Author: jimmyc1968

Manchester Venues 170 to 171

Manchester Jimmys was founded in 2016 by the One Night Only bandmates and brothers George and Jimmy Craig. The band were an Indie rock outfit that were formed in 2003 and hailed from Helmsley in Yorkshire and released three albums in total with their biggest commercial success being the single ‘Just for Tonight’ which peaked at No 9 in the UK singles chart.

The venue was located on Newton Street in the Northern Quarter, a veritable stone’s throw from the legendary Roadhouse venue. It sadly closed in 2019 to create room for office space, but a new version sprung up a year later in Cutting Room Square in Ancoats and was a sister venue to their Liverpool branch.

Manchester Jimmys. Image Credit ilovemanchester.com

The residential location of the latter site has resulted in no musical licence being obtained and the requirement for earlier closing times than the former which had a later licence until 2am. I have never yet visited the Ancoats site but attended the Newton Street space a few times. The venue was very colourful and glitzy and resided over two floors. The ground floor containing the main room and bar with the music stage and a further bar situated downstairs, it was a compact but inviting space to watch a band.

They had their own beer supplied in conjunction with the local Holts brewery and even named a Jimmy lager after me, though unfortunately it was an acquired taste that I never acquired! I do seem to recall they only had one lavatory in total in the building, which was a far from ideal scenario.

They had regular gigs taking place there and I recall hearing about an early gig from local band the Blinders and even a DJ set from our very own mayor Andy Burnham! I attended five times in total, and all were part of multi-event wrist band events such as the Dot-to-Dot festival.

Jimmy’s Ancoats venue. Image Credit jimmys.group

My first appearance was in 2017 to see a London based artist called JW Ridley who had just released his self-titled debut EP. He provided some dreamy post-punk sounds and has been gathering some airplay on 6 Music and I noticed was listed on the recent Liverpool Sound City event roster.

My next visit was the following year was to see an artist/producer named Devon. He hails from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and is obviously proud of his heritage as he displays a F.O.D moniker across his clothing when playing live. He also cites the remote location as inspiration for his music and bedroom DIY approach.   

My third visit was to see a four-piece indie act from Glasgow called Rascalton who had just released their debut single ‘This Is It’, I don’t know whether that was intended as a respectful nod to the Strokes whose debut album was titled ‘Is This It’. I next saw a band called Callow Youth from North Manchester who were formed the year before at high school and I would badge their sound as in the ‘lad rock’ mould.  

My final attendance in 2019 was the best of the lot as I witnessed a band called Secluded Sea. They were initially a collaboration between Halifax born multi-instrumentalist Blair Murray who has worked with Laura Cantrell, and ex-Foxtales singer Angela Hazeldine.  They expanded in a live setting to a six piece and created a very pleasing dream pop sound, though unfortunately they now appear to be no longer in existence.

The Manchester Crown & Anchor is situated on the corner of Port Street and Hilton Street within the Northern Quarter and has occupied that very spot since 1791. In its former life it expanded by incorporating the house next door and used to have a 150 capacity meeting room upstairs. Like many older boozers it was split into different areas, namely a wine and spirit vault, two parlours and a tap room.

Manchester Crown and Anchor with old signage. Image Credit alamy.com

It used to be under the auspices of the Chester Ales brewery in the 1960’s and 1970’s and this was reflected in the vintage signage before being extensively refurbished back in 2011 with the addition of a pool table and a roof top smoking area. It was also once featured in the Sky TV drama ‘Wolfe’. Members of the Stone Roses were reputedly visitors to the hostelry back in the late 1990’s.

It displayed an innovative streak during Covid by partnering up with the nearby Bread & Bowl to sell takeaway food and beer and enabled this pursuit by creating a new outdoor space because at the time the restrictions specified only beer gardens. It shut briefly at the end of 2021 but swiftly reopened under new owners. Due to its location, it can become busy on Manchester City match days, and they occasionally have live music. About a year ago after attending another gig, I saw a solo artist called Stefan perform there.   

Gigs from Abroad Part 22 – Valencia

Valencia is the third largest city of Spain with 2.7m punters within the province and is also one of the most populated cities in Southern Europe. It is bordered by the Mediterranean sea and on the northwest side by the hilly Sistema Iberico area and the foothills of Andalusia on their eastern and western perimeter.

That latter location reference resulted in me embracing my inner Black Francis and singing ‘I am un chien Andalusia, wanna grow up to be a debaser’ at regular intervals! Continuing the Pixies theme briefly I must pay homage to their recent menacing cover of ‘Que Sera, Sera’ which is used as the theme tune for the terrific ‘From’ TV series. Their version could not be further away from the Doris Day original and the one used in the 1983 advert for Birds Eye Steakhouse Grill which contains the refrain of ‘will it be mushrooms, fried onion rings?’!

Birds Eye Advert. Image Credit tvark.org

Valencia was founded as a roman colony in 138BC under the name of Valentia Edetanorum and was a major silk manufacturer in the 18th century and also had the distinction of briefly being the seat of the Spanish government during the Spanish Civil War in 1936-37. In 2003 it became the first European city to host the America’s Cup yacht race and was selected as the European Capital of Sport in 2011 and the European Green Capital in 2024. They also have the unusual accolade of having two American football teams, namely the Giants and the Firebats.

We decided to make a visit there in 2019 and we incorporated in the trip an initial jaunt to Madrid. We enjoyed one of the comfiest and effortless train rides and travelled into the city at over 200kmh, but it felt as smooth as silk, Northern train it was not!  Finding our accommodation proved to be a bit trickier as it was a tad buried away down a back street, though there were a couple of fine restaurants and bars in the surrounding suburban streets.  

We were blessed with glorious sunshine and pottered around all the tourist sites and walked for miles and the city is the home of paella so obviously we had to partake of one whilst we were there. By a quirk of fate, Valencia were in European action playing against Arsenal on our second night there. We deliberately stayed out of the centre that evening and hit the outskirts but in one particular bar we did encounter some animosity from a couple of locals, either they were surmising incorrectly that we were Arsenal football fans, or a more likely scenario is that they were just unpleasant individuals!

Our accommodation was very close to the start of the expansive Valencia Jardin del Turia that was built in 1986 on the original Turia river. The original river was diverted and drained after the Great Flood of Valencia in 1957 which claimed 81 lives. The whole site covers 136 hectares, passes under at least 20 bridges and stretches for 8.5 kilometers with further plans for an extension of that length.  

Jardin Del Turia. Image Credit ovigem.org

We hired bikes and cycled all the way down the gardens with the orange and palm trees and cafes dotted at regular intervals and if you maintain a straight line, you can reach the Port of Valencia. Whilst en route, we located a pop-up stage where a local brass band were playing.

We also spied a festival site being set up at Valencia Alamada Square, so decided to return that very evening. We purchased a cold beverage and watched a local band called Rumbo Ye Sevillinas on the main stage. It had a chilled family vibe apart from a couple of kids nearby with pyrotechnic tendencies trying to set fire to pieces of wood! Later that evening the festival procession headed down the winding streets and at one point we couldn’t find a way past to head back to our digs as at every turn they seem to follow us. It felt like we were in an extended movie scene!  

The following night, I recall us visiting a restaurant where they sold bocadillos and tapas where you could choose from a variety of items and then count your sticks at the end of the meal to work out your bill. On the nearby Valencia Mons Restaurant Square we saw an act called Tiux Music playing some reggae tunes.

Plaza Le Virgen. Image Credit vrbo.com

Around midnight, we chanced upon Valencia Plaza Le Virgen, which is located directly in front of the Cathedral. A large crowd had gathered there, and the reason became instantly evident when we heard the soothing music provided by the Orquestra de la Comunitat Valenciana (OCV) who were founded in the city in 2006.