News

Manchester Jazz Festival returns to the city this weekend

A free weekender at Escape To Freight Island, a piano trail, gigs in a church and a special geodesic dome performance at Manchester Piccadilly

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 18th May 2022

Manchester Jazz Festival (mjf) returns to the city for 10 days this May, and it’s not to be missed.

The city’s longest-running music festival, it’s completely unlike anything else in Manchester – featuring a jam-packed lineup showcasing some of the best names in UK contemporary jazz as well as up-and-coming talent from across the north of England.

Taking place from 20-29 May, the festival opens this weekend with a free weekender at Escape To Freight Island, followed by ticketed weekday gigs across the city.

Free performances will also take place in Piccadilly Station and Barbirolli Square this year as part of new work commissioned through the festival’s mjf Originals scheme.

Elsewhere, budding pianists are being encouraged to take part in the mjf piano trial, which sees thirteen pianos placed across Manchester city centre, courtesy of Forsyth’s Music.

As part of the new piano trail, pianists of all skill levels are being encouraged to share their performances for a chance to win some top prizes – including their very own piano.

Rum Buffalo will be performing at Manchester Jazz festival 2022. / Image: mjf

Read more: 13 pianos have been placed across Manchester for the public to play – and win prizes

From 20-29 May, mjf2022 will see gigs taking place from the likes of Nubya Garcia, Secret Night Gang, Tim Garland, Anthony Joseph, Zoe Rahman, Rum Buffalo, and Daniel Casimir.

Festival-goers can also check out weekday gigs at St Ann’s Church, The Yard, Matt & Phreds and Forsyth Music, before the festival closes with an extended weekend-long party at Band on the Wall.

Speaking on the upcoming festival, Steve Mead, mjf CEO and Artistic Director, said: “As well as taking audiences on a journey across Manchester’s iconic venues, we’re bringing you an exceptional array of jazz sounds by the very best players, and some new music encounters that you’ll be able to experience for free across the city centre.

“We can’t wait for you to join us.”

2022 Manchester Jazz Festival highlights

Escape To Freight Island will play host to a free opening weekend to launch the Manchester Jazz Festival. / Image: Escape To Freight Island


Escape to Freight Island, 20-22 May

Escape to Freight Island will play host to the festival for a free opening weekender featuring performances from Secret Night Gang, Daniel Casimir, Xhosa Cole Quartet, Intergalactic Brasstronauts, Emma Johnson’s Gravy Boat, Dirty Freud, Jasmine Myra, Dilettante, Sarah Heneghan: Power Out, Kara, Nguvu, The Deportees, Abbie Finn Trio, Timeline, Ain’t Misbehaving’. There will also be family-friendly activities and DJs playing all weekend.

The Yard, presented in association with NQ Jazz, 23-25 May

Anthony Joseph, Emma Rawicz Quintet, Alex Hitchcock’s Dream Band will play at The Yard over three dates this May.

St Ann’s Church, 23-27 May

Zoe Rahman, Skylla, Brigitte Beraha’s Lucid Dreamers, Sara Colman & Rebecca Nash will all perform at St Ann’s Church as part of the festival.

Matt and Phreds, 20-29 May

Jeremy Sassoon Quartet, Heavy Beat Brass Band, Alligator Gumbo, Honey Bee Jazz, Rum
Buffalo, Baiana, Nonunonu, Shapeshifters will perform at Northern Quarter jazz bar Matt and Phreds as part of a collaborative Open Jam night with mjf.

Band on the Wall, 26-29 May

Nubya Garcia, Mulatu Astatke, Tim Garland Group, Gary Crosby Sextet: Mingus Moves,
Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club, Ayanna Witter Johnson, Hackney Colliery Band will take over Band on the Wall as part of the festival this month.

Forsyth Music, 27 May

The Ronnie Scott’s Trio featuring James Pearson – Remembering Oscar Peterson: A portrait
of a jazz legend.

Lara Jones will stage her new work Ensō in a specially constructed geodesic dome in Manchester Piccadilly station. / Image: mjf




mjf originals performances at Piccadilly Station, May 19 – 22

Sax player and electronic musician Lara Jones will stage her new work Ensō in a specially constructed geodesic dome in Manchester Piccadilly station. Audiences can enjoy free performances of the immersive, cinematic audio-visual experience based on Lara’s field recordings of train journeys to loved ones.

Ruby Tingle will present Fountainia, a new piece inspired by Manchester’s unique relationship with water, at Barbiriolli Square. / Image: Manchester Jazz Festival

Barbirolli Square, May 27 and 28

Audiovisual artist and performer Ruby Tingle will present Fountainia, her new music inspired by Manchester’s unique relationship with water, particularly its public water features. The free evening performances will take place in Barbirolli Square next to the Bridgewater Hall.

mjf piano trail, May 18-29

The mjf and Forsyth’s music shop are on the hunt for Manchester’s most entertaining street
pianist as a trail of 13 street pianos are placed across the city. There’s a whole raft of prizes up for grabs, including a Yamaha P-45B piano, a return ticket for 4 anywhere on the Northern Rail Network, a gift package and vouchers worth over £100 from Quayside Media City UK and a £30 Wagamama voucher for each prize winner.

Read more:

Tim Garland. /. Image: MJF

How to get tickets

MJF 2022 will take place from May 20-29 in venues across Manchester city centre.

Tickets for the Manchester Jazz Festival are available now at manchesterjazz.com

News

New data reveals a third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Surprising new data has revealed that a third of Brits admits to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday.

After a long and tiring week, most of us would love the chance to clock off work a little earlier than usual on a Friday, but for a lot of workers, this isn’t always a possibility – and for some, they even have to work longer at the end of the week to make sure everything has been finished off and tied up before the weekend arrives.

But since there has been a noticeable rise in remote working and working from home, a new survey has revealed that working attitudes have changed.

Virgin Media has released new broadband data that reveals a drop in traffic on Friday afternoons during the summer months – with as much as an 8% dip between 3-5pm compared to the winter, as remote workers clock off early.

People on mobile phones
A third of Brits admit to secretly sneaking off work early on a Friday / Credit: Glenn Carstens-Peters | Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)

The Friday traffic drop-off comes from Virgin Media’s broadband network analysis, which it says is a ‘reliable indicator’ of the connectivity habits of the British public.

Alongside the network data, Virgin Media also asked Brits about their work policies and working habits ij a bid to fully understand the trend.

Nearly a third (30%) of Brits say they have a formal early Friday finish in place during the summer, but despite almost half of UK adults (48%) saying they’re not authorised to finish early on a Friday, 32% have admitted to regularly logging off with or without official permission.

Surprising new data has revealed Brits’ working habits / Credit: Chuttersnap (via Unsplash)

Many Brits have also confessed to working ‘on the move’ on a Friday afternoon too.

15% admitted to having worked from the train station as the weekend creeps nearer, as well as 14% from the park, 10% from the pub, and many as 30% of 18-24-year-olds worked from the car while travelling for the weekend.

“Our network traffic analysis is revealing changing workplace habits in real time as the nation takes advantage of long summer Fridays,” commented Jeanie York, who is the Chief Technology Officer at Virgin Media O2.

Read more:

“We’re continuing to boost our fixed and mobile networks so whether Brits are working from their local park, or finishing their work at home, we’re ready to keep them connected.”

Featured Image – Israel Andrade (via Unsplash)

News

Tiny Manchester pub brilliantly condemns ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The Victoria Tap has spoken out against an 'alarming rise' in hate speech

A micropub in Manchester city centre has spoken out about an ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech.

The Victoria Tap, a tiny little boozer at Manchester Victoria train station, strongly condemned any racist, homophobic or sexist conversations taking place in its venue.

The pub said ‘there is absolutely no room for it’ within its walls.

In a statement – which has been met with praise from customers and followers – they added that anyone bringing hate speech to the pub ‘can let the door kick you on the way out’.

The Victoria Tap wrote: “We’ve noticed an alarming rise in racist, homophobic and sexist slurs/comments/conversations lately and we just want to say that there is absolutely no room for it here.

“This is a safe space for everyone.

“If you, or someone in your group, want to disturb this philosophy, you can let the door kick you on the way out.”

It's opened in a former bin store at Victoria Station
The Victoria Tap has brilliantly condemned ‘alarming rise’ in hate speech

Praising their statement, one person wrote: “Great to read this. There is NO place for this. All public spaces should be welcoming.”

Another said: “Pubs should be welcoming environments for people of all walks of life. There’s no room for misogyny, racism or discrimination of any kind. Those who espouse those thoughts need a good hard look in the mirror.”

Someone else commented: “That’s how I see the Vic Tap. Great place for a safe quiet pint. Keep up the great work guys as it’s a fantastic venue.”

The Victoria Tap opened at Manchester Victoria back in 2023, completely transforming a space that was previously a bin store.

As well as its cosy interior, it has a small beer garden which overlooks the tram tracks in and out of the train station.

It’s operated by the same team behind the Piccadilly Tap and the even newer Oxford Tap.

We know exactly where we’ll be heading for our next pint now. Good work, Victoria Tap.

Read more

Featured image: The Manc Group

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