Night & Day Cafe will appear in court today in a bid to remove the Noise Abatement Notice issued by Manchester City Council last year.
The legendary gig venue was issued with the notice after a resident in a neighbouring apartment filed a noise complaint against it.
Night & Day has been part of Manchester’s music scene for more than 30 years and was one of the first cultural venues to open in the Northern Quarter all those years ago.
But its owners fear it could be facing closure if it’s forced to comply with the requirements of the abatement notice, which it says ‘would effectively ruin Night & Day’s business’.
Today, the institution will take Manchester City Council to court, with the support and backing of famous faces as well as a petition signed by almost 95,000 people at the time of writing.
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Matty Healy from The 1975 said: “This CANNOT happen. The council need to drop the case.”
Jeremy Pritchard from Everything Everything also poured his heart outon the significance of Night & Day, saying it has been ‘vital to new and established talent’.
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The bassist, who also tours with Foals, added: “If Manchester cannot protect the Night & Day it isn’t a Music City.”
The venue’s owner says the fault ‘lies squarely with Manchester City Council’, adding that planning permission was granted for the flats where the noise complainant lives despite the planning department ‘knowing about the potential for noise disturbance’.
Night & Day has also claimed that an acoustic report was not provided and acoustic works not completed when the neighbouring building was turned into apartments – a claim that the Council ‘completely rejects’.
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The tangled drama all began last November, when a person who lived beside the venue complained about the noise.
Night & Day. Credit: Supplied
They had moved in during lockdown, when music venues were shuttered and silent, and filed a noise complaint when Night & Day resumed its normal activities.
Manchester City Council has repeatedly stressed that a noise abatement notice does not have the power to shut down a venue, and said it ‘remains supportive of the music scene in Manchester which Night and Day has championed’.
For three decades, the venue has hosted the likes of Ed Sheeran, Arctic Monkeys, Wet Leg, James Bay and Elbow – and Elbow’s frontman Guy Garvey is one of the voices who has spoken out about Night & Day’s noise abatement notice.
He described it as a ‘shameful disgrace’ and said: “That this corner stone of our city’s culture is under attack again is bewildering.”
He later added: “The message to the council is drop this and focus on making it the last time it happens to any music venue in our city.
“To everyone else concerned I cannot stress enough that anger directed at the complainants is misdirected. This is the council’s problem.
“Please pour your energy into supporting the campaign to save Night & Day and in due course the national legislation to prevent this happening to any historic venue that has been nick-named Jan’s Law.”
Owner Jennifer Smithson, daughter of the late founder and Manchester icon Jan Oldenburg, said: “We were one of the founding businesses in the development of the Northern Quarter, people wanted to move here because of vibrant, interesting places like Night & Day which is great and it’s really enhanced the area.
Manchester City Council (MCC) refuse to remove the Noise Abatement Notice they served on us last November.
Night & Day have appealed the notice. We have and continue to operate in the exact same manner as we have done previously and for the past 30 years. pic.twitter.com/cc6u7TI6ZT
“What is particularly galling is that the planning department knew about the potential for noise disturbance from Night & Day when it issued the planning consent to turn the warehouse next door into residential flats.
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“A separate acoustic report was required to establish what could be done to prevent noise from Night & Day impacting residents of the building. However, no separate acoustic report was ever prepared by the developer and the planning department allowed the building to be occupied without suitable acoustic insulation works.
“We now have to either accept the noise abatement notice, which will put us at risk of immediate prosecution in the event of noise complaints, or go to court at significant expense to appeal it. This could mean the end of Night & Day forever. It’s a nightmare.”
“It’s just so unfair,” she continued. “We believe that the fault lies squarely with Manchester City Council. They could cancel the noise abatement notice and rectify the problem that they originally caused, rather than close down a business that’s been the beating heart of the Manchester music scene for decades.”
A spokesperson for Manchester City Council said: “It must be made explicitly clear from the outset that the Council has never threatened to close down this venue, nor is there any legislation which would allow a Noise Abatement Notice to be used to close a premises.
Credit: Facebook, Night & Day Cafe
“It is important to reiterate throughout this process extensive discussions have taken place to try and address the statutory noise nuisance which was the sole reason a Noise Abatement Notice (NAN) was served.
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“The Council is, and remains, supportive of the music scene in Manchester which Night and Day has championed, but we have to comply with our duties in respect of statutory nuisance. It is also important to state that the source of complaints regarding this venue relate to very loud music played into the early hours of the morning and not live band performances.
“The Council’s planning records show that an acoustic report was provided during the development of surrounding units, and the Council completely rejects any suggestion that planning conditions were not met.
“The Council will continue to work towards an amicable resolution where the noise nuisance is fully addressed.”
Night & Day has started a petition to have the noise abatement notice removed – you can read more and sign it here.
Featured image: Facebook – Night & Day Cafe
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Elton John Farewell Tour 2023 at AO Arena Manchester – tickets, setlist, support act and more
Daisy Jackson
Elton John is set to touch down in Manchester this week as the legendary musician continues his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour.
Elton has just played 10 (yes TEN) shows at the O2 in London, and now he’s heading up north.
He’ll be doing three huge shows at the AO Arena as part of this tour, his final ever.
It’s all ahead of his headline performance at Glastonbury too. We all knew Elton John wasn’t going to retire without a fanfare, come on…
His unparalleled career spans six decades, five Grammy Awards, and a frankly unbelievable 31 studio albums.
His massive hits include Rocket Man, Saturday Night’s Alright (for Fighting), I’m Still Standing, and Candle In The Wind, which became the fastest- and biggest-selling single of all time after he performed it at Princess Diana’s funeral.
He was also the subject of the award-winning 2019 film Rocketman, starring Taron Egerton.
The tour has had to be rescheduled a couple of times but it is finally here. Here’s everything you need to know if you’re seeing Elton John in Manchester.
Elton is in town for three nights this week (it’s a really big week for live music – Coldplay are just up the road and Arctic Monkeys are on their way too).
He’ll be performing on Wednesday 31 May, Friday 2 June, and Saturday 3 June.
Tickets for Elton John at AO Arena, Manchester
Unbelievably, there are still a few tickets left for Elton John – and all three dates too.
It’s mostly down to single seats around the arena, which are priced between £136.35 and £807.35 (ouch).
There are also some restricted view tickets on sale, with discounted prices to make up for it – they’re up at £74.45.
No one. He’s doing this one solo – to be fair, he’s got enough hits to fill a few hours…
Stage times
Despite the lack of support act, ticket-holders for Elton John are in for a long old night of live music.
The iconic singer is going to fill almost three hours with his hits.
Here are the expected stage times.
Doors open – 6pm
Show starts – 7.30pm
Show finishes – 10.15pm
Elton John’s expected setlist and songs
Elton John performing in 1972. Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Based on his most recent show in Belgium, here are the songs you can expect to hear.
Bennie and the Jets Philadelphia Freedom I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues Border Song Tiny Dancer Have Mercy on the Criminal Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going to Be a Long, Long Time) Take Me to the Pilot Someone Saved My Life Tonight Levon Candle in the Wind Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding Burn Down the Mission Sad Songs (Say So Much) Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me The Bitch Is Back I’m Still Standing Crocodile Rock Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting Encore: Cold Heart Your Song Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
How to get to the AO Arena
Credit: AO Arena
The AO Arena is right in the heart of the city centre, so it’s fairly easy to get to.
On foot: The AO Arena is located within the Manchester Victoria Station complex in the city centre, on the corner of Trinity Way, Hunts Bank and Great Ducie Street. You can enter through the station (up the stairs), through the Trinity Way Tunnel, or from Hunts Bank.
By tram: Also super straight-forward – hop off the tram at Manchester Victoria and you’re right by the stairs to the venue. It’s also a short walk from Exchange Square and Shudehill. Trams run directly to Victoria Station from Rochdale, Bury, Altrincham, East Didsbury and the Airport.
By train: While Piccadilly is the city’s largest train station, plenty of trains do pass through Manchester Victoria. You can plan your journey through the National Rail website.
Parking: The postcode if you’re driving to the AO Arena is M3 1AR. There’s an on-site CitiPark car park with 958 spaces, which can be pre-booked here. Bear in mind that Trinity Way is closed after concerts to allow gig-goers to leave safely, though cars are allowed out of the car park with direction from staff.
About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Coldplay at Etihad Stadium Manchester 2023 – stage times, support act, tickets and setlist
Daisy Jackson
Coldplay will finally touch down in Manchester this month for their long-awaited Music of the Spheres World Tour.
The group, fronted by Chris Martin, will be performing a whopping four nights at the 60,000-capacity Etihad Stadium, home ground of Manchester City.
It’s the first time they’ve brought this tour to the city, choosing London and Glasgow on last year’s run of shows.
Coldplay are one of the most successful and popular bands of the last three decades, with nine albums and endless sold-out concerts in their back catalogue.
They’re also famed for putting on a staggering live show.
This 2023 tour promises to be as environmentally beneficial as possible. They’ve even added a kinetic dance floor that harvests energy from the audience’s dancing, and installed electricity-generating pedal bikes so that the crowd can recharge the band’s battery by having a little cycle.
If you’re heading to see Coldplay at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, here’s everything you need to know.
When are Coldplay performing in Manchester?
Coldplay at Wembley. Credit: Robert Mallows
Coldplay will be taking over the Etihad Stadium for FOUR nights – quite a feat.
They’ll be performing on Wednesday 31 May, Thursday 1 June, Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June.
So as you might expect, tickets are extremely hard to come by at this point.
At the time of writing, there was one single, lonely seat left in the entire venue for the band’s opening show – and absolutely nothing for subsequent dates.
According to the Man City site, these are the stage times for Colplay and their support acts.
Campus opening time – 2pm
Doors open – 5pm
Porij – 6pm-6.30pm
Chvrches – 7pm-7.45pm
Coldplay – 8.15pm-10.15pm
What’s the expected setlist?
Coldplay. Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs
Setlists will always be subject to change as artists hone their live show, but this is what Coldplay played on their most recent gig in Barcelona.
Higher Power Adventure of a Lifetime Paradise The Scientist Viva la Vida Something Just Like This (The Chainsmokers & Coldplay cover) Magic What’s Love Got to Do With It (Graham Lyle cover) (with Lauren Mayberry) Charlie Brown Yellow Human Heart People of the Pride Clocks Infinity Sign Hymn for the Weekend Aeterna My Universe (Coldplay x BTS cover) A Sky Full of Stars Sunrise Bamboléo (Gipsy Kings cover) (with Gipsy Kings) Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Domenico Modugno cover) (with Gipsy Kings) Humankind Fix You Biutyful
How to get to the Etihad Stadium
A map of Etihad Campus.
Public-transport wise, the Metrolink is the most direct way to get to the Etihad Stadium (and its dedicated tram stop Etihad Campus), which is just a few stops away from Manchester Piccadilly.
Both Holt Town and Velopark Metrolink stops, located on either side of the Etihad Campus stop, will not be open for at least an hour after an event at the stadium.
The trams will be very busy though, and the weather looks good, so you might prefer to walk – it’s around a 30 minute stroll from town with this safe walking route recommended.
If you need to drive, official car parking is priced at £25 for cars, £50 for coaches, and £40 for mini buses.
There are unofficial car parks near the stadium too but make sure you’re not getting ripped off.
Weather forecast in Manchester for Coldplay
Oh guys, you’re in luck – for once in its life Manchester has a stunning weather forecast for the entire run of Coldplay shows.
It’s set to be sunny with highs of 19 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, then there’s more sunshine with a high of 20 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Glorious.
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2022 
