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
Foxy Rihanna Woos Bowling Alley
Sleuth hears that Rihanna, one of the top ten A-List musicians in the world at present, wanted some fun on Wednesday night while playing in Manchester at the Arena. She ended up at All Star Lanes in the Great Northern. The picture below, from their website, shows the singer's famous reverse sat-down bowling technique.
Rihanna had been supposed to go to Suede nightclub round the corner but had been put off by all the paparazzi hanging around. Club boss Alex Morrissey told Mancunian Matters: “I kind of understand it’s the paparazzi’s job to sell pictures of celebrities and make money, but at the same time it would have meant a lot for Rihanna to be in Suede." Sleuth wonders who it was that tipped off the paparazzi. Surely nobody from the club itself?
Rihanna looks over her shoulder to test the accuracy of her reverse bowling technique
L'Entrecote To Close
The steak and frites and no choice restaurant on King Street in the city centre is to close in early July after just over a year of operation. An insider told Sleuth, "We've not appealed to the Manchester audience as we do in London, we have never been busy enough." Sleuth hates to see people lose their jobs but might not the inflexible menu, set starter and main and nothing else, and the inflexible service policy have something to do with this? Mancs won't be coerced. Sleuth hopes Confidential's last review wasn't the straw that broke the camel's back. Bewildered early June L'Entrecote review here.
Soon to be no more
It's What He Would Want
R House is the intriguing restaurant on Hilton Street in the Northern Quarter with not only a strange name but an erratic approach to design with lots of shiny fixtures and fittings. Sleuth feels it has the sort of aesthetic Dale Winton would choose. This Father's Day they have a unique promotion, a reasonably priced set menu and a 'free pair of socks for dad'. As the saying goes, you couldn't make it up.
Stuart Maconie And The Miners Club And Small Cinema
Sleuth was at the remarkable and volunteer run Miners Arts Centre and Moston Small Cinema Project for a fundraiser. The small cinema was built by more than 60 volunteers over 12 weeks in 2012. Stuart Maconie, Jesca Hoop and Mike Joyce were in attendence. Maconie was on fine form. He told a tale about Jeremy Hunt, the present Health Secretary in the Coalition Government. When Hunt was the Culture Secretary he was given a talk through of the London Olympics' opening secretary by its writer Frank Cottrell Boyce. The latter explained to Hunt that there would be quotations from The Tempest and that the ceremony would unfold like the sequences in the play. Hunt, the Culture Secretary, said, "But just a minute we've got to have some Shakespeare in it?"
Maconie on form
Sleuth's Crudest Sign Of The Week
If you want crude as in unsubtle and in-your-face this A-board on Great Ancoats Street takes the biscuit.
A bit more subtlety folks
Sleuth's Next Idea For A Crude Legal Sign
Another lawyer should follow the example above and put another sign just behind the first saying: 'Cyclists! Ever crashed into an A-board? No win no fee cash guaranteed!'
Foxy Countess Woos Orchestra
As the editor described on Confidential this week. Sophie, Countess of Wessex was in town to open the Hallé Orchestra's new rehearsal space in the former St Peter's Church, Ancoats. After a special performance by the full orchestra she was introduced to the conductor. A few sentences in she said foxily, "Might you play something else?" The conductor was a little taken aback, but he rallied valiantly, "Yes, of course, something gentle or rousing?" "Oh rousing, please," said Sophie almost fluttering her eyelids.
More please Mr Conductor
Sleuth's Strange Thing to Sit In Of The Week
Every seven days or so Sleuth is stopped in the street by policemen, firemen, concierges, essential workers, Jeremy Hunt, the Countess of Wessex, Rihanna, sick lawyers and the complete Hallé Orchestra, and asked: "We're desperate to sit inside a barrel and have a drink. Where can we find a place to do this in the city centre?"
"Why," says Sleuth, "that would be at Duttons on Albert Square the recently opened venue from Manchester brewer JW Lees."
And to prove this he showed the policemen, firemen, concierges, essential workers, Jeremy Hunt, the Countess of Wessex, Rihanna, sick lawyers and the complete Hallé Orchestra these pictures.
Barrel of laughs
Barrel backs into arcade
