/SEVEN DAYS
TODAY (FRIDAY 18) Music / Nick Mulvey Few musical reinventions are as successful as Nick Mulvey’s. A founding member of the acclaimed jazz fusion act Portico Quartet, the Cambridge musician has now forged an impressive solo career, releasing two albums of mellow, jazzy, offbeat folk-pop. Currently on his biggest UK tour to date, he’ll be headlining the Albert Hall with support from Warpaint guitarist-turned-solo artist Theresa Wayman.
Albert Hall / alberthall manchester.com / 0161 817 3490 / Friday, May 18, 7pm / £18.50 Music / The Mouse Outfit Put on your dancing shoes as Manc music’s finest party band, The Mouse Outfit, play a massive homecoming show at the O2 Ritz. The band’s latest LP, Jagged Tooth Crook, is packed with appearances from some of Manchester’s finest MC talent including Ellie Meade, Berry Blacc and Dubbul O – all of whom will be performing at tonight’s must-see gig.
O2 Ritz / academymusicgroup. com/o2ritzmanchester / 0161 714 4140 / Friday, May 18, 7pm / £15 Music / Easter Although hailing from Crumpsall, guitar four-piece Easter could easily have been transported here from the mid-90s American alt-rock scene. Echoing the scuzzy-yetmelodic songcraft of Pavement, Sebadoh and Slint, these Manc faves are back with a stunning second LP, Meander Lines, accompanied by this intimate hometown shindig at The Peer Hat.
The Peer Hat / thepeerhat.com / 07510 728092 / Friday, May 18, 7pm / £5 Theatre / Offside Inspired by the experiences of real female footballers, Sabrina Mahfouz and Hollie McNish’s acclaimed piece provides the untold commentary on the breakthroughs and limitations of women’s football over the decades. If you missed the show’s sell-out run at Contact last year, then here’s another to see it at the excellent 53Two space.
53Two / 53two.com / 07432 198724 / Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 / £12.50 Clubbing / Sweat What’s the one thing that Manchester’s club scene is obviously missing? We know what you’re all thinking: a club night that combines ‘90s dance music with, erm, knitwear? Well, finally, your prayers have been answered in the form of Sweat, a brand new event at Gorilla that mixes old-school house and techno tunes (provided by DJs Daisy Douglas, Dike, Moore and Noah) with a strict knitwear-only dress code. If you’re not wearing a garish jumper, then you ain’t getting in.
Gorilla / thisisgorilla.com / 0161 826 2998 / Friday, May 18, 11pm / £6.50 Clubbing / The Psychedelic DiscoTech Making a rare city centre appearance, South Manchester crew the Psychedelic DiscoTech have assembled a stellar trio of talents this evening: Detone’s Darren Emerson, Fila Brazillia’s Steve Cobby and, most excitingly, techno innovator and Leftfield lynchpin Neil Barnes.
Band On The Wall / bandonthewall.org / 0161 834 1786 / Friday, May 18, 9pm-4am / £20 Literature / Alice Oseman and Akemi Dawn Bowman Two of Young Adult fiction’s most exciting practitioners – Alice Oseman, the author of I Was Born For This, and Akemi Dawn Bowman, the voice behind Starfish – are teaming up for this special discussion event at Waterstones Deansgate.
Waterstones Deansgate / waterstones.com / Friday, May 18, Festival / Chorlton Arts Festival As the summer festival season gets into full swing, it’s perhaps inevitable that the bigger, more city centre-based events will grab most of the attention and spotlight.
It’s important, then, not to overlook those festivals which reside beyond the city limits, the smaller events that continue to punch well above their weight – ones such as the Chorlton Arts Festival.
Back for an 18th outing this weekend, the South Manchester gathering is unleashing its biggest, most ambitious line-up to date, with a fortnight-long programme of music, theatre, comedy, food and family events.
Theatre highlights include the world premiere of The God Delusion, based on the bestselling work by evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins (Blue Box Theatre, 18-26 May), plus an adaptation of Cowspiracy, an adaptation of the 6.30pm / Free, confirm attendance by emailing – events.manchester@ waterstones.com TOMORROW (SATURDAY 19) Clubbing / Spaced Out Launch Party DJ Waitz has been a prolific figure on the tech house scene, but that hasn’t stopped him from curating his very own clubnight. Join the renowned DJ as he serves up generous slabs of techno, R&B and house at this inaugural ‘Spaced Out’ party.
Joshua Brooks / facebook.com/ joshuabrooksmanchester / 0161 273 7336 / Saturday, May 19, 10pm-4am / £3/£6/£9 acclaimed Netflix documentary exploring how factory farming is decimating the planet’s natural resources (Blue Box Theatre, May 28 to May 31).
For comedy fans, there’s an appearance from the brilliantly surreal sketch duo Norris & Parker (Chorlton Central Church, 18 May), while a bumper music programme includes shows from Manc experimentalists Francis Lung (Wilbraham St Ninians, 19 May) and synth-pop duo Koalas (Wilbraham St Ninians, 1 June).
There’s also plenty of choice for foodies in the form of a pop-up restaurant from chef Simon Rimmer (Wilbraham St Ninians, 25 May) and a massive festival feast with free food and live music (Chorlton Central Church, June 3).
Various venues, Chorlton / Friday, May 18 to Sunday, June 3 / Full line-up and ticket info at chorltonartsfestival.com