David Adamson reports back from recent goingson in the city and beyond
In our regular writeup, Editor David Adamson and the Confidentials team report back on life from across the city and beyond.
Beyond the Music returns with big talk from Burnham and Nandy
Beyond the Music, the city’s global music industry conference, returned for its second edition, taking over Aviva Studios and venues across the Northern Quarter for three days of conversation and grassroots live music.
Attending on Thursday (10 October), Mayor of Greater Manchester (and sometime superstar DJ) Andy Burnham gave his backing to the conference and its founding principles.
He said: “Beyond the Music yet again delivered an outstanding conference and festival bringing together industry, politicians and audience to affect change and face the challenges that lie ahead of us on a global scale.
“This industry is at the heart of our cultural heritage, but also our future. We need to do all we can do to support the next generation of talent and create more opportunities for young people, and I will be backing Beyond the Music in that cause.” Big words, but the question remains how Burnham’s backing of grassroots music in the city will work alongside his continued association with undoubtedly the biggest current influence on Manchester’s nightlife, big bad Sacha Lord.
The Tony Wilson Keynote Speech was delivered by Lisa Nandy MP, Secretary of State for Media, Culture and Sport, who also brought the Big Talk (after the obligatory nods to the city’s musical history).
She said: “From pop, dance, acid, house, Madchester and Cool Britannia, Greater Manchester’s music scene is beyond definition. The city of Joy Division, New Order, The Happy Mondays, Oasis and my personal favourite Take That.
“Our new government is determined to harness that spirit, to unlock the potential of our great British music industry which is worth billions to the economy, with exports second only to the United States.
“We want to create an ecosystem that can nurture talent from quality music education, to the grassroots venues where people like The Verve from Wigan were able to hone their skills. We will be a government that walks alongside you to create an environment that opens up those opportunities, that grows audiences and allows you all to share British music with the world.”
With Labour clearly courting big business, it’s crucial they also get cosy with the creative industries, because once they’re gone, they’ll be hard to replace with anything as world-renowned.
Has The Hacienda Threads closed the book on the city’s favourite topic of conversation?
On Wednesday (9 October) I attended New Century Hall for the launch of The Haçienda Threads, a very handsome book billed as “a celebration of music, fashion and friendship”, all about the glory days of The Haçienda.
It was a full-evening affair, starting with some Manchester Gin and tonics in the spacious ground floor of New Century Hall. Then it was up to the impressive venue space upstairs for a roundtable discussion featuring, amongst others, Peter Hook, David Hoyle, DJ Graham Park, general manager Ang Matthews and some guy who used to go there called Noel Gallagher.
Set up in a NATO-style raised stage, it was a veritable who’s who of heads from back in the day. And this being the elder council of the Manchester music scene talking about its most revered institution, there were plenty of quotes flying around.
On the shaky formative years of Factory and The Hacienda, Peter Hook recalled the most prominent figure in Manchester culture before they arrived, Bernard Manning and his Embassy Club.
When Hooky and Rob Gretton approached Manning after a night in the very early days of a cold and stark club that was a far cry from the 1970s carpets and comperes, and asked him what he thought, he simply said: “Don’t give up your fuckin’ day jobs, lads.” It’s a good job they did, otherwise we might all still be in the Embassy Club.
“Tony fought those cold nights,” said Hooky. “And didn’t we feel justified.”
In a much more relaxed and philosophical mood than people are used to seeing him in nowadays, Noel Gallagher spoke from a fairly unique position of having been both a punter and, within five years, bigger than the place itself.
In true declarative fashion, he said: “People don’t know what they want until you give it to them.”
Never one to be bettered, when asked if something like The Hacienda could ever happen again in Manchester, Hooky remarked, “If only there was a local musician about to come into millions of pounds”, and looked across at Gallagher.
Go on, Noel, do us a favour.
I later put to Jonathan that this event may have closed the book on The Hacienda and its tapestry of characters, tales and memories. He laughed, and said that he once thought that about Liverpool and The Beatles. His tours provide him a constant demand of people from abroad desperate to know everything they can about Factory Records, The Hacienda and the early beginnings of a cultural change that spread across the world. Fair enough, I said.
It seems The Hacienda must always be built.
Buy the book here
Detroit Slims lands at Circle Square
Circle Square seems to be a tricky spot for food and drink, with little rhyme or reason to what succeeds and what doesn’t; Tahi lasted just under a year, meanwhile Onda was booked out on opening and Hello Oriental and ASDA are doing well.
So how will Detroit Slims, the new venture from the Ramona Firehouse team, fare on Oxford Road? I’m going to place my bet and say very well.
We were invited down for their press day on Thursday (10 October) ahead of the Saturday opening, and during the hour that we were sat down countless groups of students came in ready to order. They were told sadly they’d have to wait for the weekend, but I’m sure they were back.
It’s undoubtedly a good product, with sleeves of deep pan pizza, milkshakes and sides all surrounded by some very good branding. While you don’t eat the sign above the door, it helps in getting you inside. Those on the way out of lectures will probably pop in and I can see why.
Launch of ‘The Northern Art Workers’ Guild and the Arts and Crafts Movement in Manchester’
Outside of his capacity as our Editor-at-Large, Jonathan Schofield is also editor of Manchester Books, who have just published a beautifully illustrated account of the Arts and Crafts movement in Manchester.
Often simply associated with William Morris (him of those Strawberry Thief curtains you spot in John Lewis), there’s far more to the movement than that famous motto of his, although it does help in understanding the principles of the school of thought; “Have nothing in your house you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful”.
The launch, upstairs at The Fountain House, was packed full with enthusiasts much like the launch of Hacienda Threads was, making me think that from the guild’s formation in 1896 to the closure of the Hacienda just over a century later just how much was achieved in the city.
Here’s Jonathan with a few words about the book:
"It was a great turn out at The Fountain House for a beautiful book. Barry and his co-authors Stephanie and Richard have shone a torch on one of Manchester and the region's pioneering cultural movements.
“The book is a little treasure beautifully designed by Alan Ward. It's perfect as reference material or as a gift. The book also underlines what Manchester Books Limited is about; international standard publishing locally. If you have an idea for a non-fiction book about the region let us know."
Best steak sandwich in the city?
Jonathan this week reviewed Blacklock, the chop house that has opened its first site outside of London on Peter Street, and was impressed. I’d paid the place a visit one lunchtime as a sort of hungry reconnaissance and decided to give its £13 steak sandwich a go. Billed as “swiftly served to be lunch-break-friendly”, I’d imagine in the Express Lunch style that bankers of Canary Wharf are more used to than us, it was worth a go.
I can confirm it was excellent; fat, happy Cornish cow cooked pink and well-seasoned, generously served in a soft ciabatta with what seemed like a dijon mustard butter. That would do me, but then there’s the peppercorn-like sauce that’s brought in a jug for mopping up. With a cold beer sat at the bar, fantastic.
A superb Sunday lunch with strings
Sunday Lunch at Tender, Stock Exchange Hotel
I was kindly invited to try the Sunday lunch at Tender, the restaurant in the grand dining room of The Stock Exchange Hotel headed up by two Michelin star winner Niall Keating.
We had interviewed Niall back when Tender was opening, but I’d yet to eat there. Even in the days before it had officially opened there was talk of a string quartet on Sundays, which I thought sounded fun.
So on Sunday I took the family - mum, brother, sister, brother-in-law, one-year-old nephew. The whole gang was in attendance.
Sundays are a big thing in our family. Weekly we descend on one house or another, either Will or Hannah cook and we get down to the business of a beautiful meal, a few glasses of nice wine and freely giving our opinions about each other’s lives and viewpoints. New recruits are usually a bit shellshocked. This is to say that it takes a lot to drag us into town on a Sunday, and Tender didn’t disappoint. In fact it was very impressive.
The room is beautiful, a tasteful combination of old Victorian grandeur and the kinds of touches seen in Parisian dining rooms that feel both classy and somehow cosy. You could pitch a tent in the space between tables, meaning the intimate sense of a Sunday lunch is maintained while being able to gaze around.
Add to that a string quartet as adapt at Adagio for strings as they are a gorgeous, and gorgeously tongue-in-cheek, rendition of Sisqó’s Thong Song and I’m not really sure what more you could ask for.
The menu itself is a well-balanced mix between the classic and the modern; if you’re here for all the trimmings, they’ve got them. If you’re preferring a fillet of red mullet, there’s that too. Or if you a combination of both, like I did, then there’s also that.
I chose the smoked eel to start, followed by the pork belly roast with trimmings, and a chocolate coulant. There was also a judiciously chosen bottle of wine courtesy of the sommelier, Raphael, who wore his knowledge lightly and with easygoing professionalism.
On a rare day off from Super Sunday, Gary Neville was in with his whole family. You could say he has to do that, what with owning the place, but I would disagree. The families in there all shared in the same relaxed but luxurious atmosphere, and if I, like Gary, had reason to be in there regularly I would be.
Now we’ve somewhere to go to that we know more than delivers on a Sunday roast, we might even give Will and Han a day off rattling the pans every now and then.
Finally, here’s our Assistant Publisher Harley Young with her report back from a Sunday lunch at Restaurant Örme in Urmston.
Better than Grandma's (Sorry, Grandma)
Restaurant Örme’s Sunday Lunch launch
Having reviewed Urmston’s little jewel Restaurant Örme shortly after it opened last summer, and given it a more than favourable score of 17.5/20, I knew as soon as I received the invite that this was one launch I was certain I wouldn’t miss.
Come hell or highwater, I’d be making my way back to Church Road, ready to embrace Örme’s cosy front room aesthetic and even more welcoming service. Despite its humble size and inconspicuous blink-and-you’ll-miss-it location, this is a restaurant that means business and has earned a piece of my heart.
Following a successful one-off event earlier this year, Chef Jack Fields and the team decided to give roasts a more permanent place on the menu by hosting guests for elevated Sunday dinners on the first Sunday of each month moving forward.
Dave and I were practically drooling after stepping foot in the door; that homely smell of Yorkshire puds and pork crackling settling over on the stove top wafting through the air.
With multiple options to choose from for each course we were spoilt for choice, eventually deciding on chicken liver parfait and mushroom soup to start and topside beef and pork belly for mains thanks to the help of restaurant manager Rachel’s recommendations. Excellent choices indeed - the chicken liver parfait was smooth as silk and melted in the mouth, and the mushroom soup was decadent, full of butter, with plenty of exciting flavours and textures throughout.
Known for delicate and petite (yet punch-packing) dishes, the Sunday roasts at Örme defy all expectations and exceed them at the same time. Big and bold, both in portion size and flavour, these hearty dishes are like your Gran’s Sunday dinner on steroids. There’s so many carefully crafted flavours going on that the perfectly-seasoned gravy is just the cherry on top - I dare say I’d have still enjoyed my pork belly with crispy crackling and all the trimmings just as much without it, and that’s coming from a Northern lass who loves her gravy.
Both of us were left absolutely stuffed with no room for dessert. Me? No dessert? I must have been full.
I still shed a tear now thinking about how incredible the sticky toffee pudding with cider caramel and miso ice cream must be.
Luckily, there’s always next month.
From November onwards, Sunday dinners will be served weekly between 12-5pm.
Book your table for Örme’s Sunday lunch menu now.
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