Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Forty (Part One)

'Rather a broken bone than a heart of stone.'

(K. Tolnoe)

This has been one hell of a week, and it's not over yet! Those of you that are observant may notice I am writing this on a Friday evening instead of my usual Sunday, and this is because at the crack of dawn tomorrow (4am to be precise) I am heading to the airport for a quick jaunt to Hamburg in Germany with my dad and sister. As I am sure we will cram lots of antics in despite only being there for 36 ish hours, I thought I would do a separate post recommending stuff to see, food to eat, and mainly, establishments to drink in when I get back on Sunday night, so check back in for that!

Back to this week, and I HAVE to tell you about the most incredible dessert place I tried out on Tuesday with my friend Timna - Icestone Gelato. It is on Oxford Road in the city centre, just near Footage, and I sampled the peanut butter waffle, which had the obvious peanut butter on, as well as chopped up Snickers bars and caramel sauce, served with vanilla ice cream, man it was good!

That evening was Matter of Sound's fifth Band and Bean event at Grindsmith in Salford Quays, and although one band cancelled very last minute (grr) we had Lyons and La Zel, and Taff Jr playing, who were both perfect. The former have a reggae feel to their material, and the guitarist manages to beatbox whilst simultaneously playing the flute which was quite the spectacle! I have stuck a video of them performing on the night above, as my track of the week is in part two of this post, but I didn't want you to have nothing to listen to as you read, and they are a cracking little duo. 

On Wednesday a group of us met up for food at Byron Burger on Deansgate, as a last goodbye to Laura who leaves to travel around South America/ Australia and New Zealand next week. I had the Oreo milkshake, and chose the Byron Burger (a beef patty with bacon, cheese, burger sauce, red onions, tomato and lettuce) and shared sweet potato fries with Ellie. The food, when it finally arrived, was classic and tasty, but the service was shocking; it took the waiter ten minutes to come over for us to order drinks and get the menu, and over forty for our food, which considering there was only us and one other table was unacceptable in my eyes. We had chosen there as we had a voucher for 50% off food, but despite the discount I wouldn't rush back as my experience was marred because of our excessive wait.

Yesterday I went into Manchester with Moj to check out Manchester Food Festival in Albert Square. I got crab fritters from Holy Crab (omgosh, amazing!), rhubarb flavoured prosecco from a cute little metal trailer and we sat and listened to Larkins who I saw at a Sofar Sounds a couple of years ago who happened to be performing inside the tent. We went for an espresso martini by the open fire in Albert's Schloss afterwards, and a final cocktail in Impossible before heading home.

Today I packed my case and am heading to bed soon ready to be up with the birds!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Twenty Four

'I love people with curious minds and stubborn hearts who simply can't do small talk.'

(Bridgett Devoue)

It's birthday week! Those that know me will attest that I've always been one of those people who makes a birthday list months in advance, incessantly counting down the days and then drawing out celebrations for a lengthy period... this year was no exception! Firstly though, on Tuesday we had our third Band and Bean event for Matter of Sound at Grindsmith in Media City, click the link to watch the video from the night. We had three acts playing, Tuscan Sun, who are super talented young guys from Blackpool, Hannah Ashcroft who has retro vibes and Stillia, who are very well styled indie lads from St Helens. I enjoyed an Aperol spritz style cocktail and took Ferryn along, who was super excitable and got lots of attention!

My track for this week is by PVRIS, a band I have featured before as they are one of my favourites of recent times, and whose lead singer I have an insane girl crush on. I am pretty thrilled that they had a new release the Friday before my birthday, so it wouldn't feel right not including it in this week's post.

On Wednesday it was my 27th birthday, and after from a pretty typical day at work, I caught the train into Manchester to go to Tattu for a meal with a few of the girls. It is a Chinese restaurant in Spinningfields that I have wanted to try for a while; the aesthetic in there is very swanky, low moody lighting, dark wooden booths and the pièce de résistance is a huge cherry blossom tree in the centre of the dining area with pink fairy lights as the flowers.

 I had the pink lemonade cocktail (gin based of course) and two small plates: peking duck buns which came deconstructed, and a mixed dim sum basket (wagyu beef, silver cod & prawn and Thai chicken), and I shared a portion of duck and sausage fried rice with Abi. It is a bit pricer than your standard eatery, but the food was incredible and the experience makes it worth it. I had a fab night and got some great presents, very lucky to have such thoughtful people in my life.

Thursday was spent packing and preparing for a trip to Barcelona for my friend Hana's hen do. After a 4am start and a nightmare with the taxi, we eventually arrived on Spanish soil at 10.30am where we met up with a few others who had travelled from London. We reached our apartment on Passeig de Gràcia near Gaudi's house - which was fricking AMAZING - and then went on the hunt for some food and the beach. 

 

We stopped and had tapas style bits, and huge steins of cava sangria before sunbathing for a few hours and a dip in the sea. It has been Sonar Festival this weekend so it was super busy, and there were lots of indie boys around which were very easy on the eye. Hana's childhood friend Kate who I have met a few times before shared a bottle of wine with me at one of the beach bars to escape the sun for a while in the afternoon, and we had a couple of bottles of cava between us on the beach.

That evening we stayed in for food and lots of fizz, and played some games before a few of us headed to a club around the corner for a night out. We didn't stay too long, but it was fun to have a dance and to see some of the nightlife, and we still managed to roll in at nearly 5am so not a bad effort!

Yesterday morning after a buffet breakfast in the apartment, most of the girls left for a bike tour of the city, whilst a few of us decided to have a wander and do some shopping instead. We had food and coffee at a little joint on our street called Tapa Tapa which had a deal where you got 2 pinchos - which are like little bruschetta - I had one with squid and salmon and another with spanish omelette and pancetta, a salad (tomato, feta and olive) and a drink for 8 euro, and it was to die for! We walked to the cathedral and Gothic Quarter, stopping for a browse in some of the boutiques, and then walked to the port where we had a jug of Pimm's in Black Lab Bar before mooching back home to get ready for a night out.

That evening we had booked a table for us all at Bar Cañete, a tapas restaurant that had been recommended. We just ordered a load of dishes for the whole group to share, which included marinated sweetbreads, aubergine crisps, barbecued squid, cannelloni, paella, a mixed seafood platter, gezpacho, sardines... the list is too long to mention, but everything got demolished and I can see why it was so highly rated, definitely check it out if you are visiting Barcelona.

After we had finished we did a booze run and then caught the metro - where we did lots of rowdy singing to The Spice Girls and other childhood classics, much to the other passenger's amusement - to watch the Font Màgica display, which was wonderful. We got lots of awesome pictures of us all enjoying ourselves, and then went back to the Gothic Quarter for some drinks in a bar called Ocaña with an underground dungeon-like club that we were pulled into by a drag queen! 

We had more prosecco and played 'I Have Never' which was entertaining since most of us hadn't played it since uni, and then Kate, Fay and I who had gone out the night before continued the night in the club next door called Jamboree. It was ten euro entry and was on two levels; the first played indie music, and the basement was more dancey. I kissed two of the hottest piratey looking guys to date, I even took a photo as evidence (and wasn't disappointed upon sober re-inspection), they were Argentinian and absolute babes, I'm quite proud of myself!

As we didn't get in until nearly 7am, you can imagine the state we were in today, especially since we had to be up and ready at 11.30am to catch a bus to Parc Guell. It was a really beautiful place, but us three couldn't hack it and had to have a siesta whilst the others looked around. We managed to carb load with some pasta in the afternoon and then had to rush back to pack and get to the airport - though we needn't have bothered as I am currently stuck at the airport with a three hour delay, never has the acronym FML been more appropriate!

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Nineteen

'An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises'

(Mae West)

This week has been really enjoyable and varied; I have done a lot of different things but am still ending the week rejuvenated and chilled out, a state which I haven't been too familiar with recently. I am the first to admit that I hate being stuck in my flat feeling bored, but sometimes chancing upon a few solitary hours with nothing planned, or even just doing something a bit more low-key than a mad night out, is exactly what my body and mind needs.



My track this week is from NAATIONS, another Candid Magazine find. It is a massive throwback to '90s house which I love, but also has a sort of Chase & Status modern vibe to it too. After being sent it a couple of weeks ago it was featured as a track of the day on Radio 1 this week, so I'm being that person that says I found it first!

On Tuesday it was the second Band and Bean event for Matter of Sound at Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City. This time Fears Chella, Gazelle and Cassia played, although due to finishing work late I missed the first act which was a shame. Lots more people turned up and it was another cracking night, I'm glad to be a part of the team again!

On Wednesday it was a glorious day, so Abi and I spontaneously went to Carluccio's in Hale after work for a few bevvies in the sunshine. Abi was on the Aperol whilst I opted for the Lemon Spritz, a refreshing concoction of prosecco, limoncello and soda water. It definitely got us feeling summery!

On Friday after work I met up with Ellie and Hannah at the Old Granada Studios in Manchester for an event called Cocktails in the City. The room was filled with pop up bars from notable joints around Manchester, who had each developed their own signature cocktail for punters to try for the price of one token (£6.50). Tickets were £12 + booking fee and included entry, a brochure with all the options on offer and their ingredients, a Duppy Share rum cocktail, a token for another drink of our choice, and a free £20 membership to CITC for the year to celebrate it being their fifth anniversary.  

I actually attended last year, so was excited to sample some new tipples after having a ball trying some really quirky concoctions last time. Unfortunately it was way too busy this time around, so the majority of the night was spent stood in queues, including for the food kiosks and toilets outside in the rain which ruined the atmosphere somewhat. However, the tunes were on point, and the featured establishments had pulled out the stops making their areas look themed and funky. The cocktails I had were tasty, even if they weren't all my first choice (some of the ones I wanted had upwards of a twenty minute wait). I had creations from Laundrette, Tusk, The Alchemist, Cottonopolis, and The Washhouse - click each for details!

After the event ended - last orders were 11.30pm - we walked to Albert's Schloss for a few more scoops and some dancing, and ended up in the ol' faithful 24 hour McDonalds on Oxford Road at 2am. It was a blessing as thanks to excess chicken McNuggets I woke up at 9am feeling fresh and hangover free yesterday!

I spent the morning cleaning the flat, and then went into Altrincham to meet Emily at her bridal hair trial and we had a coffee at Velo Espresso afterwards - just two weeks until the big day! A quick food shop and I headed home to catch the train into Manchester to meet my cousin Stephanie arriving from Leeds. We went to Atlas Bar for an elderflower gin on the sun terrace, where we met Jasmine and her friend Frankie, and then we went to Castlefield Food Festival held under the big arches of the railway bridge which was a cool arena. We had cheese toasties to eat (mine was with pepperoni, the girls had caramelised onion and mozzerella) and a variety of different flavoured ciders, I opted for sour cherry which was bright green and looked radioactive!

It started getting a little chilly around 9pm, so we sought shelter in Dukes 92, which was rammed but raving! Stephanie had a suitcase with her, which some hot guys who were clearly off their tits on something took onto the dancefloor as a prop, much to our amusement. It sort of set the level for the night, as we then got approached by a similarly wired Irish guy who was entranced by my red hair, and his truck driver friend, who chatted to us for the remainder of the night (needless to say, no romance ensured!). We left at midnight as Stephanie had an early lecture today, and all had a girly sleepover back at my flat.

This evening I went to Salford to a clothes swap event that my friend Hattie was running. The premise was to take any old clothes you didn't want anymore, make a £5 donation to charity (Girls Out Loud) and take home as many items of clothing as you wanted. It was such a lovely idea: we had prosecco, the hosts had baked some amazing healthy sweet treats, and despite donating five items I managed to come home with seven! Two pieces - an olive green playsuit from Zara and a pastel blue tasselled skirt from H&M - still had labels in, and I also scored two French Connection blouses, a grey waterfall style blazer, a sparkly peach jumper and a silk floral track jacket - see picture above. I ended up giving £20 as I felt bad taking so much home for only £5, and still made it to Mum's in time for a roast dinner to top off a bloody brilliant week.

Weekly Musings

2017 - Week Fifteen

'Don't be eye candy, be soul food'

(unknown)

So I started off this week with a stonking two day hangover after seeing 2manyDJs on Sunday, who were AMAZING! Such a fun night, we had a few cocktails (espresso martinis were needed to keep me going) in the bar section of Gorilla first before heading into the gig venue at about 11pm and we left at 2am when the event finished.

 My track for this week has to be their alter ego project Soulwax's remix of Tame Impala's Let It Happen, as the original is an absolute tune already, but they somehow manage to get away with mashing it up, and when it played last night it sent the crowd wild. 

I managed to power through the pain on Monday and met my mate MC who I'd gone to the gig with for lunch, though sunglasses had to be utilised! We went to Dough in the Northern Quarter where we both opted for the Surf and Turf pizza, which was delicious, but then what's not to like about steak, chorizo and king prawns on a pizza?!

On Tuesday I went to Grindsmith coffee shop in Media City to support Matter of Sound's first live event; Band and Bean. Three acts played: Violet Youth (babyfaces with great potential), Dantevilles (proper Mancs with beaut voices) and Natalie McCool (kick-ass rock chick, I saw her back in 2014 at my first ever Sofar Sounds) and I had a latte and a glass of wine and chatted to Hattie and Emily the girls I used to help out at the channel with. I took C with me as thought it would be a nice chilled evening, and I finally got a kiss out of it - waiting until 4th meeting is a new record, slow burner is definitely working!

On Wednesday I went to watch Dua Lipa with Ellie at The O2 Ritz as I am writing a review of the show for the next print issue of Candid Magazine. I drove as felt like I needed an alcohol detox, but it was still a lively, dance filled night, and Off Bloom the support were cracking - a Danish band full of electro beats and angst that really warmed the crowd up. 

I was back at work on Thursday, but it wasn't too bad as Aum had a playdate and I took them to Energi Trampoline Park in Wilmslow; so I had a coffee and muffin and did some work whilst they tired themselves out. It is an awesome place, I am going to give it a go myself next time, it had a dodgeball court, gymnast hoops over a sponge pit, a climbing wall and Gladiator style battle area as well as all the normal trampolines. 

That night I went out in Manchester with C, to a DJ night called Love Dose at Hidden club. We went to Stage and Radio beforehand for a few drinks, where Simba the resident DJ from my uni days at Sugarhouse happened to be playing which was a fab surprise! We stayed out super late and got very messy and I wore a new top I have been saving - it was one of the best nights I've had in ages, and a welcome change to the venues I normally go to in town.

On Friday after a LOT of faff with cancelled trains, I eventually made it to Leeds 1.5 hours later than anticipated to visit my friend Bex who lives in a cute little suburb called Chapel Allerton. We had a proper catch up over her homemade chili and a couple of bottles of fizz/ wine, and then went into the city for a night out. We started in Banyan, which is fairly new, although we only stayed for one as despite being 10pm it was pretty quiet. After we went to Roxy Ballroom, a cool bar with beer- and ping-pong tables (that coincidentally is opening in Manchester at the end of April) for prosecco and shots, and then had a couple of cocktails that were 241 (the salted caramel espresso martini was perfect!) in Mr Nobody, before heading home as Bex had hit it a little too hard!

My parents picked me up from Bex's on Saturday lunchtime en route to my grandparents in Leven, Yorkshire as we were meeting up with a group of the family for a celebratory meal for my Grandad's 80th back in January. 17 of us went to a standard 241 pub called The Nag's Head, but it was so impressive! I had a dish off the huge special's board; the salmon, king prawn and cod lasagne, served with garlic bread and a really yummy side salad of parmesan and sundried tomatoes, and then I shared the raspberry ripple bread and butter pudding with Mum. Considering we were a big group the service was excellent, and everyone raved about the food, lamb kashmir curry, ribeye steak, chicken and gammon pie, spare ribs - all top notch! My aunt and uncle have recently bought a sweet shop (Sweet Sensations with Tradition in Hornsea), so my cousin made us all personalised little favours with sweets and a cupcake to take home to mark the occasion which was very cute.

Today I was awake quite early, so I made the most of the pleasant day and went for a stroll along Hornsea beach with the family and the dog - it was the first time Ferryn had encountered sand, or the sea! I had some classic seaside doughnuts with Mr Whippy ice cream as a treat before we ate a massive buffet courtesy of my grandma and then travelled home to Manchester. C came 'round to mine in the evening (and brought Chinese, what a babe!) but he was on call so barely finished his starter before he had to leave for a job he was needed on. It was a blessing to be honest as I'm absolutely pooped, I'm so glad to have the Bank Holiday off tomorrow!