It’s been a strange week, hasn’t it? Snow, hail, blazing sunshine and pouring rain, all within a couple of hours. Another milestone in the roadmap happens this week though, with pubs and shops reopening from Monday – soon it will be the turn of our venues, and we’ll be closer to having some live events to attend in person. In the mean time though, we’ve put together a selection of the best free things to do at home this week, which includes a podcast on one of Manchester’s most legendary venues, a Q&A with DJ Fatboy Slim and much, much more…

Rediscover The Reno with One Conversation Please podcast | Whitworth Gallery | Ongoing

Who remembers The Reno? The Moss Side funk and soul club at the corner of Princess Road and Moss Lane East was a thriving hub for Manchester’s West Indian community from the 1950s until 1986, when it was closed and demolished. When it was excavated four years ago, the team at the Whitworth Gallery came up with lots of ways of sharing the stories of the communities that grew around the venue, and this podcast was one of them. Tune in to this open discussion on the history, culture and meaning of this special part of Manchester history.

Take part in an interactive Q&A with DJ legend Fatboy Slim | Wed 14 Apr | 7pm - 8pm

One of the things we can’t wait to get back to this summer is live music, and clubbing especially – there’s nothing really quite like it. If the announcements of the staged roadmap to recovery have left you eager to get back on the dance floor, here’s your chance to speak face-to-face with one of the people who has shaped our club culture more than most – DJ/producer/musician Norman Cook, AKA Fatboy Slim.

Explore the hidden stories behind jewellery & tokens of affection | John Rylands Library | Thu 15 Apr | 12pm – 12:45pm

This is a perfect lunchbreak activity. Photographic jewellery has a rich history – lockets, necklaces, trinkets – the lot. Now, the newly created Photographic Jewellery Manchester Digital Collection get together for a Zoom to open up their work to the public, exploring the lifecycle of the objects at their disposal and uncovering some of the lives immortalised in the artefacts.

Free string quartet concert with Quatuor Danel | University of Manchester | Thu 15 Apr | 6:30pm

The Quatuor Danel are one of the foremost string quartets of their generation, and are quartet in residence at the University of Manchester. Join the ensemble and Dr. Roddy Hawkins for a live streamed programme of brand new music commissioned for the group, and a discussion of topics relating to the UK’s contemporary music scene.

Dive into L.S Lowry's French inspirations | Alliance Française de Manchester | Fri 16 Apr | 6:15pm

Many know the story of the curmudgeonly Salford artist L.S Lowry, but did you know that his tutor was the French impressionist Adolphe Valette? Both artists are memorably intertwined in the city of Manchester, as author Cecilia Lyon discusses in her new book. This talk takes listeners through the two versions of Manchester the painters saw, and discusses what they really thought of each other.

Mon 12 Apr - Sun 18 Apr
Words:
Hugh Morris
Published on:
Mon 12 Apr 2021