It’s that time of year again. Students and their teary-eyed parents in cities across the country are clogging up supermarket aisles looking for new pots and pans, flyers litter the street and grown men and women are walking round dressed up as pizza boxes promoting what will ultimately become regrettable take away purchases.
Freshers’ week is here. And this seven-day celebration of drinks promotions and debauchery is taken to new levels in Manchester, as close to 100,000 students take to the city’s rain-soaked streets. This may signal the end of summer, but it also marks the beginning of a new season in music.
A plethora of gigs and club nights have been announced over recent weeks, bringing the best in national and international bands to Mancunia. This, of course, also marks the return of the Warehouse Project - that inescapable juggernaut of clubbing and live music that runs from September right up to the New Year.
Now in its fifth year, the success of the beneath-the-streets venue is unquestionable, with clubbers and music fans travelling from far and wide to experience a wide selection of nights crammed with every relevant - and not so relevant - DJ.
The Warehouse Project’s national recognition and high-profile sponsors generate vital income for the city’s tourist purse, and the venue’s acclaim has resulted in it being labelled the ‘Fabric of the north’ in some circles. However, it’s not been without its problems.
Excessive drink prices and long queues for the bar/toilets were an initial concern, and for the most part this has been rectified. Heavy-handed security is often a problem at large venues, and events and the Warehouse Project has been no different.
With electronic music being invariably tied to the use of illegal drugs, the overt presence of bouncers and club officials is perhaps a necessary evil that is here to stay. However, it is the Warehouse Projects’ last entry rule that often irks punters. In an effort to maximise its profits and increase its stranglehold on the city, the Warehouse Project often sets the last entry at 11pm.
For most people, the clubbing experience always involves the ritual pre-venue activities of bar hopping or drinks at home with friends. Often both.
The promotion that Warehouse Project receives (and conducts itself) dwarfs that of any event of its kind in Manchester. Events can sell out quickly, especially those with the more mainstream acts. This inevitably leads to touts getting their hands on tickets, leaving true fans with no other option than to pay for tickets with heavy mark ups.
The Warehouse Project has been pro-active in attempting to eradicate this problem. However, as it remains more ‘event’ than club night, punters are more at ease to spend more than necessary - be it on more drinks as they’re forced to get in early or on a ticket from an illicit source.
Regardless of these judgements, my main criticism of the Warehouse Project is less obvious and, if I’m honest, more personal and selfish. What frustrates me is the monopoly it holds on the Manchester club scene. Don’t get me wrong, there are some fantastic nights on in Manchester, with excellent line ups such as Cutloose, Content, Fingerprint and Wigflex. However, as the Warehouse Project is such a big draw, excellent artists will visit Manchester just to play there, with no other visit to a more suitable venue. I can’t imagine hearing Fred P play in the main room; it just wouldn’t work.
Here are a few examples from the 2010 WHP run: Henrik Schwarz, Tensnake, Metro Area, Moderat. Although these few artists may have played the city before, on this occasion they’re lumped in as part of an event that costs double the amount people would usually pay to see them. This marginalises the true fans who should be watching these artists in smaller venues at a more traditional club night.
Instead, if they’re fortunate enough to obtain a ticket they have the pleasure of paying more for their entrance and are forced to enter the club early to sample the delights of what is essentially an underground car park.
While either the night before or after an event - or on another weekend - the artists won’t visit Manchester as they’re already playing the Warehouse Project event. They will instead be in Liverpool, Leeds or Sheffield. In addition to this, nights may find booking certain artists difficult as it may clash with a Warehouse Project event that would appeal to similar taste. New club nights and even venues themselves are often reduced to a limited shelf life.
Some events are already sold out, and now with student loans dropping into grateful student bank accounts, many more will follow suit.
Over the last few years, going to open air concerts, gigs and music festivals has become a ‘thing’ to be seen to do. Now it’s happened to clubbing in my fair city. Give me a dingy small club any day or, alternatively, take me to Fabric or reopen the Music Box. The Warehouse Project’s now famous slogan reads: “For Twelve weeks, this city is ours.” No doubt.
Ryan Kelsey
September 2010
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