A series of incredible independent arts and culture events will span across Greater Manchester over the coming weeks, as Manchester Independents commissions 12 amazing new works.
They are an initiative launched out of the pandemic to support local artists across all 10 boroughs, and give them a platform to showcase their projects, supported by various cultural organisations around the region including Brighter Sound, HOME, Factory International, Contact and many more.
Following on from the success of the 2021 scheme, which saw 23 new commissions, Manchester Independents are ready to present 12 new projects, from walking tours to art exhibitions to theatre.
The vast range of new work includes everything from workshops with Muslim women in Rochdale to film screenings in Levenshulme to AI-generated theatre in the city centre.
Themes will range from celebrations, love and feminism to mental health, chronic illness and dystopian Manchester.
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You’ll find the new Manchester Independents commissions at venues from theatres (like Contact and 53Two) to parks to galleries to digital spaces.
Events are going to be popping up all over Greater Manchester over the coming weeks – here’s what you need to know.
This six-minute video artwork will blend spoken word, an original soundtrack, and a choral performance of the chorus from Eminem’s ‘Cleaning Out My Closet’ to speak about absence, loss, grief and childhood rebellion.
Dance, contemporary circus, poetry and improvisation will come together in this duet. The piece looks at mysticism, Afrofuturism and Black Feminist Hauntology through our connection with the life giving element, water.
Horticultural Centre at Wythenshawe Park, 30 September
The neglected Horticultural Centre at Wythenshawe Park is going to be brought to life by visual artist Michele Selway. She’ll use Victorian photographic equipment to document the place and the people that are keeping it going, and use the unique 1951 Wet Plate Collodion process to photograph onto large format glass plates, mirroring the materials of the glass house itself.
Four Dholis And A Divorce by Hafsah Aneela Bashir, @redwizz1
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Rochdale Ukrainian Club, 29 September
This performance explores intergenerational trauma and lived experiences of divorce through five female characters from a South Asian Muslim background.
Portraits of a Poet by Princess Arinola Adegbite (BITEZ), @pabitez
The Whitworth, 5 October
A surrealist work exploring perception and the ways we perform in society for safety, love and acceptance. It begins from the perspective of a black female artist to investigate agency, spectatorship and power.
A theatre piece exploring Sam’s 12 years of visiting Manchester Children’s hospital regularly. This performance plays with comedy, sadness, perceptions and toilet humour often found in discussions amongst young patients.
A fast-moving, comedy drama about life with chronic gynaecological disease.
Cerebral Palsy Graphic Novel by Julian Gray, @juliangrayart
Published online at the end of August – available at www.manchesterindependents.org
Interviews with people with Cerebral Palsy about its representation in media and performance, culminating in an online zine.
The Anxious Photographer’s Handbook by Simon Jones, @simonjones_2000
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Book launch in September, exhibition in October. Details to be updated on www.manchesterindependents.org
A visually engaging book containing a range of interesting photographic challenges which can be used as a way to connect with the local environment and society. The work is primarily aimed at individuals that have become isolated due to issues such as anxiety and other mental health/social issues.
See www.manchesterindependents.org for latest updates.
Jova and the wave rebranding as yeguachita – EP, graphic identity and video works. yeguachita will be creating a concept album in collaboration with other musicians.
Featured image: Supplied
Art & Culture
First Look | Grué Pastry – Alty’s real introduction to ‘entremet’, a.k.a one of our new foodie obsessions
Danny Jones
We might have a new sweet treat obsession, and it’s all Grué Pastry’s lovely fault: the small but pretty new pâtisserie and café over in Altrincham.
Located just off the busy Stamford Quarter, you’ll find Grué’s stylish little shop and already plenty of nosy passersby being seduced in by its pristine white counter.
While they do more familiar traditional desserts like tarts, cookies and tiramisu, their signature item is the wide range of ‘entremets’.
Even tinier than the venue, but packed full of different fillings, textures and layers (SO many layers), these picture-perfect treats almost look too stunning to eat, but of course, we did.
It’s not just a shiny little chocolate, nor is it merely a posh miniature cake with some clever decorations – this is quite literally an art form, and it takes time and precision – lots of it, in fact.
Requiring plenty of technique and patience, anyone who has the talent and persistence to pursue this very specific genre of pastry has our eternal admiration.
A rather painstaking process, split over a number of days, each carefully designed and layered entremet is a real labour of love.
For instance, not only is everything made from scratch right down to the most minute detail possible, but the inserts have to be mixed, assembled, frozen and then allowed to fully set before any of the finishing touches can be put on.
We’ve seen these kinds of ‘fake fruits’ and cakes with surprise interiors before, but nothing as delicate and nuanced as these.
Co-owner Wissam Jedar joked that they can’t exactly grow their own pistachios, but they can flavour and roast them themselves, control every how much sugar, spice, and everything nice goes into these perfect few bites.
He also told us about how many people have been surprised by just how filling these things are.
They’re not just a small mouthful or two, as some people expect; the various considered and contrasting layers of rich and varied textures inside an entremet are like biting into something entirely new each time, especially when the appearance can often be intentionally deceptive.
It’s also impressive how many of these aren’t as naughty calorie-wise as you might expect.
They rely almost entirely on all-natural sugars only, and the flavours come through fresh, clean, not too sweet and often super sharp. Picture biting into what you think is ‘obviously’ lemon dessert in a light chocolate shell shaped like an actual lemon, only to taste fresh, chilled and tart apple with fragrant mint…
Are you kidding? Incroyable.
But this is just the start. Wissam also told us that both he and his partner, Farah Bioche, have to try their hardest not just to create consistently uniform entremets, but also not to let their imaginations run too wild and come up with concoctions as crazy as some of those they think up.
He says that Farah, in particular – the master baker behind their incredible workshop in Salford and the in-house bakery in their new Alty kitchen – has some seriously BIG ideas, but they’re trying to drip feed and nail them before fully introducing them to the menu.
They cater for events, do larger-scale desserts and are perfect for Valentine’s Day. (Credit: The Manc)
Another example of this is when it comes to the hot drinks menu. There’s a simple but classic coffee menu too – if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, right? – but they’re also planning to add coffees with special meringue and even tiramisu toppers. Yum.
With Wissam’s sister running the social media, word of mouth spreading fast, and locals quickly catching on to the buzz behind this new opening, we reckon it won’t be long before you see this place all over your timelines.
They’ve also noted that despite raising a few eyebrows over price points at first, once someone has tried one (however speculatively), it usually isn’t too long before they come back to hold their hands up and sample another one.
So, if you’ve a bit of a sweet tooth but don’t want to be left feeling like you’ve overindulged in something slightly too sickly, trying an entremet from Grué in Altrincham town centre might just be your ticket.
‘Powerhouse’ Manchester named in top 10 global cities for music in 2026
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 cities across the globe for music in 2026 have been named, and Manchester has earned its place.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
Manchester has been named in the top 10 global cities for music in 2026 / Credit: Mylo Kaye | Nathan Mullet (via Unsplash)
Last summer was a sensational celebration for Manchester, as an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, took over the city, and the annual Manchester Day was music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Oh, and there was also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park in June… in case you don’t remember, somehow (*wink wink*).
These next two months are also set to be huge for Manchester too, given the fact it is hosting both the 2026 BRIT Awards and MOBO Awards, on 28 February and 26 March respectively, for the first time at Co-op Live.
So it would only seem right that our city has earned itself a place in SeatPick‘s top 10 list of global music cities for 2026 – slotting right in there at a respectable number four.
Overall, Manchester claimed a score of 7.90 out of 10, as the city apparently hosts a total of 1,204 concerts per year across 116 venues, and even supports 380 music artists and 72 music-related businesses in the process, as well as hosting 26 different music festivals annually too.
“From indie and electronic to arena-filling acts, Manchester continues to punch above its weight as a powerhouse of British music,” SeatPick said in its new rankings of global music cities.
Other UK cities that feature in the top 10 are London at number two, and Glasgow and Bristol and number eight and nine, while claiming the coveted top spot of the list of global music cities for 2026 is the German capital of Berlin.
“What really stands out in this data is that the best music cities aren’t always the ones with the most artists,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick. “Rather, they’re the ones where live music is tightly woven into everyday life.
“Cities like Berlin and Manchester have fewer artists than London, but higher audience concentration per venue, which typically leads to stronger ticket demand and more consistent sell-outs.”
Daisy Jackson -
31st August 2023 
