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Manchester institution Joshua Brooks is reopening this month after huge £200K revamp
Joshua Brooks is making the mother of all comebacks later this month
One of the city’s most iconic nightclub venues, Joshua Brooks is set to reopen following a massive £200K refurbishment.
Joshua Brooks first landed on the Manchester nightlife scene in 1993 when it played host to the Chemical Brothers’ first ever residency in the rainy city.
Over the years, the venue has welcomed a whole host of house and techno giants to its brick basement, ultimately earning itself the title as one of the most iconic nightclubs in not only Manchester, but the whole country.
Amid the Covid-19 lockdown, however, the venue was forced to close its doors and was eventually bought out by new owners, Jorge Meehan and Brian Murphy, an entrepreneurial pair renowned in the industry for owning and operating venues such as Wile Out Festival, Southern Sunset Festival, Social Avenue, and Acropolis.
N Chadwick / Flickr
With over twenty years of combined experience, Meehan and Murphy have been throwing their expert attention into breathing new life into Joshua Brooks, bringing the historic venue back to its former glory with an extensive ‘back to brick’ refit.
So, what’s the vision for the ‘new’ Joshua Brooks?
Well, the new-look venue will be a one-stop-party shop for musically minded Mancunians, say the owners, combining drinking, dining and dancing from dusk until dawn. By day, the revamped bar will be a home-from-home for the city’s workers, featuring comfortable seating, exposed brickwork and all of the nostalgic charm for which the venue was known.
It will also be gaining a brand new outdoor terrace, where guests can enjoy ‘al fresco’ drinks as they watch the world go by. For those wanting a taste of the classic Joshua Brooks, however, their brick basement will also be returning, and will continue to host the best house, techno and funk DJs Manchester has to offer.
@joshuabrooksmcr / Instagram
There is also the addition of an on-site food kitchen courtesy of Cubanitos. Well known at festivals across the country, this camper van-food kitchen hybrid will be permanently parked up in Joshua Brooks, offering tantalising Cuban street food from 12 pm-11 pm every day.
Speaking about the exciting reopening, new co-owner Jorge Meehan said: “We are so excited to reopen the doors to Joshua Brooks.
“When we found out it was no longer returning as a club, we felt compelled to take the project on so Manchester did not lose yet another clubbing institution. We have so much love for the space after running events there for over seven years, and we are so proud to be able to open up once again with the new additions of the kitchen, the terrace and, of course, some of the world’s finest DJs.”
The revamped venue will be reopening to the public on Friday July 23rd, playing host to Darius Syrossian – House DJ Mark Knight will follow on Saturday July 24th.
Tickets are priced from £8 – get yours here.
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Huge ’80s vs ’90s music festival featuring Vengaboys, 911, Five and more coming to Manchester
The ultimate event for pop music nostalgia
All your favourite music acts from the ’80s and ’90s are set to make an epic comeback at a new music festival here in Manchester.
Now, there’s no disputing that the music born from these two decades is perhaps the best and most iconic the world has to offer – so the idea of an entire music festival built upon it sounds a little too good to be true, doesn’t it?
The ‘80s V ’90s Festival will be taking over the Bowlers Exhibition Centre where a number of iconic acts from the (you guessed it) 1980s and 1990s will be going head-to-head to put on the show of your lives.
Bowlers Manchester / Facebook
Nostalgic artists confirmed for the line up include the Vengaboys, Five, Limahal, Chesney Hawkes, 911, Lee Latchford Evans, Andi Peters, Samantha Fox and Gary Davies.
Throughout the event, guests will be able to meet and greet the artists, so make sure you get an old school poster ready to sign for those real ’80s and ’90s vibes.
And this line up isn’t the only blast from the past in store for the event – there will also be a number of vendors in attendance who will be selling retro garms and goods.
@vengaboys / Instagram
Sound good?
Well, luckily for you tickets are on sale now! To buy your own, head here.
The festival will be taking place at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre on Saturday January 29th, 2022 between 2pm – 11pm. All guests must provide valid ID proving they are over the age of eighteen.
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You can now spend the night at a haunted museum sleeping in a bodybag
This experience is not for the faint-hearted…
Calling all horror fans: You can now spend the night sleeping in a bodybag in an actual haunted museum.
Held at the Haunted Museum and Spirit Shop Stoke in Fenton, Stoke-on-Trent, the popular Ghost Hunters of Stoke team will be giving keen ghost-hunters the opportunity to partake in their very own ghost hunt.
They are offering visitors guided tours, tarot card readings, a seance and spirit board sessions and haunted sleepovers – with the chance to sleep in an actual bodybag, too.
Ghost Hunters of Stoke on Trent / Facebook
The museum boasts ghostly artefacts from all over the world, including a poltergeist mirror containing the spirit of a ‘little girl and a shadow person’ and a replica of the famous Annabelle Doll.
Business owners and long-time ghost hunters Craig Longson and Jason Dean wanted to create somewhere that could put Stoke-on-Trent on the map as a paranormal destination.
Craig told Stoke on Trent Live: “I’ve always wanted to open something like this… We took on the building five weeks ago, and a lot of hard work has gone into turning it into what you see now. We want to give people the wow factor.
“Whether you’re part of an investigations team, or a member of the public, there will always be team members on hand to help. We’ve got the most advanced equipment from all across the world, so we can give everyone the ultimate experience, all under one roof.”
Ghost Hunters of Stoke on Trent / Facebook
Lead investigator Justine Farley also added: “With the space that we’ve got, we’ve got the opportunity to change things up quite regularly, if we want to. As we get new artefacts, we can move things around and add new things. Our team have also got such unique ideas so we can keep things fresh.”
And for any skeptics out there, the ghost hunters themselves claim to have witnessed genuine paranormal activity in the building. Craig said: “Occasionally… It depends what happens. If you’re in a pitch black room and you see something or feel something.”
Justine added: “We’ve all felt that shiver from the top of your head, all the way down to your toes. When we’ve witnessed things like the pram moving on our live video, it made us all go completely cold. It’s a heavy pram, with metal wheels. Witnessing something like that is just amazing.”
You can find out more about The Haunted Museum and Spirit Shop on Facebook, and also keep up to date with the latest investigations from Ghost Hunters of Stoke-on-Trent on Facebook and YouTube.
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The Cube Live Experience is coming to the Arndale if you’re up to the challenge
Know anyone who could take this on?
A live experience version of the hit ITV gameshow The Cube is set to land at Manchester’s Arndale, new plans have revealed today.
First airing back in 2009, The Cube sees contestants complete a variety of physically and mentally challenging tasks from within a 4m × 4m × 4m perspex cube in order to win a top prize of £250,000.
The show has proven to be a huge hit among viewers at home and now, they will get the chance to compete in the famed cube themselves.
Urban Playground
Urban Playground, the entertainment complex nestled within the Arndale, has announced that The Cube Live Experience will be coming to the shopping centre for guests to partake in their very own gameshow.
The Cube Live will feature a whole array of the most popular games and challenges from the original TV series, and will allow teams of up to four to compete as both single and two players.
According to Urban Playground, participants will have to ‘overcome extreme nerves and intense pressure’ to take on the ‘deceptively simple’ tasks.
Urban Playground
The Cube Live will also come with its very own Cube Bar for participants to enjoy a celebratory drink after their challenge (or one to soften the blow of being defeated by a Cube, in some instances.)
While it is known that The Cube Live Experience will definitely be located in the Arndale, further details surrounding the exact location and opening date are yet to be revealed.
But to be the first to hear news and updates on the opening date and ticket sales, register your interest here.
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