Manchester 2007

Today’s news that Noel Gallagher has been bestowed with the annual ‘Godlike Genius’ honour at the NME Awards 2012, despite quitting Oasis in 2009, shows that he’s still very much a recognised force in music culture after years of prolific hit making.

That got me thinking… there are plenty of lists of great Mancunians out there – LS Lowry, Morrissey et al – but who actually grabs the most headlines at the moment?

Here are a few names you might recognise…

Professor Brian Cox, OBE
Brian – who has a name which, interestingly, reads ‘brain’ if you switch a couple of letters around – is best known for his BBC television programmes about physics, which include Wonders Of The Universe and Wonders Of The Solar System. He was born in Chadderton, near Oldham, and had a short music career in D:Ream, which started during his studies at the University Of Manchester. He now lives in London with his wife and son, but is still involved in academic work in Manchester.

Mario Balotelli
He’s not strictly from Manchester – having been born and raised in Italy – but as a striker for Manchester City football club and possessing a rather extrovert character, Balotelli has become synonymous with the flamboyant ‘footballer culture’ which pervades this part of the world. He joined Manchester City in 2010 and has rarely been out of the headlines since, both local and national. Early in his days here, he was involved in a car crash and when asked by police why he was carrying £5000 cash, famously replied: “Because I am rich.” His other reported escapades have included throwing darts at a youth team player, turning part of his garden into a quad bike racetrack and firefighters being called to his home after a firework was set off inside.

Michelle Keegan
There are several stars of long-running soap Coronation Street that I could name, but Ms Keegan is undoubtedly one of the most popular at present. She has played character Tina McIntyre since 2007 and proved a big hit with viewers. Michelle is also regularly pictured on social outings in Manchester and elsewhere, attracting interest from readers of lads’ mags and fashionista publications alike. She lives in her birth town, Irlam, with fiancé Max George of boyband The Wanted – another local name.

Other Manchester-related stars I could detail (but won’t on this occasion) include Denise Welch, currently embroiled in the stormy Celebrity Big Brother house on Channel 5; and Noel Gallagher’s daughter Anais Gallagher, enjoying a blossoming modelling career at the young age of 11.

There’s lots of choice in Manchester city centre if you want to have a night out. However, there are also lots of different areas you can go to – and this can be confusing if you’re visiting the city, or are just getting to know your way around. I decided to put together a quick guide to a few of Manchester’s evening hotspots.

Northern Quarter
Over the last decade, the Northern Quarter has enjoyed explosive growth, with bars springing up on the streets like mushrooms. Located near Piccadilly in one of the more industrial and atmospheric parts of the city centre, it’s a far cry from the high-end shopping, banking and office districts that you more often see in tourist brochures. The Northern Quarter is best known for its quirky sense of style and independent bars, shops and small businesses.
Most likely choice of drink: An intriguing continental ale.

King Street, Deansgate and Castlefield
These areas are very popular with visitors, particularly those whose night out isn’t complete without a bit of footballer spotting (with hordes of highly-decorated young ladies in tow, naturally). With Granada TV centre and plenty of offices nearby, it isn’t short of soap stars or Manchester’s business masses, either.
Most likely choice of drink: Cocktails – or bucket-like measures of wine.

Oxford Road Corridor
Huddled around conjoined routes Oxford Street (towards the city centre) and Oxford Road (towards the city’s universities), the southern sprawl of the city has a plethora of bars Manchester students fill on a daily basis – therefore meaning food and drink is priced more reasonably than elsewhere in the city.
Most likely choice of drink: The cheapest beer possible – or two-for-one cocktails (perhaps not quite as well-presented as those on Deansgate).

Here in the capital of the north, we may not have quite as many five-star hotels as they do in London (they’ve got more than 50 and we’ve got two – one of which is actually in Salford), but there are still some very nice places to stay.

Providing five-star accommodation in the heart of the city centre, the Radisson Edwardian is located on Peter Street, which links Deansgate and Oxford Street. This makes it an ideal base for sightseeing and entertainment in Manchester, enjoying proximity to a plethora of theatres, art attractions, restaurants, bars and clubs. It is housed within the grade II-listed Free Trade Hall, which was originally built in 1846 and rebuilt after the Manchester Blitz of World War Two. It has also famously hosted gigs by Bob Dylan in 1966, Pink Floyd on numerous occasions and a legendary concert by the Sex Pistols in 1976. Its well-regarded restaurants are named Opus One (formal) and Alto (less so).

Despite being geographically located in Salford, the Lowry Hotel is often considered part of Manchester city centre, sitting on the banks of the River Irwell within easy reach of the shopping district and numerous bars and restaurants. It is the choice of many celebrities who visit Manchester, due to its five-star status and striking design. The Lowry Hotel’s River Restaurant has received excellent reviews in recent years and it also boasts luxury spa facilities.

The Midland Hotel on Peter Street is probably Manchester’s most famous, being the meeting place of Charles Stewart Rolls and Frederick Henry Royce in 1906 – an event which resulted in one of the world’s most well-known car manufacturing companies. The grand building was built between 1898 and 1903 and has been a hotel ever since, now operating at a four-star level.

Manchester’s other notable hotels include Abode and Malmaison in Piccadilly – and the city also offers a wide variety of self-catered accommodation options. Manchester serviced apartments are located in the Northern Quarter, Deansgate, the Gay Village and Salford Quays, among other locations.

Everyone gets a bit wacky at Christmas – but celebrities always seem to go that bit further.

In the papers today it was reported that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney and his wife Coleen have bought each other racehorses for Christmas. Yes, racehorses. I know those two enjoy spending their money – and they love going to the Grand National and similar events – but really, £100,000 on racehorses is a big step even for them!

Apparently they’re going to be kept at fellow United player Michael Owen’s Cheshire stables – and Wayne has picked out pink and white to be his riding colours. I expected red and black… but I suppose using pink means no awkwardness if he transfers to different teams in the future! I can’t think of a football team that plays in pink. Meanwhile, their two-year-old son Kai is already having riding lessons. You have to wonder whether two is a bit young to appreciate the experience.

Also doing bizarre things during the festive season are a few members of the brigade from The Only Way Is Essex – Mario Falcone, Joey Essex, Lauren Goodger, Lauren Pope and Chloe Sims – who stripped down for a hot tub session on a trip to Lapland; while former cast member Amy Childs has dressed as a fairy in a photo shoot for New! magazine.

Stateside, 24 star Kiefer Sutherland has revealed his Christmas Card design – a picture of him about to leap on to a Christmas tree with the words ‘(just kidding)’ beside it. The setup is a reference to an infamous incident in 2006, when Kiefer was tour manager for band Rocco DeLuca And The Burden. A documentary named I Trust You To Kill Me followed their European tour – and, on a visit to a London hotel, Kiefer jumped on to a Christmas tree… which proceeded to fall on top of him.

Hopefully no one in our house will be tempted to do any of the above after one too many mulled wines…

Manchester Airport has had a few trifling difficulties in the last week – first a dusting of snow on the runway, then a dog. Of course, it’s always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to planes, but that never stops people moaning!

Manchester Airport is the UK’s fourth busiest – behind London airports Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted – so it’s no wonder situations tend to snowball (haha) if there’s a hold-up from time to time.

On Friday morning (16 December), 3mm of snow fell on the airport’s runways, meaning that passengers were left sitting in planes for as long as three hours waiting for clearance to take off.

I’ve been delayed at airports before, but never actually sitting on the plane. When you’ve got a three-hour-plus flight to Spain ahead of you, it must get very frustrating… not to mention uncomfortable, if you’ve gone for cheap seats!

Apparently, planes don’t have very good grips on their tyres, so it simply isn’t safe until de-icing has taken place.

One day later – and this is one of my favourite news stories of this month – a whippet got on to the runway and went tearing around the airfield, meaning that once again, planes couldn’t take off or land. The dog was spotted at 10:40am and it took 40 minutes for airport staff to catch it!

People were less annoyed by that than by the snow, though.

DJ Clint Boon, who was among the delayed passengers, summed up the mood via Twitter: “Delayed flying from Paris because of industrial action. Delayed landing at Manchester due to ‘dogs on the runway’. I love this city.”

There’s so much going on in Manchester this Christmas – and it’s not all on the streets, with Christmas shopping and the markets in full flow. There are some big events on at the city’s entertainment venues, too, with the MEN Arena, The Lowry, The Palace Theatre, The Opera House, The Apollo and The Bridgewater all showing off an array of headliners.

MEN Arena
It’s quite a mixed bag at the Arena, with comedian Russell Howard doing his stand-up show Right Here Right Now on Thursday 15 December, 1980s pop band Duran Duran on Friday 16 December and music legend Paul McCartney appearing with his regular band on Monday 19 December. That’s quite a few decades and demographics they’re covering, there!

The Lowry
Definitely family-focused for Christmas, this Salford Quays venue, with a version of The Wind In The Willows by Alan Bennett (2 December to 14 January); enduring musical Scrooge, starring legendary entertainer Tommy Steele (12 December to 7 January); and Snow Play (27 December to 3 January), featuring Patrick Lynch from Cbeebies.

The Palace Theatre
The stage version of hit 1987 film Dirty Dancing has been at The Palace Theatre since 22 November and continues until 7 January, telling the love story of Baby and Johnny and featuring songs such as Hungry Eyes, Hey Baby, Do You Love Me? and I’ve Had The Time Of My Life.

Plus…
Other shows flexing their offline and online PR muscles to drum up Christmas crowds include pantomime Cinderella at The Opera House (3 to 31 December), starring Louie Spence and Suzanne Shaw; the diverse programme of White Lies, Roy Chubby Brown, The Saw Doctors and One Direction at Manchester Apollo; and The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, The Bootleg Beatles and Only Men Aloud at The Bridgewater Hall. 

It’s a funny time of year for businesses to make changes and start new offerings, what with the chaos of Christmas and hospitality gloom of January being so near – but apparently no one’s told Manchester’s food and drink purveyors.

Not that I’m complaining. I’m a foodie through-and-through and I always get excited when there are new developments to appreciate.

In the openings stakes, there’s Aubaine at Selfridges in Exchange Square, Leckenby’s just off Deansgate and Peppermint Bay in Spinningfields.

Meanwhile, moves and updates include a change of hands at Livebait, a departing head chef at Harvey Nichols Second Floor and Paul Heaton (of The Beautiful South and The Housemartins fame) is the new landlord of Chapel Street’s The Kings Arms.

Aubaine is Manchester’s latest high-end French eaterie, following hot on the heels of 63 Degrees – and certainly appears to have the right tools to become one of the top Manchester restaurants.

Leckenby’s Champagne & Tea Rooms and Peppermint Bay both cater more for light bites and have received rather good reports, so far. I can’t wait to visit… though I might ask the wife to test out Leckenby’s with her lady friends before venturing in myself. I like a good cake, but it looks a bit girly. Though, having said that, they do morning fry-ups too!

It’s heartening to see that dreary fish place Livebait will have a new lease of life, with a new menu and refurbishment planned under successful restaurant businessman Richard Muir. He’s done great things in Scotland, apparently.

As for Paul Heaton at The King’s Arms in Salford… well, I just hope I like his pub strategy more than I liked his music.

As much as I enjoy going out in Manchester – especially to the pub, or having a nice meal somewhere – now and again it’s great to have a Saturday night in with a takeaway and a few drinks. We have a bit of a rota system to make sure we enjoy different cuisines! Indian and Chinese are my favourites, but we sometimes get a pizza.

One thing that’s never on a rota, though, is the wife’s love of particularly silly television programmes – mostly talent contests. We always have to watch them, either live or recorded. I’m not really too keen, but I’ll watch them for the sake of peace. There’s been some added excitement this year, though, with northern lasses on both of the most popular shows – Chelsee Healey on Strictly Come Dancing and Misha B on The X Factor.

Silly names aside (Chelsee? Chelsea is bad enough when it’s spelled properly), it’s been interesting to see the kind of support they’ve had. The Healey girl was apparently born in Eccles and starred in that Waterloo Road drama on BBC1 (another thing the wife likes), so she’s already got plenty of fans, despite a wardrobe malfunction (and between you and me, I think that probably helped in some quarters). Seems like a pleasant girl, too.

But Misha B’s situation seems a little less straightforward. She’s from Longsight – and from what I hear, there are posters up all over the place. But the rest of Manchester doesn’t seem too bothered. She hasn’t been getting very many votes and keeps ending up in the ‘bottom two’. The question is why, as whatever you may think about TV talent shows, there’s no doubt she’s one of the more talented performers they’ve had.

There seem to be two main theories. One of them, the more recent one, is that Manchester is too ‘cool’ and proud of its independent musical heritage to get behind a contestant on such a contrived behemoth of a programme. That didn’t seem to be a problem a few years ago for Shayne Ward, who still has local fans, the wife tells me… but I suppose people were generally less cynical about The X Factor format then.

The other argument is this ‘likeability’ problem – which is a shame, as at first Misha was really striking and seemed the obvious frontrunner. But then someone else on the programme said that she was sometimes arrogant towards other contestants – and someone else said she was a bully. They’ve both retracted the severity of their comments since, but in the meantime, Misha admitted that in the past, she’d behaved in a way she wasn’t proud of. Unfortunately for Misha, I think it’s hard for people to support someone’s roots if they have nagging doubts about what those roots were really like. Bullying is one of those things that everyone feels deeply uncomfortable about, no matter how much a person might change. Singing other people’s songs every Saturday night isn’t going to fix that.

I think I’d like it if one of the main television channels would create a contest for real local bands to enter, as I think Manchester would do really well. There’s so much music talent in this city. Perhaps if bands had to prove they’d been together for a year or more, and had to do songs they’d written themselves – that might make it a bit more credible. Might!

Hold on to your Santa hats, everybody – the Manchester Christmas Markets are back this week (Thursday, 17 November, 2011).

I can’t believe it’s come around so fast again. Everything seems to go pretty quickly at my age, I have to admit, but nothing makes you aware of it like Christmas time. The decorations and lights are already up all over the place, including that bizarre giant Father Christmas thing on top of the entrance to Manchester town hall. It’s environmentally friendly, apparently, despite being made of 100,000 light bulbs.

I do like the markets, especially the mulled wine stalls and sausage traders – though it seems to get more and more difficult to walk around them every year! I can’t believe how many thousands of people show up. They say there are traders coming from all over the north west, as well as Europe – and even Lapland. There’s an extra area opening on King Street at weekends, selling work by local artists. Might go along and see if there are any presents worth buying – or maybe even something for my own walls.

Christmas dos will be in full swing soon too – and I’m sure all the top Manchester restaurants are gearing up for them. The wife and I love eating out with our friends during the festive season, but it can be difficult to get a table with all the office parties. I expect places like Australasia in Spinningfields will be absolutely packed, this year – and that French place on the edge of the Northern Quarter, 63 Degrees. Certainly no harm trying, though.

The wife will also be wanting to get her shopping done soon – and I know what that means. She’ll be in and out of shops all over the Arndale Centre, The Triangle and King Street while I trudge behind carrying bags. If I’m really lucky, I might get a seat outside the changing rooms in Marks & Spencer while she tries on dresses for Christmas Day. We’re having family round at ours. Just thinking about the food is making me hungry…

When one thinks of the PR industry it is not uncommon to envisage smartly dressed women holding lunchoen meetings in top London cafes and restaurants. But following a rise in creative companies based in the North, PR should no longer be solely associated with the capital.

Manchester is slowly building for itself a reputation for being a hub of creative talent, with many local companies becoming top players in media services. Manchester’s superiority within the creative media industry can be seen through its extensive range of PR agencies. Many of which specialise in different types of PR.

City Press is one of many well known agencies in the area, which also operates from London, promising to offer strategic consultancy whilst specialising in reputation management and media relations. Brazen PR is another of Manchester’s large agencies, its expertise lies within consumer PR and it has lots of large name clients on its books. Tangerine PR seems to be Manchester’s fastest growing agency, a home-grown company, winning the 2011 CIPR Excellence award.

But, it’s not just large companies that are doing well in the city. The city also houses much smaller, or ’boutique’, agencies that claim to offer the same quality service as their larger counterparts. Ethos Public Relations is one of these smaller agencies, based in Manchester. Their focus is very much on crisis communications and corporate social responsibility, and have been known to work with some top local celebrities. Another smaller agency that is flourishing in the North West is JAMpr. Also a design consultancy, JAM has won many awards in the comparatively short time its been around, and has also worked on many national accounts.

When searching for a PR agency, whatever the requirement, it is no longer essential to look to London, as Manchester has it all.