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...