Manchester review.
Travelodge on Upper Brook Street was good. Very clean and tidy, good parking on site, plenty of spaces even though Friday is presumably a busy time. Minor niggle was that the room, the bar, and the parking are all apparently "different systems" so you can't put it all on a tab. Not a deal breaker. Breakfast buffet was good too.
Big Hands bar on Oxford Road was brill. Grubby little student / alternative dive bar. We would have happily stayed there all evening. Initially full of 40/50-something rock fans very obviously heading to the Academy. We popped in for a nightcap afterwards about 11pm-ish and it was quickly filling up with normal students. Slightly surprising.
Academy nicely laid out and worked really well. The sound quality really impressed me. Not all venues are equal in that respect.
And finally, the All Loud, All Wild, All Fucking Mighty (aka "The Almighty") were absolutely bloody great
They're playing three reunion gigs (Glasgow, Manchester, London) with the original lineup, first time in ~30 years but you wouldn't know it. Perfect playing. A solid set list from the first four albums. No unnecessary solos, not even much chatting to the crowd, they belted it out for nearly two hours. I've not been to a gig for years. I'm really glad I made the effort.
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That's a solid plan tbf. If you venture into town at all, I can recommend Pot Kettle Black in the Barton Arcade off Deansgate for a great coffee and hangover brunch options.
