Friday 5th December

It's 7:30pm and I'm in the hallway at my place ready to go out. I pick up the phone and dial Jackson's number. He's the guy from the Monday night social group who we were out with last night.

Jackson: "Hey."
Me: "Hi."
Jackson: "How's it going?"
Me: "I'm going out tonight, come along if you want."
Jackson: "Where are you going?"
Me: "Tiger Tiger, it's free before 10pm so we can meet at 9:45pm."
Jackson: "Ok, see you there."
Me: "See you later."
I put the phone down.

I drive to the city, park, and go into Odder. As I walk across the ground floor I notice that there's groups of people and couples having drinks and chatting. They've all got the bohemian style going on with duffel coats, scarves, worn out jeans and pull-overs. I reach the staircase at the back of the venue and go to the 1st floor. I enter the first floor bar and as I walk across the room the lady who smiled at me last week smiles again. I acknowledge her with a smile, walk around the first floor to check the place out, then go to the bar – a guy is serving now, the lady is sorting glasses – and I order a soda water with no ice.

I go over to the back of the room where there's a window open and take a look out of it down the street. I can see my car parked looking all polished and shiny. In the venue next to where I'm standing now there's two guys sitting at a high table and chairs having a conversation. They've got unkept beards so they look messy, one's got a duffel coat and a scarf on, he's about 23. The other has a pull-over and jeans.

I go over to the seats with the window behind and sit down directly facing the bar. Opposite where I'm sitting there's a group of 3 guys and one lady standing at the bar talking in southern accents using big words, probably arts students from nearby Manchester Metropolitan University. One of them who is talking the most, despite using big words and a posh accent, keeps saying the f-word every sentence to emphasise what he's saying.

Around the rest of the room are people in their 20's to 40's drinking and having occasional conversations. A high proportion look like students. 2 ladies at one table have shopping bags and are going through what they bought today.

I'm having a good night sitting here relaxing, listening to the music. I stay for half an hour.

I leave Odder and now I'm on the street.

As I'm walking along Oxford Road past the bar where all the rockers go, a group are smoking outside, one throws a glass on the floor making a loud bang and smashing sound causing everyone walking by to look around.

I go into Revolution, get a drink and stand near the bar. It's good in here now, the atmosphere is just right. There's people sitting at tables, some people standing in open spaces in the room and some sitting on high bar stools next to the bar. It's like a traditional pub in terms of layout. There's music playing chart hits. As I look around the venue I catch eye contact with two guys standing at the bar.
Me: "Hi, what's up?"
Guy 1: "Hi. We're out having drinks. We're going to a gig later."
Guy 2: "We're going to the Ritz."
Me: "Do you go there every week?" I ask because it might be a new venue to try out.
Guy 2: "No. My cousin is playing a gig there."
Me: "Where do you normally go out?"
Guy 2: "To gigs, all over really. How about you?"
Me: "Lately I've been going to Tiger Tiger and Chaophraya. It's good to have a pre-club bar then go to a nightclub."
Guy 2: "Yes, I like that too."
Me: "What do you enjoy doing?"
Guy 2: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Any hobbies, interests, do you play a musical instrument?"
Guy 1: "No nothing like that."
We talk a while, they're decent people. I finish the conversation and go somewhere else in the venue near the bar.

I notice 2 ladies sitting on highstools at the bar
Me: "Hi, I like your style you both match! It's good to see people out with their style sorted."
Them :"Thanks." they say smiling.
Me: "What are you doing tonight?"
Lady 1: "We're having drinks then going home in a bit. How about you?"
Me: "I'm meeting a friend later at Tiger Tiger."
Lady 2: "That's at the other side of town."
Me: "Yes. I park my car here."
Lady 1: "Can't you park it nearer?"
Me: "I like to park it here. I go from bar to bar across the city visiting the different venues then go to a club later on."
Lady 1: "What do you do?"
Me: "I've written a book for students to make the most of university."
Lady 1: "We're going to university next year."
Me: "Are you still at school?" I ask surprised because they looked older.
Lady 1: "No, we wouldn't be here if we were at school. We're at college."
Me: "I went to a school with a 6th form."
Lady 1: "It said in the news In a few years everyone will be staying at school until 18 and they'll be at university until 24. I'm going to university next year but I'm not going to drink and mess about like most students do. I'm going to do it properly."
Me: "That's good."
Lady 2: "Me too. I'm going to study art and marketing."
Me: "What's that?"
Lady 1: "It's a course where you learn art and the business side too."
Me: "Where are you going to do that?"
Lady 1: "Manchester."
Lady 2: "Manchester or London. I've got an offer from Manchester but I'm still having a look around at universities. I'm from London originally and moved to Manchester when I was 10. Do you go to university?"
Me: "I went to Manchester University."
Lady 2: "I'm going to go travelling for a year. Lots of students are too immature. I'm working at the moment to earn money, that's why we've come for drinks after work."
We chat a while longer. I might see them here again in future. They're ok.

I go across St. Peter's Square to check out a few bars. Bar 38 is quiet. Across the road I spot a place called Chicago Rock Café. I haven't been there before so I go inside.
Inside Chicago Rock Café there's a long bar at the front of the venue seperating the room into two parts. The front is to stand at the bar and chat, the back of the venue is a dancefloor. Outside the front of the venue there's a patio area. Although it's called Chicago Rock Café they're playing R & B and dance music, not rock music as you'd expect.

I leave the Chicago Rock Café and go across to Albert Square.

I go into the Slug and Lettuce in Albert Square. A lady talking to her friend catches my eye and I go over to them.
Me: "Hi."
Lady: "Hi." she says smiling
Me: "Are you having a good night?"
Lady 1: "Yes thanks."
Me: "Where are you going tonight?"
Lady 1: "Our friends are at the Christmas Market. We went there for a minute then came in here! Have you been?"
Me: "Yes I went in the daytime last week."
Lady 1: "Did you like it?"
Me: "It's good, it's more for ladies with all the shawls and handbags on sale. Although there are some art and food stalls which everyone can enjoy."
The conversation if running out of topics. They're still smiling and being friendly so I say
Me: "What do you like doing?"
Lady 1: "Drinking."
Lady 2: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Do you have any hobbies or play an instrument?"
Lady 2: "No not really."
Lady 1: "No."
Me: "What places do you like going out?"
Lady 1: "Northern Quarter. Where do you go?" Are you with any friends?"
Me: "I'm meeting a friend later at Tiger Tiger. Actually I'd better go. I'm meeting him there in a few minutes."
Them: "Ok see you later."

I leave the Slug and Lettuce and go out into the crowds in Albert Square, it's all the people visiting the Christmas market.

I go over to Tiger Tiger and Jackson arrives. We go to the red carpet queue area and the doorman says
Doorman: "It's £5 entry do you want to go in?"
Me: "It used to be free before 10pm, has something changed?"
Doorman: "They've changed it last week." he says giving a look as if he doesn't know why they did it.
Me to Jackson: "Do you want to go in for £5?"
Jackson: "Ok, do you?"
Me: "Yes I'm ok with it."

We go inside and the place is reasonably busy. We take a table and I notice there's no food menus. The place serves food until 10pm so I go to the bar.
Me: "Do you have a menu?"
Barman: "We stopped serving food at 6:30pm."
Me: "You normally serve until 10pm."
Barman: "It's Christmas time. There's 5 buffets on upstairs they start from £23.95."
Me: "I like to come here before 10 to order some food then enjoy the club night."
Barman: "I'm very sorry. It's changed for the Christmas period. Sorry."

I go over to the table where Jackson is sitting.

Me: "They're not serving food, they've changed it all because of Christmas. Do you want to go to the sandwich place around the corner?"
Jackson: "Ok, we can go there and come back in."

We leave and go to the sandwich place in the Printworks. I order a steak sandwich. The staff are polite, fast service and the food is good.

We're sitting at a table in the sandwich place.
Jackson: "What have you been up to lately?"
Me: "I've been going out every week to the city and it's become a regular night out every Friday. Then I came up with the idea to show that if you move to a new town or city how you can build a lifestyle."
Jackson: "That's a good idea."
Me: "Yes but it's not working that well yet. I'm having fun going out every week but not meeting many people."
Jackson: "People don't really go out to meet people. They meet people at work and then go out."
Me: "If you ask people why they go out they always say to socialise, meet people and enjoy the music. Then you ask them who have they met in the last 6 months and they say no-one!"
Jackson: "It's the type of people who go out to the city centre."
Me: "On the leaflets they hand out at clubs it's always promoting a scene to go out, socialise, dance, although it doesn't exist"
Jackson: "I know what you mean."
Me: "Where's the dream!"
We laugh.

We leave the sandwich place, go to Tiger Tiger and upstairs to the main bar area.

Then we go to the room off the side of the main bar, the DJ is playing Step into Christmas by Elton John then Merry Christmas Everyone by Shakin Stevens. We get some drinks and sit on the sofas at the far side of the room.

This is cool sitting on the sofa with a view of the dancefloor and people dancing to the music. The atmosphere, being here, it's what going out is about.

Here's the playlist.
Chain Reaction
Vogue by Madonna
Criticize by Andrew O'Neal
Need You Tonight by INXS
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
Uptown Girl by Billy Joel

We go to the downstairs bar to get drinks
Jackson: "What do you want?"
Me: "A pint of Becks."
Jackson to Bar Lady: "Can I have a Coke and a pint of Becks."
She goes to pour the pint of Becks and the beer trickles out.
Bar Lady: "It's run out, would you like anything else instead?"
Jackson: "Do you want a Stella?"
Me: "Ok."
She tries to pour Stella but it trickles out as well.
Bar Lady: "We've run out of Stella too"
Me to Jackson: "Staropramen."
Jackson to Bar Lady: "Staropramen."
Me to Jackson: "They haven't run out. They've turned off the taps."
Jackson: "I realised that. As we arrived at the bar I wondered why a guy who looked like a manager came in and pointed to some of the taps."
Anyone who has worked in a bar knows beer from barrels doesn't run out just like that. They keep one beer still working so it's ok. Probably more money is made on bottles and they're quicker to serve.

We go upstairs to the room where we were enjoying the atmosphere and sitting on the sofas. This time we go to some sofas nearer the middle of the room and sit down.

It's a different crowd tonight. It's because those who were having the Christmas buffets earlier in the evening have stayed on for the club night.

Me: "Why is there two songs playing at once? The music is overlapping."
Jackson: "I don't know, it's weird isn't it."
Me: "It's not the DJ in here. It's the music from in there."

The playlist isn't as good now.
Young Hearts
Stuck in the Middle With You

Me: "Wouldn't it be cool if you hired a room and parked a car in the middle to play the music on the car radio."
Jackson: "What do you mean?"
Me: "Like a modified car or some American custom car with chrome. Hire a club or warehouse, park it in the middle with the doors open and people dance around it."
Jackson: "That would be cool."

Jackson: "They've got it too loud in the other room."
Me: "The bass is too much as well."

What's happening is that in the main bar room the music is turned up so loud it's overlapping with the DJ playing in this room. So unless you go to the very far side of this room you can hear two songs playing at the same time.

Me: "Shall we go?"
Jackson: "Now or later. I don't want to stay here all night."
Me: "Do you want to go now?"
Jackson: "We could go somewhere else."
We leave this room where only 2 people are dancing now out of about 50 and go through to the main bar area. In the main bar area the bass is so loud the music sounds wrong and isn't enjoyable. The bass speakers should only be on very slightly but they're booming so loudly it's making people ill. The music in here is so loud only 10 people are dancing out of about 150, the rest are starting to round their backs holding their heads forward as if to protect themselves because it's so loud. It's a shambles. People are leaving.

We go downstairs and leave.

Now we're on the street.
Me: "It was a good venue in the past."
Jackson: "It's ok."
Me: "Maybe because I went on the 10th Birthday Party night it was all set up properly and done by professionals then."
Jackson: "It was good earlier when we were on the sofas at the other side of the room."
Me: "Yes that was good. We were having a really good night then."

The problem with DJ's and people who work in clubs is that they are around loud music all the time. They get bored of their job and keep turning it louder, want more bass and so on. They don't think that the customer in the club has been at work all week proud of themselves and wants a fun evening out.

When I was at school a friend was a DJ. He was one of the best DJ's I've ever heard. When he played at an event the bass was kept right, the best chart hits and classic hits were played so the dancefloor was constantly packed. The volume was perfect - loud not silly loud, loud like a hi-fi system turned on in your bedroom so you can really enjoy the music and dance, also if you sat down with a friend you could talk and be the cool people sitting down in a club.

In a well run club you can do these things:
Dance
Sit at the side of the dancefloor, be noticed with your stylish clothes, and chat.
Stand at the bar and chat.
Not get ringing or deafness in the ears.

On Rock Radio the other day Steve Berry was on and had a phone in. I don't usually listen to Rock Radio because it's trying to be like Beavis and Butthead, but it was on anyway. It went something like this:
Steve Berry: "Hi, who's calling?"
Phone in guy: "Hi. I'm phoning in to say I went to the gig last night. It was really good."
Steve Berry: "Right. They're a good band."
Phone in guy: "They were really loud. It was a great gig although they were a bit too loud."
Steve Berry: "I've heard they were loud."
Phone in guy: "Actually it was the loudest gig I've ever been to. My son came along and I spoke to him on the phone today 2 days after the gig and he still couldn't hear!" he says laughing
Then he says:
Phone in guy: "It's the sign of a good gig!"
Steve Berry agrees.
I'm like. You're crazy thinking it's funny that your son just damaged his hearing.

I like loud music as much as the next person. Maybe more because I used to have a modified car with big speakers and like my hi-fi on very loud. Although I'm more aware of it because of what happened with some friends at university. One guy I know has tinnitus in the form of banging sounds that bother him and affects his concentration. It's from going to nightclubs. Another is 29 and can't hear so you have to shout to him and he has to turn his head sideways to hear you. He used to work in recording studios for rock bands and play in bands. One friend of a friend was a nightclub promoter who got tinnitus so bad that he ended up going crazy and living on the streets in a cardboard box in London. He was a university student who got a good degree but worked in clubs and now it's a battle for him to even keep a job and do everyday things.

It's not always cumulative either. Some people go to nightclubs for years and they're ok, then one day they go near a speaker or a club with a slightly different setup and they can be damaged for life.

I'm ok. I used to play the drums in a band and my hearing seems quite resilient. I do wear earplugs to clubs now. I came up with the idea after was after meeting some ladies at university who studied audiology – they all wore earplugs so I thought it was a good idea and tried it too. I don't always wear them to a club. It depends what it's like. When I do I find I can hear people talking over the music better anyway and it makes for a better night.

For me it's all about customer service. In the nightclubs they haven't got the sound and volume levels right for the customer. Also I'm more likely to notice the quality of a club because I don't drink much. So it has to be good to the point where I actually can enjoy it, because if I'm driving regularly I can't booze myself into a stupor where anything seems good.

Me: "We could go to TV21. I went there the other day with some people I met at Urbis."
Jackson: "I've heard about it. I'd like to see the place."

We walk up the hill around the side of the Printworks towards the Northern Quarter.

Jackson: "There's a takeaway here." he says as we walk towards a takeaway.
Me: "Last time me and Alex K went in there the guy was sitting behind the till with headphones on and wasn't serving anyone."
Jackson laughs.
We look in the takeaway window as we walk past it.
Me: "There's two guys serving people in there now. They must have sorted it out."

As we walk towards the Northern Quarter there are two guys walking near us in the street.
Me: "Do you know where TV21 is?"
Guy 1: "Yes it's right, then along, then left. We're going that way so follow us."
Me: "Thanks."
We get to TV21
Guy 1: "TV21 is there." he points to the bar.
Me: "Thanks a lot."
Jackson: "Thanks."
We go into TV21. It's busy with bohemian types and some trendies. We go and sit down at a table.

Jackson: "It's not very good in here."
Me: "It was the other day. Shall we go?"
Jackson: "Yes."

Now we're on the street.

Me: "There's Odd bar. We're here so we might as well see what it's like tonight."
We go inside.
Jackson: "I could tell it wasn't going to be any good from outside!"
Me: "Come and look at this room downstairs."
We go to the basement with the little room where there's a few sofas and people there. We take a seat.
Me: "See it's ok here."
Jackson: "Yes it is."

There's 3 people sitting near us, 2 guys and a lady.
Me to Guy 1: "What kind of places do you go out?"
Guy 1: "Hey man. I like to go here and the Northern Quarter and pubs. What about you?"
Me: "I used to go to Tiger Tiger but it's no good tonight. There's not one club that's decent in the whole city."
Guy 1: "I know. It's the way it is. Clubs aren't any good. In the 90's….."
We talk for a few minutes about going out.
Jackson: "Shall we get going?"
Me to Guy 1: "We're going to get going. See you later."
Guy 1: "See you later man."
We go upstairs.
Me to Jackson: "They were all too drunk anyway."

We decide to go to Deansgate Locks. We're walking along Whitworth Street towards where it crosses Oxford Road.
Me: "If you were to be in the bit at the beginning or end of an 80's TV show, that few second clip, what would you be doing in it?"
Jackson: "You mean where the credits roll and they show the characters." he says laughing.
Me: "Yes."
Jackson: "I'd be like this." and he does a pose and smile.
We laugh.
Jackson: "What about you."
I stand as if the camera is behind me, turn around to face it and give an 80's raised eyebrows look."
Jackson: "That's great! I know what yours should be. It's this."
He pretends to throw something down and points at someone.
Jackson: "Someone's sitting at a desk in an office. You walk in and throw a folder of papers down on their desk point at them and say see my attorney!"
This is hilarious.

Me: "Are we going to more bars?"
Jackson: "It's what we do isn't it!"
Me: "Go to a bar check it out then leave."
Jackson: "We're seeing lots of places" he says positively

We walk along Whitworth Street and there's a guy and two ladies drinking from a bottle in the street.
Me: "Where's the party? In the street?"
Him: "Yes. We decided to have a party here!" he says laughing. He has an accent.
Me: "It's not a bad idea as there aren't any decent venues! Where are you from?"
Him: "The Baltic States if you know where that is."
Lady 1: "We're students at Manchester University."
Him: "We're meeting up with friends later so started drinking here."
Me: "You should be in a student bar enjoying yourselves. Not drinking in the street."
Him: "Yes. We're meeting someone then we'll go somewhere in a bit."
Me: "Ok. See you later."

Students of proud parents travel across the world to study at university and are they at student bars? No. They're drinking from a wine bottle on not the safest stretch of city centre street after midnight.

We get to Deansgate Locks
Me: "That's the place we should be going." I say pointing to the Hilton Hotel.
Jackson: "I've been once before. We can go there."
Me: "Do you have to book first."
Jackson: "No you just have to take the lift."
Me: "Ok. Let's have a look at these bars first."
Me: "The Sugar Lounge has closed down now."
Jackson: "Really?"
Me: "Yes. Alex K was saying it was advertised as the place for celebrities. Also how many bars for opened for celebrities don't last."

We go into Loaf.
Me: "It's ok in here."
Jackson: "Yes."
Me: "Let's go over there."
We go to the other side of the venue and sit down at a table.
Me: "What's that?"
Jackson: "It sounds weird."
Me: "They're playing two songs at once."
There isn't another room here so it can't be overlapping DJ's.
I say to a lady who works here that is sorting some paperwork out:
Me: "Why are there two songs playing at once?"
Lady: "I don't know. Must be the DJ's choice." she says.

Me to Jackson: "Let's go."

We walk across the venue and as we pass some stairs leading down to the toilets we see there is another room here after all. It's a nightclub in the basement. The music is so loud in the club that it's overlapping with the music upstairs in the venue.

We go out onto the street and walk towards the Hilton Hotel.

We go into the Hotel and queue for the lift to take us to Cloud23. The bar on the 23rd floor of the hotel.

The lift comes, we go to the 23rd floor and walk into the bar. A lady greets us handing us a menu and says to take a seat and someone will be over to take our order.
It's ok in here. The view of the city at night is nice. We take some seats and chat a while. No-one comes over to us to take an order so we go for a walk around the bar looking at the views out of the window.

Then I go to the toilets and when I go to use the taps one is broken.
Me: "You come all the way to the Hilton Hotel bar expecting gold taps and they're stainless steel and broken!"

I'm in the bar area now.
It's fun looking at the view of the city.
Me: "Shall we go?"
Jackson: "Sure."

We go down in the lift, go out on the street and walk over to the car. It's 2am now and there are people carrying each other to the bus stop because they can't stand up. Drunks shouting in the street. The usual 2 am to 3am scene.

We take the car to Fallowfield, park and go out onto the street.
Me: "It's rough tonight isn't it."
Jackson: "Yes, very."
In Fallowfield there's drunk students staggering along the street, people shouting aggressively at each other, people arguing down mobile phones. We walk to the takeaway then go inside
Jackson: "I'm not getting anything are you?"
Me: "It's too busy there'll be a long wait. I'll get something at home."
As we're walking out of the takeaway a lady shouts to the man who serves there "He took my pizza!". The Takeaway man runs past us onto the street after the pizza. We walk out onto the street and see a student handing a pizza to the takeaway guy saying sorry, the takeaway man looking angry but not taking any action. He takes the pizza off him and walks back into the takeaway, looking in the box to check that the pizza is intact.

We go to the car and now we're driving south.

Me: "Maybe I should be going to places like Chorlton."
Jackson: "Anywhere from Altrincham to Didsbury is probably best. It's more locals."
Me: "Chorlton is the place where careerpeople live and go out."
Jackson: "Chorlton has them and loads of scallies too."
We're now driving through Withington
Me: "What about Withington."
Jackson: "Fuel is ok. There are definitely regulars there. You can get to know the staff too."
Me: "You go there at night?"
Jackson: "No. I used to go in the daytime."

We drive over to Didsbury and get to Jackson's place. We park and stand on the outdoor stairway which has a little balcony type effect with a view onto Wilmslow Road.

Me: "I'm meant to be building a lifestyle. I'm having fun but not finding many people to invite out."
Jackson: "It's the type of people who go out to the city."
Me: "I'm finding if anything that you can't build a lifestyle going out to bars and clubs in the city. Not easily anyway. People I meet say the same that everyone they know is introduced through friends."
Jackson: "That's why people go to the city socialising events and those other social groups organised to meet people."
Me: "I might stop this until after Christmas. There's not one nightclub that I can invite people out across the whole city. There's no venues that are consistently good every week."
Jackson: "You can't stop it now. Think of all the people who want to know how to do it. What will they do if you just stop."
Me: "You're right. And by going out over the last 3 months I do feel a lot better. I feel really good. It's better to go out than stay in."
Jackson: "Yes, I had a good night. Otherwise I would have just stayed at home."
Me: "Also I can go to a club, dance and have a good time. Lots of people watch TV, think they can dance and go out, but when they get to a club it's like, they don't know what to do. How do I dance! How do I enjoy this!"
Jackson laughs and says: "Yes. It's like that."
Me: "And we did have a good time in Tiger Tiger early on."
Jackson: "Yes it was cool in there."
Me: "Maybe I've been going out so much I want the venue to be right and they're not running them well."
Me: "Next I'll try the social groups or the suburbs."
We talk a while longer then I go to my car and drive out of Didsbury.



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