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Right, tell me about interesting places to go, good indie rcord shops + clubs. Does it have any indie/hippy/hip+groovy areas like Brighton does?

Graham, Sunday, 30 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

The best record shops are on Oldham Street. There's Piccadilly Records which is OK-ish - they have a little list every Monday describing each new release.

Vinyl Exchange on the other side of the road is better because they sell loads of promo copies of albums for about £8.99. They normally have them about six weeks before they're released as well. Don't go on Saturdays though because it's always packed. There's another, smaller branch just off Deansgate which is usually a bit quieter. Vinyl Exchange is my favourite record shop I've ever been to and pretty much the only thing I miss about Manchester.

There's also a shop called Polar Bear Records on Deansgate which isn't too bad either.

Oldham Street is kind of the Camdeny area with Afflecks Palace and Pop Boutique. The Manchester Pop Boutique is better than the one in Covent Garden because it's bigger and there's a cool cafe upstairs. They also have an Oxfam Super Savers where I used to go and buy all my jackets

Club-wise, there's Tiger Lounge which is cool but I don't know when or where it is because it's moved since I left. At Tiger Lounge they play cool cool stuff like The Monochrome Set. There's also Smile at the Star And Garter which is a bit scuzzy. They do sell cheap vodka though.

The Roadhouse and Night&Day are good for gigs but aren't particularly nice places.

There's Poptastic which is a crappy gay indie/pop disco where the drinks are £1. It's better than most of the other places on Canal Street (which largely sucks).

There's probably other cool places which I never discovered (I refuse to believe that those places I used to go to really where the best Manchester has to offer)

jamesmichaelward, Sunday, 30 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

the best record shop ever os pelicanneck, in afflecks palace on oldham street. just ask anyone where afflecks palace is ( its on the left side of the road as you come away from piccadilly gardens) and then go up the stairs to the 2nd or 3rd floor, then turn right round some corners....er its a bit hard to find in afflecks palace bit its amazing. dont know what youre looking for but if you want the most comprehensive selection of electronica its there. also loads of hiphop, indie, sale stuff. and you can listen to stuff.

very good piccadilly is ok, vinyl exchange alright.

afflecks palace seems to be what youre looking for generally.

its kinda byzantine.

ambrose, Sunday, 30 September 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Afflecks is full of teenagers and hippies and teenage hippies. You wanna go to Cafe Pop and have their full veggie breakfast and a milkshake and swap banter with their very own comedy Geordie.

ClubXor - Mini Pops is suposed to be good - never managed to get there yet though. Poptastic and Shebang (Manchester Met) are always a good larf though. Not too up on the club scene although for going out in Manc environs (why, god knows), Bolton has Jumping Jacks, and Preston has the Warehouse (Friday nights) and Squires on Monday night.

Oldham St = vinyl exchange, good. I never found Picadilly records THAT great, it's pretty good and the staff are lovely. Which I can't say so much for the vinyl exchange hem hem. Used to be a particular person renowned for his rudeness. Pelicanneck in Afflecks IS good though. Gutted since they shut down the anime import shop in the Colliseum (opposite Afflecks) - theres only goth shops. Pretty good comic/rubbidge store still remaining though. Other good shop in Afflecks is this mobile phone accessories stall, with loads of imported goodies from S.E Asia. Raddest. The caff on the top floor of Afflecks is good too - great cheese sandwiches. I'd also recommend the place on the (I think it's the 2nd floor nowawadays) w/ lots of retro clothes, nonsense, and huge boxes of old jukebox 7"s.

Sarah, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oh and there's a Wagamama there now, so you can have big satisfying bowls of ramen. Mmmmmmm. The Triangle is the poncey bit, mind you.

Sarah, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Don't forget to Check out Ronny's Matey Chips Stop

Mike Hanle y, Monday, 1 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

If you're there for a while, pop down to Chorlton, which has some nice pubs and King Bee Records. Smile at the Star and Garter used to be GRATE but I haven't been there for four years. You might see a man who looks like Rod Stewart and another who looks like Merlin the Wizard. We did, every Saturday. For tourist interest, there's a pub whose name escapes me on the corner of Moss Lane East and Wilmslow Road, which is where Myra Hindley first met Ian Brady. Also on Wilmslow Road are shedloads of Indian restaurants. And I favour Abdul's for kebabs, although others would beg to differ. Finally, never get a Stagecoach bus down Oxford Road because you'll pay ten trillion times as much as you do on the other buses.

Madchen, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I haven't spent very long in Manchester, so I can't help, but I thought I'd just second Ambrose's post by saying that if the actual Pelicanneck shop is anywhere near as lovely as you'd expect from its website (kind of low-tech, but a great selection) then it will be a thing of magnificence indeed.

Rebecca, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

this thread may prove instructive

gareth, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

peliccaneck is the smallest record shop ever. and its in a cave (sort of. its wicked. also, even if afflecks is full of teen hippies, its cool having arovane or whatever just playing while the kids at the cd shop (metal, nu-metal, goth shit) browse....

and they are very nice in pelicanneck.

why the fuck does anyone buy records in london. every shop ive been to has been full of (in the main) nasty wankers (rough trade, uptown, blackmarket, reckless, sister ray par excellence), or just posing idiots (small fish), or you cant listen to anything (rough trade, selectadisc, sister ray). i fucking hate shopping there. but its kinda necessary (unless i lived in manchester)

ambrose, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

I dunno, I've never found the people in Talbot Road Rough Trade to be anything less than helpful when I visit on Sunday afternoons or weekdays. And you can normally hog the listening turntables as much as you like on Sundays. Selectadisc staff can be arsey, but I think anyone would be if they worked in that oven.

Richard Tunnicliffe, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Oh Manchster, so much to answer for...

Mike Hanle y, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

talbot road seems to be pretty cool, actually, but for those who dont live out west (or are coming in via Euston ie me) its a right pain to get to). and the bloke was a fukkin asshole when i tried to get eds tickets for afx at the v+a. in fact he was the worst, sarky, patronising dick. but there is a girl there who i suspect to be Delia of mailingl ist fame who was fantastic.

so.....overall its better than neals yrd

ambrose, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

so.....overall its better than neals yrd

And at least you don't have to negotiate your way through a [insert appropriate collective noun] of skateboardkids.

jamesmichaelward, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

If you think it's bad walking through there as a non-skateboardkid, you should have tried carrying your board through there as a skateboarding indie kid 10 years ago. It was hideous. Slam City Skates used to be renowned amongst skaters as the snobbiest shop in the country. If you weren't wearing the right t-shirt the staff would treat you like shit. It was always a great relief to get downstairs where the staff didn't look at you like something they might have trodden in.

Richard Tunnicliffe, Tuesday, 2 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

posing idiots (small fish)

this is only kind of true. they often see what your buying and then say 'oh you might like this' and dig loads of other stuff out, and then let you go on the decks and listen to loads. once i took about 5 or 6 things up to listen to, and they ended up giving me about 35 others to try as well.

gareth, Wednesday, 3 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Afflecks/Oldham St = perfect, thanks ILE.

(although I didn't have time to actually buy anything, damn you ILE)

Graham, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Delia my doppelganging nemesis.

I don't look anything like her! We both have the same hairdo that is ALL. Dammit! DAMMIT ALL TO HELL IN A HANDCART.

Sarah, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

Calm, Starry. Just think of pubs. Lovely pubs. That you will soon be in. With beer. Mmmmm beer.

Richard Tunnicliffe, Friday, 5 October 2001 00:00 (twenty-two years ago) link

one year passes...
I love alcohol it is the best thing ever i love going out to a pub and gettin very drunk that drunk that i cant wailk its great

martha fletcher, Friday, 3 October 2003 09:17 (twenty years ago) link

five years pass...

Are there any mancunians checking this board?
I m this half french guy coming to visit his relatives in manchester, and i would really fancy having a drink with some ilxers tomorrow...

Snowballing, Friday, 12 June 2009 23:53 (fourteen years ago) link

See the fleet of cruising cars
go past the stations and the bars.
Never stop to get out
in case they choose to cruise about.
Well, I tell you, that boy,
he stopped up at the station.
He must be on a mission of passion
Couldn't make out whether he was from
Salford or...ah... Manchester.
And this London visitor had this to say:
"Cheater"
Cheetham Hill.
Only way you stop is for passion at the station.
Why you cruising? To be unfaithful.
You want to settle up, you want to settle down.
And some man really hurt you.
He isn't around in Cheetham.
You cheated.
Well I tell you,
That boy, he stopped up at the station.
He must be on a mission of passion.
Cheater.
Cheetham Hill.
Where you going, boy? Are you cheatin'?
Is that why you come from Cheetham Hill?
When you stopped up at the station
was it an excuse to get away from your wife?
Couldn't make out whether he was from
Salford or...ah...Manchester
And this London visitor had this to say
"Cheater"
Cheetham.
(Cheetham Hill.)
(
customised
intentional
there's no need to go berserk
you don't scratch my nice green Merc
I wont need to go berserk
if you don't scratch my nice green Merc
...)

the unfished business of display names only (country matters), Friday, 12 June 2009 23:55 (fourteen years ago) link

eight months pass...

What was the john peel quote around manchester football teams being crap and the music being fantastic

derry2010, Saturday, 6 March 2010 11:42 (fourteen years ago) link

one year passes...

Here until Tuesday, anybody want to meet for a drink? Staying around the corner from Oldham street...

Franz Kappa (S-), Thursday, 3 November 2011 23:37 (twelve years ago) link

three years pass...

What's good in terms of places to eat?

...any good arthouse cinemas?

xyzzzz__, Friday, 18 September 2015 09:16 (eight years ago) link

I was pleased with the food and the drink in this place: http://www.marblebeers.com/marble-arch/

Tim, Friday, 18 September 2015 09:19 (eight years ago) link

Looks good (although that first pic :-))! From the postcode I am staying near there

xyzzzz__, Friday, 18 September 2015 09:22 (eight years ago) link

manchester has a brand new arthouse cinema! - http://homemcr.org/

plenty of good places to eat depending on what sort of thing you're looking for. the armenian taverna is a meat fest in a subterranean grotto, el rincon is great for unpretentious argentine tapas, samsi on whitworth st a v good japanese restaurant...

ogmor, Friday, 18 September 2015 09:33 (eight years ago) link

Thanks ogmor. As to what I'm looking for just recommend anything you really enjoyed and I'll be looking to try.

xyzzzz__, Friday, 18 September 2015 09:44 (eight years ago) link

2nd week here - why is the centre of the city being carved open, roadworks seemingly everywhere. Couple of biblical showers last week but great weather at the start of the week..

Found a shop that does pancakes for breakfast, makes a change from the hotel (LOL bastards can't even do porridge).

Otherwise finding my way - Arndale annoying, otherwise Marblebeers is nice Tim thanks. Thomas Street has that Dalston vibe, reminding me of fkn 'home' - really all that this needed was shit furniture. Will go back for pork pie (which they didn't have when I went in).

Also went to the Armenian and certainly going back. Funnily enough I was reading a passage about Mandelstam's "Journey to Armenia" in another bk. Good place.

Found what seems to be Chinatown in Faulkner Street so working my way.

Found a really nice comics and bookshop - will note its name down for my next update, should I live.

xyzzzz__, Monday, 28 September 2015 20:58 (eight years ago) link

gullivers on oldham st, and the castle across the road are your go-to pubs. often got live music, spoken word, comedy on. friendly mix of old manc & new

NI, Tuesday, 29 September 2015 02:04 (eight years ago) link

Yes NI whilst walking back I took a detour and saw Gullivers and I think the Castle (there was some Karaoke coming out of it), totally going for a drink tonight at the former - looked really good.

xyzzzz__, Tuesday, 29 September 2015 11:48 (eight years ago) link

no karaoke at castle, it's really not that kind of place! my mate's hosting a spoken word event there tonight, free entry and always great.

NI, Wednesday, 30 September 2015 15:08 (eight years ago) link

Found a really nice comics and bookshop - will note its name down for my next update, should I live.

Paramount books near shudehill bus station/back of the arndale? if not you should definitely visit.

forgot to update this, but other notable eateries - habesha on sackville street, the spiral staircase in the corner of a kebab shop is an inauspicious entrance but this is a pretty great and very reasonable ethiopian&eritrean restaurant.

there are a few good curry houses in the city centre, I'd probably go for rajdoot, which is on the opposite side of albert square to the armenian taverna, but if you can make it to rusholme it's worth a stroll (I like sanam, the palestinian falafel place is also fantastic) and the great kathmandu on burton road in didsbury is probably my overall favourite.

not sure what your plans are but if you're up for a pint ilxmail me!

ogmor, Wednesday, 30 September 2015 16:21 (eight years ago) link

Yeah Paramount - paid a quick visit, looks great.

Saw this quickly last night and went to Habesha and that's great - really good local knowledge there, never spot that in a million years.

Been wondering re: curry house. Will try.

Will ilxmail - up for a drink sometime.

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 1 October 2015 10:05 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

Any restaurants in Manchester that you (or rather my sister) would be pleased to get a birthday voucher for? (Meals? Afternoon tea?)

djh, Tuesday, 3 November 2015 21:27 (eight years ago) link

Dough pizza

cardamon, Thursday, 5 November 2015 01:03 (eight years ago) link

I would be extremely pleased to visit one of the Simon Rogan places at The Midland, but that may be further up the £££ scale than you had in mind.

Tim, Thursday, 5 November 2015 07:04 (eight years ago) link

yeah for a treat the midland would be good

ogmor, Thursday, 5 November 2015 12:13 (eight years ago) link

I hear wonderful things about the lime tree in didsbury as well which would be considerably more reasonable

ogmor, Thursday, 5 November 2015 12:30 (eight years ago) link

Going to Rajdoot now and its outstansding.

Also go to Samsi as I stay nearby there - bdesides serving a terrific Katsu cuury it has good ice cream for dessert.

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 5 November 2015 12:52 (eight years ago) link

glad you like rajdoot! love a samsi bento box and the sushi must be the best in manchester by quite a way

ogmor, Thursday, 5 November 2015 13:07 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

El Rincon is brilliant tapas place, went last night and it is tough to get a table (and you can only book in advance if its for three ppl at least)

Extra offline recommends from ogmor that I've also checked out:

- Yuzu is an excellent, humble Japanese place in the less busier corner in Faulkner street

- Salvi is a v good Italian on John Dalton Street

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 9 December 2015 12:41 (eight years ago) link

For breakfast I settled on Fig + Sparrow on Oldham street - which doubles as a design shop.

xyzzzz__, Wednesday, 9 December 2015 12:43 (eight years ago) link

Ppl at fig are v friendly although they weren't open at 8am (xmas parties season then?)

Went for some pancakes + berries + yoghurt (er @ that mix) and the jukebox was '97: Manics, Verve, Radiohead, Ash, MANSUN. LOL Indie. What corruption and filth.

xyzzzz__, Friday, 18 December 2015 09:44 (eight years ago) link

two weeks pass...

I haven't been to Manchester in 24 years, but I'm glad to see some things haven't changed.

http://ak-hdl.buzzfed.com/static/2016-01/1/11/enhanced/webdr15/enhanced-buzz-wide-14156-1451666024-7.jpg

Michael Cawley ‏@cawleym1 Jan 1
Hogarthian in all respects, the pissed bloke getting his beer has poignant poetic majesty.

Jebtsundamba Khutuktu (nakhchivan), Sunday, 3 January 2016 09:00 (eight years ago) link

There is a Buddhist centre and a v gd veg cafe round the corner from there.

xyzzzz__, Sunday, 3 January 2016 11:23 (eight years ago) link

i just looked on the website recently - might be in manchester later in the year - and it's a tenner for non-residents of the city of manchester, free otherwise

( ͡☉ ͜ʖ ͡☉) (jim in vancouver), Friday, 8 February 2019 17:41 (five years ago) link

https://www.nationalfootballmuseum.com/admission/
Not unless you’re from Manchester appar

Your dad's Carlos Boozer and you keep him alive (fionnland), Friday, 8 February 2019 17:42 (five years ago) link

I’d much rather be at a game of football

I will be later on, just got some time to kill

the salacious inaudible (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Friday, 8 February 2019 18:05 (five years ago) link

There's quite a bit of interesting looking stuff on at partisan but I have never made it down for a club night. I've been to some of the other events there, it's quite a mixed crowd, very lgbt+ friendly/focused

ogmor, Friday, 8 February 2019 18:20 (five years ago) link

omg hello other manchester ilxors. partisan is alright, still early days. r kid kiran leonard brought the house down there not long back. at any rate i resent paying four quid for a tin of red stripe anywhere.

meaulnes, Saturday, 9 February 2019 03:29 (five years ago) link

p.s. when i went to the football museum five years ago i asked the attendant if they had any decapitated heads from when they used to play football with people's heads. she wasn't best pleased.

meaulnes, Saturday, 9 February 2019 03:30 (five years ago) link

I'll be pottering about in Manchester tomorrow. I'm staying in Portland st., any cool stuff to do around there

. (Michael B), Saturday, 9 February 2019 12:51 (five years ago) link

Not far from the corner of Portland Street and Oxford Street is the Temple, which is an old public toilet converted into a tiny bar below ground level selling mostly European beer. https://www.visitmanchester.com/food-and-drink/the-temple-of-convenience-p160601

My favourite place in Manchester is John Rylands Library on Deansgate, within walking distance of Portland Street. It’s a fantastic Victorian building, more like a church than a library. https://www.library.manchester.ac.uk/rylands/visit/

AlanSmithee, Saturday, 9 February 2019 17:22 (five years ago) link

hey michael!

you're right in the centre & well positioned for most things. I also love john rylands (esp the top floor) and have a soft spot for temple. there'll be loads of chinese new year stuff on, esp round the town hall and st anne's square, & some leonardo da vinci drawings have just gone on display at the nearby art gallery if yr in the mood but otherwise the city is your oyster. give me an ilxmail if you fancy meeting for a pint &/or wander

ogmor, Saturday, 9 February 2019 17:56 (five years ago) link

Cheers, ogmor!

There's myself and a few mates over but if I can squeeze in a meet-up, I'll let you know

. (Michael B), Saturday, 9 February 2019 18:32 (five years ago) link

I’ll give the football museum 5/10

the salacious inaudible (Nasty, Brutish & Short), Saturday, 9 February 2019 18:37 (five years ago) link

that is the correct way to go about things, enjoy!

ogmor, Saturday, 9 February 2019 18:44 (five years ago) link

I was basking in the glamour of League One football at Rochdale earlier today

. (Michael B), Saturday, 9 February 2019 19:30 (five years ago) link

Crazy Pedro's was a good laugh last night

. (Michael B), Sunday, 10 February 2019 09:42 (five years ago) link

nice ground is Spotland, been there a few times. the Science Museum is underrated, but probably full of dangerous hordes of vicious killers during half term.

calzino, Sunday, 10 February 2019 10:06 (five years ago) link

Andy Burnham beside me in Temple talking about Sex Pistols and R.E.M. haha.

Your dad's Carlos Boozer and you keep him alive (fionnland), Friday, 15 February 2019 18:34 (five years ago) link

one month passes...

So Marvel are filming in Manchester today - Oldham street. They moved all the homeless and have replaced them with actors dressed as homeless people.

— Lily (@lilyhuggins) March 26, 2019

ogmor, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 09:34 (five years ago) link

They filmed Captain America a small block away from me. You can still see some of the 'stuff' they did in the actual street; blackened out painted windows, remnants of the old fake posters etc. Also Peaky Blinders and the uh.. remake of Alfie. The Northern Quarter has been a bit of a hot spot these last 10 years.

https://assets.confidentials.com/uploads/imported/Assets/1/157225036.jpg

piscesx, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 10:07 (five years ago) link

get that fucking marvel shite out of this country pls!

calzino, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 10:11 (five years ago) link

we need to monetise our urban decay somehow!

ogmor, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 10:13 (five years ago) link

We should be creating a hostile environment for hollywood cunts bothering homeless people.

calzino, Wednesday, 27 March 2019 10:18 (five years ago) link

two months pass...

Samir's in Stretford is so fkn good. He had a restaurant in Syria and he's been open a few months on Chester Road now in the place that Sip Club had previously been putting on pop-up restaurants in. Everything is much cheaper and better than it needs to be but the mutabal in particular is glorious & the nutty kebabs are really rich and delicious. They cld do with some more business, strongly recommend it

ogmor, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:37 (four years ago) link

Thanks for the suggestion!

My favourite Ethiopian in Manchester, the Blue Nile Cafe in Stretford sadly closed a couple months ago. Haven't really explored anything else in the area yet.

yeah it's so sad, the woman that ran it was a total sweetheart, said she loved having the restaurant but seemed to undercharge us every time and was always struggling with the bills. habesha is still good tho!

ogmor, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 21:50 (four years ago) link

Yeah - Tiggy is amazing, she's pretty much the reason I went hiking in Ethiopia last September which was my favourite ever holiday.

Habesha is v good but the injera leaves a lot to be desired. Also when I was in the other week it seemed like they had stopped doing the raw kitfo!
The Eritrean on Port Street is pretty great, as is Merhaba - though I never find myself in Rusholme.

very nice! whereabouts did you hike? went to ethiopia a few years back, got hooked on doro wat in particular and had a similarly amazing time, we had planned to go hiking in the simien mountains but then decided to go to axum instead and can't say I regret it but wld love to go again if circs permit.

ogmor, Tuesday, 25 June 2019 22:22 (four years ago) link

For me it was all about the gomen tibs! Ah, I wanted to visit the monuments up at Axum and the Danakil Depression but couldn't fit them into my itinerary! Next time!

I spent a couple days in Addis for the new year celebrations, and H from here suggested Fendika which was a great way to experience the music. Then flew up to Lalibela which was actually my favourite bit. The churches are something else with a bit of beautiful hiking/hospitality in the surrounding area, and I even ended up as guest at a fab two day wedding. From there I went on to Bahir Dir and the Simien mountains/Ras Dashen for a further 5 days of hiking. Just unbelievably beautiful up there - though I basically had to reteach myself to breathe every morning ha.

that sounds suitably incredible. likewise we had a great time in addis, in large part due to H, then went to bahir dar, gondar, axum and lalibela. lalibela exceeded my very high expectations and was intense to go round again first thing in the morning when no one was around. couldn't really get over how gorgeous the landscape was. we were there at the same time of year as well and everything was fantastically green, meskel flowers in bloom, lightning storms over lake tana in the evening... yeah, next time

ogmor, Wednesday, 26 June 2019 08:24 (four years ago) link

three months pass...

28 affordable homes. Fuck me

xyzzzz__, Monday, 21 October 2019 10:45 (four years ago) link

"Posters have already appeared announcing the birth of “Manc-hattan”. But the truth is we are a long way from that uplifting skyline. This is more like something you’d see on the outer ring road of a third-tier Chinese city."

empty concrete/glass monoliths, Giggsy, Neville and Fred Done running roughshod over a corrupt planning dept - what a fucking dystopian shitshow! Hasn't Burnham got anything to say about this?

calzino, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:38 (four years ago) link

did shaun ryder die for nothing

expedited frictionless convergences (bizarro gazzara), Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:40 (four years ago) link

I've Northside Towers is ready to break ground!

calzino, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:41 (four years ago) link

heard

calzino, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:42 (four years ago) link

This is a knock-on effect of austerity, right? Massively reduced central government funding -> councils desperately need to increase their tax base -> developers have them over a barrel? This is without me knowing anything about the ideological bent of individual Manchester councillors obviously.

Leaving aside ongoing gentrification + the effects of the BBC in Manchester, the people most in need get fucked twice, once with slashed government support and again with rising housing costs and consequent displacement.

Matt DC, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:46 (four years ago) link

yes that's otm. the mayor's role is v vague and weak atm hence him getting ppl to sign his campaign for 18 new powers and this is currently outside of his purview. owen hatherley reckons we need a haringey style coup, idk how that worked in practical terms and ppl in haringey still seem pissed off about corporate regeneration schemes and social cleansing. the council are inexplicably feeble at enforcing social housing quotas on developers, I think they have the worst record in the country, and I doubt the entirety of the property boom can be put down to this slackness, but without reversing the cuts I'm not sure how much could be improved

ogmor, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 08:53 (four years ago) link

It mentions one of the projects couldn't get planning permission previously because of its height and now an even taller version has been green-lighted, it all comes down to reduced central gov funding, be nice if they'd admit this rather than barely credible speak of "robust assessment"

I'm looking forward to a really measured and thoughtful counter piece in the Graun by Giggsy on this.

calzino, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 09:00 (four years ago) link

the bbc is ofc in salford, which from the little I know seems like a better council despite being poorer and having had I think the worst cuts in percentage terms of any council

ogmor, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 09:01 (four years ago) link

The BBC's in Salford but I guess a lot of the people who work there live in Manchester and these developments are there to service that demand?

Matt DC, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 09:10 (four years ago) link

the ppl I know who work round media city live in trafford or salford, which is more suburban. I'm sure there are plenty in the city centre but part of the problem with the new developments is they're not v family friendly (neither is the city centre) and I'd imagine it's only a fraction of the overall demand and a lot of the developments are happening over the other side of town, are aimed at rich foreign students etc.

ogmor, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 09:25 (four years ago) link

some very small scale local property developer fuckery that pissed me off in recent years is a row of beautiful cottages that were built in the 1650's and would have only required minor refurbs to make them good, that were bulldozed down, and the space they inhabited has sat empty/become part of some developers land collection ever since. An early 1800's derelict building with a handsome (but broken and stopped for years) clock-tower recently demolished and the ugly ass wooden/breeze block flats construction they are putting in its place would have caused Nairn to have a stroke.

calzino, Tuesday, 22 October 2019 10:17 (four years ago) link

two weeks pass...

Free ticket to see Earth at Gorilla tonight if anyone wants it - won it in a competition and one of my pals has dropped out

knowing for certain the first touch of the light will finish you (fionnland), Monday, 11 November 2019 15:31 (four years ago) link

six months pass...

Ten years on, @owenhatherley considers again Manchesters 'New Ruins' and asks, what is the legacy of the Leese leadership?https://t.co/VQBhxqaDDX

— Greater Manchester Housing Action (@gmhousingaction) June 4, 2020

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 4 June 2020 19:21 (three years ago) link

some juicy stuff in there. I think development has been increasing, there's so much still going up, & I wonder how much it'll be impacted by the current shitshow and whether it will all get finished. there have been a few aborted projects that were left barely started for years before getting demolished, you'd think shit like the big circle square development on the site of the old bbc on oxford road is too far along to meet the same fate but who knows

The Cognitive Peasant (ogmor), Thursday, 4 June 2020 21:51 (three years ago) link

one month passes...

Thinking of making a rolling list of (good) places that are closing down, it's depressing af. So far I've heard about: Lunya, Nexus, Deaf Institute, Gorilla

rumpy riser (ogmor), Thursday, 16 July 2020 15:50 (three years ago) link

Sad about Nexus.

Know it's London but just saw a tweet by Cafe To who are hiring out their venue as rehearsal space to stay afloat :-(

xyzzzz__, Thursday, 16 July 2020 17:36 (three years ago) link

Apparently ~90% of music venues are looking like the might close

rumpy riser (ogmor), Thursday, 16 July 2020 23:18 (three years ago) link

That's really sickening.

(That should be *Oto, above)

xyzzzz__, Friday, 17 July 2020 09:39 (three years ago) link

Coincidentally, 90% of live music I've seen in the last 5 years has been at Cafe Oto.

The Fields o' Fat Henry (Tom D.), Friday, 17 July 2020 10:07 (three years ago) link

one year passes...

Mariam Rezaei + Odie Ji Ghast at the Peer House - 28th April 2022

Some pals have formed a DIY collective to get more experimental/Avant-garde music gigs to Manchester. Should be a fun first event.


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