Tag: Stefan

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 21 Porto – Part 2

As Port is naturally Porto’s most famous export many of the bars have Port wine trails where you can purchase a selection of different local brands and choose your favourite and then identify if you can then actually revert back into a standing position after imbibing them!  

The next day after checking the weather and identifying the sunniest day of our stay we decided on a trip to the seaside and travelled out to Foz de Douro which sits at the end of the river adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean. There are three remaining tram lines in the city from when they were originally built back in 1895. On one of those tributaries Tram # 1 runs to the sea from the city centre in a charismatic old carriage. We walked down the front before returning on the more modern metro train.  

Porto’s No 1 tram. Image Credit fotocommunity.de

That evening we headed into the atmospheric back streets of the Baixa suburb with many pop-up storefront bars, which I christened the ‘Northern Quarter’ end of town. Initially nearby to Livaria Lello on Porto Rue de Candida dos Reis we saw Marco playing some tunes.

We then gravitated around a couple of local bars, including the very inviting Porto Rue Tapas Restaurant Music Bar where they have live music every night and we witnessed Jules playing a set in the corner. The same night we also visited Porto Taberna do Pouca Roupa where Stefan was performing.

The following day we encountered monsoon conditions through to early afternoon, so we sallied off to have a quick look at Estadio do Dragao, Porto FC’s ground which was built specifically for the 2004 European Championship which took place in Portugal. Stadium gigs take place there and Coldplay and Rolling Stones amongst others have graced the stage. We then spent a bit of time in the adjacent but rather soulless Alameda Shopping Centre.

When the grey clouds deigned to clear we headed back on the metro to visit the extraordinary Mercado do Bolhao. There has been a market in place at this location since 1839, and the market building was erected in 1914 over two floors and extensively renovated in 2022. There are over eighty traditional stalls, and all food and drink options are catered for in this colourful setting.

Very close by is the Café Majestic, the most famous of all Belle Epoque cafes. It is a very grand setting with bevelled mirrors and wood panelling and waiters flitting about to the sounds of the Blue Danube. And the food they served was rather tidy too!      

Another of the main Portuguese exports are Pastel de Nata’s, an egg custard tart that is heavenly when served fresh from the oven, I do find it extremely difficult to just eat one in any single setting! There is also now a Macanese variant adopted by KFC and sold in the Far East.

The tarts were originally created prior to the 18th century by Catholic monks in a monastery in Lisbon. At the time egg whites were utilised in starching clothes such as religious habits and the remaining egg yolks used to make pastries. In 1834, the recipe was sold to a nearby sugar refinery whose owners opened the Fabricia de Pasteis de Belem in 1837, and their descendants still own that business to this very day.

In 2009, the Guardian newspaper listed the delicacies as amongst the 50 ‘best things to eat in the World’.  It is also purported that the original recipe is kept in a secret locked room, and quite frankly who can blame them!

Porto Se Cathedral. Image Credit portugaltravelguide.com

That evening we visited Porto Bar da Ponte Pensil where we saw Javiar playing. The European football championships were approaching their culmination when we were there, and we saw a portion of the first semi-final between Spain and France. I was a little surprised that the local bar staff were supporting their arch enemies Spain, but this was more to do with the fact that the French had controversially beaten the Portuguese in the Quarter finals.       

On our last day we visited a lot of the tourist hotspots including Porto Se Cathedral, which is the oldest surviving structure in the city, as it was originally built in the 12th Century. In the grounds with a panoramic view, we saw Miguel playing a set.   

We also grabbed the opportunity on one occasion to avoid the lung busting steps up from the river side to Praca de Batalha via travelling on the Funicular dos Guindais, which was first opened in 1891.  On that very hill lies a terrific bar with terrific views called the Guindalense Futebol Clube, which is a community run bar opened in 1976 by a group of football loving boys. The commendable ethos of ice-cold beers and Ruffles crisps was repeated!

Guindalense Futebol Clube. Image Credit week-end-voyage-porto.com

Outside Porto Sae Bento Train station we saw an impromptu performance from a Porto School band. As we were flying back early the following morning, we decided to book in at the hotel bar for an evening meal and watched England beat Holland 2-1 in the second semi-final. Now you may think the music would stop there but you would actually be incorrect as there was an established stage set up within Porto Aeroporto Terminal whilst we were waiting for our delayed flight, where an admittedly limp jazz duo were performing.