It’s starting to become de rigueur, to shoot for a racing jaunt into Manchester.  Manchester's live scene is so far ahead of my own city’s it is depressing.  The Frenchman is in good spirits with a bit of long overdue good news in a what has been a fairly awful year for both of us.  The car seems in good shape despite a quick check under the hood. Neither of us have been to the Albert Hall before and as ever, we are absurdly early. It sits in a row of upmarket bars on the north side of Deansgate. They have completely overlooked the plus one request and just confirmed the photographer.  After some negotiation I get in on a press pass. The venue is upstairs. The Hall lies somewhere between a hollowed out church and a unused court.  It has high sided balconies and is all dark wood.  Bars line either side of the theatre and are slightly overpriced even in the live music realm.

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