A huge three-day weekender has been planned for the launch of the ABC Buildings in Manchester city centre.
A packed programme of free events will take over spaces at the creative hub on Quay Street, including in its new rooftop glass dome.
There’ll be everything from a silent disco to street food, rooftop yoga to a kids’ rave, plus Reform Radio DJs, a vintage flea market, football screenings, stand-up comedy, and a Northern Soul takeover.
Taking place between Friday 17 and Sunday 19 June, the ABC Buildings launch weekender will showcase the 1960s mid-century building in a new light.
The building complex is home to Everyman Cinema, Barry’s Bootcamp, ABC Gallery, and St John’s Bread and Coffee House, as well as 10 floors of studios and creative spaces for production and broadcast companies, including BBC’s Morning Live show, all operated by All Work & Social.
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A new bar and lifestyle space, Side Street Studio, is located on the corner of Quay Street and Lower Byrom Street.
The action-packed weekend will kick off at 11am on Friday 17 June on the Roofdeck, with a guest speaker appearance from Monique Carayol, ex-NHS board executive director and a coach for theMakings.
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She will discuss Brave Leadership, aiming to inspire and encourage confidence for people in their own career journeys.
The ABC Buildings in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
There’ll also be a DJ and food from Kong’s Meat and Three, and a silent disco in the glass dome running into the night.
The weekender coincides with the launch of the 70 The Exhibition in ABC Gallery, a group show curated by Monica Colussi to celebrate HM Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee.
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28 unique pieces from a range of artists will be displayed at the six week-long exhibition to pay homage to the royal occasion.
The second day of events will begin with a vintage flea market on the roof deck, alongside pop-up bars and food vendors, and will finish with a Northern Soul takeover at the Side Street Studio.
On the final day, there’ll be a relaxing start to the day with morning yoga from Yogasoul, followed by healthy juices and breakfast in the dome.
Then families can celebrate Father’s Day with a family-friendly rave and craft activities hosted by Big Fish Little Fish.
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The Roofdeck and Dome at ABC Buildings. Credit: Supplied
It will all wrap up on Sunday evening with an exclusive stand-up comedy show at Side Street Studio, while classic 1960s football matches are screened on the roof deck.
ABC Buildings are dog-friendly, so four-legged friends are welcomed throughout the weekend of events.
Full events schedule for the ABC Buildings launch weekender
Friday 17 June
11am – industry speaker in the Dome on the roofdeck
From 4pm – Roofdeck DJs and a silent disco
Saturday 18 June
10am – 6pm: vintage flea market, food trucks and pop-up bars on the Roofdeck
2pm – 10pm: Northern Soul takeover in Side Street Studio
Sunday 19 June
9am – 12pm: breakfast and juices on the Roofdeck
10am – 11am: morning yoga on the Roofdeck (or inside the Dome in inclement weather)
1pm – 3pm: Family rave + craft activity, hosted by Big Fish Little Fish
1pm – 6pm: 60s classic football match screenings on the Roofdeck
7pm – 10pm: Stand-up comedy in Side Street Studio
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Richard Ashcroft says Robin Park gigs could help make Wigan ‘a focal point in music’
Danny Jones
Manc music veteran Richard Ashcroft has big hopes for the upcoming season of live music at Wigan’s Robin Park, insisting that gigs like his self-titled double bill could help his hometown become “a focal point music for the first time in years”.
The former Verve frontman turned successful solo artist was speaking to host Anna Jameson on BBC Radio Manchester earlier this week when he explained just how big a deal this series of Wigan concerts could be for the area.
Beyond the likes of himself, his former band, The Lathums and Railway Children, to name just a few, there aren’t too many notable music names to have come out from the WN postcode – but that isn’t to say there isn’t plenty of talent and potential to do so.
Bigging up the borough as an “amazing place” that’s perhaps sometimes overlooked, he’s keeping his fingers crossed that Mancs and people from all over the region, including the local council, can “get right behind” the upcoming calendar of Wigan concerts to shine the spotlight on it once again.
As he goes on to tell Jameson, he envisions this going on to become a platform for new, up-and-coming artists not only from Wigan but across Greater Manchester, insisting that “there’ll be this week where young bands play venues, bigger bands come” and so on, giving grassroots something “to build to”.
Noting that the foundations have already been lain with this first lot of gigs, with the likes of fellow natives The Stanleys and Maxwell Varey named as two of Richard Ashcroft‘s warm-up acts this summer, alongside more well-known outfits like Cast and The Zutons.
In the middle of the pack, you also have rising Scouse stars Red Rum Club and The Royston Club from Wrexham, who are also making plenty of waves, so it looks like the groundwork is very much there.
There are a variety of other gigs at Robin Park as the area looks to emulate the early success seen from similar bookings over in Wythenshawe like Noel Gallagher’s headliner in 2023 and in Wigan later this year, as well as Blossoms’ mini-festival.
The 52-year-old believes his shows among the others at Robin Park this summer could leave a “legacy” and give something for people to look back on and remember it as a moment in which, “for the first time in years, Wigan became a focal point for music” in the North and across the country.
Speaking to ITV earlier this week also, the Britpop legend admitted that despite coming up in the same era as the likes of The Stone Roses and Oasis, not to mention in such close proximity, those figures always seemed “larger than life” but that it’s an honour to go back home on such a big scale.
It’s been over two and a half decades since he and The Verve played their iconic Haigh Hall gig to more than 33,000 locals and the two Robin Park gigs on 20-21 July are set to be on an equally massive scale.
You can still try and grab tickets and listen to the rest of his interview on BBC Sounds HERE.
Featured Images — BBC Radio Manchester/Ed Webster (via Flickr)
What's On
Manchester MMA star Tom Aspinall slams ‘unfair’ start times for UFC 304 at Co-op Live
Danny Jones
Local MMA star Tom Aspinall has come out to criticise the start times for UFC 304 here in Manchester, calling it ‘unfair’ for fans here in the UK.
In case you missed that rather big announcement, the UFC is returning to Manchester after nearly a decade and will be the very first sporting event held at the brand-new Co-op Live Arena, which is finally set to open this week following multiple delays (touch wood).
However, in an effort to keep broadcasters and the UFC‘s massive audience back in the US, the fight card will be starting until around 3am – and that’s at the very earliest.
Responding to the decision the Atherton-born and Salford-based fighter posted a video on his socials saying, “As a fan who wants to watch it live, I think it is absolutely terrible”.
He goes on to say that “it’s just not fair on the fans – the UK fans obviously. It’s predominantly an American audience so I understand that, they want to sell to them, but why can’t they sell to them in the afternoon which is our evening time?
While he admitted it “doesn’t make that much difference” to him as a fighter, the 31-year-old went on to ask, “Why can’t the American watch it in the afternoon and Manchester, the UK and European fans can all fly to the event and sell out this new arena?”
“I mean, it’s going to sell out regardless, mate”, Aspinall reiterated, adding that “we’re very lucky to have a pay-per-view event in Manchester” but that forcing the British audience and Mancs to watch something just down the road at a US-convenient time just doesn’t seem right.
There’s been plenty of backlash amongst MMA fans online too, with many stating that it simply goes to show that the UFC as an organisation “don’t care” about overseas supporters as much as they claim to.
As the current interim heavyweight champion, Aspinall will be right up at the top of the billing for UFC 304, which is the first time the event has been in the UK full stop since 2016.
We can only hope for similarly victorious scenes for the North West this July.
As for the shiny new venue, Co-op Live, after a fair few teething problems it looks like they are now on course to open just a week or so after the initial launch date. Not so bad.