Canal Street

Recently I have been thinking about the state of Manchester's gay village. It is true that bars do come and go. Some venues seem cursed for example 10 Canal Street where Bar 38 stood, for a while AXM and now Crunch and then who knows what now I'm so confused. Then of course the equally cursed 46 Sackville St where once Gaia stood and then Tropeiro with a number of bars in between. For some reason or another these bars and these locations have been unable to make a real connection with village regulars. No one really bat an eyelid when Gaia disappeared or will do when Tropeiro closes it's doors. There was nothing really memorable about these places.


Recently, however, Spirit has closed it's doors...the longstanding staple of the village. Years ago it would have seemed unthinkable that this giant could have closed. 3 enormous floors with bars on every level and a large roof terrace. It used to be that a night out in the village was entwined with Spirit. Spirit was an integral component that made up the stable back bone of the village. Whether this is a permanent move or temporary I do not know. It's sister bar View further up Canal St seems so far unaffected. I won't shed a tear for either though. Both are boring places with no atmosphere, blocked toilets and it will make no difference to my life if they open again or remain the same.


The Village has changed and it's clientele have changed. The success of the Northern Quarter shows the type of bars that people really want. Some new places in the village are recognising this. New bars like The Molly House show that people want something more stylish and high end. Not everyone wants to slum it with sticky floors and dance floors that stink of shit from the nearby blocked toilets. They want expensive vodkas, revealed brick, thoughtful design, attention to detail, niche ideas and will vote with their feet.


It's not all about money either before you shout, it's about interesting nights with an edge not the same old crappy dance music for gay men in a k hole. The success of nights such as Homoelectric and Bollox which is packed full of eclectic people not all with the same hair cut and All Saints outfit has shown that there is a demand for it.


In London, they seem to have embraced this desire for new and interesting nights that experiment with different venues and types of music...if only Manchester could emulate this.