I spotted The Zutons giving insider tips for Liverpool to CNN’s The Scene travel programme the other day and wondered who would do the same for Manchester. The answer: Badly Drawn Boy.

In the short video he mentions Britons Protection, where he first performed, Manchester City, Piccadilly Records, Chorlton and, of course, the Bee Gees. He also admits that, like most Mancunians, he doesn’t know much about the city’s history.

The Scene is asking viewers to contribute their own insider tips for Manchester. Magazines 69-247 and Time Out are both mentioned, as is Mancubist’s Google Maps mashup to track the www Sabi Rock guy. He’s gone awfully quiet of late, hasn’t he?

CNN have really put the effort in with Manchester. You can also find an overview of Manchester, a decent city guide (Killing Fantasy, Earth Cafe etc) and an extended Q&A interview with Badly Drawn Boy, all by Linnie Rawlinson.

Not to be outdone by Manchester’s In The City, Liverpool begins its musical retaliation tomorrow with the fourth Liverpool Music Week.

The generous ‘week’ runs from November 4 until November 13 and features 220 acts playing at 16 venues. Last year 18,000 people attended and this week they’re expecting 26,000.

If I lived in Liverpool or could afford the train fare, I’d give serious consideration to seeing festival openers Shack tomorrow night. Tramp Attack (who are splitting up) would also feature highly on my to-see list.

LMW is spilling over into Manchester too, with The Maybes? playing Akoustik Anarkhy tomorrow night and Peter & The Wolf and Eugene McGuinness doing an EP launch at Big Hands on Tuesday.

From a comment left yesterday on the I am Tony Parrish post:

It ain’t over yet.

By Tony Parrish on 09.11.06 6:09 pm

Also commenting on that post is “information gatherer” Tori Blare, who runs two blogs on Liverpool Council and the ‘Liverpool Evil Cabal investigation’:

liverpoolcityacollectionofinformation.blogspot.com

toriblareliverpool.blogspot.com

There may also be some connection to Blondie’s Liverpool corruption blog, letmeoffthecorporatebus.blogspot.com.

Down the East Lancs Road in Liverpool, a blog called Liverpool Evil Cabal has been courting controversy for a couple of months now.

Updated by someone using the guise Tony Parrish – “occupation: whistle-blower, interests: victory” – the website contained speculation about the running of the council. Here’s Tony’s own introduction:

The ‘evil cabal’ comes from the description given by former council Leader, Mike Storey to the wicked triumvirate that ran the council.

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