DOUGLAS FIELD relishes the hard-boiled language, satire and humour of the third and last of the Harlem trilogy
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A worthy walk down a distinguished musical memory lane
A bout of nostalgia warms Tony Burke’s heart and soul
STEPHANIE BROWN draws attention to the hidden labour of the female embroiderers, and how a 19th century replica made no such error
MIK SABIERS revels in a band that ploughs an idiosyncratic furrow of expletive laden, guitar-driven alt rock
ANDY HEDGECOCK, MARIA DUARTE and ANGUS REID review Synthetic Sincerity, Our Hero, Balthazar, Heartstopper Forever, and A Year In London
The bard invites readers to a gig, raps for Clacton, and lays out the Burnham-Hurzeler conundrum
RON JACOBS recommends an important book that enhances the oppositional theories put forth by Fanon and, in doing so, remakes psychology itself
Were You There - Popular Music At Manchester’s Free Trade Hall 1951 – 1996
By Richard Lysons
Empire Publications £20
Manchester’s Free Trade Hall was built on the site of the 1819 Peterloo massacre as a public hall celebrating the repeal of the Corn Laws. It took three years to construct between 1853 and 1856 and in 1858 it became the home of the Halle Orchestra.
Bought by the Manchester Corporation in 1920, and bombed in 1940 it was rebuilt as a concert hall in 1950 and 1951, eventually hosting countless jazz, folk, blues and rock concerts including a number of legendary gigs — not least the famous 1966 Bob Dylan “Judas” concert.
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