Victoria Carter visits the Manchester Literature Festival and finds inspirational and encouraging talks are delivered alongside the perfect brownie

Grace WIlliams takes a step back to contemplate the Northern Quarter in true Flaneur fashion

Sean Doherty lends an insight into an exhibition celebrating fifty years since Anthony Burgess’ controversial novel ‘A Clockwork Orange’ was first published.

The Whitworth exhibits Hogarth’s 1735 series A Rake’s Progress against David Hockney’s 1965 interpretation of the work

Plan ahead and get your tickets now for the 11th-14th October, a weekend packed with events, exhibitions and cultural happenings across the city.

Alice Marshall and Francesca Reid report on the growing popularity of the Manchester undergraduate arts collective

What to see in Manchester this week

One woman, two jobs: Maria Miller as culture secretary and minister for women and equalities?

Focal Points: a collaborative exhibition exploring the debt of contemporary photographers to traditional artistic themes

Film, books and music to keep you entertained this week.

Islington Mill: something worth veering off the beaten track for?

Discover hidden waters with the Wild Swimmers movement and take a plunge into Manchester’s watery history at the Victoria Baths

This review is a response to recent complaints regarding a previously published review of Anya 17, performed at the RNCM. I was at the event, and felt as though the opera might benefit a fresh review. The concert marked the penultimate night of the North West New Music festival, with the professional musicians Ensemble 10/10, […]

If you are reading this article and thinking “what does Niagara Falls have to do with Manchester?” all that has to be said is: you can take the girl out of Manchester but you can’t take Manchester out of the girl! Even one on exchange all the way out in Canada. During my stay here, […]

Girls in long coats and guys in benaie hats pay for their tickets and move inside the venue, alongside white-haired pensioners in smart clothes and the die-hard Jazz aficionados who make up Band on The Wall’s regular crowd. This, perhaps, says something about Portico Quartet. The London-based quratet made their name as another of the new generation […]

If simplicity is the ultimate sophistication, then the performance of Marcus Roberts trio at the RNCM is a good example. The trio is composed of classical jazz-trained and Wynton Marsalis-inspired Marcus Roberts at the piano, Rodney Jordan at bass and Jason Marsalis on drums. With a stage presence that is both charismatic and discrete, Roberts […]

Everyone knows who the Monkees are, even 40 years after they were at their prime young and old alike (and celebrity sighting of the evening, Dev from Corrie,) gathered to immerse ourselves in the splendour of the flare-wearing original boy-band. It took a little while to get into the tone of the musical, wondering at […]

The Sunday Times Magazine has brought its collection of writing and photography to Manchester’s CUBE Gallery. The free exhibition celebrates the glossy magazine’s 50th year since its first publication, which was heralded by the then owner’s groans of ‘my God, this is going to be a disaster’. Of course the exhibition proves him completely wrong. […]

Roberto Fonseca, the jazz pianist from Cuba and his motley-crew of musicians succeeded in stunning the audience of Mancunians who filled the Royal Northern College of Music last month. The evening was coloured with musical variety from poignant cello solos from support act Ayanna, described as the, ‘pioneer of Black folk music’, to frenzied African-influenced […]

Vampirette is the brand-spanking new musical comedy premiering at Manchester Opera House on Friday 4th May-19th May.  Written by Jonathan Choat, Vampirette introduces the world to Vampi, a teenage vampire girl determined to be normal. The musical’s designer Amy Jackson, a graduate from Wimbledon School of Art, has designed for numerous productions over the years […]