Unknown to many, Manchester and the Northwest in general have long been home to not-for-profit parties collectively organised by music lovers and makers themselves. Many take place in unusual spaces such as abandoned warehouses, cold war bunkers or out in the countryside. Unused or underappreciated spaces are converted through doses of inspiration, creativity and a do-it-yourself attitude into unusual, exciting and welcoming spaces.

Most organisers restore venues to their original condition, or better, afterwards. Most parties feature electronic and dance music, while others have bands or visual artists performing live for the crowds. There have been “illegal” barn dances and film screenings in abandoned cinemas like the now demolished Cine City in Withington. Free parties are, most often, a far cry from the image of reckless criminality that the mainstream media and the police tend to paint around them.

Moral Panic

Free parties have had a bad reputation among the majority of the public since the 1980s and 90s. The words “rave” and “warehouse party” provoked moral panic as free parties came under concerted attack from sections of the media and much of the political establishment. The vibrant and positive DIY movement became a target of repression via media scaremongering, often violent police interventions and illegalisation through the Criminal Justice Act of 1994, which defined the music being played at these raves as, “sounds wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”. A clear public menace, the crackdown was fierce.

The real danger of free parties is that they threaten a status-quo in which only Tesco and JD Weatherspoon can sell cheap booze; people will only behave themselves under the intimidation of bouncers and £20 is a reasonable cost for a night of dancing. Free parties exist in large part as a response to the current music scene awash with unscrupulous clubs and promoters attempting to cash in on vibrant musical movements.

Many of the collectives which put on free parties regard them as part of a broader political movement; an element of social and political activism which includes squatting, demonstrations and other actions designed to reclaim spaces for public use. Many of those involved in organising free parties around Manchester were once involved in squatting and community organising in Hulme in the 1980s. Others have simply aimed for bigger events after organising fundraisers in support of political causes as diverse as anti-fascism, anti-G8 mobilisations and days of action in defence of autonomous spaces.

Problems

“Free parties tend to get a lot of stick in the media, but if you go with some friends and you’re sensible they’re usually safe and amazing events”, said one free party goer who wished to remain anonymous. Given the collective and autonomous nature of their organisation, problems can sometimes arise. However, these parties rely on everyone looking out for each other to create a space for all to enjoy. While, inevitably, the problems of the outside world can’t be completely excluded, the temporary autonomous spaces created during a free party are usually safer spaces than many town centres on a Friday night.

The dates and locations of free parties are, understandably, very closely guarded. You have to keep your ear to the ground and be prepared to leave your preconceived notions at the door if you want to get in. Ultimately, in the words of one collective’s manifesto:

“A free party is nothing like a clubnight that many people are used to… Don’t just attend, and expect to be entertained… We are not a members club that you can join, we will not do it for you, we want you step up, use your brain and DO IT YOURSELF!”

Ben Lear

We fans of ‘alternative’ music, no matter how passionate, are often guilty of limiting our involvement in the scene to supporting and consuming the output of our favourite bands. If you can’t sing, play an instrument or have enough confidence to write for fanzines, you don’t imagine that you could have a role in the music industry. That’s how I felt, until I discovered that DIY is the lifeblood of the music scene.

A DIY approach can offer a huge amount to bands with a range of ambitions for their music and at different stages in their career. It helps them operate outside of the mainstream and, consequently, the commercial music press and radio. It creates opportunities for fans to run labels, write zines, make radio shows and organise gigs and festivals; to develop a range of skills and make new friends. The DIY scene breaks down barriers between artists and fans because many fans, writers and promoters are in bands themselves.

I have always been a fan. When I started presenting a show on Lancaster University student radio station Bailrigg FM, I was amazed at the quality of the promo CDs I received and I discovered great, new and unfathomably unsigned bands. Soon after I met a group of brilliant individuals who ran tiny independent record labels on tiny budgets, with no prior expertise. It occurred to me that I could start up a label too – to release even a few of the wonderful records I’d been sent. My partner and I launched our record company, ‘Cherryade’, in the summer of 2005. ‘Steveless’, a Bristol band, wanted us to release their first album and, although we weren’t completely prepared for it, we went ahead and did it.

We learnt something new about promotion and distribution with every release. Our first one was far from perfect: we hadn’t figured out how to get it into shops and didn’t have a clue about appropriate promotion. Despite this, we got tracks played on Radio 1, appeared in the ‘Festive Fifty’ and even managed to sell a few copies. We now have 30 releases under our belts and have no plans to slow down.

We’re happy to admit that at first we were unsure where to begin and that we’re still learning and improving all the time. The advice of other DIY label-managers and bands has been invaluable as they’ve been through it all already. They also know the DIY scene can’t survive without co-operation. Very limited resources mean sharing information is absolutely vital. Cherryade would not exist and still be going strong after four years, but for the help and support we’ve received. Bands had to be willing to trust us with releasing their music. Supportive networks are central to promoting events. Without this spirit a DIY approach to the making, promoting and distributing of music wouldn’t be possible. The Manchester scene certainly would not be anywhere near as interesting as it is.

Rachael’s Tips for DIY Music:

1. Use the internet to meet like-minded performers and music fans, especially if you live in an area without much of a scene or you are nervous. Networking is vital. Ask for advice and you’ll find most people are happy to share.

2. Don’t let a lack of experience stop you but be prepared to make mistakes and learn from them.

3. Be ambitious, but realistic. Working on a shoestring budget or only playing/writing/releasing records that reach a small audience is a success – as long you are happy with it. Also consider how much time you can devote to your band/zine/label. Most likely it’s a hobby and will have to fit around work.

4. Enjoy yourself. If not then you need to think about why you’re doing it. At times you’ll feel frustrated or annoyed but it’s only worth it if you’re also getting something out of it!

5. Finally, get out there! Great club nights and gig nights to look out for at the moment are Under Achievers Please Try Harder, Asparagus Next Left, Pull Yourself Together, Kissing Just For Practise, Shake It Shake it, Pussywhipped… and many more!

Band on the Wall and The Contact Theatre are both holding events in aid of the millions of people living in the poorest country in the Western hemisphere whose lives have been devastated by last weeks 7.0 magnitude earthquake. Substantial humanitarian assistance will be required to ensure survivors get food, clean water, emergency shelter, medical care and other support.

On Friday night Band on The Wall hosts Dance for Haiti, where artists including Zero 7, The Unabombers and Bullion will be playing free of charge. The technical and production staff for each act have also offered their services without pay, as have the businesses involved in printing and distributing publicity for the event. Every penny raised will go to the DEC.

Contact is following similar suit and will also donate 100 per cent of the proceeds from their event to the appeal. Uprising, a night of theatre, music and spoken word, takes place on Saturday evening. Artistic Director Baba Israel has lined up performers from across the range of Contact’s regular nights and broad network and will co-host the evening with hip-hop starts Ty and Benji Reid.

Friday 29th Jan, 10pm-3am: Dance for Haiti at Band on the Wall. Minimum donation £4 advance; £5 on the door.

Saturday 30th Jan,  8pm: Uprising at Contact Theatre. £5.

On Saturday night, the Deaf Institute will host a night of DJs, live music, discussion and film. (hooker), the self-proclaimed “gloriously brash femme-punk outfit”, are playing live on the night. They are excited by the new musical possibilities the night offers, claiming that Manchester’s gay music scene has, “always tended to be one-dimensional and centered around the mainstream club and pop music prevalent on Canal Street. In actuality, the scene is far more diverse”.

Access appears to be the problem. “Much of the alternative music has been relegated to underground DIY nights”, (hooker) continue. Queer Noise may help to change that. (hooker) at least are hoping that, “the night succeeds in igniting some interesting discussions and in bringing gay music culture to Manchester’s mainstream.”

A documentary  film kicks off the night at 7pm. With Manchester’s musical history often epitomized by the Hacienda nightclub, it’s infamous gay night, Flesh, is a suitable subject for the screening, detailing one of Manchester most famous and successful queer nights during the 80s and 90s – dubbed ‘queer’ because of its overtly political edge. Its  strap line ‘It’s Queer Up North’ was adopted as the name for the city’s now annual queer arts festival.

The post-film discussions, led by Jon Savage, will consider the quality of Manchester’s gay music scene (which will be seen from the acts involved in the event); question why queer music is underexposed and debate bringing it to the mainstream. After the live performances, revellers can keep going into the early hours with a host of DJs from Manchester’s alternative queer nights, including Jayne Compton of Club Brenda, Philippa Jarman from Homo Electric and David Kendrick from Paradise Factory.

The night’s mix of film, informal debate, live music and djs is an ambitious set-up for a club-night type slot and venue. It will be interesting to see how the changing tone of the evening is managed – and if the event is a success in all areas. Certainly, a broad audience should be expected and with the line-up available online people may opt for particular portions of the evening. Some, undoubtedly, will enjoy the whole night.

Queer Noise is promising to  not only showcase Manchester’s historical queer music scene, but to also celebrate its current talent and place their output centre stage, shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the city’s much-celebrated music scene. Where it undoubtedly should be.

Jennie O’Hara

Queer Noise: The Hidden History of Manchester’s Gay Music Culture
Saturday 23rd January 7pm-3am at The Deaf Institute.
Tickets cost £6 and are available from Piccadilly Records or on the door. Proceeds go to the Manchester District Music Archive and the Lesbian and Gay Foundation

Today ‘Manchester’ is an international brand designed to attract students and tourists, young professionals and enterprises, footballers and musicians with big ambitions. Punk has become part of this branding exercise.  Allegedly, it was a Sex Pistols gig in June 1976 that kick-started the Manchester music scene. And thanks to them, a grey, impoverished, post-industrial wasteland was transformed into the hip and hedonistic second city of Britain.

If the crowd attracted by this myth ever ventured beyond the Northern Quarter, they would see that the wasteland and the poverty are still there. And they might even notice that Manchester punk didn’t end with the second Joy Division album. There is still a sizeable underground scene based in slightly seedy and run-down pubs and clubs at the margins of the city centre. And there are bands playing raw but gripping music with a rarely matched passion and dedication.

Take the Hammers. They are a four piece and have been around for little more than a year. They have already played dozens of gigs, toured continental Europe, and released two vinyl EPs and a tape – without the support of management or a label. Hammers play D-Beat, a version of hardcore punk that emerged out of Staffordshire and Scandinavian basements in the early 1980s. Their domain is lightning fast but hard-hitting drums, guitars heavier than tanks and grunting and growling vocals. Listening to Hammers is a pleasure comparable to flattening SUVs with a steamroller.

Or War Coma. They are just as active as Hammers in terms of gigging, and comparable in sound. Their guitars, however, are more melodic and create a tense atmosphere located somewhere between belligerence and melancholy. War Coma have just released an accomplished five-track demo that could have been a ‘proper’ record. It comes in a self-made box assembled out of recycled cardboard, is sold at gigs and costs less than a pint.

Then there are the Autonomads. Again a band that hasn’t been around for long, and again a band that has already toured continental Europe. The Autonomads infuse distorted guitar sounds with Jamaican influences – something that quite a few current Manchester bands do. But unlike their colleagues, they don’t fall into the trap of combining cheesy pop punk with über-hectic, sterile ska. Their off-beats are warm and groovy, and their capable saxophone player gives their sound subtlety and depth. Apart from that, they take a stand politically and support anarchist activism.

Ironically, none of these bands sound anything like the Buzzcocks or Joy Division. They have better things to do than peddling the myth of Manchester punk. This may explain why they remain at the margin – and why they are far more compelling than the myriad of Mancunian groups trying to be the next New Order or Smiths.

Alex Gallas

Come to the MULE fundraiser this Thursday, for the launch of Manchester’s Cash For Your Stories EP launch, and see War Coma, Nephu Huzzband, and Lie Cycle play at Satan’s Hollow, just off Princess Street.

The intimate, dimly lit Music Box was the perfect setting for a night of Jazz-based performances complimented by a talk from seasoned author and activist Martin Smith. He offered a thought-provoking insight into the genre, its connection to the black civil rights movement and its cultural legacy in shaping politics today.

Hosted by Cultures of Resistance with the acclaimed campaign LoveMusicHateRacism, the night has been touring the country in aid of the Socialist Worker appeal. The Manchester audience was however treated to a different line-up than usual after headline act Omar Puente pulled out due to an emergency.

Opening the night with a 45 minute jamming session was Look Pancake, a recently formed four-piece ensemble of Northwest musicians. Their freshness was reflected in the energy of their set, which was skillfully filled with impromptu solos that drew a warm reception from the crowd.

Next the guest speaker took to the stage. Bringing the two themes of Jazz and Civil Rights together, Smith began with a Langston Hughes’ jazz styled poem ‘Seeing Red’. This was to be the cornerstone of his talk. Refreshingly it wasn’t a standard seminar, his words interspersing with samples of the artists’ music. It proved to be a compelling way to draw the themes together. Covering key artists Art Blakey, Max Roach, Duke Ellington and Charlie Hayden, Smith argued that, although all didn’t identify as “red”, they certainly saw red when it came the injustices surrounding them.

His delivery was passionate, highlighting the influences of gospel music in jazz, its unifying nature and the importance of articulating the feel of the Civil Rights Movement, much of which still resonates today. It could have benefited from being more interactive but the main let down was the visuals. The projected stream of emotive photos were sadly diluted by an excessive use of effects.

Drawing the night to a close the six-piece Cuban Jazz Band comprised of professional artists and was the highlight of the night. Their upbeat and fast-paced set lifted the crowd off their seats to fill the dance floor. Clearly enthusiastic after their set they remarked: “With music being de-radicalised of late, it’s good to see the reinvigoration of social awareness amongst musicians.”

The night received a decent turnout and organiser Sophie Smith told MULE it had been “a successful night, raising awareness of the appeal and importance of the relationship between Jazz and the Civil Rights Movement”. Her sentiment was shared by everyone in attendance. Those who missed out should keep an eye on future Cultures of Resistance events.

Emily Randall

Exodus Live Winter promises to be a truly electrifying night. It marks the accumulation of an impressive year for Exodus, the refugee arts partnership led by Community Arts Northwest. After the summer event, Manchester International Festival hosted Manchester’s global ensemble The Beating Wing Orchestra in their sell-out collaboration with Armadou et Miriam. The concert was greeted with phenomenal acclaim and the Orchestra will be a highlight of the evening.

They will be joined by an international line-up accommodating a wide variety of styles and grooves. Heritage Survival promise to play funky jazz with a real Zimbabwean flavour, using traditional instruments mixed with more familiar guitar melodies. Alafia will offer djembe beats while Testimony will get set the crowd off with their blend classical African and modern American gospel music.

Educated Thugz bring a contemporary feel to the night with their hip-hop and rap stylings. Finally the Women Asylum Seekers Together Choir will recreate the moving songs Manchester audicences were treated to last week at the preview of their play “How I Became An Asylum Seeker”.

The night is an opportunity to bring together musicians from diverse backgrounds to collaborate and experiment, not least through the Exodus Jam Band. It is an unique event that promises to bring communities together – offering a much needed public space and deserved stage to skilled musicians often excluded from performing.

Serge Tebu, Cameroonian keyboardist for the Beating Wing Orchestra, says “the project has given me the opportunity to showcase my music. It has also helped me meet people from different backgrounds, make friends and share life experiences. This gig is another great opportunity to perform the band is really looking forward to the night.” They are not the only ones.

Siobhan McGuirk

Thursday 10 December, 7-11pm, at Band on the Wall

For tickets call 08452 500 500 or visit www.bandonthewall.org.

Tickets cost £5, £3 concessions. Free for Asylum Seekers

Thick bass lines, tight guitar riffs, a splash of keyboard and a meaty horn section pounded out unstoppable funky grooves against steady breakbeat drumming at Band on the Wall on 20 November. LA outfit ‘Breakestra‘ had everyone packed in to the intimate venue moving to their own original brand of modern funk.

After a tight instrumental introduction the empty microphone stand hinted at more to come. Ultimate diva in residence, Afrodyte was soon welcomed on stage to lead the band onwards and upwards to a whole new level of musical virtuosity. Her vocals were rich, soul inflected and occasionally peppered with lighter R&B tone paralleling those of James Brown. A bold claim, yet Afrodyte truly does sound like ‘The Godfather’ himself, with a textured, powerful voice, percussive grunts and orders to, “come on, get down”. The similarities were striking and exploited with taste as she worked in some hip-swinging dance moves. The crowd really let loose and countless drinks were spilt in the fray as the beats just kept coming.

Breakestra’s set spanned a funk repertoire quoting the masters and covering their own material, including newly released album, ‘Dusk Till Dawn’. The highlight was trilby-clad founder Miles Tackett calmly setting down his bass, picking up an amplified Cello and launching into new instrumental track, ‘Me&Michelle’. Tackett’s raw attack on the strings made the unlikely fusion work as the cello wound around the punchy melody with the same range of musical articulation as a Jazz horn. The set finished far too quickly but the Breakestra-hungry crowd were fed a lengthy encore in the energised yet laid-back surrounds.

Days later the versatile venue hosted acclaimed post-Jazz quintet, Polar Bear (24 Nov). Drummer Sebastian Rochford leads the band, speaking unassumingly before casually beating out intricate drum solos. The horn section comprises of two tenor saxophones, the symmetrical wind set-up allowing melodies to converge and diverge in a free-flowing style. Leafcutter John on electronics and guitar, crouching quietly over his laptop, created a completely unique, folksy, bizarre sound world alongside the acoustic members of the band. During one tune he manipulated a balloon over a microphone, putting the resulting sounds through an electronic effect to create dappled, echoing textures.

They largely performed material from their new album, ‘Peepers.’ Sidestepping through genres the band seem just about to settle comfortably into a single style, be it ska, free jazz, rock or an electro-acoustic otherworld, before moving off again in a completely new direction. The crowd were hushed but clearly engrossed in the ever-morphing musical experience.

At Polar Bear the audience was definitely more middle-aged than for Breakestra’s youthful funk extravaganza. And that’s the beauty of Band on the Wall. A bit like a bumper biscuit selection box, with a varied line-up of gigs that nonetheless pushes boundaries, the venue has much to offer the diversity of music fans in Manchester.

A new art installation smothering the outer walls at the venue also aims to take music literally onto the streets. The “sound interactive graphic equaliser” will react to music played inside the building as well as sounds picked up on the street. The aim is to light up the Northern Quarter, as well as Ancoats rush hour traffic, with a public display and visual tribute to Manchester’s musical heritage.

The artwork is created by Manchester artists Michael Trainor and Lee Donnelly and completes Band on the Wall’s rebirth four years after its closure. The grand switch on, no doubt putting Market Streets Christmas Lights to shame, will be held on Tuesday 1 December at 5.30pm.

Every Wednesday night is hosted by a different campaigning group with a Manchester connection, given the opportunity to raise awareness for their cause, through films and pre-party meetings, as well as raising money from donations taken on the door. Between £75-£200 has been raised each week for good causes. Since its inception in March, groups such as the Gardening and Permaculture Society (GAPS), Manchester Climate Action and Manchester No Borders have each hosted the event.

Cool Runnings was set up by Tom Barlow, an activist and promoter living in Manchester, as a way of mixing politics and clubbing in a complementary fashion. He sees Cool Runnings as a response and alternative to a clubbing scene “co-opted by crass commercialism”. Pointing to punk in the eighties and bands like Rage Against the Machine, he argues that music and radical politics have a historically healthy relationship and should continue to work together. At The Corner this fusion is already working well, says Barlow:

“The Love Music Hate Racism night, just before the EDL came to town, helped spur people to go out and protest. I also know it has helped Manchester Climate Action encourage people to go to the Swoop event and Oxfam to get people signed up for the Copenhagen Climate Talks protest.”

Running the night is cost-free for the campaigning groups themselves, with Barlow, The Corner and all DJs providing their services free of charge, ensuring that the campaigners can keep all the money they raise. Of course the night isn’t just about the politics. Although the DJs vary from week to week, Cool Runnings also offers clubbers the chance to get to know up-and-coming DJs such as Dub Conductor and DJ King.

While The Corner’s attempt at transplanting a slice of Berlin into the heart of Fallowfield isn’t wholly convincing, the venue manages to create an atmosphere of intimacy and Cool Runnings fills the 120 person capacity quickly. The beer is cheap and the sound-system does a good job of dealing with the mix of familiar and not so familiar dub, reggae and dancehall tunes booming out. Compared to the vigorous moneymaking agenda of the Warehouse Project and other vaunted ’superclubs’, Cool Runnings offers a positive alternative club experience, which aims to give back to the community at large. It has achieved an interesting and successful model of integrating serious issues into the Manchester nightlife and upcoming events should cater well for both politics and partying.

Ben Lear

Cool Runnings

The Corner, Wimslow Road, Fallowfield

Wednesday nights from 8pm – late.

Free entry, donations appreciated (different cause each week)

MULE will be holding a Cool Runnings fundraiser on Wednesday 9 December.

Whether you’re in to hip-skanking dub, smooth jazz grooves, bouncing African soukous or contemporary English folk music, you’re bound to find something to tickle your fancy at the newly re-opened Band On The Wall. After five long years of extensive renovations and re-thinks, the venue which previously played host to scores of local legends, including Joy Division and Buzzcocks has finally flung open its doors and is inviting everyone in.

Brian Slater

The building remains in its original location in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter. The site dates back to the beginning of the 19^th century when the George and Dragon pub was granted its licence. During the 1930s the pub gained itself a nickname that stuck, Band On The Wall. Musicians used to play on a stage that was mounted on to the wall of the club to maximise space. As the 1970s dawned business was declining and the joint was fighting for its life. Luckily the flexible venue was speedily re-invented and became one of the region’s most important music stomping grounds, assisting the punk revolution and pumping the blood back round Manchester music’s circulatory system.

In its latest reincarnation, Band On The Wall offers an eclectic programme with up-coming highlights including Malian African blues star, Bassekou Kouyate and young English folk upstart, Jim Moray. The programme is so varied and wildly inclusive that it’s impossible to pinpoint one genre the venue favours. Team member Malcolm Duffin says that the club is simply committed to “putting on the best music regardless of genre, from around the world”.

Band on the Wall offers a complete night out for music lovers. After every live gig, concert goers can seamlessly continue their evening by sticking around for the after-party, at no extra charge. The club is already receiving support from the local musical community: Manchester DJ marvel Mr Scruff recently announced that his monthly marathon night ‘Keep it Unreal’ will relocate there from The Music Box.

Duffin is keen to emphasise that Band On The Wall is “not just another black box music venue, where you go in at 7.30 and come out at 11.00 pm”. The venue aims to engage the Manchester community in active music-making and education. By joining one of the ‘Learning and Participation Courses’, you could find yourself singing in an all ages choir, hammering out some global grooves on an African djembe drum or busting out an improvised jazz lick with a full band. Next-door, The Picturehouse offers a social space and a classy café-bar. It is set to play host to occasional, more intimate gigs and screenings.

This is a venue that has something for everyone, including a Steinway piano, a state of the art PA system, quality performers, a not-for-profit status and beer for a very reasonable £2.50.

For more information and a full line-up see: www.bandonthewall.org

Become a Band On The Wall member for £30 and get 20% off everything.

Rachel Jackson