After bobbing up the road to The Engine House on my bicycle (definitely the best form of transport to get to festival venues) Mick Ferry turned to me ‘never going to spot you in that Marissa’ pointing at my chest. Eh? Looking down to realise that I’m still wearing my hi-vis reflective strip. Ahem, yes quite. Distracting cycling gear removed, a very civilised cuppa and piece of cake purchased and it’s time to settle in for Ferry’s show at The Engine House – the festival venue run by Rob Riley at the International Anthony Burgess Foundation Centre in Chorlton Mill. As well as housing an archive, library and study centre it has a lovely performance space too. What better a place to see another (Greater) Manchester legend (just give it time…) in Ferry.
His show this year was inspired by his debut Edinburgh show in 2009 and how it almost broke him. For some reason someone at his venue had thought it would be a good idea to put on the Chippendales in the room next door, separated from Ferry’s space by little more than a curtain. Consequently Ferry’s punch lines were heckled by women screaming for the strippers. Ferry’s The Missing Chippendale weaves poignancy, pathos and a strong sense of the absurd to create a great hour long show investing his set with a fantastically creative and hilarious turn of phrase.
He’s also quite persuasive when it comes to heading off for a drink so we dropped by Apotheca for a quick one afterwards but remembering how drunk I was when I went for a drink after Ferry’s show in 2009 I made sure it really was just the one this time…