The Ritz has always been a grand old venue with Northern Soul roots and its spacious old ballroom vibe and sprung dance floor. It has a capacity of 1500 which allows it capture some medium sized bands without the impersonality of playing in an arena setting. It was built in 1927 and was designated a Grade 2 listed building status in 1994.
Taking into account a Ladytron gig planned there in February 2020 this will make a round total of 30 visits, placing it at No 4 on the all-time venue attended list. The venue is handily placed on Whitworth St West, literally stumbling distance from Oxford Road station making it an ideal location for last minute dashes for late trains back to Preston (occasionally missed!).
My first foray there was in October 1987 to see the Swans supported by AC Temple and Twang. I recall distinctly the DJ playing some rather fine Cajun music between bands. The Swans had semi-legendary status at that stage due to their immense volume and there were urban legends circulating that members of the audience had been physically sick due to the decibel effect earlier in the same tour. They had a sludgy sound which was at that stage the loudest band I had witnessed and there was one brave nay foolish punter with his head in the speaker – it was an odd gig.
In 2000 we purchased tickets for a Death In Vegas gig who were in their pomp at that stage and on receipt of the tickets discovered they were playing a late set commencing at 12.15am like the old days. Undeterred we gained a couple of extra hours in the boozer supping dangerously strong Moonraker in the Rain Bar. It was a tad hazy after that but I recall a mosh pit where my good pal John Dewhurst lost his specs necessitating an escort back to the station for the late train.
Around that time I saw an early Mogwai gig there. You will henceforth notice a reoccurring theme as they are the band I have witnessed the most times (current total is 33). They fall into the post rock category (you may have to look that one up) and are the standout purveyors of that particular genre.
They are primarily instrumental with a quiet/very loud dynamic and their white noise is positively grandiose and blissful. I would also contend their music is built in a classical structure with layers of sound added throughout and has been utilised effectively in cinematic circles to soundtrack ‘Zidane’ and the French TV series ‘The Returned’.
The venue was probably not even half full and they were as spellbinding as ever. It was relatively early days for them and quite a lot of lucky souls were seeing them for the first time. I recall heading to the loo mid gig in the midst of one of their sonic assaults and the look of wonderment on the barman’s face as I headed past was a sight to behold! Without a shadow of a doubt, my favourite live band ever.
