Tag: Manchester Sound Control

Manchester Venues 84 to 85

At the rear of the previously reviewed Blues Kitchen venue on Quay St lies Artillery St which runs into Longworth St. It is a hidden unprepossessing street with many industrial units and at its intersection resides the renowned Rafa’s Tapas restaurant. I have never sampled their wares and have heard it is a challenge to book due to the enduring demand for punters to find a table. My preferred Tapas option is either one of the Evuna’s in town or nearer home the terrific Casa De Moor in Heaton Moor.

Rafa’s restaurant. Image Credit Yell.

Next to there is the ‘superclub’ History nightclub which unsurprisingly I have never felt the need to visit! Back round the corner on Artillery Street you would have found Manchester Sub 61, a very short-lived gig venue, and I can now source only scant information on its history, but it looks like it existed between approximately 2009 and 2010.

They did hold a regular indie-rock night there which was showcased as the ‘Little Black Book’ and also operated as a Visual Arts space for local artists to exhibit. It is listed as a basement club, but I have memories of heading upstairs so perhaps the venue had a separate gig room. Apart from the gig I attended the only other band I can reference playing there was Chameleons Vox in December 2009.

On 25/09/09 I met up with Uncle George in the Old Monkey pub on Portland Street after he had been watching the cricket at nearby Old Trafford. I mentioned I had just heard of this new venue, and we decided to go and check it out. The venue was housed in an industrial unit redolent of what a New York apartment looks like when portrayed in the movies.

The first support was Die Der Daus, the name translates from German as three different descriptors of ‘The’, namely the Masculine, Feminine and Neuter Noun versions. The main support were called  Tamallas.

The headline act was Doll and the Kicks from Brighton who were a four-piece formed in 2005 and were personally chosen to support Morrissey on his 2009 European tour. They had just released their self-titled debut album and disbanded in 2011 but it does like they subsequently reformed and are still active.

Doll and the Kicks on stage at Sub 61. Image Credit flickr.

In a half empty venue Hannah Scanlon (Doll) was an engaging energetic presence on stage and their music had elements of Be Your Own Pet, Blondie and Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the latter perhaps reflecting the aforementioned NY vibe of the venue.

Manchester Satan’s Hollow is situated just off Princess Street between China Town and the Gay Village and a stone’s throw away from the nearby Night People venue. It was opened in 2000 and is firmly in the rock/metal genre. They have club nights and also a regular roster of gigs.

The entrance aims to exemplify the gates of hell replete with devil horn insignia and inside is an archetypal ‘toilet circuit’ venue with sticky floors and lamentable beer. We visited there on 06/02/10 on a whim as we were passing, and the chance presented itself to tick off the venue on the Jimmy roster. We were en route to our debut attendance at Sound Control.

Looking at the archive listing of gigs that have taken place in the venue, one caught my eye when I saw Leatherface performed there in 2007. I quite liked their material, but I am more of a fan of their spin off band Former Cellmates and particularly their terrific 2008 album ‘Who’s Dead and What’s to Pay’.

  

Manchester Satans Hollow. Image Credit homes4u.co.uk

The band on stage during our visit was Envy of The State, a rock band from the musical backwater of Telford and the band were unmemorable but there was the novelty of having a stage in the middle of the room allowing you to stand behind the band and watch them from a rarely seen angle!   

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.