City centre food hall, supermarket and entertainment space Hello Oriental is hosting a huge Hip Hop Karaoke event later this year to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beloved music genre. Hip hop, karaoke and scran? Dreamland stuff.
Serving up everything from pan-Asian street food to fresh baked goods, cocktails and more, Hello Oriental is now mixing up its already stellar lineup of Sunday brunch events for 2023 with this cool live music new concept — and you know full well you’re getting involved.
Hip Hop Karaoke, founded by DJ Rob Pursey with host Bobby Champagne Jr and a team of seasoned hip-hop aficionados, has helped thousands live out their rap fantasies over the last decade.
After first launching at Boxpark in London back in 2001 and appearing at numerous festivals and venues worldwide, these two hip-hop pros are now bringing the renowned brand to Manchester to celebrate 50 years since the genre took the music world by storm back in the ’70s.
Credit: The Manc Group
Taking place on the popular Circle Square spot on Sunday, 1 October 2023, there’ll be hundreds of songs to choose from. Whether it’s old-school bangers from the 80s and 90s, or the latest joints from Drake, J. Cole or Kendrick Lamar, there’ll be something in the playlist for your to belt out.
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‘Regulate’, Nate Dogg and Warren G is our pick — simply has to be done.
Describing what you can expect from the event, co-founder Pursey, says: “Hip Hop Karaoke is a euphoric, addictive experience and definitely something to cross off the bucket list. It’s your chance to experience what it’s like to feel real crowd energy as they take on the rhymes of their favourite rappers.”
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If you weren’t sold already, here’s what a typical Hip Hop Karaoke night looks like:
Hip Hop Karaoke will obviously be prioritising getting people on their feet early doors and making sure brunchers get up on stage to deliver their flawless bars in front of their adoring fans, but there’ll also be the usual food and drink vendors available on the day.
From noodles, Chinese roasts with rice, bao buns, dumplings and countless other items on the menu, you’ll be as spoilt for choice on food as you will be with the tunes.
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Tickets go on sale from 20 August and you can sign up for the mailing list to hear about the first release and to make sure your name is first on the karaoke call sheet.
As for how long this party is going to go on, well, that’s up to you now, isn’t it?
Featured Image — The Manc Group/Hip Hop Karaoke (via Instagram)
Eats
‘Hidden’ Manchester cocktail bar shuts down after only six months
Daisy Jackson
A cocktail bar in Manchester city centre that opened only last December has reportedly closed down, with its final service today.
Ego Death, a ‘hidden’ speakeasy-style bar in the Northern Quarter, told CLASS magazine that they were told by backers that they would have to close.
It opened under the steer of acclaimed bartender Cressida Lawlor, co-founded by Beau Myers, who also founded the original Almost Famous.
The bar is beneath newcomer smash burger joint Super Awesome Deluxe and accessed through an unmarked door within the takeaway.
Shortly after Super Awesome Deluxe opened, Almost Famous went through a high-profile closure of all of its restaurants this year, later bought out and reopened by D2.
And now just six months after launch, Ego Death looks set to be closing for good.
Cressida told CLASS: “The team here is wildly talented so the goal now is to get them into jobs so they can pay their bills and keep a roof over their heads.
“No one wants Ego Death to die and I think we’ve made enough of a stir in the six months that we’ve been open to find a new site and investment.
“Our last day is going to be Sunday, so anyone who can get here for one final party should come down.”
She later added on Instagram: “Truly gutting but there is always light in any form of darkness. Come see us this Sunday for the final service as we go through a true ego death.”
Ego Death came from the same team behind Socio Rehab (which if you remember it from 2004 was a bit of a local institution) and had a cocktail menu inspired by the speakeasy bars of New York City.
Behind the bar the stars were bourbon and champagne, plus cocktails inspired by the Big Apple – including one named after Sex and the City’s Samantha Jones.
Beau Myers, co-founder at Ego Death said at the time of its opening: “It’s been 20 years since we opened Socio Rehab so it seems pretty poignant to be opening another amazing cocktail bar. We changed the landscape of cocktail bar culture then and that’s something we’re trying to do again.
“We’ve partnered with Cressida Lawlor to make this dream happen. She’s a total firecracker and reminds me a lot of myself 20 years ago, she’s the future of cocktails and bartending and has that maverick spirit.
“Together we’ve created Ego Death, hidden in a basement behind an unmarked door at the back of a burger shop will be this cocktail haven. An underground escape throwing out the best classic cocktails, bourbon, and champagne from top level bartenders.”
This Manchester bar serves a bottomless cheese fondue with endless beer and wine
Georgina Pellant
There’s a bar in Manchester serving a bottomless cheese fondue with endless wine and beer, and it honestly sounds like the perfect treat.
While it might scream cosy winter night in, with a huge outdoor terrace, The Mews is also a firm favourite during the summer months.
Add in a board of melt-in-the-mouth charcuterie, springy pieces of garlic sourdough and a host of crunchy cheese biscuits, and you’ve got yourself the ideal afternoon if you ask us.
But there’s more. Alongside all that cheese and meat and bread, included in the price of The Mews’ bottomless fondue, cheese lovers can also enjoy 90 minutes of non-stop drinks.
Bottomless cheese fondue at The Mews on Deansgate in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Eats)
Costing £37.50 each, included in the deal is a huge pot of melted Italian Fontina cheese served with homemade garlic croutons, sourdough crackers, and slices of British charcuterie.
You’ll also get to enjoy an hour and a half of endless pints of house pilsner and carafes of red or white wine to enjoy alongside.
Serving up to six people, the bottomless cheese fondue is available only when you pre-book, so make sure to get in touch ahead of your visit to let The Mews know that you’re coming.
If you’re not on the sauce, you can opt for the cheese fondue alone. Without the booze, it’s quite a bit cheaper at £25 for one, and £2.50 on top for any additional people who want to get stuck in.
Housed up on Deansgate Mews, just behind the main hustle and bustle of Deansgate, there’s plenty of space inside as well as a large, secluded terrace that is quite the suntrap (when the Manchester sun is shining).
Danny Jones -
7th August 2023 
