MANCHESTER’S Night & Day Café is celebrating its 25th birthday this month.
Originally opened as a chip shop in 1991 by founder Jan Oldenburg, the café is now the stuff of legend. It developed into a music venue, eventually gaining a reputation for supporting upcoming bands.
Many artists who played early gigs there have since gone on to be very successful, including Johnny Marr (of The Smiths’ fame), Arctic Monkeys and Snow Patrol.
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Gareth, one of the managers at the venue, proudly boasts a sense of family: “Yeah I suppose it is a family, there is a big community feeling and it is a privilege to work here.”
He thinks the best band live to play the venue was The Moonlandingz, back in August of last year.
Joel Fleetwood, a regular café-goer, said: “It feels very indie, but it’s still cool to a little punk like me. The sound’s good and it feels very intimate.”
In the day, the venue sticks to its chip shop-roots, serving food as well as a large selection of both hot and cold drinks.
Anthony Zant, 53, has been to over thirty shows at the café: “It’s a great venue – good beer and nice ambience. It has a nice stage but it really needs a couple more front-of-stage lights.”
The venue hasn’t been without its fair share of problems though, and in May 2014 the venue was faced with the threat of closure due to noise complaints from residents who lived in the neighboring flats.
Manchester City Council issued the café with an abatement notice, prompting an online petition with nearly 75,000 signatures in support of the venue.
In September, due to the overwhelming support from the public, Manchester City Council announced that the Night & Day Café would be able to keep its licence under the agreement that its staff met with residents on a regular basis to discuss any issues.
To celebrate Night & Day Cafe’s 25th birthday, the venue has organised two shows back-to-back with Oldham-based electronic-indie quarter The Whip for Friday 25th and Saturday 26th November. You can purchase your tickets here.
By Jack Boaden
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