Weekly News : 8/2/10

THE CHAPEL EXPERIMENT // FUC51 // BBC MANCHESTER // NASDAQ // OWEN BARRATT // WORRIED ABOUT THE BOY

The Chapel in Platt Fields Park is a 17th century… well, chapel. But in recent times it has been used to host some cracking events, gigs and nights. Last year it attracted a lot of attention from the police, but things seem to be more in order this time around. With its future in the balance until November, there is hope that the building can be adequately renovated to become a weekend music venue and community centre during the week. Before then however, The Chapel Experiment has kicked off; a series of nights from the likes of Illuminaughty, Micron, Bass Camp and Prostitutes & Policemen to name a few. Full listings can be found on the Facebook group page here.

The much-publicised launch of Fac251 – the new nightclub and live music venue owned by Peter Hook of New Order and Joy Division fame – finally happened this weekend. With both Friday and Saturday packed to the rafters of the old Factory Records HQ building, the snowballing hype seemingly came through to fruition. Hook’s new band The Light played a monster set of Manchester classics on the opening night and The Whip, May68 and The Drums (their 3rd Manchester performance that night!) got people dancing the next. We’re still yet to check the place out, but already the joint is dividing opinions.

Such is the furore of the return of a Hacienda-esque establishment, blogs such as Fuc51 have been created and expressing their disgust at how Manchester ‘refuses to let go of the past’. While we do agree with some of the sentiments shared within, we’ll wait until we visit before casting judgment. Have you been this weekend? Feel free to get in touch with your experiences or views – editor@secondcityuk.com

When I don’t hit the pub after playing football on a Sunday evening, it’s quite nice to relax and unwind to the sounds of BBC Manchester Introducing with Sam Walker. Playing a mix of Manchester’s unsigned starlets and those yet to create a stir, it’s a great insight to what might come out of the city next. I’m listening to last night’s show as I type – gotta love the Beeb and their Listen Again feature. It features post-punks Optional Wallace in session, interviews with Educated Thugz and Modern English, as well as new tracks from May68 and This Morning Call. http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p00678k3/BBC_Radio_Manchester_Introducing_07_02_2010/

February is the new month of giving. Yeah, forget Christmas, this month contains Valentine’s Day, Pancake Day and my birthday – hint. I’ve already shared a wealth of free downloads for you so far in Feb, but here’s two more collections I’ve rounded up like an over-productive sheepdog. I will accept anonymously-sent cards, pancakes and/or a Coachella ticket in return.

• Owen Barratt, main frontman of With That Knife, is also an adept solo musician. Mixing a range of acoustic and electronica, I was quite taken aback upon my first listen a year or so ago, having been familiar with his louder approach in WTK. You can download his 7-track ‘Composition’ created for university module requirements in 2008 here. And after you do that, go listen to his new song ‘Sleep’ on Myspace.
• NASDAQ are somehow connected to prog-funksters FTSE 100, although I’ve not joined the dots yet. However, they are playing at Tiger Lounge on Monday 15th, and up until around then, you can download two of their songs for free. In their own words it “sounds a bit like Slint, Ghosts & Vodka and Kyuss all taking it in turns to cover Amon Duul II ‘Live In London’ without the vocals.” Click here for ‘Gates’, and here for ‘Dragon’s Den’.

And lastly, one for the New Romantics ahead of V-Day. Filming has begun this week for a feature-length drama about the early life of Boy George entitled ‘Worried About The Boy’. The Northern Quarter is the backdrop for the next month and locals have been drafted in as extras, with the core cast containing stars from Gavin & Stacey, The Hustle and The League Of Gentlemen. It’s being made by Manchester-based Red Productions, the team behind Clocking Off and Queer As Folk. http://www.redproductioncompany.com/

I’ll leave you with a video from the enchanting Jesca Hoop. Adopted by Manchester via California and endorsed by Tom Waits, she plays at The Deaf Institute on February 18th.

Jesca Hoop – ‘Money’