Shut but not forgotten – here’s why we miss… The White Hotel

In this challenging time it’s easy to forget our normal lives, the places we used to go and the things we loved doing. We thought it was time to reminisce over and support the venues that will no doubt be struggling in the face of the Covid-19 crisis, by writing them love letters. With the aim of staying sane in the present, we’ll delve into our past experiences at Manchester’s finest clubs, creating hope for the future by making sure they’re still there when we come out the other side of this crazy period. Up next… The White Hotel.

Tucked away behind Strangeways in Salford is one of the newer clubs in Manchester, which since opening on New Year’s Eve in 2015 has become a hub of creativity and experimentalism. Of all the places shut down by the COVID-19 crisis, this one hurts the most. The unofficial centre of the underground dance community in Manchester needs support, so here’s our two cents on why it’s the best club around.

The White Hotel is one of those venues that manages to draw a crowd purely on the fact that it’s open. Its brilliantly programmed listings create a special reputation, and with that comes a quality crowd. Avant-garde ambient and noise artists like Tim Hecker are frequent at midweek gigs, while weekends can fall to punishing techno DJs – or both. Daniel Avery had the audacity to put on a 12 hour gig/club-night with the Nine Inch Nails’ Alessandro Cortini, two other live acts and 4 DJs but it was sadly postponed due to lockdown.

Cult heroes Optimo played in February last year and called it as exciting and vibrant as the Hacienda ever was. This vibrancy is a rare thing to come by, and it fell to The White Hotel to play host to the late Andrew Weatherall’s last set before his tragic passing in February. As ever, it was a triumphant night and is now immortalised on Youtube.

Back in 2017 The White Hotel said they give their external promoters money to pick the line ups they want to put on, and that they’ll take the risk. Let’s not forget how rare that is. This freedom and understanding, coupled with the venue’s concrete renown allows clubnights like Bakk Heia and Drone to book artists you’ll never see anywhere else – and the cycle of uniqueness continues. Long live the White Hotel.