Year: 2020

Manchester Venues 9 to 12

There was a legendary gig etched in folklore in the heady red-hot summer of 1976 at the Lesser Free Trade Hall where the Sex Pistols apparently influenced many members of the audience to head out and form their own bands. Bob Dylan also played there twice in the mid 60’s, one of those performances inciting the ‘Judas’ shout on the back of him committing the heinous crime of going ‘electric’. In 2004 the venue stopped all performances and was converted into a hotel.

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Flyer from Sex Pistols gig in 1976. Image credit herestheartwork.co.uk

My one and only foray was there on 21/05/89, just shy of my 21st birthday to see the 10000 Maniacs. George drove over and it was a busy sporting night as we listened to Lancashire CC losing a cup quarter final to Worcestershire on the radio on the way over and Blackburn were playing Crystal Palace in a play-off match before being undone in the second leg by the forward line of Wright and Bright! Additionally, Barry McGuigan was fighting Jim McDonnell at the G-Mex next to the venue, for which touts were trying to foist tickets on us. He lost that night and it subsequently turned out to be his final bout.

We visited the Friendship Inn in Prestwich and parked up near the Boardwalk. The venue was quite a classical site and was all seated and despite my best efforts we could not get anywhere nearer the stage. Maniacs were in great form and the best tracks were off their opus ‘In My Tribe’ especially ‘Hey Jack Kerouac’, ‘Don’t Talk’, What’s the Matter Here’ and a fabulous encore of ‘Verdi Cries’. A very fine gig.

Referencing the G-Mex Conference Centre above leads to recollections of my one gig there. I have visited the G-Mex several times on work events and it used to be the location of Manchester Central station. They also now have a huge annual beer festival there. Contemporary update is that as I write this they are currently converting the venue to an emergency hospital to assist in the fight against the Covid 19 pandemic.  

My one visit was in 1993 to see Madness. Gill was undertaking a Paediatric Nursing course at that stage and lodging at Hope Hospital (now Salford Royal). The tram network running past there was only a twinkle in the developer’s eye at that stage. Locally we used to periodically frequent the disreputable Inn of Good Hope (coined locally as Good Grope!) and visit a fabulous Chinese restaurant about 100 yards from the hospital grounds which was utilised around that time for a scene in Coronation Street involving Des Barnes.

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Inn of Good Hope, Eccles Road, Salford in 1990. Image credit flickr.

Gill had got pally with a lass on her course who had settled in Monton so we headed with Liz and Clive into the metropolis that night for some nutty boy action. The venue was cavernous and rather soulless and was probably at best half full. As you would expect Madness were good fun, but I struggled to connect with it that night, perhaps due to the impersonality of the venue.

On the corner of Princes St and Portland St there is a faux Irish Bar called Scruffy Murphy’s where around 1993 I saw a lad called Seamus perform acoustically.

As referenced previously Chinatown has always been a central hub for us pre and post gigs and we used to periodically visit the Chinese Jazz Restaurant. On one visit there was an inhouse band playing whilst we were devouring our supper and I recall George requesting a tune, but for the life of me I cannot recall what it was!

Gig Miscellaneous – Part 4

Being a Northern lad, food has always been a key component of the evening. The central port of call in Preston since the mid 80’s has been the always friendly, reliable Zagros outside the Dog and Partridge and yards from the bus stop for the last bus home. Fabulous pizzas (Tuna Fish and Prawn used to be a fave) and fine kebabs with devilish chilli sauce.

Myself pictured with Zagros owner three weeks ago. Image Credit Angie Keane

On early Manchester trips there were many mercy dashes to a Chinese in Prestwich prior to the 1am closing, sometimes without success. Looking at my early notes, Chicken Prawn Cashew Nuts and Egg Fried Rice appeared to be a staple choice, quite often in one tray to assist the consumption. When the stable trains were introduced China Town was regularly visited after the gig and I am sure over the years we have visited the majority of restaurants in the vicinity.

As an alternate the curry mile in Rusholme was also occasionally visited. Over the last 15 years the cheap and cheerful Umami Noodle Bar on Oxford Road has been the venue of choice, we should be gold card members by now, and until a recent menu change you could set your clock by my good pal John Dewhurst ordering a No 68, for the record the Chicken Katsu Curry.

In the Noodle Bar prior to recent gig with Uncle George. Image Credit John Dewhurst

At the gig, the age-old problem of incessant babblers (generating the question of why buy a ticket in the first place?) has always been rather annoying and I have challenged people in the past in this regard, but I tend to zone it out nowadays, unless it is excessive and continuous. A more recent millennial issue is the recording of entire gigs on phones but as I tend to attend gigs that attract more discerning indie types I have never really found this to be a major concern.

As gigs in the 80’s and 90’s used to start later, I encountered more support bands but now tend to arrive 5 minutes before the main act as to me there is more allure in a sociable chat in the boozer than waiting in the venue between bands. Generally, also the beer is cheaper outside the gig and I am not normally one to warble about beer prices because I tend to accept rightly or wrongly that it is just the way it is. However, a case in point here was on a recent visit to the Ritz where a pint accrued the remarkable sum of £6.15, which quite frankly chaps is not good enough!

I have always tried where possible to place myself near the front of the stage and there have been many mosh pits visited. Those visits have been less frequent recently however there was one particularly old fashioned pit at a Rumjacks gig attended with Paul Wilson a few weeks ago which incited me to participate fully for an hour (a substitute gym session?) though my body was screaming in protest the following morning.

This generated the question of whether I should still be in moshpits at 51, but I embrace the ethos that you should not be too old for anything and to me there is nothing more invigorating than being in the midst of like-minded souls with a proper noisy band on stage, I find it a cathartic experience. I am still planning to nick out of the nursing home when older to catch the 50th anniversary Mogwai tour! To close I heard a phrase recently mirroring that sentiment which was ‘Adventures before Dentures’ –which I think is a wholly commendable approach to adopt.