Scene Report: Manchester May 2007
By: Gareth Roberts
Truth told, it's been relatively quiet on the North Western front recently. A combination of factors (namely countless boring / tedious experiences) has contributed to a general disillusionment with all things gig / club related. Thankfully, my faith in love and music was well and truly restored on Monday by The Cribs, who effortlessly managed to convince my friends and I that they are easily the best band around in the UK at the moment. The brothers Jarman are deserving of far more credit and success than they get, yet with a bit of luck - not to mention justice - that will change soon.
Things had got off to a good start that week anyway, as Daniel Johnston's gig at the Comedy Store turned out (to my relief) to be a raw and inspiring evening, despite there not once arriving a moment where you didn't feel that things could take a turn for the worse - what with Johnston's well documented mental health issues - however, he managed to plough on like a rusty wheelbarrow thanks to his downright musical genius and the able handed help of Adem and Jeffrey Lewis.
Prior to these memorable evenings, May kicked off in somewhat menial fashion with Salford's Sounds from the Other City event, the likes of local up and comers Performance, Modernaire, The Answering Machine and The Maple State proving that Manchester is not without its share of developing talent. Yet the combination of a long day spent in stupidly overcrowded pubs managed to sap my enthusiasm to the point of defeat. And it was raining. On the plus side it was the day United were confirmed as Premiership champions for the ninth time. So, every cloud...
This - which I'm sure you'll agree sounds nothing short of a spirit draining ordeal! - coupled with seemingly every venture out to the clubs of Manchester turning into a barren damp-squib soundtracked by monotonous electro shite (which seems to be taking over almost every club in town, much to my dismay) led to me feeling a little bit... lethargic about doing, well, anything. But, as I say, thanks to Daniel Johnston and the Cribs all is once again musically well in the city of Manchester.
The fast approaching, and much welcomed, return of Summer also has us in higher spirits. We all know it's Glastonbury in a little over three weeks, but it's the Manchester International Festival that's getting me most excited. As well as gigs from the likes of Kanye West, P J Harvey, Lou Reed and The Fall, not to mention a host of brilliant upstarts including Bat for Lashes, there's also Johnny Vegas' 'Interiors', a show with a capacity of 20 people that looks set to be an experience that won't be forgotten in a hurry. Furthermore, we're to get the Damon Albarn / Jamie Hewlett / Chen Shi-Zheng production 'Monkey - Journey to the West', which should be another fantastic venture from the Gorillaz duo. On top of that, there'll be a free performance from The Horrors and The Gossip, and a culinary masterclass from Heston Blumenthal.
It's no wonder Ian Brown said that Manchester has everything apart from a beach. Except that, well, now... it has. Nearly. Once it's installed in Cathedral Gardens, the artificial seaside will be set to host a number of events including gigs and DJs. So for all my moaning, soon, life in Manchester will be - when all is said and done - a beach.