People share their favourite Deaf Institute and Gorilla memories after venues close permanently
The Manc invited readers to share their greatest moments - and live music fans arrived in droves to relive some unforgettable evenings spent dancing into the early hours.
Live music in Manchester is embroiled in the biggest fight of its life. And earlier this week, two of its most treasured veterans fell.
The Deaf Institute and Gorilla, an iconic, decorated duo on the local gig scene, confirmed on Thursday they would permanently close – sparking a mass, bassline-like groan that warbled right beyond the M60.
There’s been a growing undercurrent of panic and nausea in the live music sector in recent months, and this was the biggest blow yet.
Both of these venues have been at the forefront of Manchester’s gig scene for years, earning special status among artists and fans.
Deaf Institute, on Grosvenor Street, has doubled as a stomping ground for amateurs cutting their teeth and a stage for world-famous performers, whilst Whitworth Street’s Gorilla has been inviting clubbers to party below the railway arches since 2012.
Sacha Lord is currently attempting to find a way to save the venues by speaking to potential buyers, claiming “there is hope.”
Fingers are crossed. But whatever happens, we’ll always have the memories.
The Manc invited readers to share their greatest moments at Deaf and Gorilla – and live music fans arrived in droves to relive some unforgettable evenings spent dancing into the early hours.
Among the respondents was local DJ Hattie Pearson.
My favourites were Mae Shi (photo), chilling up on the balcony during Wild Nothing, EMA, Avi Buffalo & a couple of Emmy the Great Shows. Like the Roadhouse it will sorely be missed. pic.twitter.com/A39ETtH0kB
— M҉ả̴̞̫͖̼̙̦̺̪̟̹̑͐̃̿̂̚̕ ƚ†ℌɇŵ (@matthirtyfive) July 16, 2020
Possibly when The Residents came to prove that it's not just the young 'uns that can get excited over nonsense pic.twitter.com/pWVxNYOohO
.@PrettyLights (1 of my heroes) played only 2 UK gigs, one in Manchester at Deaf Institute, on my birthday. Not only was it an incredible set, @IamtheHiggster organised to meet him after and we spent hours with him & his crew chatting shit in the car park after. Awesome times 🎶
This rapturous response is a real reflection of just how important a role these venues have had in maintaining that electric atmosphere Manchester is famed for.
In the best case scenario, a new chapter may begin – with owners Mission Mars asking “any industry and music entrepreneurs who might be interested in this as an opportunity to please get in touch.”
Manchester’s Night-Time Economy Adviser is already on the case. Perhaps one, or both, of these venues can reopen later down the line.
The concern for now, however, is that the closure of Deaf and Gorilla is only the beginning.
Simply put, more money must be pumped into our favourite venues over the coming weeks and months or they’ll continue to fall like dominoes.
Sad to hear that Manchester’s @DeafInstitute & @thisisgorilla won’t be opening again. I’ve played and watched gigs in both and they were the lifeblood of Manchester’s vital network of venues. It’s awful news but seems inevitable that so many more independent venues will be lost
A campaign entitled Let The Music Play was launched on 2 July in an attempt to acquire the necessary funds to keep the live music industry ticking over – with the sector set to lose £900m and cut jobs by 50 per cent if gigs do not resume in 2020.
Many major artists including Ed Sheeran, Dua Lipa, Dizzee Rascal, Johnny Marr, The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney have all signed a letter addressed to Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden calling for help.
The government have since provided a £1.57bn cash injection to support the arts sector – providing music venues with emergency grants and loans.
The money will help some venues survive. Others will not be so lucky.
Two of Manchester’s top spots have fallen already.
News
A long-standing Italian restaurant in Trafford has sadly announced its imminent closure
Danny Jones
Another day, another bit of unfortunate hospitality news, as long-standing Greater Manchester restaurant, Little Italy in Timperley, has announced it is closing permanently very soon.
The Trafford favourite, which has been serving locals for nearly 20 years, has informed regular diners that it will sadly be closing its doors for good, with Little Italy’s final service set for later this month.
Having earned plenty of praise in its time, including being one of the few spots in and around the Altrincham area to have won a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence in 2015, before the borough saw its foodie boom begin.
But fast forward a decade, and the Timperley institution is yet another culinary casualty to be confirmed of late, with Little Italy sharing a tear-jerking statement online.
Sharing the tragic news on social media this Friday (5 Sep), the restaurant wrote: “To all our lovely customers, it is with a heavy heart that we share some news with you all. After over 18 years of serving you all in Timperley, we will be closing our doors later this month.
“This has not been an easy decision. Unfortunately, rising costs and a significant increase in rental [costs] have made it impossible to continue in a sustainable way. As much as we love what we do, the reality is that it has become too difficult to maintain under these circumstances.
“Over the coming weeks, we will continue to cook with love and serve with the same passion as always. We would love to see you all and share one more meal, and raise a glass together.”
Safe to say that the post has been met with an outpouring of condolences and support from natives nearby and those who have travelled to enjoy their food.
Little Italy went on to add that they will detail more about their final week of business as soon as possible.
They can’t be accused of not keeping up with times and not trying to promote via social media either, as they small family-run team – headed up by Sam Cauchi, who bought the site back in 2008 – have always given things a go besides the day-to-day operation of the restaurant.
Being one of many saddened customers to respond underneath the announcement, we couldn’t possibly sum up things better than local Vanessa Nice, who said: “Look at all these amazing comments – you certainly made your mark as a home from home for the residents of Timperley.
“The end of an era will always be sad, but sometimes life and families have to move on.”
As for Cauchi and co., they signed off by simply adding: “From the bottom of our hearts, thank you for your support, kindness and friendship over the years. Timperley has been our home, and you have all been our family.
“Love from all the team at Little Italy.”
It goes without saying that we’re gutted for the gang and our thoughts are with everyone involved at this difficult time. For now, we can only say thank you to the countless Greater Manchester locations that continue to fall foul in the face of the rising pressures industry-wide. Case and point…
The bizarre explanation behind Manchester’s new mini ‘green space’ – that’s completely closed off
Danny Jones
One thing you always hear people who live in central Manchester calling out for is green space, but when a new patch of grass does arrive, you don’t exactly expect it to be completely inaccessible.
Just a quick FYI to those of you passionate about supporting what little nature there is left in our city centre: brace yourselves, as this one is rather annoying…
For anyone who’s walked down Whitworth Street West past the once lively Locks, or even got off at Deansgate–Castlefield tram stop and come down the glass stairs closest to the Albion Bridge, you may have noticed a rogue patch of grass surrounded by black fencing next to the City Road Inn pub.
It could be considered a nice little lawn were it not completely fenced off, but the question is, why has it popped up there? Well, local lad Curtis Rothwell has recently debunked the whole frustrating mess for us in a helpful video.
Yes, as explained by the Pre-Construction Manager who works for local utilities contractor Zenit Infrastructure Solutions Limited, the somewhat laughable but disheartening gated green space on Whitworth Street is essentially a feeble attempt at adhering to permission laws.
As detailed by Rothwell, the plot bought for a sizeable sum last year (only the original developers didn’t have the funding to actually pull off their initial plans) is now set to become student accommodation.
Currently, real estate firm Tri7 – which has now been fully folded into the parent group known as Fusion, as previous part-owners already – still has a hold on the land for now.
However, after being ordered by Manchester City Council to tidy up the area in the meantime, as they await planning permission to be fully approved, they decided to lay these new rolls of turf there.
Ok, so while the notion of the Council ordering a property company to make urban spaces look pretty and the idea of introducing more grassy zones into the city sound good on paper, as you can see, the real-life result doesn’t quite match up.
Not only does this feel like a bare minimum effort to appease the local authorities ahead of erecting yet another skyscraper, but more importantly, it feels like sheer nonchalant neglect and/or plain dismissal of those Manc residents crying out for more grass, nature and a break from the concrete jungle.
The fact that the rare green space is totally blocked by tall, almost authoritarian-feeling fences and sealed off by a big, black gate comes across like a casual two fingers to both the Council and those living in the city centre.
Speaking to The Manc, Curt commented: “It’s positive the council can take charge of how our empty spaces look after demolitions. In this case, maybe the demolition was carried out too early, which happens, but when it does, greenery is the best look they can give to local people.”
You can see the latest update on the planning permission HERE, and for now, if you’re looking for green spaces in Manchester, you’ll find them more frequently beyond the outskirts and heading into the boroughs; this one is strictly off limits. Find a whole bunch of ones that aren’t down below:
The Manc -
17th July 2020 
