/CHARLATANS TAKE OVER A CHANCE FOR FRIENDS TO GATHER TOGETHER
THIS week’s Best Of... list comes courtesy of guest editor for the day Tim Burgess, frontman of The Charlatans. He picks his five favourite places in the city as his band take over Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter to mark the release of new album Different Days.
Head down to Oldham Street today for a bumper mix of signings, secret gigs, a pop up pub, Tim Peaks Diner, merchandise, album playbacks and pretty much everything else you could ever want as a Charlatans fan.
The Charlatans have also announced a new UK tour – calling at Manchester’s O2 Apollo on December 2. Tickets are available now. Here are Tim’s favourite Manchester places... Piccadilly Records One of the best record shops in the wold which means it’s one of my favourite places in the world. It’s moved a couple of times since I was a kid but it’s always had the same welcome and the same zen atmosphere. I can spend quite a while in there, checking any recommendations the staff have and generally taking a break from whatever is going on. I always stop by Vinyl Exchange and Clampdown too – like a Bermuda Triangle of vinyl – many, many hours can pass by in what seems like a few moments. Love it. Home Sweet Home Our four year old loves the milkshakes and his eyes light up whenever we go near Home Sweet Home. The cakes are like something Willy Wonka would put together. After a little time spent in record shops, this is our treat. One for the big kids. St John’s Gardens I didn’t ever know the name of this beautiful little park, so had to look it up. It’s not far from the Castlefield end of Deansgate, near to the old Granada Studios building. I feel guilty sharing it as it’s a bit of a secret hideaway, and a fantastic place to just stumble across. The centre of Manchester can be fairly crackers but it’s always really peaceful here. See what you think – but maybe just don’t tell anyone else about it. The Buttery In an old Post Office by Levenshulme station. When we started doing Tim Peaks at festivals, Brian would come and work with us and his mum, Julie, would make the most amazing cakes. Now they have their own place with Neil, who was doing pop up supper clubs. Brilliant food, ace atmosphere, great coffee. Five stars from me. The Albert Hall A brilliant place to play and to watch bands too. It’s odd to think it just existed, unloved and forgotten, waiting for its new lease of life. The Charlatans played a couple of nights in there a couple of years ago and we really fell in love with the place. The bleacher style seating is the perfect place to watch a band too – while it all goes a bit crazy on the level below.