Graeme Park on Hacienda’s legacy, United We Stream and the next episode for UK nightlife
Even Hacienda legend Graeme Park endured a tough 2020. But with United We Stream ringing in the New Year, he believes there might be hope for live music yet.
“I look at my life in chapters – and each chapter has its highs and lows,” Graeme Park explains.
When you’ve been in the music business as long as he has, compartmentalising your story in this way is probably the best approach. It makes it easier to pick out all the important moments from a kaleidoscopic catalogue of clubbing memories.
Still, wherever Park goes, there’s always one chapter he’s asked about most: The time he spun records at the greatest party on Earth.
“The Hacienda chapter was incredible,” Park tells us.
“It was the original British superclub and always will be. One thing you can always rely on, whether you’re in Sydney or some obscure beach resort in Uruguay, someone will come up to you and go: “Oy! Parky! ‘Aciendoooorrrrrr!
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“Always, always, always.”
The nine years he spent working at Manchester’s hazard-coloured nightclub are the best-known bits of Graeme Park’s biography. But as the DJ points out, it was a venue that played a huge part in other people’s stories, too.
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“People fell in love at The Hacienda,” Park remembers.
“People got divorced because of The Hacienda. People conceived their children after going to The Hacienda. Some people apparently conceived their children in The Hacienda, if rumours are to be believed!”
Paving the way for Park’s residency at the world-renowned nightclub was a prologue that featured three influential moments.
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The first was the day he got hired at a record store. It was the “job that everybody else wanted”, Park remembers, as he got to hear all the new music being released and play whatever he liked.
The second was when he “reluctantly agreed” to be the DJ after the record shop owner bought a local nightclub (“I never wanted to be a DJ, I played in bands,” Park explains).
And the third came much later – when Park stepped up to fill The Hacienda’s Friday slot for a few weeks in 1988 (a time which would later be remembered as the ‘summer of love’ when house music truly took off in Manchester).
The rest is history. Even now, almost 24 years after the party finished, the music of Madchester is still ringing in Park’s ears.
“It was a privilege and honour to be a part of it,” he states.
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“I was a massive Factory Records fan in the 80s, and I used to visit The Hacienda to see bands like Crispy Ambulance and A Certain Ratio – so to end up being part [of The Hacienda] was a dream come true.”
But all good things come to an end. The Hacienda, a club that infamously never made any money despite its huge popularity, fell into decline in 1997 and was eventually demolished before being converted into flats.
Post-Hacienda, Park embarked on a series of new adventures – playing to enormous crowds all around the world, launching a merchandise range, and even teaching music part-time.
He even travelled down the other end of the M62 and played at Cream in Liverpool (“I couldn’t have done both [Hacienda] and Cream at the same time; they’d have lynched me!” Park jokes).
The DJ’s career has spanned the best part of four decades. And his most recent chapter, 2020, has also been an important one. Albeit for very different reasons.
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Like so many other live performers during the past eight months, Park has found work very hard to come by – playing just five socially-distanced outdoor gigs since March.
Coronavirus has essentially muted most live music across the world, and it’s been a challenging period for everyone in the industry.
“90% of my income has just gone,” Park says, frustratedly.
Until gigs are back on, he’s been paying the bills with his part-time music lecturing – a role he was considering quitting not too long ago.
Park explains: “Three or four years ago, I said to my wife: ‘I don’t really need to be doing this lecturing any more.’
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“I was doing quite well and it wasn’t that much money a month. It was less than half I got for a gig.
“But she talked me out of it. She said: ‘You never know what’s around the corner.’
“It’s a bloody good job I didn’t. It’s my only income now. And it all disappears in a day on bills.”
Image: Katie Hall
In between lectures, Park has been trying to get the music scene going again – campaigning to Shadow Minister for Cultural Industries Tracy Brabin and Withington MP politician Jeff Smith for change.
The DJ says the sight of shoppers flocking to retail stores whilst the entertainment sector has stayed shut has been frustrating – with the industry arguably proving in summer it could indeed be ‘COVID safe’.
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“All the socially distanced events I did, they worked,” Park claims.
But still, whenever coronavirus cases in the UK rose at any stage during 2020, live entertainment and events were promptly put under lock and key.
“It’s frustrating because if you produce the evidence that says your industry isn’t going to be able to operate, you take it on the chin,” Park explains.
“But that evidence hasn’t been shown to anyone.
“That’s because the evidence doesn’t exist. Maybe that’s an argument for another time.”
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In a year that will surely go down as one of the most difficult Park – or any musician – has ever experienced, there has been at least one small and delicious crumb of comfort.
In spring, we got United We Stream – a gig platform set up by Greater Manchester’s night time economy adviser and Parklife/Warehouse Project founder Sacha Lord.
Back in April, Lord assembled some of the best DJs and musicians – including Park – to beam gigs into living rooms around the world.
It was an enormous success – raking in 7 million viewers during its initial run and raising £477,000 for 12 regional charities and good causes.
The project wound down in summer to focus on rebuilding the sector, but in November it was confirmed that United We Stream would return for four shows over the Christmas holidays – including a massive 24 hour stream on New Year’s Eve.
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“I did the two Hacienda house parties in March and April, including a 12 hour stream on my own which was amazing,” Park says.
“When they [United We Stream] approached me for the New Years Eve party, I just couldn’t say no.”
Park is assembling his Hacienda Classical project exclusively for the occasion – producing live orchestral renditions of the Hacienda’s flagship floor-stompers (‘Blue Monday’, ‘Voodoo Ray’, ‘Move Your Body’ etc).
There’s a limit on the number of musicians permitted inside the studio due to COVID, so some “technical wizardry” is being used to bring the full orchestra together – as the choir and solo singers perform their parts from home.
Once the final note is played, Park will then rush up to the DJ decks for a solo set.
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“There are so many great DJs on before me and after me, and it’s a fair assumption that house will be the predominant sound [on the night],” Park explains.
“So, I’m already planning on dropping a few surprises – just to make people smile.
“My biggest thrill that I get these days is digging deep into archives and finding tracks people have forgotten about… stuff people haven’t heard for 20 years but will remember as soon as they drop.”
Park’s always had an eclectic taste in music – dating right back to his teenage days working in the Midlands record store.
During those shifts, he would play a diverse range of tunes – which is what convinced the store owner to make Park have a go on the decks at his new nightclub.
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After realising people liked his music selection – and that he could actually mix – Park never looked back.
“I just play what I like and always have,” he puts simply.
“Sometimes it’s difficult to explain this to some half cut woman who clambers up to the DJ box and says: ‘But if you play it, everyone will go crazy’.
“And I’m like: ‘Yeah, but I absolutelyhate it.
“I don’t care how big it is.”
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Image: Katie Hall
Park has been given the prestigious honour of ringing in the New Year at United We Stream’s show on the 31 December.
“I’m seeing in 2021 in the UK – GMT midnight – so I’ve got one of the best DJ slots,” he reveals.
“Well, I say ‘see in the new year’. This time it’s going to be more like ‘good riddance last year.’”
Of course, Park is well aware that life won’t magically return to normal at the stroke of midnight.
“I think that masks, hand sanitiser and social distancing are still going to be around when we start opening up live venues again,” he admits.
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“Coronavirus isn’t just going to go away because of the vaccine. It’ll take time. It’ll be back to normal with certain caveats.
“Some live venues will never open again. Some people will have lost their jobs and won’t be able to go out for a while.
“Promoters are reviewing fees in the circumstances as well, saying: ‘I don’t know if I can afford this anymore’.
“Things will be different.”
Image: Ant Mulryan
With clubs closed for so long, many have attempted to recapture the euphoria of live shows and nights out by propping up their camera phones against walls and beaming live sets to YouTube or Facebook.
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But according to Park, United We Stream is one of the few to do it properly.
“One thing that really does my head in is that the internet is full of tedious looking blokes playing records now,” Park says.
“They’re all playing the same thing. You think: ‘Why am I watching this?’”
“The key [to streaming] is keeping it special.
“United We Stream is the perfect example. It’s going to be something else.
“It’s a huge, huge lineup. And visually, it’ll be fantastic.”
2020 has left the live music industry on the ropes. But nonetheless, Park is impressively calm and optimistic.
“It’s in my nature to be positive,” he states.
“I’ve got lots of great things to be thankful for in life. I know this cannot be forever.
“The sooner everyone follows the guidance fully, the sooner we’ll be back.”
There’s still a long road ahead, but in time, we might just look back at United We Stream NYE as the moment everything started to get a little better…
Celebrate New Year’s Eve by watching a massive 24-hour set from Hacienda legends – including Graeme Park – live via United We Stream here.
Feature
The best, biggest and bouijiest hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
Hotels are opening in Manchester city centre at a rate that’s hard to keep up with, diversifying the overnight offering with every passing minute, and they’re also some of the very best in the UK.
We’ve got plenty of familiar boltholes if you can’t tear yourself away from the familiarity of a Premier Inn purple bedroom, or the reliable comforts of a Hilton, but also plenty of smaller names offering a stylish place to rest your head.
We’ve rounded up a dozen of the very best that Manchester has to offer – expect rooftop pools, riverside terraces, grand architecture and celebrity chefs.
And not all of them come with an eye-watering price tag…
If you want a hotel with loads of atmosphere as well as a grown-up space with a dark, moody interior, then Dakota is absolutely the one for you.
This beautiful hotel opened back in 2019; a huge £30m black box on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter that has seen celebrity guests such as Hugh Jackman, Molly Mae-Hague, Mel B and many more.
Formerly Hotel Brooklyn – we all know Manchester has a habit of drawing comparisons to New York, albeit a smaller, soggier version, – voco Manchester still has all the glamour as was originally intended.
The hotel first opened at the worst possible time, being thrust in and out of lockdowns within weeks of opening, but since then it’s attracted rave reviews and been named among the top 20 ‘hottest new hotels’ by Traveller’s Choice among many glowing reviews.
Even after being over by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in December 2023, the 189-room hotel has taken on a new life, boasting the in-house Runyons Restaurant which still keeps those US connections, as well as an open-plan lobby lounge featuring a big screen for live sport and entertainment.
It may be different from what it was but there’s still plenty of style to be seen here.
Just across the border into Salford is The Lowry Hotel, and a big, sweeping curve of pure class sticking out above the river. It’s got a global reputation and it’s no surprise when its guestbook features some of the biggest celebrities of all time.
Remember when Taylor Swift rented out the entire place, or Jose Mourinho decided to just live there, rather than find an apartment, during his time as Manchester United manager? Not to mention Britney Spears, David Beckham, Rihanna, Take That, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and countless others.
Having undergone a £5m bedroom refurb, The Lowry has one of the smartest and brightest interiors in the north of England, one of the region’s most expensive hotel rooms (a casual £4,500 a night for the presidential suite), as well as a super high-tech spa. We also enjoy just heading there for the Lowry bottomless brunch, to be honest.
The Kimpton Clocktower – previously known as the Palace and Principal Hotel, among multiple other monikers – oozes timeless sophistication, a relic of Victorian grandeur but with a boutique hotel feel to it.
The lobby is one of the most impressive spaces in Greater Manchester, all polished tile and marble beneath a glass-domed ceiling, setting the scene for the rooms themselves (high ceilings, big windows, and plenty of historical details).
Another big plus when it comes to the Kimpton is its in-house bar and restaurant: The Refuge, which is a cut above the average hotel offering and is very much its own entity with a reputation for fabulous late-night and seasonal events, a divine bottomless brunch and plenty of other distinct draws.
The lobby at Kimpton ClocktowerOne of their many stylish roomsCredit: Kimpton/The Manc Group
5. The Midland
If only walls could talk, The Midland Hotel would have some of the best stories on Earth.
The landmark hotel has been part of the fabric of Manchester for more than 100 years, with 312 luxurious rooms, and it’s storied that it’s where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce (of Rolls Royce fame) were introduced.
Then there are the communal spaces, even fancier now after their £14m refurbishment, including restaurants Adam Reid at The French and Mount Street Dining Room, and the incredible circular champagne bar in the middle of the lobby.
It’s also the place to come for a traditional afternoon tea and has a truly cracking spa. This place doesn’t need any kind of sale pitch: it’s unquestionably one of the best hotels in Manchester – if not the best.
The curb appeal of Whitworth Locke is something else, from its decadent bar housed in a Parisian-style conservatory and fine culinary offerings (Peru Perdu and a Foundation Coffee House are both in here), to its incredible location right on the edge of the Gay Village.
Each of the rooms is a self-contained haven, from studio apartments all the way up to two-bedroom duplex suites, decorated in a Pinterest-worthy palette of greens and pinks (a muted sample of the terracotta bricks outside).
There’s a free workspace area that spills into a truly stunning conservatory bar, as well as a packed calendar of events too, so whether you’re an out-of-town guest or a local Manc looking to fill a few hours, you’ll be kept busy enough.
Safe to say we’re big fans of this much-loved Manchester hotel.
7. King Street Townhouse
You have, almost without a doubt, seen photos of the King Street Townhouse before – this is the hotel that introduced the infinity pool to the city centre, with views of the Town Hall (well, currently of scaffolding).
The hotel has its own cinema room, a rooftop terrace bar, a new gym, and incredible afternoon teas.
The smart rooms range in size from ‘snug’ to ‘cosy’ to ‘comfy’ to suites, with suites priced at around £430 a night.
From afternoon tea and lunch deals to spa offers, big group events, private screening and so much more, King St Townhouse isn’t just one of the best hotels in Manchester, it’s also one of the most well-rounded in terms of its overall hospitality.
One of the newest hotels to open in Manchester (and they are popping up like daisies) is The Alan, which has stripped the old Princess Street Hotel back to expose and celebrate its original features.
There are 137 bedrooms, each with high ceilings and warm textures, an open-plan kitchen, a restaurant and bar, as well as event spaces.
The devil is in the detail here and the design has been carefully thought-out. The floor is made from a collage of discarded marble, and the dried flowers illuminated beneath the bar were actually foraged by the hotel’s owners at the time they secured plans for The Alan… while they were broken down on the side of the motorway.
It’s gone on to become comfortably one of the best luxury hotels in Manchester since it opened in 2022.
9. Stock Exchange Hotel
Famous names absolutely litter Stock Exchange Hotel, which is easily one of the grandest spaces in all of Greater Manchester.
Not only does it come from Gary Neville’s rapidly-booking hospitality empire, but it’s also backed by world-famous hotelier Winston Zahra, not to mention high-profile chefs and hospitality figures like Tom Kerridge and The Schofield Brothers having run the kitchen.
You could be looking at as much as £1500 for a night in the suites, but the rooms start at a much lower rate – and then there’s ‘The House’, an enormous fully serviced, ultra-exclusive penthouse apartment with its own roof terrace.
The newest addition to Manchester’s ever-growing hotel and resort sector, The Reach has landed just a short walk from Piccadilly Station and is only a few minutes away from the bustling Northern Quarter, meaning that like Dakota, it’s picked a prime logistical and cultural location.
But enough about topographical perks, this place is simply sublime, serving exquisite food and drink from its Lock 84 restaurant overlooking the Rochdale Canal, with rooms that are just as spacious as they are luxurious.
Perfect for business or pleasure, The Reach is already becoming a popular choice for those visiting Manchester and has comfortably landed itself on the list of the very best hotels we have to offer here in the city centre.
Circa Waves on their new album, unreal tour lineup, a big health scare and ‘the best band’ around right now
Danny Jones
With Circa Waves announcing a new album and a brand new UK tour early next year, we were very kindly given the privilege to chat with one of the most consistent indie bands of the past decade.
Sitting down with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kieran Shudall, we were buzzing with questions about their upcoming record, what we’re dubbing as one of the best indie tour lineups in years, what they’re making of the UK music scene right now and, of course, why the North West is the best.
For anyone unaware, it’s been a pretty intense period for the Liverpool lads and their frontman, especially, after a health scare early last year, so we’re more grateful than ever that they’re back and looking in true fighting form ahead of their shows come February 2025.
You can read our full interview with Circa Waves down below.
Audio North interviews Kieran from Circa Waves
Circa Waves live in Kobetamendi, Bilbao at BBK Live 2017.Kieran gave us a really great, in-depth chat.Credit: Dena Flows/The Manc Group
Right off the bat, the sixth studio album is coming out, Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a big, bold title – what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?
Well, ‘Death and Love’ was basically the first song I ever wrote for Circa. It was back in 2012 or something, but it never got released and it was just a title that was always lying around.
We were trying to think of a title for this record and with what I went through – like a big sort of health scare and then came out the other side and feeling very grateful for life – that seemed like a really appropriate title and I feel like it grabs your attention a little bit.
Feel free to move on if it’s too personal but if you would you mind telling us about the health scare?
We had to cancel a bunch of tours; I got told you have to sign this form that says you have a 100% chance of dying on the operating table, so that’s not cool. It was just mad and I kind of came through the other side feeling super grateful and happy to be alive and in a band, you know
I feel more fortunate now that I’ve got through it all, so a lot of the record is about getting through that and the fears that came along with it. It gave me some good material haha.
For sure, that trauma always serves great art at least. There’s obviously a part one in there too, so is the second done and was this a double album experience in the recording process?
I’m still doing it – finishing it right now actually. We kind of just had too many songs and thought let’s just split it into two. I guess back in the day it’d be like a double album but yeah, the first one is nine songs and this one I’m still deciding. Maybe 10?
There’s just had a lot of ideas and we thought, well, why not? In this day and age, it’s so easy to kind of put music out and people consume music so fast that it felt like we just may as well.
Absolutely. So where do you think you’ve pushed things sonically this time – is it more of an evolution or a continuation?
I feel like we’ve landed on our feet in what we’re about now, certainly what I think Circa Waves should sound like, so it’s kind of similar to the early records, I guess.
A lot more guitars, sort of raw, scrappy drums, and they feel like festival songs to me but obviously the subject matter is like 10 years on from the first record, so your life experience makes the lyrics different, but I hope that it sort of feels like a refinement of sorts.
And have you guys got a favourite track that you’re particularly excited for people to hear or a personal favourite?
The thing about band members is everyone just likes it when their instrument’s the loudest. I don’t know, there’s a track called ‘Hold It Steady’ which is quite different to anything we’ve done before; I’m excited for that one to be heard but I think they’re all bangers.
We’ll absolutely take that haha. For the tour, you’ve got an unreal lineup of support acts with Peace and our fellow Mancs, Corella – we’ve seen both of them this year and they were great – how did you go around picking your warm-ups?
Peace was a funny one, I sort of have liked them for a long time and I went to the old NME Tour that they were on in probably 2011 or something but I remember watching them being like, ‘Oh wow and man I’d love to do the NME Tour.
Circa Waves didn’t exist at the time and then a few years later we did it ourselves, so they were sort of a big inspiration for me to play indie music, so it was cool to have them on. And then Corella are just ones that have been cropping up every two minutes on my Instagram feed and they’re just like a really good indie band right now.
Peace at Kendal Calling 2024Corella had a pretty iconic moment on the main stage too…
So it all felt like a good fit and we kind of want to just make the night feel like a big festival of music that people will love that type of music really. It’s just a proper guitary indie night, you know?
Lovely, can’t complain about that. In terms of venues, you’ve got some great Northern institutions on there: The Academy in Leeds, Victoria Warehouse here in Manchester and your massive hometown show. How much do you love those dates as North West locals?
Yeah, I love it, man. I mean, there’s nothing better than playing up North and I know that sounds like something that people say to just please people from there but it really is the best.
Liverpool, obviously, for me is such a big one and my family all go to those ones, so it’s cool for that reason but Manchester’s always been an amazing crowd. I don’t know what it is about Manchester – Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool are always just amazing.
Bang on, and as for that hometown gig, how special is that Olympia show gonna be and do you have any special treatment up your sleeve?
You know what? I haven’t thought about it. There’s always the temptation of asking someone to get up with you. [Yeah, maybe get Jamie Webster on the go?] Yeah, I’ve been writing with Jamie and Miles [Kane] quite a bit but I don’t know. We’ll keep it all secret anyway.
Yeah let’s not spoil anything. Another one we’re always curious of is how much you consider that famous Manc vs Scouse rivalry in music. Do you buy into it at all?
I don’t know, I think in my life when you have like really p***ed up conversations with someone who’s more into the Manc scene than the Liverpool scene I just think we’ve got The Beatles, so we always win.
I do think, you know, you’ve got your Joy Divisions and your Smiths and your Oasis and all this – they’re amazing bands, but we’ve got The Beatles. So it’s just you can’t like. [Like the ultimate Top Trumps card] Yeah, in Pokemon, it’d be shiny Charizard.
Fair enough. What about other Northern acts you’re particularly excited by at the minute?
I mean, there’s so many but it’s too hard but the band I think are the best at the moment is Wunderhorse. I met Jacob [Slater] a while ago when he was doing Dead Pretties and I was like obsessed with his writing and he sent me a bunch of acoustic stuff and I was just like man, “You are f***ing annoyingly talented.”
Then when Wunderhorse came out and I was just blown away. It’s amazing to watch it just become this big thing now. It’s cool to see people on TikTok sharing clips of ‘Teal’ and just seeing kids getting into proper music. So yeah, love them, man – I’m so excited to see where they end up.
He’s not wrong, by the way. Their Manchester Academy gig in October was one the best of our lives and not to sound like needy cool kids but we’ve very much backed them from day one.
The Manc -
27th December 2020 
