There’s rather a lot of things going on this week which makes my job 10x easier. It does however mean that you may be tempted to leave your house and go out and actually do something – but considering you probably spent most of your wages over the Easter weekend – it may be difficult. Anyway, if you are skint, just read this and imagine you’re there.
Ultimate Power
Friday 21st April, 11pm
Once again Ultimate Power is on at The Ritz, and once again I have included it in my list of things to do this week. In fact, if you feel like complaining I’ll just tell you now – it’s probably going to be in every time it’s on, which is monthly. The reason for this is because it’s an absolutely brilliant night of power ballads, dancing and pissing about with inflatable guitars. You should go. If you see me – buy me a drink please.
Tickets are £9.20
The Ritz, Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5NQ
www.ultimatepowerclub.com
Record Store Day
Saturday 22nd April
If you enjoy the feeling of sound waves hitting your ear drums at different frequencies and pitch then you probably already know that it is Record Store Day on Saturday. There is a huge list of exclusive, one-off and shiny vinyl to be bought on the day – so it may be a good idea to head on down to Oldham Street early doors if you want to partake in some purchases. I’ve kindly done a roundup of the events for you here.
Retro Silent Disco @ Central Library
Saturday 22nd April, 7pm – 10pm
For a measly £2 you can head down to the Central Library and celebrate World Book Night with a Silent Disco. DJ John Ryan will be playing some corkers – giving you the choice of Classic Hits, Chart or Manchester tunes to keep you entertained. It will also be a good chance to have a look around the stunning building – especially since it got done up a couple of years back.
St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD
www.librarylive.co.uk/event/retro-silent-disco
Vengaboys @ The Ritz
Sunday 23rd April, 8.00pm
I’m not supposed to do gigs on here – we have another person who outlines concerts to go to. This is primarily because my music taste is atrocious – and also partly because my writing is terrible. I couldn’t resist including the Vengaboys on this list though, firstly because I doubt it will be on the other list, and secondly because it will be bloody amazing. The Vengaboys are so bad that you absolutely cannot fail to have a great time watching them, and with every single one of their songs sounding the same – time will go by really fast.
Tickets are £23.50
The Ritz, Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5NQ
www.academymusicgroup.com/o2ritzmanchester/
St George’s Day Parade
Sunday 23rd April, 12.15pm
There’s a bit of a stigma attached to the St George’s flag and its various connotations. There’s also a load of negativity surrounding the idea of nationalism. This is why I’m not going to get involved – my tendency to say the wrong thing will only infuriate some people and offend many more. So I’ll just say this – there is a St George’s Day Parade going through Manchester on Sunday which promises to be a “vibrant celebration of English culture”. Go if you want. Don’t if you don’t. That’s it. Next.
www.stgeorgesdaymanchester.co.uk
Rick & Morty’s Interdimensional Part & Pub Quiz
Monday 24th April, 9pm
If you enjoy watching the adventures of Rick Sanchez and his stupid little grandson Morty, as they travel through space and dimensions then you’ll probably enjoy heading over to Versions on Monday night for their quiz and party night. These things usually sell out so you should probably get a ticket as soon as possible; I can’t guarantee that it’s as good as the 1998 Mulan promotional Schezuan sauce but it should be decent enough.
Tickets are £6
Joshua Brooks & Versions, 106 Princess St, Manchester M1 6NG
www.joshuabrooks.co.uk
Ghost the Musical @ The Lowry
Starts Monday 24th April
There have been plenty of recent celebrity deaths that have been rather sad. One such corpse is Patrick Swayze – who managed to become both a sex symbol and massive movie star even though his face looked like a leather handbag and he had one leg significantly shorter than the other. One of his most famous roles was alongside that Demi Moore and Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost – where he played a man who managed to seduce his girlfriend from beyond the grave. Pretty impressive. You can relive these moments plus many more at the Lowry this week as they open up Ghost the Musical. Expect songs, acting, dry ice, lasers and plenty of pissed up middle-aged divorcees.
Tickets are around £28-£40
Pier 8, The Quays, Salford M50 3AZ
www.thelowry.com/events/-ghost-the-musical
Battle of the Rums @ The Pen & Pencil
Wednesday 26th April, 7.30pm
I did a brilliant rum article the other day, and now The Pen and Pencil are having a Rum-a-thon. A Rum-Off. A Rum-ble in the Jungle. Ok, a Battle of the Rums, where essentially they have 3 rum companies who will all be vying to be crowned the champion of the evening and therefore the best rum out of those three. For the £15 ticket you get 3 rum cocktails, blind tasting of the rums and discounted drinks all night. At the end of the night everybody votes for the best and the winner receives some sort of gold belt I presume. Sounds like fun.
The Pen & Pencil, Fourways House, 57 Hilton St, Manchester M1 2EJ
www.thepenandpencilnq.co.uk
Manchester Derby @ Black Dog Ballroom NWS
Thursday 27th April, 8pm Kick Off
It’s the Manchester Derby this week and strangely it’s on a Thursday night. I didn’t think those boys played on Thursday nights. I thought Thursday nights were set aside for late night shopping in Flannels. Anyway – the game is on and Black Dog Ballroom NWS are having a big party for you to get involved in. They tell me that there will be plenty of drinks offers and more importantly FREE pizza at half time. So hopefully Eric Cantona, Paul Parker and Steve Bruce can club together against Georgi Kinkladze, Nicky Summerbee and Paulo Wanchope to give you an exciting game too.
Black Dog Ballroom NWS, 11-13 New Wakefield St, Manchester M1 5NP
www.blackdogballroom.co.uk/nws
MCR Student Night Out
Thursday 27th April
If you’re a student and you like buying things then this Thursday sees the return of the Arndale’s Student night jam-packed full of live DJ’s, food offers, competitions and a load of bargains throughout all the stores. Shops will be offering up to 30% off, as well as enough one-night-only deals to make Robert Redford weep. There’s loads of stuff going on – so head on down and check it out. It’s not as if you’re going to be doing anything anyway – you can catch Countdown on 4OD.
