Greater Manchester’s Night Time Economy Advisor has spoken out this morning urging the government to pledge more support to the entertainment venues on the brink of closure.
Sacha Lord has issued an “11th hour” warning as rent holidays, grant schemes and furlough come to an end and has stated that unless urgent further support is provided, nearly three in five businesses in the sector could potentially be at risk of closure by the end of the year.
Mr Lord has called on Prime Minister Boris Johnson to “stop celebrating the return to work while leaving others out in the cold”.
It comes after a significant number of restaurants, bars, pubs, music and other entertainment venues across Greater Manchester and the rest of the UK have fallen victim to economic struggles amid the coronavirus (COVID) pandemic and have thus had to permanently close doors.
Most notably, two of Manchester’s longest-standing and beloved independent music venues – Deaf Institute and Gorilla – announced back in July that they would be closing down indefinitely after “struggling to see a future” post-COVID, before being saved by at the last minute.
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I cannot put this in strong enough words. We are in the 11th hour. A large proportion of our Night Time Economy is either still shut or on the brink. Without extending support we will see mass closures and job losses in the next 2 months. https://t.co/ELO0BCi4rA
Speaking to Business Live today, Sacha Lord said: “I’m extremely concerned about what will happen in the final quarter and the mental health for all involved.
“For some, August has been strong with the Eat Out To Help Out scheme, but my fear is for those in the wider night time economy who haven’t benefited. Not only the wet-led bars and pubs who weren’t included in the offer, but the night clubs, live music venues and theatres which are still closed.
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“Rent holidays have ended, grant schemes are closed, and next month, all furlough support for these businesses will finish, so today, I am pleading with Johnson, [Chancellor Rishi] Sunak and the government to reconsider ongoing support for this sector.”
Gorilla Manchester
He also hit out at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s handling of the sector – which contributes £66 billion to the economy and employs almost 8% of the UK workforce – during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
“It is an embarrassment to watch our Prime Minister buoyant and jovial on TV, peddling unsupported false facts and hailing the great return to work, while ignoring a sector which brings in over £66 billion into the UK economy each year and employs almost 8% of the UK.” he said.
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“We have needed strong leadership throughout this global pandemic and we have seen the opposite with u-turn after u-turn.
“While we do need the public to return to city centres, the latest ‘All In, All Together’ campaign slogan to encourage Britain to ‘get back to work’ is shameful, ignorant and insulting to those whose businesses are still closed, and for the workers who are struggling to pay rent and feed their families.”
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Mr Lord closed out his statement urging the government to protect businesses into 2021.
He said: “What we need now are serious conversations about how to keep these operators afloat.
“The government must look to protect businesses and prevent severe job losses by following the example of Germany and extending the furlough scheme into 2021 [because] without ongoing support, the heart of British culture scene will be decimated, and by the end of the year, we will see mass closures.
“It is no longer a question of if they will close, but when.”
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Beloved plant-based independent street food business Herbivorous is set to close imminently
Danny Jones
We hate writing this, but we have news of yet another local hospitality closure as beloved Manchester-born and pioneering plant-based brand Herbivorous has confirmed they’ll soon be calling it a day.
If you can hear us sighing through the screen, apologies – we’re just getting really fed up of saying farewell to our favourites, so god knows how rubbish those involved feel.
As you can see, the team behind the multi-location vegan street food specialists began by writing: “It’s a long one so stay with me… It seems you can’t open social media at the moment without reading about another hospitality business closing down.
“Throughout 8 years of Herbivorous years we’ve come up against many challenges from Covid 5 years ago to watching all the big vegan brands from London and beyond come to Manchester and largely disappear again to the closure of Hatch our busiest site, but with continually increasing costs its becoming really difficult to maintain a thriving business.”
Herbivorous started out life back in 2016 as a cult hit at the old outdoor food, drink and entertainment hub centring around a ‘container village’, the first of its kind in the city and soon to reopen under new owners and a new name.
Since then, co-founders Robyn and Damian have gone on to expand not just to one permanent site over in Withington but with outposts in Sheffield and York, having gained a strong reputation with stalls and pop-ups all over.
Their hospitality story might not have the ending we personally would hope for, but it’s been a brilliant one for so many foodie fans – us lot included.
Nevertheless, they go on to add in the emotional statement that external pressures such as a recent bereavement and their own ever-growing family have also contributed to the decision which, despite being an understandably hard one, “feel like the right time.”
“We are so incredibly proud of how far we’ve come from spending long days slinging duck wraps from our green vintage horse box at festivals to three Herbi locations across the North of England”, they continue, “and with that we’ve also met so many fantastic people!”
“Whether you worked for us at a few festivals over [the] summer or for years at our restaurant, we just wanted to say and massive thank you! The memories will stay with us forever and, of course, how can we not mention our fabulous customers!
“Thank you all so much for choosing Herbivorous over the years. Those of you who had our food at Festivals and then found us at one of our permanent locations, those of you who came back week after week to Hatch, Spark, Withington and beyond.”
They signed off by detailing their final business days, with their Sheffield Kommune spot having already shut for refurbishment; meanwhile, their spot in SPARK York will be wrapping up on Saturday, 19 April.
As for their flagship brick-and-mortar venue here in Greater Manchester, Herbivorous Withington will be shutting on Friday, 25 April.
Once again, there’s nothing we can say other than thank you for years of delicious food, that we’re guttted to see you go, and that everyone at The Manc Group wishes you the best whatever comes next.
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
The Manc -
3rd September 2020 
