December is fast approaching, so you’d better start making plans about where to go for New Year’s Eve. Don’t end up stuck at home watching Jools Holland’s Hootenanny (which is what we’ll be doing) when there are 100s of parties going on in and around Manchester. We particularly like the look of this offbeat trio featuring Islington Mill, Ruby Lounge and Mr Scruff’s Keep it Unreal.

Superstar Funhouse at Islington Mill, Salford
You can rely on Islington Mill for something a bit unusual, and, as ever, this New Years Eve will be as wild as ever. Superstar Funhouse is set to be a night (and indeed early morning) of club classics, dancehall, disco, electro, and old skool. The theme of the night is ‘self-promotion’. Attendees are encouraged to take as many selfies as they can, share them on Instagram using set hashtags, all in the hope of becoming famous. More details will be announced soon. This is likely to be a popular event, judging by the fact that all the super-early bird tickets have already sold out.
Thu 31 Dec, Islington Mill, James Street, Salford, M3 5HW, Tel: 0161 278 6404, 10.00pm – 8.00am, £10 (early bird), www.skiddle.com

Absolute Shite at the Ruby Lounge
Let’s be honest, with all that excessive drinking and high emotion, NYE parties can often end up being pretty crappy. Capitalising on this, the Ruby Lounge is promising you the worst New Year’s Eve of your life at a party called Absolute Shite. Expect to hear some of the cheesiest music imaginable, including the likes of Jason Donovan, Phil Collins, Sonia, and Boney M. Think of it as a Spotify ‘guilty pleasures’ playlist that’s escaped into this former pole dancing club, and taken on a life of its own. The Lounge has been hosting Absolute Shite nights for a while now, so they must have some appeal. It’ll certainly be a cheap night and it might even end up being a cheerful one.
Thu 31 Dec, Ruby Lounge, 28-34, High Street, City Centre, Manchester, M4 1QB, Tel: 0161 834 1392, 9.00pm – 4.00am, £8 (Adv.), www.skiddle.com

Mr Scruff’s Keep it Unreal at Old Granada Studios
That quirky DJ and electronic artist Mr. Scruff is taking his popular club night Keep It Unreal to the epic surrounds of Old Granada Studios. Joining him for one of his legendary seven-hour jaunts through space and time, with regular host, MC Kwasi. Also on the bill are New York’s very own Qool DJ Marv and Kelvin Brown, a resident at Electric Chair and Eyes Down. Together, they will be spinning just about every genre under the sun, including jazz, hip hop, soul, and deep house. The event is presented by Band on the Wall, who will also be taking care of the bar.
Thu 31 Dec, Old Granada Studios, Quay Street, Manchester, M60 9EA, 9.00pm – 4.00am, £15 (early bird) bandonthewall.org

Thu 31 Dec
Words:
A. James Simpkin
Published on:
Mon 21 Dec 2015