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.
Legendary funk and soul act Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester
Danny Jones
In case you hadn’t heard already, iconic funk, soul, and R’n’B artist Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester after far too long away from our musical city for a massive arena gig later this year.
Coming back to 0161 ‘For One Night Only’, the award-winning US supergroup and industry giants are set to make their first appearance here in over 15 years.
With a rich back catalogue and a career spanning six decades, not to mention multiple genres including funk, soul, disco, jazz (how they first began as an ensemble) and more, it’s only fitting they be given the top billing at the one and only AO Arena.
After Manc fans have had to wait for long, this is sure to be a night of ‘Summertime Madness’.
Though they need no real introduction if you know your music history, specifically African-American and Black music culture, Kool and the Gang are arguably one of the most influential acts to ever make it.
Having performed together longer than other R’n’B outfit on the planet, stood as one of the most sampled artists of all time and released a staggering 34 studio albums to date, they’re nothing short of foundational.
While, sadly, there is only founding member Robert ‘Kool’ Bell left from the original lineup formed back in 1964, the various iterations of the surviving live band have captured that same effortless cool, charisma, and effortless control of a crowd on the road that made the OG Gang such a toue de force.
As well as touring with everyone from Elton John and the Dave Matthews Band to The Roots and even a 50-city tour alongside equally legendary rock group, Van Halen, they have no shortage of accolades to their name.
How does two Grammys, seven American Music Awards (AMAs), a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a place in the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine top ten hits in the pop charts, as well as 31 gold and platinum albums, strike you?
— Melodies & Masterpieces (@SVG__Collection) May 27, 2025
Best known for beloved tracks like ‘Celebration’, ‘Get Down On It’, ‘Cherish’ and ‘Jungle Boogie’, just to name a very small few (again, their discography is huge), you’ve most likely heard their songs or at least one of their serially sampled beats more times than its possible to count.
Yep, if there’s anyone that deserves the ‘icon’ moniker, it’s these lot.
Kool and the Gang come to the AO Arena in Manchester next month on Friday, 11 July and will have fellow British soul counterparts, The Real Thing, who looked to mirror their success throughout the ’70s, along for the ride.
General admission tickets are already on sale as we speak – you can grab yours HERE.
Every bit of live entertainment coming to Haydock Park Racecourse this summer | The Jockey Club Live 2025
Danny Jones
With festival season officially underway and a music-filled summer approaching faster than Stone Folca down the final furlong, we’ll take any chance to sing and dance under the sun we can get, so it’s a good job that what’s on at Haydock Park Racecourse this year is great and there’s plenty of it.
That’s right, The Jockey Club Live experience at Haydock Park is back for 2025, and there’s another incredible lineup of acts joining the punters over the next few months.
Having already seen the likes of Craig David, Busted and the Sugababes, as well as rather fittingly named local band, Red Rum Club, most recently, we’ve had some ruddy good times soaking up The Jockey Club festivities and libations, and this year is already off to a storming start.
You can catch a glimpse of our latest visit to the races down below for a taster. In short, it was a blast.
As you can see, not only are the spirits high and free-flowing (if you catch our drift) at Haydock Park, but there’s more than just racing and betting slips when it comes to what’s on there during the summer.
In addition to plenty of food and drink, every year as part of their Music Night programme, The Jockey Club well and truly puts the Live in ‘live entertainment’ with a whole host of big names.
For instance, here’s who is coming up at Haydock this summer…
What’s on at Haydock Park Racecourse this summer?
Tom Jones – Friday, 4 July
Perhaps the biggest name on the bill this year is the legendary Welsh soul singer and pop veteran SIR Tom Jones; that’s right, you could be in the presence of a real knight this July.
The 85-year-old who has enjoyed a career spanning more than six decades on stage clearly couldn’t get enough the first time around, as Mr ‘Sex Bomb’ himself is coming back to the racecourse for a full headline slot as part of his ‘Defy Explanation’ tour.
Speaking ahead of another visit, he said: “Performing live is the centre of my life and I’m really pleased to be returning to Haydock Park Racecourse to play to such a welcoming audience. The Jockey Club Live shows are exciting dates in my calendar – the fans really enjoy the day, so [they] are always sensational.”
‘I can’t wait to spend a Summer’s evening with everyone this July.’ (Credit: Raph_PH via Flickr)
Becky Hill – Friday, 8 August
A month later, you can catch a contemporary pop queen and fellow British chart favourite, as solo star Becky Hill will be heading to Haydock for a headline performance of her own.
The Bewdley-born singer-songwriter and regular dance track feature artist already has 22 top 40 songs to her name and is pushing even further into the electronic music scene of late, with one of her newest hits, Swim’, becoming another big hit.
Jockey Club said of her date: “We’re so excited to be welcoming Becky and her phenomenal live show to Haydock Park. Tickets start from just £40, continuing our reputation for providing value-for-money entertainment destination for the region and beyond.”
‘With thousands of tickets for Red Rum Club sold in the presale alone, we’re urging fans to secure their spot for next summer soon to avoid disappointment.’ (Credit: Press shot supplied via Chuff Media)
Next up: Jamie Webster – 21 June
But before both of these big British names is a local Merseyside legend, as indie guitarist and Liverpool-fan anthem specialist Jamie Webster will be heading down the road for what is sure to be a very popular night on home turf.
The ‘Weekend In Paradise’ and ‘This Place’ singer may have got his break performing to supporters around Anfield, but his music journey since then has been nothing short of remarkable – a real Northern, working-class success story in action.
Our Audio North team spoke to Webster ahead of his Haydock Park show on Saturday, 21 June and let’s just say we’re now more invested than ever in hearing Jamie play his third studio album, 10 For The People, for… well – you get it.
Better still, the party doesn’t stop once the summer is over, as The Jockey Club Live will be holding a number of other events throughout the rest of the year, not to mention all the usual horse-racing action at Haydock Park.
You can find out more information on the above and everything else on at the racecourse, as well as grab tickets to any of the dates that take your fancy right HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
10th April 2024 
