Monthly Archives: January 2016
Review: Delia Derbyshire Day, HOME, Manchester
It can be an overused term but Delia Derbyshire definitely qualifies as a ‘cult hero’. Among the cognoscenti she’s revered as a pioneer of British electronic music, and one of the first true artists in the field.
Read the full story..Review: Murder on the Nile, People’s Theatre, Newcastle
Crimes of passion. Glamour. Menace. Intrigue. Slim cigarettes, cocktails and pussy bow blouses. Exotic-sounding European names, dubious French accents, Lords, Ladies and business tycoons.
Read the full story..Revisiting Queer As Folk
Regular readers will know that I’ve wittered on loads about how Queer As Folk sparked my desire to move Manchester, the land of the gays. But I haven’t watched it again since its initial transmission 16 years ago. So when my girlfriend suggested we re-visit both series, I thought yes, it’s time.
Read the full story..OperaWatch: What’s on in Winter
As I look out of the window of the OperaWatch offices, housed on the 43rd floor of Northern Soul Towers, I can see snow-covered lands as far as the Lakes.
Read the full story..The Northern Soul Podcast: The Mantells
Hurrah and huzzah! It’s the January Northern Soul Podcast.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Read the full story..The North-South Cultural Divide
Are you bored stiff of the national press’s attitude towards the North of England? Do you think that it pays scant attention to culture in this part of the world? Northern Soul asked leading artists, playwrights, poets, arts professionals and journalists what they think about the North-South cultural – and media – divide.
Read the full story..All aboard! Riding the rails on The Flying Scotsman
Ah, the golden age of steam. This phrase brings to mind the glorious engines that once choo-chooed across Britain.
Read the full story..Win tickets to The National Wedding Show, Manchester
Win tickets to The National Wedding Show at Manchester Central
Read the full story..Review: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, West Yorkshire Playhouse
Some people hate the M62 – that windy, high-peaked, lugubrious trek from east to west or west to east. But I like the journey, especially the one from Manchester to Leeds.
Read the full story..Purring and Parring: the mysterious history of Clog Fighting
Believe it or not but naked clog fighting was a mysterious and illegal sport that existed in Northern mining communities for hundreds of years. Now Gallery Oldham is staging an exhibition examining the myths of the brutal underground ‘purring, clogging or Fighting Wigan Fashion’.
Read the full story..Editor's Picks
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