What's On Northwest 25 Feb-3 Mar: Scouse Day

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.

Global Scouse Day
Various venues, Liverpool. Sun 28 Feb, times vary

Sure, it's just another bandwagon to jump on, but when it's one that honours our Liverpudlian brethren – and our signature dish – then hell, we'll hop right on board. Get involved with a GSD special of Artisans in the Palm House on Sun 28 Feb, or warm up for the day with a one-off edition of The Gin Journey celebrating all things Scouse (Thu 25 Feb), or grab a free bowl of scouse at Liverpool Town Hall by leaving a donation for The Whitechapel Centre and R Charity (Thu 25 Feb).

Frøkedal
The Castle Hotel, Manchester. Sun 28 Feb, 7.30pm

With former credits as part of Norwegian groups Harrys Gym and as a current collaborator for I Was a King, Oslo-based Anne Lise Frøkedal has been a mainstay of the country's indie scene for yonks. Now she's peddling minimal pop music of her very own, infusing it with 60s-inspired folk (think Nico and Marianne Faithful) and dark, melodic poeticism with her debut solo album, Hold on Dreamer. We like.

Liverpool International Jazz Festival
The Capstone, Liverpool. Thu 25-Sun 28 Feb, times vary

It's time for the fourth Liverpool International Jazz Festival, which takes over The Capstone this week with four days of live music. Highlights include British saxophonists Courtney Pine (pictured) and Andy Sheppard, French percussionist and composer Pascal Schumacher, and Belgian guitarist Philip Catherine, along with lots of free gigs from the likes of the Graeme Wilson Quartet and an afternoon of Indian classical ragas from Sudeshna Bhattacharya.

Absolute Shite ft. Pat Sharp
The Ruby Lounge, Manchester. Sat 27 Feb, 11pm

Many of us are now at that stage in life where, so disenchanted with the bills and rogue grey hairs of adulthood, we're more than happy to regress to the joys of our childhood, furiously shoving Pop Tarts into the toaster while dusting off a board game. Indulge, then, in a special edition of Absolute Shite, which features a DJ set from none other than Fun House supremo Pat Sharp, whose mulleted days may be long gone, but will still provide you with a good dose of 80s/90s nostalgia.

Liverpool's Affordable Vintage Fair
Metropolitan Cathedral, Liverpool. Sat 27 Feb, 11am

The Affordable Vintage Fair team assemble once more, popping up with 60 years' worth of pre-loved paraphernalia, from spring tea dresses and suede coats to original vinyl, film and music posters, and classic homewares from across the decades. Pear of Peas will also be knocking around with a vintage tea party, meaning you can grab a brew and a slab of cake to keep energy levels up for rummaging.

ADVERTISEMENT | Jerwood/FVU Awards

The Jerwood/FVU Awards are major awards for moving-image artists in the first five years of starting their professional practice. The fourth edition of the awards is called Neither One Thing or Another and is open to applicants until 11 Mar 2016. Two artists will be selected to receive a £20,000 commission each, which will show at Jerwood Space, London in 2017. The selection panel includes Steven Bode (Director, FVU), Duncan Campbell (artist and Turner Prize 2014 winner), Cliff Lauson (Curator, Hayward Gallery), Amy Sherlock (Reviews Editor, Frieze) and Sarah Williams (Head of Programme, Jerwood Visual Arts).

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Japan Now
International Anthony Burgess Foundation, Manchester. Mon 29 Feb, 7pm

This evening with esteemed Japanese authors Takashi Hiraide and Kyoko Yoshida explores their two novels, New York Times bestseller The Guest Cat and short story collection Disorientalism, respectively. Join them in conversation as they provide insight into their writing and contemporary Japan, before taking questions from the audience and signing books.

Lost Inhibitions
Constellations, Liverpool. Sat 27 Feb, 6pm

Lost Inhibitions is a new night in Liverpool doing the urban festival thing with multiple stages and a whole programme of live music complementing the DJs. Headliner The Reflex sets the pace for the dancing types alongside Galactic Funk Militia, Bear Growls and 2nd Sun, while over at the Garden Stage it's acoustic ahoy with The Levons, Thom Morecroft, Katie Mac, L' Shia, Sam Cooke, Shea Doolin and Root Note.

Endgame
HOME, Manchester. Thu 25 Feb-Sat 12 Mar, times vary

See Corrie's David Neilson and Chris Gascoyne on stage as chair-bound tyrant Hamm and his dutiful companion Clov in Beckett's absurd play, which sees the two characters spend their days in a filthy, spartan environment, passing time through futile routines and verbal jousting. Making a grim joke of life through physical comedy and tainted laughs, this one proves that Beckett's work can be for everyone. Read our interview with Gascoyne or brush up on your knowledge of Theatre of the Absurd.

Man with a Movie Camera
Metal, Liverpool. Fri 26 Feb, 6.30pm

Essential viewing here, with a screening of the avant-garde 1929 Soviet film by Dziga Vertov, where there's no actors and no story, just an hour and a half of mind-boggling, experimental techniques. Showcasing early cinematic innovation at its finest, the flurry of extreme close-ups, fast and slow motion, split screens, double exposure and more will make you enchanted by the magic of cinema in its purest, young form.

Eastern Bloc presents Steevio and Suzybee
Mantra Live, Manchester. Sat 27 Feb, 11pm

Freerotation festival co-founders, driving forces of the Mindtours record label and electronic musicians, Steevio and Suzybee will be taking to Mantra Live this weekend for a live, improvised electronic audio-visual set. They'll be joined by Mark Turner (The Orbit) and Bloc residents Kerrie, Means&3rd and Akaram. Spot its mention in our February clubbing guide.

Illustration: Alice Tobia

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