It's been eight years since a Manchester pub that helped launch the careers of top comedians and bands closed its doors forever.
The Ducie Bridge pub had been a fixture on Corporation Street since 1923. But from the late '90s and early Noughties, the pub's Juicy Ducie Comedy Club became renowned for giving some of Britain's biggest comedians a chance to perfect their craft.
Bolton's Peter Kay and fellow stars from his hit TV comedy Phoenix Nights all performed there. Timperley's big-headed Frank Sidebottom and Johnny Vegas were also among those who appeared at the city-centre pub, as well as other big names like John Bishop and Jo Brand.
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Despite the impressive list of talent, the club came in for fierce criticism. It ended up being billed as The Worst Comedy Night in Manchester after a less-than-complimentary write-up in City Life magazine.
Comedian Mike Wilkinson later told the MEN about how he started his stand up career at the Ducie Bridge comedy night in the late '90s: "I went down to The Worst Comedy Night In Manchester (its actual name at the time, though it was pretty a accurate description) and decided to have ago after watching all the sad freaks there."
In the early Noughties the Comedy club closed, but a few years later it was resurrected by new landlord, Dave Foran, with Moston comic Smug Roberts as its compere. The venue also became a favourite amongst Manchester's music fans who flocked to the boozer to watch countless bands over the years.
It gained a reputation as a great place to spot up and coming new talent while sipping a pint and safely assuming you wouldn't have to pay Northern Quarter prices for the privilege. The pub's landlord, Dave Foran, was keen to encourage new talent, promoting a 'free to play' ethos for young bands struggling to make their mark on Manchester’s saturated music scene.
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He set up Manchester Radio Online, based at the pub, and started the Manchester Bands-Union in a bid to give new musicians a place to showcase their talents. In 2015, Dave told the MEN: "I was sick of bands getting ripped off in Manchester having to pay to play. Having to sell 50 tickets at least to play at a venue.
"So we said we could play them on the radio station and they could play at the Ducie. They'd get some beer tokens so they could have a good night and they could showcase their music.
"With punk and indie bands now, there’s nowhere for them to go. There's only the bigger venues and to get exposure bands are getting ripped off." One Manchester band who started their careers playing the Ducie Bridge that went on to playing bigger venues supporting bands such as Black Grape was Alias Kid.
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It was after a storming set at the now lost pub that they were signed up by Alan McGee - the boss of Creation Records who previously signed Oasis, Primal Scream, Super Furry Animals, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Ride and My Bloody Valentine.
The band's frontman and guitarist Sean O'Donnell told the MEN: "We went to Liverpool to do McGee's night there, and he loved it and came to see us in Manchester. We did a gig at the Ducie Bridge, and it was a top gig, it was rammed, and McGee said, 'You know what? I'm signing you'."
However, in 2015, Manchester's music fans were gutted to hear the news that the historic venue was to close down. The pub's owner, Co-op, announced it would close as part of the £800m NOMA development.
NOMA, which stands for North Manchester, is a 20-acre, £800million scheme to create four million square feet of offices, homes, shops and leisure amenities. The century old pub and surrounding buildings were to be pulled down as part of the city centre development.
Having been a mecca for punk and rock fans for years, fittingly the Ducie Bridge didn’t go close down quietly, hosting an ear-splitting farewell gig later in 2015 to mark the end of an era. But there was still time for the pub to part in one last rebellious swing at the establishment.
In 2016, shortly after it closed, squatters took over the Ducie Bridge and its grounds in a campaign against homelessness in the city. For several weeks, negotiations to get them to vacate the building failed and eventually a court order was served ordering them to leave or face eviction.
However, two weeks after the judge's ruling, squatters were still inside the building. Bailiffs were called to evict of the squatters, some of whom had clambered on to the pub's roof to continue their protest. This wasn't the end of the trouble, as soon after large scale brawls broke out between protestors and bailiffs after camps of squatters continued to occupy a grassy verge near to the condemned pub.
But in the end, there was no reprieve despite a petition attracting thousands of signatures being started to save the pub. By 2020, the building which had stood on the edge of Manchester city centre since 1892 had been reduced to rubble.
Does the Ducie Bridge or any other lost pub or venue awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
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