Images provided by The Eagle Inn, Old Abbey Taphouse, Pub Gallery, & Charlie Fleig from Doodle MCR
If you take a look around Greater Manchester at the moment you’d be hard pressed not to find an amazing pub, outdoor space or converted industrial plot that’s playing host to some amazing electronic music.
Whether it’s Hulme’s Old Abbey Tap House, Salford’s The Eagle Inn, the strange quarter indomitable Derby Brewery Arms, or our very own Crown & Kettle, where we hosted Ben Pearce at the start of 2022, Greater Manchester is seeing an increase in innovative promoter and pub landlords taking the party outside the traditional club setting.
We think this is a great development. Manchester has always been an adaptable city, as have its residents. Whilst smaller clubs in the area are doing their best to meet the demand from budding promoters if there isn’t enough space to go around people and business owners are going to need to think on their feet to find venues that’ll accommodate a party.
But this isn’t just a supply and demand issue. As the city constantly evolves and reaps the good and bad rewards of an ever-evolving skyline, new spaces and venues will naturally open up to fill local demand for a good boozer and place to dance.
I also think there’s much more of an appetite for a good day party in Manchester at the moment. I’ve got no hard data to back this up but there does seem to be a trend toward afternoon and early evening events which are eschewing big bookings in favour of local talent. Whether this is a symptom of the points I’ve already made in this article or just a happy coincidence, either way, the outcome is good.
But hold on Liam, what is a Plub?
What is a Plub?
I’m 99% certain I’ve coined this term. Well, at least the meaning I’ve assigned to it. A quick Google of the word Plub only returns an Urban Dictionary entry which basically says a Plub is the act of giving someone a raspberry on their belly or an acronym of “Pirmasenser Luft Und Badepark” (German readers please feel free to enlighten me).
My use of the word is a combination of the words “pub” and “club”.
A Plub, simple. I’m going to use it to describe any space that hosts club events or electronic music where you might not normally expect it. If the place serves scampi fries too that’s a bonus.
What’s causing this move to the suburbs and into the plubs?
I’ve mentioned most of the reasons already in this article but if I had to sum it up in a few sentences it’d say the rise of Manchester’s Plubs is down to three things:
- Increased development in the city center and surrounding areas
- Not enough smaller venues in central Manchester
- Clubbers seem to want a bigger range of options than just your standard 11pm – 4am party
People want to go to interesting parties in interesting spaces. That’s not so say there’s anything bad with your “traditional club” but venues add so much to the character of an event that if you can run a party in an old boozer it can have such a positive, lasting impression on all the dancers there.
Could age also be a factor? Or is it just that I’m getting older? Now that I’m 32 I’d much prefer a fun day party on till 11pm than a big gomping night out till 6am!
Whatever the reasons more fun parties in interesting spaces are more than welcome.
What do the plub owners & organisers think?
I reached out to several Plubs to get some comments and thoughts straight from the venues organisers and owners. Why did they think this shift was happening? Was it something they actively planned or have the stars just aligned at the right time?
We spoke with Finn from the Eagle Inn about why promoters are drawn to these unique spaces and we chatted to Frankie from Old Abbey Tap House about the role community plays in establishing these spaces on Manchester’s clubbing (or should that be plubbing) map.
Hey Finn, thanks for chatting with AMF. Why do you think The Eagle Inn is such an appealing venue for promoters and clubbers? What do you think The Eagle Inn can offer that more traditional clubs can’t and why do these differences make a great party?
I feel the initial need for spaces to redefine themselves in this way comes from the struggle to keep a traditional pub running in the current financial climate. Places similar to ours need to look for ways to adapt and continue to be competitive if they’re going to survive.
For promoters, this provides a new landscape within the current electronic music scene in which they can throw a party without taking on the same level of risk as booking a club with say 500 capacity. With the scene as a whole, the choice of venue is definitely a factor in how the night lives on in people’s memories of it. We’ve seen this with secret locations in raves old and new. So hopefully, as a venue, we’re able to provide a space that feels intimate and unlike the normal expectations of a typical club setting – think sofa on a balcony in a hollowed-out Victorian house surrounded by all your friends.
That being said, the party is only as good as the DJ and we are very lucky to work with some fantastic promoters who really know how to put on great events.
Hello Frankie, thanks for taking the time to speak with AMF about Old Abbey Tap House and the community you’ve built in Hulme.
Community has been such a large part of Old Abby Tap Houses success, why is it important to cater to your community if you want to make unique venues like yours a success?
When STEAM MCR took over the operations of The Old Abbey Taphouse six years ago we started with nothing. No budget, little footfall, and a run-down building that was essentially being left to go to rack and ruin. The landlord’s original plan was to knock it down and replace it with a conference centre and we were only expected to see out a 6-month lease
The company was originally set up by Rachele & Craig, who’d spent years touring as part of their band Galivantes, and really wanted to create a unique space for bands and artists to perform, rehearse and collaborate. To get the project off the ground they relied on friends and volunteers to help transform the building and restore some of its former glory.
In some ways, we were lucky to start with all the help we’d gotten from people, everyone feels some connection and ownership over the space. Hulme has a vibrant mix of people, from a range of backgrounds. Once the pub was back open, bit by bit some of the old locals returned and that’s when all the amazing stories of the area and the history of the building came to light. One thing great about pubs is people talk… sometimes you can’t stop them, and it’s these conversations that have sparked the majority of community and heritage projects that have really connected with elements of the local community that by and large felt forgotten due to the fast-paced gentrification of the area.
On the other hand, the building is blessed with a late license; rumour has it this was actually put in place by the police, who for a short time used the venue as a late-night drinking spot after night shifts when the Greenhays station was still being used around the corner. Ironic really that it means we can operate the venue for late-night music events as well as the day parties and live music gigs we’ve become famous for since I joined the company just before the pandemic.
Turning the pub into an alternative clubbing space, coupled with STEAM Radio, another project also born out of lockdown that has blossomed over the last few years has helped us create a really strong community of musicians who power the venue into the early hours. We’ve managed to merge local communities with people from all over Manchester who just come to have a good time, and created a nice balance between community lead programs and great parties.
I would say our project is still growing and it’s been extremely hard running a pub, venue & community space on limited funding within the parameters set by the pandemic and the so-called cost of living crisis. Ultimately our pisspoor government’s inability to do anything useful for twelve years bar paying their mates and destroying the economy has led to the point where a pub has to run a community food program to support its local area.
From our point of view, though a pub has always been much more than somewhere that just pulls pints, they are focal points of all communities and we just move with the times. In April this year, we’ll be launching a community membership scheme, and partnering with other venues similar to our own. The idea is to create a hub for tickets and promotions for venues in our position while also providing discounts to members and free membership cards to people in the wider community to make music more accessible. One thing we really believe is that live music and events shouldn’t be something considered a luxury and should be accessible to all.
Why this is a great thing for Manchester
In a nutshell, more space like this means more events, promoter and DJs can get established in the city. These spaces also change what it means to “ go out clubbing” as they allow party goers to view dance music in new and exciting settings.
As Manchester continues to evolve I hope these space do to (and I hope they don’t get shut down by the lame council or are the victim of ridiculous noise complaints). Manchester still needs more small venues and if these old boozers can help bring some bounce to the suburbs that’s only a good thing.
