Wednesday 24 December 2008

manchester confidential give belle vue a plug

it appears i'm not the only one singing the praises of the splendid belle vue magazine - phil griffin waxes lyrical about it in manchester confidential, linking its literary form to a venerable tradition of independently published ephemera, starting he explains with:

'Seventeenth century London coffee houses produced quires and quires of the stuff. Rants mainly, and one-legged proclamations that brook no argument. Belle Vue is an authentic folksy thing, like dominoes and pickled eggs'.

fine praise from a great online publication that i always forget to follow which either aptly illustrates how woefully inept i am or that there is still a real need for the tangibility and immediacy of a local cultural magazine that tackles the great and the small, the everyday and the extraordinary happenings in our city. without it we remain condemned to a plethora of quite dismal coverage from men and the metro (apologies to both for any offence caused)...

how better than to finish this little post in the reviews own closing words:

Two quid buys your copy of Belle Vue in Cask, Briton’s Protection and Corner House. All of which, you will notice, are licensed premises. It is a good thing that will get better. Good, because it is heart felt and honestly expressed by people who love this city.

go on buy it, read it, pass it on to friends, contribute to it.
manchester deserves it!

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