Bulldozers move in on gig venue
FORMER SOUND CONTROL BUILDING WILL MAKE WAY FOR NEW STUDENT FLATS
WORK has begun to demolish city centre music venue Sound Control to make way for student accommodation.
A cordon was put in place along New Wakefield Street, just off Oxford Road, yesterday as construction workers moved in to start clearing the site.
Photos show a ‘road closed’ sign and traffic cones surrounding a large cordon in front of the trademark blue building.
Behind the cordon, men in hard hats surrounded a cherry picker as preparations are made to tear it down.
The popular gig venue closed its doors on December 16 – eight years to the day since it opened in 2009.
The venue saw big names like Friendly Fires, The Whip, Two Door Cinema Club, Scissor Sisters, WuTang Clan, Skepta, Tame Impala, London Grammar, The Slow Readers Club and the 1975 take to the stage during its tenure.
Tributes to the popular venue poured in on social media as people spotted builders at the site.
Events manager Ben Taylor tweeted a picture of the demolition crews moving in yesterday, saying: “There’s soon going to be a gap on the street. @ soundcontrolmcr.” Ben confirmed the closure of the gig venue on Twitter in October, saying: “The hugest of thanks to everyone that has worked, played, supported, danced, drank, sang with us. “Made some amazing friends for life.” Yesterday, music promoters Now Wave posted a picture of the site on Facebook, saying: “Sound Control about to be knocked down. RIP. Deerhunter, Wooden Shjips, Death Grips and the Maccabees were all unforgettable in there.” Jack Ryan said: “Piece of history gone forever. Amazing venue, had some good nights here!” Craig Whittaker added: “Goodbye Sound Control, will never forget the memories.” The venue will be replaced by a 30-storey student housing block, designed by Simpson and Haugh. The plans for the skyscraper, put forward by student accommodation company Unite, were given the green light at a planning meeting in October. Manchester’s conservation panel said the plans were out of scale, but Historic England didn’t object. Jack Ryan on Twitter