Club Brenda Book Launch; Strange Trees in Manchester

To mark the 10 year anniversary of award-winning Manchester based club night Club Brenda, Urbis will host a launch of limited edition book, Strange Trees produced by Jayne Compton in collaboration with Rachel Goodyear (and other artists), and funded by Arts Council North West  at a free event today (Tuesday 1st December) between 7 pm  - 10 pm,  with music from DJs, live bands from the Switchflicker Records label, and the opportunity to purchase exclusive, limited edition artworks by Strange Trees contributing artists.

Having first begun in 1999 as an ‘avant-garde’ performance night at Manchester’s Star and Garter, Club Brenda has reached a decade of subversive art thrills. Presenting the city with diverse performance and music, the innovative club night remains loyally attuned to the sounds of the Manchester DIY underground, from emerging bands and musicians, to a network of artists, photographers, film-makers, designers and poets.

Jayne Compton, founder, comments: ‘Imagine what a club would be like if it combined bands, performance art and a deliberately eclectic music policy…if it reached out to everyone: gay, straight, black, blue; but in particular, welcomed life’s uglier ducklings - the outsiders, the strange ones…’

Strange Trees is a unique concept, which takes the reader through the history of Club Brenda, using a series of classic narratives to form a dark urban fairytale, alongside a series of commissioned photography and artwork.

Instead of Jack and the Giant, we have Dirty Honky, turning vaudeville tricks for magic beans. Savage Wolf prowls through the ever-changing forest but isn’t quite the predator we expect, and the same goes for Holly Gore, who some like to call the witch… in the strange forest of Club Brenda, no one remains what they were…

Limited edition prints and posters from acclaimed artists including Rachel Goodyear will be available to buy on the night, along with copies of Strange Trees, and also exclusively to the launch, limited edition paintings will be for sale from leading Northwest artist and Strange Trees contributor David Hoyle.

The evening will include live music, plus DJs. Jane Compton, founder of Club Brenda will be signing copies of the book, plus a free cocktail for the first lucky guests through the doors.

The launch will take place at Urbis, Manchester’s exhibition centre for contemporary culture in Cathedral Gardens, today from 7:00pm – 10:00pm.