The future of the music night has been uncertain after leaving its host venue after 25 years
The Grosvenor opened in the former Footage site on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Manchester in 2024(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
The future of Manchester’s ‘longest running’ open mic night has been secured after weeks of uncertainty.
Tony Bolton, the man behind the concept, parted ways with the original host venue for the night last month after almost a quarter of a century. But now, in a new update, Tony has revealed a new location for the legendary music night.
The open mic night was formerly hosted at The Thirsty Scholar pub for almost 25 years, but in March, Tony made the difficult decision to part ways with the venue, which recently rebranded as an Irish pub called O’Connells.
Tony told the Manchester Evening News at the time that he was ‘devastated’ that the night may not continue in the new venue, but that discussions had taken place between him and the pub’s management team, resulting in the decision to part ways.
Tony Bolton (Image: Supplied)
Now, in a positive step for the open mic night’s longevity, it has found a new home and is starting a “bold new chapter” just down road.
Formerly known as The Footage and Firkin, and with over a century of history, the newly revamped Grosvenor on Oxford Road will now be home to the city’s best-loved grassroots night of live performance.
“Leaving our old venue after 24 years was emotional – but I was overwhelmed by the support from Manchester and beyond,” said Tony.
“When I met with The Grosvenor, I knew we’d found our new home. It’s a fantastic space with its own amazing legacy, and I’m elated to be back doing what I love.
The Grosvenor opened in the former Footage site on the corner of Grosvenor Street and Oxford Road in Manchester in 2024(Image: Jake Lindley / Manchester Evening News)
“The kind messages gave me the strength to move forward – you’re truly valued.”
Tony will relaunch the event on Tuesday, 13 May 2025, with sign-ups from 7pm and performances kicking off around 8pm.
The event will run every Tuesday, continuing the long-standing tradition of giving space to live music, poetry, comedy, and karaoke.
The format will remain true to its roots, with comedy taking place upstairs and music, spoken word, and karaoke downstairs. But the new venue brings with it some new features including food, a pool table, and even a pink ball pit.
The launch night will feature special guest musician Helen Walford and comedy MC Liam Alexander, with many more surprises to follow in the coming weeks.
The open mic night had been running at the Thirsty Scholar site (Image: Supplied)
Two new monthly showcase nights are in the works, and are set to launch soon, expanding the platform for Manchester’s creative community and artists.
Tony, who also goes by the stage name Tuesday Tony, balances the open mic night alongside his job as a martial arts instructor.
He founded the legendary open mic night after going down to The Thirsty Scholar as an engineer to help out with a music night.
From here it evolved to music acts and warm acts to also incorporate comedy slots around ten years ago. The night would start with comedy, before incorporating music, then what Tony called ‘half-arsed karaoke’.
The open mic night will relaunch at the Grosvenor on Tuesday, 13 May. If heading down, you can sign up from 7pm before performances at 8pm.