The man behind the murals: We spent the day with Akse P19
A Smiths fan, a doctor, a chemist, a vinyl collector, a Breaking Bad enthusiast, a family man, and a humble intellectual. We spend a day with Akse P19 and discover what shaped one of the greatest modern artists in Manchester.
“The Jack Nicholson one is just back there,” our driver tells us, jerking a thumb behind his shoulder.
The sphinxlike Manchester street artist, Akse P19, is whizzing us through a rain-whipped Northern Quarter in his car; spray cans rattling at our feet whilst his iconic mask rests on the backseat alongside me.
He’s generously offered to transport us through the monsoon-like weather to see his latest painting, answering questions about his urban graffiti whenever a mural flashes into view beyond the blurry windows.
It’s only a five-minute journey, but we still manage to pass three of his paintings en route; proof that Akse is ubiquitous in Manchester. He has spent decades colouring the city’s red brick walls with dazzling, lifelike murals of musicians, athletes, poets, actors, fictional characters and Mancunian heroes. It’s the kind of art that strikes a chord and makes your chest puff with civic pride.
His decades’ of work – coupled with the explosion of Instagram, Facebook and Twitter – has seen Akse earned rightful recognition as one of the most important creative figures in the region.
ADVERTISEMENT
However, until now, his backstory has remained something of a mystery. This is the man behind the mask.
“Paint gets on everything…”
With such a hybrid background, Akse could have settled almost anywhere in the world. So, we should be grateful he chose Manchester as his canvas.
ADVERTISEMENT
Despite his Vietnamese heritage, a syrupy French accent and a Basque-speaking family, Akse has built a connection with Mancunia that runs deep – as his murals help to shape the atmosphere of the city.
The artist arrives at Teacup Kitchen for our interview in his familiar specs and paint-splashed trousers… but also a jet-black hoodie sporting a giant gold bee.
“I thought, for The Manc, this would be a great choice,” he chuckles.
ADVERTISEMENT
The only thing that’s missing is his mask; which he eagerly straps to his face before our photographer starts snapping away later in the day.
Akse is eager to keep his personality separate from his work. Preserving his image – cap, glasses and mask – is important to him. He wants the images to speak for themselves and retain the enigmatic aura that has helped him gain so much attention in the first instance.
As we talk, Akse catches me eyeing the crispy outer shell that’s wrapped around his phone.
“Masking tape,” he clarifies.
“To protect it from the paint. You see, here…”
ADVERTISEMENT
He flips the device over and runs his index finger over an invasive purple smear on the casing.
“Paint gets on everything.”
Mess is par for the course in this occupation. But it’s only when we quiz Akse on his working hours that some of the additional challenges of artwork become clear.
“There’s no 9-5. You can’t really have a routine in this job,” he explains, a thin smirk spreading across his lips.
“Sometimes, I’m able to go to the shop and get things to eat, but often there are no breaks.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I should bring my own lunch, really. But I’m just not organised enough to do that.
“You can’t always choose your hours, either. If I’m doing a personal mural and it starts pissing down, I can just go home and come back again another time. One day doesn’t really make a difference.
“But if it’s commissioned, I have to finish it by a certain date. You have a deadline.
“With the Harry Maguire one, for example, it rained all day and I was completely soaked through. When it gets wet, the spray paint dries out quickly, too. So working in the bad weather can be very difficult.
“But it is worth it. This is me.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“30 years later, Akse is what I’m known as…“
Akse’s amazing artwork invites all kinds of questions. But there’s one burning query we have to resolve before going any further into the aesthetics.
Where did that name come from?
“Golden Axe,” the artist explains, taking a long sip of his latte.
“It was a video game in the eighties.
“At the time, my English was not very good, but I liked the way it sounded. I just switched the ‘x’ for the ‘ks’.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I never thought people would actually call me by that name. It was just for flow and style of the tag at the time.
“But now, 30 years later, this is what I’m known as.”
But what about the P19 bit?
“That’s the crew I am part of,” he explains.
“A graffiti artist called PEST formed it back in the Paris suburbs – which is where I grew up.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There are about ten to fifteen members of the collective. Most of them still work in Paris today.
“In the late eighties/early nineties I got into hip-hop – which introduced me to the graffiti scene in France.
“I moved to the UK in 1997 to study chemistry – which actually comes in useful, working with paints! I went to MMU and did an MSc and PhD before I found a job in science. I worked for 15 years as a project manager after that – but I kept painting all that time.
“When I arrived in Manchester, I was on my own and didn’t know much about the graffiti scene.
“But soon I got involved with Eurocultured, a festival organised by Spearfish taking place by Oxford Road Station that invited artists from all around Europe.
ADVERTISEMENT
“That’s how I ended up doing more street art.”
It was back in 2012 that Akse met the curators of The Out House – an organisation that provides space for artists around the Northern Quarter.
This encounter, combined with the rise of social media, saw the Akse name spread further and wider than he ever could have hoped for…
“As a chemist, I really enjoy Breaking Bad, so doing Heisenberg was quite special.”
The Out House is an organisation that guarantees there’s always a space for artists to flex their creative muscles.
“You don’t choose who will be painting with you,” Akse’s explains.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The scene isn’t that big, so you know all the other artists, more or less. You meet many of them at events. If they are local, you’re likely to work with them at some point.”
Akse also does his own personal artwork in the city, obtaining permission from the owner of the building, the landlord and/or property management companies before he shakes up his spray can.
He specialises in photorealistic portraiture, but out of the hundreds of pieces he’s composed over the years, is there one he’s particularly proud of?
“The Heisenberg piece was really popular. As a chemist, I really enjoy Breaking Bad, so doing that one was quite special for me.
We ask if there are any murals he’d like to make in the future, and Akse doesn’t have to think long about his answer.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I have a list of a few subjects I’ve been wanting to paint for a long time,” he confirms.
“One of them was Marvin Gaye – which I have just finished.
“I did it as commission for Soul Coffee which is opening in Ancoats.”
He asks us if we’d like to see it.
A few minutes following a resounding ‘yes’, we find ourselves climbing out of Akse’s car and stepping into a cafe under construction.
ADVERTISEMENT
On the left wall is an incredible monochrome painting of Marvin Gaye – wearing his trademark hat and gazing up at the ceiling.
“This is a great place to be a part of”
Before posing beside the sketched singer, Aske retrieves a huge stack of Marvin Gaye vinyls from his car and starts flicking through them, thinking carefully about which one he should choose.
He picks one, raises it slowly, puts it back, plucks another record from the pile, and then returns to his original choice.
“This one, I think, will be better,” he mutters.
He wants the picture to be perfect. Like Walter White, Akse doesn’t do half-measures.
ADVERTISEMENT
Since touching down in Manchester many years ago, Akse moved around the outskirts of the city whilst finding his feet, juggling his painting with a career in project management.
Today, he’s settled with a young family and pursuing his artwork full-time.
“Manchester is a good size, it’s convenient to get around. I’m a fan of the music scene here. I always used to like The Smiths – and that was before I even came here!
“The city has everything I need, really. Except the weather.
“The last twenty years it has kind of boomed, bringing in a lot of new businesses and creatives.
ADVERTISEMENT
“There’s a lot here now. It’s a great place to be a part of.”
The best, biggest and bouijiest hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
Hotels are opening in Manchester city centre at a rate that’s hard to keep up with, diversifying the overnight offering with every passing minute, and they’re also some of the very best in the UK.
We’ve got plenty of familiar boltholes if you can’t tear yourself away from the familiarity of a Premier Inn purple bedroom, or the reliable comforts of a Hilton, but also plenty of smaller names offering a stylish place to rest your head.
We’ve rounded up a dozen of the very best that Manchester has to offer – expect rooftop pools, riverside terraces, grand architecture and celebrity chefs.
And not all of them come with an eye-watering price tag…
If you want a hotel with loads of atmosphere as well as a grown-up space with a dark, moody interior, then Dakota is absolutely the one for you.
This beautiful hotel opened back in 2019; a huge £30m black box on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter that has seen celebrity guests such as Hugh Jackman, Molly Mae-Hague, Mel B and many more.
Formerly Hotel Brooklyn – we all know Manchester has a habit of drawing comparisons to New York, albeit a smaller, soggier version, – voco Manchester still has all the glamour as was originally intended.
The hotel first opened at the worst possible time, being thrust in and out of lockdowns within weeks of opening, but since then it’s attracted rave reviews and been named among the top 20 ‘hottest new hotels’ by Traveller’s Choice among many glowing reviews.
Even after being over by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in December 2023, the 189-room hotel has taken on a new life, boasting the in-house Runyons Restaurant which still keeps those US connections, as well as an open-plan lobby lounge featuring a big screen for live sport and entertainment.
It may be different from what it was but there’s still plenty of style to be seen here.
Just across the border into Salford is The Lowry Hotel, and a big, sweeping curve of pure class sticking out above the river. It’s got a global reputation and it’s no surprise when its guestbook features some of the biggest celebrities of all time.
Remember when Taylor Swift rented out the entire place, or Jose Mourinho decided to just live there, rather than find an apartment, during his time as Manchester United manager? Not to mention Britney Spears, David Beckham, Rihanna, Take That, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and countless others.
Having undergone a £5m bedroom refurb, The Lowry has one of the smartest and brightest interiors in the north of England, one of the region’s most expensive hotel rooms (a casual £4,500 a night for the presidential suite), as well as a super high-tech spa. We also enjoy just heading there for the Lowry bottomless brunch, to be honest.
The Kimpton Clocktower – previously known as the Palace and Principal Hotel, among multiple other monikers – oozes timeless sophistication, a relic of Victorian grandeur but with a boutique hotel feel to it.
The lobby is one of the most impressive spaces in Greater Manchester, all polished tile and marble beneath a glass-domed ceiling, setting the scene for the rooms themselves (high ceilings, big windows, and plenty of historical details).
Another big plus when it comes to the Kimpton is its in-house bar and restaurant: The Refuge, which is a cut above the average hotel offering and is very much its own entity with a reputation for fabulous late-night and seasonal events, a divine bottomless brunch and plenty of other distinct draws.
The lobby at Kimpton ClocktowerOne of their many stylish roomsCredit: Kimpton/The Manc Group
5. The Midland
If only walls could talk, The Midland Hotel would have some of the best stories on Earth.
The landmark hotel has been part of the fabric of Manchester for more than 100 years, with 312 luxurious rooms, and it’s storied that it’s where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce (of Rolls Royce fame) were introduced.
Then there are the communal spaces, even fancier now after their £14m refurbishment, including restaurants Adam Reid at The French and Mount Street Dining Room, and the incredible circular champagne bar in the middle of the lobby.
It’s also the place to come for a traditional afternoon tea and has a truly cracking spa. This place doesn’t need any kind of sale pitch: it’s unquestionably one of the best hotels in Manchester – if not the best.
The curb appeal of Whitworth Locke is something else, from its decadent bar housed in a Parisian-style conservatory and fine culinary offerings (Peru Perdu and a Foundation Coffee House are both in here), to its incredible location right on the edge of the Gay Village.
Each of the rooms is a self-contained haven, from studio apartments all the way up to two-bedroom duplex suites, decorated in a Pinterest-worthy palette of greens and pinks (a muted sample of the terracotta bricks outside).
There’s a free workspace area that spills into a truly stunning conservatory bar, as well as a packed calendar of events too, so whether you’re an out-of-town guest or a local Manc looking to fill a few hours, you’ll be kept busy enough.
Safe to say we’re big fans of this much-loved Manchester hotel.
7. King Street Townhouse
You have, almost without a doubt, seen photos of the King Street Townhouse before – this is the hotel that introduced the infinity pool to the city centre, with views of the Town Hall (well, currently of scaffolding).
The hotel has its own cinema room, a rooftop terrace bar, a new gym, and incredible afternoon teas.
The smart rooms range in size from ‘snug’ to ‘cosy’ to ‘comfy’ to suites, with suites priced at around £430 a night.
From afternoon tea and lunch deals to spa offers, big group events, private screening and so much more, King St Townhouse isn’t just one of the best hotels in Manchester, it’s also one of the most well-rounded in terms of its overall hospitality.
One of the newest hotels to open in Manchester (and they are popping up like daisies) is The Alan, which has stripped the old Princess Street Hotel back to expose and celebrate its original features.
There are 137 bedrooms, each with high ceilings and warm textures, an open-plan kitchen, a restaurant and bar, as well as event spaces.
The devil is in the detail here and the design has been carefully thought-out. The floor is made from a collage of discarded marble, and the dried flowers illuminated beneath the bar were actually foraged by the hotel’s owners at the time they secured plans for The Alan… while they were broken down on the side of the motorway.
It’s gone on to become comfortably one of the best luxury hotels in Manchester since it opened in 2022.
9. Stock Exchange Hotel
Famous names absolutely litter Stock Exchange Hotel, which is easily one of the grandest spaces in all of Greater Manchester.
Not only does it come from Gary Neville’s rapidly-booking hospitality empire, but it’s also backed by world-famous hotelier Winston Zahra, not to mention high-profile chefs and hospitality figures like Tom Kerridge and The Schofield Brothers having run the kitchen.
You could be looking at as much as £1500 for a night in the suites, but the rooms start at a much lower rate – and then there’s ‘The House’, an enormous fully serviced, ultra-exclusive penthouse apartment with its own roof terrace.
The newest addition to Manchester’s ever-growing hotel and resort sector, The Reach has landed just a short walk from Piccadilly Station and is only a few minutes away from the bustling Northern Quarter, meaning that like Dakota, it’s picked a prime logistical and cultural location.
But enough about topographical perks, this place is simply sublime, serving exquisite food and drink from its Lock 84 restaurant overlooking the Rochdale Canal, with rooms that are just as spacious as they are luxurious.
Perfect for business or pleasure, The Reach is already becoming a popular choice for those visiting Manchester and has comfortably landed itself on the list of the very best hotels we have to offer here in the city centre.
Circa Waves on their new album, unreal tour lineup, a big health scare and ‘the best band’ around right now
Danny Jones
With Circa Waves announcing a new album and a brand new UK tour early next year, we were very kindly given the privilege to chat with one of the most consistent indie bands of the past decade.
Sitting down with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kieran Shudall, we were buzzing with questions about their upcoming record, what we’re dubbing as one of the best indie tour lineups in years, what they’re making of the UK music scene right now and, of course, why the North West is the best.
For anyone unaware, it’s been a pretty intense period for the Liverpool lads and their frontman, especially, after a health scare early last year, so we’re more grateful than ever that they’re back and looking in true fighting form ahead of their shows come February 2025.
You can read our full interview with Circa Waves down below.
Audio North interviews Kieran from Circa Waves
Circa Waves live in Kobetamendi, Bilbao at BBK Live 2017.Kieran gave us a really great, in-depth chat.Credit: Dena Flows/The Manc Group
Right off the bat, the sixth studio album is coming out, Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a big, bold title – what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?
Well, ‘Death and Love’ was basically the first song I ever wrote for Circa. It was back in 2012 or something, but it never got released and it was just a title that was always lying around.
We were trying to think of a title for this record and with what I went through – like a big sort of health scare and then came out the other side and feeling very grateful for life – that seemed like a really appropriate title and I feel like it grabs your attention a little bit.
Feel free to move on if it’s too personal but if you would you mind telling us about the health scare?
We had to cancel a bunch of tours; I got told you have to sign this form that says you have a 100% chance of dying on the operating table, so that’s not cool. It was just mad and I kind of came through the other side feeling super grateful and happy to be alive and in a band, you know
I feel more fortunate now that I’ve got through it all, so a lot of the record is about getting through that and the fears that came along with it. It gave me some good material haha.
For sure, that trauma always serves great art at least. There’s obviously a part one in there too, so is the second done and was this a double album experience in the recording process?
I’m still doing it – finishing it right now actually. We kind of just had too many songs and thought let’s just split it into two. I guess back in the day it’d be like a double album but yeah, the first one is nine songs and this one I’m still deciding. Maybe 10?
There’s just had a lot of ideas and we thought, well, why not? In this day and age, it’s so easy to kind of put music out and people consume music so fast that it felt like we just may as well.
Absolutely. So where do you think you’ve pushed things sonically this time – is it more of an evolution or a continuation?
I feel like we’ve landed on our feet in what we’re about now, certainly what I think Circa Waves should sound like, so it’s kind of similar to the early records, I guess.
A lot more guitars, sort of raw, scrappy drums, and they feel like festival songs to me but obviously the subject matter is like 10 years on from the first record, so your life experience makes the lyrics different, but I hope that it sort of feels like a refinement of sorts.
And have you guys got a favourite track that you’re particularly excited for people to hear or a personal favourite?
The thing about band members is everyone just likes it when their instrument’s the loudest. I don’t know, there’s a track called ‘Hold It Steady’ which is quite different to anything we’ve done before; I’m excited for that one to be heard but I think they’re all bangers.
We’ll absolutely take that haha. For the tour, you’ve got an unreal lineup of support acts with Peace and our fellow Mancs, Corella – we’ve seen both of them this year and they were great – how did you go around picking your warm-ups?
Peace was a funny one, I sort of have liked them for a long time and I went to the old NME Tour that they were on in probably 2011 or something but I remember watching them being like, ‘Oh wow and man I’d love to do the NME Tour.
Circa Waves didn’t exist at the time and then a few years later we did it ourselves, so they were sort of a big inspiration for me to play indie music, so it was cool to have them on. And then Corella are just ones that have been cropping up every two minutes on my Instagram feed and they’re just like a really good indie band right now.
Peace at Kendal Calling 2024Corella had a pretty iconic moment on the main stage too…
So it all felt like a good fit and we kind of want to just make the night feel like a big festival of music that people will love that type of music really. It’s just a proper guitary indie night, you know?
Lovely, can’t complain about that. In terms of venues, you’ve got some great Northern institutions on there: The Academy in Leeds, Victoria Warehouse here in Manchester and your massive hometown show. How much do you love those dates as North West locals?
Yeah, I love it, man. I mean, there’s nothing better than playing up North and I know that sounds like something that people say to just please people from there but it really is the best.
Liverpool, obviously, for me is such a big one and my family all go to those ones, so it’s cool for that reason but Manchester’s always been an amazing crowd. I don’t know what it is about Manchester – Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool are always just amazing.
Bang on, and as for that hometown gig, how special is that Olympia show gonna be and do you have any special treatment up your sleeve?
You know what? I haven’t thought about it. There’s always the temptation of asking someone to get up with you. [Yeah, maybe get Jamie Webster on the go?] Yeah, I’ve been writing with Jamie and Miles [Kane] quite a bit but I don’t know. We’ll keep it all secret anyway.
Yeah let’s not spoil anything. Another one we’re always curious of is how much you consider that famous Manc vs Scouse rivalry in music. Do you buy into it at all?
I don’t know, I think in my life when you have like really p***ed up conversations with someone who’s more into the Manc scene than the Liverpool scene I just think we’ve got The Beatles, so we always win.
I do think, you know, you’ve got your Joy Divisions and your Smiths and your Oasis and all this – they’re amazing bands, but we’ve got The Beatles. So it’s just you can’t like. [Like the ultimate Top Trumps card] Yeah, in Pokemon, it’d be shiny Charizard.
Fair enough. What about other Northern acts you’re particularly excited by at the minute?
I mean, there’s so many but it’s too hard but the band I think are the best at the moment is Wunderhorse. I met Jacob [Slater] a while ago when he was doing Dead Pretties and I was like obsessed with his writing and he sent me a bunch of acoustic stuff and I was just like man, “You are f***ing annoyingly talented.”
Then when Wunderhorse came out and I was just blown away. It’s amazing to watch it just become this big thing now. It’s cool to see people on TikTok sharing clips of ‘Teal’ and just seeing kids getting into proper music. So yeah, love them, man – I’m so excited to see where they end up.
He’s not wrong, by the way. Their Manchester Academy gig in October was one the best of our lives and not to sound like needy cool kids but we’ve very much backed them from day one.
Gareth Lloyd -
8th December 2019 
