I have a sore head. It's not good but it's the price you pay for a great night out. Ruby Lounge…read moretotally exceeded expectations. Me, planning, making a decision is a rare thing. My suggestion was actually a hit. I did my indecisive alterego very proud. There are many quality club nights organised by the Lost and Found name and this was no exception. Dance off, being £1 entry, sold it for me. Doubles for £3, a range of sambucas £1.50? Messy. Dance off saw a battle between three major DJs, strangerways, good vibrations and juicy DJs playing a mix of Joy Division, The Temptations and Dr Dre. Amazing combination. Ruby Lounge is renown for it's quality club nights and live music. The venue is perfect, with an adequate dance floor, a stage to match and plenty of seating on a slightly raised level for a chill out. Another great Northern Quarter location that needs to become a regular thing for me.

I think this might be a strip club. In fact I'm pretty sure. Well, it wasn't when I was in the Ruby…read moreLounge last night for a Lost and Found gig which is why I felt comfortable to take my boyf in with me. The gig was billed as The Cribs Aftershow but it was basically just a gig- most of the spectators were either in one of the four bands, looked like they should be or were girl groupies who were way too impressed with themselves that they were getting backstage. The sofas and high backed armchairs in the main bar area were nice touches, there were a few mirror balls around too. Plus velvet curtains - hello, strip club? Then you turn to the grimy stage area with the big grill up between the bands and the crowd. That said, no one went past the pillar anyway. Too cool to stand right at the front. Alright drinks prices - get some of their cheap vodka mixers or flavoured sambucas otherwise you'll run out of money quickly. After the bands they had Gareth Brooks from Xfm DJIng but we didn't end up staying.

Housed on Fairfield Street, behind Piccadilly Station, the Star & Garter is a red brick pub that…read morelooks like a crime scene from a Hitchcock thriller. It was featured in the 50s film noir Hell is A City and since then, seems to have gone from chic to shabby with little investment or TLC. The carpets are frayed, the seats are grubby and the walls upstairs are painted chocolate. Endearingly, none of this seems to bother the students and regulars who flock there for the monthly Smiths nights and occasional rock and punk gigs. The gigs are housed upstairs on the first floor - where there's a small stage and bar - whilst the club nights straddle the ground and first floor. Drinks are cheap and cheerful and there's a long-running indie night every Saturday called Smile. You might hear the odd Brian Wilson song but you're more likely to hear everything from Pulp and Placebo to Belle and Sebastian. In short, the Star & Garter is a venue that's more about the music and the people than the ambience or the interior. Which takes us right back to Pulp and..... A Little Soul: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XMDfMaKDa0

I'll never forget the first time I went to the Star & Garter. I was really dubious about what my…read morefriends had planned for me, considering we were heading in a direction that seemed to be slighty outside the city and more than slightly IN to Manchester's Red Light district. 'Guys...' I found myself saying ominously in the way the first dingbat of a bimbo to get killed in a horror movie always does. Then when we arrived, I was confused. 'Why are we at what looks like one of those run down burnt out old hotels on Chapel Street?' my brain was asking me. But I pressed on. I was accompanied by indie expert Mr Bateman, his lovely girlfriend and the Bambi-eyed Jess X, all of whom seemed to have the lowdown on what's cool these days. And upon entering all my woes disappeared. For here is a pub-cum-club almost as famous in the city as Night and Day, with something to offer every poetic soul with a floppy haircut and a love for Morrissey. (That includes myself, and you'll hear more Smiths songs in here than you can shake a stick at.) The Star and Garter is a great venue, with a pub downstairs and seats comfy enough to think you're in the Crescent, and a club upstairs where you can dance your socks off to the best of Manchester's music scene. The Smile clubnight, held every Saturday, is always filled to capacity and something of a phenomenon. Live bands often appear on Thursdays and Fridays, but one Friday each month is reserved for the worship of the miserablist with the quiff, the legendary Morrissey, and The Smiths. Yes, it's an actual Smiths disco. Where else would you find a disco dedicated to one man/band? Not only does this speak volumes about how important Morrissey is to Mancunians, it says a lot about Star & Garter's knack for pleasing their public. I've never had a bad night here. Brave it through the brothels and find your way to this gem of a place - you won't be disappointed.

Cam, Ry, and Olly were great & friendly bartenders. Very respectful and made great drinks!!!…read more Sully, Cal, and Greg, on the other hand, were rude and were incapable of manning the bar. Will not be coming back. (due to the fact that I live in America, not Manchester)

Hallelujah! After…read morefour years of redevelopment, not-for-proft charity Inner City Music finally re-opened the doors of Band on The Wall last September. Aside from redecoration and a spacious chill out area, the main difference to the legendary music venue is the stage. There's a spanking new state of the art PA system installed, new lights, new audio-visual equipment and for the jazz fans amongst you, a concert grand piano. What's more, the venue looks set to make local funk, soul, blues, jazz, hip hop and world music fans extremely happy with a packed programme of live shows and deejays most nights of the week. They've already had gigs from Breakestra, Nitin Sawhney and The Mad Professor and Southern soul legend Candi Staton is set to grace the stage in April. The show you have to reserve a ticket for however, is 27 March when 10 piece band Introducing will be attempting to recreate DJ Shadow's seminal Entroducing album live. Yup, that's note for note, loop for loop, for the very first time, live AND in front of an audience! Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmzHRGoKca0&feature=related

A quirky establishment with an upstairs dining area and downstairs bar. The food is 90% vegan,…read morewhich was nice because they had creative options for everyone! We had the BBQ Jackfruit dog, which was a vegan sausage topped with BBQ pulled jackfruit, vegan chipotle mayo, and jalapeno's. It was absolutely delicious! The sausage was not dry, as sometimes happens with vegan sausages, and the combinations of flavors was great. We also got the vegan Mac n Cheese; it was listed under bigs, but the portion size was disappointingly very small. It also tasted a bit grainy, not the best potato cheese I've had. They are allergen friendly, but make sure you make all your allergens known! The mac n cheese does have coconut milk in it. They also have Ice Shack Vegan ice creams, which is a bonus!

It doesn't have the same history as The Roadhouse, Night & Day or Manchester Academy but The Deaf…read moreInstitute is probably my favourite venue in Manchester these days. They have great club nights and a truly eclectic range of gigs from emerging punk-funk and disco groups like Yacht and The XX to established underground pop bands like Broadcast. Even better, most of the gigs take place in an intimate room with high ceilings, cleverly stacked seating and standing room for about 300 people. I went to see Detroit protest singer Rodriguez on Monday evening and had a fantastic night. The atmosphere was great, the acoustics were fab and the drinks were mighty fine. Being a long-term country and Americana gal, I also fell in love with the Good Dolly and Bad Dolly wallpaper in the ladies toilets! The only disadvantage is, I'm still a little hungover!

The Academy is so much better to see bands than the Ritz it baffles me why anyone chooses to play…read morethere,money talks I suppose. Everything about it as a venue is better apart from the choice of booze,Tuborg???? I didn't know they still made the stuff! Never had a bad experience here and long may that continue....

I have seen a few concerts at the Manchester Academy before. There are 3 concert halls altogether…read moreand they are all good intimate venues right in the heart of the Universities on Oxford Road. They have had everyone from Kylie to Prince to the very recent Brandon Flowers perform here. Tickets prices are quite reasonably priced depending who you're going to see, its nice to see that they have a great selection of draft beers to choose from and not that badly priced. So keep an eye out to see if you're favourite artist is going to perform at this great little venue.

Tried their "We can be Gyros" and "Pepperoni Playboy" options with a few drinks which made a nice…read morecombo.

TL;DR - Great new music venue, with a bar and food which are always free entry…read more We were fortunate to find this place on the day it opened, and we were impressed. The ground floor is where you'll find the bar and food and the sign in the window promises that - even though this is a music venue - they will always be free entry. And it's a damn nice bar too with some good beers and cocktails on offer. There's also food on offer here. When we visited there was pizza available which was very nice (maybe not Rudy's standard, but not bad at all) but what has us really excited is that from October they will also have Firebird Hope serving fried chicken. Firebird Hope used to be based at nearby Hatch and was amazing, so I can't wait to eat their food again once they've moved in. The other floors of the building have been converted into music venues. I also understand from an overheard conversation that there's a roof terrace but we didn't check that out. We did check out the music listings though, and they're extensive and impressive. This place is a fantastic addition to Manchester music, eating and drinking scene.

Totally lucked out on a Monday night and there was a New Orleans Jazz band playing. The food was…read moremeh bar food for the US but since we were in the middle of the U.K. It was glorious. Having to go up to the bar to place every single order was a bit cumbersome but they brought it to you when it was ready. If you are looking for a fun dive kinda spot in Manchester with live music it's a must go.

I was lucky enough to catch the Paul Farr band at Matt and Phred's last night. It's safe to say…read morethat I entered what Howard Moon and Vince Noir would refer to as a 'jazz trance'. My word, if you get the opportunity to catch these guys when they play again on the 17th August (they play here quite regularly and it's always free entry) or at the Cinnamon Club you really must - even non-jazz fans would thoroughly enjoy their awesome musical prowess, it's absolutely universal to appreciate the percussive banter between the awe-inspiringly superb drummer and the creative percussionist armed with an absolute arsenal of unusual instruments. The guitarist has worked with the likes of Tom Jones and Lily Allen and along with the fabulous bassist, they're all just mind-bendingly supreme. The pedant and I (have I introduced you to him before?) popped in for some cocktails while the Thursday salsa classes were still going on, and I tell you, if you're remotely nervous about salsa you must join this group. Beginners are from 7-8, improvers from 8-9 and everyone was having an awesome time. The teachers seemed very sweet. The pedant took on a Dave Walsh special pizza, a great combination of anchovies, chorizo and spring onions, and if you get the opportunity (and are comfortable in your masculinity) try out a Pixie's Potion cocktail. It might look girly, but it contains absinthe. Talk about a kick and a half. As well as this, I had no idea Matt and Phred's did fresh-baked cakes - they look amazing. And the bar staff, as always, were truly magical. There's a wonderful cosy atmosphere to Matt and Phred's, and had we not had any pressing errands the next day the pedant and I could have stayed there all night. It's one of those places where whoever you're with, you constantly find yourselves looking back and forth at one another and smiling in agreement at the joy of seeing incredible music in such a cool little place. I'm making a late New Year's resolution. Visit Matt and Phred's far more often. Like on a weekly or fortnightly basis perhaps? I'd best start saving up for all those caipirinhas...

This venue was such an eclectic dive and I loved every minute of it ! ( other than the heat) We…read moretraveled from afar to see an acoustic set by Art Alexakis of Everclear. He did a stellar acoustic performance and covered a new solo song and many everclear top hits. At the end he took requests and answered questions from the crowd. Ok, back to reviewing the venue. I don't know how to describe the ambiance other than eclectic and hipster. See my photos for yourself. They poured heavy on the drinks and kept them coming all night . Only real complaint is that it's sweltering hot inside but I expect that at a music venue. I actually found a great seat at the bar and was able to people watch, see the performance, and at have my drinks refilled on the reg without having to move an inch . Staff was nice and made sure we were taken care of . It appeared as If they also have food available. Be careful walking down the winding staircase to the dungeon where they hide the bathroom . I swear I saw a dragon down there ! If you live in the area or just are coming into town for a short visit, it's a great venue to check out artists just trying to get their career started. I'm so glad I made the trip to see Art!

Night & Day looks and feels like the kind of bar Tom Waits would stumble into when he was writing…read moreseminal albums like Small Change. There's a flickering sign in the gold window, a long bar where you can order shots and bottles of beer and bartenders that treat you like a long lost friend (until your money runs dry!). As well as being one of the city's most alluring dive bars and we're talking grubby and run down rather than boho chic, Night & Day is also one of Manchester's best music venues with live bands playing five or six nights a week. Admittedly, the sound isn't as good as the Academy or The Deaf Institute but the great atmosphere, promising local bands and established underground bands make it a must visit. When I was music editor at City Life magazine many moons ago, there were so many great gigs at Night & Day - from Goldfrapp, Add N To (X) and The Gossip to Elbow - that I was tempted to move in!

Back in the 40s and 50s, The Ritz must have been Manchester's most glamerous music venue. As well…read moreas platforming visiting acts like Frank Sinatra, it was unique in having curved walls, a fantastic balcony, and a sprung dancefloor. Whilst it still makes a wonderful music venue - hosting occasional gigs by bands like Babyshambles, Arctic Monkeys and Klaxons - The Ritz's main occupation these days seems to be hosting cheesy club nights. Every Monday, there's weekly student night Dirty Stop Out with rock, pop and metal deejays, every Wednesday there's 70s night Love Train and every Saturday there's Party in The Town playing bad music from the 70s to Take That. All three nights seem to be a hit with students and singles but I've personally no desire to go somewhere there's (A) a surplus amount of Alcopops and (B) big groups of horny, intoxicated stag and hen parties. I prefer to remember The Ritz as the place Sinatra once glided across the stage crooning 'In The Wee Small Hours'. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XdN4SDYwyc&feature=related

First off I like a nice sticky floor,it gives a gig a much better atmosphere,and as i'm only ever…read moregoing to go to a Metal gig, a sticky floor is a must. The Ritz has sticky floors,and it is also a decent place to watch a band or 3,why the hell anyone would want to go to a club night here is beyond me. Although saying that why anyone would go to a club night anywhere is beyond me,I have an irrational hatred of disc jockeys and lines for the toilet.. Where was I? Oh yes the Ritz,if the gig I went to was crap then it might've got a worse review,but as it was the gig was one of the best I have been to in 21 years of gigging. German Thrash,the king of music. I was prepared to give the place 4 stars but then I remembered the bar prices, if you want to rip off club goers fine,but don't rip off those that have already spent £20 to watch a band. There really is no need to charge £17 for two pints and a JD and coke!! In summary,good for gigs,bad for club nights,and stupid pricing policy.

I love this pub, in fact I've been coming here for years and never tire of it's old world charm…read more Saying that - it's a place that I also never have on my go to list - it can be 6-7 months in between visits which is surprising given the amount of beer quaffed by me in the NQ each week... Saying that I think the beer is maybe the answer. With this being a Robbies pub, I'm just not massively keen on their range - and while not offensive, their style is definitely more old man bitter - even the new beers they say are as hoppy as hell always come back to tasting the same... But for a few beers it isn't a bad choice as the pub is great, the vibe in the back and upstairs welcoming and the jukebox upstairs is one of the best around - really good tunes and 5 picks for a £1.

I get really intimidated walking into pubs and bars alone sometimes. If I know the place then its…read morefine but I just don't do it that often. From being at uni, I was just so used to arriving with a few other people - not so anymore, Sophie. Time to grow up. I'd been to a couple of artsy meetings with a group of basically strangers who'd answered an ad on the internet about starting up a new 'organic', venue focused paper in Manchester. Of course such meetings had to be conducted in suitably independent artsy places. The second such was scheduled to take place at the Castle Hotel on Oldham Street. The Castle does not need a surly bouncer or a velvet rope. This is all implied by the ways heads swivel as you walk in. God, I wished I'd been with someone else. Specifically an old man, or failing that a friend of mine who used to live round here and looks like so much of an outcast that she pretty much fits right into any environment. I am happy, proud even, for the Castle that it has stood the test of time as the area around it has morphed into trend-central. This pub has stuck to its guns. But trust me, there are pubs with just as interesting interiors (mosaics and tiled bar) and history (licensed since 1776) that actually want you to be there. This one probably does not. They have nine real ales, being attached to a Robinsons brewery but again why not try The Crown and Kettle or The Marble Arch instead for something similar? Various musicians like members of Elbow (and man, they're everywhere) and I am Kloot are supposed to drink here but did you ever think that maybe this is just to get more peace and quiet than they would in somewhere remotely cool..