I was brought up in Rochdale, and to be honest, I never really ventured out of there to go shopping until I was perhaps 13 or 14. I started going to Manchester with my friends around then and enjoyed the wide range of shops and busy atmosphere. However, it has only been recently that I’ve appreciated Manchester for the architecturally beautiful city it is, and also that it’s nightlife is top notch if you know where to go.

The building that really inspired this post is the Palace Hotel on Oxford Street. Apparently, it was only converted to a hotel in 1996, and it was originally built for the Refuge Assurance Company. I have seen the interiror but only on a television programme not so long ago. But it is lovely and made up of tiles and arches and just stunning architecture. It is also one of the prime examples of why Manchester is known for it’s red brick buildings.

The city has been revamped a lot over the past decade. Mostly following the 1996 Manchester bombing. Obviously there is still building going on, but to be honest I don’t think the Manchester skyline would be quite the same without a couple of cranes.

As well as the older architecture there are some really good examples of modern architecture in Manchester. Most notably the new Hilton Hotel building and the Urbis.

To stop this turning into a boring post about buildings I’ll also talk about my experience of the famed Manchester nightlife. I’m not really a clubber but I like to go and dance to good music where there’s a nice atmosphere. recently I went to see iLiKETRAiNS at Roadhouse in Manchester and it was a really good venue. At the weekend I braved a night out in the city and we ended up there for a club night where they played classic and new rock. It was truly one of the best nights out I’ve had, and there was so much choice for this kind of music, Roadhouse was far from the only place offering this type of night out. It’s a shame that other towns and cities don’t realise that this is something the public want, but then I say this when I live in Stirling for University, and it is pretty dull at the best of times with around 4 nightclubs.

However, we did start out in a pub that was only playing The Smiths and Morrissey. Only in Manchester I suppose but it was full of blokes with NHS glasses and Smiths t-shirts, one saying ‘Je suis Morrissey’ highlighting the sheer pretentiousness of it all. But despite me not enjoying it, it does show that Manchester is a very diverse city and I really do miss it when I’m up in Scotland.

The first support was supposed to be Laymar, a local band, who sound like they would have been good to hear live. However, they had a technical failure which meant that they couldn’t perform at the gig.

The touring support were Kyte, who I would describe as a British Jeniferever. The vocalist admitted to losing his voice, but still managed to create the right atmosphere for the type of music they played, which I enjoyed. I think I prefer to see more atmospheric bands live, as I find watching where all the different parts to the songs come from fascinating. Also, I think all their songs featured a glockenspiel, which can go a long way to making any song instantly better.

So on to iLiKETRAiNS. They opened with 25 Sins, which has become pretty standard since they started touring the album tracks. I remember when I first heard the song live, as I’d not heard it on record at the time, and it was amazing. That hasn’t changed and I would have been disappointed if 25 Sins was not the opening track. The opening drumstick clacks are just brilliant and really set the song up well. Also the use of a guitar solo sets it apart from most of iLiKETRAiNS’ other songs. After that, the setlist was similar to that which was used when I saw them in Scotland. This is no bad thing, especially as they played Victress. One of the enthusiastic blokes from the side of the stage seemed surprised that they would be playing a B-side, but Dave, the lead singer asked if it was good anyway. I replied that it was fantastic! Which it clearly is. The refrain of ‘all men will be, sailors until the sea shall set them free’ is just brilliant and gives the song that little bit extra.

As this was the ‘We Go Hunting’ tour, they certainly seemed to get more into this particular song and gave it their all. It’s one of the more accessible songs on the album, as its upbeat, and the atmospheric nature of the band and Dave’s voice really make it something special.

we also got treated to a new song, which is still in the writing process. It’s working title is ‘Progress is a Snake’ and it was excellent. I think it may be one of my favourite iLiKETRAiNS songs despite only hearing it once. (Plus the youtube quality version of it) I really liked what Simon did with the drumming at the beginning, and there were 2 synths used which was something a bit different. Overall though it was certainly iLiKETRAiNS, and I thoroughly look forward to the finished product.

I think the gig itself went very well for the TRAiNS guys and they said themselves that they had enjoyed it lots. A minor technical hitch was suffered with the projector which was noticeable through the show. After it showed no signs of recovering, it was swiftly turned off by the expert multi-tasker, Ashley, and the show went on. This was only in the last song anyway, and the truly epic nature of Spencer Perceval meant that nothing was lost from the experience and the show ended on an extremely high note.

During the gig, I shouted to Dave that the band should come back to Scotland again, and he said that they would. Hopefully they will stick by this, as I love seeing them in my favourite gig venue Cabaret Voltaire, as well as King Tut’s as it has an excellent atmosphere.

Tonight is iLiKETRAiNS’ homecoming gig, where there will be films and chess. Unfortunately it is not possible for me to go, but I hope that the band members and fans that can make it have an excellent time. Another upcoming TRAiNS date is the 26th of May, when there will be a cinema screening of Elegies to Lessons Learnt, which will probably be amazing to attend.