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Manchester gaming bar NQ64 claps back at one-star review harassing its staff

The bar has since joked it will be launching a line of 'Progressive Student Gimp' crop tops

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 5th December 2022

A popular gaming bar in Manchester has clapped back at a one-star review that attacked a staff member by calling them a ‘progressive student gimp’ for wearing a crop top.

NQ64, which has two sites in Manchester – one in the Northern Quarter, and a second on Peter Street – hit out at the rude reviewer this weekend in an act of bartender solidarity. The bar shared the insulting review, left by username Corbin A, to its Instagram page on Sunday alongside a sunny picture of its bar team: all wearing crop tops and grinning sassily into the camera.

The caption on its response post, which has already been liked over 2,200 times, read: “This one’s for you, Corbs – stay progressive x” with a peace sign emoji.

Image: NQ64
Image: NQ64

The full one-star review from the unimpressed Corbin A, who has left three reviews on the platform in total, read: “Half your time in there is spent stood waiting to go on games, the other half is watching some progressive student gimp in a crop top take 10 minutes to pour you one drink while he tries to act like a bartender making random throwing movements with glasses and bottles.”

Commenting underneath, followers chimed in thick and fast with their support for the bar and its staff, with one writing: “Please start selling crop tops that say ‘Progressive Student Gimp.'”

Another person said: “Bar staff solidarity! You love to see it ❤️ still the best bar(s) in Manchester.”

A third wrote: “f*ck yeah. This is why I love you guys!!”

A fourth added: “That review should surely be 5 stars! I mean this is a bloody good reason to go, no?!”

Read more: You can go on a festive tour of the Coronation Street set this Christmas

Image: NQ64
Image: NQ64

A fifth said: “Sounds like he’s come down with Karenovirus… stay cropped and progressive.”

A sixth chimed in: “So much time for this.”

The popular gaming bar has long been a favourite in Manchester  – allowing locals to revel in nostalgia by button-bashing on classic machines such as Time Crisis, Pac Man and The Simpsons.

Its menu also references gaming culture, with drinks including the Ms Stay Puft, which nods to cult film favourite Ghostbusters, to the Super Coco Ball, inspired by the arcade game Super Monkey Ball.

The neon-splattered bars originally launched on the Northern Quarter’s Short Street in 2019 before opening its second site on Peter Street in 2021.

Read more: This Manchester gaming bar is selling Simpsons and Mario Brothers-inspired cocktails

Full of retro arcade games and classic consoles, gaming fans can sip on cocktails, craft beers and spirit mixers whilst playing all of their favourites – including the likes of Pac-Man, Time Crisis 2 and Guitar Hero will be additions such as the Mario Kart arcade game, Time Crisis 3 and NBA Jam.

Arcade games are played using a token system, whilst elsewhere there are a selection MegaDrive, PlayStations, GameCube and Super Nintendo consoles for people to get stuck into.

Feature image – NQ64

News

‘No ticket, no entry’ – Council urges ticketless Oasis fans not to travel to Heaton Park

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Gallagher Hill

Ticketless Oasis fans are being urged not to make the journey to Heaton Park this week.

With three concerts still to be played by as part of Oasis Live ’25 here in Manchester this week, following the iconic band’s two hugely successful concerts at the weekend, Manchester City Council has now reissued its repeated request – and warning – for fans without tickets to the shows to not travel to the park.

The warning comes after it was discovered that the so-called ‘Gallagher Hill’ viewing area inside the park, that went viral on social media, has now had large steel fencing erected around its perimeter.

After taking stock of how the first two shows went, the Council says additional measures have now been deemed ‘necessary’ to protect the environment of the park, ensure areas of parkland and nearby livestock are protected, and maintain public safety.

These additional measures will be in place for the next three concerts, taking place tonight (16 July), and Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 July.

The Council says its decision to erect steel fencing around a large area of the hill within the cattle field in the main park is because the area is currently being developed as a new woodland for the park and has been recently planted with around 300 young trees, as well as being a measure to protect the livestock in the field, which include both expectant and nursing cows, and a bull.

“The erection of the fencing has a dual purpose – both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there,” the Council said in a statement released ahead of tonight’s show.

There are also no facilities for ticketless fans at the park, the Council confirmed, and they will not be able to see the concerts or get into the event arena – which is double-walled with solid high-security fencing all the way around.

Heaton Park's 'Gallagher Hill' where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more
'Gallagher Hill' in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows
The Council has urged ticketless Oasis fans not to travel to Heaton Park this week / Credit: The Manc Group

More than 2,000 event security staff and police officers will be on duty around the site across the next three dates to ensure both the safety and wellbeing of ticketholders, and to make sure that only those who have official tickets can access the concerts.

Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure at Manchester City Council, commented: “As you would expect, given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimised.”

 “Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead,” Cllr Hacking continued.

Read more:

“The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”

Featured Image – Zoe (@zoe__ab via X)

News

Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Heaton Park's 'Gallagher Hill' where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more

The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.

The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.

But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.

Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.

Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.

Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.

@susiehookwayfitness #gallagherhill #oasis #oasisheatonpark #oasis25 ♬ original sound – Susie_m_h_fitness

The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”

After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.

Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.

Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.

'Gallagher Hill' in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows
'Gallagher Hill' in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group

Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.

One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.

The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.

Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.

@x.777.sdj #oasis #oasis25 #gallagherhill #heatonpark #manchester #mancunian #manc ♬ original sound – Simone xo

“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.

 “The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.

“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead.  The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time.  We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”

Read more:

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Featured Images – The Manc Group

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