from London and Japan interested in stocking her graduate collection. Winning the George Gold Award and Creative Catwalk Award have been serious achievements: “I have received a significant amount of press, which is needed in order to get yourself out there,” she says.

“It’s an amazing feeling to know all your hard work paid off. I’m still excited about my win and look forward to the wonderful opportunities coming my way.” She also comments on the importance of interning while studying. Over the summer before she entered her third year at Manchester School of Art, she interned for Vivienne Westwood and Aitor Throup, and during these placements “learnt many new skills, and strengthened many skills too, such as pattern cutting, sampling, fabrication and photography.”

Wallace’s work is not available to purchase just yet (“at this moment in time I don’t have the resources to mass reproduce the garments,” she explains). However, her work is available to see via her website – and we cannot wait to see what Pluto Close grows into. cargocollective.com/hwallace

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SHOWCASE

THE SKINNY

Victoria Ruane V

ictoria Ruane is a photographer from Wigan, who graduated this year with a BA (Hons) Photography from Manchester School of Art. Back Window Looking at Dads Shed Remnants of my grandmother’s past and day-today life through her struggles with memory loss; fleeting, intimate and momentary.

“Back Window Looking at Dads Shed is a collection of imagery from family albums, keepsakes and my own documentations overlapping and intertwining; retrieving elusive moments in time and bringing them together to re-stitch these fragile moments of past and present that are so easily lost.

July 2015

SHOWCASE

“This piece of work was photographed around my grandmother’s home in England and in her childhood home of Mayo, Ireland.

This project was a chance to explore the stories about Ireland my grandmother talks so fondly about, with her past and her present day-to-day life documented through photography.

“I am a photographer who is currently working with the themes of family narratives, memories and the exploration of my own heritage, using mainly analogue photography to explore these. I also handmake bound artist books, which has become the main way I display my current projects.” victoria-ruane.format.com

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Micro Micro Revolution

微型小革命

Exhibition 3 July - 6 September 2015

MINISTRY OF CULTURE, TAIWAN

Preview Evening 2 July 2015 6-8pm Symposium 3 July 2015 10am-5pm Saturday Supplement 4 July 2015 11am-4pm

Copyright © 2015 Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art. Registered charity (UK) 518992 Limited Company 2137427.

Food News We’ve decided that July is the month of learning and trying all things new – whether that be wine, cheese, mezcal, tofu or... Peruvian food. Yep, we’re an eclectic bunch in the food department Words: Anna Tully

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The Cult of Health Can a trend toward healthy eating ever be a bad thing?

We look at how healthy eating has become dogma for some and can leave non-believers feeling rejected

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t has crept into your life undetected, slowly edging into your daily routine, gestating in your mind after being glimpsed in the corner of your eye. From the ever-expanding ‘free-from’ aisle in your local shop and the tiny ‘GF’ logos cropping up on restaurant menus like a silent pox, to being able to order a bunless burger without the waiting staff batting an eyelid, the cult of health is bigger than it has ever been. If you’re not subscribing to one of the advocated health tribes, then you’re a heathen, you have no religion, because, apparently, on the seventh day, God created green juice.

I’ve watched my Twitter and Instagram feeds steadily clog up with mason jars of chia puddings, smoothies and turmeric teas with a growing fascination. I want to be a part of this movement, I want to be an effortlessly athletic thing, smiling at the camera lens, nibbling suggestively at a bit of kale. But it is not easy. I’ve referred to this as a religious cult, because it requires a similar type of feverish faith. There are no cheat days, there is no falling off the bandwagon; if a grain of refined sugar passes your lips (let alone a cheeky craft beer) – you fail. When you (undoubtedly) fail, this religion’s god is not a happy, smiling Buddha, but the vengeful god of the Old Testament; there will be punishment, which I found out first hand.

At the start of the year, I found myself optimistically trying the Whole30 diet, a particularly exacting regime where you avoid specific ‘inflammatory’ food groups, such as sugar, grains and dairy for 30 days. According to the website, just “one bite of pizza, one splash of milk in your coffee, one lick of the spoon mixing the batter within the 30-day period and you’ve broken the ‘reset’ button, requiring you to start over again on day one.” And I was very much one of those smug people posting pictures of their dinners and snacks with #healthyfoodporn, #clean, #fitfoodie and the collection of tags that collect you into the bosom

July 2015

Words: Tammy Le Vasan Illustration: Nikki Miles

of ‘the believers.’ It was intoxicating, the sudden community of people liking your pictures, offering you encouragement and advice, sharing your success. Until you sin. Then you are immediately cast out, a leper amongst angels.

As soon as it was clear that I was subbing in the odd bag of crisps (but they were root vegetable!), the Friday night glass of fizz, and then Sunday brunch eggy bread, I was promptly unfriended, unfollowed and shown a very toned cold shoulder.

“Apparently, on the seventh day, God created green juice” So where can I go from here? I am a dairyloving, bread-worshipping sinner flung from the bright collective of clear-skinned, taut-bodied saints. I’m happy to report that there is a middle way, for us that prefer a more lenient god. A 5:2-type religion, if you will. No need to restrict your diet for 30 straight days, just eat healthily most of the time. And with the rise of the health cult, there has been a rise of tasty healthy food choices to answer the growing demand. So nowadays, if you need to fall off the health wagon, you don’t need to fall too far.

Here are some recommendations for tasty and healthy food products and places in the Northwest and beyond, which will keep your fit Insta-pals (and your body) happy:

social enterprise, so you can feel righteous as you sip your booze-free ‘Shampagne Cocktail.’

Wholesome & Raw, Manchester A fresh-juice vendor in Spinningfields that offers you juices, smoothies, fruit and salad pots, as well as superfood ‘shots’ that will kickstart your immune system.

Wahu, Manchester Wahu allows you to build your own healthy lunches and offers a huge selection of fresh and healthy lunch, breakfast and drink options.

Pho Cafe, Leeds A family-run Vietnamese restaurant specialising in street food and pho (a healthy noodle soup with fresh vegetables and herbs; a delicious and healthy alternative to a Chinese takeaway).

The Products Franks Staks, stocked in Harvey Nichols A self-claimed ‘lifestyle’ brand, but essentially a daily pouch that has a tailored nutrient mix to suit your needs, whether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, detox or increase energy.

Your pack could have meal replacements, shake mixes or capsules, so you can fit being healthy around your life.

Qnola, online at Qnola.co.uk An easy, healthy but rather expensive breakfast solution based on protein-rich quinoa, because not everyone has time to make eggs for breakfast.

Gluten-free pasta, stocked at Holland & Barrett A range of pasta and noodles that are vegan, organic and gluten-free, made from adzuki, black beans, mung beans or edamame. This will revolutionise your quick mid-week pasta dinners.

Find more comment online at theskinny.co.uk/food

The Places The Brink, Liverpool A revolutionary concept: a bar that doesn’t serve alcohol. But not only that, it is a community-led

FOOD AND DRINK

ith summer comes wine. But not just any wine. Democratic wine! Or that’s what the folks over at the Hip Hop Wine Shop are telling us anyway. From our experience at the event earlier in the year, we think they just mean that no one will judge you if you get hammered. The urban grape event promises to break down the stuffy-nosed wine barriers and is offering over 100 wines to taste, all in the minimalist surrounds of Camp and Furnace, on 4 Jul. It starts at 11am. Remember, no one’s judging. Grab your tickets on Eventbrite.

Keeping on the theme of removing the stuffiness from things wot we fort were stuffy: Homage to Fromage manages to simultaneously dispense with pretence while stuffing (LOL) our faces with cheese. The exact dairy treats are only revealed on the night – how mysterious! – so you’ve only got a theme to go on.

For their event at Kosmonaut on 15 Jul, it’s all about French fromage. Keep an eye on clubhomage2fromage.co.uk for tickets and more events across the North.

Kin 2015

While we’re being all clever and learning about things, it’s worth mentioning Kin 2015.

Essentially the TED of the vegetarian world, the event will whet your palate for all the seitan you’ll be eating after you’ve listened to Dr Melanie Joy’s talk on carnism. Fusing philosophy with food and perception with psychology, this talk’s one not to miss if you’ve ever wondered why animals seem to hold different statuses within the material word. 11 Jul, Victoria Warehouse, 9am–5pm. More info: kin2015.org If all that learning’s got a bit too much for you, then look no further than the Tequila & Mezcal Fest – you’ll still be taught lots, of course, it’s just you won’t remember any of it the next day. If you purchase tickets before 8 Jul, you get a special, early-bird price; don’t think us too chivalrous, mind – we just don’t want to suffer with our hangovers alone. We’ve spied several newto-the-UK spirit producers on the exhibitors list and Tamal UK are dishing up Mexican street food (we ate their food in that London once and it was delicious). Maritime Museum, Liverpool, 8-9 Aug, tequilafest.co.uk If thinking about those exotic spirits has you wishing for more tropical climes, fortunately Viva Peru are bringing a little taste of Argentina to Manchester. OK, you got me: they’re really bringing a taste of Peru. If you’ve ever fancied finding out what exactly Papa a la Huancaína are, or tasting three kinds of milk in one dessert (we’ve tried Tres Leches cake before, and, let me tell you: it’s milkier than drinking straight from a cow’s udder), snap up a ticket for their kitchen takeover on 16 Jul at Kosmonaut. Vegetarian options available; tickets on eventbrite.

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The times they are a-changin' for this Manchester institution, but it's not lost its USP – good beer and good food You know how people compare places they like to a good pair of slippers? Reliable, familiar, comfortable, that kind of thing. Well, if you felt like that about Common, the owners have done the food and drink equivalent of throwing your cosy old Hush Puppies into a blast furnace.

First, they’ve got a completely new look.

Remember the chipboard bar-front? Gone.

Those wine-coloured seats in the back? Gone.

The vivid pinks and greens? Gone too, all replaced by a new aesthetic, which we could call Scandi-Manc. It’s got the clean lines and muted colours, the wood. There’s now a horseshoe bar and an actual kitchen pass so that the poor staff can finally see daylight.

Then there’s the re-vamped menu. Everyone used to talk about their dependable signatures – falafel salad, meat and non-meat chilli, and their cheeseburger – and, before you freak out, they’re still there: they couldn’t burn all their bridges now could they? But, there’s a lot of new stuff too. So, let’s talk about that.

Popcorn cockles, which it has been confirmed in a tweet are to become a “perma-menu” item, are about the best beer snack you could wish for. We imagine you take a jar of pickled cockles, drain ’em, then batter, and fry. And charge £3.50 a pop. But, oh my, is it worth it. The salt and vinegar prove a wonderful match for the sweet, malty overtones of Wild Beer’s new “everyday” beer, Bibble.

There’s a new emphasis on small plates, with a three-for-£12 deal that we deem too good to pass up. We order four anyway, because we can’t justify eating three more fried dishes, adding a lonely, mitigating salad.

The Korean fried chicken (KFC) are nuggets of battered thigh tossed in a thick chilli sauce, which is usually made with gochujang (a Korean fermented chilli paste), sesame oil, garlic and various other things. You’ll no doubt find better examples in Manchester’s Korean restaurants but thigh gives welcome flavour and moisture over breast, even if the sauce is a little cloying.

Cauliflower cheese croquettes are the main talking point, as much for their flavour as their superlative size. So big they conjure images of some giant chef shaping them into cylinders with his gargantuan mitts. The filling has the yellow hue that suggests English mustard or French’s have played a role and, in the best possible way, it’s almost too rich and savoury to handle. Here, the fennel and radish salad comes to the rescue.

The salt-and-pepper squid falls a little short. It’s neither salty nor peppery enough to rival your average Chinese takeaway version and it comes with what looks and tastes like tartare sauce but should be lime mayo.

Some people don’t take well to change, but we say let’s not get all sentimental about it.

Nothing is permanent and yaddyaddayadda. Yes, the DIY, mis-matchy feel was part of the charm.

And for Mancunians of a certain age and persuasion, Common has been an anchor, an unimpeachable constant in an area that gets more easy to parody by the year. When you’re over the mourning period, you’ll find the new-look Common will quickly dispel any of that scepticism. [Jamie Faulkner]

Duck Noodle Soup

If you liked Common, try: The Beagle, Manchester Ply, Manchester Camp & Furnace, Liverpool Common, 39-41 Edge St, Manchester, M4 1HW

Larb Moo

@common_bar

Siam Smiles

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We find authentic Thai flavours at this unassuming supermarket diner that's quickly becoming a city favourite

Common

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Lifestyle

Photos: Seb Matthes

Glazed Pear

I often find myself asking the question: “Why don’t more supermarkets have cafes?” I’m not talking about the type that serves up fish, chips ‘n’ peas with a cup of tea and a slice of buttered white bread for £6.50 (£6.25 for OAPs, or on Tuesdays after 3pm). I’m thinking more along the lines of Venus Foods, a Turkish/Iranian supermarket in Longsight. It has attached to it a small takeaway, serving grilled fish, chicken livers and top-notch lahmacun (a sort of Middle Eastern spicy lamb pizza). As a kid, I remember trips to Wing Yip in Birmingham, a massive Chinese supermarket located next to an alarming amount of concrete. As a special treat, after the shopping, we’d flit over to the accompanying restaurant to feast on yuk sung.

And, if I’m being honest, I even have a soft place in my memory for trips to the Asda caff, if – and only if – I’d behaved myself, for a slap-up lunch of chips and beans with my nan.

So: why? Why don’t more supermarkets have cafes? It’s an economic dream – make use of the food you don’t sell by extending its shelf-life through cooking and serving to punters. Though those food shops with the common sense to open up an on-the-spot eatery are few and far between, it’s always pleasing to stumble upon one, especially when the food on offer is more than just turkey dinosaurs.

I first dined at Siam Smiles not long after it opened, incredulous that there could really be an authentic Thai restaurant in an underground supermarket. Back then, I’d not had ‘real’ Thai food; after a recent trip to Thailand, it’s pleasing to confirm that the food is as authentic as I had originally imagined.

It would be difficult to say we’d ‘done justice’ to the menu this time around. Hungry for noodles, we chose the Kuai Tiew Ped (yellow

FOOD AND DRINK

noodles with duck and morning glory) as well as a pork noodle dish, most commonly known as ‘boat noodles’; I think it’s official name is Kuay Tiew Moo Na. At Boat Noodle Alley in Bangkok, you can devour as many bowls as you can manage for around 30p each: plastic dishes are filled with the most delicious pork broth, layered with offal and noodles and finished off with a splash of pig’s blood. The version here, though a little more expensive, is as authentic as in the stifling city – blood ‘n’ all.

The duck dish easily compares to the best we had in Thailand, although I think there you’d more likely see leg meat, rather than sliced breast as served here. The broths are huge bowls, larger than on previous visits and can be complemented by the Thai condiments on the table – peanuts, dried chilli, chilli in vinegar, fish sauce and sugar. With our ferociously spicy Lab Moo on the side, they were left untouched.

Lab Moo is a fresh-tasting minced pork salad, spliced with red onions and mint and usually sprinkled with ground toasted rice. Not much of the latter was evident, which was a little disappointing, but if chilli heat is your thing, then the perfect Thai balance of flavours can be found in one dish here. If spice is your thing, then make sure and try their Som Tam Esan. I’ve had ones – both at Siam Smiles and in Thailand – that reduced me to tears with their heat. I wasn’t ready to play this time.

Siam Smiles’ appeal lies in its authenticity – there’s no dumbing down of flavours for us farangs, there’s no such thing as a comfortable chair or a pretence that street food stalls offer tissues any thicker than one-ply. Don’t visit expecting pomp and you’ll enjoy your lunch in a supermarket, just as much as I used to those chips and beans. [Anna Tully] If you liked Siam Smiles, try: Phetpailin, Manchester Chilli Banana, Liverpool Host, Liverpool Siam Smiles, 48a George St, Manchester, M1 4HF @SiamSmilesCafe

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Photos: Anna Tully

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Festival Watch

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It’s a chocka month, so let’s dispense with setting up camp and get crackin’. Much like at a real festival Words: Laura Swift

Manchester International Festival, various venues, 2-19 Jul, mif.co.uk Manchester Jazz Festival, various venues, 31 Jul-9 Aug, various prices, manchesterjazz.com Brazilica Festival, various venues, Liverpool, 17-19 Jul, free Beat-Herder, Ribble Valley, Lancashire, 17-19 Jul, £140 (adult weekend), beatherder.co.uk Tramlines, various venues, Sheffield, 24-26 Jul, £30 (weekend), £23 (day), tramlines.org.uk Cloudspotting, Stephen Park, Gisburn Forest, Lancashire, 24-26 Jul, £99 (adult weekend), from £30 (adult day), cloudspotting-festival.co.uk Underneath the Stars, Cannon Hall Farm, South Yorkshire, 24-26 Jul, from £115 (adult weekend)/ £35 (adult day), underthestarsfest.co.uk

July 2015

First Aid Kit

The Wytches

Gig Highlights A Heavenly Records showcase, the strung-out psychedelic shimmer of The Holydrug Couple plus the beats of Femi Kuti and Nubiyan Twist – it’s a blissed-out July in the Northwest

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eavenly Records celebrate their 25th birthday at the Kazimier on 5 July, with a lineup typical of the label’s sungaze-y sound, including The Wytches, Duke Garwood, Hooton Tennis Club and Gwenno, ex-Pipettes (remember them?). They’ll be taking over the whole Kaz venue and garden and have DJs Heavenly Jukebox in tow, so expect a proper relaxed vibe – as well as a guest performance from local lot on the rise, Stealing Sheep. With the release of their second album, Not Real, this year, the kaleidoscopic pop trio have casually stormed slots at Liverpool Sound City and Field Day, as well as support slots with Everything Everything and First Aid Kit, two very different acts that merely emphasise how far reaching their sound is.

Also taking advantage of the Kaz’s idyllic island of beach calm slap bang in the centre of Liverpool is one-day festival Liv-Bcn, which for a second year running brings together musicians and artists from, you guessed it, Liverpool and Barcelona in a celebration of shared ethos.

Clinic headline, with Mujeres, The Suicide of Western Culture and more over the course of the day; a showing of Pablo Berger’s black-and-white silent fantasy drama Blancanieves at Liverpool Small Cinema on 9 July and an exhibition at the Exhibition Research Centre (part of John Moores University) offering perspectives on the two cities through the eyes of artists also form part of the programme.

Keeping things summery, godson of Afrobeat Femi Kuti and his band The Positive Force have sold out the Ritz on 16 July, but keep an ear to the ground for any returns, or get yourself to the Garforth Arts Festival in Leeds to see them instead (11 Jul). Elsewhere, melting pot soundsystem Nubiyan Twist, one of the highlights of Threshold Festival earlier in the year – and counting Femi’s father Fela among their influences – reprise their groove-driven, highly physical performance (there’s 12 of ’em) on 10 July at the Kazimier.

Those of you for whom summer is one long high (what, we’re talking about being dosed up to the eyeballs on hayfever medication here) may prefer the humid meditations of The Holydrug

Couple, who arrive at Soup Kitchen from their native Chile on 8 July, with support from locals Horsebeach, who captured our attention this time last year thanks to leader Ryan Kennedy’s unexpected combination of a sunny stateside lilt with a decidedly moody Mancunian worldview.

Of all the optimistic, seasonal programming this month, this gig’s probably the most realistic – leave it to the audio to provide the heat, while sheltering safely in the more reliable weathersystem of Soup Kitchen basement.

Good news for people who like Good News for People Who Like Bad News: American indie’s nice guys Modest Mouse are back on our shores with their first album since 2007, Strangers to Ourselves; and, as our reviewer had it – praising frontman Isaac Brock’s idiosyncratic wordplay and resilient knack for an earworm – it sounds like they never went away. Let’s face facts, though; whether at the Ritz in Manchester (7 Jul) or Leeds’ O2 Academy (8 Jul) we’ll be reserving some bounce for Float On. Meanwhile, a further – proper – comeback is on offer in the form of The Sonics, the culty garage outfit harking back to their 60s heyday

Words: Laura Swift with the release of their new album which, though only their fourth, is their first in just under 50 years. As Gerry Roslie tells us on page 23, they’re chuffed that lots of fresh new faces are turning up to their gigs as well as the old crowd (also, that no one’s throwing tomatoes).

Hopefully Manchester will give them the same reception (24 July, also The Ritz).

Finally, having seemingly taken it easy the last couple of years to tend to his new family, concert hall royal Rufus Wainwright pays another visit to the Liverpool Philharmonic on 12 July.

Having left far behind him his hell-raising days – which produced Poses and the Want double bill, albums characterised by their lyrical aggression and sense of wounded wonder – and now being on his way to elder statesman status, it can be easy to take Wainwright somewhat for granted these days, and forget his individual ability to pair quixotic orchestral composition with writerly precision; a talent only superseded since, in some eyes, by John Grant. Happily, tonight is a ‘Best Of’ show – so wishes for The Art Teacher, Dinner at Eight or Cigarettes and Chocolate Milk may indeed be granted.

Do Not Miss Nozinja Soup Kitchen, 24 July, Manchester

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s unpretentious as they come, Nozinja just wants you to have a good time. The figurehead of Shangaan Electro – both a craze and his group, who wowed the UK with a hyper-NRG showcase tour two summers ago – the artist also known as Robert Mthwethwe has spent the last few years tirelessly campaigning for the style’s distinctive, slightly deranged sound, taking his crew and Tshetsha Boys out of Soweto to Europe and the US (You can read our interview with him on page 41.)

The success of Shangaan Shake – which saw the likes of Theo Parrish, Actress and

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Demdike Stare take on Shangaan Electro’s sugar-rush highs for a 2012 Honest Jon’s remix compilation – led to his signing to Warp, which now releases his debut album, Nozinja Lodge.

A neon flurry of fluttering MIDI keyboards and breathless urgency, it turns out manic single Tsekeleke was only a mild hint. If this weren’t guarantee enough of a top gig, you’ve got Kickin’ Pigeon of Manchester’s finest underwater boogiedrome Wet Play on the decks. Man knows what he’s doing. [Laura Swift]

Review

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Photo: Sam Huddleston

irst up, it’s your final call for Manchester International Festival (2-19 Jul); tickets are still available for the contemporary classical strand, including the debut of clarinettist and composer Mark Simpson’s new piece The Immortal at The Bridgewater Hall (4 Jul), while Gerhard Richter and Arvo Pärt’s presentation of work inspired by each other at the Whitworth Art Gallery is free. Pärt’s Drei Hirtenkinder aus Fátima will be performed live throughout the day from Thu 9 to Sat 11 Jul by Estonian choir Vox Clamantis, and thereafter (until 19 Jul) by local choirs. Later in the month, Manchester Jazz Festival will suit those who, in the wake of MIF, are pining hard for the opportunity to sit in a pavilion in a square (31 Jul-9 Aug).

Liverpool comes to vibrant life across 17-19 Jul with the annual Brazilica Festival, a celebration of the sights, sounds and energy of Brazil.

Over three days of costume, music and samba, the centrepiece of course remains the carnival parade (Sat 18 Jul), which promises to bring the flavour of Rio to Merseyside.

Offering a similarly upbeat alternative to the sold-out Kendal Calling is Beat-Herder, with its now-fabled surprises and themed, er, bits (last year there was a swimming pool in the woods!

No need to queue, trembling in the drizzle, for a portacabin shower). Situated in Lancashire’s lovely Ribble Valley over 17-19 Jul, the festival’s tenth instalment features Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Basement Jaxx and a live set from Nightmares on Wax, while Erol Alkan, Daniel Avery and Trevino help out with the party.

Sheffield’s Tramlines (24-26 Jul) remains one of the North’s finest programmes, with a staggering array of bookings across the city.

Highlights from this ludicrously cheap weekender include Evian Christ, Romare and Benjamin John Power of Fuck Buttons’ solo project, Blanck Mass – watch out also for further Skinny favourites Kate Tempest, Errors and James Holden.

Bringing up the rear, two folky, familyfriendly affairs might be more your cuppa if you’re saving your energy for the big blowouts of August/September. Boasting Rozi Plain, The Wave Pictures, Jane Weaver and Dutch Uncles, Cloudspotting is a happy little beaut – snuggle up in the Gisburn Forest, Lancashire, and enjoy outdoors shows from The Fabularium travelling performance company and family arts in the Cloud Cuckoo Land area (24-26 Jul). The same weekend, Kate Rusby’s own festival, Underneath the Stars, meanwhile, makes use of Cannon Hall Farm’s beautiful grounds with a fine lineup of songwriters and rootin’ tootin, good-time bands – though Phil Selway, Eddi Reader and Rusby herself are the main draws at this South Yorkshire shindig.

Photo: Alexander Bell

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Friday The café area of The Crossing bustles with a sense of community. One of two venues being used by Supersonic Festival in Birmingham’s Digbeth district, pop-up stalls from various labels including Upset The Rhythm and Night School snake past the doors of the performance hall itself and are surrounded by people chatting away, supping at pints of real ale and gearing up for a hearty Friday night.

Within the hall itself, however, the atmosphere is one of subdued, stern concentration.

That’s apt for the one-person analogue ambience of Ela Orleans, but the dubby synth disco of Happy Meals feels ill-fitted for such a studied reaction. Vocalist Suzanne Rodden’s delivery, shouting her mix of French and Scottish while grooving across the stagefront, demands a physical reaction, but they’re only give one by a few people down front; otherwise they have too little to work with.

Maybe everyone’s just here tonight for The Pop Group. The veteran post-punkers can’t be faulted for a lack of energy: Mark Stewart’s shirt sags with sweat, sitting raggedly on his restless frame. The newer material off Citizen Zombie isn’t hitting home though, the simple sloganeering of “assume nothing! Deny everything!” on S.O.P.H.I.A. feeling out of place amidst a weekend featuring the likes of Holly Herndon’s brilliant visual representation of our open-book online

culture. Ultimately it feels like they’ve simply not quite managed to keep pace with evolution.

Gazelle Twin, wearing a skin-coloured mask, finds her body-jerking industrial-hip-hop hybrid another met with a stern reaction. In fairness though, there’s a certain pensiveness and autonomy on stage too, sometimes riding along the gridlines of choreographed performance piece.

When she truly breaks free of her self-made constraints, as on the rattling shots of Anti-Body, she presents a viscera lacking elsewhere.

How refreshing, then, to have Sex Swing close the Friday with a performance that seems to run on pure instinct. Composed of members of Mugstar, Part Chimp and Dethscalator, the group offer a corrosive form of tar-black psychedelia with Colin Webster’s sax providing deep, penetrative drones that result in an atmosphere of utter dread. They only really crank up the tempo in the last third of the set but that’s more than enough, acting as a darkly euphoric release from the previous bone-grinding menace.

Saturday It’s already busy for Tomaga, second act on in The Crossing. Driven by the nuanced but propulsive drumming of Valentina Magaletti (The Oscillation/Raime), the duo make good on the watertight yet inventive motorik showcased on last year’s debut LP, Futura Grotesk.

Meanwhile, Circuit des Yeux is almost motionless under her dark fringe, save the strumming of her guitar. Reducing the already stripped-back sound of her latest record, In Plain Speech, to just two elements sometimes suffers

Gazelle Twin

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Review

in the vast warehouse space; at her peak though, the twin attack of her rich, mid-range vocal register and fuzzy squall of her guitar is stunning.

The Auditorium is hosting a series of talks, discussions and readings, including one by The Quietus co-founder John Doran who, aside from presenting extracts from his debut book, Jolly Lad, announces his intention to hypnotise us despite “never having seen a hypnotist live or on TV before.” His enthusiastic attempt results in a tingling of the fingers perhaps. More importantly his book – a by-turns darkly humorous, heartbreaking and analytical account of his battles with alcoholism and depression – is far from merely an exercise in establishing his own tastes.

In The Crossing, Eternal Tapestry and then Six Organs of Admittance take their turn at various forms of heavy guitar psychedelia, while the equatorial-rhythmed and gamelan-influenced Flamingods are backed by some of the most dazzling visuals seen all weekend, all Saharan and Middle Eastern imagery turned into the sort of technicolored dream worlds you could imagine Sonic spinning about in.

They’re all eclipsed by Holly Herndon though. Tonight, the 4AD-signed producer’s deconstructed techno is spellbinding, as is her visual presentation, delving into the Supersonic Facebook event page’s attendees in a wondrously simple demonstration of the unquestioning way we’ve allowed our lives to be intruded. Herndon then takes us off on a set that veers between non-linear passages of glottal, textural sandboxing, and more progressive strands of techno beat-making, in a mesmerising display.

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All of which sets things up for The Bug and Dylan Carlson’s live collaboration. Barely visible in a smoky red light, the duo face each other as the layers of their Ninja Tune studio collaboration Boa begin to unravel. Carlson’s great slabs of sixstring drone grip tightly to The Bug’s beats, which give a nod to the influence of industrial music on a young Kevin Martin at the turn of the 90s.

Then, as Carlson walks off, so does the crowd for some reason, as the set turns white hot and feels in danger of razing the rickety warehouse to the ground. Long-term collaborator Flowdan bursts onto the stage and in a moment transforms a largely static bunch of onlookers into a seething mess. Versions of Skeng, Function and Dirty are fired through, the pair bouncing off the delirium that seemed so unlikely less than an hour ago.

Sunday The final day brings about a marked change of pace. At Boxxed, Richard Dawson has curated an afternoon of solo performances that take in street music from Prague (Jirí Wehle) to Ethiopian Azmari courtesy of Afework Nigussie.

Dawson himself provokes a rapt silence with his wandering folk and a capella storytelling. Capable of bringing the audience to laughter one moment and heartache the next, he peaks with Joe the Quiltmaker, a painful, heart-wrenching tale of his demise. However his whole performance connects, challenges and inspires – everything that this proudly off-kilter festival also strives to do.

[Simon Jay Catling]

Happy Meals

THE SKINNY

Photo: Joe Singh

Boxxed/The Crossing, Birmingham, 12-14 Jun

Photo: Joe Singh

Supersonic Festival

Photo: Joe Singh

Richard Dawson

passion behind the organisation of the event seems to be rubbing off on the crowds. rrrrr Sunday’s first act, Merki Waters, has been Strolling up Liverpool’s Lark Lane to the vibrant booked as part of Oyé Introduces, an initiative green of Sefton Park for the Sunday of Africa Oyé, to support artists from the Northwest. The idea it is clear that, here, a strong sense of community is admirable but unfortunately the 25-year-old and cultural exploration replaces the entrapment songwriter’s thoughtful but production-heavy and cash-making opportunism at the heart of rap does not quite hit the spot. His reliance on many festivals. Stalls from local businesses like backing tracks gives a synthetic karaoke vibe to radical bookshop News from Nowhere and Bold the set, while his social commentary suffers from Street Coffee line the field alongside authentic some cliché. As he remains anchored awkwardly African and Caribbean cuisine, handcraft, and to his keyboard for the entire set, one can’t help activity centres, offering unique and grassroots but feel that a live band would bring more dynaexperiences. The weather isn’t perfect, but the mism and visual interest to his act. sense of goodwill is significant; the positive Later in the day, Lindigo take to the main Sefton Park, 20-21 Jun

From the Kites of San Quentin Eagle Inn, 19 Jun

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Since emerging within Manchester well over half decade ago, From the Kites of San Quentin have consistently pulled apart the seams of electronica and filled the resulting space with an incredibly individualist strain of head-melting drone and glitch-led contortions, only to by and large fall through the cracks. Too unconcerned with rigid structures and simple pay-offs to make a dent in the club scene, too downright weird to fit on most live bills, people don’t know what to do with them; artists will make a big deal about doing their own thing, but in an age where the overwhelming gluttony of choice conversely pushes people towards safety, it’s those genuinely going it alone who’ll often sink.

That’s why tonight feels so important for ’Kites, as they preview all new material and visuals. Performed with the intensity of a group

Waxahatchee

The Ruby Lounge, 12 Jun

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Katie Crutchfield has only released three fulllength records as Waxahatchee, none of which have topped the 45-minute mark. Even allowing for the ferocious rate of return she’s managed – April’s Ivy Tripp LP was her third in four years – she still shouldn’t, by rights, be able to rely on the kind of strength in depth she brings to tonight’s show.

It’s ultimately a testament to her ambition, though; where 2013’s Cerulean Salt balanced rough-round-the-edges indie rock with low-key confessionals, Ivy Tripp diversified yet further, touching upon power pop, folk, even the odd hint of psychedelia. It allows for the first 45 minutes of tonight’s show to act as a wide-ranging showcase for Crutchfield’s songwriting ability; the

July 2015

fighting in the manner of this being a last throw of the dice, the trio blow previous comparisons with trip-hop luminaries like Massive Attack to bits, the glints of sunlight that peeped through previous recordings extinguished. They’ve always felt more aligned to freeform and progressive jazz and hip-hop influences, but here they push them into darker territory, Alison Carney’s vocal is pulled down in tandem with live samplist Phil Bretnall and guitarist Luke Bhatia’s de-linear matrix, one track in particular blowing the senses as it reverberates around a gargantuan low-end pulse, throbbing like the final death throes of a supernova. Later on they’ll explore a kind of warped anthemia, all linked together with visuals that mix between cerebrum-dislodging pattern shifts with confrontational images of the planet’s demise. It’s stunning; the only question remaining is who’ll give them a chance.

[Simon Jay Catling]

stage to sum up what the festival is all about, playing a thunderous maloya – a protest music from the island of Réunion banned in some instances until the 1980s due to its powerful and rebellious spirit. The music excites, involves and entertains, and the band keep up consistent audience participation with streams of infectious call and response beneath beds of djembes and djabaras. This is a performance that emits pride and joy, life bursting from the band’s textured grooves and interactive chants.

Headlining the night, Frankie Paul’s band kick off with a beat that immediately confirms their status as authentic reggae masters (Paul began recording in Jamaica in the early 80s and

Gullivers, 11 Jun

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surf-pop instrumentation of opener Under a Rock is offset by a snarling vocal, the freewheeling Salt cuts Peace and Quiet and Coast to Coast zip by a little quicker than on record, and the slow-burning menace of Bonfire, a standout from Tripp, simmers with real threat.

Some of the other highlights from Tripp, though, feel a little stifled by the band’s tightness; they’re not as ramshackle as they feel like they were meant to be, and Crutchfield’s versatile vocal ability is too often smothered by the guitars. It’s for that precise reason that the evening’s highlight is the encore, four tracks with just Crutchfield and her guitar; a cover of Great Thunder’s Chapel of Pines is an odd choice, but I Think I Love You and Grass Stain, both from her debut, bring back into sharp focus the fact that the best Waxahatchee songs are the ones that deal the heaviest emotional blows. [Joe Goggins]

was identified with the first wave of the dancehall scene). The bass rides tightly and naturally with the off-beats while Paul delicately manoeuvres his soulful and impressive register. They are perhaps a little too comfortable, however, as the tempo barely alters for the entire hour, Paul singing snippets of classic songs such as Somewhere over the Rainbow and Don’t Go Changing, a gimmick that loses its novelty after the tenth quote.

But while there might not be an abundance of creativity in Paul’s music, it is certainly enough to dance to, and the audience is tipsy and happy.

For another year, Africa Oyé has been a triumph for tradition, as well as the city and people of Liverpool. [Charlie McKeon]

Jenny Hval

Jenny Hval

Trust Jenny Hval to subvert the trend. Her last visit to Manchester, in support of Swans last year, saw her with a full band set-up in support of her angular second album, Innocence Is Kinky. Her latest record, Apocalypse, girl, however, is a loftier affair, both in sound and spirit. Tonight’s show has no lack of imagination either, as Hval eschews her instruments for some multimedia performance art, taking to the stage in a luxurious pink wig and supported by two similarly ‘glamorous’ assistants who whirl expressionlessly around her and pose for selfies in Photobooth.

Opening with the translated poem Kingsize and the pillowy Take Care of Yourself, Hval’s elastic voice coos and stretches through dreamy swathes of synth, reaching operatic heights amid the luxurious strings of show highlight Heaven.

She is a seraph in a bombsite of endless distraction, marked by an unsettling stage-side video,

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Photo: Michael Sheerin

Lindigo

which shows one of her companions performing fellatio on a dangling orange chain. With the crowd dumbstruck by the show’s bizarreness, Hval occasionally punctures the overawed silence between songs to laugh-out-loud effect, most hilariously when the backdrop flickers to a karaoke screen and her helpers launch into an intentionally woeful rendition of Toni Braxton’s Un-Break My Heart.

When Hval discards her Ariel wig during The Battle Is Over’s gospel shuffle to reveal her androgynous shock of blonde hair, it is a powerful moment, a striking rejection of the consumerism that the song caustically questions. As a serene sky drifts behind her, she whispers the whole of closer Holy Land in an intimate embrace with one of her dancers; the effect is deeply humanising.

Hval’s avant-garde delivery already marks her out as one of the most distinctive musicians right now. It is her willingness to explore cultural attitudes that most pop artists gloss over which also makes her so entirely necessary. [Chris Ogden]

Review

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Photo: Michael Barrow

Africa Oyé 2015

Photo: Gary Mather

Africa Oyé

Album of the Month Tame Impala

Currents [Fiction, 17 Jul]

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For the past few years Tame Impala, aka the one-man studio machine Keven Parker, have been steadily redefining psychedelic rock for a millennial audience. This third outing takes off with Let It Happen, a fanfare of driving drums and kaleidoscopic synths that is reassuringly Tame Impala of old, but as it gains altitude Currents soars to a new level of sophistication.

“Yes I’m older/yes I’m moving on,” Parker falsettos amongst a placid beat and soft blanket of synths. It’s a gentle Lennonesque introspection, maturity hard-earned through the kind of heartbreak and transition imparted by track titles including The

Lee Bannon

Sleaford Mods

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Pattern of Excel [Ninja Tune, 10 Jul] Turns out this’ll be the last album from the artist formerly known as Lee Bannon; from now on he’ll be working under the name “¬ b”, a characteristic move from a producer whose most persistent trait has been perpetual self-reinvention. At present, ambience is in and jungle is out, the dark atmospherics that haunted the edges of Alternate/Endings now taking centre stage in the form of solemn, largely beatless soundscapes.

Leaning heavy on the digital reverb, Bannon paints disconcerting, evocative scenes seemingly frozen in time. Trees rustling in the background, SDM brings to mind an eerie roadside at dusk, while Aga’s jaggy sci-fi synth and post-rock grandiose evoke the twirling wreckage of an abandoned space station. Disneµ Girls is especially intriguing, a pretty, pastoral tune that sounds so clinical and vacuous it’s uncanny – like a computer’s attempt to simulate an ‘ideal’ summer memory. Not all are keepers but Bannon’s strange, ceaseless ideas are fascinating. [Andrew Gordon] ninjatune.net/artist/lee-bannon

Less I Know The Better, Love Paranoia, Gossip, and New Person Same Old Mistakes.

But the self-reflection is assured rather than apologetic; instead of a contrite Jealous Guy olive-branch, Cause I’m A Man slinks with cool indifference, a raised eyebrow of smooth 80s soul that counters “cause I’m a man, woman/that’s the only answer I got for you.” The heady funk rhythms that propel that particular song permeate the record and resolutely form the basis of Currents, seeping into Tame Impala’s psychedelic forcefield and imbuing it with a stylistic gravitas that announces a band at the peak of its powers. [Claire Francis] tameimpala.com

Supermoon

Key Markets [Harbinger Sound, 10 Jul]

Oh, Supermoon! Song, [By Toad Records, out now]

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Jason Williamson: lyrical clusterbomb, full of bon mots – often expletives – and prescient observations deployed at dizzying speed. Check him out on Face To Faces, a caustic dismissal of the “daylight robbery” of modern politics.

Or there’s Bronx In A Six, which glowers witheringly at those who “pretend to be proud of [their] own culture,” and responds venomously (“FUCK CULTURE”). It feels like adrenaline injected straight into the heart.

With Andrew Fearn’s spindly grooves providing an abrasively stark backdrop, Sleaford Mods should be punk’s most exhilarating sons; Young Marble Giants reprocessed through The Fall and Public Enemy. But that backdrop is occasionally their downfall.

The sparsity of sound pushes focus onto Williamson, meaning the ears sometimes yearn for some additional texture; something to break the tension; to make them as sonically vital as they are lyrically. Maybe that tension’s the whole conceptual point, but it’s not unreasonable to want a little more from Key Markets. [Will Fitzpatrick]

Neil Pennycook has ditched the Meursault moniker. In its place: Supermoon. A threadbare step down from the intricate and skewed folk of his previous outlet, Oh, Supermoon is spare with its arrangements but generous to a fault with tunes and heart. Taking inspiration from the likes of David Thomas Broughton, this half hour intro’s DIY leanings shift the songs centre stage.

Minimal backing (delicately picked acoustic guitar, piano, clomping percussion) is all the likes of Supermoon vs Black Friday (“Lately I’ve been drinking on my own and facing down my ghosts”) and the pummeling title track need to breathe. Pennycook shifts from raging troubadour to whispered confessional with practised ease. A little bit of Elliott Smith, touches of Glen Hansard here and there, Oh, Supermoon surely has a legion of hearts waiting on its arrival. Plus, it’s released on Edinburgh’s marvellous Song, By Toad Records, who promise more beyond this volume, and soon. [Gary Kaill]

sleafordmods.com

iamsupermoon.bandcamp.com

Seven Davis Jr

Carlton Melton

C Duncan

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Universes [Ninja Tune, 24 Jul]

Out to Sea [Agitated, 4 Jul]

Universes’ lead single is called Sunday Morning, but like most of the debut record from long term limelight shirker Seven Davis Jr., its overriding feeling is more akin to saturday morning cartoons: exceedingly playful, deliriously upbeat and bursting with energy and colour.

From the aforementioned maniacal detuned synth to Be a Man’s frantic double bass or Freedom’s perpetually ascending lead, the record’s first half doesn’t so much aim to get you moving as it does work you into a hyperactive frenzy, often to the point that Davis himself seems to struggle fitting in his lines.

Fighters, though – a slower, suddenly serious track about reactionary violence – marks a jarring change in tone, its amorphous beat and meandering vocals initiating a late experimental turn that yields mixed results. Welcome Back, with its atonal shuffle, is as trippy as it is messy, yet even at its most off-kilter there’s an endearing optimism to Davis’ music. [Andrew Gordon]

Psychedelic jam band Carlton Melton’s latest cosmic voyage aims to open your mind, but you’ll first need to adjust your expectations. Most tracks surpass the 7 minute mark, churning over the same chord till each distorted wail or tom thud becomes as sure as a heartbeat. Melody’s out the window too, the Californian three-piece opting for free improvisation atop throbbing drones and simple riffs in place of memorable tunes.

They can be plenty tuneful though: Similarities is a blissful zephyr of chiming guitars that builds and repeats until it transcends its initial monotony, growing in beauty and intensity like an aerial shot of the countryside pulling further and further away.

“If something’s boring after two minutes, try it for four,” says John Cage, and while Melton often lean on blunt repetition, their carefully sculpted dynamic contours and deft layering frequently makes for compulsive, enveloping listening. Just lay off the bedroom guitar god stuff please guys. [Andrew Gordon]

ninjatune.net/artist/seven-davis-jr

carltonmeltonmusic.com

Failure

The Heart Is a Monster [INgrooves/Xtra Mile, 17 Jul]

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Architect [Fat Cat, 17 Jul] “I’ll take you everywhere I go,” C Duncan promises on Here To There. By this point, at the middle of his debut, he’s already taken us far: through dreampop, ethereal rock, and shimmering folk, drawing on influences as disparate as Fleet Foxes and Mozart – though songs like Garden are so delightfully various they fly in the face of genre and analogy – one might hear Miles Davis reinterpreting Last Shadow Puppets songs while Howard Shore directs Yes and ELO through muzak standards in the unsoundproofed room next door.

Every sound is perfectly placed, down to the last ride cymbal ping on Silence And Air – a cathedral arrangement, stunning, as the Conservatoire-trained multi-instrumentalist recorded this in his bedroom studio, layer by layer. Ending this journey with the folk lullaby I’ll Be Gone By Winter, Duncan has taken us everywhere – but he hasn’t exhausted his potential. [Aidan Ryan] fat-cat.co.uk/site/artists/c-duncan

Eleventh Day Dream

Haiku Salut

Works for Tomorrow [Thrill Jockey, 24 Jul]

Etch and Etch Deep [How Does It Feel to be Loved?, 31 Jul]

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The fourth Failure album nobody expected calls in at the same spaceport the LA trio left us marooned on when they split with 1996’s Fantastic Planet, finding a familiar thematic frequency in Segue 4’s digital static. Where others might struggle to pen a decent sequel, The Heart Is a Monster marks a more graceful transition, encouraging awe for their evolving songwriting chops rather than relief that they can still write the odd riff.

And they are odd – a potent stew of dissonant chords and affecting harmonies that rise up by stealth. From Snow Angel’s careful metamorphosis into all-conquering rocker through I Can See Houses’ ghostly refrains, misdirection is what Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards and Kellii Scott do best on this sci-fi inflected epic.

Clocking in at 63 minutes, it’s a refreshingly bold and focused reprisal of the longform album format, masterfully treading that fine line between ambient atmosphere and proggy excess. Way to wake a sleeping giant. [Dave Kerr]

More roadhouse rattle from veteran Chicago first-wavers Eleventh Day Dream. Now on long player #13, and augmented by additional guitar (courtesy of Illinoisbased Brit James Elkington), there’s certainly buzz and sweat behind Works for Tomorrow. Opener Vanishing Point – penned by covocalist Janet Bean – carries a prickly resolve that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Babes in Toyland setlist, whilst Cheap Gasoline’s duelling fretwork is all gumptious, bevelled momentum.

And yet such spikes are exception rather than rule, the majority of the ten tracks here (including those with Rick Rizzo at the mic) a little flat in how they reference their alt-rock Americanaisms. Stripped of onstage energy, the Pixies-flavoured power pop and bluesy, low-fi atonality suggest a perfunctory posture (also, best skip the cover of hippy anthem Snowblind, which turns up like a Jefferson Airplane tribute act shuttled in from some dodgy bierkeller). A fun record, for sure, but sometimes a listen needs a little more salt. [Duncan Harman]

Half-dreams – the hypnagogic state between wakefulness and sleeping. That’s where Haiku Salut sneak up on you, playing on your fragile consciousness and weaving together subtle strands from your psyche. Their ethereal creations – by turns eldritch, sensual and beautiful – have been dubbed an ‘imaginary soundtrack’, with hints of Yann Tiersen’s luscious soundscapes bleeding into playful, rainbow-coloured Aphex Twin-isms, but they’re so much more than the sum of those parts.

The ten wordless songs here push on from the folksy beauty of 2013’s debut Tricolore, merging textures and time signatures with melliferous melodies that shift almost imperceptibly; the waltz that emerges during Bleak And Beautiful (All Things) is almost as perfect as the vocal harmonies that embolden Hearts Not Parts’ warm electronic delirium, like sunbeams bursting through the curtains. This is no mere soundtrack, it’s an imaginary world: to dwell there is a uniquely spiritual experience. [Will Fitzpatrick]

failureband.com

thrilljockey.com/thrill/Eleventh-Dream-Day/

haikusalut.com

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Review

RECORDS

THE SKINNY

Qluster

Vetiver

Vinyl Williams

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Tasten [Bureau B, 10 Jul]

Complete Strangers [Easy Sound, 31 Jul]

Into [Company Records, 20 Jul]

Labels such as ‘neo-classical’ don’t always assist.

It doesn’t do justice to the stark, abstract, and at times ambient beauty a work such as Tasten (German for ‘feel,’ ‘to grope for’) exudes. Nine instrumental pieces played on three Steinway grand pianos, with Krautrock veteran Hans-Joachim Roedelius a professorial, slightly unhinged presence, the swirls of melody and motif here coalesce across a number of configurations, the spaces between each piece blurred, pleasantly ill-defined.

That said, the way tracks such as Brandung and Karussell dash themselves against the rocks as dénouement highlights the lack of immediacy or deviation in timbre behind the disc as a whole. Working with Onnen Bock and Armin Metz, this suburb of the Cluster/ Kluster/Qluster universe is a meditative one, which at times can leave the listener craving the occasional curveball. File under ‘subtle beauty,’ then. [Duncan Harman]

Ostensibly the trade name of San Francisco’s Andy Cabic, the sixth Vetiver album is a mishmash of sleepy grooves, tender ballads and conveyor folk rock.

That he’s still compared with the likes of Conor Oberst and Beck is mind-boggling because Complete Strangers is a sterile and lifeless bore, a smoothing out of trad shapes that makes Jason Mraz seem vaguely dangerous.

The drifting beats of Current Carry (“I think we’re on our way / Finally out to sea / Coasting on a wave, free”) are little more than lazyass jamming. But it gets worse; the likes of Time Flies By (“Blearlyeyed, years collide like clouds in the sky”) and Confiding (“In a maze lost without a trace / Every time I think I can escape”) typify a lyric sheet awkward and unaffecting. “I’m still figuring the album out,” claims Cabic. Seriously? Nah. If you prefer your singer songwriters possessed of an ounce of soul or wit, keep moving. [Gary Kaill]

The second long player from LA-based artist/ multi-instrumentalist Lionel Williams – grandson of film composer John Williams – and it certainly doesn’t want for ideas. Quirky electronic pop, buttressed by a mesh of discombobulated beats and slippery rhythms, the vocals so low in the mix they’re hardly there.

The dreamy sophistication behind tracks such as World Soul and Zero Wonder imply Francophile vibes, and feint allusions to the more stately moments of Air or Stereolab (Axiomatic Mind is an über-modern take on Bossa-nova sentiments, ideal over a lazy day cappuccino). Into does sometimes try to be too slick for its own good, the swash of voguish sentiment clean and shiny, the lack of hooks and edges somewhat frustrating. But then comes the electro fugue of Eter Wave Agreement, when Williams flexes his experimental chops, and all is right with the world. [Duncan Harman]

qluster.info | bureau-b.com/qluster

vetiverse.com

vinylwilliams.com

Gunship

Alessandro Cortini

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Gunship [Horsie In The Hedge, 24 Jul]

Ghostface Killah

Risveglio [Hospital Productions, 27Jul]

Adrian Younge presents: Twelve Reasons to Die II [Linear Labs, 10 Jul]

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Gunship’s album teaser promised a contemporary paean to the age when digital entertainment was in its metastasis: the 80s apogee of cinematic spectacle, the birth of videogames and skin on TV – enter a technotrance, timetravel back through some portal in an arcade machine’s shimmering CRT. Synthwave side project of Fightstar’s bassist Dan Haigh and guitarist Alex Westaway with drummer Alex Gingell, Gunship’s eponymous debut delivers exactly this.

Sure to please collectors of 80s movies soundtracks (Tech Noir features a John Carpenter voiceover) the sound is synesthetic, a collage in grit and neon, machine grease, nostalgia, synth arpeggios and unintelligibly harmonized moans; a weird marriage of 8-bit and HD; good fun. There is a formula – arpeggios aplenty, grinding engine chords behind, synth-strings shooting by, rocket trails or tracer rounds – and lyrics are basically meaningless, aimless yearning, nonspecific invitations. But that’s kind of the point: Gunship is unqualified, undemanding, unalloyed entertainment.

Insert Coin, and enjoy. [Aidan Ryan]

A sound that pulls at unnerving soundtrack textures, implies a dislocation from home and wears its analogue chops as if there’s no possible alternative.

Risveglio arrives exactly as advertised. The fourth album under Alessandro Cortini’s own moniker was written during the downtime whilst touring, recorded on a triptych of analogue synths, and pivots across sonic motifs vaguely suggestive of that Trent Reznor ambience (amongst many other endeavours, Cortini has been a steady member of Nine Inch Nails for some years).

This is far from the entire story. For Risveglio (‘Awakening’) is a bruising, complex burr of a proposition. Constructed using three 80’s Roland synths (the MC-202, TB-303, and TR-606 – melody, bass and percussion), each track is a mottled gauntlet dropped at the feet of the listener, the bass lines metronomic, delay pedals regularly tipping the material (Rispetto; Lotta) towards ecclesiastical drone. The type of record that John Carpenter would have made if plugged into medieval aesthetics – which is a recommendation.

[Duncan Harman]

Equal parts soulful and silly, II is as sonically satisfying as the first installment. With Meters-esque guitars that could have been lifted from Leo Nocentelli’s playbook and Modal jazz beats, all recorded live to analog tape, it teems with the same retro-soul Morricone/Mayfield/Hayes sound that producer and composer Adrian Younge brought to the Black Dynamite score. The rhymes are still vicious, but two years after introducing the duo’s original revenge-horror tale, his famous storytelling wears thin.

Of course, Ghostface is an entertaining tour guide to a murder spree, especially set to Younge’s soundtrack but the (literally, tortured) verses start to sound repetitive before the midway point. Guests Vince Staples and Raekwon impress but the real standouts are Scarub, Lyrics Born, and Chino XL on Death’s Invitation, delivering a rap avalanche, all plot and no braggadocio. If the crew delivered every track with this kind of momentum and inventiveness, the album would sail past five stars – but as is, it’s weighed down in stage blood. [Aidan Ryan]

facebook.com/GUNSHIPMusic

twitter.com/blindoldfreak

defjam.com/artists/ghostface-killah/

Mutoid Man

Strange Wilds

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Bleeder [Sargent House, out now] There’s a real dizzying effect when Bleeder first roars out of your speakers; a cyclone of gargantuan riffs and wailing solos that threaten to submerge you in chaos, with little to steady the nerves. Sift through Mutoid Man’s full-length debut, however, and gold emerges from the rubble.

Bridgeburner, for instance, is southern boogie caked in pulverising heaviosity, leaping from riff to riff with heroic abandon, while Soft Spot In My Skull questions how King Crimson might have turned out with a little advance exposure to Reign In Blood (‘kinda mighty’ is the answer).

Conceived as an excuse for Cave In’s Stephen Brodsky and Converge’s Ben Koller to indulge in their wildest metal excesses, there’s a frazzled joy to be found in Mutoid Man’s ‘throw everything at the wall’ schtick – a surfeit of ideas that dazzle before quickly going supernova. Essentially, Bleeder is brutally smart, and pretty damn thrilling with it. [Will Fitzpatrick]

More echoes of grunge from the label that started it all – between the squalling noise of METZ and this selection of jagged rifferama, you wonder where Jonathan Poneman gets off releasing photocopies of Sub Pop’s baby photos.

But just like their Canadian labelmates, Strange Wilds’ best moments feel so primally urgent that they’ll steal your enraptured focus from right under your nose.

Reference points? Try TAD, The Jesus Lizard and (duh!)

Nirvana, but when Subjective Concepts hits hardest, ticking names off a checklist won’t matter. The rollicking Oneirophobe drowns you in sludge; you’ll hear ‘em scream ‘I can’t think any louder’ just as your head drops below the surface. Disdain is even better, a post-hardcore slalom that scarcely goes over two minutes. They’re less fun on the rare occasions that their goofy sneers lurch into dull whines – the grungers’ curse – but for the most part this is a damn good racket. [Will Fitzpatrick]

mutoidman.bandcamp.com

strangewilds.bandcamp.com

Trembling Bells

Ratatat

The Sovereign Self [Tin Angel Records, out now]

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The reverberant, harrowing and cathartic vocals of Lavinia Blackwall stretch opener ’Tween the Womb and The Tomb to sheer fullness as she literally sings her soul out to heavy bass and guitar grooves. Eight minutes long, a full delay and distortion driven, immersive experience with humongous builds and sparsities; chant, improvisation, grubby riffs, and organ grinds; it feels like you’ve just listened to an entire album – what, there’s more!?

Three years since their concessive, power-run of hit releases and Trembling Bells are back in ever-perfect form with psychedelic, acid rock and hints of Americana defining the real essence of their name. Killing Time in London Fields’ incessant riff rips through electric guitar improvs and the energy is unbeatable. The Sovereign Self is drenched in originality and can’t escape a constant high – Trembling Bells have so much to give and they’re having so much fun here; this will no doubt be insane live. [Luisa Brown] tremblingbells.com

Prefuse 73

Subjective Concepts [Sub Pop, 24 Jul]

Magnifique [Because, 17 Jul]

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Magnifique, the fifth album from Brooklyn-based duo Ratatat, discontinues the naming convention set up with LP3 and LP4. But it could comfortably be called LP5, such is the rigidity of an established formula: old-school prog-guitar wolf in electro-funk’s clothing. Save for the odd outlier – the sedate track Drift is the band’s first ballad, of sorts – this is essentially another collection of instrumentals in that now inveterate mould.

You could reasonably find fault in this business-as-usual approach, or in the slightly repetitive, incidental nature of the album (it sometimes feels a bit like a soundtrack for an as-yet unmade film). An indulgent guitar solo in Pricks Of Brightness also veers perilously close to an early Mike Oldfield pastiche. But damn, if there isn’t something immensely satisfying about this stylish, carefully refined mesh; derivative as to be quite unique. This is a band existing in the then and the now, all at once, and somehow pulling it off. [John Nugent]

Every Colour of Darkness [Temporary Residence, 10 Jul]

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Prefuse 73’s music is like an unscratched itch.

Guillermo S. Herren belongs to that small band of producers, including Flying Lotus, who take a hip-hop beat and de-construct it to the nth degree, broken and battered into a bewildering tornado of glitches. To call it hip-hop seems inadequate. The sheer density – count the blips and beeps stuffed into every second and enjoy your descent into madness – is overwhelming. He makes music for headphones, not dancefloors: tracks like The High Beam Of Modern Survival are so jaggedly off-centre that your ears will strain to gain purchase.

But in the shadow of FlyLo’s last record You’re Dead!, an embarrassment of riches bursting with ideas and influences, it feels like the experimental hip-hop template has more to offer. Herren is a glitch virtuoso, indisuptably, but there’s a nagging sense he’s capable of more than just hacking a time signature to pieces. [John Nugent] temporaryresidence.com

The Top Five 1

Tame Impala

2

Trembling Bells

3

Lee Bannon

4 5

Currents

The Sovereign Self

Pattern of Excel

Failure

The Heart Is a Monster

Haiku Salut

Etch and Etch Deep

ratatatmusic.com

July 2015

RECORDS

Review

39

An Asphalt Haunting Young motorik duo Man of Moon have been enticing audiences for a while. But now, with their debut single, The Road/This World, about to be released, lunar orbit beckons

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merican Gothic is not a genre readily cited in an Edinburgh context. Auld Reekie does Rebus Noir, or subterranean Burke and Hare gimcrack for the tourists – not the widescreen vistas of a northern Texas nowhere, the sky brooding above the miles of empty blacktop.

Except, just occasionally, something arrives to challenge preconceptions. Call it gut feeling, or the labelling of mood. For there’s nothing overtly American about young Edinburgh two-piece Man of Moon, and little that’s gothic, at least in any literary sense. Yet to experience their textured, monochromatic sound – sonic structures that suggest they’re far older than age 19 apiece – and there’s certainly something present.

A sense of space, perhaps. Of place; room in which to close your eyes and sit back amidst rolling clouds, distant shadows, implied ghosts.

A number of high-profile support slots for the likes of The Phantom Band and We Were Promised Jetpacks, and a UK tour with The Twilight Sad, have seen the duo’s profile on the rise over the last year and a half, and this summer – alongside a busy few months on the festival circuit – sees the release of debut single, the double A-sided The Road/This World; the former not a reference to the Cormac McCarthy novel of the same name, but it very much could be, such are the stark, grinding contrails Chris Bainbridge (vox/guitar) and Mikey Reid (drums/ harmonies) summon. “We wrote it in about two minutes,” laughs Reid as The Skinny catches up with them backstage at Glasgow’s Art School, fresh from opening for Admiral Fallow. “It’s one of the only tracks where, when we were in the studio together, we pretty much got the guitars and drums sounding in place at the exact same point,” Bainbridge continues.

Although, you’d suspect, both are being a little modest, considering the detail a record such as The Road reveals. The implication of shape behind each verse morphs into the strident hooks of the dénouement, all underpinned by a resolute motorik beat and a vocal hinting at skewed, lost agendas – as much through delivery as the lyrics themselves. It’s not so much fun, fun, fun on ze Autobahn as an endless drive through disenfranchised territory.

40

Review

Interview: Duncan Harman

Man of Moon were formed in 2012 after chance had paired them together on a college sound engineering course. “Not many people could play,” Reid explains. “They wanted some people just to go up and play bass or guitar.” Bainbridge recalls their initial sessions: “The class were really encouraging. And then we just skived. Mikey had an electronic drum kit and a shitty little amp, and we started skipping class, going to practice in his room.”

However serendipitous their origins, this period of trading and shaping ideas certainly proved fruitful. Bonding over a shared love of Mogwai, Can and post-rock Chicago trio Russian Circles, the emergent material eschewed immediacy or big riff statements for slow-burn intensity and a lyrical candour flavoured by Bainbridge’s childhood. The name of the band itself is derived from his father’s medication-induced hallucinations; the visions he’d describe led Chris to see him as some sort of ‘Man of Moon’ figure.

“We wanted the first thing we released to be really powerful” Chris Bainbridge

“We were slowly moulding our sound,” Reid says of their early days working together. “When we started off it was really dark, just really dark music, sort of stone age, and we’ve brightened up a bit… We’re just slowly carving our sound. I think it’s good that we didn’t release something two years ago because we wouldn’t be happy with it now.”

Can they define their sound, or at least get us to the ballpark? “I don’t think we’ve ever answered that question the same way,” Bainbridge admits. “I genuinely don’t know. Psychedelic?

Alternative?” Reid concludes: “It’s quite stripped back.” The duo have an endearing way of running

with each other’s train of thought, occasionally even finishing each other’s sentences. It suggests a close friendship over and above bandmate duties. “I don’t want to say it’s its own genre, but… well, it’s a weird one. I’ve heard people say that it’s quite weird music.”

Weird or not (spoiler: it isn’t), they’ve no doubt put in the graft, building a word-of-mouth fanbase almost entirely on the back of grinding their way through the live circuit, first in the capital, then further afield. In an era of immediate gratification and the opportunity for any old Herbert to stick their newly recorded material online, it’s a little unusual for a band to travel down the route they’ve taken, but it also demonstrates a maturity in how they’ve shaped – and continue to shape – their distinctive yet eerily familiar music. “That’s one of the things I like about us over the past few years, that we’ve kept it really exclusive,” Bainbridge explains. “The only stuff people have heard is when they’ve seen us live.

We realised what we wanted to sound like through playing live gigs. Some bands are much more studio based, but we love live shows. I guess that helped us develop that reverb kind of sound.”

All of which suggests a band that want to ensure they get things exactly the way they want, rather than rushing in feet first. “With the single, we attempted to record it two or three times,” Reid confesses. “We went into the studio but we just weren’t happy; we’d taken that long to do it, it’s like, ‘If we’ve waited this long let’s do it right,’ especially if it was going to be our first release.”

“We wanted the first thing to be really powerful,” adds Bainbridge. “We wanted it exactly as we wanted it to sound. We actually spent £500 on it and we weren’t happy. We couldn’t be bothered releasing it.” And yet that £500 doesn’t feel wasted. Not when you factor in the steadily growing interest around Man of Moon, which, alongside supporting duties for a who’s who of the Scottish alternative scene (The Road/This World also features a production credit from Andy Monaghan of Frightened Rabbit), has seen further flag-waving from the likes of Vic Galloway under the BBC Introducing banner. “Man of Moon immediately grabbed me after I heard a demo of The Road,” Vic Galloway told The Skinny. “Their

MUSIC

sound is mature beyond their years, mixing psychedelia, Krautrock, and post-rock textures.

It’s simple, minimal, dynamic and direct, with strong melodies and nailed-down rhythms – I’m shocked that they’re only 19.”

Of course, as a guitar-and-drums combination, there’s going to be inevitable comparisons to The White Stripes and their kin – a trap one national music paper has already fallen into – but the stark and wistful nature of the duo’s material makes such a link superfluous. “I like The White Stripes,” says Bainbridge. “But we’re in no way influenced by them.” Is the comparison a frustration? “Not at all. You’re going to get that though. You just think ‘two-piece’ and you think White Stripes.”

So yes; stop thinking that. If you need a comparison, Bainbridge mentions the drifty lo-fi ballads of She Keeps Bees as a particular influence: “The way they get the drums and guitars to sound so sweet together.” But even that’s far from the whole story. Instead, think of a duo excited about the future, but also keeping their feet firmly planted, happy for events to follow their own course. New material is certainly in the offing, with the loose promise of future releases, but – as Bainbridge admits – “We don’t have a real plan. We’ll work through new stuff, then see what happens. We’ve dropped so many tracks since we started that we’ve kind of forgotten about them. But some of them are good tunes; we’ve just dropped them because we’ve found another track for the live set.”

It’s a refreshing attitude that speaks of wise heads on young bodies. No forcing of issues here.

“It’s starting to take shape, dynamically and sonically. I wouldn’t say that we’ll be playing exactly the same set in a year, but it will be the same kind of atmosphere.” And with that, both Bainbridge and Reid smile. The road beckons – quite literally (they play Inverness the next day), but also allegorically – in all kinds of ways; there’s plenty of asphalt out there.

The Road/This World is released on 7 Jul via Melodic. Man of Moon play Wickerman, Dundrennan, 24 Jul and Electric Fields, Dumfries, 29 Aug soundcloud.com/man-of-moon

THE SKINNY

Warp Speed Now signed to Warp, Soweto-based producer Nozinja is set to unleash the 180bpm sugar kick of Shangaan Electro on the UK once again Interview: Simon Jay Catling

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and eyes,” he says. “And I think Shangaan came at the right time. People were looking for something new.”

Within his native South Africa it’s been a different story; the Soweto-based producer initially experienced rejection from his homeland’s music industry upon emerging towards the end of the last decade, subsequently taking on Shangaan Electro’s distribution mantle for himself through his own Nozinja Music imprint. He feels that it’s only been the spike in interest from outside his homeland that has moved things forward there: “It was appealing to the second culture of South Africa, through the other nations of people in the country,” he says, “but it didn’t go to the mainstream, white South Africans. Not that much. But now it’s starting to become a universal sound. It’s being incorporated into other people’s music; we’re even finding out that the radio stations, the people who never played our music, are now talking about Shangaan Electro.

It’s great for us.”

As for his own ambitions, Nozinja aims to raise the profile for himself, the genre and subsequently the culture around Shangaan, although he shuts down a question about the financial sustainability of being an artist in South Africa by insisting “you do music because you love it, not for money” – not long after giggling that his dream is to be nominated for a Grammy. “I’m a man who always dreams, but I don’t like just dreaming at night,” he adds. “You dream at night, you wake up and forget everything you’ve dreamed of. I want to remember every dream I have.”

Whether he gains that Grammy nod or not, there’s a sense that Nozinja is already living out his dreams, which continue this summer. What can we expect of his return? “It’s a surprise!” he laughs loudly. “I’ve got a surprise for you, UK, you tell people: ‘Nozinja is coming!’”

Gottwood

Carreglwyd Wood, 12-14 Jun

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Nozinja plays Soup Kitchen, Manchester, 24 Jul facebook.com/nozinjamusic

Photo: Michael Sheerin

ome on – let’s just do it!” Richard Mthethwa urges me over the phone.

Mthethwa, more widely hailed as Shangaan Electro pioneer Nozinja, is pacing around Johannesburg in his native South Africa sorting out a visa ahead of his forthcoming European tour (including a date in Manchester on 24 Jul).

He’s in a hurry, but anyone who’s heard Shangaan Electro, the hyperactive strain of ADD pop music that draws influence from native Shangaan traditions but pushes it up to a pulse-testing 180bpm, shouldn’t be surprised – working at pace seems to be Nozinja’s modus operandi.

The Skinny last spoke to Nozinja two years ago when, riding high on the back of support from Damon Albarn’s Honest Jon’s label, and Shangaan remixes by the likes of Theo Parrish and Actress, he brought a high-energy showcase to the UK. Things haven’t slowed down, with his debut LP for Warp Records coming out last month; Nozinja Lodge is full of pitch-shifted vocal cutesiness, quick stick MIDI keyboards and hi-end rattle. The reputation of Warp needs no explanation within the UK, but for Nozinja it was just another avenue to continue spreading word of the Shangaan Electro phenomenon. “To be honest I didn’t know much about Warp,” he admits, claiming the approach came from his UK management, Qu Junktions. However, time spent listening to the label’s catalogue since signing last year quickly made him feel that his minders had made the right call. “They’re very selective in the artists they pick, which is good. They know what they’re looking for.”

What they’ve found is something that, for much of the European dance scene, is highly refreshing, pulling sharply away from bass culture and pitching itself so far up the other end of the scale as to seem alien. It continues to catch on, and this time around Nozinja has added some major festival dates at Melt! in Germany and Belgium’s Dour Festival, as well as a show at the Barbican Centre in London. “For me it was about bringing something new for Europe’s ears

July 2015

Hats off to the chaps behind Gottwood.

Seriously, get that hat off. Any worries that the festival, now in its sixth instalment, would struggle to retain the intimately mystical and like-minded feel that has come to define it in recent years were soon quashed. That point came early on the Thursday when witnessing a man dressed in a Scooby Doo costume chase another man dressed in a Sylvester costume around the campsite shouting, “I did, I did see a puddycat!”

God knows whether they were even in the same group but, either way, the mood was set.

Roll on Friday. Glaswegian/Percolate duo MermaidS got things going among the hay bales surrounding the Forest stage, with some hot and sleazy disco to match the clearing skies and rising mercury. A steady stream of people passed through the trail, avoiding the temptation of mac‘n’cheese and staying a while to check out the Mother Owl stage before heading round to the undisputed jewel in the Gottwood crown – the lake.

Set in front of the farmhouse lawn, this is the ideal spot for a cotch; it’s also where gathering swarms laze about during the day, looking wistfully into the water and mentally preparing for the storm ahead. Nice, lighthearted fare is continually on offer here, from the likes of Tom Tom Club, Idris Muhammed and Love Unlimited… to name a very small handful.

Unfortunately no man or woman would brave jumping into the murky waters this year but the stage itself was looking particularly awesome, decked out with interweaving branches and a nice tree stump dead centre.

Saying that, watching the two resident farmdogs dive headfirst into the water to the sound of Corduroy’s Something In My Eye was certainly an early highlight.

Kick drums hardened by late afternoon, and Hypercolour’s Cedric Mason led the charge with Ste Roberts over in the Walled Garden (formerly the Dome). Mathew Jonson’s Marionette has never sounded so good. A few hours shot by after that, before the Zenker Bros stepped up to show why they are one of the most in-demand techno acts going right now. The way these guys manipulate sound waves is seriously way, way, way beyond the norm and quickly whipped the crowd into a frenzy – TSV WB was in there somewhere. We also caught the last of Hunee – and the super-emotion of It’s Alright (I Feel It)

CLUBS

– before heading back to the campsite to try and make sense of the past 12 hours.

OK, so from Saturday morning onwards things get a little hazy, but the main thing to report was how different Saturday-Sunday felt as a whole. Move D started with the Shoes edit of Al Green’s Love and Happiness, moving blissfully into tracks by Maze, Rayko and, yet again, Idris Muhammad. If the Zenker Bros summed up the high octane feel of Friday then there’s no doubt that Moufang took the biscuit on Saturday. His house set later in the evening was also a joy to behold.

The weekend slipped by without a second glance, and there are vague memories of stumbling into the reggae band on the lawn and being implored by the MCs to “Sign on the dotted line… the mighty line… the righteous line…” before heading over to somebody-like-but-notnecessarily Leon Vynehall just as the build-up to Usha kicked in. By then night had fallen and we remember one man being restrained by friends from headbutting a pole.

Motor City Drum Ensemble turned out to be a bit disappointing, which was a combination of an overflowing crowd and shit sound. Nothing bad to say about the tunes, but the atmosphere was a bit naff and most people had the same idea to check out some other stages for a bit of relief more than anything. Meanwhile, Tristan da Cunha was raising hell over on the Caravan with help from Adam Shelton, reeling off high power rollers one by one. There was one last blowout and a hilarious stagedive from a portly gentleman before the speakers were cut.

Chronology is an elusive little bugger to pin down at the best of times, so honourable mentions go to the incredible Zip, who threw in a couple of Dimbiman tracks, Tornado Wallace, Radioactive Man for an awesome live set, LUV*JAM for owning the Owl stage and Ruf Dug for generally being everywhere. Also, many props to the very familiar-looking bald dude who dropped an outlandish techno version of Grauzone’s Eisbaer – you, sir, are a magician.

By the time the masses retreated to their tents, all minds were a million miles away from the thought of tomorrow’s suits, ties and coloured Post-It notes. Until next year... thank you, Gottwood, you absolute beauty.

[Reiss Anderson and Daniel Jones] Gottwood took place 11-14 Jun gottwood.co.uk

Review

41

Film Event Highlights The evenings may be brighter but there’s something decidedly dark about the films showing in July Words: Simon Bland

T

he Grimm Up North guys seem intent on keeping our lust for the macabre sedated until Halloween rolls around again, and this month they have two screenings that dissect the shady side of modern suburbia. David Lynch brought surreal into the mainstream with Blue Velvet (9 Jul) back in ’86, presenting us with an unsettling noir set to a backdrop of white picket fences.

Fifteen years on, director Richard Kelly returned to the bleak corners of the ’burbs with the mysterious Donnie Darko (1 Jul), a film that, much like its twisted bunny antihero, was hard to shake.

These suburban nightmares may have been released years apart but they share the same theory that good and evil often exist in the same, unsuspecting place. Catch both at Manchester Central Library.

Liverpool’s FACT continues the theme, throwing a little dystopian sci-fi into the mix for good measure. Blade Runner: The Final Cut (12 Jul) is Ridley Scott’s definitive vision for his 1982 classic and free from the tampering hands of studio execs. This final edit is the only version over which Scott had full editorial and artistic control; which means no more cumbersome narration and added action and atmosphere. Deckard’s hunt for fugitive replicants never looked so good.

Song of the Sea

Love & Mercy

Dear White People

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Director: Bill Pohlad Starring: John Cusack, Paul Dano, Elizabeth Banks Released: 10 Jul Certificate: 15 Two pivotal periods in Brian Wilson’s life collide in Bill Pohlad’s dizzying study of the former Beach Boy. One concerns the creation of 1966’s Pet Sounds, where Wilson swapped his band’s fun, fun, fun surfer pop sound for his own idiosyncratic art rock vision. The other takes place two decades later, with Wilson a doped up child-man at the mercy of his machiavellian psychiatrist (Paul Giamatti). The 60s Wilson is played by Paul Dano, the 80s version by John Cusack.

Both episodes are sharp mini-movies: the former a spry study in creativity, the latter a kind of emotional prison-break movie. But it’s the way Pohlad knits them together, finding resonances between each Wilson to build a fine-grained tapestry of a lonely, troubled soul, that makes this such a poignant experience. Giamatti overdoes his dastardly shrink routine, but overall Love & Mercy is that rarest of things: a music biopic that doesn’t just tell you about a tortured genius, it puts you in their head. God only knows how Pohlad pulled it off, but these are some good vibrations. [Jamie Dunn]

In Manchester, HOME takes a look at the history of industrial music on 4 Jul with Industrial Soundtrack for the Urban Decay. Directed by Amélie Ravalec and Travis Collins, it’s the first film to truly inspect the cultural origins of the genre, taking viewers on a journey through the broken down cities of industrial Europe and introducing us to the founders and pioneers of the scene. Directors Ravalec and Collins will be joined by DJ Stephen Mallinder for a post-screening Q&A and DJ set.

Also in Manchester, Gorilla hosts Retro and Dangerous for their Summer of 96 double bill featuring popcorn classics Independence Day and Twister, harking back to an age when cinemas weren’t just Marvel screening rooms.

Oh yeah, have we mentioned that you remind us of the babe? Because you’ll probably want to get down to FACT’s re-run of Labyrinth (26 Jul), as David Bowie’s skin-tight pants and the contents of Jim Henson’s Creature Shop return to the big screen. Goblins. Jennifer Connelly. A Bog of Eternal Stench. What more could you want?

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Review

Director: Justin Simien Starring: Tessa Thompson, Tyler James Williams Released: 10 Jul Certificate: 15 Arriving on UK shores 18 months after its Sundance debut, US comedy Dear White People is all too relevant in light of the increasingly publicised troubles of so-called ‘post-racial’ America right now. Writer-director Justin Simien’s assured feature debut is a satire that follows the stories of four black students at an Ivy League college in the weeks leading up to a disturbance that breaks out over an ‘African-American-themed party’ thrown by a predominantly white fraternity.

In scripting and presentation, Simien’s film seems influenced by a curious blend of Godard, Spike Lee, Wes Anderson and Kubrick (with a number of audiovisual references to Barry Lyndon), but they’re never superficial homages and always designed to produce actual resonant meaning. Dear White People is sharp, snappy and often scathing, with Simien balancing a fine line between pointed barbs and broader laughs. The cast is uniformly excellent, with the standouts being two TV veterans, Tessa Thompson (Veronica Mars) and Tyler James Williams (Everybody Hates Chris), who deserve major film star success. [Josh Slater-Williams]

Amy

Song of the Sea

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Director: Asif Kapadia Starring: Amy Winehouse (archive footage) Released: 3 Jul Certificate: 15

Blade Runner

Dear White People

Director: Tomm Moore Starring: David Rawle, Brendan Gleeson, Fionnula Flanagan Released: 10 Jul Certificate: U

Prior interest in the life, music and untimely passing of Amy Winehouse is not required for Asif Kapadia’s second documentary to floor you completely.

Following the success of 2011’s Senna (itself no easy task), perhaps any subject in this director’s hands can be transformed into compelling, uncompromising storytelling.

Kapadia again takes a step back, letting the images and recorded interviews do the talking. It is an emotionally exhausting flood of scenes (featuring a wealth of unseen candid footage), but the editing is selfless and understated, and any foreshadowing is natural, rather than hammy. The film’s inherent tragedy resists perversion or sensationalism, and despite the sheer depth, intimacy and extent of the footage used, there is a delicacy and even-handedness with which her story is presented.

Some scenes are difficult to watch – Winehouse clearly inebriated on stage in Belgrade, in particular – and yet that selfsame difficulty hooks us.

There will be wet eyes for sure, either from tears, or from simply forgetting to blink. [George Sully]

Back in February, Song of the Sea was memorably described by one Oscar voter as “that obscure freakin’ Chinese fuckin’ thing that nobody ever freakin’ saw,” which must have come as a surprise to Kilkenny-based Irish animation studio Cartoon Saloon. No matter: obscurity surely now shortlived, it richly deserved its Oscar nomination.

With a fairytale template and childlike sense of wonder, clumsy comparisons to Studio Ghibli are inevitable, but overstated; while Song of the Sea undoubtedly owes a debt to the Japanese studio, this is an Irish film, through and through. The selkies, giants, and spirits of the story are rooted in centuries of Gaelic mythology, with themes of grief and loss weaved seamlessly into the tapestry. Folkloric storytelling on a lavish canvas, it also boasts some of the most astonishing animation in recent memory – every frame could be framed. Moore’s film brims with charm, wit, emotion and magic, and should, by all measures, leave you utterly rapt. Go freakin’ see it. [John Nugent]

Inside Out

Eden

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Director: Pete Docter, Ronaldo del Carmen Starring: Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, Bill Hader, Lewis Black Released: 24 Jul Certificate: U With Inside Out, their 15th animated feature, animation house Pixar take a detour to avoid some of the visual and storytelling beats that have made even their best movies feel a little familiar at this point. Within the head of 11-year-old Riley, we meet several characters representing her emotions: Joy (Poehler), Sadness (Smith), Fear (Hader), Anger (Black), and Disgust (Mindy Kaling). During one tumultuous experience, Joy and Sadness become separated from the rest and lost inside the depths of Riley’s mind, leaving the other three alone in charge of the girl’s emotional state.

Inside Out is concerned with the complexities of human decisions, actions and motivations, its power coming not through its sharp wit, fun characters and thrillingly detailed imagery (though those are certainly appreciated) but instead how its helmers turn internal woes we’re all familiar with into the stuff of grand drama. It has an elemental, humanistic grip, and the lucidity with which it articulates psychological subtleties and depression for a family-friendly audience is remarkable. And it’s also, you know, really entertaining. [Josh Slater-Williams]

FILM

Director: Mia Hansen-Løve Starring: Félix de Givry, Pauline Etienne, Greta Gerwig Released: 24 Jul Certificate: 15 Mia Hansen-Løve is a master of party scenes – the standout moments from her two previous features (Goodbye First Love and The Father of My Children) involve characters lost in a celebratory throng. Eden is one long party following Paul (Félix De Givry), a lanky and likeable DJ, as he floats through two decades on the fringes of the French house music scene.

Success is always in sight but remains out of reach. What sustains him in the milieu is a palpable love for the music and a close-to-functioning coke addiction.

Written by Hansen-Løve with her DJ brother, Eden’s great strength is its lived-in authenticity. It’s a kind of vampire movie, with our protagonist trapped in the crepuscular purgatory of his early 20s. His friends swap clubbing for kids and early nights; Paul stagnates. The outlook isn’t wholly pessimistic though. When the soundtrack is pounding it’s easy to see why he got lost in the music. At one point Paul describes the tracks he spins as halfway between melancholy and euphoria. Hanson-Løve plays a similar tune. [Jamie Dunn]

THE SKINNY

The Man with the Golden Arm

Chappie

Chimes at Midnight

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Director: Otto Preminger Starring: Frank Sinatra, Eleanor Parker Released: Out now Certificate: 15 The Nelson Algren novel on which this is based asks readers to relate to a philandering junkie card dealer whose ultimate ambition is to be a jazz drummer. The character of Frankie Machine was sanitised somewhat for 50s cinema audiences, but he remained no less of an outsider and it’s a miracle this film was made at all. It counts itself among a slew of controversial masterpieces directed by Otto Preminger over the course of the decade and its release without certification from the Motion Picture Association of America brought about significant changes in Hollywood film censorship.

Like Billy Wilder’s The Lost Weekend, it’s an unflinchingly humane work of enormous importance. When we meet Frankie he’s fresh out of jail, clean and in possession of a new set of drums. It’s predictable that strain and temptation will embroil him as he returns to his old life, but Frank Sinatra’s sweaty-browed disintegration makes for truly compelling viewing. [Lewis Porteous]

Director: Neil Blomkamp Starring: Dev Patel, Hugh Jackman Released: 6 Jul Certificate: 15 Neil Blomkamp’s career has, so far, been a lot like Tim Burton’s, except played out over just three films rather than three decades.

Both begin life as blockbuster auteurs offering idiosyncratic spins on old traditions: Burton presents a suburbia-infused take on the macabre, Blomkamp re-vamps sci-fi with a junkyard style. But, in both cases, their greatest strength quickly becomes their fatal weakness as they entrench themselves so rigidly in the style that worked first time round. Burton’s was a slow decline from the likes of Edward Scissorhands down to recent flops like Dark Shadows, while Blomkamp blew everyone away with District 9 but followed it up with two exercises in deja vu and diminishing returns.

Chappie ticks over perfectly well and Chappie himself is an impressive creation, even if his child-like newcomer shtick has been old since E.T. It’s simply watchable, never becoming either entirely offputting or genuinely entertaining. [Ross McIndoe]

Director: Orson Welles Starring: Orson Welles, Jeanne Moreau Released: Out now Certificate: PG A widespread and misguided perception of Orson Welles’ career – that it was all downhill from Citizen Kane – is turned on its head by Chimes at Midnight. This rambunctious and freewheeling adaptation of various Shakespeare texts would stand as a singular achievement for many filmmakers, but for Welles it’s simply one of many.

While the film may lack coherence at times, it’s thrillingly alive in a way that so few screen versions of Shakespeare manage to be. Hardly a scene goes by without giving the audience something to be dazzled by, from the director’s dynamic camera and editing choices to the full-blooded performances. Some sequences are among the best Welles ever filmed, notably a sensational battle.

But the film’s biggest asset (in more ways than one) is Welles the actor, who appears to be having the time of his life as Falstaff: “This sanguine coward, this bed-presser, this horseback-breaker, this huge hill of flesh.” [Philip Concannon]

Story of My Death

A Letter to Three Wives

Forty Guns

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Director: Albert Serra Starring: Montse Triola, Clara Visa Released: Out now Certificate: 15 Albert Serra’s mischievous allegory for the death knell of the Enlightenment and the dawning of Romanticism is a truly singular work. Serra expresses this cultural shift through an imagined encounter between Casanova (Vincenc Altaio) and Dracula (Eliseu Huertas). It’s an intriguing concept tempered by the director’s fondness for laborious long takes and burlesque humour. Art’s ability to reflect society’s shifting values is the film’s central theme, be it candlelit discussions over the influence of religion on literature or an extended sequence dedicated to our tragic Lothario’s bowel movements. An alchemist transforming faeces into gold is just one of the film’s potent metaphors for the creative process.

The film’s erotic charge of intellectualism is an alienating mix of philosophising and debauchery. But Serra’s approach isn’t without its charm. While other artists seek to find order in chaos, Serra revels in the anarchy, crafting a fittingly facetious monument to the cyclical nature of art. [Patrick Gamble]

Director: Joseph L Mankiewicz Starring: Jeanne Crain, Linda Darnell Released: Out now Certificate: U Like the following year’s All About Eve, this 1949 mega-hit was adapted from fiction published in the pages of Cosmopolitan.

It too is a so-called ‘woman’s picture’ of mass appeal. Both saw writer-director Joseph L Mankiewicz clean up at the Oscars. But while Eve’s relentless bitchiness was confined to a world of snakelike critics and acid-tongued thesps, A Letter to Three Wives is set in anonymous small-town America. “Any resemblance to you or me might be purely coincidental,” warns an introductory voiceover.

Audiences continue to delight in the emotional excesses of Eve’s larger-than-life characters, but contemporary viewers will doubtless struggle to sympathise with the affluent housewives found here, each one fearing abandonment by her husband. The picture is a brilliantly handled exercise in building understanding of three highly strung characters and the men in their lives, yet time has rendered it unattractively conformist and materialistic.

[Lewis Porteous]

Director: Samuel Fuller Starring: Barbara Stanwyck, Barry Sullivan Released: Out now Certificate: PG In one of Forty Guns’ standout scenes, gunslinger-turned-lawman Griff Bonnell (Barry Sullivan) and cattle baroness Jessica Drummond (Barbara Stanwyck) flee a tornado that’s tearing across the Arizona plains. It’s a technically impressive sequence, with resourceful camerawork and cuts belying the film’s B-movie credentials and creating a palpable sense of jeopardy.

But more than that, the vortex acts as a conspicuous metaphor, signifying not only the passions and violence barely bottled inside its protagonists, but also the winds of change about to blow through the old west. “This is the last stop,” purrs Jessica as the pair shelter in a tumbledown shack. “The frontier is finished.”

Such sentiments identify Samuel Fuller’s undervalued western as an early example of genre revisionism, but the tone isn’t always so serious thanks to some of the most overt innuendo ever put on screen. Watch how you handle Griff’s pistol, Jessica; it’ll go off in your face. [Chris Buckle]

ADVERTISING FEATURE

Northern Greats: MANIFF T

his month, Manchester will again be enveloped in a sea of creativity as its biennial International Festival brings acclaimed musicians, artists and theatre-makers to the city. There’s one art form missing from this cultural blitz, however: cinema. Aiming to fill the moving-image chasm is Manchester Film Festival (MANIFF), which will run in and around AMC in the Great Northern Warehouse from 10-12 July.

This is the festival’s inaugural year but its organisers have big ambitions, stating on their website that the festival “will become a world leader within the international filmmaking community” and that its objective “is to champion great storytelling that translates brilliantly on to screen.” We sat down with director of operations Neil Jeram-Croft and director of programming Al Bailey to find out more.

The Skinny: Why did you want to start the festival, and what kind of festival did you want to create?

Neil Jeram-Croft: We’re filmmakers ourselves and we’ve never really understood why there wasn’t an international film festival here in Manchester, so we just thought, why not?

We talked about whether we should go niche, and we decided to steer clear of that.

July 2015

There are specialist film festivals here in Manchester already; there’s ¡Viva!, HOME’s Spanish festival, there’s Grimm Up North, but there’s never been a fully fledged mainstream film festival here, and that’s what we wanted to bring. The programme’s full of independent films, but they’re not arthouse, as such. There’s a broad appeal to our selection and that’s what we really wanted.

How did you go about selecting the programme?

Jeram-Croft: Other festivals like to scour the globe for films, go to Sundance and try to get as many films from there as possible, then go to Sydney and get films from there. We wanted them to all come from submissions. Each filmmaker payed us a small fee to submit their film for us to consider, and for us to then give half of the space away to films that haven’t specifically asked to be in our festival seemed wrong.

We wanted to go with the strongest films we had from our submissions, and luckily they were really strong.

Al Bailey: I’ve basically been in a dark room since October. The remit was story, story, story. We were looking for great stories, and the production value, etcetera, came after that.

Photo: www.bramhall.photo

The Great Northern Warehouse hosts the inaugural Manchester Film Festival this July. We caught up with its ambitious organisers to hear of their plans for the event

Apart from great films, what else goes in to making a successful festival?

Bailey: I think creating a sense of occasion.

For example, for the screening of Buskin Blues, which is a film about busking, we’re working on something where we’ll bring buskers to the screening to create a bit of an atmosphere. It’s about theming whatever you’ve got going on onscreen with something around the screening to make it special.

Jeram-Croft: What’s great for us this year is that we’re just in the AMC, not in five different screens spread across the city. It’s very easy to lose your identity when you’re that spread out.

And the Great Northern is such a great location in terms of the bars and restaurants that are there, so it’s all going to be very contained, which is brilliant for us.

to know that they’re going on and that’s not what we’re all about.

Jeram-Croft: We want it to be an annual event that’s looked forward to and that the people of Manchester can take pride in.

Bailey: But it’s not going to be some back slapping exercise saying, “Look how great Manchester is at making films.” It’s more about bringing great films to Manchester. Don’t get me wrong: we have films in the programme from Manchester filmmakers, but they’re there because of their quality.

Manchester Film Festival takes place 10-12 July at the Great Northern Warehouse, Deansgate, Manchester. For full listings and ticket information, go to maniff.com thegreatnorthern.com | @gnwarehouse

What’s the future for the festival?

Bailey: Make something sustainable. We want to improve year on year and build a network, a filmmaking community. There is a filmmaking community in Manchester already, but some things are so underground you have to be a mole

DVD

Review

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Book Highlights Forget Independence Day, it’s all about American literature this July: Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman is released to suitable literary fanfare, while The Last Poets, Walter Mosley and Judy Blume also visit the Northwest Words: Alice Horne Illustration: Studio Smoking Pig

O

ne of the biggest dates in this year’s literary calendar arrives this month with the publication of Harper Lee’s eagerly anticipated novel Go Set a Watchman. Fifty-five years after Lee’s only other novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, was published, Go Set a Watchman finally hits the shelves on 14 Jul. The novel features an adult Scout and centres on her return to the fictional Maycomb, Alabama, to visit her father.

If you’d like to be one of the first to get your hands on a copy, Waterstones Deansgate and Liverpool One will be opening to sell the novel at midnight on 13 Jul, following a screening of Robert Mulligan’s 1962 film adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird. But the Harper Lee love-fest doesn’t start there: a number of Waterstones stores across the Northwest will be holding book groups to discuss Lee’s classic novel on 1 Jul, with many reconvening on 29 Jul to consider its sequel.

A later literary output from the AfricanAmerican civil rights era, The Last Poets, are

BOOK OF THE MONTH Wolf in White Van

touring the UK this summer. Widely considered one of the founding influencers of hip-hop, The Last Poets developed during the late 1960s Black Nationalist movement, combining spoken word and music in a genre-bending, ground-breaking way. They are joined by some of the UK’s best poetic talent on the Speak Up Newcomers tour, arriving in Manchester on 21 Jul. Meanwhile, New York-based crime writer Walter Mosley comes to Liverpool for a rare UK appearance as part of Writing on the Wall’s annual festival. Having published over 40 novels, the prolific author is most famous for his historical mysteries featuring the detective Easy Rawlins, and is said to count Bill Clinton among his fans.

See him on 2 Jul at Liverpool Town Hall, where he will discuss the city’s transatlantic literary heritage, including experiences of race, class and gender.

Elsewhere, American writer Judy Blume returns to adult fiction after writing for teens for over a decade. Already met with acclaim, Blume’s

In the Unlikely Event is set in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where three passenger planes crashed within a period of three months in 1952. Based on real-life events, the novel explores the tragedy from the perspective of multiple characters in the city where Blume herself grew up. She will be discussing In the Unlikely Event at Oh Me Oh My in Liverpool (14 Jul) and Manchester’s Central Library (15 Jul).

Finally, one of Europe’s most significant cultural festivals returns to Manchester this July, bringing a world-leading programme of commission-led work to the city over 18 days. Literary highlights of the fifth Manchester International Festival include Interdependence, a two-day event of discussion and debate, featuring artists, performers and writers from across the globe.

Among the participants on 4 Jul is art historian, curator and writer Philippe Van Cauteren, alongside Ewen MacAskill, an award-winning journalist famous for his involvement in the reporting of the Snowden affair. On 5 Jul, British

The Cartel

The Well of Trapped Words

By Don Winslow

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by Sema Kaygusuz

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By John Darnielle

director and screenwriter Peter Strickland will be joined by interdisciplinary novelist and playwright Veronica Gonzalez Peña, who founded rockypoint Press to pioneer artist-writer collaborations in book, print and film form. Expect to be inspired by some of the most exciting, contemporary creative minds.

To Kill a Mockingbird Book Groups, Waterstones (various), Wed 1 Jul, free, waterstones.com/events Go Set a Watchman release, Waterstones Deansgate, Manchester, Mon 13 Jul, 8pm, free, or Waterstones Liverpool One, Mon 13 Jul, 9.30pm, free, waterstones.com/ events The Last Poets: Speak Up Newcomers Tour, Band on the Wall, Manchester, Tue 21 Jul, 7.30pm, £15 (£12), bandonthewall.org An Evening with Walter Mosley, Liverpool Town Hall, Thu 2 Jul, 7.30pm, £15 (£10), writingonthewall.org.uk An Evening with Judy Blume, Oh Me Oh My, Liverpool, Tue 14 Jul, 6.30pm, £7 (£5), or Central Library, Manchester, Wed 15 Jul, 6.30pm, £7 (£5), waterstones.com/events Interdependence, Old Granada Studios, Manchester, SatSun 4-5 Jul, 11am, £5 per day, mif.co.uk

S.N.U.F.F.

By Victor Pelevin

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With his debut novel, John Darnielle of The Mountain Goats fame takes the soft, melancholy lyricism of his music and draws it out into a strange, sad novel. He features the kid who everyone thinks is a little off, who has long hair and likes weird music, who doesn’t quite seem to fit – this figure also crops up throughout Darnielle’s music.

The Goats’ latest album, Beat the Champ, hazily recalled his nights spent gazing through the looking glass of the TV screen into the world of professional wrestling, where gargantuan heroes fought for honour and justice, a world where good prevailed each week in spectacular somersaulting fashion. After a lonely childhood and an ‘accident,’ the full horror of which is only gradually revealed, Wolf in White Van’s own iteration of him channels that same need to escape reality towards a role-playing game of his own creation called Trace Italian. When two young players try to live out the game in the real world, reality comes tearing into his imaginary hiding place to drag him back into the cold, hard light.

Dark humour wrapped around a soft human heart, a combination that has made Darnielle one of the most revered songwriters of his generation, now also announces him as a novelist to be reckoned with. [Ross McIndoe] Out now, published by Granta Books, RRP £7.99

Don Winslow’s The Power of the Dog was an epic fictional dissection of the US-Mexican drug wars, rightly regarded as a modern classic of crime fiction. Now, ten years later, Winslow’s sequel, The Cartel, has been unleashed upon the literary landscape.

Like its predecessor, The Cartel is justified in its scope and ambition: the ongoing conflict at its heart is among the most violent and senseless in the world today. Winslow, influenced by real-life events and his deep, unflinching research, has created a fictional mirror image of the true situation, utilising the antagonism between DEA agent Art Keller and patron of El Federación Adán Barrera as the emotional spine of his novel.

From this central narrative, Winslow spins tales of the soldiers, journalists and innocents caught up in events beyond their control. The Cartel is a brutal dissection of some of the most unjustly ignored events in the modern world. If you feel angry reading The Cartel, then that’s as it should be. The injustices on the page are real.

And when even the nominal heroes have blood on their hands, it is apparent that something is very wrong indeed. This is a powerhouse of a novel from an author who understands the most subtle nuances of his subject matter, and may be one of the most essential crime fiction books of 2015. [Russel D. McLean]

In 2013, Sema Kaygusuz addressed the Edinburgh International Book Festival and spoke of the transitional qualities of literature, especially across linguistic barriers. Her latest offering of short fiction may well have suffered a little loss in translation, but The Well of Trapped Words lives up to the author’s proposed universality of literature despite this.

The stories contained within speak to a basic humanity, but at no point is it watered down or diluted. Each tale is defined by the notion of hidden significance, more often than not portraying a revelation through a range of means – be that a change of view or a gradual metamorphosis. There is a mysticism threaded throughout the book that is perhaps the source of the unique aptness of the themes and situations, regardless of their spatio-temporal origin or the language in which they are written.

Though this mysticism never tips over into a glaring magic realism, readers will find a touch of Angela Carter in how Kaygusuz finds wonder and deeper tones of colour in mundanity, as well as a delicious flair for description.

Of particular note are the stories Yulerzik and Many Years Ago, I Was Standing in a Meydan, both of which show a master of short fiction breaking down the barriers of literary nationalism. [Sean Hutchings]

In this farcical utopia, esoteric Russian writer Victor Pelevin fast-forwards our current culture – where the lines between fact and fiction are increasingly blurred – to create a world where the population have simply stopped needing to suspend disbelief: most people just believe everything as equally true. The central narrator, Damilola Karpov, is a ‘discourse monger’ working for Big Byz, a media conglomerate that manufactures war for entertainment purposes.

He lives in Byzantion, an oligarchic city which floats above Urkaina, where the masses live and which functions as a sort of testing ground for newsworthy events.

When he is not trying to finely tune his bionic sex partner, Damilola uses a sort of advanced drone to incite and record combat in Urkaina.

When Damilola is instructed to help two ‘Urks’ (or ‘Orks’), Grim and Chloe, their fate becomes bound up in his own. As if often the case with sci-fi genre, S.N.U.F.F. is more of a thought experiment than a novel. Long unwieldy conversations are used to explain what Pelevin’s invented etymologies mean, or what sort of skewed mysticism a character is in thrall to, and some of the farcical elements seem designed to show how all moral sanctioning is irrational, not just some.

Nevertheless, some of the more absurdist passages are disturbingly prescient. [Nick Major]

Out now, published by Comma Press, RRP £9.99

Out now, published by Gollancz, RRP £14.99

Out now, published by William Heinemann, RRP £18.99

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Review

BOOKS

THE SKINNY

OPEN 1

The heart is deceitful above all things

Open Eye Gallery

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Richard Ross - Juvenile in Justice (2012)

expressions of the workers and the environments they inhabit or have, in some cases, tried to make home. Our desks are funny places, sites we often spend more time in than we do at home and both the cosiness of some (dolls, soft toys, photographs) and the austerity of others is interesting and telling. In the same gallery space, but slightly less interesting, are Deborah Kelly’s portraits of families, often mothers and daughters; Sonal Kantaria’s portraits; and Billy Macrae’s G20 Double Takes, which show hands holding photographs of the G20 protests held against the more recent, and calmer, same locations. The installation of all of them is nicely done.

Without doubt, the most compelling set of images come from Richard Ross. His series, Juvenile in Justice, charts the stories of those youths who are detained in prisons and reform centres across the USA, and the stories are often heartbreaking. Shown as images with a written text from the ‘criminal’ children next to them, you read of young people punished largely by an unfunctioning (or too high functioning) administration – of solitary confinement, loss and a huge amount of wasted life. This project has a good online presence and it is worth further reading and consideration whether you make it to the exhibition or not. [Sacha Waldron] OPEN 1 is open until 23 Aug openeye.org.uk

I moved from London to Liverpool aged ten and started a new primary school. In the playground, on the first day, a group of girls waved a copy of Smash Hits at me and asked the key question designed to measure and assess how worthy I was of their friendship: “Which member of Take That would you snog?”

I froze, reluctant to admit I was still on Abba cassettes. Not being a Take That fan was an early 90s girl crime. I named the only band member I could remember: “Mark Owen?” Their murmurs of approval confirmed this was an acceptable answer. I was in. That Christmas, Take That & Party was added to Santa’s list. I learned all the lyrics just to be on the safe side.

Irina Gheorghe had a much more committed adoration of the baby-faced and hairless Ken doll pop star. “The reason I like Mark Owen so much,” she writes in one diary, “is that he is the smallest and sweetest of all TT boys.” This, accompanied by a well-loved Owen poster, is part of a photographic and textual installation work, John, you Like Her, Don’t You? 1994-1996 (2004), exploring Gheorghe’s often obsessive and secretive teen boy musings (a list, for example, of the 100 most attractive boys in school) as laid out in various notebooks reproduced and translated (from Romanian) on the gallery walls.

Snogging is also very much on the agenda for Zina Saro-Wiwa with her work Eaten by the Heart (2012). Twelve African and mixed race couples kiss on screen for four to seven minutes each and we watch both the passion and the mundanity of the mulch and munch of mouths

Douglas Coupland - Slogans for the 21st Century (2011-14)

performing this intimate dance together as if they wish to consume one another. The large scale projection, opposite an 11-metre long neon text from Ragnar Kjartansson spelling “Scandinavian Pain,” are both excellent ways to show off the new HOME gallery, which has gone from Cornerhouse pokey to palatial.

Skipping past Douglas Coupland with his neon posters and propositions often using internet or text speak (“Flag as Appropriate”), a confusing mobile phone thingy from Jeremy Bailey (an app that turns your iPhone into a sickle?) and a forgettable temporary tattoo machine from Gemma Parker, we are treated to some very good video work, the best of which comes from Wu Tsang and Alexandro Segade with Mishima in Mexico. The (approximately) 14 minute narrative follows a writer and director as they hole up in a Mexican hotel room trying to finish a film adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s novel Thirst for Love. The two move between characters in the novel, dressing up and acting out certain scenes to flesh out ideas of obsession, jealousy and love to re-situate the novel within a queer context.

Reality, performance and fiction blur in this interesting and stylish layered loop that leaves you wanting more. [Sacha Waldron] The heart is deceitful above all things runs at HOME until 26 Jul homemcr.org/exhibition/ the-heart-is-deceitful-above-all-things

Down, but Not Out It’s been up against the ropes, but 24:7 Theatre Festival returns this month with a stripped-back programme that is likely to be the last in its current form. We catch up with executive producer David Slack to hear what shape the much-loved fringe festival is in Interview: Andrew Anderson Illustration: Bethany Thompson

I

t’s been a tough year for 24:7 Theatre Festival: they lost their Arts Council funding, their primary sponsor pulled out and the building they called home was closed down.

Last July, the much-loved fringe festival celebrated its tenth anniversary but many, including executive producer David Slack, thought it might be their last. “I wasn’t sure if we would carry on,” says Slack. “I didn’t know if we were needed anymore.”

Now, 12 months on, 24:7 is back with the Big Festival Weekend, and while the skies are not cloud-free they are certainly looking a good deal sunnier. The scaled-down series features five plays rather than the usual ten, taking place over three days rather than the usual seven (running 24-26 July), with the majority based at Manchester University’s Martin Harris Centre.

“After last year we decided we couldn’t keep doing a yearly event – it was just too much work, and there is too much competition for time and money in MIF years,” he explains. “We decided to do this as a sort of stop-gap, while we work out what we might do next, perhaps on a biennial basis.”

July 2015

But even organising this mini-festival proved stressful: they’d already committed to the project before the Arts Council had confirmed whether they’d fund it or not, “which was a bit nerve-wracking,” admits Slack.

Thankfully, (reduced) funding came through, but Slack says he and his team still struggled to decide what the festival should look like: they still had a great brand and a brilliant reputation, but what was their purpose?

“When we first started there wasn’t much around for developing writers and directors,” says Slack. “But now there are so many small production companies, the Lowry and the Royal Exchange are bringing people in, HOME has opened its doors – we have led the way and now other people have come along and replaced us. We can’t assume that just because we did this stuff first that gives us some innate right to it.”

In some ways, this year’s 24:7 looks similar to what has gone before, with five short plays from developing writers. Highlights include Gary: A Love Story, which takes a caustic look at brotherly love; The Butterfly’s Adventure, a

site-specific family piece that makes use of the collections at the Manchester Museum; and We Are the Multitude, in which two co-workers attempt to unpack the reasons behind their lack of popularity.

But there is also a noticeable shift in focus.

This year includes several spoken word events – a 24:7 first – as well as a site-specific piece at the Manchester Museum and a number of workshops for aspiring writers, actors and directors. “The Big Festival Weekend is about seeing what works and what doesn’t,” he says, “trying to find what the Northwest needs.”

And, while he might have had his moments of doubt in the last 12 months, Slack still thinks 24:7 has something to offer. “What we do best is

ART / THEATRE

develop talent,” he notes, pointing out that many of Manchester’s current crop of writers, actors and directors have graduated through one of 24:7’s productions. “Now we have to work out how we can do that best. Is it through festivals, one-off events, training schemes or something else altogether?”

Whatever happens, and whether it works or not, it is good to have 24:7 back for another instalment, even in this abridged form. “It has been a challenge getting this shorter festival together,” concludes Slack. “But there is one major advantage: I can actually go away on a summer holiday this year.”

24:7 Theatre Festival runs 24-26 Jul. For full listings and tickets, go to 247theatrefestival.co.uk

Review

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Photo: Rachel Topham

Open 1 marks the start of a new series of annual exhibitions that showcase work and research projects that have been submitted to Open Eye since 2013. Open Eye actually have an ongoing open call for proposals, one of the few galleries I know that do – I’m sure they get some incredible stuff but they must also get so much shit along with it.

Of course Open Eye is only showing the good stuff. The show opens with pastel ice-cream walls displaying 11 prints from Helen Marshall in collaboration with Risang Yuwono. These were made in partnership with the Ketoprak Tobong Kelana Bhakti Budaya, one of the last remaining theatre troupes in Yogyakarta. In Marshall’s images, the performers are captured in staged scenes; two female performers play tug of war in a building site, a lady in sparkling purple stands resolutely on the beach, another bejewelled man at a bus stop. The point is the juxtaposition between traditional, once ubiquitous, Javanese theatre tradition and its increasing marginalisation. Based on shadow and puppet theatre, the Ketoprak has developed into a dance performance that transforms humans into the puppets themselves. The archival photos on Marshall/ Yuwono’s Project Tobong website are great; head to YouTube for more contemporary, modernly glitzy, examples.

Next up is documentary photographer Louis Quail‘s series Desk Jobs, which shows employees, sales consultants in Connecticut, property developers in Vietnam, and receptionists in Moscow at their desks. The images capture two key things – the glazed but concentrated

HOME

Spotlight: Norris & Parker

Jack Bauer, deceased porn stars and goose-strangling failed actors – welcome to the weird world of Katie Norris and Sinead Parker Interview: John Stansfield Illustration: Anthony Jaycott

I

n 2013 Katie Norris and Sinead Parker stormed the Edinburgh Free Fringe with their anarchic mix of sketch, musicals and ridiculous soliloquies. Critical acclaim don’t pay the bills though, so after a financially minded year off they’re back to take on Scotland’s capital once more, with a stop off at the Greater Manchester Fringe first.

Armed with nothing more than their wit and a heap of Disney songs, it’s Norris & Parker!

First gig: Katie Norris: “Our first show was in 2010 at the Lass O’Gowrie in Manchester. About 50 of our friends and family came, and one person from the actual public who thought they’d come to our birthday party. Our early writing style revolved around creating characters based on accents we were alright at. These included ‘New York Women’, ‘Posh Women’, ‘Irish Women’ and ‘Swahili Women.’”

Sinead Parker: “One sketch was based around the American series 24. This was due to the fact that I became obsessed with the character Jack Bauer and spent three weeks in solitary confinement watching all eight seasons. I came out of my room only to eat and to defecate. My mum would come home from work and ask in a hollow Irish voice, ‘Have you been out today Sinead?’ and

I’d intimidate her out the room in the style of a CIA Agent.”

Best gig: SP: “All Our Friends Are Dead at Re:play Festival last year at the Lowry. We had the luxury of an onstage band playing all our songs. Sadly we no longer have a band due to the fact that the guitarist is my ex-boyfriend. The last thing he said to me was, ‘Leave me alone, I don’t want to talk to you, please move on,’ which I think is a polite way of telling me he’s not available for future gigs.”

KN: “Plus I had sex with the pianist and we forgot to pay the violinist so now we have to resort to illegally ripping off Disney instrumentals from YouTube. If there are any musicians out there who would like to work with us, and are happy to be financially and sexually exploited, please get in touch via Facebook or Twitter.”

Worst gig: KN: “I hate all gigs. Especially the ones which start with Parker gagging in the toilets before we go on because she’s so nervous. In between retches she likes to look up at me with pathetic eyes and say, ‘I’ll be OK.’ She is clearly not OK and we are probably not going to be OK but I always remain strong and courageous. “

Favourite venue: KN: “The Three Minute Theatre in Afflecks Palace because it’s a gem of a space with a wonderful vibe, and Gina and John are a better double act than we are.”

SP: “The King’s Arms because the theatre is fantastic and all the barmaids have sensational breasts.”

If you could be haunted by anyone, who would it be and why?

SP: “The porn star who had sex with a horse and died. She would follow me round as a constant reminder that despite my constant urge to mate with a Shetland pony, the consequences would outweigh the benefits.”

KN: “I have nothing more to add.”

Best heckle: SP: “When whining on stage (our show favours whining over actual jokes) about being so poor I can’t pay my own rent, my own father aggressively shouted, ‘I PAY YOUR RENT, SINEAD’ and made me look like a liar. He no longer pays my rent so now I am forced to live in my mother’s attic like a cross between Mrs Rochester and Norman Bates.”

KN: “Parker’s dad is really cruel but quite fit.”

SP: “Stop it.”

KN: “I would...”

SP: “Just stop it.”

What’s the largest animal you think you could beat in a fight? No weapons.

KN: “My boyfriend’s ex.”

SP: “A drunk pig.”

What would you be doing if you weren’t doing standup?

KN: “Waitrose, baking and lactating.”

SP: “I’d be in Syria looking for a husband.”

You can catch Norris & Parker: All Our Friends Are Dead at the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival, The King’s Arms, Salford 15-17 July. They also play The Skinny Spotlight, The King’s Arms, 12 July, and Just the Tonic, The Caves, Edinburgh, 6-31 Aug

Question from past Spotlighter Liam Pickford: Why do you hate geese?

KN: “I was brought up on a farm and I witnessed my RADA-trained farmer father once strangle a goose with his bare hands. When you’ve seen the red eyes of a screaming, dying goose and the desperation of a failed actor, it’s hard to feel any sympathy for either of them.”

A Room with a Preview Preview season heats up in July – a cheap opportunity to take in the best of the Fringe before it’s even begun. Here are our picks Words: John Stansfield

T

he comedy circuit’s calendar has become a little like the snake eating its own tail (or ouroboros if you know how to work Wikipedia), with the Edinburgh Festival forming the head.

You do the Edinburgh Festival, tour that show (hopefully), then start working new material into your regular act; then you do previews, panic and rewrite whole show; then you go up to Edinburgh for the Fringe again. Ad infinitum. The month before August (it’s called “July” in case you were wondering, fact fans!) is when the preview season starts to really heat up. It’s a blind panic of a month when acts are still doing all they can to make sure their show is the best it can be.

On the other side, for the punter this is a chance to see some top acts perform at a much cheaper rate, and in an arena a little more intimate than you might usually see said performer in. Though previews are just that – a glimpse at the embryonic form of a standup or sketch group’s new show before they present the fully formed baby to an unforgiving Fringe crowd.

There is something more, though; it is a time to see comics at their most vulnerable, asking for important feedback in the way of laughter.

And it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than heading to Edinburgh for a month.

The Greater Manchester Fringe Festival set up shop four years ago and has gone from strength to strength, relying heavily on those comics looking to preview what they have across the pubs and bars of Manchester and Salford.

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Review

This year you can see established acts such as Phill Jupitus as Porky the Poet (6 July), and Robin Ince (1st & 2nd), at The King’s Arms in Salford, as well as Northwest hopefuls Norris & Parker (15th17th), and Alastair Clark (14th) as they attempt to fine-tune their fresh attempts at conquering Edinburgh. greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk Now entering their second month of previews, Manchester’s finest purveyors of live comedy, Group Therapy and XS Malarkey, heap more of them down your neck than you might be able to handle. Usually found in Gorilla, Group Therapy have kept the animal theme of their venues going with a series of shows at Tiger Lounge.

July sees John Luke Roberts, Stu Goldsmith, Sofie Hagen, Chris Martin, Lou Sanders, Tom Parry, Michael J Dolan and Gein’s Family Giftshop on consecutive Thursday night double bills in the city’s favourite dive bar, which has shown itself to be a great venue for live comedy. XS sticks to its Tuesday night formula but throws in an unfeasibly large name doing a preview, with the likes of great white hopes Joe Lycett (21st) and Ivo Graham (14th) stopping by. grouptherapycomedy.co.uk | xsmalarkey.com Dead Cat Comedy are also getting in on the preview act with some of their own from Damien Slash, Jack Campbell (both 11th), Chris Turner (18th), John Hastings (19th) and Sam Gore (26th). Former Spotlighter and hot tip for Edinburgh success Peter Brush will be previewing his debut show Older Than the Oldest Dog

Foxdog Studios

That Ever Lived at Quippopotamus at Fuel on Sunday 26 July. deadcatcomedy.co.uk | facebook.com/quipcomedymanchester In Liverpool, Hot Water Comedy turn up the heat further still with eight Edinburgh previews taking place on consecutive Sunday night double bills, kicking off with Dick Coughlan, and Jim Smallman’s My Girls in which he discusses the two women in his life – his 11-year-old daughter and his wife, a former adult-film star, dominatrix and model. It was nominated best new show at the Leicester Comedy Festival earlier in the year, which is an excellent indication of the show’s calibre. Two more to look out for at Hot Water’s Edinburgh previews are rising stars Johnny Pelham (19th) and Brennan Reece (26th), a pair we’re sure you’ll hear a lot more from in the future. Best to get in there early. hotwatercomedy.co.uk

COMEDY

A relatively new comedy night but one that has been making incredibly progressive bookings and leftfield choices for lineups in Liverpool is Matchbox Comedy Club. Taking place one Wednesday a month at the Lantern Theatre it’s a steal at just £3. For their Edinburgh preview they have asked along IT rock’n’rollers Foxdog Studios on the 8th. Receiving five-star reviews for their last outing at the Fringe, Foxdog have garnered quite the cult following with fully immersive multimedia showcases, in which the audience helps create the spectacle with the help of Foxdog’s technical wizardry. Such is the scope of these computer-savvy shows they don’t often get to perform live, so if you’re not headed to Edinburgh then make sure you get to this. matchboxcomedy.com

THE SKINNY

The Bunny Boiler’s Book Jessie Cave talks to The Skinny about her new book, Love Sick, and upcoming Fringe show, I Loved Her Interview: Ben Venables

E

ndlessly perusing others’ social media profiles might now be so ubiquitous it’s thought normal, though few would want their online voyeurism made public. Moreover, there can’t be many who’d make a drawing of this kind of behaviour and post it on Twitter daily, but back in 2010, Jessie Cave began such an activity: “It’s like a diary,” she says, “I can look back at the pictures and know what I did that day.”

Love Sick is the book of Cave’s drawings.

The sketches within its pages are deliberately child-like, with Cave’s characters in the midst of seemingly innocent everyday exchanges.

They might be at the bus stop, a cafe or meeting someone for the first time: ‘Hey! I’ve already stalked you extensively on Instagram. Nice to meet you’. Rendered in a nursery colour palette, the crayon-style drawings wouldn’t look out of place on a proud parent’s fridge door. In reality though, these exchanges explore envy, anxiety and insecurity at all the stages of a relationship – in other words, they’re about lovesickness.

Though it may be the love of aching, longing and confusion, it is still love Cave has on her mind. Especially in the way the drawings can relate to people: “The reason I do these drawings is so people know we’re all in the same pool. We all have anxieties.”

Cave is, of course, still best known for her role in the final Harry Potter films. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she memorably owned the role of Lavender Brown, giving a ditzy character archetype something of a Fatal Attraction edge as she pursued Ron Weasley.

Despite the fact that she and Lavender seem to share similar obsessive characteristics, Cave finds the idea she developed anything of Lavender’s personality into her own onstage persona somewhat amusing. In fact, cause and effect are the wrong way round. There was something already about Cave that suggested she was perfect for Lavender: “I was never meant to get the role,” she says, remembering that at the time of her audition she was 20, perhaps too old – relatively speaking – to play a 16-year-old. However, on the day Cave had to do a little improv: “I made Rupert [Grint] laugh. I’m pretty sure that’s why I got the part.” It was Cave’s comedic abilities, then, that went into Lavender, rather than Lavender’s character influencing Cave’s act.

“I’ve never pitched myself as the Harry Potter actor,” she says. Although she recalls in Bookworm, her 2012 debut Edinburgh show, “I did pretend I’d broken into Leavesden studios to get the role.” Refreshingly, Cave never bores us with some monologue about wanting to be taken seriously or distance herself from Lavender: “It was the best thing to happen to me,” she says, and is cheerfully aware that “even if I’m a politician people will always ask and comment, ‘where’s Won-Won?’”

July 2015

Her new fringe show, I Loved Her, sees Cave back at Underbelly for the first time since her debut.

Bookworm was a popular show and, if comedy reviews are anything to go by, a well-received one.

Yet twice in our conversation Cave sounds like she has unfinished business, which she hopes her new show will take care of. She’s hopeful I Loved Her will be something of a “mature version of the first show”; the end result of what she’s been working towards.

Not that Cave hasn’t returned to Edinburgh every year since 2012. In the following year she shared an hour with musical comedian Jenny Bede. Then last year there was the sketch show Grawlix with talented TV actor and writer Emer Kenny – or at least, there was meant to be.

Unfortunately Kenny had to pull out of the Fringe at the last minute, leaving Cave to her own devices. Cave chose to keep the lunchtime slot at Espionage and try out some solo material.

She decked out her corner of the bar like a children’s play area and, in a characteristic move, made it easy for the unwary to believe this would be a fluffy Fringe hour to turn the brain to candy floss. Of course, the resulting show was no playschool. Cave’s creepy material – enveloped in her softly spoken delivery – settled uncomfortably under the skin.

One notable aspect about last year’s show, and one which Cave continues to develop, is her use of rudimentary puppets for dialogue purposes, with faces drawn on paper plates and held up at her eye level with a stick.

“I’m most comfortable with dialogue,” she says, “and with puppets it’s a way for me not to be alone on stage.” Cave also promises to enhance this aspect of her performance: “I’m also using a mirror this year and making it a little bit more severe.”

Her comments on dialogue between characters are interesting because it is Cave’s ability as a writer of little scenes that stands out in both her book and in her performances. In a short sketch, either with a paper plate or drawn on a page, she has the ability to cut right to the nub of whatever drama is unfolding – exactly as a scene should. As the action depicted is consistent with (and infiltrates) her dialogue and characterisation, it’s possible to imagine the whole off-thepage story of the lives she portrays with ease.

If her new book and last year’s try-out material is anything to go by, I Loved Her is doubtless one for any comedy fan’s Fringe schedule this year.

Love Sick is released in hardback on 2 Jul by Ebury Press Jessie Cave: I Loved Her runs at Underbelly, Cowgate, Edinburgh, 6-30 Aug, 5.30pm, £9-10 pindippy.com

COMEDY

Review

47

Win Tickets to Edinburgh International Book Festival!

Authors will come from far and wide to this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival including many old favourites and plenty of upand-coming talent. From 15-31 August over 900 participants from across the world – including literary stars, debut writers, musicians, graphic novelists, thinkers, politicians, international award-winners and poets – will gather in the Book Festival’s magical tented village to take part in captivating interviews, rousing debates, enlightening workshops, lively spoken word performances and more. And you could be there.

For your chance to win two tickets to two events of your choice (subject to availability), simply head across to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and correctly answer the following question:

Wordsmith George the Poet will appear at the Book Festival on 21 August. What is his real name? a) Stephen Coles b) George Mpanga c) George Kamya

Jackson Pollock (1912-1956) was a pioneer of the abstract expressionist movement, and one of the most influential and provocative American artists of the 20th century.

Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots is the first exhibition in more than three decades to focus on Pollock’s paintings made between 1951 and 1953.

It opens on 30 June at Tate Liverpool.

Competition closes midnight Thursday 30 July. 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 edbookfest.co.uk

Win Tickets to Jackson Pollock at Tate Liverpool!

This exhibition will take visitors through the artist’s practice, starting with a room featuring a selection of drip paintings from 1947-49 as an introduction to the innovative black pourings period.

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the exhibition (subject to availability), simply head across to theskinny.co.uk/competitions and correctly answer the following question:

Jackson Pollock is widely considered to be a pioneer of what? a) Abstract Expressionism b) Dadaism c) Surrealism Competition closes midnight Friday 10 July. 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. Prize tickets are valid on adult, full price tickets to Jackson Pollock: Blind Spots at Tate Liverpool until 5pm on 18 October 2015. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. There are no refunds, exchanges or cash alternatives available. Our Ts&Cs can be found at theskinny.co.uk/about/terms-and-conditions tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-liverpool/exhibition/ jackson-pollock-blind-spots

ISSUE 04 18 SEPTEMBER 2015 EDINBURGH

CREATE INSPIRE EVOLVE

Magfest is the Edinburgh International Magazine Festival ·

Full day of inspirational publishing talks from Il magazine, The Week, BBC Worldwide, The Ride Journal, Clever Boxer, Building, Hot Press, Cannes Lions, Hot Rum Cow and more!

Evening drinks reception and networking Magazine photography exhibition Magazine shop with fantastic range of titles

· · ·

#magfest15 Last year was a sell-out, don’t miss out!

Tickets from £43 - book now at magfest.co.uk 48

COMPETITIONS

THE SKINNY

Manchester Music Tue 30 Jun BURT BACHARACH

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £45

What the world needs now is another Burt Bacharach tour - so it’s just as well that the crooner is calling in for another run through the highlights of his marathon career.

ERIC HUTCHINSON

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:00–22:30, £13.50

The American folk-rock singer/ songwriter takes to the road for his summer tour.

THE BLUNTSKINS

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, £4

Fresh new hip hop courtesy of Dirty Dozen Promotions.

Wed 01 Jul

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (BRAVE THE NORTH + TO KILL A CIRCUS + FAITH GLORY + WHAT ABOUT CHARLIE?) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

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

NO GOOD BEATNIKS

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

A collective of musicians operating as a jam band playing around with distorted jazz and improvisation.

CHANCE THE RAPPER

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £17.50

The Chicago hip-hop artist hits the road in support of his latest album Surf, released in May for free on the internet all modern n’ that.

THE HALLÉ (FOUNDATION OF LIBERTY)

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £17

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

LIFE STORIES: AN OPERA DOUBLEBILL BY TIM BENJAMIN

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:30–22:00, £12

A double bill of new one-man operas courtesy of Tim Benjamin.

LOS LOBOS

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 19:30–23:00, £25

Over 40 years in the game and the East LA Latin blues rock continue to tread the boards.

Thu 02 Jul BLEED FROM WITHIN

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £10

Glaswegian metal band led by shouty vocalist Scott Kennedy.

THE TOM SEALS BAND

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

Talented young pianist from Liverpool, touring with his debut album, Ace. MISE EN SCÈNE

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:30–22:00, £18

The RNCM Chamber Orchestra get involved in an interactive sensory experience with atmospheric effects, projections, images and light.

STEPHEN BAILEY

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:30, £3

The man from Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit On The Side (nah, us either) heads out on a stand-up tour.

MARY J. BLIGE

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

Arise, please, for the legendary Mary J. Blige. The R'n'B pop legend visits hits new and old 26 years after first getting signed by Uptown as a backing singer.

Fri 03 Jul MARTIN CARTHY

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

Innovative English folk musician, still going strong some 40 years on.

THE NIGHTCREATURES

ARCA + JESSE KANDA

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

HALLÉ ST PETER’S, 20:00–22:30, £20

Half blues, half brass band playing New Orleans inspired R'n'B, inspired by the HBO series, Treme, equally comfortable leading a parade as they are leading a jam session.

RNCM BIG BAND (COLIN TOWNS)

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:30–22:00, FROM £15

The in-house big band play some classic selections.

CHETHAMS SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, £18

Chetham’s Symphony Orchestra return to the Bridgewater with a performance of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3.

I DIVIDE (SILHOUETTES)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £5

Hailing from the dark depths of Exeter, I Divide deal in fast paced, raw energy performances that leaves crowds gasping for air. Bring oxygen masks.

BUTCH WALKER

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £20

The American singer/songwriter and record producer tours his latest solo LP.

Sat 04 Jul

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (PURPLE MERLIN + SONARSONIC + FLY THE BIRD + THE CRASH MATS) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

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

SNAKECHARMER

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £20

Blues rock six piece, made up of members of various rock band heavyweights, including Whitesnake, Thunder and Heartland.

CHINESE MARBLES

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

Nine-piece jazz line-up, playing a free blend of jazz, funk, soul and ska.

STORYTIME FESTIVAL (DUB CONDUCTOR SOUND SYSTEM + OH MAN THE MOUNTAIN + KALAKUTA + LUNACRE + MORE)

ANTWERP MANSION, 16:00–03:00, £5

A celebration of experimental music, performance poetry, art and visuals.

RNCM CONCERT ORCHESTRA

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 13:30–15:30, FREE

The in-house orchestra perform some classical selections.

STEVE ROTHERY BAND (MARTIN JAKUBSKI)

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–23:00, £18

Founding member of UK prog giants Marillion goes it alone (well, with his own band in tow.)

KATIE BRETT

THE LOWRY, 17:00–19:30, FREE

The harpist performs as part of The Lowry’s new After Hours series.

MACCLESFIELD YOUTH BRASS BAND

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:00–21:30, £5

A celebration of the first 10 years of this community brass band, featuring 120 young musicians.

MARK SIMPSON (THE IMMORTAL + MOZART REQUIEM)

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £14

The BBC Phil and Manchester Chamber Choir team up as part of the Manchester International Festival.

CURTIS ELLER’S AMERICAN CIRCUS INDEPENDENCE DAY BALL (THE GOAT ROPER RODEO BAND)

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:30, £10

The banjo-playing, singer/songwriter from North Carolina via NYC brings his vaudevillian style show to the UK, delivering his dreamy rock’n’roll.

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?..

THIS IS!

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–23:00, £12 (£8)

The latest WTA? Night, which promises to reject corporate pop and revel in true independence.

July 2015

Venezuelan artist Arca teams up with visual artist Jesse Kanda for a special Manchester International Festival commission. 

Sun 05 Jul

CHINA XI’AN HIGH-TECH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL WIND BAND

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 12:30–14:30, FREE

The Chinese youth band commence on a tour of the UK. A HUNDRED IN ONE HUNDRED MINUTES

WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY, 14:00–17:00, £10

Songs, poems and tales from 100 years of working class struggles a fundraiser for the Library with ballad singer Jennifer Reid and Manchester University Michael Sanders.

BJORK

CASTLEFIELD BOWL, 18:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

The legendary Icelandic solo artist returns to the Manchester International Festival with her new album Vulnicura in tow.

VEXX (SAUNA YOUTH)

GULLIVERS, 15:00–18:00, £7

The Californian punks are joined by one of Britain’s best bands, Sauna Youth.

Mon 06 Jul BLEACHERS

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £10

fun and Steel Train man Jack Antonoff brings his Bleachers project to the UK.

TOMBED VISIONS LABEL NIGHT (SHEPHERD OF CATS + SAM ANDREAE + MORE) ISLINGTON MILL, 19:30-23:00, £5

An evening of envelope-pushing drone, ambient and jazz-inspired music.

FORQ

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £12.50

THE HOLYDRUG COUPLE (HORSEBEACH) SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:30, £8

Dreamlike duo made up of Ives Sepúlveda and Manuel Parra, part of the burgeoning psychedelic rock scene currently rising out of Chile.

THREE STEP MANOEUVRE

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

A new organ trio of young musicians David Ferris on organ, Ben Lee on guitar and Oscar Reynolds on drums, specialising in hardgrooving funk music.

KING GIZZARD & THE WIZARD LIZARD

SOUND CONTROL, 20:00–23:00, £12.50

Melbourne psychniks evoking the eclectic rock experimentation of Frank Zappa.

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

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

MODEST MOUSE

THE RITZ, 19:00–23:00, £SOLD OUT

American indie rock band par excellence, led by singer/guitarist Isaac Brock.

STUART MCCALLUM RESIDENCY

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

Cinematic Orchestra guitarist trying out new material in the realm of beats, electronica, classical orchestration and jazz.

STRUNG OUT (VERSUS THE WORLD + FAIR DO’S) THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:30, £12.50

The Manchester indie rockers return with their new album on Parade Recordings.

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

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 20:00–23:00, FREE

LEON BRIDGES

Texas-hailing gospel and soul singer, out touring his debut LP Smooth Sailin.

NEIL DIAMOND

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:30–23:00, FROM £65

The American singer/songwriter brings the schmaltz.

CHRONIXX & ZINCFENCE REDEMPTION

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 19:30–23:00, £27.50

Recently ascended to reggae’s front line, the son of the legendary Chronicle drops by for a hit-filled set.

THE JAZZ SPIVS

MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 12:00–00:30, FREE

New live band specialising in music from the roaring 20s.

SOIL & PIMP SESSIONS

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £14.50

Explosive jazz-punk courtesy of the Japanese six-piece.

THE PSYCHEDELIC PIRATES

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

Go watch the self-proclaimed ‘psychedelic opera’ if you dare.

EVEN WHEN DEAD

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £6

Fri 10 Jul BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £15.50

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

THE BIG EASY

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

Swing quintet, playing all the classics from Louis Prima to Nina Simone.

FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 16:00–16:30, £SOLD OUT

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

COASST

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

New murky dark wave project from Manchester showing much promise indeed.

AREA 11

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £SOLD OUT

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

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:15, £10

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:30–22:00, £7

Award-winning jazz group present their big energy sound, built up on influences as wide ranging as Ellington and Radiohead.

Wed 08 Jul

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (CRUEL KINGDOM + LOGAN’S RUNNERS + MAYBE FRANK + MELANIE KATE) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

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

DARKTOWN JUBILEE

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

The veteran rockers tour in support of their seventh album Agents of The Underground.

BEATS & PIECES

BETTE MIDLER

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:30–23:00, FROM £50

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–22:30, £4

EXTRA LOVE (JEREMIAH FERRARI)

THE BLOCKHEADS

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (LUNAR + THE LEBRELS + THE LOUNGS + THE RENAISSANCE)

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 20:00–00:00, £7.50

Tue 07 Jul The elder-statesman of folk plays a headline set, having notched up some 40+ years on the road in his time.

FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 19:30–20:00, £SOLD OUT

Thu 09 Jul

Fierce metalcore from Manchester.

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

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £17

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

The Grammy Award-winning singer/actress plays the hits.

The New York-based, Texan founded all-star jazz/groove quartet hit the UK. DICK GAUGHAN

THE HALLÉ (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. SINATRA!)

WIGAN YOUTH ORCHESTRA

One of the Wigan Music Service’s senior ensembles makes the short trip to Manchester.

WALTON HESSE

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

The local six-piece DIY countrytinged guitar pop group celebrate the release of their debut LP.

Sat 11 Jul MAMMA FREEDOM

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

Manchester/ New York natives with a penchant for moody, beat-laden funk, served up with soul-soaked lyrics.

BONES SHAKE

Abattoir Blues’ signed blues and punk influenced types launch their new album Kicks.

BANCO DE GAIA

BAND ON THE WALL, 20:00–23:00, FROM £13

Toby Marks comes to BOTW, pedalling his at-the-time groundbreaking world music-infused dance and ambience, in line with peers such as the KLF and The Orb. ALTRINCHAM FRENCH FESTIVAL

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

A celebration of French culture tying into Bastille day, with an array of musicians, dancers, actors, puppeteers and storytelling across Altrincham.

Sun 12 Jul RESTORATIONS

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:30, £10

Philadelphia-hailing five-piece outfit, touring with their latest offering, LP2.

FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 16:00–16:30, £SOLD OUT

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

ARVO PÄRT + MANCHESTER CAMERATA

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, £SOLD OUT

The legendary composer teams up with the Camerata for a run through some of his own pieces as part of the Manchester International Festival.

ANTON NEWCOMBE AND TESS PARKS

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:30–22:30, £13

Co-headline set from London-viaToronto songstress Tess Parks and The Brian Jonestown Massacre founder Anton Newcombe.

ALTRINCHAM FRENCH FESTIVAL

VARIOUS VENUES, 11:00–19:00, PRICES VARY

A celebration of French culture tying into Bastille day, with an array of musicians, dancers, actors, puppeteers and storytelling across Altrincham.

Mon 13 Jul FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 19:30–20:00, £SOLD OUT

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

NICHOLAS MCDONALD

Tue 14 Jul

BEER N BLUES WEEKEND (JAMES HUNTER)

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

Weekender of some of the finest blues from the UK and beyond.

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (THE OFFSHORE RIVERS + THE LEVONS + THE RAMBLES + THE MOTHPOPES)

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

FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 16:00–16:30, £SOLD OUT

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

CHARLIE COOPER TRIO

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

The vocalist returns with as part of a trio.

Wed 15 Jul KORN

O2 APOLLO MANCHESTER, 19:00–23:00, £37.50

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £7

Sheffield garage popsters and presumably best buds.

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

Sat 18 Jul JIMMY CLIFF

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 2, 20:00–23:00, £27.50

The reggae superstar brings his greatest hits to the UK once more – his voice still an instrument of raw, emotional power.

THE HALLÉ (PUTTNAM PRESENTS)

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £17

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

BLIND MONK TRIO

Three Northwest musicians putting a fresh spin on the classic, chordless jazz trio format.

FKA TWIGS

OLD GRANADA STUDIOS, 19:30–20:00, £SOLD OUT

The Artist Formerly Known As Twigs, before anyone knew she’d ever been called Twigs, returns to Manchester for Manchester International Festival. Earlier performances also available.

MICHAEL SUTTHAKORN (LOST IN PARADISE + THE WAITERS + NOUS BOI + WAITING 4 HOLLYWOOD)

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–23:00, £10

WeTalkTo showcase night, touring to five cities in the UK.

SPEAKEASY BOOTLEG BAND

Hailing from New Orleans, this tin pan alley three piece bring the sounds of the turn of the 20thcentury to the Northwest.

CANTARE LADIES CHOIR & GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE MALE VOICE CHOIR

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

Two local choirs come together to perform two contrasting pieces of the choral repertoire alongside a specially commissioned work by emerging composer Chris Roe. YOUR ILLUMINATIONS

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:00, £7

Anthemic pop-rockers hailing from North Yorkshire.

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 20:15–23:00, £7.50

EVANS THE DEATH (GORGEOUS BULLY + THE ORIELLES + RACHEL HILLARY)

GOLDEN FABLE

Chirpy indie-pop types from London signed to Fortuna Pop!

LOGAN STRYX

A new headlining show from the local one-man rocker.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–23:00, £5

Quirky beats and percussion introduce multi-layered synths, acoustic guitars.

Thu 16 Jul PAUL FARR BAND

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

Manchester native, Paul Farr – known for touring with the likes of Lily Allen and Corinne Bailey-Rae – joined by bandmates John Ellis, Neil Fairclough and Luke Flowers.

THE MOUSE OUTFIT

THE LIARS CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £8

Nine-piece Manc hip-hop juggernaut led by MCs Dr Syntax and Sparkz, fusing funk, soul and jazz into their mix.

AN EVENING WITH DAN PENN + SPOONER OLDHAM

BRIDGEWATER HALL, 20:15–22:30, £22

The two Fame Studios, Alabama veterans turn back the clock for one evening.

FEMI KUTI & THE POSITIVE FORCE

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £20

The son of the legendary Fela Kuti, Femi brings The Positive Force back to the UK, true masters at the art of Afrobeat.

ACOUSTIC AMNESTY FUNDRAISER

ST PHILIP’S CHURCH, 19:30–22:30, £8

Little Sparrow, Tracey Browne, Raevennan Husbandes and Becca Williams take part.

Fri 17 Jul ALLIGATOR GUMBO

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

FALLOW CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £5

BEST FRIENDS (BIRDSKULLS)

DRUM TRIBE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

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

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £14

Jon Spencer and Matt Verta-Ray team up again to explosive effect, bringing their crazed rockabilly to the live stage.

The psychedelia-influenced producer brings his live show to the UK.

The Californian nu-metallers get back on the road following an earlier jaunt with fellow maskwearing maniacs Slipknot.

The X Factor runner-up of 2013, still clutching at that singing ‘career’.

HEAVY TRASH

AL LOVER

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £7

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

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

MANCHESTER ACADEMY 3, 19:30–23:00, £18

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

ELEVANT

Liverpudlian psychadelic rockers, the brainchild of singer/songwriter/guitarist Michael Edward.

AUSTINN

SOUND CONTROL, 18:00–22:00, £8

Indie-pop sounds all the way from Luxembourg.

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £5

BEER N BLUES WEEKEND (WALK)

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

Weekender of some of the finest blues from the UK and beyond.

BAD FOR LAZARUS (SAINT AGNES + PINK LIZARDS)

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:15, £8

A triple header of rock and roll courtesy of Interstellar Overdrive.

DRUM TRIBE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

Sun 19 Jul

KEY 103 SUMMER LIVE (RITA ORA + MARK RONSON + LITTLE MIX + MR PROBZ + MORE)

MANCHESTER ARENA, 18:00–23:00, FROM £28.50

Key 103 return with their annual mega pop outing, chock full of chart-toppers.

CENTRE POINTE ANNUAL SHOWCASE

ROYAL NORTHERN COLLEGE OF MUSIC (RNCM), 19:00–22:00, £12

A medley of dance and vocal pieces from students at the Centre Pointe dance school.

FOREVER CULT

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £3

The Leeds-based grunge threepiece make the trek across the Pennines.

DRUM TRIBE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

Mon 20 Jul DRUM TRIBE

THE TWO MAN ONE MAN BAND MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:00–00:00, FREE

The duo mash up cultures from all ages as they explore traditional forms of music from around the world.

THE LAST POETS

BAND ON THE WALL, 19:30–22:30, FROM £13

One of the forefathers of rap, The Last Poets were making rhymes before rap even had a name in 1969.

DRUM TRIBE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

Wed 22 Jul

JASON AND THE SCORCHERS

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

Country rock’n’rollers par excellence.

STUART MCCALLUM RESIDENCY

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

Cinematic Orchestra guitarist trying out new material in the realm of beats, electronica, classical orchestration and jazz.

DRUM TRIBE

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

C DUNCAN

EAGLE INN, 19:30-23:00, £7

The promising solo artist breaks out of the home studio he recorded his richly immersive debut LP Architect in, to play a set of his classically influenced, intimate songs.

Thu 23 Jul

NIGHT & DAY’S LOCAL SHOWCASE (DAVE + MAD WINTER + KINGDOM LOST) NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £6

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

THE GELATOS

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

High energy trio traversing the 40s and 50s with their blend of piano, double bass, sax, clarinet and vocals, joined on the night by drummer, Mark Warburton.

SKULLFLOWER

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 19:30–23:00, £8

The industrial mainstay, otherwise known as Matthew Bower, brings his abrasive soundscapes to Manchester.

HOLY MOLY & THE CRACKERS

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 20:00–23:00, £5

Young Newcastle-based folk-indie outfit, drawing their influences from such luminaries as Woody Guthrie and Joni Mitchell.

Fri 24 Jul JOHN POWER

THE RUBY LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £15

The Cast and The La’s frontman takes his rock’n’roll solo project out on the road.

MR WILSON’S SECOND LINERS

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

A New Orleans style brass band, blending jazz with 90s club classics.

THE SONICS

THE RITZ, 18:30–22:00, £20

American garage rockers originating from Washington back in’t early 1960s.

NOZINJA

SOUP KITCHEN, 19:30–22:15, £10

Shangaan Electro pioneer from South Africa mixing local folk, Tsonga disco and kwaito South African house to create a vibrant strain of electronic dance music.

TIM ‘RIPPER’ OWENS

MANCHESTER CLUB ACADEMY, 20:00–23:00, £15

South African drumming as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

The heavy metal singer formerly known for his work with The Judas Priest goes it alone.

Tue 21 Jul

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–23:00, £7

JOSHUA BROOKS, 19:00–21:00, £12 (£10)

MIKE DIGNAM

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–22:30, £10

Singer/songwriter from Preston, often drawing comparisons to Jason Mraz and James Morrison, quite possibly for his sins.

NEV COTTEE

The Mancunian troubadour plays in support of his new album Strange News From The Sun.

Sat 25 Jul REACH OUT

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–03:00, £1

A night of 60s sounds, with Motown and soul on the agenda thanks to Sound Control resident, Daniel Deighan.

Listings

49

Manchester Music ROB HERON & THE TEA PAD ORCHESTRA MATT AND PHRED’S JAZZ CLUB, 21:30–00:30, £5

Six-piece jazz band.

KAIDEN NOLAN

SOUND CONTROL, 19:30–22:30, £5

15 (fifteen!) year-old singer songwriter makes his headlining bow in his hometown.

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?..

THIS IS!

Liverpool Music GOLDIE LOOKIN’ CHAIN

THE JOHN LENNON SONGBOOK

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £12

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £13

Still going, apparently. The Welsh rap troupe whose popularity peaked some 10 years ago continue to peddle ‘hits’ like Guns Don’t Kill People and Your Missus Is A Nutter.

Clark Rundell conducts with singers Mark McGann and Polly Gibbons, as they trawl through the late Beatle’s back catalogue.

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 19:00–23:30, £5

Indie, pop and rock bands unite for this one-day mini festival of established and up-and-coming talent: this year catch headline act, Hudson Taylor.

IRON WITCH (PIST + ICED OUT + FORGED IN THE FURNACE OF THE SUN + MORE)

The latest WTA? Night, which promises to reject corporate pop and revel in true independence.

Sludge-infested Liverpudlian quintet swamped in discordant feedback, drudging riffs and vicious dirge-core soundscapes.

Sun 26 Jul

Sun 05 Jul

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–23:00, £12 (£8)

SHOOTER JENNINGS

SOUND CONTROL, 19:00–23:00, £16

Country music royalty, the son of Waylon Jennings and Jessi Cotter, comes to the UK. PHIL BUSBY

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 20:15–23:00, FREE

The veteran singer songwriter launches his new album.

Mon 27 Jul ANGALEENA PRESLEY

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–23:00, £12

The Kentucky coal miners daughter touring in support of her debut country LP American Middle Class.

Liverpool Music Thu 02 Jul WHITE NIGHTS

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £13

The Royal Phil take on excerpts from Swan Lake.

BENJAMIN FOLKE THOMAS

THE ATKINSON, 19:30–22:00, £8

Al-country and country-rock influenced troubadour.

Fri 03 Jul

THE DRIFTING CLASSROOM + MERVIN GERSH + THE STAMP + 67 + MORE THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

Local showcase.

COURT ROYAL

STUDIO 2, 19:00–22:00, £6

Four-piece funk-pop from Liverpool.

CHOKE! (BROKEN MEN + SANKOFA + COURT ROYAL + LYING B*ST*RDS)

CONSTELLATIONS, 19:30–02:00, £5

A night packed with local sounds from some of Liverpool’s finest purveyors of rock and roll.

GRAVE MIASMA

ZANZIBAR CLUB, 18:30-23:00, £10

A rare appearance up north for the London death metallers, playing the last date of their tour before heading into the studio to write the follow-up to 2013'sOdori Sepulcrorum.

Sat 04 Jul GLASS CAVES

THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

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

JACKSON POLLOCK JAZZ EVENING (MARTIN SMITH BAND) TATE LIVERPOOL, 20:00–21:45, £25

In which the re-animated corpse of Jackson Pollock doesn’t turn up to knock out a few Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday covers , but the Martin Smith Band does.

HEAVENLY 25 (STEALING SHEEP + THE WYTCHES + KING GIZZARD & THE WIZARD LIZARD + HOOTON TENNIS CLUB + MORE) THE KAZIMIER, 12:30–23:00, £17.50

Heavenly Records continue their 25th anniversary celebrations with a host of their current roster playing a day-long jamboree – plus guests Stealing Sheep.

Mon 06 Jul IN HARMONY LIVERPOOL

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 13:00–15:00, FREE

Celebratory affair featuring West Everton Children’s Orchestra, Everton Youth Philharmonic and musicians of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.

Wed 08 Jul BENJAMIN BOOKER

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £12

The Rough Trade-signed young singer/guitarist plays a set of his eclectic punk, folk and New Orleans blues.

THE FLYING DUTCHMAN

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £17

Richard Farnes conducts Opera North’’s presentation of Wagner’s Flying Dutchman.

Thu 09 Jul ALKALINE TRIO

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £21.50

Classic-styled emo from the Chicagoan trio, fuelled on a steady diet of angst-ridden lyrics and adrenaline.

A CELEBRATION OF MUSIC

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £10

The massed choirs, orchestras and bands of The Liverpool Blue Coat School join forces to present a concert of music in celebration of the of their students.

Fri 10 Jul

THE EYRES (RIVAL BONES)

THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

Four-piece alternative rockers from Crewe take advantage of the town’s plentiful transport links to the rest of the Northwest by popping up to Liverpool for a show.

ACOUTE 8 (CHRISTOF SPANRING + THE LIVERPOOL COMPOSERS GROUP + I:OBJECT + PHIL MORTON + MORE) THE BLUECOAT, 19:30–21:30, £5

JOSIENNE CLARKE + BEN WALKER

THE ATKINSON, 19:30–22:00, £12

Sat 11 Jul

Edward Peak conducts Walton, Gershwin and Saint-Saens with the Crosby Symphony Orchestra.

50

Listings

CUBIX JINX + OCEANIS + ONE MAN ORGY

THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

Local showcase. Isn’t a one man orgy just a wank?

LIV-BCN 2015 (CLINIC + MUJERES + ALIMENT + STRANGE COLLECTIVE + MORE) THE KAZIMIER, 15:00–23:00, £15

Liverpool and Barcelona’s cultural exchange continue, with a host of Catalans joining veterans Clinic.

All your favourite pop stars in descending order of success come to the Echo Arena to celebrate the great British summer by performing, erm, indoors.

LAST NIGHT OF THE SUMMER POPS

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £16

David Charles Abell conducts violinist Jennifer Pike with backing from the Liverpool Phil.

BRAZILICA CARNIVAL PARADE

VARIOUS VENUES, 12:00–17:00, FREE

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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

Clark Rundell conducts with singers Mark McGann and Polly Gibbons, as they trawl through the late Beatle’s back catalogue.

Mon 13 Jul

Sun 19 Jul

Fri 03 Jul

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £37/5-

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £19.50

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, FROM £7

RUFUS WAINWRIGHT

The American-Canadian singer/ songwriter and composer brings his suitably luscious orchestration and charismatic vocals back to the UK.

Tue 14 Jul

MARTHA REEVES AND THE VANDELLAS

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £22

The mighty all-female Motown legends play a set of (some of their many, many) hits. Hopefully in sequins.

Wed 15 Jul

THE PAPERBOYS (DAN WEBSTER)

THE ATKINSON, 19:30–22:00, £8

The globally-influenced group tour in support of new record Callithump.

BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB

LIVERPOOL GUILD OF STUDENTS, 19:00–23:00, £24

Expect the usual damaged affectations of indie from the north London-based four-piece, out on their UK tour.

Thu 16 Jul

BERES HAMMOND + BUNNY WAILER

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £35

The Jamaica reggae giants call into Liverpool.

JOLIE HOLLAND

LEAF, 20:00–23:00, £10

A Jools Holland tribute act led by Angelina Jolie? Not even close she is of course one of the founding members of The Be Good Tanyas.

STARS AND STRIPES

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £13

David Charles Abell conducts the Liverpool Phil and presents a night of great American sound.

Fri 17 Jul

THE KATONA TWINS

THE BLUECOAT, 19:30–21:00, £15

The acclaimed duo perform bring their brand of Classical, Flamenco and Modern guitar to the stage.

THE KAZIMIER, 19:30–23:00, FROM £6

The 12-piece Leeds/London outfit squeeze onto the Kazimier stage, taking their cues from Fela Kuti, King Tubby, J Dilla and Herbie Hancock.

ECHO ARENA, 19:30–23:00, FROM £25

Thu 02 Jul

Glittering costumes and infectious Samba beats will be snaking through the streets of Liverpool for this annual celebration of Brazilian culture. Full festival details at brazilicafestival.co.uk.

DISTRICT, 19:30–23:30, £4

NUBIYAN TWIST + AFROSAMBA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 18:00–21:00, £9 (£6)

POWER AND MAJESTY

THE JOHN LENNON SONGBOOK

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 14:30–17:00, FROM £13

THE DEAD CLASS (2 SICK MONKEYS + BILLY LIAR + ELMO AND THE STYX)

The BBC Radio 2 Folk Award winners for Best Duo in 2015 come to Liverpool.

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 14:30–17:00, FROM £15

Sun 12 Jul

Six local musicians explore acoustic music in a digital age.

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC YOUTH CHOIRS SUMMER CONCERT

Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir, Liverpool Philharmonic Training Choir and Melody Makers take to the stage for the final performance of their 2014/15 Season.

X&Y FESTIVAL

ARTS CLUB, 14:00–23:00, £25

RADIO SUMMER CITY (LITTLE MIX + ELLA EYRE + ALESHA DIXON + MR PROBZ + MORE)

Manchester Clubs

The alternative punk rockers call an end to their two-year hiatus and get back to bringing the riffs.

BEN POOLE

THE ATKINSON, 20:00–22:30, £10

Young blues guitarist infused with a hard-hitting in yer face rock approach.

Sat 18 Jul

THE SONGBOOK SESSIONS (THE SNEAKY NIXONS + WHITE WIDOWS + CROWNING SKY + CARL HARPER) THE ZANZIBAR CLUB, 19:30–23:00, £4

A showcase event for new and upcoming songwriters in Liverpool and the surrounding areas.

ROSANNE CASH (JOHN LEVENTHAL)

The daughter of Johnny and a Grammy winner in her own right, Cash presents highlights of her own illustrious career.

Tue 21 Jul

NICHOLAS MCDONALD

ARTS CLUB, 19:00–23:00, £18

The X Factor runner-up of 2013, still clutching at that singing ‘career’.

DAVID BRAID AND THE SINFONIA UK COLLECTIVE

THE ATKINSON, 19:30–22:00, £15

Two-time Juno Award winner David Braid presents music from his latest collaboration with the Sinfonia UK Collective.

Wed 22 Jul

THE FUR COATS (MEET THE ROBOTS)

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 20:00–23:00, £4

Marc Ruvolo invites local punks Good Grief to be his backing band for his power pop-punk songs.

Fri 24 Jul JAKE QUICKENDEN

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £15

English singer and multi-time contestant on The X Factor. Joys.

Sat 25 Jul TYKETTO

O2 ACADEMY, 19:00–23:00, £17

Hard rock veterans formed in 1987 by Waysted vocalist Danny Vaughn.

JOHN POWER

THE KAZIMIER, 20:00–23:00, £10

The Cast and The La’s frontman takes his rock’n’roll solo project out on the road.

LIVERPOOL CALLING (REVEREND & THE MAKERS + BEANS ON TOAST + THE JACKOBINS + THE TEA STREET BAND + MORE)

VARIOUS VENUES, 12:00–23:00, £20

The split venue fezzie returns, with a mixed-bag line-up of up-and-comers taking to stages across Liverpool, including the main stage at the Bombed Out Church.

ALLUSONDRUGS

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 18:00–22:00, £8

The grungy Leeds quintet do their guitar-fueled rock thing.

KAZ HAWKINS AND HER BAND O’MEN

THE ATKINSON, 20:00–22:30, £10

The Northern Ireland folk singer tours the UK.

Mon 27 Jul

JOOLS HOLLAND & HIS RHYTHM & BLUES ORCHESTRA

LIVERPOOL PHILHARMONIC HALL, 19:30–22:00, FROM £37.50

The former Squeeze piano tinkler does his thing, accompanied as ever by his 20-piece Rhythm and Blues Orchestra.

LOVE LIKE HATE

MAGUIRE’S PIZZA BAR, 19:00–22:00, £5

The two-piece indie rockers from Brisbane, Australia hit the UK.

KEIRAN SHARPLES

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Motown, hip hop, indie and some old skool classics thrown in for good measure.

MEAT FREE (VOISKI + MEANS & 3RD)

The Meat Free crew give Voiski his Manchester debut.

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. FAC FRIDAY

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Student Friday-nighter, with mashups in room one, indie, funk and Motown in room two, and electro house in room three.

JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

FAM*

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £3

Disco, funk, 80s and 90s.

WE ONLY HAPPEN AT NIGHT

PAVILION THEATRE, 23:00–02:00, £SOLD OUT

Drunk At Vogue and Cha Cha Boudoir, two of Manchester's bestknown club nights come together combining DJs, dancing and drag.

Expect dancefloor action and onstage performances.

Sat 04 Jul GIRLS ON FILM

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

Pink lady cocktails, disco balls, glitz and glamour – a monthly club night where you’re free to let your inner 80s child loose.

FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £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, £5

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon.

ZUTEKH (LEON VYNEHALL)

SOUP KITCHEN, 22:00–04:00, FROM £8

Dub flavoured house all night.

FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by funktion one sound.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

TIM WRIGHT

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

DANNY HOWARD + BONTAN GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

The BBC Radio 1 DJ brings his typically exuberant set to Gorilla.

Sat 11 Jul FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–04:00, £5

Mancunian nightclub institution, delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective.

LOWDOWN BOAT (KWERK)

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon.

LOWDOWN BOAT AFTERPARTY

Following a day on the Manchester Riviera, the Lowdown crew host an after party with up and coming breaks star Kwerk.

VARIOUS VENUES, 19:30–22:30, £12

The annual Lowdown boat party!

Sail down the Manchester riviera with resident Steve Thorpe.

BLOSSOMS DJ SET & AFTERPARTY

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 23:00–03:00, £3

The latest in Manchester’s conveyor belt of indie upstarts DJ after playing the Castlefield Bowl.

SILENT TREATMENT (ARCHIE HAMILTON)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 22:00–04:00, FROM £7

The Moscow Records and Moss Co. comes to Joshua Brooks for a pulsating night of house and techno.

Thu 09 Jul 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

KEIRAN SHARPLES

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Motown, hip hop, indie and some old skool classics thrown in for good measure.

Fri 10 Jul JUICY

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £5

All party, no bullshit night of everything from classic hip-hop to disco and funk.

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. FAC FRIDAY

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, 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

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

The sounds of the 60’s from Motown to rock ‘n’ roll.

JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

INSIDE OUT (INKSWELL)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, £6

Inkswell brings his outer-galactic boogie funk and mutant house to the basement.

ILLUMINATI: JAKE REES & ARUN VERONE BIRTHDAY WEEKENDER

SOUTH, 23:00–05:00, FROM £7

20 artists and 2000 people descend on Club South over the weekender for a massive summer party.

PANDEMIK (CLARITY + DJINN + ANTAGONIST)

JOSHUA BROOKS, 23:00–04:00, £5

A summer special of the always forward-thinking drum ‘n’ bass night.

CLINT BOON

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £5

CHOW DOWN (ROYAL-T)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, £5

Chow Down party into the summer with Butterz and Rinse FM cohort Royal-T. MIGUEL CAMPBELL

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

The Hot Creations signee plays a set of his trademark filtered disco sounds.

FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by funktion one sound.

FAC FRIDAY FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Student Friday-nighter, with mashups in room one, indie, funk and Motown in room two, and electro house in room three.

JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

ELECTRIC JUG

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

Serving up the best of the 60s, ranging from psych and ska to britpop and funk.

10X10: FOUR TET (TYONDAI BRAXTON + KORELESS + EAT YOUR OWN EARS + NOW WAVE DJS) MAYFIELD DEPOT, 19:00–01:00, FROM £19.50

NIGHT AND DAY CAFE, 20:00–03:00, FREE

The much-loved producer is joined by a stellar supporting cast as part of Manchester International Festival.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 15:00–20:00, £TBC

ANTICS (FLIGHT OF ARROWS + BLUNDERBUSS + BLONDE LIPS + TINDRUMM)

Free special of the indie club night mixing live music with alternative tunes.

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

TIM WRIGHT

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

MLVTD #1 (MALEVOLENCE + DESOLATED + BROKEN TEETH + FORSAKEN + MORE)

SOUND CONTROL, 14:00–22:00, £15

An all-dayer of monstrous portions, with a flurry of punk, metal and hardcore bands taking the stage.

NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS AFTERSHOW

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 22:00–03:00, FROM £7.50

Your man Noel from that middling Manchester band of yesteryear celebrate post-show at the Castlefield Bowl.

ILLUMINATI: JAKE REES & ARUN VERONE BIRTHDAY WEEKENDER

SOUTH, 22:00–05:00, FROM £7

20 artists and 2000 people descend on Club South over the weekender for a massive summer party.

Thu 16 Jul 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.

CAKES DA KILLA (APOSTILLE)

SOUP KITCHEN, 20:00–03:00, £8

Making his Manchester debut, recording artist and raunchy rapper Cakes Da Killa is joined by Night School’s Apostille.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

KEIRAN SHARPLES

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Motown, hip hop, indie and some old skool classics thrown in for good measure.

Fri 17 Jul

SWING TING (HIPSTERS DON’T DANCE)

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, £5

The Swing Ting soundboys push their street and soundsystem music into the summer.

TOP OF THE POPS

MIDNIGHT SUN PARTY (NIGHTMARES ON WAX + JESSICA SYKE)

DJs Nightmares on Wax and Jessica Syke drop in for a summer party.

LIVE WIRE V MUTE! (DILLA B2B KEIRAN SHARPLES + JACK LAVS B2B JOSEPH EDMUND + MVSON COLLECTIVE + MORE)

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, FREE

A free party for the summer as two of South’s favourite promoters join forces.

Sat 18 Jul 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, £5

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon.

YELLOW

PAVILION THEATRE, 23:00–02:00, £SOLD OUT

To mark the closing of the Manchester International Festival, Dave Haslam will be taking over the Pavilion Theatre with his legendary DJ night featuring DJ Erik Rug. FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by funktion one sound.

BARE BONES

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

Three floor club night touting indie/electro, classic rock’n’roll and punk/rock.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

TIM WRIGHT

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

New Saturday resident bringing the dancefloor classics all night long.

SHIBA SAN

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

The ghetto and deep house DJ with a background hip hop drops in for a Exploit and Covert special.

10X10: DAY AND NIGHT (CARL CRAIG & MIKE BANKS + DJ KOZE + JOY ORBISON + OCTAVE ONE + MORE) MAYFIELD DEPOT, 14:00–02:00, £25

The Warehouse Project make their contribution to Manchester International Festival the only way they know how — an all day and night party with some of the world’s biggest DJs. VOID: FREE PARTY

JOSHUA BROOKS, 22:00–04:00, FREE

A free party with the VOID sound system in full flow.

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.

THE SKINNY

Thu 23 Jul 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

KEIRAN SHARPLES

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

Motown, hip hop, indie and some old skool classics thrown in for good measure.

Fri 24 Jul

Liverpool Clubs Thu 02 Jul GOSSIP

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £4

Student night with 5 rooms of music spread over 2 floors and occasional theme nights.

VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

Fri 17 Jul 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.

CHAMELEON FRIDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:00, FREE

Get your weekend started with Chameleon’s host of resident and guest DJs. PROHIBITION SWING CLUB

THE KAZIMIER GARDEN, 20:00–00:00, FREE

Music from the 20s and 30s.

R'n’B, hip-hop and urban floorfillers.

Sat 18 Jul

Fri 03 Jul

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £10 (£5 AFTER 2AM)

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.

CHAMELEON FRIDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:00, FREE

BEDLAM

Extravagant and flamboyant club night complete with resident entertainers, including Foxy Grunt and Barbie.

PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £3

Get your weekend started with Chameleon’s host of resident and guest DJs.

Smoonth R'n’B and urban floor fillers.

TOP OF THE POPS

Sat 04 Jul

Chameleon’s host of guest and resident DJs drop a diverse selection of tunery.

UPTOWN

The best in disco, funk, boogie and party classics.

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. FAC FRIDAY

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, 99P BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Student Friday-nighter, with mashups in room one, indie, funk and Motown in room two, and electro house in room three.

JACOB COID

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, 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.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NQ, 22:00–04:00, FREE BEFORE 11PM

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

KONOBA DUB LAUNCH PARTY (DUB SMUGGERS SOUNDSYSTEM + KROMESTAR + RUFF ROCKA SOUND SYSTEM + SIN + MORE)

ANTWERP MANSION, 22:00–03:00, FROM £8

Dub Smugglers Sound System help celebrate the launch of Konob Dub.

Sat 25 Jul POP

THE DEAF INSTITUTE, 23:00–03:00, £4.50

The biggest hits from the last 40 years of popular music.

FUNKADEMIA

MINT LOUNGE, 22:30–04:00, £5

BEDLAM

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £10 (£5 AFTER 2AM)

Extravagant and flamboyant club night complete with resident entertainers, including Foxy Grunt and Barbie.

PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth R'n’B and urban floor fillers.

CHAMELEON SATURDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:30, FREE

Chameleon’s host of guest and resident DJs drop a diverse selection of tunery.

VINTAGE PRESENTS PARADISE (GREG WILSON + WAYNE HEMINGWAY + JACK HEMINGWAY + DAVE KAYE) THE GARAGE, 22:00–05:00, £15

Greg Wilson headlines as part of the Transatlantic 175 weekend.

PUSSY INDEPENDENCE DAY (LAURA TAYLOR + JACKIE HAGAN + AVITAL RAZ + INDIGO MOON + MORE)

THE MAGNET , 19:00–03:00

SOUND CONTROL, 23:00–03:00, £1

YOU DIG?

SOUP KITCHEN, 23:00–04:00, FROM £3

Funky music for funky people.

FACTORY SATURDAYS

FACTORY 251, 22:30–04:00, £2 BEFORE MIDNIGHT

Three rooms of commercial dance, indie and deep house, powered by funktion one sound.

STUART RICHARDS

BLACK DOG BALLROOM NWS, 23:00–04:00, FREE

High Jinx resident Stuart Richards brings his trademark style to the bar, offering a night of disco, funk and house.

CRAIG CHARLES FUNK N SOUL CLUB (THE GET UP) BAND ON THE WALL, 21:00–03:00, FROM £14

DJ and actor Craig Charles will be manning the decks until 3am, playing his picks of funk and soul.

SAM DIVINE

GORILLA, 23:00–04:00, FROM £8

The Defected Records associate brings his globally-toured DJ set to Gorilla.

Student night with 5 rooms of music spread over 2 floors and occasional theme nights.

DJ JACQUES

THE KAZIMIER GARDEN, 20:00–00:00, FREE

Sets trademarked by oddities and un-Shazamable rarities from around the world.

VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

R'n’B, hip-hop and urban floorfillers.

Fri 24 Jul 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.

CHAMELEON FRIDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:00, FREE

RUBIX (NEVERDOGS)

GOSSIP

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £4

Student night with 5 rooms of music spread over 2 floors and occasional theme nights.

VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

R'n’B, hip-hop and urban floorfillers.

Fri 10 Jul TREND FRIDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:00, FREE

A night of 60s sounds, with Motown and soul on the agenda thanks to Sound Control resident, Daniel Deighan.

GOSSIP

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £4

Thu 09 Jul

SOUTH, 23:00–04:00, £5

REACH OUT

Thu 23 Jul

Get your weekend started with Chameleon’s host of resident and guest DJs.

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £2 (£3 AFTER 12:30AM)

Mixed-bag night from local DJ ledge Clint Boon.

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:30, FREE

A night of poetry, comedy, cabaret and music from the Pussy Whipped crew.

Mancunian nightclub institution, delivering a chronological history of soul on a weekly basis, courtesy of their DJ collective.

CLINT BOON

CHAMELEON SATURDAYS

Everything from R'n’B to old skool garage, hip-hop and deep house.

CHAMELEON FRIDAYS

Get your weekend started with Chameleon’s host of resident and guest DJs.

Sat 11 Jul BEDLAM

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £10 (£5 AFTER 2AM)

Extravagant and flamboyant club night complete with resident entertainers, including Foxy Grunt and Barbie.

PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth R'n’B and urban floor fillers.

CHAMELEON SATURDAYS

Sat 25 Jul DISTRICT, 14:00–22:00, £8

The bass music special heads to the District garden for a number of limited capacity parties over the summer. First up: Neverdogs.

BEDLAM

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £10 (£5 AFTER 2AM)

Extravagant and flamboyant club night complete with resident entertainers, including Foxy Grunt and Barbie.

PURE SATURDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 21:00–04:00, £TBC

Smoonth R'n’B and urban floor fillers.

CHAMELEON SATURDAYS

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:30, FREE

Chameleon’s host of guest and resident DJs drop a diverse selection of tunery.

SUGARHILL DISCO #8 (THE MIXNOTS + LOVED ONES) THE KAZIMIER GARDEN, 14:00–00:00, FREE

Funk, soul, hip hop and beats all day.

RESONATE (DJ CHRISTIAN NIELSEN + M.IN + DANNY SERRANO) CONSTELLATIONS, 18:00–04:00, £10

Tech house and techno with a host of the freshest spinners.

Theatre Manchester Contact Theatre THE SHRINE OF EVERYDAY THINGS

22–25 JUL, 7:00PM – 9:00PM, £10 (£6)

Contact Young Company present an interactive journey through domestic spaces under transformation, played-out in an empty row of houses set for demolition and regeneration. Matinees available.

Gullivers SAFE MODE

19–20 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £8 (£7)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

HOME

NECK OF THE WOODS

10–18 JUL, NOT 13, 14, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £35

Turner Prize-winning artist Douglas Gordon and pianist Hélène Grimaud create Neck of the Woods, a portrait of the wolf brought to life in a collision of visual art, music and theatre.

Joshua Brooks BACK SEAT BETTY

1–3 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £6

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

HEALTH UNDER FIRE

23–25 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Martin Harris Centre for Music and Drama THE PLANT

24–26 JUL, TIMES VARY, £8 (£6)

On finding themselves mysteriously imprisoned, the protagonists of our tale, Leon and Keith, do the only thing they can do: they start telling stories. Part of 24:7 Festival.

WE ARE THE MULTITUDE

24–26 JUL, TIMES VARY, £8 (£6)

Victims of their own intensely irritating personalities, Lisa and Simon are trapped in their office building after angry demonstrators occupy it, the pair forced to confront their shortcomings and lack of popularity. Part of 24:7 Festival.

MADNESS SWEET MADNESS

24–26 JUL, TIMES VARY, £8 (£6)

A strange new drama about personal space, private grief, public interventions, and eggs.

Part of 24:7 Festival.

GARY: A LOVE STORY

24–26 JUL, TIMES VARY, £8 (£6)

A caustic and moving new play about brotherly love, brotherly hate and a Criminal Justice System which eats the poor and kills the young for sport. Part of 24:7 Festival.

Moston Miners Community Arts & Music Centre ANARCHY DADA!

4 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £4 (£3)

CHAMELEON BAR, 19:00–03:30, FREE

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

NOIR + DETLEFT

Nexus Art Café

Chameleon’s host of guest and resident DJs drop a diverse selection of tunery.

CONSTELLATIONS, 14:00–04:00, FROM £12.50

Respected Liverpool promotions, Motion and Luna bring a Summer Day/Night Party with Noir and Detlef.

Thu 16 Jul GOSSIP

GARLANDS, 22:00–04:00, £4

Student night with 5 rooms of music spread over 2 floors and occasional theme nights.

DÉJÀ VU ENSEMBLE: A DREAM PLAY

16–19 JUL, 7:45PM – 8:45PM, £11.50

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Octagon Theatre NOISES OFF

4 JUN – 4 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Salford Arts Theatre MANCUNIAN RHAPSODY

1–2 JUL, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £9.50

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

SNATCHED FROM HOME

8–10 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £10 (£8)

The Stephen Fry and RSC-backed comedy is brought to the stage, cramming in all the drama found backstage at an am-dram show - will the actors even manage to make it out by the time the curtain’s been drawn open? Matinees also available.

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Old Granada Studios

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

FLEXN MANCHESTER

11–18 JUL, NOT 13, 16, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£7)

MIF Creative invites Brooklynbased Flex dance pioneer Reggie ‘Regg Roc’ Gray and a specially assembled team of Flex dancers to MIF15 for their first European performances. Matinees available.

Opera House TREE OF CODES

3–10 JUL, NOT 6, 7, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.25

Choreographer Wayne McGregor, visual artist Olafur Eliasson and Jamie xx come together to create a contemporary ballet inspired by the book Tree of Codes by Jonathan Safran Foer for Manchester International Festival. Matinees available.

THE TALE OF MR TUMBLE

11–19 JUL, NOT 13, 14, 15, 2:00PM – 3:00PM, FROM £18.25 (CHILDREN £12)

Justin Fletcher, famous for the CBeebies show Something Special, brings The Tale of Mr Tumble to the Manchester International Festival, starring Ronni Ancona.

Morning performances also available.

Palace Theatre Manchester WONDER.LAND

1–12 JUL, NOT 6, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £19.25

New musical inspired by Lewis Carroll’s iconic Alice in Wonderland, with music by Damon Albarn and book and lyrics by Moira Buffini. Directed by Rufus Norris as part of Manchester International Festival. Matinees also available.

Pavilion Theatre THE CROCODILE

14–18 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £20

Writer and comedian Tom Basden brings The Crocodile to Manchester International Festival, a new play about art, animals and what happens when you try to take on the system from within (a Crocodile).

Royal Exchange Theatre THE SKRIKER

1–18 JUL, NOT 5, 13, TIMES VARY, FROM £15

Maxine Peake returns to the Manchester International Festival in this classic Caryl Churchill production, with music composed by Nico Muhly and Antony Hegarty.

REAL LIFE

24 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £12 (£10)

One man show by Ben Kewin, a man who believes that with enough passion, strength and charm, he can single-handedly teach us how to live a better life.

Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) HSD73: FIFTEEN

10–11 JUL, TIMES VARY, £12

Students at the Hyde School of Dance present an evening of new choreography.

The Dancehouse Theatre SHAUN OF THE DEAD LIVE!

22–24 JUL, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £13

The Edge Theatre & Arts Centre CLIMBING UPHILL

11 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

The King’s Arms PEACEFUL

7-8 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, PRICES VARY

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

BUMP

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 16 JUL AND 27 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

FOLLOW/UNFOLLOW

1–2 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £10 (£8)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

BERLIN

3 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £7

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

WOMEN WHO WANK

3 JUL, 5 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

GRUOCH

3 JUL, 5 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £3 (£2.50)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

UNDER MANC WOOD

7 JUL, 8 JUL, 13 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £7 (£5)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MR SMITH

9–10 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

CHUGGERS

10 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £5 (£4)

MURDER BY NUMBERS

HEAVY BREATHING

17 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £10 (£8)

21–22 JUL, 12:00AM – 12:00AM, £5 (£4)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN

21–24 JUL, 9:00PM – 10:00PM, £8.50 (£6.50)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

PHONE WHORE: A ONE-ACT PLAY WITH FREQUENT INTERUPTIONS

22–25 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £10 (£8)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

1616

23–25 JUL, 7:15PM – 8:15PM, £10 (£8)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

THE STARS ARE MADE OF CONCRETE

26–27 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £8 (£6)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

JAKUBIAK

27 JUL, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £5 (£4)

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

The Lowry Studio STUFF

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

TATTYBAND PRESENT G&D

15–19 JUL, 8:00PM – 9:00PM, £5

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Various venues FLARE15

13–18 JUL, 12:00PM – 11:00PM, PRICES VARY

A week of new theatre and art installation courtesy of some of the region’s brightest new talent.

Details at flarefestival.com.

Liverpool Theatre Everyman Theatre THE HOOK

1–25 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

Liverpool Empire

A Showcase Production celebrating the legacy of the renowned Impresario, Annie Horniman.

The Lowry: Lyric Theatre

THE CURIOUS INCIDENT OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIME

20–25 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

WICKED

Christopher has Asperger’s and he is also the lead character in a very unusual detective story.

UNTIL 25 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:30PM, FROM £16

7–11 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

Captivating, multi-award winning and oft-sold out musical, telling the story of how the two witches of Oz came to be known as good and bad, told through song ‘n’ all that. Matinee performances also available.

The Lowry: Quays Theatre 4X4

1 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £11

Attempting to trace pathways in space (erm, from inside The Lowry), four jugglers and four ballet dancers share a stage, directed by Sean Gandini.

BADKE

11 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £12

Les Ballets C de la B members team up with dramaturg Hildegard De Vuyst from The Royal Flemish Theatre, working with ten Palestinian dancers for a contemporary take on their traditional dance.

MOVING NORTH

SEQUENT: A SENSE OF DECISIVE INDECISION!

ONLIFE

From Manana Productions, who produced the original stageplay Iris. Teresa and Flynn recently lost their beautiful little Alice.

Now she’s gone the 20-something and her much older, richer man are questioning if they have any reason to remain together.

TEA WITH MISS HORNIMAN

21 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

13–14 JUL, 7:30PM – 8:30PM, £9 (£7.50

13 JUL, 15 JUL, 16 JUL, 9:15PM – 10:15PM, £5 (£3)

PARENTS WITHOUT CHILDREN

8–10 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £TBC

Amidst the political tensions of 1950s America, Arthur Miller’s The Hook was suppressed by the FBI for fear it could cause unrest in New York’s dockyards. The Everyman’s production celebrates the centenary of the playright’s birth.

Matinees available.

Mick Cooper’s story of love, life, family, friendship, and all the stuff in between – following Toby and Jess and their charismatic friend, Xav, as the latter suggests a plan that will allow the couple to have children.

18 JUL, 4:00PM – 7:00PM, FROM £8

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk. Matinees available.

Three Minute Theatre

4 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £12

New theatre as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

KNOCK KNOCK

Comedy about the real faces behind a sex line, who aren’t quite the fantastical boys and girls they’re made out to be. Part of Greater Manchester Fringe.

The final of the youth dance competition, with more than 400 dancers whittled down for this showcase event.

25–26 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, FROM £4.50

The Lowry’s Centre for Advanced Training presents an evening of new choreography work encapsulating the idea of structured chaos.

The Ruby Lounge

DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS

Two common swindlers attempt to con a millionaire heiress on the French Riviera; based on the classic comedy starring Sir Michael Caine and Steve Martin. Matinees also available.

JERSEY BOYS

UNTIL 4 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, FROM £10

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 (Thu & Sat, 2.30pm).

Royal Court Theatre MAM! I’M ‘ERE!

UNTIL 1 AUG, NOT SUNDAYS, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £13

The smash hit musical disco returns, with Sally on the search for her mum ahead of her big wedding day, having been left on a doorstep as a baby. Matinees available.

The Lantern Theatre

SHINY NEW FESTIVAL 2015

27 JUL – 2 AUG, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, PRICES VARY

The return of the new theatre festival, offering a platform for up and coming playwrights, actors and directors. Full line-up available at lanterntheatreliverpool.co.uk.

BRAKIN PAD

17–25 JUL, NOT 19, 20, 21, 22, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £12.50 (£10.50)

Boom Boom Productions present a new comedy written by Donna Lesley Price and directed by Richie Grice.

THE MESSIAH

9 JUL, 11 JUL, 17 JUL, 18 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £9.50

Play about an ex-army dictator who owns a knicker factory. Part of the Greater Manchester Fringe.

VIBE THURSDAYS

CAMEL CLUB, 22:00–04:00, £TBC

R'n’B, hip-hop and urban floorfillers.

July 2015

Listings

51

Liverpool Theatre Unity Theatre JANE & LIZZIE

30 JUN – 1 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£8)

Jane Austen meets a Lizzy Bennet, who flits between the literary character and the actress playing her. Jane needs answers - can Lizzy supply the ones she wants?

MILLIONAIRES ANONYMOUS

2–4 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£8)

Six lottery winners attend group therapy after losing their millions, while on the side they form a syndicate attempting to win back their money.

ADOLF IN TOXTETH

7–11 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:00PM, £10 (£8)

A portrait of the madman as a young man as Adolf Hitler comes to Liverpool aged 23 in 1912.

PROMISE/ANIMALS

16–18 JUL, 7:30PM – 10:00PM, £5 (£3)

A head teacher offers his school leavers the promise of success... But what happens when life and its challenges get in the way?

QUEERTET 2015

22–24 JUL, 8:00PM – 10:15PM, £12 (£10

LGBT theatre showcase featuring four short plays.

Manchester Comedy Tue 30 Jun

XS MALARKEY (MAX & IVAN + BEC HILL + FREDDIE FARRELL + MC TOBY HADOKE)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans with the Edinburgh Fringe on the horizon.

Wed 01 Jul ROBIN INCE

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:30, £10 (£8)

The much-loved comedy veteran prepares his Edinburgh show.

MIRTH LAB

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £3

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Thu 02 Jul

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (STEVE SHANYASKI + TONY JAMESON + DANNY CLIVES + CHRIS MCCAUSLAND + MC STE PORTER) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £10 (£7)

Comedy Manchester

THE BEST IN STAND UP (THE NOISE NEXT DOOR + JEFF INNOCENT + PETER WHITE + GORDON OUTHERN + MC IAN COPPINGER) THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £3

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

ADAM BUXTON AND FRIENDS

A ten-act long heckle-fest inviting a handful of amateurs to take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog, and the audience decides who stays – brutal!

PAVILION THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £SOLD OUT

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:30, £10

Cult geek, award-winning radio host and tech guru Adam Buxton premires his latest material and introduces his funniest friends.

Sat 04 Jul

BARREL OF LAUGHS (STEVE SHANYASKI + STE PORTER + JIMMY MCGHIE + MC ANDY FURY)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (BEN NORRIS + GLENN WOOL + IAN MOORE + ANDREW RYAN + MC PAUL THORNE) 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 (STEVE SHANYASKI + GORDON SOUTHERN + IMRAN YUSUF + STEVE HARRIS + MC ROGER MONKHOUSE)

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

TIM KEY

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £13

Time Out comedy Performer of The Year Tim Key returns with another show of hilarious poetically-delivered comedy.

ADAM BUXTON AND FRIENDS

PAVILION THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £SOLD OUT

Cult geek, award-winning radio host and tech guru Adam Buxton premires his latest material and introduces his funniest friends.

LET’S SEE WHAT HAPPENS

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–22:30, £3

Improv from the members of CszUK – using audience suggestions a comedian will tell a story based on this, followed by improvised sketches from a troupe of actors.

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?..

THIS IS!

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–23:00, £12 (£8)

Start your weekend early at the Frog and Bucket with a host of top notch comedians.

The latest WTA? Night, which promises to reject corporate pop and revel in true independence.

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

SALFORD ARTS THEATRE, 19:30–20:30, £10 (£6.50)

STAND UP THURSDAY (BEN NORRIS + GLENN WOOL + MC PAUL THORNE)

Mon 06 Jul

THE COIN-OPERATED GIRL

PHIL JUPITUS IS PORKY THE POET

Porky the poet is back with his latest show just in time for Edinburgh.

MATT BELL AND PADDY GARRIGAN

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2.50)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Tue 07 Jul

THE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO KINK

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, FREE

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

XS MALARKEY (GEIN’S FAMILY GIFTSHOP + GOOSE + SIMON FEILDER + MC TOBY HADOKE) PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans with the Edinburgh Fringe on the horizon.

THE WORST COMEDY NIGHT IN SALFORD

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:30, FREE

Keeping expectations low with this night of open mic stand up, opening up the stage to anyone willing to give it go.

MATT BELL AND PADDY GARRIGAN

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2.50)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Wed 08 Jul

THE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO KINK

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, FREE

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MATT BELL AND PADDY GARRIGAN

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2.50)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

GLENN WOOL

THE OLD MONKEY, 19:00–22:00, £3

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (JUNIOR SIMPSON + KIERAN LAWLESS + BEN BRIGGS + JOHN LYNN + MC DAVE WILLIAMS)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £10 (£7)

Start your weekend early at the Frog and Bucket with a host of top notch comedians.

TIGER LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £5

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–22:00, £6 (£4)

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £12 (£8)

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:30, £10 (£8)

PAVILION THEATRE, 19:30–22:00, £SOLD OUT

ROBIN INCE

The much-loved comedy veteran prepares his Edinburgh show.

TONY BASNETT AND SIMON RAMSDEN

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–22:00, £3

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Fri 03 Jul

BARREL OF LAUGHS (STEVE SHANYASKI + STE PORTER + JIMMY MCGHIE + MC ANDY FURY)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

52

Listings

ADAM BUXTON AND FRIENDS

Cult geek, award-winning radio host and tech guru Adam Buxton premires his latest material and introduces his funniest friends.

THE HEATON COMEDY EVENING (MARTIN MOR + RICH WILSON + MARTIN SEMPLE + MC JUSTIN MOORHOUSE)

THE HEATON SPORTS CLUB, 19:15–22:00, £7.50

Julian Moorhouse guides you through some of the finest comics currently trawling the regional circuit.

THE DIDSBURY COMEDY CLUB (RICH WILSON + MARTIN MOR + CALLUM OAKLEY + MC BARRY DODDS)

DIDSBURY CRICKET CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £7

A trio of local rib-ticklers drop into the leafy suburbs of Didsbury, ably assisted by MC Barry Dodds.

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (BEN NORRIS + GLENN WOOL + IAN MOORE + ANDREW RYAN + MC PAUL THORNE) THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (MAE MARTIN + SHEEPS + NATASIA DEMETRIOU & ELLIE WHITE + PHIL ELLIS) PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dots most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

Sat 11 Jul

BARREL OF LAUGHS (JUNIOR SIMPSON + YIANNI AGISILAOU + JOHN LYNN + MC DAVE WILLIAMS)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (STEVE SHANYASKI + GORDON SOUTHERN + IMRAN YUSUF + STEVE HARRIS + MC ROGER MONKHOUSE)

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 (CHARLIE BAKER + STEVE GRIBBIN + MARLON DAVIS + PHIL NICHOL + MC MICK FERRY)

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (MAE MARTIN + SHEEPS + NATASIA DEMETRIOU & ELLIE WHITE + PHIL ELLIS) PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£2)

STAND UP THURSDAY (STEVE SHANYASKI + ROGER MONKHOUSE + MC GORDON SOUTHERN)

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (JUNIOR SIMPSON + YIANNI AGISILAOU + JOHN LYNN + MC DAVE WILLIAMS)

Thu 09 Jul

Sun 05 Jul

The two circuit regulars fine tune their performances ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe.

Fri 10 Jul

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dots most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

KING GONG (MC MICK FERRY)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Is Glenn alone in his escapades around the world or is there an unseen companion travelling with him during these adventures? Is it an inner monologue or a heckling demigod?

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk.

JOHN LUKE ROBERTS + STU GOLDSMITH

MATT BELL AND PADDY GARRIGAN THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:00, £3 (£2.50)

Cheat life and get that Friday feeling one day early with a night of comedic delight from some circuit funny folk.

THE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO KINK

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, FREE

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (MAE MARTIN + SHEEPS + NATASIA DEMETRIOU & ELLIE WHITE + PHIL ELLIS) PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dots most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

SOFIE HAGEN + CHRIS MARTIN

TIGER LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £5

The two comedians fine tune their shows ahead of travelling north for the Edinburgh Fringe.

Sun 12 Jul

NEW STUFF (MC TOBY HADOKE)

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice.

THE SKINNY SPOTLIGHT (WILL SETCHELL + JACK EVANS + JAYNE EDWARDS + MORE) THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–22:30, £5

The Skinny Comedy Spotlight returns, jumping from our pages to the stage as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival.

Mon 13 Jul BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £3

A ten-act long heckle-fest inviting a handful of amateurs to take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog, and the audience decides who stays – brutal!

NORTH BY NORTH WEST VIA RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £3

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Tue 14 Jul OH DEAR DIARY

GULLIVERS, 20:00–21:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

XS MALARKEY (IVO GRAHAM + DAVID TSONIS + JAMIE FRASER + MC TOBY HADOKE) PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans with the Edinburgh Fringe on the horizon.

NORTH BY NORTH WEST VIA RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £3

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

ALASTAIR CLARK: GETTING BETTER (EDINBURGH PREVIEW) THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £4 (£3)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

ALUN COCHRANE

THE SPINNING TOP, 19:30–22:30, £5

Alun Cochrane does his thinking aloud, chatty style of stand-up.

You do the laughing.

Wed 15 Jul

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (TOM BASDEN + JAMES ACASTER + LIAM WILLIAMS + DAPHNE)

PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dots most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

NORTH BY NORTH WEST VIA RAIL REPLACEMENT BUS

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £3

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £8

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

CHRIS BOYLE: CINEMA ONE-MAN GEEK SHOW

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, £5 (£3)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Thu 16 Jul

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (TOM WRIGGLESWORTH + ROISIN O’ROURKE + ALLAN FINNEGAN + ALEX BOARDMAN + MC JONNY CANDON) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £10 (£7)

Start your weekend early at the Frog and Bucket with a host of top notch comedians.

STAND UP THURSDAY (CHARLIE BAKER + STEVE GRIBBIN + MC ALUN COCHRANE)

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.

ROLE MODEL

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (JAMES ACASTER + BEARD + DAVID ELMS) PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dot’s most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

LOU SANDERS + TOM PARRY

TIGER LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £5

The two comedians fine tune their shows ahead of travelling north to Edinburgh.

ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £8

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

CHRIS BOYLE: CINEMA ONE-MAN GEEK SHOW

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, £5 (£3)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MAXINE JONES: FULL CIRCLE

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £6.50 (£5)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Fri 17 Jul

Tue 21 Jul

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £16 (£8)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

BARREL OF LAUGHS (JOHN HASTINGS + KATIE MULGREW + GLENN WOOL + MC RAY BRADSHAW)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (STEVE SHANYASKI + ROGER MONKHOUSE + IMRAN YUSUF + STEVE HARRIS + MC GORDON SOUTHERN)

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

THE INVISIBLE DOT CABARET (NICK MOHAMMED + JAMES ACASTER + BEARD + DAVID ELMS)

PAVILION THEATRE, 22:00–00:00, £15

A late night line-up from The Invisible Dot’s most celebrated jokers, with a host of international comedians dropping by each night.

ALL OUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–20:30, £8

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Sat 18 Jul

BARREL OF LAUGHS (JOHN HASTINGS + KATIE MULGREW + GLENN WOOL + MC RAY BRADSHAW)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (CHARLIE BAKER + STEVE GRIBBIN + MARLON DAVIS + PHIL NICHOL + MC MICK FERRY)

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 (DAVID HADINGHAM + STU GOLDSMITH + OLA + SEAN COLLINS + MC PAUL THORNE)

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

Sun 19 Jul GLENN WOOL

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £8 (£7)

Is Glenn alone in his escapades around the world or is there an unseen companion travelling with him during these adventures? Is it an inner monologue or a heckling demigod?

NEW COMEDIANS (MC ALEX BOARDMAN)

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£2)

Up and comers trying out their stuff before hitting the circuit.

IAN HALL: AN HOUR OF IAN

BEACH HUNKS: VERY HANDSOME

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–20:30, £4 (£3)

XS MALARKEY (JOE LYCET + BISHA K ALI + DAVE GREEN + MC TOBY HADOKE)

PUB/ZOO, 19:00–22:00, £5 (£3)

The rather ace comedy night continues with the usual Tuesday night shenanigans with the Edinburgh Fringe on the horizon.

THE WORST COMEDY NIGHT IN SALFORD

THE KING’S ARMS, 20:00–22:30, FREE

Keeping expectations low with this night of open mic stand up, opening up the stage to anyone willing to give it go.

ALL OR PEANUTS

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Wed 22 Jul ROLE MODEL

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MEANEY’S MOUTHBURST

ME, MING & MIA THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Sat 25 Jul

BARREL OF LAUGHS (TOM WRIGGLESWORTH + SCOTT GIBSON + ALEX BOARDMAN + MC JONNY CANDON) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £17 (£10)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ. THE BEST IN STAND UP (DAVID HADINGHAM + STU GOLDSMITH + OLA + SEAN COLLINS + MC PAUL THORNE)

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 (ROB DEERING + SEAN MEO + DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + PRINCE ABDI + MC TOM WRIGGLESWORTH)

THE COMEDY STORE, 21:30–23:30, £22 (£16)

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–20:30, £5

WHAT’S THE ALTERNATIVE?..

THIS IS!

ALL OR PEANUTS

The latest WTA? Night, which promises to reject corporate pop and revel in true independence.

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

Thu 23 Jul

THURSDAY NIGHT LIVE (CAREY MARX + MASUD MILAS + ROB COLEMAN + IVAN BRACKENBURY + MC MIKE WILKINSON)

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £10 (£7)

Start your weekend early at the Frog and Bucket with a host of top notch comedians.

STAND UP THURSDAY (DAVID HADINGHAM + SEAN COLLINS + MC PAUL THORNE)

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.

THE KING’S ARMS, 19:30–23:00, £12 (£8)

Sun 26 Jul

LAUGHING COWS (ALLYSON J SMITH + HAYLEY ELLIS + STEPHANIE LAING + LESLEY KERSHAW + MC KERRY LEIGH ) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £7

All-female line-up of comics from the Laughing Cow bunch; a group that has helped the likes of Sarah Milllican and Jo Brand launch their careers.

NEW STUFF (MC TOBY HADOKE)

THE COMEDY STORE, 19:30–22:00, £4 (£2)

A night of stand-up from some fresh-faced comics trying to break on to the circuit – be nice.

TERRY CHRISTIAN’S NAKED CONFESSIONS

THE DANCEHOUSE THEATRE, 20:00–21:00, £15

GULLIVERS, 21:00–22:00, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MEANEY’S MOUTHBURST

THE LOWRY STUDIO, 20:00–22:00, £10

ROLE MODEL

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

GULLIVERS, 19:30–20:30, £5

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

MICHAEL J DOLAN + GEIN’S FAMILY GIFTSHOP

TIGER LOUNGE, 19:00–22:00, £5

The two stand-up acts fine tune their live shows ahead of a trip north to the Fringe.

ALEX EDELMAN + GEIN’S FAMILY GIFTSHOP

Two quite brilliant new comedy acts, 2014 Foster’s Comedy Award best newcomer winner Edelman and nominees Gein’s Family Giftshop, prepare for a return to Edinburgh.

OFF THE RAILS (JUSTIN MOORHOUSE + PAUL SINHA) ROYAL GEORGE, 19:30–22:00, £9

A host of comedians ready to tickle your funny bones in aid of the Oldham PHAB.

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:00–22:00, £4

21,000 MILES OF RAIL

Mon 20 Jul

A one-woman show attempting to unpack the rules of talking on trains, and test the possibilities of chance encounters with strangers.

Edinburgh preview show.

Fri 24 Jul

Mon 27 Jul

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £3

A ten-act long heckle-fest inviting a handful of amateurs to take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog, and the audience decides who stays – brutal!

BEACH HUNKS: VERY HANDSOME

THE CASTLE HOTEL, 19:30–20:30, £4 (£3)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

THE DISCOUNT COMEDY CHECKOUT IMPROV SHOW

THE KING’S ARMS, 21:15–22:15, £5 (£4)

New comedy as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe. Full details at greatermanchesterfringe.co.uk.

GLENN WOOL

THE RAILWAY INN, 19:30–22:30, £5

Is Glenn alone in his escapades around the world or is there an unseen companion travelling with him during these adventures? Is it an inner monologue or a heckling demigod?

THE LOWRY STUDIO, 20:00–22:00, £12

BARREL OF LAUGHS (TOM WRIGGLESWORTH + SCOTT GIBSON + ALEX BOARDMAN + MC JONNY CANDON) THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £16 (£8)

Three top-notch comics, a sprinkling of Frog compere funnies and a late night disco courtesy of the resident DJ.

THE BEST IN STAND UP (CHARLIE BAKER + STEVE GRIBBIN + MARLON DAVIS + PHIL NICHOL + MC MICK FERRY)

THE COMEDY STORE, 20:00–22:00, £18 (£12)

THE MARPLE BRIDGE COMEDY CLUB (PAUL SINHA + JUSTIN MOORHOUSE) NORFOLK ARMS, 19:30–22:00, £10

BEAT THE FROG

THE FROG AND BUCKET COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:30, £3

A ten-act long heckle-fest inviting a handful of amateurs to take to the stage and try to Beat the Frog, and the audience decides who stays – brutal!

SIDEKICK COMEDY (KATE MCCABE + MICHAEL J DOLAN + GEIN’S FAMILY GIFT SHOP)

VIA, 19:30–22:00, £2

Your friendly,monthly, neighbourhood comedy gig. All comedians are hero-approved.

Regular night of stand up with a line-up of five top circuit comedians.

THE DARK ROOM WITH JOHN ROBERTSON

GORILLA, 19:00–22:00, £10

Trapped in a dark room, you must escape. An unscripted, unhinged and live ‘choose your own adventure’, as seen on YouTube, in Variety magazine and all your best nightmares.

THE SKINNY

Comedy Liverpool Tue 30 Jun

ROGER MONKHOUSE (PHIL CHAPMAN + PATRICK MONAHAN + MC NEIL FITZMAURICE) THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

Tue 07 Jul LUISA OMIELAN

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £12.50

The Edinburgh Fringe sensation follows up her debut tour with her new show Am I Right Ladies?!

Wed 08 Jul

MATCHBOX COMEDY CLUB

THE LANTERN THEATRE, 20:00–22:30, £3

SEAN PERCIVAL (VINCE ATTA + JAMES DOWDESWELL + MC CHRIS CAIRNS)

BOILING POINT (ROB THOMAS + BRENNAN REECE + ANTHONY KING + MC PAUL SMITH)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £15

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (JONNY PELHAM + TONY CARROLL + JOHN HASTINGS + MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £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.

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.

Sat 25 Jul

TOM WRIGGLESWORTH (ALEX BOARDMAN + PHIL CHAPMAN + MC BARRY DODDS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

Wed 01 Jul

THE LAUGHTER FACTOR (MC PAUL SMITH)

A new monthly comedy night at the Lantern Theatre showcasing the finest talent in the Northwest.

Sat 18 Jul

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £5 (£3)

Thu 09 Jul

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £17.50

A monthly event giving comics the chance to try out new material before the weekend shows – it helps if you think of yourself as a comedic guinea pig.

Thu 02 Jul

STEVE SHANYASKI (DAVE WILLIAMS + JAY HANDLEY + MC RAY BRADSHAW)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

STEVE SHANYASKI (DAVE WILLIAMS + JAY HANDLEY + MC RAY BRADSHAW)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

Fri 03 Jul

STEVE SHANYASKI (SCOTT BENNETT + RAY BRADSHAW + MC DAVE WILLIAMS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

SILKY (RORY O’HANLON + LUKE TOULSON + MC CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + DON BISWAS + STEVE GRIBBIN + MC WILL DUGGAN)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £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.

Sat 04 Jul

STEVE SHANYASKI (SCOTT BENNETT + RAY BRADSHAW + MC DAVE WILLIAMS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

RORY O’HANLON (SILKY + LUKE TOULSON + MC CHRIS CAIRNS)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

LAUGH OUT LOUD COMEDY CLUB (ARCHIE KELLY + LARRY DEAN + MICKEY SHARMA) THE ATKINSON, 20:00–22:30, £15

A triple-header of comedy descends on the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Club.

JUNIOR SIMPSON (JOHN LYNN + ABI ROBERTS + MC JESS FOSTEKEW)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

MACMILLAN CHARITY NIGHT (ADAM ROWE + PETER MCCOLE + STEVE HAZE + ALLAN FINNEGAN + MORE)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £10

A benefit night of laughs for the cancer charity.

Fri 10 Jul

JUNIOR SIMPSON (JOHN LYNN + ABI ROBERTS + MC JAMIE SUTHERLAND)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

ANDREW STANLEY (KEVIN DEWSBURY + DALISO CHAPONDA + MC NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (DANNY PENSIVE + MASAI GRAHAM + MICK FERRY + MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Two-act Edinburgh preview show with both comedians making their final routine tweaks.

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (JONNY PELHAM + TONY CARROLL + JOHN HASTINGS + MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £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.

Sun 19 Jul

TEZ ILYAS + JONNY PELHAM

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Two-act Edinburgh preview show with both comedians making their final routine tweaks.

Mon 20 Jul

JUNIOR SIMPSON (JOHN LYNN + ABI ROBERTS + MC JAMIE SUTHERLAND)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £18

UNITY THEATRE, 21:00–23:00, £8

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

DALISO CHAPONDA (KEVIN DEWSBURY + ANDREW STANLEY + MC NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £17.50

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (DANNY PENSIVE + MASAI GRAHAM + MICK FERRY + MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

Tue 21 Jul MARKUS BIRDMAN

UNITY THEATRE, 19:00–21:00, £5

GLENN WOOL

Is Glenn alone in his escapades around the world or is there an unseen companion travelling with him during these adventures? Is it an inner monologue or a heckling demigod?

Wed 22 Jul PAUL SMITH

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £6

The Hot Water Comedy Club compere goes it alone for once.

Thu 23 Jul

TOM WRIGGLESWORTH (ALEX BOARDMAN + LEWIS CALVERT + MC BARRY DODDS)

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.

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Sun 12 Jul

PAUL SMITH

HARRIET DYER + DANNY PENSIVE

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

PAUL PIRIE (GLENN WOOL + ADAM RUSHTON + MC TONY SIMPSON)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

Fri 17 Jul

PAUL PIRIE (GLENN WOOL + IAIN STIRLING + MC SULLY O’SULLIVAN)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

MARTIN MORE (TANYALEE DAVIS + MICKEY D + MC NEIL FITZMAURICE)

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

BOILING POINT (ROB THOMAS + BRENNAN REECE + ANTHONY KING + MC PAUL SMITH)

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £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.

Sun 26 Jul BRENNAN REECE + STEPHANIE LAING

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

Two-act Edinburgh preview show with both comedians making their final routine tweaks.

Manchester Art

PAUL SMITH

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £6

The comedian fine tunes his material ahead of a trip north to Edinburgh.

Thu 16 Jul

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £3 (£1.50)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £17.50

Sat 11 Jul

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £10 (£5)

JIM SMALLMAN + DICK COUGHLAN

JAMES DOWDESWELL (VINCE ATTA + SEAN PERCIVAL + MC CHRIS CAIRNS)

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.

Two-act Edinburgh preview show with both comedians making their final routine tweaks.

Sun 05 Jul

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

The Hot Water Comedy Club compere goes it alone for once.

BOILING POINT (DANNY MCLOUGHLIN + DON BISWAS + STEVE GRIBBIN + MC WILL DUGGAN)

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.

PAUL PIRIE (GLENN WOOL + IAIN STIRLING + MC SULLY O’SULLIVAN)

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

HOT WATER COMEDY CLUB, 19:00–22:00, £6

The Hot Water Comedy Club compere goes it alone for once.

Fri 24 Jul

TOM WRIGGLESWORTH (ALEX BOARDMAN + PHIL CHAPMAN + MC BARRY DODDS)

COMEDY CENTRAL AT BABY BLUE, 18:00–22:00, £15

Triple-headlining bill set to test your funny bone.

TANYALEE DAVIS (MICKEY D + MARTIN MOR + MC NEIL FITZMAURICE)

THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE, 20:00–22:30, £15

Triple headline show with a delightfully hilarious line-up of circuit funny-folk.

Castlefield Gallery REAL PAINTING

UNTIL 2 AUG, 1:00PM – 6:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of new and existing work by ten artists working nationally and internationally including Turner Prize nominee Angela de la Cruz (2010) and John Moores Painting Prize winner’s Simon Callery (1992) and Alexis Harding (2004).

Centre for Chinese Contemporary Art TING-TONG CHANG

17 JUL – 2 AUG, NOT 20 JUL, 27 JUL, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Former Breathe artist-in-residence Ting-Tong Chang returns to CFCCA to showcase a recent body of work investigating automatons (self-moving machines) as a means to explore utopian visions.

MICRO MICRO REVOLUTION

3 JUL-6 SEP, 10:00AM - 5:00PM, FREE

Exhibition aiming to explore the power of art as a vehicle to address social change in Taiwan through three socially-engaged art projects which also addressi environmental issues within Taiwan.

HOME

THE HEART IS DECEITFUL ABOVE ALL THINGS

UNTIL 26 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

Inaugural HOME art exhibition, with a group show aiming to evoke feelings of love and loss in uncertain times.

HOME PROJECTS: MAGDA ARCHER #GIVEMEEVERYTHINGANDNOTHINGBABY

UNTIL 31 AUG, 10:00AM – 11:00PM, FREE

The much-loved Cornerhouse Projects becomes the HOME Projects, with print artist Magda Archer returning with a new show.

Imperial War Museum North WITHDRAW

UNTIL 6 SEP, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

New works by leading reportage illustrator George Butler explore the impact of British and US armed forces leaving Afghanistan.

Butler’s past work has featured in media outlets across the world.

July 2015

Art

Manchester MMU Special Collections

WE WANT PEOPLE WHO CAN DRAW: INSTRUCTION AND DISSENT IN THE BRITISH ART SCHOOL

UNTIL 31 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

This exhibition brings together manifestos and other forms of subversive literature that explore aspects of the history of British art schools since the Second World War, including items relating to The Slade School of Fine Art Women’s Group and more.

Manchester Art Gallery

NATURAL FORCES: ROMANTICISM & NATURE UNTIL 12 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

National Football Museum THE GREATER GAME: FOOTBALL & THE FIRST WORLD WAR

UNTIL 6 SEP, TIMES VARY, £1

Exhibition revealing the extraordinary story of football and footballers during the conflict, bringing together personal mementoes and first-hand accounts from the players, alongside rare objects from the museum’s collections.

PAPER Gallery PAPER #22: TRACING PAPER

UNTIL 18 JUL, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

UNTIL 31 AUG, TIMES VARY, FREE

BLACK ON BLACK

UNTIL 9 OCT, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition by 17 jewellery artists from 10 countries curated

by Jo Bloxham.

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.

PERFORMANCE CAPTURE

3–19 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exhibition, a studio and a singular document of the Manchester International Festival, aiming to provide a unique and reflexive insight into the production of a computer-generated moving image work.

Manchester Craft and Design Centre MESMERISED

UNTIL 29 AUG, NOT SUNDAYS, 10:00AM – 5:30PM, FREE

BUILD YOUR OWN

UNTIL 31 AUG, TIMES VARY, FREE

Huyton Central Library

EXPLORING PAPER

Vincent James presents a solo show around paper as part of the gallery’s artist-in-residence scheme.

UNTIL 31 AUG, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of designer dresses and suits commissioned by the Colour, Design and Style Centre of the Cotton Board, a Manchester-based organisation aiming to promote the use of cotton in fashion and to expand the export trade.

Two-person art collective Soda_ Jerk come to FACT as part of the European Media Artist Residency Exchange, working with sampled material to construct rogue histories and counter-mythologies.

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 25 JUL AND 5 SEP, 11:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

UNTIL 5 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

COTTON COUTURE

SODA_JERK

UNTIL 6 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

An exploration into how digital technologies come together with traditional processes of production to create new ways of working, sharing and collaborating.

Salford Museum and Art Gallery

Self-portraits by artists including Van Dyck, William Hogarth, Angelica Kauffman, Wyndham Lewis, Sarah Lucas, Julian Opie and Grayson Perry.

FACT

Following six months on the Paper mentoring scheme, six artists present new work inspired by, you guessed it, paper.

A collection of early 1800s Romantic works focused on the idea of nature as a force.

ARTISTS IN THE FRAME

Liverpool Art

ONE NEEDS MORE THAN PAINT

A celebration of the life and works of Manchester-born artist Harry Ousey.

THE NOW, THE NORTH

UNTIL 6 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

A selection of the artist Hugh Winterbottom’s interpretations of regional cities and towns, from Manchester to Stockport.

CHAPEL STREET THROUGH THE KEYHOLE

VARIOUS DATES BETWEEN 4 JUL AND 27 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

Depictions of the regeneration of Chapel Street and Salford Crescent for the past two years by Salford artist Anthony McCarthy.

The International 3 STUART EDMUNDSON

UNTIL 31 JUL, 12:00PM – 5:00PM, FREE

Edmundson’s second solo exhibition sees the artist present an extension of his studio practice, exploring accepted binary themes of painting/sculpture, object/ subject, low culture/high culture, studio/gallery.

The Lowry EXTRAORDINARY

25 JUL – 18 OCT, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of renowned visual artists including Bruce Nauman, Karina Smigla-Bobinski and Willi Dorner present a mixture of work that incorporates every day objects and the human body.

The Portico Library

NORTHERN EXPOSURE 2015

1–31 JUL, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

Mesmerising patterns take centre stage in this showcase of works in paper and aluminium by Rosie Booth, winner of Manchester Craft & Design Centre’s 9th annual MMU Graduate Solo Exhibition Award.

Northern Exposure 2015 showcases the skills of photographers based in the North of England and this year brings together the work of six artists from the region working on the theme of the landscape.

Manchester Museum

Whitworth Art Gallery

ASPIRE

OUT OF THE ARCHIVE

UNTIL 12 SEP, NOT SUNDAYS, TIMES VARY, FREE

John Davies curates an exhibition of photography from the archive of the Open Eye Gallery.

Lady Lever Art Gallery PICTURING VENICE

UNTIL 27 SEP, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Featuring work by Turner, Sickert and Brangwyn, this exhibition explores the stylistic developments of European art between the mid 17th century and 20th century through representations of the Italian city.

Open Eye Gallery OPEN 1

UNTIL 23 AUG, 10:30AM – 5:30PM, FREE

Artists Billy MacRae, Deborah Kelly, Helen Marshall, Louis Quail, Richard Ross and Sonal Kantaria are the first to be featured in the Open Eye Gallery’s first of three open-call exhibitions taking place over the next year.

St George’s Hall THE ART OF FRANK GREEN

4 JUL – 31 AUG, 10:00AM – 4:00PM, £2.50

A major retrospective exhibition of the work of Liverpool artist, Frank Green, who has been painting cityscapes since the 60’s.

Tate Liverpool

JACKSON POLLOCK: BLIND SPOTS

30 JUN – 18 OCT, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £10 (£7.50)

The largest collection of the influential US artist’s 'black pourings' work to be exhibited in the UK, with Tate Liverpool exploreing a lesser known element of Pollock's work.

GLENN LIGON: ENCOUNTERS AND COLLISIONS

30 JUN – 18 OCT, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, £10 (£7.50)

MediaCityUK

Print installation and etchings from the German artist, promising provocative reactions to recent global events and social trends.

The Bluecoat

UMBRELLIUM’S MINI BURBLE

14–18 JUL, 9:00PM – 10:30PM, FREE

An 100 ft balloon sculpture by British artists, Umbrellium will float towards the night sky at MediaCityUK, surrounded by hundreds of street hip hop dancers led by the choreography team behind the London 2012 Opening Ceremony. Matinees available.

THOMAS SCHÜTTE

THE M+ SIGG COLLECTION: CHINESE ART FROM THE 1970S TO NOW

1 JUL – 20 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

CHRISTINE TOH OPEN STUDIO

Calderstones Mansion’s resident artist Christine Toh opens the doors to her studio.

LOUISA MARTIN

10 JUL, 7:00PM – 9:00PM, FREE

Louisa Martin presents new work dealing with inheritance, what our generation values as tools for self-definition and it’s captured by society.

Victoria Gallery and Museum

NORTH WEST AND BEYOND: JAMES HAMILTON HAY

UNTIL 29 AUG, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition of drypoint prints by 19th century Merseyside etcher and painter, James Hamilton Hay, documenting his travels throughout the UK with his striking landscape prints.

THE AUDOBON GALLERY

UNTIL 19 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Permanent gallery of wildlife artist and naturalist John James Audubon.

GYPSY PORTRAITS

UNTIL 26 SEP, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

A series of Fred Shaw’s photographic depictions of the gypsy community during his lifetime.

I LOVE YOU DAUCUS CAROTA

UNTIL 26 SEP, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Flower heads and arrangements by artist Helen Sear.

REBELLIOUS POETICS: A FRIEND TO LIBERTY, AN ENEMY TO OPPRESSION

UNTIL 1 AUG, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition celebrating the work of 18th century human rights campaigner Edward Rushton.

RETROSPECTIVE

UNTIL 31 OCT, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

An exhibition celebrating the career of Liverpool fine artist Peter Corbett.

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.

TRICIA PORTER: LIVERPOOL PHOTOGRAPHS 1972-74

Capturing the life and times of Liverpool in the mid-70s.

TABITHA JUSSA: MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING

UNTIL 5 JUL, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

The winner of the seventh annual Liverpool Art Prize presents her latest exhibition.

8–19 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

UNTIL 5 JUL, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Artist Gerhard Richter and composer Arvo Pärt come together for Manchester International Festival, both men making work inspired by and dedicated to the other.

Work from Art from the Square arts collective, who encompass an eclectic range of prints and textiles to a professional standard by artists active locally and nationally.

UNTIL 5 JUL, 10:00AM – 6:00PM, FREE

Eighty works and four decades of fast-moving art from China — one of the largest collections of Chinese in the UK. RICHTER / PÄRT

ART FROM THE SQUARE

13–26 JUL, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

The Royal Standard

UNTIL 19 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

SARAH LUCAS

SOUTH LIVERPOOL ARTS GROUP

UNTIL 5 JUL, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Group exhibition courtesy of the 34 year-old collective.

Kirkby Gallery

A showcase of final project artwork by Art & Design students from Knowsley Community College.

British sculptor known for her provocative pieces which challenge and subvert attitudes towards the body, gender and sexuality.

UNTIL 19 JUL, TIMES VARY, FREE

The Reader Gallery

24 JUL, 11:00AM – 4:00PM, FREE

New art work by one of Africa’s foremost contemporary artists Romuald Hazoumè. It features swarms of multicoloured ‘butterflies’ which will take over the Museum’s Living Worlds gallery.

UNTIL 31 DEC, 10:00AM – 5:00PM, FREE

Excellent looking group show featuring Clay Arlington, Maurice Carlin, Daniel Eatock and The Piracy Project among others, which takes inspiration from The Bluecoat’s 1927-founding manifesto, of being a place for the “diffusion of useful knowledge.”

UNTIL 5 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

A collection of the American artist’s work, which relates to abstract expressionism and minimalist painting, remixing formal characteristics to highlight the cultural and social histories of the time, such as the civil rights movement.

DANCE OF THE BUTTERFLIES

RESOURCE 18 JUL – 27 SEP, TIMES VARY, FREE

XAVIER RIBAS: NITRATE

The first major solo exhibition in the UK by Barcelona-born photographer Xavier Ribas, which charts the history of nitrate extraction in the Chilean Atacama Desert.

Listings

53

Under the Influence: Failure Returning from a 17-year break with a cosmic odyssey titled The Heart Is a Monster this month, the reactivated LA space rock trio reveal the albums that make up their DNA Interview: Dave Kerr

2. The Cure – Pornography [1982] KA: The Cure were a massive influence on Failure forming in the first place. They were the first group I listed in my ad looking for a bass player and Greg answered because of it. This was a band he and I bonded over a lot; we listened to pretty much their entire body of work up to that point together. Pornography is the record of theirs that made the most impact on me as it relates to Failure.

The sounds on that record and the focus it had – extremely dark, never lets up, there are no bright spots here – it's very intense. The mood was just so strong and evocative. They were kind of my first indie band – the first non-mainstream band I was exposed to that I really loved. They had such an intensity and individualism about them; very inspiring to me when I was writing the first five or six Failure songs, which we kind of based the whole album on.

3. Miles Davis – Bitches Brew [1970] Greg Edwards: This is the first album that really changed the way I heard music – I was curious about jazz but didn't really know anybody that listened to it. So around this time I'm 21 years old – just at the beginning of Failure. I read this list of important jazz records that was in LA Weekly and one of them was Bitches Brew. I went off and bought it, put it on and it really appealed to something in me – these long and lonely notes he was playing, that would just soar above this strange music that was being played with so much feel and precision but also sounded like it was about to fall apart at any moment. The chaos and the structure went deep for me. I must've listened to that record every day for a few months – it really seeped in. There's a lyric in Screen Man from the first Failure record, Comfort, that talks about a guy playing these ‘lonely hidden notes.’ That's what this is. His playing felt like this esoteric and magical thing.

54

Out back

4. Pixies – Bossanova [1990] KA: After we did Comfort and started to establish our sound, another band from around the same period that made a big impact on me was the Pixies. It's a toss-up between Doolittle and Bossanova – both equally influential.

But I ended up listening to Bossanova more, because I felt that as an album it was so satisfying from start to finish, everything from the artwork to the way Black Francis was able to fuse punk with classic songwriting styles and pop arrangements. It sounded very fresh to me and I just loved it. One thing this did for me was educate me about the studio, and honed my ear. Like, ‘how many guitars are playing right now?’

“Neat pop gems, presented in chaotic form. To me, this is perfect” Greg Edwards on Big Star

5. AC/DC – Highway to Hell [1979] Kellii Scott: I was given Highway to Hell by my older brother once upon a time and it more or less taught me how to play the drums.

I sat with it for months, playing it over, then playing over it. This is the basics of rock drumming. Some years later I made my first record with this band called Liquid Jesus – we were working with Michael Beinhorn, who was just starting to become a big producer then. We were up in the Malibu mountains in this beautiful studio called Indigo Ranch where Neil Young made a lot of his records, so it had this big folklore around it. I was still only 18 and my inexperience was showing – I'd played live a lot but this was the first I'd recorded. At one point Michael pulled me aside and tried to explain to me some fundamentals about the relationship of drums in music: ‘If you picture the finish line, the first thing that should cross over it is your kick drum – that's what makes people move.’ I'd never thought of that at all. So the band took the weekend off and he had some of the engineers put a drum set-up in my room then handed me Highway to Hell and said ‘this record will explain that whole relationship.’

AC/DC can be so simple yet so successful because of the way Phil Rudd performed on those records.

6. Sonic Youth – Sister [1987] GE: The interplay between Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore's guitars, which were in these strange tunings, and the way Kim Gordon never really played bass in a conventional sense by taking the root note, was just exceptional. She was always playing some kind of a riff or hook

Photo: R.Daly

1. The Cars – The Cars [1978] Ken Andrews: You can't really hear the final sound of The Cars in Failure, but they were really important to me. This was the first band I really sunk my teeth into as a fan; I bought their first album when I was 12 and just loved it. When I turned 18, I listened to it over and over and basically learned how to play guitar to that record. It's easy, except for the solos which are actually really difficult. Elliot Easton's playing was very session-player quality. Ric Ocasek's touchstone was Buddy Holly, so the underlying chords are quite simple. But they really taught me about pop arrangement and the simplicity of classic rock chord progressions, plus the way you can interchange guitars and synthesizers, playing different hooks within the same song. That made an impact on me. I ended up loving some of their other songs on other records, but this was the one that taught me how to play.

while the guitars were creating these beautiful clanging harmonics. Sister just sounded very rock'n'roll to me – it was very raw and innocent.

Each element was unpredictable, even though it was also very refined and there was a lot of intellect in the music. It was progressive in the technique they were using and the overall effect, but it also had a truly punk rawness at the heart of it. I never liked a lot of the seminal punk stuff, it just didn't appeal to me. But the way Sonic Youth used it, I fell in love with.

7. Led Zeppelin – In Through the Out Door [1979] KS: Led Zeppelin records always seemed to be really simple but there's this kind of drama they create in the spaces between what they do and don't play. Like a good movie – there's always this element of suspense and this slow unfolding of what's to come that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A lot of their other records – beautiful in a completely opposite way – often seemed very experimental, in the moment and flying by the seat of their pants. In Through the Out Door seems more like they meant everything as it was written on the page. I always try and bring that sense of purpose – especially working in Failure.

It's a perfect relationship, everyone gives and takes.

It's not even necessarily something we communicate through language – it's that musical bond you only get, at least in my case, once in a lifetime.

I've played with a lot of people who I've had great musical relationships with, but most of it was spoken. There's a certain beauty in Failure that I've never been able to achieve anywhere else.

8. Big Star – Third (later released as Sister Lovers) [1978] GE: This album, in a way, shares a lot of the chaos I was talking about in Bitches Brew. It's these beautiful amazing pop songs that Alex Chilton wrote. No matter how weird it gets, even in a song like Big Black Car – to me, that's as influential a song as you could get.

There's a whole school of music that came out of the slow dirginess of that track. I guess, because of the mental state that the band and Alex were in, and the substances that were being used, it's just completely chaotic. As you listen, you can't understand how it even holds together sometimes. It could fall apart but it never does. He was

MUSIC

such a great pop song writer – the combination of having these neat pop gems with great, interesting lyrics, presented in that chaotic form. To me, this is perfect. One thing I took from Sister Lovers was that great songs can still come through when their genesis is so subterranean, dark and damaged sounding.

9. The Police – Zenyatt Mondatta [1980] KA: Controversial choice, I know; their earliest stuff was a little too raw for me. Not that Zenyatta Mondatta's slick, but it's a little deeper in the production and certainly deeper in terms of guitar effects. I would say Andy Summers’ use of guitar effects on that record in particular was a big inspiration, in terms of just wanting to buy effects, use ’em and experiment. But there was also the aspect of the trio sound, which I learned how to identify with and ap-preciate. I think that was an inspiration for us; how to arrange parts so we never felt like we were mis-sing something. Having everyone's role in the band become this important; as soon as somebody drops out, it's not the band. Right through the whole existence of Failure in the 90s, they were a big influence on me and I'd listen to them all the time.

10. Blonde Redhead – Misery Is a Butterfly [2004] KS: On Fantastic Planet there's a track called Another Space Song – where I just play this one hypnotic beat that never changes all the way through. This is a great achievement for me because I'm always naturally pulled towards playing more, accentuating and kicking things up a notch. It's always a delicate dance on a fine line.

I wanted to do more stuff like that, and one band that I really love, who I think do that really well are Blonde Redhead. I was listening to this particular record quite a bit in preparation for The Heart Is a Monster. Somebody turned me onto it around eight years ago and I was floored by how Simone [Pace, drummer] could just play this one simple hypnotic thing, and you forget that it's even there. It never changes, so it never pulls you away.

The Heart Is a Monster is released via INgrooves/ Xtra Mile on 17 Jul failureband.com

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