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1. MUSIC | A Carefully Planned Festival
Various venues, Manchester. Sat 17-Sun 18 Oct, times vary, £17.50 weekend here
Now five years old, A Carefully Planned Festival once again swarms over the Northern Quarter, with more than 100 acts descending on the area's venues. It's nearly impossible to pick a highlight among a line-up that's a true celebration of independence, but we're plumping for Sheffield's Afrobeat-tinged industrial heads Blood Sport (pictured). An Alcopop! Records takeover at Soup Kitchen, and the former Kraak – newly re-opened as Aatma – are also expected to be busy points. |
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2. MUSIC | Liverpool Irish Festival
Various venues, Liverpool. Thu 15-Sun 25 Oct, times and prices vary here
Liverpool Irish Festival kicks off with a live union between Aghagallon folk songwriter Ciaran Lavery and minimal electronic composer Ryan Vail (pictured), in an event co-presented by the Irish fest and local promoters Mellowtone. The musicians, inspired by maritime life and the coastal surroundings of Donegal, play at Leaf, with further festival highlights including a special collaboration between Stealing Sheep and local improv collective Immix – read more on the latter here. |
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3. COMEDY | Women in Comedy Festival
Various venues, Manchester. Thu 15-Sun 25 Oct, times and prices vary here
Resident compere at Glasgow comedy club The Stand and host of BBC Radio Scotland's Funny Friends, Susan Calman is one of the patrons of this year's Women in Comedy Festival. She's among those performing at its opening night gala (at the Frog and Bucket on the 15th), while she'll also be presenting new work at The King's Arms, Salford (on the 16th). Our comedy editor recently previewed the festival, read all about it!
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4. BOOKS | Manchester Artists' Book Fair
The Holden Gallery, Manchester. Fri 16-Sat 17 Oct, 11am, Free
Run in association with the Manchester School of Art, Hot Bed Press's Manchester Artists' Book Fair returns, now firmly established as one of the best hubs for book arts in the UK. The two-day event will showcase the work of around 40 book artists and printing press collectives, featuring a dizzying array of interpretations and reconfigurations of the book form. Expect leather-bound books and 'zines, letterpress, wooden type and handprinted paper. |
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5. CLUBS | Welcome to Buyers Club Music
Buyers Club, Liverpool. Fri 16 Oct, 10pm, Free
A refreshing antidote to the doom and gloom of recent/impending venue closures in the region, Buyers Club is a new venue and bar situated on the old Flying Picket site, collaborated on by Abandon Silence promoter Andrew Hill, Bold Street Coffee owner Sam Tawil, Miles Falkingham of Camp and Furnace, and the Secret Diners Club. Tonight's a totally free chance to see what they've done with the place and enjoy a flavour of what's to come. |
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Advertisement | Fuel Theatre and Andy Smith present The Preston Bill
The New Continental, Preston. Wed 14-Thu 15, Wed 21-Thu 22 Oct, 8pm, £Pay What You Decide
Welcome to The North
The story of a life. The story of our lives. A story from Preston. About Preston.
Award-winning theatre maker Andy Smith presents this newly commissioned piece of theatre, telling a tale of a man from this city, and all that has happened here, there, and everywhere in this last 80 years.
Go online/phone the box office to book your ticket. Then pay what you decide after the performance.
01772499425 / newcontinental.net
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6. FOOD | Giant Northern Vegan Festival
Various venues, Manchester. Sat 17 Oct, 10am, £2 OTD
The largest vegan gathering in the North, the Giant Northern Vegan Festival boasts a mighty 185 stalls, including 16 caterers offering a wide variety of vegan food (Indian, Caribbean, Malaysian, Mexican, Turkish, American street food, and British), as well as a vegan pet food stall and vegan shoe stalls. The Thirsty Scholar will be hosting a vegan beer and cider festival, with Sachas Hotel, the Methodist Church and – of course – Mancunian vegan mecca V Revolution also involved. Maybe you'd like to vote for it (and others) in our Food and Drink survey?
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7. COMEDY | Southport Comedy Festival
Various venues, Southport. Thu 15-Sun 25 Oct, times and prices vary here
Whoever told you that summer was festival season obviously wasn't banking on all the comedy festivals that've been pouring forth since the Edinburgh Fringe. Following Liverpool Comedy Festival, and with Women in Comedy Festival and the Manchester Fringe on the horizon, Southport Comedy Festival brings a host of new and established names to the west coast, with veterans like Martin Mor rubbing shoulders with the likes of the ascendant Joe Lycett (pictured). |
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8. CLUBS | Big Narstie
24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool. Fri 16 Oct, 11pm, from £6 here
Hot Plate returns with another tasty looking line-up, headed up by Brixton-based grime artist Big Narstie. Having made his name through mixtape culture, he's become one of the most outspoken MCs on the UK circuit, amassing a ton of credibility for both his direct opinions on social media and his rhymes, that not even a close friendship with Ed Sheeran has been able to dent. |
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9. COMEDY | Sham Bodie
Soup Kitchen, Manchester. Thu 15 Oct, 7pm, £5 here
Curators of laughter and other general silliness (mainly involving hotdogs), Sham Bodie have become something of a touring circus of late, and tonight they call into Soup Kitchen with one of their strongest line-ups of the year. It includes the always hilarious sketch group Gein's Family Giftshop, fresh from another acclaimed turn at the Fringe; the garage rock of recently formed local types Peace and Love Barbershop Muhammed Ali, and comedian Danny Sutcliffe (pictured) doing what essentially amounts to Room 101. |
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10. THEATRE | Teechers
Lantern Theatre, Liverpool. Mon 19-Wed 21 Oct, 7.30pm, £9.50 (£7.50) here
A resurrection of the classic 1985-published John Godber play, Teechers is about one year in one school as seen through the eyes of three school leavers. A play within a play, it sees the school leavers put on a performance in front of their drama teacher Mr Nixon, who, through his idealism and belief that all children should be treated equally, has been a huge influence on them. |
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Ten years of The Skinny with Too Much Fun Club and Ubre Blanca.
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