Events

With the Stone Roses gig in the Phoenix Park earlier in the evening, the Mancunia vibe will carry on afterwards in the Button Factory with Hacienda legend Mike Pickering playing an exclusive set.

Mike was running clubs in Rotterdam when Rob Gretton asked him to return to Manchester to become the bookings manager at the Hacienda. From the art installation intent of the early days with William S Burroughs, the live gigs such as The Cocteau Twins, to ripping out the DJ’s microphone to concentrate on the music, Mike was one of the foremost influences on the musical policy of the club.

Yet it was his promotion of Nude which saw the Hacienda become the UK’s most influential club, breaking US club sounds and early Chicago House four years before the Acid House Explosion.

As The Second Summer Of Love started to turn DJ’s into superstars, Mike’s permanent residency at The Hacienda saw him become one of the most famous DJ’s in the country and his Friday nights arguably the best in the world.

Factory’s refusal to start a dance label, Tony Wilson famously stating at the time “dance music will never happen” led Mike to start the hugely successful Deconstruction. He signed the records that moved the dancefloor, even taking the deal for Black Box’s “Ride On Time” to Factory. The song was rejected. Way to make history not money.

In the early 90’s, Mike formed M-People whose chart success led to the start of the end for his tenure. Yet during this period his Shine nights with a young Sasha are very fondly remembered by aficionados as some of the greatest the club hosted. Mike was ultimately to leave the club after a now infamous incident at the 11th Birthday Party. Yet remains close to the people involved with Factory and The Hacienda.

Today, Mike combines DJing with The Hacienda and The Warehouse Project with his position as Head of A&R at Colombia Records. Support on the night comes from Billy Scurry.