With its commitment to world premieres, Manchester international festival could easily seem detached from the city. Invite too many glitzy global names to collaborate on esoteric projects and you could appear remote. To avoid that trap, even as it fields its John Grants and its Alison Goldfrapps, the festival is always careful to keep tabs on Manchester itself.
That is why, for example, Angélique Kidjo is joined by local musicians at her gig on Tuesday, why Bolton-born Maxine Peake is a regular (she appears this week in They), and why the festival has repeatedly worked with Manchester Street Poem.
