Paranoid London, Decius and Japanese producer Soichi Terada are among the first artists heading to the new space...
New Century is all set to throw open the doors of its new 450-capacity club and live music venue next month.
Called Locker, the venue will occupy part of the ground floor of New Century’s Grade II-listed 1960s building on Hanover Street, directly below its main concert hall. Announced in May this year, it has been designed for both club nights and live shows, with audio engineers Adlib behind an L-Acoustics sound system serving a sprung dancefloor.
Its opening programme gives an early indication of the direction the venue is taking, with Paranoid London, Decius, Japanese producer Soichi Terada, dub heavyweights Mad Professor and Dennis Bovell, Logic1000, Two Shell, Jyoty and Massimiliano Pagliara among the first names confirmed.
Locker opens on Friday 2 October, when Nooriyah will make her Manchester debut alongside local selectors Adele Tondu and Imad. The following night brings a live set from acid house duo Paranoid London with vocalist Mutado Pintado, alongside DJ Subaru, Kiosk and other guests.
New Century MD Abby Mudge said: “Locker aims to reimagine our ground floor in a way that enables us to dive into our acid-house roots, support even more grassroots talent as well as providing independent hospitality for which New Century is known and loved.
“We’re proud to be creating more space in the city for emerging artists and promoters in a building that lives and breathes music. Locker will also provide even more experience and opportunities for the students who call our building home at dBs Institute, supporting New Century’s musical ecosystem.”
The opening run stretches well beyond its first weekend. Decius, the live electronic group featuring brothers Liam and Luke May alongside Paranoid London’s Quinn Whalley and Fat White Family frontman Lias Saoudi, play the venue on Friday 30 October.
Japanese producer Soichi Terada arrives on Saturday 7 November with Sumo x Apes, a new live show combining the house and jungle sides of his catalogue with music inspired by his work on the cult Ape Escape video game series. The performance will also feature synchronised, game-inspired visuals created by Terada himself.
A week later, Mad Professor and Dennis Bovell bring decades of UK dub history to Locker on Friday 13 November. Elsewhere across the first season, the programme includes Manuka Honey, IZCO, Takuya Nakamura, Bimini, Kelsey Lu, Heidi, Y U QT, ZAINAB, JD Reid and Me Gusta, alongside a mixture of live shows and club nights.
The space will retain the building’s mid-century character while introducing a more stripped-back club setup, with its own bar and a sound-proofed partition separating it from the rest of the ground floor.
Locker was first announced back in May as part of a wider reconfiguration of New Century’s ground floor. The existing central bar is being retained alongside a new food concept, which is soon to be announced.
At the time, New Century MD Abby Mudge said: “Locker aims to reimagine our ground floor in a way that enables us to support grassroots talent further, as well as providing independent hospitality for which New Century is known and loved.
“Our loyal guests will still be able to enjoy the same look and feel, the same great team, our beautiful bar and an exciting new food concept throughout the day and into the evening.
“We’re proud to be creating more space in the city for emerging artists and promoters in a building that lives and breathes music. Locker will also provide even more experience and opportunities for the students who call our building home at dBs Institute, supporting New Century’s musical ecosystem. We can’t wait to welcome Manchester to Locker in the Autumn!”
The plans were also welcomed by Music Venue Trust when the new space was announced in May.
Jay Taylor, the organisation’s Regional Venues Alliance Coordinator, said: “New Century expanding to incorporate a second 450-capacity grassroots space is a huge step forward which will create significant opportunities for artists, promoters and audiences.
“This is a really encouraging addition to Manchester’s live music ecosystem, strengthening our vital infrastructure and grassroots scene.”
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