Category: Manchester

Manchester Venues 71 to 73

One of the inherent joys of moving to a brand-new area is continuing to discover new establishments. When we first moved to Manchester in September 2017, we missed on our initial scouting trips the existence of a couple of public houses and adjoining restaurant on Wilmslow Road just after Fletcher Moss Park in East Didsbury. The restaurant around the time, previously the Fat Loaf pub, was a fine Mediterranean tapas called Olive and Vine before closing in 2019 and reopening as Jajoo Indian which has had a chequered history with alleged staff welfare issues.

The boozer directly across from there is the Didsbury which is a former coach house and retains many of its original 18th century features with wooden beams and open fireplaces. It sits on the site of a much older inn, the Ring of Bells which originates back to 1644. The story goes that Bonnie Prince Charlie camped nearby with his army in 1785 recovering after his defeat at Derby (not in a football match!)

It has a very large beer garden at the front, which has recently been refurbished and used to be the location of Didsbury Village Green. The pub is now a Brewers Fayre establishment and serves fine gastro pub fare and was one of the ‘Covid hero’ places for me and thus I hold it in high regard.

I recall us sitting outside in the midst of the lockdown with a couple of friends in our pre booked seats, shivering at 9.30pm in the cold night air but refusing to go home until our time window had expired! One time, I just missed a music act there once as we decided to leave whilst they were still setting up their equipment, but maybe next time!

Literally next door is the Didsbury Ye Olde Cock Inn, and the name provides the very obvious clue to its previous cock fighting history. The building has references back to 1235 and it has had a couple of major refurbishments in bygone times. In the 19th century it had a haunted reputation where the servants refused to sleep on the premises. The owner installed iron gates at the time at the entrance to the adjoining gardens which became locally known as ‘the Gates to Hell’.  The pub gained Grade II Listing in 1974 and the current Greene King owned pub has an olde world feel.

Ye Olde Cock Inn to the right and the Didsbury to the left. Image Credit Flickr.

The pub though always seems to have an unnecessarily disorganised vibe to it which tarnishes its allure, hence not a place we visit regularly. However, on one of our sporadic attendances on 11/11/17 we saw a decent young local singer called Jessica Kemp, who has some Radio 2 airplay and counts Clint Boon amongst her fanbase.   

Further down Wilmslow Road towards Didsbury Village takes you past Didsbury Park. The park being one of the first to be built in the city and was redesigned to include two bowling greens. Reputedly there are rumours of an air raid shelter being located below the football field and it is a pleasant spot on a sunny day.

At the Didsbury Festival alongside competitions for the waggiest tail (dogs!) they utilised the small Didsbury Park Stage, which is arguably more of a park keepers storage area. On this very ‘stage’ were Tinfoils, an enjoyable local three-piece garage punk band.  A month later, at another event I saw an act called Peters Sounds play on Didsbury Park Green (the football pitch!).

Didsbury Park. Image Credit Pinterest.

Manchester Venue 70 – The Attic

Manchester Oxford Road train station opened in 1849 and was built in the renowned local slum area of ‘Little Ireland’ and was initially a single platform station. Over the intervening period the station expanded to five platforms, and I have caught trains from them all!

When I first used to commute over to gigs in Manchester from Preston in the mid 80’s we always needed someone to drive as the only alternate was an hourly train into Manchester Victoria. The opening of the 700m Windsor Link between Salford Crescent and Deansgate in 1988 vastly improved the situation as it connected lines to the north and south of Manchester, opening up routes from Preston into Oxford Road, Piccadilly, and the Airport. The train then became the chosen mode of transport for gig nights.   

I have always been fond of Oxford Road station it as it has been my most regular arrival/departure point for nearby venues Sound Control, Ritz, and Gorilla or to the four Academy venues a short walk away down Oxford Road. Some of this allure has waned slightly as it has now become my work commute point since moving to Manchester. The station is a Grade II listed building and as a result needs a little bit of love and constant repair and it can be a draughty place. It is still listed for expansion if the Northern Hub plans ever reach fruition. 

Oxford Road station. Image Credit manchesterhistory.net

There used to be an old piano near Platform 4 where you could occasionally hear drunken punters trying to embrace their inner Mozart! I also read somewhere that on a Motown tour including a very young Stevie Wonder in the 60’s, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas once stepped off onto the platform and played a set, which I am sure would have been a sight to behold.  

The station is built on a hill and as you exit the station there is a road that slopes downwards to the left bringing you out where the Cornerhouse Cinema used to be located and opposite the Palace Theatre. Years ago, I saw West Side Story there and recently saw School of Rock, which was superb fun and recommended. Just outside the entrance they have replaced the newsagent kiosk with a new vendor called Slice Pizza and Bread Bar, and you may be unsurprised to discover, I have already partaken of their wares prior to the last train departing.

If you head marginally right this takes you to the 56 steps (I have counted them!) leading down to a trio of pubs and Oxford Road. Many times, there has been a cheeky very late beer necessitating a scramble up these steps, then the incline and then up and down a further two flights of stairs and an additional 64 steps on to Platform 2 for the last Preston train. A couple of times, it was missed, and I recall one other time when I was holding the train doors ajar much to the platform staff’s chagrin as Gill and Uncle George flew down the stairs behind me!

At the bottom of the aforementioned steps immediately to your left is the grungy Salisbury pub, which has been a meeting point for many years, and they do support the local music scene by offering a reduction on the price of your pint via producing evidence of a gig ticket for that evening, for any venue.    

Directly opposite the Salisbury at either 50 New Wakefield Street or 50 Oxford Road (the official address is unclear!) are a set of spiral stairs taking you up to Manchester Attic, which sits adjacent and upstairs from the Thirsty Scholar pub. This venue fascinated me for many years due to its location, but we had never had a chance to visit as its primary function was a late-night dance club. However, good things come to those who wait as the Dot-to-Dot festival included it on their 2013 roster.

Myself pictured recently outside the Attic venue. Image Credit John Dewhurst.

Next to there but at a lower level is the Zombie Shack which I have never visited but it was included in the roster for the recent Neighbourhood Festival held in that area encompassing thirteen local venues.  

Thus, we finally headed upwards to the Attic venue though to be fair it was fairly nondescript as a small one room setting with a bar on the right and an alcove stage at the end of the room, but it was nevertheless a huge tick in the Jimmy gig roster! Searching the internet, it remains unclear whether the venue is still operational.

First on stage were the Rivals followed by the Thumpers (often known as THUMPERS), a London indie pop duo. One of their member was previously a drummer in Noah and the Whale. They subsequently split in 2018 with their final show taking place at the Lexington in London.