Cheshire is now a hot spot for the coolest bands, actors, restaurants and art, as Janet Reeder discovers.
Blossoms
Who? Indie darlings from Stockport, who were formed in 201. The line up features Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Josh Dewhurst, Joe Donovan and Myles Kellock.
What’s so cool about Blossoms?
The band take their name from The Blossoms public house at the corner of Bramhall Lane and Buxton Road in Stockport. After a series of festival appearances, including festival Number 6 at Portmeiron and a number one album named Blossoms, rave reviews and an NME cover we ain’t seen nothing yet...
Ark 2017
What? ARK 2017 will be the largest contemporary sculpture exhibition to be held in the north west and will take up residence in Chester Cathedral between July 15th – October 15th, 2017.
What’s so cool about Ark 2017?
Following their amazing David Mach Golgotha show last year Chester Cathedral is pulling out all the stops with an exhibition that will feature over 80 exceptional works by 50 internationally renowned sculptors including Damien Hirst, Antony Gormley, Lynn Chadwick, Barbara Hepworth, David Mach and Sarah Lucas.
Harry Styles
Who? Don’t know who Harry Styles is? Where have you been? He is known best as a member of the band One Direction and has more than 29.5m followers on Twitter. He made his debut as a singer with the band White Eskimo who performed locally in Cheshire. Harry himself is from Holmes Chapel.
What’s so cool about Harry Styles?
He’s cut his lustrous locks and headed for Hollywood where he is acting in Christopher Nolan’s epic Dunkirk alongside the cream of British acting talent including Tom Hardy, Cillian Murphy, Mark Rylance and Kenneth Branagh.
The movie tells the story of the Dunkirk evacuation during World War II, where a huge number of British, French and Belgian troops were hastily withdrawn from France as the Nazis were closing in on them.
Storyhouse
What? The UK’s largest regional arts construction project currently in development will bring a theatre and cinema back to Chester after a 10 year absence, as well as a library and exceptional learning and community resource over four floors and 7,500 sq m of public space.
What’s so cool about Storyhouse?
The ambition. This is the biggest public building ever in Chester and aims to attract 600,000 visitors a year with its state-of-the-art theatre spaces, restaurant, roof top bar and year round programme of theatre, live art and more. It has been imaginatively designed to incorporate the old Odeon cinema in the city, a slick marriage of the old and the new by architects Bennetts Associates.
Where the Light Gets In
What? Stockport’s new fine dining restaurant
What’s so cool about Where the light Gets In?
‘The best restaurant you’ve never heard of is in Stockport’ is how GQ magazine put it. There’s no menu, it’s expensive and finding the entrance is like a task in the Crystal Maze but chef Sam Buckley, a protégé of Gary Rhodes, who honed his skills at Simon Rogan’s double Michelin-starred L’Enclume in Grange-Over-Sands has an interesting talent that is winning him much-deserved praise from the food cognoscenti.
The Allotment
What? The Allotment’s chef Matthew Nutter is spearheading the meat-free revolution in Stockport’s cobbled old town near the market square.
What’s so cool about The Allotment?
‘I can make aubergine taste better than steak’ Matthew is quoted as saying. While burger fans may find this idea a challenge the talented Nutter has created dishes that are packed with flavour and a restaurant that is not only one to watch but has put Stockport on the culinary map.
The 1975
Who? The 1975 aren’t just any band, they’ve been nominated as best band in the world and their trajectory is skyward. Glamorous frontman Matthew Healy and bandmates Adam Hann, Ross MacDonald and George Daniel, met at Wilmslow High School. Matt had a rather unorthodox upbringing as he’s the son of actors Denise Welch and Tim Healy.
What’s so cool about the 1975?
The 1975 derive their name from a Jack Kerouac book of poetry. Their second album ‘I like it when you sleep, for you are so beautiful yet so unaware of it’ was released in February last year, topping both the UK Chart and the US Billboard 200 and winning the NME and Q Awards Best Album of 2016. They recently stole the show at the BBC Music Awards with a performance of their hit The Sound.
Scott Kerr of All Music wrote that the band combined ‘the dark and youthful themes of sex, love, and fear with ethereal alt-rock music.’
![Stephen Webb [Frank-N-Furter], Richard Meek [Brad], Haley Flaherty [Janet] & cast](/resources/images/128x89/1x/17679473.jpg)
![Stephen Webb [Frank-N-Furter], Richard Meek [Brad], Haley Flaherty [Janet] & cast](/resources/images/180x180/1x/17679473.jpg)
