StreamGM and The Manc have a plan to show some serious love and support to the region’s renowned theatres, nightclubs, and live-music venues.
Over the past 15 months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve watched musicals from our cars, experienced Zoom parties, solo kitchen discos, and seated half-capacity gigs – but nothing beats the buzz of a live show, right?
Nightclubs were forced to close back in March 2020, and while theatres and live music venues in Greater Manchester have been able to open for short periods for performances, this has been under strict restrictions around capacity, movement, masks, and social distancing to keep people safe.
This week though, Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed that the final stage of the roadmap will commence from 19 July, with rules on the wearing of face coverings, social distancing measures, and mass gathering all set to change.
SeeGM will shine a spotlight on events, club nights, gigs and shows in Greater Manchester / Credit: Flickr
To mark this long-awaited moment, on 15 July, The Manc and the region’s multi award-winning streaming platform StreamGM are launching SeeGM – a digital campaign to shine a bright spotlight on many of the amazing events, club nights, gigs and shows in Greater Manchester.
Through promotional videos, digital content and interviews with some of Greater Manchester’s most respected operators and cultural figures, SeeGM will inspire residents to revisit their favourite haunts, buy tickets for future events, and safely experience more of the region’s vibrant culture and nightlife.
SeeGM will encourage people to post happy memories of times spent at gigs, shows and events on their social media platforms, be kind and respectful to staff, other audience members and partygoers, and share their first experiences of heading ‘out-out’ after 19 July.
As the region’s premier digital media publishers with an audience of over 1.2 million and currently ranked 10th most engaged news publisher in the UK, The Manc is well placed to promote Greater Manchester’s venues alongside StreamGM.
SeeGM will inspire residents to revisit their favourite haunts, buy tickets for future events, and more / Credit: Stream GM
Many of Greater Manchester’s best club nights, live music destinations and performance venues were featured by StreamGM’s smash-hit lockdown-founded United We Stream project.
Speaking ahead of the launch of SeeGM, Marie-Claire Daly – co-founder of StreamGM – said: “We’re thrilled to be working with The Manc on this campaign highlighting the very best Greater Manchester has to offer.
“The StreamGM team came together in 2020 through a shared love of live music and performance – and we, as much as anyone, can’t wait to get back to enjoying proper live events.
“While streaming has undoubtedly opened up new audiences for Greater Manchester talent, locally and around the world, now is the time for us to support and buy tickets for the live performances in the venues we’ve all missed so much.”
StreamGM and The Manc plan to show some serious love to the region’s struggling culture venues / Credit: StreamGM | The Manc
“Don’t forget though that these places and events need audiences to attend safely so we can continue to minimise infection so they don’t have to close their doors,” she continued.
“Be kind and respectful to staff and other audience members.”
“People across Greater Manchester have sacrificed so much over the past year or so and I know how much people are looking forward to getting back out properly and enjoying the likes of live music, theatre and our nightlife.”
Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester
Mr Burnham continued: “Our night-time economy has suffered significantly over this time, with businesses often unable to open at all and now we can all start doing our bit to support these important cultural venues.
“Buy tickets, make a booking, just tell a friend – it all makes a massive difference.
“Like many of you, I am excited to get back out and get back enjoying myself but, coronavirus is still out there, so please think of others and keep each other safe.”
“Greater Manchester is the city of 24-hour party people.” / Credit: pxhere
Anna Gledson – Brand Director at The Manc – added: “The Manc are made up to collaborate with StreamGM on such an important campaign.
“SeeGM is a super fun project to amplify marketing and messaging for the many music venues, comedy clubs, nightclubs and all of our region’s other incredible and iconic cultural experiences with reopening.
“Greater Manchester is the city of 24-hour party people.
“These places need people to truly come alive, and we hope with everyone’s support, our region’s venues will be thriving again very soon.”
Featured Image – Pixabay
News
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025
Emily Sergeant
Rochdale has officially been named Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025.
Taking over the reins from Bolton – which held the title in 2024 – and following in the footsteps of Stockport before that, which held the title in 2023, and even hosted a massive ‘Town of Culture Weekender’ festival with 50+ free events to celebrate and bring its title year to a close, it’s now the turn of the north-eastern Greater Manchester borough of Rochdale.
Rochdale’s year will build on the town’s already-rich cultural history and international reputation as the home of the co-operative movement.
More than 35 arts organisations will be bringing together an ambitious programme of festivals, exhibitions, events, and performances throughout the year.
Unfamiliar with what the ‘Greater Manchester Town of Culture’ title is all about? It’s an accolade that’s handed out every year to different boroughs across the region.
Bury was the inaugural title-holder 2020 and held onto it in 2021 too due to the COVID pandemic, before being followed by Stalybridge in 2022, Stockport in 2023, and of course, Bolton in the year just gone.
The title celebrates Greater Manchester’s culture and heritage.
As well as getting a new title to shout about, it also sees the towns given a grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) culture fund to help develop a programme of cultural events and activities throughout the year.
Rochdale has been named Greater Manchester’s ‘Town of Culture’ for 2025 / Credit: The Manc Group | Rochdale Council
In Rochdale’s case, you can expect the ‘very best local talent’, as this year is promising to put ‘people power’ centre stage, with residents helping to plan, develop, and deliver a lineup of creative activities, alongside a number of major events.
This includes the popular free days out for families, an exciting new urban arts festival, two different food and drink festivals, a lantern parade, the Ignite Fire Festival, a Pride parade, and so much more.
You can also expect live music performances, a new people’s gallery, and even some major international collaborations that are yet to be announced.
Rochdale is taking over the reins from Bolton, which held the title in 2024 / Credit: Rochdale Council
“Rochdale is a place with a rich cultural history, so it is great to name it Greater Manchester’s town of culture as it’s town hall and town centre enter a new era,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham as the borough was crowned this week.
“Rochdale submitted a fantastic bid for this which, was incredibly exciting and ambitious, while being firmly rooted in its local talent and deep history.
“We are definitely going to see the very best of what Rochdale has to offer over the next 12 months and people will come from far and wide to see it.”
Featured Image – Rochdale Council
News
The Lowry Theatre undergoes revamp following Biffa Award grant
Danny Jones
The Lowry in Salford Quays has had a bit of TLC with one of its biggest theatre spaces undergoing a pretty significant refurb this past month.
Following a well-deserved grant distributed via the Biffa Award, a multi-million-pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through community and environmental projects across the UK, the legendary local theatre received nearly £75k last year.
As a result, all 440 seats and various other aspects of The Lowry‘s Quays Theatre have now been renovated and refurbished.
The short story is, she looks more gorgeous than ever – see for yourself:
Being initially handed over in March 2024, The Lowry was awarded a total of £74,816 to reupholster seating in the venue’s Quays Theatre with new padding and fabric.
After almost 25 years of constant use as one of the most popular theatres in the North, the seats in the Quays Theatre were much in need of a refurb, and with work completed in December, Lowry visitors can now enjoy watching the venue’s wide range of theatre, dance, comedy and drama in comfort.
The work was actually carried out between July and December, with seats being carefully removed in batches and reupholstered off-site.
This was made possible due to the Biffa Award’s most recent ‘Cultural Facilities’ theme, which aims to improve recreation, interest and education, drawing funds from the UK government’s wider Landfill Communities Fund.
The old fabric and padding were disposed of sustainably, with lots of it being repurposed where possible to minimise waste and all the new materials used meet current guidance for safety and quality.
The Lowry’s Deputy Chief Executive and Director of Development, Gwen Oakden, said of the long overdue update:“It is so important that our audiences are able to enjoy our world-class performing arts programme in a comfortable and welcoming space.
“For many visitors to the Quays Theatre, this is their first experience of live performance – often to see a family show or as part of a school trip. We really want it to be the best experience possible, and for them to begin a lifelong relationship with Lowry.
“As a registered charity, without the generous support of this Biffa Award, for which we’re hugely grateful, we couldn’t have carried out this important work for our audiences.
As we head into our 25th Anniversary year, we are delighted to be able to welcome audiences and visitors can enjoy the beautiful and revived Quays Theatre.”
As for the Biffa side of things, Grants Manager Rachel Maidment added: “We are delighted to have supported The Lowry in refurbishing the Quays Theatre seating, ensuring audiences can continue to enjoy performances in comfort.
“Through Biffa’s Cultural Facilities theme, we fund projects that provide engaging and inspiring spaces for communities. The Lowry is a key cultural venue, and we’re proud that our funding, made possible through the government Fund, has helped enhance the experience for visitors for years to come.”
Like most Mancs, we love The Lowry, so here’s to hosting countless more theatregoers in the most comfortable seats possible for generations to come.
We’ve been to some brilliant performances around here of late.
The Manc -
9th July 2021 
