Looking to life behind the scenes of streets and skyscrapers, celebrating everything from market places and urban estates to motorways – matters. There’s even a shop to mark it, right here in Manchester. Named simply ‘The Modernist’, this fascinating place can be found in the city centre at 58 Port Street; providing an exhibition space as well as an opportunity to buy Modernist work and merchandise. Open from Wednesday to Saturday (11am-5pm) every week, the public are welcome to browse – and may well be drawn to the range of colourful prints, characterful badges and material spanning everything from Factory era Manchester to the story of a Stretford tower block.

But what about the history behind the society itself? The Manchester Modernist Society was founded in 2009 by Jack Hale, Maureen Ward and Eddy Rhead – staring life as a project born out of pure passion and interest. According to Jack:

“We have been going for ten years now. Initially it started out as Manchester Modernist Society, which itself grew out of when myself and an ex-colleague were chatting about a potential art project…diverting into our shared dismay that so much 20^th century architecture seemed unloved! For example, 20^th century buildings can often be misrepresented, deemed ‘ugly’, reclad in horrible things. So we thought, let’s do something about that – and so we came up with Manchester Modernist Society. It had no money, it wasn’t a formal organisation… we just wanted to have fun with it. We arranged ‘happenings’ – a type of gathering – started a Facebook group, anything we could.

“It really was on a whim, a creative project – not based on any kind of research that what we were doing would have an audience. Yet our first gathering or ‘happening’ – which was a picnic in St Peter’s Square in 2009 – brought about 30 people together; highlighting that the project did seem to ‘have legs’, a level of interest. Why St Peter’s Square? Although the space has continued to change, in 2009 we thought it had a number of 20^th century elements that seemed unloved. It also is a contrast to the much-more publicised Albert Square – a place that is a kind of embodiment of imperialism: statues of royals, grand Victorian architecture.  St Peter’s Square had no royals at all – instead the cenotaph that went up in the 1920s, the library, the Town Hall extension of the 1930s, a 1970s office block – no longer there – and also a peace garden. It seems to have a civic worthiness I think.

“In Manchester history, I think there is a huge chunk that is not talked about as much – 20^th century design, buildings – and not just their architecture, but people’s life and work within them. As the Manchester Modernist Society, we were interested in this, and tried to arrange participatory events as often as we could. An informal rambling-type club so to speak; walks, talks, film screenings… and we’ve always been very loose and fluid in what we cover, with a sense of fun. It doesn’t have to all be strictly ‘Modernist’.

“We also started to collaborate with other organisations, such as the North West Film Archive, Manchester Metropolitan University and especially The Manchester School of Art and School of Architecture there. Working with artists and graphic designers, we collaborated on an A-Z illustrated guide to Modernist Manchester, with a building or place name co-ordinating to each in the alphabet, along with an illustration. Yes, even ‘z’ – we did it somehow! Having enjoyed working with graphics and print, we thought then of doing a magazine.”

Hence, The Modernist was born in 2011 – a beautiful print magazine, published quarterly – now on an impressive issue 33 and celebrating an extensive portfolio of voluntary contributions inspired by Modernist interest. Considering that The Modernist Society still had little income at this stage, selling the magazine provided a means of keeping the venture going – and as well as selling it online, a web shop was set up, featuring other related Modernist products. Eye-catching, fun and distinct design is an ongoing feature; including the still-popular pin badges, tote bags and prints. Most people in the city will have at some point seen a bag or jacket boasting a badge with the single word ‘Modernist’, after all.

From this point, The Modernist has developed into a small press, publishing limited edition works featuring 20^th century design, architecture and culture; often relating to Modernist Society projects and exhibitions. This has involved a variety of Manchester content as well as material from further afield, including photobooks ranging from New Towns to cycling!

 Collaboration has also been a key aspect to the credit of the society, bringing together a diversity of people delving into modern culture, from an exciting range of backgrounds. A number of contributors, especially to the magazine, have been involved in the activities of the society over the years: including Steve Marland and Richard Brook. Jack reflects:

“Historically, The Modernist Society has not really had any money, so it’s been difficult to plan too far ahead – more like taking ideas and seeing what can happen with them, with the resources we have. Over the years though, this has led to some fascinating and surprising work, contributed by a range of people.

“For example, there was an exhibition from Bill Mather – who has been involved in a history society in Stretford – and had some slides about Stretford House, the residential tower block there . In turn, an exhibition and book were developed, and some merchandise too – including a tea towel, I think!

“In recent times, our exhibitions have included the current one about Factory (Praxis : a Factory Anniversary Exhibition), and the one before that was from Paul Hallows, featuring illustration using patterns based on city infrastructure, items such as shipping containers. Our focus isn’t just Manchester either – we’re interested in content from all over – but a lot is Manchester-focused, that makes sense because we are based here.”

Since 2015, The Modernist Society has also seen requests arise to set up branches in other cities, now including Sheffield and Birmingham.

And here in its Manchester base, The Modernist Society certainly has been busy; with a portfolio of projects revealing hidden histories and the lives behind locations you may pass every day. Back in 2010, they premiered a newly commissioned sound installation as part of FutureEverything Festival, involving the acclaimed sound artist Ailis Ni Riain… taking place in an old red telephone box, set up outside the Museum of Science and Industry! This was one of only five red telephone boxes left in the city at the time. In the same year, they were also involved in organising a gathering of 100 people outside the former Odeon Cinema on Oxford Street, with footage from North West Film Archive projected onto the exterior – discussing the history of the building and concern at its planned demolition, which happened in 2017.

Sacred Suburbs was a 2015 project from The Modernist Society exploring post-war places of worship in the hinterlands of Manchester, whilst Knowledge and Work followed in 2016, a photobook celebrating what was the UMIST campus and the uncertainty of its future – developed by photographer Bill Ayres together with designers Jacob Critchley and Jack Glover. Another work, From The Archives, published by The Modernist Society in March 2018, was a collaboration with the MMU Special Collections – taking in locations all the way from Cwmbran to here in Hulme - presenting images from the Visual Resources Library slide collection.  These are just some of the many examples of projects and content brought together by The Modernist Society.

2019 therefore has marked 10 years since the founding of the society – and their genre-spanning spread of interest and urban encounter is clear. This was expressed too in FROM OUR ARCHIVES – a 10^th anniversary exhibition, and the first to take place at The Modernist Society’s relatively recent new premises of 58 Port Street, which opened in May 2019. The exhibition itself was conceived and curated by Jack Hale, Eddy Rhead, Ashiya Eastwood and Matt Retallick, allowing the public to enjoy an immersive display of previous editions of The Modernist within the exciting new space.  The cosy ground floor has been made into a slick exhibition and event area, with modernist prints adorning the walls and ensuring a characterful feel. Shelves and tables also offer a selection of shop items.

“We were semi-seriously looking around for a unit for a while,” reflects Jack, “But it always seemed more of a pipe-dream than a possibility. However, we knew that having a public premises and people coming in would increase our visibility, which is important for the society to keep going.

“The shop gives us much-needed space for exhibitions and the like, the ability to plan ahead a bit more. When the premises came up, it seemed to tick a number of boxes at just the right time. After all, at the core of the society is me and Eddy Rhead, who have spent half our time working on it – not getting paid – and then spending the other half of the week on our paid work. We wouldn’t have had the time a year ago.

“The Port street premises also came up at a good time as we had received a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund – a Resilience Grant, which is intended to help projects increase their long-term prospects. This grant was not to pay for the building itself, but has helped increase our capacity to do things: now employing some more part-time members of staff. In turn, we’ve been able to use the shop space to bring people together, and this has included evening events. So far there has been a series of talks on Women in Bauhaus by Lauren Rickards (final talk on 12 December), four independent magazine makers in-conversation, and upcoming features include an introductory course to modernism, run by Eddy himself. This is intended to be an informal, entertaining and un-academic approach to the subject.”

The Modernist Society after all upholds a fun and innovative style – and doesn’t just consider buildings, but delves deeper into the lives within them, cultural history and the human routines of a place. They differ from organisations such as The 20^th Century Society for example – as whilst the 20^th Century society has a more conservationist role, often campaigning for the preservation of locations – The Modernist Society focuses more on public participation and creative perspectives.

“Council estates, office buildings, roads like The Mancunian Way – we’re interested a wide range of places,” says Jack.

But what has he been particularly inspired – or even surprised – by, during his time at The Modernist Society?

“We did a project on ‘The Toastrack’ – the nickname of what was a rather well-known Metropolitan University campus building – and former Domestic & Trades College - in Fallowfield. It was 2013 and the building was due to be vacated as MMU carried on locating towards the city centre, so we thought it was the only chance we might have do something on it. What became clear too is that it was one of the few modernist buildings around the city that people seemed to be actually fond of!

“In turn, Manchester Modernist Society spent a year at the Toastrack, in a room on-site during its final year as a college building and found some archives: including a collection of old photographs. Some of these photos highlighted various weird and wonderful activities going on in the building over time – especially from its period as a Domestic & Trades College – everything from butchering to what seems to be fashion students on the roof in ‘70s outfits!”

This led to the Toastrack blog as well as the printing of 'Toastrack an Unofficial History' – (available here) written and researched by Nicholas James, Matthew Steele and Jack Hale, designed by Jonathan Hitchen.

Another intriguing project has been the experimental ‘The Life of Buildings’, led by Dr Richard Brook at Manchester School of Architecture and supported by The Modernist Society, Manchester Metropolitan University and Archives+ at Manchester Central Reference Library. 

“Richard Brook has been in connection for many years,” explains Jack “He had his own site Mainstream Modern – as well as being a Principal Lecturer at Manchester School of Architecture – with various projects and ideas. One of the ideas was that he wanted to digitise a building or place, in 3D, and to consider how that may be used or useful. We were chatting, and we came to the view that a good possible use of this approach might be to archive a building that is about to be destroyed, so all the elements of its history can be tagged onto a digital model.

“The building that we then came to focus on was Manchester Reform Synagogue on Jacksons Row near Bootle Street Police Station – one of the buildings that is being cleared to make way for the St Michael’s development. The Synagogue is a fascinating building, a kind of brick box, one of the first buildings in Manchester to be built after the Second World War – especially significant as not many buildings were going up at this time due to lack of funds.

“Over time it has changed very little, it hasn’t even really been refurbished: meaning that it is a relatively complete 1950s building right in the middle of town, interesting because it is so untouched – and a big space too. As a place in itself it also has so many stories; a religious building where people come together for services, social events – hence there is a real richness to it. A model was then created, a kind of test case.

“The synagogue itself is still waiting to be demolished, and it is a shame that people don’t necessarily know about it – that a relatively hidden slice of Manchester life is going to disappear. However, as I said, we aren’t conservationist – more creatively responding to what places and buildings face.”

A range of material and projects from The Modernist Society can be seen online – and the shop is open Wednesday- Saturday too. Upcoming events include architecture-inspired art exhibitions, evening talks and immersive walks – so why not discover more for yourself?  

58 Port Street, Manchester, M1 2EQ

www.modernist-society.org

www.the-modernist.org

By Emily Oldfield 

Photographs - Credit: The Modernist Society 

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/12/are-you-a-modernist-find-out-for-yourself-with-the-modernist-society-and-their-manchester-base-b1041#comments1041 Thu, 05 Dec 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/12/bat-out-of-hell-the-musical-returns-to-manchester-b1040 AWARD-WINNING BAT OUT OF HELL – THE MUSICAL RETURNS TO THE UK IN 2020 OPENING AT MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE ON 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 AHEAD OF A UK TOUR TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 9 DECEMBER The producers o..

AWARD-WINNING

BAT OUT OF HELL – THE MUSICAL

RETURNS TO THE UK IN 2020

OPENING AT MANCHESTER OPERA HOUSE ON 10 SEPTEMBER 2020 AHEAD OF A UK TOUR

TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 9 DECEMBER
 

The producers of the award-winning Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, featuring Jim Steinman and Meatloaf’s greatest hits, are delighted to announce the musical will be returning to tour the UK, following an Australian tour, with performances beginning at Manchester Opera House from 10 – 26 September 2020.
 

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical wowed critics and public alike when it played limited seasons at Manchester Opera House, London Coliseum and London’s Dominion Theatre from 2017 – 2019. The musical also ran successfully in Canada, Germany and at New York’s City Centre last summer.
 

Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical won the Radio 2 Audience Award for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards and was nominated for 8 WhatsOnStage Awards, including Best New Musical.
 

Bat Out Of Hell became one of the best-selling albums in history, selling over 50 million copies worldwide.  16 years later, Steinman scored again with Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell, which contained the massive hit I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That).
 

For the stage musical, the legendary and award-winning Jim Steinman has incorporated iconic songs from the Bat Out Of Hell albums, including You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth, Bat Out Of Hell, I Would Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That) and Two Out Of Three Ain’t Bad, as well as two previously unreleased songs, What Part of My Body Hurts the Most and Not Allowed to Love.

In Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical, the electrifying rock songs of Mr Steinman propel an epic story of rebellious youth and passion as Strat, the immortal leader of The Lost, has fallen in love with Raven, the beautiful daughter of the tyrannical ruler Falco.
 

The UK tour of Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical has book, music and lyrics by Jim Steinman, direction by Jay Scheib, with musical supervision and additional arrangements by Michael Reed, set and costume design by Jon Bausor, original costume designs by Meentje Nielsen, video design by Finn Ross, lighting design by Patrick Woodroffe, sound design by Gareth Owen, orchestration by Steve Sidwell and casting by Anne Vosser.
 

The UK tour of Bat Out Of Hell – The Musical is produced by David Sonenberg, Michael Cohl & Tony Smith, with executive producer Julian Stoneman.

️ BOOK HERE ️

From August 2013 to January 2014, the British Film Institute, Britain’s most prestigious organisation in the promotion and preservation of film, ran a very widely publicised season entitled ‘Gothic: The Dark Heart of Film’. Its scale was vast: 150 films were played in around 1,000 screenings throughout the UK and the season became the longest yet in BFI Southbank history. ‘Gothic’ also included talks from invited guests, specialist lectures and workshops, new DVD releases, an educational programme, an issue of the affiliated magazine Sight and Sound containing a special feature on Gothic cinema and even an accompanying compendium, the first to transnationally encompass the history of the Gothic on screen beyond specific periods. The season was very successful and received coverage in major newspapers and tabloids like The Guardian, Evening Standard and Metro, and was also the subject of an article by the BBC. It seemed that, after many years of existing on the cultural periphery as a term used mostly by scholars and architects, the Gothic had finally become a cinematic force to be reckoned with. Gothic cinema’s resurgence did not end there, however, for the British Library, another mainstay of British culture, also launched a massive exhibition, ‘Terror and Wonder: The Gothic Imagination’, in October of 2014 that lasted until January 2015. Its exhibits centred on literature but also included films, a decision that demonstrates their value to contemporary perceptions of the Gothic. Yet for all the wealth of interest these events generated, the term ‘Gothic’ remained somewhat vague in its application to cinema.

My main aim with the project that has culminated in the book Gothic Cinema (out in January 2020 from Routledge) and the 8-week course of the same name running at HOME from January to March of 2020 was precisely to mount a defence of Gothic cinema as an aesthetic mode with a distinctive set of markers that can be disentangled from horror. This is important because, as we have received it, the Gothic today is primarily visual, premised on a number of motifs and images that have either derived from or been filtered by film history. Until very recently, the existence of the Gothic in film was in question too, relegated to the subtle side of horror, the modern equivalent of what Ann Radcliffe referred to as ‘terror’, or else unhelpfully collapsed into horror altogether. What exactly is Gothic cinema, and why has it been so difficult to pin down? Naturally, the fact that a lot of classical horror cinema derived inspiration from the literary Gothic tradition (although mostly from nineteenth century texts and normally thanks to previous successes on the stage) has created some confusion. The steady rise of Gothic Studies since the 1990s and the mode’s connection to certain poststructuralist theories and methodologies also muddled the ground, turning the Gothic into a tool of investigation that used single motifs to Gothicise entire texts.

For this reason, my research project has been more actively driven by the specificity of the cinematic medium and of the Western film industry: when did the Gothic begin to manifest on screen, and was this a self-aware process? When and why did film begin drawing on, even creating, a Gothic aesthetic comparable to that of the literary tradition? Are monsters or the supernatural a requisite of the Gothic? Once a world of shadows, what happened to Gothic cinema when Hammer and other studios began bathing their period films in glorious technicolour? And what happened to the Gothic once the exploitation boom of the 1960s and 1970s and the success of the more realist and contemporary horror popularised by The Exorcist (1973) rendered its settings and titillating subtexts passé, even redundant? The historical drive behind these burning questions was significantly emboldened by a grant I was awarded by the British Academy and the Leverhulme Trust in 2018 to visit key film archives in the States – the Library of Congress (Washington - pictured below) and the Margaret Herrick Library (Los Angeles) – to consult existing photographic material for many lost Gothic films from the 1910s and 1920s. Although largely forgotten today, films like The Ghost Breaker (1914) or Something Always Happens (1928) exhibit the type of Gothic sensibility that would be exploited by Universal’s horrors in the 1930s. I aim to explore the significance of the old dark house mystery to cinema history in future research, but a number of the things I discovered during my research stays in 2019 made it into the forthcoming book and course.

I only started properly writing what would become Gothic Cinema in 2016, but its gestation period goes much further back. I have had a long academic fascination with the Gothic since I undertook my MA programme and subsequent PhD, and of course, I now belong to the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies and teach BA and MA Gothic units at Manchester Metropolitan University. In a sense, thinking about the Gothic is something I cannot help but do on a weekly basis. Yet two moments were key in sparking the final creative fuse. The first of these was an invitation I received to give a paper at the aforementioned Gothic season at the BFI in 2013. When the organisers asked me if I had a book on the subject they could promote, it suddenly hit me that I probably could and definitely should. The second wake-up call came while co-delivering with Dr Linnie Blake the ‘Introduction to Gothic Cinema’ course at Cornerhouse (now HOME) in the autumn of 2014. The experience was transformative and the excitement of the attendees truly infectious. Once more, I had to reply in the negative when people asked me if there was something I had written on the topic they could read and, once more, I thought to myself that there was no good reason for this. It makes perfect sense that this particular journey should return to one of the places where it began: I cannot wait to launch my new book with HOME and I am very much looking forward to seeing Son of Frankenstein (1939) (still picture below) and La maschera del demonio (Black Sunday, 1960), two personal favourites, on the big screen.

One of the most important films of the twentieth century, the influential German expressionist The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, will be turning a hundred years old in February. What better way to celebrate the anniversary of this granddaddy of Gothic cinema than by embracing the dark heart of film history? Especially because, as it transpires, Gothic films are always partly a distorted mirror of what we continue to fear and desire.

Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes has also contributed previous content to Haunt Manchester, including an article exploring the connection between ‘HOME and the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies’ and a piece on ‘Manchester and Gothic Publishing’.  

Newly opened

STAY: The Stock Exchange Hotel

Set within the former home of the Manchester Stock Exchange, every detail of the new Stock Exchange Hotel has been meticulously considered to create a five-star 40-room boutique hotel. Located on Norfolk Street, in the heart of central Manchester, the Edwardian Baroque building - with its original marble, brass and woodwork – has been carefully restored to breathe new life into one of the city’s most historically symbolic institutions. Opened on 15 November, the hotel includes an exciting new restaurant concept called The Bull & Bear, overseen by renowned British chef Tom Kerridge and located within the grand domed room which was previously the trading floor.

EAT: Chish and Fips

Previously the site of popular sushi restaurant Umezushi, it has now transitioned into a new Japanese fish and chip concept, Chish and Fips. The new venture specialises in tempura fish and chips - a first for Manchester - as well as chip alternatives such as aubergine or shiitake mushroom. The £10 fish boxes include a type of fish, seafood or fish alternative to choose from, and a variety of vegetables, toppings and sauces.

DRINK: The Edinburgh Castle

The Edinburgh Castle pub has stood since 1811 in Ancoats - Britain’s first industrial suburb now turned cool neighbourhood - and has recently re-opened its doors on Cutting Room Square. After undergoing refurbishment, The Edinburgh Castle now joins the likes of Mana, Trove, Rudy’s, The Jane Eyre, Elnecot and Seven Bro7hers who have created a fantastic dining and drinking scene in this constantly evolving part of the city centre. The pub offers great beers and a large whisky selection along with progressive and imaginative dishes with a wine list to match.

SHOP: Stall MCR at Kampus

An independent market for artists, makers and food producers, Stall MCR has popped up at Kampus for four weekends in the run up to Christmas. Conceived by the people behind GRUB, Stall MCR is the place to go for artisanal Christmas gifts from local traders. The pop-up will also offer food and drink and the chance to get a first look at Kampus, Manchester’s newest pubic garden space.

EVENT: Lightopia Festival

Europe’s biggest lantern and light festival has arrived in Manchester's Heaton Park. From November 21 until December 31 expect giant lanterns, lights, lasers, water screen shows, acrobats, musicians, family rides and street food at Lightopia in Manchester before it travels to London in the New Year.

EXHIBITION: Cosgrove Hall - Frame by Frame

Cosgrove Hall Films Archive takes you right back to the basics of animation by detailing the processes behind some of Britain's best loved children's animations. Located at Waterside Arts in Trafford, a new exhibition Cosgrove Hall Frame By Frame breaks down the most complex Cosgrove Hall series, such as The Wind in the Willows, looking at the finer details of stop motion production, with original puppets, costumes, production material and inside stories. The exhibition runs until 4 January 2020.

Coming soon

EVENT: Light Orchestra

Light Orchestra, an interactive sound and light installation, will have its European Premiere at Lightwaves Festival, Salford Quays, from Friday 6 December to Sunday 15 December. Visitors will be able to become conductors, directing a symphony of light and music with their arms - with increased movement the music becomes livelier and beams of light move more energetically, with slower movement, the music becomes soft and the light moves more gently. The installation aims to transform the public space into a concert hall.

EXHIBITION: Dippy the Dinosaur in Rochdale

The Natural History Museum’s superstar dinosaur, Dippy, is currently on a record-breaking UK tour and he lands in Rochdale in February 2020. Dippy’s star power has already drawn more than 1 million visitors to venues across the tour, and thousands more are expected to visit him in Number One Riverside, his only stop in the North West of England. Accompanying the dinosaur in Rochdale will be a major family-friendly exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale where children can explore all aspects of the natural world, from the dark swamplands of millions of years ago to our future planet and what it might look like. Dippy will be in Rochdale from 10 February to 28 June 2020.

EVENT: Chinese New Year

One of the first big events in Manchester’s annual calendar is Chinese New Year. From January 25 to 26, Manchester will be packed full of fun and fortune to celebrate the Year of the Rat – featuring the city’s famous red lanterns, a glittering golden dragon, live performances, the popular Dragon Parade and a street food and Chinese goods market throughout Chinatown.

EXHIBITION: Manchester Open Exhibition at HOME

Running from January until March 2020, HOME’s Manchester Open Exhibition – a major open-entry art show celebrating the creative talent of those across Greater Manchester – will be taking place for the first time. HOME’s gallery will be filled with work from 500+ Greater Manchester residents, selected by a panel consisting of art experts and community representatives. The exhibition is open to all, and will bring together artwork including paintings, prints, photography, sculpture, digital and mixed media, video and audio, spoken word, performance and more.

In case you missed it

PODCAST: In This Place: Gaychester

New to BBC Sounds is a new six-part podcast series looking at the LGBT+ history of Manchester – In This Place: Gaychester. By the 90s, the LGBT+ party scene in Manchester was famous enough to be known as Gaychester, and each episode in this series looks at different aspects of the city’s queer history. Presented by Nick Grimshaw, Annie Wallace, Cheddar Gorgeous, Rob Rinder, Dolly-Rose Campbell and Phil Lester, the podcasts cover episodes titled; History of Canal Street, Ballard of Harry Stokes, Manchester’s First Drag Ball?, Alan Turing’s Life in Manchester, Manchester and Section 28 and 30 Years of the Albert Kennedy Trust.

CULTURE: The Factory - new photos and video

The Factory is a landmark cultural venue for Manchester and has reached a major construction milestone ahead of its 2021 launch. New video assets include brand new drone footage from the construction site, a brand-new CGI film showing the construction build and the latest time-lapse film capturing the work on site from September-October 2019, which you can view here. One of the biggest developments of its kind in Europe, The Factory is being commissioned by Manchester City Council and will be the permanent home of Manchester International Festival.

CULTURE: Work starts on new special exhibitions gallery at Science and Industry Museum

Work has started at the Science and Industry Museum to create a new 725 square metre flexible gallery space, to open in October 2020. The project will reveal striking historic spaces previously not open to the public on the lower ground floor of the Grade II Listed New Warehouse. The New Warehouse was built in 1882 to provide storage for the Great Western Railway and designed to support the weight of steam trains entering the Warehouse and unloading the cargo through ceiling hatches. Used as museum stores until recently, the historic fabric of the lower ground floor will be revealed and restored, allowing visitors to the museum to experience the grandeur and scale of the original warehouse space while enjoying new exhibition experiences.

ROUTE: Juneyao Air from Shanghai

On 20 November Manchester Airport announced a landmark deal to connect the north of England with Shanghai, China’s biggest city and one of the world’s most important economic powerhouses, as Chinese carrier Juneyao Airlines chose the Northern hub for its first ever UK service, which will operate three times a week using the state-of-the-art Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner. The news has been hailed as “a key step towards making the North one of the world’s most globally competitive regions” and is tipped to unlock hundreds of millions of pounds-worth of trade, investment and tourism benefits. It will be a boost for the 180,000 people and businesses within Manchester Airport’s catchment area who already travel to Shanghai, ranked as one of the top five Global Financial Centres, each year.

DRINK: Beatnikz Taproom reopens

Beatnikz Republic, a Manchester-based micro-brewery have re-opened the doors to their Red Bank taproom. The taproom closed in 2017 when the team opened their Northern Quarter bar but will now welcome guests again from 12pm-9pm every Saturday.

Not only did this passionately organised event celebrate a variety of independent traders with their stalls, but also provided a platform for members of the public to bring-and-buy their unwanted punk and goth clothing. Second-hand shopping perhaps matters more than ever: a positive ethical choice in the fight against waste and throwaway culture.

In turn, this distinct and friendly DIY vibe certainly makes NQ Alternative stand out, upholding affordability in a refreshing way – certainly a change from the oft-overpriced fashion and retail outlets in the run-up to Christmas.

The afternoon also showcased a wide variety of creativity: everything from quirky clothing sellers to graphic artists and jewellery-makers. Since NQ Alternative  began earlier this year, their event format has welcomed a range of sellers as well as members of the public to share their stock: with examples from the ever-changing roster of traders including PunX Jewellery, Zebraspider DIY Anti-Fashion, Bad Hair Dayz, Allyn And Ivy, Potty Pigeon and Freshly Faked.

The location seemed especially atmospheric – The Shack’s subterranean basement space below Manchester’s High Street giving added appeal to the occasion. Dramatic brick walls, quirky coloured lighting and tall ceilings served as a backdrop to a number of stalls, set out market-style. Not only was this event an opportunity for members of the public to browse and pick from many unique potential Christmas presents, but raising funds for The Sophie Lancaster Foundation too – a charity (featured in  previous Haunt interview article here) that NQ Alternative has continued to support.

According to NQ Alternative founder Kat:

"The mission was to create a Camden-style alternative flea/bring-and-buy market experience in Manchester that is unlike any other, inspired by the early days when punks used to sell DIY/band t-shirts in the basements of venues as a reaction against consumerism and mainstream fashion, with that little bit extra. DIY ethics are really important and at the heart of this project. I always believe in supporting artists of all kinds and that buying second-hand/hand-made clothing is very important for a variety of ethical reasons.

"We're incredibly fortunate to live in a bustling lovable city with a thriving music scene and that is full of talented creative folk who embrace the same passion for the alternative subculture, with a life-long love of alternative music, arts, and tattoos. Manchester is one of the best cities to grow up in, so I wanted to the market to hail back to the way the Northern Quarter used to be as a centre of alternative and bohemian culture and before the gentrification.

"My aim with NQ Alternative is to bring the alternative community closer together and create that perfect Sunday day out to soothe that hangover with some great food (or 'hair of the dog'!), meet new people and chill out with a bunch of friendly alternative folk, listen to a fantastic playlist/DJ sets from our sister alternative club nights Delete Yourself and Parallels, pick up some rare items and great bargains from our second hand rail sellers and check out local alternative artists/craft makers. No event will be exactly the same as the last, with different traders each time and we're forever expanding, what better time to bring something like this back up North."

Here are just some examples of the unique traders who featured at the December edition. Links to their pages are available in each title... 

Cabinet of Curious Creations

A stall featuring the art and creativity of local artist Hayley Shaw. The range of eye-catching creations include hand-crafted jewellery, charms and trinkets; as well as Hayley’s signature sketches and prints that have seen her work feature at many high-profile events; including previous NQ Alternative fairs and Grimmfest. Hayley’s illustrative work often involves dark depictions of figures from popular culture, such as The Joker and Frankenstein's Monster. With an extensive portfolio of creative work, including superbly sinister handmade dolls, Cabinet of Curious Creations is a must-visit – and also online here.

Carlie Martece - Artist & Writer

Eclectic artwork surrounded the stall of Carlie Martece – a fascinating artist and writer, with delightfully dark designs incorporating animals, characters and plenty of surrealism. It was this skilled artistry that was displayed across a range of prints, cards and badges. They even continued to work on a brilliant design (incorporating pumpkins and Pi!) during the event itself. Carlie also is the author of Deragon Hex: The Vipdile Key and Toxic Nursery.

Bettie Belle Design

A characterful and vibrant array of art prints, pocket mirrors, zines and badges – thanks to the creativity of Abigail Beach, a Graphic Illustrator and Creative Artworker. Also online, Abigail’s work celebrates hand-on artistry and technical skill, such as through bold linocut prints and her use of zine formats. Ideal for unique and expressive gifting.

Itty Bitty Concrete Committee

Say it with cement! That’s the message of the innovative Itty Bitty Concrete Committee – seeking to celebrate the rather under-loved material that is concrete! The home of cute concrete lettering and artistry. Whether you want to spell your name (or the name of a special someone) in these little blocks of character, or personalise a room – there is plenty of potential! Requests and ideas are also welcomed.

Badrock Design

Distinct and original jewellery from Manchester and London based designer Cathy Jordan. This is jewellery with character – with many bold and eye-catching pieces – often inspired by Cathy’s own interests in music, pop art, fairground culture and ‘80s design. Considering that Cathy has previously designed accessories for the likes of Vivienne Westwood, Jasper Conran and Mary Quant (to name just a few), to take home one of her pieces is a real treat. From colourful chilli necklaces to artist palette earrings – there is an exciting and innovative selection. Whilst working in the North, Cathy has had a retrospective exhibition of her work at Gallery Oldham in 2013, has been trading her designs in various locations and also has had designs on sale at Stockport museum: part of the iconic Strawberry Studios exhibition.  

Hoop Doggy Dog

Hand embroidered hoop art and resin jewellery, created by Laura Grave and Chris Hogben. These hand-stitched designs make a great gift, whether you are looking for an image of a favourite cartoon character (there are many!), a hoop with a meaningful message or even a brilliant bespoke option! Custom-made hoop art can be arranged to suit your occasion... and it is sure to be packed with character. The designs available – including their innovative jewellery selection incorporating everything from Lego to resin brooches – allow for plenty of choice.

Wilfs Workshop

Upcycled home décor, often incorporating characterful wood designs, is the speciality of Wilfs Workshop. As well as creating distinctive new units from former pieces of furniture– adding paint, patterns and plenty more – they also create unique drawer handles; hand painting them, ideal for transforming any cupboard or interior. A gift idea with something for everyone.

Cthulhu Cat Cult

Handmade creations that are creepy and cute in equal measure! Cthulhu Cat Cult put out work popping with personality; from Lost Boys prints and character-led designs to great gift cards and even themed vintage storage boxes. Their distinct aesthetic approach also incorporates a rage of retro items including patched-up jackets, canvases and bags. Be sure to browse for an exciting taste of something different.

Absolutely anyone can get involved in NQ Alternative events, to trade or find out more, message the Facebook page or alternatively email at NQalternative@gmail.com.

By Emily Oldfield 

This immersive experience is also part of the wider ‘Withington By Night at Christmas’ celebrations– an evening that will see many local businesses open late (ideal for late-night present shopping), whilst festive fun takes place throughout the village, including a Christmas lights switch-on, live bands, a choir and street food. This event is presented by We Are Withington (also on Twitter here) – and a number of traders and local organisations involved within it, including A Curious Collection and Solomons Bar– as well as Withington Civic Society. And now there is a Lock Inn-Wilderness fusion to boot!

The Lock Inn after all is no stranger to springing up as a pop-up pub in atmospheric locations that aren’t always open to the public (with another innovative venue they have used being the tucked-away Withington Public Hall Institute, a cosy old members club on Burton Road). Read the previous Haunt Manchester article and interview feature on The Lock Inn here. The team behind it – four local friends Neil Woodward, Casey Longden, Mark Brennan and Ed Wellard - have hosted The Lock Inn within the Old NatWest Bank before too: the first time being in 2018, partnering up with Lizzy, co-owner of Withington’s ‘A Curious Collection’, as part of a previous Withington Christmas Lights switch-on event. Therefore, the upcoming December edition marks a ‘lockinniversary’: a whole year since a bright idea from Neil, some help from Lizzy and a number of friends helping out made something great happen. The concept? A pop-up ethos, celebrating Withington’s community and spaces, with local traders and beer.

Now The Lock Inn’s keenness to collaborate sees them pair up for this 2019 special with Wilderness Records - the similarly Withington-based record store. Wilderness, tucked just behind Wilmslow Road on Egerton Crescent, is a thriving space known for its friendly neighbourhood vibes: not just selling records with love, but putting on gigs, serving quality food and drink, and celebrating the community. Therefore partnering up with The Lock Inn seems like a winning combination:

“They bring the music, we bring the beer! It’s great to be collaborating with Lyndon and the Wilderness crew on this. We love Wilderness, and what they are doing. We both want to see good things happening in this little corner of Manchester. We’ve talked about The Lock Inn being about bringing great beer and great people together, so working with Wilderness certainly gives that and great music too.

"In Sir Robin, Clocky and Funkademia’s Dave Payne we had brilliant DJs. Music was very much at the heart of things, back in March, so it’s great that Wilderness are taking things a step further with great DJs and great bands too. That main space under that beautiful high ceiling is crying out for a stage.

"Withington has some amazing musical/cultural history, like Factory Records first offices being here in Withington, on Palatine Road. As much as Factory and ‘Madchester’ is an era that we loved, and is rightly celebrated, I think that nostalgia trip could become a bit of a millstone around Manchester’s neck. It's a long time ago now and the city has changed a lot. Equally, I wish I'd got the keys to the bank 20 years ago and thrown a rave in the basement because it's amazing down there!”

Why the Old NatWest Bank? Many people in Manchester may have passed the 1869-designed Grade II listed building before – whether on foot or on the bus – and perhaps taken its elegance for granted, especially as it has not been open as a bank for a very long time.

The Old Bank certainly provides an impressive backdrop when used as a social space – and it is here The Lock Inn also hosted another pop-up in March 2019. This featured The Lock Inn’s format of local brewers and traders, with Burton Road Brewing Co, Blackjack Beers, Shindigger and Pomona Island Brew Co products (just to name a few) for sale, as well food from Withington’s very own Boho Utopia.

The Lock Inn’s Ed Wellard explained:

“It’s an amazing building, from an amazing era for big civic buildings. Money was sloshing around Cottonopolis back then. I remember reading that the architects were Scottish (Mills and Murgatroyd) and they were responsible for loads of significant buildings in Manchester. There's a big one still on Aytoun St that looks just the same. You can tell it is by the same people. Mr. Thomas's Chop House is theirs too, which is beautiful.

“People mostly turned up to the last Lock Inn there because it was a great big fun event or were curious about what it was like inside because they had never been inside or just thought it was cheeky to be drinking in a bank but I’m sure that some wanted to go down memory lane.”

“People reminisced about having their first bank account and paying in book from there, or that it was the bank they used when they were students. My kids' old childminder used to work there.

"It just shows that in the old days, banks were at heart of communities as much as pubs or schools or libraries etc. It’s great to be repurposing the building for a community focussed event. We like the idea of it being very family friendly early on and moving into a party with really good music later."

Celebrating local, independent traders matters to The Lock Inn – and the same approach can be expected from the 2019 festive edition. Withington is after all an exciting place to be, as Ed again reflects:

“There's a lot to be said for Withington being such a diverse place. There’s lots of different types of people from different backgrounds and at different times of their lives all muddling together. There's loads of students and post-grads here, which brings a certain energy and creative spirit too. We love it, but still recognise that there’s things that can be improved. I think it is a view shared by many people. You can be see it by how much work goes into We Are Withington and why it has been such a success so far and by how the Withington Walls street art project has been embraced so enthusiastically by people.”

Haunt Manchester itself has enjoyed a number of visits to Withington, considering the hidden histories and creative communities there – previously featuring the atmospheric red brick Withington Baths – an Edwardian pool building bustling with Art Nouveau features. For example, it was the local community which fought to save this building, forming Love Withington Baths, with the space going onto be transformed (including the creation of the co-working space Withington Works) – and the Withington community is also key to the upcoming Withington By Night event.

Withington By Night unfolds on Friday 6 December, from 5pm until late. Come along to the village and enjoy a festive brass band, late-night shopping, street food, DJs and more – and pop into The Lock Inn too, for a Wilderness Records fusion. You can bank on a good time.

By Emily Oldfield 

Photography with thanks to Grant Archer

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/the-lock-inn-is-teaming-up-with-wilderness-records-to-throw-a-party-in-withingtons-historic-natwest-bank-at-night-b1036#comments1036 Fri, 29 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/for-the-love-of-sci-fi-manchester-to-host-premier-science-fiction-convention-at-bowlers-exhibition-centre-b1035 Monopoly Events and Andy Kleek present the 5th convention of For the Love of Sci-Fi on 7-8 December 2019 – coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Longbridge Rd, Stretford, Manchester M17 1EH. By Dr Sorcha Ní Fhlainn (Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies, Manchester Metropolitan University. Author of titles including Postmodern Vampires: Film, Fiction, and Popular Culture, previously interviewed by Haunt Manchester here). 

Following on from the enormously successful For the Love of Horror event in mid-October this year (see here for my extended review on the superb convention and special guest interviews), Monopoly Events and Andy Kleek present the 5th convention of For the Love of Sci-Fi on 7-8 December 2019 – coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre, Longbridge Rd, Stretford, Manchester M17 1EH.

This year, due to the success of these superb fan conventions to date, the line-up proves to be extremely exciting, ranging from displays of props from classic Sci-Fi cinema (Ed -209 from Robocop [1987] and the original armour is bound to be a hit) to live Q&As with screen icons. Bring out your creative side and make your own costume to join in the wonderfully diverse and talented cos-players who bring their favourite creations to life. The talent on display is extraordinary at science fiction, fantasy and horror conventions! Why not watch a few bouts of Robot Wars, or test your abilities at axe throwing?!  Or you can simply relax and unwind with a drink at the Star Wars-styled Cantina (where there is also a Sci-Fi after party!) to escape to a galaxy far, far away…  

As with other Monopoly/Kleek events, the trader’s hall promises to be a particularly apt place to get those necessary presents just in time for Christmas! Judging on this year’s hall at the For the Love of Horror in October, it will certainly contain a superb array of collector's items ranging from t-shirts, costumes and posters through to craft works, sculpture, paintings, artistry and collector’s rare-to-find items; a perfect place to find that rare or surprise gift for the sci-fi devotee in your life.

The guests will, of course, be the main attraction to this event, which promises to have live Q&A discussions with some of the stars of fantasy and science fiction too. Exciting guests for this packed weekend include action star Dolph Lundgren (Rocky IV; Universal Solider; Masters of the Universe), Karl Urban (J.J. Abrams Star Trek series; DREDD), Danny Glover (Lethal Weapon; Predator 2), Ray Park (Star Wars; X Men), Jon Bernthal (Punisher; Daredevil; The Wolf of Wall Street) and Al Leong (Bill and Ted; Die Hard). Other stars also in attendance are set to include science fiction and dark fantasy stalwarts Ray Wise (Twin Peaks), Peter Weller (RoboCop), Mark Dodson (Star Wars; Gremlins) and Spencer Cullen (best known for playing Darth Vader's body in Star Wars!). Plus there will be a father-and-daughter first at For the Love Of Sci-Fi, as Warwick Davis (Star Wars, Harry Potter) and Annabelle Davis (The Dumping Ground) will be there.

See guests from some of the most memorable films! After all, the legendary Brian Blessed (he of the booming, sonorous voice) and Sam Jones are paired up for a timely celebration of the 1980 cult classic Flash Gordon! Other stars from classic films include Peter Cullen and Frank Weller – both of whom voiced characters in the much-loved Transformers animated series!  More recent break-out stars, such as Charlie Heaton from Netflix’s runaway Gothic 1980s smash Stranger Things will also be there… as we wait in excitement for the fourth season of the series! So, when it comes to For the Love of Sci-Fi, this line up is testament to the ongoing love for the genre by fans of all ages (and all generations!).

Great entertainment as well as great guests make For the Love of Sci-Fi a convention not to miss! There will be a special opening concert on the Friday evening (Friday 6 December, 6pm at Bowlers until late) featuring Sci-Fi legends Blues Harvest - one of the most popular party bands in the UK, who will be celebrating all things otherworldly in their musical tributes to science fiction’s most popular scores and sounds!

Then across the weekend there will be a very special film event… a world premiere of the StarWars Origins Film (produced by Velvet TV) with a cast and crew panel, and showings on both Saturday and Sunday.

We cannot wait to see the convention get underway and to meet some of its prestigious guests. A few tickets remain and can be purchased from the site below – we’ll see you there!

Tickets information: You can buy your passes, autographs and meet and greet opportunities here - https://www.fortheloveofsci-fi.com/guests-2019

Images with thanks to Amy Parkinson and For the Love of Sci-Fi 

This was a performance from students in their third year at Manchester School of Theatre (Manchester Metropolitan University), the final of the Autumn Season, with an impressive sold-out run at HOME from 21-23 November. Webster’s play certainly is an ambitious and interesting choice: an extensive script and supercharged character dynamics combined with physically-demanding action… the audience taken into rolling tide of revenge that shows no sign of stopping. For readers who do not want the plot of the play partially revealed, perhaps look away now. 

For The Duchess of Malfi is after all a drama of frustrated desires and capacity for corruption, pushed to the limits. There is the Duchess herself, recently widowed, then marrying below her status to the honest Antonio. This wedding of love and feeling is of course kept a secret from the Duchess’ brothers – one a Cardinal, cold and melancholy in disposition, the other – her controlling twin, Ferdinand. Both have told her not to marry again.

 An unnerving chemistry between the Duchess (Hannah Brownlie) and a surly Ferdinand (Matt Pettifor - both pictured in first image) is presented emphatically on-stage almost from the onset; bold body language from the brother bringing a kind of foreboding, a forcefulness, an almost incestuous charge. He recruits the savvy Bosola to his service – the brothers sending this man to spy on their sister, of whom they are suspicious. This is a particularly bold and notable performance of Bosola from Paddy Stafford (pictured below): gutsy with a real glint in his eye, sharp measured movements cleverly conveying a character who becomes an instrument of other people’s power – going on to be the agent of multiple deaths.

This mention of body language leads on to a notable larger point about this Manchester School of Theatre production; gripping both in its physicality and force of individual character. From sexually-charged clinches to fight-scenes fizzing with tension - the production is punctuated with gripping movement, directed and executed with skill. Credit must indeed be given to Fight Director Renny Krupinski. In addition, the tight cast ooze a chemistry – surely testament to a well-worked relationship both through practice with each other and with the script itself.

Cast connectivity does not distract from individual identities however; we see an admirably determined (and entertainingly dramatic) Duchess, a needy, narcissistic twin– and an utterly slimy cardinal, thanks to the understated skill of actor Andrew Dawson (featured in the below image). Director David Salter has evidently encouraged individual aspects to shine, with attention to detail and an emotive engagement that hooks the audience throughout the duration. Antonio is played with a notable warmth by Bailey Brook, whilst the Duchess’ waiting-woman Cariola (Heather Horsman) is also distinctly likeable: expressive in manner, inviting empathy.

 Whilst some productions of The Duchess of Malfi go straight for the jugular, laying bare the base motives many see as underpinning the play: blood lust and bitterness - this Manchester School of Theatre version is remarkably skilled in its simmering conveyance of how cruelty can undercut these personal dynamics, dripping in all its weird ways. The brothers’ demand the death of their sister – as informed by a scheming Bosola, her waiting-woman is next, and later the deaths of the cardinal’s mistress, Antonio and even the brothers themselves is powerfully done rather than a sensationalised spill. 

In turn, the lengthy running time of the show (3 hours) did not feel testing at all, the viewer made to feel not just a spectator to the action, but invested in the characters… their development, as well as their demise. I wanted to find out what would happen to the Duchess, how long Bosola would go along serving the desires of the powerful before he cracked. This skilled characterisation in turn allowed a greater range of themes to rise to the surface, particularly pertinent to the modern day: how ‘status’ can become a cloak for corruption, as well as the theme of women upholding their own desires and sexualities. I would have liked to have seen this sexual charge – particularly interesting given the time the play is set – explored perhaps even more; how female sexual energy rages against the political power structures underpinning misogyny. Then again, this was a production already ambitious in its scope and unpacking of character.

The viewer is hooked not just on the character dynamics however, but the overarching intelligent use of sound and visuals. Girding guitar intros give scene transitions a gutsy punch and aids with pacing, whilst considered prop use combines with clusters of action in ways that feel impactful, yet not over-done. This ranges from a rollicking and wild entry of Ferdinand and friends early the play – wonderfully amusing – to the awfully twisted depiction of the Duchess’ husband and child dead in a cage: the same haunting cage on wheels used to depict a communal descent into madness. Indeed, the interlinked use of props adds a slickness, allowing the play to push towards its bloody, brutal climax. There’s a gripping encounter too as Ferdinand thrashes and fumbles on stage – his unfolding affliction with Lycanthropy: the belief that he is becoming a wolf – dealt with by a brilliantly deadpan doctor (played by Caitlin Kaur).

The Duchess of Malfi is known by many after all for its particularly violent, death-laden descent towards the end – but this was a production with an emotional punch too, rather than releasing into a full-on bloodbath. Yes, there are multiple deaths on stage – but it was seeing the range of feelings etched into faces of the actors, each character undergoing their own strains and seething internal tortures, that made this a tear-jerking performance. A turbulent tragedy but also an emotional journey, admirable in its cast and direction; drawing out human emotion in the face of cold, hard corruption.

Photography: with thanks to Shay Rowan

By Emily Oldfield 

This exciting news means that guests will be able to enjoy even more cutting-edge content – with Grimmfest after all recognised for its range of new horror and cult films, including exciting premieres and special industry guests. Attendees have an opportunity not just to enjoy a range of boundary-pushing cinema but to see their idols too!

And that is not all. The first star guest for 2020 has been recently confirmed – the American filmmaker and screenwriter Mick Garris!

Mick (pictured below) has been at the heart of the horror genre for many years; the iconic Masters of Horror anthology and the series Fear Itself, to name just some examples. He has worked with other horror legends including John Carpenter, Tobe Hooper and Stephen King – and he will be in attendance at Grimmfest to share some insight into his distinguished career, as well as receiving a Grimmfest Lifetime Achievement Award for his work in the horror genre. Mick’s work is no stranger to Grimmfest after all, as he was a key driving force behind Nightmare Cinema, which proved very popular indeed at Grimmfest 2017.

But what about tickets for the upcoming festival? Grimmfest is giving a great ‘Black Friday’ opportunity – as a limited amount of reduced price, early bird, full festival passes will be available from 8am (GMT) on Friday 29 November for a strictly limited time only. Keep updated on the festival website, plus Facebook and Twitter. 

Considering that 2019’s edition enthralled guests (see our Haunt Account by Heather Oriana Petrocelli here) with its range of cinema content and special guests such as the Soska Sisters, Grimmfest 2020 is certainly highly anticipated – and marks the festival going from strength to strength in its 2nd decade. It is perhaps no wonder it was recently voted one of the top ‘30 Bloody Best Genre Festivals in the World’ by Movie Maker magazine – and horror fans won’t want to miss out on this exciting opportunity.

http://grimmfest.com/grimmupnorth/

These are creatives often celebrating independent, characterful venues in and around the city - from stages and side-rooms to snugs and basements! In Manchester itself there are a number of places with a time-proven record of putting on original, exciting music including The Castle Hotel, The Night & Day Café, Gullivers, Soup Kitchen, Band on the Wall, Night People, Gorilla, Rebellion and AATMA, just to name a few. Some of these places have a fascinating story before their lives as venues; with The Albert Hall and The Deaf Institute for example, based in historic buildings: bolstering the atmosphere. A range of new venues have also sprung up in recent years including YES and The Rose & Monkey, plus there are those with a distinct collaborative feel and a real sense of creative community such as The Peer Hat, Partisan Collective and The Old Abbey Taphouse. Cross just over the Irwell and discover Salford’s selection too, including The Kings Arms, The White Hotel and The Eagle. These are places that transport the live music experience far beyond a passive experience of listening, and instead invite inspiration and connections to be made.

To discover innovative modern music is an experience in itself. This is creativity at its most crucial, often expanding on the underground, exploring crucial contemporary themes – including hidden histories, obscured stories, identity and gender – in an urgent way. A number are signed to independent record labels too, passionate about diverse and innovative artistry... a chance to discover whole rosters of exciting music to enjoy.

Here are just some examples, with more to be featured in upcoming articles:

Granfalloon

Unfurling exploratory ‘folktroinca’ – a fascinating fusion of folk, experimental and electronic music: Granfalloon create an enthralling sound steeped in stories. Their name, after all, could be considered as a nod to Kurt Vonnegut’s 1963 novel Cat’s Cradle – with ‘Granfalloon’ a term used in relation to the book’s fictional religion Bokonism, to refer to people who share a sense of purpose or identity, yet of little real significance. Granfalloon started life as the music project of Richard Lomax: a multi-instrumental artist and producer embracing experimentation, giving the sound a delving depth: especially through eclectic instrumentation – such as use of the omnichord. Fans of Granfalloon may have seen at least one of these introduced in a live set, including the much-loved and warmly-named ‘George’.

This is personally and powerful crafted music, each layer of sound loaded with its own emotional resonance, lending a cinematic quality – washes of guitar, snaking drum patterns and spiralling harmonies hot at the core. ‘Enchanting’ is perhaps the adjective best suited to this genre-jumping approach, as experienced in the latest Granfalloon album ‘RGB’, released in September 2019. Whilst the opening track ‘Year of the Rooster’ invites the audience into a percussive, powerful reflection – unfurling into an impressive chant-like incantation, ‘Lysistrata’ impresses with Lomax’s vocal volleys and expansive, lush soundscapes. A folk music sensibility allows the sound to breathe in its engagement with people and place, a local resonance as heard in the likes of ‘Objects of Love’ as a perspective passes through the likes of Streford, Salford: considering items gathered, people met. This is thoroughly immersive listening. ‘Ambulance’ gathers an almost anthemic quality, charming in its build of beats and harmonies, connecting with familial memories, the fond phrase of Lomax’s grandmother (which whom he co-wrote this powerful piece of music): ‘touch your head, touch your toes, if you don’t want to go in one of those’. Yet these are not only skilful sonic persuasions capable of opening the mind, but tracks engage with aspects of humour and absurdity too; take the wonderfully zany ‘The Elephant’ with its teasing keys and the creative flair that fizzes through ‘Laughing Out Loud’. Music to get wonderfully lost within.

Photograph 1 and 2 – by Shay Rowan

Monkeys In Love

Interesting music for interesting times; a state of flux crammed with character, energy and expression – Monkeys In Love are a mash-up to savour. Their sound shimmers and seethes with an array of instrumentation; from gutsy guitars to expressive drum patterns, even the flourishes of flutes and stylophones. Goodbye predictive indie and hello to a wacky, warm quartet of creativity. Combined with witty lyricism, their added creative costume and artistry often fuses with the themes of the tracks for a live visual spectacular. Puppetry, performative expression and the capacity for connection make this band stand out. Previous work includes their 2016 album ‘Monkeys In Love Live In New Stoke Newington’ and their new album ‘Monkeys In Love Are Ready For The Mountain’. This latest release is conceptually crafty, packed with perspective and energy, following the breakdown and regeneration of a modern office worker, wielded with irony and instrumental gravitas.

OLA

A duo capable of creating stunning soundscapes that enchant and inspire – OLA (One Little Atlas) is Dean Jones and Kevan Hardman.  They create music almost cinematic in its orchestral elements, energised and forward-moving through a threadwork of glistening guitars, skilled electronica and soaring vocals that brim with beauty – and that is with no exaggeration of use of the term. OLA are powerfully unique and capable of opening up a soundscape that seems almost synchronised with imaginative  impulses, stirring up its own imagery like a movie soundtrack for each individual listener. Enjoying OLA in all their dramatic, dreampop glory is a true experience – with two previous EPs and an album already out, stand-out tracks such as ‘Orenda’ lingering long after with an almost spiritual energy. They have also performed in an eclectic range of venues, including the atmospheric setting of The John Rylands Library. A journeying sound moving with momentum of travel and lived experience, yet with a sensitivity and subtleness that invites listeners back again and again.  

Poppycock

A creative collection of musicians and artists, founded by Una Baines in 2012 – continuing to evolve, expand and enthral with their emotive sound. How? Adventurous expression combines with diverse musicianship wrapped round socially pertinent lyrics considering themes of gender, pop culture and creativity – tracks such as the wonderful whomp of ‘Iggy  Pop’ and ‘Cleaning Woman’ springing to mind. Humour, irony and insight are all intrinsic glistening elements too. Poppycock are a band with a fascinating history to boot; their first intriguing gig taking place inside the dilapidated Victorian relic of the Hippodrome Theatre in Hulme. Bring post-punk, folk and experimental influences into a marvellous melting pot – listeners are in for an entertaining sonic ride. To catch them live is an added thrill.

Photography: by Heather Greenbank 

Aughra

Creating a brimming brew of dark, atmospheric sound steeped in textures, emotional energies and impassioned vocals – Aughra defy genre particulars and instead head straight for the eardrums. Some listeners may lose themselves in the band’s shimmering shoegaze quality, whilst others can thrash and roll with each wonderful weave of noir-rock riffs. This is genuinely interesting music, Sally Mason’s visceral vocals working with the skilled instrumentation of Simon Mayne’s lead guitar, bass from Rob Hatton and James Field on drums to open up tracks such as ‘Dead Weight’ and ‘Corpse White’. A merging of musicianship that develops Gothic-tinges into a gutsy punch over the course of each track.

Photograph: by ©Federica Silva

Tinfoils

Fizzing garage punk geared up with frantic guitar and lyrics that lash out against corruption and cronyism in contemporary society, the sound of Tinfoils is a glinting glut of music: angry yet also anthemic. Songs seep in their intelligent irony, from the roll of ‘The Royal Baby Machine’ to the rawness of ‘I’m Not Angry, I’m Just Disappointed’ – taking in everything from the royalist-dominated media to the expectations handed down the generations. Tinfoils are a band with bold social awareness, but still with a bristling energy, their catchiness capable of having an audience moving within minutes. Gritty guitar edges and an animated vocal style allow for a loaded listening experience.

Photograph: by Debbie Ellis - Asupremeshot

Rose & The Diamond Hand

Gothic-tinged, enthralling music capable of creating its own intense atmosphere, sweeping with stories of emotion, encounter and place: it’s Rose & The Diamond Hand. The unfurling, expressive vocal range of Rose Niland works with the group of talented and diverse musicians to create tracks with delving downtempo qualities, yet never over-done. A dark edge to the sound is underpinned by bold bass hooks and electronica, with a seething subdued sensibility. With a blistering bed of sonic energy in place, it is little wonder that tracks such as ‘Icicle’ and ‘Universe is Woman’ (also the title of their 2017 EP, out on German Shepherd Records) make an impression – hit home with potent drum beats, lending a tempting adventurous edge. Catch this band live to truly experience their intense performative flair and eclectic, intense musicality.

Photograph: by Rose Niland Art (Haunt Manchester previously interviewed Rose here) 

The Battery Farm

Even if you haven’t heard this band yet, you may have seen their wonderfully weird promotional artwork around the city – lo-fi, hand drawn and often twisted characters teasing out one of the key themes of the approach of this four-piece: they delve into the dark side of society, but with humanity and irony. Giving audiences a glut of gritty gutter punk, The Battery Farm leave a lasting impression on all who seem them.  Smashing up punk rock power with switched-on, seething lyrics, they look into the more menacing side of modern culture; social injustice, public outcry – even reality television. Their latest single ‘I Am A Man’ thunders with tension, a thick, dirty bassline bolstering a narrative of an individual on the edge of breakdown:  facing pressures of gender expectations, the false idea of ‘strength’, the drudge of society. The Battery Farm confront these strains – in the form of a forceful sonic slug in the gut. The band also are recognised champions of creativity in the areas’ cultural scene, often seen themselves at gigs and listening to local artists; underlining a engaged, exciting energy, bringing listeners back for more.

Photograph: by Gemma Corry

The Ombudsmen

A slice of wonderful weirdness, piling together surreal imagery with psych-tinged jams and riffs – a chaotic yet hypnotic creativity lies at the dark heart of The Ombudsmen. Their sound unravels with wild energies and certainly does not shy away from lyrical explorations brushing up against the bizarre… take the tracks ‘Crocodile’s Nightmare’ and ‘Sputum’, for example. This even emerges in their visual promotions and artwork; twisted, grotesque figures somehow enthralling the eye. And to see The Ombudsmen live, in all their on-stage antics, is recommended – and remarkably danceable.

Photograph: by Lara Birkbeck 

Springfield Elementary

Pummelling punk and psychedelia together with a zany, unapologetic energy – Manchester-based four-piece Springfield Elementary make an impression. This is a band that doesn’t shy away from a raw edgy guitar core – chords corrugated, creative – serving as the ideal accompaniment to socially-savage, still humorous, lyricism. Take tracks such as ‘Ready Salted Psychopath’ and ‘Jacked Up On Jesus’; there is an entertaining scatter of slightly surreal imagery, yet still engaging with contemporary themes… issues of selfishness, fundamentalism, identity – all very appropriate in the driving digital age. Their latest track ‘Machine Fiend’ is a fast-paced, fabulously frenetic account of the all-too-common story of people seeking increasing validation via the internet. Clever, and yet still untamed – Springfield Elementary are a band still bristling with wildness, with exciting things to come.

Photograph: by Nathan Whittaker

Furrowed Brow

Oozing eccentricity through their blend of expressive post-punk, Furrowed Brow build choppy guitars and exploratory synth work around entertaining lyrics, often lashing in their irony. From the bizarre yet captivating ‘Bathwater’ to the stripped-back, almost reflective ‘Cool As Hell’: a notable quality of the band is their use of harmonies that really work within the wildness. Catch them live for a dose of defiant, energised and joyous music-making.

Photograph: by Angus Rolland 

Want to recommend an artist? Get in touch at haunt@mmu.ac.uk - as this is by no means a definitive list - instead, an ongoing exciting selection.

By Emily Oldfield.

Photography: provided by the artists, and photographers credited

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/alternative-gothic-inspired-or-just-daring-to-be-different-more-greater-manchester-based-bands-to-take-a-listen-to-b1031#comments1031 Fri, 22 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/irreplaceable-by-julian-hoffman-a-book-launch-event-in-manchester-encountering-endangered-places-and-our-capacity-to-connect-b1030 “We live in an age of loss, a landscape scattered with ghosts… but also a place of hope” – a thought-provoking reflection from author Julian Hoffman at the Manchester launch event for his new book Irreplaceable. “We live in an age of loss, a landscape scattered with ghosts… but also a place of hope” – a thought-provoking reflection from author Julian Hoffman at the Manchester launch event for his new book Irreplaceable, held at the Blackwell’s Bookshop on University Green, on Tuesday 19 November.  The event was introduced by Dr David Cooper (Senior Lecturer in English and also of the new Centre for Place Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University).

(Pictured above - from left to right: Julian Hoffman and Dr David Cooper) 

Irreplaceable (published by the Hamish Hamilton imprint of Penguin Books, available here) is an insightful work documenting ‘The Fight To Save Our Wild Spaces’, encountering endangered areas and places across the globe – exploring our connection to them, and crucially, our capacity to make positive change. Julian, an award-winning Creative Non-Fiction writer (with previous titles including The Small Heart of Things) who is currently living in north-western Greece, spent 6 years working on the highly-anticipated book: encountering countries and communities across the world to do so.

 A warm introduction from Dr David Cooper set the Place Writing context, but with a refreshing difference; expanding on the point that Julian’s emotive, almost lyrical approach avoids the pessimism seen in some contemporary writing within the genre – drawn to dwelling on irreversible damage and blame – instead considering how we can grow through an improved relationship with place and nature.  It is infused with a measured, meaningful positivity.

The book of course considers loss also: species and spaces sacrificed to human consumption, Climate Change – Julian going on to engage the audience, inviting them to hold up all ten digits on their hands, closing them slowly until just one remained, representing the 90% decline of nightingales in the UK across the course of the last half-century. Yet rather than taking this context of loss as a summary of the inevitability of the Anthropocene, Irreplaceable engages with it as a springboard for resistance; upholding the importance of acting now to save what we can, rather than resigning to decline. Julian referred to ‘the shifting baseline syndrome’ in relation to this – a term he uses to emphasise the point that the younger generation in this country for example, have likely experienced less abundant nature than their parents. Some see this as cause for mourning, harking back to a time where native species numbers were more fruitful – yet if this stalls into resignation by nostalgia, it is an attitude that can be unhealthy, unproductive. Indeed, a few prominent naturalists even hold the view that there is little point acting to make a difference when so much has already been lost. Yet Julian’s approach is radically hopeful, and relates powerfully to change, place and positive action. Indeed the ‘baseline’ of how much nature we are aware of may be shifting, but that does not devalue us fighting to protect what we still have. In fact, it makes it all the more important: a key point of Irreplaceable.

Julian’s fascinating, flowing prose invites the reader to learn about a range of threatened spaces more intimately, so we can then reconsider our relationship with the places around us and our ability to make positive differences within them. From endangered coral reefs and jungles, to British fenland and fields, Irreplaceable is global in its approach, yet has a profoundly personal message for us all: we can still create positive connections. Familiarity can be learned, felt and loved.  This includes places of personal significance – as Julian invited the audience to share those special spaces– and the book also considers urban spaces with people fighting to save them; from allotments to edgelands. Our capacity to connect stretches beyond the barriers of class, countries, continents.  It is encouraging point given the approach here at Haunt Manchester, aiming to engage with the alternative aspects and hidden histories of place.

Ultimately, as the book so dynamically demonstrates, no person’s connection with place is more or less valuable than any others. It is emotive, significant, special – to be appreciated. In turn, through researching and writing the book, Julian travelled widely and engaged with a range of communities and voices. For example, as he discussed during the event, he found himself surprised by the stories of spaces - becoming impassioned by the Hoo Peninsula and the people fighting to protect it during a chance visit. He now describes this place movingly as like a ‘second home’.

 Another example of profound place-based encounter was during Julian’s time staying with a tribal community, the Nyishi, in India. In the book. Julian’s consideration of places and people is fair and measured – rather than romanticising – he upholds the importance of providing honest, sensitive accounts. In terms of the Nyishi community, he gives the example of how they have come to challenge their own time-honoured traditions in the hope of supporting threatened species. Rather than crafting their headdresses involving the beak of a Hornbill, as they have for many years, they have adapted to use a sustainable alternative. Inspiring examples such as this underline that, yes, we may need to challenge our traditions and comforts – and this doesn’t necessarily feel easy at first – but it is doable, making a potentially transformative difference to the nature around us.

Irreplaceable is indeed packed with examples of hope – and perceptive questions from Dr David Cooper following Julian’s conversation and readings to the audience, allowed him to elaborate on this. He spoke of the importance of enabling other voices  ‘to be heard amidst the noise’ - a point applicable in Nature and Place Writing as well as more widely – championing the power of place in the heart, how hope has to be active in each individual: not just a passing interest. Tales of children fascinated by ‘pond dipping’ in Welsh wetlands, a man in India choosing to risk his life in fast-flowing water to save a baby elephant. Examples of moving natural encounter were shared not as tokenism, but as celebration of places and people. This is also a key element of the new Centre for Place Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, engaging with place in an open, interdisciplinary way – and considering creative responses that emerge in the written form.

During the launch event, Julian discussed how he aimed for the tone of the book to be ‘closer to defiance than to elegy’  and this is certainly the case: this is writing that is resonant, relatable – whether you have travelled far or not – and resounding in its exploration of our precious emotional relationship with place. 

By Emily Oldfield 

You will be expertly guided through the behind the scenes areas of the Stadium by our City Tour Guides, each area will be brought to life with interesting stories, facts and anecdotes. This is more than a stadium tour, this unique experience brings the magic of City to life!

All tours are translated into different languages using the latest state of the art media guides. Languages include: French, German, Italian, Mandarin, Spanish, Korean, Arabic, and Portuguese.

Family packages are available from £50, book now mancity.com/tour

The Bellhouse Building, as seen from All Saints Park, 2017 (Source: Thomas McGrath, 2017)

Introduction by Haunt Manchester's Emily Oldfield 

Thomas McGrath is a historian whose research delves into the hidden heritage and secretive stories of buildings and locations mainly in the Greater Manchester region – many that people walk past every day, even take for granted. But have you ever wondered about what a place used to be as you pass it? Pondered why a building looks particularly grand, or perhaps unusual? Thomas takes that curiosity further, and his fascinating site IF THOSE WALLS COULD TALK aims to consider ‘Hidden histories beyond bricks and mortar’.

Some of the articles on the site take ‘Hidden Histories’ as their subject, looking at the past of places still standing; such as 47 Piccadilly, the buildings of the Northern Quarter (with parts 1 and 2 in the article series) and even what is now ‘The Waterhouse’ pub, to name just a few examples. Find out what happened in these spaces hundreds of years ago. The other article subject is ‘Long Lost Histories’  - looking at buildings that used to exist, now lost; including the intriguing Strangeways Hall, Dover House and even the tale of what was ‘The Drag Ball’ at a Temperance Hall in Hulme!

The below reblogged article by Thomas has a ‘Hidden Histories’ focus and considers The Bellhouse Building, a 19^th century red-brick townhouse that is now part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s All Saints Campus on Oxford Road. Recently, a number of academics from the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies (part of Manchester Met) have been based there – perhaps rather fitting given that the location is Grosvenor Square, right next to All Saints Park, a former burial ground (as covered by an article by Thomas here and Michala Hulme here). A fascinating part of the building’s history is that it was the former Manchester Ear Hospital! Yet before that, it was a family home – and it is the history of domestic spaces and former houses Thomas is particularly interested in.

In turn, Thomas is organising a conference at Manchester Metropolitan University on the 16 March 2020 focusing on ‘Hidden Spaces and Forgotten Places in the British home, c.1750-1950’ – pushing open an exploration of domestic space, right down to room level. This is an opportunity for people to submit papers on a range of topics that may include (but are not limited to) a focus on the history of particular rooms within the home, different spaces such as corridors and staircases, domestic material culture and even gardens! Submissions from PhDs and ECRs are also warmly encouraged, and abstracts of no more than 300 words (as well as a brief biography of around 200 words) should be sent to t.mgrath@mmu.ac.uk  by the deadline date of 20 December 2019.  Considering the places within the home and the people that inhabited them, this is set to be a thought-provoking prospect; looking at the cultural, social and aesthetic relationship between public and private places.

Places influence, inspire and ultimately connect people – with Thomas’ full-length feature about the Bellhouse building below…

Hidden Histories: The Bellhouse Building, Grosvenor Square, Manchester

(Original article link here)

The Bellhouse Building is currently part of Manchester Metropolitan University’s All Saint’s Campus on Oxford Road. It is a building which I have walked past many times throughout my years at MMU and it holds a unique position as it demonstrates both a hidden history and a long lost history.

Grosvenor Square 

Grosvenor Square is located on Oxford Road in Manchester. A more definitive version of its address would be Chorlton-on-Medlock (also recorded as Chorlton-upon-Medlock). Historically Chorlton-on-Medlock was known simply as “Chorlton Row”, however the rapid urbanisation of the area in the late eighteenth century led to its development as a substantial township, located just outside Manchester hence the change of name. In 1838 the township ceased to exist when Chorlton-on-Medlock was absorbed into the Manchester Borough, later developing into the South Manchester area in 1896.

The first traceable mention of Grosvenor Square I can find is on William Green’s map of Manchester dating from 1794. The map shows Manchester at an exciting time, just as it is about to grow and expand with the industrial revolution. Green’s map shows that there are almost no buildings beyond the Medlock, although the streets (including Grosvenor Square) have already been laid out. As Derek Brumhead and Terry Wyke explain in their book A Walk Around All Saints, the streets were given aristocratic names to reflect the type of development this was supposed to become.

The next mention of the area is from the Manchester Mercury a decade later in 1806. At this time, this area was still largely rural, although some building work has taken place. Given the picturesque landscape of open green pastures, Chorlton-on-Medlock quickly became the place to live for Manchester’s emerging middle classes. Previous well-to-do residential areas had drastically declined as Manchester’s attempted to establish itself as a northern powerhouse and this brought with it heavy industry and of course, poorly paid workers. For instance, by the beginning of the nineteenth century, the Georgian townhouses on Mosley Street had been swept away and replaced with warehouses; King Street retained its fashionable status from previous decades but the houses were replaced with banks and retail premises and the smart terraces at St. John Street backed onto slum housing.

Pigot’s 1813 Map of Chorlton-on-Medlock, showing Grosvenor Square. (Source: http://manchester.publicprofiler.org/beta/)

Grosvenor Square itself remained in an undeveloped state, similar to the map above dating from 1813. However, by 1820 large houses had started to be constructed around the edge of the gardens at the heart of Grosvenor Square. The influx of people into houses in neighbouring streets also resulted in the need for a church to serve the local community. Therefore, in 1820 All Saints Church was built in the middle of the public gardens at Grosvenor Square. This in turn added a prestigious air to the area and the intention was to develop the square as a beautiful, residential area, much like St. Ann’s Square had been a century earlier.

The Bellhouse Family

One such family who controlled much of the construction in Chorlton-on-Medlock was the Bellhouse family, for whom the building is named after. David Bellhouse (1764-1840) was the archetype of self-made man who benefited from the industrial revolution. David was born in Leeds and received no formal education, instead he was self-taught. He moved to Manchester in 1786 and commenced business as a joiner with the firm Thomas Sharp, which was later left to him after Sharp’s death. This made Bellhouse a very wealthy and influential man, he had a timber yard and iron foundry on Oxford Road. His legacy includes the construction of the Portico Library (of which he was also a founding member), introducing the steam saw to Manchester and he was also a founding member of the Art Gallery.

David Bellhouse married Mary Wainwright (1761-1837) on 8th June 1786 at the Collegiate Church (now Manchester Cathedral). Together they had several children; Ellen (b.1787), Henry (b.1789), David (b.1791), Hannah (b.1792), Mary (b.1794), James (b.1796), John (b.1798), Wainwright (b.1800) and William (b.1803).

All of the sons, with the exception of Henry, followed in their father’s footsteps. David Bellhouse Jr. took over his father’s business as a builder and contractor, John and William Bellhouse became timber merchants, James and Wainwright Bellhouse became cotton spinners and the foundry business was inherited by a grandson, Edward Taylor Bellhouse.

In 1821 David Bellhouse Jr. had commenced building his own house on Grosvenor Square and later in 1831 he started to build a new house (now the Bellhouse Building) on land at the corner of Grosvenor Square on Lower Ormond Street. He had purchased the land from his brother John for £650 (about £53,410 in modern terms) and the house was constructed for his other brother, Wainwright Bellhouse. In the early 1830s, the majority of the Bellhouse family continued to reside around Grosvenor Square and All Saints, on Nicholas and Faulkner Streets, as this is where their businesses were still located. The Mynshull Cotton Mills, a joint business venture of Wainwright and James Bellhouse was located in the curve of the River Medlock just behind Charles Street (the mills were demolished in the 1950s and the site is now a car park).

From contemporary accounts, the Bellhouse’s were fair employers to work under; at the Mynshull Mills they offered the highest pay in Manchester and were among the highest wage-payers in the country and they did not believe in corporal punishment. However, like many mill owners of the early nineteenth century, they opposed the introduction of a 10 hour working day, and the bill ultimately failed in Parliament. Nonetheless, the Bellhouse’s instead offered their workers an extra hour break for lunch in addition to the requirement of a half hour break for breakfast.

The family enjoyed a middle-class lifestyle, Wainwright was a member of the Manchester Athenaeum, sang tenor at the Manchester Gentlemen’s Glee Club and was heavily involved in the Manchester Literary Festivals of 1828 and 1836 (including taking part in the fancy dress balls). David Bellhouse Jr. also held musical evenings at his home in Grosvenor Square and in 1838 he invited all the joiners who worked for him to his home for the Coronation procession to mark Victoria’s accession to the throne.

In 1829 Wainwright Bellhouse married Sarah Ward Hamilton (1811-1851), daughter of the Manchester surgeon Gavin Hamilton and granddaughter of the famous actress Sarah Ward. They had three daughters; Letitia (b.1830), Katherine (b.1832) and Emily Jane (b.1835). The whole family was residing at their property in Grosvenor Square in the 1841 census, along with three servants; Jane Cooper, Margaret Read and Sarah Leicester. In 1843 a maid at the property, Martha Grimshaw took tea with her friend Jane McCracken in the kitchen, afterwards Grimshaw obtained permission from Sarah Bellhouse to go out with her friend. Whilst Grimshaw went to change, McCracken went into Sarah Bellhouse’s bedroom and stole a brooch worth £5. Afterwards, McCracken coerced Jane Beckett to pledge the brooch for her in a pawnbrokers by claiming she was an out-of-work servant. The women were caught the next day, Beckett was acquitted but McCracken sent for trial.

A Changing Scenery

During the Bellhouse family’s occupancy of the property, Grosvenor Square and Oxford Road changed rapidly. The area retained its dignified status when the Chorlton-on-Medlock Town Hall was built facing All Saints Church in 1831. It was designed by architect Richard Lane and built by David Bellhouse Jr. However, by the late 1840s this area was becoming increasingly less desirable as a residential area, as Manchester expanded and grew. Numerous cotton mills, dye works and other industrial buildings sprung up, bringing with them the railways and slum housing. The infamous slum of Little Ireland was located only a ten minute walk away from Grosvenor Square. The square itself took on an increasingly civic role and St. Andrew’s Chapel was built adjoining the town hall in 1844 and in 1845 the Welsh Methodists built a chapel alongside Wainwright Bellhouse’s house and subsequently a Presbyterian Chapel appeared on the other side.

A commemorative sketch of the opening of the Presbyterian Chapel, Grosvenor Square, c.1844. The Bellhouse Building can be seen on the left, this is about the same time the family moved to Victoria Park. (Source: Image m80237 http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass © Manchester Libraries)

The changing nature of the area resulted in many middle-class families, such as Wainwright and Sarah Bellhouse to retreat further and further to the South of the city, away from the noise, pollution and population. In 1845 they moved to 48 Plymouth Grove, where they were the neighbours of Rev. William and Elizabeth Gaskell. In 1855 after the death of Sarah Bellhouse and Wainwright’s remarriage, they moved to a large detached villa in Victoria Park. The Bellhouse brother’s invested and constructed several of the properties in this affluent gated-community.

The Mid-Nineteenth Century

After the departure of the Bellhouse family, the local newspaper The Manchester Times tells us what happened to the house next:

“To be LET or SOLD, a Good Family HOUSE, in Grosvenor Square, Oxford Road, containing dining-room, drawing-room, breakfast-room and kitchens on the same floor; seven bedrooms with two others (at present unfinished) if necessary. The house is well adapted for a large school or boarding house.” 

The last line of the advertisement alludes to the future role of the house over the last few decades of the nineteenth century. In 1864 the building was operating as a “middle-class school” for the education of Catholic boys. It was known as the Catholic Collegiate Institute and ran by the Xaverian Brothers. In 1863, 72 boys successful passed their examinations there, the following year another 60 pupils completed their education at the school. In 1876, the school was reopened as St. Bede’s Catholic High School by Cardinal Manning, although the majority of the teaching was still conducted by the Xaverian Brothers. At the same time the Catholic Church also purchased the former Welsh Baptist Chapel as a new place of worship for the school. The pupils took part in many extra-curricular activities and they frequently took part in sporting matches against other schools, namely in cricket, football and lacrosse. The school was extremely popular and within seven months of its reopening, it was found to be too small and a new site was opened in Alexandra Park. In 1907 the Xaverian Brothers sold the building at Grosvenor Square when they moved to new accommodation in Victoria Park

Advertisement for the Catholic Collegiate Institute, 1869. (Source: Manchester Times, 28 August 1869, p.8)

The Ear Hospital

The Manchester Institution for Diseases of the Ear had been founded in 1855 and was located at 23 Byrom Street. In 1896 the facility was renamed the Manchester Ear Institution and in 1910 it moved to larger premises in the former school in Lower Ormond Street, the building being adapted for its new purpose by Thomas Worthington. The cost of converting the former school was £7,666 (about £718,000 in modern terms) and a large proportion of this was donated by a Miss Hoyle of Southport, who also paid for the fitting out the operating theatre. Mr Frank Donner paid for the 24 beds and equipment, doubling the capacity of the hospital from that of its previous location.

The Ear Hospital, pictured shortly after its opening in 1911. Note the extension on the rear of the building and the Presbyterian Chapel next door. (Source: Image m52874 http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass © Manchester Libraries)

The hospital was frequently busy, treating the men, women and children of Manchester. In 1915, for example, the hospital treated 4,937 out-patients and 1,088 in-patients. By this point, Oxford Road had become the heart of Manchester’s medical district with other specialised hospitals operating along the road, such as the Eye Hospital and The Christie. By 1939 the Ear Hospital was formally known as the Manchester Hospital for Diseases of the Ear, Nose and Throat and it narrowly survived the Manchester Blitz of December 1940, which destroyed All Saints Church. The Ear Hospital closed in 1974.

The Bellhouse Building

Also in 1974 the building received a Grade II listed building status, however this did not stop the demolition of the hospital in 1987. Everything except the facade of the building was demolished, although Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University) did rebuild the rear of the property in a sympathetic style, including recreating the decorative interiors of an early nineteenth century home. To the casual passer-by, you would never guess that only the front of house was original. Today it is known as the Bellhouse Building and operates as a university campus building, with a number of academics from the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies based there.

Researched and Written by Thomas McGrath

Images: as featured in Thomas' article, details below each. 

Sources:

• Manchester Mercury 4 November 1806
• Manchester Courier, 18 March 1843, p.8
• Manchester Times,  21 April 1849, p.4
• Manchester Times, 16 July 1864, p.6
• Manchester Times, 28 August 1869, p.8
• Manchester Courier, 6 July 1902, p.2
• Manchester Courier, 16 February 1911, p.3
• Manchester Courier, 1 December 1915, p.5
• http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/details.asp?id=1043
• https://historicengland.org.uk/listing/the-list/list-entry/1197922
• http://manchester.publicprofiler.org/beta/
• https://www.measuringworth.com/m/calculators/ukcompare/
• http://www.findmypast.co.uk
• http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass
• http://www.stats.uwo.ca/faculty/bellhouse/bellhousehistory.htm – A very detailed history of the Bellhouse family (please refer to this for much more information about this prominent Manchester family)

© Thomas McGrath and ‘www.ifthosewallscouldtalk.wordpress.com’, [2015-2019]. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and owner is strictly prohibited. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to Thomas McGrath and ‘www.ifthosewallscouldtalk.wordpress.com’ with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/the-hidden-history-of-the-bellhouse-building-manchesters-former-ear-hospital-now-home-to-the-manchester-centre-for-gothic-studies-b1028#comments1028 Mon, 18 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/the-killers-to-perform-live-at-emirates-old-trafford-in-2020-b1027 Lancashire Cricket is delighted to confirm that The Killers will be performing live at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday 30 May 2020. Lancashire Cricket is delighted to confirm that The Killers will be performing live at Emirates Old Trafford on Saturday 30 May 2020.

The popular rock band, which formed in Las Vegas in 2001, is embarking on a UK and Ireland tour with special guests Blossoms, with general admission tickets costing £65.

The band, whose most recent UK sojourn was their spectacular Glastonbury 2019 headline set (look back at that jubilant night here), will embark on their biggest ever tour in May/June 2020 and follows the award-winning success of the Liam Gallagher concert in 2018, when the venue played host to the Mancunian legend and ex-Oasis frontman.

Since the release of their 2004 debut, Hot Fuss, which featured breakthrough singles Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me, The Killers have gone on to sell 25 million albums, win countless Grammy, Brit, Q, NME nominations and awards and headline stadia and festivals around the world.

Daniel Gidney, Chief Executive at Lancashire Cricket, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting one of the world’s most renowned rock bands, for what is sure to be a fantastic night of live entertainment at Emirates Old Trafford next summer.

"It firmly underlines our reputation as a world class, multipurpose sporting and entertainment venue, particularly following the successes of concerts here over the last few years.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming back both cricket and music fans alike and showcasing our incredible venue.”

There are also a number of premium hospitality packages available, with the Bronze package starting from £199 per person, offering fans the chance to enjoy the night from the comfort of one of the Club’s suites.

In addition, the award-winning Concert View packages will be returning, providing fans with a unique viewpoint in which to watch the concert, from the luxury of their own stage facing balcony, as well as an overnight stay in the Hilton Garden Inn Emirates Old Trafford. The packages will be available at £599 per room for two guests.

To register your interest, please fill out the form here.

For further information and to keep up-to-date with all the latest concert news, visit our website.

A packed audience were plunged into a celebration of the life of Keith Haring, raising funds for two charities endorsed by The Keith Haring Foundation - the Keith Haring Medical Clinic and the Keith Haring Arts program in NYC - and to mark the publication of Dave Haslam's book 'We the Youth: Keith Haring's New York Nightlife', out now (pictured below, with blue cover) on Cōnfingō Publishing. Haring was a pioneering creative; bringing his distinct pop art and graffiti-infused work to 1980s New York, yet captivating people across the world. He would spontaneously draw in subways, on streets – leaving the chalked outlines of a range of figures (including his iconic dog images!), symbols and signs that became almost a kind of visual language in its own right. As his output grew, he went onto create vibrant coloured murals and larger pieces, exploring themes close-to-heart within his work including connection, love, homosexuality and AIDS awareness. (Pictured above: artwork created by Boo Who during the event)

Experimental and innovative, Haring was unapologetic and bold in his approach – bringing the public face to face with loaded imagery full of pertinent cultural statements. For example, much of his work involves sexual motifs, linking to his own passionate advocating of LGBT+ rights, visibility as a gay man and AIDS awareness. Socially profound in his artistry, Haring was also increasingly productive – creating the sheer majority of his work during his 20s: between the years 1982- 1989 he was involved in over 50 public pieces. His art adorned a range of spaces – not just streets and subways – but discotheques, dance works, nightclubs and underground cultural venues; an aspect elaborated on in Dave Haslam’s fascinating latest book and the afternoon’s conversation.

Fairfield Social Club was perhaps a well-suited venue for events then; an atmospheric railway arch tucked away behind Piccadilly Station oozing hidden charm, charged with a DIY vibe and offering a notably friendly feel. In turn, An Afternoon Without Keith Haring was an event feeling eclectic and vibrant – very much like the output of the man himself. This included an impassioned introduction and expression of thanks from Dave Haslam, who informed the audience that the event had already raised £400 for the charitable causes – totalling an impressive £1200 by the end of proceedings.

Notably too, the afternoon featured a number of feel-good musical features, with the Kiss Me Again DJs spinning the tunes as the crowd gathered; the dramatic stone archway providing ample seating space. There also was an energetic live set from Manchester-based HUSK (pictured left): performing a catchy, expressive cover of Madonna’s ‘Lucky Star’ as well as his own anthemic single ‘Feeling Heat’, out now on local independent label AnalogueTrash.

This was an afternoon that did not shy away from investigating the underside of culture either, cracking open perhaps previously concealed stories: as Dave Haslam went on to lead an insightful on-stage in-conversation with Samantha McEwen, (pictured below, with Dave Haslam) a student colleague of Keith’s at the School of Visual Arts, and also his housemate 1980-82. This allowed for fascinating insight into the 1980s NYC scene and its highs and lows, as well as Samantha’s powerful account of the feelings of threat and speculation that existed around what became known as the ‘AIDS Epidemic’: when increasing numbers of people suffering from and dying of AIDS and HIV were reported.

In Haslam’s book Samantha talks about the devastation caused to a generation of young gay men in New York, and how she thought their life and talents and work would be forgotten; “People began to die literally in their hundreds. It was gone. The world that had started in 1978 was gone, it was literally gone; artists, musicians, dancers, and the people writing about them.”

Haslam, in his turn, during the onstage discussion, talked of the Manchester experience; “I remember meeting some beautiful and inspiring young men in the 1980s at places like Hero’s, Stuffed Olive, and the Archway, but so many had died by the end of the decade. Club promoters, DJs, venue owners.” He said one of his hopes for the book was to remember and commemorate the creative contribution of the gay community to life in the 1980s.

Keith Haring himself was a passionate supporter of AIDS awareness and LGBT+ rights, contributing with his creative work to causes such as World AIDS Day, National Coming Out Day and ACT UP. Even when in 1987 Keith himself was diagnosed with HIV, he went onto express the importance of awareness and advocated for safe sex and education, his art often reflecting  this in a candid, colourful way.

Keith’s work certainly attracted attention at the time – including supporters such as Andy Warhol and Grace Jones: the latter whom Keith live-painted on a number of occasions. In turn, this was recreated evocatively in the Manchester event: artist Pete Obsolete painting model Teneille in homage to Haring painting Grace Jones – the pair taking to the stage as the final areas of paint were applied (pictured below). This allowed for a surprisingly emotional and intense experience.

Another aspect of live art also unfolding throughout the afternoon was from Boo Who (creating the artwork in the first image of this article), a street artist who created a giant colourful mural, then auctioned for the Haring-related charities. Gerry Potter also performed rousing poetry, image-rich, rhythm-rolled and deeply emotive (pictured below).

In turn, this was an afternoon not of passive performances and displays but full-on arts engagement and activism: very much tribute to the inspiring legacy of Keith Haring himself and celebrating his influence. Adding to the communal feel was a vegan Mexican foodtruck from Handlebar Burrito and a pop-up book and vinyl stall courtesy of  Cōnfingō Publishing.

An event exploring the artistic underground and an atmospherically hidden, yet positively thriving space – An Afternoon Without Keith Haring  created a communal feel for all to enjoy and to reflect on Keith Haring’s life and ongoing legacy. The funds raised underline the impact of a man not only capable of touching our hearts today but aiming to extend his compassion to others less fortunate, even in death: a profound thought for us all.

By Emily Oldfield

Photography – image credit and with thanks to Elspeth Mary Moore (previously featured in our 'A selection of photographers celebrating Manchester's underground culture' here)

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/how-an-afternoon-without-keith-haring-came-to-manchester-celebrating-the-creative-underground-arts-activism-and-so-much-more-b1026#comments1026 Fri, 15 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/us-cosmetics-brand-morphe-has-opened-at-manchester-arndale-b1025 U.S. cosmetics powerhouse, Morphe, has opened its sixth store in the UK today at Manchester Arndale. The store features many exciting aspects including curated picks of featured best- sellers, influencer faves and influencer collaborations. Customers will also be able to enjoy expert advice from Morphe’s certified Beauty Artists. U.S. cosmetics powerhouse, Morphe, has opened its sixth store in the UK today at Manchester Arndale. The store features many exciting aspects including curated picks of featured best- sellers, influencer faves and influencer collaborations. Customers will also be able to enjoy expert advice from Morphe’s certified Beauty Artists.

Mark Spillman, Morphe General Manager EMEA, said: “Manchester Arndale attracts over 40 million shoppers every year, and it’s location at the heart of Manchester city centre makes it the ideal spot for our latest UK store. We’re pleased to join the line-up of huge international brands at the centre, and look forward to bringing our professional-grade makeup products and expert advice to Manchester shoppers.”

David Allinson, Centre Director at Manchester Arndale, said: “Since Morphe confirmed they will be joining Manchester Arndale we’ve been inundated with queries from excited shoppers, including a record number of responses on our social media announcement. The arrival of Morphe will be a great addition to the centre, and we know that the brand has some brilliant things in store for our shoppers in the lead up to Christmas.”

Morphe is known for their full spectrum of professional quality tools and makeup, including over 300 brushes and their highly coveted palettes, as well as best-selling influencer collaborations with creators such as Jaclyn Hill, James Charles and Jeffree Star. Morphe also carries highly sought-after brands, such as Jeffree Star Cosmetics, Lunar Beauty and Iconic London. Newly added brand include SUVA Beauty, OFRA Cosmetics, NABLA Cosmetics and P.Louise. Coming soon are Beauty Bakerie and Marmalade.

Established in LA in 2008, the U.S. beauty brand is recognized by beauty bloggers as the ‘beauty brand created for the creators’. Morphe’s products are already available to be purchased in the UK on Morphe.com and select online retail partners such as Cult Beauty. Morphe is currently distributed in 47 retail stores throughout the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom and will be available in 50 retail stores by the end of 2019.

Keep up with Morphe on:

Instagram www.instagram.com/morphebrushes
Facebook www.facebook.com/MorpheBrushesCosmetics
Twitter www.twitter.com/MorpheBrushes   

This is no ordinary parade – instead, it is a creative commemoration with unique puppetry, dancing, music and plenty to see. At the heart of the procession will be a brilliant Bones of Paine puppet– in the form of a larger-than-life skeleton figure sitting in a chest, atop a tricycle - created by Salford-based outdoor arts experts Walk the Plank (other examples of their creations include ‘The Strolling Bones’, which many people enjoyed at Manchester’s Halloween in the City). These artistic innovators have collaborated with the Working Class Movement Library (WCML) on the community-focused Bones of Paine project (previously covered here), seeking to celebrate the pioneering political theorist Thomas Paine and his links to Salford, laid down 200 years ago. To mark the occasion, not only will the thrilling puppet be present, but the procession will be complete with a live street band and dancing skeleton puppets: wonderful to watch for all the family.

So what is the story and why does Thomas Paine matter today? When it comes to concepts such as human rights, representative government and the importance of the individual, Thomas Paine is key. During the 17th century this English-born thinker and radical wrote highly influential texts such as the pamphlet Common Sense  – controversial at the time – advocating independence for the thirteen colonies of Britain: the name for America back then, when still seen to be the ‘possession’ of Britain. The pamphlet was published in 1776, at the beginning of the American Revolution, and became a highly important feature in the independence movement. Paine would go onto to write further influential texts including Rights of Man (1791), defending another revolution – this time The French Revolution -recognising the basic natural rights of every individual.

Although Paine’s writing at the time was recognized by some, he was increasingly ostracised by others – dying in New York, in relative obscurity, in 1804. Yet in November 1819 the bones of this pioneering political theorist were brought to Salford, after having been dug up from their original resting place in New York by campaigning journalist William Cobbett – originally a critic of Paine – who wanted to give him a proper burial. So what about the Salford link? The story goes that Cobbett only got Paine’s bones as far as Salford because although Cobbett wanted to cross between the cities, they had been refused entry to Manchester by the authorities – perhaps because of the political turbulence following the Peterloo Massacre earlier in the same year.

What then happened to the bones remains cloaked in mystery – some believing that parts stayed in Salford, others believing the reports that they were shipped round the world to be reunited with long-lost family members. There were even reports of his skull in Australia! This strange series of events has informed the Bones of Paine project, developed by the WCML and Walk the Plank to increase the awareness of Paine’s story and to encourage public engagement with it. Not only was the fantastic puppet created but they have been behind a range of events throughout autumn 2019 to mark the bi-centenary of when the bones were brought. This has included a parade as part of Peterloo 2019 commemorations, public engagement in Salford and an exciting Bones of Paine ‘Fun Palace’ at Walk the Plank’s Cobden Works. Bones of Paine pin badges have even been designed and made specially as part of the project, linking to one of the reports that some of Paine’s bones were made into buttons (!) – as the badges actually display a button design! These badges were available at the recent Haunt Manchester networking fair and gathering at The Peer Hat, part of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019.

Find out more about the bones – and Paine – for yourself, as The WCML is also inviting people to gather at the library on the day of the 30 November (2pm to 4pm, before the procession starts) for refreshments and to see their new exhibition Thomas Paine: citizen of the world. Come on down to this innovative Salford library and enjoy. The exhibition will tell the story of Paine's adventurous and eventful life, his narrow escapes from death and his involvement in both the American and French Revolutions.

From the WCML the parade itself will then get underway at 4pm, moving towards Manchester and making a couple of musical pit-stops in the process. This will include the historic Bexley Square (M3 6DJ) at 4.20pm for a vocal performance featuring songs written during workshops held at the WCML with writer Louise Wallwein MBE; reaching New Bailey (M3 5JL) by 5pm for another vocal performance. The procession will finally reach the People’s History Museum (located just below Spinningfields) at 5.15pm, with a colourful welcome and show from Colibri Mexican Folkdance at 5.15pm. The museum will be keeping its doors open until 6pm so people can view Paine’s writing desk and other items.

And that’s not all. There’s more to come on Wednesday 4 December at the WCML, featuring a talk on Paine at 2pm, followed by a public reading of his highly-influential Common Sense at 6.30pm. This is set to be a fascinating event, as American Studies students from the University of Manchester read aloud what some regard as the most effective political pamphlet that has ever been written. All are welcome!

Why does it matter to mark Paine’s legacy? According to Lynette Cawthra, WCML Manager:

"We're excited to be working with the people of Salford and Walk the Plank on telling this bizarre but important story, which offers a local angle on a character who had a significant impact on history internationally.  Recounting the story within the context of events such as Peterloo helps give this unusual tale a relevance to a modern audience.  We hope that our Bones of Paine events will get everyone talking about the extraordinary Thomas Paine in a fun and engaging way that inspires curiosity." 

For information on timings of the parade and more please visit the websites www.wcml.org.uk/BonesOfPaine and https://walktheplank.co.uk/project/thomas-paine/

By Emily Oldfield 

Photography with thanks to Chris Payne (image 1)

11am – 1pm November 25^th

On the 25^th November a statue of Mahatma Gandhi will be unveiled outside Manchester Cathedral, in a public event which will be attended by distinguished guests from the UK Government and the Government of India.

To mark the 150^th anniversary of Gandhi’s birth, a 9ft high bronze statue has been crafted by renowned Indian artist Ram V Sutar.

Shrimad Rajchandra Mission Dharampur (SRMD), a worldwide spiritual movement headquartered in India, is behind the initiative, which is supported by Manchester Cathedral, Manchester City Council, Manchester India Partnership and the High Commission of India.

The unveiling is at 12:15pm on Monday 25 November, and will be preceded by an interfaith service on Non-violence, Peace & Unity from 11am at Manchester Cathedral.

What’s On information - Gandhi statue unveiling - schedule

11am: Interfaith service of Non-violence, Peace & Unity hosted by Manchester Cathedral (Invitation only). Readings, poetry and songs.

Open to the public - events inside the Cathedral will be shown on a large screen outside.

12 noon: Unveiling Ceremony, Cathedral Approach.

Celebrations with dance and music from Manchester University students, The Voice finalist Natasha Seth of the Parrs Wood School choir, Indian dancers, before the statue is unveiled.

It is an event with its own tale to tell too. The stories that will be read were created when the six writers came to Macclesfield one day in Autumn, each in search of inspiration – unearthing everything from turbulent tales of the past and creative characters to walks through woodlands, side-streets and even more secretive spaces….

So who are the writers involved – and how does their ‘outsider’ perspective on Macclesfield influence their fiction? What delights have they discovered? What have they chosen to delve into? One of the writers is Literature Editor at Creative Tourist and writer-in-residence of Victoria Baths Sarah-Clare Conlon (previously interviewed by Haunt Manchester here): no stranger to penning the particulars of place, and a prize-winning micro fiction writer too. She will be joined by David Gaffney – an author especially known for his intense and unsettling flash fiction, including Sawn-Off Tales (plus the follow-up More Sawn-Off Tales) and his latest novel All The Places I've Ever Lived. He will additionally be running a flash fiction writing workshop as part of LIT Macc. 

Also involved in ‘Macc Stories’ is the novelist and short story writer Nicholas Royle, Reader in Creative Writing at The Manchester Writing School (Manchester Metropolitan University) who Haunt previously interviewed here about his role as Publisher at Gothic-inspired Nightjar Press. Following on the theme of darkness and mystery is Abi Hynes, who for ‘Macc Stories’ has turned her attention to the reports of the ghost of Thomas Savage haunting another church in Macclesfield! Abi is a writer of fiction and drama, with an intuition for emotional intensity – also the creator two new plays for LGBT History Month's Festival Theatre: Mister Stokes: The Man-Woman of Manchester and Burnley's Lesbian Liberator.

But what about the ghost of Thomas Savage? A Tudor diplomat in his day, Thomas Savage was knighted by Henry VI and although was buried in York Minster, his heart was interred in Macclesfield’s St Michael & All Angels Church – hence the ‘Savage Chapel’ there! The setting of a fascinating story, for sure – and also another LIT Macc event, as here a reading of Arthur Miller’s play Death of Salesman with Joe Ward will take place on Fri 22 Nov, 6.30-8.30pm. 

 Another writer ready to be involved with a short story is Reshma Ruia, known for her wide-spanning range of poetry and fiction; her latest poetry book A Dinner Party in the Home Counties recently published on 25 October. Reshma’s story is set to plunge the audience into a particularly heavy cloudburst, with plenty more to be revealed…

Award-winning writer and Senior Lecturer at The Manchester Writing School (Manchester Metropolitan University) Joe Stretch completes the ‘Macc Stories’ line up. His novels Friction, Wildlife and The Adult (winner of the Somerset Maugham Award) express an intense, evocative writing style – and therefore a short story from Joe about Macclesfield offers plenty of excitement.

And that is not all. The short story readings will be amplified by the atmospheric setting of Macclesfield’s United Reform Church, complete with a backdrop of specially commissioned visuals by artist and Not Quite Light photographer Simon Buckley. Previously interviewed by Haunt here about his Not Quite Light festival (the next will take place in Salford in March 2020) which Haunt covered (including a hauntology panel and event), Simon is known for the perceptive use of darkness and light within his work, sensitive and skillful in his approach to place.  His imagery uncovers layers of history and tells of stories in its presence alone.

 In addition, Simon is involved in another two LIT Macc events: a dawn smartphone walk (sold out) and a performance on Sunday 24 November titled ‘On the Way There, On the Way Back’ at King Edward Street Chapel. In this event, Simon will be joined by musician Michael Walsh – creating an evening of enchanting spoken word, film, soundscapes and music. Exploring childhood memories and family relationships will be a key theme: Macclesfield having particular resonance with Simon as the station served as emotional landmark in his childhood journeys by train between Manchester and his grandparent’s home in Stoke-on-Trent. He reflects:

"I spent so many of my holidays as a child passing through Macclesfield station on the way to visit my nana and grandad in Stoke, but without ever getting off. The ornate shop front of Arighi Bianchi alerted me to the approach of the station, and, back in the 1970s, for me it was passing from Granada land into the world of ATV. From home to away.

“This project has finally forced me to get out of the train and explore the town, to see what lies beyond the simple platforms and brief resting of the train as I travel to somewhere else."

Simon also has a shared connection with musician Michael Walsh – as a performance from Michael marked the finale of this year’s Not Quite Light Festival, with his album ‘Quarehawk’ attracting wide acclaim. Musician Liz Hanley will also join Michael for the Macclesfield performance, whilst Simon will also welcome Thurston Thomson, sound artist and producer at Courtyard Creative.

In turn, the range of immersive artistry in LIT Macc reveals a number of Manchester creatives making the journey to express their encounter with a place beyond - exploring themes of light, darkness, dawn, dusk and personal journeying. Further examples of weekend events include a Performing Flash Fiction workshop with Fat Roland , a Polari Literary Salon featuring Paul Burston and Rosie Garland (plus a performance of Bona to Vada your Dolly old Eek! with Jez Dolan) amongst a range of other fabulous writers and a sold-out in-conversation event with Dave Haslam interviewing Stephen Morris.

Make the journey to Macclesfield - what will you discover?

By Emily Oldfield 

Photography with thanks to Simon Buckley/Not Quite Light 

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/why-six-manchester-writers-will-be-telling-weird-and-wonderful-tales-in-macclesfield-b1021#comments1021 Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/how-the-biggest-ever-gothic-manchester-festival-brought-gothic-times-to-the-city-and-beyond-for-2019-b1019 The 7 th Gothic Manchester Festival brought an array of dark delights, interactive events and creative opportunities to venues across the region – focusing on the theme of ‘Gothic Times’ for 2019 and taking place for a whole month (1 October – 1 November) for the first time ever. The 7^th Gothic Manchester Festival brought an array of dark delights, interactive events and creative opportunities to venues across the region – focusing on the theme of ‘Gothic Times’ for 2019 and taking place for a whole month (1 October – 1 November) for the first time ever.

Testament to the hard work of Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies, as well as RAH! – Research in Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met (listen to the special Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 RAH! Podcast episode here)– and a range of staff and students from Manchester Metropolitan University, this year’s Gothic Manchester Festival was the biggest yet.  It also saw exciting collaborations with the likes of Grimmfest, MASSmcr, Rochdale Town Centre Halloween Festival, and Halloween in the City, to name just a few. Evidently making an impression, the festival featured an impressive 19 events over 31 days and at least 1000 guests, putting Manchester on the map as a key destination for Gothic celebrations, by following on from the International Gothic Association (IGA) conference coming to the city last year. The Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University is after all one of the biggest centres of its kind in the world, involving a number of specialists working within the genre as well as engaging the public with it and expanding the impact.

2019’s festival took the theme of ‘Gothic Times’ – considering in particular how the Gothic mode can place both the present and past under scrutiny, as well as having timely implications for the future. Encountering the terrors and tensions of the age, delving into dark histories and exploring the fantasies and possible realities of the future all played a part. Academics and interested parties from across the fields of literature, art, film, history, gaming, music, cultural geography and more came together to create an eclectic array of festival content. This included everything from a Gothic Games Jam to a paranormal study, the intriguingly titled ‘Faking Gothic Furniture’ to ‘Rural Eerie’!  Many of the events themselves were free to attend.

Each year the festival also features a conference (full overview here), with 2019 highlighting the theme of ‘Gothic Times’ for a full day of fascinating paper presentations from  a range of local as well as national and internationally based academics on Saturday 26 October – with the conference organised by Dr Linnie Blake.

How did it begin? The launch event took the form of a Manchester Gothic Arts Group Exhibition under the title of ‘Gothic Times’ and opened at Sandbar on 1 October, at 6.30pm. This provided guests with a fantastic free opportunity to browse a range of resonant and powerful artistry from this local Gothic-inspired arts collective – with the exhibition itself open to visit throughout the month of October. There was also added entertainment thanks to the DJs Kol and Matt. (Pictured below: the 'Gothic Times' exhibition at Sandbar)

A number of events then featured in the following week, the first being a screening of the 2017 film ‘Get Out’, taking place at 70 Oxford Street on October 9^th. This included a fascinating framing talk from Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies’ experts Dr Linnie Blake and Dr Sarah Ilott, considering examples of Gothic Realism and the Female Gothic in the film in particular. Then Thursday 10 October saw a special talk take place in the atmospheric, historic setting of Elizabeth Gaskell’s House on the subject ‘Ruskin, Manchester and the Gothic’. Organised by Dr Rachel Dickinson and Professor Dale Townshend, this was an opportunity for an audience to learn more about the influential Victorian John Ruskin, his connections to Gothic architecture and Manchester.

The Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 featured events at the weekend too, with a number of family-friendly activities. An example was the ‘Bad Bugs: Zombie Outbreak! – Play and Read’ experience, organised by Professor Joanna Verran, Dr Chloé Germaine Buckley and Dr Matthew Crossley. Delving into the subjects of science, gaming and even the apocalypse, this was a Saturday 12 October workshop in the Manchester Metropolitan University Business School considering the fiction and science of zombies! Involving an eager room of participants aged 11 and above, the afternoon’s events included a zombie game to test survival skills, as well as encountering scientific models and story scenarios.

The following week featured an even more packed selection of Gothic content, the first being Writing Manchester Gothic: An Audience with Tania Hershman and Rosie Garland on Tuesday 15 October inside Manchester Metropolitan University’s Geoffrey Manton building.  Both Tania and Rosie are locally-based writers with each, respectively, being the writer-in-residence of a historic site in the city; Tania is writer-in-residence at Southern Cemetery whilst Rosie is writer-in-residence of The John Rylands Library. In turn, there was plenty of Gothic content to discuss through an evening of in-conversation , organised and chaired by Professor Dale Townshend (read the full Haunt Manchester overview and interview special here).  The authors also read enchanting excerpts from their own work and welcomed questions from the audience in what was a truly enjoyable evening.

From author talks to interactive events, the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 demonstrated a varied programme with plenty of opportunity for audiences to learn new skills and enjoy alternative experiences. Heading on into Saturday 19 October for example was a Gothic Games Jam, organised by PhD Students Charlotte Gislam and Jon Garrard, creating an immersive full-day session of demos, workshop activities and dev kits exploring the Gothic side of board games, with the opportunity for participants to play as well as make their own.

And it certainly was a packed weekend, with a range of Gothic Manchester Festival events across the two days. Saturday also saw the ‘Meet Haunt Manchester network fair and gathering’ take place at The Peer Hat – bringing together a range of individuals, creatives and businesses who have been involved in the Haunt Manchester network and site; whether in terms of having their events listed or documented in article form. Whilst writers J.J. Wray, Drew Forest and Karen Lee Street were on-hand with copies of their work and able to tell guests more, there also was an ‘Artists Snug’ with displays from Jane Samuels, Michelle Shore (featured in this previous Haunt article) and Lynn Mckay with Kiku Boutique, as well as writer Isabella Hunter who was modelling one of the boutique designs. Bjorn Scribbles also completed some impressive live artwork. (Pictured below: first image - display from  Jane Samuels at the Haunt Manchester network fair. Second image - Michelle Shore and art at the Haunt Manchester network fair).

Haunt Manchester has previously provided coverage of the much-loved Levenshulme Market and therefore it was exciting to have two of the regular traders in attendance: Mary’s Jewellery Bakery and Hotchpotchpanda. The Woodland Trust and Ian Rothwell also had stands at the fair. Ian has been a kind supporter of Haunt Manchester and he hosts the show ‘A Bit of Everything’ on Salford City Radio. The fair was open to the public from 12-4pm, with a range of RAH! merchandise available, as well as information from a range of local organisations and venues Haunt Manchester has written about, such as the Working Class Movement Library and the related Bones of Paine project with Walk the Plank. This included the exciting addition of themed Bones of Paine button badges!

The Peer Hat then was plunged into more Gothic festivities for the evening as the immersive event ‘Rural Eerie – Exploring the strange countryside through sounds and words’ took place in the atmospheric basement space, which was cloaked in ivy, complete with enchanting visuals and a soundscape created by Flange Circus. Organised jointly by Flange Circus, MASS Mcr and Haunt Manchester, this was an event intent on encountering the Gothic grit and uncanny aspects of nature and edgeland spaces. As part of this exploration, five writers read from their work as the visuals and sound stirred around them – Mark Pajak, Sarah Hymas, Helen Darby, Andrew Michael Hurley, Emily Oldfield and Richard Skelton (read the full overview here and a review by Dr Becky Alexis Martin here) all taking to the stage. Performed to a packed audience, ‘Rural Eerie’ certainly made an impression. (Pictured below: Helen Darby at The Rural Eerie)

The following Friday and Saturday also saw a number of Gothic Manchester Festival events in the area– many with unique audience involvement.  Take the example of the ArA Gothic Club Night which brought music, dancing and a real communal feel to the historic Sacred Trinity Church in Salford on Friday 25 October, from 9pm onwards. Then it was from clubbing to conferences as part of the festival bill, as Saturday 26 October saw the Annual Gothic Manchester Festival conference at Manchester Metropolitan University, on the aforementioned 7^th festival theme of ‘Gothic Times’. Organised by Dr Linnie Blake, this was a thought-provoking and fascinating day of Gothic-inspired paper presentations, discussions and debate, along with stalls from publishers and Haunt network members (read the full overview of the conference by Rebecca Wynne-Walsh here). Saturday evening also offered entertainment in the form of ‘The Witching Way – The Gig Set’, bringing a bold and exciting Gothic rock opera to Manchester city centre’s The Printworks (read more about it in this review by Dr Chloé Germaine Buckley), also part of Halloween in the City for 2019.

 On the following day, Sunday 27 October, Dr Chloé Germaine Buckley was also involved in the organisation of the ‘Writing Gothic Fiction: A workshop for young writers’ which took place at the Anthony Burgess Foundation. Young adults can get to grips with the Gothic too! This was an exciting opportunity for young people to learn from the writing expertise of the award-winning YA authors Catherine Johnson and Chris Priestly during the afternoon, 2-4pm. Another family-friendly feature taking place on the Sunday was a ‘Ghostly Storytelling Day’ at Ordsall Hall, with Dr Emma Liggins and Dr Matt Foley presenting tales of wicked witches, strange settings and enchanted places suitable for children aged 5 and above. This underlines the Gothic Manchester Festival’s wide selection of inclusive content, with something for everyone, celebrating the Gothic as a mode all can potentially enjoy. Both family-friendly Sunday events were also part of the Halloween in the City listings.

The Gothic can be seen in a variety of cultural forms after all, with multiple applications, as was seen in the final week of festival events for 2019.  One of the highlights was ‘Monster Mash: a Halloween dance spectacular’, organised by Dr Emma Liggins, which took place at The Dancehouse, with a full review online here – by Rebecca Wynne-Walsh.  Another was ‘Faking Gothic Furniture’, organised by Dr Peter Lindfield and Professor Dale Townshend, amidst the historic setting of Chetham’s Library Baronial Hall. On Tuesday 29 October, this was a fascinating lecture delivered by Dr Peter Lindfield, looking at the work of George Shaw (1810-76) a local lad from Upper Mill, responsible for creating a number of pieces of fake furniture mimicking historic originals. These Gothic Forgeries were the focus of the talk, which also included an opportunity afterwards to inspect some of Shaw’s furniture, as held at the Library.

Historic halls were busy sites of activity for festival events, as ‘Haunted Spaces at Ordsall Hall’ also took place on the same evening, organised by Dr Emma Liggins, Dr Matt Foley, Dr Ken Drinkwater and Fabrizio Cocchiarella, exploring themes of haunting with a thriving audience. Haunt Manchester at Rochdale Town Hall – also part of the Rochdale Town Centre Halloween Festival - took place later in the week on Thursday 31 October, Halloween itself! This involved free talks and stories, followed by an optional tour of the impressive neo-Gothic building (with a full overview of the Ordsall and Rochdale Gothic Manchester Festival events online here).  Ensuring the Halloween festivities carried on well into the night was a special Halloween Paranormal Study: ‘In Search of the Anomalous’, then taking place at Ordsall Hall 11pm all the way until 3am, organised by Dr Ken Drinkwater and Fabrizio Cocchiarella. This was a unique event, plunging participants into a scientific study to investigate the paranormal encounters and stories associated with the space, alongside researchers and academics from Manchester Metropolitan University.  Parapsychology, research on perceptual experiences and accounts of the anomalous all played a part, for a fascinating evening.

And the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 did not end on Halloween! In fact, there was a further evening  of Gothic encounter thanks to a Horror Movie night co-organised with Grimmfest – a Clive Barker Double Bill screening at No 70 Oxford Street on Friday 1 November. Organised by Grimmfest and Dr Xavier Aldana Reyes, who also provided a special introduction to the evening, this was an opportunity to watch Candyman and The Hellbound Heart with added insight!

As can be seen by the amount and variety of exciting Gothic Manchester Festival content, ‘Gothic Times’ certainly made an impact for 2019 – celebrating the relevance, resonance and excitement of the Gothic – with thanks to the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies, RAH!, and everyone involved.

By Emily Oldfield 

Photography (except images 2, 3, 4 and 5) with thanks to Alannis Barnes and Elaina Daley

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/how-the-biggest-ever-gothic-manchester-festival-brought-gothic-times-to-the-city-and-beyond-for-2019-b1019#comments1019 Wed, 13 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/things-to-do-in-urmston-b1020 The town of Urmston in south east Manchester has a flourishing independent food and drink scene. A new wave of restaurants and bars have started to settle in the town in recent years, catering to the young professionals and families flocking to the area.
The town of Urmston in south east Manchester has a flourishing independent food and drink scene. A new wave of restaurants and bars have started to settle in the town in recent years, catering to the young professionals and families flocking to the area.

GETTING THERE:

Urmston is located six miles southwest of Manchester city centre. Urmston train station is located on the Liverpool Lime Street line, with a journey time of approximately 15 minutes to Manchester Oxford Road.

THINGS TO DO: Urmston Meadows & The Mersey Valley
Urmston also benefits from a rich heritage of parks and greenspaces.  Just a short walk from the town centre is Urmston Meadows located on the southern fringes of Urmston close to the River Mersey. The meadow pastures, woodland paths, pond and ditches provide ideal habitat for wildlife and a peaceful place for visitors to unwind.

This walking route takes in a more secluded area of the Mersey Valley. Enjoy the woodland paths and meadow pastures of Urmston Meadows and venture past Barrowfield Farm onto Old Ees Brook. Once here, walkers can explore the beauty of the flood meadow in spring and enjoy panoramic views of the River Mersey as it meanders through the valley. The route returns via Urmston Meadows where walkers can continue along the surfaced path towards Riverside Drive or go in search of Urmston’s majestic oak, the ‘climbing tree’

DRINK: Prairie Schooner Taphouse
Describing itself as an ‘off-licence with a drinking parlour’ and an ‘independently-minded gathering place’, Urmston’s Prairie Schooner Taphouse stocks craft beer from the US and Europe and regularly hosts events.

DRINK: The Barking Dog
The Barking Dog Alehouse & Kitchen has taken over the glorious former post office. Purpose built in 1939, this beautiful building has been lovingly restored retaining much of the original character, whilst at the same time making it a proper pub.

EAT: The Steamhouse pub sits in the original Urmston train station, specialising in real ales & home cooked food.

WHAT’S ON: Artisan Market
A monthly Artisan Market takes place on the first Saturday of the month. Located right in the centre of Urmston, the market brings together the finest and often award-winning food, drink, art and craft producers in the area.

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Miniature Railway
Also known locally as 'Chassen Park', Abbotsfield Park is especially worth visiting on a Sunday when the Urmston and District Railway Society operate a charming miniature train around the park. Ideal for trainspotters of any age. 

FURTHER AFIELD:
A trip to Urmston can be easily combined with a visit to Manchester’s busting intu Trafford Centre, located just a few minutes away. For those looking to extend a walking our cycle route, Urmston Meadows links to the Trans Pennine Trail, The Bridgewater Canal and other attractions including Sale Water Park, and Dunham Massey.

Written by @SmartieAnt

1.  Elizabeth Gaskell's House

Located only 5 minutes away from the city centre, Elizabeth Gaskell's House is a perfect venue for small weddings. Being a Grade II listed building, Elizabeth Gaskell's house has plenty of history and a beautiful garden perfect for a drinks reception. Inside the house, there are plenty of rooms full of character such as the study & drawing room which have Victorian style décor and furnishings. 

2. The Whitworth Gallery

You can have your ceremony at The Whitworth in one of the amazing gallery spaces, perfect for those looking for a contemporary wedding venue. The Grand Hall is a beautifully light space for a wedding breakfast and there are plenty of places for quirky photo-opportunities in the many galleries.

3. The Portico Library 

A hidden gem on Mosley Street right in the city centre, The Portico Library is a beautiful historic library which dates back to 1806. If you are a bit of a bookworm, you will absolutely love the tall bookshelves and cosy private study. The Portico Library makes for a wonderfully unique and intimate wedding venue.

4. Elliot House

Situated on Deansgate, Elliot House is a stunning Grade II listed building and until 1995 it was the city's main registry office. The Chamber Room where you can have your wedding ceremony is full of history & character. Elliot House has many spaces inside for photographs such as the beautiful main staircase, but it is also very close-by to St.Peter's Square which makes for a great photographs.

5. The Castlefield Rooms

The Castlefield Rooms is another lovely smaller wedding venue in the city centre. With its backdrop of Castlefield Basin featuring plenty of red brick, cobbles & industrial iron-work it is a true Manchester setting! You can also book the Lock Keepers cottage, which is beautifully furnished, to get ready in the morning of your wedding and to stay that night

From strange events at a Psychic Night in Middleton to unusual astronomical phenomena over Crumpsall Park and even an encounter with the lost map of Doctor John Dee, the notorious 15^th century occultist (and advisor to Queen Elizabeth I!) who came to Manchester: Hannah Kate’s innovative stories explore the heritage of the area, as well as its hauntings. No stranger to the stories of place after all, Hannah Kate also hosts a much-loved local history show, A Helping of History on North Manchester FM and is currently writer-in-residence at Clayton Hall (Haunt interviewed Hannah more about this residency in a previous article here); an immersive setting for Hannah Kate’s own recent Creative Writing course. She also is the treasurer of Friends of Crumpsall Park, Secretary of Friends of Bailey’s Wood, and a member of the Cheetham and Crumpsall Heritage Society – demonstrating a vibrant local knowledge, as evident in her own previous Haunt Manchester article about Bailey’s Wood and Boggart Hole Clough here.

Hannah Kate’s involvement in and work within North Manchester indicates it as a place packed with inspiration; a vibrant past and range of communities shaping the stories that emerge. Crosslee, Collyhurst, Harpurhey, Charlestown… these are just some of the places that feature in the stories. Haunt Manchester itself has already enjoyed exploring accounts of the area, including LoneLady’s (aka Julie Campbell’s) artistic encounters in Miles Platting, and our own adventure into Heaton Hall, with article coverage here. Haunt Manchester’s Helen Darby and Emily Oldfield were also guests on Hannah Kate’s long-running weekly literature show on North Manchester FM, called Hannah’s Bookshelf – and it is through this show that Hannah Kate also runs the ‘Three Minute Scares’ radio short story competition, with Emily a co-judge for Halloween 2019 alongside Andy Remic.

Ten Tales: Ghost Stories for North Manchester is already thrilling and chilling listeners alike, with an instalment coming to the airwaves every Wednesday night from 10pm onwards. Each leaves the audience in anticipation of more, perhaps no wonder given Hannah Kate’s evident skill as a writer; with her fiction appearing in a number of anthologies to date and she is also the editor-in-chief at Hic Dragones, an independent UK publisher of dark fiction. In turn, Haunt Manchester decided to speak to Hannah Kate to find out more…

Hello Hannah. You've been putting together a brand-new show for North Manchester FM – Ten Tales: Ghost Stories for North Manchester... and that's not just for Halloween month, but carrying on into winter! What was the inspiration behind this and why do you think ghost stories have an ongoing relevance?

"I think the initial inspiration for Ten Tales simply came from my own enjoyment of ghost stories during the winter season. Even though the original broadcasts were a little bit before my time, I rewatch the BBC TV series A Ghost Story for Christmas every year, and I’ve enjoyed the various twenty-first century revivals (like last year’s The Dead Room by Mark Gatiss, which was set during the recording of a radio show, of course!). It’s a format I really like, and so I was very excited to get the opportunity to write my own series.

"However, my other inspiration came from the place I live. I grew up in North Manchester, and I still live there. Some of my recent short fiction has been set in Manchester, like my stories ‘Nimby’ (which takes place in Heaton Park) and ‘Trap Street’ (which is sort of set around Harpurhey). I’ve also dipped into some local history in my writing, such as in my story ‘Dust to Dust’, which is about Hollinwood’s Hannah Beswick (aka The Manchester Mummy). I’ve been wanting to write a longer series of fiction about North Manchester for a while now, and Ten Tales has given me that chance.

"So, Ten Tales is really the combination of two ideas… a series of stories about North Manchester, and a new series of seasonal ghost stories. As I say, I enjoy hearing spooky tales during the winter – and I don’t think I’m the only person who does! I put the ongoing relevance (and popularity) down to the simple fact that these stories are about life, death and the boundary between."

You have written the stories yourself – so please can you give us some insight into the key creepiest elements for a good ghost story?

"As with all writing, a good ghost story is all about the execution, and a lot of the same rules apply whether you’re writing a cosy romance or a terrifying ghost story. Sometimes it’s easy to get so wrapped up in trying to scare the bejesus out of your readers, you forget things like writing convincing dialogue or avoiding clichéd description!

"Personally, when it comes to ghost stories specifically, I prefer stories with gaps for my imagination to fill. When it comes to exposition in creepy tales, less is always more. No one is scared of a white sheet – they’re scared of what they think might be under it." (Pictured left: Hannah Kate at Clayton Hall, image provided by Hannah Kate). 

Do you have to believe in ghosts to respond to a ghost story?

"Well, that depends on how you define ‘ghosts’! You certainly don’t have to believe in supernatural revenants or apparitions to respond to a ghost story. Ghost stories depend on sometimes deeper and more fundamental than a belief in ghosts – they’re about haunting, the idea that something from the past can come back to us (as an entity, or as a memory, a feeling, a dream), or that it never left us in the first place. We are all haunted in some way or another, and ghost stories tap into that."

You describe the stories as having a 'uniquely North Manchester flavour', with the tales themselves inspired by local legend and history. Why does this matter to you – and can you give us some examples?

"I’ll try to avoid a polemic here! But when it comes to art and literature, North Manchester often gets completely overlooked. We’re treated like a bit of cultural wasteland sometimes (though I’ve been very happy to see that HAUNT Manchester has given the north side of the city some welcome attention, of course!). As someone from North Manchester, I’d say that being overlooked like this does matter. It has an effect on us, and it wears us down. I’ll give you an example… a few years back, there were proposals to hold a literature festival in North Manchester. When the plans finally came to fruition, someone had decided to change it to a literacy festival. That’s the sort of message we hear all the time – and I don’t like it.

"However, we have some great arts project and practitioners in North Manchester, like MaD Theatre Company, for instance, and the Manchester Irish Writers. In recent years, writer Alrene Hughes has used bits of Cheetham Hill’s vibrant history as the backdrop for her historical novels (The Girl in the Pink Raincoat, The Girl from the Corner Shop); a few years earlier, Gwyneth Jones wove places she knew from growing up in North Manchester into her apocalyptic sci-fi novel Bold as Love. Neither Hughes nor Jones labelled their books as ‘North Manchester’, but rather just started from the assumption that there was something worth talking about in our part of the city. And that’s exactly what I wanted to do with Ten Tales.

"The tales themselves simply showcase quirky little elements of North Manchester – history, geography, character – that I find interesting. For instance, Turkey Red (the second tale) takes place around Hexagon Tower, a 1970s brutalist building that once housed ICI. Like a lot of people in North Manchester, I briefly worked in Hexagon Tower (okay, it was school work experience, but still!), and so it’s a place that holds strong associations for me. The Occultation of Saturn (the sixth tale) draws on an almost-forgotten bit of Crumpsall Park’s history, when Crumpsall Hall was rented to a man named Robert Worthington, who built an observatory with the Manchester Corporation Astronomer Joseph Baxendell in the 1850s.

"I will admit, I’ve made a lot of stuff up for these stories as well. The Threat of Blossom (the first tale) and Corporation Pop (the fifth tale) are about events that – as far as I know – are completely fictional. These stories are set on the Crosslee and Dam Head council estates in Blackley, and I was keen to capture the character of these estates and the people who live there, without falling into tired old tropes of ‘scary council estates’. The Lost Map of Doctor John Dee (the seventh tale) is a bit of a ‘what if’ story, though it does take place around a very real (and very horrible) roundabout on the border of Moston, Middleton and Chadderton.

"Help the Poor Struggler (the third tale) is all completely true though. Take that as a warning."

Considering ghosts, do you have a favourite fictional one, from any story? 

"There’s so much variety in the fiction that can be described as ‘ghost stories’ that’s it’s hard to pin down a favourite. There’s a world of difference between, for example, Toni Morrison’s Beloved and the fourteenth-century romance Sir Amadace, but I love them both. I’m also a big fan of stories where characters are haunted by places, rather than people. A short story collection I edited in 2014 – Hauntings: An Anthology – included a story by Tracy Fahey called ‘Ghost Estate: Phase II’ that I’m very fond of.

"But if I’m totally honest, at this time of year, I’m all about the Ghost of Christmas Past. ’Tis the season, after all."

For more information about Ten Tales (including the episode list), visit Hannah Kate's website: https://hannahkate.net/ten-tales/ 

By Emily Oldfield 

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/ten-tales-ghost-stories-for-north-manchester-tune-in-to-hannah-kates-handwritten-accounts-of-history-and-mystery-b1018#comments1018 Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/circus-1903-costume-designer-angela-aaron-on-delving-into-the-rich-history-of-circus-for-design-inspiration-b1017 Circus 1903  is a symphony of detailed color and artistry using the talent of artists like Angela Aaron, to bring the true spirit of theatre and circus back to audiences worldwide.

“The circus is coming to town” is a time honoured phrase of pure Americana, but there’s nothing clichéd about Circus 1903, because from boots to braces, this circus is pure imagination. 

Circus 1903 is the product of many creative minds, and one of the most important is the veteran costume designer Angela Aaron. Angela has worked on everything from major theatrical productions, to billion hit music videos and the TV commercials we watch during prime time, but this Los Angeles based designer felt challenged by Circus 1903. 

“Each production presents different challenges, this time we had to take a black and white past and bring it into the present in believable colour,” she said, “everything had to be just right or it was back to the drawing board. We wore out many pencils, erasers and seamstresses!” 

When the idea Circus 1903 was first floated by Producers Simon Painter, Tim Lawson, and Director Neil Dorward, no one truly understood the size of the challenge in front of them. For Angela it meant six months of research followed by hundreds of drawings, and then hundreds more as the stories of these fabulous performers changed and took shape. 

“It was never a case of one costume for each performer,” said Angela, “in the small traveling circuses of the early 1900s, everyone did everything, so we created street clothes, performance costumes and contemporary costumes that reflected various culture groups that commonly performed. It wasn’t easy.” 

While audiences might not notice the details as they whirl by above their heads, Angela certainly does: “We have to please everyone. Performers need comfortable costumes that stretch in every direction they want to go, producers want costumes that last a season on the road, and I need to have the ideal material in the right colour with the perfect details to make everything come together.” 

Angela sourced fabrics and materials worldwide, from the U.S., France, Korea, Germany, Japan and Great Britain, but built the costumes in the United States using seamstresses and tailors nationwide. 

Making the costumes was only step one, they were then dyed and aged, put through processes to help them look like the cast has been on the road for, well, about a hundred years. Sometimes the process takes specialised dyes and real antique techniques from the period and sometimes it took...a cup of tea. “New, bright fabrics not only don’t match the palette, they don’t look good under bright stage lights, and we have to dull the materials, so we wash them in a strong breakfast tea.” 

Circus 1903 is a symphony of detailed color and artistry using the talent of artists like Angela Aaron, to bring the true spirit of theatre and circus back to audiences worldwide. 

By Ben Skerker

If you’re visiting the Christmas markets, why not make a weekend of it and stay at the award-winning hotel and soak up the breath-taking views on your own balcony.

For the evening celebrations, unwind at the Garden Grille restaurant and bar with a festive espresso martini or a bottle of wine and indulge in our Christmas menu, which takes inspiration from the seasonality of ingredients during the festive season and is packed full of unique flavour combinations, designed to delight diners of all ages.

Guests can choose from a mouth-watering variety of dishes to get them into the festive spirit, including grilled black pudding with new potatoes, confit salmon with squash and chorizo risotto and goats cheese and fig parcels.

For the main, choose from a tender pan fried sea bass with braised lentils, a hearty pave rump steak or the traditional turkey dinner.

And, for those with a sweet tooth, enjoy one of the famous Belgian waffles with maple syrup and cinnamon sugar or a refreshing lemon and ginger cheesecake.

Liam Rutherford, Head Chef, said: “I’m delighted that the new menu is launching. I wanted to combine big flavours with real, seasonal ingredients as I’m passionate about giving our diners a memorable culinary experience.

“I think there’s something for everyone on the menu, whether you’re after the traditional Christmas dinner or want something with a festive twist.”

Rutherford joined the team in 2018, with a view to refresh the menus and transform the food offering at the hotel and in turn, create a destination eatery.

Rutherford continued: “I craft my menus with our guests in mind – if they try a dish they’ve never had before and like it, it’s really rewarding to know that I’ve helped create a positive impression and they may go on to try it again.”

And, for the morning after, tuck into a freshly prepared, cooked-to-order breakfast the morning after. Whether you prefer your eggs sunny side up or a delicious stack of pancakes, there’s something for everyone – don’t forget that kids eat free!

The hotel also includes a Caffè Nero so you can snuggle up with a hot chocolate, and a resident’s gym to so you can work off some of the moreish festive grub.

Situated just three miles from the city, the hotel is ideally located to escape the hustle and bustle and unwind after a festive day of shopping. With over 600 free parking spaces and a Metrolink stop directly behind the hotel, you can be in and out of the city centre within ten minutes.

So, if you’re planning a visit to Manchester during Christmas, we’re perfectly located to make a night of it. To book your winter break, please click here.

Tuesday 29 October saw ‘Haunted Spaces’ at Ordsall Hall, an evening event (7.30-10pm) in which academics from Manchester Metropolitan University and Haunt Manchester discussed the links between haunting, place and architecture, with some examples from literary and popular culture. Why are ghosts associated with certain spaces and not others? Does the age of a building affect our perception as to whether it can be haunted or not?

An eager audience sat in the stunning 16th century surrounds of the timber-framed Great Hall to listen – and Ordsall Hall certainly is an inspiring setting.  It is the oldest building in Salford, with over 820 years of history in its current location, with many reported ghostly stories attached to the place itself.

Beginning the evening was Dr Emma Liggins (of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies) with a talk on 'Ghost stories in War-time' – considering how periods of historic conflict perhaps influenced the types of ghost stories that would be told. She presented a number of slides, exploring the 'Architectural Uncanny' and the 'Geography of Haunting' in particular. This also involved a consideration of ghost story motifs such as doors, passageways and even haunted nurseries – an uneasy combination of the domestic meeting the potentially dangerous. A ghost story example was H.D. Everett’s ‘The Whispering Wall’ (1916), with Emma reading some excerpts to the fascinated audience, as well as further detail on the work of Elizabeth Bowen.

Dr Matt Foley (also of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies and the Academic Lead for Haunt Manchester) then followed, with ‘Ethical apparitions that speak to and guide us'. Matt brought a combination of familiar faces onto the screen; from literary figures like Hamlet to much-loved film icons such as Obi Wan Kenobi and Mustafa from Disney's The Lion King. All of these examples have a ghostly quality in common, and this was further discussed by Matt, in terms of their appearance and how they haunt in the texts. In a highly engaging talk, Matt elaborated on examples of ‘ethical apparitions’ entering the home and personal space, the messages (and even guidance) ghosts may have for us and invited the audience to give their own examples from popular culture, as well as pondering ‘what might the ghosts of Ordsall have to say?’.

Ordsall Hall’s own Caroline Storr also gave a short talk, unpacking the fascinating history of the building further. She revealed that not only is Ordsall Hall the oldest building in Salford, but has a number of fascinating stories and interesting accounts attached to it. Caroline’s passion for the place was clear and her discussion added to the historic immersion in the evening’s proceedings.

The second half of the evening then plunged guests into an interactive encounter with the building itself, with an opportunity to explore its rooms via a tour, including the fascinating Star Chamber (built by Sir John Radclyffe in the 1360s) in the oldest wing of the Hall. This is also the room that Sir John’s ghost is said to occupy – with more ghostly stories reported throughout the building over time, including the tale of a ‘white lady’ thought to be the spirit of Lady Margaret Radclyffe. The building is actually fitted with its own ‘Ghost Cams’, to monitor potential supernatural activity! Guests even had an opportunity for an encounter themselves as Dr Ken Drinkwater (Senior Lecturer and Researcher in Cognitive and Parapsychology at Manchester Metropolitan University) not only provided a further framing talk but presented a parapsychology experiment as the darkness developed outside. This was an evening both allowing for historic engagement and encouraging people to consider the hidden stories of a local place in a whole new way: attendees staying until 10pm and even later.

The second Haunt Manchester-associated event of the week was ‘Haunt Manchester at Rochdale Town Hall’ – not only again an element of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019, but also part of the brand new Rochdale Town Centre Halloween Festival. On the day of Halloween itself, from 4-6pm inside an impressive ground floor committee room of the Town Hall, a team from Haunt and Manchester Metropolitan University presented a range of talks and spooky stories to a public audience.

An iconic building, Rochdale Town Hall was constructed between 1866 and 1871 – considered to be one of the finest examples of neo-Gothic architecture in the whole country, designed by William Henry Crossland. It is perhaps no wonder that it received a Grade I listing in 1951: a point that Haunt Manchester’s Editor Emily Oldfield elaborated on in her talk, having been introduced by the Academic Lead for Haunt Manchester Dr Matt Foley (Lecturer in English at Manchester Metropolitan University and of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies). Matt also expressed his thanks to Rochdale Council and also Paul Ambrose and Rochdale BID – the organisation significantly behind the impressive Rochdale Town Centre Halloween Festival (running from 9 October to the 2 November) involving a variety of local businesses, creatives and communities.

Emily Oldfield’s talk further considered Haunt Manchester’s existing connections in Rochdale and examples of previous written coverage on the website – including the Town Hall itself (in an article collaboration with Professor Dale Townshend, of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies), The Flying Horse Hotel, The Curtain Theatre and a full-length photo article inspired by walking the stretch of the Rochdale Canal from Rochdale to Manchester! One point expanded on in the talk was the terrifying fire which engulfed the Town Hall spire in 1883 –  with little hope of it being saved, considering it was made from wood. It was then Alfred Waterhouse, also the architect behind Manchester Town Hall, who designed the tower people can see today. Celebrating hidden histories and concealed culture is a key consideration for Haunt Manchester, especially in its connection with the Manchester Centre for Public History and Heritage, and plans are already afoot for further Rochdale coverage in the future.

Following Emily’s talk was Dr Ken Drinkwater, who delivered a presentation on the themes of The Paranormal, the supernatural and the anomalous – inviting the audience to consider popular examples of ‘paranormal figures’, such as the ghosts of children’s cartoons and how these connect with our experiences in reality. In this talk, Ken described himself as a ‘compassionate sceptic’ – in that he has not experienced the paranormal himself, but is fascinated by people’s accounts and reports… experiences that often remain anomalous. This is a key focus of Ken’s work, as he reflects:

“Hearing so many stories that we are not in a position to explain leads me to believe that you can remove the erroneous variables (those obvious examples of extraneous variables that might explain certain phenomena or misjudgements) and whatever is left is indeed anomalous.

 “This sounds like the great Sherlock Holmes pronouncement i.e., '…when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.'”

He also asked the audience if anyone would like to share their own accounts… and someone mentioned mysterious activity historically associated with Rochdale Town Hall itself, including orbs seen in a number of areas!

Ken told us more about his research:

"To explain, I feel that the research that we conduct examines many of the individual differences specifically, through cognitive processing, irrational thoughts, thinking styles and beliefs. The cognitive processes that underpin the way people perceive and interpret the world fascinates me, and drives my research forward. Currently I am involved in three pieces of research.

"The first project explored differences in thinking styles and cognitive processing between a normal population sample (those people who claim to have no psychic abilities) and a sample of both mediums/psychics who do claim to have some form of ability. The second project designed a new measure of conspiratorial ideation using psychological scales, which are designed to assess level of certainty and feelings to reach conceptual consensus regarding the nature and structure of conspiratorial thought. The third project explored cognitive processing and that affects what people see, specifically the cognitive basis of anomalous beliefs and pareidolia: An integrated model. This investigates how the interaction between personality factors and thinking style influences anomalous beliefs (i.e. beliefs that deviate from the accepted social norm), and effects perception of visual and auditory information."

A short break allowed guests to enjoy tea and coffee in the impressive vaulted reception and exchange area of the building – a key Gothic feature – before a range of song and stories from Dr Jennie Bailey, dressed in an enchanting costume and clutching a book ‘Spooky Tales of Rochdale’. Jennie is a former PhD student of Manchester Metropolitan University, having studied Place Writing, with a focus on Rochdale itself within her work. She also has helped to inform previous Haunt articles on the area; also involved in walking the Rochdale Canal with Emily Oldfield.

In just under half an hour, Jennie captivated the room with resonant readings and beautiful song inspired by local folk tales, including ‘The Goblin Builders’ associated with St Chad’s Church just above the Town Hall and also ‘The Baum rabbit’. Believe it or not, tales of a ‘were-rabbit’ are associated with the area! This provided a unique and immersive way of engaging with local history, underlined with Jennie handing out handcrafted butterflies to each of the audience members, cut from paper bearing the text of gravestones from St Chad’s!

Dr Matt Foley then drew the proceedings to a close, thanking the audience for being part of such a special event and also giving more insight on the Gothic Manchester Festival, with many in the crowd taking home a programme, as well as RAH! – Research in Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met merchandise.

There also was the option of an hour-long tour (tickets available separately) of the Town Hall from 6-7pm; a unique opportunity to explore the best parts of the building and its interior with an experienced guide, as darkness fell outside. This included the beautiful Great Hall, with its stained-glass windows bearing every member of the  English monarchy throughout history (and also the rather radical inclusion of the regicide Oliver Cromwell!) and a range of other fascinating interior spaces were also explored. 

 A number of attendees then went on to The Flying Horse Hotel afterwards – a historic nearby pub voted the best in Greater Manchester (according to CAMRA) for the second year in a row – where there was 10% off food for the audience at the Haunt event. Some also went on to join Colin Meredith’s special Halloween Ghost Walk, which set off from The Baum pub at 8pm, providing guests with even more gritty, ghostly and historically-loaded tales about Rochdale.

In all, an exciting exploration of two Greater Manchester halls loaded with history and mystery, at a particularly spooky time of year – celebrating both the Gothic Manchester Festival and Rochdale Town Centre Halloween Festival - with more coverage to come.

Photography: with thanks to Elaina Daley and Alannis Barnes, except Ordsall Hall images - used in previous coverage of the Hall, including the earlier Haunt Manchester article here. Image of Dr Ken Drinkwater - provided by Ken himself. 

Scott has been a keen follower of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies over the years, and expressed his keenness to contribute to the Haunt Manchester website - especially given his interest in history, subcultures and community. He also is a long-time supporter of The Sophie Lancaster Foundation. After he sent an email through the Foundation website, he soon found himself speaking to Sylvia Lancaster, the mother of late Sophie Lancaster. This interview is the result of that conversation.

Sophie Lancaster (pictured, left) was tragically murdered on 11 August 2007 in Stubbylee Park, in Bacup, Lancashire.

She was repeatedly kicked by 5 teenagers aged between the ages 15 and 17, while trying to protect Robert Maltby, her boyfriend. Robert Maltby survived the attack, after recovering from a week-long coma. Sophie never regained consciousness and died 13 days later.

Sophie Lancaster was 20 years old when she died at Hope Hospital, Salford. Lancashire Police launched a full investigation and no motive could be ascertained, other than the fact that Sophie Lancaster and Robert Maltby dressed differently to their attackers.

Sophie Lancaster was a sensitive, intelligent and politically aware woman. According to previous interviews with Sylvia Lancaster and Robert Maltby, she was feisty, stubborn and a person of strong conviction. She loved to read, listen to music and watch live bands. According to Kerrang magazine, some of her favourite artists were Marilyn Manson, My Chemical Romance, Korn and Slipknot.

A former pupil at Bacup and Rawtenstall Grammar School and Haslingden High School, Sophie was taking a gap year in 2007, and was planning to enrol in an English degree at Accrington and Rossendale College.

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation was started by Sylvia Lancaster in 2009, and originated from the campaign she had previously set up named S.O.P.H.I.E (Stamp Out Prejudice Hatred Intolerance Everywhere), following Sophie’s tragic death. The British gothic community, as well as bands, celebrities and people from all walks of life were very supportive of S.O.P.H.I.E’s message of acceptance and tolerance. A stage at Bloodstock Festival is still named after Sophie Lancaster to this day.

After sentencing the 5 attackers, the presiding judge’s closing remarks described the attack as ‘feral thuggery’ which raised questions about the ‘sort of society which exists in this country’.

Robert Maltby asked pertinent questions in a 2017 interview: ‘Why can’t we ask what it is about them that made them want to murder someone? Not what it is about someone that made them be murdered’.

The fact that Sophie was a goth isn’t really relevant. The fact, that she and Robert were attacked at all, is.

The interview with Sylvia Lancaster is below (October, 2019).

Hello Sylvia. First of all, how are you?

“I’m great, thank you. Thanks for getting in touch.”

You seem very busy. What have you been up to recently?

“We have been very busy. We’ve been meeting school groups at the Holocaust Centre and Museum, near Ollerton in Nottinghamshire. That has been on-going for the last two weeks. We met and spoke to large school groups, from different schools. Most groups are about 45 pupils. We had one that was 75 pupils strong.

“We have also had stands to speak to metalheads, goths and alternative people at music festivals such as Download, Bloodstock and the Whitby Goth Festival. We’ve also been to the Black Rose Festival in York. We used to have a small stall, but now also have a large gazebo. From there we’re a contact point where people can come and have a chat about their experiences. We also sell merchandise.

“For us, these are quite emotional experiences. People come up to us and explained that they have been picked on in the past and that they have been attacked. There have been cases of verbal abuse and assault. Those people often want to share their experiences to other people within the dark alternative community.

“So we are there for those people.” (Sylvia Lancaster is pictured, left)

The Sophie Lancaster Foundation started officially in 2009. Has the focus of the Foundation changed at all since then?

“Well no. The Foundation was born almost immediately after Sophie was killed. I used to work for Connexions, a youth service for young people. Connexions was a governmental guidance and support service for young people aged thirteen to twenty-five with learning difficulties and disabilities. We would help young people with career advice, drug issues, domestic violence. After the coalition government got in to power in 2009, budget cuts were introduced and the service was disbanded. Supposedly, our budget was redistributed to Children’s Services. Some of the children we dealt with were goth and alternative, and were picked on in school. So dealing with these abusive issues was already on my mind, well before Sophie was murdered. When she passed away, I knew I had to do something. The Foundation was already taking shape weeks after Sophie’s death. It only became official in 2009.

“You have to understand that I have been unwell and haven’t done any work for the last 12 months. My team have been holding the fort since I was admitted to hospital last year. In October last year, I contracted gangrene in my leg and was admitted to Royal Blackburn hospital. After a few days of being admitted, the doctors decided to amputate my leg. So I have been adjusting to that over the last year. I am getting back to work in the next few weeks and the Foundation will be expanding.

“I have relied on Adam, my son; as well as Dina and Allison who have been working for me. That’s the team. But I think, we are expanding to four more people in the near future as well as changing our leaflets. The Foundation has been very reactive over the last ten years. People come forward and suggested ideas and asked for our help with events. We gave in to those ideas as they were great opportunities for exposure.

“However, I think in the future we will be planning our own campaign more carefully and taking more time to train our staff. So we will be taking on more volunteers and training them so that they are better prepared.”

I am so sorry to hear about your leg and I wish you a speedy recovery. However, it looks like you have big plans for the future. What challenges are you currently facing?

“Well, nothing has changed since 2007. In fact, there has been a massive spike in hate crimes in recent years.  Attacks on homosexuals, knife crime, there are more people with mental health issues. All these things are on the rise. I am going by official government figures. Brexit is causing a bit of concern as people have been now been given leave to voice their negative opinions. If and when Brexit is completed, we need to see what issues this will cause, as I believe it will impact people living in alternative communities.

“I want the Foundation to expand it’s social media presence. I want to expand our website, and our     presence on Facebook and Twitter, and develop more educational material. We’ve also bought a car, so we should be able to get around more easily in future.”

What is your advice to those wanting to join in alternative subcultures?

“Do what you like, mate. I tell kids not to dye their hair while in school. However, some schools are laxer than others. You sometimes see alternative kids in class and they look great with their dyed hair and fabulous clothes. In their own time, people should be allowed to dress how they like. Why not decorate yourself? Be whoever you want to be.”

What was Sophie like? Where did she get her style from?

“Sophie was very intelligent and independent. She always had a book in her hand. She was a very little person and very different. She was always reading.

“Because of the way she was, she was always a bit isolated and doing her own thing. One summer, when she was very young, she came back after visiting a friend for a few days. She wore dark make up, had dyed her hair black, and was wearing a dog collar. I thought she looked lovely, fabulous. Since then she started to blossom and develop. It was lovely to see that.”

You received an OBE in 2014. What was that like?

“Oh, wonderful. It was very different. I went down to London with a few friends and we had a great time. Buckingham Palace is like no other place. The place was very professional and run like clock-work. It has to be. It was all a bit overwhelming. Prince Charles was very kind and very funny. We had a great time.”

Is there anything else you would like to add?

“Well, last year I received an Honorary Doctorate for Education from the University of Bolton, and this year I received one from the University of Surrey. I thought ‘Oh my God’ and that it’s great to get recognition for all the hard work the team have put in. I have the certificates on the sideboard. I am thankful that we are appreciated.”

Thank you very much for your time and for answering my questions.

Again, I wish you a speedy recovery and I look for forward to seeing what you have planned for the Foundation in the future. All the best for the future.

For more information about the Sophie Lancaster Foundation, there is previous Haunt Manchester coverage here and also the Foundation website and merchandise links.

Images 1, 3 and 4 with thanks to The Sophie Lancaster Foundation website and Facebook page. 

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/an-interview-with-sylvia-lancaster-founder-of-the-sophie-lancaster-foundation-b1010#comments1010 Thu, 07 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/be-part-of-the-stayin-alive-campaign-to-save-the-chorlton-building-where-the-music-legends-behind-the-bee-gees-first-performed-b1013 People may readily associate the Bee Gees with worldwide stardom and over 220 million record sales – and yet it was in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton that the iconic Gibb brothers first performed. People may readily associate the Bee Gees with worldwide stardom and over 220 million record sales – and yet it was in the Manchester suburb of Chorlton that the iconic Gibb brothers first performed, in a building that is now under threat.

The Gaumont –a former cinema which has housed Co-op Funeral Care for a number of years – will turn 100 years old in 2020 and marks the place where the Gibb brothers’ first band The Rattlesnakes played in 1957. So The Gaumont is in fact a building ‘before the Bee Gees’ – and yet this fascinating heritage is at risk, as it faces being sold off and converted into flats. Now a volunteer group Chorlton Community Land Trust (CCLT) are determined to help keep the building Stayin’ Alive and have launched a fundraiser of the same name, with until Saturday 9 November to raise the £250k needed – open to public pledges (link here). 

"Bee Gees fans from all over the world come to have their pictures taken outside - even though it's a funeral home!” According to Chris Peacock, of the CCLT.

The CCLT's Stayin' Alive campaign to save the venue and celebrate the Bee Gees' heritage has already attracted widespread support, but more is needed to ensure the building is saved. It is after all a crucial part of the Bee Gees’ South Manchester story and it is somewhat of a hidden history that Chorlton itself is where the Gibb brothers - Barry, Robin and Maurice - spent a significant part of their childhood, later emigrating to Australia.

Although the Isle of Man of the 1940s was their birthplace, it was in 1955 that the Gibb brothers moved to Chorlton-cum-Hardy in England: the hometown of their father Hugh Gibb. Here they lived on Keppel Road and attended Oswald Road Primary School, with The Gaumont – then a local cinema and venue – just a short distance away.

But what about the building itself? A historic location in its own right, located on the corner of Nicholas Road and Manchester Road, it first opened as a cinema called The Picture House in 1920. It saw a number of name changes over time, re-named the Savoy Cinema just a year later in 1921 and became one of the original cinemas to be part of the Associated British Cinemas (ABC) chain in 1928. It was not until 1946 that it was taken over by Gaumont/PCT and became The Gaumont.

Although in the 1940s the Gibb Brothers were still in the Isle of Man, the decade of the 1950s saw them make their mark in Chorlton, spending nearly eight years there altogether. It was during this time that they formed their first band The Rattlesnakes, a skiffle-influenced rock and roll group started by Barry, with the younger Robin and Maurice joining as vocalists, and heir friends Paul Frost (drums) and Kenny Horrocks (tea-chest bass) being later additions. Considering that the boys’ influences at the time would have been the likes of the iconic Elvis Presley and Buddy Holly, the rather grand Gaumont perhaps seemed like a fitting, exciting venue for The Rattlesnakes’ first show. Their debut public performance took place here in 1957 and included a cover of ‘Wake Up Little Susie’ by The Everley Brothers. Reports suggest that the audience enjoyed it!

In 1958 however, The Rattlesnakes came to an end – the same year that the Gibb brothers moved to Australia. It is in Australia itself that The Bee Gees were formed, and in more recent years Bees Gees Way was created in the Moreton Bay Area, Queensland, close to where they lived – celebrating that musical heritage. Now CCLT is hoping that Chorlton will also celebrate its musical past and history.

It is perhaps little wonder that CCLT's Stayin’ Alive campaign to save the venue and celebrate the Bee Gees' heritage is a highly significant step, attracting support from fans around the world, as well as the Bee Gees' cousins, Hazel and Justine Gibb. At a CCLT campaign meeting in September, Hazel and Justine spoke of how the Gibb family - including surviving Bee Gee, Barry Gibb - are all in support. Simon Hooton from CCLT reflected:

"Time is critical to save this landmark building - we have just a few days left to persuade the Co-op to change course. It is an important part of Manchester's historic music scene, so we want to preserve it and celebrate the world-famous Bee Gees and encourage more visitors to the area." (Image below: the interior of the building currently, awaiting its fate - taken by Christopher Peacock)

In addition, CCLT have exciting plans for the preservation of the building, as part of their approach to work with local residents as well as developers to celebrate Chorlton as a vibrant place for the community and visitors. This includes planning to convert the old cinema building into a market-style food hall with flexible scope to also be a performance space; as well as the potential of a GP Practice, gym, community space and some affordable housing on the site. The campaigners are also keen to create a new public square outside the building, aiming to integrate the upcoming re-development of the Chorlton precinct.

As the drafted plans have been drawn up, the campaign have been liaising with Manchester City Council and also the Co-op. In turn, CCLT have been given until this Saturday 9 November by the Co-op and want to raise £250k. So far, £55k has been raised in the first few days, but more is needed to ensure the building is saved.

The #StayinAlive crowdfunding website is now up and running. Follow the link for the campaign video, more information and to make a pledge: https://www.stayinalive.org.uk/?fbclid=IwAR1Mg5k1VINjoP3kJjIWpPnSH19r7Omq-WP-EdtliRIcxCm9M0h-0ogPoKY

Image 1 - campaign image. Image 2 - Copyright: Manchester Libraries. Image 3 - with thanks to Christopher Peacock. 

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/be-part-of-the-stayin-alive-campaign-to-save-the-chorlton-building-where-the-music-legends-behind-the-bee-gees-first-performed-b1013#comments1013 Wed, 06 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/11/strictly-come-dancing-favourite-to-open-world-famous-manchester-christmas-markets-b1012 Strictly Come Dancing judge to the stars, Craig Revel Horwood, is lined up to be the VIP guest to formally open Manchester's Christmas Markets - this year celebrating a landmark 20 years. Strictly Come Dancing judge to the stars, Craig Revel Horwood, is lined up to be the VIP guest to formally open Manchester's Christmas Markets - this year celebrating a landmark 20 years.

WHAT:
Grand Opening of the Manchester Christmas with Craig Revel Horwood

WHERE:
The Ice Village in Cathedral Gardens – meet for refreshments at the Well and Spruce bar, close to the Cathedral (note it is a round, dark brown stall).

WHEN:
Friday, 8 November from 10.30am for and 11am start (opening day of the Christmas Markets)
 

Manchester’s transformation into one of the most popular Christmas cities in the UK will soon be upon us as traders across the region and Europe prepare for the annual festive trading across the city centre. 

Every year millions of people visit the city to soak up the atmosphere at the UK’s original Christmas Markets, and this year will be another reason to toast that Gluhwein as the event celebrates a remarkable two decade unbroken run.

The Christmas Market hub in Albert Square will return for a final year before the Our Town Hall transformation - including the refurbishment of the square - means the location will be out of action in the short-term. 

The Albert Square old favourites, including the Moose House and Windmill House bar, will be back in all their yuletide glory but the layout will be a little different from previous years, with more than 100 stalls in front of the iconic town hall. 

And market sites will once again spread across the city centre squares, including the festival family areas in Cathedral Gardens, Exchange Square, New Cathedral Street, Market Street, St Ann’s Square and King Street - welcoming more than 300 traders to the city. 

New to this year, Piccadilly Gardens will be home to a host of new foodie and crafts stalls, along with a new bar area for the first time. 

Exciting new traders will be cutting their teeth this year, complementing your favourite stalls from previous seasons:

Fried chicken fans will already be well acquainted with landmark NQ eatery, Yard and Coop who are excited to bring their mouth-watering fry out to the festive masses on Albert Square, including their signature dish of buttermilk fried chicken in a waffle with lashings of maple syrup. 

New Cathedral Street could be mistaken for the Big Apple when EatNewYork land with gourmet bagels and their famous salt beef fillings.

The “Charlotte and the Chocolate Factory” cookie dough chalet is returning on Albert Square, bigger and better than before. 

The new Piccadilly Gardens stalls will be furnished with another market offering from authentic Greek grills from the flamers over at Eat Greek and something visitors may not have tried before: bunzels from the Hot Stuff Bread Company - think stuffed pretzel dough with amazing gourmet fillings and our new stall. 

No need to leave Piccadilly Gardens if you have a sweet tooth, with an American favourite from “Campfire S’mores and More” who have the burners at the ready to toast massive marshmallows covered in fresh hot cookies, biscuit sauce and hot chocolate. 

Not to be outdone, King Street will have a brand new stall dedicated to authentic arancini and deep fried calzones. And Bar No3 on New Cathedral Street will be your digestif serving up smoking gins, signature hot chocolates and espresso martinis. 

And for those with a little’un - babyware boutique, Pretty Little Princess, will be packing a chalet stall with tiny tutu’s - a must for any Christmas list...

A no fur policy will be in operation meaning absolutely no fur will be traded on this year’s market. There have always been restrictions about selling fur that meant only by-products of the industry could be sold, but this is the first time a full ban will be in place. 

The family festive area returns bigger and better than ever in Cathedral Gardens, remaining opening through until New Year’s Eve and beyond, and will be home to the ever important Santa’s Grotto. 

Returning for a second year, the Ice Cavern will be bringing a touch of royalty to Cathedral Gardens with a Mythical Palace theme, all carved by hand from more than 200 tonnes of ice. Look out for Unicorns, giant snails and other fantastical beasts, alongside a frozen fairytale carriage and royal balcony for that unique photo op. And if cool cocktails are more your thing, the Ice Village is the place to be as Manchester plays home to a world first - an exotic stand alone Ice Tiki Bar!

And continuing the ice theme, the Skate Manchester ice rink will make its debut in Cathedral Gardens as part of an enchanting winter day out for the whole family. Visitors will be able to skate under the sun, moon and stars at the new roof-covered rink - perfect for some outdoor festive fun, whatever the weather.

And for the selfie obsessed out there, there will be double the chance to get your fix with two Birdie photo vans installed in both St Ann’s Square and Cathedral Gardens. visitors can get free print outs of their snaps, which will also be automatically shared to Twitter using #MCRChristmas. 

Manchester’s much-loved giant Zippy Santa hung up his stocking for the final time last year. But don’t worry, a new Giant Santa will be coming to the city to fill his ginormous buckled boots - watch this space...

October was a busy month at the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies as we delivered our biggest ever Gothic Manchester Festival. Exploring the idea of Gothic Times, our events demonstrated the ongoing relevance of Gothic stories and culture today. Of course, the Gothic is defined by its concern with a past that will not lie—a past that returns to the present in the form of repressed trauma, secrets and ghosts. This makes the Gothic an untimely mode: the return of the past is usually a discomfiting experience, but one we need in order to make sense of our present.

One Gothic Manchester Festival event that encapsulated this relationship between past and present was The Witching Way, a performance staged at the Printworks at the height of Halloween in the City on 26^th October. The Witching Way is a fable and coming-of-age story staged as a concept album with dramatic storytelling and visuals—the creation of Ali Matthews, Leo Burtin and The Company. With genres spanning folk, blues, punk and drone rock, the Witching Way uses music to tell the story of W, a young woman navigating the pressures of a society from which she feels alienated. As she succumbs to peer pressure to engage in the exclusionary bullying she herself has faced, W finds herself transported to a cottage in a strange landscape. This space is partially out of time, a landscape that lies between worlds, and it connects W to her ancestral past and to the story of Rowan, another outsider. The show is partly inspired by Ali and Leo’s journey along the real-life witching way, a walking and tourist trail that maps the story of the Lancashire Witches—a group of eight women and two men who were tried and hanged at Lancaster castle in 1612.

I was excited to invite the creators of the Witching Way to be part of the Gothic Manchester Festival, not only because their work has a distinctly regional resonance, but because my research focuses on the relevance of the witch in our contemporary culture. Like Ali and Leo, I have been fascinated by the cultural afterlives of the Lancashire witches and my research shows how their deaths serve different narratives about the power (or not) of witchcraft. It seems that modern (re)interpretations of the story all-too easily fall into the trap of depicting the accused as either victims or villains. The Witching Way deftly negotiates this problem, revealing W as both bullied and bully, a young woman who must accept and assert her own power, but for whom there are no easy answers. I have also examined the resurgence of the witch in contemporary folk horror cinema, where she is likewise an ambiguous figure. While the Witching Way is not a horror story, its use of the gothic structure of haunting and return testify to the ongoing power of the witch figure in our darker cultural imaginaries. As I have cautioned, witches serve reactionary and anti-feminist narratives about the illegitimacy of female power as well as they serve feminism. This is partly because the use of the witch in modern narratives relies on misogynist tropes that have developed over centuries and have their origin in repressive ideologies and theologies.

The Witching Way navigates these darker aspects of the figure of the witch with creativity and nuance, offering a fascinating and uplifting narrative that resonates for anyone struggling against patriarchal norms, societal pressures, and conformity. I was excited to attend a performance of the complete show at the Royal Exchange Theatre just after Halloween. A more intimate setting than the cavernous Printworks, Ali and the band invited us to share W’s story, drawing the audience into a complex tangle of past and present. With evocative visuals and lyrics, the Witching Way wove together familiar tropes from witchcraft tales to create an urgent and timely story about how an individual can assert their power whilst also treating others with kindness and respect. Creative staging choices, such as the striking use of black feathers, evoked the ancient tales from which the figure of the witch emerged, including the Roman strix (an owl-like creature that preyed on children). At the same time, Rowan’s attempts to carve out an independent life in her cottage at the edge of the village recalled feminist revisionist myths about witchcraft in the middle ages.

Ultimately, The Witching Way avoids a reductive binary where the witch is either a monster or an empowered rebel. Despite W’s feathers, her witchy powers cannot offer an easy flight to freedom. The road home will be long and difficult. And, as Rowan’s fate reminds us, this is a journey that might also end in disaster. Ali’s powerful performance onstage really emphasizes that the power of the witch lies not in its use as a static symbol, but in her journey. Framing the witching way as a journey in this way allows the creators to offer something more complex and rewarding than other recent witchy tales. Crucially, the show returns W to the society from which she has felt so alienated – renewed and reinvigorated by her stint in the wilderness. This contrasts with male-authored witchcraft texts that play with similar ideas of female oppression and power. In Robert Eggers’ horror movie, The Witch (2015) for example, the young woman seduced by the power of witchcraft finds freedom in the woods having completely abandoned society. Similarly, in Ari Aster’s recent folk horror smash, Midsommar (2019), a young women suffering from very modern forms of social isolation, exclusion, and gas-lighting finds power in an expression of rage and power – but this is only possible from a position of exile.

The Witching Way is a rich and moving show. If you missed the Manchester performances, then you can catch it on the 15^th November at the Nuffield Theatre in Lancaster where its invocation of the spectre of the Lancashire witches will have a particularly powerful resonance.

You can read more about the research behind the Gothic Manchester Festival here.

Photography with thanks to Alannis Barnes - all images from the performance at The Printworks, Manchester

What better way to celebrate the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019’s past month of immersive events, activities and get-togethers, than with a spectacular, or indeed ‘spook-tacular’ dance and musical theatre show: ‘Monster Mash: A Halloween Dance Spectacular’. It was the evening before Halloween (Wednesday 30 October) and the atmosphere in the historic venue of Oxford Road's The Dancehouse was high in anticipation for this varied dance event, involving creative costume and a number of performance styles.

The show was jointly organised by Dr Emma Liggins (of The Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies) and Moira Hancock, who runs the Dance Academy - a Manchester-based dance school. Performers were impressively dressed and a range of themed and fantastic make-up could be seen, with Ellie Bebbington as make-up artist for the evening. Caitlin Jauncey, in full witch costume, was a darkly dynamic stage manager.

The evening kicked off with an enlightening introduction from Manchester Metropolitan University’s own Dr Emma Liggins (also of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies) who highlighted the longstanding connection between theatre, particularly the medium of dance, and the Gothic. Emma offered a thoroughly intriguing introduction of the stage and the performing arts as a historically Gothic space well-suited to displays of violence, the supernatural, wearing disguises and imagining dark and enchanting worlds.  Examples ranged from the Shakespearean witches most famous for the “double double toil and trouble” chant to Wicked’s ever-popular green witch Elphaba. She also talked about the stage as a place of the uncanny, where dolls come to life, the undead dance with the living and the dance of the black swan captivates the audience. Also featuring was the icon of the longest-running Broadway and West End show of all time, the eponymous Phantom of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s opera.

The Phantom himself made an appearance during the show as Jake Bloem from Shena Simon College offered a haunting and powerful rendition of one of the show’s most instantly recognisable numbers ‘The Music of the Night’. Though the focus of the show was firmly rooted in dance, the singers must be credited for their stellar performances which included the aforementioned excerpt from Phantom and solo vocalist Xander’s interpretations of Halloween classics. These included Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ and ‘It’s All Coming Back to me Now’, a song made famous by Meat Loaf but itself inspired by one of the most revered texts of Gothic literature, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. Tracks such as these presented the Gothic as a transmedial mode in perpetual mutation - as it adapts to any number of time periods, cultural settings and modes of performance.

The dance performances themselves offered a wide array of interpretations of the meanings and applicability of the Gothic. Dance styles presented included contemporary, ballet, jazz, street commercial and musical theatre. Highlights included The Dance Academy’s narrative dance set in an Asylum, the dance duo Anarchy’s street dance inspired by the horror film The Purge (James DaMonaco, 2013) and a melancholically moving solo ballet number by Dance Academy member Rose O’Hanlon to another Lloyd Webber song, ‘Memory’ from the renowned musical Cats. In addition, two striking contemporary numbers were presented by Reforma, choreographed by Candice Waterman and Keith Garlick, exploring the power of control in a hierarchical system and the ways in which people can be influenced and manipulated.

Credit must also be given to the hosts of the night Matthew Chapel and Steven Jackson. This comedic duo, who may be familiar to audiences who have attended the annual Dancehouse panto, acted as a thoroughly dynamic and entertaining master of ceremonies partnership. They encouraged audience interaction and plenty of laughter throughout the evening.

This dance spectacular was yet another wonderful event as part of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019. The show was a wonderful example of the contemporary and often unexpected applicability and value of contemporary interaction with and performance of the Gothic as it continues to haunt our screens and stages.

Photography: Images 1 and 3 - credit to Dr Emma Liggins, Image 2 -  Reforma, credited to Candice Waterman.

Newly opened

DRINK: The Quick Brown Fox

A new addition to the Northern Quarter, The Quick Brown Fox is situated on Swan Street, and is the latest venture from the team behind Alphabet Brewing Company and PLY. Joining the likes of Sammy’s and Mackie Mayor in bridging the gap between the Northern Quarter and Ancoats, The Quick Brown Fox will offer a rotating selection of cocktails, natural wines and craft beers – most on tap to minimise waste.

- See also: Manchester tap rooms – Beatnikz; Cloudwater Unit 9; and Track

WATCH: Everyman Cinema

Opening just in time for Halloween with a programme of cult horror movies, Everyman St. John’s is located inside the ABC building on Quay Street, featuring three screens, a bar, and bar menu where you can enjoy drinks, hot food and snacks, as well as the option of waiter service from your cinema seat. The boutique cinema chain will show a selection of mainstream, independent and classic films, all to be enjoyed on the brand’s trademark comfy sofas.

- See also: film experiences – HOME; Stockport Plaza; Make a Scene; and The Village Screen

EAT: River Restaurant at the Lowry

As part of a wider hotel refurbishment, The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant returns with a new look and food and drink menu. The renovation sees the hotel’s bar and restaurant completely redesigned and a new menu from Head Chef Dave Ashton, whilst still serving the popular Sunday lunch menu and afternoon tea offering.

- See also: top hotel restaurants – The French (The Midland); Mamucium (Hotel Indigo); Bull and Bear (The Stock Exchange); and The Refuge (Principal)

EAT: GRUB

Manchester’s popular weekly street food fair has announced a move to The Red Bank Project, a new temporary arts space in the Green Quarter. GRUB’s new venue will host a rotating line-up of street food traders, feature two separate bar areas, a dedicated kids’ play room and flexible events space. GRUB will run at its new home on Fridays from 4pm to 10pm and on Saturdays from 12pm to 10pm, and will continue to host their popular Plant Powered Sundays from 12pm – 6pm.

- See also: street food-style hotspots – Stretford Food Hall; Hatch; and Mackie Mayor

Coming soon

EXHIBITION: The Art of the Brick

Globally renowned touring exhibition, The Art of the Brick – created with millions of LEGO building blocks – is coming to Manchester for winter 2019/20. Featuring more than 75 pieces of art, the exhibition will reside at the iconic Great Northern Warehouse from 22 November 2019 until April 2020. The exhibition will feature 3D sculptures and oversized portraits from Nathan Sawaya’s collection, including recreations of iconic art such as the Mona Lisa and will also include some never-before-seen pieces that will debut in Manchester. Heralded by CNN as a “must-see exhibition”, it has toured globally for more than 12 years and was last in the UK in 2014 at London’s Old Truman Brewery where it extended its four-month run to seven months, due to popular demand.

- See also: current exhibitions – The Sun at the Science and Industry Museum and Tapestries at The Whitworth Art Gallery

STAY: The Stock Exchange Hotel

Set within the former home of the Manchester Stock Exchange, every detail of the new Stock Exchange Hotel has been meticulously considered to create a five-star 40-room boutique hotel. Located on Norfolk Street, in the heart of central Manchester, the Edwardian Baroque building - with its original marble, brass and woodwork – has been carefully restored to breathe new life into one of the city’s most historically symbolic institutions. Opening 15 November 2019, the hotel includes an exciting new restaurant concept called The Bull & Bear, overseen by renowned British chef Tom Kerridge and located within the grand domed room which was previously the trading floor.

- See also: Manchester’s newest hotels – Native; Dakota; and Whitworth Locke

EVENT: Rochdale Pride

Rochdale in Rainbows presents Pride takes place between Saturday 16 and 30 November, with a number of events taking place across the borough over the fortnight, including performances, social events and the borough’s first LGBT+ conference for people working in health and social care. Touchstones Rochdale in Rochdale town centre is hosting events throughout Pride and is looking at how they can diversify their work. On Wednesday 20 November LGBT+ History: Past and Future will hear from speakers about how the borough’s LGBT+ history can be explored and documented, with people invited to share their own memories.

- See also: full line-up of events at Rochdale Pride

EVENT: Homobloc

Dubbed a "queer block party for all", Homobloc comes to Depot at Mayfield on 9 November, presented by Warehouse Project and Homoelectric - who have been throwing underground parties in Manchester for two decades. Headlined by US techno DJ and producer The Black Madonna, other artists gracing the stage include Roisin Murphy, Seth Troxler and Midland among many others in a what is set to be a seminal moment in the current resurgence of queer clubbing in Manchester.

- See also: this year’s full line-up of Warehouse Project events

EVENT: Manchester Christmas Markets

The countdown is on for the Manchester Christmas Markets, returning on 8 November, seven days a week until 21 December. The main hub will again be at Albert Square, and this year the markets will be joined by a range of Christmas attractions, including the return of the Ice Village, a new ice rink, new festive lights across the city and a brand-new giant Santa, taking over from Manchester’s much loved and iconic Zippy.

- See also: What's on this Christmas

EXHIBITION: Dippy the Dinosaur in Rochdale

The Natural History Museum’s superstar dinosaur, Dippy, is currently on a record-breaking UK tour and he lands in Rochdale in February 2020. Dippy’s star power has already drawn more than 1 million visitors to venues across the tour, and thousands more are expected to visit him in Number One Riverside, his only stop in the North West of England. Accompanying the dinosaur in Rochdale will be a major family-friendly exhibition at Touchstones Rochdale where children can explore all aspects of the natural world, from the dark swamplands of millions of years ago to our future planet and what it might look like. Dippy will be in Rochdale from 10 February to 28 June 2020.

- See also: Rochdale attractions - Pioneers Museum; Touchstones; and Rochdale Town Hall

In case you missed it

EAT: Mana

Opening in October last year, Mana joined an impressive roster of Ancoats restaurants - and this month was awarded Manchester’s first Michelin star in over 40 years. With former Noma chef Simon Martin at the helm, Mana brings a creative tasting menu to Manchester with a focus on the very best produce from the British Isles which mirrors the seasons.

- See also: tasting menus – Adam Reid at The French; Six By Nico; and Where the Light Gets In

AWARD: Manchester Food and Drink Festival Awards

Manchester Food and Drink Festival takes place each year in September, ending with an awards ceremony to recognise Manchester’s best talents throughout hospitality. Simon Martin’s Mana won chef of the year, newcomer of the year and the restaurant of the year categories, with 18 categories all together. Other winners included GRUB for foodie event or project of the year, Manchester Gin for artisan drinks producer of the year, Hawksmoor for front of house team of the year and The Jane Eyre for bar of the year.

- See also: full list of winners from this year’s ceremony

COOK: Food Sorcery

You may or may not have already heard about it, but this cookery school and foodie event space in Didsbury offers cookery classes, barista classes, private dining, corporate events and team building events and is becoming increasingly popular with visitors to manchester. Food Sorcery has classes spanning knife skills, fish preparation and pasta making, as well as classes on world cuisine including Thai, Vietnamese, Japanese and French.

- See also: food and drink experiences – Scranchester Tours; Spirit of Manchester Distillery; and Manchester Craft Beer Tour

STAY: The Edwardian Manchester

Formerly the Radisson Blu Edwardian, the rebranded Edwardian Manchester now joins The May Fair as Edwardian Hotels London’s second Radisson Collection property. The rebrand follows the 263-room hotel’s recent £12 million renovation of the iconic Grade II listed Free Trade Hall, covering the entire ground and lower-ground floors from the grand entrance lobby and concept bar and restaurants to the spa and fitness centre, as well as extending throughout the guest bedrooms and suites plus quality meeting spaces.

- See also: hotels – The Lowry; Dakota Hotel Manchester; and Hotel Gotham

READ: Greater Manchester Birding City Region Book

Greater Manchester Birding City Region is the new book from author and ecologist James Walsh, aka The Mancunian Birder. This book - which is a must for any twitcher - is the result of thirty years of research of the environment of Greater Manchester and is a personal introduction to birding in the city region.

- See also: Lost & Imagined Manchester and Manchester, the Complete Guide to the City (Jonathan Schofield)

Rather than relying on the narrative of Wilde’s novel (first published in 1890 in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine, before being released as a book), this is a play boldly stripping back the story: McMillan’s fast-paced script more of an intense engagement with its themes and highlighting their ongoing, even disturbing, relevance today. Vanity, insecurity and idolatry come to the stage as Dorian delves under the skin of the social construct ‘to be beautiful’.

This was a construct very much at work in Wilde’s writing, with the protagonist fixing his fears (and fantasies) around a portrait, an image of himself, aging on his behalf. Dorian displays a picture for the digital age – Rick Ferguson taking the title role – a middling 50s Dorian yearning for a better body, ‘to be bigger’. Expressive acting from Ferguson fuels emotion high in the room from the onset, our attention attuned to man who clearly wants, craves, to change himself. So begins the re-invention. He signs up for the gym and is encouraged by the instructor Harry (Chris Casey playing this character with a clever campness that touches on the creepy) to document his ‘progress’ via photo and video, all whilst aiming towards a grotesquely manipulated image of himself, as created by the character of Sarah – an ‘image optimisation specialist’. In other words, a picture manipulator. And in the age of Photoshop and filters, how many of us are more guilty of that than we may first think?

Manipulation and exaggeration occurs in the play on multiple levels – the characters themselves presented as exaggerated caricatures of a diverse group of people living in the modern age; allowing the play to become a kind of satire, instead of a condemnation of social media, technology and the practices that exist around it. Rather than condemning the audience, Dorian draws our attention to how we can be simultaneously both complicit and victims within a system fuelled by self-insecurity, and the production provides a particularly insightful encounter with the oft under-discussed male perspective on issues such as; gym culture, crises of body image, need for approval.

Carefully constructed, two key story arcs underpin the play, both building on this consideration of body image– the first being Dorian’s 6-month quest to ‘Get Hench with Harry’, motivated by the digitally-created ideal picture of himself. The second is the strain faced by his son Sam, as he strives for success with his band (in which Sarah is also involved), relying particularly on having high-quality vlogs and social media updates on the musical project.  Actor Neil Balfour creates a real zany flair about the character of Sam, providing areas of comic relief – an important consideration given the intended intensity of the production, running for an hour and twenty-five minutes without interval.

Yet it is seeing the comic, loveable side of Sam that makes watching his struggles all-the-more upsetting; this young man working himself harder and harder, to the bone, to ‘look the part’ on camera. Sarah’s image-led advice, actor Elizabeth Harborne infusing her words with an acidic memorability, linger in the mind long after.

In turn, a skilled cast combine with tight, yet sensitive direction – bringing to life a loaded script with more than few elements of the Gothic grotesque: also a feature of Wilde’s original. This is amplified through the set design choices, linking a number of screens to the stage that play a part in the performance; cleverly making the audience, in effect, voyeurs of the characters’ attempts to construct and document ‘new versions’ of themselves. An added ‘window-like’ structure that  moves around the set, compartmentalising character interactions and in some instances, isolating them, also skilfully emphasises how perspectives can be pigeon-holed.

There are ‘selfies’ and vlogs, feed updates and phone calls, all adding to a mood of overload. A case of the modern condition? The dark side of the digital age? We even see the cracks in gym instructor Harry start to show through: actor Casey clearly in-tune with what it is to give a glimpse of vulnerability, before topping it up with more vigour. A character in conflict with his façade, battling with his body, but even more his mind. Many of us are.

An interesting consideration then, is what audience members with little or no engagement with social media and the online world might think of the production – and there is a risk that its centrality to the consideration of the big issue of body image could potentially alienate some viewers from engaging fully with the fundamental theme. However, I think this is avoided due to a surprising element I wasn’t expecting to feature so heavily within the play – music and creativity.

A number of points in the play are introduced with or segue into each other thanks to keys and vocals from both Sarah and Sam – this feature giving the production real performative flair as well as developing the pace. It also hits home the underlying point – and crucially, a point that prevents the play from being weighed down with pessimism - the importance in engaging with what we can create with our talents and passions, rather than our bodies. Dorian drives further discussion and awareness of what can seem like the all-consuming push for a ‘better body’, and invites us to look at ourselves... and the talents and potentials, central to self-respect, that lie within. A fascinating debut from Andrew McMillan and testament to Proper Job Theatre’s evident passion for thought-provoking innovative theatre that fuels discussion long after.

By Emily Oldfield

Image: Dorian - Proper Job Theatre Co - Rick Ferguson as Dorian (front) and Chris Casey as Harry

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/dorian-a-dark-new-stage-version-of-oscar-wildes-the-picture-of-dorian-gray-makes-an-impact-at-the-lowry-theatre-review-b1007#comments1007 Thu, 31 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/alternative-gothic-inspired-or-just-daring-to-be-different-11-greater-manchester-based-bands-to-take-a-listen-to-b1003 Here at Haunt Manchester we are putting together an ongoing series of Greater Manchester musical artists with plenty of interest, many of them active and playing live in the area. The local music scene is a thriving world of creativity to immerse yourself in, bustling with bands who embrace experimentation and celebrate the alternative. Here at Haunt Manchester we are putting together an ongoing series of Greater Manchester musical artists with plenty of interest, many of them active and playing live in the area. Want to recommend an artist? Get in touch at haunt@mmu.ac.uk - as this is by no means a definitive list - instead, an ongoing exciting selection.

These are creatives often celebrating independent, characterful venues in and around the city - from stages and side-rooms to snugs and basements! In Manchester itself there are a number of places with a time-proven record of putting on original, exciting music including The Castle Hotel, The Night & Day Café, Gullivers, Soup Kitchen, Band on the Wall, Night People, Gorilla, Rebellion and AATMA, just to name a few. Some of these places have a fascinating story before their lives as venues; with The Albert Hall and The Deaf Institute for example, based in historic buildings: bolstering the atmosphere. A range of new venues have also sprung up in recent years including YES and The Rose & Monkey, plus there are those with a distinct collaborative feel and a real sense of creative community such as The Peer Hat, Partisan Collective and The Old Abbey Taphouse. Cross just over the Irwell and discover Salford’s selection too, including The Kings Arms, The White Hotel and The Eagle. These are places that transport the live music experience far beyond a passive experience of listening, and instead invite inspiration and connections to be made.

To discover innovative modern music is an experience in itself. This is creativity at its most crucial, often expanding on the underground, exploring crucial contemporary themes – including hidden histories, obscured stories, identity and gender – in an urgent way. A number are signed to independent record labels too, passionate about diverse and innovative artistry... a chance to discover whole rosters of exciting music to enjoy.

Here are just some examples, with more to be featured in upcoming articles:

Factory Acts

Smashing together immersive electronic layers underpinned by gripping bass – it’s the Salford-based duo Factory Acts. With SoS (Susan O’Shea) on synths, electronic gadgets and vocals and MD (Matt Davies) on bass, drum beats and magic mixes, they make an impression through impressively-crafted catchy tracks capable of making a whole room move within minutes. Take a listen to their EP 'Second Amendment' to hear why. Never shying from incorporating politically-punchy, socially-engaging content within their work – this a dark, danceable and delightfully addictive sound, signed to local independent label AnalogueTrash.

Photography: by Mirko Lazzarin, Armadillo Media Productions

The Red Stains

A four-piece band who declare ‘you can’t wash us out’ - and to forget their punk-powered, socially-raw sound certainly is difficult! Plus, it’s a name daubed across enough venues in the city to leave an impression: music meets action, at its most resonant. The Red Stains create tracks capable of staining the memory, popping with loaded lyrics and juicy imagery; titles such as ‘Freezer Jesus’ and ‘Trolley Dashers’ perhaps giving some clues. An expressive vocal style and plucky bass are layered with deft drum patterns and wonderfully wonky electronic keys: it's not over-complicated, but still allows for maximum noise. A notable point, and very much refreshing, is that this a band that don’t take themselves too seriously, yet still make a strong impression. There is a likeable defiance to their sound, delivered in gutsy live performances around the area, as well as at a recent MMTV recording session.  A welcome combination of clever chaos and creativity, as underlined by the track ‘Jump the Met’, inspired by misadventure on the Metrolink. Combined with a bold visual aesthetic,  something that merges into their online presence – lo-fi imagery of strawberry jam-strewn items (and other food) somehow strangely captivating - and entertaining at that.

Photography: by Neil Winward Photography

Brix and the Extricated

Masterful musicianship creating catchy post-punk fizzing with sonic power, flirting with pop overtones, underpinned with raw attitude and passion – Brix and the Extricated make an impact. All these elements exhibit themselves to full effect in the group’s latest album Super Wolf Blood Moon, released October 2019 – and highly-anticipated. Headed up by Brix Smith Start, the band bring together loaded lyrics, often speaking of the dark side of human experience in such a sped-up age, fused with Steve Hanley’s brilliant bass hooks, as well as flowing finesse on guitar from Jason Brown and Steve Trafford. Hit home through the rollicking yet resoundingly tight rhythms of drummer Paul Hanley, this gives the music a gutsy force capable of having audiences rolling and reflecting at the same time. For Brix and the Extricated build songs just as intelligent as they are intense, energy amplifying tracks such as ‘Dinosaur Girl’ – delving into themes of self-destruction and difficulty – whilst ‘Wasteland’ infers the issues affecting the environment. Raw, resonant and ready to impress with memorable melodies and an utterly iconic image.

Photography: by David Gleave

Weimar

Art-rock meets post-punk, pulsing with a glittering array of influences and luscious lyrical depth loaded with historical narrative – it’s Weimar. Founded in 2016, this is a four-piece band capable of plunging listeners into the lost worlds of Gothic cabaret and dark circus; all whilst upholding the freedom of expression and opinion in the face of oppression. This is after all a key theme within their work and performance, encountering the dark side of human nature and the underbelly of contemporary culture, informed by history and mystery alike. Exploratory, engaging vocals work well with  jangly guitar, plucky bass and deft drums. With tracks including the likes of ‘The Sociopath’ and ‘Curse the Songs’ - released digitally on the local German Shepherd Records and physically by the Marlene’s Hat label – the band are working on an album for release in 2020.

Photography: by Zac Gale

Elastikbande

A fascinating three-piece who pummel together post-punk, grunge and garage rock to create tight tracks charged with real humour, contemporary relevance and grit. Elastikbande demonstrate real skill in melding melodic guitar and thundering bass with expressive drums, providing catchy underpinnings for tracks that tell of tales like ‘Lost It (In a Mosh Pit)’ and the title of their EP (out now on German Shepherd Records) ‘Vacuum Cleaner’. Surprising harmonics add to a moreish, memorable feel.  A sonic slap on the back, enlightening and edgy, it’s all driven home with wonderfully dry lyrics delivered with expressive grittiness, working up to heights - yet capable of hooking listeners with even a whisper.

Photography: by Neil Winward

Trianglecuts

Immersive musical alchemy constructed through a fascinating threadwork of synths and beats, bringing to new heights a sound studded with loops and soaring vocals. Trianglecuts is Gwendolen Osmond (vocals, lyrics, visuals, performance) and Doug Hemingway (synths, beats, recording, mixing and production); an electronic duo drawing on the inspiration of the cold, post-industrial cityscape, yet still with an instinctive nod to where the wild glistens through. After all, their music is an experience with effect - an urgent haunting quality telling of human impact on the Anthropocene, the need to realise, to react.  In live performances, this is amplified through intense, hand-created visuals, turning tracks such as ‘I Rupture’ and ‘Centuries of Violence’ (the first single from their debut album) into lasting experiences. They are currently recording the debut album for February 2020 release.

Photography: by Gwen Osmond

Flange Circus

Haunting electronic loops layered with fizzing lines of beat, dark drone and seething bass – Flange Circus certainly uphold their message ‘we envelop you’. A mysterious three-piece, they create the kind of music that merges into experience, immersing the listener in a high-energy horrorshow spectacle. This is bolstered by relayed recordings and industrial fuzz that tantalizingly tells of edgeland spaces; conjuring images of urban encounter and strange countryside alike, meshing together past and present human experiences in eerie fashion. Intense and enchanting in equal measure, their sound unlocks interest at every level – whether the listener likes to sit and reflect or is driven to dance. Both are possible. Following on from the EPs ‘Overexposed’ and ‘Ekranoplan’, as well as the debut album ‘Abandoned Glow’, the band have since been involved in a number of projects, including the creation of a live soundscape for Rural Eerie – a Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 event.

Photography: by Flange Circus

Four Candles

With a name that immediately entertains attention and music that shakes up set conventions– smashing together funk with punk, Gothic with garage – it’s Four Candles. There is a real rawness to their sound, seething in its engagement with contemporary themes, whilst upholding the underdog and weaving in high-energy historical narratives through rollicking rhythms, instrumental expression and perceptive, poetic insights. Working these words to ecstatic, intense heights – as well as the writer behind them – is Ian ‘Moët’ Moss (formerly of The Hamsters), unleashing lyrics that aren’t afraid to engage with the past and in doing so, have a deft didactic quality. Listeners are compelled to reflect on and engage with the themes thundering through tracks (as heard on the latest album ‘Nettle Rash’, on German Shepherd Records) such as ‘BBC’, ‘They Don’t Care’ and ‘Sex Toy’; encountering everything from the issue of inequality and the impersonality of big corporations to neglect and child abuse. The instrumental ability of the band is just as eclectic as the track approaches themselves, capable of crossing from pulsing punkish energies to weird dark waltzes to frothed-up funk. It is given gutsy force through the interesting, creatively-crafted basslines of Gentle’ Jon Rowlinson, powerfully punctuated by drummer Phil Peak’s energetic flair. This blend of musicianship builds a bolstering, energy-fizzing core, given further force through Mark Taylor’s immerse guitar skill, showing the distinctly collaborative, ever-creative attitude of the band; each track upholding the importance of unrestrained expression, essential energy and true emotive grit.

Photography: by Gary M Hough

LIINES

Post-punk and art-rock influences are pummelled together in the urgent, captivating sound of LIINES. This is music weighted with emotive awareness and delivery, yet driving in its energy and grip, track titles like ‘Disappear’ (a hit single of 2016, still a firm fan favourite) lingering in the mind long after. Their ongoing sound is edgy, interesting and distinctly powerful in its instrumentation: glistening guitar hooks, bolstering bass and utterly driving drums, accentuated by intelligent lyrics expressed with a raw, resonant power. How a band of three people can hook the attention of a huge venue, certainly is impressive. LIINES is Zoe McVeigh (vocals/guitar), Tamsin Middleton (bass) and Leila O’Sullivan (drums), already with a significant output.  Stop-Start  arrived to great acclaim in May 2018, preceded by singles Shallow (February 2018), Find Something (March 2018) and Cold (April 2018), and earlier this year the band recently supported Sleaford Mods across the UK in a 30+ date tour. They then released On and On in May via independent label Reckless Yes; a track gripping its encounter with and instrumentation interpretation of the fast-paced contemporary. They've played a number of festivals and gigs, with a few remaining (including Manchester on 31 October, Soup Kitchen) in 2019.

Photography: by Blake House Filmmakers Co-operative

ARGH KiD

An alternative English hip-hop band serving up hard-hitting tunes and rolling rhythms, delivered with real emotive force. Expect socially-savvy lyrics loaded with lived experience, urban encounter and Northern grit. This is music at its most resonant, self-described a ‘backdrop to life in austerity UK’, unabashed in its encounter of difficult issues and expressed through the intelligent verbal vigour of acclaimed spoken-word artist/MC David Scott. ARGH KiD brings together this slick syllabic talent with a vibrant range of musicians to build up the band’s sashaying backbone of breakbeats, catchy hooks and rhythmic drive; underpinning tracks including the hit singles ‘Frank’ and Neighbours’. Enjoy an impassioned live experience too, with real empathetic energy rousing the feeling of a room to surprising heights.

Photography: by Debbie Ellis

ILL

A melodic mash of glistening guitar and basslines, layered with creative keys and expressive harmonics – this seems like a supercharged sonic recipe to approach urgent contemporary themes with a deft defiance that still manages to be humorous. ILL demonstrate a real skill in their ability to create high-energy tracks steeped in social and gender awareness, jumping against genre definitions, instead flirting on the fringes of post-punk, psychedelia and alt-pop. It’s presented with a distinct danceability and an expressive drum core capable of making a crowd move within seconds. As underlined by their most recent single ‘Kick Him Out The Disco’ (out now on Box Records), as well as the theatrical flair and felt expression of their live performances, ILL are creators of intelligent, colourful and crucially fun music. And not only that, but it is full of meaning too; not afraid of engaging with irony, empathy and experimentation for tracks that manage to be expansive yet memorable.

Photography: by Gary M Hough

Want to recommend an artist? Get in touch at haunt@mmu.ac.uk - as this is by no means a definitive list - instead, an ongoing exciting selection.

By Emily Oldfield.

Photography: provided by the artists, and photographers credited

The 2019 iteration of the Gothic Manchester Festival’s academic conference was entitled ‘Gothic Times’, in reference to author Angela Carter and her now famous 1974 assertion that “we live in Gothic times”. This was also the theme of the wider Festival it was part of, spanning a whole month for 2019, and organised by the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies. The daylong 'Gothic Times' conference - taking place on Saturday 26 October at Manchester Metropolitan University, organised by Dr Linnie Blake - hinged on this statement exploring the relevance and the applicability of the Gothic to the times we live in today.

 Though the description of the conference highlights the trying political epoch we live in, with Trump in the White House and Brexit looming on the European horizon, the talks themselves were as wide-ranging as they were fascinating, with each presenter offering a new approach to the place of the Gothic in our contemporary personal, social, cultural and political landscapes. Indeed, one of this conference’s greatest strengths mirrors that of the most of exciting Gothic studies in publication, the decidedly transnational and interdisciplinary nature of the content at hand as well as those presenting. Those presenting, as well as attendees, travelled from a range of locations, to be part of this unique event.

The day began appropriately with discussions of Gothic literature as Bill Hughes discussed the Holly Black dystopian vampire novel The Coldest Girl in Coldtown in a presentation that encompassed hybrid genres, changes in YA fiction and the ever-developing figure of the vampire in contemporary Gothic fiction in an era that glamorises transgression and commodifies sex, death and even the human subject itself.

Vampires were returned to later in the afternoon as the ubiquitous poster-figure of the Gothic was explored in relation to social class and national identity, or lack thereof, in the What We Do in the Shadows television series in a paper presented by Ceri Higgins.

Other talks strayed from this more perhaps “traditional arena” of Gothic studies as James McCrea, a PhD candidate at Manchester Metropolitan University, delved into the fascinating realm of skeletal semiotics, detailing the divergent manners in which the symbol of the skull or the skeleton has been historically employed by right and left wing political groups. McCrea discussed the prominence of Totenkopf skull imagery in the far-right from the days of Prussian nationalism up to white-supremacist movements in the twenty-first century.

Bruno Curko then discussed the folkloric legacy and national identity politics apparent in the Gothicised zoological imagery in the music of Portuguese metal-band Moonspell, referencing everything from predatory wolves to satanic goats. As ever with conferences such as these, it is often the topics an attendee may know the least about that may well prove to be the most engaging and enlightening of the day.

Other highlights included a sociological survey investigation into contemporary LGBTQI/LGBTQ+ identification and representation in global gothic cinema presented by Heather O. Petrocelli, as well as Jennifer Richards' critical overview of American fashion designer Rick Owens, the “Dark Lord” of fashion and his latest collection Babel as a Gothic statement of the socio-political turmoil that characterises Trump’s America.

Representatives from the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies, RAH! - Research in Arts in Humanities at Manchester Met and Haunt Manchester were on-hand for the day offering information on the talks as well as a selection of complimentary goodies from tote bags to chocolates to suitably spooky notepads. The latter featured cover artwork from Jessye Persse one of the many artists associated with the festival - with Michelle Shore and Jane Samuels present during the day.

A number of artists, authors and academic publishers displayed their wares to eager customers during the conference and few attendees left without a book or original print in hand - thus continuing the supportive community spirit witnessed the weekend before at the Haunt Networking event and fair at The Peer Hat (also part of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019).

A selection of drinks and chatter brought the day to a close in a social reception which served to dispel any fears of the dreaded notion of “networking” at academic conferences. Despite the dark and melancholic subject matter of most Gothic studies, most Gothicists remain altogether warm and welcoming. The overarching theme of the occassion was easily the abundant admiration and support within the Gothic academic cohort.

In conclusion, while we do indeed appear to be living in “Gothic times”, for those Goths amongst, within and/or haunting all of us, these are also exciting times. If anything is to be taken from this conference it is that during a tumultuous and ever-challenging political era, some of the most creatively and intellectually engaging work in Gothic Studies is currently underway. The day, as with the festival as a whole, ended on a high note suggesting that we stand merely at the tip of the Gothic iceberg with many more studies to continue the expansion of this terrifically terrifying academic canon.

Find out more about the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies online.

Photography

With thanks to Alannis Barnes and Elaina Daley

This is a play that refreshingly seeks to consider the life and character of a historical figure, rather than resorting to stereotype or relying on the detail that Brian Jones died tragically young: a point people often mention in relation to the man, then little else. Writer Keogh was determined to address this (as highlighted in the aforementioned interview), and the play has a sense of engrossing urgency throughout: the story passionately and powerfully told. 

The stage is set quickly and with an interesting dynamic – as not only are the audience plunged straight into Soho - with Jones infamously auditioning Mick Jagger and Keith Richards for what would become one of the most iconic bands in the world, but all of the cast are present on the stage, seated on chairs. This is a technique that not only makes intelligent use of Salford Arts Theatre’s extensive space, but is a real test of acting ability: ramping up engagement and working the room from the onset. To the cast’s great credit, they maintain their characters throughout, right down to responsive facial expression, as they watch Brian’s life unfold… all adding to a mood of intensity indeed reflective of a figure ‘Out of Time’. The play previously showed at much-loved creative hub The Kings Arms in Salford earlier this year, and now Salford Arts Theatre seems like another well-suited venue: known for its celebration of innovative new writing, performance and community. This is a chance to catch creativity, often at its most fresh and exciting. 

Born in 1942 in Cheltenham, Brian Jones is a fascinating personality who displayed a musical flair and passion particularly early. In the play itself, starting in the ‘60s, the characters of Mick and Keith ask about his nickname ‘Elmo Lewis’  - a title once used by Jones, highlighting his love of Blues music. The play is well-punctuated with examples of Brian’s interests and passions, testament to sensitive writing and research, expressed through the actor of Jake Bush – who manages to merge the complex elements of the ambitious musician together with the vulnerable, almost boy-like individual.

This a play punchy in its emotional dynamics, thanks to Keogh’s empathetic yet fast-paced style, plus emphatic direction from Ben Rivers. The actors’ chemistry on stage is also notable, especially between the boisterous duo of Jagger and Richards; Pete Austen driving a compelling energy into his powerful presentation of a swaggering, swaying yet distinctly believable Jagger. This emphasis of the extrovert is well-matched with the somewhat (albeit surprisingly) more reserved figure of Richards – actor Sam Evans creatively suggesting a slyness of character. Built out of this chemistry is a fiery dynamic, driving the fissures between the band further open – as historically, Mick and Keith would go onto provide ‘the face’ of the band so to speak, leaving Brian feeling side-lined. He left The Rolling Stones in 1969.

All of this emphasises a key point: people are intricately complex – and of course, there is a huge difference between internal life and public image. This is a central theme of the play, especially in terms of Brian Jones himself – a man often mauled by the media and deemed unable to cope with the excesses of fame, yet a man desperate for love; insecure and sensitive in many ways.

In turn, as the emotive underpinning on stage was so strong, I think the play definitely has potential to go on to develop on these dynamics further – to explore the feelings, the fizzing individuality and the personalities of these historical figures. For that is a typical challenge when writing about historical narratives and individuals: how much do we tell the story? versus – how much do we elaborate on the inner life? What Keogh captures, again highlighting a real empathy to his approach, is the complex aspects of character, the strange sticking points – and for the play to be expanded a little further to really see the actors get to grip with the grit of those individuals, would build on its brilliance. Although the punchy running time of just over hour indeed lends a sense of raw reality to an individual ‘Out of Time’, to add an interval and further space within the script– so that the characters don’t just tell a history, but their own stories -  is perhaps a possibility.

 For example, Jessica Porter gives a memorable and well-measured performance throughout as Brian’s young girlfriend (and mother to one of his children) Pat, her face a picture of frustration thickening into resent at Brian’s behaviour as the narrative develops. We later hear that she ends up in a hostel, a story asking to be further told. Sophie Koumides captures with compelling performative flair the iconic figure of another of Brian’s love interests, Anita Pallenberg – someone seen as a rather ‘modern woman’, even by the ‘60s standards – both actors amplifying a mood of tension central to the struggle of Brian Jones’: the craving for love pitted against artistic opportunity. Keogh’s writing therefore begins to unpack these fascinating dynamics, a point not only engaging for the audience, but indicative of ongoing potential for the script. As is seen in the play, Pallenberg later goes onto date Keith Richards, a high point of tension.

A point also worth considering – is that selecting the historical figures to engage with in the play, and who to leave out, when elaborating on Brian Jones’ life story – must have been difficult. Yet Keogh demonstrates a playwright’s perceptivity, ensuring on a dynamic series of individuals… itself indicative of the overwhelming frequencies of change and overload Brian Jones was faced with.

 It is perhaps no wonder then that Brian chose to leave the hectic pressures of London life for Cotchford Farm in Sussex, the former home of Winnie-the-Pooh author A.A. Milne. It is here Brian encounters an occupant of part of the property – Mary, a significantly older woman – who he permits to stay. The character of Mary was conveyed in a stand-out performance from Hilly Barber, combining a brooding, protective demeanour with her own strong individuality; bolstered through evocative body language and real stage presence. She tells Brian that he has a ‘look of Christopher Robin’, an image that lingers in the mind long after, a real inference of a man almost haunted by his own lost childhood. We are given glimpses into why this is the case, but would have liked a little more. Then again, this drives the didactic quality of the play home: it makes the viewer want to go and find out more about Brian Jones for themselves.

The on-stage chemistry between Brian’s and Mary’s characters makes this latter part of the play particularly powerful, transporting the audience to the almost other-worldly landscape of Cotchford Farm without the stage needing to be set. Hence, the minimalism in design really does work. Jake Bush brings the angst encountered by Brian to new heights here, his body language, tone and demeanour deftly delving through traits as variant as the boy-like fascination with trains, to self-destructive alcohol-fuelled statements and terrified paranoia. This another test of the audience too, as they see the emotions overcoming Brian  – it is almost like they do not add up. Here is a man seemingly misogynistic, yet also craves comfort from Mary, a mothering quality. A man who is considerate and cares about others, regardless of background and ethnicity, yet can also be loud and dismissive.

But that is a key point of ‘Out of Time’, and a deeply human one – internal characters don’t always add up, things don’t always fit… individuals, in effect, fall ‘Out of Time’. Here Keogh has manged to convey character complexity with passion, respect and dignity, right down to the final mention of Brian’s tragic death, aged just 27. This is not overdone – instead, the physical life of a talented and troubled man coming to an end. The play is a powerful exploration of an often-hidden history, the celebration of a story, rather than dwelling on a death. The influence and inspiration of Brian Jones persists: a man who created genre-spanning intelligent music with a real capacity for connection with people across ages, ethnicities and backgrounds. This was further selected through an artful selection of excerpts of tracks heard within the play, highlighting Brian Jones' vibrant musical influence and talent. 

The old phrase goes that ‘history is written by the victors’. But engagement with it, the true artistry, is created by the empaths. This is what ‘Out of Time’ so brilliantly does. A play about the past, but with a real future ahead of it.

By Emily Oldfield 

All photography with thanks to Shay Rowan

Read below for an action-packed overview of the For The Love of Horror scare attraction and fan convention, presented by Andy Kleek and Monopoly Events, which came to Manchester's Bowlers Exhibition Centre on 19-20 October. 

Highlights from the weekend

October 19-20 was a superb weekend for horror fans in Manchester as the much anticipated For the Love of Horror fan convention, held at Bowler’s Exhibition Centre in Stretford, finally got underway after much anticipation and excitement. Now in its second year, Andy Kleek and Monopoly Events’ For the Love of Horror line-up was a veritable treat for all fans of 1980s vampire cinema in particular, with its celebration of Joel Schumacher’s classic 1987 vampire film, The Lost Boys, taking centre stage. Alongside the solid spectacles from vampire and horror fandom that descended upon Stretford to celebrate this iconic and unique reunion, horror icons from the Saw series (the most successful horror franchise of the 2000s) and the Loser’s Club from the 1990 mini-series IT were also in attendance. 

The weekend was a feast for horror fans of all ages, catering to those who collect photos/autographs and memorabilia, and hosted many insightful onstage special talks with iconic guests, and rocking musical performances. Convention experiences can be costly and stressful for fans, but this convention was one of the most tightly organised and stress-free occasions I have attended! In between the free and very insightful on stage Q&As (which is an especially nice touch, as these talks are so often costly extras), I managed to peruse the vast trader’s hall (and barely restrain myself), filled with talented craftspeople from across the country displaying their beautiful sculptures, rare posters, custom paintings and special collectors’ items; this vampire scholar was particularly pleased to secure superb Lost Boys cushions from Sue at Curious Creations (Bristol), sought after collector’s edition pop vinyls, and rare film artworks to decorate my study.

The venue also included a Cantina, a loving homage to the infamous Star Wars bar, and featured a bespoke carousel on which you could ride along with a cos-playing David (mimicking the infamous opening scene of The Lost Boys) all while listening to its iconic synthy-gothic soundtrack. What was particularly delightful was the family atmosphere around many of the cos-players, with parents and kids alike celebrating their love of the genre with spectacular and artistic tributes to their favourite horror icons. This delightful assemblage included zombies — I was stalked by a particularly committed zombie whose dedication was nothing short of admirable — and numerous 1980s-styled vampires, but also encountered the beautiful peeled skin and S&M leather style of Clive Barker’s Cenobite demons from the Hellraiser franchise. Then there was the T-800 of The Terminator (1984 -), a wonderfully dishevelled Jason Voorhees of Friday the 13^th tempting revellers with his offer of free hugs, a beautifully crafted and terrifying 7ft Scarecrow, and numerous pint-sized Billy the Puppets on trikes (from Saw) to add to the delightfully creepy made-up children, to name but a few of the dark delights on display. 

The Scare Maze, an interactive maze made up of specific set piece scenes and horrors from celebrated films, elicited screams of terror and laughter with its interactive nightmares.  Featuring a subtle yet menacing Michael Myers (from Halloween), a possessed Regan MacNeil from The Exorcist and creepy doll du jour Annabelle from The Conjuring series,  the maze provided pleasurable jump scares to a delighted public who were all too willing to come face-to-face with such terrors.

The Lost Boys reunited

In June this year, The Gothic 1980s conference (read an earlier article about it here) held at Manchester Metropolitan University, organised by this author, also featured a screening of the classic vampire film, The Lost Boys. The film, now celebrating 32 years of a solid fandom, drew a huge crowd of fans worldwide at the convention, with tales of fans travelling to Manchester from across Europe and the USA to attend the cast reunion. The Lost Boys’ rock chic vampires took centre stage at the bedecked Exhibition centre complete with a replica billboard welcoming us all to Santa Carla, the murder capital of the world, and re-staging the film’s carnival atmosphere. Throughout the weekend there was a host of special talks dedicated to the film’s heritage, led by its stars who openly reminisced about the film shoot in Santa Cruz, the co-stars who were the most trouble (the two Coreys [Feldman and Haim] were particularly wild, according to Alex Winter, who attempted to be their ‘den dad’ to rein in their teenage madness), and how important the film has been overall in horror (and 1980s vampire fashion) history. Winter has ventured off into directing superb documentaries (including an upcoming one on ‘The Panama Papers’ scandal) and about to return to co-star alongside Keanu Reeves in the much anticipated  Bill and Ted Face the Music (summer 2020), an exciting prospect that raised some interesting fan questions during the onstage Q&A sessions.

Jason Patric reminisced about shooting the film with his co-stars, and recalled being a young child on the set of The Exorcist (1973) with his father Jason Miller (playing Father Damien Karras), and experiencing a memorable scare seeing Linda Blair in full demonic-possession make-up. While Kiefer Sutherland could not attend the entire weekend celebration due to touring commitments (playing his own particular brand of country rock’n’n roll with sell out shows across the UK and Ireland), his arrival on the Sunday was nonetheless electric to the mood among fans and ensured some could catch a brief glimpse of the Hollywood star signing autographs and posing in much coveted cast reunion photos. Rumours abound about Sutherland’s return to next year’s convention, which would certainly be a highlight if possible.  To complete The Lost Boys experience, fans were treated to multiple performances by G Tom Mac and Tim Capello of their celebrated songs from the film’s synth and 1980s anthem soundtrack. G Tom Mac has also been busy writing a musical based on the film entitled A Lost Boys Story, which is due for a Broadway debut in 2021, and performed the film’s title track ‘Cry Little Sister’ with suitable gothic aplomb. Tim Capello, Tina Turner’s saxophonist, whose notable appearance in the film earned him a legacy in his own right in the follow-on graphic novels as a musical muscled vampire-hunter known as ‘The Believer’, gave a rousing performance of ‘I Still Believe’ and seemed very moved by the crowd’s wild cheers at each and every performance he gave. To anyone who grew up watching the film, Capello’s brief but hugely memorable onscreen appearance contributed to the teenage rebellion and magic of Schumacher’s world of Santa Carla, and it’s a legacy that Capello was finally able to celebrate in full over the weekend.  

Discussing the importance of Horror with two icons: Tobin Bell and Kane Hodder

As part of the Manchester Centre for Gothic Studies at Manchester Metropolitan University and Haunt’s team of Gothic scholars, I had the pleasure of meeting two icons of the horror genre at the For the Love of Horror weekend. In discussion with Tobin Bell, he divulged that that horror as a genre means more to him now than it did before as an actor because, for so long, ‘horror has been the weak sister of film because not enough attention was paid [in the past] to good writing – it was all about scares and twists… what set the Saw films apart was that I was working with filmmakers who allowed me to develop the human side of John Kramer’. Perhaps this is what makes this series so appealing is consistent theme of transgression and sacrificial philosophy, and the spectacular ludic traps that terrify and mesmerize the viewer. Bell reveals he has many conversations with fans on these films because they ‘make them think’, and provoke the inevitable questioning of the limits of survival in the viewer — ‘would I be able to do that to survive this game?’.

Bell, whose screen legacy is remarkable in its own right, was deeply affectionate about the series and the longevity of Kramer’s place in horror history as a full and complex character onscreen, a development enabled by the support it received from the film’s writers and producers, and its devoted legion of fans.

Stunt Coordinator and horror fan-favourite Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) also chatted with us at Haunt about his long career as an iconic slasher actor, foregrounding his own characterisation of Jason’s physical subtlety (the infamous breathing posture of Jason in the latter parts of the Friday the 13^th franchise) and the intricate and demanding stunts needed to terrify the audience. Hodder was very frank about his own personal struggles in becoming such a successful stunt man (he suffered a terrible, near-fatal burn accident in 1977) and successful stunt-coordinator (including the House films, Se7en) and continues to forge a dynamic screen career in a range of beloved horror films. Hodder revealed that he loves the problem-solving nature of planning and capturing spectacular stunts, working both as a director of the stunt team and implementing the spectacular means to capture these wow moments onscreen, while also using putting his years of experience to good use in planning and problem solving the practical side of filmmaking. It is really evident that he enjoys the fan circuit of the convention world, a long time attendee since 1988 (after Friday the 13^th Part VII), and delights in seeing his own fan base grow from generation to generation.  He believes horror is extremely inventive, and absolutely worthy of study, he tells me; as someone who works both in front of and behind the camera, he knows the importance of entertainment and invention, and is fascinated by the psychology of such characters in the genre.    

After such a brilliant weekend celebrating the joy that horror brings to legions of fans across the world, it is superb to see Manchester host this special celebration of horror culture. With tickets for next year’s convention already on sale, you can be sure it will be very popular following this year’s extravaganza. How will they top this one? We can’t wait to find out!

Get ready for the 3^rd year of For the Love of Horror on 17-18 October 2020. You can buy tickets here: https://www.fortheloveofhorroruk.com/tickets

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/for-the-love-of-horror-highlights-massive-manchester-convention-coverage-and-interview-special-b1001#comments1001 Mon, 28 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/meet-isabella-hunter-a-manchester-based-writer-whose-horror-stories-have-readers-hooked-b999 A local author celebrating the city’s thriving alternative culture whilst also turning her talent to immersive Gothic, horror and fantasy fiction – it’s Isabella Hunter. A local author celebrating the city’s thriving alternative culture whilst also turning her talent to immersive Gothic, horror and fantasy fiction – it’s Isabella Hunter.

Having graduated in English and Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University, Isabella has gone on to make an impact, with her work featuring in a range of magazines, as well as being widely anthologised. 2019 marks the year that the Creep horror anthology – in which her short story ‘Husk’ is featured – has been included in the Horror Writers Association reading list!

Hello Isabella. You are a published writer of horror and fantasy short stories – what inspired you to explore these themes in your writing?

When writing horror – is there a particular sensation you are hoping to evoke in your audience?

Having grown up in the North of England and now living in Manchester – would you say these locations inspire your writing approach?

Some of your recent work is also significantly inspired by Japanese folklore – why this focus?

Are short stories the medium in which you first started writing – if so, why? And can you tell us about your current work and future writing plans?

As well as a talented writer, you are also a model and are involved with the local Kiku Corset Boutique. Can you tell us a little bit more about this?

Do you think it is important to embrace alternative culture? Why?

As a child, I moved from the comforting urban sounds and sights of my Birmingham estate to a tiny village in the country. I recall softly shuffling my scuffed Hush Puppies through russet leaves after school, waiting anxiously in quiet dread of the impending sunset and strangeness of the anti-bucolic night. I was consumed by nightmares of silence, dark earth, wild animals and black skies. I yearned for traffic and pavements, for a robust red bus to materialise and take me home.  I remember the abattoir on our road. The acrid scent of manure, the giddiness of falling from a stile into a nettle patch, my legs already scored by callous brambles. I am now a grateful city-dweller. Frankly, the countryside is uncanny.

The Rural Eerie (presented by Flange Circus, MASSmcr and Haunt Manchester, as part of the Gothic Manchester Festival 2019) on 19 October provided a sharply elegant evocation of the rural sublime, through soundscapes and spoken word. I clutched the banister to descend into The Peer Hat’s subterranean venue, while the glitched tones of wild birds and waves created an unnerving soundscape. I thought I heard an owl. It was not an owl.

It was Flange Circus (pictured above), a local experimental electronica group. The set was generously strewn with ivy, with feral shoots festooning both amps and synths alike. Dreamlike depictions of hedgerows and coasts flickered, while a delicately scuffed grass stage completed the set-up. I waited for this rural conjuration begin, in the midst of the deepest, darkest depths of the Northern Quarter.

Mark Pajak (pictured below) walks onto the stage, and begins to talk. Among other things, his poems spoke of the banal violence of battery chicken farms. His words flow gently, but hit like sledgehammers to crumble the whimsy of the rural idyll. His poetry is sinister and countrified, couched in terms of bags of small, feathered bodies, and jostling the more-than-human.

Sarah Hymas was also extraordinary. Her beautiful voice unveiled coastal decay and isostatic rebound, at a glacial pace. From iceberg to ocean, her words scintillated in the darkness of the room, with each perfect syllable forming a shard of glistening warning. Beware, the Anthropocene is nigh.

Helen Darby (pictured below) was a highlight of the evening. Shrouded in a white silk dress, her performance provided a vivid narrative of the corn doll, a lively anthropomorphism of the cycle of life and death.

There were also exceptional performances from Andrew Michael Hurley and Emily Oldfield. Andrew read from his latest novel Starve Acre, an extract evoking the presence and power of a wild hare, its uncanniness in the face of captivity. Emily’s poetry somehow taps into what it means to be human, through her narratives of place and event. I was deeply moved by her words.

Richard Skelton (pictured below) was the final reader of the night, his words weighted with wild encounter – the resonant realisation of human insignificance in the face of nature’s presence. Its magnitude menacing… yet magnificent. This was a reading that was both striking yet never over-done, his tone controlled, capturing the cadence of crossing terrain – taking us into alternate channels of thought. It was a deeply reflective experience: plunging all present into the imagery of dark streams, open moorland, a sense of isolation. And yet, as a room, we were all united in our contemplation – to powerful effect. 

Afterwards, we emerged out into the chaos of an average Mancunian Saturday night. Our skin was drenched in neon light, and we inhaled the tang of air pollution as we made our way home.

Image credit: all photos with thanks to Elaina Daley and Alannis Barnes, except image 2 - thanks to Ian Drew.

A Rural Eerie Retrospective - featuring quotes from some of the performers, can be read here.

Event also thanks to the hard work of Lucy Simpson and RAH! - Research in Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met

]]> stuart.aiken@marketingmanchester.com (Visit Manchester) http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/rural-eerie-at-the-gothic-manchester-festival-2019-an-account-b998#comments998 Fri, 25 Oct 2019 00:00:00 GMT http://www.visitmanchester.com/ideas-and-inspiration/blog/read/2019/10/rural-eerie-retrospective-how-the-strange-countryside-was-evoked-in-a-manchester-basement-b997 ‘Rural Eerie’ was an evening of sonic immersion and spoken word, plunging the audience gathered in a Manchester Northern Quarter basement into the dark depths of the strange countryside. Taking place on the 19 October at The Peer Hat, this was an utterly unique Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 event. ‘Rural Eerie’ was an evening of sonic immersion and spoken word, plunging the audience gathered in a Manchester Northern Quarter basement into the dark depths of the strange countryside. Taking place on the 19 October at The Peer Hat, this was an utterly unique Gothic Manchester Festival 2019 event. Whilst a soundscape and a series of visuals were created by Hauntronica trio Flange Circus, the theme was further explored through readings from a series of writers: Mark Pajak, Sarah Hymas, Helen Darby, Andrew Michael Hurley, Emily Oldfield and Richard Skelton.  It was presented by Flange Circus, MASSmcr and Haunt Manchester.

Flange Circus started proceedings, the first to be present on the stage – stirring sound into a kind of presence, ebbing and flowing, whilst a series of visuals were brought into being through the stage-wide projections behind them. This was imagery encompassing terrain of many types, in turn taking the audience on an audio-visual rural eerie journey; woodland, rough rock, open moors, the shimmer of seascape. It told of travel, of risk, weighted with both danger and delight – passing from scene to scene with a fluidity that was both alluring and yet unnerving. This was a powerful array of combined footage, atmospherically lit, immersing the room rather than imposing upon it; creating a feel that was distinctly collective. The stage and surrounds were draped in ivy, the atmosphere heavy in suspense, in wonder.

As the event unfolded, the uncanny countryside seemed to seep into the room – perhaps a reminder that even within an urban space, the overwhelming influence of nature is never too far away. It emerges both in its own right and from how people have exploited it, a kind of human-inflicted haunting – the country idyll, injured. We are confronted with the eeriness of what was… as well as what continues.

 After all, The Rural Eerie is a theme of rawness, right now more than ever; especially as reports of the impact of human consumption on the natural world continue to increase.  Climate Change is a subject increasingly discussed, courses of activism argued over. This evening, subtitled as ‘The Strange Countryside Explored through Sounds and Words’ was an occasion of exploration and connection, bringing audience and performers together in a resonant reflection. Nature’s power was celebrated within the space. The mood was distinctly positive, buoyed with a hope for progress, despite the dark and essential themes.

This was reflected in Flange Circus’ carefully crafted sound, co-ordinated to each individual reader yet still stirring with untamed aspects of the rural –  layers of field recordings, gathered from all over the country. Whilst Mark Pajak’s poetry explored areas such as agricultural terror and the mechanisation that moves at the edge of the rural, Sarah Hymas’ (pictured below) repetition of ‘melt’ from within her work, gripping in its glacial magnitude, was amplified to eerie intensity by the echoing chime of dripping water. She reflected:

“I loved being a part of this... hearing connections and spaces made between writers, amplified by the electro groove of the music, so listening truly became feeling.”

 Then the dramatic presence of Helen Darby, robed in white and with a bundle of wheat, unfurling words weighted with ritualistic splendour, seared into the room. Bringing together skilful spoken word with sung vocals, this was a combination with real creative impression. Texture and tone were evoked through evocative, intimate imagery - a tactile quality shining through. She then proceeded to share the wheat with the audience, adding to the immersion of the evening.

According to Helen (pictured below):

“Participating in the Rural Eerie event was an incredible breakthrough for me personally, as a performer, as I was able to experiment with rhyme, sung vocals and audience participation (via a ritualistic element). These are all new facets to my work that emerged for me as part of the creative process of engaging with this specific theme. Something about the earthiness of the rural and the ethereality of the eerie allowed a space to do work that was both grounded in tradition and experimental in form.

"The knowledge that I would be performing over a soundscape (also a first for me) gave me more freedom to allow for movement and performance, as I knew I would not have to occupy all of the attention with my words. All of these aspects meant that this was the greatest freedom I have felt in my (so far) short performance career – and has been deeply inspiring in opening up new vistas of possibility as to where I might travel next.”

The diversity of the evening was also reflected in the range of mediums presented on stage – a real palimpsest of poetry, prose and performance. Andrew Michael Hurley (pictured below) read an excerpt from his latest novel Starve Acre (published by John Murray. Read the full Haunt interview on his new book here), infusing the image of a hare with an exploration of the landscape of grief. The audience was transfixed on his detailing of the sheer power of the animal – the process of its enclosure and then release.

Andrew considered:

A short interval then followed, allowing the assembled crowd to contemplate the areas of exploration.

The rural is capable of rupturing human order and understanding – it holds forces we cannot contain, thrives with life we fail to see. It has power and potential beyond us. In turn, these unnerving qualities are also uplifting – an aspect of encounter within co-organiser Emily Oldfield’s (pictured below) poetry.

Her performance was followed by the final reader of the night, Richard Skelton (pictured below) – the writer and multi-instrumentalist co-founder of Corbel Stone Press, whose novella The Look Away  was longlisted for The Portico Prize 2019. 

Richard read a series of excerpts on the night, drawing on secretive life of the natural world beyond our grasp, the intensity and intricacies of other-than-human consciousness. The audience were hooked on the weight of each word, a sort of suspense stunning the room – with a number in the crowd sitting on the floor by this point. Imagery of dark streams, the sonic stir of land and its elements rising and falling… hit hard. Skelton’s craft in encountering nature, its raw power and path of inheritance, provided a cadence, coming together with sound to stunning effect – allowing for individual introspection, whilst simultaneously mind-opening.

The specially-created soundscape from Flange Circus certainly underpinned the evening. One member, Julian Holloway – co-organiser of The Rural Eerie - reflected:

 “For this event, we had to almost completely write from scratch. We’d written a lot of new music for our next album, but it did not quite fit the idea of the strange and eerie countryside. This was with the exception of a track called ‘Mouldy Heels’ which fitted the (dare I say it) concept (with its ominous yet plaintive piano riff and motifs). So we deconstructed the track and made two variations of it – one for the opening and one for the closing piece to bookend the night.

“The other soundscapes were written through multiple sessions where we all contributed something. This is quite new for us, as usually it’s one person who brings an almost complete track to the band and we then all add something to it. With Rural Eerie, we wrote together and we enjoyed this new way of working so much I think it’s how we’re going to do it going forward.

“Most of what people heard on the night was composed through field recordings we had recorded ourselves during many walks in the countryside. There was the sound of a community plastic duck race, kids playing and shouting in The Cage – the folly at Lyme Park, the sound of a field being harvested in the Peak District, a creaky gate in Eyam, multiple birds, rivers, brooks and streams, rocks being scraped across each other, owl calls recorded outside our studio, the sound of someone digging, and loads more. We took each of these, and in many cases, mangled them until they were only vaguely recognisable – and deliberately so in order to achieve that sense of something being there when it shouldn’t be or something half-recognisable. We tried therefore to make them eerie as possible.

“As well as soundscapes we spent a lot of time taking film footage with the idea of the strange rural in mind. The visuals used on the night were mostly composed of our own films from a whole series of places, mainly around Derbyshire, but also Hampshire and Suffolk. The latter delivered some excellent MR James-esque costal eerie. Then Pete spent hours and hours putting them together and relying on his self-confessed fear of the rural to make them fit the idea…

“Each poet and writer had a soundscape to perform to. These were created through the poet or writer sending us a series of keywords that summed up the work they were to present on the night. We then recorded these soundscapes or made other noise to complement their work. Only two of the performers asked to hear their soundscape before the event, with others happy for us to surprise them and translate their ideas into sonic form. There’s always a chance this might not work, but given the reaction we’ve had, the audience seemed to think it did. We were so pleased that something that took so long to prepare for – so many hours – turned out so well.”

The readers also reflected on their experience. Mark Pajak (pictured below) – whose pamphlet ‘Spitting Distance’ (published with Smith|Doorstop) was one of the 2016 Laureate’s Choice Pamphlets - added:

"The Rural Eerie was a completely new experience for me. Reading alongside music and with no introductions to each poem, challenged me to perform my work in an unfamiliar way and, by so doing, allowed me to see my poems in a fresh light. Taking part in the event has enriched my understanding of how broad and multifaceted the reading of poetry can be."

For those further interested in exploring The Rural Eerie, further projects are in the planning. Watch this space.

Photography with thanks to Elaina Daley and Alannis Barnes, except image 5 - thanks to Ian Drew. Event also with thanks to the dedicated work of Lucy Simpson and RAH! - Research in Arts and Humanities at Manchester Met