Category: Manchester

Manchester Venues 170 to 171

Manchester Jimmys was founded in 2016 by the One Night Only bandmates and brothers George and Jimmy Craig. The band were an Indie rock outfit that were formed in 2003 and hailed from Helmsley in Yorkshire and released three albums in total with their biggest commercial success being the single ‘Just for Tonight’ which peaked at No 9 in the UK singles chart.

The venue was located on Newton Street in the Northern Quarter, a veritable stone’s throw from the legendary Roadhouse venue. It sadly closed in 2019 to create room for office space, but a new version sprung up a year later in Cutting Room Square in Ancoats and was a sister venue to their Liverpool branch.

Manchester Jimmys. Image Credit ilovemanchester.com

The residential location of the latter site has resulted in no musical licence being obtained and the requirement for earlier closing times than the former which had a later licence until 2am. I have never yet visited the Ancoats site but attended the Newton Street space a few times. The venue was very colourful and glitzy and resided over two floors. The ground floor containing the main room and bar with the music stage and a further bar situated downstairs, it was a compact but inviting space to watch a band.

They had their own beer supplied in conjunction with the local Holts brewery and even named a Jimmy lager after me, though unfortunately it was an acquired taste that I never acquired! I do seem to recall they only had one lavatory in total in the building, which was a far from ideal scenario.

They had regular gigs taking place there and I recall hearing about an early gig from local band the Blinders and even a DJ set from our very own mayor Andy Burnham! I attended five times in total, and all were part of multi-event wrist band events such as the Dot-to-Dot festival.

Jimmy’s Ancoats venue. Image Credit jimmys.group

My first appearance was in 2017 to see a London based artist called JW Ridley who had just released his self-titled debut EP. He provided some dreamy post-punk sounds and has been gathering some airplay on 6 Music and I noticed was listed on the recent Liverpool Sound City event roster.

My next visit was the following year was to see an artist/producer named Devon. He hails from the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire and is obviously proud of his heritage as he displays a F.O.D moniker across his clothing when playing live. He also cites the remote location as inspiration for his music and bedroom DIY approach.   

My third visit was to see a four-piece indie act from Glasgow called Rascalton who had just released their debut single ‘This Is It’, I don’t know whether that was intended as a respectful nod to the Strokes whose debut album was titled ‘Is This It’. I next saw a band called Callow Youth from North Manchester who were formed the year before at high school and I would badge their sound as in the ‘lad rock’ mould.  

My final attendance in 2019 was the best of the lot as I witnessed a band called Secluded Sea. They were initially a collaboration between Halifax born multi-instrumentalist Blair Murray who has worked with Laura Cantrell, and ex-Foxtales singer Angela Hazeldine.  They expanded in a live setting to a six piece and created a very pleasing dream pop sound, though unfortunately they now appear to be no longer in existence.

The Manchester Crown & Anchor is situated on the corner of Port Street and Hilton Street within the Northern Quarter and has occupied that very spot since 1791. In its former life it expanded by incorporating the house next door and used to have a 150 capacity meeting room upstairs. Like many older boozers it was split into different areas, namely a wine and spirit vault, two parlours and a tap room.

Manchester Crown and Anchor with old signage. Image Credit alamy.com

It used to be under the auspices of the Chester Ales brewery in the 1960’s and 1970’s and this was reflected in the vintage signage before being extensively refurbished back in 2011 with the addition of a pool table and a roof top smoking area. It was also once featured in the Sky TV drama ‘Wolfe’. Members of the Stone Roses were reputedly visitors to the hostelry back in the late 1990’s.

It displayed an innovative streak during Covid by partnering up with the nearby Bread & Bowl to sell takeaway food and beer and enabled this pursuit by creating a new outdoor space because at the time the restrictions specified only beer gardens. It shut briefly at the end of 2021 but swiftly reopened under new owners. Due to its location, it can become busy on Manchester City match days, and they occasionally have live music. About a year ago after attending another gig, I saw a solo artist called Stefan perform there.   

Manchester Venues 168 to 169

Nearby to Manchester Victoria station and opposite the Next shop in the Arndale Centre you will find the Printworks complex. The large area was originally the Withy Grove Printing House which was established in 1873 by the Hulton family. It operated as a newspaper printing factory for over a century before finally closing in 1988. In its final days it was bought by Robert Maxwell who true to form then instantly sold it off for a quick profit.  

It lay unused for a decade and was in a derelict state before in the late 1990’s it was subject to a £110m transformation as part of the Exchange Square project. It was turned into an urban entertainment centre and was renamed as the Printworks to reflect the heritage of the location and it also retained some of the original features.

Manchester Printworks. Image Credit Visit Manchester

The four storey 33,900 square metre site concentrating primarily on nightlife was officially opened on November 9, 2000, with the special guests including Sir Alex Ferguson and Lionel Richie. In 2024 it underwent a major refurbishment which included the installation of the largest digital ceiling in Britain and its modus operandi is now geared more towards health and digital technology.

It now features a state of the art 20 screen cinema, gym with swimming pool but they still have the unhealthy option of over 20 bars and restaurants and also tenpin bowling and quirky modern pursuits such as Treetop mini golf! It is an area I have only sporadically visited over the years, and I remember visited the O’Neills Irish bar and also one visit to the Seven Stars Wetherspoons prior to a gig at the nearby Arena.

Also contained within this complex is the Manchester Bierkeller, which opened in 2013. It is a large venue over a couple of floors and contains within four individual bars. The first on entry is the Ski Lounge followed by their Around the World Bar serving 100+ beers. There is then the Shooters Sports Bar, which is allegedly the largest sports bar in Manchester.

In November 2015 Uncle George and I made a visit here prior to attending a gig at the much missed Ruby Lounge. We headed to the fourth bar, namely the Bavarian Bierkeller where we had identified before that there was daily live music taking place.

Manchester Bierkeller. Image Credit tagvenue.com

We purchased a stein of ale and grabbed a pew on the bench style seating and on a small stage an indie band from Stockport called The Instigators were playing. They regularly vary their size of their roster and can sometimes go up to eight members where brass is then included in the mix. On this particular day they were pared down to a three piece.   

In 2000 Gill and I made our thus far only visit to Italy where we backpacked around the country on their highly efficient trains. We commenced and also finished the trip in Florence and also stayed in  Rome for a few days. We also spent a week down in Sorrento where we took the opportunity to visit the enchanting island of Capri and foolishly imbibed a little too much Limoncello prior to a visit to Pompei the next day, a hangover in oppressive heat is not a recommended combination!

Whilst in Sorrento I sampled my favourite ever pizza in a restaurant off the main square. The nearest I have been to replicating that pizza quality within the boundaries of our fair isle is when we visited the Manchester Don Giovanni restaurant on Oxford Road near St Peters Square. It opened in 1984 and is the longest standing independent Italian eatery in Manchester.

Don Giovanni’s. Image Credit dongiovanni.com

It was originally located on the city side of the street located next to the now long gone Dutch Pancake House. It was a small, homely trattoria and that is where we had one of our finest meals. The restaurant then moved across to the Manchester Central side of the road, expanding in the process and also for a short time opening a deli next door. Unfortunately, I personally thought the quality dropped as a result though it just seemed to get busier and is a popular location for post-meals after nearby graduations.  

In 2024 they celebrated their 40th anniversary and also dropped Don from their name at the same time. In May 2015 we met up some old friends who Gill had undertaken her nurse training with many moons ago. We booked in the restaurant on the Saturday night, and we were treated to a set from the house pianist Antonio.