Manchesters Pubs, Bars, Clubs, and Restaurants.

[skit_uk]

Cafe Rouge by the riverside in Spinningfields is open now. I saw it on the way home. It had seating outside and part of the route under Leftbank is now open. Also it looked Like Zizis next door is open or very nearly open.

[flange]

well it seems that this week is the main opening week for the restaurants down by the Irwell except for Ha Ha Bar Canteen which will be opening in July there website says, with Cafe Rouge open now and Zizzi's possibly open and Gourmet Burger Kitchen opening on Fiday

[flange]

Living Room in £28m sale

THE Living Room chain of restaurant and bars, popular with footballers and celebrities, has changed hands in a £28m deal.

Founder Tim Bacon opened the first Living Room on Deansgate in Manchester in 1999 and built up the chain to 13.

He has sold to Newcastle-based Ultimate Leisure Group, which is run by former Yates chief Mark Jones.

Mr Bacon and his business partner in Living Ventures, Jeremy Roberts, will collect around £20m from the sale of the Living Room.

They will now focus on their Italian casual dining concept Est Est Est and the Blackhouse Grill, operator of the popular Grill on the Alley in Manchester and the Hale Grill.

Australian-born Mr Bacon, a former actor, said the sale had been prompted by key shareholder the Restaurant Group’s desire to withdraw from the high street.

“In one respect it’s sad to sell Living Room without taking it to its natural conclusion but in another respect this is an opportunity to do it all over again.”

He said the Restaurant Group, which took a 40 per cent stake in Living Ventures in 2005, had decided after just six months into the partnership that it wanted out.

“It’s not all ended in tears or anything like that. It was a case of our goals and their goals being different, which obviously caused difficulties and meant that we had to do something.

“There’s still a working relationship there. The problem with The Restaurant Group was not about people or about the deal but about goals.”

The Restaurant Group will receive £7.8m from the sale and the repayment of some debt and preference shares retains a 38 per cent stake in Living Ventures

The Living Room chain had sales of £28m last year and made a pre-exceptional profit of £6m. The remaining Living Ventures operates 15 restaurants with annual sales of £20m.

Mr Bacon said in the future he would like to open a new bar concept in Manchester and may reopen Est Est Est in the city centre too.

Mark Jones, executive chairman of Ultimate, said: “The Living Room is an excellent brand and is an attractive deal, particularly with the smoking ban looming because I think food-led businesses are not going to be as hard hit as those focused on just drinks.

"I know Tim and the team well and have been a big admirer. As soon as I heard it was up for sale I knew we should be looking at it. Living Room is very profitable too.”

He is setting up a Manchester head office for Living Room.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...._28m_sale.html

[flange]

Heathcote's £3m growth recipe

CHEF Paul Heathcote today announced a £3m expansion programme for his restaurants group.

Mr Heathcote is to open venues in Manchester city centre, Cheadle Hulme and Clitheroe and refurbish his 12 existing eateries by the end of 2008. The rollout will take the number of employees to around 750.

The first new restaurant, an Olive Press pizzeria, bar and grill, opens in Clitheroe this week and it will be followed by a similar venture in Cheadle Hulme later this year.

In November, Heathcotes will launch Grado, featuring Spanish food, in Manchester's Piccadilly.

Mr Heathcote said: "We have expanded gradually over the last 16 years since I opened my first restaurant in Longridge, near Preston. However, the time is ripe to step things up a gear and I have big ambitions for the company.

"There is no doubt that the next year and a half is set to be one of the most significant periods in the history of the company."

Heathcotes' restaurants include sites in Manchester, Alderley Edge, Warrington, Wrightington, near Wigan, and Bolton.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....th_recipe.html

Grado will be opening at Piccadilly Plaza

We are now underway with doing the new Olive Press at Clitheroe, completing the designs for Knutsford and two more very exciting developments for a new Olive Press in Cheadle Hulme and the totally new restaurant in Piccadilly Plaza Manchester which will be called Grado. Grado will be a combination of Spanish and Italian food specialising in meat and fish and we should have the design plans for next month’s newsletter.

from Heathcotes newsletter http://www.simplyheathcotes.co.uk/im...1175262802.pdf

[jrb]

Definitely an Ebay or long-term investment. Not my cup of tea though.



Hacienda dance shoes cost £345

30/ 6/2007

CLUBBERS will be able to mark the 25th anniversary of the legendary Hacienda nightspot the with an exclusive pair of Adidas trainers - but they come at a price.

The limited-edition shoes (pictured) - priced £345 - were created by Factory Records graphic designer Peter Saville, former Joy Division and New Order bass player Peter Hook and Ben Kelly, who designed the original club interior.

The Hacienda, on Whitworth Street, launched the careers of the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and is regarded as the birthplace of today's electronic music scene. The building closed in 1997 and has since been demolished and luxury flats built on the site.

The FAC51-Y3 sneakers - named in homage to the record label whose sales subsidised the Hacienda - come in a six-sided maple-bottomed box, the same shape as the club's dancefloor.

They are wrapped in tissue paper featuring Kevin Cummins' photography of the club in its late 1980s heyday, Ben Kelly's original design sketches for the Hacienda's interior and images that reflect how the space looks today.

A DVD showing Kelly, Saville and Hook sharing anecdotes about the club and Factory Records will also be included in the package. Only 250 pairs have been made.

http://www.fac51thehacienda.com/

[flange]

The plans for the new Oceana club at The Great Northern are online now they have been in since Febuary and are still Pending Consideration so seems like it will be a long while before they open in Manchester

http://www.publicaccess.manchester.g...=JDI7NGBCW1000

They will be taking all the units that are empty on the ground floor and they will be taking the units that are directly behind the AMC ticket office so they will have a Ground Floor, Mezzanine Floor and First Floor and most of the space in Great Northern will actually be let all except for the space underneath AMC

[GShutty]

Across the road, Chicago Rocks has almost been kitted out, where the rather good Life Cafe used to strangely sit. i'm sorry to say that this place should fit in extremely well with Squares and Branigans aither side and Bar 38 opposite (also Infinity, Walkabout and Sports Cafe in clase proximity).

Not a nice place to be at night i'm afraid and right next to Radisson and Midland with poor old Hilton sandwiched between these and Deansgate Locks.

[Cosmo Disney]

Life was very good indeed for a time, although it went downhill to an almost subterranean level towards the end, more than likely due to its proximity to the other establishments which you mention.

One thing though - could that be the ugliest, most pointless building in Manchester. How on earth did someone get planning permission for such a characterless slab?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...LR:en%26sa%3DN

[GShutty]

Originally Posted by Lachlan

Life was very good indeed for a time, although it went downhill to an almost subterranean level towards the end, more than likely due to its proximity to the other establishments which you mention.

One thing though - could that be the ugliest, most pointless building in Manchester. How on earth did someone get planning permission for such a characterless slab?

Next to Albert Hall I believe too, the building housing Branigans. What a waste of one of Manchester's finest buildings (IMHO)

[flange]

£3m windfall for BOTW



SET TO RE-OPEN: BOTW

THE legendary Band on the Wall nightclub is to be reborn after winning a £3.2m jackpot.

In nearly 70 golden years of gigs, Band on the Wall was at the heart of Manchester's live music scene and its loss was mourned by concert-goers when it closed in 2005.

Now, it has been awarded a £3.2m in Arts Council and lottery grants to enshrine its legacy and secure a great future.

Licensed premises have been at the Swan Street site since 1803. But it wasn't until 1937 that the venue earned its unique name, when the landlord installed a stage set high up on the wall for jazz bands to play on.

In the years that followed, artists as diverse as hard-bop bandleader Art Blakey, Velvet Underground chanteuse Nico, reggae production genius Lee Perry, monster raving looney Screamin' Lord Sutch and folksters Pentangle graced its stage.

And it cemented its legendary status by giving local talent an intimate place to play, helping to build the city's reputation as a pop powerhouse.

Joy Division played several of their earliest gigs there, while Mick Hucknall, then a flame-haired rocker, would play the venue with quirky outfit the Frantic Elevators before hitting the big time with Simply Red.

The massive grant will allow the venue to continue the tradition of nurturing the city's hopefuls. A state-of-the-art studio and video equipment will be installed so young bands and established artists alike can make demos, downloads and live recordings.

Five-year project

An archive about Band on the Wall and the artists it has played host to will be created in a five-year-project, while the building next-door, thought to have been Manchester's first cinema, will transformed into the Picturehouse, a new space for music, film and learning.

The millions will also pay for a new soundsystem, while the buildings historic features will be painstakingly restored to their old-time grandeur. Community and disabled facilities will also be improved, bringing the venue into the 21st century.

Ian Croal, Chief Executive of Inner City Music, the registered charity that runs Band on the Wall, says: "We are delighted with the Arts Council's and Heritage Lottery Fund's support of our project to reopen a much enhanced Band on the Wall.

"Together with the generous support of Manchester Council, these grants will enable us to provide Manchester and the UK with an international stage for the best music from around the world and a platform for the finest local talent. We will also develop the venue as a resource for music education and professional development.

"The grants recognise the important role the venue has played in the musical life of Manchester over several decades, in addition to contributing to its growing future role."

Peter Hewitt, Chief Executive of Arts Council England, hailed Band on the Wall as an `excellent example of Manchester's unique musical heritage', while Peter Fellows of the Heritage Lottery fund, said it was great to give the concert hall `its beat back'.

The total project is worth £4m. The council has put in £500,000, and a mystery donor has added a `substantial' amount. Work will begin in January 2008 and will re-open later that year, or early in 2009. The Heritage Lottery fund has also helped revamped Gorton Monastery and the John Rylands library.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co...._for_botw.html

[nerd]

Originally Posted by Lachlan

Life was very good indeed for a time, although it went downhill to an almost subterranean level towards the end, more than likely due to its proximity to the other establishments which you mention.

One thing though - could that be the ugliest, most pointless building in Manchester. How on earth did someone get planning permission for such a characterless slab?

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgu...LR:en%26sa%3DN

If you are referring to the Life Cafe - then behind the drab 50s facade is a very interesting building indeed, as underneath it all is a late-Victorian music hall. It ought to be listed.

[jrb]

BBC Manchester.

Isn't it great to see another piece of Manchester's musical history bought back to life again.

Band on the mend



Everywhere you look these days, there's live music, yet there’s one well-loved venue that’s still sitting quiet, the celebrated Band On The Wall. Now the venue has taken a step closer to its rebirth as a centre for music by securing £3.2m in grants.

Band On The Wall closed in 2005 because of the deteriorating condition of the premises and to allow Inner City Music, the charity responsible for it, to concentrate on fundraising and planning for the new venue.

The plan is to take the existing building and turn it into not only a performance space, but also a recording studio, video suite and exhibition area, thanks in part to an extension into next door to create a sister building called The Picturehouse.

Now that the funding, supplied by both Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, is in place, those plans can be carried out. At present, construction will start on the site in January 2008, with an aimed completion date of the end of the same year.



In 1959: The sign reads Band On The Wall

A beat before

Band On The Wall was founded in 1865 as the George And Dragon, a flagship pub for a local brewery. It turned into a music venue in 1937 when the landlord at the time, Ernie Tyson, installed a shelf high up on the wall, which led to it being nicknamed ‘band on the wall’.

It’s fame grew out of its status in the 70s as both a jazz and a punk venue, while in the 80s, it almost single-handedly introduced world music as a live experience to Manchester.

It’s easy to see why it is held in such high regard when you consider just some of the musicians that have played there. Björk, Nico, John Martyn, Memphis Slim, Courtney Pine, Abdullah Ibrahim, Lee Scratch Perry, Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, Mica Paris, Gabrielle, Mark Knopfler, Nitin Sawhney, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Goldie have all graced the stage, and that list doesn’t even include the Mancunain luminaries who’ve played there, like The Fall, Mick Hucknall, Joy Division, The Chameleons and John Cooper Clarke.

And it’s not just Band On The Wall that has history. The adjacent building that’s set to be the new annexe has its fair share of tales to tell too. Built around the same time as the George And Dragon, it went on to be what is believed to be Manchester’s first picturehouse and is now a Grade II listed structure.



A band on the wall (pic: Sabrina Susan Fuller)

The sound of the future

Past glories, though, are nothing without a firm future and Inner City Music are confident that the grants mean that a much-enhanced Band On The Wall will see more great times ahead. For Chief Executive Ian Croal, it’s a case of looking back and forwards at the same time:

"These grants will enable us to provide Manchester and the UK with an international stage for the best music from around the world and a platform for the finest local talent. The funding will also help us restore the two buildings now involved in the project and to develop a new music archive facility.

"The grants recognise the important role the venue has played in the musical life of Manchester over several decades, in addition to contributing to its growing future role."

[Cosmo Disney]

Originally Posted by nerd

If you are referring to the Life Cafe - then behind the drab 50s facade is a very interesting building indeed, as underneath it all is a late-Victorian music hall. It ought to be listed.

I am indeed. I was not aware of that, but frankly "drab 50s facade" is something of an understatement. If nothing can be done to improve that hideous bare brick wall of a frontage, IMO the building is already gone, and I think listing it would be a mistake. I'm afraid it is a serious blot on the Peter Street streetscape, made to look all the more sad due to its proximity to the Albert Hall.

[nerd]

Originally Posted by Lachlan

I am indeed. I was not aware of that, but frankly "drab 50s facade" is something of an understatement. If nothing can be done to improve that hideous bare brick wall of a frontage, IMO the building is already gone, and I think listing it would be a mistake. I'm afraid it is a serious blot on the Peter Street streetscape, made to look all the more sad due to its proximity to the Albert Hall.

The facade is just a false front put on when the building was bought by the Christian Scientists (who have now moved across the road). Externally, the music hall is very unimposing (though the same could be said of most such buildings - e.g. the City Varieties in Leeds). And nothing (I believe) is currently visible of the internal fittings. But I understand that the balcony, staircases etc are still there - and it ought to be possible to restore it to a state much closer to its original form. But not being listed, it is equally possible that the owner could strip everything out.

[highriser]

The Life cafe building is shite

[nerd]

Now I have the references to hand;

the Life cafe started as the Grand Theatre in 1883, and was originally configured as a circus - i.e. with a central ring and narrow balconies on four sides. It was subsequently converted to a conventional proscenium-arch variety theatre and Music Hall. In 1916 the interior was largely reconstructed as a cinema - though the decorated balcony fronts and the proscenium were retained, and still survive. Then in 1924 it was bought by the Christian Science movement as a church - with the front third used as a car showroom. The blank facade actually dates from the 1970s (which I dont remember being done) when the 1924 showroom facade was found to be unsafe.

[The Longford]

Originally Posted by nerd

Now I have the references to hand;

the Life cafe started as the Grand Theatre in 1883, and was originally configured as a circus - i.e. with a central ring and narrow balconies on four sides. It was subsequently converted to a conventional proscenium-arch variety theatre and Music Hall. In 1916 the interior was largely reconstructed as a cinema - though the decorated balcony fronts and the proscenium were retained, and still survive. Then in 1924 it was bought by the Christian Science movement as a church - with the front third used as a car showroom. The blank facade actually dates from the 1970s (which I dont remember being done) when the 1924 showroom facade was found to be unsafe.

What are your sources Nerd? I dont think that facade is 70's. Thats not important right now anyway.
I'll get the nazis on to the case of the interior - i hadnt realised it was still intact inside - ive never been in tbh.
BTW - were you in waterstones at dinnertime yesterday in the Architecture section?

[nerd]

Originally Posted by The Longford

What are your sources Nerd? I dont think that facade is 70's. Thats not important right now anyway.
I'll get the nazis on to the case of the interior - i hadnt realised it was still intact inside - ive never been in tbh.
BTW - were you in waterstones at dinnertime yesterday in the Architecture section?

The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres, 1750-1950. Edited by Earl and Sell

I am surprised you don't have it to hand - as it includes a considerable number of cinemas (i.e. those with stage facilities).

and yes I was in Waterstones at Dinnertime - scruffy, fat guy with glasses and a cap.

[The Longford]

Originally Posted by nerd

The Theatres Trust Guide to British Theatres, 1750-1950. Edited by Earl and Sell

I am surprised you don't have it to hand - as it includes a considerable number of cinemas (i.e. those with stage facilities).

and yes I was in Waterstones at Dinnertime - scruffy, fat guy with glasses and a cap.

It was only a vague recognition and not enough to embarrass myself. I know your face (and hat) now so will let on in future. Saw you buying a pair shoes in Clarks the other week aswell but didnt want to have a "who is this nutter coming up to me in shoe shops?" type situation. Not stalking you - i guess we just hang out in the same places at the same time!

I dont have the Theatres Trust book even thogh i know a couple of the bods from the Trust. I'll track a copy down - sounds useful.
Still doubting that that facade is from the 70s!

[Cosmo Disney]

Just out of interest Longford, when do you think the facade dates from? 70s sounds much more likely than 50s to me.