Lazy Noggin

Summer Sundae, Leicester, 2010

2010-08-19T18:40:00.007+01:00

Belated review of this festival now. We were lucky enough to win tickets through Go Leicestershire, along with fancy-pants hotel accommodation, so we weren't immersed in the full festival experience. This along with the, er, modest size of Summer Sundae made it kind of feel like a weekend away during which we caught a few bands in the local park. In fact, that was exactly what it was. However it was a very nice local park, with tasty food and some great bands.

It was very family-friendly, with lots of cute things going on like this Punch and Judy show.

Music highlights included the lovely Laura Veirs, with her new band the Hall of Flames.

Tunng were without a doubt the band of the festival for me. Last time I saw them, at the Band on the Wall in Manchester, they seemed nervous to be back, but this time they through themselves into the set with abandon, and I loved it so much I had a little cry. There had been wine that afternoon. Got a good feeling about these guys, think they might cross over to the mainstream if they carry on producing songs of this quality.

This was the first time I'd caught Liam Frost ( and live in Manchester, I know!) and it was everything I had expected and hoped for - gentle, heartfelt songs sung simply with just a guitar. Beautiful.
The Besnard Lakes were our last band of the festival, and although they didn't maybe click with the Sunday afternoon crowd they put in an impressive effort on one hours sleep in 36 hours, and since seeing them live I'm starting to really enjoy the album. They're growers I reckon.

All in all a good weekend. Would I go back under my own steam? Maybe not, but something like this closer to home would be a proper treat. Get on it Platt Fields.

Jens Lekman, Deaf Institute (& Sandbar!), 2 August 2010

2010-08-07T11:22:00.007+01:00

Bit of a treat today, here's a review of what sounds like it could be the gig of 2010 so far, by Mr Noggin....

For a whole week before this gig, I thought I was going to see an singer called Lens Yeckman – such was my criminal lack of knowledge about Swedish singer Jens. He was someone well and truly off my radar, his music was as alien to me as the music of Maurice Ravel or JLS. I think I half heard him the Friday before the big day in Saki Bar during their bi-monthly Underachievers Please Try Harder night; it brought to mind Jarvis Cocker singing a Belle and Sebastian number, with a slightly quirkier accent. This had the potential to be quite good, but I also had the nagging feeling that it might also be terrible.

August 2nd arrived. With Lazy Noggin away in London for a lavish wedding, it was up to me to stand in for her – I’d be the cultured lover of all things zeitgeist and twee – and then I’d report back to her, with sarcastic vitriol, how it was all the same old self aware indie bobbins, with added tweed, unkempt hair, and beads.

The Deaf Institute is an excellent venue. For a sauna. Bad start. It was hot in there – I could feel the sweat dripping down my back. Except it wasn’t mine – it was the person stood behind me. If you want to see a sea of unhappy yet shiny faces, then go to the Deaf Institute before a mildly popular gig. Or just spray paint a stranger silver.

And then Jens Lekman walked out with a gaggle of on stage beauties – male and female – they’re a lovely looking bunch – all cool and accessorised – with brass and string instruments. Needless to say, it was easy to forget about being 70% water when he appeared at the front – he won the crowd over with an effortless charm, a good-natured humour, and some bloody excellent tunes.

Tracks like the disco tinged The Opposite of Hallelujah, floating past like Tigermilk era Belle and Seb; blunt yet funny whimsical soul like A Postcard to Nina; and the heartbreaking The End of the World is Bigger than Love – flew by, seeming like songs I should have heard, should have had in my heart, and should have been singing along to like the rest of the audience.

Jens Lekman is hard to place – he’s pop without being embarrassing, he’s funk without needing marijuana, he’s northern soul without the dance moves. He’d probably slot in your CD collection nicely next to The Magnetic Fields, Kings of Convenience and Loney, Dear – yet he sounds utterly unique.

So there I was, happy, amazed, enchanted. And then the gig was over.

But no, Jens decided it wasn’t – he wanted more. And so did everyone else in the room. After a short break, her led us all over to Sandbar - a pied piper to us indie rats. This is where the true appeal of Jens shone through – he was alone, playing a little acoustic guitar, surrounded by cross-legged doe eyed fans, relying on his songs alone – and he had everyone singing along – he made us all feel like we were part of something special, something amazing – he brought down the barriers between musician and listener – we were all as one. Or maybe it just felt that way after the free booze laid on by the rather magnificent manager of Sandbar.

Jens was a true gent, staying way past 1am to sign autographs, pose for pictures, and engage in banter with people way more pissed than he was.

The only frustrating thing of the whole night was knowing that Lazy Noggin missed it all. Bloody London.

So the night ended, after a nice little lock in, some delicious red wine, and some excellent music – we’d hijacked Sandbar, and Jens, for long enough.

Much like this blog.

Next month in music

2010-07-29T21:30:00.004+01:00

A quick canter through what looks good in Manchester between now and the end of August:

Hey Manchester! @ The Deaf Institute, Monday 2 August 2010

The folk and Americana promoters Hey Manchester! present the ever inventive Swedish/Australian singer Jens Lekman, with support from The Blow and Bill Wells. I am very sad to be out of town for this one

Get Cape, Wear Cape, Fly @ The Deaf Institute, Tuesday 10 August 2010

Lovely Sam Duckworth is out on tour ahead of his new album in September, supported by Xcerts. Kind of surprised he’s playing such a small venue, but certainly not complaining

A couple of excellent acts on at a decidedly mediocre venue:

Laura Veirs and her band The Hall of Flames @ The Ruby Lounge, Friday 13 August 2010

The Besnard Lakes @ The Ruby Lounge, Monday 16 August 2010

The Crookes return to Manchester to play Moho Live on Friday 20 August 2010. They apparently performed an excellent set at Dot to Dot so this is our second chance with the Sheffield indie kids

Hey Manchester! @ Dulcimer, Chorlton, Wednesday 25 August 2010

Hey Manchester! are keeping busy, they also have a new monthly night at one of my all time favourite venues - upstairs at Dulcimer in Chorlton. The first night features David Dondero and is a bargainous £3

Caitlin Rose @ Night and Day Café, Wednesday 25 August 2010

Competing for your attention the same night is the young Nashville country singer Caitlin Rose. Damn clashes!

Gideon Conn @ Band on the Wall, Thursday 26 August 2010

Folk magician extroadinaire returns to his Manchester roots

Enjoy!

Linen, Manchester

2010-07-26T16:25:00.003+01:00

Searching for a pre-Inception meal, we thought we’d finally try one of the many offers Linen continually promote. It’s a funny one, Linen. Hidden away at top of Manchester235 casino in the Great Northern development, you have to traipse up escalators, across gaudy carpets and past hardened gamblers to get to your meal. Once in the restaurant, the low brick arched ceilings, white tablecloths, lit up posts and baroque furnishings create a weird space, to be frank. Bit too footballers wives for my taste. It was an early Friday evening, and the room was dead, but in fairness it had picked up a bit by the time we left.

The staff were nice, though the formality felt a bit overdone as they served two diet cokes to us in the empty room. We had been reeled in by the two courses for £10 offer, which whatever way you look at it is extremely good value, and is especially so in a place like this where the kitchen obviously knows their stuff. The mains of sausage and mash and Goosnargh chicken were tasty and well-cooked, but the starter of mushroom pate was a bit flabby and tasteless, and although the chips were temptingly dark, ultimately they were soggy and disappointing.

So, we came away in two minds. Mr Noggin was enthusiastically in favour, and in many ways he’s right: the food is generally good and the price is hard to beat. I’d say the food quality was as good as Choice and a quarter of the price with the deals they have on.

But I just don’t feel any need to go back. It doesn’t excite me. It is missing a certain something that makes me love a restaurant, be it the extravagant décor and unusual flavours of Chaophraya, or the buzz and menu appeal of Piccolino’s. Yes, next time I think I’ll pop round the corner to Dimitri’s.

Round-up

2010-07-23T15:28:00.014+01:00

So I got busy and lazy and abandoned the blog for a couple of weeks. Oops. Here’s a round-up of stuff I did while I was away:

Saw Noah and the Whale at Manchester Cathedral – got cheap tickets last minute, bit of an afterthought, but ended up being blown away. They are really excellent live, much improved according to my gig companions who had seen them before. Saw them again at Latitude, their last gig before going back in to the studio, where they again wowed the crowd.

Had dinner at Zizzi’s in Didsbury – turning into a bit of a reliable fallback this one, great food for a chain, lovely décor, super friendly student staff, good tipping policy and the pizzas are the biggest I’ve ever seen – I got 3 good meals out of mine.

Went to West Kirby beach – when you think North West England, you don’t think great beaches, but we discovered an absolute gem up on the Wirral at West Kirby. The tide was out and we picnicked before strolling out across the sands to the little islands, taking lots of photos of the great expanse. However much I love the city life, I do love a change of scenery and this is as good as you’ll get within an hour's drive.

Saw Scissor Sisters @ The Apollo – this was a free ticket through some Oxfam volunteering, so again not one I had been anticipating for weeks. Its not really my bag, but they put on a cracking show, lots of good sing-a-long moments. Also, they seem genuinely nice people, they came round the side and signed autographs and chatted to fans for ages after. I like that kind of attitude.

A few old stalwarts visited – Dough, Great Kathmandu and Red Chilli. They never disappoint.

And a new favourite found: Zouk Tea Bar (above) on Chester St (off Oxford Road, opposite the BBC). Took an out-of-town friend, from Birmingham no less, to this Indian the critics have been raving about, and my God am I glad I did. My lamb chop starter was just delicious, and the salmon main was some of the best salmon I’d ever had, served on a slab with a memorable tangy sauce. My friend went for the tasty Palak Tikka and the recommended Lamb Nahari, both outrageously good. He declared it the best Indian he’d had, not bad from someone who lives within walking distance of the Balti Triangle. I mostly spend my time these days working out when I can next go there and have the lamb chops again.

Finally I spent the weekend at Latitude, a most civilised affair involving a dinner reservation, jugs of Margheritas, deckchairs and Pimms. Glastonbury this was not. Highlights included the glorious Belle and Sebastian, Holly Miranda, Vampire Weekend, Noah and the Whale and midnight storytelling and songs from Daniel Kitson and Gavin Osborn. Yes, I’m already pining for next year.

Ok, that’s the round up, I’ll be back much sooner this time, with a review of Linen if its worth writing about.

The Middle East @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester, Friday 25 June 2010

2010-07-20T22:24:00.004+01:00

The best gig ever?

Do you know when you almost don’t go to something, but then you do and afterwards you can’t believe you came so close to missing it? Well, maybe that’s a bit specific, but that was how I felt as I supped a post-gig drink in Sandbar. It was almost shellshock, a kind of “how amazing was that” euphoria.

The Australian band has been going for five years now, but it was their recent five song EP The Recordings of the Middle East which brought them to my attention. At the Deaf Institute on a beautiful summer evening the band open with The Darkest Side, which immediately sounds ten times better than the already good album version. There are six men and one woman on stage and the sound they make between them is just sublime. I don’t know whether to be impressed by the band or annoyed at whoever produced their EP that this sound was only hinted at on the recordings. The men harmonise together closely as they play guitars, drums, keyboard and a range of other less recognisable instruments. Then the beauty of the music is lifted to another level as Bree Tranter’s voice enters the fray, high and pure but somehow fitting in perfectly. With so many people on stage I was astounded at how considered the sound is. It would be easy for the sound to become loud, raucous or chaotic sounding, but the arrangement is perfect, with members sometimes singing away from the microphone or playing softly to control the song build-up.

I saw them again at Latitude and although the sound was lost a little on the windy Sunrise stage it was still special and beautiful. Highly recommended – go see!

Next month in music

2010-06-24T13:42:00.011+01:00

A quick rundown of musical things that look good between now and the end of July, generally a pretty quiet time on the music scene:
Thursday 24 June 2010 (tonight!)
Midsummer House Party @ The Whitworth Art Gallery

A folky evening gig at a beautiful art gallery ten minutes walk from my new home? Its like if Carling put on gigs (though of course they do and they’re nothing special, but you know what I mean). Pull Yourself Together, Manchester’s indiepop fanzine and clubnight have singer songwriters Edmund Cottam and Christopher Eatough before PYT DJs play some tunes. For Folk’s Sake, the huge folk website, have poets Gemma O'Neil and Jackie Hagan. Also playing are Jam on bread and the Chantilly Belles. All relative unknowns to me but look like they will combine to make a splendid evening. There’s also some craftiness (what, like it wasn’t twee enough?), a bar and the whole thing is free. It’d be a crime to miss it.
Friday 25 June 2010 (tomorrow!)
The Middle East @ The Deaf Institute

This Australian band’s EP, The Recordings of the Middle East, has barely been off my ipod. Their music is indie/folk/bit of everything, and very much worth catching.

Tuesday 29 June 2010
Johnny Flynn @ Academy 3

English folk singer who’s been around for a while now and has played with Laura Marling. This will be a lovely gig to promote his new album Been Listening.

Saturday 3 July 2010
Noah and the Whale @ Manchester Cathedral

They need no introduction as the pioneers of the new British folk scene. Enjoy them in very special surroundings.

Later in July…Latitude! Pick of the festival to come

The Mark Addy, Manchester

2010-06-24T10:29:00.001+01:00

Its difficult to know whether the Mark Addy counts as a hidden gem or not. On the one hand its been around for ages, has always done good business, and has been feted by Manchester Confidential quite a lot recently. On the other hand its on the other side of the River Irwell. Like, in Salford. This means that a large proportion of Manchester would never consider going there. But its only just over the river (five-ten minutes walk from Albert Square), and is one of the few places in Manchester/Salford to take advantage of the waterways rather than stubbornly ignore them. If you can walk through the weird brown tunnel thing and down the stairs you will be rewarded with a very charming riverside terrace, which on a hot weekday lunchtime was very welcome indeed.

The Mark Addy has received so much attention from Manchester Confidential because of its executive chef, Robert Owen-Brown. He has to run a number of pubs in the area, all of which were praised for their food, all of which closed. So hopefully he’s on to a safer bet with the institution that is the Mark Addy. The stand-out menu item is the cheese and pate board, which was hugely enjoyed by a number of people in our group. The range of local cheeses was brilliant, and the only complaint was that you could only choose one if you wanted pate too. Why not be generous and let people get two or three cheeses, maybe upping the price if necessary? As it was lunchtime we didn’t really take advantage of the hot mains menu, and most had sandwiches and chips, which were fine, but hardly the stuff of rave reviews. I decided to try one of the tempting starters with chips on the side. I chose the coddled egg with shrimp and soldiers. It was tasty, with the little brown shrimp buried at the bottom of the egg cup. However the pile of soldiers were far too large in number for the size of the dish, and I soon ran out of anything to dip them in. It was of course a starter but a little more generosity wouldn’t go amiss for seven quid. The chips were an inviting brown, but were soggy rather than crispy, and didn’t taste like they’d been made fresh.

The dreamy location by the river with the sun beating down on us was an all-round winner, and the service was good. Just wish I hadn’t left feeling a bit let down by the food.

Lissie + Alan Pownall @ Night and Day, Manchester, 17 June 2010

2010-06-20T12:04:00.010+01:00

Its unusual to arrive at Night and Day on a Thursday evening and find a queue halfway up the street, but it signals that the popularity tipping point may have been reached for Illinois-born Lissie. Real name Lissie Maurus, the 27 year old has her first album, Catching a Tiger, out on Columbia on Monday and the recent single When I'm Alone has been getting quite a lot of airplay. I had been listening to her EP, Why You Runnin' on repeat, and was keen to see if she was as good live as she sounded on record.

But before she came on it was joint headliner Alan Pownall. He struggled somewhat, as a large part of the crowd, who had clearly come for Lissie, talked loudly throughout his set and he had to repeat himself a number of times. A song of his, Take Me, I'd heard previously and he began with the reggae-tinged number. He has a kind of Jason Mraz thing going on combined with a bit of Jack Johnson - whether you see this as a good thing or not is purely down to taste. I can see clear songwriting talent but he wasn't to Mr Noggin's liking. What was clear was that he is being heavily pushed by his label, with flyers and leaflets everywhere, but there was a blandness to some of the songs that contrasted with potential hits such as Colourful Day. To be honest, I probably won't buy the album. No doubt he'll do well anyway.

The crowd were good and attentive for Lissie, who got huge cheers. She started off with my absolute favourite, Wedding Bells, which has strangely not been included on the album. Its a yearning song of lost love which has been known to make girls cry on first listen. The crowd were visibly more animated by single When I'm Alone, and by her popular Lady Gaga cover Bad Romance. As a non-Gaga fan, they left me kind of cold. Much more interesting was the proper country track Oh Mississippi and Everywhere I Go, which gave her a chance to show off her really very spectacular voice.

It was a funny old gig, and I have to be honest, I turned into a bit of a music snob about it. A lot of the crowd maybe didn't go to gigs that often and were really irritating to those who were just trying to hear the music. Plus I had the underlying feeling that both Lissie and Alan had talents that were in danger of being diluted into bland folky-pop in order to appeal to the mainstream. That being said, there was some great spine-tingly moments that I wouldn't have missed for the world, and I will definitely keep an eye on these two.

PS. Apologies for the terrible photos, I blame it on the light!

Music at the moment

2010-06-16T12:35:00.003+01:00

Just a short post to enthuse about the music that is getting repeated on the ipod right now:

The whole Broken Bells album: Its early days, but this is turning into one of my favourite albums. Ever. Yeah, I went there. It’s the perfect mix of beats and guitars, unsurprising as the band is made up of Brian Burton (Dangermouse) and James Mercer (The Shins)

Ratatat – Bare Feast: A joyous extravaganza of Indian beats

April Smith and the Great Picture Show – Colors: a fun song that has you singing along by the second listen

The Middle East - Recordings of the Middle East: Their debut EP, at least three brilliant songs out of five.

Chaophraya, Manchester

2010-06-16T11:59:00.004+01:00

As we wandered through empty streets we smugly imagined we would have the place to ourselves. England’s first World Cup match was on and pubs and living rooms were packed out with fans, surely we would be the only people heading for Thai food in a football-free space? It says an awful lot about the popularity of Chaophraya that as we were led upstairs we realised the place was still packed out, like some clandestine anti-football protest.

The two storey restaurant has been beautifully decorated with Buddha heads, fresh flowers and floor cushions if you fancy trying out a Thai tradition. It wasn’t my first time there, and I had some favourites on the menu (Paew Wan Pollomai with beef comes highly recommended), but decided to opt for new dishes, to expand my knowledge of Thai cuisine. After trying some Thai-style prawn crackers, we picked the Golden Treasures platter to start, and it came over on a huge plate, placed on a stand on the table. This was impressive stuff, not just in size but in the beautiful presentation and the variety of the food. The somtum salad was just too hot for us, but everything else was a hit. Favourites included the honey marinated pork, strangely dry but still delicious, Gung Chup Pang Tod, a battered prawn dish, and beautifully flavoured minced crabmeat, pork and prawn.

Mains included more prawns – Kung Phu Kao Fui, gargantuan King Prawns cooked in red wine and flambéed in brandy at the table. The prawns were fantastic, although both the red wine and brandy flavours could have packed more of a punch . I had what looked like an odd dish on the menu, a fruity curry with duck, called Gaeng Sii Ruedue. No, I didn’t attempt to pronounce it. Still, it was really tasty, with cherry tomatoes and pineapple cutting through the creamy Thai curry sauce. Plus they let me take the leftovers home and it tasted even better the next day!

The service at Chaophraya is legendary, full of smiles and kindness. They have an above average number of staff and you rarely wait long for anything. They have the knack of giving you an expensive-feeling restaurant experience, and then surprising you with a reasonable bill. Go now, but don’t expect it to be quiet - this place is no longer a secret, and rightly so.

Chaophraya is on Chapel Walks, off Cross St. You know, near where Grinch and the chophouse are.

Columbo @ The Lowry, 9 June 2010

2010-06-10T16:36:00.004+01:00

As we approached the Lowry, across the bridge from the Harbour City tram stop, we were pleasantly surprised. Look at all these young people heading to watch Columbo, we said. Surprising, you’d expect an older crowd, we said. As we entered the arts centre it all became clear. Derren Brown was playing the larger Lyric Theatre on the same night. In fact out of the six nights Columbo is playing (Monday 7 June til Saturday 12 June), four clash with the mighty Derren, and we were worried about the turn out. We needn’t have been. Apparently the A Team’s Dirk Benedict playing one of TV’s most cherished detectives is still a big draw. Maybe its all part of the eighties revival?

The Quays Theatre is a great space, and feels a bit like a David Lynch film, as somebody remarked on their way to their seats. The theme appears to be red, and it creates a rather cosy Club Silencio-esque atmosphere.

The play is based on the pilot episode of the TV series in which a psychiatrist kills his wife, assisted by his glamorous mistress. The idea with Columbo is you know who committed the murder from the beginning, so the episode follows Columbo solving the crime, which develops into a battle of wits between Dr Flemming and the detective. Mr Noggin is a die-hard Columbo fan so thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience, and I have to say I was charmed by the whole thing too. It helps that I have a serious weakness for detective dramas. Box set of Lewis? Don’t mind if I do.

The audience was full of Columbo fans, as well as the odd group of women who had clearly attended to see Dirk in the flesh, and I doubt many went home disappointed.
Benedict and Patrick Ryecart as Dr Flemming were both marvellous. Benedict captured Peter Falk’s portrayal perfectly, with all the mannerisms and phrasing just right. The female supporting cast struggled with their American accents a little, but did a fine job. The sets were great and really set the retro scene for the audience, but they took a rather long time to change between scenes. I guess this is the problem of adapting a TV episode to the stage, but to be honest it didn’t really bother us, in fact it added to the anticipation. It was a jolly fun evening as we unravelled the how-dunnit along with the cast, and I didn’t pine for Derren once.

Columbo, Quays Theatre, The Lowry, Salford, til Saturday 12, £14-20

How do you find new music?

2010-06-08T12:15:00.006+01:00

Being into music is a choice. It is something that require time, effort and dedication. In my experience there are some people who have been actively interested in the music scene since they were young, whereas some people drift in and out, go through phases maybe. Of course some people simply don’t care for music, although I think we can agree these people shouldn’t be trusted.

So how do you find new music?

Friends’ recommendations? Browsing myspace? Gigs and festivals? Blogs? The radio? Podcasts? Daily emails like Track in the Box?

This question is interesting to me, as somebody who was very into finding new music in my teens, drifted away during my early twenties, content to listen to my current music collection and gigging only sporadically, but has become much more interested over the past couple of years.

At one time or another I have discovered music I love through all of these channels. I think most people would put friends’ recommendations near the top of their list. Our friends know us, know what we like, may like the same music, we may even be friends with them through shared musical taste.

I like listening to the radio, especially 6music, to hear new bands, whereas Mr Noggin doesn’t, and would much rather browse through myspace, linking through to friends of bands he likes to independently discover his new music. Interestingly he also claims that Amazon's "people who bought this also bought..." feature is one of his most reliable sources.

There is one place that has been a surprisingly rich vein from which to extract new musical passions: Blalock’s Indie Rock Playlist. Josh Blalock releases a block of around 100 new tracks each month that he has found or been sent, and he has clearly got a great ear for these things as I have found so many artists I now love through him. He places it on his website for free as a torrent or mega upload, but I doubt many would protest at the file sharing as it is a good way for new artists to reach the ears of a large and enthusiastic audience.

I’ll end the post with a couple of links to tracks I found through Blalock. The first is Willis by Sea of Bees, a female singer-songwriter from California called Jules, and the second is Cracks by Bristol-based Jane Taylor. Enjoy!

Dancin' and that

2010-06-03T15:44:00.011+01:00

Manchester indie clubs tend to have a “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” policy, and this seems to work as they have a cultish year in year out following. Excellent examples include Clint Boon's Disco Rescue at South on a Saturday (though they struggle to fill it on a Friday), Mojos, the Venue, Fab Cafe and the more recent Propaganda @ Moho Live. Now I am not about to lay into this at all. When I moved back to Manchester from darkest Birmingham in 2006 I enthusiastically embraced this scene and heaped praise upon the loyalty to Manchester music that the DJs had. Countless times I had my hands in the air for I am the Resurrection at 3:25am on a Sunday morning, and no doubt it will happen again in the future. But things can become stale and two nights have recently waltzed on to the scene with a refreshingly modern take on things, and very welcome they are:

Underachievers Please Try Harder @ Saki Bar
Every 2nd and last Saturday of the month

Named after a Camera Obscura album, the list of bands on the flyer was too appealing to resist – The National, Jeffrey Lewis, Radiohead, Belle & Sebastian, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart all feature. The organisers cleverly combine live bands downstairs til midnight with an indie disco upstairs til 3am. Don’t expect much from the décor, it’s a pretty basic place on the edge of Rusholme and their self-confessed aim is to create a house party atmosphere, but when we went the bar was nice and quiet, everyone was friendly and there was plenty of space to throw some shapes. Since I will soon be living just ten minutes walk away, this ticks all my boxes.

Now Wave @ The Deaf Institute
Every Wednesday

Not so ideal for a Monday-Friday worker like me, but still so so tempting, Now Wave, who are putting on some of the most excellent gigs in the city at the moment, are also combining them on a Wednesday with a disco in the lovely Music Hall at the Deaf Institute. They guarantee not to play anything over two years old, and favourites include Passion Pit, Fleet Foxes, MGMT, M.I.A. and Animal Collective. Worth a days holiday wouldn’t you say?

Dette of Gratitude w/ Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and Field Music @ The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 2 June 2010

2010-06-03T12:21:00.009+01:00

It was as if the gig gods knew I needed something good after the mediocre-fest of Dot to Dot. I was having a read of some blogs and noticed this post. Emmy the Great at the Deaf Institute this week? How had I not clocked that one? So tickets were duly bought and we moseyed on down after work at around 8pm to get some quality Trof burgers before the show. As we walked in though we noticed the line-up posted on the door: The Acorn were starting imminently, followed by a band called Race Horses, Emmy the Great, Beth Jeans Houghton and topped off at 11 with another chance to see Field Music. That is a ridiculously good bill! As it turned out, the event had actually been put on as a surprise leaving party for a local lady called Bernie Phillips. Over the years she has accommodated bands playing and recording in the city in her home, and is now heading off to live in Canada, so there was a very sweet tone to the whole evening, even if we did feel a little like gate crashers!

The need for food unfortunately took precedent, and we missed The Acorn, which was a real shame. But we got upstairs in time to catch Race Horses and I am so glad we did – they were delightful. Although they hailed from Cardiff they had a Liverpool Beatles-esque sound, with a dash of the Wombats (that’s a compliment!). They were full of energy and smiled throughout the set, and they had some beautiful harmonies – I do love a male harmony. They really impressed the crowd and got a great reception. We bought their album so will get a review up here soon.

Emmy the Great was up next, and she was as remarkable as I expected. She read out a message to Bernie from the Howling Bells before cantering through some tracks from First Love. Although she was on stage on her own for most of the set, the songs sounded as great as they did on the album because her voice is so flawless. Highlights of a brilliant set were the candid We Almost Had a Baby, and Absentee with its hymn-like refrain Kyrie Eleison reminding me of mass as a child.

The evening was turning into one of the best gigs I’d been to in ages. It was lovely to sit in the wonderful Music Hall with a perfect view of these truly talented people performing little half hour sets. A friend once argued that 40 minutes is the most he ever likes to watch anything for, be it music or any other performance, and I’m starting to see his point.

It was difficult to imagine how you could follow Emmy’s set but wow, did Beth Jeans Houghton impress. I had heard a track or two of hers on the radio before but never had a proper listen, but she’s next on my list for back-catalogue buying. After a few words from Marc Riley paying tribute to Bernie and the evening which was apparently Beth’s idea, she came on in an Dolly Parton style outfit and wig and with a band dressed in a messed-up Marie Antoinette get-up. The set was song after joyful song combining traditional guitar and drums with trumpet-playing, Jarvis-style spoken word and a wonderful cover of Devil in Disguise. I loved every second of it and did not want it to end.

Finally the special guests Field Music came on. Having described them as bland in my Dot to Dot review, I was ready to put that down to a bad day, and in some ways I was able to. They were four lads who could play their instruments very well and obviously enjoyed playing with each other. They mentioned that this was their first gig in three years without a set list and they really had fun with it, improvising as they went along. The drum beat is the focus of most of the songs, which makes the sound somewhat flat and repetitive, and I can’t help thinking three guitars makes it too heavy, but although they’re not my thing the crowd liked them and they were a good end to an excellent night. The whole evening had been a real treat – Bernie must be pretty special.

Dot to Dot, Manchester

2010-06-02T14:51:00.009+01:00

When it came to writing this review, I was struggling. The problem could be down to a number of things: the uninspiring Academy venues, the dodgy sound and organisation, the downgrading of the shows from Academy 1 so that most shows were packed to the rafters, the nice weather that meant it was a shame to be crammed into a sweaty dark basement at 6pm or the festival decisions that have to be made by committee. It was probably a combination of all of these but the fact remains: the memory I have of the inaugural Manchester Dot to Dot is of a series of mediocre gigs. I feel terrible saying that as it is rude to the many, many talented and hard-working bands on the bill, and there were some highlights, but as a festival? It didn’t work for me.

When you go to a festival with a group of people, unless you are happy to spend the day alone, sacrifices have to be made. A few days before the Bank Holiday Monday I had decided to forego the lovely folky line-up at the Deaf Institute – Alan Pownall, The Crookes and Lissie – to stick with friends who were keen to see the rest of the line-up at the Academy venues. From what I heard on the day a lot of people made this decision, leaving the Deaf Institute crowd a bit sparse.

So the day began with Goldheart Assembly (above) in Academy 3, who were really quite good. They’ve been around for a little while now and this came across in their confident show. They look hairy and intense, but there is a surprising lightness of touch to their songs, my favourite being the gentle So Long St Christopher which was released last year. The band was a popular choice and the room was packed and hot, but this couldn’t spoil the enjoyment.

We then wandered downstairs to Club Academy to have a listen to Washed Out, which was nice in a chilled out, background music kind of way. Again, venue was packed so we sat it out in the bar area at the back. Still, Club Academy is vying with Ruby Lounge and Islington Mill for worst designed venue in town.

We spent the rest of the evening wandering up and down the stairs between Academy 2 and Club Academy. Blood Red Shoes were loud and enthusiastic, and could have easily filled the main Academy. Field Music were bland in my opinion, as were Liars, but friends of mine would beg to differ as Liars were a favourite of the day and there was a lot of love going round for lead singer Angus Andrew. Watching Twisted Wheel (above) was like being at an underage disco full of twats, but the acoustic song the singer performed was a welcome break for the ears.

And so to the only band who gave me that good gig feeling: Beach House (above). I’d seen them at Islington Mill early in the year and they were spectacular, and Teen Dream is shaping up to be one of my favourite albums of the year. They didn’t disappoint at Dot to Dot, Victoria Legrand’s vocals are soulful and dreamy, and the crowd sang along to Take Care, Norway and Used to Be.

We decided that this couldn’t be topped, and sloped off home soon after. On reflection, the line-up would have to be pretty special to tempt me next year - I think I’ll leave it to the students.

Photography with Aidan O’Rourke, Manchester, Sunday 23 May 2010

2010-05-26T19:04:00.009+01:00

I recently saw a post over at this excellent blog, publicising a photography day put on by Cityco, a not-for-profit who manage and market Manchester’s city centre.

On a tangent, Cityco are a new organisation to me, but I rather like their work – they organise things like the free city shuttle buses and street cleaning and generally try to make the centre a better place and get people to go there. I hear they have their eye on King St, which is looking more and more forlorn these days, so good for them.

Anyway, back to the photography day. Cityco paid for a number of high-profile Manchester photographers to take amateur photographers on a two hour tour round the city centre as part of their campaign to make Manchester photographer-friendly. This comes after increasing reports of photographers being challenged by the police or security firms for taking completely legal photographs. I applied, and was allocated to Aidan O’Rourke, which was a complete bonus as I have admired his cityscapes for a while.

So I wandered over on the very hot Sunday just gone, and met up with around 20 other shy looking people with big camera bags. Pretty much everyone had DSLRs, mostly much better than my entry-level Canon, but one couple did have point and shoots. I really felt for them as they sheepishly hid them in their pockets for most of the tour!

The theme Aidan had set was the changing and unchanging city, and we wandered around the Whitworth Street West area taking photos, all aware that there was an opportunity to get a photo in an exhibition at the Triangle if we were lucky. This made it feel a bit competitive, and when 20 photographers are all taking pictures of the Refuge Assurance building at once, its hard to know how to make your photograph different. Practical photography tips were thin on the ground, though I was reassured by Aidan that he doesn’t use a tripod for city photography, which was interesting.

Still, it was good to get out on a sunny day and use my camera, and the photos I like the most are below.

If you prefer to look at photographs than take them, there a couple of good exhibitions on right now:

A World Observed 1940 - 2010: Photographs by Dorothy Bohm is on at Manchester City Art Gallery at the moment, and is brilliant, I thoroughly recommend it. A lifetime of photographs is quite something. Til 30 August 2010

Shaped by War: Photographs by Don McCullin is on at the Imperial War Museum North, and is showcasing 50 years of the world renowned war photographer’s work. Til 13 June

Jesca Hoop @ Band on the Wall, Manchester, 24 May 2010

2010-05-26T16:55:00.009+01:00

The first time I went to see Jesca Hoop was at the Deaf Institute back in February, and I almost didn’t go. It seems incredible now, but I was tired and it was the night before I flew to Amsterdam. And now after seeing her twice? I wouldn’t miss a gig for the world. I have every intention of catching her for a third time at Latitude, and maybe even a fourth this year at Summer Sundae.

So, Jesca, how do I love thee? I shall count the ways:

Hoop has a wonderfully endearing stage presence. She flirts with the crowd, telling us how, as a California girl she has been won over by British treats such as Marmite. She tells a peanut butter joke. She apologies for taking time to tune her guitar. She talks about her mother’s illness and her Mormon family. And the audience fall for her bit by bit until they leave, totally head over heels.

You just know she would throw a good party. Songs like Out the Back Door and the brand new Kitchen Disco (complete with strobes) are just so damn cool I want to hang out after the gig and ask her to be my friend.

Angel Mom, despite the title, is one of the most beautiful songs I think I have ever heard. It demonstrates the purity of Hoop’s voice perfectly, and makes me cry a little bit. And I love a cry.

Jesca puts it all out there to give you a gig well worth your money. The music veers from blues to folk to…God, I want to say funk, but its more like some kind of new genre she has invented. There are strikingly beautiful backing singers, telephone theatrics, encores and a completely A Capella song that simply stuns the crowd.

Oh, and Guy Garvey came out to sing with her. Did I not mention that? You know it’s been a good gig when Guy Garvey is an afterthought.

Antlers @ St Philip's Church, Salford, 20 May 2010

2010-05-21T15:49:00.005+01:00

I think I would go and see any act on at St Philip’s Church. Seriously. Even Diana Vickers who I accidentally went to see the other night (don’t ask). Its just the most perfect venue: beautiful Grecian church, pews to sit on, and in a lovely spot just round the corner from the New Oxford and 15 minutes walk from St Peter’s Square. It certainly encourages a more reverential atmosphere, as commented on by Peter Silberman of the Antlers last night. But it does differ from mass in one important way: parishioners run a bar from a trestle table at the back, and provide a frankly better service than most bars in Manchester. They recommended Mr Noggin buy me a cider as “the wine tastes of bleach”. It’s that kind of guidance you need from a barperson.

It’s only fair to say up front that I hadn’t listened to the Antlers before that day and wasn’t sure what to expect – I was going along with a couple of fans. I’d also had a rather nice tea and a couple of beers and was half expecting to have a snooze at some point (see title of blog). But there was no risk of that with this band. They were intense from the very beginning, and worked their way through the album Hospice in track order, as it tells of a traumatic relationship with a patient dying of cancer. Silberman’s voice is hypnotic and the audience is drawn fully into the story-telling.

The mood broke only a couple of times. At one point a member of the audience asked if they were going to play Two, and they smiled and coyly said “Maybe” – surely redundant as they were clearly playing the whole album. Later on Silberman commented on how respectful the audience were, proceeding to shush the crowd when they laughed. It was a welcome break from the intensity of the music, but they were soon back into it.

The album alternates pained quiet singing with loud crashing of Silberman’s guitar and Michael Lerner’s drums. Darby Cicci hides behind a mop of hair as he provides anguished keyboard. There is a real synchronicity within the band as they play. They aren’t going through the motions, there are genuine connections made as they look to each other throughout the show.

It seems there has been much chatter around the subject matter of the album and whose story it tells. But this wasn’t the question at the forefront of our minds as we walked into the warm Salford night. We were wondering what on earth the band would do to follow that.

Bubble Cafe, Manchester

2010-05-21T14:35:00.005+01:00

If you read food blogs from around the world, you can build up food envy for products and restaurants that aren’t available in the UK. For example I can only fantasise about Meyer lemons being made available in the UK as I read blog after blog singing their praises, and I peer at photos of exotic looking Vietnamese food, until recently unavailable in Manchester. But the latter has been rectified by the opening of the Bubble Café, above Red Chilli on Portland Street. It’s a casual, neatly decorated place with two long tables with stools if you want to eat in, although there was a brisk takeaway trade while we were there.

The menu is rather mysterious to a person with no knowledge of Vietnamese food, and I am no expert myself. The name of the café comes from the Bubble Tea they serve. This can come hot or cold, and is a tasty drink, either fruit or milk based, with the surprising addition of tapioca pearls in the bottom, black balls visible through the glass. The tea is served with a large straw, wide enough to suck up the pearls as you drink. The taste of the pearls is hard to pinpoint as the chewy, gummy texture is the most prominent sensation, and is rather enjoyable in a strange way! Mr Noggin had a banana milkshake he described as the best thing he’d ever tasted – I suspect it’s down to the Movenpick ice cream they stock.

There is a short food menu of around seven items, including salads and noodle soups. We ordered the prawn and Vietnamese ham spring rolls to start, and then the Bubble sandwich as a main.

The spring rolls were different but brilliant; huge, cold, wrapped in a paper thin casing and packed with juicy prawns, veg and noodles. They were perfect dipped in the accompanying hoi sin or fish sauce.

The sandwich I had read about in blogs as Bahn Mi, and is a baguette filled with pork, liver pate, and a pickled salad. The Bubble Sandwich was good, but had an overriding taste of salad cream, which was a bit of a shame as it drowned out the other flavours.

The whole meal came to around £16 for two, and you can currently get free frozen yoghurt after your meal if you mention Manchester Confidential. It’s a very cool little place with charming staff and I cannot recommend it enough.

PS. I have just had a scout around on Google and it appears my guesswork was a bit wrong – Bubble tea originated in Taiwan, and is common across a lot of Asia now, so not strictly Vietnamese as I thought.

Dot to Dot Festival

2010-05-19T18:50:00.017+01:00

Going to a small day festival like Dot to Dot is very different from the luxurious musical experience of say Glastonbury or Latitude. Although I was excited about seeing Beach House again and Los Campesinos, there was a long list of bands that I didn't know from Adam. So I spent an afternoon systematically going through their myspaces, and although there was a lot of chaff I present some rather lovely wheat:

Alan Pownall is a great singer from London whose debut album True Love Stories comes out in July. He comes from a folk background but his more recent songs have a more of an indie-pop upbeat feel. Take Me is a catchy tune with a reggae tinge and he has plenty of other good tunes to back it up.

Lissie is an american songer who's debut EP Why You Runnin' has me totally hooked, Wedding Bells is one of the most enchanting songs I have heard in a long time, recounting a tale of lost love. She's touring with Alan Pownall while they're in the UK so you can catch them at Night and Day in Manchester in June and plenty of other dates round the UK if you miss Dot to Dot.

Goldheart Assembly have been around for a while so I'm very slow on the uptake here but their sweet sound is very beguiling. Am particularly enjoying So Long St Christopher from their new album Wolves and Thieves.

And now for something completely different: Wax Fang, a Kentucky epic-rock band with drama and ambition. World War II (Part 2) is a very enjoyable romp.

The next month in music

2010-05-13T15:47:00.001+01:00

There seems to be rather a lot of interesting live music in Manchester coming up, despite the fact that we are entering the traditionally slow summer season. Here’s my pick of the best stuff:

1. Antlers @ St Philip’s Church in Salford, Thursday 20 May:
Don’t know much about this band, I’m going with a fan, but always look forward to a gig in this venue. Seeing Hurts do their debut gig here was very special

2. Jesca Hoop @ Band on the Wall, Monday 24 May:
Seeing Jesca for the second time. She was mesmerising at the Deaf Institute, her songs are like a kind of wonderful soul-folk and she has quite a stage presence. Her ridiculously good-looking backing singers were crowd-pleasers last time as I remember. Her popularity is increasing rapidly, I would expect her to be pretty well-known by the end of the festival season

3. Dot to Dot Festival, various venues, all-day, Bank Holiday Monday 31 May:
Booked tickets for this before the line-up was announced, and the first batch of bands was a bit disappointing. Zane Lowe? But things are looking up, I’m especially looking forward to Wild Beasts, Beach House, Wolf Gang and Lissie – the latter’s EP I have has on repeat for a week or so, brilliant stuff. Booked the next day off work – for the best after a bank holiday all-day session.

4. Lau @ The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge, Friday 4 June:
Bit out of the area this one, but actually surprisingly easy to get to – there are regular trains to and from Victoria, and it’s nice to have a change of scene. Lau won Best Group at the 2010 BBC2 Folk Awards, and have some beautiful, more traditional folk songs.

5. Ian Brown @ Platt Fields, 11 June:
Is anybody not going to this? Have taken the afternoon off work to fully enjoy the line-up. Only mildly looking forward to Ian Brown himself, but with the park-based fun starting at 4:30pm and UNKLE, A Certain Ratio, Mr Scruff and Now Wave DJs also on the line up, I’m anticipating it to be one of the events of the summer.

Reviews to follow!

The Comedians at the Bolton Octagon

2010-05-13T12:31:00.001+01:00

My friend Anna’s parents have season tickets for the Bolton Octagon. However they are retired, and much like my own parents, appear to spend more time abroad than in the country these days. Therefore they offer Anna and I their tickets, and we took them up on it for the second time on Saturday night. I don’t remember much about the play we saw previously, except that it was boring. The same can’t be said for The Comedians.

The Octagon is a lovely theatre, nice and cosy with a small stage. It was set up as a Manchester classroom from the seventies where six men were attending a stand-up comedy course. Tonight was there big debut at a local club, and the play has three acts: the first is the pre-show class, the second is the show itself, and the third is the post-show analysis back in the classroom.

The first act was actually rather good. I kept thinking how interesting it would be for an actual comedian, as it explored in depth what comedy should be – an opportunity to challenge the audiences’ views and preconceptions and be an instrument of social change, or providing a few cheap laughs on a rainy night for a prejudiced world. Richard Moore beautifully plays Eddie Waters, the tired old-style comic who seeks to instil in his pupils the integrity of comedy.

The second act started rather well too, although it created a strange situation where the audience didn’t seem to know whether they were watching a play or a comedy night. This was made worse when some of the comedians, in order to impress the visiting agent, changed their routines and threw in racist and sexist jokes that no comedian would dignify in the present day. Yet some of the audience laughed, raising the question of how much audiences have really changed in the past 30 years?

The second act ended with a bizarre mime/rant from the most troubled of the comedians, and although it was a powerful performance, it said nothing to me and was embarrassingly dated. A number of the audience left in the second interval, and I hardly blamed them.

I had high hopes for redemption in the third act, but with a low point being a description of an erection caused by the holocaust, I was disappointed. The thing is, I know what the play was trying to do, and I also know that it has been very successful both on Broadway and in a recent all-star London revival. But what I experienced was a cringingly awful performance of a play that might have been progressive when it was first written, but is irrelevant now. It’s a shame; the same themes explored in a modern way could have made an interesting play.

Tunng + Erland and the Carnival @ Band on the Wall Manchester

2010-04-22T14:45:00.001+01:00

I had been keen to visit the restored Band on the Wall venue since it reopened in September 2009, and booked tickets when I saw Erland and the Carnival were supporting Tunng. I have to admit I booked them to see Erland, but after listening to a bit of folktronica 5-piece Tunng I was equally excited about seeing both.

It’s a great venue, with a balcony that can really make a gig for a shorty like me. Despite being sold out there was plenty of space for moving around, especially impressive when you consider that the venue is run on a not-for-profit basis.

Erland and the Carnival came out with no fanfare, getting immediately stuck into their new album. Erland Cooper showed himself to be an animated frontman, dancing and winding as he sang and played, while guitarist Simon Tong (ex-Verve, ex-Blur, ex-The Good, the Bad and the Queen) and the rest of the band focused on their instruments. The folk-tinged rock sometimes echoed The Coral, but not to its detriment. For a new band they were very tight, and Trouble in Mind and Was you ever see were real stand out tracks.

Tunng followed, after setting up their own instruments. One of their founding members, Sam Genders, has recently left the band so it was interesting to see how this reduced line-up would fare playing their brand new album And then we saw land. They seem quiet and nervous, but there is clear devotion from the crowd and they soon get warmed up. The sound is unlike anything I’ve heard before, with electronic sampling taking a bold role in a very un-folklike manner. But the gentle voices of Mike Lindsay and Becky Jacobs confirm that this is still traditional folk, and their voices mainly weave into the electronica seamlessly. There is an odd dud track but most are winners. Don’t look down or back and Hustle are getting 6music radio play, which the band gratefully reference, but the encore shows they have kept the best til last. Jenny Again is a quiet ballad with intriguing lyrics that sticks in the mind for days, while Bullets sweeps triumphantly over the crowd who begged for it, as all the band sing the chorus. Although my brother picks Erland as his favourites of the night, its Tunng that stole my heart.

God.......

2009-09-24T12:23:00.001+01:00

Yesterday evening I went to an event at the RNCM at which Richard Dawkins was reading from his new book about the evidence for evolution and answering questions from a Times journalist and the audience.

I have never been quite sure how I felt about Richard Dawkins. As I was raised a Catholic it can sometimes be difficult to reconcile his view of those who believe in God - deluded, stubborn, stupid – with my family and the community I knew as I was growing up. I was introduced to Dawkins’ work in Theology A-level classes when studying the relationship between science and religion, which was quite enlightened considering this was the Catholic school which never mentioned contraception from the day I joined at 7 til I left at 18. In those Theology classes we were taught that despite Dawkins’ views science and religion could be compatible as the two were attempting to answer different questions. Phew, we could happily support the theory of evolution and go to church. All was well.

These days I increasingly doubt the existence of a God of any kind, and I view the growth of organised religion in history as simply anthropologically interesting. And yet I still enjoy going to church very occasionally. If I got married I would want the ceremony to take place in a Catholic church, by a priest – hopefully my uncle. I find it extremely difficult to see the Catholic Church - the one I know, on the ground, rather than the Vatican – as a bad thing. This has to be closely linked how I feel about my parents, in particular my dad. It is painful to think that the Mass he and my mum go to every week is preposterous nonsense that does more harm than good, and that the faith that he has built his life around and that gives him strength is nothing. A massive pretence on a global scale.

And yet, and yet. That is what I believe. Should it be something I talk to my parents about? It would only hurt them to hear my views. What good would it do? I know it would be hypocritical to get married in a Catholic Church, but it is the only kind of marriage ceremony that seems real to me. My attachment to the idea is due to family, tradition and belonging, rather than belief. I know this.

Richard Dawkins convincingly argued that evolution should now be taught in schools as a fact rather than a theory. It is religion that is stopping this from happening – and it is here in the UK as well as the US. Science teachers have to tip-toe around religious parents, governors, communities in order to teach their subject. Dawkins compared it to a Latin teacher who finds that the existence of the Romans is constantly questioned.

So, is it OK for me to enjoy the parts of Catholicism I want to and reject the rest, or is it this kind of clinging to the past that is contributing to the kind of world where Creationism is believed in by 40% of American adults?

Things I have learnt this week

2009-07-15T18:48:00.000+01:00

1. Kendal is just so lovely and charming on a sunny day. The views from up Greenside are stunning and they have this little fruit and veg market that is quite the cheapest thing I have ever come across. 30p for a pineapple? Thank you very much. 50p for a bunch of fresh beetroot and 49p for local, exquisite strawberries? Well now you are really spoiling us. It even made a city girl like me think how nice it would be to live in little place like that. Just for a moment though.

2. Cookery courses at Leiths are brilliant! The school is in West London, and the prices can make you wince but oh my! Is it worth it. Souffles are easy. Who knew? Not me. We made the most delicious hot raspberry souffles, quick and simple soda bread rolls, a tasty pea soup and a lovely salmon main. The teachers are really helpful and friendly - it seemed to be one teacher to four students in our session - plus some men do the washing up for you as you go along. Whats not to like? Will be attempting souffles at home soon and hopefully posting recipe and photos.

3. When it is 5pm in London and you have to travel back to Manchester for work Monday morning, don't get outrageously drunk with your brother, sister and her boyfriend. It may be fun at the time when you're playing Shazam in a pub by the Thames but you'll be sick in a mug at work the next day. Oh yeah. I'm not proud.

My first blog post

2009-07-01T23:08:00.000+01:00

As a long-time enjoyer of a time-consuming number of blogs, someone recently said to me: “You could do that”. Now, I definitely can’t. I am not a writer, and am of the belief that, as is our family tradition, I do not have a creative bone in my body. But there was only one way to prove it. So here we are.

I had a read around to get some tips on starting a blog, and found out it is best to have a narrow focus. But then I’m not a narrow focus kind of girl – I have no depth of knowledge in any area. So, disregarding all wisdom, this will be a wide-ranging blog, touching on various areas of which I have little to no knowledge.

Things I may bang on about:

Food. Oh aye, I think the internet needs a few more food blogs, don’t you? I may be forcing myself to try new and strange recipes from the Saturday Guardian, reviewing Manchester restaurants (mostly ones serving steak I imagine) or justifying spending half my salary on smoked salmon from the nice fishmongers when I can’t afford a new bus pass.
The fun there is to be had in Manchester. Because there’s lots of it – opera, ballet, interpretative dance, theatre….Although lets be frank, an endless succession of murky indie dives with sticky floors and hairy men in scarves are likely to dominate.
I will try to keep the dull, shallow mid-twenties angst to a minimum but ponderings on underachievement, family rivalry, wildly inappropriate boyfriends and existential angst may slip through.

Clichéd self-deprecation aside, hopefully this will be fun for both of us.

Cat