Manchester’s schedule of summer events just keeps getting better, as now a brand-new multi-venue LGBTQ+ film and TV festival is coming to the city centre.
The debut city-wide festival simply entitled ‘SCENE’ will be celebrating queer stories on the big and small screen over the course of a full seven days, with special screenings, exclusive panels featuring figures from within the industry, special guests and more.
The event will not only be a huge celebration of LGBTQ+ culture but serve as a massive contribution to the community as well.
A Manchester Pride Festival official partner event for 2024 too, Canal Street and the Gay Village as a whole will be joining a whole host of venues helping bring this wonderful festival’s inaugural event to life.
The weeklong event will kick off with an exclusive opening night featuring a celebration panel and after-party to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the influential drama, Queer as Folk.
ADVERTISEMENT
One of the most beloved and groundbreaking British series ever, the show spotlighted Manchester’s Canal Street and this year’s celebration will see appearances from writer Russell T Davies, executive producer Nicola Shindlerand actress Denise Black (Hazel Tyler), with more names still to be announced.
This is just one of many star-studded events taking place throughout the LGBTQ festival, including a special screening of BBC hit drama, Lost Boys & Fairies, followed by one of many Q&As from the TV show’s writer and main star, and a showing of documentary film, Striking With Pride: United at the Coalface Pop, at The People’s History Museum.
ADVERTISEMENT
Another partnered festival venue is the HOME cinema and arts centre, which will honour the legendary John Waters with screenings of cult favourite films Pink Flamingos and Female Trouble, as well as a raucous circus takeover from ‘The Filthiest Carnival Alive’ on the Saturday.
To say there is a lot going on is putting it mildly, with tickets to all events either £15 or under and many of them being just a fiver or completely free – there’s even a free outdoor screen on at First Street throughout.
We Were Here (David Weissman)Home CinemaQueer As FolkCredit: SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival (supplied)
And beyond enriching local recognition of this city’s queer SCENE (see what we did there?), how else will the festival be contributing to the community?
ADVERTISEMENT
Well, ticket profits will be donated directly to the Manchester Pride Charity as an official partner event of the festival, with promoters Skiddle also donating the booking fee for any SCENE events purchased through their site too. You just love to see it.
Head of Events at CityCo, producers of SCENE Festival 2024, Gary Williams, said: “We are excited to bring this celebration of LGBTQ+ Film & TV to Manchester as part of Manchester Pride’s festivities. SCENE promises a week of solidarity, diversity, and enjoyment.
“LGBTQIA+ representation on screen allows us to share our stories, break down barriers, and grow our community. We can’t wait to champion queer content and celebrate together this summer.”
The first-ever SCENE LGBTQ+ Film and TV Festival takes place from Friday, 16 August to Thursday, 22 August and what better way to kick into the wider 2024 Manchester Pride celebrations than this? You can find a full events calendar and grab your tickets HERE.
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
Sponsored
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Danny Jones -
14th July 2024 
