As The Warehouse Project's 5th Anniversary season draws to a close, Abbas Ali looks back over five years at one of the world's leading club venues.
In the rave scene of the late 80s, illegal parties in derelict warehouses, far flung fields and abandoned buildings across the UK thrived, as acid house exploded to a background of poll tax riots and Thatcherism. The location of such events would often be kept secret until the last minute, while the events themselves showcased early house music, which the likes of Paul Oakenfold and Danny Rampling imported after discovering on their travels in Ibiza.
The freedom and innocence of these early events in places like Blackburn, and around the M25 orbital motorway was lost as drug gangs and criminal underworld moved in and authorities sought to stamp the parties out, culminating in the much-hated Criminal Justice Act of 1994, which contained several measures to make such parties illegal. This coincided with the growth of superclubs like Cream and Ministry of Sound, which stepped in to fill the gap during the 90s, commercialising the experience of enjoying music, and making a killing in the process.
It was out of a wish to revive this original, free spirit of rave parties that Manchester’s Warehouse Project was initiated back in 2005, by the promoters of Sankeys Soap. “The whole ethos is to create that warehouse vibe from a bygone era, but all official and above board”, explains Lee Stone, Promotions Manager at the Project.
The event is currently located in the gritty environs of a car park underneath Piccadilly train station in Manchester, and prior to that, it found its home in Boddington’s disused brewery. “The concept is to take over spaces that aren’t normally associated with music events. It has a raw edge to it, with all the exposed brickwork and everything else. It has that vibe to it."
The venue’s high profile, and quality control has lead it be nominated as ninth best venue in the world by DJ Magazine, and its ambitious programming policy, which sees it cover everything from indie to dubstep, attracts a wide and varied crowd. “Some of the events are quite student orientated, like the drum and bass nights are very popular with them. The live music events tend to attract an older crowd”, says Lee of the audiences that the Project pulls in, which he explains, come from far and wide, including abroad. “It’s very varied, but I’d say it’s between the ages of 18 and 40, but it changes week to week over the twelve weeks that we run.”
Certainly, the sheer size and scope of the WHP is impressive. With five bars, several hundred staff, and 2000 punters each week, it is a large event, particularly for one that is only operational from September though to 1 January.
This fifth anniversary season has had some special shows as the event has grown and grown in its’ ability to attract big names, and cutting edge acts. “We’ve had some great performances from the likes of Kelis, M.I.A, and KRS One came down”, says Lee when asked about his personal highlights this season. “The Kieran Hebden night was definitely a big night, with Four Tet. That was a fantastic night. Too many to mention, really.” Looking ahead to these final few weeks, Lee is excited about the culmination of the party season. “We’re definitely anticipating the Ian Brown gig, and David Guetta gig, over the Christmas period. Those are probably the highlights.”
Photo: Sebastian Matthes, Manox.net
Buy tickets for Warehouse Project events.
Warehouse Project news, features and reviews.
Buy tickets »
comments