Night and Day Cafe has responded to Manchester City Council’s claims that they remain supportive of Manchester’s local music scene despite the popular venue facing court over a noise complaint next month.
The council – which issued Night and Day with a ‘Noise Abatement Notice’ last November – released a statement insisting they want to work with the business to address the issue.
If the appeal of the notice is unsuccessful, the Northern Quarter landmark would be liable to face prosecution and fears measures such as the seizure of their live music equipment.
In a recent statement, the council said: “Manchester City Council remains supportive of the music scene in Manchester.
“The Council is NOT seeking to close down the venue and we want to work with the venue to address the noise, for example through suitable acoustic measures.”
But Night and Day insist that the notice could have huge financial repercussions to the way they operate as a business.
In-house promoter, Reece Ritchie, said: “To say that they support the local music scene when they risk a 31-year-old venue that’s had every band from Oasis through to My Chemical Romance play in it, doesn’t seem to be entirely supportive.”
“If we don’t win the appeal, the business itself could face prosecution after any further noise complaints. It leaves us liable to having the seizure of our PA and music equipment.”
Their court appeal will centre on evidence that sound proofing of surrounding residential flats was not submitted in the early stages of planning in their conversion almost 20 years ago.
The music venue also claims there has been just one complainant while the council insist there were three.
An updated statement from Night and Day was released on their Just Giving page which has received over 82,000 signatures for the removal of the ‘Noise Abatement Notice’.
The Cafe went through an almost identical noise issue in 2014 where they were successful in a campaign against similar noise complaints.
And Ritchie is concerned that if this cycle continues every five to six years, forcing them to make more compromises, they just won’t have any more room to stretch.
The 22-year-old, who was introduced to Night and Day by his stepfather before moving to Manchester for university, stressed the cultural significance of the live-music bar.
He said: “I organise a DJ set called Loose Joints which is where we hire developing bands from Manchester and pay them to help create a more continuous music scene in the city.
“It started during lockdown when bands weren’t able to perform but we were allowed to have DJs.
“We were one of the only venues which was able to support artists because we paid them to do the Loose Joints set and we continue to pay them today.”
Night and Day Cafe has received public support from the likes of Joy Division, Tim Burgess and Manchester’s Night Time Economy Advisor, Sacha Lord.
“Everyone around me has been very supportive. We’ve had messages checking that everyone at the venue is okay. It’s been wonderfully heartening.”
He added: “With everything going on in the country and the world at the moment, to lose an independent music venue which is solely about putting on events that make people happy feels insane to me.”
