Fagin’s nightclub opened in 1970 on Oxford Street in Manchester. A venue where a host of famous faces such as Cliff Richard and LuLu performed through the 1970s and 1980s.
If you knew Fagin’s, then you also knew Rafters, also known as the Music Box, which sat directly below the former and operated as its sister venue. Many legendary live bands played at Rafters, including Motorhead, Joy Division and Depeche Mode. It was an alternative music staple throughout the 1990s.
It remained the rock destination in Manchester for the rest of the 90s and throughout the 00s, and was infamous for its ‘all nighters’ which would regularly end with a Pot Noodle and a rude awakening at 7am – when revellers would burst out of the venue’s doors and feels the effects of rocking in the dark for several hours.
At the time, there was no venue like it in Manchester, which was a city widely known for its stush venues where glitz and glam was pretty much a dress code. If you’re a millennial, then your equivalent to Jilly’s would be the now equally iconic Satans Hollow on Princess Street.
Much like Satans today, Jilly’s spawned a community where friendships were made as regulars refused to miss a Friday night there. It spanned four separate rooms and its staple playlist included the likes of System of a Down, Metallica, Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath – and many other legendary rock and metal outfits.
Saratoga at Jilly’s Rockworld circa 1980
Both Jilly’s and The Music Box came to a close in 2010 after numbers began to dwindle and similar venues began popping up in the city. But its memories live on forever.
However, if you miss it as much as those who would frequent it week on week, you can now re-experience it after someone decided to recreate it in VR.
Rob Prest, a former Jilly’s clubber, recently shared his initial attempt at recreating the club and asked clubbers to search their memories to help him with the details – and the results are amazing. You can even pick up a Pot Noodle at the bar, which, as previously mentioned, was a popular part of Jilly’s Friday all nighters.
You can view Rob’s walkthrough YouTube video above. Make sure you subscribe to his YouTube channel to keep up to date with his work – his 3D modelings are ace.
Audio
Drake postpones massive Manchester gig set to take place at Co-op Live
Daisy Jackson
Drake has postponed one of his scheduled shows at the huge Co-op Live Arena in Manchester.
The rapper has already performed two nights at the venue and was set to return on Monday for a third concert.
But with just 24 hours to go, organisers have announced that the show has been postponed due to ‘unforeseen logistics’.
Ticket-holders were notified of the cancellation via email from Ticketmaster.
A statement said: “Due to unforeseen ferry schedule and travel logistics, tomorrow’s performance in Manchester on July 28th has been rescheduled.
“The good news is that Drake will now perform in Manchester on Tuesday, August 5th, and it’s set to be an unforgettable night.
“All tickets remain valid for the new date – we can’t wait to see you there!”
Cheers Drake, cancelling Manchester show the day before, and rescheduling for the day I go on holiday 🥲🥲🥲🥲🥲 pic.twitter.com/0D7pJjlLGd
The Canadian hitmaker has just come off the back of three very impressive nights at one of the biggest music events of the year, Wireless Festival, and is now embarking on a tour of the UK and Europe.
Drake has solidified his position in the rap field, dropping bangers from 2006 and since then, he’s gone on to have some of the most streamed tracks of all time with ‘One Dance’ and ‘God’s Plan’.
The postponed Drake concert will take place at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Tuesday 5 August.
US rising star Reneé Rapp announces huge Manchester arena gig as part of European tour
Emily Sergeant
Reneé Rapp has just announced a European leg to her upcoming tour, and she’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Reneé Rapp has become a star… and her star is only rising higher.
At just 25-years-old, the critically-acclaimed musical theatre and TV actress has pivoted to become an undeniable pop sensation and film star – and an iconic figure in interviews too… which isn’t a job, but it should be – after landing her breakout role as Regina George in the Mean Girls musical on Broadway back in 2019.
Even though she chose to reprise her role as Regina George in the 2024 movie adaptation of the Mean Girls musical, since 2022, Rapp has largely turned her attention to her solo music career.
Reneé Rapp will be performing at Manchester’s AO Arena next March / Credit: Supplied
2022 saw Rapp release her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, before she then went on the channel her raw talent and authentic voice even further, and release her first full-length studio album Snow Angel in 2023.
Both 2024 and 2025 have been big musical years for Rapp too – so much so that she has now amassed more than 1.4 billion streams and counting across her entire discography.
An already-successful 2025 is about to become even more successful, as Rapp’s second album, Bite Me, is expected to be released on 1 August, and she’s also heading out on a highly anticipated US tour from late September through to late October.
Following on from her US tour, Rapp has today announced that she’ll be heading across the pond to Europe in the new year, and will be making her way over to Manchester to take to the iconic AO Arena stage in March 2026.
Amsterdam, Berlin, and Paris are just some of the other cities Rapp will be visiting before Manchester, ahead of closing out the tour at London’s Wembley Arena.
Reneé Rapp will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Wednesday 18 March 2026 as part of the ‘Bite Me Tour’, and tickets officially go on sale next week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 30 July at 10am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 31 July, again at 10am, before general sale launches on Friday 1 August at 10am.
The Manc Audio -
26th July 2020 
