STAT13
STAT enters its teenage years in this thirteenth release. A smorgasbord of northern delights in ‘ere, the last issue of 2024: squatters, trespassers, and coke dealers among them. Not everything’s criminal though, there's social commentary, poetry, and a short story, too. Only 200 numbered copies of this ECG-brandished mag.
***
Editorial
It got me, folks. All this talk of abolition, of a region unbound by rentier capitalism, Manchester finally bit back.
Let it be known that I was in SALFORD first, on business and reviewing a BRASS BAND gig centred around PENDLE HILL, no less. Only in my heady excitement had I drifted into the hinterlands – a Manchester karaoke bar. After a rendition of “A Day in the Life”, and many a drink, all I can remember is my insistence on getting the night bus back to Leigh. It’s cheaper, you see.
Cut to me, wallet-less and phone-deprived, in an ambulance to Manchester Royal Infirmary. I’d a big gash on the back of my head and me shirt were ruined, I tell ye. Whatever lucky thief bonked me on the head and got ahold of said wallet soon went on a spending spree in myriad Sainsbury’s and Tescos. In fact, I’ve appended the full list of receipts beside this very editorial (we got our money back, don’t you worry).
What is to be learned from this? Maybe I shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach? Maybe I shouldn’t take STAT’s debit card places it shouldn’t be? Nah! I blame Andy Burnham. Maybe I shouldn’t rely on Burnham’s Bee Network to get me home.
Anyway, thanks to a whole host of lovely NHS staff I’m all back together and can proudly present to you this mighty smorgasbord of regional delights, the last of our 2024 issues. We’ve come a long way this year: we’ve established a co-op, secured an office, and collaborated with (and paid) over 38 writers, artists, and filmmakers to bring you the northern culture no one else is covering. I can only hope you’ve enjoyed reading STAT as much as we have putting it together, cos we ain’t going anywhere any time soon.
Pete Mercer, STAT ISSUE 13 editorial
November 2024
