Frank Zappa: Take Your Clothes off When you Dance (*Optional) at MMU Union

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Zappa, Frank Zappa, and the marks belonging to the Zappa Family Trust. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.

Frank Zappa: Take Your Clothes off When you Dance (*Optional) at MMU Student Union, Manchester 30 November 2018 Tickets from £12 — Book now

Frank Zappa was a ground-breaking musician whose 30-year career spanned rock, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, classical and musique concréte. Born in America in 1940, Zappa developed an obsession with music from a young age, and was a self-taught composer and performer. The fusion of his eclectic tastes gave birth to a creative style which often side-stepped easy categorisation. In his teens he was as passionate about 20th Century classical music as he was about rhythm and blues and doo-wop.

In accordance with these tastes, his creative output at that time was split down the middle, writing classical works by day and playing the drums in rhythm and blues bands by night. Switching from drums to vocals and guitar, in 1966 Zappa released his debut album with the Mothers of Invention: Freak Out! Perhaps one of the most ambitious debuts ever, one side of the LP featured short, pop-oriented tunes whilst the other featured longer art pieces. Zappa’s genius for composition and arrangement was very much present on both.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIO3LhJoBCw

A prolific writer, before his death in 1993 Zappa had released 62 albums (and if we count posthumous releases this number rises into the hundreds). Many of these were solo efforts, and many were released with The Mothers of Invention. Almost all of this work was produced by Zappa himself. Whilst many people know – or have at least heard of – Zappa’s more well-trodden vocal tracks and albums, his genius resides equally in his instrumental works. It’s these which will get an outing at Manchester Metropolitan University’s Union.

In order to mark the 25-year anniversary of Zappa’s death, students of RNCM’s Pop and Classical courses will be paying a very fitting tribute to the treasured musician. They will present brand new interpretations and arrangements of Zappa’s genre-defying instrumental works, alongside works that influenced his eclectic style. If you’re a die-hard Zappa fan, then this concert is for you. And if you’re not a die-hard Zappa fan, then this concert is for you. RNCM’s students will expertly guide you on your first step towards Zappa fandom.

Frank Zappa: Take Your Clothes off When you Dance (*Optional) at MMU Student Union, Manchester 30 November 2018 Tickets from £12 Book now

Where to go near Frank Zappa: Take Your Clothes off When you Dance (*Optional) at MMU Union

The Salutation pub in Manchester
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Salutation

This traditional boozer, surrounded by imposing flats and university buildings, was taken over by Trof (of the Deaf Institute fame). The Sally, as the regulars call it, hosts an energetic, arty crowd – and its recently expanded outside area is another good reason to visit.

The Holden Gallery, Manchester School of Art
Manchester
Gallery
The Holden Gallery

Manchester School of Art’s Holden Gallery at Manchester Metropolitan University, offers an ongoing programme of exhibitions that are open free to the public.

Manchester
Gallery
Manchester School of Art

The Manchester School of Art, of which the Holden Gallery is a part, is a beautiful neo-Gothic building that’s part of MMU’s All Saints campus.

Manchester Metropolitan University Brooks building, Birley Campus in Manchester
Manchester
Event venue
MMU Birley Campus

Birley is Manchester Met’s world-class centre for Education and Health Professionals and the university’s flagship community campus.

Manchester
Restaurant
San Carlo Fumo

San Carlo Fumo may be part of a chain, but it doesn’t feel like it. Right at the top of Oxford Road, it’s lavishly decorated and specialises in cicchetti, or Italian small plates.

Utility Gift Shop
Manchester
Shop
Utility Gift Shop

Utility Gift Shop on Oxford Road is all about products that are new, unique, quirky and cool. High street shopping at its best.

What's on: Music

Until
ActivityManchester
DJ Gym at Hatch

Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.

from £269
Until
MusicManchester
Open Deck at Band on the Wall

Bring your records for a spin at our Open Deck session this Saturday! If you’ve bought some new vinyl from a local record shop this week, just show your receipt at the bar to get yourself a free 9” pizza!

MusicManchester
EXTC at Band on the Wall

Terry Chambers, the original drummer from XTC, brings the revered band’s classic songs to Band on the Wall this July.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.