You may have never been to Clampdown Records. But you’ll have definitely seen it.
It’s been the site of famous film sets like Morbius, It’s A Sin, and Peaky Blinders. So its owner, Neil Clarke, has rubbed shoulders with some A-listers.
Refreshingly, the man behind the counter is very down to earth. He’s owned Clampdown for 16 years, and it moved to its current site in Piccadilly in 1996 — but it started life in the Corn Exchange in 1991.
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Neil’s originally from Swinton, but has been coming to town for work and play for decades. He knows the city intimately, and he’s proud of it — with some interesting ideas on how it’s changing.
Here’s what makes him tick.
Where’s your favourite hidden gem?
There’s a place in Ancoats, it’s called Nam. Down below the restaurant, underneath, there’s a high-end audiophile bar.
In the basement of it, every weekend they have DJs on with an amazing set-up — there’s custom-built speakers, an Isonoe mixing desk, it’s open until 2am once a month. A quality place.
What’s your favourite view of the city or in the city?
Looking towards the city, I’d go for Birtle near Bury. On a clear day you see the high rises, it’s like downtown Los Angeles now.
Where’s best to go for your dinner in town?
Cafe Marhaba, just over from Piccadilly. It’s got the best rice-and-three.
Where would you take someone to show them the real Manchester?
It’s changed so much in the years I’ve been here. It’s hard to do that now, I don’t think you can find the real city now, compared to the way I could in my younger days.
I grew up in Swinton, but when I think back to the 90s when not many people lived in the city, you’d go to Sankey’s Soap in Ancoats, then you’d hot-foot over Great Ancoats Street because it was a bit edgy.
All the clubs if they finished at 2am or 3am, it’d be a ghost town. The real city now, it’s hard for me to come up with an answer now — it changes all the time.
The long-standing joke is that if you stand still long enough around here, a bar will open up around you.
What’s your favourite Mancunian neighbourhood?
I like Bury, that’s pretty good. There’s a lot going on there in the town centre, there’s really good independent shops and Wax and Beans which is a great record shop.
What are the five words that best describe the city?
Forever changing, always moving forward.
City or United?
It’s gotta be United.
Liam or Noel?
I drift between the two, but Noel is a good talking head and he’s a Slade fan!
Your favourite city pub is…?!
Briton’s Protection.
Who is your favourite city ‘character’?
There’s the guy on the bike…
Boombox Barry?! He’s got an e-scooter now
He’s moving on!
What’s the one change you'd make to Manchester if you could…
A beach is always nice, but everyone says that. I tell you what I’d like them to do — fix the paving stones!
Once it rains, as it always does, because they put sand to level them out, it liquifies so you have to do an Indiana Jones when you’re walking to avoid getting brown sludge up your leg. Pass that along to Pat Karney.
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