I came across this link earlier today and it has tickled me

http://www.anglotopia.net/ultimate-list-of-funny-british-place-names/

Ultimate List of Funny and Rude British Place Names

We’ve done hours of research and have put together the ultimate list of funny British place names. I was laughing for hours trying to find the most amusing and rude place names in the British Isles. I hope you get as much pleasure reading the list as I got putting it together.

Be sure to check out our fun Word Cloud Map of the UK which incorporates al the words on this list into a fun geographical representation of the UK.

• Mudchute, London
• Percy Passage, London
• Swallow Passage, London
• Trump Street, London
• Cumming Street, London
• Cockfoster, London
• Dick Turpin Lane, London
• Cock Hill, London
• Titley Close, London
• Cockbush Avenue, London

Rude and Funny English Village and Place Names in England

• Acock’s Green, Worcestershire, UK
• Babes Well, Durham, UK
• Bachelors Bump, Essex, UK
• Backside Lane, Oxfordshire
• Balls Green, Kent, England
• Balls Cross, WestSussex
• Bareleg Hill, Staffordshire, UK
• Barking, Essex
• Beaver Close, Surrey
• Bedlam Bottom, Hampshire, UK
• Beef Lane, Oxfordshire
• Beer, Devon, UK
• Beggars Bush, Sussex passed her prime
• Bell End near Lickey End
• Bishops Itchington, Staffs, UK
• Bitchfield, Lincolnshire
• Boggy Bottom, Abbots Langley, Herts, UK
• Booty Lane, NorthYorkshire
• Bottoms Fold, Lancashire
• Broadbottom, Cheshire, UK
• Brown Willy, Cornwall,UK
• Bushygap, Northumberland, UK
• Catholes, Cumbria
• Catsgore, Somerset, UK
• Charles Bottom, Devon, UK
• Clap Hill, village in Kent, UK
• Clay Bottom, Bristol, UK
• Cock Alley, Calow, UK
• Cock Bridge, Hope, Derbyshire, UK
• Cock Green, nr Braintree
• Cock Lane, Tutts Clump, Berkshire, UK
• Cock Law, Northumberland, UK
• Cock and Bell Lane, Suffolk
• Cockermouth, Cumbria
• Cockernhoe, nr Luton, UK
• Cocking, Midhurst, West Sussex, UK
• Cockintake, Staffordshire, UK
• Cockpit Hill, Derbyshire, UK
• Cockplay, Northumberland, UK
• Cocks, Cornwall
• Cockshoot Close, Oxfordshire
• Cockshot, Northumberland, UK
• Cockshutt Wood, Sheffield, UK
• Cockup Lake District, Cumbria. UK
• Coldwind, Cornwall, UK
• Crackington Haven, Cornwall, UK
• Crackpot, North Yorkshire, UK
• Crapstone, Devon
• Crotch Crescent, Oxford
• Deans Bottom, Kent, UK
• Devil’s Lapful, Northumberland, UK
• Dicks Mount, Suffolk
• Drinkstone, Suffolk, UK
• Faggot, Northumberland, UK
• Fanny Barks, Durham, UK
• Fanny Avenue, Derbyshire
• Fanny Hands Lane, Lincolnshire
• Feltham Close, Hampshire
• Feltwell, Norfolk
• Fingringhoe, Essex
• Flesh Shank, Northumberland, UK
• Friars Entry, Oxfordshire
• Fruitfall Cove, Cornwall, UK
• Fudgepack upon Humber, Humberside
• Gay Street, Sussex. UK
• Gays Hill, Cornwall, UK
• Giggleswick, Staincliffe, Nth. Yorkshire, UK
• Golden Balls, Oxfordshire, UK
• Gravelly Bottom Road, nr Langley Heath, Kent, UK
• Great Cockup & Little Cockup, hills in The Lake District, UK
• Great Horwood, Bucks, UK
• Great Tosson, Northumberland
• Grope Lane, Shropshire
• Hampton Gay, Oxfordshire, UK

Can anyone confirm if these place names are real?

Hi Robbie. Can you tell us how you came to be a regular favourite on Shameless?

I was interested in drama at school and sometimes there would be auditions for different things. It was usually for girls though or I didn’t fit the character. So when they had an audition for a lad that fitted me I just went for it. I wasn’t nervous because I didn’t think I’d ever get it.

The show is loved across the world and America made their version, did you ever see that?

I’ve never seen it. To be honest, part of me wants to see it just to see what it’s like. But another part of me doesn’t because it’s such a Manchester thing! I’m sure it’s great & I’ve heard good things about it, but I don’t think anything could ever beat the original.

Who are your favourite actors?

Tom Hardy is a favourite. He’s a fantastic actor, but also the films he does are exactly the kind of films I would love to be in! I think he played Charles Bronson really well. I’m interested in the real Charles Bronson & I loved the film.

What films do you enjoy watching in your spare time?

I like horrors and comedies, both mainstream and indie films. I watched The Conjuring recently and that bit near the end where the woman gets possessed really freaked me out.

When you played the Aidan character on Shameless did the characterisation happen naturally for you?

It wasn’t a difficult character, because I was just being myself. I think that’s partly why the show worked so well – it was real Manchester! I didn’t go to stage school & I just played it totally natural and that seemed to work & people liked the character.

David Threlfall is such an amazing actor, did you enjoy working with him and what did you learn from seeing him in action?

Yeah he is. He had to put me straight a couple of times when I forgot my lines. He taught me not to over-act and to let the character do the talking, not the actor.

What have you got lined up TV/Film wise?

I’m doing a movie called ‘A New York Story’. George Newton (Banjo from This Is England) plays my Dad! My character is a gobby young gangster & it’s dead gritty, hard-hitting stuff. I’m really looking forward to it.

We have to ask, are there any more Shameless episodes in the pipeline?

I don’t think so, but I would really love it if there was. I think there should be a movie!

What are you most fond memories from your time on shameless?

There are so many memories, but I’d have to say the wrap parties were pretty insane. I’d probably better stop there! So many great people as well. I haven’t got space to mention everybody, but a couple of people that really stood out are Aaron McCusker who played Jamie Maguire, because I was really young when I was on the show and he looked after me and spoke to me like an adult and I looked up to him a lot. Karen Bryson who played Avril Powell was lovely as well, just like an auntie.

And finally…what’s your advice to any other young actors starting out in the industry?

Don’t give up. It’s a waiting game. You have to remember that it’s always going to be a roller coaster. One minute you’re on top of the world and then it’s over and you have to start again & keep a good attitude about it and keep going. I think that’s good advice for any actor really, not just the young ones.

Thanks to Robbie Conway for his time.

Summer time is officially here :)

The weather forecast for the next few days looks pretty promising

http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/m60

So if this is true, will you be staying in the City of heading out to green climates? Do people like it when it gets hot in Manchester?

One thing that has struck me in recent years here is the amount of clothing people wear, it seems to be less and less. I actually saw a topless man on the tram this week when the temperature wasn't even that high! I'm not a prude or anything but I do worry people are catching chills!

Back to the subject though, if this is going to be a hot summer - is there anywhwere you would recommend going for days out? All suggestions would be gratefully received!

[BTW this article is in no way a complaint about men getting topless....]

‘You Won’t Catch Me’

Single Review By CoolManchester

The Chacers have that coolAmericanathing going on that leans more to the Rock’N’Roll end of the spectrum than the ever popular country blues fusion we seem to hear more and more nowadays.

The single starts off with a neat riff and into the main track the hook refrain of;

“You’re gonna miss a good think when im gone”

It’s infectious, stick this on in the car and you’re gonna be cruising the roads in style and feeling GREAT.

It’s a snappy, catchy song and leaves you wanting more. It’s the kind of song you’d imagine would suit one of the more violent and action orientated Quentin T. films. The one thing that would have been great would be if this was released on vinyl. Its not got a B Side and I miss that in a single release, but aside from that very minor gripe id give The Chacers and this new single a big thumbs up.

Not sure if the single’s going to be available on iTunes but the place to check this out is the bands Facebook page here

www.facebook.com/thechacers

Review By Andrew Barclay

Interview with Scott Batty Front man of Umbilical Chords

CM: Hello Scott. Can you tell us a little bit about yourself, when did you first get into making music?

SB: I was born in Manchester(Wythenshawe hospital, to be exact). Addresses have since included Salford, Chorlton, London and Edinburgh.

Then I moved to Paris. I had a band here for a fair few years, and that taught me a hell of a lot about the working processes that go into creating music. At the last gig we did, when I decided to stop the band, a Parisian fellow, Le Hibou (which means “The Owl” in French), came up to me and said he wanted to work with me. So in January 2011 we banged our heads together and got stuck in. We've since played numerous gigs, from Prague to Vienna, but not Manchester yet. 

CM: What prompted you to move to Paris?

SB: Because I felt I needed to test myself. To scare and inspire myself. So I packed up my poems and paintings and went for it. I knew very clearly what I was potentially leaving behind (roots/family/friends, etc), but I was clueless about what I was stepping into. So I've learned on the job for the past 15  years.

CM: The Umbilical Chords sound like no other group we’ve ever heard what’s the blue print for how you guys write and record?

SB: The first thing is what we both offer, as two completely different characters. My background is the north/music/painting and poetry. Le Hibou is from Paris, and cut his teeth in the Industrial, dark music scene.

I conjure up the melodies and the lyrics, Hibou adds his own vision, and then we take it to the next level, and (on a good day) we realize we've got another potent song in the bag. We've never consciously crafted a 'sound'...we crack on, and the work creates itself. People have described it as 'minimal, cold psychedelia, dark folk mixed with visionary poetry'. Instinct is our thing. These exorcisms, or abrasive laments, just uppercut your brain, and off we go.

The drummer from SWANS, Thor Harris says, “The Umbilical Chords? They're great...and twisted.” Sounds good to me.   

CM: Do you have an album and singles out or any thing coming out that people can buy?

SB: We still have our 1^st demo (5 songs, 5 euro, 2011) for sale. But we are putting the finishing touches to our  first official  EP's. One will be acoustic-based, and the other electric. As for the mood, well, here are a few lyrics from 'Lone Kimono':

“And the masks? They wore faces.”

“And the moles on my back taste like peppercorns.”

We are currently in contact with a couple of labels, so please watch this space (fingers crossed!).

Here's our web page in case anyone is interested in contacting us:

http://sites.google.com/site/theumbilicalchords

Soundcloud: https://Soundcloud.com/the-umbilical-chords

CM: Name some of the musicians, poets, authors, anyone in the arts really that’s inspired you the most?

SB: Joy Division. Basho. The beat poets. The Doors.  Antonin Artaud. TheJam.Mark Rothko. Too many to mention. 

CM: Your artwork is very interesting can you tell us a little bit about how you came to creating visual artwork and again, any inspirations?

SB: I did a 'Foundation art course' for 9 months in Ordsall (Salford), and one day a few of us squeezed into a Mini and we went to see a Rothko exhibition at the Tate gallery in Liverpool. It knocked me sideways. From that day, it was art, and all who sailed in her! I got into a private art school down in London, but left after 3 months and I've been self-trained ever since. In the early days I was into Bacon, Basquiat and the German expressionists. For the past 15 I have been a full-time painter/poet/musician, and label my work 'Chic primitive'.

Website: www.scottbatty.com

CM: If you had to name 5 bands or solo artist’s that you think have made music that to you is beyond special, who would they be?

SB: Arthur Russell. Late Scott Walker. Nico. Durutti Column. The Umbilical Chords.

CM: Thanks for your time Scott, we hope to see you live in Manchester soon.

COOL MANCHESTER