One new thing and one old to tell you about today…

The former is An Apathetical Reader, which is ‘a creative community site that hopes to give a voice to the vast numbers of unsupported, disillusioned young people in the city and question why individuals feel apathy towards their own work’. It’ll achieve this through local news, national political comment, features of Manchester, music journalism and artist’s profiles.

The latter is The Chapel on the edge of Platt Fields in Rusholme/Fallowfield. This building, which dates back to 1790, was used as a meeting place for Manchester Amateur Photographic Society (itself founded in 1885) and the Russell Leite Theatre School until it was purchased a couple of years back.

Now, however, it’s being run by the same ambitious group of ex-students who launched Platt Fields’ Mad Ferret festival last year and who took over the (now closed) Ram & Shackle pub. Their aims, according to a post on Indymedia.org.uk, are  to provide an autonomous space for performing arts, learning, access to the arts and local campaigners. I’m hearing lots of grand ideas coming out of this unusual building, so best of luck to them.

And the link between these two? AAR will be holding an open meeting at The Chapel this coming Wednesday from 7pm. If you fancy getting involved, email Alice or join the AAR Facebook group.

Returning to one of the better things in life: music. The Guardian Guide – and none of the local press (apart from community news site SalfordOnline) as yet – picked up on a new exhibition that opens on Friday in Salford:

Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs: The story of popular music in Salford from 1950 to today

This exhibition explores and celebrates the history of popular music in Salford over the past fifty years right up to the present day. A huge number of musicians hail from Salford or have connections with the city. This has not always been recognised and many famous bands, musicians and ’sounds’ have often been attributed to Manchester.

Now Salford musicians, bands, managers, producers, fans and music people recount their personal stories for this exhibition, and show the unique musical character of this city and its influence on the local, national and international music scene.

The exhibition, at the Salford Museum and Art and Gallery, Peel Park Crescent, Little Hulton, includes new research, plus unpublished audio and film footage to ‘follow the story to the Beat scene of the 60s, and the contrast between disco and punk bands in the 70s’. A Music Timeline comes right up to the present day with the likes of the Ting Tings and Sugababes (who played at St Philip’s Church last year).

Some other names to feature include John Cooper Clarke, Nico, the Fall, the Sex Pistols, the Hollies, Happy Mondays and Joy Division. They’ve even got one of Hooky’s basses on display to get the Factory fans salivating.

The exhibition also contains a 3D version of the Salford Music Map, a new fold-out map that the MEN wrote about last month. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on a free copy and taking a long bike ride to check out the main points of interest.

Quiffs, Riffs and Tiffs will launch with a guided tour by author, TV producer and Salford University lecturer David Nolan on Friday afternoon (3.30-4.30pm for the map; 5-6pm for interviews with the research team; 6-9pm for refreshments and live music, including from the Suzuki Method).

A couple of months ago Visit Manchester, the city’s official tourism website, launched HearManchester.com, a 10-part audio guide to the Rochdale Canal and Petersfield.

Presented by John Robb, the downloadable and streamable guides are entitled inspired, green, en-route, underground, unsung (which I found most interesting), radical, poetic, human, proud and industrial. Each part includes interviews with local experts – ‘ranging from city councillors to body-poppers, psychogeographers to popstars’ – and has a PDF transcript and an associated map, highlighting some of the main points of interest.

The individual guides have a physical trailmarker (such as the one pictured and this one) to encourage people to website, and the project is being promoted as part of next week’s Manchester Science Festival. The guide, produced by Northern Quarter digital agency StarDotStar, has also been shortlisted for a BIMA Award.

I was just reading Mark Page’s excellent Manchester Photography blog and spotted OldSalford.co.uk, a new photo archive site.

It exists ‘to store memories and photographs of the past and present from Salford and the surrounding areas’ (Eccles, Worseley, Pendlebury, Swinton and Bolton) – including the one above, of Broughton Suspension Bridge, which was built in 1888 and lasted until 1914.

There are dozens of photos and captions already on the site but there’s also an appeal for more, and in particular those on the ‘most wanted’ list:

• Harry Ramsdens, off Regent Road – Now demolished
• Old NatWest Bank, Broad Street – Now Security Office
• Old Salford Crescent Police Station – Before boarding up
• Old Swinton Police Station – Now demolished
• Old Salford Market / Precinct
• Langworthy Road – before current upgrading
• Yates’s Swinton Precinct – before its closure

Contact them or post on their forum if you’ve got something to share or are looking for specific images.

If you’re up for a big weekend a fortnight from now, why not combine the aforementioned Chorlton Beer Festival with Summer in the Park, which takes place at Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield on 12 and 13 July.

From the team behind the excellent Manchester Food and Drink Festival, this two-day event promises ‘food. music. drink’ – and looks far superior to the Feast! event that took place at Platt Fields Park a couple of weeks ago. Whereas that event was free, Summer in the Park costs £9.50 (one day) or £17 (weekend pass)… but you get plenty for your money:

• Dine in the Park – Try and buy from some of Manchester’s best restaurants
• Drink in the Park – A chance to sample and purchase a stunning selection of wines, champagnes continental beers and Greater Manchester ales
• Producers in the Park – Meet some of the regions best producers and sample the delights of local produce
• Play in the Park – Something for the kids… Play in the Park will create a haven for the little ones. From a baby disco to fruit kebab making, Play in the Park has it covered. Plus kids under 11 come for FREE
• Learn in the Park – Pick up some useful cooking tips from some of the best chefs as they let you into their culinary secrets
• Tea in the Park – A dedicated home for the finest and most diverse, teas, coffees, juices, smoothies, cakes and biscuits that Manchester has to offer
• Music in the Park – What better accompaniment could there be for a festival of food and drink than festival of live music on the main stage, compiling some of Manchester’s favourite artists
• Feast in the Park – As evening draws in, the inimitable Robert Owen Brown will be hosting a traditional feast in the park, featuring a huge ox-roast and seasonal vegetables. The communal banquet will kick off at tea time for those who haven’t already filled up during the day, rounding off a perfect day in the park..

Making a change for events of this type, the musical lineup is actually pretty good, with I am Kloot, the Earlies, the Travelling Band, It’s a Buffalo, Bone-Box, the Bottomfeeders, Mr Scruff, Magic Arm and Cranebuilders among the bands I’d happily pay to see.

I’m also looking forward to trying samples from the following Manchester restaurants, budget permitting: Chaophraya, The Market Restaurant, Carluccio’s, Malmaison Brasserie, Ning, Northern Quarter Restaurant, Brasserie Chez Gerard, Grado, Marmalade and Evuna.

And, drinks-wise, Odd Bar is supplying 30 wines from around the world while 20 local brewers – including Banktop, Marble, Prospect, Allgates, Hornbeam, Leyden, Fallens, Owl, Phoenix and Millstone – will be keeping me content.

All in all, it sounds like a great weekend out. Now if only the weather is obliging…