Know Your Enemy #47

"An absolute fucking armpit of humanity, a dingy, dark, dank city with nothing to its name but a history of social injustice and bandits, but which has more women than men and also loads of bars and clubs in the city centre and also hideous problems with alcohol, violence, etcetera etcetera because of all the bars and clubs in the city centre which exist almost entirely at the expense of any kind of daytime socially-binding culture or commerce or industry."

Nick Southall of Auspicious Fish on Nottingham. Under normal circumstances I respect his opinions (especially when they concern music), but as someone who has come to feel very much at home in the city over the past seven years, needless to say I can't agree with him here. Even if it was once true (the city's major industry having been the production of lace), the "more women than men" thing certainly isn't any longer. And name me a city that DOESN'T have "hideous problems with alcohol, violence, etcetera etcetera". If you're looking for "an absolute fucking armpit of humanity", Birmingham, Sunderland or Stevenage would be far more appropriate.