Another new hotel has opened its doors in Manchester city centre, as The Alan transforms the old Princess Street Hotel.
The new hotel has stripped the six-storey building back to expose and celebrate its original features.
The Grade II-listed building now has 137 bedrooms, each with high ceilings and warm textures.
The Alan also has an open-plan kitchen and restaurant, a bar, and a pop-up space.
One of The Midi rooms at The Alan hotel in Manchester. Credit: Supplied
Its design is inspired by Manchester’s industrial heritage – guests will be greeted by a lobby floor made from a collage of discarded marble, and exposed brick walls.
Interior design agency Red Deer, which worked on the project, said it wants to ‘counter-act the wastefulness of the construction industry, creating intriguing touchpoints that celebrate the inherent value found in old materials that may be classed by some as ‘defective’ or ‘broken’’.
As for the name – the team wanted something that was personable, welcoming and unpretentious.
The restaurant and bar spaces at The Alan. Credit: Supplied
The rooms in The Alan range in size from The Standard to the Alan Suites, which take on a corner position and give guests views of the city.
Every room comes with an Emperor-sized bed, 200 thread Egyptian cotton bedding, 50″ Samsung Smart TVs with Google Chromecast, fast WiFi and Audio Pro Bluetooth speakers.
It’s also one of only four hotels in the UK to offer Google Nest smart concierge in all its rooms.
Details in the bedrooms at The Alan. Credit: Supplied
Previously, the guest rooms in the hotel featured lowered ceilings and boxed-in features – these have been opened up to create taller rooms and expose heritage details.
The Alan will champion local businesses, with Ancoats Coffee Co and Bohea Teas stocked in the rooms and Pomona Island and Cloudwater beers stocked in the bar.
Its new restaurant and bar space will be serving an all-day seasonal menu, headed up by Iain Thomas, formerly of the Edinburgh Castle.
Iain has worked in kitchens since he was 16 and will use some ingredients from his own allotment in his menu, which features dishes like Cheshire beef tartare with confit egg yolk, salt-baked celeriac, and lamb fat cabbage.
The Butcher’s Quarter will provide the meat for the larger plates, from grass-fed sirloin steaks to free-range pork and Gatehouse Farm lamb chops.
The Maccabees’ Orlando Weeks on Gavin and Stacey, Glastonbury and comeback tour
Thomas Melia
UK indie band The Maccabees announced their comeback tour earlier this year alongside a very impressive All Points East headline date.
Since rocking into the music scene in 2007, The Maccabees have a Mercury Prize nomination to their name as well as three UK top 40 singles and one chart-topping album ‘Marks To Prove It’.
Just last year, the band ingrained themselves into UK pop culture for eternity thanks to the inclusion of their single ‘Pelican’ in the finale of the much-loved TV classic Gavin and Stacey.
The Maccabees have been a staple in British culture and indie music alike, and it’s safe to say fans were overjoyed when the news of a comeback tour was announced.
The Maccabees are coming to O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 21 and 22 August.
After nearly a decade apart, the lads are ready to hit the road again with a string of UK tour dates, which are in preparation for their huge All Points East headline date at the end of August.
Lead vocalist for The Maccabees, Orlando Weeks, sat down with us to talk reuniting with fellow bandmates after almost a decade, as well as all things Glastonbury and the upcoming All Points East headline slot.
Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees | The Interview
The Maccabees have played Manchester almost 20 times since entering the music scene in 2007. What is it about our Manc crowds that keeps pulling you back?
Manchester has a musical heritage, which means there are enough venues that we can come back to so many times and people not be sick of us. The crowds are great, it’s always a good gig and always a good night out.
Having that kind of heritage and pride in your city makes it the kind of place [bands] want to come back to.
This will be the band’s first time playing O2 Victoria Warehouse, and after playing a variety of Manchester City centre music venues, how excited are you to be playing this one for the first time?
I’ve had friends that’ve played it, and everyone said that it’s a good gig. I have no doubt it’ll be good.
Due to incredible demand, you’ve had to add a second date after the first show sold out – what’s it like for you hearing news like this?
The original offer for us was to play All Points East, and so when we got that, it made up our minds to play these summer shows.
Getting to play once in Manchester will set us up [for this headline slot], and getting to play twice will set us up even better. I love being in Manchester anyway, so to have a little bit longer to have a wander and a drink is great.
What was it like getting back into the rehearsal process with the rest of the band after nearly 10 years of not performing or touring together?
It’s very odd how powerful muscle memory is. It’s crazy how quickly all of the songs, structures and playing came back to us.
When we used to play, I invented so many completely useless little triggers for me to help remember lyrics or a chorus that I’d get stuck on, and I still remember those foot taps and placements that bring it all back.
Felix [White] boasted before we even started rehearsing that he remembered everything off by heart, and he could go straight into a gig. To be fair to him, it’s amazing how much his brain has retained.
At your first show in nearly a decade at The Dome in London, you created artwork to raise funds for theMS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society. Will fans be able to buy your artwork and support this charity at both the Manchester dates?
There will be an MS charity stall as well as one for Doctors Without Borders. If you’re reading this or coming to either of the gigs and have anything that you can contribute to either of those charities, then we as a band would be extremely grateful.
This 2025 tour sees support from indie rock band, Sorry – how excited are you to head out on the road with this talented group?
The Maccabees have always been very lucky to travel around the world with other bands who are amazing, and Sorry are definitely part of that list.
You have a reason to get down early, because if you’re a fan of The Macs, you’ll be a fan of Sorry. I can guarantee that you’ll have a good time.
The Maccabees are taking part in some of the biggest events in the British music calendar[Glastonbury, All Points East]. How does it feel to have such immense support nearly 20 years into your career?
20 years in and 10 years off. There are a few people who aren’t in the band but have been such a big part of it, even through the 10 years that we weren’t really doing anything. They would say if you ever did wanna do something, there’ll be people there.
I just didn’t know that [The Macabees reunion] would be as popular as it has been. It’s very hard to explain or get your head around, really.
On the topic of Glasto, how surreal was it to be playing this major music festival for the third time?
I think we’ve been at least four times, maybe five times.
Headlining ‘The Park’ stage was special, and it was also the first time my son came and saw me on a stage singing. It was a great ‘take your son to Work Day’. We had Florence [Welch] coming out and singing with us, too.
I’ll remember all of The Maccabees’ Glastonbury experiences, but I think that’s the one I’ll hold onto for the longest.
Speaking of surreal moments, your song ‘Pelican’ featured in the finale of British favourite, Gavin and Stacey. How did this opportunity come about?
I think Matt might’ve texted me, but it was Christmas and I was swept up in all sorts of celebrations. We got a lot of messages after it aired because an insane number of people watch the show.
It’s all thanks to James Corden and Matt Horne, who have always been fans from early on. It was very flattering and very nice to be part of [Gavin and Stacey].
And finally, after playing Manchester so many times, are there any shops or special spots that you always make sure to visit when you’re in the city?
I remember when we were in Manchester last time for ‘The Farewell’ tour, I’d started running by then – and I loved the canals.
Usually, I defer to local friends and I’ll just let them take me to whichever pub or place they recommend – Wherever they go, I go.
The Maccabees are set to play two nights at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, and there are still tickets available for their second date HERE.
Richard Ashcroft to play huge headline show at Manchester’s Co-op Live later this year
Emily Sergeant
Richard Ashcroft will be playing a huge headline show in Manchester’s later this year off the back of supporting Oasis.
After embarking upon what is the biggest stadium tour of the year as special guest to Oasis on their Live ’25 reunion tour – which is currently in the middle of five nostalgia-drenched dates at Manchester‘s Heaton Park, of course – Richard Ashcrofthas announced that he’ll be playing a huge headline show of his own later this year.
The former The Verve frontman, turned solo artist, will be taking to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live in early November, and tickets go on sale at the end of this week.
Both with The Verve and as a solo artist in his own right, Ashcroft has become one of the most accomplished and influential songwriters to come out of Greater Manchester over the course of his career spanning three decades.
As well as claiming one of the biggest-selling albums in UK history with Urban Hymns, which claimed 11 x Platinum certifications, Ashcroft also won two Ivor Novello Awards and three BRIT Awards during his time with The Verve.
His solo career is just as decorated too, as all six of Ashcroft’s studio albums shot to the top five of the UK charts.
The announcement of Ashcroft’s upcoming Co-op Live gig will follow the release date of next brand-new album, Lovin’ You – which is set to come out on 3 October 2025.
Throughout the rest of the year up until late September, Ashcroft will continue to support Oasis on their sold-out reunion tour, but before he arrives in Manchester in early November, he will play a warm-up show down in Cornwall at Live at Scurrier House – tickets of which are also going on sale very soon.
Richard Ashcroft will be playing a huge headline show at Manchester’s Co-op Live / Credit: Paul Bachmann (via Flickr)
Richard Ashcroft 2025 tour dates
With Oasis
16 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
19 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
20 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
25 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
26 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
30 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
2 August – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
3 August – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
8 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
9 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
12 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
16 August – Dublin, Croke Park (SOLD OUT)
17 August – Dublin, Croke Park (SOLD OUT)
27 September – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
28 September – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
Headline Shows
23 August – Cornwall, Live at Scurrier House
8 November – Manchester, Co-op Live
Richard Ashcroft will take to the stage at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 8 November, and tickets will go on sale – with Co-op Presale starting first tomorrow (16 July) at 9:30am, and general sale starting this Friday (18 July) again at 9:30am.
Daisy Jackson -
8th February 2022 
