Hidden down a little cut-through at the side of one of Manchester’s historic chop houses is Sonata, a brand new late-night piano and jazz bar.
Just off the main cut-and-thrust of the busy Cross Street, if you slip down the alleyway next to Mr Thomas’s you’ll come across a lit doorway concealing the newest addition to Manchester’s late-night party scene.
Set to take the city by storm, it will open until 1am through the week and 2am on the weekends.
Image: The Manc Group
The new cabaret bar has been brought to life by Dale Bassett – a former theatrical and musical entertainer who used to perform on the London scene – and is set to open in the city this week, with a glitzy launch party planned for Thursday 30 June.
Ahead of that, we were lucky enough to pop down for a sneak peek at the new bar – and we left feeling pretty impressed.
The new music-led venue draws inspiration from the cabaret scenes of the capital, as well as those in New York and Berlin. Tightly packed seating fans out in front of the bar’s main stage, with an eye-catching, spot-lit white grand Yamaha piano at its center.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
Further back, large comfy red leather booths are tucked into corners and lit by low-hanging exposed filament bulbs, ideal for larger groups.
Whilst the tables here are pretty close together to maximise space, there’s no need to worry about squeezing out to get to the bar – as Sonata’s staff will come to you to take your food and drink orders.
Open seven nights a week with a late license, drinks will be served here into the early hours. We have it on good authority that a good martini will be a staple on the bar’s cocktail menu. whilst food-wise there will be a selection of tempting cheese and charcuterie to nibble on.
As for the music itself, the bar’s soundtrack will play host to a mix of genres from pop standards to Broadway ballads, jazz classics to quirky cabaret, as it showcases singers, pianists and cabaret artists from across the UK and beyond.
Acclaimed West End star Alex Young, cabaret iconPaulusand distinguished jazz pianist and vocalist Jeremy Sassoon are among those leading the bill, appearing alongside local musicians including songstress The Chanteuse, soul singer and pianist Charlie Cooper and pop sensation Passmore.
International talent, meanwhile, will include Berlin-based cabaret sensation Jack Woodhead (returning to his hometown of Manchester to perform at Sonata), American piano-vocalist Andrew J Boyer and Canadian soprano and comedian Delea Shand.
Husband and wife duo The Retrosetteswill host a regular residency, .and Olivier Award-winning composer Richard Thomas and comedian and singer Sooz Kempner will bring their original show ‘Wrong Songs’ to Sonata in July.
The venue will also present featured shows like ‘Voices & Lyrics’, a celebration of lesser-known musical theatre, and ‘Le Chat Noir’, a classical cabaret evoking Piaf, Dietrich and Brel, with timeless songs by the likes of Weill, Schoenberg and Debussy.
A regular open mic cabaret night, with accompaniment from a house pianist, will encourage budding singers to take to the stage, and Sonata will also showcase some of Manchester’s most exciting up and coming talent, including jazz fusion trio Outlier, singer-songwriters Adelaide Taylor and Daf Hughes, and BBC Introducingfeatured artist Rosita.
Image: The Manc Group
Speaking on the new opening Dale Bassett, founder of Sonata Piano & Cabaret Lounge, said: “This incredibly varied programme is the perfect way to launch this unique new Manchester venue.
“I am thrilled and privileged to be able to host such a wonderful selection of acts. Whether you want to see some of the world’s finest cabaret artists, the nation’s best pianists or the city’s most exciting new singer-songwriters, you will find it all at Sonata.
“I can’t wait to welcome these fantastic performers to our stage – and guests through our doors to experience their talent!”
Feature image – The Manc Group
Manchester
First look at Zaap Thai as popular Thai street food restaurant opens in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A Thai street food restaurant with sites all over the North has finally announced plans to come to Manchester for the first time.
Zaap Thai is famed for its authentic and affordable street food-inspired menu, served up in restaurants designed to mimic the bustling street food markets of Bangkok.
Expect colourful fairy lights, illuminated signs, graffiti art, enamel crockery and even seating booths built into tuk tuks.
Zaap Thai already has locations in cities including Leeds, Sheffield, Nottingham and Durham, but hasn’t made it into the North West before now.
It’s now set to open on Lincoln Square – where you’ll already find Maray – this June.
This new Zaap Thai location is set to be one its biggest venues to date, with 160 covers.
The expansive menu features 80 dishes from across Thailand, from street food small plates to big bowls of noodles and fiery curries.
Their menu highlights include chicken satay, crispy pork belly, stir-fries like Pad Ga Prao, and sweet dishes such as mango sticky rice and pandan custard pancakes.
That’s alongside Thai-inspired cocktails and mocktails, plus Thai lagers like Singha.
Ban Kaewkraikhot, founder and executive chef at Zaap said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Zaap Thai to Manchester.
Inside Zaap Thai Manchester
The Moo Deng muralInside the new Zaap ThaiInside the new Zaap Thai
“This is a city with a rich and diverse hospitality scene, and we’re delighted to be joining that fantastic community.
“Our mission is to share our authentic flavours of native Thailand with the city – we want to transport guests to sunny South East Asia by providing an amazing and affordable menu where you can try something new each time.
“Our restaurant is inspired by the places we love back home and everyone is welcome. We can’t wait to bring the Zaap experience to Manchester!”
Zaap Thai Manchester will open on Lincoln Square in on Thursday 26 June, with free pad thais or curries to the first 100 people in the queue from midday.
Olivia Dean has announced a special intimate show in Manchester
Danny Jones
Soulful singing sensation Olivia Dean has set the UK music scene alight by announcing a number of intimate shows up and down the nation, including one right here in Manchester.
The fast-rising solo artist, who blends everything from pop and jazz to neo-soul as well as R’n’B, is one of the best and up-and-coming artists in Britain right now, with her highly anticipated sophomore album, The Art of Loving, set to release at the start of autumn.
As well as releasing her smash hit new single ‘Nice To Each Other’, the 26-year-old recently delighted even more music fans by joining Sam Fender on stage in London for a live twist on his track ‘Rein Me In’, which was instantly adored by millions and has now been shared as an official studio version.
Safe to say she’s flying high right now, and the second LP isn’t even out yet, which makes this small handful of gigs even more special and tickets super sought-after.
Revealing just seven pared-back shows across the country, Olivia said on her socials: “The art of loving in person! We’re doing some intimate shows, playing some songs acoustically and talking about making the album”, which is due to release on Friday, 26 September.
Partnering up with music shop chain and independent artist champions Rough Trade for the event, she’s set to play the just over 500-capacity gem that is Manchester’s Gorilla.
Other gigs up north include Liverpool at The Jacaranda and over at The Wardrobe in Leeds, where beloved local legends Crash Records will be helping host the show.
With the debut single already out, along with an already viral music video and accompanying dance alongside it, there’s plenty of excitement surrounding this project.
We’d pay virtually anything to see Olivia Dean and a group of backing singers do this at an intimate gig in Manchester.
We think we speak for pretty much everyone when we say that not only are we excited to hear The Art of Loving once it’s out, but hearing it live and in this special acoustic format is sure to go down as one of those ‘I was there moments.’
Playing smaller acoustic album launch shows is nothing new, but they are sometimes the only chance fans will get to hear their favourite musicians play their songs in such a way, so Olivia Dean die-hards are understandably going to be scrambling for these tickets.
Once again, her second album is available to pre-order now, and tickets for her show on Friday, 19 September, will go live tomorrow (Wednesday, 5 June) at 10am.
You can get ready to grab yours HERE, and for now, why not read our review of the last time she came to Manchester for what was a truly magical headline slot?
Georgina Pellant -
20th June 2022 
