Tag: Elbow

Manchester Venues 161 to 162

The Sounds from the Other City festival I attended in 2024 sensibly decided to reincorporate the venues contained within Salford University grounds, and I believe they are also to be retained on the roster for the 20th anniversary edition taking place in 2025.

Manchester Peel Building is the University’s oldest structure that remains in live usage. It was originally designed by architect Henry Lord and was the site for the Salford Royal Technical Institute when first opened by the future George V and Queen Mary in 1896. The distinctive red Accrington brick Grade II listed building changed to its current moniker in 1967 and is currently home to the University’s School of Environment and Life Sciences.     

Salford Peel Building. Image Credit confidentials.com

On the lawn outside there is an elaborate brick gazebo also designed by Mr Lord, however it is visually misleading as it is in fact a disguised ventilation duct for the laboratories in the old Technical college.

Within the edifice itself, there are various lecture halls and in one of those seated auditoriums there were bands performing on the stage which was curated on the day by the Band on the Wall venue and Manchester based Reform Radio. The first act we saw was ISHA who is a producer and artist who gravitates between living in London and Amsterdam. She was a multi-instrumentalist one woman act who primarily concentrates on bass playing and released her debut EP ‘Bending Colours’ in 2023.

Later, we witnessed Muva of Earth who is a London based Nigerian singer who has morphed now into Divine Earth and is a solo act but is also one half of Divine Angel, hopefully you are still with me! She was also named by the Face Mag as ‘London’s new Alt-Jazz superstar’. Though I must report she certainly didn’t cause me to transcend when I watched her!    

Next door resides the Manchester Salford Museum and Art Gallery where I had visited once before in its daytime guise for coffee and cake prior to Gill’s graduation.  Back in 1849, Salford City Council allowed Lark Hill Mansion to be designated as an educational site and converted it into a public museum and library. A year after opening it had expanded to have the capability to house 12,000 volumes, a further year later the art gallery was added to the complex.  

Salford Museum and Art Gallery. Image Credit hotels.com

This site then turned into its current modus operandi and is located in Peel Park, so named after Robert Peel and commemorating his contribution to the subscription fund which the council used to originally purchase the Mansion. The gallery and museum are faithful to the history of Salford and Victorian art and architecture. The location for many decades held over 400 artefacts by local painter L.S Lowry, before they were transferred in 2002 to a purpose-built gallery within the Lowry in Salford Quays, next to where much of the BBC and 6 music radio is now located.    

When we attended in the afternoon it was close to capacity, so I grabbed a perch on a windowsill that then transpired to be a sweltering sunspot. On stage was an engaging singer songwriter called C Duncan who was being very well received by the audience. Christopher Duncan is a Glasgow boy and is signed to the renowned Bella Union label, he has recorded output going back to 2014 and his debut album ‘Architect’ was nominated for the 2015 Mercury Music Prize.

C Duncan. Image Credit bbc.co.uk

A single from his third album ‘Health’ was produced by Elbow’s Craig Potter at Salford’s very own Blueprint Studios. He has had support slots with Belle and Sebastian and his tunes have appeared on various TV programmes including Waterloo Road. The muse was obviously always in his bloodline as both his parents were classical musicians and though they are now retired they have ‘reformed the band’ to provide string sounds on his most recent recordings. He had a dreamy folky style and was a fine accompaniment to my window basking!  

Much later we headed back to the library to endeavour to catch the last artist on the day’s roster. It was still busy, so after queueing for a little spell, we finally gained access to catch the last song on Laura J Martin’s set.  She is a Liverpool lass and on her first album in 2016 she recruited members of Lambchop, Silver Jews and Jesus Lizard to assist her. Prior to her recently released fourth album ‘Prepared’ she undertook an apprenticeship with renowned local flute player and maker Willy Simmons.    

Manchester Venues 108 to 109

In the 1990’s the regular pre-gig haunt when visiting the various branches of Manchester Academy was the Jabez Clegg public house. As that establishment gradually declined and subsequently closed, we then discovered the allure of Manchester Big Hands.

The pub is located at the top end of Oxford Road opposite the Red Chilli Chinese restaurant. It opened its doors in 2001 with the concept of creating a NYC dive bar, the kind of equivalent place where you would have expected the Strokes in their early days to have gathered and discussed the concept of their debut album, over a few cold beers!

It has battered low strung sofas where you can babble nonsense with like-minded punters and suits me down to a T. It does remind me somewhat of a bar version of the Raiders/Warehouse nightclub in Preston.  In more recent years it has the welcome addition of a heated outdoor rooftop space which you reach once you have navigated the cramped steps taking you upstairs.

Big Hands bar. Image Credit reddit.com

Some bands tend to attend there post -performance but in that regard, I have only personally seen Tad Kubler of Hold Steady and the 6 music DJ Marc Reilly. They possess a terrific noisy jukebox that at times has free credits available for communal use, though some younger punters are confused by the sheer concept of a jukebox! It became a tradition for a spell to ensure we had played ‘Hells Bell’s by AC/DC before we departed.   

One particular Sunday we were in residence prior to a Meat Puppets show and remarkably our group of three were the only punters in, the DJ had just finished playing a vinyl record and I asked whether they could switch the jukebox on. They willingly complied and the track I had selected ‘Black Math’ by White Stripes came on at ear shattering volume, which they then respectfully only turned it down by a smidge!

They occasionally have bands playing there, and I have been fortunate to randomly catch a few whilst imbibing a couple of pre-gig scoops. The musical acts squeeze into the slightly raised area at the back of the bar and in keeping with the ethos of the establishment they are normally thunderously loud.

Big Hands bar. Image Credit oxfordroadcorridor.com

The first in 2017 prior to a Helmet gig was a three-piece from Oldham called Hopper Propelled Electric and they produced a noisy sludgy sound reminiscent of early Stooges. In 2019 I saw a local band called Lurker and in 2021 saw an act called World without Frontiers. A few weeks ago, prior to a Therapy? gig I saw a couple of bands called Pray for Mojo and Swamp Kids.

In 2018 the original jukebox was stolen and unfortunately was never recovered. This coincided with the death of the bar owner Scott Alexander from cancer at the tragically young age of 43.  He was close friends with the members of Elbow and is thought to be referenced in their song Some Riot in the line of ‘Tall Gentle Boy’. Scott also owned the sister bar Temple of Convenience down near Oxford Road station.

Temple of Convenience Bar. Image Credit manchestersfinest.com

Now I have spoken previously about the merits of this establishment so will not duplicate that here. However, one tale relates to me and Uncle George being outside the Manchester Temple Of Convenience Bar Entrance and encountering a busker called William who asked us to name a tune and George challenged him with two obscure tunes, (so obscure neither of us to this day can recall the songs!). William without batting an eyelid instantly played vibrant versions of those songs to a rapt audience of two punters. For that very reason alone I have allowed him inclusion onto my gig list.