‘it’s nice to feel some life in the building’
The Abbey, in Hulme, reopened earlier this month as a new grassroots music venue and pub(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
For well over a year, The Old Abbey Taphouse in Hulme had been sat derelict and collecting dust.
Part of the area since the 1890s and considered to be one of Manchester’s oldest pubs, its last operation had seen it operate as a social enterprise – spinning a number of plates as a pub, music venue, radio station, kitchen and youth training centre. So, the closure of the beloved spot on Guildhall Close was one that hit the local community hard.
But, three weeks earlier, the cobwebs were cleared away and the venue – now simply The Abbey – was given a major spruce up and reopened as a grassroots live music space and pub. The opening night saw both beer gardens full and people queuing out of the door to get in.
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Thankfully, the momentum has yet to die down and the pub has still been very busy according to Wesley Jones, who is one quarter of the leadership team behind The Abbey. Wesley is a co-founder of music promoters Now Wave alongside Jon Wickstead, who is also part of the Hulme venue’s team alongside former Deaf Institute programmer Ruth Hemmingfield and Psych Fest’s Gareth Butterworth.
Although the group are veterans when it comes to running successful music venues in Manchester – with the Now Wave co-founders also running YES in the city centre – this new venture has come with a unique challenge to overcome for the team: putting it on the map.
The Abbey has been carefully restored and independently renovated to breathe new life into a historic local institution(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
“We’ve had a bit of feedback, people who have never been to The Old Abbey sort of don’t know where exactly it is,” Wes laughs as he tells the Manchester Evening News how its opening season has gone. “There’s nothing you can do about it, so instead of seeing it as a negative, you can see it as a positive.”
Wes says, like with venues like The White Hotel and Antwerp Mansion in the years gone, people will soon figure out where The Abbey is situated – especially as it brings in a range of artists and live acts, with Ora Cogan, Spanish Horses, and Golomb playing in August, and Less Big Byrd, Psych Fest, Dream Machine and Bikini Body amongst those on the bill for September.
Their first weekend even attracted a performance from the Talking Heads-inspired Stop Making Sense Live, fresh from selling out two shows at Manchester’s Albert Hall. It will also go beyond just music, with a range of community events and family-friendly activities throughout the year too – with the community allowed to lead the charge in terms of what it wants from the venue going forward.
The new team at The Abbey in Hulme, which was originally The Old Abbey Taphouse (Image: Piran Aston)
One advantage of their location is that it will hopefully avoid future noise complaints, an issue that has plagued many popular music venues such as Night & Day cafe in the past. “We’re all familiar with the problems Night & Day have had with making too much noise, touch wood we shouldn’t have those problems,” Wes suggests.
Acting as the ‘first rung on the ladder’ for emerging musicians is a top priority for The Abbey, which will act as a ‘springboard’ to propel bands and artists headfirst into the grassroots music scene, subsequently allowing them to ‘go and play the bigger venues in the city’.
The aim with their 100-capacity hall is that it will slowly, but surely, start to add more gigs to its roster as it emerges as a name within the scene. “We’ve got some more live stuff happening soon,” Wes teases, “then it’s really busy in Autumn.”
It’s hoped The Abbey will act as a ‘springboard’ to propel bands and artists headfirst into the grassroots music scene(Image: Jason Roberts /Manchester Evening News)
Wes acknowledges that it is essential the Abbey remains an inclusive hub for all. “Even when there’s no live music on, it’s a pub for the community to come in and use,” he explains. With a background in live music and a fondness for traditional Manchester pubs, such as the Pevril of the Peak, Wesley knew ‘combining those two things seemed to make sense’.
Given the distinct lack of pubs in the surrounding area, Wesley is excited to welcome nearby residents in search of a new watering hole – ‘There is a community in Hulme that hasn’t got many pubs,” he says. “Hopefully we can become their new local.
“When people come and fill the place, it’s nice to see people in there and feel some life in the building.”
The Abbey is on Guildhall Cl, Manchester M15 6SY. Follow on Instagram.