Today Sankeys announced that the infamous Ancoats club is to close indefinitely from May 6, as the clubbing brand looks to concentrated on his its Ibiza club.
A statement from the club popped up on Facebook outlining why the decision had been taken to close the club.
According to Dave Vincent, the current owner and manager, the team behind the club couldn’t run both the Manchester and Ibiza venue at the same time, and the decision has been taken that the Manchester club will close.
The decision from Vincent, and his team, to concentrate on Sankeys Ibiza, a 3-room, 1,500 capacity club in Playa d’en Bossa, is an interesting one. Sure, it’s sunny, something Manchester isn’t, and Ibiza has seen a recent resurgence with the likes of Ushuaia opening in the last 2 years.
But you can’t help but feel Vincent must be deluded or is suffering sunstroke if he thinks that Sankeys Ibiza can ever reached the dizzying heights of the original Sankeys.
Anyone who’s an Ibiza veteran will tell you Sankeys Ibiza is a cool little club – nothing more, nothing less – and certainly not in the same league as Space or the new look-at-me Ushuaia.
So What Went Wrong?
Since Sankeys went under a massive refurbishment, on the face of it the club looked, and sounded, healthy. They picked up DJ Mag’s dubious “Best Club in the World” accolade in 2010, and had obviously been making plans to expand the brand worldwide, whilst promising to keep the Manchester club open.
So what’s gone wrong? Well, we’re not entirely sure, there have been rumours that the Ibiza venue was bankrupting the rest of the business, but if that’s the case – then why concentrate on the Ibiza venue? Other rumours we’ve heard is Beehive Mill had been repossessed, if that’s true then that means there’s not a lot Sankeys could have done anyway.
Or you could just believe Sankeys’ version of events, that they can’t cope running two clubs anymore. But then there’s the much rumoured New York club, which recently got its liquor licence and will open in July. Which begs the question if Sankeys New York can be run at arms length, then why not the Manchester club?
If you’re like me, someone who cut his electronic teeth on a strict diet of Sankey Soaps (pre-refurbishment) you probably won’t care about Sankeys’ most recent death.
After all it is a widely held belief the that steamy atmosphere of the old Soaps was lost years ago with the additions of the rainbow roof, the cinema, and the less-than-stellar first room.
It could also be said that Sankeys had become a breeding ground for vest-wearing knob-heads and look-at-me Uni types – but throughout my time in Manchester there has always been one constant: Sankeys, a club slightly off-the-beaten track that’s influence on our city can’t be, and shouldn’t be, taken lightly.
So what’s left for Manchester now? Well, not a lot. Manchester has been a clubbing destination for techno tourist for years, especially nowadays with the arrival of the Warehouse Project. But what about the other 42 weeks? What else is there for the non-Uni types, who, you know, actually live in Manchester, and don’t just go clubbing when we’ve got our non-existent student loans in. Not a lot, on the face of it, and that’s a sad day for Manchester and music.
For 42 week this City is no ones, seemingly.
Read the full statement below.
David Vincent said: “I have decided to close Sankeys in Manchester indefinitely this summer as I focus my attention on our third year in Ibiza. I want our Ibiza project to be the best club in the world, just like what we have achieved previously in Manchester, as I get the feeling this could be our summer. But I need my production and staff from Manchester to come to Ibiza with me to achieve this goal and therefore both clubs cannot be open at the same time. Who knows when we will be back in Manchester, or if we ever will be back,
or what comes next in this great city I love. I want this current chapter of the club’s history to end with a spectacular party, so we are rounding off the May bank holiday with a huge line-up. It’s an 12 hour marathon set from 1pm to 1am on Monday 6th, with a stellar cast of names and the Sankeys Manchester residents, in the spirit of our epic 12-hour Tenaglia sessions.”
David concludes, “I have had some truly amazing memories in Manchester, many brilliant highs including being recognised for contributing significant culture to the city of Manchester at a national museum and also quite a few challenging lows, in a journey which will continue around the world. We have made our name in Manchester as The World’s Best Club in the DJ Mag Awards 2010, and the Sankeys spirit will live on there. I want to say huge thanks all of the DJs, live acts, promoters and agents that I have worked with, and all of the Sankeys staff who have helped shape the club during the last 13 years. And most importantly, Sankeys simply wouldn’t exist without our loyal crowd who have made us what we are today, and I want to say thanks to every one of you. Finally, all I can say right now about what happens next is quite simply: watch this space.”
Sankeys Closing Party
Monday 6th May
@ Sankeys, 4 Radium Street, Manchester, M4 6AY
Joris Voorn
tINI and Enzo Siragusa
Darius Syrossian
Jozef K
Us & Them
Bones
Two very special unannounced guests
£15 advance tickets
1pm – 1am
