Manchester Venues 209 to 210

Alongside many other likeminded music fans, I have always had a strong affiliation with records shops from an early age. Everyone will have their own tale of how they obtained the latest vinyl that they desired in their formative years, either via a local or national chain or somewhere broader based like the bargain basket at Woolworths.

In my youthful days in Preston there was Bradys and also House of Records on the upper floor of the indoor market, though the jewel in the crown was always Action Records down on Church Street where I spent my ready cash. The shop initially opened in 1981 and remains to this day under the tireless stewardship of Gordon Gibson.

I would also at this stage like to take the opportunity to pay homage to Gordon’s comrade in arms Allan Atkinson (Big Al) who worked with him all throughout that period. He passed away a couple of years ago, and I remember chatting to him at many local gigs, he was a thoroughly decent chap and a gentle giant.      

Big Al. Image Credit blogpreston.co.uk

In relation to Manchester, I have covered Piccadilly Records in extensive detail in previous blogs so in this article will initially concentrate on Manchester Fopp Records. The Fopp story began with an English geezer called Gordon Montgomery opening a one man market stall in Glasgow in 1981 armed with the commendable ethos of competitive pricing.

The name was derived from a 1975 track by funk band The Ohio Players off their third successive platinum selling album ‘Honey’. The bands influence carried forward sufficiently to be sampled/re-recorded by Salt & Pepper, Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.  

Fopp’s stature peaked in 2007 with over 100 UK branches after they took over Music Zone. However, soon after they encountered financial difficulties and went into administration before being taken over by HMV but retaining their name. They later moved under the ownership of Canadian record chain Sunrise Records. There are now only six shops remaining in the UK, though a new one was opened in Nottingham in 2024.

Fopp Records Manchester. Image Credit recordshop.directory

The Manchester branch is located on Brown Street, just off the main Market Street shopping area and opposite the Norfolk House blood donor centre. In August 2019 I randomly visited and headed downstairs to purchase the latest Hold Steady release.

Whilst I was perusing their wares, I heard the unmistakeable sound of an electric guitar going through a sound check process. With my interest now piqued I looked around and noticed for the first time that there was a bit of a gather, and it was instantly obvious that there was a band about to play a promo set.

I rapidly checked their website and was pleased to discover the act literally right in front of my eyes was Murder Capital, who I had heard on 6 music radio the previous evening. They are a five piece post punk combo who had formed in Dublin the year before and were promoting their debut album ‘When I Have Fears’ which was only 4 days old.

They had a mean and moody aura about them which I admired, and they could certainly play but their music was admittedly a tad dour for me. The lead singer edged out of the room as the final song began to fade, presumably to prep for the signing session that took place upstairs. They shortly after headed out on a sold out UK and European tour, so I was fortunate to catch them in such a small setting.  

Manchester HMV first opened its doors on Market Street in the 1980’s where it was wedged between Topshop and Thomas Cook with a C&A branch close by. It later moved to its current location within the Arndale Centre. Like many other record shops, they have periodic live acoustic shows, and I attended one there in June 2024.

HMV in 1981. Image Credit manchestereveningnews.co.uk

After queueing up and obtaining my pre-purchased CD with enclosed ticket included, I headed upstairs to where the makeshift stage was located. The band performing was The Mysterines who I had kept a close eye on ever since their excellent debut album ‘Reeling’.

They are Liverpool based and have a powerful lead singer in Lia Metcalfe, who despite having a sore throat belted out the tunes and I very much enjoyed their abbrievated set. Unfortunately, a couple of months later they at very short notice cancelled their headline European tour and have not been heard from since. Hopefully they will reappear at some future point.  

Gigs From Abroad Part 27 Greece – Part 3

Continuing the tale from last week where we had decided to undertake some island hopping and in advance research it suggested there would be daily ferries available heading from Zante to our next destination of Kefalonia. However, we subsequently discovered there was only transport every two days and that didn’t match up with our schedule. It is a nine-mile crossing, and we were beginning to embrace our inner Steve Redgrave or Michael Phelps before we thankfully discovered a Plan B.

This involved a 30-mile taxi to the other ferry port at the northern fishing village of Agios Nikolaos Skinari. The friendly taxi driver dropped us at his favourite bar, and we bedded in for a while as we had landed there 3-4 hours before our departure. We then shuffled down to the rather sparse ferry point before departing on the 7pm sunset crossing to Pessada.  

The Sunset Ferry. Image Credit Jimmy Crossthwaite

Kefalonia is the largest of the Ionian batch of islands and was the location of the siege of Argostoli between the Italians and Germans in 1943 during World War II. After the German’s victory their brutal reprisals including the execution of five thousand Italian soldiers. The subsequent English author Louis de Bernieres book and film ‘Captain Corelli’s Mandolin’ is based on this event.

There is also an unproven synopsis that the island is the actual setting in Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’. Musically they have a long history with a Philharmonic Orchestra being in play since 1836. Additionally, Richard Wright who was the keyboard player in Pink Floyd for ten years was born there.  

We were there for six days and stayed in Argostoli and hopped on the ferry over to the fishing harbour of Lixouri for day trip. Taking a route over a steep hill from the town centre brought you to the resort of Lassi, where one night we attended a restaurant with the owner having a striking resemblance to Ian Dury.  Across the road we saw a chap called Gary performing in the Lassi Kefalos Restaurant and Bar.  

Ian Dury. Image Credit listal.com

Our previous remaining visit to Greece was in 2010 to the small island of Skiathos which only has 27 miles of coastline but has 60 individual beaches. In the 19th century it had a profitable period where it was a shipbuilding hub which utilised the profusion of pine trees naturally at their disposal. The international airport is located very close to the lovely capital of Skiathos town and is a plane spotters paradise. There were some dangerous cakes and fabulous restaurants where you could dine on the Catch of the Day and imbibe the local ice cold dry white wine. 

The core bus route runs regularly along the length of the island and has numbered bus stops, 1 being the capital and 26 being the last drop at Banana Beach, and during our stay, we travelled to every stop to fully view the island. One of the previous residents of Skiathos was the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Philip who was born there in 1921. Additionally, the island and its neighbour Skopelos were utilised as locations for the Mamma Mia film.

We made our trip at the tail end of the season in September and the weather as a result was a tad erratic. On the Saturday we were endeavouring to head out to a local bar to watch the Burnley v PNE match and also grab some tea but outside there had developed the most cataclysmic electrical storm I have ever witnessed. The field opposite was completely swamped, so much so the water was threatening to enter our accommodation.

Finally, there was a marginal easing in the monsoon, so we grabbed the opportunity to scamper down the soggy track to the bar. Immediately after our windswept and sodden bodies bumbled through the door, a lady in the corner piped up with a ‘Deliverance’ style voice asking, ‘Are you the entertainment?’ to which I replied instantly ‘I can be if you want me to be’ which thankfully resulted in her craning her neck back in. It got worse before it got better as PNE proceeded to improbably throw away a 3-1 lead in the last 10 minutes and lose 4-3.

Deliverance Duelling Banjos scene. Image Credit americancinematheque.com

Thankfully the friendly accommodating bar owner fed and watered us superbly despite the constraints of the inclemency, which resulted in him scampering to the supermarket next door to top up his dwindling larder supplies.

Our next planned Greece trip was going to be to the picturesque location of Santorini with the bonus of grabbing a couple of days in the capital Athens before heading home. It was all booked but then the pandemic struck and everything was cancelled. We have never yet had the chance to rebook and slay that particular ghost, though I believe it is now hugely oversubscribed with tourism numbers.