things to do in Manchester

Whitworth Park Gallery?

Sinister has picnics. This is the other B&S fandom.

Geeta, you are very funny.

(would I be allowed? or more imporantly, would I want to?)

There is another? Tell me more.

Smile at the Star & Garter is a lovely indie club (Saturday nights)

The Flemish Weaver in Salford is just as good a place for a fanmeet as the Saracen's Head in Glasgow.

the Bowlie discussion forum. paste www.buro9.com/forum into your Babbage machine.

This is related to Manchester because you can have a game of bar billiards in the Head of Steam before setting off to Manchester from Euston station.

(We just had another)

is it true the natives round the Salford Lads Club skin alive those who come to photograph themselves there?

hey! that reminds me! isn't there some monster art gallery in Salford that's a blatant ripoff of the Guggenheim Bilbao? RoXoR.

Yes, that is completely true, and who can blame them. I particularly like the use of the word "natives".

Sirs, we object to the Salford Lads Club being used in the artwork of your client's 'The Queen Is Dead' record. We understand the the music of the Smiths has been associated with unwholesome activities quite at odds with the ethos of our young boys' club.

Rough Trade lawyers to Salford Lads Club:

You're having a laugh. The place is a shithole - just look at it.

Salford Lads Club:

[silence]

Smile is vile. Stinking little shed and irritating Britpop/cutesy funindiepopcrap fans who jump up in delight upon hearing their favouritest song and rip their shirt off/spill your beer.

Tiger Lounge was ok once but the djs are smug fools who play the kewl songs off their dad's Hits Of The Seventies albums. Plus there's been a recent influx of dancing dads and office worker gangs. But they do play a couple of soul tracks and Bowie, Cure, etc. That's on Saturday at Slice.

South on a friday was good the other month. They played 'Marquee Moon' before the dancefloor filled which was super. Also, personal top moment of the year = on E dancing to 'be my baby' with Hot Chick and then dealing with 'love will tear us apart' coming on straight afterwards.

And that's about all I know. Obviously I'm not going to even bother mentioning crud like 5th Avenue and 42nd Street as they're for Stereophonicsers only and you're better than that. If anyone knows of some other decent nights around town then please please post details. I heard rumours of Night and Day having a Mod night every so often, is this true?

"Send me a postcard" is fabulous, yes.

Shameless plugging - for all those who love sixties girl groups there's a night coming up in Manchester on November 9th. See here for details.

Although I'm not a Smile veteran, the people there make my hackles rise more than any other and I think is due to their very unpretentiousness (which = chirpy SFA fans in jeans). What's so bad about a little affectation?

etc etc etc

there's a new b+s friendly club night starting, i think monthly
from 28th november onwards, it's in some bar off albert square (where 'the ginnell' used to be for locals) which loox way interesting too, but anyway that's not mid nov so...

!! we're tremoring RIGHT NOW - there's been 4 tonight, it's hysterical !!!

Incidentally, for "unpretentious" read well..."nice". Smile did (past tense) have a certain understated glamour about it (albeit one that borrowed heavily from the sixties) which managed to stay clear of the "see you down the front in your trusty DMs" cliche. Trust me, I wouldn't be seen dead in yr average indie club.

Haven't been to Cafe Pop in ages, we tend to go to Night and Day.

And what's this Cafe Pop place? It's not that cute little cafe which sells reasonable suits and scarves downstairs near Vinyl Exchange and opposite Oxfam originals is it?

I've already began badgering people to come along to the girl-group night, though you should put a dress code on the flyer so I can persuade my friends to cease wearing horrible band t-shirts and trainers. And as there's gonna be N.Soul I'd like to make another advance request, this time for Etta James and Timi Yuro. I'm genuinely looking forward to this night, what's the venue like?

Also, any more good nights around town? No one has mentioned Fab Cafe. And for good reason - it's shit. I hate all that Dr Who sci-fi crap and someone should really stab the smarmy DJ (Max Oblivion? even his name is dire) through the eye.

Voodoo is on tonight by the way, all y'all should come along. I'm the guy with the Tamla Motown bag, feel free to give me a cig.

I am contemplating fappage the night before, but I might just go and have a curry with the lovely Rener.

town's nuts at the minute cause the studes are still
in that early 'let's go out every nightwith our 1,000 overdraft!!'phase.
all over the road they are of a saturday,
pissed and piggybacking, and in school bloody uniform.
bless em.

yes cafe pop is opp. oxfam,
and max oblivion - his heart's in the right place i just think
he comes across as a bit...loud and garish.

I've been inside Fab Cafe twice. The first time we walked in, took one look around, burst out laughing and walked out again. The second time, we had some Japanese friends with us who insisted on going in spite of our protests. Thirty seconds after arriving, some beered up student started leerily chatting up one of the Japanese girls and we left.

Max Oblivion used to go to Smile. He wore his sunglasses at night. Need I say anymore?

Tiger Lounge. MO behind the decks believing he's an important cultural icon, as opposed to a cretin playing alt.dad standards in a substandard club.

My friend K: female, attractive, 5ft tall. She walks up to the dj booth and requests a Stevie Wonder track. MO responds brusquely with "Yes yes, in a minute". K returns to seat. Waits an hour. No Stevie Wonder.
So she returns to dj booth and asks again. Similar response as before. K returns to seat. Waits. 5 mins from end of night and no Stevie Wonder all night.
K returns to dj booth annoyed that a) MO had bullshitted her, b) He spoke to her like shit, c) He was a smarmy creepy shit. MO sees her coming and comes out from behind dj booth to greet her, putting his arm around her and telling her not to worry. K is repulsed, shoves him away and leaves club distressed.

So... MO merely loud and garish? Nah, MO suffering from new strain of the JohnLeslies which involve being rude as fuck to the girl you intend to sleaze all over later when she's drunk. What a charming little man he is.

(mans chest hair)

Elisabeth, half expected to see you at Go! Team last night.

Were they good?

Monging? Tsk.

Good. I like most of the album - love the Shirley Ellis sample and cheeky De La Soul bits - though I get a bit bored they go into full on indie mode.

Did you see Broadcast? I was sad I'd missed them at Night & Day while I was in NYC, but then I bought the album and I think it is AWFUL. I'm so disappointed - where are the lovely gloomy pop songs?

Princess Superstar plays on the 31st, woo.

Princess Superstar was good on Monday though, despite strong lary lad presence in audience.

as if this thread isn't embarassing enough.

[Nov 25th, Clique in Manchester: www.clubclique.co.uk for anyone not already aware]

will he be playing records as well?

I'm taking you to court for libel, Godwin. You coming down later to hassle the young girls? I've already told the enormous Russian doorman to keep an eye on you.

No records tonight, all digital media only. And yeah, we've done everything short of threaten violence to get new equipment in JBs. It ain't gonna happen. Every month we have a mad panic that something has gone wrong and it usually has but it all turns out nice in the end. It's kinda like an episode of He Man.

Still, all signs are pointing towards tonight being ACE and yes, all Manc or NW or from-anywhere-else-but-visiting people most welcome.

You forgot to say "despite known club-risk/DJ eccentric Barima's involvement."

x-p

night and day
big hands

What are you heading over for? You should make it on the last weekend of the month so you can come along to Clique>!

Night & day is ok, another muso place, but tends to have more bands playing.

hello Mr Jones.

n-g, you out at S&G this Saturday?

(same to you godders, get your drinking in early so you can be a complete embarrassment before midnight again, hurrah! Get Stone Monkey/Jason out for it too)

Manchester wins super-casino licence
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/ced7b9e4-b050-11db-8a62-0000779e2340.html

poor Blackpool, last Autumn New Labour turned to Manchester for their Party Political Conference now they don't get the super-casino.

and i say that as someone who spent 16 fucking years growing up there.

srsly: they're fucked now. i was convinced they'd get this. i mean, i'm not convinced supercasinos are the greatest thing in the world, but at least it was SOMETHING. poor ol' blackpool.

Not thought too much about the implications but at the very least it'll mean they have to sort out areas like Beswick. Which can only be a good thing, right?

Grimly OTM re Blackpool - I thought Blackpool had it sewn up. Highest residents approval and it's been planned for absolutely donkeys - but oh well...

Did any Mancs actually want this? I don't think so. I live in east Manchester and it's not exactly been the hot topic of conversation out there.