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1. ART | Homotopia
Various Venues, Liverpool. Fri Oct 30-Tue Dec 1, times and prices vary here
Homotopia Festival returns to celebrate LGBTQ artists and continue to raise issues the community faces in 2015. At the head of their programme is award-winning LGBTQ literary salon Polari, which returns to the fest to showcase the best in established and emerging queer literary talent — all hosted by Paul Burston and VG Lee. The extended programme of performance and exhibitions also features the likes of Zanele Muholi's VUKANI/RISE, already ongoing at the Open Eye Gallery. |
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2. MUSIC | Lydia Lunch's Halloween Seance
Islington Mill, Salford. Sat 31 Oct, 8pm, £7 here
No wave-spawned solo artist, collaborator, writer and actress Lydia Lunch is currently spending two weeks at Islington Mill as part of her residency for Samarbeta, and she'll be celebrating Halloween just like the rest of us – with a right old party. Performing with her band Big Sexy Noise, Lunch will be joined by Bella Union-signed Pins, the Mill-based improv unit Water and brilliant confrontational punk group Ill (pictured), while — who else? — Maxine Peake will be on DJ duties. Read more about the residency here. |
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3. MUSIC | Liverpool Music Week Closing Party
Camp and Furnace, Liverpool. Sat 31 Oct, 5pm, £15 here
Bradford Cox brings the wonderful Deerhunter to Liverpool to close Liverpool Music Week, atop a bill also featuring post-punk legends Gang of Four, former Late of the Pier man LA Priest and recent Mercury nominee SOAK. Deerhunter's Fading Frontier, released this month, has followed the protopunk of Monomania with a mellower yet no less engaging record – read our review of it here. Live, they can go from anything between dream-pop opulence to krautrock precision. |
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4. ART | Day of the Dead
University of Liverpool. Mon 2 Nov, noon, Free
Kicking off a week of Iberian and Latin American culture at Liverpool University, the Day of the Dead celebrations promise a traditional taste of the Mexican Día de Muertos. Promising music, altar making, mural painting by Alfredo Hau, food tasting and lots of socialising and fiesta, the event will be preceded by Dr Noélia Díaz-Vicedo, who will be reciting some of her poetry in Spanish, Catalan and English. |
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5. FILM | Homeless Film Festival
HOME, Manchester. Tue 3-Wed 4 Nov, times and prices vary here
The touring Homeless Film Festival comes to Manchester today, showcasing the feature-length London to Brighton – a story of two women journeying to Brighton in fear of their lives – as well as a series of shorts tackling themes and issues surrounding homelessness. The timing is particularly poignant given the backdrop of Manchester's own homelessness crisis, which has grown exponentially over the last five years. |
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ADVERTISEMENT | Pitch to Pixel: The World of Football Gaming National Football Museum, Manchester. Fri 23 Oct 2015-Sun 5 Jun 2016, Free Exhibition partners EA Sports and Sports Interactive Visit Pitch To Pixel: The World of Football Gaming for a unique look at what happens when video games meet the beautiful game. The National Football Museum, EA Sports and Sports Interactive have created an interactive experience to guide you through the playable world of football computer games. Discover how football gaming is now influencing the real sport, and learn about the dedication shown by football gamers worldwide. Immersive artworks offer a unique view of gaming, and you can even get yourself on the cover of your own game. A must-visit for FIFA players, Football Managers and gamers of all ages!
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6. ART | Perfect?
Williamson Art Gallery, Liverpool. Fri 30 Oct, 7.30pm, £16 here
A special night event at the Williamson Art Gallery sees internationally renowned multi-media artists Davy and Kristin McGuire showcase newly commissioned artwork STARKERS, which explores the idea of perfection and the female form using projection, voice and music. In addition, Manchester-based dream-pop duo O>L>A will be making the trip along the M62, having just released their new EP Call of the Wild. |
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7. COMEDY | Greater Manchester Comedy Fringe
Various Venues, Manchester. Sun 1-Tue 10 Nov, times and prices vary here
Following a busy summer theatre calendar, the Greater Manchester Fringe returns with its Comedy Festival, running for ten days and featuring a host of new talent. Among the headliners is Matt Hollins (pictured), a deadpan comedian who'll be presenting his new show on the festival's opening night. Elsewhere, the likes of previous James Acaster support Stuart Laws and recent Edinburgh Fringe success story Will Seaward are set to appear alongside dozens of others. |
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8. FOOD AND DRINK | Levenshulme Halloween Market
Levenshulme Market, Manchester. Fri 30 Oct, 4pm, Free
A beguiling range of food, including (deep breath) Jian Bing Chinese crepes, Indonesian satay, wild game burgers, Dutch pancakes and much more will be on offer as the Levenshulme Market celebrates Halloween a night early with its usual promise of a feast, with live music courtesy of rockabilly band Cosmic Rey and the Constellations. Market vouchers are up for grabs for the best fancy dress, while others may wish to compete at a good ole pumpkin carving contest. |
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9. THEATRE | Ada Ada Ada
The Lowry Studio, Salford. Fri 30 Oct, 8pm, From £10 here
Interactive theatre piece Ada Ada Ada is part of the gargantuan calendar of Manchester Science Festival events that come to a close on 1 Nov, and seeks to re-establish the name of Ada Lovelace, a pioneer of computer programming who has been written out of history. Chiefly known for her work on Charles Babbage's early mechanical general-purpose computer, the Analytical Engine, Lovelace helped to create its algorithm in 1843 – the first in history. |
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10. CLUBS | Voodoo Ball – Revenge of El Coco
The Kazimier, Liverpool. Sat 31 Oct, 8pm, £15 OTD
Rebel Soul present their usual extravaganza of music, colour and hedonism as they ring in Halloween with a night that this year celebrates "all things Bogeyman." In real terms that means the raucous sounds of backstreet Latin swing with the maverick Voodoo Love Orchestra and 12-tone jazz from United Vibrations, as well as a host of characters wandering the venue including the Bride of El Coco, plus a Wake the Dead parade at 8:30pm. |
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: The Spills - Pepper's Ghost (Official Video)
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