Has it really been seven years since the iconic Manchester Roadhouse closed its doors for good?
From humble beginnings, some of Manchester's most iconic clubs and venues have grown to become part of the city's folklore. One place that would qualify for this status was Roadhouse, a basement club that saw some of the biggest music stars in the world grace its modest stage.
Located in the Northern Quarter on the corner of Newton Street and Back Piccadilly, the intimate venue was originally home to Papa's Club which opened in 1975. Papa's, like its celebrated successor, was an eclectic venue and even had its own chippy.
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At street level there was an interconnected café and chip shop, but when you ventured down you entered Papa's basement club. Describing Papa's basement club on the Manchester Music Digital Archive website, the club's former DJ, Mike Saffin, writes: "The 'under chip shop' side consisted of a very nice dance floor with newly upholstered, seated cosy alcoves on the far side facing into the dance floor."
The former DJ goes on describe a long bar area against the Back Piccadilly wall, and multi-coloured Perspex sheets forming a partition between the stairwell and cloakroom. Adding: "[It] Looked fantastic in the dark and back-lit, all very ahead of its time for a 1970's décor."
In 1993 the club was bought by John McBeath who changed its name to Roadhouse as a blues venue. The club was bought in 1999 by Kate Mountain, who had worked there as a barmaid before working her way up to becoming the venue's manager.
And its a tale of former employees working their way up that has become an integral part of the venue's story. One former employee who worked the door for over four years was no other than Elbow singer Guy Garvey.
And he wasn't alone. Fellow Elbow band mates Richard Jupp, Craig Potter and Pete Turner all pulled pints on the bar before the band was signed. Speaking exclusively to the M.E.N in 2015, the Elbow frontman said: "A lot of people found their first foothold there. And I don’t mean just bands: painters, novelists, photographers, dance tutors, actors, as well as musicians.
"They all went into their chosen field successfully, and that’s because of the safe place Kate gave them. She has been one of the caretakers of music in Manchester for so long.
"If there isn’t a bronze statue of Katy Mountain somewhere in the city soon, I'll sculpt one myself."
Roadhouse became a cornerstone of Manchester's music scene, and its intimate stage was where some of the biggest music stars in the world honed their craft. Some of the bands included Coldplay, Muse, Fleet Foxes, The Kills and The White Stripes.
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As well as live bands, the venue was also staged a host of club nights, including Electric Chair, Long Live Rock and Roll, Underachievers Please Try Harder, Get a Grip, Chairs Missing and Hoya Hoya. So when the club announced in 2015 that it would be closing, it left many of the city's music fans heartbroken.
William Black, from Warrington, said it was the first place his band ever played in Manchester. "I remember the pride as we scratched our name into the red walls, seeing the names of the many bands that had played before us," he said.
"We were young then and our stage show wasn’t great but that small stage is where our music was first taken seriously. Absolutely gutted."
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Jimmy Lee from Manchester said: "Growing up, many of my friends played their first gigs at the Roadhouse. A great place to discover new and upcoming music from Manchester.
"Also had many a memorable club night there, dancing away. It’d get so hot and sweaty in there that you’d see condensation on the walls and feel drips from the ceiling."
Mat Payne from Manchester also felt the heat, commenting: "Seeing the White Stripes in a packed roadhouse, the heat was incredible with sweat dripping from the ceiling, also saw Coldplay there but wasn’t even that busy!"
Vicky Parsons from Stalybridge said: "I used to queue all day for gigs at the Roadhouse when I was 14/15. The owners used to arrive in the morning and joke that we might as well live there as they saw us queuing there that often, and we always beat the postman!
"Some of my best gig memories happened at Roadhouse - getting on stage with Boys Like Girls, queuing from 5am for Aiden in 2009, countless unsigned band gigs spent stood at the bar. Will really miss this place. A true shame it’s closing."
While John Hall from Manchester, said: "From Fleet Foxes, through Elbow, to The Lucid Dream the club has provided a sanctuary for genius and mavericks. A shock and a loss."
Does Roadhouse awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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