We demand – That the weapons of war – Are manufactured no more – Demilitarise
There’s a lot to get through today. Howard and Hector travelled down to Manchester to see – Henge – perform at the Academy 2, part of Manchester University’s Student Union complex. Howard saw – Henge – in Glasgow last week, Hector and Marg were in Greece, hence the trip.
The day did not get off to a good start with TransPennine cancelling our train from Glasgow Central. But hang on, it wasn’t really cancelled, the train would magically start from Carlisle. Cue a last minute ticket purchase for Virgin Trains to get to Carlisle. Let’s see how the respective train companies come up with excuses not to give a refund.
Due to some minor football match being played in Manchester tomorrow, we were forced to stay in Altrincham. After we schlepped to t’Travelodge and back, it was time for a late afternoon – Rice & Three – at This & That (3 Soap Street, Manchester M4 1EW). This would be Howard’s first visit to one of the Northern Quarter’s longest established Curry Cafes. It’s a Saturday, Kabana’s – rest day – and Hector felt like a change from the usual fallback – Al Faisal.
Around a dozen people entered before us in the time it took to capture the exterior photo, with Hector featuring here for the first time. Bench seats were still available. When one queues for Curry at This & That it is all quite a rush, the food is dispatched with no airs or graces, one is instinctively meant to know what is on offer. Was this – Fast Food – or simply a conveyor belt? I asked for – Lamb – there was Lamb. I told the serving chap – No Chicken – but this did not preclude the Chicken Keema Mutter. Choice #3 on top of the plateful of Rice was Saag Gosht.
Howard:
I’ll have the same.
This – ditto – took me back to my years as a Boarding Tutor at Burnbrae many, many years ago.
A plateful of ridiculously large – Onion Bhaji – was sat at the end of the line of kettles. I plonked one my plate, Howard followed likewise, now for the – foliage. I had to ask for more Coriander, this was provided. Chillies, chopped Raw Onions and Coriander were added in abundance.
The Bill
£7.50 each. Athena prices.
We took an empty table, Howard fetched a jug of water and glasses. The place was starting to empty, the previous wave now finished.
My previous visits to This & That were both in winter, it is not the warmest of venues. It was apparent from the start that the Curry was – warm – rather than – hot. The Bhaji was cold. We were eating from plastic plates, better than paper, a classy joint.
The Lamb and Spinach is excellent – remarked Howard before I had really started eating. I felt it better to mix everything into the Rice and Foliage, a right dog’s breakfast.
I am not a huge fan of Saag Gosht when it is basically Meat in Puréed Spinach, however, in this quantity it works for me. It wasn’t Spicy, it wasn’t hot and was under-seasoned. Then the chopped Green Chillies started to kick in, along with the Onions. Things were improving. The Chillies gave a kick, the Onion added bite, the Coriander was sheer pleasure.
The Keema Mutter had few Peas. Again as part of the melange, this was also working. Unlike Forrest Gump, in this selection we knew exactly what we were – going to get.
The Lamb was cut in long, thin strips, quite unusual. Here was – The Taste of Curry in a Manchester Cafe. This was easily the highlight.
It’s getting colder, it’s getting colder, and still there was the Onion Bhaji. As Marg and Hector were reliably informed at an Indian Cookery demonstration in Jaipur: there is no such thing as an Onion Bhaji. They are better served hot.
I made the following note:
Now you know why Kabana is best – then showed it to Howard.
Howard was being less critical than Hector, but then there are the days when we eat the same Curry but have different perspectives.
I still think it’s very good – proclaimed Howard – three distinct curries, each of different tastes, and all packed full of flavour. My first time here and it was excellent.
Tomorrow we shall see Rizwan at Kabana and there could be five of us. Dr. Stan arrived in Manchester just after 17.00, even he had been relegated to accommodation in Wigan. After an ale or three in the Northern Quarter, Howard and Hector set off to find Academy 2. After joining a queue at the adjacent building we were told at the right one to exchange our printouts for tickets. The chaps on the desk said otherwise. We were directed up a spiral staircase which led to the wrong venue. Eventually the correct stair and the correct floor took us to Academy 2.
Henge were due on at 21.10.
Standing seven rows from the front, I quickly realised that this crowd was markedly different from the type I usually stand with. There were few handsome chaps of a certain age, this was a crowd of mostly – yoofs.
Henge, who are they? It was via a social medium that I first encountered the name and a clip of them onstage. One of my musical heroes – John Jowitt – formerly of IQ/Jadis/Arena highly recommended seeing them live. I established that John was not here tonight. The venue was filled to its 650 maximum, there had been a matinee added to accommodate the demand for this Manchester band. Ghost Riders in the Sky – well a version of it, was played before the band took to the stage, how many of the assembled knew this – classic? A modern day version of – Grobschnitt – was my take on – Henge – from what I have seen/heard previously. Cosmic Dross – is how they describe their music, a crossover over of electronic and dance. Dance, oh no, was Hector at the right movie?
We are HENGE – We have travelled from the far corners of the galaxy to bring a kind of music new to your world!
With the drummer and bass player both wearing alien masks throughout the show, the theatrical was established and maintained. The keyboard player with face paint only, was kinda’ normal. The leader, resplendent in flashing headgear, took the stage to a huge welcome, clearly the majority had seen Henge before, he was performing to his home crowd.
Who are these guys? There is no easily found information. Closer in age to Hector than the average age of the audience, they must have been around a while in other incarnations. The show was polished, every – song – was introduced with some spacey reference a la Hawkwind, the delivery was more – Madness.
Two female stage dancers adopted different costumes throughout the set. A chap in a ridiculously cheap robot costume stood at the rear of the stage simply nodding his head in time to the beat. Actually, the robot looked not dissimilar to the Monster Movie (CAN) shirt Hector was sporting this evening. The bass player, in what looked like a priest’s vestment, also added filling noises and beats with his sequencer, not dissimilar to Holger Czuckay, another reference to – CAN.
Photos taken, I even recorded a few minutes of video, better to see/hear – Henge – than have Hector try to describe the music further. They are a live act, I do not feel the need to buy their material.
Their final song – Demilitarise – saw Robot come to the front of the stage and present a sequence of cue-cards, a sing-along. Dancing and a sing-along, we needed a conga. The front man was in the audience hugging all, and leading the conga. Hector was relieved to be close up, but not chosen, Howard managed to find a paparazzo.
Cats in Space are fun, this show was funny.
