Manchester has been likened to Paris and New York by esteemed fashion magazine Elle, which has labelled us this year’s ‘fashion and creative capital’.
While our city has long been celebrated for its, ahem, grimier subcultures (from raves to Britpop to footie), things have grown a little more fancy in recent years.
The global spotlight really landed on the city when Chanel chose Thomas Street, of all places, to host its prestigious Métiers d’art last December.
The jokes came fast, the rumoured celebrity guest list went into overdrive, but at the end of the day, it was an impressive display of the city’s fashion credentials.
And now Elle magazine has singled our city out for its present day cultural icons as much as its celebrated past.
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In a feature written by Manc Becky Burgum, she pointed out that the Chanel show, rain and all, may have pushed Manchester into an entirely new era – one that’s a bit less about our ‘male-focused past glories’.
The glowing endorsement for the city’s current and future cultural scene spreads several pages in the glossy fashion bible this month.
It states: “Often ignored, always underestimated, the country’s second-largest city is manifesting an explosion of talent.”
In it, Elle sings the praises of massive venues like Aviva Studios, Co-op Live and the Manchester Art Gallery, as well as glamorous newcomers like Fenix and Soho House.
But the magazine also speaks of the ‘less polished Salford outskirts’ which is home to venues including The White Hotel, Paradise Works and Hidden.
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As for food and drink, Elle’s piece describing Manchester as a cultural capital singled out The Sparrows, Erst and Higher Ground, all Michelin-recommended spots with their roots planted in the north west.
Over in the ‘Chanel-approved Northern Quarter’, it was venues like Stray (a beautiful cocktail bar in a corner of Mackie Mayor’s building), Afflecks (Manchester’s iconic, eccentric shopping emporium), and Band On The Wall that got a mention.
Night and Day CafeFenix in Manchester. Credit: The Manc GroupErst in Ancoats. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Edinburgh Castle. Credit: The Manc GroupStray bar in the Northern Quarter. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Sparrows. Credit: The Manc GroupBand on the Wall. Credit: The Manc GroupYayoi Kusama exhibit at Aviva Studios. Credit: The Manc GroupThe Chanel Metiers d’art show in Manchester caught the world’s eye, Elle magazine said. Highlights of Manchester singled out by Elle magazine
Then there’s the Edinburgh Castle (best Guinness in the city, apparently), the ‘boundary-smashing’ HOME, and the upcoming Treehouse Hotel, all having their praises sung in one of the country’s most famous magazines.
The piece says: “But our (male-focused) past glories aren’t what makes Manchester so special – it’s all about what’s happening right now.
“There is often a blinkered, London-centric outlook that maintains creativity can’t possibly exist outside the M25. But how wrong that is.”
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But, it concludes, ‘don’t forget your umbrella – that’s the only stereotype that rings true’.
One of Manchester’s grandest restaurants has finally reopened TWO YEARS after fire
Daisy Jackson
One of the most historic restaurants in Manchester has reopened at last, two years after a fire forced its closure.
Mount Street Dining Room & Bar – which many of us may remember as Mr Cooper’s – stands within the Grade II-listed Midland Hotel.
The grand dining room dates all the way back to 1903, when it opened with the hotel as the Grill Room.
The restaurant was at the epicentre of the Industrial Revolution and was frequented by railway travellers, perhaps best-known for hosting a lunch between Charles Rolls and Henry Royce in 1904, who went on to form the world-famous Rolls-Royce brand.
The Midland’s restaurants has gone through several changes in the decades since, undergoing a major £14 million refurb in 2020 to relaunch as Mount Street Dining Room & Bar.
Its interiors are inspired by the hotel’s early 1900s art deco and railway heritage, with a menu that focuses on locally-sourced British produce.
But the restaurant has been shut since early 2024, when a fire damaged the entrance and trellising around its main entrance on Mount Street.
The beautiful bar areaA glimpse of the menu at Mount StreetCocktails and British food
The Midland has finally managed to get the restaurant back open again this month, with a new food and cocktail menus, which aims to offer refined but simple British dining.
Expect dishes like pork and black pudding bonbons, white onion soup with crispy potatoes, smoked British salmon with lemon gel and dill mascarpone, and slow cooked beef daube with confit garlic mash.
Plus desserts such as rice pudding with Anise glazed pearsand Bakewell pudding with cherry syrup.
It’s been a long time since we’ve seen inside this beautiful, storied dining room – and it looks just as beautiful as we remember.
Review | Leon Thomas at Manchester Academy – ‘Mutts Don’t Heel’ but this gig healed me
Thomas Melia
American singer-songwriter Leon Thomas visited Manchester Academy last night, performing hits from his deluxe album to a sold-out crowd of more than 2,600.
One year after an exclusive London MUTT Live date, Mr Thomas returns to the UK with the ‘MUTTS DON’T HEEL’ Tour, venturing to five cities, including the music capital of the North: Manchester.
The night started off just how it should’ve done with ‘HEEL’, as the audience were welcomed by the drum-loop and a chill atmosphere from the start.
Now, it wouldn’t be a Leon Thomas gig without at least one Ty Dolla $ign collaboration making the setlist, and there’s plenty to choose from with a new one dropping just over a month ago, ‘miss u 2’.
Leon Thomas performing hits at Manchester Academy (Credit: Audio North)
The funk-influenced musician opted for ‘FAR FETCHED’, and the audience was in the palm of his hand. No matter which of the four link-ups he chose, it was always going to go down well – Manchester never disappoints.
Leon didn’t even have to ask the crowd to bring more energy; they already matched him. When he sings, “For someone who don’t ask for favours, I’ve done way too many favours”, on ‘PARTY FAVORS’, he really meant it.
Last year, Leon Thomas dropped PHOLKS, a project which saw him exploring old-school funk and soul sounds even further and ‘Just How You Are’ had even the shyest dancer pulling out a little two step.
This isn’t the only hit that sent the crowd into a frenzy; ‘Baccarat’ and its impressive psychedelic guitar solo had jaws literally falling to the floor at Manchester Academy.
His songs might not be dramatic or extravagant, but they don’t need to be. Leon’s artistry prevails when he’s softly singing, and you’re still able to detect each instrument.
Leon Thomas brought the MUTTS DON’T HEEL Tour to Manchester Academy (Credit: The Manc)
‘Breaking Point’ is an easy-listening soul track that had all 2,600 Leon Thomas fans in our feelings as we realised we were coming to the end of a phenomenal concert.
And of course, ‘Mutt’ – his biggest single to date: a bouncy and swag-filled number that sticks in your head for weeks on end – sounded even better when backed by a live band as I discovered last night.
There was some insane musicality, distinct bangers and impeccable live arrangements that elevated the original studio recordings. Maybe ‘Mutts Don’t Heel’, but Leon Thomas definitely healed me.
He wasn’t the only cool cat playing last night either:
Daisy Jackson -
11th April 2024 
