It has been confirmed today that one of Manchester’s oldest and most iconic pubs has been saved from permanent closure.
The Lower Turks Head & Scuttlers Wine Bar at Shudehill has been sold to Cheetham Hill-based brewery chain, Jospeh Holt – an independent family business which operates 127 pubs throughout Greater Manchester and the North West – for an undisclosed sum, and forms part of the brewery’s “ongoing commitment to rejuvenating Manchester city centre” as we begin to emerge from lockdown.
The brewery has plans to drop the name ‘Scuttlers Wine Bar’, and so the pub will become known purely as Lower Turks Head.
Dating back to 1745, The Lower Turks Head was once an old stagecoach stop and enjoyed a proud heritage through successive centuries, before closing its doors last August.
If you’ve ever stepped foot inside the deceptively-deep and roomy venue, you’ll know that the pub is crammed with distinctive fixtures and fittings, including a long wooden bar, checkerboard floors, wooden staircases, cut tables and cubby hole seating.
Its ornately tiled façade makes it a distinctive landmark in the centre of Manchester too.
The Lower Turks Head
Lower Turks Head is set to reopen to the public by first offering the full range of award-winning Joseph Holt cask ales and lagers, followed by plans to introduce a unique food offering later in the year, and on top of that, as one of central Manchester’s few small pub hotels, it’s also known as a place to enjoy bed and breakfast accommodation, which the brewery has confirmed it will keep operating and let out as the city centre starts to recover.
Lower Turks Head joins Joseph Holt’s already established collection of city centre pubs, which includes the Ape and Apple, the Crown and Anchor, the Old Monkey, the Eagle Inn and The Shamrock, the latter of which is set to reopen following a full re-development in 2022.
Meet the newest Joseph Holt pub – The Lower Turk's Head, Manchester!
“Joseph Holt is deeply entrenched in the history of Manchester and sees the Lower Turks Head as part of that heritage too,” Marketing Manager, Paul Longmire, said.
“Our brewery has a keen sense of nostalgia but as much as we treasure the past, Joseph Holt regards it as a way of guaranteeing the future of the city too [so] we’re sure the Lower Turks Head, along with our other central Manchester pubs, will lead the way in bringing drinkers back into the city”.
Manchester’s very own Jamie Hutchinson announces new stand-up tour dates
Danny Jones
Manchester comedian Jamie Hutchinson has just announced arguably his biggest domestic tour yet, and despite plenty of gigs around the North, he’s playing just one hometown headline slot.
So you’d best be quick about grabbing tickets.
The local stand-up has seen a huge rise in popularity over the last few years, not only thanks to his regular gigging on the live circuit, but numerous standout podcast performances and, in short, by being one of the most amusing comic storytellers around – at least as far as we’re concerned.
Now set to embark on an extensive run of UK shows early next year, Jamie Hutchinson is getting back on the road with his latest material very soon.
Taking his new hour, Can My Mate Come, He’s Sound (see, even his titles are low-key genuinely funny) on tour, the crown prince of Gorton, a.k.a. ‘Mash’ himself, is playing venues up and down the country, including plenty here in the North West.
After all, he can’t drive, so best keep the long train journeys to a minimum, eh?
To quote Broadway Baby, who shared their positive words only recently, their newest project promises a “brand-new hour of unfiltered mayhem, questionable logic and emotional chaos held together by takeaway boxes and blind optimism.”
If that isn’t a glowing review, then we don’t know what is..
The Hot Water’s Green Room host and regular Have A Word podcast favourite delighted his crowds and newcomers alike with his record-breaking Waterslide tour, which ran from 2023 all the way into last year, and now he’s looking to repeat that same success. As it happens, multiple dates have sold out already.
With more than 700 tickets sold within the first hour of presale alone, it’s no surprise that the likes of Chorley, Chester (already gone) and soon both of his Liverpool shows are soon to be sold out.
As for his Academy One show on Sunday, 24 May 2026 – which is just about the biggest Manc venue he’s played to date – we expect it won’t be long before that one books up too.
We can always hope he tacks on extra dates on the UK tour, but if you’re a Jamie Hutchinson fan, you’re still best just making sure you secure your seat while you can. Grab yours HERE.
Let’s just pray he makes it home in time for his appointment with ‘Dr Catford’…
He’s yet to record a live taping of a special, but this is the kind of charming nonsense you can expect.
Royel Otis add second Manchester date due to massive demand
Danny Jones
Australian indie pop group Royel Otis have announced a second Manchester date ahead of their upcoming UK tour due to a huge demand for tickets.
The Aussie duo, who have blown up in the past couple of years with tracks like ‘Oysters In My Pocket’ and two viral covers of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and The Cranberries, are due to play a massive Manchester gig later this year.
Set to make their O2 Victoria Warehouse debut this winter, the ‘Sofa King’ singers saw their ticket allocation sell out quicker than you can say ‘Going Kokomo’.
As a result, there was only one thing for it:
Due to demand, @RoyelOtis have just added an extra date at Manchester @O2VicWarehouse in November! 🔥
For anyone still unaware of the rising alt-pop outfit led by frontman Otis Pavlovic and Royel Maddell (hence the name), they began breaking onto the scene around 2022 after having released a couple of tracks the year prior.
Although they quickly gained support back in their home country, their presence over here and indeed around the world was helped no end after their tripleJ take on ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ and stripped-back version of ‘Linger’ for SiriusXM hit the internet.
They even managed to land a feature on EA FC 24 – formerly known as FIFA – and we all know how getting on that soundtrack can transform careers.
Since then, their following has grown exponentially, and the rising double act has booked major festival slots such over the past 12 months or so, playing the likes of Kendal Calling, Glastonbury, as well as Reading and Leeds, just to name a few.
Regardless, fervent fans haven’t seen their clamour disappear, and now the band have announced an extra date at Victoria Warehouse.
Now set to play the venue on Friday AND Saturday, 28-29 November 2025, they will be supported by an opening act with a cool UK connection: Still Blank.
The transatlantic outfit is made up of Jordy is from Hawaii, and Ben, from right here in Manchester; the two come together to make what Stereogum has described as “sullen folk-grunge” – yet more reason for locals to be interested in the gig.
Once again, while the first gig has sold out, you can grab your tickets for Royel Otis’ second Manchester show HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2021 
