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Massive summer of Pride events launched at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 4th July 2022

The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and The Refuge are throwing a summer packed with Pride events this year.

The Summer of Pride will see the incredible venue overtaken by everything from sparkling cocktails to photography exhibitions to terrace parties.

The Manc Audio will be launching a summer residency on The Refuge Terrace, celebrating diverse up-and-coming DJs and music talent from across the region.

Hotel brand Kimpton has been supporting the LGBTQIA+ community for more than 41 years and will continue with its work all summer.

The Refuge at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel will celebrate Pride all summer. Credit: Supplied

The hotel supports several charity partners, including George House Trust, which provides support services to people living with HIV and their carers and loved ones.

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Those who work for the Kimpton Clocktower are also completing the Be Trans Aware training programme, which will help staff to understand and support the full gender spectrum.

Although Pride month is officially in June, the celebrations will continue into July at the huge Oxford Street hotspot.

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There’ll be a partnership with Sparkle Weekend, the world’s largest free-to-attend celebration of gender diversity.

The Kimpton Clocktower Hotel. Credit: Supplied

Sparkle Charity will host the event in Sackville Gardens between 8 and 10 July, but the Kimpton Clocktower will invite Sparkle Weekend members and hotel guests to a Sparkle Social Hour, with a drink on the house.

A special Sparkle cocktail will pop up on The Refuge’s menu, mixing white rum, cranberry, almond orgeat and cacao blanco, topped with an apple and rose foam.

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50% of proceeds from the cocktail will be donated to Sparkle, the National Transgender Charity.

Read more: ‘Wild’ moment Olivia Rodrigo hops up on stage to sing at Manchester dive bar

The British Culture Archive are going to host a free new exhibition at the hotel, launching on 19 July.

Together As One – A Celebration of Manchester’s LGBTQIA+ Community features photographs by Jon Shard and Peter J Walsh capturing some iconic moments in the city, including Flesh at The Hacienda and the protest against Margaret Thatcher in 1988.

The Come As You Are Weekender will make a return in August too, coinciding with the Manchester Pride celebrations on 27 and 28 August.

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Speaking on the announcement, general manager of Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, Johan Scheepers said: “Inclusion and diversity is an integral part to the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel and Kimpton brand and we have always been extremely proud of this.

“It is crucial that any activity we do embraces the LGBTQIA+ community, so we’re more excited than ever to be announcing three-months of Pride championing activity.

“For us, it’s never just about doing something for Pride – it’s how we can spearhead the whole community throughout the entirety of the year. We look forward to welcoming all guests this summer and beyond.”

To find out more about the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel Summer of Pride activities, visit kimptonclocktowerhotel.com/summer-of-pride.

Featured image: Supplied

Audio

Bez and Shaun Ryder are starring in a new gangster movie – nope, not kidding

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bez and Shaun Ryder acting in new gangster film

No, you didn’t misread the headline and you’re not on acid: Manchester music legends Bez and Shaun Ryder are set to feature in a brand-new gangster film.

Yes, the ones from the Happy Mondays – why are you having such trouble processing this?

Seriously though, we did a little double-take ourselves when we came across this news, but the familiar Manc faces look to be among the ensemble of a brand-new gangster movie by Irish writer, actor, producer and filmmaker, Ciaron Davies.

And this is just a little leak or rumour that may have been blown out of proportion: you can take it from the horse’s mouth as Happy Mondays frontman, Ryder, recently shared the news on social media.

As you can see, the new film is called Geezers and is billed as a “British crime caper” written and directed by Davies, featuring Shaun as hard-man Robbie and Bez as ‘Monk’. If you saw Ryder shaking off that snake biting his hand like it was nothing then you already know he’s hard as nails.

Although it’s not strictly listed as a comedy per se, ‘caper’ would suggest plenty of humour and light-heartedness, so we’re thinking more like The Gentleman, Italian Job, or maybe even Four Lions, rather than a serious crime thriller.

Now, while we’ve seen both of the Salfordians on screen before not only in the likes of music videos, interviews, panel shows and even as two of the funniest guests to ever go on Celebrity Gogglebox, this latest venture will serve as their respective acting debuts.

According to the IMDb page, the synopsis of the film is as follows: “Crime caper about a stolen bag of money. Caught in the crossfire are ‘The Geezers’ a bunch of wannabe criminals who have bitten off more than they can chew. With 24 hours to grab the cash, London may just go up in smoke tonight.”

Shame it’s not set on the mean streets of Manchester, or better yet Salford, but you’ve still very much caught our interest.

You can see the first promotional poster for the film down below.

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As for Davies, he has been involved with a number of small-budget TV film projects, as well as appearing in shorts and even video games, so it’s fair to say that getting 62-year-old Ryder and his ever-energetic hype man, 60, involved is quite the coup for his movie-making career.

We’re still not over Bez rather randomly delivering a curry to our offices, to be honest, so seeing him act is going to feel like one long fever dream.

Although the film has no release date just yet, we know that filming locations having included parts of Warrington and Pinewood Studios, will be produced by Loose Gripp Films and distributed by publishers High Fliers.

Given the high-octane nature of Geezers and its genre, the feature will involve lots of action, stunts, violence and even martial arts – though how much kung-fu these two will have learned for the project remains to be seen…

All we know is that the film is supposedly “coming soon” and if you don’t want to see Bez and Shaun Ryder doing their best impression of a Guy Ritchie gangster movie then you’re lying to yourself. Praying for a Rowetta cameo to put the cherry on top.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Shaun Ryder (via X)/Loose Gripp Films/IMDb

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Blossoms at O2 Ritz Manchester – five-night hometown residency is already a triumph

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Blossoms at O2 Ritz Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

Blossoms are a band who were born and forged here in Greater Manchester, and now they’re back retracing their steps with a five-night residency across the venues that launched them into the big leagues.

Their star has risen all the way to arena level and headline shows at Wythenshawe Park at this point, especially here in their hometown, so the chance to see them back in these cosy-ish little venues is special, and a little bizarre.

For night two of their landmark sold-out gig series, it was the turn of the O2 Ritz, that sweaty spot off Oxford Road where the floor bounces downstairs and you stick to the carpets upstairs.

Poetically, the first time I ever saw Blossoms was in this very room in 2016, when they had the mid-afternoon slot at Neighbourhood festival and the queue to get in went all the way back to St Peter’s Square.

Since those days, Blossoms have come a long, long way, and their live show has evolved and matured from five lads thrashing on their instruments to this well-oiled, hip-swaying, flares-wearing, chart-topping machine.

There’s even choreography now – how fancy!

A stand-out moment from the show is actually a song from their new, fifth studio album Gary, which is still barely eight weeks old.

A spoof recording of legendary Manchester indie club 42s rings out, then all five band members abandon their stations, slinging keytars and marching drums around their necks so that they can dance together in front of neon signs.

Blossoms have just done their second of five shows in Manchester, this time at the O2 Ritz. Credit: The Manc Group
Blossoms have just done their second of five shows in Manchester, this time at the O2 Ritz. Credit: The Manc Group
Blossoms on stage at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Blossoms on stage at the O2 Ritz in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group

Blossoms promised more disco with this album and they bloody meant it. It’s not just the flares and the blow-dries and the moustaches (though those do help) – it’s in the funk and groove that’s gradually crept into their music exponentially with each album release.

This is still indie rock but it’s the most danceable of its genre. Good luck keeping your shoulders from wiggling and jiggling in here. Good luck keeping that grin off your face.

And Gary is one of the most unexpectedly fun albums to be released in the last year – the fact they called it Gary, named after a giant fibreglass garden centre Gorilla, should’ve been our clue. It could border on silly were it not such a masterpiece.

It seems like the only thing Blossoms are trying to prove is that you can be wildly successful without taking yourself too seriously. They just seem like a group who want to have a good time and it’s totally infectious.

Case in point – when each band member is introduced, keyboardist Myles Kellock plays the riff of Satisfaction by Benny Benassi and The Biz. Unexpected.

Blossoms also clearly give a sh*t about their live shows and graft at it – I’ve seen these guys an awful lot and it’s because their tour dates are plentiful and consistently worth the ticket price.

This is definitely the biggest era of their career so far, but have they peaked? Not even close.

There are still three nights left of the Blossoms residency. You can read all about it HERE.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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