Get off sofa
TEXT CORMAC BAKEWELL
Northern Exposure
Fun in your city to ward off winter blues
SHOP LIKE IT’S A SPORT
3-10 OCTOBER
What better excuse to test Leeds’ claim to the title of ‘Knightsbridge of the North’ than a week dedicated to the city’s fashion shops and independent designers.
Clarence Dock will be taking full advantage of its riverside location with an open-air floating catwalk, while shops at The Light centre will also be showing off their autumn lines at three big fashion shows.
Stacks of places are offering discounts throughout Shopping Week and the whole event is supporting the Breast Cancer Care charity.
It can’t be long before people start calling Knightsbridge the ‘Leeds of London’. See www.leedsshoppingweek.co.uk.
TOTALLY RAD, LIKE
25-26 OCTOBER
If you want to give your sk8er boi a treat this autumn then Tynemouth is the place to go. The Xperience08 festival will pack in enough extreme sports action to keep your adrenaline rushing all weekend.
But if you get bored of the death-defying stunts you can always leave him watching the snowboarders catching some air and hit the beach to see if any of the pro-surfers need help easing their toned bods out of those tight wetsuits.
There will also be taster sessions where you can have a go yourself and pick up tips from the experts, or you can give snow tubing a try. For the uninitiated that means sliding down a ski slope on giant rubber ring. It may not sound very extreme but at least they’re using real snow. Find out more at www.xperience08.com.
MTV HITS MERSEYSIDE
6 NOVEMBER
It’s a city which has given us bands from Atomic Kitten to The Zutons – not to mention those four blokes who were quite big in the 60s. Liverpool’s outstanding contribution to pop is undeniable.
Now the music’s coming home with the waterfront Echo Arena set to host the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.
As we go to print the line-up is a closely guarded secret but who knows, perhaps Amy Winehouse will treat us to another ‘tired and emotional’ rendition of Rehab this year.
Millions will be watching at home but you could be among the lucky few who actually get to be there. Keep an eye on ema.mtv.co.uk for details on how get hold of tickets.
SHEAR DELIGHT
18–22 NOVEMBER
It’s that classic star-crossed love story: boy meets girl, boy and girl fall in love, but boy and girl can’t be together because boy’s fingers are made out of long, sharp metal blades.
Making a triumphant return home after its sell-out world tour, Matthew Bourne’s stupendous theatrical version of Edward Scissorhands will be stopping off in Manchester before starting its Christmas run in London.
Helped by the hauntingly memorable original film score, choreographer Bourne – who first hit the big time with his all-male version of Swan Lake in 1995 – has done an superb job of recreating Tim Burton’s modern fairytale on stage.
Amazingly, the story of the half-formed hero’s efforts to find his place in a strange suburban world is told without a single line of dialogue.
Watch out for one of the show’s highlights – a surreal sequence where Edward and his beloved Kim dream of a future together, accompanied by formation-dancing bushes. Contact the Lowry (thelowry. com, tel: 0870 787 5780) for information and tickets.
Would you like to leave a comment ?
You must be logged in to leave a message.