Gigs – Gabriel Minnikin – International Songwriters Circle, Manchester

Star rating – 9/10

It’s not every day you get invited into a musician’s home for an International Songwriters Circle, so when Gabriel Minnikin asked me to his house for a special evening I was intrigued.  And as Minnikin was a great support act at the recent Justin Townes Earle gig as the Academy, this was too good to miss. The Canadian songwriter has made Manchester his home for the past eight years, and a more charming and laid back host you would struggle to find.

The idea of opening his home up to a small group of invited friends and guests, to help to spread the word about his and his friends’ music, and to sell a few CDs along the way, is a really innovative one. His music is just how I like it, country fused ballads and delicate guitar, with a little bluegrass thrown in for good measure. His voice is deep and poetic, and it sounded even better in such intimate surroundings. His latest album Parakeets with Parasols is a real gem. And you can try out his music before you buy it at:

http://music.cbc.ca/#/artists/Gabe-Minnikin

As well as his own brand of country folk songs, there were beautiful, sensitive numbers from Newcastle based Gem Andrews:

and some good songs from a very jetlagged A.K.A Belle – full marks to her for devotion to the evening.

But the evening’s real revelation for me was the extraordinary, powerful, and haunting voice of Leeds based Dan Beesley. I felt like I was listening to an early Elvis, or even a growling Leadbelly. Dan has talent in bucket loads, and got us all going with a rousing rendition of Down by the Riverside towards the end of the evening. I am sure he is destined for great things – if there is any justice in this world he is anyway.

http://danbeesleyandthesssss.bandcamp.com/

Gabriel Minnikin comes across as a generous, warm, and extremely creative person and talented songwriter. He deserves to be very successful, although not so successful I hope that he stops holding his house gigs for appreciative guests like me to enjoy.

Walking Adventures - Underground Manchester

Star rating – 8/10

If you think you know Manchester pretty well, then think again, for deep below the city’s streets is a fascinating network of underground tunnels withholding many secrets. And you can experience just some of them yourself by going on a walk around Underground Manchester, courtesy of New Manchester Walks (http://www.newmanchesterwalks.com/), as I did this weekend.  When your joining instructions are to wear stout footwear, and to bring a torch, you know there is something a bit different in store.

Our very knowledgeable and interesting guide Steve told the group about a, now decommissioned, top secret Government installation below the city, which was previously built as a sort of nuclear bunker for the great and the good. The trouble was that at only 60 feet below ground level, the labyrinth simply was not deep enough to do the job. And its walls were lined with asbestos, so not the perfect hiding place after all.  You can still see the entrance building, now bricked up and surrounded by razor wire, just behind St. Peter’s Square.  When there was a fire down there in 2003, which knocked out the city centre’s phone lines for a few days, the fire brigade dug down through the road to put it out, rather than enter these toxic tunnels.

But the real gem on this 2 hour walking tour are the tunnels below the former Central Station, which were carved out of Manchester’s red sandstone rock, and which started out as a route into the vast  warehouses for the goods brought by canal into the thriving industrial city. They then served as an air raid shelter for the general public, not lucky or important to have access to a private bunker, during World War II. You can still see the remnants of the toilets, tea stall, and even a crèche that was down there. 

It is a great way to learn about the history of a place to actually see it firsthand. As you stand in the almost total darkness down there, you can imagine the air raid sirens going off and the people scuttling down the long, steep stairways into the safety of these tunnels below. And I like to imagine the women taking it in turns to mind each other’s children, while the others put on their lippy, painted stocking lines down the backs of their legs, and emerged from the deep to enjoy a night on the town. 

There were strict rules in the shelters to prevent drinking, gambling and any unseemly behaviour whilst down there. I imagine the good folk of Manchester pretty much ignored all of those and did exactly as they liked, despite the best efforts of the wardens. After all - this is the party city. And there is some graffiti down there from 1983, when the tunnels were again used for gambling, this time by an illicit poker school whose members apparently spent many a night down there while the police turned a blind eye. Now that is what I call real dedication to a leisure pursuit.

This walk is a real revelation, and it is certainly a pretty amazing experience to stand below Deansgate and hear absolutely nothing - except the drip, drip of water and the sighs of a little girl’s ghost (allegedly). 

Gigs - Joe Pug - Castle Hotel, Manchester

Star rating – 9/10

If, like me, you remember fondly when the gigs you went to were small and sweaty, then rest assured that there is no need to simply reminisce.  Manchester’s Castle Hotel offers those longed for intimate exclusive experiences on a regular basis – great gigs just as they should be. And last night’s offering from American country troubadour Joe Pug was something a little bit special.

His lyrics pack a real punch, and his very affable and charming demeanour belie an intensity and anger reminiscent of a young Bob Dylan. His guitar and his mouth organ are his weapons, like a raging Woody Guthrie or Bruce Springsteen. Defiantly on the side of the little people, he quit drama school and went to earning his living as a carpenter before his musical career took off. He has famously given away his music for free to fans in return for them spreading the word around about his music. And he is still an artist who likes to treat his audiences with respect.

Pug is one of those songwriters who leaves a piece of himself on every song – honestly sharing his political and romantic passions alike. He treated the small but very appreciative crowd to gems like Speak Plainly Diana, and the desperate heartbreak tune Call It What You Will, both from the acclaimed Nation of Heat EP. He raged fabulously about  ‘a congress of jackals will put a tax on my smile’ in Nobody’s Man. My personal stand out favourite of the night was How Good You Are from the online album Messenger. It’s a great example of how a good track can sound truly great live.

He finished off with a last rousing number Hymn#101, testing the timbers of his heart, he is brave, insistent, confrontational, searching for answers, and putting himself out there with all his soul. By his own admission Joe Pug says exactly what he means and is stubborn as a butcher. Watch out world is all I can say. He sings of redemption and love, of missed chances and weary lives. A remarkable, warm and talented performer, do yourself a favour and don’t miss him when he next graces these shores with his outstanding talent. And thanks to Hey Manchester! for putting on another tremendous gig.  May sweaty nights reign...

http://www.heymanchester.com/

Films - The Bourne Legacy - directed by Tony Gilroy

Star rating - 7/10

Let's get the obvious deficiency out of the way - Jason Bourne does not star in this film, although his presence is clearly felt and his name and photo feature throughout. But on the basis of the quality of this continuation of the excellent Bourne franchise by director Tony Gilroy, Matt Damon might be seriously considering a comeback.

This time it is Jeremy Renner who steps into his shoes as part of a sinister US government programme to create superhuman secret agents.  Renner is excellent as Aaron  Cross, and is no stranger to tough physical roles, having starred in the phenomenal Iraq war film The Hurt Locker. And he is great in this role too, beginning by managing to impressively extricate himself from an impossibly ridiculous isolation in a remote snowy wilderness in an extremely entertaining and thrilling way. What than man can do with wolves is nobody's business.

There are all the usual Bourne ingredients here - a decidedly shady secret programme, a government turning against its own agents to suit its will, a beautiful scientist, and a daring escape across the globe against all the odds. 

It starts amusingly, in a deadly sort of way, with a Guardian journalist being shot in London before they can publish an exposé of facts the US authorities simply cannot allow to enter the public domain. And the Brits continue to fare badly in the face of ruthless American deep CIA action.

Apart from the convincing and very watchable Renner, Rachel Weisz is her usual accomplished and very watchable self as Dr Marta Shearing, the chemist who has unwittingly sacrificed her life for the programme. And Edward Norton is fabulous as the ruthless and chilling American official who is calling all the shots as he periodically barks out orders for rooms to be cleared and people to be 'bagged'. You really would not want to argue with him.

The chases are as thrilling as you would expect, if a little overlong in places. And yes it is super cheesy, often in an extremely amusing way. After taking out around 5 government agents in her tumble down remote house, Renner orders Weisz  to ' get your bag- we need to get out of here',  or words to that effect. No, really  Aaron, she wanted to hang around to have coffee and cake...

It's great entertainment, and as good as a Bourne film without Bourne could be. And to be fair much better than I expected. I for one would like to see Renner and Damon united for the next installment. While Bourne was essentially duped into being part of the CIA experiment, Cross seems to have quite willingly volunteered for the role. Now that would be some storyline for the next Bourne film.

Exhibitions - National Football Museum - Urbis, Manchester

Star rating – 7/10

Searching for an activity to fill the miniscule space between the end of the Olympics and the start of the football season (yippee!!), I paid a visit to the new National Football Museum in Manchester. With all due respect to Preston North End fans, its former home there was not a location destined to attract the hordes. So I was curious to see how the former Urbis, never a real success as an exhibition space, fared as the museum to our national game and abiding passion. As the home city of both the fading glory of Manchester United (well almost, if you count Stretford), and the newly crowned Premiership Champions Manchester City, on paper the setting couldn’t be more fitting. 

The football Hall as Fame as you enter makes use of the awkward lobby space. The selection of footballers and football folk in it seem to be a bit random but it was nice to see my old school mate Robbie Earle there for his community work anyway. The second floor has some great exhibits, although some of them are a bit hidden away and the whole place feels just a bit too busy for my liking. There’s a Wembley turnstile and old Wembley seats you can sit in to relive happy (or heartbreaking) memories. The origins and history of the game are well documented. There is the beautiful L.S. Lowry painting Going to the Match, depicting Saturday afternoons of yesteryear – when all matches were actually played at that time of the week. But that was before we shook hands with the devil, to paraphrase Sir Alex Ferguson, or Sky, if you prefer. And of course there is a lot of 1966 and all that – as you would expect.

Some exhibits are not quite so obvious. There's a very snazzy George Best designed shirt from the 60's. And it was very good to see a scarf from the Justin Campaign there against homophobia in football, named after footballer Justin Fashanu – who is still incredibly the only footballer to have ever come out as gay in our country, and who tragically hanged himself. It’s just a shame that the FA don’t back this up with actual action, like they have done with the Kick It Out campaign against racism. 

To be fair, the contents of the museum seem quite balanced, and don’t favour any particular team. Of course as a Man City fan I loved Colin Bell’s medals, and Bert Trautmann’s neck brace. But one of the most moving exhibits there is the actual register of Manchester United players with so many names struck out with the words ‘killed in air crash’, and replaced with the names of younger, more fortunate teammates who did not perish in the Munich Air disaster of 1958.

There seems lots of interactive things to do for kids there, some of which you do have to pay for. But my favourite part of the place was a lovely 8 minute film showing in the small cinema there entitled ‘Our Beautiful Game’. It’s a touching and very moving love letter to football, in all its forms, at every level, by the people who play and watch the game, in pub teams and premiership alike, and well worth a few moments of your time.  

And all that has got me nicely warmed up for the new season with all its highs and lows, and its jubilation and desperation to come.

Music - Orkney Symphony of the Magnetic North

Star rating – 7/10

Whilst trying to preserve the exhilarating soulfulness of my recent Highland adventures, I came across this beautifully evocative CD by The Magnetic North, which is a hymn to another Scottish isle – Orkney. It’s the work of ex Verve member Simon Tong, along with Hannah Peel, and Erland Cooper, whose hails from this remote part of the British Isles.

And the music reflects the windswept landscapes in a wonderful way. The album is dedicated to Betty Corrigall, a young woman who killed herself in the late eighteenth century after her lover deserted her after she became pregnant, and who was not allowed to be buried in consecrated ground for her sin. It’s a very sad story, and a delicate eponymous song, with gentle guitar and mournful lyrics. Read more about her at:  

http://www.orkneyjar.com/history/historicalfigures/bettycorrigall/index.html

 My favourite track, Bay of Skaill bemoans the lack of opportunities for work on the distant island, and has beautiful vocals and a strong drum beat. All the songs are very evocative, and the delicate vocals, in places with added depth by the accompaniment of a local pub choir, are just right.

The lovely music is just the thing to take you right back to the wild yet peaceful remote islands around our shores. I feel another trip coming on...

DVD - Once Upon a Time in Anatolia - directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan

Star rating – 9/10

On paper this film, just out on DVD, shouldn’t work – over two and a half hours long, nothing much happens, no soundtrack, and no real back story to the crime it deals with. But it is really gripping, and its slow pace belies a profundity that is a delight to watch.

Turkish director Nuri Bilge Ceylan has crafted a modern masterpiece in this story of the events of a single night and following day. A crime has been committed. We know this from the convoy of three police vehicles wending their way through the barren countryside under cover of darkness. In the cars there is a police chief, a prosecutor, a doctor and some diggers – along with two suspects who are being asked to recall the whereabouts of a body they have obviously murdered and buried. It put me unsettlingly in mind of the Moors Murderers being taken back to Saddleworth Moor to try to identify the spot where they buried their young victims. 

But these men are not painted as particularly evil criminals. The motive for the crime is never really spelled out, just hinted at along the way. They are unkempt, sorry creatures as they take the search party to one isolated spot after another. The landscape is so sparse that it must be difficult to remember – or are they deliberately frustrating their captors. It’s difficult to tell. But the length of time it takes allows for tremendous characterisation to be built.

Whilst the search is going on, in between some of the more mundane conversation between the officials, parts of their exchanges are delightfully revealing. The Police Chief is a man of refined tastes, and tells of his great love of buffalo yogurt, which is apparently very rare, and his mobile ring tone is a nice romantic touch - the theme from Love Story. The task feels interminably long to the participants, but not to the viewer, as the black night gives way to various philosophical discussions and debates. In particular the discussion of the death of a beautiful woman between the cynical young doctor (Muhammet Uzuner), and the distinguished prosecutor (Taner Birsel), which they return to repeatedly over the long hours, is brilliant and achingly sad.

Ceylan has confidently created a slow, measured, yet deeply moving film. The bleak landscape is an evocative backdrop for this tale, which reminded me of a brilliant Chekhov short story in its intensity and ability to capture so much in so short a time span.