Let’s not lie, we’re all suckers for a bit of a sing-song.
You may do the whole “No, I don’t sing… no really” act, swatting your arms, closing your eyes and shaking your head – but we see you, don’t be shy.
If you’re the type with the spotlight awaiting you, then luckily, Manchester is studded with some cool and quirky karaoke bars for you to release the inner Mariah that’s been hiding inside, and we’ve rounded up some of the best.
Pick one and head down with a mate, partner, stranger, or just your little old self.
Karaoke, nightclub, private rooms, unlimited access to the mic, need we say more?
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K2 is every karaoke queen’s dream as it’s provided with all the essentials to have a cracking birthday, spontaneous night-out, or an unforgettable hen do, with booths to house between two-40 people that are decked out with state-of-the-art touch screen karaoke technology and exclusively-designed sound proofing.
If you’re a weapon on the mic, or maybe need a bit of loosening up before, it doesn’t matter, because at the end of the day, it’s just your mates in the room with you.
Karaoke, bowling, table tennis, pool, shuffle board, and beer pong, and more? These combos are just getting more and more wild.
Tear up the bowling alley, smash everyone at beer pong, and finally unleash Beyonce in the booth as Tenpin in the Printworks is an absolutely class day out for the all the family, and for those 18+, the floor is completely yours after 9pm too.
Crack open the piggy bank because upstairs, all the arcade games are just £1 too – this is what you’ve been saving up for.
That’s your Friday, Saturday, and Sunday sorted then.
K2 Karaoke Nightclub / Credit: K2Vina Karaoke Bar / Credit: Vina Karaoke Bar
Karaoke basically accompanies everything at Brickhouse Social, as it should.
Spice your brunch up with a good-old sing-along and join into a chorus of ‘Wonderwall’ in between mouthfuls of Eggs Benedict, take it too far at a Christmas party by showing your boss your perfected rendition of ‘WAP’, or nurture a hidden talent in a private booth upstairs.
There’s also some phenomenal cocktails on the menu to fuel whatever fun you decide with that Mancunian courage.
If you love karaoke, then Vina is just what you want.
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An unadulterated, not-messing-about, neon cocktail karaoke bar that lets you use your phones to browse the karaoke song library and then submit the request so you’re guaranteed to get your turn under the spotlight, or maybe surprise that special person when “your song” comes on.
Sometimes referred to as the “downstairs one”, Vina is community-driven, which means all are welcome, and there’s no private booths and no judgement.
Soul is the go-to genre over here at The Blues Kitchen, some might say they’re a little biased!
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There’s many reasons you might want to book one of the karaoke rooms at this trusted night-out destination.
Whether your singing voice is just too good for this world or you’re taking advantage of the bottle service delivered straight to the booth, nobody ever has to know!
The party never stops with the rooms available to hire everyday of the week, bliss.
Featured Image – Pxfuel
Manchester
Beloved local restaurant passionately tears apart burglars after ‘hurtful and disappointing’ break-in
Daisy Jackson
A local Manchester restaurant has found itself the victim of a break-in, with staff wages and other goods stolen – and they’ve not exactly held back in their statement to the burglars.
The Thirsty Korean, a hugely popular name over in Chorlton, has asked customers to ‘teach them how to swear in English’ so they can adequately express their disappointment and disgust.
Owner Eunji Noh said in a passionate statement that ‘bad karma comes as well as good karma’.
She wrote: “What you did was that you fully disrespected us that we put our love, passion, effort and time to do something meaningful and great.
“We do not deserve that. I wish, you will be deserved of what you did and I hope, that it will hurt you and your life.”
The Thirsty Korean opened last year in a new spot on Wilbraham Road, serving its legendary and authentic Korean dishes like fried chicken, tteokbokki, and Korean pancakes.
Sharing CCTV images of the burglars in the restaurant, Eunji added that she hopes they will ‘one day become someone doing something right’.
She said: “Hating someone is consuming so much negative energy, therefore I really do not like to say such and it hurts me too.
“However words have a power. So I leave the message that, in any case you would ever read. You will have many bad things happening to you and you will have many bad days and I wish this bad karma will chase to you soon.”
The Thirsty Korean’s brunch spreadCheesy Ttekbokki noodles
She also wrote: “What you stole from the thirsty korean last night was paying our hard working staff wages, paying goods and supplies and our maintenance for the restaurant which assures us living tomorrow.
“It is truly hurtful and disappointing to know that there were people looking for the opportunity to steal someone’s belonging that I personally have never imagined to do by myself stealing someone’s possession and hovering and looking for a spot during the night with this bad intention.”
Addressing customers, she assured people that The Thirsty Korean will be back open for service from Wednesday.
Eunji signed off: “Eventually we all know that everything will be fine again. Spring has been always coming after winter ends.”
P1 Fitness – The Manchester gym that strikes the perfect blend of PT and group-based coaching
Danny Jones
We here at The Manc team are trying to get fit; it can be hard to find time for the gym when you’re busy, not to mention staying in shape when you’ve got a food scene as good as Manchester’s, which is exactly why P1 Fitness Studio is a perfect match for us.
Maybe you’ve fancied giving a personal trainer a go, or even tried a class or two, but perhaps the schedule, the price, the location or some other factor meant it wasn’t for you.
Whatever your reasoning, if you’re the kind of person who can admit they need a bit of a kick up the backside to get their arse in gear and actually stick at this gym lark, we can assure you this is an ideal place to build the right kinds of habits.
And trust us, they’ll keep pushing to make sure it sinks in.
Top-end facilities, secure lockers, every bit of kit you’ll ever need and much more (Credit: The Manc)
Aside from the anti-ego environment in general – you won’t catch anyone staring at themselves in mirrors here – it’s also just nice to be around people with similar lifestyles.
Boasting tonnes of positive reviews online, P1 Fitness is a place for busy professionals who aren’t willing to let work and all other time-consuming parts of ‘adulting’ be an excuse to not carve out less than an hour to better themselves.
And for most people, that really is all it takes to start seeing a difference; two 50-minute sessions might not sound like a lot to some, but the effort you put in during the group workouts is more than enough to get the benefit.
They focus on quality, not quantity, making sure every day that you turn up is worthwhile, and no drop of sweat is wasted.
Better still, they keep the numbers low and even break off into smaller groups to explain and tailor workouts to suit each person.
It’s not just weekly blocks stuck on a wall that you have to stick to: everything is flexible, and they do try and give everyone as much one-on-one attention as possible from the P1 staff.
Here’s what some other members have had to say in their recent testimonials:
“The biggest difference isn’t that I’m fitter and stronger. It’s that I don’t have to think about it anymore. Before P1 I’d spend all week telling myself I needed to go to the gym, then I’d be too tired, it’d be busy, I didn’t know what to do, and I’d end up doing nothing and beating myself up about it.
“Now I just turn up twice a week. Someone tells me what to do, I get coached to do it right, then shower, go back to work and my fitness takes care of itself. It’s one less thing I have to worry about.”
Louise
“I genuinely thought I hated gyms. In fact, when I saw one, I used to cross the street to avoid it… Turns out I hated the ‘usuall’ gym experience. Wondering what I was supposed to be doing, fighting for equipment in the crowd and being self-conscious about my form.
“At P1, I simply walk in, everything’s ready – someone coaches me through the session, we have a laugh in the group, and before I know it I’m finished. I actually look forward to training now, which is crazy.
Damien
One of our very own, Lonnie, says it’s given him a sense of “structure, routine and a community” in the gym like never before, and added that “it’s become that third space where people can come together to better themselves in a fun and unique way.”
Abby is ever the hard-working, friendly face; her husband and fellow co-owner, Peter, is a ‘BFG’ who will always push you to your limits but knows when not to beast you; Ben is a great instructor with a great way of breaking down movements, and Mel is the smiling assassin who is as dedicated as she is smiley.
Then there’s Katie, who is somehow juggling a PhD and working at P1 part-time, all whilst being an absolute Duracell bunny of a trainer. All in all, you couldn’t ask for a better team.
Best of all, you can choose when to register for a session based not only on who you prefer working with, but whatever time suits you; you can even put your name down as last-gasp as you like – in fact, we’ve turned up with five minutes’ notice on more than one occasion.
It’s also great to see that they’re more than happy to roll out a mat or pick up a weight and properly get stuck in there with you.
Put simply: much like you, all of these guys have their own special traits, but one thing they do all have in common is an incredible amount of drive and passion for the work they do, not to mention the knowledge and experience to back it up.
We’re not going to give you any harder of a sell than that; all we’ll say is that we’re feeling more positive about our current fitness journey than we have in a long time, and if you want to make similar progress, P1 might just be for you.
So, if you are truly looking to get fitter in a setting where consistency, accountability and community thrive, consider this your sign to finally get serious.
You can find out more and enquire about joining right HERE.
You won’t find a friendlier team. (Credit: Supplied)
Dolly Busby -
15th October 2021 
