It has been confirmed today that one of Manchester’s oldest and most iconic pubs has been saved from permanent closure.
The Lower Turks Head & Scuttlers Wine Bar at Shudehill has been sold to Cheetham Hill-based brewery chain, Jospeh Holt – an independent family business which operates 127 pubs throughout Greater Manchester and the North West – for an undisclosed sum, and forms part of the brewery’s “ongoing commitment to rejuvenating Manchester city centre” as we begin to emerge from lockdown.
The brewery has plans to drop the name ‘Scuttlers Wine Bar’, and so the pub will become known purely as Lower Turks Head.
Dating back to 1745, The Lower Turks Head was once an old stagecoach stop and enjoyed a proud heritage through successive centuries, before closing its doors last August.
If you’ve ever stepped foot inside the deceptively-deep and roomy venue, you’ll know that the pub is crammed with distinctive fixtures and fittings, including a long wooden bar, checkerboard floors, wooden staircases, cut tables and cubby hole seating.
Its ornately tiled façade makes it a distinctive landmark in the centre of Manchester too.
The Lower Turks Head
Lower Turks Head is set to reopen to the public by first offering the full range of award-winning Joseph Holt cask ales and lagers, followed by plans to introduce a unique food offering later in the year, and on top of that, as one of central Manchester’s few small pub hotels, it’s also known as a place to enjoy bed and breakfast accommodation, which the brewery has confirmed it will keep operating and let out as the city centre starts to recover.
Lower Turks Head joins Joseph Holt’s already established collection of city centre pubs, which includes the Ape and Apple, the Crown and Anchor, the Old Monkey, the Eagle Inn and The Shamrock, the latter of which is set to reopen following a full re-development in 2022.
Meet the newest Joseph Holt pub – The Lower Turk's Head, Manchester!
“Joseph Holt is deeply entrenched in the history of Manchester and sees the Lower Turks Head as part of that heritage too,” Marketing Manager, Paul Longmire, said.
“Our brewery has a keen sense of nostalgia but as much as we treasure the past, Joseph Holt regards it as a way of guaranteeing the future of the city too [so] we’re sure the Lower Turks Head, along with our other central Manchester pubs, will lead the way in bringing drinkers back into the city”.
No-phones nightclub Amber’s has announced it is relaunching its second room
Danny Jones
Manchester’s famous no-phones nightclub, Amber’s, is preparing for a relaunch of its second room, just over half a year on from the venue’s opening week.
The smash hit, semi-censored space, which enforces a strictly no-device policy to ensure those in attendance maximise their amount of in-the-moment enjoyment without any risk of distraction, has just announced that they will be reworking ‘Room 2’.
Confirmed just in time for the rest of summer ‘season three’, where plenty of people will be opting to rave instead of splash their cash on Oasis and/or festival tickets, the soon-to-be-refreshed space will partner with audio specialists to provide an experience set to rival the main room.
Sharing a post featuring blueprints for the fixtures and some of the top-end equipment, new-look second room opens its doors early next month.
Writing on social media, the venue wrote: “Amber’s is proud to announce the relaunch of Room Two, featuring a brand new custom soundsystem designed by Norwegian pro-audio specialist NNNN and OJAS, and installed by Neuron Audio Visual.
“The collaboration between Amber’s and NNNN is the first time that the Oslo-based company, which specialises in innovating the future of audio, has created a speaker system for use in the UK. Amber’s will be the first venue in the country to house the state-of-the-art system.”
“The partnership furthers our commitment to world-class sound and creating a truly unique club space in the heart of Manchester. Room Two also now boasts a brand new lighting system and has received bespoke acoustic treatment.”
Reacting to the news, plenty of punters and artists alike are already stoked to see what they have in store; promoters ABB Events simply said, “We can’t wait to test this out 26 September.”
Speaking to The Manc, a regular visitor of Amber’s Manchester told us: “Room Two at Amber’s always felt a little forgotten – a space with potential, but lacking the same pull as the main room. With this new Soundsystem they’re putting in, it finally feels like it’s getting the love it deserves.”
While we understand the urge to document those ‘unforgettable’ gig moments – that does kind of go against what we build them up to be, hence why the Amber’s concept has gone down so well.
Teasing a lineup of “the best in house, techno and groove”, Amber’s Room Two 2.0 will debut on 2 August, and regulars are buzzing for it.
As always, the headliner remains unannounced to keep that allure, as well as that further added feeling of anticipation and excitement.
The restaurant that’s giving away free food simply by singing Oasis
Thomas Melia
A nationwide restaurant chain is giving away free food to any customer simply by singing an Oasis song to their server.
Well, if you haven’t heard of the long-standing phrase sing for your supper, this UK restaurant has taken this literally as its new offer makes you do just that.
Italian chain Prezzo has launched its latest deal, encouraging its diners to sing an Oasis song to get their hands on some free food, and it coincides with the summer reunion tour of the legendary Manc band.
Each day, the restaurant will be giving away a free portion of lasagne for up to four people per table if you can sing the opening verse from the 1994 cult classic, ‘Digsy’s Dinner’.
If you manage to recite “What a life it would be / If you could come to mine for tea / I’ll pick you up at half past three / We’ll have lasagne” when purchasing a drink, you could get your hands on some complimentary classic Italian scran.
You’ll have to act fast to claim your free plate of lasagne, as this offer is only applicable to the first two tables that recite the lyrics to the Oasis track every day, per Prezzo location.
Make sure you sing the verse from ‘Digsy’s Dinner’ before you order, as if you sing after placing an order, you may not qualify.
Hey, we take freebies seriously, so you don’t have to…
You don’t have to worry about staying in tune or doing your best Liam Gallagher impression either, as you’re singing technique is not being judged, just make sure your table-side performance is audible enough for your server to hear.
Prezzo Italian is running its ‘Oasis Sing For Your Supper Promotion’ from 4 July until 29 September 2025 and if you take part during the Live ’25 tour run, you can score yourself some free lasagne for up to four people on your table.
This sounds like a ‘Supersonic’ way to start your upcoming Oasis gig day or a perfect way to ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ after a jam-packed day of summer activities.
The closest Prezzo Italian location to Manchester city centre is over at MediaCity UK, and all the information you need to know before you warm up your inner ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ can be found HERE.
So, in answer to LG’s famous question, “Does anyone fancy some lasagne?” – yes, we do, especially if it comes free.
Emily Sergeant -
30th March 2021 
