Now Then Magazine expansion: Gorton event

We're excited to be working with the Arts Council England to stage a trio of events this summer. The events are connected to a wider project to expand Now Then magazine across the city.

As part of this we'll be distributing more copies of each issue in more locations and it will be our first opportunity in a while to get out and stage some events featuring local art, poetry, music and discussion.

At St Philip's Church hall, where we will be staging the Gorton event this Saturday 24 May, we have constructed a day mixing art and music, including a talk by Ruth Daniel, who founded the Un-Convention events and will be speaking about the impact of digital and social media on the music industry, how this has transformed the music industry landscape and opened up opportunity for musicians to form networks, work together and become empowered. There will be chance to ask Ruth questions around these topics of cultural entrepreneurship following her talk.

Early in the afternoon, the local art activism group Upper Space will be leading a screen printing workshop. In the past they have been involved with campaigns to promote social justice and intervene with the status quo by presenting opportunities to question and discuss society. Leaving their more political cultural work to one side for this event, on Saturday they will be teaching you to design a t-shirt that you can then take home with you.

Finally, North West folk-pop trio Ivan Campo will perform their harmonious songs until we finish the day at 7pm. They have performed at Now Then events before at both Antwerp Mansion in Rusholme and Dulcimer in Chorlton, as well as supported the likes of Stealing Sheep, Alt-J and Roddy Woomble. Across their recorded output, they specialise in seven-track EPs, and have recently signed with Manchester label Debt Records, whose affiliated sound engineers WR Audio will be providing the soundsystem.

The whole event will be free for everyone to attend and there will be DJs invited by Now Then all day to fill in the gaps.

Later in the year we'll be visiting Moston and Stockport and will divulge more information on those nearer the time.

Ivan Campo photo by Ged Camera

The venue address is St Philip's Church, Brockhurst Road, Gorton, M18 7ER. For more information, visit the Facebook event page.