Tag: Manchester Piccadilly Records

Manchester Venues 209 to 210

Alongside many other likeminded music fans, I have always had a strong affiliation with records shops from an early age. Everyone will have their own tale of how they obtained the latest vinyl that they desired in their formative years, either via a local or national chain or somewhere broader based like the bargain basket at Woolworths.

In my youthful days in Preston there was Bradys and also House of Records on the upper floor of the indoor market, though the jewel in the crown was always Action Records down on Church Street where I spent my ready cash. The shop initially opened in 1981 and remains to this day under the tireless stewardship of Gordon Gibson.

I would also at this stage like to take the opportunity to pay homage to Gordon’s comrade in arms Allan Atkinson (Big Al) who worked with him all throughout that period. He passed away a couple of years ago, and I remember chatting to him at many local gigs, he was a thoroughly decent chap and a gentle giant.      

Big Al. Image Credit blogpreston.co.uk

In relation to Manchester, I have covered Piccadilly Records in extensive detail in previous blogs so in this article will initially concentrate on Manchester Fopp Records. The Fopp story began with an English geezer called Gordon Montgomery opening a one man market stall in Glasgow in 1981 armed with the commendable ethos of competitive pricing.

The name was derived from a 1975 track by funk band The Ohio Players off their third successive platinum selling album ‘Honey’. The bands influence carried forward sufficiently to be sampled/re-recorded by Salt & Pepper, Snoop Dogg and Red Hot Chilli Peppers.  

Fopp’s stature peaked in 2007 with over 100 UK branches after they took over Music Zone. However, soon after they encountered financial difficulties and went into administration before being taken over by HMV but retaining their name. They later moved under the ownership of Canadian record chain Sunrise Records. There are now only six shops remaining in the UK, though a new one was opened in Nottingham in 2024.

Fopp Records Manchester. Image Credit recordshop.directory

The Manchester branch is located on Brown Street, just off the main Market Street shopping area and opposite the Norfolk House blood donor centre. In August 2019 I randomly visited and headed downstairs to purchase the latest Hold Steady release.

Whilst I was perusing their wares, I heard the unmistakeable sound of an electric guitar going through a sound check process. With my interest now piqued I looked around and noticed for the first time that there was a bit of a gather, and it was instantly obvious that there was a band about to play a promo set.

I rapidly checked their website and was pleased to discover the act literally right in front of my eyes was Murder Capital, who I had heard on 6 music radio the previous evening. They are a five piece post punk combo who had formed in Dublin the year before and were promoting their debut album ‘When I Have Fears’ which was only 4 days old.

They had a mean and moody aura about them which I admired, and they could certainly play but their music was admittedly a tad dour for me. The lead singer edged out of the room as the final song began to fade, presumably to prep for the signing session that took place upstairs. They shortly after headed out on a sold out UK and European tour, so I was fortunate to catch them in such a small setting.  

Manchester HMV first opened its doors on Market Street in the 1980’s where it was wedged between Topshop and Thomas Cook with a C&A branch close by. It later moved to its current location within the Arndale Centre. Like many other record shops, they have periodic live acoustic shows, and I attended one there in June 2024.

HMV in 1981. Image Credit manchestereveningnews.co.uk

After queueing up and obtaining my pre-purchased CD with enclosed ticket included, I headed upstairs to where the makeshift stage was located. The band performing was The Mysterines who I had kept a close eye on ever since their excellent debut album ‘Reeling’.

They are Liverpool based and have a powerful lead singer in Lia Metcalfe, who despite having a sore throat belted out the tunes and I very much enjoyed their abbrievated set. Unfortunately, a couple of months later they at very short notice cancelled their headline European tour and have not been heard from since. Hopefully they will reappear at some future point.  

Manchester Venues 184 to 185 – Piccadilly Gardens

Christmas markets are essentially street bazaars which are linked to the celebration of Yuletide and traditionally take place within the four-week Advent window. The initial concept of them evolved in the last knockings of the Middle Ages and mainly in the German speaking areas of Europe. Early mentions of December markets roll all the way back to Vienna in 1296 but the first recognised reference to a Christmas market was the Striezelmarkt which took place in Dresden in 1434.

They are large open-air gatherings with food, drink (traditionally mulled wine) and seasonal goods for sale. The food offerings can range from Nussknacker (candy toasted almonds) and Christstollen (stollen). The markets undertook a significant modern day revival in the 1990’s and spread their wings to a considerable number of European cities. The first occurrence in England was in Lincoln in 1982 before the larger cities caught the bug with the commencement in 1997 of the Manchester (Frankfurt) Christmas Markets,with the German city initially providing support.   

Manchester Albert Square Christmas market. Image Credit whatsonmcr.co.uk

I have attended a couple of actual markets in Germany including an excellent one in Stuttgart where the facilities now include additional elements such as ice rinks, funfair rides and my own favourite model railways which I am eternally fascinated by. The Manchester shindigs have always personally felt like a paler imitation of the originals. However, despite my reservations they have grown exponentially from the inaugural version which was based solely in St Anns Square into the hugely popular event it is nowadays with three hundred stalls now dotted across many parts of the city with a large footfall attending.

It used to create a considerable nuisance when attending December gigs and then encountering a plethora of inebriated punters on astoundingly busy trains back to Preston. Also, my commute back home after work requires me to devise a different route than normal to reach my destination of Piccadilly station.   

The central hub of the markets was always Albert Square but that has been closed for restoration for the last few years, but it is planned to be reopened for this year’s event. In the interim one of the main areas centralised around Manchester Christmas Market Piccadilly Gardens.

In the 18th century this particular location was donated to the city by Sir Oswald Mosley, Lord of the Manor of Manchester on one fundamental condition that the space be retained in public use in perpetuity.   

L S Lowry ‘Piccadilly Gardens’ picture. Image Credit King and McGaw.

The Gardens were initially designed as an ornamental sunken garden after World War I on the former location of Manchester Royal Infirmary, the Infirmary then moving to its current location down Oxford Road. Prior to building the gardens other schemes including building an Opera House or a new location for the Cathedral were proposed but then discounted. The local painter L S Lowry also utilised the backdrop for his 1954 painting titled ‘Piccadilly Gardens’.

It was subsequently flattened out in 2002 with a central water feature and a concrete pavilion designed by the Japanese architect Tadao Ando with a curved concrete wall to obscure the metrolink line, this all resulted in an overall cost of £20.7m. It is an extremely rare green space in the city centre and contains a transport hub with buses and trams running directly through and adjacent to it. For many years prior to its move to Oldham Street, the famous Piccadilly Records was also located nearby.

Within the village created, room was made for a stage for the purposes of providing musical entertainment. Within the auspices of the 2023 event, I saw an act called General Drummer play there.

Earlier this year another innovative shindig was initiated via the generation of the Manchester Piccadilly Gardens MCR Live Hub with a stage located in another corner of the Gardens. It was designed as a city centre gathering point taking place between early July until the end of September and was part of the wider MCR Live 25 event which deliberately coincided with the Burnage Boys comeback tour.

Manchester MCR Live Hub Stage area. Image Credit ihmanchester.com

Other attractions were the Music for the Senses trail containing murals, mosaics and Guitar Street (located in reality on King Street), where you could find 50 donated guitars, some from musicians including Doves, PINS and Pixies. Commendably at the curtailment of the trail the instruments were auctioned to raise funds for grassroots venues and music projects across Greater Manchester.

Manchester artist Lazerian also created a Cathedral of Sound, a sound installation built from hundreds of reclaimed acoustic guitars. The Live Hub area was staged fully outdoors to embrace the weather in the summer months and contained a bar, street food and a plethora of beer garden picnic tables. They had DJ sets and live musicians, and I saw a couple of local artists called Sabrina and Gordy performing there.