Event Review - Manchester Tattoo Show

Manchester Tattoo Show @ Manchester Central, Manchester 30/10/2016

As you walk into a tattoo convention the buzzing of tattoo guns is a weirdly satisfying sound, probably even more so if you have money and are booked in to sit for a tattoo with one of the many talented artists working at the convention. This is the first time HUSH has been to a tattoo convention, we’ve done video games and comic books, but the world of tattooing is quite new to us.

Heading into the second day of the convention, it is nice to have a bit of space to explore and have a proper look around unlike when we’ve encountered the masses of stumbling zombies that you get at other conventions. Surprisingly there is a wide array of people at the convention, it isn’t all bearded guys in band t-shirts, it would seem that tattooing has a wide appeal. There are even a variety of tattooing techniques on display including the spiritual Sak Yan style of tattooing, which looks incredibly painful yet at the same time extremely natural. 

It isn’t all just people getting tattooed and items for sale, there is also a great selection of entertainment on the main stage including a number of talented musicians across the weekend, and also other acts such as burlesque artists, including Scarlett Daggers who manages to draw a pretty big crowd even at midday on the Sunday. 

Manchester Tattoo show will be back again next year, and now comes highly recommended by HUSH but even if you aren’t in the Manchester area there are loads of quality tattoo conventions around the UK, such as Tattoo Freeze in January which looks like a standout.