November 2026. Manchester.
It was my fault. Booking a gig in Cambridge followed by one in Manchester the next night, then back down to Cambridge a day later was entirely my choice.
But I’ve had plenty of missing out on gigs (and Proper Days out) due to ongoing family demands of late. It’s risky enough sneaking into young people’s gigs at 61, it’ll be even harder when I reach middle age.
Wasia Project are playing New Century Hall in the modern NOMA district of Manchester, between Victoria Station and the Hare & Hounds.
The Pilcrow, a pub built by volunteers, is now Cloudwater’s Sadler’s Cat,
and although it’s never going to knock the Holt pubs off Stafford Paul’s Proper Pub crawl it’s a good place for Cloudwater’s exemplary English Pale (cool, chewy, VG). Cloudwater may never recapture the buzz they had a decade ago but their cask is always a joy.
Seated on the benches overlooking Sadler’s Yard, I notice that the queue to be at the front barriers is made up of a) 17 year old girls with hairstyles like Nicole of Eurovision fame or b) the parents of 17 year old girls with hairstyles like Nicole of Eurovision fame.
New Century Hall revives an historic venue (Hendrix, The Who) with a 1,300 capacity music hall that my lads and I reckon has the best sound quality in the UK.
It did have an exciting “flavours of the world” food court on opening in 2022, but the UK is in food court overload, and New Century now has just the one vendor.
One is plenty. In Hand is all “Slices”, “Tenders” and “Handheld Sandos”, but chicken and crinkle fries is the new Pad Thai,
and the thumping disco soundtrack in the canteen includes this “banger” (ugh).
Yes, yes, Number 13 in 1984, I thought of getting a ticket for Jocelyn in Bristol next year, but she’s 75.
Wasia Project’s Brit-Asian keyboard driven pop™ is rather more current, and the crowd seemed too young to legally drink the enticing beer range in New Century, even if they’d wanted Madri.
Wiki says “Wasia Project blend classical precision with free-spirited jazz and bedroom‑pop intimacy, crafting lush alt‑pop rooted in their British‑Asian heritage. Known for genre‑blurring warmth and bittersweet storytelling, they weave piano‑led ballads into an accessible, globally‑minded sound“.
I think you’ll agree my description is better.
