This is a gritty district where the lifeblood is the music. Manchester's underground scene has spawned groups such as the Hollies in the sixties, the Smiths in the eighties and Oasis in the early nineties. When punk and new wave bands were looking for a place to crash in the late eighties,
they landed in the Northern Quarter, where cotton mills that powered the 19th-century Industrial Revolution were dying and rambling factory spaces were selling for a song. Painters, designers and the odd poet followed and soon the area was buzzing with late-night music clubs, vintage clothing shops and art-splashed cafés.
By the late nineties, the area had even acquired its own icon: The Tib Street Horn, a sculpture of a saxophone communing with symbols of dusk and dawn, perched atop a ruined Victorian-era hat factory.
These days, the Northern Quarter is known as the place to spot trends before they crest: Music-shop windows reveal the band Elbow is hot, restaurants are high on field-to-table cuisine, fashion boutiques are restyling mid-century garments with a modern twist and artisans are transforming old machine cogs into avant-garde jewels.
“This neighbourhood is full of independents,” observes Mark Garner, publisher of the online Manchester Confidential magazine. “All these businesses that lasted 150 years may have died, but something very good came out of it.”
From punk to funk (and then some) In the late seventies, aficionados of a new genre called punk began gathering at a 19th-century pub rechristened Band on the Wall. Closed for several years, it was reborn in late 2009 through a multimillion-pound renovation as a non-profit venue to promote musical forms from reggae to funk to soul. A century-old cinema next door serves artisan ales and runs footage of historic performances. 25 Swan St.; 161-834-1786; www.bandonthewall.org
The groove room The dimly lit Matt and Phred’s Jazz Club showcases emerging musicians of every stripe, hosts poetry readings and exhibits local art. After midnight on weekends jazz luminaries may drop in to jam. 64 Tib St.; 161-831-7002; www.mattandphreds.com
Have a laugh The Frog and Bucket Comedy Club is a rowdy platform for edgy comics. Brave souls go on Monday nights when new talent competes in five-minute sets. There’s an entry fee of $23 (£15) on Fridays and $24 (£16) on Saturdays for better-known acts. 102 Oldham St.; 161-236-9805; www.frogandbucket.com
Surgery at the Common Bar Guest artists repaint the interior of Common Bar several times a year. When we visited, the space had been transformed into a fantasy doctor’s surgery with vintage eye charts on the walls and windows swathed in surrealistic “Apple a Day” murals. Along with time-honoured Real Ales and Ginger Beer, Common also serves England’s beloved purple soft drink, Vimto. Locals gather for event evenings like Quiz Night on the first and third Wednesdays of each month, and pay a $3 (£2) entry fee after 10 on Saturday. 39-41 Edge St.; 0161-832-9245; www.aplacecalledcommon.co.uk
How odd is too odd? Odd, Odder and Oddest are three unconventional bars with roots in the Northern Quarter. At the mother ship Odd Bar, which appears to be furnished with granny’s treasures from a youthful fling in Morocco, the crowd of local bohos and BBC renegades begins gathering in late afternoon. Downstairs, watch works by local filmmakers. 30-32 Thomas St.; 0161-833-0070; www.oddbar.co.uk
Adjust your attitude Behind graffiti walls at the corner of High and Edge streets, the tattooed barmen at Socio Rehab are mixing some of the swankest cocktails in town. Start with the Attitude Adjustor, a “short sharp sherbet slap in the face” of gin and fresh lime, moving on to a Drugstore Bandit, Jack Daniels and root beer served in a jam jar and a brown bag. If you’re still standing through “dessert,” make it Cinnabon-ago-go, vodka, vanilla cinnamon swirl ice cream, whipped cream and sprinkle. 100-102 High St.; 161-832-4529; www.sociorehab.com
Nouveau Goth at tv21 Once a hangout for the BBC, the crowd at television-themed tv21 now appears to veer toward nouveau Goth. Sci Fi is the genre of choice at this pub where music videos blare amid props that include a Star Wars Stormtrooper. On weekends, DJs spin chill-out, old skool dance and Mersey Boys (a.k.a. the Beatles) from the sixties through the nineties. 10 Thomas St.; 161-819-2221; www.tv21manchester.com
