What's On Northwest 28 Jan-4 Feb: The Gin Journey

Celebrate that fact we're almost clear of January with launches of The Gin Journey Manchester and Liverpool, the Tibor Reich exhibition at the Whitworth, The Witty Committee comedy night at Constellations, plus gigs from OVVLS, Jimmy Whispers and more.

Feature by Jess Hardiman | 28 Jan 2016

Each week The Skinny team hand pick a selection of the best events from the Northwest cultural calendar to provide you with this here 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 beyond every Thursday morning.

The Gin Journey

Various locations, Manchester and Liverpool. From Wed 3 Feb, 6.30pm

Live it up with an evening dedicated to one of the nation's favourite tipples, as The Gin Journey launches in Manchester and Liverpool (every Wednesday and Thursday, respectively), taking booze lovers around several of the cities' best bars to sample the finest of the botanical world. Manchester venues include newbie Cottonopolis and the first floor bar of Cane and Grain, while Liverpool's jaunt visits the likes of the Old Blind School and Berry and Rye.

Photo: Gemma Parker Photography

St George's Beer Festival

St George's Hall, Liverpool. Thu 28-Sat 30 Jan, times vary

Now that the novelty of the festive period has well and truly died down, we're just left with bitterly cold weather, dark evenings and crusty skin. But luckily some seasonal solace can still be found at the bottom of a pint glass, as St George's Hall plays host to a huge festival celebrating the best winter ales, helping us see that things aren't all that bad – with over 200 real ales and ciders from around 100 UK microbreweries to prove it.

Tibor Reich

Whitworth Art Gallery, Manchester. Fri 29 Jan-Aug, times vary

The Whitworth inches its way towards spring with a colourful exhibition celebrating the centenary of Budapest-born textile designer Tibor Reich, whose vibrant pieces brought modernity to the British textile industry. His innovative approach is explored through textiles, photography, ceramics and drawings for a fascinating retrospective of a man who helped post-war Britain find a spring in its step again.


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The Witty Committee

Constellations, Liverpool. Wed 3 Feb, 6pm

It's all kicking off at Constellations with the launch of new comedy night The Witty Committee, which will be providing the mid-week laughs henceforth. MC Mark Whalley is joined by a six-strong legion of favourite names from across the North's bountiful comedy circuit: Mike Milling (pictured), Rob Mitchell, Jack Gleadow, Barbie Mugabe, Simon Wozniak and Hannah Platt.

HB Soundsystem play Sound of Silver

Trades Club, Hebden Bridge. Fri 29 Jan, 8pm

There'a a lot of hype doing the rounds at the moment about LCD Soundsystem (deserved hype, we might add), and now you can brace yourself for even more as Hookworms, under the guise of HB Soundsystem, cover LCD's Sound of Silver in its entirety. It may be less than one month on from their New Year's Eve show of exactly the same format – allegedly a one-off – but it's all for a good cause, as this gig at Hebden Bridge's Trades Club will also act as a flood fundraiser.


ADVERTISEMENT | Sparks 2016
Harris Museum & Art Gallery, Preston. Fri 5 Feb (6pm), Fri 22 Jan-Sun 7 Feb (various times)

Aged 16-19? Sparks is your chance to get involved in art happening now – and it's free. Come along to the Harris Museum on 5 February to meet the Sparks team, enjoy our new exhibition, Nothing Happens, Twice, and find out what you can do, with the chance to design your own activities based on our art exhibitions, getting creative and making new friends. Sparks is the only young people's art gallery group in Preston, so why not stand out from the crowd? It looks great on your CV and might even help you get that uni place.

Twitter: @Sparks_Art
harris.museum@preston.gov.uk


Sound Control's 6th Birthday

Sound Control, Manchester. Sat 30 Jan, 7pm

The New Wakefield Street institution celebrates a landmark with a night of musical and clubbing revelry, highlighting the two things it does best. Two live stages will welcome the likes of Manchester hip-hop troupe The Mouse Outfit (pictured), before things progress into the small hours with DJ sets from Tim Burgess and others. Meanwhile, over in the Northern Quarter it's also the turn of birthday boozer Port Street Beer House, turning five with a party featuring specially made brews on Thu 28 Jan.

Photo: Vito Andreoni

OVVLs

Nordic Church, Liverpool. Fri 29 Jan, 7.30pm

Up-and-coming experimental duo from Liverpool OVVLS have been busy working underground for the last year or so, shaping their dark lullabies. Now they're emerging to launch their first single, Pain is Beauty, with a unique gig at the stunning Nordic Church in the Baltic Triangle, accompanied by visual art from Gary Torino, punk lyricist Zachariah Jones and Axl Green. And with a BYOB policy (£1 corkage), going to church suddenly sounds a lot more appealing.

Photo: Zachariah Jones

GUTS

Constellations, Liverpool. Sat 30 Jan, 9pm

Independent Venue Week draws to a close this weekend, and to help things go out with a bonafide bang, Down to Funk take to Constellations with hip-hop and funk behemoth GUTS. He'll be joined by residents Alex Large and Pooky, who'll be playing two hours apiece, plus Side Salad playing live to warm the night up.

Macbeth

HOME, Manchester. Tue 2-Sat 6 Feb, times vary

Christening the stage with its first ever Shakespeare play, HOME sets the bar high with what is arguably the Bard's most famous. In Carrie Cracknell and Lucy Guerin's ambitious new production of Macbeth, the supernatural tragedy is brought to life through powerful and unsettling choreography, and stars John Heffernan and Anna Maxwell Martin in the lead roles.

Photo: Richard Hubert Smith

Jimmy Whispers

Fallow Cafe, Manchester. Tue 2 Feb, 8pm

Chicago's Jimmy Whispers returns to Manchester following a successful UK debut at Gullivers last year, promising more of that lo-fi pop that we fell in love with as he unleashes new material. Lead support comes from our very own Aldous RH, formerly of Egyptian Hip Hop, while The Showers open the show.


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