Top Picks
Guides
What’s on
Where to go
See all

Bad Language at the Castle with Neil Campbell

Sarah-Clare Conlon, Literature Editor

Visit now

Bad Language at the Castle with Neil Campbell

Castle Hotel, Manchester
28 September 2016

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Free
Neil Campbell
Book now

One of the most well-established live literature nights on the block, Bad Language this summer picked up the Best Regular Spoken Word Night trophy for a second year running in the national Saboteur Awards. No one has done this before, but, hey, they do attract a raft of talented headliners – July saw Man Booker Prize longlistee Wyl Menmuir grace the stage.

This month the Bad Language team – namely Edinburgh Fringe performer Fat Roland and one of the original founders Joe Daly – welcome Neil Campbell. Neil features in Best British Short Stories 2015 and 2016, and his debut novel, Sky Hooks, is out late October, with exclusive advance copies available at BL. Neil’s appearance will be bookended by ten open mic slots showcasing the best up-and-coming and established scribes in town, from poets to prose writers. And if you can’t make the main event, check out the BL Special FX slot at the Royal Exchange on 23 September (6pm, free).

Where to go near Bad Language at the Castle with Neil Campbell

Chakalaka
Manchester
Restaurant
Chakalaka

The very best of South African cuisine in an intimate, friendly space in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Gullivers

Head north on Oldham Street and you’ll come across Gullivers, a ‘no gimmicks and no pretensions’ pub and gig venue.

City Centre
Restaurant
Rewind NQ

A quirky bar, paying homage to the unfortunately deceased Blockbusters video rental stores, with aptly named cocktails and a great atmosphere.

Behind Closed Doors Booth
Manchester
Bar or Pub
Behind Closed Doors

A hidden den of debauchery and indulgence. A fresh take on a basement cocktail bar in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Image of Soup Kitchen in Manchester's Northern Quarter
Manchester
Music venue
Soup

Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for lunch or a great night out.

Manchester
Shop
Bags of Flavour

Bags of Flavour is the Northern Quarter’s answer to high end vintage with high quality exclusive garments and accessories.

Beermoth shop in Manchester's Northern Quarter.
Manchester
Shop
Beermoth

Beermoth on Manchester’s Tib Street stocks specialist beers, chosen with a quietly confident knowledge.

Manchester
Shop
RPB

Otherwise known as Ross Parlane’s Barber Shop, RPB is a barber shop in the middle of Manchester’s bustling Northern Quarter.

See all places

What's on: Literature

Roy Macfarlane
LiteratureManchester
Roy Macfarlane at Manchester Poetry Library

As part of the Poetry Reading Series at Manchester Poetry Library, Canal Laureate Roy Macfarlane will be in conversation with the series curator and award-winning poet Helen Mort.

Free entry
Luke Samuel Yates
LiteratureLeeds
Chemistry at The Chemic

Leeds live literature regular Chemistry offers an exciting mix of open mic acts and invited poets – this month the headliners are Helen Ivory and Luke Samuel Yates.

Free entry
Tom Branfoot. Photo Eleanor Hall, Museum of the Home
LiteratureWest Yorkshire
Poetry at the Dusty Miller

Poetry at the Dusty Miller is a now regular night with invited readers, organised by Carcanet-published Carola Luther and Judith Willson in the Coiners’ Room in the Mytholmroyd pub.

Free entry

Culture Guides

Music in the North

Gigs are coming in hot this spring – from long-awaited returns to one-off happenings you’ll blink and miss if you're not careful.

Experience a unique deep listening art installation inviting audiences to lay down and be bathed in sound and light.
Exhibitions in the North

From city-wide art festivals to open-air sculptural installations, we have exhibitions from all around the North, both indoors and out.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.

portrait of Lorsung in a dark shirt with dark hair and dark round glasses
Literature Events in the North

We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.

Classical Music in the North

Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region's most cherished orchestral forces and venues.

See all guides