The battle to ‘save’ Manchester’s iconic Night & Day Cafe seems to have finally come to an end, with a lengthy court battle wrapping up last month.
The historic venue has helped launch the careers of countless bands and played host to intimate gigs from the likes of Ed Sheeran, Arctic Monkeys, Wet Leg, James Bay and Elbow.
A couple of years ago though, a ‘new resident’ in the neighbourhood filed a noise complaint.
And then Night & Day Cafe was slapped with a Noise Abatement Notice by the council.
And then they took the whole thing public, and the row rumbled on and on and on.
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The resident unwittingly at the heart of the media storm (some very famous faces were rallying behind the venue) said that the music was so loud it could ripple their toilet water, Jurassic Park-style.
In a lengthy piece recently published by The Mill, previous residents came forward and backed them up, saying that the flat was ‘uninhabitable’ and a ‘living nightmare’.
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That piece also revealed that Matty Healy, frontman of The 1975, at one time came forward and offered to buy the flat for cash to put an end to the whole thing.
The 1975’s Matty Healy reportedly made a cash offer to buy the flat involved in the Night & Day Cafe noise row. Credit: Instagram
But three years after the noise complaint row hit headlines, Night & Day Cafe has been granted permission to continue operating as a gig venue and nightclub, with a few conditions that should end the back-and-forth between them and their neighbours.
Manchester City Council has maintained throughout the ordeal that it has had no intention of shutting down the Oldham Street venue, saying that the Noise Abatement Notice was issued as a ‘last resort’ after months of negotiating and compromising.
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After three years of public statements and court hearings and occasional celebrity endorsements, it looks like Night & Day Cafe can finally go back to what it does best.
And if you also got lost in the whole storyline along the way, here’s a little refresher of what happened and when (it goes back a full decade…)
Night & Day Cafe’s noise row as it happened
January 2014 – Night & Day is first hit with a Noise Abatement Notice, with thousands (including Johnny Marr, Frank Turner and Tim Burgess) signing a petition to have it removed.
September 2014 – Night & Day is allowed to remain in operation, on the condition that owners meet with residents every three months and to discuss any issues.
August 2020 – A man buys a Northern Quarter flat that neighbours Night & Day Cafe. The world is still under lockdown restrictions and live music is all-but non-existent.
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July 2021 – Restrictions lift and this iconic venue springs back to life with its first event. The noise is so loud inside the neighbouring apartment, the toilet water ripples, Jurassic Park-style. The residents file their first complaint, and meet with the owners of Night & Day to discuss a solution.
November 2021 – After multiple complaints, and multiple meetings with the venue’s bosses, Manchester City Council serves Night & Day with its Noise Abatement Notice. The council received hundreds of noise complaints that year – this was the only one that resulted in a NAN (the rest were sorted out by venues without council involvement).
November 2021 – Night & Day goes public with its Noise Abatement Notice and launches a petition to have the NAN removed. It gains almost 100,000 signatures and is shared by many famous faces in the music industry.
November 2021 – The resident at the centre of the row speaks to the MEN, saying their issue is with the club nights (not the gigs) and that he’s spent thousands of pounds trying to insulate his flat from the noise.
November 2021 – Local artist Paul Hallows, who works under the name himHallows, creates a series of tongue-in-cheek free posters about the whole situation.
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October 2022 – Night & Day pushes its petition to have its NAN removed again, as the venue says its future ‘still hangs in the balance’. It claims that complying with the requirements of the abatement notice ‘would effectively ruin Night & Day’s business’.
November 2022 – Night & Day heads to court for the first time, with celebrities rallying around the venue. Jeremy Pritchard from Everything Everything, Elbow’s frontman Guy Garvey, and Matty Healy from The 1975 all lend their support.
November 2022 – Manchester City Council confirms it’s had five complaints from four different flats – not just the one at the centre of the row.
December 2022 – Blossoms perform at the venue to mark one year to go until the opening of the Co-op Live Arena. They have #SaveNightandDay posters plastered to their equipment.
Summer 2023 – Matty Healy pops up to the flat and tries to buy flat for cash, according to reports in The Mill. The sale fell through because The 1975 were sued for a large sum, after Matty kissed his bandmate on stage in protest of Malaysia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws.
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January 2024 – Night & Day heads back to court for a three-day hearing. There were several other court appearances over this timeline, but to be honest, we’ve lost track too. They said again ‘the source of the problem is that when the adjoining building was converted from warehouse to flats, no consideration was given to the pre-existing live music venue’.
March 2024 – It all wraps up quickly at Manchester Magistrates’ court, and the NAN is upheld. Night & Day can remain open, but will have to compromise.
Lorde at AO Arena, Manchester – stage times, setlist, tickets and more essential info
Daisy Jackson
Lorde is performing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester this week, as part of her Ultrasound World Tour.
The New Zealand-born singer burst onto the music scene at the tender ages of 16 with her smash-hit single Royals, way back in 2013.
Since then, she’s gone on to break several records with the releases of her four studio albums, and scooped up a handful of GRAMMYs and BRIT awards along the way too.
As well as her gig at the AO Arena here in Manchester, Lorde will also be calling at major UK cities including London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
The tour comes hot off the heels of the release of her latest album, Virgin, which once again topped the Official UK Album Charts.
If you’re heading to see Lorde at the AO Arena, here’s everything you need to know.
Lorde UK tour dates
15 November – AO Arena, Manchester
16 November – The O2, London
17 November – The O2, London
19 November – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
20 November – Utilita Arena Birmingham
Who is supporting Lorde at the AO Arena?
Experimental musician and producer Blood Orange, otherwise known as Devonte Hynes, will be the main support act for Lorde in Manchester.
The British musician has worked with the likes of Florence and the Machine, Mac Miller, Kylie Minogue, and – of course – Lorde, and will be warming up the crowds ready for our headliner.
Also taking the stage before Lorde will be electronic and indie pop star Jim-E Stack, whose solo releases have featured everyone from Bon Iver to Charli XCX.
Tickets for Lorde’s gig in Manchester
Credit: Thistle Brown
At the time of writing, there are just a handful of random tickets left for Lorde’s gig.
These are priced between £48.60 and £161.30.
Otherwise, your best bet is to look at resale tickets from a reputable site.
Stage times for Lorde at AO Arena Manchester
The AO Arena hasn’t yet confirmed the exact stage times for Lorde, but has said that doors will open from 6pm with a start time of around 7pm.
At other shows, Lorde has typically arrived on stage at around 9pm.
You can roughly expect stage times to be as follows:
Doors 6pm
Jim E-Stack 7pm
Blood Orange 8pm
Lorde 9pm
Keep an eye on the AO Arena’s socials for the latest.
Aitch’s brief statement as Moston rapper heads into the I’m A Celebrity jungle
Daisy Jackson
Manchester rapper Aitch is officially taking party in this year’s series of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here.
The rumoured line-up had been swirling for days as stars were spotted touching down in Australia ahead of the ITV series restarting for 2025.
And now I’m A Celebrity has officially revealed its line-up, which includes MOBO and Brit Award-winning Aitch, Ruby Wax, Martin Kemp, and Jack Osbourne, to name a few.
Aitch has said on his final post on Instagram before he disappears into the Australian bush that he’s ’bout to go f*ck up the jungle the Manchester way’.
He wrote: “I’ve made songs with most people I grew up listening to, now I’m going on the show I grew up watching.
“Mam this one’s for you. bout to go f*ck up the jungle the Manchester way. Cinnabit.”
Aitch, real name Harrison Armstong, hopes to raise awareness about Down Syndrome while he has the platform of the I’m A Celebrity camp – a genetic disorder his beloved sister Gracie has.
He said: “I feel like I have got this calling to raise awareness for Down syndrome and I feel that’s the perfect place.
“Also, you don’t always want to be stuck in the same world forever. You can branch out and do other things. You don’t have to stick to the code (rap world), because you think that’s cool.
“I did have to cancel some gigs for it. But you are never going to branch out if you do the same thing all the time.”
Joining Aitch in the I’m A Celebrity jungle will be presenter, author and comedian Ruby Wax, who wants the public to see that she’s not as ‘aggressive and pushy’ as her TV persona sometimes seems.
The full I’m A Celebrity 2025 line-up, including Manchester rapper Aitch. Credit: ITV
Also heading in will be Martin Kemp, whose presenter son Roman finished in third place on a previous series.
Martin said: “I’ve had to cancel some jobs, but when Roman was on I’m A Celebrity, I was addicted. I watched it every day and enjoyed it so much. I felt it was now time in my life for an adventure.”
DJ and model Kelly Brook said that she has surprised herself in several ways since being with her husband, including starring on Race Across The World and running the London marathon – now it’s time to see if she can be queen of the jungle.
Jack Osbourne, son of the late, great Ozzy Osbourne, will be starring on I’m A Celebrity and said the hardest thing for him will be being away fro his ‘lots of kids, my wife, and my family still int he wake of my dad passing’.
Also on this year’s I’m A Celeb line-up is former Lionness Alex Scott MBE, who said her partner Jess Glynne thinks she’s ‘absolutely mental’ for signing up for the reality show.
Social media sensation Angry Ginge will be appearing in the Australian jungle this year, saying he’s interested to see how he’ll cope without a phone, having only ever spent a week away from it before.
Joining him is Eastenders star and West End actor Shona McGarty, who is a ‘massive fan’ of the show and is excited for audiences to see what she’s like when she’s ‘completely myself’.
Comedian and radio host Eddie Kadi says he’s been prepping for his stint in the I’m A Celebrity jungle by doing intermittent fasting, but doesn’t know ‘how he will survive’ without flavour.
The final campmate joining Aitch in the I’m A Celebrity jungle is Emmerdale’s Lisa Riley, who finally said yes to ITV ahead of her milestone 50th birthday next year.
I’m A Celebrity starts Sunday at 9pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV & STV Player.
The full I’m A Celebrity 2025 line-up
Aitch – Rapper
Ruby Wax OBE – Presenter, author and comedian
Martin Kemp – Actor and pop star
Kelly Brook – DJ and model
Jack Osbourne – TV Personality
Alex Scott MBE – Sports broadcaster and former Lioness
Daisy Jackson -
10th April 2024 
