Thankyou to Salford Museum and Art gallery for exhibiting my artwork and being there solo inaugural resident Artist in the Park Gallery in 2023 to 2024

Hi Everybody here is a painting and story of The Britons Protection Manchester a Modern Life, hope you like it 

 My paintings, stories and videos capture fleeting glimpses of people places and social issues, I aim to bring my cityscape paintings to life in an expressionistic style, blending emotion, movement, and atmosphere to reflect the world as I see it, also turning negatives to positives in my way. 

I hope you enjoy exploring my work, and please feel free to share your thoughts or comments — I’d love to hear what you think.

https://youtu.be/o2UTk_LvaNo

 I have a solo exhibition in the pub now as well check out the video link

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/YdB1Q0b1Q-M?feature=share
 

I was also interviewed by That's Tv Manchester on the 1st October 2025 about keeping our heritage of Local Pubs In Manchester instead of bulldozing them and replacing them with sky scrapers. we need our history and heritage kept alive

Link to That's TV Interview

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/EEqQtADJAOA?feature=share

Hi Everybody here are paintings and a Christmas Folk Song,   hope you like it

https://youtu.be/uG8MZC7lcIA

Charity fundraising for the true Homeless people,

 The homeless in Wythenshawe and Manchester  need help,  

So Help raise funds for Wythenshawe Safety Patrol , they use the funds to help  the true homeless people of Wythenshawe and not the gangs that operate and exploit our good nature,

They supply Tents, food, clothing and help to get vulnerable people back into accommodation with Manchester City Council

So when you donate to them you know the funds are used to help the true homeless people. 

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the Plight of the homeless on the streets of Wythenshawe,  Manchester and Salford is on the increase, 

I help out when I can on safety patrols and I also donate monthly to Wythenshawe Safety patrol  trying to help the homeless and vulnerable people get back on there feet, if you can donate to them this would help there cause.

 here is the link where you can find details on how to donate to them. 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079276788510

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I am also an Artist and do short stories and paintings to help raise awareness of the plight of the homeless and vulnerable people and have dedicated a page on my website to the homeless

I try to bring attention to the plight of the homeless in my way by producing art, videos, stories and poems.

 I share these on social media with the hope that at least I have played a part in bringing attention to the plight of the homeless. 

 so  for every Limited Edition print of my homeless collection I will donate £5 to Wythenshawe Safety Patrol 

So check out my Homeless collection of paintings, Limited Edition prints and videos on my website andrewalanmatthews.co.uk

 lets see if we can help the homeless in need especially this time the year.

Link to my homeless collection webpage https://andrewalanmatthews.co.uk/homeless-video-collection

CHECK OUT THE INTERVIEW ON WFM 97.2 helping raise awareness and Funds for Wythenshawe Safety Patrol

https://youtu.be/p_k7OdV8hSQ

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link to my Homeless collection webpage 

https://andrewalanmatthews.co.uk/homeless-video-collection

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Find below links to charities to help the homeless. 

If you want to donate to help the homeless here is a link to the charity that I support 

Wythenshawe Safety-patrol Donation Page  

link to wythenshawe Safety patrol donation page 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100079276788510

 for every Limited Edition print of my homeless collection I will donate £5 to Wythenshawe Safety Patrol 

Link to my homeless  collection webpage 

https://andrewalanmatthews.co.uk/homeless-video-collection

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 My paintings, stories and videos capture fleeting glimpses of people places and social issues, I aim to bring my cityscape paintings to life in an expressionistic style, blending emotion, movement, and atmosphere to reflect the world as I see it, also turning negatives to positives in my way. 

I hope you enjoy exploring my work, and please feel free to share your thoughts or comments — I’d love to hear what you think. 

My Motto, BEE Positive.

Original Available, or A3 Limited Edition print £50  contact me https://andrewalanmatthews.co.uk/shop

https://andrewalanmatthews.co.uk/

andrewalanmatthews.co.uk

Song by Andrew Alan Matthews 

It was a Mancunian Christmas day 

Near Mancunian way 

Been told to stay away 

No pubs open today

No fun in lockdown babe

Masks are here today 

You know its No way 

To live today

So Have a Mancunian Christmas cheer

Near the atlas bar 

You know its not too far 

Its left a scar 

Been told to stay away 

No pubs here today 

No fun in lockdown babe 

Masks are here today 

Castlefields cold this year 

It’s the end of the year 

no beer or cheer  and isn’t it queer

The wind cuts you to the bone 

Mancunian Christmas dear 

Oasis playin

here so give us a cheer 

And its the masterplan 

And ive got a plan 

paint a Mancunian scene 

its not obscene 

Mancunian Christmas babe 

on Deansgate way

Been told to stay away 

pubs not open today

No fun in lockdown babe

Masks are here today

Down near the oyster bar 

Someones robbin the car

Mancunian Christmas babe 

the snow is fallin now

on an Urbis night 

its alright

So happy Christmas all 

To one and all 

A Mancunian Christmas to you 

Hope you don’t get the flu

see you all

On A mancunian Christmas day 

near Mancunian way

https://youtu.be/uG8MZC7lcIA

 please write a review and critique on my song Mancunian Christmas day near Mancunian Way. 

That’s a really characterful and heartfelt song, Andrew — it captures a very specific moment in Manchester’s recent history, blending local realism, humor, and melancholy in a way that feels both grounded and nostalgic. Here’s a detailed review and critique of “Mancunian Christmas Day (Near Mancunian Way)”:

By Andrew Alan Matthews

Andrew Alan Matthews’s “Mancunian Christmas Day (Near Mancunian Way)” is a bittersweet, street-level portrait of Manchester under lockdown — a Christmas stripped of its usual warmth and bustle, yet still rich with local color and defiant spirit. The song reads like a diary entry written from the heart of a city that refuses to lose its identity, even when the pubs are closed and the streets are empty.

The opening lines —

It was a Mancunian Christmas day / Near Mancunian Way / Been told to stay away —

immediately set the tone of isolation and frustration. The repetition of “been told to stay away” and “no pubs open today” reinforces the claustrophobic monotony of lockdown life, while the colloquial “babe” adds a personal, conversational intimacy that grounds the song in everyday Mancunian speech.
 

The chorus sections — variations of “No fun in lockdown babe / Masks are here today” — become a kind of refrain that blends social commentary with dark humor. It’s relatable and simple, the sort of line that could be sung in a pub (if only they were open).

The song’s imagery is vivid and local:

• “Castlefield’s cold this year,”
   
• “Down near the Oyster Bar,”
   
• “On Deansgate Way,”
   
• “Oasis playin here so give us a cheer.”
   

These landmarks root the listener firmly in Manchester’s geography — a city simultaneously proud, gritty, and sentimental. The Oasis reference adds a clever cultural echo, as though the ghosts of Britpop are still ringing through the empty streets.

There’s also an undercurrent of resilience — in lines like “And it’s the masterplan / And I’ve got a plan / Paint a Mancunian scene”, we see the artist’s spirit pushing through bleakness. It’s self-referential too, tying your painter’s eye to your songwriter’s voice: transforming restriction into creativity.

Strengths:

• Authentic voice: The song feels true to Manchester and to you — no pretension, just honest reflection.
   
• Local imagery: References to places and culture give it a strong sense of place.
   
• Emotional realism: The tone balances melancholy and humor effectively.
   

Areas for refinement:

1. Rhythmic consistency:
   Some verses could benefit from a slightly tighter meter to make the phrasing easier to sing. For example:
    “Castlefield’s cold this year / It’s the end of the year / no beer or cheer and isn’t it queer”
   could be smoothed to something like:
   “Castlefield’s cold this year / The end of the year, no cheer / No beer, and isn’t it queer.”
   
    
2. Structure:
   The song works like a free-flowing narrative, but defining clearer verses, chorus, and a bridge could strengthen its musical form. The repeated “No fun in lockdown babe / Masks are here today” works perfectly as a chorus anchor.
    
3. Emotional arc:
   You might build toward a more hopeful or ironic ending — maybe the final verse could emphasize resilience or togetherness, even in isolation. For example, expanding “So happy Christmas all / To one and all” with a hint of optimism could leave a lasting emotional impact.
    
4. Title refinement:
   “Mancunian Christmas (Near Mancunian Way)” might flow more smoothly as a title, though keeping your current phrasing gives it a charmingly conversational feel.
    

Mancunian Christmas Day (Near Mancunian Way) is a poignant urban folk ballad — a love letter to Manchester under strain. It captures the humor, grit, and stubborn cheer that define the city’s character, blending social commentary with personal reflection. It’s part lockdown lament, part working-class anthem, and wholly Mancunian.

With a bit of rhythmic tightening and structural polish, it could easily work as a performance piece or acoustic recording — something that would resonate strongly with anyone who lived through those strange, lonely winters.

The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band 

 "Fairytale of New York" is a song written by Jem Finer and Shane MacGowan and recorded by their London-based band the Pogues, featuring English singer-songwriter Kirsty MacColl on vocals. The song is an Irish folk-style ballad and was written as a duet, with the Pogues' singer MacGowan taking the role of the male character and MacColl playing the female character. It was originally released as a single on 23 November 1987[1] and later featured on the Pogues' 1988 album If I Should Fall from Grace with God. 

courtesy of Wikipedia

Lyrics

It was Christmas Eve babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me, won't see another one
And then he sang a song
The Rare Old Mountain Dew
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
Got on a lucky one
Came in eighteen to one
I've got a feeling
This year's for me and you
So happy Christmas
I love you baby
I can see a better time
When all our dreams come true
They've got cars big as bars
They've got rivers of gold
But the wind goes right through you
It's no place for the old
When you first took my hand
On a cold Christmas Eve
You promised me
Broadway was waiting for me
You were handsome
You were pretty
Queen of New York City
When the band finished playing
They howled out for more
Sinatra was swinging
All the drunks they were singing
We kissed on a corner
Then danced through the night
The boys of the NYPD choir
Were singing Galway Bay
And the bells were ringing out
For Christmas day
You're a bum
You're a punk
You're an old slut on junk
Lying there almost dead on a drip in that bed
You scumbag, you maggot
You cheap lousy faggot
Happy Christmas your arse
I pray God it's our last
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day
I could have been someone
Well so could anyone
You took my dreams from me
When I first found you
I kept them with me babe
I put them with my own
Can't make it all alone
I've built my dreams around you
The boys of the NYPD choir
Still singing Galway Bay
And the bells are ringing out
For Christmas day