Ghosts of Christmas Past

This week Hannah’s over the moon about getting Ian Brown’s autograph (thanks to Uncle Sean) and then she goes all festive on us, thinking about Christmas and loving the Christmas Markets…

A little bit of true Mancunia in Ireland

So all you Mancunians …where is one of the most unlikely places to be chatting to mega Manc Ian Brown and talking about Forever Manchester?

Well that might just be Castlebar, County Mayo on the West Coast of Ireland! The Royal Theatre, Castlebar, to be precise.

Castlebar, County Mayo

However that is exactly where my beloved Uncle Sean found himself last week.

What’s that you say? Unlikely ? I should think so.

A taste of Pure Manchester came to County Mayo that night and Sean was there to taste it all – including a pre show chat with the great man himself when Forever Manchester and all it stands for was discussed and reflected upon.

Thanks Sean for spreading the word, being a True Mancunian and Keeping the Faith!

Perhaps a blog on Northern Soul and all its pure joy and influences in our City coming soon just for you, just as a little thank you for snaffling me his autograph?!   Or the influence that Irish immigration had on shaping communities in Greater Manchester. Just a few tasters of my blogs to come in 2010…

Dreaming of a Mancunian Christmas

In the meantime, I thought I’d share my Mancunian Christmas so far with all of you.

This Christmas you can’t leave the house without encountering the ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Christmas Yet to Come. Dickens manages to jump out at you from every shop, street corner and television advert.

So, what does Christmas mean to me?

It has always been a family tradition to watch Ronald Neame’s musical adaptation of the Dickensian classic. Year after year, our family would settle down to watch Salfordian actor Albert Finney bring Ebenezer Scrooge to life, whilst squabbling over who gets the best chocolates from the tin of ‘Quality Street’. Forgive me for namedropping, but a fond memory of my childhood is sitting in the back of a car, whilst one of Salford’s finest exports; Finney, sang song after song from his hit films ‘Annie’ and ‘Scrooge’. I remember clearly that Albert Finney was visiting Manchester suburb Davyhulme, following the death of his mother, and upon request, sang ‘Thank You Very Much to me, a song which was nominated for an Oscar in 1971. It is because of this annual tradition that I went to see Disney’s ‘A Christmas Carol’ in 3D at The Printworks, as soon as I could. The film certainly did not disappoint. The snow scenes in particular were phenomenal in my opinion, and I would describe the film as nothing short of spectacular. A definite ‘must-see’ this Christmas!

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

For me, Christmas is the best time of year. But with even Nigella Lawson advising us to be more stingy with the turkey and avoid the lure of the biggest one in the shop, is the season changing?  It’s doubtful. Our interest has moved from the largest turkey to the biggest present under the tree. Practically every bus stop in Greater Manchester is advertising the latest ‘must-have’ gadget, every shop window is adorned with baubles and exotic displays and every street corner in central Manchester is clothed in twinkling lights. This is not to say that I agree with Scrooge’s ‘Bah Humbug!’ approach to the festive season. In fact, quite the opposite…One of my most favourite Mancunian traditions is to visit the annual Christmas Markets.

The markets offer a unique European experience and take place in some of Manchester’s most picturesque areas…The enormous L.E.D. Father Christmas and ‘Merry Christmas Manchester sign’ that looms over Albert Square perches proudly on the beautiful Manchester Town Hall, for example.  Firmly established as a festive favourite, Manchester’s Christmas Markets are considered to be among the very best in Britain and Europe. And I would not disagree for a second! The sensuous sights, sounds and aromas invade the senses, and the twinkling chalets offer the perfect setting for a quick de-stress after a busy day in the office, or a special festive family day out.

Manchester's Christmas Markets in Albert Square

As I approached the Christmas Markets from St. Peter’s Square, I was hit with instant festive joy! The aromas of sweet cinnamon, mulled wine, spiced cider, Spanish paella and German bratwurst sausages filled the air. The wonderful sounds of a street choir at the foot of the Town Hall, singing carols fondly compares with a Dickensian Victorian Christmas. The suckling pig and gingerbread houses harp back to simple and wholesome Christmas’ gone by. Is this why without fail we bring Dickens and his characters, back to life year after year for the festive season? Questions aside, it is undeniable that the Christmas Markets have now become an intrinsic part of a Mancunian Christmas. The success of the Christmas Markets can be seen by the fact that the number of wonderful stalls on offer are extending year after year, and the German Markets can now be enjoyed at Albert Square, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street and Brazennose Street.

But, Christmas is also a time for reflection and whilst many of us regard the festive season as a time of merriment and good cheer, for some people in Manchester, Christmas is a bleak and lonely time. You can help these people…why not treat yourself to a piece of Forever Manchester fashion, inspired by proud Mancunians? That way you can own an exclusive piece of clothing, whilst helping local communities and people who may find Christmas a little difficult.

 So…that’s all from me. Enjoy your Christmas shopping and don’t eat too many mince pies!

 Love and Christmas wishes to Mancunians everywhere, especially those in County Mayo!

 Have a wonderful Christmas and an even better 2010,

 Hannah.

My Christmas Market discovery of 2009 is the goulash/shashlik stand in Albert Square where you can get Pork, Chicken or Mushrooms with spiced potatoes.  Like all the Christmas Market fayre it seems a little expensive for fast food, but the portions are very filling and extremely tasty.  I like the Pork Shashlik best.  The guy demonstrating the garlic-grating solution in Albert Square is worth a look too. 

Enjoy!

Chris

 

Going Underground – what lies beneath?

Manchester is a great city in which to be a tour guide because as well as having a fascinating history, there are lots of exciting things happening now or planned for the future. There is a lot to see, but one of the most interesting things for many Mancunians is not what we can see, but what we can’t.

Two years ago Keith Warrender’s first book, Underground Manchester – secrets of the city revealed, introduced Mancunians to a lost and mysterious subterranean world beneath the city streets. It was a fascinating introduction to everything from the canal tunnels that pass underneath Deansgate to the nuclear bunkers below Chinatown.

My guiding colleague, Jonathan Schofield wrote a great review at the time and went down some of the tunnels with Keith himself.  You can read his piece in the Manchester Confidential archives.

Some readers may have seen Andrew Brooks’ Reality Hack – Hidden Manchester photography exhibition at Urbis that brought the tunnels to life in exquisite detail.

One of Keith’s key conclusions from the book was that the tunnels should be turned into a tourist attraction. Both Jonathan and Keith separately receive many requests to lead guided tours into the tunnels. Unfortunately, these are only rarely available.

Some people make their own way below ground and you can read the reports of Manchester’s urban explorers on the excellent 28DaysLater website. Although, some of the more interesting stuff on the website recently has been high above ground – when the intrepid explorers have climbed-up building cranes or got on the roof of Manchester’s taller buildings.

Back to the tunnels and the success of the first book has inspired Keith to write another, Below Manchester – Going deeper under the city. In this book he revisits some of the areas explored in the original title and investigates others – some suggested by people who approached him after Underground Manchester came out.

The new stuff includes the tiled subways beneath the complex of Cooperative buildings between Balloon Street and Miller Street. There are also air raid shelters under the Coop buildings and what is described as a “cold war refuge”.

One of the most interesting things for me is the extra detail and colour (great photos) that Keith provides about the nuclear bunker known as Guardian, but nothing to do with the newspaper. He provides a wonderful insight into how it was built, using Irish labour and Russian equipment(!), and what it was used for – basically as a back-up for national and international telecommunications in the event of a nuclear war.

I recommend the book but I also want something more. Thanks to the aforementioned Jonathan Schofield, I recently got to go down to the canal tunnels below the Great Northern that were drained and used as air raid shelters in WWII. It was brilliant. Great history, great architecture and, …well okay, a lot of mud.

I am convinced that there is a tourist attraction to be made out of the tunnels. I spoke to Keith Warrender earlier this week and he remains certain that this could be done.

Both Liverpool and, more recently, Newcastle have opened Victorian tunnels to visitors. Why not Manchester? I am going to put this question to Visit Manchester and to the City Council.

I am surely not the only person to have thought about this. If anyone else has any ideas on how to get the tunnels below the city turned into part of the Manchester visitor-experience then please contact me.

It’s time that we all got the chance to explore “what lies beneath”.

Chris

Both books are published by Willow Publishing of Timperley.

More pictures of Underground Manchester are available on the web, for example here:
Urban Exploring

 

The Making of the 24 Hour Party People

or, “How the Tories Taught Us to Dance by Taking Away Our Jobs…”  Well, maybe not.   Anyway, Hannah is back with another corker of a blog that she researched by talking to her Mum.  Your Mum must be pretty cool Hannah.  I hate to think what I would have to write about if I based it on conversations with my Mum.   Best not to think about it.  Over to you Hannah… 

So here goes the next instalment of my Mancunian musings:

This week, as I’m sure you’re all aware, Morrissey (the King of Mancs!), was described as ‘storming off stage’ after a bottle was thrown at him during a concert at the Liverpool Echo Arena. It made me think, this would never happen in his hometown. As a result, I’m dedicating this blog to all the Mancunians that have made us proud, and why the lyrics of Joy Division, The Stone Roses, The Inspiral Carpets, The Smiths; the list could go on, still resonate with me today, as a twenty year old who didn’t live through this era.

As I meandered down Oxford Road today, I popped into the Portland Bookshop. Admittedly, it was Peter Hook’s new book, ‘The Hacienda: How Not to Run a Club’, which stood proudly in the window that lured me in. The Hacienda was not just another swanky city centre club to blow your week’s earnings on during the drunken debauchery of a Friday night, it represented a lot more than this; it represented a new era for Manchester.

Manchester’s reputation as the industrial capital of the North was ruined by Thatcherite policies, and Manchester in the late seventies and eighties was bleak and miserable. The Smiths’ ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’, ‘Please Let Me Get What I Want’ and ‘This is How it Feels’ by The Inspiral Carpets encapsulate these feeling perfectly for me.

The Manchester music scene largely seemed to avoid overt politics and certainly did not compare to bands like The Clash or Gang of Four. The one exception possibly being Easterhouse, from Stretford; a band that supported The Smiths and were aligned to the far left.

In spite of this, there is little doubt that there were huge amounts of political, economic and social unrest in the North of England during Thatcher’s time as Prime Minister. It is because of this that the Hacienda came to represent a new age of hedonism, hope and overwhelming optimism for the people of Manchester.

Walking through today’s regenerated and gentrified Manchester, it’s almost impossible to recall how dark and depressing the city was in the late 70s. The home of the industrial revolution was at a low ebb and the only people who believed any kind of revolution was now possible were the romantic idealists behind Factory Records.

As Luke Bainbridge, a journalist for The Guardian observed: “emboldened by the spirit of punk and an excess of civic pride, Factory’s founders, in particular Tony Wilson and Robert Gretton, believed in Manchester more than they believed in themselves.”

The Hacienda club, launched in 1982, was the physical realisation of their vision; and a vision for the people of Manchester. During numerous conversations with my mum (one of the very first members of the Hacienda) about this period, I have come to realise that the hype and excitement surrounding the Hacienda in NME; a magazine which she read religiously, was phenomenal. Perhaps because it captured the spirit that was needed for Manchester to turn itself around.

Unfortunately as Peter Hook explains in his book, Manchester in 1982, wasn’t quite ready for a New York discotheque. In spite of this, the book recognizes that the Hacienda was an iconic piece of Mancunian history. It’s conversational, colloquial tone traces the club’s history from the early years when it opened every night, despite the fact that it was often empty, through the euphoric years when it brought acid house to the UK, to its demise, dogged by gang violence.

What else came to symbolise Thatcherite Manchester then? Well, the de-industrialisation of the city did seem to create a flurry of working class creativity. The one good thing about there being so many empty industrial buildings was that it gave the bands formed after the famous Sex Pistols concert in 1976 somewhere to practice and later provided space for venues.

Dave Haslam, in his book ‘Manchester, England: the story of a pop cult city’, cites the hedonism and creativity of the infamous ‘Madchester’ music scene as a response to deindustrialisation and rapid decline of Northern cities during Thatcher’s time as prime minister. This creativity and sense of bohemian values seemed to be attack on the Thatcherite mentality and celebrated Mancunian pride and dignity.

In spite of the chaos that pervaded Manchester in the 1970s and 1980s, Ian Curtis echoed the feeling that The Hacienda subtly represented in his haunting rendition of ‘Atmosphere’, in the lines “Life rebuilding, Don’t walk away”.

This isn’t to say that the ‘Madchester’ music scene was wholly an attack on the destruction of industry and songs like ’24 Hour Party People’, ‘Step On’ and ‘Waterfall’ are merely classic anthems that will undoubtedly live in the hearts of Mancunians forvever; not because they chart a specific period of history, but because they will continue to fill the dancefloors for years to come!

This has been a great blog to write, and one last thought: Get Well Soon Mozza!

Hannah

Brilliant!  Rather than a last word, here’s a picture that I pinched from somewhere taken in the Northern Quarter, where else.

 

 

 

Guest Blog: Hannah Claydon’s Diary of a Forever Manchester Student

Hannah Claydon is the guest blogger this week and guess what?  She’s Forever Manchester!   

“Manchester changed the world’s politics: from vegetarianism to feminism to trade unionism to communism, every upstart notion that ever got ideas above its station, every snotty street-fighter of a radical philosophy, was fostered brawling in Manchester’s streets, mills, pubs, churches and debating halls.” – Stuart Maconie

So, what made me decide to go to University in Manchester as a Mancunian who could have gone anywhere in the U.K.? Well, that’s easy! Whether it’s having a taster of the V.I.P. treatment at Sankeys, mingling with Liam Fray; frontman of Manchester band The Courteeners in 42nd Street, settling down for an acoustic set at Abode in Chorlton or simply having a long lunch and a gossip over tea and biscuits in Mr. Scruff inspired café ‘Cup’ in the Northern Quarter with the girls, there is no better place for me!

University of Manchester

Not to mention the fact that Karl Marx and Fredreich Engels resided on the spot where Whitworth Park Halls of Residence now stand, or the fact that The University of Manchester is now third place nationally, behind only Cambridge and Oxford. What a proud position to be in as someone who is Mancunian born and bred.

During the past few weeks, I have been to see The Maccabees at the Student Union, a gig which eventually descended into chaos, at which point lead singer Orlando Weeks had to step in during his rendition of my personal favourite ‘Precious Time’ to calm things down. This was followed days later by a trip to the Apollo to see Newcastle band Maximo Park. As always, lead singer Paul Smith got the crowd going with energetic performances of ‘Books from Boxes’, ‘Our Velocity’ and ‘Acrobat’ to name but a few, accompanied by his now infamous high jumps and hip-wiggles.

 Yes, having the beautiful John Rylands Library as a place to study admittedly makes revision and research times more bearable, as does much deserved afternoon trips to vintage stores in the Northern Quarter! Although I have to confess, the removal of the Morrissey montage on the side of Afflecks Palace is a little upsetting.

At the moment, I am studying Victorian Britain and to think that the industrial gem of the North was such a successful town for trade just shows why and how Manchester has reason to celebrate its reputation as a place in which business and creativity can coexist so easily; all these years after Manchester was established as the city which epitomised Victorian values of industry and merchantry.

One of my favourite things about being a student and growing up in Manchester is its diversity; from Oriental cuisine in China Town to authentic curries in Rusholme, Manchester has something for everyone. I have to tell you all that I’ve recently discovered Fruli, a continental beer on offer in many quirkier bars such as Odder and many in the Northern Quarter, as well as Trof in Fallowfield and The Deaf Institute; just off Oxford Road. It’s delicious!

During the summer, as always, I travelled to Leeds Festival. Of course, acts like Kings of Leon, Radiohead, Placebo and The Arctic Monkeys delivered great sets. But, for me, it was Stone Roses frontman and Mancunian legend Ian Brown who delivered the ultimate showstopper. He began his set exclaiming “right, let’s have some fun…Are you all gonna have a bop?” This was followed by his infamous swagger which accompanied classics such as F.E.A.R. and Fools Gold.

 So, I think it’s easy to see why I chose to go to University in Manchester, despite the fact I grew up in this fantastic city. I just love everything it stands for. Essentially, I am Forever Manchester!

Hannah

Blimey Hannah, when do you get chance to study?  Anyway, keep living the dream. 

Hannah has also contributed a poem that you can read on the Forever Manchester website: http://forevermanchester.com/supporters

More ramblings from me to follow soon, in the meantime here is a pearl of wisdom from the bottom of Soap Street near the excellent This & That Cafe (which is also Forever Manchester) in the Northern Quarter.

Chris

 

On the Shoulders of Giants

On Sunday 1st November I will be leading a guided walk with a difference as part of Manchester Science Festival. The walk will be brought to life by actors playing the parts of the luminaries of the past, Ernest Rutherford and Alan Turing.

One of the great things about being a tour guide in Manchester is that our history is so often world history.

"Lord Rutherford, I presume" Ernest Rutherford debunking the plum pudding theory of the nature of the atom.

Ernest Rutherford is the father of nuclear physics. His pioneering work in Manchester, between 1907 and 1919 led to the modern interpretation of the nature of the atom. Rutherford will be demonstrating this himself on Sunday with the aid of a plum pudding and a golf driver!

Alan Turing is the father of modern computing. He did not build the first electronic stored-memory program computer, but it would not have happened without him. The computer was built in Manchester and first operated successfully in 1948.

Turing came to Manchester soon afterwards and worked on theories such as the computerised brain / artificial intelligence. He developed a test to see if we could distinguish between a machine and a human being. Take the test with Alan Turing this Sunday.

What: On the Shoulders of Giants – a guided walk with a difference
When: Sunday 1st November at 11.00 a.m. (duration one hour)
Where: Manchester Museum, Coupland Street entrance (off Oxford Rd)
Cost: £5 for working adults, £2 for young people, children and other concessions
Suitable for: Anybody, but especially teenagers and adults

Of course, Rutherford and Turing have both been in the news recently for different reasons.

Rutherford was being blamed for conducting experiments that led to high levels of cancer-causing radiation in one of the university buildings – now called the Rutherford Building. A recent report gives the building a clean bill of health, but on the walk we will stay outside – just to be on the safe side. Ironically, Hans Geiger (who gave his name to the Geiger counter) also used to work with Rutherford in the building.

Turing has received an official apology from Gordon Brown for the way that he was treated in the early 1950s for being gay. Homosexuality was considered a crime and Turing was forced to take oestrogen, in an experimental form of chemical castration, by the courts. The man behind the breaking of the WWII German Enigma code also had his security privileges removed, meaning he could not continue to work for the UK Government on leading edge research. He committed suicide at his home in Wilmslow in 1954.

My intention in devising the walk was to outline what the University of Manchester’s giants of the past have contributed but also to discover what the pioneers of today are doing to shape the world we live in. Hence the title for the walk “Standing on the Shoulders of Giants”.

I intend to help Rutherford find out about the amazing experiments that are being developed at the Large Hadron Collider at CERN by particle physicists from Manchester’s High Energy Physics group (not to be confused with the Hi-NRG Physics group).

Alan Turing meets Prof. Steve Furber in front of the Alan Turing Building at the University of Manchester. Steve Furber is showing Alan Turing an example of what today passes for a "baby" computer. In Alan Turing's day the computer called BABY weighed one ton and filled a whole room.

I will also update Turing on the mind-boggling work that is being done at the School of Computer Science to see how far technology can go in creating a computerised brain. I will also show him the new university mathematics building that bears his name.

You don’t need to be a scientist or technologist to join the walk. The walk is suitable for generalists and anyone interested in the pioneering achievements that have taken place in the city.   There is no need to book, just turn-up and go.  See you there.

Chris

Actors supplied by the organisers of the 24:7 theatre festival with the support of Corridor Manchester

Photographs by Chris Foster Photography with the support of Manchester Science Festival

 

How We Used to Live [In Squalor]

You can experience a bit of Manchester’s past this weekend, by visiting the archaeological excavations on the former car park on Dantzic Street, north of Miller Street.

This will be the site of the new headquarters building for The Co-operative. However, for the last nine weeks, in advance of building work commencing, a team of archaeologists have been exploring the history of the site.

The dig is coming to an end and there will be an open day on the site this Saturday, 10th October between 10.00 am – 4.00 pm to show the public what they have found. Oxford Archaeology has been doing the digging and will presumably be on hand to talk about their excavation and its finds.

Angels with Manky Faces

What the archaeologists have uncovered in the dig are small back-to-back houses where the workers and their families would have lived, notably in tiny houses with single leaf brick walls.

You can read more about the excavations on the Urbis blog and there have been articles in The Guardian and on the BBC website too, as work has progressed.

To add a bit of colour to your visit, you could refer to my favourite Manchester guide book; The Condition of the Working Class in England, by Friedrich Engels written in 1844.

Engels came to Manchester in 1842 to work as a textile merchant. He visited the working class districts where he was horrified at the living conditions of ordinary people and indignant that their fellow human beings (those with the money) could tolerate allowing such suffering to continue.  I wonder what the mid-1840s David Cameron equivalent would have made of it? 

“In one of these courts there stands directly at the entrance, at the end of a covered passage, a privy without a door, so dirty that the inhabitants can pass into and out of the court only by passing through foul pools of stagnant urine and excrement.”

When I do my guided tours I ask visitors to picture the opening sequence of Slumdog Millionaire, when the boys are at the latrines in Mumbai. I then tell them that that is what it was like here in Manchester 150 years ago which, judging by Engels’ descriptions, is not an exaggeration.

King of the Slums

Specifically about the area where on Saturday you can witness the archaeological dig Engels noted that landlords rented the houses to the working people and the land around the houses to “pork-raisers”.

The people lived side-by-side with the pigs. “The atmosphere is utterly corrupted by putrefying animal and vegetable substances… [with] … “a piggery repeated at every 20 paces.”

One of the other factors that he noted for this area was the cramped conditions with one family, and sometimes more than one family to each room, including the cellar.

“If anyone wishes to see how little space a human being can move on, how little air – and such air! – he can breathe, how little of civilization he may share and yet live, it is only necessary to travel hither.”

There are lots of other gems in Engels’ book – the description of the area where Spinningfields now stands, for example.

Engels’ observations on the conditions of the working class in Manchester, and the factors affecting them, led to the development of the political theory espoused in The Communist Manifesto, written with Karl Marx.  Some of the research for this book was undertaken in the Reading Room at Chetham’s Library – where you can sit at the same table used by Engels and Marx today.

Engels subsequently spent another 20 years living and working in Manchester. 

Chris

 

Manchester’s Music … in Pictures

The Kevin Cummins photography exhibition in the Northern Quarter is brilliant.  If you like Manchester music or even if you just like photography, check it out at the Richard Goodall Gallery on High Street before it closes on 26th September.

The exhibition is called MANCHESTER: Looking for the Light Through the Pouring Rain.  It features Cummins’ photographs of Manchester’s music scene taken over a period of more than 30 years.   It coincides with the release of his book of the same name. 

I was an avid reader of the NME in the 1980’s and Cummins’ band photography was one of the standout features of the music paper.   In fact, my first post for the Forever Manchester blog featured his brilliant front cover of the Stone Roses drenched in paint.

That picture (taken at a studio in Stockport, I think) is one of the 50 on display in the gallery.  Others feature Joy Division, The Fall, Buzzcocks, The Smiths, Happy Mondays and Oasis. 

Of these, the pictures of The Buzzcocks are probably the best.  Those of the Happy Mondays probably the weakest – not much material to work with there, let’s face it.  The cover shot of the book is an early snap of Morrissey, but it doesn’t grab me.  

Occasionally, an out-of-town act gets a look-in too, and the picture of a young Madonna at the Hacienda is wonderful, as is the one of The Clash playing at Belle Vue – yes, The Clash really played at Belle Vue. 

I’m probably drawn to these shots because of the crowd appearing as a backdrop and helping to date and place the picture in context.  If I recall correctly, the crowd visible behind Madonna are all static blokes with bad 80’s haircuts.  The Clash in the late 70’s obviously inspired a more dynamic response.

The Electric Circus, Collyhurst (not one of Kevin's shots!)

The pictures outside the Electric Circus in Collyhurst are also brilliant.  It is 1977 and the crowd on their way to see The Ramones have long hair and a complete lack of punk-rock regalia – yes, The Ramones really played in Collyhurst.  The shot includes a Hillman Imp and two lads offering a V-sign to the would-be David Bailey – perfection!

 

For my favourite shot though it is back to the Stone Roses – although they are not actually in it.  Cummins has taken a sensational shot of the crowd at Spike Island.  He has captured so much movement that the picture gives the impression that the crowd are dancing/girating at an incredible speed.  It reminds me of a C17 painting of the souls of humanity consigned to hell on judgement day and trying to escape from the burning pit.  But then, thinking about it, Spike Island really was that good!

Nice one Kevin.

Chris

A great accompaniment to Kevin Cummins’ book is John Robb’s The North Will Rise Again, published earlier this year.  John Robb relates the experiences of those that lived and breathed the Manchester music scene from 1976 based upon interviews with them.  One of the contributors is Kevin Cummins who is quoted as saying; ”In Manchester we weren’t dressed up like London punks.  At the time we were wearing old school shirts, cutting the tie shorter and writing slogans in biro on the shirts”.

.

 

Another Chance to See “Angels with Manky Faces”

Congratulations to North Manchester’s MaD Theatre Company, for the massive success of Angels with Manky Faces at the Library Theatre, in August. The play, inspired by the book, Gangs of Manchester by Andrew Davies, sold out all seven performances from 17-22 August.

Fortunately, if you missed it, there is another opportunity to catch the play in November. Angels With Manky Faces will be performed at the Dancehouse Theatre, Oxford Road, on Friday, 6th November at 8pm and Sunday, 8th November at 3pm and 7pm. Ticket details are available here.

MaD Theatre Company is not just any theatre company. It is a not-for-profit company aiming to inspire, educate and entertain by providing “Innovative Mancunian Theatre”. They have certainly achieved that with Angels with Manky Faces which is not a conventional theatre production, but is aimed at a wide audience; “for people who might like to go to the match as much as the theatre”.

Angels with Manky Faces is wonderfully played by predominantly teenage Mancunians and is set in the streets and gin shops of Ancoats in 1894. It is a story of the Bengal Tigers (from Bengal Street), the most notorious of the territorial teenage gangs, known as the scuttlers, in Victorian Manchester.

The play deals with the issues of gang violence and brings us up to date in terms of the tragedy that this can bring. Moving in parts, it is also highly entertaining and there are plenty of lighter touches and moments of comedy. The youngest players getting the funniest lines.

The performance combines live action with pre-recorded scenes shown on a big-screen backdrop. This works well and allows for cameo appearances from famous Mancunian faces, from Terry Christian to Jon Henshaw, and famous Mancunian places, such as the Marble Arch.

The filmed scenes are also where the music aspect of the show comes to life. Twisted Wheel, Bye Bye Johnny and The Naughtys all get to play, but the best musical performance, for me, is Clint Boon’s rendition of This is How It Feels with Kathryn Edwards.

If you didn’t catch it in August, then get your tickets for November now.

Chris

My fellow blogger Carolyn Hughes, at Manchester is Ace, has also done a great review of Angels with Manky Faces.

If you are interested in drama, MaD Theatre Company is currently facilitating youth theatre workshops in Moston, Middleton and Bury. Email MaD via their contact page for details.

 

What to Read on the Manchester Beach

We love our history on the Forever Manchester Island and are always on the lookout for new titles. Luckily there is no shortage of books about Manchester in 2009 – on a wide range of subjects.  So far this year these include music (John Robb’s The North Will Rise Again), crime (Alan Hayhurst’s Greater Manchester Murders), the changing urban landscape (Jonathan Schofield’s Manchester – Then and Now) and the colours chosen for our old buses (Michael Eyre’s The Colours of Greater Manchester). So many, in fact, that I have yet to read all of them…

Something that I have read is From Manchester to Spain written by Bernard Barry and published, this month, by the Working Class Movement Library. To my mind this booklet gets under the skin of what moves and motivates Mancunians more than anything else that I have read in a while.  It tells how in the 1930s, at a time of deep recession and unemployment, men and women across Greater Manchester supported the Spanish people in their fight against fascism. The author draws on the Library’s extensive archive and uses original accounts, correspondence and photos to tell the stories of some of the volunteers.

 

He also deals with the Spanish Aid committees which sprang up in many districts across Greater Manchester to raise money. Apparently, there was a Manchester Foodship for Spain Shop at 40 Deansgate – Pizzeria Italia today.  Three foodships were sent from Manchester.

The booklet deals predominantly with the experiences of Communist Party members and those that volunteered to join the International Brigade. Of 200 volunteers from Greater Manchester, 44 gave their lives and many more were seriously wounded.

One of the notable figures from the Manchester Communist Party to fight in Spain was Sam Wild who was born in Ardwick in 1908 but later lived in Rusholme. One of Manchester’s most curiously located heritage plaques at 57 Birch Hall Lane commemorates Sam Wild, who had been Commander of the British battalion in the International Brigade.

Working Class Movement Library

From Manchester to Spain is available from the Working Class Movement Library where you will also find a lot more information about the themes that it introduces.  The Library is located on The Crescent, Salford and is open to everyone. 

The staff and volunteers are extremely helpful in finding relevant material from collections that cover 200 years of labour movement history in the British Isles. You can drop-in or contact the Library in advance to arrange a tour.

Chris

You can learn more about Sam Wild from an interview with his daughter on the new Manchester’s Radical History website, which promises to be a great online resource.

 

Let Them Entertain You

It may be heresy to say so, but I still haven’t completely got my head around the Manchester International Festival, which starts this weekend. I know that it is billed as “the world’s first international festival of original, new work and special events”, but I don’t know what that means.

What it appears to be is a variety of things that, to my mind, do not necessarily add up to a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts – which means that it is hard to get “festival fever”. There are some claims that the festival is “uniquely Mancunian” or an “original modern” festival but I don’t get that either.

Not that it matters, I suppose. If you like ballet and you like Carlos Acosta then the fact that we have the Manchester International Festival means that you have your chance to see him. If you like music and you like Kraftwerk (ahem!) then you could go and see them too.

I am going to Procession which sounds good, where I am particularly looking forward to the music and “the largest ever gathering of local sporting mascots”. The event itself will be followed by a gallery display at The Cornerhouse in the coming weeks.

I am also going to see De La Soul which is presumably classed as a “special event” because there is nothing “original” or “new” about the celebration of the 20th anniversary of their classic hip-hop album, Three Feet High and Rising. As I said above, not that it matters – I am just glad to get to see them.

The Not Part Of Festival is something else entirely. Running alongside the International Festival it aspires to make full use of Manchester’s cultural landscape, “a celebration of Manchester’s creative community”. The idea is that it is a fresh and edgy festival fringe.

What I like about the programme is that they are putting artistic offerings in unusual places. I am looking forward to seeing a play in a bar such as Taurus on Canal Street, for example. This is not necessarily new, but there is so much of it in the programme that I think that I could “buy-into-it” in a way that doesn’t seem possible with the Festival proper.

I also like the idea of the Manchester Art Crawl on 9th July. You follow a map that directs you to visual art displays or performances across the City Centre – many using disused shops that are empty due to the recession.

Not Part Of looks good and more information is available via the internet brochure or from the box office that is hidden inside the Great Northern Warehouse (opposite where you buy cinema tickets). Another great thing is that for many events you can just turn up, rather than book in advance.

Finally, I wonder what a combination of Manchester International Festival and Not Part Of might have come up with? Perhaps rather than Procession we may have had Demonstration and rather than De La Soul we might have had the Ruthless Rap Assassins (North Hulme’s finest) supported, of course, by Kid British (who are also Forever Manchester). Maybe, that is something to think about for 2011.

Phew! I got to the end of this piece on Manchester International Festival and managed to totally avoid the use of the word “pretentious”. Doh!
 

Chris