Tag: 6 Music

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.   

Stockport Venues 9 to 10

In 1894, 4 acres of land was donated by the local Lord to Heaton Norris District Council. This area then evolved into Stockport Heaton Moor Park, which was officially opened on 17 July 1897, to coincide with Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee celebrations. The ceremony incorporated the dramatic opening of the gates with a golden key, all sounds a little Willie Wonka to me!

Over the corresponding years, facilities such as bowling greens and tennis courts were added, and it was utilised for army drills and vegetable growing during the two World Wars and also won the Britain in Bloom award in 1981. The park went through a period of decline before being revitalised by the Friends of Heaton Moor Park in 1997 where they were assisted by some lottery funding. In June 2020 a blue plaque was installed commemorating the original forerunners who initially created the park.      

Heaton Moor Park. Image Credit heatonmmorpark.co.uk

It is a bonny enclosed green space with an obligatory café at one corner and there is a natural bowl area in the middle of the park. On a recent visit we were entranced watching a dog who had the outstanding ability to dribble with a ball the size of a beach ball, a hugely impressive feat!

The bowl is also a natural amphitheatre for the location of the music stage for the annual Heaton Moor festival. We attended there on an extremely sunny July day for the 2022 shindig, the roster was compered by local Irish singer Paul Hunt who plays regular gigs at the nearby Cassidy’s bar. He introduced a young artist called Alfie who had a fine voice, and he was followed by a Stockport lass Karen James who is a Northern Soul and Motown singer.   

When the railway first arrived in Stockport in 1840, the population expanded and as a result a second place of worship was required, thus Stockport St Pauls Church was built in 1876. The octagonal tower was added in 1900, and the Grade II listed building has a capacity seating of 400. They have developed their own embroidered banners which now hang on the stone pillars, and they have developed a quiet children’s play area with soft furnishings and toys, sounds like a fun area to me!  

Stockport St Paul’s Church. Image Credit stpaulsheatonmoor.org.uk

In the church grounds, a summer event took place in July 2023 where there were interactive stalls including the ‘Electric Wire’ game monitored by the ‘Men in Sheds’ who are a local voluntary group. They commendably aim to tackle social isolation and cover learning skills in fields such as computers, woodworking, photography and general restoration.

As a bonus gig for myself, there was music provided by the Stockport Silver Band, who were formed in 1870 and currently practice in Reddish Conservative Club. They performed some quirky cover versions, but for the life of me I can’t now remember what they played!

As you progress into Stockport town centre across the M60 (not on foot!) you cannot miss the famous Pyramid or alternatively some have cited it as a Ziggurat! The building was intended initially as a ‘signature site’ within an ongoing scheme to build multiple pyramid-shaped buildings on the banks of the River Mersey.

The actual planned number is disputed but is now somewhat moot as the original developers went into administration during its construction and they had to be bailed out by their financiers The Co-operative Banking Group. Despite this it is sometimes called the ‘Stopfordian Valley of the Kings’!     

The six storey 8000 square meter site was completed in 1992 and was empty for the first three years of its life before the aforementioned Co-op took residence there until they relocated to Manchester City Centre in 2018.

Stockport Pyramid. Image Credit bbc.co.uk

The building has laid empty since then but there are now plans afoot for the award-winning restaurant chain Royal Nawaab to transform the pyramid into a huge restaurant and banqueting centre, and I recently saw their name on the structure when I was on a flight back to Manchester Airport. It will comprise a 400-cover restaurant on the ground floor, an 800 capacity first floor banqueting centre for weddings and a further 400 capacity banqueting space on the second floor. There will also be availability for 500 car parking spaces. I am very sure I will make a visit at some point.

Talk of this reminds me of the 1983 Frankie Vaughan track ‘Stockport’ with its refrain ‘Stockport, Stockport, it’s the place for me’ that was recorded at the town’s Plaza Theatre and receives periodic airplay on Radcliffe and Maconie’s 6 Music show.  

More specifically though, there is a 2023 tune called ‘Stockport Pyramid’ by Julian Homer and an even more recent Anthony Szmierek song ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ containing the lines ‘Imagine what the Pharaohs could have done, with a four day working week, and a three-fingered Twix’. It is the third track on his most recent album ‘Service Station at the End of the Universe’ which has a terrific picture of the brutalist building of Forton Services on the cover!   

Anthony Szmierek album cover. Image Credit www.normanrecords.com