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Each week The Skinny team hand-pick a selection of the best events from the North's cultural calendar to provide you with this 'ere top ten guide to the most exciting goings-on for the week ahead. From gigs, plays and exhibitions to spoken word, pop-up foodie events and one-off film screenings, we give you the insider's guide to things to do in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds every Thursday morning.

Bright Lights, Big Screens 

Awards season is in full swing, set to peak soon with the Oscars on 26 Feb (or the small hours of 27 Feb for us UK folk).

That means you've got just about enough time to catch up on all the Best Picture noms, which we've been busy reviewing, comparing, pondering. Damien Chazelle's immaculately dressed contemporary musical La La Land may have revived our love for Hollywood, but we feel pretty enamoured by the shattering (and surprisingly funny) Manchester by the Sea and Barry Jenkins' decade-hopping coming-of-age film Moonlight, too. More importantly, though, this year seems to mark something of a breakout year for black American film, with Fences and Hidden Figures also having earned Best Picture nods; you can read more thoughts on that here.

If you missed it at the weekend, you can check out all the gossip from the BAFTAs in our roundup, which, along with the full rundown of winners, also includes excerpts from Ken Loach's Tory-slamming acceptance speech.

And, of course, Glasgow Film Festival is now underway. Head on over to our Film section for an absolute shedload of reviews, interviews, opinion pieces and more.

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What Fifty Shades Can Learn from Secretary

We take a look at the lessons modern spankbuster 50 Shades could learn from Steven Shainberg’s 2002 cult classic, Secretary. In short: a helluva lot, as you'd probably guessed... Read all about it here.

Cauliflower to Kombucha: Food Trends in 2017

2017 is off and running, so we take a look at the things we’ll all definitely be eating and drinking this year, including cauliflower, kombucha and vinegar, apparently.

Charity Sex: 50 Shades for a Cause

Speaking of which, our Books Editor is currently working his way through 50 Shades in aid of the Scottish Book Trust. Read about his experience here. Illustration: Paul Law

Islington Mill Wins Venue License Battle

ICYMI: Salford multi-arts venue Islington Mill gets to keep its license! Yay! See how you can support the Mill – and its forward-thinking programming – for the future here.

Do Not Miss

Liverpool Beer Festival
Metropolitan Cathedral Crypt, Liverpool. Until Sat 18 Feb, times vary

Beer? Ah, go on then. Over in Liverpool the local CAMRA lot will be hosting their annual beer festival, down in the atmospheric crypt at Liverpool's Metropolitan Cathedral. Sessions are divided into daytime and evening; book yourself into a slot here. Photo: Neil Lloyd

Queer Contact: Mother's Ruin & A Queer Revue!
Band on the Wall, Manchester. Fri 17 Feb, 11pm

This year's Queer Contact Festival may be drawing to a close – but not without a bang, in the form of anarchic queer performance platform Mother's Ruin and its official after party, A Queer Revue! with Drunk at Vogue DJs (pictured) and Make A Scene, Manchester's wild interactive party. Photo: Lee Baxter

Advertorial | The Conquest of the South Pole
Everyman Theatre, Liverpool. Fri 24-Sat 29 Apr, times vary
By Manfred Karge / Translation by Tinch Minter & Anthony Vivis / Directed by Nick Bagnall

They’re going to conquer the South Pole, right there amongst the laundry and the pigeons in the attic... A wildly anarchic journey into the imagination, the spirit of this classic European play is as vital now as it was in Berlin 30 years ago. See it first and discover the Everyman Company Season. @LivEveryPlay / #EvCompany / everymanplayhouse.com/conquest

Liverpool Vintage Preloved Kilo Sale
The Black E, Liverpool. Sun 19 Feb, 11am

Wade your way through six tonnes of retro and vintage clothing, which you'll then be able to scoop up for £15 per kilo. Stock's replenished throughout the day, so you'll be able to find top-qual branded sportswear, coats, jumpers, dresses, shoes, handbags, scarves, hats, flannel shirts and more, right through 'til 4pm.

Koffee Pot Supper Club: Nose to Tail Eating
Koffee Pot, Manchester. Wed 22 Feb, 7pm

Inspired by the pioneering work of chef Fergus Henderson, whose legendary St John restaurant champions nose-to-tail eating, Koffee Pot will be hosting a four-course candlelit dinner that celebrates the lesser known, forgotten cuts of meat, harking back to the thrifty British tradition of making a virtue of every part of the animal. See what's on the menu here. Illustration: Ben Kither (OWT Creative)

Rip It Up: A Celebration of the Counter-Culture
John Rylands Library, Manchester. Thu 16 Feb, 6pm

Experience John Rylands' current Off-Beat exhibition in a unique way with Rip it Up,  an evening of experimentation and celebration of the counter-culture. From 6-8pm there will be 60s experimental art and a drop-in zine workshop, before the evening turns its focus onto live, experimental performance from DEVI collective, spanning music, spoken word and video from the likes of Jamie Robinson (KHOM, Impatv), Sam Weaver (Cuspeditions), Louise Woodcont (2 KOI KARP, Poppycock), Lauren Bolger (Locean) and many more – check out the full lineup on the Facebook event page.

Read more news from across the Northwest cultural scene at theskinny.co.uk/news
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