Bongo's Bingo Round 2

Goddamn, I'm hungover. I drank a stunning amount of alcohol at mine and my mate's birthday bash in Northern Quarter bar Guilty last night. But before I get into that outrageous scenario, I want to mention another absurdity from Friday night, where we dropped into the sold-out Bongo's Bingo at the Albert Hall. 

Johnny Bongo, host of the bizarre and hilarious bingo game, calls out the numbers and dishes out prizes for correct numbers, assisted by his two cross-dressing aides Sweaty Betty and Slutty Sue. Prizes increase in value from a pigeon head, through a unicorn onesie, up to £600.

Before the numbers can be called, the fat suit needs to be taken off- it's one of the prizes. He strips out of it to Nelly's Hot In Here, and pours a can of cider over himself in his boxer shorts. Then it's eyes down for more numbers.

You find as the numbers are called that your card gets really full- just before 'bingo' is called, you'll be so close to winning, as will everyone else, that the tension is hanging in the air. (Or maybe that's the smoke machines that will go off in the break when the UV rave begins.)

Absolutely hilarious. Events also take place in Liverpool, Birmingham, The Edinburgh Fringe Festival and Leeds.

Last night's info will have to come later- I am in no fit state.

Chilling with P Diddy's Son on a Thursday Night (Kinda)

Thursday night: started in a very busy Albert's Schloss and headed over to an equally busy LIV for their Socialite event. These two venues are unaffected by the summer's absence of students and are always good shouts.

Thursday's host at LIV: Quincy, one of P Diddy's sons, who performed one of his own songs. Keep your eyes and ears peeled for this future star.

Manchester!!!  Meet my son @Quincy now at @clubLivMCR !!!  S/O @_LIVEBASE @Mo_clubliv pic.twitter.com/drMipUsnNE

— Sean Diddy Combs (@iamdiddy) July 28, 2016

Pics from the night are here.

Me and the lovely Asha

I went with Manchester Cool Bars. You should have done too!

Redrafting Once Upon a Time in Great Britain

For the last 7 months I've been bringing a screenplay project in to Writers Connect, my writing group. It's called Once Upon a Time in Great Britain, it's a meagre 17,000 words, and it's about a graduate who is recruited into a terror faction in Manchester. I've brought it in one chunk at a time, with each section running at around 1000 words. The group have enjoyed the story although they found numerous areas for improvement. They also found it hard to keep up with the plot, considering there's a minimum of 2 weeks between each meeting.

Now that I've shown them the whole script, the plan is to redraft using the notes I made on the feedback the group gave me. Then I'm going to bring in 6 copies of the new draft to the meeting on the 14th August, where we'll perform a full read-through of the script. Nexus Art Cafe from 1pm.

This is my project for the next 3 weeks. It'll be nice to have a deadline and to have people waiting for the work, and being motivated by someone other than myself. I need people to take parts: if you fancy joining in you'll be assigned a role... and your feedback will be appreciated.

Come to Socialite on Thursday

Fancy a night in a cool club with the odd celeb knocking around? If so come to Socialite on Thursday at Club LIV. I'm going with Manchester Cool Bars. We've been a few times and it's always a good night. This week it's hosted by Quincy, one of P Diddy's sons. Don't miss out! Get your RSVP in on the site ASAP. We're starting in Albert's Schloss on Peter St.

Manchester party info update

New meetup Cosmopolitan Drinks and Dining is garnering followers fast! It's all about the nice bars and restaurants in Manchester. Their fist meetup- a few drinks in swanky Epernay- already has 40 RSVPs.

House music event series The Warehouse Project has released their 2016 lineup. Here are some impressive names playing in the roster, including Chocolate Puma who I'll be seeing in December. I'm going with people I've met on Meetup, but I wouldn't be surprised if there were meetups for events closer to the time. Many events have already sold out, and more will soon. But it's well worth keeping your eye on both Meetup and the Warehouse Project sites.

More info tomorrow.

Great Britain

Just after the UK voted to leave the EU in June, but just before the Tory leadership race got under way, I visited Writers Connect where we performed a politically-themed warm-up exercise. The title was 'Great Britain.' I was hoping Boris would make it, but hey ho. Who was I kidding?

There is no irony in this name, not even in the great upheaval of summer 2016. Britain is still great. It just isn't going to have quite as big a bat to swing, not for much longer at least.

We are about a month away from the Olympics, an international issue that for once doesn't concern the EU. It's an opportunity for our nation, as it stands, still to shine. This could, in fact, be the last time our Scottish Athletes compete with us, within our team, on an international stage. The Scottish National Party have said Scotland will leave the EU in the event of a Brexit. Well, that's happening now.

Will we need a passport to get into Scotland? Will they put extra tax on Scotch whisky? Will it lead to smuggling, and Scotch speakeasies?

Scotland is also known, if you read the news (and a lot of Irvine Welsh novels) for having a problem with heroin. Will new borders lead to more struggles to get this particular drug to users? Will this, plus alcohol smuggling, lead to more violence?

Or will everything stay more or less as it is, just with a self-aware dork with a messy haircut as a Prime Minister instead of an alleged pigfucker?

Prospective Mondays

Quiet week and weekend ahead, I'm afraid. I missed the last Writers Connect due to a party, so this time I'll make sure I go. I'm going to be reading out the final part of my screenplay Once Upon a Time in Great Britain. I'll recap the plot and answer plot questions as we go along, so don't worry about that. Get down to Nexus on Dale St Sunday from 1pm.

I have more ideas for nights out so keep checking back over the next few weeks if you want to get involved.

A fast week.

A few things I want to shout about:

I put up a meetup for Messy Mondays at The Oxford Club. It was dead due to the students being at home, and I expect a lot of weeknight nights will be equally dull until late September. Nice club though.

My favourite DJ MK favourited my tweet.

This makes me hella happy. I love his piano riffs.

Meetup group Singles in the City has no organiser and will close without someone stepping up! Do you fancy saving it? It'll cost you about £11 a month, depending on your price plan.

New group Escape the City has opened, offering support for people who are thinking of changing their career. Their monthly meetups sound intriguing.

Also, I got ripped by Adam off Love Island. Or at least, his team while he was on the show.

Because you can go on a show to find love without having to have sex 😊👍🏼 https://t.co/EmYyYpBLSW

— Adam Maxted (@adamcarlemaxted) July 10, 2016

More to come...

Can You Go Out on a Week Night?

For most, a week night party results in sitting at your desk the next morning oozing alcohol from your pores and trying desperately to focus on your slightly hazy spreadsheet.

Not everyone works 9-5 Monday to Friday though, and most of us have Annual Leave to use up. So 2 questions jump to mind- what is happening and who do I go with? I've scouted out a few weekly events in the Manchester- mostly club nights- that you can get involved with. I don't know about other cities, sorry. I'm trying out these Mancunian venues, one at a time, through Manchester Cool Bars, a meetup group designed to allow people to meet others with an interest in the smarter venues in the city. If this sounds like your thing and you're local, get involved.

Quite a few of these events are aimed at students, so a good number may not be running until September. I've linked to as many Twitter accounts as I can, so take a look to see if their social media feeds are still active- and if the night is still running- before you head out.

Monday

Messy Mondays

The recently-opened Oxford Club (once One Central St) now hosts Messy Mondays after moving from Suede. I went recently. A misleadingly quiet night where very few people were drunk, the event's saving grace was the retro RnB. Perhaps during term-time things might liven up.

Chitchat

Deansgate Locks has always been a busy midweek area, although it isn't as booming as its early-naughties heyday. Recession and all that. Lola Lo's Monday night Chitchat takes up one of the arches the club occupies and pumps out dance and RnB, with Tom DaLips on live sax. I've been here on a Saturday a few times but enjoyed the recent Monday night more.

Beat the Frog

One of the more unusual comedy nights in the city can be found at Oldham St's Frog and Bucket. Contestant comedians have 5 minutes to impress three cardholders, who may card them off if their material isn't funny enough. Some acts may surprise you with talent-  a few big names started out here. Johnny Vegas, Peter Kay and Ross Noble all cut their comedic teeth in the Frog. Free entry if you download the Buzzin app. Shows start at 7pm.

Tuesday

Taboo

Tiger Tiger is large, with separate rooms for different music and a unique vibe to each one. Taboo is a hugely popular student night and makes use of quite a few of these areas. I've been. It's as busy as your average Saturday night, being open to the public but the people are younger, better looking and much more chilled out. If you want a mix of classic and contemporary Dance and RnB with cheap drinks, this one's for you.

Malibu Tuesdays

Lola Lo dominates the midweek Manchester scene at the moment, with events almost every night. Tuesdays is all about the rum. Not been yet.

Bongo's Bingo

This is utterly mental. A bingo game in a haunted church, featuring crazy karaoke challenges and dance-offs. I loved it. Bongo and his (cross-dressing) assistants will get you performing on stage Albert Hall's if you call out bingo when your numbers aren't right, so you might need a thick skin and a pinch of salt. If that isn't weird enough, it appears special guests Bradley and Jo from S Club have dropped by in recent weeks. The MEN's writeup is very intriguing. The game runs from 7pm-11pm, so it's an opportunity to get out and have a laugh when you've not booked off the next day.

Wednesday

Voodoo

Opposite Tiger Tiger lies The Birdcage, with an interesting shout- Voodoo offers much the same as Taboo. Birdcage tends to be busier on a Wednesday than it is on a Friday. I've managed to get in a number of times- you'll need photo ID but if it's not student ID the doormen might be picky.

Wah Wah Wednesdays

Oh, Lola Lo. Your stamina is exemplary. I've not checked this out yet. 

Hot Mess

Revolution on the Locks offers £1.50 drinks all night, a good a reason as any to take a look. I still need to.

Thursday

Marquee

The Milton Club's Thursday night event is on hiatus (possibly because organiser Scott Thomas  was appearing on ITV2's Love Island), but when it returns you'll be treated to a cinema-themed extravaganza, with film-reel designs, fancy-dress costumes and fire-breathing podium dancers. (What? No fire-breathers at your local Odeon?) Again, with a younger but still aesthetically pleasing crowd than your average Friday or Saturday, a Thursday in The Milton club is a great midweek shout. You might spot the odd boxer or soap star here or there.

Socialite

My pick of the weeknight events is LIV's Thursday night Socialite event. A plush, smart venue with good drinks deals, loads of good looking girls and a fair chance of bumping into a celeb. Ricky Hatton and Dean Gaffney are regulars. ID essential.

Pinup

Lola Lo keeps going. Hey look, lightweight boxing champ / local lad Anthony Crolla drops in now and again. I should soon.

Supper Klub

German beerhouse Albert's Schloss put a quirky spin on your Thursday night with live music and over indulgence. I've been early on before heading to other venues- it's one of the livelier Thursday joints.

Standup Thursday

If you want something a little less serious The Comedy Store provides, kicking off at 8pm. Not been yet.

Sunday

Mixed

Few people dare venture out on a Sunday given there's usually work the next day and we just had our Sunday roast- it's traditionally family time. (Not to mention, we're normally still hungover.)

You're unlikely to be with the fam into the late night, though, and if your Monday Morning is free you might want to venture out. So far I've spotted Mixed at The OxfordClub on Central St. A smart, Oxford-University-themed venue with leather couches, booths and an extensive interior make for an interesting one. The Saturdays are popular and full of eye candy, so the Sundays may follow suit. I'm planning to put up an event soon so keep your eyes on the Cool Bars group.

Mirror Sundays

Finish your week off at Lola Lo with Mirror Sundays. RnB, hip-hop, house, and apparently limbo competitions. Do you need more encouragement for a late start on Monday?! Must try this soon.

Sugar Buddha

I walked past this Deansgate Locks bar on the Sunday after Parklife in June and there seemed to be a fair crowd inside. Whether it was a one-off party cashing in on the festival or a weekly night I don't know. Their social media doesn't reveal much.

New Stuff

Newer (and cheaper) comedians test out their material at The Comedy Store. Shows start 7:30pm. Not tried yet.

Sunday Sessions

The Living Room, a venue with one of the strictest door policies in the city, eases off at the end of the week for Sunday Sessions. Starting 10^th July, this weekly event sees DJ Carlton Delingo and sax player Tom DaLips adding some musical accompaniment. Will visit soon.

Nights like these chop and change regularly, so there'll be a lot I've not found and some events that- by the time you read this- have been cancelled. Where else is there? Have I missed your fave midweek spot?

Join me for Messy Mondays TONIGHT

Quick, book tomorrow off! Get down to Albert's Schloss for 9pm and meet me and a couple of others on this meetup with Cool Bars. We're then heading over to The Oxford Club for Messy Mondays, their weekly event featuring a shitload of Ciroc vodka. (If that's your thing.)

 

The Facebook pictures from recent events look great.

Many more weeknight and weekend adventures planned. Keep your eyes peeled, and don't stay in.

Get Involved

An exciting week awaits.

Book off your Friday! I'm taking a group to Socialite, Club LIV's Thursday night party. Great music, décor and clientele- possibly including the odd celebrity. You can get involved through the Manchester Cool Bars Meetup. We're meeting in nearby Albert's Schloss.

3am on Saturday morning sees the finale of MMA competition The Ultimate Fighter 23. I'm still looking for a place in Manchester that shows MMA fights like this one and UFC. As all these events tend to be Stateside, and hence aired in the early hours of the morning in the UK, a lot of bars are closed. The casinos are slow to get back to me. Do you have any suggestions?

I've got a house party on Saturday night and a Writers Connect meeting Sunday Morning, so it'll be quite a packed weekend for me. I need your feedback on the next instalment of my script. Swing by Nexus ArtCafe and find out all about it, from 1pm.

As a result of this I'm skipping UFC 200, which has an explosive line-up despite recent adjustments to the schedule. No Holm v Rousey, rematch, no Diaz v McGregor rematch... but even the prelims have good names attached. Sage Northcutt is a rising star and one to watch. I'll have to Youtube UFC 200 later on.

1000 Followers!

Well, it's taken 8 years but I've finally hit 1000 followers on Twitter. I picked up more and more as time went on. No idea what's bringing them in now... people must love my #loveisland banter. I've (for some reason) got into watching the ITV2 dating show.

I've been made an organiser on Manchester Social Group. I had some admin privileges earlier, allowing me to suggest meetups, but I can now 'announce' events myself without waiting for the main organiser to do so. Keep your eyes on it for future events like club nights and watching boxing / MMA.

Nightclub Static appears to have shut down... last time I went it was very quiet and the few people there were badly dressed chavs, a world away from how it started out as a smart house music club with a strict door policy.

I take it Static is closed? #Manchester #nightlife

A photo posted by Matt Tuckey (@matttuckey) on Jul 3, 2016 at 1:48pm PDT

Doing the Splits with Peter F Hamilton: Result

Back on the 10^th May I set myself another reading and exercise challenge, this time to gain more flexibility than I've ever had in my thirties. I've blogged a number of times about combining reading with attempting the splits: this time it was to beat my standing personal best of 1 metre 63 (5'4).

I've done a little here and there- sometimes huge chunks, sometimes little bits frequently- sometimes, admittedly, skipping a few days. I'd find I'd get close- either on the personal best or just below it- then miss a day, then when I'd come back I'd have lost loads of flexibility. The trick is to dedicate yourself.

I've done this as best as I can, and I hit 1 metre 65 (5'5) on 1^st July.

I'm currently half way into the book. It's very heavy and technical, and more with a leaning to science like in the Dreaming Void, the first of the trilogy. The second book got a bit-too fantasy-based, and was a hard slog. The story I'm actually finding harder to follow as summer has presented a lot of opportunities for me and I'm not dedicating as much time to it as I used to. I'm still trying, though, to read a little every day. I'll upload a full review when it's finished. Aiming for the first week of September.

Like anything else, keep practising and you'll see progress.

I basically missed an entire swimwear competition

Around a year ago I went to The Milton Club to watch a Swimwear competition. Why not.

The Swimsuit USA Manchester competition took place again last night in the same elegant venue, only this time I missed pretty much the whole thing as I felt sure it wouldn't start until later like last time (even when the organiser Verena Twigg had told me it started at 9:30).

Oh well. I managed to see the judges announce their decisions and crown the gorgeous Kendall O'Reilly as the winner. Congratulations Kendall!

The club was jammed with beautiful women, including TV boxing ring girls Gabrielle Taylor and Sara Beverley. Here's me and Sara

Great meeting you at @themilton_club @sarabeverley

A photo posted by Matt Tuckey (@matttuckey) on Jul 1, 2016 at 3:33am PDT

And here's me and winner of the night Kendal.

Great meeting you at @themilton_club @thekub congrats on your win!

A photo posted by Matt Tuckey (@matttuckey) on Jul 1, 2016 at 7:18am PDT

I also spotted star of First Dates and Manchester fashionista Jsky, First Dates star Laura Alicia, Ex on the Beach star Jem Lucy, (who turned up in the Daily Mail the next morning) and models Sophie Dalzell and Amanda Harrington.

Great night, or what I caught of it. I went with Manchester Cool Bars after organising the meetup myself. Will get the timings right next time...