Year of the Pig/Martin Parr/DJ Food

 Last November, I got wind of an event at The Deaf Institute called "Kraftwerk: Klassics, Kovers & Kurios". Rather amused by the prospect of this evening based around the band I've loved the longest I bought four tickets, roping in the Minx and my two elder daughters, Hannah and Charlie. 

It turned out to be the same weekend as Balthazar (also eat Deaf) so we booked a hotel for a couple of nights and made a weekend of it. And so we found ourselves wandering around Manchester, this afternoon, doing a little bit of shopping for Hannah's birthday, next week, and generally having a mooch.

It was Chinese New Year on Tuesday and this is the Year of the Pig, which I assume is the explanation for this fellow, whom we encountered during our wanderings around the city centre.

In the afternoon, we met with Charlie and Hannah to see the Martin Parr exhibition at the Manchester Art Gallery, which I really enjoyed. His early photos seem to encapsulate the seventies and early eighties as I remember them, despite not having grown up in Manchester. The more modern photos were less interesting but maybe in thirty years time, I'd find they've encapsulated this period perfectly, too. 

And then, in the evening, we met at Deaf for dinner and drinks. It turned out the 'Klassics, Kovers & Kurios' was an audio-visual experience, curated by DJ Food, which would run from eight-thirty until ten. I was pleased by this; it seemed an acceptable length, substantial yet not outstaying its welcome.

Just before eight-thirty, we ascended to upstairs room for the second time in two evenings, and I must admit to feelings of trepidation. But I needn't have worried; it was an excellent show! Lots of great footage of Kraftwerk and also the mainly hiphop bands who sampled their music (to great effect), along with their songs. There were also cover versions as well as some excellent mash-ups, the best being of Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' and Duran Duran's 'Girls On Film'. It was an unexpectedly splendid evening.

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No scales
Reading: 'Middle England' by Jonathan Coe.