Wednesday 30 April 2014

Rapunzel @ Lowry Theatre, 27.04.14

balletLORENT's portrayal of Rapunzel was a lot darker than I remember from my days spent reading fairytales. One of the Brothers Grimm tales, it concerns the stolen child who is locked in a tower with hair long enough to be used as a rope ladder and, like all good fairy tales, results in a happy ending where Rapunzel is married to her prince and re-united with her family.


The production played at the Lowry Theatre for just two days – 26th and 27th April. In the glorious opening scene, the stage is filled with children of school age and younger, even babes in arms, to reinforce the element of children and family that runs through the whole production. This charming vignette led us to the story's darker themes.

Straight away, the gritty life truths of the pain and suffering of infertility, combined with the loss of a child in any situation, were portrayed effectively in dance and expression. The production did not shy away from these factors no matter how uncomfortable they made you feel. You could almost taste the despondency felt by the Wife character, such was her power.


The story progresses and another of the main characters, the Witch, made many an appearance, as the narrative demands. But the use of a pair of roller skates in one scene means that she never appeared malevolent. Appearing slowly on the stage with her flowing, hooped skirts hiding the skates, she glided in menacingly from nowhere to snatch the baby Rapunzel, leaving broken and grieving parents (Mariusz Raczynski and Debbi Purtill) prostrate on the floor. However, the narrative continued to its much happier and fulfilling conclusion.

It is at this point that special mention should be given to other areas of the production. Costumes were beautifully designed by Michelle Clapton, who has worked on costumes for TV's Game of Thrones. The set, designed by Phil Eddolls, was stark but dominated by magnificent ironwork erections that moved as the narrative dictated. It is to be commended that cast members continually mounted and dismounted these frameworks with perfect grace and athleticism. Bringing in literary greatness, the scenario was written by Carol Ann Duffy, the Poet Laureate, and the story was comfortingly narrated by Manchester's very own Lesley Sharp.


balletLORENT's productions have previously been cited by The List as “...dance theatre that manages to engage both your heart and your head”. Given that the production did not avoid the dark themes of childlessness and abduction and pitched these against the joy and light-heartedness of the final reunion, I would agree with that.

Words: Una Cottrell
Photos 1 and 2: Bill Cooper (courtesy of The Lowry)
Photo 3: courtesy of balletLORENT

Rapunzel continues its tour at the end of May in Warwick, followed by Edinburgh in September. For information visit the balletLORENT website here.

Tuesday 29 April 2014

PINS @ Soup Kitchen, 19.04.14


The eight-song set list is apparently a “short” one as the band has to get to an evening gig in Sheffield. The bright sunlight outside is not a distraction for vocalist and guitarist Faith Holgate, who alludes that the subterranean venue, Soup Kitchen, is quite effective in creating a night-time ambience.

PINS have even arranged for black balloons to be strategically placed around the stage area, and Holgate has black balloon shapes crayoned onto her knees. For this Record Store Day appearance, the venue is almost packed for the 3pm start.


Inserting two new songs, ‘Curse These Dreams’ and ‘House of Love’, into the opening three numbers, rather than slipping them into the middle of the set, could be seen as a brave move by the band. It reflects the overflowing confidence, exemplified when Anna Donigan wanders out into the crowd, guitar in hand, steely glare in her eyes.

A straw poll of (three) people’s opinions afterwards is that their seemingly constant gigging resulted in a taut, well-disciplined and executed performance.

With the balloons packed away in the van the band departs for Sheffield with appreciative applause in their ears.

Words and photos: Ged Camera

Saturday 26 April 2014

JB Shorts 11 @ Joshua Brooks, 08.04.14

While one game of two halves played out on the big screen upstairs at Joshua Brooks, another took to the small stage downstairs with the 11th instalment of JB Shorts.

As the lights came up we were presented with a woman attempting to hang herself in Whose Dog Is it Anyway. Perhaps not the most cheerful way to kick off proceedings, but it certainly grabbed the attention. The ensuing dialogue between the suicidal lady and her ex-husband was funny - it is not often that you get quite so many dog related sex jokes in a ten minute piece - but overall it felt lightweight, and the issue of suicide was brushed over a touch too lightly. Next came Break, a teacher’s lounge comic rant that required a little too much suspension of disbelief to really work. A slightly disappointing first half was brought to a close by I See Dead People, a piece that followed the path of a television medium out on tour. A great topic for a play, it explored some interesting ideas – and featured a strong central performance from Julie Hannan – but this was another script that was too outlandish to engender emotional investment.


After the half time oranges were eaten things began to look up. The Ballad of Valentino Rivas was delightfully silly, telling the tale of a Mexican singer through song, something I am not sure has been done at JB before. Slightly off-kilter accents and singing only added to the fun, and it would be great to see more musicals in future editions. A hard act to follow, but the next play on stage managed to actually surpass it, this time with heart rather than harmonies. Leaky Bacon told a simple story of how different generations relate, make expectations and care for one another. Jacqueline Pilton gave the outstanding performance of the night as a fussy but loveable Nan, while Justin Moorhouse's script has me eager to see more of his work. A Great War closed out the evening, satirising the folly of World War One by telling it in the style of rolling news coverage. Peter Kerry and James Quinn's script had great jokes, and Chris Horner's directing kept the whole thing moving along at the requisite break-neck speed.

So, while the first half might have missed the spot the second more than made up for it through originality, quality and charm. It was nice to see some new faces among the cast, and in fact the whole evening felt fresh and rejuvenated after JB’s usual winter hibernation. It might be into its eleventh edition, but JB Shorts is showing no signs of giving up the game just yet.

Words: Andrew Anderson

Thursday 24 April 2014

Competition: 0161 Festival @ Moston Miners Centre

0161 Festival makes its debut at the Miners Community Arts and Music Centre in Moston on the next bank holiday weekend, running from Friday 2nd to Sunday 4th May.


The festival aims to raise money for antifascism and antiracism groups through staging an array of live music, DJs and film across the three days. Genres covered range from high tempo pulse-racers such as punk, hardcore, jungle and drum and bass, to the more laid back musical leanings, such as reggae and acoustic.

Headlining the mostly punk-fuelled main stage are Stage Bottles (Friday), The Oppressed (Saturday) and What We Feel (Sunday). Currently touring Canada, the Frankfurt band Stage Bottles have been stirring up a frenzy on the road with their saxophone-led riffs. The Oppressed have been splitting and reforming since they first formed in the early 1980s in Cardiff as outspokenly antifascist punks, but vocalist Roddy Moreno remains ever-present as the driving force behind the band. Finally, the Muscovite hardcore punks What We Feel add their own politically motivated music to round off the weekend.


Beyond the main stage, there are two further venue rooms each day. One features acoustic acts, including local artists such as Bo Weavil and Crywank, while the other features artists tuned into rap and drum and bass, bringing MCs and DJs together. Hackney rapper Klashnekoff takes centre stage on the Saturday with Manchester-based Danny Diatribe further down the bill, plus many more across the full weekend.

We’ve teamed up with the festival organisers, the antifascist label Infiltrate The System Records, to offer a lucky winner a pair of tickets to the whole event. All you have to do to enter the competition is like and share the image via this link (making sure it’s set to ‘public’ so we can see that you’ve entered).

We’ll notify the winner on Wednesday 30 April. Good luck!

Weekend tickets cost £31.50 and money goes to supporting the bands that are spreading the antifascist message. For more information follow this link.

Sunday 13 April 2014

Much Ado About Nothing @ Royal Exchange, 07.04.14

Shakespeare’s well-known romantic comedy Much Ado About Nothing comes to Manchester in this new production directed by Maria Aberg. There is much merriment and mirth to welcome Don Pedro (Jason Baughan) and his company to town and Leonata (Marty Cruickshank), the Governor of Messina, is a very accommodating and gracious host. The guests have much to celebrate as they have recently won a great war, so there is dancing and laughter at the masked ball party thrown by Leonata. One of the guests in Don Pedro’s party, the esteemed Claudio (Gerard Kearns of Shameless fame), falls in love with Leonata’s daughter Hero (Becci Gemmell).


This production does well to surprise us and subvert the original male role of Governor Leonato with an impressive female Governor Leonata, as well as appeal to us with a new setting and a new time period. This is post World War Two Italy where the stars of the show are Benedick (a noble soldier in the company of Don Pedro, played by Paul Ready) and Beatrice (Leonata’s niece, played by Ellie Piercy), both of whom are stubborn and strong-minded, and thus the audience revel in the quick-witted retorts between these two charming characters. To the glee of Don Pedro and his company as well as the ladies in the household of Leonata, Benedick and Beatrice indulge in a “skirmish of wit”. Benedick and Beatrice amuse us with the air of nonchalance they attempt to profess, and yet they are so easily tricked. Also to be applauded for their fantastic humorous skits, which lighten the atmosphere, are constable Dogberry (Sandy Foster) and her deputy Verges (Beverly Rudd), for the two policemen are hilarious as they attend to their duties with great sincerity and comedy.


Typical of Shakespeare there is villainy in the form of Don John (Mild Twomey), the recently reconciled brother of Don Pedro who is extremely jealous of “the young start-up” Claudio and will go to lengths to plot the ruin of his chance of happiness. Will Claudio fall for Don Pedro’s vicious traps? Will Benedick and Beatrice fall in love? Will we get a happy Shakespearean ending? You’ll have to go along and find out.

Words: Sadia Habib

Photos: Jonathan Keenan

Saturday 12 April 2014

Hiker Meat and Rough Cut: The Art of Making a Film That Never Existed

How do you explain the unique eccentricity of Hiker Meat, Jamie Shovelin's latest creative enterprise which is currently showcasing at the Cornerhouse in the form of an exhibition and a film, the latter entitled Rough Cut?


Well, it goes a bit like this. Imagine the only cars you liked were luxury cars but rather than build a new one you wanted to create a luxury car that never existed. But you wouldn't create a completely new luxury car you'd just recreate the bits that fascinated you the most, perhaps a walnut and rosewood dashboard (Jaguar), the finest hand crafted Parthenon-styled radiator grille (Rolls Royce) or a hand stitched driver's seat upholstered in the softest calf skin imaginable (Bentley). It would be a master class exploring the craft behind some iconic elements of the best luxury cars ever.

Now transfer this creative process to the horror film genre and you get my drift. Jamie's fantastic creative conceit is to deconstruct some of the key elements of the best of low budget slasher celluloid horror and re-examine every aspect of their aesthetic by recreating them in his own vision.


Rough Cut, and its supporting exhibition, documents the development of the project and its entourage of actors, film crew, sound technicians and set builders, all of whom head en masse to Grizedale in the Lake District. Here, their mission is to recreate a film that never existed by happily drawing upon a plethora of references to over 1,500 film clips from a portfolio of exploitation films produced in the 60s, 70s and 80s that have established the horror genre as more than just a cult, but a filmic language all of its own.


My initial reaction to the whole enterprise was that perhaps this was all a bit self-indulgent, too considered and aware of itself. However, as the film unfolds you begin to realise that Shovelin's forensic approach to understanding the components that make this particular horror genre so compelling is a powerful journey of creative self discovery, and an invaluable resource for film goers and filmmakers alike. The power and the validity of the project come from its obsessive re-examination of the whole process.

Although we never get to see a complete film there is an outline framework of a plot which provides the context in which to explore a range of elements essential to a classic horror film such as location, sound effects, costume, plot development, camera angles, dialogues and the all-important primal scream.


In this instance the plot revolves around hitchhiking girls picked up by truck drivers who lead them to what seems like a utopian freethinking university summer camp (ripe with the possibilities of copious amounts of sex, drink and drugs) whereupon they become victim to man eating monsters. We're talking mid-1970s, hot pants and skimpy tops for the girls and college sweats, jeans and sneakers for the boys. We're also talking fun lovin' California, as re-imagined in the Lake District. Sounds implausible? Shovelin's artistry and filmic forensics make it truly convincing, softly anarchic and occasionally ironic.


What I really enjoyed were the various genre points of reference that helped give creative steer to the execution of each element under examination, not least the final scene where the two protagonists flee from an exploding house. The house in question is based on the iconic Bates Motel from Psycho, remodelled in a Lake District landscape and blown up by carefully controlled ballistics. Pan out from this scene to a 1970s Chevy heading down the desert highway with a menacing sense of foreboding and you have Hiker Meat as re-imagined by Shovelin and his team doing their craft 70 miles north of the Cornerhouse.

In the end, the plot is largely insignificant as we only ever see fragments of it and its promotional trailer. Nevertheless, what is so enjoyable is the way every detail of each component is scrutinised to the point of perfection. Which brings to mind two famous quotes by French director Jean-Luc Godard, who said “every story should have a beginning, a middle and an end, but not necessarily in that order”. He also wisely said that it wasn't the devil but “god” that was in the detail.


Audacious in concept and, yes, occasionally ironic and self-knowing, Rough Cut the film and Hiker Meat the exhibition are fine examples of adventurous and experimental art commissioning which, thanks to the vision of the Cornerhouse, enables the likes of Jamie Shovelin to help us revisit the niche genre of exploitation B-movies.

Take it as seriously as you want or, like Shovelin and his fictitious Italian film director Jesus Rinzoli, laugh at the madness of it all.

Words: Tom Warman
Images: courtesy of Cornerhouse

The exhibition continues until 21 April.

Wednesday 9 April 2014

COMPETITION: Werkha EP Launch @ Band On The Wall

We first encountered Werkha’s Tom Leah as one half of Bug & Leaf, an ambient electronic duo in the Mount Kimbie mould formed with his fellow University of Salford music student Rick Hartley, who now performs under the moniker of (murmur). But his first real taste of musical recognition arrived when Gilles Peterson picked up Cube & Puzzle, Leah's debut EP as Werkha, to play two of its exquisite tracks on his BBC Radio 6Music show towards the end of 2012.


Since then things have moved quickly for Werkha. Peterson asked him to feature a track on the tenth edition of the DJ’s Brownswood label compilation series, and on the live front he recently joined Bonobo on the mainland European legs of his tour as well as DJing at popular club nights such as Hit&Run and So Flute.

Now signed to the Brighton-based Tru Thoughts label – home of Quantic, Alice Russell and Hidden Orchestra – Werkha is set to perform at Band On The Wall on 17 April to mark the launch of his first EP on the imprint, named Beacons. On 5 May this will be available on wax, but for the time being we’d advise you to listen here and read the review in our latest magazine (online here if you haven't picked up your copy yet).


The video for 'Lapwing' by Werkha, taken from the Beacons EP.

At the Band On The Wall show, Leah will perform his compositions live with a cellist and vocalist – Alan Keary, who also performs with Shunya, and Bryony Jarman-Pinto respectively.

In support on the night will be Werkha’s label mate Harleighblu performing her soulful songs live, as well as Gonwana Records founder Matthew Halsall spinning jazzy numbers on the ones and twos. Further tune selections will be provided by Mind On Fire Collective and Tru Thoughts.

We’ve teamed up with Mind On Fire and Band On The Wall to secure a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky Now Then Manchester reader. All you have to do to enter the competition is like and share the image via this link (making sure it’s set to ‘public’ so we can see that you’ve entered).

We’ll notify the winner on Wednesday 16 April. Good luck!

Tuesday 8 April 2014

Sessions Part Two: Denis Jones

Manchester MIDI School’s Sessions series is to stage its second ever workshop and has invited Manchester folkie-turned-electronic music experimenter Denis Jones to share his experiences and skills as an independent musician specialising in modern production and electronic music.


Denis Jones has released two critically acclaimed albums via the formerly Manchester-based independent label Humble Soul. Over the past couple of years, he has been collaborating with various musicians across Europe and has most recently recorded with Stockport DJ, artist and tea connoisseur Mr Scruff ahead of Scruff’s new album, Friendly Bacteria, due out via Ninja Tune on 18 May.



Central to Denis’s equipment throughout his development as a musician is the Boss RC-50 looping pedal, but since embracing electronic music, his gigging luggage has expanded to include enough blinking LEDs to resemble a miniature scale city. All this hardware is the antithesis of many modern electronic music producers, who are left scratching their heads and asking the question central to Sessions #2: ‘How can you perform electronic music without a laptop?’

The chance the learn about the performing and recording practices of someone so tuned into new and abstract production methods without the help of laptop software doesn’t arrive too often, but the MIDI School on Bexley Square is offering the opportunity for free.

Sessions returns after a successful debut last November, when the deep house producer and DJ Ben Pearce fronted a class and Q&A on his production techniques and life as an independent musician. The Sessions series at Manchester MIDI School aims to inspire, educate and encourage participants to pursue a career in the music industry, proving the relevant skills to follow this path.

As with the Ben Pearce Sessions workshop, places will be free. But they are also limited, so will be allocated via a competition. To join the Denis Jones Sessions event on Friday 18 April, just follow this link. The closing date for entry is 10 April.

Saturday 5 April 2014

Before Juliet @ 3MT, 18.03.14

Romeo & Juliet are the premier romantic paring in English Literature; we all know the story of the star-crossed lovers. But what about Rosaline, the girl who Romeo once romanced? It is her tale that the Manchester Shakespeare Company tell in Before Juliet, a modern day imagining of a love that was not quite enough.

The concept is a strong one, adding new narrative to a scenario we are all familiar with, and bringing it forward to the present day. In this imagining Rosaline is living with her mother and family friend Capulet, who is like a father to her. The family business – a car dealership – is thriving, emotional bonds are strong and life is going along just fine. Rosaline has her Romeo who, while a touch callous, will surely be won around to her affections. Nothing can go wrong...until Rosaline’s exotic cousin Juliet, the estranged daughter of Capulet, arrives in town...and then everything does.


Unfortunately it is at this point that the production loses its way. Rather than exploring one or two elements of the idea Before Juliet takes all roads at once, leading to an overly long and unfocussed effort. Each scene in a play should serve a purpose but this was not the case here, with dozens of changes creating a strobe-like effect of fractured fragments rather than a full story. Some characters, such as Rosaline’s demon, felt unnecessary and could have been cut. The main problem was that the production lasted almost 3 hours including intermission. This is simply too much for fringe, which is at its best when used as a trying ground for shorter pieces that can perhaps be expanded upon elsewhere.

There were positives: some of the dialogue was very funny, and the relationship between Romeo and his brother is one that worked well – it could have made for a good 10-15 minute piece in itself. The acting performances were about as strong as they could be given the sheer scope of the play, which must have put serious strains upon the cast.

Before Juliet has a kernel of something very interesting at its core: there is a good play here waiting to get out. With any luck writers Hannah Ellis and John Topliff will sit down, give it a good edit, and come back with a leaner version that does the idea justice.

Words: Andrew Anderson

Friday 4 April 2014

This May Hurt A Bit @ Bolton Octagon, 01.04.14

The National Health Service, a subject close to many people’s hearts, is explored incisively in Stella Feehily’s powerful polemic play This May Hurt A Bit. From 1948 until the current day coalition-led “re-organisation” of the NHS, we are taken on a rollercoaster of a socio-historical journey, unexpectedly meeting significant political players who argue the case for the necessity of the NHS along the way.


The play, directed by Max Stafford-Clark, is deeply political, but at the same time highly entertaining with witty and sharp dialogue. The packed house roared with laughter at brilliantly realised patients, relatives and the NHS staff. We met doctors, paramedics, nursing staff and patients who are all trying to make sense of governmental policies, whilst making do with limited resources because of cuts and closures. Comparisons are made with the healthcare system of the United States, making us aware that this might be the way we are headed.
Iris (Stephanie Cole) is intelligent and humorous in dealing with Mariel, her oblivious Tory daughter, and Mariel’s obnoxious husband Hank (William Hope). The overworked struggling nurse Gina (Natalie Klamar) had dreamed all her life of working for the NHS, but the reality is a nightmare. Yet she does her best to tend to the sick patients, keep up their good spirits (as well as her own) and adhere to hospital protocol, rules and regulations.


The social conscience play is especially moving when we think on the state of the NHS today, and the ruthless management by the current and previous governments with their diabolical decisions to use Private Finance Initiative (PFI) that has created crippling debt. Arguments about austerity do not hold up when we think on how when the NHS was first established; the country was financially challenged, yet the welfare of the sick was given priority. We witness scathing criticism of the reforms and re-organisation that begin every time a new government arrives, yet there is no positive narrative behind their botched plans. Reorganisation is a diversion, not a solution.

Surreal and humorous moments in the play, with the unexpected appearance of famous figures, as well as personification of the NHS, are juxtaposed with the serious message we must all take home: The NHS has lost its way, and young and old must challenge the callous government to save it.


If you don’t catch it at Bolton Octagon, the play is touring, so go see it. Tour dates can be found on their website: www.outofjoint.co.uk/prods/this-may-hurt-a-bit-dates-booking.html

Words: Sadia Habib

Images: John Haynes

Tuesday 1 April 2014

Review: Miscellaneous Series Vol 1 - Chthonic Cities (Folklore Tapes)


This Folklore Tapes cassette was never going to sound like a slickly produced project and its collaborative effort oozes a purposefully unpolished peculiarity. A strange combination of repeated keyboard loops, clicky tech rhythms and distorted sound bites drift amongst an experimental mish mash of melodies and contributors.

With distorted allusions to underground tunnels (commissioned by a man on a mission to dig a labyrinth under Liverpool – apparently a true story) the sounds are largely wordless, wandering and eerily evocative. Sinking and rising in dreamlike peaks of suggestion, football chants sit alongside radio interview accounts of the North’s industrial past. The effect is a warped cultural collage.

The word ‘Chthonic’ is the syntactic root of HP Lovecraft’s sleeping monster Chthulu and literally means ‘subterranean’. This explains much, as Chthonic Cities sounds like the kind of thing you’d unearth in a muso’s tomb or stumble across in somebody’s attic a century from now.

Words: Stefanie Elrick