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A wave of memories followed the announcement that a popular Salford experimental arts venue will close at the start of next year.<\/strong><\/p>\n After a decade at the heart of the region\u2019s avant-garde scene, the White Hotel in Lower Broughton will shut up shop in January 2027.<\/p>\n The renowned nightclub, housed inside an old white-brick MOT garage, is in a flood risk zone and will give way to a 60-acre wetland park along the River Irwell.<\/p>\n Copper Park will reduce that flood risk, paving the way for 7,000 homes and large-scale commercial developments in Salford\u2019s Cambridge Industrial Estate and Manchester\u2019s Strangeways district.<\/p>\n With the White Hotel\u2019s impending closure confirmed, DJs and club-goers have paid tribute to the venue\u2019s \u201craw, authentic spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n Martha Pazienti Caidan<\/a>, a DJ with her own BBC Radio 1 show championing the underground electronic music scene, was encouraged to visit by her listeners.<\/p>\n Hailing from Peckham in South London, she highlighted that the White Hotel\u2019s legendary reputation extends well beyond Greater Manchester, having infiltrated underground music circles down south.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople from all corners of the underground scene told me, \u2018You will love the White Hotel, it will be your favourite\u2019,\u201d Martha explained. \u201cWhen my Radio 1 listeners started to say the same, I decided I must go \u2013 and it was worth travelling for.\u201d<\/p>\n After playing a set in the Manchester City Centre, the artist made the pilgrimage out of town to the famous Salford club for the first time. \u201cFrom the moment I got there it just felt so comfortable, especially compared to the set I\u2019d come from,\u201d she recalled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt felt more along the lines of a house party with a massive sound system. I felt really safe and it was truly about the music, which I feel like you have to seek out more and more in the kind of era we are living in now.\u201d<\/p>\n That night Martha was struck by the \u201cintriguing\u201d atmosphere Bristol-based DJ Yushh was able to create in the dark, smoky warehouse.<\/p>\n Last summer, the 31-year-old had the \u201chonour\u201d of stepping the other side of the DJ booth when she played at the venue last summer. \u201cI remember how much attention to detail was put into the sound system, which was really special,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n \u201cYou can\u2019t really see out as a DJ, and it really removes that layer of perfomatism. I am so glad that I got to play there before it closed because, in terms of small clubs, it\u2019s in my top three of all time.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a feeling fellow DJ Kevin Holland<\/a> experienced three times. \u201cThe White Hotel closing is a\u00a0 devastating loss for not only Salford and Manchester but UK music culture at large,\u201d the non-binary artist said, adding: \u201cIt has been such a haven for so many people and the Hacienda of my generation.\u201d<\/p>\n Kevin too heard of the White Hotel\u2019s was a beacon of the country\u2019s underground scene long before visiting the club for the first time: \u201cI had heard of how crazy it was through friends back home who had been pre-covid though I wasn\u2019t able to attend until 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cI think it\u2019s a rite of passage to fall face forward from the stage platform to the dancefloor when you first come in through the curtain because of how dark and blinding the lights are \u2013 it\u2019s been funny seeing that happen to people down the years.\u201d<\/p>\n Originally from Belfast, Kevin moved to the region six years ago to study English and Journalism at Manchester Metropolitan University.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been DJing for just as long and have been lucky to play White Hotel three times, the last time was in February.\u201d They highlighted their last set at the venue landed them a place on leading electronic music magazine Resident Advisor\u2019s \u2018Mix of the Day\u2019 list.<\/p>\n The DJ, who performs under the stage name K.h0lle, said being recognised for an outstanding performance at their final show now felt \u201cquite bittersweet\u201d in light of the club\u2019s closure. \u201cAt least I can have it as a memento of a place that meant so much to me and many others.\u201d<\/p>\nAn artist\u2019s impression of Copper Park. Photo Credit: Manchester City Council. <\/p>\n
Martha Pazienti Caidan outside the White Hotel. <\/p>\n
High Hoops at the White Hotel. <\/p>\n
Kevin Holland DJing at the White Hotel. <\/p>\n