Night and Day Café
 Night and Day Café in 2011 | |
  Night and Day Café Location within Greater Manchester | |
| Location | Oldham Street, Manchester, England |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 53°28′57″N 2°14′7″W / 53.48250°N 2.23528°W |
| Type | Café bar and live music venue |
| Construction | |
| Opened | 1991 |
| Website | |
| nightnday | |
The Night and Day Café is a café bar and live music venue on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre, England. Opened in 1991 in a former chip shop, it became known for supporting emerging bands and has hosted early performances by several artists who later achieved national and international success. The venue has faced periodic threats of closure due to noise complaints, most recently culminating in a 2024 court ruling that upheld but amended a noise abatement notice to allow it to continue operating under new conditions.
Location
[edit]It is located in the city's Northern Quarter on Oldham Street, opposite Piccadilly Records. It is near the Afflecks Palace shopping arcade and a few minutes' walk from the Market Street/Arndale Centre shopping areas.[1]
History
[edit]The Night and Day opened in 1991 in a former chip shop in what was then a run-down part of the city centre. First owned by Jan Oldenburg, it developed into a music venue and became known for supporting alternative and emerging bands.[2] When the venue faced the threat of closure, Elbow's Guy Garvey told radio station XFM that it had been important to his band's early career and that it deserved protected status and a blue plaque.[3]
As of 2018, the venue is managed by Oldenburg's daughter and her husband.[4]
Live music
[edit]The café has been noted for its role in Manchester's music scene, with a number of artists playing early gigs there. Elbow performed at the venue before it had a permanent stage, and lead singer Garvey claims has said he used to give out Night and Day's phone number as a contact number because members of the band spent so much time there.[3]
Other artists who have appeared at the venue include Lizzo,[5] Kasabian, Jessie J, Paulo Nutini,[6] the Arctic Monkeys and the Manic Street Preachers.[7] The venue was also used as the filming location for the music video for Johnny Marr's single "Dynamo".[7]
Threats of closure
[edit]In January 2014, the Night and Day was at risk of permanent closure after a resident in the neighbouring flats complained about noise and Manchester City Council issued a nuisance notice. The venue's promoter and booker told the Manchester Evening News that reducing noise levels would discourage bands from playing and that a fine would jeopardise the venue.[8] Musicians including Johnny Marr, Frank Turner and Tim Burgess expressed support for the venue,[9] and a petition gained thousands of signatures. The dispute escalated when the then owner, Jan Oldenburg, said he felt he was being portrayed as uncooperative, and the complainant reported receiving death threats.[10]
In May 2014, it was reported that the Music Venue Trust had expressed support for Night and Day's campaign, including a national petition calling for a review of noise abatement legislation for bars and venues in the UK.[11] In September that year, it was reported that the venue would be able to keep its licence if staff agreed to meet regularly with residents to discuss any issues.[12]
In November 2021, the venue was served with a noise abatement notice following ongoing complaints from a local resident who had moved into the area during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the venue was not open as usual. The owners said the notice placed the venue at risk of closure.[13]
A petition calling for the notice to be withdrawn gained more than 94,000 signatures.[4] Local businesses, residents, and bands, along with several high-profile musicians including Elbow, The Charlatans and Johnny Marr, expressed support for the venue on social media.[14]
In March 2024, a district judge upheld the noise abatement notice but amended it to allow the venue to continue operating, provided that weekend club nights comply with new noise‑limiting conditions.[15]
In popular culture
[edit]The venue is referenced in the American TV drama Lost, in the season three episode "Greatest Hits", as the place where the Mancunian character Charlie's band, DriveShaft, played its first gig.[16]
In 2018, the venue appeared as the bar "Heaven" in the Michael C. Hall Netflix drama Safe.[17]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Pubs & Bars in the Northern Quarter Manchester". Manchesterbars.com. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Thorp, John (15 October 2014). "The Night and Day". Timeout. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- 1 2 "Guy Garvey – Night and Day Café should get a blue plaque". XFM. 24 January 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- 1 2 Glynn, Paul (29 November 2022). "Night & Day: Manchester music venue sweating on noise court hearing outcome". BBC News. Retrieved 29 November 2022.
- ↑ "BETA: All-Dayer". Last.fm. Retrieved 15 March 2025.
- ↑ Moyo, Lynda (16 January 2014). "Night and Day Cafe's most memorable gigs". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- 1 2 Wood, Grace (7 November 2014). "Made in Manchester". Mancunianmatters.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Thompson, Dan (16 January 2014). "Gig venue Night and Day Cafe threatened with closure after neighbour complains about noise". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ "NME: Johnny Marr and Frank Turner back campaign to save Manchester's Night And Day Café". NME. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Spence, Niamh (21 January 2014). "Manchester Confidential: Night and Day – The Other Side". Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Hill, Louise (31 May 2014). "National petition to protect music venues wades into noise row over Manchester's Night and Day Café". Mancunianmatters.co.uk. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ "Manchester's Night & Day cafe keeps licence after noise row". BBC News. 29 September 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Robson, Steve; Kelly, Hana (24 November 2021). "Northern Quarter venue Night and Day cafe could close over noise complaints". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ "Night and Day Café faces potential closure". Mancunion.com. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 23 January 2022.
- ↑ Davies, Ethan; Gawne, Ewan (18 March 2024). "Night and Day: Venue to stay open as nightclub after noise row". BBC News. Retrieved 22 June 2026.
- ↑ Porter, Lynette; Lavery, David (2010). Lost's Buried Treasures: The Unofficial Guide to Everything Lost Fans Need to Know. Sourcebooks Inc. p. 214. ISBN 978-1402222818. Retrieved 30 March 2015.
- ↑ Bourne, Dianne (10 May 2018). "The Manchester locations in new Netflix drama Safe starring Michael C Hall". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 27 November 2019.
External links
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