Album Review: Vandaveer - 'Divide & Conquer'

FOLLOW UP: Vandaveer return with 'Divide & Conquer'

THE brainchild of Kentucky born songwriter, Mark Charles Heidinger, Vandaveer have unleashed the follow up to 2007’s alternative folk debut ‘Grace & Speed’ with their multi-facetted new release ‘Divide & Conquer’. The band, now based in Washington DC, has evolved from a journeying folk machine into a more refined, harmonious group with this at times delicate second release.

The addition of heavenly harmonies courteous of Rose Guerin contrast beautifully with the straining gravel behind Heidinger’s sound and add another dimension to Vandaveer’s music. Welcome instrumental contributions by ‘These United States’ band mates, Justin Craig and Robby Cosenza, also make this record a much more layered offering from Heidinger and co.

The title track is a sign of what’s to come as it’s a slow burning, acoustic sounding song to fall asleep to, as Heidinger slowly narrates to a soundtrack of soft percussion, a winding guitar and smooth bursts from a piano. This backs on to a bed of rhetorical lyrics that are phrased to perfection, as Heidinger questions, “when you gaze out your window does it phase or envelop you?”

Heidinger’s voice sounds like a grittier Paolo Nutini at times and on tracks like ‘Turpentine’ the band bears an uncanny resemblance to British Folkster, Scott Matthews, with a meandering acoustic guitar and resonant humming that again combine beautifully with Guerin’s mesmeric supporting vocals. ‘Turpentine’ is an encapsulating, bluesy tale of unhappiness and sin that is a sure fire highlight of ‘Divide & Conquer’ with playfully dower lyrics to boot like, “when you dance with the devil, you don’t waltz for free.”

Vandaveer are at their very best in this album during the slower tracks that make the most of Guerin’s harmonies such as in ‘Turpentine’, ‘Fistful of Swoon’ and ‘The Sound and the Fury’ as she brings an extra emphasis to Heidinger’s clever lyrics. But not all of the tracks make the most of the harmonies or the writing.

An example of this is the rhythmic but ultimately unexciting ‘Woolgathering’ which is as uninspiring as the name suggests. An uncharacteristically bouncy guitar, intermittent piano section and soft vocal from Heidinger is sweet but difficult to listen to, largely due to its lack of distinct chorus or change in tempo.

Another elephant in the room is the blaring folk anthem ‘Mighty Leviathan of Old’ which features a strong willed guitar strum, gutsy bass and drum backing. As Heidinger sings, “With torches in hand we surveyed the land,” it almost sounds like some sort of medieval throwback with littered old English and that strong melody, but it does grate as the song wears on.

All in all the vocal addition of Guerin was more than a master stroke as she balances Heidinger’s gritty voice to create a harmony that was destined to be. Despite some rogue tracks, ‘Divide & Conquer’ is for the most part a masterful, articulate and harmonious collection of tales of woe that are pleasing enough to the ears to make you feel as if you’re day dreaming, it’s definitely well worth a listen.

7/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

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Album Review: Eliza Doolittle - 'Eliza Doolittle'

DEBUT: Self titled album all set to hit the shelves

LONDON born singer-songwriter, Eliza Doolittle’s self titled debut album is a baby-faced look into her world of bouncy, summer melodies that at times are irresistibly catchy. The 22-year-old songstress, who has supported the likes of Jamie Cullum and Alphabeat on recent tours, has left her musical theatre background in the past to release this fresh new record.

The album is filled with sweet, cutesy lyrics that only the most hard faced critic could fail to find amusing like in the reminiscent ‘Back to Front’, where Doolittle beautifully sings, “we’d be pulling down the daisies, drinking milk and feeling lazy.” In fact on this track Doolittle’s vocals are exemplary and uncannily like her pop predecessor Bailey Rae, with an innocently natural voice that captures the essence of the song.

The first single to come from the record, ‘Skinny Genes’, is a dreamy track that makes you want to skip your way to work, with infectious whistling that litters the chorus. This cheery track cant help but bring a spring to your step with Doolittle’s soon-to-be trademark bouncy guitar strumming and rhythmic drumming. The youngster also manages to mix in plenty of cheeky lines that are far from cutesy like, “I really don’t like your skinny genes, so take them off for me, show me what you’ve got underneath so we can do this properly.”

But at points you cant help but feel like Doolittle is trying a little bit hard to throw in puns and double meanings as the track ‘Mr Medicine’ shows. With a slower strum and softer vocal, Doolittle comes out with some cheesy lines about the man in her life (Mr Medicine) that are at times cringe-worthy such as, “Mr Medicine I need my vitamins, what do you recommend?”

And as much as this album demonstrates Doolittle’s strengths, it does begin to grate somewhat with some forgettable songs like ‘Smokey Room’ with its uncharacteristically harsh guitar and far from catchy chorus, “Yeah ‘cause that’s so original.”

The undoubted highlight of the record however is its second single ‘Pack Up’, which features a bouncy bassline, retro piano and sound bites from George Henry Powell’s 1930s marching song, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag’ and even a strange “tweet tweet” solo by Doolittle. The song comes together to make a classy, feel good, pop track that is the album’s stand out song.

Eliza Doolittle’s first offering is relatively hit and miss but the hits, it must be said, are big hits. For a debut album this is an imaginative pop record that has a definitively soft and sweet style that fits the summer months down to a tee. With an emotive voice like that of Corinne Bailey Rae and some of the cheeky charisma of Lily Allen, the signs are there that sweet summer pop could have a new face given time.

7/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

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Album Review: The Young Veins - 'Take A Vacation'

BACK TO BASICS: Reformed pop-punkers go all Beatles on us

PERENNIAL pop-punkers, Panic! at the Disco’s shock split in July 2009 left the band in pieces after Jon Walker and Ryan Ross left, citing creative differences, and it’s not hard to see why as the pair have gone back to basics with their new outfit, The Young Veins.

The California based band’s debut album, ‘Take a Vacation’, lures listeners into a time where mini skirt clad youngsters were bopping to the beats of the Beatles and free love was in full flow. This 60’s throwback hits you with simple guitar riffs, catchy chorus’ and jingling tambourines right from the start.

Walker and Ross have set out a smorgasbord of short, foot tapping, classically inspired melodies kicking off with their first single ‘Change’ which immediately sets the up tempo bar for the rest of the album. A stripped back, chorus-verse-chorus set up with guitar solo to boot, this track is a clear departure from any modern pop punk leniencies to say the least.

The title track is also a delight but this time with upbeat harmonies that are reminiscent of the Beach Boys and lyrics that make you feel like you’re in a VW camper van on the way to a California beach in mid summer. Playfully Ross sets the scene with a catchy hook and cute lines like “We’ll leave the waves at the ocean and keep them all in a picture.”

The Young Vein’s first outing is not all surfing and sun however as the album features some cleverly written and at times sleepy tracks. The dreamy ‘Everyone but You’ floats into your ears like a lullaby with chilled out strumming and gentle jingling that are as mesmerising as Walker lovingly singing, “I’m tired of counting sheep to see her, I sleep because I need her.”

Another love laden track comes in the form of the reflective, ‘Dangerous Blues’, where Ross talks about the realisation that “Love is a beautiful drug” among gentle harmonies and a welcoming piano. This leads on through softer songs like ‘Lie About the Truth’, which takes you through calming guitar strumming and ‘Heart of Mine’ which is made to sound almost as if it’s being sung around a camp fire with a sing-along atmosphere and informal laughter.

This album is more than a departure from Walker and Ross’ pop punk roots, it’s a real U-turn that is sure to meet both the needs of the new wave of Beatles and Kinks lovers as well as their parents. Crammed with bouncy riffs and melodies that take you to the beach, your dreams and the very best bits of your youth, this retro album takes you back to the care free 60’s and all they stood for.

In fact this finely tuned pop rock vortex is summed up by the anthemic ‘Young Veins (Die Tonight)’, where Ross sings: “We have the time of our lives every night, like it’s our job to lose our minds.”

9/10

Also published on www.virgin.com

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The Working Men’s Club- Friendly, Forthcoming but Falling Short

GOOD TIMES: Barrowford WMC in need of more glory days

FROM bingo and beers to pool and pies, the old fashioned working men’s club has been a fixture in towns and cities all over the UK for over a century but in recent years we’ve simply stopped going. Is the traditional club an outdated trend or an important part of British culture? Jonathan Brown investigates...

Having lived just 200 yards away from David Street Working Men’s Club in the small northern town of Barrowford for most of my adult life, it says a lot that I’ve never actually been in the place. It’s always seemed to me like a secret lair for the over 50s and to this day it’s a somewhat scary pebble-dashed fortress but at a time when it is believed around four working men’s clubs are closing every week, surely these perceptions need to change.

Approaching the dominating doorway I can’t help but feel a little nervous and as I walk through the entrance I’m met with a room full of speculative stares. Clearly the under 35 is a rare commodity at David Street. Taking a glance around it’s a surreal sight to behold, the atmosphere is sterile, it’s almost like being in a waiting room. There’s a redundant ‘stage’ with cringingly garish gold tinsel behind it, a derelict dartboard that looks as if it’s never been used despite the majority of the crowd of ten punters looking like retired darts players.

All you can hear is ‘Take Me Out’ on the TV and the odd outbreak of cackling from the hardcore members in the corner. It seems like I’m not the only one too scared to go in.

So maybe it’s just the look of the place and people’s pre-conceived ideas that have caused David Street and clubs like it to become decreasingly popular in recent years.

To my surprise the face behind David Street is not Brian Potter, of Phoenix Nights fame, but instead I am met with the embodiment of the pub land lady, Pam Black. She’s a short, stocky woman who could pass easily pass as the club's bouncer never mind stewardess. Yet despite appearances she is an immensely friendly and passionate lady, who wants nothing more than for David Street to re-live its prime.

“It’s a fact, WMC’s are definitely in trouble but we’re doing okay,” Pam says with a sigh. She continues, “The problem is getting people to come through the doors after you’ve paid artists to perform, it’s a risky game because if we mess up, the club will pay for it.”

In fact David Street pays for acts once every three weeks to come and perform and hopefully pack out the venue but picking the right acts is a challenge in itself. Unfortunately after seeing the far from blockbuster ‘Irish Battle of the Bands’ advertisement from the week before on the notice board I can see why the club wasn’t packed to the rafters that night. Thankfully for me the club won’t be featuring any Daniel O’Donnell tribute acts tonight however.

The club can actually hold up to 100 people but on a night like this, with a sparse crowd littering the function room that you could count on your fingers, you can infer that Pam is keeping her cards close to her chest. The clues as to how they are doing are there for all to see, most of the spotlights in the ceiling aren’t working and there is a plug-in heater in the middle of the room because the heating is ‘broken’.

The fact that people have many preconceptions about WMC’s surely can’t help but Pam is quite proud to say that David Street is traditional. “Yes we are old fashioned and we do still have bingo and cabaret artists but that is what people love about clubs like this one. We are very welcoming to younger people though, we even let people order in takeaways and eat in the function room, it’s like having an extended family,” she explains.

And I can sympathise with her, the atmosphere of a WMC is a lot quieter than that of a pub and seemingly more sociable, the characters you find in places like David Street are fantastic. Take Frank for example. The larger than life forty-something having seen me at the bar chatting to Pam is adamant that I’m Casanova in disguise, shouting, “Don’t give him your phone number Pam!” These people make the place what it is but after all the club itself is over a hundred years old and some of the punters aren’t far from that milestone themselves by the look of it. Glancing round some are even asleep.

Having never been in the club before, I have to admit that I was expecting a far icier reception. But if anything, a new person being there just intrigues the regulars and before you know it you’re bombarded with questions and you feel instantly welcome. Despite this the perception still remains amongst many that unless you’re called Trevor, Graham or Shirley and you’ve worked as some sort of engineer or you’re an expert bingo player, you’re likely to feel as welcome as a horse in a nightclub in a place like this. But during these difficult economic times clubs like David Street can’t afford to be selective.

The WMC in Britain is in crisis because of far more than the odd bad tribute act or because of the 80s decor however. In the past decade social change has simply left the old fashioned club behind and now it is struggling to pick up the pieces. The smoking ban, recession and cheapening supermarket prices have driven people away from traditions and into less communal, cheaper ways around these modern day hurdles, even pubs are feeling the pressure at present. The heyday of the WMC, it appears, has long gone judging by the fact that since the 1970s the number of registered working men’s clubs in the UK has been nearly halved and the number of clubs is continuing to drop, so are they really worth saving?

As I sit pouring the rest of my pint can into a glass in Barrowford’s very own version of the Phoenix club pondering the question, it dawns on me how important to some people the working men’s club really is. You just don’t get random people coming up and introducing themselves to you in even the most friendly pub. WMC’s are innocent, lessening communities of people who simply enjoy the familiarity and sociability that comes with a membership. These clubs are a glance into days when you left your front door ajar and if the neighbours walked in for a chat you’d welcome them with open arms.

Because of this it seems Pam is as determined as ever to revive the club’s fortunes and she is adamant that they are starting to reel in a new generation of customers of which Matt Burton is one. The 18 year-old student and his friends have only ventured into David Street a handful of times but it seems Pam and the club’s committee are pinning their hopes on youngsters like them.

“As much as this place is a dead most of the time, to be honest, the main reason we come is for a couple of cheap drinks and to play pool because there’s never a cue for the table,” he explains. “We do feel a little bit out of place when we’re in here and just go straight up to the pool room, they are so trusting that they even gave us the keys to upstairs the first night we ever came down,” he says.

So for the likes of Matt at least the appeal of being associated with a WMC is minimal which doesn’t bode well for the future and it has to be said that a lot of locals probably wouldn’t notice if the tinsel clad club called it a day. In contrast the regulars would certainly have a thing to say about that, as for many clubs such as David Street memberships go back generations.

But as Pam admits herself, the characters that have kept David Street alive in recent times are themselves becoming few and far between. “There’s a lot dying off and we are actively trying to get new people in, we’ve even bought a Nintendo Wii which will hopefully bring more customers in,” she optimistically explains.

Yet with all this in mind you can’t help but feel a little bit downbeat about the future of such clubs that have decades upon decades of history and tradition behind them. The youth seem disinterested and the nation is hardly calling out to see more cheesy variety acts at present, so this may well be a final farewell to the humble working men’s club.

However there is a glimmer of hope as far as Pam is concerned, as the club has started to go down the route of renting out the venue itself for private functions a lot more recently, such as for Christmas parties and birthday celebrations.

She asserts: “The future for us at the moment is in putting on private functions because we just don’t get enough punters on a regular night whether it be a weekend or midweek. If we attract enough functions we’ll do okay.”

As the night winds down and the punters clear their tables the community spirit of the good old fashioned working men’s club rears its head. The camaraderie of the place and willingness to support each other is a humbling flashback to a bygone era and despite it being left behind by social change I’m quite sure that the togetherness of the WMC is more than worthy of a place in modern society even if Daniel O’Donnell impressionists aren’t.

Manford of the Moment

AMBITIOUS: Colin Manford looking for success

THE clean cut style, cheesy grin and quick wit of Manchester’s most exciting comedy export, Jason Manford, are qualities that you might also expect to find in his tight knit family. For the most part you’d be right but Colin Manford’s straggly beard, glasses and lesser bank balance set him far apart from his nationally acclaimed brother and as he sits across from me in a busy city pub, most punters are unaware of his comic talents.

But despite appearances, the star’s younger brother is also taking to the stage after a somewhat chequered few years in and out of colleges and odd jobs. After leaving school, the six foot plus, larger than life youngster hadn’t a clue of what his future might hold and stand up comedy wasn’t even on his radar, in spite of his instinctively witty personality.

Colin’s ability to make light of things was a necessity when growing up however, as the Manford family struggled in the working class Whalley Range suburb of Manchester during his early life, yet for years he has shied away from the spotlight. “We grew up with pretty much nothing, so you have to entertain yourself and come up with your own stuff. As far as family goes, it’s full of entertainers especially on my mum’s side, even my other older brother who is a plumber is also a part time magician,” he explains.

In fact after re-taking some school exams the self confessed class clown ended up on a mundane communications course at a local college which he seemed destined to fail from the start. “It was just dire, I only lasted 6 months. My decision to leave was based on a Tuesday because I used to get home when it was dark and I just didn’t like that,” he says with a rye smile.

And this became a recurring theme as the unmotivated joker unsuccessfully went through several colleges before taking an unexpected two year detour. As Jason broke into mainstream TV, Colin was asking if you wanted your sandwich toasted at your local Subway as he continued to search for his calling. “These last few years have been mental, I often sit back and think what am I doing, why did I work in subway for two years.

“At the time it was only supposed to be a stop gap but I just got comfortable. Living at home with no bills to pay, getting £300 every two weeks with a Wetherspoons down the road, I was like a full on alcoholic for two years,” he recalls.

But after eventually pulling himself away from the beer and butties he did some teacher training and eventually followed in his brother's footsteps by working his way on to a media and performance course at the University of Salford, where he finally started to ask questions about comedy. In fact after years ignoring his ability to make people laugh, he finally took the leap of faith into stand up comedy in 2007 but it wasn’t all going to be ovations and encores straight away.

WINNER: Colin Beats the Frog

The bumbling funny man pretty much fell in at the deep end by entering ‘King Gong’ at the Comedy Store in Manchester, where comedians get a tiny five minute berth on stage to avoid getting gonged off by a rowdy crowd.

“I thought about it just before uni and then I finally caved in to one of my mates. Doing King Gong at the Comedy Store was honest to god the worst day of my life,” he explains. “Beat the Frog is friendly, it’s a nice one, even if you get gonged off. But King Gong is brutal, it’s hostile, the compere encourages the crowd to heckle but I got the two mixed up and signed up for King Gong. I lasted two minutes.”

A shattered Manford was drowning his sorrows in the club’s foyer when veteran comedian Mick Ferry offered the young amateur a pep talk and within days Colin was back on stage at Beat the Frog, which he duly won at the first attempt. He says: “Mick basically told me to keep writing as not every audience is going to like every joke you write, it’s not all about acting like a mentalist like they do at King Gong and he was right.”

Colin’s baptism of fire into the world of stand up was a real wake up call to him of his brother’s achievements and now he hopes to emulate Jason’s achievements having seen the blueprint. “Straight off I’d say my brother is someone I look up to. I mean because we’re so close and because he’s grafted so hard, now I know what can happen if I graft hard. He’s done his education, finished uni and he’s doing brilliantly,” he says proudly.

But as a result of his brothers huge success, Colin was so wary of becoming pigeon-holed as some sort of tribute act that for his first two years as a stand up he all but dismissed his identity, working under the pseudonym of Colin Charles. He explains: “It’s difficult for me because I’m immediately cast as Jason’s brother, I mean I don’t use Jason’s jokes and I don’t talk about him so why should I be presented to people using his name?”

Following a two year crash course in comedy under his new name, during which he built up an admirable reputation, Manford finally unveiled his identity at the comedy Mecca of the Edinburgh Festival last year.

“I’m proud of what I achieved as Colin Charles. It’s just because I didn’t want to be labelled back then and I got fed up eventually. It’s my name too, it’s for my parents, wanting them to feel like there’s another Manford out there making it but I’ve got a long way to go,” he continues. “Now I use my name as a plus point because if people say you’re just Jason’s brother then I get on stage and prove to them that I’ll be funny off my own back.”

And it has to be said that Colin is definitely his own man when it comes to his comedy. Jeff Davis, a local student living in Salford, saw both Jason and his young apprentice at the same Beat the Frog contest last year. He says: “Colin was great on the night and he got a really good reception. His jokes were a lot darker than Jason’s though, they’re both great story tellers but Colin swears a bit more and talks more about student life. He did remind me a lot of his brother though, just because of his mannerisms really but that’s always going to happen with brothers.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I saw Colin on TV in a year or two, he’s definitely one of the better comics I’ve seen but it often takes years before you see a club comic on mainstream shows. I think he has a great future in stand up from what I’ve seen.”

Now in his third year as an aspiring comic, Manford is gigging at least three times a week in and around Manchester and the North West with the ultimate aim of reaching the big time. As he sits back, takes a gulp of water and explains his grand aims, it’s clear that he’s ambitious. But the burden of his brother’s success has meant that some promoters have tried to market him by using Jason’s name, something which Colin despises, but you can’t help but wonder when that might end. “He’s not going to be here and our materials is not the same so that does annoy me, some people take the piss like that,” he says.

In fact Colin is setting his sights on conquering more than just the stand up genre with other projects that include directing and starring in his own independent film, starting a production company and trying to get acting work. Comedy is clearly his greatest passion however, as you can’t help but share his enthusiasm when he talks you through his favourite stand up moments. He clears his throat and gestures a 3D image of his favourite gig and you feel compelled to be taken on his comic journey.

“There must have been 350 people crammed into the Frog and Bucket and I was warming the crowd up for the competition, it just felt like it was the best gig of my life,” he excitedly recalls. “I don’t usually get hecklers either but this time I did because is slagged Salford off and there was this crazy, fat woman from Salford on the balcony and she started threatening me. She even gave me the gun signs and then she flashed me, the biggest black bra I’ve seen in my life. I managed to get a standing ovation after that, I had a really good gig.

SHOWMAN: Colin on stage

“I think the best thing that came out of that was when her husband came up to the stage and asked the compere why they were thrown out, so the compere said: ‘Well your wife just threatened to kill a comedian, so I think that’s grounds to be kicked out of a comedy club, don’t you?’,” he laughs.

But unfortunately the life of a young journeyman stand up is not all that glamorous and more often than not Colin finds himself working for free at charity events and club nights that could not be further away from the limelight. Yet as much as he’s not the biggest fan of the old working men’s club, it certainly beats subway.

“I’m one of those people who cant say no to anyone so I’ll end up doing charity events for people and more often than not they’re just shambolic. I did one last week for Age Concern in Heaton Norris and it was just brutal,” he continues. “I mean before hand I came up with all these new jokes and ideas to try and when I got there the crowd was literally age concern.”

The upbeat comic is happy at the moment just to get out there and gain experience, with a more than supportive family firmly behind him and expert advice from his celebrated sibling. In fact Colin is keen to learn as much as he can from someone who has been there and done it, and there’s sure to be a lot of laughs along the way. “He’s dead interested as well in what I’m doing, we have a lot of banter and he’s always putting me down in front of people in a friendly way, with the whole ‘he’s trying to be a comedian’ joke,” Colin smirks.

As he slurps the final dregs of his water, it’s clear Colin has found his passion and with a brother of whom he is proud and who gives him constant support besides the banter, you can’t help but back him to go all the way. But there is still something missing for Colin as despite the fact that Jason has appeared on the same bill as him, he’s never actually seen Colin’s stand up. “Performing in front of Jason is one thing I’d love to happen because I’ve performed in front of my mum, dad and my other brothers and even a girl who I used to be in love with, which was petrifying. I know he’ll give me good advice,” he says.

So even when the teasing and jokes are flying, Colin rests in the knowledge that although his brother is nationally known, the mutual respect that they have for each other remains unblemished. “I even did an interview for Manchester Radio Online and Jason rang up and tried having a go. He made a comment saying that when I realise I’m not good enough and I give up, he’s going to buy my jokes off me and I was like alright, okay,” he smiles. “At least my jokes are good enough that he’d want to buy them.”

Manchester Has Increased Volcanicity!

VOLCANIC: Icelandic volcano spews ash all over Europe

BATHED in sun in one of Eastern Europe’s finest cities, in an upbeat beer garden in mid-Easter, the last thing you expect to hear is that a volcano has erupted and closed down airspace all over the continent and more importantly for me, Manchester. But the massive ash cloud that engulfed most of Europe’s airspace has had far reaching after affects on the home of Eccles cakes and Oasis. Jonathan Brown reports...

Possibly the most depressing site I have ever witnessed in my life was the departure boards at Prague Airport. Hundreds of flights all not so subtly marked with massive red capital letters as “CANCELLED”. Thousands of dreary prospective passengers litter the terminals sat on their bags, looking as if they’re contemplating whether they might be able to get a pilots licence and fly home before budget airlines can seat them in squalor class stools on the next tin bird back home. Scenes that echoed across Europe.

GUTTED: Holiday makers stranded

News of volcanic proportions meant that me and my worse for wear friends had two options to get home, either at least an extended stay in the city with zero money or a four country trek back home in complete discomfort. Choosing the latter on a somewhat ill-advised whim, the gruelling £350 journey home began with a monstrous ten hour minibus ride to Paris in a cramped people carrier with six unwashed men and a Czech native driver, Chavros, who spoke little to no English.

But I was one of millions of travellers stranded across the continent with limited means with which to get home and in Manchester around 300,000 people due to fly in or out of the airport were stuck. The unprecedented closures have meant that people have had to resort to everything but horseback to get to their destination and for us, Chavros was only the first leg of a torturous, hunger ridden marathon. Being part of that statistic isn’t all fun and games I hasten to add but some Mancunians had to travel from as far as India by land to get back to the northern Mecca that is Manchester.

In fact of the 120,000 Brits who have been stranded abroad since the closures, some are still struggling to get home weeks after the airports were re-opened as for many who holidayed outside of Europe flight cancellations have sent them right to the back of the cue.

Manchester was also a scene of panic as travellers scrambled together plans to get home, meaning we weren’t the only ones reverting to the roads. Taxi services across the region got calls for huge cross country fares such as the Lynx taxi firm in Stockport who bagged a £3,600 fare for taking 21 Americans to Madrid on a 1,200 mile journey south. Amber Cars and Radio Cars Manchester have also taken punters as far as Dover and Hull for ferry crossings costing hundreds of pounds a piece.

Despite this it hasn’t been all good news for Mancunian cab drivers. For many, the everyday fares that they might get to and from the airport have fallen foul of the volcano, leaving hundreds of drivers sat at home watching slow motion replays of eruptions and listening to newsreaders attempting to pronounce Eyjafjallajokull on the local news.

It has to be said though, Czech cab driver Chavros didn’t look like complaining as he gleefully counted the 1,000 Euros that we reluctantly paid him for our 650 mile journey to Paris. After a short four day break you cant help but curse your luck when on the second to last day all flights across Europe are grounded because of a volcano.

Despite our evident self pity and the fact that Chavros was starting to look like a somewhat broken man the more energy drinks he downed, the poor guy tried his very best to keep us in relatively high spirits at least. He attempted to cheer us up by talking to us about random Czech footballers and Manchester United in broken English but realistically the best near conversational offering I could return was a Haribo sweet which he duly gobbled up. Little did any of us know, however, that local sport back home was going to be affected in such a dramatic way.

Coincidentally during this first weekend of blanket closures the biggest game on the north-west’s footballing calendar was set to take place, the huge local derby between Manchester United and Manchester City. This clash of the titans was certainly a must see for any seven of your average Manchester based travelling students, stranded hundreds of miles away from home and we were no exception. But even something as localised as 22 mainly foreign, overpaid footballers playing for two local teams was interrupted somewhat by Thor’s volcano.

The scheduled referee for the game, Steve Bennett, happened to be another of the thousands stranded abroad, this time in Romania as he attended a refereeing course in the days prior to the momentous match. The game still went ahead after a last minute reshuffle but this was nothing compared to the lengths some of the area’s sports had to go to make sure their games went ahead.

Salford City Reds rugby team endured a torrid case of bad timing as they had a hugely important Challenge Cup fixture away in the south of France scheduled for that weekend against Catalan Dragons. With the sport’s governing body keen for the fixture to go ahead, Salford found themselves with little option but to make the arduous drive south to Perpignan or face some unhappy executives. Club spokesman, Paul McNally, helped to organise the trip and feels that some used the passion for their local team to make the trip against the odds, “It hit the fans quite hard because a few had booked flights, but some of the hardcore still managed to drive down which is beyond the call of duty really,” he said.

The teams journey was a mammoth one as they battled to keep the players from getting muscle cramps, “It took 37 hours of coach travel to get there and around five and a half days for the round trip instead of the normal hour flight each way,” Paul explained. “They stopped frequently every two hours or so to stretch and for breaks and they stopped in a couple of hotels along the way.”

It really isn’t hard to imagine how much discomfort the players must have been in, as they average 6 foot-plus in height and each weigh about the same as a pet elephant, but they had to make do. Paul added: “They even did rotas as to who could sleep in the isles to get a kip.”

Overall however there are some positives to be taken from the whole experience as the players became more of a unit through the almost week long trek to Perpignan and back. “Talking to the lads it wasn’t all bad, it was a good laugh in periods and there was a lot of team bonding going on,” he continues. “I mean they work together every day but they don’t live with each other and that’s what they had to do.”

So in some ways I can sympathise with the Salford players in that it is terribly uncomfortable in a cramped bus for such a long time despite the fact that their coach was full of luxuries but then again I’m sure they didn’t receive as cold reception as we did in Paris. Ice cold in fact. As when I arrived in Paris, the world’s most romantic city, it wasn’t as breath taking as I’d imagined partly due to me being freezing cold and accompanied by a plethora of similarly sweat ridden, grumpy lads with nowhere to go at 4am. However after giving up on sleep that night our journey took us, like many other Britons, to Galliene train and coach station where we were met with yet more knackered tourists. Dragging our carcasses off the train we spotted the line of travellers queued in hope, as one after the other they got to the front and shouted forcefully at the miniscule lady behind the coach station’s customer service desk. It wasn’t looking good. However through a well over due stroke of luck all seven of us managed to secure golden tickets to London via a ferry and a tiny in comparison six hour coach journey.

Thousands of Brits abroad also tried their hand at catching coaches home to Manchester, as we did. In fact 23 children and parents from St Catherine’s RC Primary School negotiated a 1,500 mile road trip through France back to Didsbury after having been stranded by that pesky volcano. The group of youngsters hopped on the ferry and thankfully got home in one piece as locals rallied to get back to the wind swept climbs of not so sunny Manchester from all over Europe.

SAVIOUR: Chorlton youngsters rescued by navy

Other school children also took to the seas somewhat more spectacularly in search of home. A group of pupils and parents from St John’s Primary School in Chorlton, who were on an exchange trip, became stranded in Porto as a result of the thickening ash crisis. Eight children and their parents had to get a 300 mile taxi ride to Santander on the coast of Spain where they were met by a British Navy warship, the HMS Albion. The immense ship was also carrying 500 British troops returning from Afghanistan, which to be fair sounds a lot more fun than my sweaty crawl back to Manchester.

So thankfully with supportive schools the spirit of Manchester helped to bring home the areas youngsters but others weren’t so lucky, causing absences that threatened school closures as teachers and pupils struggled to return home. Councillor John Warmisham, Salford’s lead member for children’s services has worked immensely hard to keep local schools running smoothly as hundreds of Greater Manchester’s teachers became marooned abroad. He explained: “I think one of our secondary schools actually had 10 teachers missing which is obviously a large number but all credit to them, they actually managed to find cover and keep the school open.

“We’ve been lucky that the old British bulldog spirit has meant that a lot of the curriculum areas have been covered as all the members of staff missed free periods and helped out classes in rotation to prepare pupils for the busy exam period.”

So clearly the spirit and togetherness of school workers to cover classes is a great example of how Greater Manchester has shown its community traits. Cllr Warmisham is also confident that because of the way local teachers have acted, the crisis won’t get the better of exam results, “The staff are really geared up to help our young people achieve the best and I think we’ll make sure that for any work that has been missed, they’ll be able to catch up,” he said.

Having finally touched down in blighty the TV news channels erupted with more and more stories of anguish, as families across Greater Manchester and beyond missed weddings and funerals. In fact some local schools were also caught up in the crisis by being run via telephone or email as head teachers were stuck abroad but the area was in anything but meltdown.

And after a short train journey from London, me and my travelling friends became some of the many holiday makers filtering back into Manchester’s Oxford Street Station that Sunday afternoon. The sun wasn’t shining, the clouds were heavy and the rain was threatening a typical northern welcome home party, all that was needed now was some chips and gravy. Manchester has never looked so good.

The eventual six day closure of Manchester airport culminated in it losing £4.2 million in revenue as hundreds of thousands of people scheduled to go through the airport were well and truly stuck with nowhere to go. Salford City Red’s players endured a five and a half day round trip to Perpignan at a heavy financial cost. Greater Manchester’s schools were short on staff and pupils and local industry such as taxi firms and travel companies lost money but essentially nothing stopped. Schools stayed open, sportsmen made their games and people got home. Manchester has suffered both economically and educationally to some degree yet it has come through a difficult time with flying colours.

The communal spirit of Greater Manchester has brought the area through this rough patch as people from all walks of life have battled the odds to beat the Icelandic volcano that has brought most of Europe to a stand still. We have a lot to be proud of and thankful for in Manchester and after all it could have been worse, it’s not like a volcano went off... oh wait.

Album Review: Sonic Youth- 'The Eternal'

PIONEERS: New album signals new strength for alternative veterans

WAILING feedback and smatterings of screeching guitar solos made alternative pioneers Sonic Youth what they are today, but their sixteenth studio album aptly named 'The Eternal', signals a change in direction. The New York based quintet have embarked on their most accessible record yet after signing with independent label Matador Records.

But this is by no means a pipe and slippers album, despite being a band deep into its second decade of recording. Instead 'The Eternal' delivers mesmerising guitar riffs that overlap like cloud-cover. They glide effortlessly from intimidating anthems to soft melodies and back again, enough to make fans of all ages want to sit back in amazement.

After influencing bands like Nirvana in the early nineties, Sonic Youth hint back at their experimental past on the albums opener. ‘Sacred Trickster’ is a two minute throwback to grungy times gone by with Kim Gordon’s distinctive vocals sounding like Katie White from the Ting Tings in a mosh pit. Clearly this is no tame pre-retirement payday however as they shout “Anti-war is anti-orgasm!” in a later song. But it isn’t a head-banger, it’s a refined collection combining ever-changing guitar chords, sprinkles of Muse-esque feedback and spades of blissful vocals.

Gordon’s breathy, intimate voice is brought to the fore in the enchanting ‘Massage History’, a nine minute dream-like swansong masked with endless layers of key changes. The Eternal’s finest moment however is another cauldron of sound where Gordon again reigns supreme. ‘Malibu Gas Station’ is haunting and hypnotic with trademark vocals like “My mind is hazy, just a little crazy”, whilst intricate guitar chords from Lee Ranaldo run the show.

Sonic Youth have hit a high note with this one. But The Eternal is not a commercial record like its predecessor Rather Ripped nor is it experimental like 1983s Confusion is Sex, instead it’s the best possible compromise.

8/10