The repeated failure of the new Co-op live venue to open in Manchester has led to shows being cancelled at the last moment, gigs rescheduled, and has caused huge inconvenience to people who had booked non-refundable travel and hotels to enjoy events they had been looking forward to.
It has, of course, though, allowed the British public to also enjoy one of its greatest pastimes – hilarious schadenfreude on social media. Not least because its general manager, Gary Roden, was forced to resign over the issues, not long after he hadn’t exactly endeared himself to organisations such as the Music Venue Trust by suggesting that many grassroots music venues are often “poorly run” and that was a factor in the new venue not wanting to take part in a levy scheme to help keep smaller venues open.
