Manchester

Manchester International Festival is giving £10,000 to local musicians

Ten different creatives will receive £1,000 each for their projects as part of the MIF Sounds initiative - and applications are open now

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 17th November 2021

MIF is offering £10,000 to local musicians and creatives in and around Manchester as part of its MIF Sounds initiative.

Pledging £10,000 to support ten Greater Manchester music industry creatives and practitioners, the funds have been specially created to help local artists develop new projects across the region.

Manchester International Festival’s MIF Sounds Initiative provides financial help and talent development opportunities.

First launched in 2020 at the height of the pandemic, the first round of funding helped support the creation of new music, a series of production workshops run for women, non-binary and trans musicians, a sound artist collective to produce an installation in a church, and the launch of a new gig night promoting the best in Northern talent.

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Now, the funding has been opened up for 2021 – meaning that each successful applicant will receive up to £1,000 whilst also benefiting from peer-to-peer support, access to MIF’s Talent Development activity and networking opportunities.

From recording music to presenting a gig, releasing a record or starting a new label imprint., people from all areas of the music industry in Greater Manchester are encouraged to apply with no restrictions on what they can ask to use the money for.

Jane Beese, head of music at MIF said: “I’m pleased to announce another round of MIF Sounds support, open to everyone who makes music happen in Manchester. MIF is committed to helping rebuild our sector following the impact of Covid*, in which tens of thousands of jobs have been impacted.

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“We encourage everyone involved in the local music scene to apply, artists, technicians, promoters, venues, labels, managers and beyond we look forward to hearing all of your brilliant ideas and proposals.”

Those supported through MIF Sounds so far have included: All Hands on Deck, Swing Ting founder Balraj Samrai, Jacob Connor, Loose Articles, Lone Taxidermist, singer OneDa, SAF-S2E, Sprechen, Vzion, and more.

Swing Ting founder Balraj Samrai explains how the initiative helped him, saying: “The backing from MIF Sounds enabled me to commit to work outside of my comfort zone. There was support, feedback and encouragement from the rest of the Sounds cohort and MIF team throughout the creative process”.

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Read more: The new restaurants and bars opening in Manchester this week

On 23 November Balraj will release Someone Died Today, new work created with the support of MIF Sounds, which explores loss in a South Asian household during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The piece will be available to purchase on Bandcamp with money raised from sales going to Taraki, a non-profit working with Punjabi communities to reshape approaches to mental health.

People interested in applying MIF Sounds can attend an online meeting with MIF at 6.30 pm on Monday, 29 November to get advice from the selection panel on applying. 

Applications for MIF Sounds should be submitted by video or in writing by midday on Thursday 16 December here. Successful applicants will be announced in January 2022.

Feature image – WHP

Manchester

ANOTHER bargain variety store has opened in Manchester – and some of the items in Miniso are adorable

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson

There’s another newcomer to the high street in Manchester, and this one’s got some seriously cute items at low prices.

Miniso has taken over a 2,903 sq ft unit in the Manchester Arndale, joining the hugely popular Flying Tiger as new shops spring up across the shopping centre.

The Chinese brand specialises in family lifestyle and design-led products, selling everything from handbags to homeware to cuddly toys.

Its range also includes toys and gadgets, stationery, homeware, fitness and beauty, with a philosophy of ‘simplicity, nature and good quality’.

Miniso is another place shoppers can stock up on all your Christmas stocking fillers without having to cripple yourself financially, with adorable gifts priced from £1.

Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group

For just a quid, you can get superhero phone cases, greetings cards, and colouring sets – and even the most expensive products in store won’t cost you much more than £30.

Miniso sells gadgets like Bluetooth headphones, wireless speakers and electronic cleansing face brushes for way less than most other places.

There is an ENTIRE WALL of plushies – soft pale piglets, squishy Minions, cute plush penguins and even cuddly fried chicken.

Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
The plushy wall in Miniso

You can also grab a ‘mystery box’ between £2.50 and £4.

In the accessories section, there are handbags scattered with pink love hearts, purses with whiskers and noses, as well as more simple backpacks and totes.

Water bottles, travel coffee mugs, makeup brushes and tools, yoga mats, gaming gadgets like keyboards and headphones (with cat ears on, naturally) – Miniso’s got it all.

Popular Japaneses snacks like Hello Panda (a biscuit with different flavoured fillings) and Yan Yan (biscuit sticks with different flavour dips) are all sold here too.

Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group
Miniso in Manchester Arndale. Credit: The Manc Group

Saad Usman, COO at MINISO UK, said: “We’re delighted to announce the launch of our store at Manchester Arndale. We believe that the opening of this store, our first in the North West, is the perfect place for us to continue our expansion in the UK.

“At MINISO UK, we’re committed to getting the retail industry back on its feet, demonstrated not only by the investment into our fantastic new store, but also the creation of 10-15 new jobs in the local market.

“With innovative and exciting products that are high-quality and great value, we look forward to welcoming customers of all ages through our doors on opening day and beyond.”

Bubble CiTea is also opening in the Arndale, selling traditional Taiwanese bubble tea with flavours including Mango Fruit Tea with Rainbow Bubbles and Taro Milk Tea with Crystal Bubbles.

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Colin Flinn, spokesperson for Manchester Arndale, said: “We are delighted that Bubble CiTea and MINISO have selected Manchester Arndale as their first locations in the city, and we’re looking forward to welcoming them alongside other recent arrivals such as Gilly Hicks, Clarks, and Jamaica Blue.

“It’s great to see the centre continually attracting both fantastic home-grown brands like Bubble CiTea and big-name international retailers such as MINISO.

“With such exciting leasing activity taking place it is clear retailers have confidence in the long-term future of the centre and its position as a leading retail destination.

“With Manchester Arndale now almost fully let, it will continue to attract millions of visitors from across the North West and beyond, with its dynamic and constantly improving line up of exciting retail, F&B and leisure offers.”

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Miniso is now open next to Superdry.

Featured image: The Manc Group

Manchester

This Manchester bar is selling PINTS of Bloody Mary and a slice for six quid

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant

Whether it’s downing pints of water before bed, spending all day on the sofa asleep, or a big fat fry-up the morning after, everyone has a favourite hangover cure.

One of ours has to be the Bloody Mary, aka the best ever hair of the dog – a mixture of spicy tomato juice, vodka, lemon, hot sauce and, in a perfect world, something smoky with pickles.

So when we heard that Manchester rock bar Jimmy’s is selling PINTS of the stuff for just six pounds with a big fat slice of focaccia-like Detroit pizza included, we felt compelled to share the good news.

After all, party season is basically upon us – and that means struggling through more hangovers than we can typically endure.

Image: The Manc Eats
Image: The Manc Eats

The Ancoats boozer is currently home to Manchester’s original Detroit pizza heroes Corner Slice, a long time favourite in The Manc office from day one.

The team also has a pizza shop in Failsworth, but for the next month (well, until 23 December), they’re slinging their signature slices out of the kitchen at Jimmy’s to help you soak up the booze.

The deal, which is available every day, includes a pint of Bloody Mary and a square slice of their thick deep-pan Red Top pizza: a mixture of red sauce, Corner Slice’s signature cheese blend and basil pesto.

Available every day of the week, from open until the kitchen closes, you can opt to enjoy your pint of Bloody Mary and pizza in the bar or get it to take away if you’d rather curl up on the sofa with some grease and your favourite TV show.

Image: The Manc Eats

The brainchild of owners Frank Brashaw and Danny Broadbent, Corner Slice has made a well-deserved name for itself in Manchester thanks to serving up deep pan pizza with traditional Italian toppings and a curly cheese crust.

The popular Failsworth-originated pizzeria was the first to bring its Motor city-inspired rectangular pizza pies to Manchester after what it said was a “light bulb” moment during lockdown.

Read more: Bundobust launches new Christmas menu with sprout bhaji butties

As well as the simple ‘Red Top’, some of Corner Slice’s best-loved dishes include square pies loaded with the likes of Korean Cauli, Portocini (a mix of portobello and porcini), and a number of regularly-changing specials and vegan specials.

Feature image – The Manc Eats

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