Operated by by sister company Rising Moon Productions, our dedicated events space can be used for theatre, comedy, live music, events and everything in between.
Events in May–June 2022
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Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Saturday Night Special: KIRK McELHINNEY TRIO
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Saturday Night Special: KIRK McELHINNEY TRIO
The quality of Kirk McElhinney’s songwriting, his voice and guitar playing is recognised by any who come across his work.
His sound once described by Nitin Sawney as “a melting pot of sonic bliss”, Kirk himself calls urban folk.
His songs and his delivery have an uncanny ability to capture people’s hearts and move minds and bodies.
On the road promoting his new album “You Are Not Your Past” on Manchester WorldFolk label Limefield,
https://kirkmcelhinney.bandcamp.com/album/you-are-not-your-past
he is joined by 2 artists in their own right.
Andy Hay on drums recently released his second album after the acclaimed “Many Rivers” made its mark on the British music scene and long time collaborator John Ellis has worked with The Cinematic Orchestra, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen, Tom Jones and too many more to mention.
All three blend together vocally and musically with real fire and soul.
Kirk is a national treasure with a universal aim. To see him with the trio is to see him truly in his element and not to be missed
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Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Van Gogh Sunflowers
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Van Gogh Sunflowers
Join for a creative evening of drinking and painting.
No previous experience necessary! Get your creative juices flowing and bush strokes going!
Our experts will guide you step by step to create your own masterpiece
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Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
DeskJockey Presents
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DeskJockey Presents
Deskjockey presents an evening of poetry, performance art and music. Joining improvised free jazz troupe ‘Led Nudd’ are absurdist noisemongers ‘Rodney’ and local poet ‘Geoff Nowell’. -
Verbose with Betty Doyle and Dave Viney
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Verbose with Betty Doyle and Dave Viney
Manchester's award-winning spoken word event - every last Monday of the month at The King's Arms! Verbose brings a vibrant mix of spoken word and live literature from a talented bill of open mic acts and wonderful headliners. Expect poetry, prose and everything in between from a real community vibe that gladly welcomes all newcomers.
Tickets are FREE at the point of service but donation tickets are available and greatly appreciated! To apply for an open mic slot please email us at verbosemanchester@gmail.com -
Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Saturday Night Special: Lauren Young
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Saturday Night Special: Lauren Young
If Amy Winehouse and Tom Waits had a love child with a sweet, sweet voice, that blessed infant might not sound unlike Lauren Young. An accomplished classical pianist who can turn her hand to jazz, blues and even soul, Young creates a strikingly original sound, colouring her self-penned songs with an expansive emotional palette. But this is not painting by numbers! From big lush arrangements to whispered heart-break lullabies, the pain, the joy and the wonder are as real and tangible as Young’s Stockport roots. A rare jewel in Manchester’s grimy crown. Do not miss this artist!
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Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Saturday Night Special: Mark Greer, Clive Mellor, Andy Yates
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Saturday Night Special: Mark Greer, Clive Mellor, Andy Yates
Clive Mellor's hard fought skill and chutzpah have made him the go -to harmonica player for a gang of heroes of Brit -pop, he's teamed up with his amigo from The Lonesome & Penniless Cowboys, Mark Greer for this great Saturday Night Special event.Mark learnt slide guitar from a railway guard, aged 14, this is now his instrument of choice in repertoire encompassing, country, blues, gospel and glam rock. Andy Yates' erudite and insightful songs are backed by a fierce and determined rhythm infused with a pub rock ethic. Clive and Mark also starred in Cannon and Ball the musical, written and produced by Andy Yates. Rollmopski build on a foundation of music concrete with blocks of analog electronic instrumentation fashioning an explosive but beguiling phantasmorgraphia of noise and melody -
Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes! -
Verbose - with Talya Stitcher and Alex Calver
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Verbose - with Talya Stitcher and Alex Calver
Manchester's award-winning spoken word event - every last Monday of the month at The King's Arms! Verbose brings a vibrant mix of spoken word and live literature from a talented bill of open mic acts and wonderful headliners. Expect poetry, prose and everything in between from a real community vibe that gladly welcomes all newcomers.
Tickets are FREE at the point of service but donation tickets are available and greatly appreciated! Our open mic bill is now FULL for this event.
HEADLINERS
TALYA STITCHER
Talya is a cat-obsessed, challah-loving, pottery-attempting poet and photographer, whose work has been described as “warm and relatable, with an ability to vibrantly capture the small moments”. She produces Sounds Queer in Sheffield, celebrating and platforming Yorkshire’s queer community. Credits include UK New Artists 2021-22, Homos and Houmous, Ilkley LitFest Slam, Roundhouse Slam, and Leeds Queer Film Festival.
“Cinematic” – Joelle Taylor
@talyastitcher (Instagram)
@soundsqueer.sheffield (Instagram/Facebook)
@sounds_queer (Twitter)
ALEX CALVER
Alex Calver broke out in the poetry scene almost as gradually as he's figured out his identity; slowly at first, and then all at once. Starting in slam poetry, Alex has competed against some of the country's best young poets and even, on occasion, won. He's taken this success to mean that he's finally found something he's good at, and has since worked on giving back to the community that helped him so much.
Launching his own event, Poetry+, in April 2018, Alex has consistently attempted to push the boundaries of what spoken word is, and what can be done with it. Moving away from the Slam style that he grew so accustomed to, Alex's work explores the intricacies of identity, relationships and belonging, and the causes and effects of mental health and LGBTQ+ issues.
Alex is a member of the London Queer Writer's Collective, competed as part of Bath Spa's UniSlam Team for two consecutive years before becoming their co-coach and the UniSlam Social Media Manager, and is currently working on his first collection.
His status as a trans poet has been turning heads across Europe, through his performances at Edinburgh Fringe's acclaimed BBC Slam, Grizzly Pear's 'Community' event where he collaborated with fellow trans poet, Mikey Barnes, and the European Forum Alpbach in Austria where he taught and performed poetry in July 2019.
After taking a pandemic-curated hiatus from spoken word, Alex has returned to the scene reinvigorated, utilising it as a platform for activism through personal and narrative-led poetry.
"Like an old man whispering to his house plants, Alex's gentle presence will guide your mind to the light." - Shaun Hill
"He is the embodiment of a poem." - Rebecca Tantony
"Alex confronts vital themes - scary, but important subjects and sentiments - and does it in a way that will hook your heart strings and pull you into tomorrow." - Jasmine Gardosi
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Quiz Night
Quiz Night
Every Wednesday from 8pm is quiz night.
Test your Knowledge and win cash prizes!