Tag: Pixies

Gigs from Abroad – Part 15

In the years from 2016 to 2018 we decided with some friends to undertake an annual jaunt to visit the Christmas markets in Germany.  In the first year we headed to Stuttgart for my debut appearance there, and it was appropriately exceptionally cold. The city is the largest in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg and is in close proximity to the Black Forest and is also Germany’s ‘car capital’. Famous previous residents include the footballer Andreas Muller and the current Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

The Stuttgarter Weihnachtsmarkt is one of the largest and oldest Christmas markets in Europe comprising of over 280 stalls in the city centre. It contained an absolutely superb model railway, an artefact I am always eternally fascinated by. Our accommodation was next to the Sudheimer Platz and in the corner of the square was Germany’s first ever funicular built in 1929. It is virtually still in its original format including the old cable car which is in itself a listed building! It takes you on an interesting 550 metre journey on a 28% gradient up to the hilltop area of Waldfriedhof.  

Stuttgart Christmas Market. Image Credit europenbestdestinations.com

In 2018 we returned and this time desired to head out on a train trip to another market and Esslingen was referenced to us as a good place to visit. The market town is located on the River Neckar and lies about 9 miles southeast of Stuttgart and one of its twin cities is Neath in Port Talbot.  When there we traversed up and down the considerable number of lung busting wooden steps to reach Esslinger Burg, the old fortress which once protected the city and the accompanying panoramic views.    

The main rationale for our visit to the town was to attend their famous Medieval Christmas market and the olde world ‘Game of Thrones’ vibe of the event was very enjoyable. It felt novel as alongside the obligatory food and drink and traders selling other wares they had jugglers, minstrels, acrobats and fire magicians. There was also musical entertainment in two separate areas thus we saw a band called Oro on Esslingen Market Stage 1 and a chap called Gudbrugger Goldstein on Esslingen Market Stage 2.   

In the middle year we headed to Heidelberg, and this was the second time I had visited the city.  Heidelberg has considerable history in that around 400,000 years ago ‘Heidelburg Man’ died in a nearby town and his jawbone was discovered in 1907. It was subsequently confirmed that his remains were the earliest evidence of human life in Europe.

The city is in the same large state as Stuttgart and is in the warmest region of the country and also contains Germany’s oldest University, founded in 1386. The city hosted the 1972 Summer Paralympics and famous residents include Friedrich Ebert, the first ever president of Germany, racing driver Nelson Piquet Jr, German football manager Hansi Flick, musician Jackson Browne and actor Michael Fassbender of 12 Mens A Slave and X-Men fame. They were also referenced in Harry Potter as having a high quality Quidditch team called Heidelberg Harriers!

We encountered another funicular which is used by 1m passengers annually. It heads up to Konigstuhl where on our visit we encountered some snow showers, the halfway point is the Castle where we took a break for a beer in the huge bar room.  

Heidelberg Funicular. Image Credit klook.com

Our train trip that weekend was over to Mannheim, which is an anachronism for a German city as the streets are built on a grid pattern (like Glasgow) and are numbered accordingly, this quirk results in its nickname of the Square City. One more famous Mannheim resident to cite here is one of the finest ever tennis players Steffi Graf.

I recall having a sally around a huge department store where there was a comfortable seated area showing Saturday afternoon football on several TV screens which unsurprisingly was populated by primarily the male population! Whilst in attendance at the Mannheim Market we saw the Mannheim Brass Orchestra.

On our last night in Heidelberg, we made the catastrophic error of imbibing too much vino tinto creating a perilous journey the following day. Two further challenges abounded, the first that it is a 50-mile commute back to the airport involving a couple of changes on the rails.

The second was the below freezing weather resulting in us waiting on the runway for an interminable time at the vast Frankfurt Airport before fortunately being given the all clear to depart. Prior to setting of we then had the strange and unfamiliar experience of the plane going through the equivalent of a car wash to clear off the snow. We had a very early night when we arrived home that evening!

Before I depart this week, I want to pay my own homage to Steve Albini who died this week at the tender young age of 61. He was an excellent music producer and undertook the task by concentrating solely on enhancing the band which resulted in hardening Wedding Present’s sound and creating my favourite Pixies album ‘Surfer Rosa’, amongst many other achievements.

Steve Albini on stage. Image Credit rollingstone.com

I caught his later band Shellac once, but my abiding memory is witnessing the intensity of Big Black when I saw them on their penultimate ever British date at Manchester Boardwalk in 1987. The gig gods smiled on us as we only heard about the date on John Peel four days before and queued at the venue at 8pm to obtain one of the last remaining tickets, an unforgettable night!  

Manchester Venue 94 Chorlton – Part 1

My local tram stop about 20 minutes’ walk away is the current line terminus at East Didsbury. There are provisional plans in place to eventually extend this line through to Stockport, which would be an excellent addition but in truth is probably a fair few years from fruition.

On the metro route into town, you can jump off at either Chorlton or St Werberghs Road station which provide different access points into Chorlton-cum-Hardy (though I have never seen the Wheelies!). The Fallowfield Loop cycle and walking route follows the metro line at this juncture and terminates at Wilbraham Road by the tram stop.

Chorlton tram stop. Image Credit philweiland.com

Nearby to there is the Carlton Club at Whalley Range who have periodic gigs and the snooker player Steve Davis’s band has played there a couple of times, but I have never yet graced its doors.

The derivation of the area harks back to 610 AD, when the forest was initially cleared by those cheeky Saxons! Four such hamlets were merged in the 19th century and the name of Chorlton-cum-Hardy was created.  

The ‘quaint’ practice of bullbaiting was introduced in the 13th century and was active on Chorlton Green until it was finally thankfully made illegal in 1835. At this point half of the green was a private garden owned by Samuel Wilton, who lived in a house next to the Horse and Jockey, the pub remains to this day.

The population burgeoned following the introduction of a regular horse drawn service to Manchester city centre in 1864, following this there was also a train station built and an electric tram service opened in 1907. In more contemporary times (2011) the metrolink expansion 3a to the area further enhanced the commutability aspect.      

The River Mersey end of Chorlton route starts initially with the water park and then a path leads you past West Didsbury and Chorlton football club’s ground. I visited the stadium for the first time recently for one of their biggest ever games, but they unfortunately lost their FA Vase quarter final tie on penalties to Ascot United.  

West Didsbury and Chorlton FC during the aforementioned penalty shootout. Image Credit blogspot.com

The recent success of a couple of promotions has presented a conundrum for the football club who are recognised locally and simply as ‘West’. The resultant increase in attendances and attention has exponentially increased the demand for match day parking in an area that already had a dearth of parking areas which has naturally caused friction with the local residents!

Beyond there you then arrive at the leafy suburb of Beech Road with its bars and restaurants. My pal Matty Allen informed me that this street had the most prolific postcode in the country of Guardian readers, which sounds like a discerning crew to me. On the musical heritage front the Bee Gees went to school in Chorlton and performed their first gig in the area.

The other conurbation of bars is situated five minutes’ walk away around Wilbraham Road, one of those establishments is Chorlton Mary and Archies. It was their second branch to open in 2016 following their original site located in West Didsbury which subsequently closed in 2018. It is a cosy little bar with an outdoor space, and they occasionally have acoustic acts and on the one night I visited a lass called Sally was performing.  

Chorlton Mary and Archies. Image Credit confidentialguides.com

There is a swathe of bars near to the tram station and a particular favourite of mine is the Chorlton Tap right across the road. You are also within ten minutes’ walk of the Old Trafford cricket ground, where I have previously seen REM and Pixies perform. I also visited recently in a sporting capacity for a truncated day of Ashes action, the lack of play was a cause and effect of the ever-reliable Manchester rain!