Local Gems Poetry Press are seeking Mancunian poets of all genres and styles for a poetry anthology entitled ‘Buzzin Bards’. New York publisher Local Gems Poetry Press is expanding into the UK, with Manchester at the forefront, by publishing a poetry anthology consisting of work from poets who reside in or come from Greater Manchester. […]
The Riot Act: its 23 years after Peterloo and those demanding reform are still being slaughtered
The lessons of the Peterloo Massacre have not been learned and those campaigning for reform decades later are still being slaughtered by government forces. Review of The Riot Act by Rob Johnston, performed as part of the Greater Manchester Fringe 2019. The year 1842 was one of great hardship for workers across the north west […]
Coffee Cranks say ‘Co-operatives Rock!’
Search for Coffee Cranks on Google and the first hit listed for this Manchester based ethically minded catering crew states “Co-operatives Rock!”. A sentiment that The Meteor agrees with wholeheartedly, as we have just incorporated as a co-op this month. Coffee Cranks Co-operative was founded back in 2013 with mobile coffee carts designed and built […]
Organiser of World Naked Bike Ride in Manchester explains why hundreds of nude cyclists took to the streets
You may have noticed some unusual sights in Manchester city centre last month – and your eyes weren’t deceiving you! There really were hundreds of naked cyclists riding through Manchester city centre on 7th June. It was for the World Naked Bike Ride, an annual event that takes place all over the world. I spoke […]
Greater Manchester Fringe Festival gets underway tomorrow with a great line-up of acts
The superb Greater Manchester Fringe Festival gets underway tomorrow, 1 July to 31 July with many of the acts performing at excellent venues across Manchester. If you find the Manchester International Festival to be to up itself, then the GM Fringe may be the perfect alternative for you. The Fringe first appeared in 2012 with […]
Podcast Review of One at HOME Manchester
“Nasi is on a ladder. Heʼs not coming down any time soon”. As we file into the theatre Nasi is there in front of us, standing high up on the very tall ladder. His demeanor is casual and relaxed but unconvincing. This tense sight amplified by the sense that we had intruded midway through a […]
Podcast review of Mark Thomas in Check Up: Our NHS @ 70
Mark Thomas is a comedian, political activist, investigative journalist and boasts of once being described as a ‘disgusting individual’ by former Lib Dem Leader David Steel. So when he came to Manchester for his latest show, ‘Check Up: Our NHS @ 70’, The Meteor jumped at the chance to check it out. Thomas is well […]
Mark Thomas loves Manchester for its ‘radicalism and creativity’
Outspoken comedian, activist and anarchist Mark Thomas is bringing his current show, ‘Check Up: Our NHS @ 70’ to HOME, Manchester, 8 pm on Friday 8 and Saturday 9 March. The Meteor spoke to Mark on his previous visit to Manchester when he performed at the Lush Showcase. He talked about his thoughts and feelings […]
DJ moonlights as Metro Mayor
Last Wednesday night DJ Andy Burnham treated constituents to an in-depth journey of his musical back-catalogue, spinning sweet plates of plastic in the Chorlton venue Electrik. Burnham’s artistic journey to the lofty heights of a desk at the back of a bar has been a long and arduous one, especially since his occasional wanderings into […]
The UK Border Regime: the ‘hostile environment’ dissected
Like many other UK citizens, I owe my existence in this country to family members who migrated here. My father and his family sailed here from India in 1948, escaping the horrors of partition, to settle in Farnworth. My maternal grandmother migrated from Ireland to Salford, seeking to escape the grinding poverty she grew up […]