As FAC51 The Hacienda rounds off a huge year of 40th-anniversary celebrations, the team behind Hacienda Classical has announced it will be making a return to Castlefield Bowl in 2023.
The live party, which sees a full orchestra perform reworked renditions of iconic club classics, will mark a huge return to the open-air amphitheater as it returns to the Castlefield ‘Sounds Of The City’ event for its seventh year.
The annual homecoming is one of the city’s events of the year as The Hacienda’s crowd, DJ Graeme Park, Manchester Camerata, and special guests come together for what is now becoming a legendary Manchester party.
Image: FAC51 The Hacienda
Image: FAC51 The Hacienda
Sold out year after year, Hacienda Classical sees Tim Crooks lead the collective of artists and musicians on stage in performing well-known favourites and new versions of club classics all mixed continuously into one non-stop set.
All of its Castlefield events have previously fully sold out, and next year is likely to be no different with tickets going on sale this Friday 4 November at 9am.
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The announcement coincides with BBC2’s transmission of the much-awaited documentary The Hacienda: The Club That Shook Britain, set to air this Saturday 5 November 2022 at 10.15pm.
This unique documentary tells the incredible story of a revolution that rose up from within the walls and dancefloor of a former shipbuilding warehouse.
It will chart The Hacienda’s cultural legacy and combine rare and unseen archive footage with first-hand insightful testimony from those involved during The Hacienda’s heyday, some of the key players in the club’s history and famous regulars.
Speaking on Hacienda Classical’s return to Castlefield for the seventh year, Peter Hook commented: “I’m so happy to be coming back to ‘Sounds of The City’ in 2023. I can’t believe this will be our seventh year! Amazing! Without a doubt The Hacienda and its crowd know just how to light this city up and party like there’s no tomorrow. Tony and Rob would be so proud.”
Graeme Park added: “Seven appearances at Castlefield Bowl? Really? This show is always very, very special and I really can’t wait to return for another epic evening in July.”
2022 marks four decades since FAC51 The Hacienda first flung open its doors back in 1982, transforming the run-down Central Manchester yacht showroom into what has become one of the most iconic and influential nightclubs in history.
Considered the UK’s cathedral of house music and then epicentre of the “Madchester” scene, The Hacienda continues to inspire generations new and old, producing world class events that remain true to the ethos and integrity that guided the original club.
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Tickets for the 2023 Castlefield Bowl show will go on sale this Friday at 9am and can be purchased here.
Feature image – FAC51 The Hacienda
News
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
The Manc Audio -
1st November 2022 
