/SEVEN DAYS
Theatre / Winter Solstice Actors Touring Company and Orange Tree Theatre have teamed up for this UK premiere of Winter Solstice, the new play from one of Germany’s most prolific playwrights, Roland Schimmelpfennig. Written in 2013 in response to the resurgence of the far right in Europe, it tells the story of a mysterious stranger – soon revealed to be a neo-Nazi – who arrives in a liberal household on Christmas Eve.
HOME / homemcr.org / 0161 200 1500 / Tuesday, February 13 to Saturday, February 17 / £12.50 Comedy / Control Panel Sick of generic comedy panel shows? Then we highly recommend you check out Control Panel, Manchester’s first – and surely only – ‘interactive sci-fi panel show’. Full of brilliantly surreal humour, a giant alien puppet and loads WEDNESDAY 14 Music / Seal What better to help soundtrack your Valentine’s night than the sweet, soulful voice of Seal? Channelling his inner crooner, the British pop veteran will be playing tracks from his latest album, Standards – a collection of, you guessed it, famous jazz standards – plus greatest hits including Crazy, Killer and Kiss From A Rose.
O2 Apollo / academymusicgroup. com/o2apollomanchester / 0844 477 7677 / Wednesday February 14, 7pm / £32.50 Comedy / Frog and Bucket Valentine’s Special If you really do believe in laughter as the best aphrodisiac, then here’s the best possible way to spend this Wednesday evening: the Frog and Bucket’s Valentine’s Special. Spreading those romantic vibes is an all-star line-up including Kate Lucas, Simon Wozniak, Danny McLoughlin and MC Jonathan Mayor.
Frog and Bucket / frogandbucket. com / 0161 236 9805 / Wednesday, February 14, 7pm / £12 THURSDAY 15 Music / Four Tet Whether crafting his own enticing tracks, producing for other artists, or performing marathon DJ sets, Kieran Hebden – the genius behind Four Tet – has long been one of the busiest chaps on the UK electronic music scene. Hot on the heels of his superb ninth studio LP, New Energy, he’s back for a very special Manchester appearance at the Old Granada Studios.
Old Granada Studios / oldgranadastudios.com / Thursday, February 15, 7pm / £20 Music / Iron and Wine Famed for his romantic, Americanatinged songwriting and, of course THAT famous bushy beard, Iron and Wine is the vehicle of North Carolinabased film professor-turned-musician Sam Beam. His latest UK tour, in support of his brilliant new album, Beast Epic, consists of only three dates.
Bridgewater Hall / bridgewater-hall. co.uk / 0161 907 9000 / Thursday, February 15, 7pm / £21-£30 Visual arts / Th-th-th-that’s all folks! When some of the world’s most powerful people are behaving like clowns, sometimes the only way to respond is with laughter – and that’s certainly the case with the artists featured in Castlefield Gallery’s first Launch Pad exhibition of 2018. Curated by the Manchester-based collective Rhino – comprising Emily Chapman, Liam Fallon, Tulani Hlalo and Meghan Smith – the show features a variety of video, painting and sculpture works all characterised by a cheeky, comical rebuke of today’s socio-political climate.
Castlefield Gallery / castlefieldgallery.co.uk / 0161 832 8034 / Preview on Thursday, February 15, 6pm-8pm; exhibition runs from February 16 to February 25 / Free Comedy / Chris Washington Conjuring big laughs from the minutiae of everyday life, Wigan-born funnyman Chris Washington has already garnered an Edinburgh Comedy Award nomination for Best Newcomer. Fresh from support tours with Jason Manford and Tom Stade, he’s now gearing up for two headline dates at The Lowry this month.
The Lowry / thelowry.com / 0843 208 6000 / Thursday, February 15 and Friday, February 23 / £12.