Northern Quarter’s beloved Night and Day Cafe have issued an update on the status of their ongoing noise abatement notice, confirming that the neighbour who initially made the complaint has now moved out and the case lies in the hands of the council.
The iconic Manc music and nightlife institution was issued with an abatement notice by Manchester City Council over 18 months after a single NQ resident made a complaint about the noise back in 2021 and the owners have been battling to stay open ever since.
With countless musicians rallying behind the popular bar and gig venue, just as they did in 2014 when this issue last arose, the campaign to save Night and Day is bigger than ever and while the council are yet to drop the case, the venue has now issued an update as to next steps.
Sharing a lengthy statement on social media, N&D confirmed that the neighbour in question moved out months ago and that the team will now be heading back into court next week, adding that they are “hopeful that this matter will finally be resolved”.
As explained in the message on social media, the building hasn’t had a single noise complaint since the one made by the recently vacated resident and “has continued to operate in exactly the same manner during this period and exactly the same as it has done previously for over 30 years.”
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As opposed to simply echoing the sentiment of many locals — ‘don’t move into Northern Quarter then’ — they go on to maintain that “the source of this problem is that no acoustic consideration was given during the planning and development stages of the apartments next to the pre-existing venue N&D”.
Therefore, they will now be “heading back to court next week for a three-day hearing” with the aim of finally putting the case to be and be left to “continue doing what it does best: putting on bands, nurturing culture and creativity, and putting smiles on the faces of the people that visit the venue.”
As for the individual who initially set off the chain of events, during the last visit to court his partner said the man had since become “a recluse” and lost around 30kg in weight as a result of the stress, with some people unfortunately threatening the pair on social media.
Many online were outraged by the local authority’s decision to issue the notice in the first place, labelling it “ridiculous“, “an insult” and as posing a threat to the arts, culture, local business and the Manchester music scene, although the council have insisted they dont want to close the venue.
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Hopefully, for the sake of all parties concerned, the proceedings will see the case finally reach a positive conclusion and not only enable MCC to move on to more pressing issues but, more importantly, allow Night and Day Cafe to focus on giving Mancs a good night out as it has for more than three decades.
It goes without saying that The Manc is in full support of protecting local businesses — we even hosted a DJ set at N&D earlier this month — and were hugely relieved to hear fellow music venue Gorilla is set to reopen its doors again in the coming weeks. Keeping supporting your independents, people.
Featured Image — Night and Day Cafe/mcrjh.pix (via Instagram)
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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.
Danny Jones -
29th June 2023 
