/COMING SOON
MANCHESTER’S afterhours arts and culture fix returns next month with a late-night programme of events including an art installation projected onto a plane, a party inside an art gallery and gigs on board a bus.
Manchester After Hours will see the city’s museums and galleries stay open late for one night only for 15 one-off and largely free events, as part of the national Museums at Night celebrations.
We’ve handpicked some of our highlights from this year’s event, which takes place on Thursday May 18 from 5pm.
For the full programme visit manchesterafterhours.com. Thursday Lates: NTS Takeover Underground London radio station NTS Radio is rounding up a roster DJs and visual artists at Oxford Road gallery The Whitworth for a night of left-field music and off-kilter video projections. Expect a party atmosphere fuelled by offbeat playlists, so bring your dancing shoes.
The Whitworth, Oxford Road / 7-11pm / Free Bad Language at Elizabeth Gaskell’s House Settle in for an evening of immersive storytelling hosted by live literature promoters Bad Language inside the author’s beautifully-restored home. Some of the city’s finest writers and spoken word artists will read specially-commissioned pieces responding to the living history of the house in a promenade style performance around the building.
Elizabeth Gaskell’s House, Plymouth Grove / 5-9pm (performances from 6.30pm) / Free Juliet the Moon at Manchester Central Library Created specially for the library’s spectacular Reading Room, these two new musical works written by RNCM composers Philippos Rousimanis and Deane Smith feature extracts from letters sent between RNCM pianist and tutor Frank Merrick and his wife during his imprisonment for opposing the First World War effort. Exploring themes of loss and intimacy, they will be performed by an ensemble of singers and cellists, with singing glasses. There will also be a display of letters, programmes, articles and other materials uncovered during the RNCM’s research into Manchester’s musical life in the First World War.
Manchester Central Library, St Peter’s Square / 6-8pm / Free Breaking the Sound Barrier: The Delia Derbyshire Legacy at John Rylands Library Electronic music pioneer Delia Derbyshire - best known for her work on the Doctor Who theme - will be celebrated at this evening of evocative performances by female artists whose sound and method echoes her own. The neo-Gothic splendour of the John Rylands Library - which holds an archive on her life and work - will form the setting for the show.
John Rylands Library, Deansgate / Now You See Me Now You Don’t at MOSI Exploring ideas around surveillance, this immersive audiovisual installation will feature enveloping sound, atmospheric lighting and bold projections directly onto the Museum of Science and Industry’s enormous Avro Shackleton aircraft - once used as an eye in the sky in the pre-digital age. MOSI has teamed up with Islington Mill’s Engine House Collective for the event, where guests can try their hand at creating their own visual designs.
MOSI, Liverpool Street / 7.30pm to 10pm, with a special live music performance at 9.30pm / Free Soup Kitchen present Wouter van Veldhoven at Chetham’s Library Northern Quarter club and gig venue Soup Kitchen takes over the city centre’s oldest building with an experimental electronics installation from Dutch musician Wouter van Veldhoven. He will be joined by special guests in the atmospheric surrounds of Chetham’s medieval Baronial Hall. Pelé: Art, Life, Football After Hours at the National Football Museum Sink caipirinhas and listen to live samba as the National Football Museum launches its next major exhibition, dedicated to Brazilian icon Pelé. The exhibition explores his life and career in the spotlight - from Santos to New York via four World Cups - through international art, photographs and iconic items. Hey! Manchester On The Buses Manchester’s Metroshuttle 2 bus will be linking up all participating venues with an extended route for one night only - and passengers can also look forward to intimate live music performances on board, programmed by promoter Hey! Manchester. Travel is free - as always - and services will stop within one to four minutes’ walking distance of every venue.
City-wide / 7-11pm / Free