What To Do This Week : 1st-7th March

Another week, another 7 days. Funny how that’s always the case. Anyway, here’s our choice cuts of Manchester goings-on, as March gets underway…

MONDAY 1ST MARCH

DD/MM/YYYY @ RUBY LOUNGE

It’s a busy time for WotGodForgot right now. The one-man alternative/experimental gig promoter has certainly upped the stakes this past year, with some massive Manchester gigs for ATP favourites, rare shows from trans-Atlantic bands and lots of weird and wonderful acts rolling through town.  One night after hosting a hometown show for Kong, we’re set to be treated to Canadian art-punks DD/MM/YYYY (optionally pronounced ‘Day, Month, Year’). Expect obscure time signatures galore. Another ace thing about WGF gigs is the attitude shown towards local bands; giving those with a non-mainstream sound the opportunities to support equally oddball acts. Tonight is no exception, with local kraut-rock supergroup Plank! and math-punk noiseniks With That Knife. Tour support comes from Hereford 2-piece Mice. £5 advance tickets still available, and doors are at 7.30pm. Facebook event here.

TUESDAY 2ND MARCH

JAMES MCCARTNEY @ RUBY LOUNGE

March seriously is a solid month of live music at The Ruby Lounge. Hell, we could probably just have their listings as our picks of this week. That’d be a tad unfair though, and we’d probably end up fighting over one of them leather chairs if we all spend the whole week there. Nevertheless, Tuesday is another big coup for the venue. For y’see, James McCartney is in fact the son of Paul. Yeah, join the dots. But we’ve all seen offspring fall short of their predecessor’s footprints – Callum Best anyone? And with the Beatles idol casting a very daunting shadow, it’s only fair to give poor James an air of unexpectance. So when his low-key performances under a secret moniker were exposed last year to rapturous acclaim, everyone was a little taken aback. And progressing from his initial set of readymade rock n’ roll anthems and acoustic swansongs, he’s out and about on a fortnight-long UK tour. Expect him to sign with a major soon thereafter. Support tonight comes from Manchester’s solo soul Thom Stone. Advance tickets are available at £7, and things kick off at 7.30pm. Facebook event here.

WEDNESDAY 3RD MARCH

THE PHENOMENAL HANDCLAP BAND @ DEAF INSTITUTE

Following on from WotGodForgot, another Manchester promoting machine continuing to rise is Now Wave. If you’ve not seen their name gracing gig posters or witnessed their DJing antics somewhere, then quite frankly, you need to get out from under your rock. Seemingly putting on all that is good about new new music, their Wednesday gigs at the marvellous Deaf Institute have made midweek partying not just socially acceptable, but downright mandatory and ‘where it’s at’. This particular Wednesday sees The Phenomenal Handclap Band set up camp for the evening. Groovey, dancable pop marinated in NYC cool. Aye, we’ll have some of that. Support comes from cheery popsters Sophie’s Pigeons, who have a lovely new 7″ out now on Red Deer Club. Tickets are £8 advance and doors are at 7.30pm. Stick around for Now Wave’s free club night, playing ’sounds of the near future’ until 2am. Facebook event here.

THURSDAY 4TH MARCH

MANOX EXHIBITION @ COMMON

Time to give the eardrums a rest and the eyes a silent treat. Thursday sees the unveiling of ‘Musik’, an exhibition from German photographer Sebastian Matthes. A familiar face on the live music and underground nightlife scenes, Matthes has operated under the name Manox for the past few years and worked with the likes of up the racket and Warehouse Project. Capturing many a moment of a band being in their element or the energy of a sweaty club night, Manchester’s current music climate may not be able to be summed up in words, but Matthes’ photographs probably make for a fairer representation. ‘Musik’ graces the Kestral Suite of Northern Quarter’s hip Common bar until May 13th, with the unveiling event itself starting at 6pm. Facebook event here.

FRIDAY 5TH MARCH

LOST & FOUND @ RUBY LOUNGE

So 2010 is destined to be another year for the female solo artist, and also the return of faith in Manchester music? Well, the national press may be right, but at the turn of the year when all those lists were being compiled, they forgot about one lone lady that slotted kindly in the middle. Yes, LoneLady - or Julia Campbell on her birth certificate – has had bits and bobs of notable press attention over her cumulative years, but with last week’s release of debut album ‘Nerve Up’ (on Warp Records no less), subsequent hype had gathered more pace than any athlete at the Winter Olympics could hope for. Now with everyone enamoured with her one-woman dark guitar-pop, here’s a fabulous chance to catch her before she’s in the larger venues for twice the price. Support comes from hotly-tipped neighbours The Switch, Hereford 5-piece Apples and local newbies Books, followed by Now Wave DJs. £4 entry before 9pm / £5 after, 8pm-3am. Facebook event here.

SATURDAY 6TH MARCH

YOU! ME! DANCING! @ NIGHT & DAY

Night & Day has a new events booker, and although the high calibre of bands passing through the door shows no sign of faltering, the start of a new chapter heralds such beginnings as this; the first night of You! Me! Dancing! Taking their name from the Los Campesinos! song, Y!M!D! aims to waltz between pretension and cheese – their mission statement detailing that they ‘just want to play great pop songs so that you can have a good old dance on a Saturday night‘. Awesome. So what ‘great pop songs’ can we expect? Well, a quick look at the sample playlist throws us the likes of British Sea Power, The Divine Comedy, Blur and The Lightning Seeds, as well as newfound dancefloor cherubs such as Deerhunter and Dutch Uncles. Spinning such delights will be the Asparagus Next Left and Pull Yourself Together DJs. So you’re all set for a modern alt-disco, right? 11pm-2am, £2 entry. Facebook event here.

SUNDAY 7TH MARCH

COMEDY CENTRO @ CENTRO

Alrighty then. You’re still in a good mood from a fun-filled weekend, but the prospect of Monday morning looms and threatens to put a dampener on proceedings. Well, get yourself to the warm surroundings of Bar Centro on Tib Street and keep that good mood going with the help of Happy Hour. Oh, and some comedians. From what we can deduce, Comedy Centro is but a few months old; bringing the freshest and most talented jokers on the circuit every first Sunday of the month. Hosted by resident MC Bethany Black (“if having a unique selling point is the secret of success, then Bethany Black should prepare for world domination.” BRUCE DESSAU, British Comedy Awards), she’s got an eclectic line-up for all us gag-lovers in the form of Andy White, Doc Brown, Helen Arney and Michael Kossew. Throw in a competition with prizes, trophies and limited edition art from each month’s hosted artist to be won, and you’ve got yourself a cheerful evening of laughter. 8pm onwards, £5/6. Facebook event here.