Hit & Run – the seminal Manchester bass night that defined underground clubbing for a generation
On the eve of the club night's 15th anniversary show at WHP, The Manc looks back at Hit & Run and the role it's played in shaping club culture in the city today.
In Manchester today, there are few remaining club nights as iconic as Hit & Run.
Curated by DJ and promoter Rich Reason, it has defined underground parties in the city for a whole generation of bass music fans – bringing the likes of Jamie XX, James Blake, Ben UFO, Big Narstie, Silkie, and many many more artists to Manchester for sell-out shows back when no one else was even thinking to book them.
First beginning as an ad-hoc weekly drum and bass night for students, Hit & Run has hosted parties at nearly every club in the city you can think of – packing out the likes of The Attic, Thirsty Scholar, Mint Lounge, Area 51, Factory, Ritz, Factory, Sake Bar, Antwerp Mansion, and Hidden.
It’s still very popular with the student crowd today – but has also garnered a strong local following.
Rich jokes it’s often acted as a “gateway” night to other alternative events in the city.
Image: Hit&Run
Over time, it’s grown from a student haunt to a popular go-to for locals as well, carving out a USP for itself as an alternative club night that straddles the more avante-garde side of bass music.
Now, this weekend, it will host a huge 15th-anniversary show at the Warehouse Project – combining the soundtrack of the last 15 years with some of their biggest booking highlights, celebrating everything that’s been before, with a heavy degree of Mancunian representation on the lineup.
On the eve of the anniversary show, The Manc looks back at fifteen years of Hit & Run in the city.
We sat down with Rich to talk about how Manchester’s club scene has evolved over time, his go-to post-rave curry house in Rusholme, and the role his club night has played in shaping how contemporary Manchester music is seen on the world stage today.
“It’s always blown me away, the sort of incredible talent we have on the doorstep in Manchester,”
Rich Reason
First arriving in Manchester in 2004, Hit & Run promoter Rich came to the city to do a music course – but soon enough found himself landing a number of residencies around the city at various bars and clubs, such as All That Jazz at the former Music Box (now a Tesco Express) and Po Na Na.
Drawn to Manchester by Mr Scruff and Marcus Intalex – who he describes as two of his heroes – he started flyering for Sankeys in the pre-Warehouse days, back when a lot of that team, Sacha Lord included, were still over there.
After getting a break DJing for APE – which still runs today – he then went on to be the first DJ ever to play at The Warehouse Project, taking the opening slot for Public Enemy when they played Boddingtons in 2006, and soon after that, landed upon an opportunity to start a weekly student drum and bass night at Po Na Na.
He’d previously run Hit & Run in Oxford with two friends, Riz Ahmed (of Star Wars fame) and Craig Carr, so when the opportunity arose, he decided to bring it up north to Manchester.
Bookings focused on local DJs, and following a co-sign from Tonn Piper – who started to come down regularly – the night went from strength to strength.
Image: Hit&Run
By the end of the first year, he’d welcomed a few headliners and brought down Chimpo and Chunky (now famous artists in their own right) for their first sets, and in the years that followed, the night moved from club to club, covering a decent amount of ground in the city.
Still, things weren’t always plain sailing.
Rich tells us of how, in the early days of his events, he often faced pushback from labels when he wanted to book one of their artists and pair them with a Mancunian DJ.
“It’s always blown me away, the sort of incredible talent we have on the doorstep in Manchester.”
“As an outsider, you can always see things more clearly. I don’t know, but it’s always been very clear to me that there’s always a huge wealth of talent in the city and something I’ve always tried to do, especially early on.
“Usually when you book a big artist they’d go ‘oh they come with this MC, you need to book this MC’ – I’ve always pushed back against that because I’ve always felt there was an incredible array of MCs in the city already.
“For example, the first Warehouse Project we did it was like 100% Mancunian MCs and you know we have a lot of the best and I think, ironically, when I first sort of started it wasn’t known so much as that.
“They were always there but they didn’t have the reputation, but now I don’t have to fight as hard to kind of like push for that Manchester representation.”
“I think now we’re recognised as that as having an absurd cornucopia of microphone talent in the city, whether it’s like Skittles or fox or DRS or Strategy or Chunky, I think they’re known now as some of the best”.
“I don’t care if it’s got 50 plays or 5,000, if it’s genuinely good and I think it’s got potential I’ll try and put you on somewhere.”
Rich Reason
After about seven or eight years of doing every Monday night – sometimes 50 out of 52 in the year – Rich tells us he started to notice a shift in student club culture and made the move from focusing so much on the student weeklies, to hosting a few more weekend nights.
This, he said, meant that sometimes they would be doing 60 or 70 nights in a year – an experience he says was “pretty crazy”.
It was around that time that the night moved over to Antwerp Mansion – a venue that in later years became synonymous with student club culture – but, in fact, began as more of an underground neighbourhood haunt with nights showcasing quirky (and sometimes just outright weird) local bands.
“I was, in a way, the most commercial promoter there,” he says, adding: “They were doing so many like interesting, quirky things and I think people forget that Antwerp wasn’t really like a student venue early doors”.
Image: mcr_wheretherainsfrom / Hayley Vibes
There were some memorable Hit & Run nights there, including one in which large chunks of the ceiling came down thanks to the pure power coming out of the soundsystem – but ultimately, Rich made the decision to move when a change in management led to a ballooning of bass music nights at the venue.
“I mean, they would literally see what I’d booked the year before then book the same – and so I was, I’m a proud man so I was like ‘I’ve had enough of this'”, he says.
One Rusholme institution he never let go, though, is Al Madina – a legendary spot on the curry mile that, until recently, was open until 5 in the morning, making it a go-to favourite for Rich and any artists he might’ve booked that night.
Described by Rich as “the best curry in Manchester”, he’s been passionately going for over a decade – and even confesses it was the first place he took his partner Jamina for a date.
“Honestly the amount of people that I’ve taken there,” he laughs.
Image: mcr_wheretherainsfrom / Hayley Vibes
“The funny thing is the guy’s son, Manny Usman, who I’m pretty good friends with, the only person he’s ever been impressed with and I’ve taken all sorts of musicians there, the only one he was impressed by is Trigga.”
He adds, such is the love for Al Madina now, that when he books artists to play they’ll often request a curry from there on their rider – and one artist, Commodo, who lives in Sheffield, has confessed to getting an Al Madina craving and driving across just for a scran, even when he’s not playing at Hit & Run.
“Yeah, it’s very much part of my life and my story or whatever,” he says.
“For a curry and a naan with a drink under a tenner you still can’t beat it […] I like treating everyone to a curry – big up the Madina crew.”
Image: Hit & Run
Turning to this weekend’s anniversary show, he tells us it’ll be a celebration of everything that’s been before, with several key artists and combinations with some heavy representation from Manchester.
“It will start off as sort of 130-140 bass sounds from local lads Cartridge, Hypho, Biome, and then go up through the gears, Sicaria and then DMZ”, he says, adding that it’ll be great to reunite Dub Phizix and Skeptical, Stragey, ten years after Marka came out (a statement that makes us feel very old).
“Chimpo’s playing a jungle set and then Sherelle, who, I’m a massive fan and I think’s done great – I mean she’s a wicked DJ but I just think it’s great as well, something I’m always trying to champion with Hit & Run is to make it a very accepting and inclusive space.”
15 years on, it’s fair to say that the clubbing landscape in Manchester has changed dramatically from how it was when Hit & Run first landed in the city.
Many venues have closed, many club nights have come and gone, but Hit & Run, however, is still going strong.
Whilst he acknowledges it’s a bit of a mad time to be throwing events, Rich is hopeful that attendance will still be high, despite the current situation.
We, for one, are very thankful Hit & Run is still going ahead – and long may it continue.
Featured Image – Hit & Run
News
What we know about Oasis’ Heaton Park reunion shows based on their first comeback gig in Cardiff
Danny Jones
Ok, so there’s no more need to pinch ourselves or double-take every time we check our phone: Oasis aren’t just back together, they’ve now kicked off the reunion and following those incredible Cardiff scenes, we’re already thinking about what this means for their Heaton Park homecoming.
There simply isn’t a brick-and-mortar Manchester venue big enough to hold as many Manc fans as want, need and deserve to see them back on stage after waiting all this time, so it’s only fitting that barely a month on from Parklife, the massive outdoor space will welcome us all back to witness history.
Quite literally millions of people tuned into various livestreams on Friday evening to see Oasis return at the Principality Stadium, so lots of you will have already seen plenty from the colossal concert – including that bald bloke balancing a pint on his head – but there was, understandably, a lot to take in.
So, with that being said, here’s what we hope, we think, we know about Oasis’ highly anticipated Heaton Park shows based solely on the details we gleaned from Cardiff night one.
The timings (roughly)
For starters, one of the most important things fans will be hoping to know is when Oasis got back on stage, as well as the set times of the other ‘Live ’25‘ support acts.
Liam, as per usual, was the mouthier of the two Gallagher brothers and let the cat out of the bag early on X (Twitter), before being clearly told off by management and deleting the details shortly after; still, it was confirmed that the main event for Friday and Saturday night gets underway at 8:15pm.
However, these things are always subject to change, as both Richard Aschroft and Cast were slightly premature on night one in Cardiff, and who knows what other arenas will be like for the rest of the reunion tour?
Another big debate online that has raged ever since the Oasis reunion was confirmed is the subject of what they’re going to play from their extensive catalogue.
Obviously, most people could rattle off most of the all-time favourites and cobbble together a pretty decent ‘greatest hits’ of Oasis setlist, but people have been more concerned with what the opener, closing track, and encore will be.
Having watched all of these moments back multiple times already, we can confirm the first track was not the old intro, ‘F***in’ in the Bushes’, as many suspected, but ‘Hello’, rather fittingly.
As for the last track in the main running order, the crowd got to bounce up and down to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ before the legendary ‘Champagne Supernova’ beckoned the very end of the first night in Cardiff.
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) July 4, 2025
They’ll still be reactive
That being said, this inaugural comeback show was somewhat of a pilot for the rest of the ‘Live ’25 world tour, which now totals more than 40 dates, and any good artist knows that tweaking the setlist from show to show can be key to not only to success, but keeping things fresh for you and the audience.
As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Oasis mix things up as the nights roll on, especially when playing multiple gigs in the same city as they’re doing pretty much everywhere for this reunion.
That flexibility isn’t just limited to song choice either: Liam did his famous twist on the ‘Wonderwall’ lyrics and told the crowd, “There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh”, and in case you haven’t seen it already, they also took a moment to honour a late Liverpool star.
There were lots of little details on night one in Cardiff, but this was a very nice touch from Oasis.
A bigger focus on production than ever
The glimpse at the AV presentation seen above is just a small taster too. From the various clips we’ve seen on social media over the last 24 hours or so, Oasis aren’t just back playing music together, but they’ve levelled significantly in terms of production and stage design.
Now, if you’ve ever been to see either of the brothers’ solo shows, you’ll know that football and, more specifically, references to Man City, often feature at some point.
Noel, in particular, has maintained a strong City presence in his set, be it the blue colour palette, the MCFC badge, or even a tall cut-out of manager Pep Guardiola half during most High Flying Birds gigs.
Cardiff night one was no different as his LG instructed the crowd to turn around and do the familiar ‘Poznan’ celebration regularly seen up in the stands of the Etihad Stadium.
Gallagher brothers kick off Oasis world tour with Cardiff show, as Liam tells fans 'do the poznan'.
It was bits of comedy like this that’s been one of the biggest part we’ve missed about Oasis; both Liam and Noel have always been very humorous in their own ways over the years, but they were never funnier than in those old clips you see of them cracking each other up in their younger days.
Despite being estranged for more than a decade and a half and who knows how many years of bad blood overall, they look to have at least put it to one side and what was once a combative back and forth from a distance has circled back around to brotherly banter – or at least we hope it has.
We’re not going to pretend they absolutely adore all of a sudden, but they’re at least trying and recognising each other’s roles.
As you can see, those snaps of them smiling during the first reunion photo shoot back together don’t appear to be just for show.
Seeing the two of them walk out holding hands sent the internet into an absolute frenzy of emotion and had people joking that they were finally going to message their own troublesome relative and at least try to mend fences.
But that was just one small moment.
The duo have always admired and respected their respective talents, but for the first time in even longer than the 16-year hiatus itself, it seems like there’s some genuine love there again. See for yourself:
They’re still as massive as they ever were – if not more so
All this is to say that, in short, Oasis’ first comeback show in Cardiff isn’t just the start of the ‘Live ’25 reunion tour that will span the globe, it’s also confirmation of something people began to question in their lengthy absence…
They really are the biggest and, in so many people’s opinions (including our own), the greatest rock band of all time.
From what we can tell, it feels like one of those watershed music moments where you have be there in person to truly see and believe it – not to be part of some exclusive ‘I was there’ comeback, but because we can’t thing of any other reunion that has had this kind of impact.
Roll on the five nights at Heaton Park and strap in, folks, because you will never forget it.
I've never felt so excited about a gig I didn't even have a ticket for! I'm so glad you had a great time, the clips I've seen looked INCREDIBLE.
Featured Images — Oasis (via X)/Finnlay K (via Instagram)
News
Gallagher brothers pay touching tribute to Diogo Jota on first night of Oasis reunion tour
Danny Jones
It’s official, Oasis are actually back, and during the first date on their reunion tour in Cardiff, the Gallagher brothers paid a touching tribute to Liverpool FC player Diogo Jota.
News of Jota’s passing broke on Thursday morning, after it was confirmed that the Liverpool forward was involved in a car crash along with his brother, Andre Felipe Silva.
Using the iconic track ‘Live Forever’ as the perfect opportunity to pay their respects, the screen behind them flashed up with his shirt.
Here’s the moment it happened:
At Oasis' first concert for 16 years, Live Forever is dedicated to Diogo Jota ❤️pic.twitter.com/tZriAhqVpm
A lovely touch from the Burnage boys and die-hard Blues, not to mention done rather cleverly given the song choice.
Taken from their legendary debut album, Definitely Maybe, the 1994 track is regularly voted ‘the best British song of all time’ – and moments like these only reaffirm why it connects with people so strongly.
What’s even more moving is the slight swell of noise you hear from the crowd; even on a night where quite literally all eyes were on them and the inaugural night of the ‘Live ’25’ tour, they made sure to shed some light on the bigger picture.
You could even see some fans in the crowd holding up Portugal flags in honour of the late LFC star.
Manchester City themselves – who boast a number of Portuguese players like Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nune – were among countless clubs who shared their condolences with Liverpool in the aftermath of the 28-year-old’s tragic death.
Scouse support band Cast also dedicated one of their songs to Jota earlier in the evening.
Cast frontman John Power just dedicated Walkaway to Diogo Jota. Power: “This is Walkaway. This one’s for Diogo Jota. Take it easy brother.” #Oasis25#DiogoJotapic.twitter.com/BEGuLaOTaR
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 4, 2025
Put simply, Friday, 4 July 2025, at the Principality Stadium was always going to be one that went down as one of the biggest concerts in decades, but this small gesture from a pair of footy fans no doubt made it even more special for any supporters who happened to be in the crowd.
And, indeed, the thousands watching at home, as even before the tidal wave clips began to appear online, there were multiple livestreams of the show on YouTube and various other platforms.
While most of these were ultimately taken down (not before we saw that legend balancing a pint of blue WKD on his head), there was no chance of keeping this one in the building.
We saw the setlist, we heard the noise; we saw them holding hands, and we even saw them hugging as they walked off. On a night were they chose to spotlight family in more ways than one, Oasis and those who are sadly no longer around to see them ‘Live Forever’ in the memory of millions.