ANOTHER CHORLTON BEER THING?
Although there appears to be some form of beer festival at least every three days in Chorlton, ‘ere’s another, because they can. Held in a church this one (is that ok?), St Clement’s Church, it’s a three-day bender with beers, ciders, perries, probably some mead and even gluten-free options. Because everybody in Chorlton is gluten-free. There’ll also be food, bands, tastings, and plenty of tomfoolery. Hurry though – only 300 tickets available for this one. Chorlton Beer & Cider Festival/St Clement’s Church/From Thurs 3 to Sat 5/Thurs from 6pm, Fri from 5pm and Sat from 1pm/Tickets £10/More here
OUT THE WINDOW
With a title as long as King Kong’s beef wotsit, The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared, this adaption of a best-selling Swedish novel is a belly warmer. After a long and raucous life, Allan Karlsson ends up in a nursing home. Turning 100, he decides he’s not quite ready to slip into the abyss so hops out the window in his slippers and embarks on a comedic adventure. Go on Allan. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out The Window and Disappeared/Cornerhouse/Opens Fri 4 July/Showtimes and tickets here
BATS, MAN
A musical number hosted by (Uncle) Bucky, order of the night will be house, disco and pop obscurities, fingers crossed for Aqua eh. This week’s special guests will be the omnipresent Horse Meat Disco, now in their tenth year this DJ four way collective have been spraying their disco from MCR to LDN, NY to PRS (Paris?). Beats, Bats and Beers does exactly what it says on the tin… the bats? Oh yeah, that’s table tennis, not mammals of the Chiroptera order. Beats, Bats and Beers/TwentyTwentyTwo/Dale Street Nq/Sat 5 July/4pm to 3am/FREE all night (nifty that)/More here
SOUNDS OF WAR
Explore the soundscape of the 1WW at IWM North, as the RNCM creates a living installation to portray every emotion elicited by warfare, in an audio-visual spectacle. Part of IWM North’s Reactions 14 season of creative responses to the First World War. With brass fanfares, mighty percussion, plaintive woodwind, evocative song, expressive strings, gritty and heart-rending at the same time, After the Silence is a total commemoration of sound and visuals, music, projections, interviews and film in an overwhelming experience. RNCM: After The Silence/IMW North/Fri 4 & Sat 5 July/7pm/£10, £9 concs/Tickets here
HMD
PAINT BATTLE
Like hyper people chucking paint in your eye from 2 yards away? Course you do. The Dulux Colour Run returns to Manchester this Saturday at the Etihad with up to 10,000 runners of all ages walking, jogging, running for dear life along the ‘happiest 5k on the planet’. Every kilometre there’ll be colour explosions and DJs to entertain the crowds at the end. Leave your Sunday best at home, wear your Saturday worst. The Dulux Colour Run/Etihad Stadium/Sat 5 July/11am start/£25 reg./More here
CONFIDENTIAL CORSAIR
Confidential’s own Jo has a touch of the buccaneers. She likes grog, grub, puzzles and treasure. So she’s put this one together, the CAMRA Independents Day Treasure Hunt, a celebration of independent drinking and thinking for just a measly quid. Setting sail from the Briton’s Protection at midday, teams will be equipped with a map and some brainteasers to help them figure out which bar to prop up next. Revisit favourite watering holes and discover some new ones. But be back at the Briton’s by 6pm, or you’ll find some biffer has scoffed all the sarnies. Cash prize and booty on offer. CAMRA Independents Day Treasure Hunt/Britons Protection/Sat 5 July/Midday-6pm/Just turn up/£1 per person/Ask for Jo
Colour Run
BESTIE
The George Best - ICON exhibition includes objects like the signed match ball from the legendary Northampton Town game during which George scored six goals, and a letter from Sir Matt Busby to George’s parents written in 1962 while George was still playing for United as an amateur. Also on display is a host of other items including a George Best match-worn shirt, various pieces of clothing and products he endorsed while he was at the peak of his career, as well as a number of items from the George Best fan club. George Best - ICON/Manchester United Museum/Old Trafford/Until December/FREE admission to the museum this July/More here
SKIP CRAWLER
Manchester artist, Jamie Green, has been diving into skips and scrap piles for years to seek out 'found' objects and make them beautiful. If you've ever been into Spinningfields Artisan, where Green is the resident artist, you may have seen his spectacular door carvings, depicting the faces of the likes of Al Pacino and Ian McKellen, often using nothing more than a screwdriver and four buckets of elbow grease. He's also pretty nifty at whipping together furniture. Well Green is taking the show on tour to Alderley Edge's Gusto this Saturday, hosted by none other than Spinningfields chief schmoozer Hollywood Dave. Jamie Green showcase/Gusto/Alderley Edge/Sat 5 July/Starts at 7pm in the bar/More of Jamie's work here
Jamie Green
TOUR de ROCHDALE
Cycling’s most famous race and the third largest sporting event in the world will fly out of Yorkshire and into Greater Manchester, Littleborough in Rochdale to be precise, for 1km during Stage Two on Sunday 6 July. We’ve put together everything you need to know to catch the action here. Tour de France/Littleborough, Rochdale/Sun 6 July/FREE/More info here
TOUCH MY LIGHTSABER
In celebration of Star Wars, The Printworks will host a Star Wars Galactic Gala this Sunday 6th July. Visitors will have the unique opportunity to meet special guests from the original Star Wars cast, including: Paul Blake, Pam Rose, Femi Taylor and celebrated makeup artist, Shaune Harrison. Fans will have the opportunity to touch lightsabers, ask the guests questions during two live Q & A sessions and hop into photo stalls with the chance of a snap with Darth Vader and C-3PO. Star Wars Gala/Printworks/Sun 6 July/FREE
Tour de France
DYSTOPIAN GOLD
William Golding's classic dystopian novel of young boys turned savage has been adapted for the Lowry stage by Nigel Williams. When their plane crash lands on a desert island, the schoolboys band together and wait to be rescued. Soon the fragile sense of order takes a violent turn for the tits-up. William Golding’s Lord of the Flies/The Lowry/Weds 9 to Sat 12 July/£8/More here
MUSICAL PIONEERS
Touted as the best Gilbert and Sullivan tribute since Philbert and Gullivan and founded nearly two decades ago, the acclaimed Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company are heading out on tour. Watch out ladies. Victorian duo Gilbert and Sullivan, the forerunners of our modern day musicals, put together fourteen comedic operas in their time, many like The Mikado and Pirates of Penzance are still as popular today as they were a century ago. The G&S Opera Company tour 2014/Stockport Plaza/Weds 9 to Sat 12 July/Times and tickets here
Lord of the Flies
SWEET FRINGE
Held every July, highlights of the Manchester Fringe (1 to 31 July) this week include comedian Joel Dummett (BBC3 and MTV) at the cosy King’s Arms in Salford, Never Mind The Buzzcock’s Phil Jupitus, again at the King’s Arms, Tony Husband’s Private Eye Exhibition at The Swan, and Someone Who’ll Watch Over Me, a new production at Joshua Brooks from the Director and Producer behind Manchester Theatre Award winning play The Best. The Manchester Fringe Festival/Various Venues/Tues 1 to Thurs 31 July/All info and tickets here
IF IT'S GOOD FOR THE GOOSE
If it's good for the Gander, that's celebrated British conceptual artist and Manchester-taught Ryan Gander. Make every show like it's your last will explore two recent themes in Gander’s work; ‘Imagineering’ and ‘Culturefield.’ According to The Culture Show's Miranda Sawyer, Gander is "a cultural magpie renowned for his cryptic, playful yet challenging work, Gander is one the world's most exciting artists." Certainly worth a look. Ryan Gander: Make every show like it's your last/Manchester Art Gallery/Opened Thurs 3 July/FREE/More here
IT'S THE FINAL COUNTDOWN
It's the World Cup quarter finals this Friday and Saturday, as France take on Germany (Fri 5pm) and Brazil take on Columbia (Fri 9pm), while Argentina go up against Belgium (Sat 5pm) and the Netherlands go head to head with Costa Rica (Sat 9pm). Handily, there's a big screen, 450 tonnes of sand and an entire beach stadium to plonk your arse on with booze, food and entertainment on hand at ITV's Fever Pitch down at the Old Granada Studios. It's FREE too. Apply for tickets here. ITV Fever Pitch/Old Granada Studios/Every World Cup game/More here
Fever Pitch - that's Confidential winning
