The underground clubbing community is reeling from the news that Sankeys Manchester has been forced to close due to the sale of the Beehive Mill building that houses it.
The venue in Ancoats, which operated as Sankeys Soap in the mid '90s and relaunched in 2000, will be converted into apartments. An official statement from the club arrived this morning after releasing a brief comment on Facebook last night. According to the statement, club owners have been in negotiations over Sankeys' lease with the property management agents of Beehive Mill for some time, but it could no longer be protected from developers.
Words were dedicated to those who've worked solidly at the Manchester institution: “After our most successful quarter in seven years it is a particularly bitter situation. However, we must pay tribute to those guys who smashed it over the last six months, without doubt the recent influx of numbers made the landlords decision that bit harder. Hats off to Daniel Francis Joyce, Ed Davis, James Muldoon, Grace Annabelle Oatway, Helen Kx, Laurence RalphLaurence Davidson, Tee O Brown, and of course our trusty bar team, we couldn't have done it without you.”
Of course it's not the end of the brand, as we've still got Sankeys Ibiza, Sankeys East took the brand to London, and a Sankeys Birmingham will be opening in March. But, what now for Sankeys Manchester? Well, it's not all doom and gloom as the team are looking at a few options in terms of new venues, and they'll be running a series of pop-up events inclusive of existing bookings and shows yet to be released, with the first being Sonny Fodera at Gorilla on 11 February.
Stay tuned to its official Facebook page for details on all the shows currently in the diary, as you´ll have venue changes, revision of dates or some may be cancelled.
