Forever Manchester Meets...

In this episode of Forever Manchester Meets we chat with Hacienda Manager Angela Matthews.  Angela was born and raised in Rhyl, North Wales and found herself obsessed with music from a very early age. This led to forays to 'Eric's' in Liverpool and then onto Manchester to follow New Order, The Buzzcocks, Magazine and all her favourite bands while taking a degree at Manchester Met. The first person Angela spoke to upon arriving in Manchester was Johnny Marr and the eventual realisation of not wanting to take on a 'proper' job as such. Angela went to see Elliot Rashman, who, at the time, was 'Entertainments Officer' at the Met and also manager of an unknown Manchester band called Simply Red. From here Angela went onto gain invaluable experience in running every aspect of a nightclub and putting on gigs before going on to work at Manchester’s legendary Boardwalk and then onto being the manageress of the world famous Hacienda nightclub! 

Here we catch up for a chat with multi-award winning director and freelance film-maker Jason Wingard whose latest release 'Eaten by Lions' starring Antonio Aakeel, Jack Carroll, Asim Chaudhry & Johnny Vegas to name a few, is currently in cinemas and receiving great reviews. In this Forever Manchester Meets chat Jason talks candidly about all aspects of his life from being a Manchester City apprentice footballer and becoming a professional soccer player in the States through to being a professional stand-up comedian and his passion for making films. You can listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Spotify where you can also check out all the Forever Manchester Meets episodes. - ENJOY!

Here we catch up with professional rally driver and one of Forever Manchester's youngest ambassadors Chris Ingram who chats candidly about his ambition to become a recognised champion and the challenges he faces chasing his dream. In 2012 Chris won the Motor Sports Association Young Driver of the Year Award and is three time winner of the European Rally Championship ‘Colin McRae - Flat Out’ Award. He signed with Peugeot UK in 2014 for the European Rally Championship, becoming one of the youngest manufacturer-backed rally drivers ever! After two seasons with Peugeot he signed with Opel Motorsport winning the FIA ERC 3 Title and scoring five-consecutive podiums. In 2017 Chris won the FIA Junior Rally Championship title and as an ambassador Chris is very keen to help Forever Manchester continue to drive forward. You can listen and subscribe to this podcast on iTunes or Spotify where you can also check out all the Forever Manchester Meets episodes.

Here we catch up with Restaurateur David Fox for a candid chat about his life and career from being brought up in West Yorkshire and West Africa to launching his first Tampopo restaurant in Albert Square in 1997. David's story takes in the transition from accountancy to restaurant life and includes anecdotes involving the IRA Bomb, Posh & Becks', Ian Brown, Uri Geller & Tony Wilson.  Almost twenty years on, Tampopo has three sites in Manchester – Albert Square, Corn Exchange and the Trafford Centre, with a fourth in London. You can also listen and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify for a full list of all Forever Manchester Meets episodes.

Here we catch up with actress Julie Hesmondalgh to chat candidly about her life as an actress including 15 years as Soap Opera’s first transgender character Hayley Cropper. Hayley tackled everything from gender recognition and picking knickers to pancreatic cancer and assisted suicide in Coronation Street. Julie also shares her memories of amazing teachers and drama schools, building a theatre in a basement, being a street cleaner and receiving the freedom of Accrington & Hyndburn. Julie is about to perform Mother Courage at Manchester’s Royal Exchange Theatre and has a new book ‘Julie Hesmondhalgh – A Working Diary’ just published by Methuen Drama. Listen and subscribe on iTunes or Spotify for a full list of all episodes of Forever Manchester Meets.

This is Part Two of Forever Manchester meets Aniff Akinola, renowned vocalist, producer and one half of cult Manc hip-hop outfit ‘Chapter and the Verse’. Aniff was one of the co-writer's of A Guy Called Gerald classic Voodoo Ray and here he continues his chats about life in the music industry and working with many well known faces including Kirsty McColl and having his songs performed by the likes of Ian Brown. Listen and subscribe on iTunes or see below for a full list of all episodes of Forever Manchester Meets.

In this chat, Forever Manchester meets Aniff Akinola, renowned vocalist, producer and one half of cult Manc hip-hop outfit ‘Chapter and the Verse’. Aniff was one of the co-writer's of A Guy Called Gerald classic Voodoo Ray and here he chats candidly about his life in the music industry and working with many well known faces including Kirsty McColl. Listen and subscribe on iTunes or look below for a full list of all episodes of Forever Manchester Meets.  

This episode of Forever Manchester meets features a candid chat with wit, wordsmith & celebrated Manchester poet Tony Walsh. Tony talks about his life and work experiences, performance poetry and the trauma of being a victim in an armed robbery. He also talks about commissions for Manchester United and BBC Blue Peter's recent 60th anniversary and a performance at Stalin's Penis! This podcast also features a full length (rarely heard) version of Tony's poem 'Silver Sparks', written in celebration of Forever Manchester's 25th Anniversary in 2015  

Forever Manchester's James Hampson meets Comedian, Podcaster and Crumpsall born Rachel Fairburn who talks about getting started in Standup, overcoming shyness and touring America. Rachel is also co-host of the huge podcast 'All Killa, No Filla' and discusses how she created a massive cult following with fellow comedian, Kiri Pritchard-McLean and also chats about supporting Forever Manchester with a performance at Forever Funny.  

Jacqueline Ward is a best selling author from Manchester who can boast a wealth of knowledge alongside many life experiences. Jacqueline is also a Chartered Psychologist and Chartered Scientist whose debut psychological thriller 'Perfect Ten' the explosive story of one woman's search for revenge, which has just been published and became a Best Seller in its first week of release! Here Forever Manchester meets Jacqueline for a chat about her life experiences and a love of writing.