Nudie’s New Neighbours: Between a rock (venue) and a hard (to find records) place
When it comes to the coolest neighbourhoods on the planet, Marseilles has Notre Dame Du Mont, Seoul has Seongsu Dong, Melbourne has Windsor, New York has Flatbush and Manchester has the Northern Quarter. And now, the Northern Quarter has Nudie Jeans. The exact place where the industrial revolution began, this historic area of Manchester was once home to over 100 cotton mills earning itself the appropriate title ‘Cottonopolis’. A lively Victorian enclave that also had a reputation for being the place to be sure of a brilliant night out. Attracting locals as well as visitors from further afield to its bustling streets to shop in its grand department stores before eating, drinking and dancing the night away.
Despite being party central for the majority of the 19th century, the 1900s were less kind to this part of the city. After World War one austerity hit the area and due to the rising cost of cotton, many of the Northern Quarter’s mills were forced to close with only a small handful of working mills remaining by the 1980s. Leaving this part of town full of empty mills and ghostly quiet streets, with shoppers now preferring to use the sparkly new Arndale Centre for the majority of their retail requirements. A scientific city that discovered how to split the atom as well as inventing the computer and Graphene amongst other achievements, it's fair to say that Manchester also hates a vacuum. Which is why when the 1990s arrived and the final cotton mills closed in the Northern Quarter, these empty units began to attract Manchester’s most talented artists, entrepreneurs and independent businesses. Key to this radical revival of the Northern Quarter during this era were two of the new Manchester Nudie Jeans Repair Shop’s neighbours - Night & Day and Piccadilly Records. Two shining beacons of independence that would help create this thriving scene that’s now regularly listed as being one of the coolest neighbourhoods on the entire planet.
Picadilly Records
Started life as Edwin P. Lees, a white goods retailer that sold fridges and washing machines throughout the North West of England via its chain of high street shops. Riding on their success they decided to diversify by opening up a record department in their Manchester branch that was based in the Piccadilly Plaza area of the city. Opening in 1978 (the same year as Manchester’s seminal Factory Records label) Piccadilly Records quickly became a paragon of musical excellence during one of the most fiercely creative periods in the UK, let alone Manchester’s, musical history. Instantly becoming an outpost for the hottest gig tickets and vinyl releases from the emerging and explosive post-punk scene led by Factory labelmates such as Joy Division, A Certain Ratio and OMD. The key for the store’s success being due to the fact that the store owners had the genius idea of employing their most knowledgeable and passionate customers. Allowing these passionate teenagers who were out at gigs every night of the week to run the shop and stock all the right records. Using their incisive knowledge and in the field experiences to keep the store way ahead of other high-street record stores who played it safe by stocking chart hits and classic albums.
Whilst the music business may have been booming in the early eighties it appears that fridge sales weren’t and in 1983 then Edwin P. Lees chain sadly closed. All their staff were made redundant which unfortunately included the bright young music obsessives over at Piccadilly Records. Undeterred, the staff each took out bank loans and signed on to the government-based Enterprise Allowance Scheme, which provided enough financial support for them to re-open Piccadilly Records by themselves in a new location situated just a five-minute walk from the old store. The timing could not have been better, as this era saw Manchester music become a global phenomenon with The Fall, The Smiths, James & New Order paving the way for the later Madchester explosion of Stone Roses, Happy Mondays & 808 State. As an amusing aside it was during this special time that local band Inspiral Carpets would seal even more of their ‘Cool As Fuck’ t-shirts in Piccadilly Records as they did singles and albums. Though due to shoplifters the store was forced to hang these iconic and sweary tees high up in the store to avoid them being stolen. Resulting in a hilarious movement when the legendary basketball team the Harlem Globetrotters were visiting Manchester and happened to call into the store before an exhibition match. Whereby one of the team effortlessly reached up to pull himself down a ‘Cool As Fuck’ tee which was followed by the rest of the squad who all bought one and then put them straight on which made for quite a sight as they walked out of the shop in a sea swear-words.
"Manchester has been through a lot of changes, a lot of ups and downs in the 40 odd years since Piccadilly Records first opened its doors, but the city's passion for music has never wavered. Music is in the Mancunian DNA and it's still an absolute joy to be part of such a vibrant, creative and inspiring music scene and to be a hub for so many like-minded music obsessed folk." – Laura Kennedy, Co-owner Piccadilly Records
Spearheaded by local lads Oasis, the golden period of Madchester was followed by the equally fruitful Britpop years, during which the new store’s reign was brought to an abrupt end in 1996 when a 3,000lb bomb courtesy of the IRA exploded just round the corner on Cross street. Miraculously no one was seriously injured but the shop’s insurance company policy did not pay out as much as expected and their premiums more than doubled. This double disaster forced the team to relocate to a cheaper part of town in the then much less salubrious Northern Quarter on Oldham street where they remain to this day. Back then, other than Factory’s bar Dry and another recently moved record store institution Eastern Bloc, this part of the city was a relative ghost town that was still frequented by criminals and prostitutes once the sun went down. The arrival of Piccadilly Records marked a real turning point in the area, drawing a more diverse mix of people to the area. Whilst simultaneously inspiring confidence in other independent businesses who were looking for reasonable rents and buildings that still retained the spirit and character of Cottonopolis. When the Hacienda closed the following year, the recently opened Sankeys nightclub in the Ancoats area of the Northern Quarter became Manchester’s de facto nightclub which also helped bring in music lovers to the area looking for a place to hang out and buy music outside of clubbing hours. Now a regular fixture on the ‘World's best Record Stores’ lists the Northern Quarter is the place where Piccadilly Records achieved legendary status. A hub for music lovers of all different genres from Blues to Balearic, Piccadilly’s electric in-store events and unrivalled staff knowledge make this Manchester institution a must visit for any music lover.
Night & Day Café
If Piccadilly Records provides the musical lifeblood that brings the Northern Quarter to life, then Night & Day is the beating heart that circulates it around its metaphorical body. Back in 1991 when the area was still populated by empty warehouses, greasy spoon cafes, sex shops and dodgy pubs a Dutchman named Jan Oldenburg had a great idea. He bought a somewhat run down chip shop called ‘Pisces’. Having originally started life as a funeral-wear and mourning shop that sold high-end clothing for people attending burials, cremations and wakes by the nineties the venue was way past its prime. Undeterred, Jan went about transforming the place, transforming it into a humble cafe stocked with novelties such as European beer and freshly ground coffee before slowly morphing ‘Night & Day’ into a legendary venue with its finger firmly on the pulse of Manchester’s mercurial music scene.
Using the cafe as a gallery space for local artists in the daytime, Jan started putting on small jazz shows at night. Manchester being a relatively compact city, Night & Day provided a haven for local creatives who were drawn to the area by its cheap rent and empty buildings. Thanks to Jan’s knack for creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere, the venue soon became the preferred place for members of the vibrant local music industry to hold important meetings. A favourite place for burgeoning local record labels such as Twisted Nerve and Fat City who would come to sign new talent, celebrate successes and hold launch parties for their brilliant records. This era is also when Jan redecorated, turning the cafe place into a cool dive bar that also resembled an Amsterdam style coffee shop. A move that Jan did on purpose with the intention of making it a reality should weed ever become legalised in the UK.
“Night & Day is an incredibly special place to me where artists, audience and venue combine to create thrilling experiences, beautiful unique and never again moments. Artists launch here, experiment, cut their teeth, creating these really special moments, a time stamp on their upward trajectory. The size and intimacy of Night & Day means everyone is involved in each performance - sharing and breathing the artists and audiences energy and joy. When you go to shows here you never really know what is going to happen; everything is spontaneous. This is why Night & Day and other grassroots venues are so special.” – Jennifer Smithson, Owner Night & Day Cafe.
Around this time Factory head honcho Tony Wilson had started ‘In The City’, an eclectic music convention designed to showcase both local and national musical talent, attracting record label execs from around the globe keen to discover the ‘next big thing’. Given Night & Day’s popularity within the local music community the venue became an integral part of the international convention. A move which brought lots of new eyes to the area whilst also increasing the venue’s reputation for catapulting careers into the spotlight and cementing its status as an ‘I was there’ institution. Its small stage has provided an endless list of early appearances from luminaries such as Badly Drawn Boy, The Courteeners, Slow Readers Club, Elbow, Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Manic Street Preachers, Doves, Blossoms, Boards of Canada, Charlie XCX, Wet Leg, Johnny Marr, Coldplay, Ed Sheeran and many, many more. Sadly Jan passed away in 2018, with the great and the good from the music world all queuing up to pay tribute to this much loved, entrepreneurial (adopted) son of Manchester. Now run by Jan’s oldest daughter Jennifer, Night & Day continues to provide the blueprint for the area's thriving music venues and bars in a place that is overflowing with a creative community who now choose to live in the Northern Quarter as well as performing and partying there. Jennifer has been deeply involved with the Night and Day Café for many years and took over the reins as owner. In recent times, Jennifer has played a crucial role in navigating significant challenges to the venue's existence. Most notably, she spearheaded the fight against a noise abatement notice served by the Manchester City Council in 2021 following a complaint from a resident of a neighbouring flat (yes you read that right).
Long live the independents!
Words by: Neil Summer (the OG Mancnudian)
