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1. BOOKS | Manchester Literature Festival
Various venues, Manchester. Mon 12-Sun 25 Oct, times and prices vary here
Among the highlights of the first night at Manchester Literature Festival are Sunday Times EFG Short Story winner Kevin Barry (pictured) and the University of Manchester’s Centre for New Writing co-director John McAuliffe. The festival stretches out over two weeks and will later host, among others, Everything But The Girl's Tracey Thorn in conversation with Dave Haslam (whose book was published this summer), Guardian columnist Paul Mason, an evening discussing the work of Carol Ann Duffy and much, much more. |
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2. MUSIC | Actress
Islington Mill, Salford. Fri 9 Oct, 9pm, £12.50 here
Now Wave are the latest promoters to come to Fat Out's recently christened 'Burrow' (the venue space at Islington Mill), bringing with them one of contemporary music’s most uncompromising artists, Actress. Four LPs into his career – although coming to real prominence with 2012's R.I.P – the artists otherwise known as Darren Cunningham flits from ambient passages to colder, reptilian techno, while live he's similarly diverse, known to totally defy expectations. Read our thoughts on his most recent record Ghettoville here. |
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3. FOOD & DRINK | Indy Man Beer Con
Victoria Baths, Manchester. Thu 8-Sun 11 Oct, times and prices vary here
It's no surprise to find that the Indy Man Beer Con (that's Independent Manchester Beer Convention for long) is down to its very last few tickets. More than 50 national and international breweries have signed up this year, and regional foodies Almost Famous, Bundobust (opening fully in Manchester next year) and more will be providing the eats for this four-day craft boozathon. This seems as good a time as any to remind you to vote in our Food and Drink Survey 2016. |
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4. ART | Glasshouse
The Bluecoat, Liverpool. Sat 10 Oct-Sun 10 Jan, 10am, Free
The first major show in a UK public gallery by Dublin-based artist Niamh O’Malley, Glasshouse runs alongside this year's Liverpool Irish Festival and exhibits work by an artist who has previously shown at Dublin's Douglas Hyde Gallery and New York's MoMA PS1. In Glasshouse, O’Malley will be showcasing recent work for the first time in the UK, as well as newly commissioned sculptures that address the Bluecoat's brutalist-style gallery architecture. |
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5. BOOKS | Chester Literature Festival
Various venues, Chester. Sat 10-Sun 25 Oct, times and prices vary here
Manchester isn't alone in having a literature festival this month, with Chester's own equally impressive looking lineup stretching over two weeks. Among the programme's headliners are actor Nick Frost (pictured), who will be discussing his autobiography Truths, Half Truths and Little White Lies; Dom Joly, who will be doing similar, and Unbound editor Rachael Kerr, who will be talking to authors about her publishing organisation's reader-decided pitch selection. |
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6. MUSIC | Du Blonde
The Deaf Institute, Manchester. Mon 11 Oct, 7pm, £10 here
You may previously have known her as Beth Jeans Houghton, but the colourful Northeastern pop artist has reinvented herself and tonight plays a rescheduled date under new guise Du Blonde. Gone are the glocks, ukuleles and strings of old, replaced by a primal rock instinct. As explained in more detail by Gary Kaill in our review of her latest LP Welcome Back to Milk, it's a jolting, thrilling experience. |
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7. CLUBS | The Wonder Pot
24 Kitchen Street, Liverpool. Sat 10 Oct, 10pm, from £10 here
Earlybird tickets have already gone for the first Wonder Pot night in Liverpool, and it's easy to see why given their lineup. Promising to bring some of the biggest experimenters in dance music to 24 Kitchen Street's intimate confines, they've backed that intention up in style with a back-to-back special between Hessle Audio's Pearson Sound and Pangaea. Oof. |
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8. MUSIC | Ufomammut
Soup Kitchen, Manchester. Thu 8 Oct, 7.30pm, £12.50 here
Rocket Recordings have enjoyed a resurgence in profile thanks to putting out Swedish psych troupe Goat, but you'd be a fool if you didn't delve deeper into their back catalogue – not least for Italian power trio Ufomammut. Formed in 1999, the group have an element of sludge to their psych sound, and they come to the UK in support of seventh LP Ecate, so named after the ancient Greek goddess of the three worlds (The World of Humans, The World of the Gods and The World of the Dead). |
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9. ART | Isla Nublar
Constellations, Liverpool. Fri 9-Sun 11 Oct, times vary, £8 here
Having enjoyed a roaring success with No Homers Club – an art exhibition featuring opening submissions about, yep, The Simpsons – earlier in the year, the collective responsible return to do similar for Jurassic Park. Once again a host of local artists have submitted work in tribute to the Steven Spielberg film franchise, while live music will come from – among others – Manchester's favourite Friends-loving indie rockers Sex Hands. |
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10. MUSIC | Vinyl Station
Metal, Liverpool. Mon 12 Oct, 6.30pm, Free
A chance to hear the new album from 4AD-signed indie rock group Deerhunter awaits those descending on the Vinyl Station listening party this month, organised by Bido Lito! magazine. The record, Fading Frontier, has won plenty of fans in The Skinny office, with our own review stating that it's "a slow release and a desire for solitude." Those planning on catching them at Liverpool Music Week later in the month are well advised to head down. |
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK: Outblinker - Orange (The Skinny Live Session)
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