Manchester’s nightlife scene is world-famous for good reason – we’re not known as the 24 hour party people for nothing.
As the years have gone on, our city’s nightclub industry has evolved and changed beyond recognition.
The world-famous Hacienda days are long gone, but now Manchester is famed for huge clubnights like Warehouse Project and its under-the-radar events at venues like Hidden and The White Hotel.
We asked our readers which venues they miss dancing the night away in.
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Here’s what you had to say.
Paradise Factory
25 years ago I walked through these doors and into my first gay club – Paradise Factory. I was excited, terrified, turned on and overwhelmed, and this mix of emotions inspired a key scene in my novel #TheMadonnaOfBolton. It’s great to be back + once again I’m feeling overwhelmed. pic.twitter.com/PuRSiz4r1W
On the corner of Princess Street and Charles Street stands a venue that’s been an integral part of Manchester’s music scene for decades.
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Initially the headquarters of Factory Records, in the 90s it became the Paradise Factory, a lively gay club.
Alexier Mayes said the Paradise Factory was the ‘best nightclub ever’, and dozens have agreed with her.
Cedna Jo said: “No other club like it.”
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Maria Telford added: “Indeed! Where else could you bump into the iconic Sue Pollard and Paul Nicholls together in the toilets?”
The Boardwalk
The Boardwalk Climbed the steep narrow stairs in there a lot in the early/mid 90s to see bands play. First visit was in Jan 1990 to see an outfit, The Charlatans who were about to release a debut single. I liked what I saw. They quickly became quite successful
The Boardwalk was a mecca for fans of alternative music, and an iconic live music venue in the 1980s and 1990s.
Its stage was graced by the likes of Oasis, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, James and The Verve.
These days it’s an office block, but back then the action took place well outside the hours of 9-5.
Jim Covert-lly remembers it as a ‘great live venue and indie joint’.
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He wrote: “Bit more effort to reach than its rivals and felt like more for those there for the good tunes than to just get battered.”
Janine replied: “I worked there and loved Molotov pop. Great night which luckily moved to the music box.”
Marvin Deans also posted: “Yellow on a Friday night was my first experience of clubbing regularly. When we were allowed in of course. Got turned away a few times.BUT also saw my favourite ever concert there…Maxwell ‘96 and cost £7”
Brahms & Liszt
The old site of Brahms & Lizst on Brown Street, Manchester. Credit: Google Maps
A lot of Mancs seem to remember the trip to the toilets in Brahms & Liszt the most, describing it as the ‘staircase of doom’.
But the venue was also a popular bar in the 1980s, named after Cockney rhyming slang rather than the classical composers.
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In the space that is now Habas, and was previously Panama Hatties, The Manc readers remember some ‘strangely good nights’.
Julie wrote: “Oh the hangovers after the beer kellar… But brahms and list was a little less crowded, so it gets my vote”
Jilli added: “Brahms & Liszt with that very dodgy spiral staircase to the loos”
DeVille’s
They just don’t make nightclubs like this anymore.
DeVille’s and its neighbouring bar Lazy Lil’s were a staple of the Madchester days, but at the heart of the bar was something a bit more unusual.
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The nightlife spot was home to an actual bucking bronco that would fling revellers around regardless of alcohol consumption.
Mike King said: “Devilles with the bucking bronco – great fun when you were hammered”
Damian added: “Devilles, more for the people than the club”
Sankeys is one of those nightclubs that everyone remembers, even if you never stepped foot inside.
The super club was in Ancoats, before the area was filled with the apartments and restaurants.
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Over the years of openings and closures, the venue expanded across several floors of Beehive Mill and added features like a beach (with 50 tonnes of sand), a glowing ceiling, and a non-stop roster of huge names in the world of dance, techno and house music.
Carrie Caffrey said: “Water dripping off the ceiling, bodies tightly packed, bass thumping in your chest and no mobile phones sucking the joy out of living in the moment. Excellent memories”
Will added: “Hadmy best nights in that place! Absolutely rocking”
Michael remembered: “Sankeys – nothing compared to those resident Kaluki parties around 2010 when the basement was only half full but full of absolutely sound heads and not a single d*ck head in sight. Unreal times. We didn’t know how good we had it.”
Adam wrote: “Sankys with resident DJ Avicii RIP! The sad thing is, there really isn’t another superclub in Manchester anymore?!”
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Chris posted: “Met my beautiful GF in Sankey’s in 1996, 26 years later we’re still joined at hip!!!! Forever old house cats!!”
The Hacienda
The Hacienda was arguably Manchester’s most famous nightclub of all time
This one’s pretty obvious – even 25 years after the Hacienda shut down, its traces linger in the city.
The venue was the cornerstone of the Madchester era and credited with changing the face of rave forever.
Lee Berry commented: “The Hacienda was the mecca of house music in Manchester and i had some amazing nights there.”
Nicola said: “The hac, hands down, but I expected most answers wld be, but lots of others named! Just shows how fantastic Manchesters club scene was!”
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Rhys wrote: “we use start at the Athenaeum than workaway along all the bars up to the hacienda … cheerleaders before before the hacienda and then big jugs of beer. Thursday nights were good”
Caravan added: “Hacienda, only went a handful of times but was banging everytime.”
Jilly’s Rockworld
Jilly’s Rockworld shut down in 2010. Credit: Google Maps
Jilly’s Rockworld was one of Manchester’s best nightclubs, a haven for indie rock and alternative music.
The legendary Oxford Road venue shut down for good in 2010, but Mancs will never forget the friendly, welcoming vibe of the venue.
Ursula Tucker wrote: “Jillys. Used to love it. Always felt safe in both and had a great night out.”
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Natalie Power said: “Easily Jillys rockworld! Such an awesome place filled with amazing people, it was the heart of the rock/alternative culture in Manchester, so many good memories from there! Miss it nowhere else compares”
Gavin added: “Jillie’s rock world by far. Everyone was respectful of each other, and in general people would be more than happy to help each other. It wasn’t just a club, it was a community hub.”
Featured image: Flickr
Audio
Wigan band The Lathums announce five gigs at five intimate Manchester venues
Daisy Jackson
The Lathums have announced five intimate shows at some of the most iconic grassroots venues in Manchester.
The huge Wigan band will be taking it back to their roots and performing at some of the venues that ‘helped them get started’, from super-intimate bars to legendary small venues.
The Lathums have announced the five-night tour in Manchester in celebration of the fifth anniversary of their chart-topping debut album, How Beautiful Life Can Be.
They’ll be playing to small crowds at Night & Day, Deaf Institute, Gorilla, New Century, and the O2 Ritz next spring.
At each of the five gigs they’ll perform their debut album in full along with other fan favourites from their impress back catalogue.
How Beautiful Life Can Be went straight to number one on the UK official charts on its release in 2021, with top songs like ‘Oh My Love’, ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’, and ‘I’ll Get By’.
Meet Larishka – the DJ making her mark on Manchester’s Garage scene
Emily Johnson
It’s time to meet Larishka – Audio North’s Artist of the Month for October.
For Larishka, music has always been around her in some form. Growing up surrounded by classical and rock music, she never expected her route into electronic music to begin with a Parklife set from Carl Cox, before eventually becoming a DJ, promoter, and co-owner of Manchester’s Ghosts of Garage.
Today, she runs events, DJs across House, Garage and Bass, and is helping build a community around one of Manchester’s most exciting electronic music brands.
From promoter to DJ
Larishka actually started out as a promoter while doing an apprenticeship at a music booking agency. She always knew she wanted to work on the events side rather than bookings, but felt like she wasn’t going to make many connections within the industry while living in Oldham.
Her plan was to go to university to study music, with the hope of learning to produce while also moving into Manchester and making connections within the city’s music scene.
Quite quickly into her studies, she joined Ghosts of Garage. After about a year, she had something of a lightbulb moment.
Meet Larishka, the DJ making her mark on Manchester’s Garage scene / Credit: Supplied
“I was studying music, I run my own nights, and I was always on the aux at house parties, so why have I not learned to DJ yet?” she explained.
That realisation came while she was sitting on MATTIK’s living room sofa, where she asked if he would teach her. Before long, she was calling him every day asking if they could go to the studio and practise mixing.
“I owe it to him really, he was a brilliant teacher.”
“I get it” – the Parklife moment that changed everything
Larishka’s introduction to electronic music wasn’t exactly the traditional one.
“I grew up on classical and rock music – my dad was a sound engineer in the 70s so that was his thing really, and my mum played the piano every single day so that’s what I was constantly around.”
She first heard house music when she was around 15 or 16, after a friend sent her a track they had found on SoundCloud.
“I listened to it out of my phone and didn’t really get it, it was too repetitive.”
A few years later, everything changed. After hearing Parklife from her window every year growing up, Larishka eventually went to the festival for the first time and watched Carl Cox close The Valley. He played ‘Finder’ by Ninetoes, and it was the first time she had experienced electronic music on a huge sound system.
“I remember being in absolute awe and turning to my friend and saying ‘I get it’ and from then, I was just absolutely hooked.”
It became a genuine turning point.
“I had my A Level exams that following week and when I was revising all I was listening to was house music and I remember my Dad coming in and saying ‘Is this you forever now?’ and I said ‘Yeah I think it is'”.
Larishka is Audio North’s Artist of the Month for October / Credit: Supplied
Why Manchester means so much
“I mean it’s home, and always has been.”
Having become part of the city’s music scene, she says she feels incredibly lucky to have found a community around her.
“There’s a certain camaraderie that exists here that I don’t know that you’d find anywhere else.”
For her, that sense of community is what makes Manchester’s music scene so special.
“Seeing people you know everywhere you go, you kinda feel like you’re never alone and that you’re actually part of something.”
That spirit extends beyond electronic music, too.
“And it’s not just in electronic music either, that spirit exists across all genres – Manchester music history is so rooted across such a broad spectrum of genres, and to see that still prevailing today is something we should all be proud of.”
Building Ghosts of Garage
It’s impossible to talk about Larishka’s journey without talking about Ghosts of Garage.
She’s a co-owner of the brand, having joined in 2021, and works across its marketing, bookings and creative direction alongside Rich Reason. For her, one of the biggest things that makes a Ghosts of Garage night stand out is its commitment to the music.
“The music and lineups truly never miss, which is a credit to Rich. The guy knows how to program a lineup.”
The team makes a conscious effort to champion new talent, often including at least one Manchester or UK debut on a lineup.
“A big part of each event is making them unique while keeping the brand consistent – each event has to have its own USP or else the nights get boring and people think they can just skip this one and go to the next and it’ll be the same.”
For Larishka, music has always been around her in some form / Credit: Supplied
Community is a huge part of the brand.
“We’re also big advocates of community and want to create the gap between audience and DJ as little as possible, so try to get the crowd involved as much as possible through things like our WhatsApp community.”
The aim is to make people feel like buying a ticket means becoming part of something bigger.
“We want people to feel like if you buy a ticket for our event, then you’ve unlocked a key to be part of something.”
Larishka’s advice for getting into Manchester’s music scene
For anyone hoping to break into Manchester’s music scene, Larishka’s advice is simple – go out.
“I’m way more likely to book you if we’ve met and we’ve had a good chat because it means I can put a face to a name and I know what you’re like.”
For her, being part of the community is about more than simply sending messages and asking for opportunities.
“Being an active member of the community means you’re already part of the night, so booking you to DJ just makes you even more part of it than you already are, rather than someone I’ve never met before who’s in my DMs.”
Ultimately, it comes back to the same thing that has shaped so much of Larishka’s own journey – showing up, meeting people, and becoming part of something.
Daisy Jackson -
4th March 2022 
