- A few years ago, Manchester's status as the nightlife powerhouse of northern England was questionable. A lack of venue options was stunting the growth of fledgling parties, weeklies had all but vanished, and many suitable disused spaces remained just that. Today, the situation is very different.
The likes of Soup Kitchen, Kraak and Islington Mill have forced established venues to up their game, and new multi-use spaces seem to be popping up by the month. Even trendy watering holes such as Whiskey Jar now host banging techno shindigs in the basement. The most recent addition to the scene is Hidden, a medium-sized club with a bespoke soundsystem and discerning music policy that launched at the end of the summer.
The venue is a former mill, situated in a forgotten corner of derelict, industrial Manchester. The city's ongoing development boom means any parties close to the flats dominating its modern skyline are at constant risk of complaints, but, like its name suggests, Hidden is well out of earshot. Walking up to the building and then inside onto the smaller of two dance floors, my first impressions were strong.
For their first event at the club, the all-female collective Meat Free invited DJ Bone, Fred P and Ben Sims. The second room was already throbbing to stripped-back, solid fare from local heads Rikki Humphrey and Willow by 11.30 PM, setting the tone for an evening of tough grooves that threatened to tear everyone several new whatevers.
When I finally found my way upstairs to the main room, things were even heavier. Bathed in dark blue light, DJ Bone's selection of heads-down rollers and the occasional jazz-tinged banger sounded crystal clear, although the lack of rear speakers meant that the full force of the music failed to reach those at the bar and at the back of the crowd. As soon as you found a spot down the front, though, the sound was loud and powerful, which complemented Bone's exceptional arsenal. His own "Cultural Variance" was a particular highlight.
Back downstairs Fred P delivered the set of the night, running the gamut between bassy deep house and subtle electro, with plenty of hypnotic loops and atmospheric knife-edge moments. Ben Sims closed upstairs with a frenetic turntable masterclass, only letting up from his percussive techno onslaught to throw in the odd cut and stab. The night was wicked from beginning to end, and it promised a lot with regards to the future of Manchester's club scene.