Get Ready For A Night Of Clean Fun... (Sankey's Soap (Manchester))

Member Name: jeff2000

Product:	Sankey's Soap (Manchester)
Date:	11/10/01 (2369 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: good nights, good DJ's , good atmosphere

Disadvantages: too small, can be too crowded, it's in Manchester

Sankey's Soap recently celebrated one year since it re-opened with a refurbishment and some great parties. The club itself is situated just outside Manchester city centre, about 10 minutes walk from the bus stops, in the middle of what seems to be an industrial estate, well, it used to be a soap factory so what do you expect. It has been a club for quite some years now but had to close down in the mid 90's due to Manchester’s gang problem and the numerous club/gang related shootings, but about a year ago it reopened with long time Manc promoters Golden on a Saturday night, and the all new Tribal sessions on a Friday. Golden had a trance/hard house music policy, with guests such as Judge Jules and Jon '00' Flemming, whilst Tribal sessions has a more progressive spin on things with guests such as John Digweed and Erick Morillo. Sadly Golden no longer hosts the Saturday nights, this being put down to the escalating costs involved in pulling in a big name DJ to a club they didn't own, but they reckon that they will soon be back in Manc in an all new venue, even better than before. This has been replaced by 'Red Light', a house night with a music policy described as 'sleazy house', if you say so then.

Anyway, now for a quick description of the club: You enter through the front gate, have a quick frisk by the bullet proof jacketed bouncers, and find yourself in an outside courtyard with the cloakroom on the left and the club on the right. This may well cause problems when it's raining, as it often is in the North, as you have to queue outside to get your coat at the end of the night, but it only seems to be us Southern softies that bring a coat anyway so maybe it's not too much of a problem. The courtyard is perfect for chilling later on in the night as the club can get rather hot, especially when the big names are on, but it may be a bit too chilled in the winter, especially when it’s raining, again. Anywa
y, when you go into the club you are thrust into the main room, the dancefloor is to your left, the bar and seating to your right, and the upstairs straight on. The dancefloor takes up about half the club and has quite a few podiums and a wicked sound and light system, the DJ box is raised at the front of the 'floor and they look out across the whole crowd. There are two bars in this room, one only selling water and the other with a range of more potent products, though no draught beers, so they can rip you off royally for bottles (£2.70). Behind the bars there is some limited seating, but this is always full so you have to hover around a bit if you want a seat.
The upstairs has recently been changed round, making the dancefloor bigger and reducing seating space. There is also a bar up here, which is generally not as busy as the ones downstairs. The lighting and sound is not as good upstairs, but then it never is in the second room, is it? The VIP room is also hidden away up here, if you’re lucky enough to get invited in.
The decor throughout the club is of an industrial nature, with exposed bricks on the wall and such like, it all looks quite smart and not as rundown as many clubs.

The enrance is about £8 - £10 depending on the night, but it may be more depending on the DJ, for example I recently paid £15 to see Sasha. Another thing when the big names are on is the club will sell out and maybe be a bit crowded for some people, the capcity's only about 600 and the dancefloor ain't too big so expect a few bruised toes.

The crowd is generally quite friendly and the bouncers do a good job of keeping the Scally's away, most people there are quite serious clubbers, this is probably due to the price of the night, the DJ's and the location of the club, so most people are quite clued up about the music. The atmosphere is usually terrific, especially at Tribal Sessions as they have a very loyal crowd and a well defined p
rogressive music policy, their brilliant resident team always keeps the punters happy as well. The dress code isn't too strict, but remember you're going to a club, not a sports event, so dress accordingly. I would thoroughly recommend Sankey's for a 'proper' clubbing night out, and I often journey over there from Leeds, showing how good it is, as I grace it with my presence. Tickets are available for when the 'big names' play, and sell out fast so be quick or be disappointed.

Overall a great little club with a fantastic crowd, good nights and good DJ's, maybe a little small to be a 'super club', but I think it's super in it's own little way.

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