For 17-year-old, MC-ing drug dealer Jamal, life on the Lemonade Estate is tough; nowhere near as sweet as it sounds. Keith Saha’s Ghost Boy, now showing at Contact Theatre, sets a tale of knife crime and weed-fuelled paranoia to a beatboxed, hip hop score. Innovative lyrics and dance punctuate a script which attempts to balance the darker issues of contemporary society with Shameless style comedy. Read more
Film Review: Exit through the Gift Shop
Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a documentary or a mock-umentary? I still have no idea how to describe Banksy’s first film, but it was certainly entertaining. The film is also typical of Banksy’s art, witty, subversive and intentionally ambiguous.
Film Preview: ¡Viva! Festival
¡Viva!, the only festival of Spanish and Latin American cinema in the UK, begins its three week residency at Cornerhouse this Saturday. In a departure from previous years’ programming, thematic strands have been abandoned, after parties jettisoned in favour of Spanish-language cafe discussions and emphasis firmly placed on the new. The results look promising.
Art Review: Ron Muek
Manchester Art Gallery is playing host to the unnerving sculptural realism of Ron Muek, with a bite size exhibition of the Australian artist’s work. Three very differently scaled human sculptures are now on display in the Artist Rooms, all by the same artist and all boasting an incredible attention to realistic detail. They intentionally incite [...]
Art Review: Greg Holland Photography
The Art of Tea is a charmingly chic café-bar in East Didsbury becoming well known for its exhibitions. Until 16 May the walls will be graced with the photography of talented local artist Greg Holland.
Contact with Moston
Manchester’s Contact Theatre has been at the forefront of cultural life in the city since it opened in 1999. Thanks to its DNA project it is reaching beyond its Oxford Road base and beginning to have a positive influence in other areas of Manchester.
Council scores own-goal by closing Urbis
This Saturday, Urbis’ pop culture exhibition centre will close its doors for the last time. The iconic building is due to re-open in August 2011 to house the National Museum Football, relocated from its former home in Preston. Debates over which guise is more interesting, profitable or “good for Manchester” have missed a vital point: deciding [...]
Books: Small Rocks launch
Small Rocks is a collection of writing from people made destituteby the immigration system.
Film Review: Diary of a Disgraced Soldier
Four years ago, a video of British soldiers beating Iraqi youths was released to The News of the World. The footage, filmed by Corporal Martin Webster, sparked international outrage. Webster, his voice clearly heard mocking the victims, became an instant media hate figure. In 2007 he left the army in disgrace and set about trying [...]
Theatre Review: A Night on the Tiles
If Quentin Tarantino was a Mancunian drama teacher, A Night on the Tiles might be his breakthrough play. It is an audaciously scripted homage to Reservoir Dogs-inspired gangster posing and Kill Bill Vol.2 chop-socky, which balances humour, inventiveness and style.
Film Preview: Diary of a Disgraced Soldier
In a taster event for the upcoming KINOFILM festival (28 April- 2 May), the controversial Diary of a Disgraced Soldier is screening at greenroom arts centre on Wednesday 10 February, along with a programme of short films. This is only the second screening for a documentary that is relevant and hard-hitting, raising questions over military behaviour [...]
Theatre Review: A Raisin in the Sun
What would you do with a life-changing sum of money? This is the pivotal question of Lorraine Hansberrys’ 1959 play and becomes the lens through which life in fifties America for a black family is starkly highlighted. The Royal Exchanges’ intimate theatre becomes the claustrophobic apartment in which three generations of the Younger family feud, [...]
Theatre Review: “No Wonder”
Library Theatre, showing as part of the Re:Play Festival 27 January 2010 No Wonder is the examination of a family disturbed by tragedy. The plot is littered with would-be fairy-tale circumstances; a young boy bursts out of what could be a magical cupboard and his father, dressed as Peter-Pan, appears to fall out of a window.
Gaza’s children: Sarah Irving talks to Manchester artist Jane Lawson
Following the attacks on Gaza by Israeli forces at the start of 2009, Manchester-based artist Jane Lawson responded to the images and stories of death and destruction by creating a series of unique prints of some of Gaza’s children. Capturing acute human suffering and injustice at the hands of oppression, the images will go on [...]
Book review: “Gaza: Beneath the Bombs”
One year on from the carnage of the so-called Gaza war the 1.5 million people of the strip are still prisoners in their own land, trapped by the active efforts of Israel and the silent complicity of her allies in the international community. The lack of any principled attempt to rein in Israel has resulted [...]
Music and theatre events to raise funds for Haiti
This weekend two Manchester arts venues are holding special nights to raise funds for the Disasters Emergency Committee HAITI Appeal.
Manchester-based artist wins 2009 Northern Art Prize
Pavel Büchler has been announced winner of the 2009 Northern Art Prize. The Prague-born artist, now based in Manchester, took the £16,500 prize for his installation “Eclipse”, currently on display at Leeds City Art Gallery alongside the work of the other nominees.
Theatre Preview: Re:Play 2010 Season
Throughout the third annual Re:Play Season, new local writing which has already been premiered in non-traditional venues will be revived for another showing at The Library Theatre, bringing the work to new audiences. Spotlighting the best talent from festivals including 24:7, Re:Play is designed to encourage emerging local talents.
Music Preview: Queer Noise
Manchester is often thought of as the queer hub of the North; with it’s own ‘gay village’, the Queer Up North International Festival, and the annual Pride celebrations. Its gay music scene, however, is often below the mainstream radar. Queer Noise: The Hidden History of Manchester’s Gay Music Culture, a one-off celebration of gay music in Manchester, is seeking to change this.
Music Preview: MULE fundraiser with punk from the other Manchester
On Thursday 14 January three local punk bands will dominate the stage at Satan’s Hollow. The event is a fundraiser in support of MULE and features War Coma, Nephew Huzzband and Cash For Your Stories, who will also be launching their EP on the night. In anticipation of a night promising great local music, Alex Gallas reflects [...]