To paraphrase AC/DC’s legendary (in our eyes) live album; if you want logical eclecticism, then this weekend, Manchester, you’ve got it in well-mixed spades.

The sounds Martyn offers up aren’t just varied, though, they’re unarguably unique. And by that we mean frustratingly scouring the Internet for days after the event in the misguided hope of locating a vendor selling that track unique. He’s so inimitable, in fact, his style has come to be known as ‘Martyn music’. And, whilst that’s a self-appointed title, it’s not hard to see why he’s resorted to such terminology.

Informed by (and central to the development of) dubstep (or more accurately its post-mutations), Detroit techno, future garage, drum ‘n’ bass, and Chicago house, he also runs the 3024 imprint, the output of which is indicative of his love for diverse productions, and well worth looking into. Enough babble, anyway, tomorrow night- Friday 17th May- sees the man in question play Soup Kitchen, on Spear Street. And, if there are any doubts over either the legitimacy of this recommendation, or the location of the club, then examine the full details and clips below, which should just about set the record straight.

Martyn @ Soup Kitchen, 31-33 Spear Street,  M1 1DF 

Friday 17th May 2013 

12AM-3AM / £10 

Martyn

Levi Love

Image by Paul Greenwood.

The Library Theatre held a special event last week to reveal more information about it’s forthcoming and exciting new production Manchester Sound: The Massacre. Dubbed a ‘symposium’ (which by the way in ancient Greek was the word used for a drinking party) there was a great turn out from those fortunate to have been invited to the exclusive event and Manchester’s Finest was among them.

Chaired by former Hacienda DJ and author of Manchester, England Dave Haslam the panel comprised of the people behind Manchester Sound: The Massacre, Paul Jepson (Director), Polly Wiseman (Playright), Richard Poole and Sarah-Jane Haughey (Researchers)-all of which were ready to be questioned by the eager audience made up of musicians, historians, academics, journalists and DJs.

Polly Wiseman – Image by Paul Greenwood.

The play promises to be an innovative clash of two key events in the history of the city – the Peterloo Massacre of 1819, which saw the deaths of 18 protesters campaigning against poverty and for democracy, and the explosion of acid house and rave culture in 1989.

With such an emotive plot at the centre of it the main question everybody wanted to ask was, ‘would the play stay true to the two very crucial periods in Manchester’s history?’

Paul Jepson – Image by Paul Greenwood.

Both Poole and Wiseman assured us there were quite a few similarities that linked the two events, including the strong themes of politics and freedom-they believed there was a story to be told and would be making sure it was handled sensitively.

During the 90 minute session the room was buzzing with Manchester pride and the hope that this production would fulfil the passion of Mancunians past and present. Despite the panel not giving too much away it was hard not to leave thinking that we will be witnessing something special when Manchester Sound: The Massacre opens on June 8th. This is the 3rd and final site specific production from The Library Theatre which will run at a secret city centre venue…(Do I know where it is? Well, if I do, I’m not telling!)

Manchester Sound: The Massacre
Saturday 8 June – Saturday 6 July 2013
www.librarytheatre.co.uk

Blue Sky Thinking is the product of Manchester School or Art (MMU)’s Unit X project at the Bench Self Made Gallery. The exhibition showcases their plans for the ultimate Manchester Design Week festival.

The students use innovative and unexpected media and materials to plan the concept demonstrated via the models, audio, film and textile samples on show.

Delving into the local community to find out what the people of Manchester would like to see in a design festival on their doorstep. Students filmed and recorded interviews with residents and businesses creating the great video and audio footage collated in the gallery.

Throughout April and May Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, have taken over the Bench Self Made Gallery with their Unit X Design Festival, as one of its external studios.

Plans include a proposed footbridge to connect Ancoats to the Northern Quarter, a night festival to run in conjunction with daytime events and community workshops. Models of pop-up structures to be built to house events at the festival will also feature.

Throughout April and May Manchester School of Art, Manchester Metropolitan University, have taken over the Bench Self Made Gallery with their Unit X Design Festival, as one of its external studios.

The evolving backdrop of exhibitions, music and events that have been running at the Bench Self Made Gallery alongside the project have encouraged students to focus on experimental ways of thinking and working, which can clearly be seen in the outcomes of the project.

Private View – Thursday 16th May
Friday 17th May – Thursday 23rd May
FREE

Situated at the junction of Deansgate and John Dalton Street, the new restaurant will serve diners with hamburgers made the way they should be – with good beef sourced from Scottish farms and minced freshly each morning, cooked pink – and placed in a soft, squishy bun with a pickle on the side.

Customers can supplement their order with an array of side dishes and salads, including courgette fries, macaroni cheese, Caesar salad and tortilla chips. A selection of desserts, including Eton mess, rocky road, chocolate brownie or caramel and honeycomb sundae, round-off the menu.

Alongside these, there is a strong craft beer list which includes Camden Hell’s Lager and Brooklyn Lager, alongside Byron’s own Pale Ale – created exclusively by the Camden Town Brewery. Byron plans to regularly update its list of craft beers which are available alongside a five-strong list of Kentucky bourbons.

Specialising in ‘proper hamburgers’, Byron was founded by Tom Byng in 2007, with the first Byron opening on Kensington High Street that year.

During a four-year stint in America, Tom ate enough hamburgers to sink the Titanic. His favourite diner was the Silver Top in downtown Providence, Rhode Island. The hamburgers were simple, tasty things – a bit messy, but made with good quality meat and only the classic adornments: some lettuce, tomato, red onion, and maybe a slice of cheese or bacon. Back in London, Tom realized that there weren’t any restaurants offering hamburgers like those at the Silver Top. And so the idea for Byron was born: to do one thing, and do it properly. Byron have a few restaurants now but their vision remains the same: to keep serving proper hamburgers the way they should be.

Byron Manchester – opening early June 2013
115 Deansgate
Manchester
M3 2NW

Opening hours:
Mon – Thu: 12.00-23.00
Fri: 12.00-23.30
Sat:11.00 -23.30
Sun: 11.00- 23.30

On Saturday 18th and Sunday 19th May, LEGOLAND® Discovery Centre will be inviting Star Wars fans to join them and some familiar faces for a weekend to be long remembered as the attraction bids farewell to its LEGO® Star Wars™ themed interactive model display.

The weekend will consist of a variety of Star Wars activities for all of the family including a meet and greet with members of the Star Wars UK garrison as well as treasure hunts to spot Star Wars characters hidden in the LEGO® Star Wars™ MINILAND Model Display and the chance to take part in a group build of a giant LEGO® model Yoda with Master Model Builder Alex. There will be chances to win a number of prizes throughout the event and guests are encouraged to come dressed in costume.

From the rolling hills of Naboo, with its ancient domed city and cascading waterfalls, to the treacherous terrain of the desert planet of Tattooine, the incredible landscapes of Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace will be recreated using LEGO bricks forming some of the most stunning displays the Manchester LEGOLAND Discovery Centre has seen since opening in March 2010.

The display is made up of over 250,000 LEGO bricks, is home to 2000 LEGO Star Wars minfigures and took 2,000 man hours to create!

The pop-up walk-through LEGO® Star Wars™ MINILAND Model Display offers an intergalactic immersion into the sights and sounds of this the first in the film franchise. Built-in games offer hands on fun for even the youngest of Padawans who can take part in a thrilling Podrace with the young Anakin Skywalker and help defeat the evil Droid Army in the ‘Droid Destruction’ game.

The display is made up of over 250,000 LEGO bricks, is home to 2000 LEGO Star Wars minfigures and took 2,000 man hours to create! The display opened to the public on Friday 1 February and will stay open until Sunday 2 June.

The attraction already features a North West MINILAND, built from more than 1.5 million LEGO bricks, bringing the local area to miniature life with iconic buildings such as the intu Trafford Centre, Blackpool Tower and the city’s famous football grounds along with moving airships, trains and trams.

Located in Barton Square at The intu Trafford Centre, the LEGOLAND Discovery Centre is made up of a series of interactive features to immerse kids into a world where their imagination can run wild with creative inspiration at every turn.

Featuring a whole host of exciting attractions from the Kingdom Quest ride to the LEGO CITY Forest Pursuit driving adventure ride complete with battery powered off road vehicles, the Centre not only provides fun for LEGO fans young and old, but fantastic educational benefits too.

The Centre involves just one entry fee, with all attractions included in the cost. Tickets are available online from just £8.10 per person.

The Centre is open from 10am seven days a week. The Centre remains open until 7pm daily, with the last admission at 5pm – see www.LEGOLANDDiscoveryCentre.co.uk for details or follow us on Twitter – http://twitter.com/LDCManchester.

The swish Deansgate bar and restaurant has pulled out all the stops to create a list that will delight the tastebuds and also attract the eyes. With a real focus on the social aspect of eating The Living Room’s latest additions help create a culinary experience that is fun and which can be shared with friends. Their new tapas style service consists of grazers and shared platters along with keeping back a few favourite starters and mains which are popular with regulars.

The British fusion menu brings together the classic tastes of favourite traditional dishes and produce, complementing them with exotic ingredients and enticing flavours from far-flung corners of the world.

After being given the option to have the dishes come out all at once or grace the table as soon as they were ready we opted for the latter and went for a mixed selection to be brought out as and when.

There’s definitely a bit of theatre about it all echoing an air of Mr Blumenthall without going too OTT and retaining the foods original taste.

First to arrive were the Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls (£5), (we were warned by the waiter prior to ordering that these were unlike any other and served cold)-despite that it still came as a shock when they reached the table. Imagine a white clear membrane wrapped over some raw vegetables and that’s pretty much what you are presented, along with a sweet chilli and satay dip. Authenticity rules here as they are exactly as Vietnamese spring rolls should appear and taste, using rice paper to seal in their cold contents. Not an instant hit with our table but on reflection the rolls tasted fresh and went well with the accompanying sauces.

The memory of our ordering ‘hiccup’ was soon erased the Seared Beef Carpaccio (£10) came out next. Tender slices of meat drizzled with a parmesan emulsion made for a truly tasty dish with every mouthful luxurious and heavenly. Luckily the mini TLR Slider burgers (£14) were hot on their heels so we didn’t have to fight over the Carpaccio too much. 4 mini burgers with a mixture of fillings from seared tuna to pulled pork – perfect for those who want to try a bit of everything. This was easily my favourite dish – a perfect combination of being satisfying but not too heavy to enjoy other dishes or a few more cheeky cocktails.

The attention to detail The Living Room have put into their new menu is clearly evident and a big nod should go to their culinary team for their innovation in the new creations they have developed. In particular the Salmon, Tuna, and Welsh Seabass Sashimi (£15) creates a real stir when it is served up in two old fashioned steel sardine tins and you can’t help but salivate over the scampi scallops even before you taste them as they come presented on a wooden board with a mini beer mug of tartare sauce and chips just willing you to indulge.

There’s definitely a bit of theatre about it all echoing an air of Mr Blumenthall without going too OTT and retaining the foods original taste.

Sweet tooth lovers can’t leave without trying the Grande Dessert plate (£8) a selection of all The Living Rooms desserts in perfect bite size proportions-the chocolate pave with caramel ice cream is not to be missed!

Verdict: Served up a real treat – definitely the place to hang out this Summer and enjoy great food in with friends.

www.thelivingroom.co.uk
80, Deansgate, Manchester
0161 832 0083

From the left: Noreen Kershaw (Director Coronation Street, Moving On. Actor Life On Mars), Kathryn Worthington (Festival Director) , Vicky Binns (Actor Coronation Street).
Image by Ian Hamilton

Vicky said: “I can’t wait to see what 24:7 has in store this year. Year upon year it opens the doors to Manchester’s creative talent, creating not only one of the most exciting showcases for new writing around, but also a wealth of opportunities for its participants that seem to spread way beyond the festival”

The festival’s alumni include Joe Sims, recently seen as Nige Carter in the phenomenally successful Broadchurch.

Joe said: “24:7 is a magnificent opportunity for actors, writers and directors alike to work on exciting pieces of new theatre in a wonderfully passionate city. As a performer the accolades I was fortunate enough to garner through my work at 24:7 has led to many more opportunities that I may not otherwise have been offered.”

“I am extremely privileged and proud to have been involved and will always be grateful to this extraordinary event and the unswerving commitment of the wonderful team that put it together.”

Further successes include Ian Townsend, now Writer Liaison for the festival, whose production All The Bens won the Audience Award in 2012. The play went on to be selected for the The Library Theatre’s re:play Festival and subsequently toured the North West, plus won both Best Fringe at the Manchester Theatre Awards 2012 and the Vicky Allen Equity Award.

In recent years, the festival has also attracted performances from established actors including Vicky Binns , now a Trustee of the festival, and Roberta Kerr (Coronation Street), and Jeff Hordley (Emmerdale).

This year’s 24:7 Theatre Festival will run from 19 to 26 July and continues its innovative use of non-theatrical spaces to showcase the performing, producing and directing talent of tomorrow.

This year’s plays are:
Away From Home by Rob Ward and Martin Jameson
Blunted by Alice Brockway
Bump by Laura Kate Barrow
Daylight Robbery by Micheal Jacob
My Space by Louise Monaghan
Night on the Field of Waterloo by Thomas Bloor
No Soft Option by Brian Marchbank
Temper by Richard O’Neill

For the under 12’s:
Billy, the Monster and ME! by Catherine Manford & Sarah Molyneux

Site specific theatre at Ancoats Fire Station:
Manchester’s Burning by Rebekah Harrison & Kurt Nikko

Devised work:
The Young by Faro Productions

The festival is a National Portfolio Organisation of Arts Council England, and receives additional support from Manchester City Council and The Co-operative.

The £2.6m filming location on the outskirts of Manchester played host to guests from Emmerdale, Coronation Street, MTV and Hollyoaks as well as a host of industry professionals from the world of fashion, music, beauty and film.

Sheree Murphy, Kym Marsh, Jamie Lomas, Lucy Pargeter, Natalie Anderson, Gaynor Faye, Anthony Quinlan, Simon Gregson and Gemma Merner were among a glittering line up of celebs to pose in front of numerous regional, national and international photographers on the red carpet.

To celebrate the launch, the team decided that for one night only, they would display a very special and unique dress, a replica of the dress admired by many, worn by Pippa Middleton at the Royal Wedding. The dress, under armed guard was proudly displayed, before a darker, intriguing and more exciting story unfolded in front of a captivated audience.

To celebrate the launch, the team decided that for one night only, they would display a very special and unique dress, a replica of the dress admired by many, worn by Pippa Middleton at the Royal Wedding.

As if on a Hollywood set, a team of stunt actors performed a sequence of martial art moves, were set on fire and with numerous explosions and pyrotechnics, worthy of a movie trailer. Crafted to play with the audience senses, the mood quickly changed, as ‘Rebecca’s Dress Stratos’ video was played out to the audience – this time captivating, inspiring and moving the audience to tears, as they became lost in an innocent whirlwind of romance and magic.

During the evening, guests were free to relax and mingle in the lavish surroundings, many enjoying the official cocktail of the event – The Wreck My Dress Strawberry Bloom. The gin mix came courtesy of Greenalls Gin, one of the many brand sponsors at the launch.

VIP’s were quick to praise the efforts of the organising team, and indeed The Wreck My Dress Experience.

Kym Marsh commented ‘I think The Wreck My Dress Experience is a fantastic concept. The people involved add to the true professionalism of the whole experience, and the location gives a true superstar feel’.

Kym was one of a number of celebrities also involved with the partnered charity – Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention.

Emmerdale’s Natalie Anderson also commented ‘This is amazing! The Wreck My Dress Experience launch totally captivated me, and took me on a complete journey. There are so many places this can go, and I am looking forward to seeing the experiences people choose and the stories behind each individual’.

A diary room allowed guests to voice their thoughts on The Wreck My Dress Experience, as well as telling of their ideal ‘dream experience’.

Throughout the evening, numerous celebs took to the diary room chair for a chat. Kym Marsh told the camera how she aspires to be a feisty Bond girl, whilst Emmerdale’s Emma Atkins told how she would prefer a romantic love story. Every genre from chick-flick to horror was mentioned and settings from Las Vegas casinos, to the Sahara Desert chosen, all of which can now be achieved through the Wreck My Dress Experience.

The website is now live at www.wreckmydress.co.uk, and a video of the evening showing the live premier and crowd reactions can be seen here:

The ‘Rebecca’s Dress Stratos’ video shown on launch night, can also be viewed here;

The online shop is also now open, and can be found by logging on to the website www.wreckmydress.co.uk.

A new translation of Ibsen’s classic A Doll’s House opened this week at Manchester’s Royal Exchange, running till June 1st. The controversial play, which shocked audiences back in 1879 for its ground breaking themes, has been given a makeover by Bryony Lavery who has made the text both snappy and slick.

A Doll’s House is a story of domestic revolution, female empowerment and the journey towards self-liberation, it queries aspirations, success and what it means to raise a happy family. Nora Helmer, a young wife and mother is married to Torvald, a recently promoted bank manager. The pair seem to have an idyllic life until a terrible secret from Nora’s past comes back to haunt her and she begins to question their world.

Director Greg Hersov takes the helm guiding a stellar cast led by the new ‘darling’ of the theatre world, Cush Jumbo as Nora.

It’s Jumbo’s third outing at Manchester’s well renowned theatrical venue having previously wowed audiences at the Exchange in Pygmalion and As You Like It. Once again the Olivier award nominated actress triumphs here.

Cush serves up a delicious portrayal of child-like Nora, full to the brim of coquettishness and flightiness, which has the audience mesmerised for the whole time she is on stage (quite a feat considering Jumbo is in almost every scene during the 2 hour play).

There’s something very simple about this whole production resulting in the action washing over the audience. The set remains static throughout depicting the Helmer’s living room and, being performed ‘in the round’ the staging gives Jumbo the perfect platform to lead other cast members around as she holds court as Nora.

Kelly Hotten as down-trodden Christine Linde serves up a fine antithesis to the excitable Nora producing some electric and fast paced duologues between her and Jumbo. Jamie De Courcey should also be noted for his superb and understated portrayal of the unfortunate Dr. Rank.

Richard Howell’s lighting and Emma Laxton’s sound are deliberately kept to a minimum without fuss or complexity, accentuating the fact it is the acting here which is the main focus -there are no added extras required.

A diverse audience made up of the over 50s, students and mid twenties cultural set proves Ibsen’s ‘A Doll’s House’ still appeals to a wide range, despite his work being over a century old. Whether or not the play’s themes are still as shocking to today’s audience remain to be seen although the final door slam still has the desired effect and is a knee-jerking end to a thoroughly engaging and thoughtful production.

Highlight: The rehearsal of Nora’s Tarantella dance where Cush Jumbo delivers a performance so manic and desperate it really did appear she was, as her husband Torvald says, ‘dancing as if her life depended on it’.

LISTINGS
01 May 13 – 01 June 13
Box Office on 0161 833 9833
The Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, Manchester, M2 7DH
www.royalexchange.co.uk

From free burgers, to bowling, to haircuts, to romantic meals, to the theatre, to cups of tea, to crates of ale and plenty of cake plus whatever else gets added over the next few weeks we’ve got it all covered.

So far we’ve got prizes from Hey little Cupcake, All Star Lanes, Almost Famous Burgers, Black Dog, Port Street Beer House, Kosmonaut, Rosso Restaurant, Restaurant Bar & Grill, Fresco Freddo’s, Thomas NQ, Lego Land, Sea life Centre, Southern Eleven and more, basically there’s not much to do other than let folks know on Twitter.

Much appreciated all and good luck to the lot of ya.