This old-school Punch pub had always been a slightly scary place to drink - its vibe increasingly at odds with its up-and-coming surroundings - and former Comedy Store booker Locke, along with business partner Ray Cook, seemed the right people to bring it in from the cold.
Underscoring the distance between the new venture and its previous identity, the pub has a new name, The Northern, and a new entrance. Its Oldham Street doors closed and an entrance via a discrete tunnel on parallel Tib Street was installed.
Along the tunnel - the ceiling of which is embedded with spangly blue fibre optic lights - customers pass a dedicated private smoking area in the venue's back yard (dubbed The Pit) before reaching the pub proper.
The place has instant charm. A modern and staunchly Mancunian boozer, The Northern's two rooms (built around a central rosewood bar) are warm and welcoming. Custom wallpaper adds texture and individual character; and photos of iconic Mancunians and images of Manchester adorn the walls. In a cheeky nod to its previous incarnation, a picture of Elvis marks the door of the men's loos.
Drinks range from tongue-in-cheek cocktails to rotating guest ales (the bar currently stars Black Sheep) - reflecting the twin tastes of modern Mancs. This team also take food seriously - the menu is reasonably priced and freshly prepared from locally-sourced produce by in-house chef Rob Lamont. The meals are good quality and tasty.
The Northern offers some unexpected entertainment. Reclusive techno producer/DJ Moodyman played the opening weekend - making a strange outing for an internationally respected performer, but a good statement of intent for the pub which, with a 4.30am licence, is clearly keen to push the boundaries. Bands, DJs, cabaret, film screenings, comedy, poetry, art installations and Eliot Eastwick's World Famous Pub Quiz will be regular features.
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myles (17/12/2007 at 10:36)
As for the atmosphere, well it's top. Almost surreal, everytime I've been there's been a famous comedian (u naw off telly like!) chilling and drinking there totally undisturbed alongside other fellow Mancs
The music is wicked and not too loud until after midnight, when they pick up the tempo and turn the volume to 11. I witnessed a unique dance-off there. Unique in that most dance-offs have one or two guys who are or were fairly decent at dancing and breaking, followed by a few people who are prepared to move their major muscle groups in a vigourous manner, followed by two or three onlookers who refuse to join in at the end, get embarassed, and cloy up when the good dancer finally pulls them into the centre. This was different, each in turn flexed their shoulders and ankles in an adroit manner; a different flavour eeked out of the glistening music in turn by the next mind; a certain bon-homie and egalitarian consciousness was present in the air, it was in short the funkiest little dance-off I've ever seen.
I like the place.
x
M
ScouseMouse (18/12/2007 at 11:20)