Free things to do this week ft. Gein’s Family Giftshop, Clint Boon + more

Gein’s Family Giftshop at Kosmonaut
Manchester’s tippest toppest sketch group are running another instalment of their monthly free night at Kosmonaut where they scratch out their new funnies. Accompanying them are two stand ups, in the shape of local favourite Will Duggan and Glenn Moore, who’s excellent on Twitter. A night of excellent comedy, and for no money.
Mon 1 Feb, Kosmonaut, 10 Tariff Street, Manchester, M1 2FF. 8pm, www.facebook.com

Boon and Bez at Red’s True BBQ
DJ, keyboardist and man-about-town Clint Boon is well known for his anecdotes and memories of the 90s music industry and Madchester excess. In his podcasts he’s started to catalogue these anecdotes, and in this live talk he’ll be talking to one of Manchester’s other great raconteurs: Bez from Happy Mondays. There’s no doubt this will be a fascinating insight into the the city’s most colourful musical periods. Eventbrite tickets are password protected, and you can only get the secret code by listening to Clint Boon’s Storytime podcast – well worth it to catch these Manc legends in conversation.
Tue 2 Feb, 22 Lloyd Street, Manchester, M2 5WA. 6pm – 7pm, www.eventbrite.co.uk

Blue Lion Band at Castle Hotel (pictured)
London-based swing and jazz outfit The Blue Lion Band are apparently very popular at weddings. When they’re not giving happy couples something to dance along to, they’re putting on small free showcase gigs like this one at the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street. With a wide repertoire of classic jazz covers and reimaginings of popular songs, they’ve got something that’ll make everyone swing.
Tue 2 Feb, Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LE. 7.30pm, www.thecastlehotel.info

Chinese New Year 2016
Chinese New Year is upon us once more, and a fantastic weekend of events are planned in all around the city. The launch takes place this Thursday with plenty of free fun available. Check out our full preview for further details.
Thu 4 Feb – Sun 7 Feb, Various locations in the city centre, Event times vary, www.chinesenewyearmcr.com