Did you know you can go on a walking tour around Manchester, learning fascinating facts about our city’s rich history, where every tour guide has previously experienced homelessness?
Invisible Cities is a brilliant social enterprise that trains former homeless people to become tour guides in their own city, right across the UK.
As well as supporting people into new opportunities and breaking down the stigma around homelessness, these walking tours are just genuinely great fun – even if you already live here and think you know Manchester pretty well.
From past and present pubs to potted histories, each tour is led by someone with first-hand experience of homelessness who has gone on to retrain as a tour guide.
Invisible Cities first started in Edinburgh but has operated walking tours here in Manchester since 2018.
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Everyone who is taken on by the organisation is supported (and paid a living wage), whether they choose to become a tour guide, take on other projects, or get referred on to other organisations.
They hope that the funds will allow them to target groups that are harder to reach, including women, and people who have newly arrived in the UK, with a plan to offer them training and transferable skills.
And there’s never been a better time to donate, with Aviva promising to match donations (up to a max match of £250).
Invisible Cities is a walking tour in Manchester led by people who have experienced homelessness. Credit: Supplied, Invisible Cities
As for the walking tours themselves, there are so many new ways to explore Manchester with Invisible Cities.
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For example, you could spend an afternoon looping around the city centre learning about Manchester’s brilliant pubs (including the Old Nag’s Head, The Briton’s Protection, and the Peveril of the Peak) and the role they’ve played in shaping the city’s history.
That particular tour is Andy, who retraces his own steps from the 1980s, when he was busy falling in love with the bustling nightlife and rock music scene the area is so famed for.
During Ales & Alleyways: Andy’s Stories of Pubs, you’ll learn about music, the suffragettes, football, Peterloo, Little Ireland and art in Manchester, and reflect back on how different the city used to look.
While the tour is a celebration of the great British pub, there’s no drinking on the tour – instead, it’s a chance to spread awareness about the links between alcoholism and homelessness.
Other Invisible Cities tours in Manchester include Wonderwalk, where Nic will make you fall in love with the music of the city by delving right back in time to the beginnings of the city’s illustrious history of music and art.
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Wonderwalk will whisk you from venues like Bridgewater Hall and the Royal Northern College of Music to the legendary music venues like Big Hands and The Deaf Institute.
Invisible Cities says: “The tour champions the legacy of Madchester that will never be lost, but also supports and empowers our smaller venues (which is now more important than ever) who play a huge part in the city’s never-ending, unique music scene.
Invisible Cities is a walking tour in Manchester led by people who have experienced homelessness. Credit: Supplied, Invisible Cities
“Nic strongly believes music is for everyone. Within the tour he takes you to corners of the city’s community that inspire and introduce music, art and dance to those who are isolated or anxious.
“Nic lives his life by these words: music is medicine, music lifts your spirit, softens your heart and brings people together.”
Then there’s We Built This City From Depression, which uncovers the less glamorous side of Manchester’s history, from the industrial revolution to the IRA bombing that led to the regeneration of the city centre.
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This Invisible Cities tour is led by Stephen, who’ll unveil the cobbled streets and working people that made Manchester what it is today, plus all the hurdles the city has overcome to end up such a vibrant place to live and visit.
This tour includes visits to the C.S.W Tobacco Factory, Angel Meadows, the Corn Exchange and more.
Find out more about Invisible Cities and book a tour here, or head here to donate.
Kinky Boots’ message transcends the music at the Palace Theatre in Manchester | Review
Oli Lowe
Kinky Boots strutted into Manchester last night (bet I’m the only reviewer witty enough to come up with an opening line that original) and in doing so encapsulated an audience with its inspiring message.
I want to preface this review by stating that up until last night, I knew next to nothing about Kinky Boots.
Admittedly, even as a born and raised theatre kid, there will always be the odd musical that manages to slip through the cracks and elude me, much like a cinephile who’s never seen Jaws and, shamefully, Kinky Boots is my Jaws. Until now.
This actually gave me a huge sense of excitement going into the press night for the all-new production of Kinky Boots.
It’s very rare that I review a show that I’m not comparing to some form of source material, a different production that I’d already seen, the movie adaptation, the original cast recording, etc.
So, to sit down last night at 7:29 absolutely clueless about what was set to unfold in front of me, was a genuine breath of fresh air.
Kinky Boots is set between the towns of Northampton, London and climatically, Milan. The story follows two lead characters Charlie Price, a Northampton boy who begins the show having just inherited his late father’s shoe manufacturing business.
It’s a fate he’s been trying to run from since his childhood and Lola/Simon, a fierce and powerful drag queen who uses their dress sense and divaesque attitude as a shield from the outside world that wishes to, ironically, drag her down
The two collide when Charlie is inspired to save his late father’s failing business by exchanging the manufacturing of boring brogues for fabulous ‘kinky boots’ that can be fabulous, whilst fully supporting the weight of any drag queen.
His energy has dropped one iota from rehearsals to the tour. (Credit: Press Images)
Johannes Radebe – best known for being one of the professionals on Strictly Come Dancing – was nothing short of absolutely breathtaking as Lola.
I’ll be honest, celebrity castings generally put me off shows more than attract me to them; in some cases, they can feel like desperate pleas to get bums in seats (which given the current state of arts within the UK, production companies can hardly be blamed for).
However, Johannes genuinely seems born to play this role. I was expecting his dancing to be well… professional but I was intrigued to see how his vocals and acting would compare and boy, oh boy, did they compare. He didn’t miss a beat.
His acting was fierce and powerful, just as his character demanded whilst also showing real vulnerability and humility. In terms of individual performances, it’s one of the best I’ve seen at Manchester’s Palace Theatre for a long while.
The supporting cast was just as fabulous, with special shoutouts to Courtney Bowman who played the adorably loveable Lauren, whilst delivering serious powerhouse vocals and to Scott Paige who played George.
You could see through Scott’s performance a real sense of pride and shared experience with the story plus his comedic timing was absolutely impeccable, I hope to see more of him in the future.
Kinky Boots boasts a strong supporting cast all-round (Credit: Supplied via Palace Theatre Manchester).
With a book by Harvey Fierstein and music and lyrics by the legendary Cyndi Lauper, I must admit it’s Harvey who carries the weight in this production.
Whilst catchy enough to tap your feet to, I didn’t leave the theatre with so much as an earworm from Cyndi’s musical offering, however, the heart and passion of the story is something I think everyone should look to experience.
Kinky Boots is about accepting people for who they are instead of seeking to change them and this show does a fantastic job of encapsulating that message, not only from the standpoint of the LGBTQ+ community but for everyone.
The show implores people to accept everyone from the fiercest drag queen to the most bullish, typical ‘blokes’ out there and the way each of those groups manages to come together by the end of the production is a testament to what can happen if we all embrace each other with open arms.
Kinky Boots is only in Manchester until Saturday (8 February), so please, get tickets if you can and go and see this fabulous show. You can grab yours HERE. Who knows? Maybe you’ll get to see a living legend in the flesh like we did…
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied via Palace Theatre and Opera House Manchester)
Feature
Manchester’s Pixel Bar has received a seriously next-gen upgrade
Danny Jones
In case you somehow missed it, even in all of its beaming neon and futuristic glory, Pixel Bar Manchester has recently undergone some serious renovations and we’re not just talking a lick of paint – this is a proper next-gen upgrade if we’ve ever seen one.
One of the city centre’s best activity spots and go-to hubs for gamers, specifically, Pixel Bar has been impressing Manc players since 2021, when it took over the old Bar 21 site – one we were sad to say goodbye to at first.
But in the few short years that we’ve had the pleasure of picking up pads at this place, we’ve slowly managed to get over it and now we’re just as madly in love with the gaming gaff as we were its predecessor.
The bar itself was already pretty engaging to begin with but after more than a few tweaks to the overall hardware and a major refitting downstairs, its videogame offerings are bigger and better than ever.
Let’s start with the first thing that hits you as you come in: those brilliant booths, complete with large LED screens, access to various different kinds of consoles and all manner of titles, all from the comfort of the plush padded seating.
Not only are these ideal for group bookings and parties, as they’re roomy enough to seat plenty of you, but you can also order a wide array of gaming-themed food and drink – still displayed within a cute little disc (cute) directly to your table.
You essentially never need to get up and take a break from playing beyond nipping to the loo.
There are, of course, your classic arcade machines dotted around the main floor as well as downstairs if you prefer old-school.
Credit: The Manc Group
Speaking of downstairs…
Now, this is where the levelling up gets seriously silly as not only have they transformed Bar 21’s old basement room into a shiny new large seating area, perfect for private hires, large groups or just a quieter room out back away from the bustle upstairs.
However, wander even further into the belly of this brilliant gaming venue’s lair and you’ll find there more than a few beasts waiting for you – in a good way.
Part of the former club room has now been turned into a hardcore gamer’s arena with a fully decked-out PC den and some extremely impressive rigs lining the walls.
Credit: The Manc
Boasting Razer keyboards, headsets and mice to boot, this has everything you need to host a proper old-school LAN party or for the esports hopefuls amongst you (and Manchester’s scene is growing fast, believe us), host competitive online tournaments.
Honestly, these guys are taking this stuff as seriously as you’d like them to; pull back a curtain plastered with UltaGear and Riot Games Play Club branding and you’ll even find a dedicated casting booth should you want some to commentate a live event or run a properly presented livestream.
We don’t need to go into the exact specs of what you’ll find down here as we could be here forever but let’s just say you won’t go wanting for much.
God knows how much Pixel Bar pumped into this major refurb of their Manchester site, all we know is we’re impressed and we’ll be coming back here very soon.
Daisy Jackson -
10th August 2024 
