Salford legend Shaun Ryder talks about his favourite Manchester venues ahead of Black Grape and the Happy Mondays playing in the city.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 You know, the Free Trade Hall, we had a great gig at the Free Trade Hall back in the 80s.
00:04 You know, it's the first time we'd ever played the Free Trade Hall.
00:07 I mean, I'd gone to the Free Trade Hall and I'd have watched the Ramones and I think I'd
00:12 seen a couple of punk bands there and rock bands in the 70s.
00:20 But then we got to play it in like 1988 or 89.
00:24 I mean, and again, it was out of control.
00:27 The doors got kicked in and the place got invaded by all the solfered heads and loads
00:35 of nutty mounts who just came in, crashed the gates and filled the venue up even more.
00:41 So that was a good one.
00:42 I mean, you know, the boardwalk at the time for us back in the day was great.
00:47 We used to rehearse there.
00:48 I mean, we actually got...
00:50 Whose room did we get?
00:52 We got Simply Red's room.
00:54 When we first moved there about 1985, four, something like that, four or five, we went
01:04 into the boardwalk to rehearse.
01:08 We took over Simply Red's room.
01:12 They'd gone...
01:13 By that time, they'd had money too tight to mention.
01:16 So they got this new big fancy place.
01:18 And so being at the boardwalk there, rehearsing, playing pool.
01:22 And then when you finished doing your rehearsing, you went straight to the club.
01:27 We played the boardwalk a few times.
01:29 That was a great little venue.
01:31 You know, and then I've also enjoyed playing the Manchester Apollo.
01:36 I enjoyed playing that.
01:38 And then I also enjoyed, you know, when you're getting bigger, the Evening News Arena.
01:45 Again, Gmex.
01:46 I mean, before the Evening News Arena, the Gmex was the biggest place you could play
01:52 in Manchester.
01:53 Before that, it was the Apollo Theatre and that held 3,000.
01:57 Then the Gmex got built and that held, I think, 9,000 or 11,000.
02:03 You could get it for 8,000 and 11,000.
02:08 I think that you could get them to...
02:09 I mean, we played it.
02:10 We filled that, the Gmex.
02:14 You know, that was...
02:17 We got told we wouldn't be able to fill that and we filled it two nights on the run in
02:21 1989.
02:22 So that was just a mega achievement for us as well, you know.
02:25 And it was great.
02:26 We enjoyed the gig there.
02:27 And like I say, you know, I mean, it's the crowd as well in Manchester.
02:32 I mean, our crowd, luckily, our fans for Black Great Mondays and now the new mantra, it seems
02:40 to me, you know, we've got a great bunch following us, you know.
02:46 So a lively bunch, I would say.
02:49 So as always been, f***ing extra madness in Manchester.
02:54 It's just how it is, you know.
02:59 It takes you about a week, still takes you about a week to get over a Manchester gig.
03:04 [BLANK_AUDIO]