The Manchester Weekender 2011 – Contemporary cool highlights

1. ‘Close Up’ featuring Jarvis Cocker

Framed by the glorious backdrop of Manchester’s Great Hall and its stunning Ford Madox Brown murals, and marking the publication of a book of his song lyrics, Jarvis Cocker will be discussing what it means to be a man-of-ideas-and-artistry, and a cultural-provocateur. In this unique event, Jarvis – one of the most iconic performers of the last twenty years – will be interviewed by Dave Haslam, DJ and author of the classic guide to Manchester’s radical and musical history ‘Manchester, England’.

Sunday 16 October, 6-9pm, The Great Hall, Manchester Town Hall, Albert Square, M2 5DB. Cost £7 Booking via quaytickets.com.

2. Paris on the Irwell

Manchester Weekender 2011 kicks off in high bohemian style with a decadent evening of cabaret from incomparable pop duo Swing Out Sister. The occasion is the opening of Adolphe Valette: A Pioneer of Impressionism in Manchester at The Lowry. Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell will serenade the city with a selection of songs from iconic Mancunian bands including Joy Division, The Smiths, and New Order, all performed with a glamorous French twist. Get a first look at some little-seen works of the master French painter, whose dreamy, smoky cityscapes were a key influence on our own LS Lowry, while enjoying a live soundtrack fit for the street cafes of Paris on the Irwell. Ooh la la!

6.30-8.30pm Friday 14 October, The Lowry, The Quays M50 3AZ. Free but booking essential via thelowry.com.

3. Portrait of Music and Words

Our responses to classical music are deeply personal, interior things – not often shared or even put into words. But as part of this year’s Weekender, Whitbread-winning poet Michael Symmons Roberts has been commissioned to write new poems responding to this evening’s Manchester Camerata programme, which includes Mozart arias, his Symphony No 40 and Benjamin Britten’s Les Illuminations. It’s a rare opportunity to hear both the new poems and the music that inspired them live on the same evening. Part of Manchester Literature Festival.

Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm, Royal Northern College of Music, 124 Oxford Road M13 9RD. From £10. Book on 0161 907 5555 or rncm.ac.uk

4. Hey! Manchester presents… Denis Jones

Does music sound different in 3D? Find out during an exclusive weird-o-scopic performance by the feted Mancunian musician who transformed novelty record ‘The Clapping Song’ into a filthy, infectious dirge. Using a loop station and all manner of samplers and effects, Denis Jones creates vast, complex orchestrations of beat-box rhythms, multi-layered vocals and other-worldly sounds, which veer from subtle heart-wrenching folk and blues to heavy bass-driven electronica. The Guardian called his music ‘scuzzy Mancunian blues at its richest and, most intriguing.’

Saturday 15 October, 7.30pm, The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street M1 7HE. Tickets £7.00 available from seetickets.com

5. Primitive Streak

A provocative textile collection that tells the story of the first 1000 hours of human life in stunning detail. Blending art and science, it’s a highly original collaboration between developmental biologist Kate Storey and her sister, fashion designer Helen Storey, who will give a talk about the project at the Royal Exchange on October 30 as part of Manchester Science Festival. Four pieces from the collection will be on display in Manchester during The Weekender, at the Royal Exchange and in Debenhams’ shop window. Or kick start the weekend with The Weekender Happy Hour at the Royal Exchange, where you can see the incredible gowns up close.

Primitive Streak can be viewed Friday14 October 9.30am-7.30pm, Saturday 15 October 9.30am-3.30pm & Sunday 16 October 11am-5pm, Royal Exchange Theatre, St Ann’s Square, M2 7DH. Window display viewable at any time Debenhams, 123 Market Street. Free. Happy Hour 5.30-7pm Friday 14 October, Royal Exchange Theatre.

6. After Hours @ The Whitworth featuring BlackLab

The ever-popular Whitworth After Hours series brings a bit of night-time cool to the gallery, with the city’s most exciting music promoters, art collectives and performers taking the space over for relaxed and buzzy events. For The Weekender, The Whitworth has invited up-and-coming Manchester photographic collective BlackLab to respond to its Dark Matters exhibition. Watch as images collide and collude with film, soundscapes, slogans and texts. There will be a live film soundtrack from artist and musician Otto Smart.

If you’re more of a morning person, BlackLab is hosting an Alternative Camera Club at the gallery in the morning, where you can get away from the stale chat of f-stops and focal lengths and simply revel in images old and new.

Saturday 15 October, 7.30-10.30pm, Whitworth Art Gallery, Oxford Road M15 6ER. After Hours is free, drop in. Alternative Camera Club is £5 pay on the
door. Alternative Camera Club, 11am-1pm, £5 pay on the door.

Eat & chill

Sleek Pacific rim specialist Australasia on Deansgate is the most talked-about new restaurant in the city – you arrive by descending a mysterious-looking glass enclosed staircase on the sidewalk. For a more traditional meal head to the popular Browns Bar and Brasserie, in an opulent old bank building. We love the seafood platter.

The buzz around town is that the cocktails at Alchemist are mighty fine, and the beautifully restored space is well worth a gander. An excellent place to make camp after a Weekender event or a spot of retail therapy on nearby King Street.

Images: Top: Jarvis Cocker © Rankin; Middle: Swing Out Sister; Bottom: Helen Storey’s Spine Dress (part of Primitive Streak). Photographer John Ross.

Please note: The Mike Joyce Curates… event at CUBE previously featured here has been postponed until further notice and will not be taking place during Weekender 2011.