How good was the Hacienda?

I remember going there on Friday nights in the early 80's - it can't have been open that long and they played 'Hard Times' and 'The Sound of the Crowd' by The Human League a lot. Also played the 12 inch version of 'The Model' by Kraftwerk, 'Bedsitter' and 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell. All good tunes to this day.
 
mr t said:
I remember going there on Friday nights in the early 80's - it can't have been open that long and they played 'Hard Times' and 'The Sound of the Crowd' by The Human League a lot. Also played the 12 inch version of 'The Model' by Kraftwerk, 'Bedsitter' and 'Tainted Love' by Soft Cell. All good tunes to this day.
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Remember it well. Also Space Cowboy by the Jonzon Crew. Great memories!
 
I used to go every week from about 83 to 88. I left the UK in 88, came back mid 89 and went back in the hacienda, crowd totally changed, lot younger. I think the best days were before 88, I'm sure those who experienced 88 to 91loved it.<br /><br />-- Sun Mar 17, 2013 5:42 pm --<br /><br />Had some great Christmas Eve and NYE nights in there as well
 
gutted i was born in 92, fucking love acid house now i listen to all my mums old tunes. im 21 and the nightlife is terrible in manchester in my opinion, i actually prefer sheffield, where ive lived for the past 6 months. factory, 5th ave, the ritz, venue, 42s, just all full of wankers looking for a do. id check out deaf institute, usually has top nights on there. or a night called revolver, all motown and friendly vibes, to me its the only night out that is friendly anymore.

my uncles say they saw oasis at hac, best night of their lives.
 
I remember the graffiti on the Thunderdome wall "Rave 90 coming soon"-sadly the doors never opened again, it was way too relaxed in there in terms of people openly dealing pills-it came as no surprise when the old bill revoked the license.I can remember always feeling edgy in there like something bad was about to go down, remember seeing some kid having a fight with a wall once,obviously smashed on acid the poor sod.But the sounds were always good in there, silver bullet used to get the place rocking at the end of the night.


Was it really nearly 25 years ago !!! showing our ages now all the guys posting on here, all mid to low 40's !!!

Great times though.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
chesterbells said:
foxy said:
Not meaning to hijack but whilst on this topic has anybody read this...?

haienda-how-not-run-club-peter-hook-paperback-cover-art.jpg


If so would you recommend?
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Great book if you're still into the tunes because of all the set lists over the years.
I've downloaded a few mixes recorded from the dj booth, and they still dont quite capture it (in fact some sound really slow nowadays) - but you do get an impression of the massive range Pickering and Park played.
For me it was always about the Friday Nude nights; the saturdays and the indie Thursdays I could take or leave.
By 91 park and pickering were sticking with the soulful vocal stuff and I was following the harder tunes, so I mostly stopped going after 90 anyway.

The assumption was everyone in the place was doved up but I'm not sure. If plenty of others were then there was no need, so I never bothered - the atmosphere was so good anyway.
At the front of the stage to Strings of Life, Voodoo Ray, Rock to the Beat -hands in the air, strobe lights full-on; didnt get any better.
can remember those massive jugs of water on the bar - the takings must have been sweet fa!
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Every single one of our 'posse' were dropping party smarties like they were going out of fashion ;-)

Totally agree about the music.

I moved to London in 1990 and like everyone else around me, was a full-on clubber at the time having been blown away by the after club raves as much as the clubs. This was the last year of the big warehouse parties and I spent the next year or two as a London clubber who came back to Mcr every couple of months for a party. I felt at that time that the Manchester dance scene lost its way musically. As you say, Pickering and park were playing garage and soulful house, the tacky clubs like Angels were playing cheesy crowd pleasing rave tunes. The music up here wasn't in the same league as the London clubs. Down there the 'in' DJs were playing progressive house, the likes of boys own, left field, underworld etc. Up here, with the exception of Justin Robertson at Most Excellent, the 'in' DJs were playing girl's music, shallow handbaggy grinding American type stuff. The scene was already splintered by then, with the original acid house crowd becoming more fashion conscious and looking down our nose at the newer, prole ravers with their dummies and glow sticks and hands in the air/ cheesy hardcore.

The scene's best days were already behind it, even by about 91. And the hac was filling with hairdressers and tourists whilst the original crowd had mostly moved on.

But as I said before, for two years, when it was still an underground scene, when the Es were New Yorkers and Doves and still blew you into a big loved up puppy, and the tunes were unselfconscious piano anthems, and the crowd was totally and utterly mixed, a melting pot, and there was always a warehouse party after. Boy it was special to have even been there.

I've seen music scenes come and go and been part of them. But it was a priveledge to be in the eye of the acid house storm when it broke. The best days of my life.
Click to expand...

Great post DD.
I was mooching around the South Coast and Europe around the time you were in the Smoke. Hit the road with a few of the sound systems that travelled around and got into the trancey scene with the crusties. Great days indeed.
 
stonerblue said:
Didsbury Dave said:
chesterbells said:
Great book if you're still into the tunes because of all the set lists over the years.
I've downloaded a few mixes recorded from the dj booth, and they still dont quite capture it (in fact some sound really slow nowadays) - but you do get an impression of the massive range Pickering and Park played.
For me it was always about the Friday Nude nights; the saturdays and the indie Thursdays I could take or leave.
By 91 park and pickering were sticking with the soulful vocal stuff and I was following the harder tunes, so I mostly stopped going after 90 anyway.

The assumption was everyone in the place was doved up but I'm not sure. If plenty of others were then there was no need, so I never bothered - the atmosphere was so good anyway.
At the front of the stage to Strings of Life, Voodoo Ray, Rock to the Beat -hands in the air, strobe lights full-on; didnt get any better.
can remember those massive jugs of water on the bar - the takings must have been sweet fa!
Click to expand...

Every single one of our 'posse' were dropping party smarties like they were going out of fashion ;-)

Totally agree about the music.

I moved to London in 1990 and like everyone else around me, was a full-on clubber at the time having been blown away by the after club raves as much as the clubs. This was the last year of the big warehouse parties and I spent the next year or two as a London clubber who came back to Mcr every couple of months for a party. I felt at that time that the Manchester dance scene lost its way musically. As you say, Pickering and park were playing garage and soulful house, the tacky clubs like Angels were playing cheesy crowd pleasing rave tunes. The music up here wasn't in the same league as the London clubs. Down there the 'in' DJs were playing progressive house, the likes of boys own, left field, underworld etc. Up here, with the exception of Justin Robertson at Most Excellent, the 'in' DJs were playing girl's music, shallow handbaggy grinding American type stuff. The scene was already splintered by then, with the original acid house crowd becoming more fashion conscious and looking down our nose at the newer, prole ravers with their dummies and glow sticks and hands in the air/ cheesy hardcore.

The scene's best days were already behind it, even by about 91. And the hac was filling with hairdressers and tourists whilst the original crowd had mostly moved on.

But as I said before, for two years, when it was still an underground scene, when the Es were New Yorkers and Doves and still blew you into a big loved up puppy, and the tunes were unselfconscious piano anthems, and the crowd was totally and utterly mixed, a melting pot, and there was always a warehouse party after. Boy it was special to have even been there.

I've seen music scenes come and go and been part of them. But it was a priveledge to be in the eye of the acid house storm when it broke. The best days of my life.
Click to expand...

Great post DD.
I was mooching around the South Coast and Europe around the time you were in the Smoke. Hit the road with a few of the sound systems that travelled around and got into the trancey scene with the crusties. Great days indeed.
Click to expand...

Spiral Tribe?
 
Danamy said:
stonerblue said:
Didsbury Dave said:
Every single one of our 'posse' were dropping party smarties like they were going out of fashion ;-)

Totally agree about the music.

I moved to London in 1990 and like everyone else around me, was a full-on clubber at the time having been blown away by the after club raves as much as the clubs. This was the last year of the big warehouse parties and I spent the next year or two as a London clubber who came back to Mcr every couple of months for a party. I felt at that time that the Manchester dance scene lost its way musically. As you say, Pickering and park were playing garage and soulful house, the tacky clubs like Angels were playing cheesy crowd pleasing rave tunes. The music up here wasn't in the same league as the London clubs. Down there the 'in' DJs were playing progressive house, the likes of boys own, left field, underworld etc. Up here, with the exception of Justin Robertson at Most Excellent, the 'in' DJs were playing girl's music, shallow handbaggy grinding American type stuff. The scene was already splintered by then, with the original acid house crowd becoming more fashion conscious and looking down our nose at the newer, prole ravers with their dummies and glow sticks and hands in the air/ cheesy hardcore.

The scene's best days were already behind it, even by about 91. And the hac was filling with hairdressers and tourists whilst the original crowd had mostly moved on.

But as I said before, for two years, when it was still an underground scene, when the Es were New Yorkers and Doves and still blew you into a big loved up puppy, and the tunes were unselfconscious piano anthems, and the crowd was totally and utterly mixed, a melting pot, and there was always a warehouse party after. Boy it was special to have even been there.

I've seen music scenes come and go and been part of them. But it was a priveledge to be in the eye of the acid house storm when it broke. The best days of my life.
Click to expand...

Great post DD.
I was mooching around the South Coast and Europe around the time you were in the Smoke. Hit the road with a few of the sound systems that travelled around and got into the trancey scene with the crusties. Great days indeed.
Click to expand...

Spiral Tribe?
Click to expand...

Went to a lot of their do's as well as DIY's parties in France
 
stonerblue said:
Danamy said:
stonerblue said:
Great post DD.
I was mooching around the South Coast and Europe around the time you were in the Smoke. Hit the road with a few of the sound systems that travelled around and got into the trancey scene with the crusties. Great days indeed.
Click to expand...

Spiral Tribe?
Click to expand...

Went to a lot of their do's as well as DIY's parties in France
Click to expand...

Good times indeed.......City and partying, miss spent youth?......nah i fucking loved it!
 
eric pode of croydon said:
View attachment 166792
Just finished this brilliant book by Peter Hook. It catalogues the complete history of the Hacienda from start to finish with every band and DJ listed. Recommended.
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I read that last year on holiday. Crazy how long it went on hemorrhaging money.

I new some characters that worked there in its final years and it was shit by the mid 90s.
 
stimo said:
gutted i was born in 92, fucking love acid house now i listen to all my mums old tunes. im 21 and the nightlife is terrible in manchester in my opinion, i actually prefer sheffield, where ive lived for the past 6 months. factory, 5th ave, the ritz, venue, 42s, just all full of wankers looking for a do. id check out deaf institute, usually has top nights on there. or a night called revolver, all motown and friendly vibes, to me its the only night out that is friendly anymore.

my uncles say they saw oasis at hac, best night of their lives.
Click to expand...

Got to be honest it's always been a bit scrappy when you go out for a drink, there were very few places as a young man where you can have a good time without some bellend spoiling it.

You haven't lived until you've walked into a bar to see 40 or 50 snarling Green jackets all thinking what you'd taste like on toast ;-)
 
Gareth Barry Conlon said:
I read that last year on holiday. Crazy how long it went on hemorrhaging money.

I new some characters that worked there in its final years and it was shit by the mid 90s.
Click to expand...
I think it said about £18 million went through the books during its time with virtually no or little profit!
 
I preferred elsewhere but had many a good night in The Hacienda over a 15 year period. Some classic club nights and some great gigs even with the poor sound. I never liked E or the E club nights. I hated the drug scene and how it destroyed the clubs.
 
I was an original member and found it an odd but different place it to any other club I had visited.
The spartan, industrial silver-grey interior, reminded me of the repair shop of an empty car showroom.
The original acoustics for live bands (the live music was why I joined) wasn't great, but seem to remember it had 2/3 acts a week ?
Remember Jayne/Wayne County being eventful and enjoying Yazoo, early Simple Minds & loads of Factory artists.
Went to a New Year's Eve Party that was as flat as feck, due to everyone not daring to seem to be enjoying themselves.
Tony (before he became Anthony H.) Wilson was always on his tod at the bar.
Oh, it was always quiet...
 
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