Sad news on the Manchester club scene this week, when after months of rumours, the owners of Newton Street’s iconic Roadhouse club announced it’s closure towards the summer. One of the most enigmatic, well utilised and delightfully sweaty venues in the city, if not the entire North West, it’s shuttering is a great loss to the scene for both live acts and DJs alike. In the meantime, you can catch the pre-penultimate Hoya Hoya there this weekend, along with a variety of the usual and unusual noise elsewhere in the city.
Music is Love - Sankeys, Radium Street, Friday
Sankeys’ flagship celebration of house music returns this month with a headline set from the prodigiously talented Leon Vynehall, whose records over the past few years have struck a vital chord across a huge span of DJs, utilising jazz and Chicago house heritage to transcendent effect. He’s also an engrossing DJ not to afraid to take risks, reflected in regular gigs already at some of the world’s most on point festivals and clubs, including a recent gig at Berlin’s Panorama Bar. Joining him is influence and Chicago originator Roy Davies Jr, a DJ closely associated with definitive house labels Phuture, Strictly Rhythym and Daft Punk’s early Roule imprint. With a host of local talent also spread over both the basement and Spektrum, expect a night of old school leaning but forward thinking, full bodied house music.
Gesamkunstwerk - Islington Mill, James Street, Salford, Friday
Organised by those with hands in Islington Mill’s radical, experimental noise merchants, Gnod, Gesamkunstwerk is a dark and trippy night that might not be for the faint of heart, but proves very rewarding for those with open minds and rather firm earplugs. For this edition, two live sets are programmed, one from Broken Bone playing ‘rythymic noise, corrupted electro and mutated beats’ and Casper Electronics, which promises ‘pulsating analogue circuitry from Den Haag’. The Gesamkunstwerk residents will also be filling the hazy atmosphere with ‘disembowelled tekno, 90s scumcore and future detrtitus’. Quite!
Transmission: Heidi Presents The Jackathon - Albert Hall, Peter Street, Saturday
There’s only a few installments remaining now in what’s been an incredibly succesful run of events at Albert Hall from Trof and The Warehouse Project, proving it’s stake as one of the country’s most original and reliable club venues in just one season. Tonight, the queen of UK house, Heidi, curates a line up of favourites and newcomers as part of her staple Jackathon series. Aside from the always reliable Heidi herself, there’s a set from playful techno renaissance man and noted Bugatti fan, Tiga, along with Hot Creations boss Richy Ahmed, plus more underground leaning, gritty house from Dutchman Tom Trago and Glaswegian selector, Marquis Hawkes.
Hoya Hoya - The Roadhouse, Newton Street, Saturday
As touched on above, it’s with the heavy hearts of many this week that it transpires that Roadhouse will be closing it’s doors rather too soon. Hoya Hoya has been one of the venue’s most consistent fixtures for years now, and despite residencies at clubs as far afield and acclaimed as London’s Fabric, The Roadhouse really does feel like it’s spiritual home. Now, with only three editions of the night left, tonight gracing the decks are Nile Rodgers collaborator Krystal Klear, Jon K, regular MC Chunky actually getting off the mic and on to the mixer, with Fox and Chunky taking over in his place. Not long left to say, in the words of LCD Soundsystem, “I Was There…”