There’ll be three nights of gorgeous new music taking place across Manchester this month, as the students of Spirit Studios have their degree show.
Up-and-coming talent from the renowned music education provider will take to the stage at the much-loved Band on the Wall and at Spirit Studios itself – and the gigs are totally free.
Spread over three evenings, the degree show will include DJ sets, performances, and immersive audio-visual experiences and soundscapes.
Those showing off their skills have come from the studio’s Electronic Music Production and Performance and Music Production degree courses.
The final year students have been tasked with creating and producing music to show to a public audience as part of their major project.
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Spirit Studios. Credit: Supplied
The gigs at both Band on the Wall and Spirit Studios are free to attend, and will take place on 22, 24 and 29 March.
The first event at Band on the Wall will be an evening of live music and DJ sets, spanning indie, hip-hop, EDM and drum and bass.
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Then on Friday 24 March, the degree show will head over to Spirit Studios, just past Piccadilly, where guests can explore a range of sound installation, soundscapes, and multi-genre live performances in their very own studios and live venue.
Spirit Studios was established in 1980 as a small creative community of experienced tutors in the heart of Manchester, teaching talented students sound engineering and music production.
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As well as degrees, there are other industry and short courses, and the studios and facilities on site can be hired for commercial purposes.
You can fly straight to paradise with direct flights from Manchester to Barbados
Daisy Jackson
Good news sun-seekers – Aer Lingus has relaunched its direct flights between Manchester and Barbados, so you could be swapping out commute for hammock in a heartbeat.
Aer Lingus will be jetting off straight to the tropical paradise of Barbados from Manchester between 1 November and 31 May, with three direct flights a week.
That’s along with all their routes to bucket list destinations like New York, Orlando, Las Vegas, and LA.
And the best bit is that you could take your Caribbean trip of a lifetime from just £389 return until 31 May 2025 (T&Cs apply).
These super-affordable direct flights head straight to Bridgetown, the colourful capital of Barbados.
From there, you have the trip of a lifetime at your fingertips – whether you want to feast on Bajan cuisine, explore the colonial towns, or just relax on white-sand, world-class beaches.
You can explore sugarcane fields and visit wonders like Harrison’s Cave, where electric tram tours whisk passengers through an amazing natural cave with waterfalls, deep emerald pools, and thousands of stalactites and stalagmites.
There’s a 1000-year-old Baobab tree you can see, green monkeys to spot at the Barbados Wildlife Reserve, and culinary tours of the island you can take.
You can fly direct from Manchester to Barbados with Aer Lingus. Credit: Unsplash, Tom Jur
Some of the best bits of Barbados lie just off its coast, and there are loads of boat trips you can book, where you can snorkel in the island’s beautiful waters.
And the best time to head out to Barbados is when the weather is coldest back home – the island country is beautifully balmy and dry during the UK’s autumn, winter and spring.
Whatever your perfect winter escape looks like, Aer Lingus can get you there – plus, with the friendliest cabin crew in the skies, there’s more than one reason to book your trip with the airline.
Aer Lingus flights guarantee properly comfortable seats, in-flight entertainment, and meals on board, so your flight will quite literally fly by (but you might not want it to end).
Or to start your bucket list trip off in the best way possible, there are business class flights to Barbados, with fully lie-flat seats, delicious seasonal meals, free WiFi, and so much more.
You can book your flight from Manchester to Barbados with Aer Lingus HERE.
Everything you need to know about Manchester Art Fair 2024
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Art Fair is returning to our city centre once again next month, and there’s so much to look forward to.
Founded back in 2008, and going on to become one of the largest and most significant art fairs in the UK, Manchester Art Fair has cemented itself among the most celebrated cultural events inGreater Manchester‘s annual social calendar.
It’s known and loved for bringing together a wide range of artists, galleries and artist studios along with a full programme of talks and art classes.
This year’sfair will feature more new names than ever before – with over a third of all exhibitors making their inaugural appearance.
Here’s everything you need to know about Manchester Art Fair 2024.
When and where is this year’s event?
Manchester Art Fair 2024 is taking over Manchester Central in the heart of the city centre.
Set to transform the large venue into a vibrant gallery space, the highly-anticipated event will first open on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 November.
Manchester Art Fair is making a grand return to the city centre next month / Credit: Supplied
How many exhibitors will there be? And who are some of the big names set to appear?
Designed for the collector, the curator, and those who are just simply curious about art, Manchester Art Fair will be bringing together more than 500 individual artists and there’ll be 170 stalls to explore.
Lots of returning galleries and artists will be there too, and the majority of them will be displaying new works to the public.
Francis Iles Gallery and Linton 59 Gallery are among the newbies making their first appearance at the event in November, each showcasing works by an eclectic mix of UK and internationalartists, while Benjamin Thomas Taylor and Bob & Eve, are just a couple of the stand-out names on the long list of individual artists who’ll be exhibiting.
There’s also an extended programme of high-profile talks andworkshops to get involved with too, all included in the ticket price.
New this year are book signings with authors including Gemma Rolls Bentley championing queer art, Andy Spinoza with Manchester Unspun, DJ Dave Haslam and his book on Picasso’s nightlife and Mark Demsteader with his first book entitled Moorlands.
More than 170 exhibitors will gather together under one roof / Credit: Supplied
How can you buy art?
Manchester Art Fair is for everyone – whether you’re a seasoned collector in the market for the next big thing, or it’s your first time at an art fair and you’re just looking for the right piece to fill that empty space on your wall.
Buying art at the fair is simple.
Firstly, you’ll want to do a bit of research ahead of the event into the exhibitors and make a shortlist of stands you want to visit. Then once you’re there, it’s wise to go around the stands you’re interested in and speak to the exhibitors and artists to find out about the stories behind the works on offer to help you make your decision.
As tickets provide you access to the fair on both the Saturday and Sunday, you can come and go as you please and pop back in later to see if the same piece catches your eye a second time round.
Once you’ve made the decision to buy from the artist or gallerist, you can then get your piece wrapped free of charge to take home safely, and remember to submit your proof of purchase to get free entry to 2025’s edition of the fair.
Buying art at the fair is simple, and it’s for everyone / Credit: Supplied
What are the organisers saying?
Manchester Art Fair’s Director, Sophie Helm, said the anticipation for this year’s event is ‘building to unprecedented levels’.
“When we launched Manchester Art Fair 16 years ago, we never imagined that Manchester would take the event into their hearts as much as they have,” she said.
“It’s such fun to pull together all the art talks, workshops, demos and live events we have going on over the weekend and a real privilege to be able to see art lovers meeting artists and galleries in person and bringing home original art works with stories and meaning to hang at home.”
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Advanced tickets are now on sale / Credit: Supplied
How much are tickets? Where can I buy them? And what do they include?
Advance tickets for Saturday and Sunday, from 10am-6pm, are available for £12 before 14 November and £15 after that date, both plus a booking fee.
Under 16s do not need tickets to the event.
Manchester Art Fair 2024 will take over Manchester Central on Friday 15 November from 5pm until Sunday 17 November, and you can get yourself tickets online here.
Daisy Jackson -
17th March 2023 
