Soyuz: Tim Peake’s Spacecraft @ MSI
From Friday 9th March
From Saturday you will be able to have a gander at the spacecraft that brought astronaut Tim Peake safely back to Earth following his eventful time on the International Space Station. The Soyuz craft is a piece of engineering genius, complete with a functioning toilet, a kitchenette and a small cinema room where Tim could watch Apollo 13, Gravity and Emmanuelle in Space during his ascent. It will be on display until May so you’ve got ages to check it out, but it may be that the longer it’s on display, the more kids are going to touch it with their filthy, sticky little fingers and ruin it for everyone. To avoid being disappointed – get there early I say.
Payday Palooza @ The Liars Club
Friday 9th March
The Liars Club have just recently introduced a shit-load of sand to their floor and the result is probably the best Tiki experience in the world – a bar that feels like a beach, except it’s underground and there’s massive cocktails knocking about everywhere festooned with sparklers, fire and rainbows. They’ve also started a new night on Friday – Payday Palooza, where the first 50 people through the door get their first drink free of charge. It opens at 5pm so you’re going to have to leave work a little early but it will be worth it. You should also expect plenty of top tunes and random beach inflatables flying through the air.
The Jameson Jamboree @ The Range
Saturday 10th March
Down at The Range on Spinningfields they’re going to be hosting a proper big (and FREE) event with Jameson Whiskey this Saturday. With alliteration in mind, they’ve called it the Jameson Jamboree and it will feature plenty of free Jameson cocktails, free use of their proper mint golf simulators and the chance to win a trip to Dublin for 2 this St. Patrick’s Day. To win the holiday all you have to do is buy a drink and your name will be entered into a tombola-style ‘hat’. If you buy 10 drinks, your name will be in there 10 times – so you best bring your hollow legs and once you’re in Dublin, your hollow wallet.
Gareth Gates
Saturday 10th March
I always keep an eye out for stuff going on in Oldham, and this week there’s a biggie. Gareth bloody Gates is in town. Probably singing, probably not stuttering. I mean, whatever happened to that? He was all about the stuttering on Pop Idol – it was his big sob story, but as soon as he finished the series it just stopped. Now I am in no way suggesting that he was faking it, of course I’d never do that, but a more cynical man probably could suggest this and could think it as the perfect way to get more votes from the lovely British public who love an underdog. Regardless, Gareth will be singing and most likely waving at Envy on Saturday night so head down if you want to try and cop off with him.
Suffragette City – The Music Event at The Refuge
Saturday 10th March
As part of their Suffragette City exhibition, The Refuge are having a massive party all day and night this Saturday. There’s an all-star female DJ line up hitting the Public Bar from 3pm, and then the party will then move into the basement until 4am. There’s Gina Breeze, Disco Mums and my personal favourite DJ Paulette who is an absolute legend. Throughout the night they’ll also be collecting money for Women’s Aid so you can be safe in the knowledge that you’re doing something good while getting right royally leathered.
Faulty Towers Dining Experience
Saturday 10th March
Quite why anyone would willingly want to eat in an environment where you could get a plate of spaghetti over your bonce at any time or get slapped over the head by a bumbling Spanish waiter is beyond me. But it seems like enough people are interested because there’s only a few tickets left for Saturday’s showing of the Faulty Towers Dining Experience, where guests eat and drink while a Basil Fawlty bloke and a Manuel bloke run around acting like a couple of buffoons. Apparently only 30% of the show is scripted so literally anything can happen – which I suppose makes everything that little bit more exciting.
Bon Giovi
Saturday 10th March
Imagine Jon Bovine Jovi coming to Manchester – he’d be swanning around the place with his luscious, golden mullet, his tight trousers making a clapping sound as he bounds from bar to club – bedding women, fighting men and belting out ‘Always’ on the top deck of the Magic Bus back to Fallowfield at 2am. It will come as a good piece of news then that the real Jovine Bovi won’t be in the city, but instead it’ll be tribute act Bon Giovi smashing up The Ruby Lounge. This lot have been banging out Bon Jovi tunes for around 15 years now, and considering the real Bon Jovi hasn’t even released a song in all that time – they’ve had plenty of time to hone the classics. Tickets are only a tenner too which is probably about 1/10th the price of a ticket if Mr. Bovine Jovi himself came to town.
Mother’s Day
Sunday 11th March
Where would we be without our mums eh? For one we wouldn’t even be here on Earth, existing and annoying everyone – so thanks for that mum. Before getting into bed with your dad, getting under the covers and getting her kit off, if she’d have known that she’d end up with a slob of a son who makes her cook fish fingers and potato waffles once a week while washing his skiddy underpants – she probably would have reconsidered. It’s happened now though so the best thing you can do is say thanks to her by getting her something nice this Sunday. There’s loads of stuff going on around the city – of which you can check here.
Frankenstein
From Monday 12th March
Everyone is going Frankenstein crazy in Manchester this week and I’m rather perplexed as to why. We’ve got two theatre productions based on Mary Shelley’s novel coming to the city, and in a sort-of Armageddon/Deep Impact kind of situation – it may be hard to choose which one is best. The first one I’ll mention is at Manchester Central Library. Pure Expression theatre productions have specifically designed everything to work in and around the library books and shelves, with visitors walking from room to room with headphones while listening to actors chat bubbles about bringing a man back from the dead. On the other hand, the Frankenstein production at the Royal Exchange is a more traditional affair but the setting has been adapted to the modern day.
Dave Draws Live
Thursday 15th March
We’ve got top doodler Dave Draws coming into the Finest office and doing a massive piece of artwork LIVE on Facebook for your viewing pleasure. That’s not all though. The stream is completely interactive – so you as a viewer can send Dave questions and suggestions of what to add to his artwork. Just don’t go suggesting that he draw a massive penis with a top hat on – I doubt he’ll do it.
