This week you can be fair, you can get a scare and you can watch men getting thrown about in the air. It's the week in Manchester, and we have it planned for you already!
Fairtrade Fortnight
Over the next two weeks, Fairtrade Fortnight reminds us all of what a big deal buying fairtrade goods is, and the difference it makes to peoples' lives. Yes, we all like a bargain, but how much are the people who are making the product getting paid, and do we really want to ignore the conditions they are working in so that we can enjoy a nice coffee? It's great that fairtrade has become a normality, in the same way that vegetarian food is no longer seen at all as unusual, but people do still need reminding that there are real lives behind the price tag. So, this week, buy something fairtrade. Food wise, you can make a start at Unicorn in Chorlton, The 8th Day in the city centre or Salford's 78 Steps.
Father John Misty, Gorilla, Tue Feb 24, £12.50
He's had ten albums in as many years, and his latest, 'I Love You Honeybear' draws obvious comparisons to John Grant, who also features a honeybear on one of his songs, but there's more to it than just that. Both are masters of a good tune and brilliant lyric, and Father John's sometimes painfully open honesty shines through via his superb voice. He's brilliant, and the album is one of the year's best.
DV8: John, The Lowry, Thu Feb 26, £18-£25
JOHN by DV8
Very firmly in the 'physical theatre' spectrum of dance, DV8 are a company who have never hidden from controversy. Far from it. Their last piece, 'Can We Talk About This?', tackled the thorny subject of how the risk of offending in a multicultural society leads to censorship. Here, taking interviews with men about attitudes to sex and love, their new piece has outraged some of the more traditional press. If that's not a good reason to go and see this excellent company, what is?
We caught up with DV8's artistic director and the choreographer of 'John', Lloyd Newsom, and asked him to talk about it to us. See what he had to say here.
Jungle, Albert Hall, Thu Feb 26, £16
A well-deserved Mercury Prize nomination has catapulted the merry troupe to the heady heights (and bigger capacity) of Albert Hall - a perfect venue for their soulful dancey pop.
My Brother's Country, The Lowry, Thu Feb 26 - Fri Feb 27, £12
Fereydoun Farrokhzad was a huge star in Iran, fleeing to Germany when the revolution happened, where he was not only a vocal critic of Iran's new regime, but openly gay. It didn't end well for him, and his murder has never been solved. The fascinating true story of one of pre-revolution Iran's most popular stars is premiered at The Lowry over two nights.
Carnival of Souls, Cornerhouse, Fri Feb 27, £8
Have you ever seen this hugely creepy film from 1962? If you have, it probably crops up in your nightmares from time to time. If you haven't, here's an even creepier sounding introduction to it, as the story is adapted to be performed almost entirely in the dark using sounds to scare the living daylights out of you...
Transmission: Knee Deep in Sound, Albert Hall, Sat Feb 28, £20
Acts from the Knee Deep in Sound label will join superstar DJ Hot Since '82 to get you more than cutting the rug this weekend.
Urban Food Fest, Euro Car Park, Deansgate, starts Sat Feb 28, free entry
From this weekend, each Saturday evening will see a small carpark on a corner of Deansgate transform into a street food fest, with live music and a changing selection of delicious meals. 15 different trucks and stalls will be serving gourmet global street food dishes, and there'll be a premium bar and cocktail bar too. See you there!
It Follows
In what is easily one of the scariest films of the last few years, the quiet menace of a monstrous threat which can take on any human form is enough to put you off sex for life. Well, maybe not, but when a young woman's loss of virginity leads to a nightmare with all sorts of metaphors, what follows is deeply unsettling and won't leave your head. Time Out gives it the full five stars. It opens on Friday.
Last chance to see
This week sees the end of the lovely Stanley Spencer exhibition at Manchester Art Gallery. 'Heaven in a Hell of War' presents work created by the artist as he spent time working in a hospital during the First World War. The exhibition ends on Sun Mar 1.
©The Estate of Stanley Spencer, The Bridgeman Art Library, image ©The National Trust/John Hammond. Tea in the Hospital Ward