The brand new city centre opening Courts Club is giving away a whopping 500 free coffees this Thursday to Mancs in need of a mid-week pick-me-up.
Let’s be honest, the only thing better than a shot of much-needed caffeine is a freebie.
Courts Club opened last month over in the ever-growing St John’s district just down from Deansgate and next door to Spinningfields, bringing a refreshing combination rarely seen in Manchester: basketball, tennis, boules, a bar, butties, lights bites and more – all in one space.
Bringing a sense of almost beachside Florida meets laid-back Lawn Club (they are the same team behind it after all) to the bustling city centre, and to mark not only their first month of business but a new loyalty scheme, they’ve decided to hand out a shed load of free coffees to celebrate.
The offer is simple: the first 500 people to attend between 8am-12pm this Thursday, 22 August will earn a free coffee as well as an intro to their loyalty scheme, which offers a free drink for every seven stamps collected.
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Plus, they will also be given a headstart with not one but two stamps added, meaning they can collect another free drink after their next five visits.
Opening from 8am and closing at 11pm every weekday, Courts Club is an all-hours venue but, especially whilst the weather is still nice, it’s a great little sun-trap to sit and have your lunch.
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With that in mind, as part of this new promotion under the Courts Club loyalty scheme, they’re also launching the Courts Combo lunch deal, which offers a soft drink or hot beverage with a toastie and a small salad for just a tenner.
Customers can also upgrade their drink to a cheeky alcoholic bev for an extra £2 if they fancy, and the toastie menu includes a selection of gooey sarnies made with a mix of mozzarella and American cheese with garlic butter using local tin loaf bread from independent supplier Half Dozen Other. Oof, go on then.
Credit: The Manc Group/Supplied
Ant Everatt, General Manager over at Courts Club said: “We were given such a warm welcome last month when we opened our doors, and saw over 500 people come down to our launch party.
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“We’re keen to keep growing our relationship and community connections within the neighbourhood and with so many businesses and residents nearby, we’re the perfect spot to grab a coffee – and even better that you can grab a free one on us!
“We’ve already shown we can be the perfect post-work meeting spot and a place to shoot some hoops or play tennis, but now we’re here to show we can serve up coffee, brunch and be the ‘go-to’ morning hangout too.”
It’s certainly going to be our go-to this Thursday if there are free coffees up for grabs, put it that way.
Courts Club is now open seven days a week, with courts available for hire and the space itself open for large group bookings.
Part of the Shiko Group – a boutique hospitality company that manages several bars, cafes and event spaces across Manchester and Leeds such as Canary Bar, Fearns Leeds, Side Street Studios, Deck & Dome, Foleys XYZ, Foleys ABC, The Stables and the aforementioned Lawn Club – there’s real Northern roots behind this latest venture.
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You can get another look at all the fun they have on offer down below:
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Manchester’s Deansgate
Daisy Jackson
There’s a brand-new menu of smokehouse-style BBQ dishes being served up on a sunny terrace on Deansgate.
Motley, the neighbourhood bar and restaurant on the corner of John Dalton Street, has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen.
That means they’ve got a whole load of new dishes, slow-cooked over hickory wood, that are bringing a taste of a Deep South BBQ to Manchester city centre.
The smokehouse-style meats are all seasoned in-house and cooked for hours, for a perfect fall-off-the-bone experience.
It might be an authentic American smokehouse menu, but it’s firmly British too, with most products locally sourced.
You can now get Deep South-inspired BBQ dishes on Deansgate / Credit: The Manc Group
Motley are calling on local suppliers like Althams Butchers (established since 1856) for their meat, plus greengrocers R Noone and Son, and Cheshire Farm for their real dairy ice cream.
Signature dishes on the new menu at Motley include slow smoked brisket, seasoned in Motley’s signature rub before being slow-smoked for more than eight hours.
There’s also a beef short rib with a chimichurri sauce, and a pork belly strip that’s seasoned with sage and onion and finished with a panko breadcrumb crust.
And for the veggies, there’s a vegan smoked veg kebab with courgette, mushrooms, bell pepper, sweet corn and red onion drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce.
Motley has added an authentic smoker to its kitchen / Credit: The Manc Group
Prices across the board start from just £16, served with beef dripping fries, rainbow slaw, pickles and homemade beef gravy.
As for small plates, you can expect short rib bonbons, homemade corn bread, spicy chicken wings, bang bang cauliflower, mac and cheese, and frickles.
House favourites like steak, vegetable hash, salads, and burgers will remain on the Motley menu.
Victor Gonzalez, food and beverage manager at Motley, said: “Our new signature smoked dishes are all crafted and seasoned in-house then slow cooked for hours over hickory wood to create rich and smoky melt-in-your mouth flavours.
“From our slow-smoked brisket to our home-made sides, everything has been carefully crafted to bring an authentic taste of the deep south to Manchester and we can’t wait for guests to try it.”
Motley can be found at 2 John Dalton Street on the corner of Deansgate in the city centre.
Featured Image – The Manc Group
City Centre
Phoebe Bridgers announces long-awaited return with HUGE phones-free arena gig in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
It’s official, Phoebe Bridgers is back on earth.
More than six years since her last studio album, Punisher, was released to the world, cementing her status as one of indie folk’s leading figureheads, Phoebe Bridgers has given fans the news they have been waiting so patiently for.
A new tour North America and EU tour is on the horizon, and she’ll be stopping off here in Manchesterlater this year for a huge arena gig.
Following a sold-out acoustic show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last night (4 June), Phoebe has now revealed details of ‘The Lost Tour’ for 2026.
Other than the series of surprise pop-up acoustic shows that have wrapped around the country over the last few weeks – beginning in Roswell in New Mexico on 8 May, and continuing on to smaller venues in other US cities before culminating in last night’s dazzling MSG show – this upcoming full band tour marks the first Phoebe Bridgers shows since early 2023.
Phoebe will be taking to the stage at Co-op Live here in Manchester for one night only on 26 November 2026 – with tickets going on sale next week.
And just like the pop-up shows, the use of mobile phones, cameras, and other recording devices will be strictly prohibited on this tour, encouraging fans to be more present in the moment.
This means the Co-op Live event will utilise secure pouches to store all devices during the performance.
Phoebe Bridgers is playing a huge arena gig in Manchester on her UK tour later this year / Credit: Supplied | Raph PH (Wikimedia Commons)
Upon arrival, all phones, smartwatches, and related accessories will be secured in these pouches, the pouches will be unlocked at the conclusion of the show, and any guest observed using a non-permitted device during the performance will be escorted out of the venue.
If the news of Phoebe’s return wasn’t exciting enough for fans as it is, she won’t be the only one making a highly-anticipated return to the stage, as support on the UK & EU leg of the tour is to be provided by former Black Country, New Road frontman, Isaac Wood.
Wood stepped away from the ensemble band – and the limelight as a whole – right before the release of BCNR’s critically acclaimed second studio album, Ants From Up There, in 2022, citing mental health reasons.
Phoebe has also partnered with PLUS1 so that €1/£1 from every ticket sold on the European tour leg goes to local organisations throughout the EU/UK working to support those impacted by sexual assault and violence.
Phoebe Bridgers will be playing Co-op Live as part of ‘The Lost Tour’ on Thursday 26 November 2026.
Tickets officially go on sale first through the Phoebe Bridgers Pass Presale via Fan3, and Co-op Member Presale starting at 10am on Wednesday 10 June, before general sale then begins on Friday 12 June, again at 10am.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2024 
