Microdot at Hatch
Saturday 15th June
A little teaser. A little taster. A little tidbit of what’s to come when bluedot festival heads to Jodrell Bank in a few weeks – Microdot will feature much of the same as it’s bigger sister – but in a much smaller space and time frame. To be fair though, Hatch is by no means ‘small’ any more. They’ve added a massive bit to it – extending right under the Mancunian Way and adding a ton more food and retail places. Perfect for the line-up of science talks and top DJ’s this Saturday (that’s FREE too). I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
The National Festival of Making
Saturday 16th June
This might be a little far for some people, and technically it’s not even in Manchester but it doesn’t matter – this event is in here because it’s great and if nothing else on this list takes your fancy – this one just might. The National Festival of Making will already be in full swing as you read this, and it’s the UK’s biggest gathering of independent ‘makers’ offering up one-off pieces and products all made by talented people with talents and that. Taking place at King George’s Hall in Blackburn there will be a HUGE selection of things on offer, alongside some street food from Nasi Lamek and Ginger’s Comfort Emporium. If you’re a fan of craft – head here.
Funkademia at Mint Lounge
Saturday 15th June
Yes okay – Funkademia is on every single night at Mint Lounge and has been for donkey’s years – but there’s a reason it’s been around for so long – it’s fucking brilliant. The reason I’m putting it in today is because I went last week and had THE BEST night I’ve had in ages – so I want to spread the word and spread the wealth. Hit up the night with all the best funk, soul and disco you can imagine, by DJ’s who’ve been doing it since you were sucking on your mams teat. They certainly know their stuff.
The Courteeners in Heaton Park
Saturday 15th June
The LADS are back! Liam Fray, Dewie Spencer, Kyle Butch and the other one are all heading down to Heaton Park this Saturday for a gig which I’m sure will be a very messy and very riotous affair. The crowds at these Courteeners gigs are known to be a bit mental – especially when the big hits come on – so be aware that you might get a flare thrown at your head or get drenched in human piss at some point. The lads always put on a good show and with support from James, DMA’s and Pale Waves – it’ll be a cracker. I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
ClobberCalm Denim Hang @ Manchester Union Lager
Saturday 15th June
After successful stints over in Sheffield, the Clobbercalm Denim Hangs crew are driving over the Snake’s Pass to Manchester this weekend – van packed full of denims, boots and the occasional flashes of leather (I hope). They’ll be setting up shop at the Manchester Union Lager Brewery from 12pm, offering up a massive range of denim brands (at a discount) such as Levi’s Vintage, Redwing, Joe & Co and more, alongside the Denim Doctor who can help you repair any fucked-up jeans you may have. There’ll also be a barber in the form of Jersey Street Social, and not forgetting one of the most important things – taps and taps of fresh Manchester Union Lager.
Father’s Day
Sunday 16th June
As a man who will never sire children, Father’s Day is a complete waste of time. For all you blokes out there who either have kids or will have kids at some point – this day will be the one you look forward to the most I imagine. You’ll get treated like a king, given free stuff and generally fawned over by your doting children – all because you were stupid enough to get someone pregnant in the first place. This is your reward though so enjoy every minute of it. As you’d expect the establishments of Manchester are offering up a dazzling array of offers to treat dads, including FREE roast dinners, FREE beers, BOTTOMLESS beers for 3 hours and more. Check out our round up for all the deets…
15+ Ways to Treat Your Papa this Father’s Day 2019
Overdrawn at The Bay Horse Tavern
Wednesday 19th June
It’s that time of the month when you can channel your inner Neil Buchannan and try to impress people with the power of your nib. Overdrawn is a brilliant art event – where there’s live art demonstrations by local artists, portraits for £1, competitions, stuff for sale and you can even draw on the tables with felt tip pens – penises included. Its great fun and when you add The Bay Horse into the mix with their cheap gin, great pies and even better chips – you’re onto a bloody winner. I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
Horace Andy & Dub Asante Band @ Band on the Wall
Thursday 20th June
Reggae royalty Horace Andy will be at Band on the Wall this Thursday. Buy a ticket. Buy one now…
Rum Kitchen Takeover at The Liars Club (with Bacardi)
Thursday 20th June
Just in case you’ve never been on a Mega Bus down to London – with a baby crying the full 6 hours and a bloke on the phone sat next to you the whole way too – speaking a foreign language so you can’t even be nosy, then you might not have heard of Rum Kitchen before. They’re a pretty big deal to be fair. They offer a Caribbean beach shack experience – complete with food and drink that will blow your bloody socks off with flavour, spice and general excellence. Well, they’re heading up North this Thursday and are heading to The Liars Club for a takeover with Bacardi. There’ll be £6 cocktails ALL NIGHT. I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
Cirque du Soleil Toruk @ Manchester Arena
Thursday 20th June
James Cameron is a man who seems to never let anyone down. It just seems like shit doesn’t stick on him. He started doing Terminator 2 and everyone was like – ‘It’s going to be rubbish!’ and it was brilliant and he was like ‘What were you worried about?’. He started doing Aliens and everyone was like – ‘I don’t trust this guy with this!’ and he finished it, it was mega and he turned around and said ‘See, I told you’. Well, he’s doing some sequels to Avatar and unfortunately – they WILL BE rubbish. Before then though you should head on down to the Manchester Arena to watch this Avatar themed Cirque du Soleil. They do some crazy things with their bodies in this so be prepared to go ‘Wow – that was weird’. I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
Wilderness Presents #1 at Bunny Jackson’s
Friday 21st June
The latest addition to Withington, Wilderness Record Store opened up a couple of months ago and have been smashing it – offering up a combination of rare and elusive vinyl alongside a little cafe bit that does some proper nice toasties, and coffee if that’s your thing. This week sees the Wilderness crew head on over to Bunny Jackson’s with a gaggle of live acts and DJ’s in tow – ensuring you’ll have a packed night of top tunes, topper cocktails and even toppier 10p chicken wings. I’ll be there so buy us a bevvie if you see me.
Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
Friday 21st June
If you don’t know who these two are then it probably means that you’re under the age of 26. Don’t worry though – even if you don’t know their names, you’ll definitely know a few of their songs from the past. The reason you will know their songs is because as a child your father (or mother, but mostly father) will have had a Housemartins or Beautiful South CD permanently on in the car while you were driving about. Songs such as ‘Perfect 10’ and ‘Happy Hour’ will be loitering somewhere deep in your subconscious somewhere. They’ll be hitting up Stockport’s footy ground on Friday and so if you want to go – or want to take your dad – get involved.
