A new club night will launch in Manchester this Friday in the Northern Quarter, specialising in feel-good futuristic house and other eclectic sounds.
Called XXYLO, the new, alternative electronic night will bring something a little different to the city’s nightlife scene, mixing the best in amapiano, UK funky house, garage, world, soulful house, broken beats and liquid drum and bass.
Launched by TRPHSE founders Sham Steele, Kieran, and Jahmel, the new futuristic house night will see Off The Square transformed into a tropical canyon oasis, right in the centre of Manchester’s concrete jungle.
Image: XXYLO
From 11pm until late, revellers can expect some crazy mapped projections visuals alongside a line-up of the most in-demand DJs, including Sham Steele, Rosie Vacci B, DJ Chaise, Jack Bagshaw, and Papu Raf.
The trio are on a mission to diversify the nightlife scene across the UK by creating spaces that showcase emerging sounds, provide a platform for emerging talent and unite communities through an appreciation of experimental music.
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Having lost quite a few venues that always championed these underground sounds in recent years, it’s a welcome addition to the Manchester scene.
As the Brit Awards showed last night, the mainstream music industry in the UK is still heavily dominated by London – despite the fact that many brilliant emerging artists come out of the north, and Manchester in particular.
Our city is known for its music, it birthed a modern clubbing revolution in the UK, and has made a name for itself creating spaces that showcase emerging sounds. The Hacienda, of course, being the most obvious example.
In recent years, however, a number of smaller independent venues have closed – often to be replaced with apartment blocks or shops.
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Legendary Manchester nightclub Sankeys is just one to have fallen victim to property developers, but we can think of many more. Music Box is now a Tesco Metro, Antwerp Mansion a shell of its former self (not that it was ever in great nick to begin with, but at least the lights were still on).
So it’s refreshing to see a new alternative electronic night land on the city’s scene, championing sounds from a varied selection of artists like Kaytranada, Disclosure, Bugs In The Attic, Wookie and more.
Exclusively for XXYLO’s launch, free tickets are up for grabs on Skiddle. These will be valid until 12:30am, any entrants after this will be able to purchase a ticket for £6-£10 on the door if there is capacity.
XXYLO will debut in Manchester on Friday 11 February at Off The Square, 65-67, Lever Street, M1 1FL.
Advice issued as ‘quademic’ of winter bugs continues to take hold in Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
People in Greater Manchester are being urged to get any vaccinations they are due done, as a ‘quademic’ of winter bugs runs rife.
Cases of flu, Covid, norovirus and RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) are continuing to take hold across the country, and here in Greater Manchester.
The city is seeing more flu cases and hospital admissions than usual for this time of year.
So now health chiefs are urgently reminding eligible people to get their flu jabs and other vaccinations, to protect themselves and others.
Mancs are also being reminded to follow key public health advice, such as frequent hand washing and staying at home when you’re ill.
The flu vaccination drive runs until the end of March and people who are eligible for it can get it from their GP, pharmacy or one of the city’s walk-in clinics, where no appointment is needed.
Dr Cordelle Ofori, Manchester’s Director of Public Health, said: “Our advice is very similar to recommendations made during the Covid pandemic.
“It’s really important to keep washing hands well and regularly; cough or sneeze into tissues or your arm; wipe down key communal surfaces like handles on doors; and where possible, stay at home if you are ill to avoid passing on any infections.
“And, in addition to this we would urge anyone who is also feeling financial or food pressures to ring our free cost of living advice line on 0800 023 2692 or text on 07860 022876.”
Councillor Thomas Robinson, Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Social Care, at Manchester City Council, said: “Manchester people are well-known for how they look after one another – and passing the flu message on could save lives, as well as unnecessary illness at a time when people face many pressures.
“We want to make it as easy as possible for people to have their vaccination, so please do go to our walk-in clinics if you are 18 and over and eligible for the vaccine. No appointment is needed: it’s quick, easy and done by teams who want to help you.”
Nurses plea for Government support as 90% say patient safety is being ‘compromised’
Emily Sergeant
Patients dying in corridors, a lack of equipment, and generally unsafe practices are the findings of a harrowing new report into nursing.
Towards the end of last month, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) – which is biggest nursing union and professional body in the world, with more than 500,000 members – asked its members to answer a short survey into the state of nursing throughout 2024, and thousands of nurses across the UK responded.
The report documents the experiences of more than 5,000 NHS nursing staff, with several raw, unedited, and often heartbreaking responses included, all of which confirm that ‘corridor care’, as it’s known, is “widespread” nationwide.
Almost seven in 10 (66.8%) respondents said they’re delivering care in “over-crowded or unsuitable places”, such as corridors, converted cupboards, and even car parks, on a daily basis.
More than nine in 10 (90.8%) said patient safety is being “compromised”.
According to the findings from the survey, demoralised nursing staff reported caring for as many as 40 patients in a single corridor, and find they are unable to access oxygen, cardiac monitors, suction, and other lifesaving equipment during this time.
Some of the more shocking accounts including in the report are of female patients miscarrying in corridors, and nurses being unable to provide adequate or timely CPR to patients having heart attacks.
Nursing staff also report cancer patients being put in corridors and other “inappropriate” spaces.
Nurses are calling for Government support as 90% say patient safety is being ‘compromised’ / Credit: Stephen Andrews (via Unsplash)
More than a quarter of nursing staff surveyed said they weren’t told the corridor they were providing care in was classed as a “temporary escalation space”, which is what the report says NHS England referred to it as, and this means that certain risk protocols and measures may not be in place to ease pressures and protect patients.
This is why the RCN is calling on officials to publish how many patients are being cared for in corridors and other inappropriate places.
The union is urging the Government and NHS England from an RCN-led coalition.
RCN General Secretary and Chief Executive, Professor Nicola Ranger, said this devastating testimony from frontline nursing staff shows patients are coming to harm “every day”, and are “forced” to endure unsafe treatment.
“The revelations from our wards must now become a moment in time,” Professor Ranger said.
“A moment for bold Government action on an NHS which has been neglected for so long. Ministers cannot shirk responsibility and need to recognise that recovering patient care will take new investment, including building a strong nursing workforce.”
Georgina Pellant -
9th February 2022 
