Manchester Art Fair is back for 2023 and after a record-breaking year in 2022, it’s promising to be bigger and better than ever.
With more than 13,000 visitors last year and a whopping £798,405 made in art sales over the three-day event (up around 58% and 60% on 2021, respectively), the scale of this beloved annual event is
Starting out back in 2008 and now into its 15th year, Manchester Art Fair has gradually become one of the largest and most significant art fairs in the UK and not only encourages people to better engage with local art and culture but also makes viewing and buying quality art accessible and enjoyable.
This city has such a rich artistic history and continues to platform creators from all around the world — this year’s Manchester International Festival being a perfect example — it’s only right that we continue to keep that heritage alive and grow it even further.
As a result of last year’s success, Manchester Art Fair tickets early this time to meet the unprecedented demand and have even increased the floor size by a whole 35% to make room for even more artists.
ADVERTISEMENT
In addition to further galleries and artists being able to host exhibits, not to mention more space for visitors to stand back and appreciate the works on display, The Manchester Contemporary will once again accompany the main fair, focusing on artist-led spaces and charitable organisations.
Over 170 UK and international individual artists, galleries, and artist-led spaces will show, with new entrants such as Demif Gallery, British Art Portfolio, Art Court and Bristol’s First Contemporary; returning exhibitors include Saul Hay Gallery, Hidden Gallery and Carnes Fine Art, among many others.
ADVERTISEMENT
Manchester Art Fair 2023 will also deliver an extended programme of activities to accompany the fair, with exclusive drops of limited-edition prints, workshops for all ages and a sculpture pavilion, as well as even more artist talks and Q&As. There’ll even be advice on how to build your own art collections.
Speaking ahead of this year’s massive event, director Sophie Helm said: “We can’t wait to bring the community built by Manchester Art Fair and The Manchester Contemporary back together in November.
“Once again, we are stepping up our ambitions for the fair… This year’s programme features an exciting breadth of names, many of whom will be joining us in person to share the inspiration behind their work and journey as an artist.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We look forward to also setting a new record for the Manchester Contemporary Art Fund, as we commit to tripling this year’s fund for Manchester Art Gallery’s public collection. One of the most significant philanthropic art funds in the country, it’s a foundation of which Greater Manchester can be proud, providing the opportunity for people to enjoy art for years to come.”
Manchester Art Fair 2023 opens on Friday 17 November from 5-9pm and runs until Sunday, 19 November. The full list of opening hours as well as all info on the exhibitions can be found HERE and you can grab your tickets NOW.
Better Man has bombed at the box office – but is the Robbie Williams biopic any good?
Danny Jones
So, Robbie Williams’ biopic Better Man has been out for a little while now and the question on many people’s lips – you know, apart from ‘why is he a monkey?’ – is, quite simply, is it any good?
Many of you may have already seen it, others may have absolutely no interest in hearing about Robbie‘s already well-publicised exploits (be they in ape form or otherwise), or maybe you’ve just been waiting to hear whether it’s any good before heading out to the cinema.
Well, if you’re judging it purely by the current headlines circulating online, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s absolute rubbish. So far, Better Man has ‘tanked’ at the box office, making just over $1 million compared to a budget of nearly $110m (£90.8m).
However, given how pivotal the US viewing figures are, a big chunk of the commercial disappointment has come down to Americans largely not knowing who Robbie Williams even is and it’s no surprise that it’s done a little better here in the UK – though still not stellar. But again, ticket sales aside, is it good?
Better Man – Review
I wasn’t sure a (very good) CGI monkey Robbie Williams film was going to be any good either based solely on the trailer, but they nailed it.
*Once again, some spoilers ahead – though it is his life story, so we’re not really spoiling anything…
I’ll start this off by admitting that for all his foibles and controversies of the years, I am a Robbie fan; his music was always on in my house as a kid and well into my teens. Being born in the mid-90s, he was probably one of the first big pop stars to ever enter my world.
Growing up obsessed with football too, a charismatic, mainstream rock and roll-spirited figure in the mainstream who also loved the beautiful game and even took influence from chants heard around the grounds in his songwriting always made him extra appealing to me.
All that is just to say that I’m fully aware there’s probably some bias here, so I’ll still try to be as impartial and ‘objective’ as you can be with a film review. But back to the point, the short answer is yes: it’s good – very good, in my opinion.
If you’re similarly fond of the frenetic, funny and ferocious showman, you’ll obviously have a vested interest in looking back on his career thru a (somewhat simian) Lens, but even if you’re not, I still think you can get a lot of of the film and a greater insight into a captivating life story.
Monkey see, monkey do—make me sad, very sad…
This scene (among many) had us welling up. (Credit: Paramount Pictures)
For starters, put simply: as daft as it may seem, the monkey thing does work. It may come across like a strange gimmick when you first see the trailers but it doesn’t take much digging to realise that there’s quite a well-thought-out three-pronged approach behind it.
One of the first things the 50-year-old singer said on the press tour for this film is that he’s always felt “unevolved” and it’s something that’s brought up a couple of times in the film itself, so making him an ape rather than a modern Homo sapien is one way to way to communicate that.
Plus, not only does it obviously make any sad moments – and there are a lot of them – even more emotional and tear-jerking, especially during the scenes during Robbie’s childhood, but it also plays into the sad reality that he’s felt like a performing monkey for the majority of his life.
When you stop and think about the reasoning behind it feels a lot more considered than on first impression, and it certainly helps you empathise and, more importantly, sympathise with the troubled character you’re seeing on screen.
Robert vs Robbie
A very clever movie poster to boot.
And that’s pretty much the rub right there: this was always going to be at least a somewhat self-indulgent watch, not just because it’s a biopic but because it’s Robbie and that’s what his persona is about – but it is and always has been a performance in every sense of the word and the film does a great job of trying to distinguish ‘Robbie’ from Robert.
From seeing the origins behind being given that name specifically, his younger years and affectionate albeit mostly fraught relationship with his father; how the boom of Take That engulfed his entire world and even more so once he went solo, as well as the version of himself he’s shown to the world for last three decades, it’s clear he’s often struggled to find the line between the two himself.
It’s also very important to state the cheeky, cocksure Robbie Williams you were expecting to watch the rise of throughout this biopic has wrestled with a much lower opinion of himself than you could ever imagine. It’s a driving force behind the film and manifests in all manner of problematic and unpleasant ways, just as it did in real life. You see him see a lot of them in the crowd throughout the duration, in fact.
Because for anyone who isn’t aware, a lot of Robbie’s experiences are problematic and unpleasant; the early days as a boyband commodity, his substance abuse, struggles with mental health and beyond are all laid bare on screen in fairly graphic detail at times. A lot of the situations these issues spring from would feel hard to believe were it not for the fact it’s a true story with very little embellishment, if at all.
Manchester references are a bonus
One of the things that did stand out as a particularly surreal aspect of the film was the handful of references to Robbie’s intersection with Mancunian culture, which simultaneously felt familiar and somehow like going back in time to peep behind the curtain at a world that very few saw first-hand.
Again, the behind-the-scenes examination of how Take That transpired and those very dangerous, inappropriate and frankly unlawful series of events in nightclubs over on the likes of Canal Street feels like a fever dream (as it did for Robbie).
Perhaps the biggest buzz we got was the not-so-surprise appearance by the Gallagher brothers and ‘The Robster’s obsession with Oasis. The look is exactly what you’d expect and Liam‘s accent might not be perfect but it still gave us a thrill without feeling like pointless lip service.
All that being said, is the much-talked Robbie biopic a good enough film to warrant popping out to the pictures? Well, I’d certainly say so. Not only are the visuals and the CGI itself pretty flawless, but the motion capture is done so well that it never felt like I was taken out of the film at any point – even the very particular Stoke and Cheshire accents of Robbie and Gary Barlow are very convincing.
We knew there was going to be lots of humour too but there’s also a lot of impressive stuff the director does that I wasn’t expecting.
One of those is the transitions: there are lots of clever tonal switches done with great camerawork and effects (particularly during one driving sequence and some of the flashback frames) and they really do help covertly shift the mood so some of the darker moments don’t give you full on whiplash.
And lastly, the director’s fingerprints can be felt all over the movie as Michael Gracey’s The Greatest Showman pedigree certainly makes sections of the film feel more like a musical than I was expecting – but in a good way. Big bold cabaret choreography fitting of the man himself.
ADVERTISEMENT
After all, we all know most Robbie tunes are bangers but seeing them brought to life in these new and interesting ways really does make Better Man a better film than we’d even hoped for and it’s certainly good enough to be performing a lot better than it is at the box office right now. Maybe give it a go.
As far as I’m concerned, big stunning set pieces like this are just the tip when it comes to what makes the Robbie biopic a good film.
Featured Images — Paramount Pictures/Chrysalis Records
Art & Culture
Jake Quickenden to star in stage version of cult classic British comedy, Rita, Sue and Bob Too!
Danny Jones
The original stage play version of classic UK comedy, Rita, Sue and Bob Too!, is coming to Greater Manchester this February and it’s set to star Jake Quickenden in a leading role.
Released as a feature-length back in 1987, the cult favourite film set in North Yorkshire is still considered one of the most quintessentially British and incisive ‘dramedies’ ever made, depicting a very unfiltered and poignant look at working-class life during the Thatcher years.
The story has been brought to the theatre many times before, including down the road in Salford Quays, but this latest series of stage shows marks the first time Rita, Sue and Bob Too! the play is heading to this particular borough.
With a healthy slate of tour dates across the country, the Regal Entertainments production and recognisable cast is coming to Stockport for multiple nights next month.
Adapting the original semi-autobiographical play text by Bradford‘s very own Andrea Dunbar – where the tale takes place and whose upbringing the events revolve around – with direction from Chantelle Nolan, this is one of the biggest live productions of Rita, Sue and Bob Too! ever.
Speaking ahead of the nationwide tour, Nolan says: “After over 20 years of producing brilliant entertainment in St Helens and in Liverpool, Regal Entertainments has developed a touring department, and we can’t wait to share our five-star productions with new audiences across the UK.”
“We’re very proud to attract the top stars from the worlds of theatre, film and TV to star in our productions […] Dunbar’s cult classic film was originally a hit play, and we know that it’s a show that you can see time and time again and still be rolling in the aisles with laughter, we are incredibly pleased with the ticket sales so far.”
As well as the former X-Factor, I’m A Celeb, Hollyoaks and Dancing on Ice star in the leading role as Bob, other names on the call sheet include Jessica Ellis (also seen on Hollyoaks), Shameless and Coronation Street‘s Warren Donnelly, as well as ex-Britain’s Got Talent contestant, Siobhan Phillips.
As for the other two leads, Liverpool-born comic Kay Nicholson is starring as Rita and Lancashire actor Jenna Sian O’Hara as Sue. In case you’ve never seen or heard anything about it before, without spoiling anything, the two young schoolgirls get themselves into some rather adult circumstances.
Strictly an 18+ performance, the Stockport show is one of just a small handful of North West runs, set to take place at the iconic art deco theatre that is The Plaza from Tuesday, 18-Saturday, 22 February.
As for Quickenden, the 36-year-old added: “I’m delighted to be joining the brilliant cast of Rita, Sue and Bob Too! Regal Entertainments have a fantastic reputation for producing exciting entertainment in Merseyside and I can’t wait to take the show all over the UK.
“Andrea Dunbar’s play is a classic and I can’t wait to play Bob.” If you’ve not come across it before, maybe ask your mum and dad or perhaps a grandparent – we’re sure they’ll fill you in…
Danny Jones -
13th July 2023 
