So the end of an era as Manchester’s finest dance music venue passes into the land of folklore and legend like The Hacienda before it. The difference being Sankeys lasted for a longer period that saw music tastes and genres change and evolve. Super clubs like Gatecrasher came and went whilst Sankeys became a fixture. The reason why it endured, why it was never a faze or a fade, was because it never tried to be a scene. It was the scene. It survived thanks to its loyal masses and consistently strong nights. It’d be a strange day if you took a taxi away from Jersey Street disappointed.
You may remember the original Sankeys Soap that had the perfect feel of its mill roots ingrained into an industrial electronic feel. Where the one main room greeted you after you’d dropped your coat off across the courtyard. The sunken DJ booth playing music that felt unique and befitting of the venue. Or the post-renovation that created the circular booth and entrance bay with its own brand of beats. One thing you thing that both should have done was given you a sense of belonging. If it’s possible to fall in love with a place then Sankeys was that place. A tangible structure for the feelings its music evoked.
The owner, David Vincent, has decided in order to pursue the Ibiza dream he needs to take his Manchester production staff. I find it hard to believe there wasn’t people that could maintain the work in Manchester whilst Ibiza became the venue he dreams of. Unless of course, he doesn’t wish competition within his own brand. I hope Sankeys Ibiza is a success just so the loss of Manchester has some meaning. But one can’t help feel the clubbers that made Sankeys ‘The Best Club in The World’ will never get the reward they deserve.
The Reflective Page 