The Fitzroy is a very sociable club to be in with a warm welcoming and friendly atmosphere…read more If you haven't been there it should be put on your places to visit list. I rate this a 5 star thanks Mrs Simpson

This is basically a social club with a bar and where a group of men normally gather and discuss…read morefootball or golf or something. Places like these are a bit outdated and old fashioned. Not many people know of these places as they are quite hidden. So all in all, this is not a place where I would want to go and have a drink even if it is cheap. But to all those who do like it, so be it.

Great venue for a small concert, lovely atmosphere very welcoming staff! Good drinks. Always a fav…read morefor Yanks weekend as their outdoor space is lovely!

this is a large working mans club now know as The Eccies. It has a medium sized function room which…read moreholds host to some live entertainment. The customers all seem to be locals. The atmosphere and the beer is what you would normally find in your own local community pub.

Great little venue playing live music. Good range of different european beers. Open until late and…read moreis an interesting alternative to the usual late bars and venues that you find in a town centre. Cheap entry price and has an regular indie crowd following. Slighty off the usual bar circuit, but this is not a bad thing!

Jackson's Pit is a candle lit cellar bar in Oldham serving only the best in beer including Duvel,…read moreTyskie and the most awesome Lindeboom. Definitely worth hunting down. Live music on Fridays and Saturdays and occasionally on Sundays. Between £0 and £4 to get in depending on what or who is on. I think there's a website or a myspace out there with the latest listings, google it. Tuesday night is quiz night (9pm) where you can win a crate of beer! On the first Thursday of every month there is a singer songwriter night where you will be acoustically entertained by three acts with nowt but guitars. If you write your own stuff, take along your acoustic and join in the open mic afterwards, maybe Neil will put you on the next bill. All in all, it's a great little venue and nothing like you've seen before. Oldham's answer to the cavern club.

Driving past Ordsall Hall most days (as I live very close to it), I have always enjoyed it as a…read moreplace of beauty and the fascination of its random location. The location is of course the modern development surrounding the site so it looks out of place to have a beautiful old manor right next to modern apartment buildings and industrial units. Perhaps this is what makes it more unique to other similar historic houses? Needless to say, over the last couple of years I have been intrigued as to what on earth they were doing when the whole building was covered in scaffolding and sheeting - like something from a sci fi film but of course logic suggested it was restoration of some sort. Once it re opened recently I was amazed at the job they had done. They had added/rebuilt parts of it, however it has been done with integrity and fits the building perfectly. The grounds and gardens have all been spruced up with beautiful wood bridges and other work. Even the pavement from the car park to the site is beautiful and is the strangest material which I just had to get on my knees to run my hand across its glossy surface. All around the building the stone work and gardens look great so I headed on in for my first look around. It has a great many rooms and seems to be bigger inside than it appears outside. They had members of staff in each room to offer information on what you are looking at, and we got some great photos of my mum in an old style bath (clothed I am glad to say!) and myself sat in the banqueting hall at the head of the table. Once I had sat some staff came over and brought me a velvet robe and crown to look the part to which my old man got his camera out and started snapping. This made a great Facebook profile picture for all my many peasants to admire! They told me that they also have a free hog roast in a couple of week's time when I visited, with entertainments and beverages etc. I would have loved to have gone but sadly I could not make it, however I will definitely go to any other events they hold. Car parking was £2 which of course goes towards the upkeep of the house so I have no qualms about paying to keep a place of history alive in such a modern location. All in all it was a nice visit to have after a large lunch with my parents - and looking around a place like this with the folks made a 34 year old guy feel like a kid again, which is never a bad thing for a sum of £2

I read about this place but genuinely didn't believe such a property could have survived so close…read moreto the centre of Manchester and the Media City / Quays development. But as we rounded the corner and saw it, we were dumbstruck - it looks so completely out of place! Admission to the hall is free and you can explore the building to your heart's content. They have a small cafe on site too. The downstairs is dominated by the great hall and the kitchen area, whereas upstairs there are exhibits on the history of the building and how children were dressed in Tudor times. In the attic space you can see some of the original wattle and daub construction, which is incredible to think it's survived so long. All the staff on site were incredibly helpful and friendly. The only reason why I've given this 3/5 is that much of the exhibits and the way the place is presented are aimed at children - we attended as two adults and enjoyed it, but there's much more to do if you're with children. Given it's less than 5 minutes' walk from the Exchange Quay Metrolink stop, plus the fact that admission is free, there's really no excuse for not popping by and taking a look.

I was recently introduced to this dance club by a friend and am delighted to say that it great fun…read more It is an evening of dancing and fun, starts at 7.30pm and goes on till 10.30pm., it is suitable for absolute beginners and the more experienced, within a few weeks you are able to get up and dance the evening away without being embarrassed or gauche. It is ceroc style dancing which is modern jive. Look at their website. It is the type of place a woman or man can come to on their own and not feel out of place as the group are very friendly and helpful. Three weeks out of the month everyone who attends go through lessons for the beginner moves these classes are normally taught by Dawn or Shirley who are long term members of the club (normally three steps) which combine to make a creditable appearance of dancing. Everyone go through a step as instructed then the ladies move one partner on, so you get a chance to dance with both beginners and the more experienced dancers, although if you go as a couple you can request at the beginning of the evening that you stay together as a couple. The lesson lasts about three quarters of an hour then, you get a chance to go through the moves you have learned. Later in the evening as a beginner you go downstairs to refress the steps you have learned while upstairs the more experienced dancers go through improver moves (more variation on the theme) in the main hall. The last hour maybe less you dance your little heart out. The first class is free to see if you like it and thereafter it is £6.00 for the evening. The etiquette of the evening is lady or gentleman may request a dance and unless there is a good reason it is a courtesy not to refuse. On the first week of the month it is termed a free style which means an evening of dancing. However if it is required they will do a beginner lesson mid way through the evening downstairs.

Juliette and The Licks Placebo…read moreSonic Youth The Flaming Lips Cornelius Devendra Banhart Antony and The Johnsons I've lost count of the amount of great artists I've seen perform here over the years. Let's just say, there's been a lot and I enjoyed most of them. The shows I didn't were usually down to something out of the band's control like getting all their equipment stolen the day before and having to play with borrowed equipment and no soundcheck! The smallest of Manchester Academy's venues, the Hop & Grape is also the most intimate and atmospheric. There's a tiny bar at the back selling beer, cider and spirits and raised windows sills down both sides - which you can jump up and sit on if you get there early enough. Otherwise, it's a case of standing or if you're near the front and it's a rock gig, moshing with the kids! In the summertime, the lack of air conditioning means sold out gigs can get unbearably stuffy / humid. When I saw Antony and The Johnsons here a few years back, he even made a quip about sweat dripping off the ceiling and onto his piano!

I went back when it was the Hop & Grape. The Student Direct office was right around the corner, so…read moreI'd see the lines and the posters everywhere. As the third ranked and sized concert hall in the student union, the Hop & Grape still drew better acts than most medium-sized venues in the US. One disappointment, however, was that I was supposed to review Peter Yorn, and he canceled. I used to go down the back stairs and buy Cadbury Fruit & Nut chocolate bars during lulls.