SleuthSleuth is a sideways glance at the city every week, it's the truth, but Sleuth's truth. He's several people all at once. We give £25 for every story/rumour and piece of absurdity you find for us to publish. Sleuth sometimes even gets serious. We ask for the money back if any legal action follows. Follow Sleuth on twitter @mcrsleuth
New Mega-Trof To Be Open In Time For MIF 2013
The not unwelcome Trofisation of Manchester is set to continue when Trof moves into Albert Hall on Peter Street in 2013. Sleuth hears the management of the adventurous and ambitious Manchester company hope that the new venue will be open in time for the Manchester International Festival in 2013. That takes place between 4-21 July. Trof will be taking over the main Albert Hall auditorium on the upper floor in the 1910 building. This used to seat 2000 people, so expect a major new event space.
Pictures of Albert Hall are by Andrew Brooks. Website click here. Twitter: @AndrewPBrooks. Facebook click here.
Pictures of Albert Hall are by Andrew Brooks. Website click here. Twitter: @AndrewPBrooks. Facebook click here.
Evuna To Open A Second Restaurant
Sleuth hears that Evuna is set to move into the Northern Quarter. The well-known Deansgate tapas bar and restaurant with the stunning selection of Spanish wines, is closing in on planning permission to convert the empty bank unit on the corner of Tib Street and Thomas Street into a restaurant. Because there's much more space than in the original Evuna there'll be a big bar area with tapas style food. There'll also be a charcuterie/deli counter for jamon/queso platters. Arriba! thinks Sleuth. The Northern Quarter just never stops - there's something new every week.
Sleuth's Most Mysterious Picture Of The Week
On Chester Street in Chatham Mills just over from Manchester Metropolitan University are a loving couple of glasses asleep in a hole. How sweet. At least Sleuth now knows where to go for those on-street wine slurping moments, it's so crude drinking from the neck of the bottle.
Love glasses
Sleuth’s Door-Warming Party Of The Week
This from casino Manchester 235. ‘Put Thursday 11 October in your diaries - we have a party here at the casino to celebrate the launch of our new Plaza Entrance. The event will run from 6-9pm with cocktails and canapes and entertainment from David Julien from The Voice and Learn to Play lessons on Blackjack & Roulette’. Wow, a door-warming party. Sleuth supposes the key with this event is to make a grand entrance. He hopes guests will be pushing at an open door and that it'll be a new opening for someone.
Sleuth’s Most Dubious Parody Of Morrissey Yet Recorded
Sleuth was sent this which apparently is a parody of Manchester controversialist Morrissey. Sleuth isn’t sure what’s going here. The singer, Steve, doesn’t look like Morrissey or particularly sound like him, although he does share his forename.
Mind you it could be worse. Sleuth was also sent a link to Tara Palmer Tomkinson’s first single. Nothing to do with Manchester, but really......
Sleuth Exclusive: Inside The BBC
BBC Oxford Road, the ugly building designed by RA Sparks in 1975 is going through its final death throes. Its innards are revealed. Is the shattered room top right where the great Gordon Burns once went reveiwed the news? Is the one on the left where Sue Barker once put on her make-up for A Question of Sport? Is the one on the bottom left where the paper clips were counted, the one on the right, where producers who never got that 'big break', moaned how unfair it all was?
Inside the BBC
Sleuth’s Most Professional Journalist Moment Of The Year
Confidential’s TV and film critic, Rachel Winterbottom, went to the question and answer session with Suranne Jones about the new BBC TV series, The Secret of Crickley Hollow. She didn’t manage a one to one with Jones until the loo.
Rachel says: ‘I managed to talk to her just as she was going to the toilet - I didn't realise she was on her way there so I found myself having to follow her as we talked. We were in there together and she asked me what I thought of the programme, which was fine as I thought it was good, but then I ended up trying to just chat with her and told her my sister had been in a play with her twelve years ago so I have a photo of them together - she looked slightly taken aback and didn't recall her, so I tried to follow it with how she also knew my aunty as they had been to school together. Turned out they hadn't and looking alarmed she politely excused herself. I am quite certain it couldn't have been more awkward.’ The moral is never interview anyone in the toilet, no matter how well you think you know them.
Ms Jones being haunted
Sleuth And Salman Rushdie And The Most Pointless Conversation
Something similar to the above happened to Sleuth years ago when he was at a London party. It was packed and suddenly on the stairs to the room where the beer was kept there was a bottle-neck. Sleuth found himself staring into Salman Rushdie’s face from about three inches away. He felt obliged for some reason to say something, but being British of course, Sleuth didn’t want to mention the fatwa and the fact that Rushdie was currently under protection and in hiding. That would have been unseemly, so they shared this.
“Hello.” “Hello.” Pause. “Are you writing anything at present?” asked Sleuth. “Yes.” Pause. Longer pause. “Apparently the beer they’ve got here is Norwegian,” said Sleuth with a stupid grin. Pause. “Yes," said Rushdie. "Lots of fjords in Norway,” said Sleuth. “I believe so,” said Rushdie. At which moment the bottle-neck disappeared and the two moved apart. There was no goodbye, just - Sleuth likes to think - a communal feeling of victory, after sharing the world’s most meaningless conversation.
Sleuth's Quote Of The Week
"She uses traditional craft techniques to produce work which may look like a load of crap". Grim gallery owner at The Manchester Contemporary describing three twisted carpet grips from Susan Collis that had been expensively, coated, polished and worked with gold leaf and other precious materials. The gallery price was £3,000.
£3,000 and gripping
