Night And Day Cafe

by Tom Sanders

Some venues are born great. Others have greatness thrust upon them. And in a city like Manchester - a place so steeped in music that its venues have been both the subject of feature films and the target of terror attacks - it takes a special sort of place to embody the city's musical heart. Enter the Night & Day Cafe.

Founded in 1991, this unassuming pub on Oldham St. had been on of the few constants in a city that reinvents itself evert decade. The Northern Quarter - Manchester's bustling nightlife district - was built off the back of the cultural cred generated by DIY venues such as Night & Day in the 80's and 90's, but whilst most its former peers have fallen victim to the tide of gentrification, N&D has stood tall over the years against a barrage of noise complaints and government-imposed budget cuts to emerge as the last man standing.

The reason behind its cult reputation is simple - it has a singular, unwavering devotion to putting on live music. For over 25 years the venue has hosted a live act almost every night without fail, and in that time has managed to host such a broad swathe of artists that the music scene in Northern England would be unrecognizable without it. Head down on any given night and you're equally likely to find either a gaggle of unsigned local bands making their live debut, a cult international act embarking on their first international tour or a local legend playing a secret show - or even all three at once. The anything-goes book policy has long made it a rite of passage for new acts, and some of its more successful graduates have been more than happy to return the love.

Whether it be dying on their arse at an open mic or closing out a busy night with a sweaty, communal singalong of Bowie's 'Starman', pretty much every Mancunian music fan has a story to share about N&D. For me, it was getting on the guest list to see a friend's band open for a local act called Man Made. My friend had been teasing me about a 'surprise', so I had been expecting something special - what I wasn't prepared for though was for Johnny Marr to appear out of nowhere to join the band onstage and play backup on three songs, before launching into an impromptu set of Smiths covers that brought the house down.

Live music thrives on the unexpected - that giddy visceral feeling when you're watching something incredible unfold. It's the reason that we all go to gigs in the first place - hoping to witness that magic, to experience that perfect moment when the band and the audience click into gear to become part of something special.

Most venues would be lucky to play host to one of those moments. Here, it could happen any night of the week.

It may not ever go down in legend like the Hacienda or be as artfully cool as some of Manchester's more bohemian venues, but when you've become such a beloved institution you don't need to chase trends to stay relevant. Night & Day offers everything a music lover could ask for in a small venue - a slightly dingy slice of paradise where anything could happen. Long may it reign.

http://www.nightnday.org