We’ve had some great nights out in Manchester over the last few years – Deacon Blue at the AO Arena, Suede and the Manics at Castlefield Bowl, Twenty20 cricket at Old Trafford, Tailenders Live at the Palace Theatre, OMD at the O2 Academy. Always great nights, and usually followed by a night bus as far as Stockport or a stay at the Premier Inn. We did treat ourselves to a room with a view at Old Trafford a couple of times.

We’ve caught the last bus home after gigs at the Students’ UjnBut in October, we discovered that if everything went to plan, we could go to the theatre/gig and still make it back to Piccadilly for the last train home. So we each planned a night out….

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Jon’s Choice – New Dawn Fades at the Royal Northern College of Music

Jon had seen this play advertised but we couldn’t find a date where we could make it work – until we decided to take a gamble on the last train home. As soon as work was done for the day, we headed for the station and we were in Manchester for just after 6pm – so far, so good. This was a new venue for us – right in the heart of Manchester’s busiest student area on Oxford Road. We found a great restaurant for a pre-theatre dinner – Umani – definitely living up to its billing as a hidden gem for its Asian fusion menu.

We headed to the theatre and had time to investigate the memorabilia from the manchester music scren of the 70s and 80s – ticket stubs, concert posters and musical instruments from the early days of Joy Division and then New Order. New Dawn Fades is the story of Joy Division and Manchester – dramatically telling the story of the rise of the band through to the tragic death of front man Ian Curtis. It was compelling, tragic and brilliantly acted. For someone who grew up in the north west, the portrayal of Tony Wilson and references to his appearances on Granada Reports had a strong sense of nostalgia. If you’re a fan of the music and the era, it is well worth watching.

Despite finishing a few minutes late, we were back on our way to Piccadilly in plenty of time to get the last train home – even if it was a touch rowdy!

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Liz’s Choice – An Evening with Jimmy Anderson at the Royal Opera House

This one had caught my attention as soon as it was announced – Jimmy Anderson’s book tour. But I chalked it off – it clashed with a planned work trip. I wouldn’t be home in time to go. But the work trip was cancelled and one of the first things I did was to check if tickets still available – hooray, yes they were! We’d missed out on Jimmy’s last test before retirement at Lords in July; we’d gambled on an end of summer farewell at Old Trafford. So an evening with Jimmy would do very nicely as an alternative, especially now we had some confidence in our last train home plan.

I saved my last measure of Jimmy’s Go Well Gin for the train – felt appropriate – and then arriving in Manchester, we headed for our new favourite restaurant – Ezra and Gill – perfectly positioned between Piccadilly and the Opera House. Another excellent meal, before a quick stroll around Spinningfields – we met Paddington – and then over to the Opera House.

We picked up our copies of Jimmy’s book and then headed into the auditorium. With a Tailenders connection, Jimmy was going to be in conversation with Felix White (who’d also written Jimmy’s book including all the long words). It was a great night – excellent insight on stories from the book, and finishing with a 10-minute compilation of as many of his wickets that Felix could find clips for. An emotional end to the evening – sort of a last opportunity to watch Jimmy bowl in front of a crowd.

And finishing with plenty of time to get the last-before-the-last train home – even better.

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So we’re on a roll … our next Friday night in Manchester is already being planned. Let’s home that last train keeps on running.