MURK, MATES, MANCHESTER

November 2025. Manchester.

Back in Piccadilly Gardens from Sale only slightly later than hoped, I admired the Manchester Christmas markets, apparently only second to Nuremberg, who are therefore the Arsenal of Christmas tat.

All you need for Christmas is a pint of Holt in the Hare & Hounds, but I reckoned Matt would like to take Emma and mate Somerset Sam somewhere more sophisticated,

so Pomona’s North Westward Ho it is, mainly because it escapes football fans on match day.

It’s also a classy, friendly, place, founded on quality cask and craft. A bit like Thornbridge without the Union system nonsense.

Matt and I go cask murk (3+), Emma has weird keg, Sam has a glass of red wine. He’s from Bridgwater, obvs.

I pick the big table that the youngsters immediately recognise as too big for our Gang of Four and seek out a smaller one.

Young folk are not only comfortable with all sorts of pubs, from Old Mens to taproom, they also know the etiquette of pubgoing.

I know Sam as a teenage lad who had a shared interest with Matt a decade or so ago.

A lovely young man comfortable chatting with an Old Bloke, a 24 year old who’s seen Bob Dylan and Radiohead in the last week.

Really, I despair of young people’s musical taste.

Unknown's avatar

Published by retiredmartin

Retired NHS, doing long walks around UK and the world to record the great bits. Focused on Good Beer Guide pubs and live music.

23 thoughts on “MURK, MATES, MANCHESTER”

  1. “November 2025. Manchester.”

    (looks way down)
    Phew! No other comments to avoid!

    “I admired the Manchester Christmas markets, apparently only second to Nuremberg, who are therefore the Arsenal of Christmas tat.”

    Ok, I take back my semi snide remark at the beginning of my comment in the post below.

    “but I reckoned Matt would like to take Emma and mate Somerset Sam somewhere more sophisticated,”

    Show off.

    “mainly because it escapes football fans on match day.”

    (slow golf clap)

    “He’s from Bridgwater, obvs.”

    What county is obvs, pray tell?

    “Young folk are not only comfortable with all sorts of pubs, from Old Mens to taproom, they also know the etiquette of pubgoing.”

    There’s hope yet!

    “Really, I despair of young people’s musical taste.”

    Give them time. 😉

    Cheers

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    3. Lana, we saw him about then at the NEC and my main memory is of it being a waste of money. He was a dot in the distance, music was his band not him and I don’t think there was anything I recognised.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

      1. Must have been the same night. I passed word down my group line “shall we go at the interval?” to which the response came back up “why wait until the interval?” We weren’t the only ones to be making an early exit.

        Liked by 1 person

      2. I don’t think you’re allowed to criticise Bob on here, I’m sure the official Dylan fan club comments, but I know what you mean.

        I never want to watch anyone over the age of 25 live, or listen to old artists singing their hits, so I have a weird perspective.

        Liked by 1 person

Leave a comment