A brand new nightlife venue is opening in Manchester’s iconic Printworks this year, offering music quizzes, live music, karaoke, and food and drink.
Spider Box Manchester promises to be beyond your everyday live music venue, and will be home to the UK’s first digital human DJ, Dex.
The newest edition to the city centre’s legendary entertainment complex has something for your mind, body and soul.
If you think your music knowledge can compete with Popmaster’s Ken Bruce or you have a voice that would put Mariah Carey to shame, then Spider Box Manchester is the place for you.
The venue will be bringing a revolutionary new form of music quizzing – players will have the chance to take part in their own music quiz panel show in Spider Box’s unique tech-centric booths.
Everything is ‘All About You’, as the 2003 McFly classic says, with customisable rounds which are updated regularly with new challenges and games to suit seasonal moments and trends.
Think you can ‘Dance The Night’ like Dua Lipa at Glastonbury or put on a ‘Supersonic’ show as iconic as Oasis in Knebworth? Spider Box has bookable karaoke booths where you can not only sing along but also create an atmosphere with changeable backdrops including music videos and headline slots at music festivals.
After all that singing and dancing you’re sure to be ‘Hungry Like the Wolf’, much like the 1982 Duran Duran hit, and with an incredible food and drink offering, Spider Box really does have all the boxes ticked.
Players can take on music quizzes inside special booths at Spider Box Manchester
The menu at Spider Box Manchester will feature Middle Eastern classics and Southeast Asian dishes, there’s sure to be something for all palates.
The hangout also features a dedicated space for fans of all interests with a state of the art racing suite where you can emulate the career of legendary driver Lewis Hamilton. The simulated technology provides a first-person virtual POV to the best tracks and circuits in the world placing you in the driver’s seat of some of the fastest cars.
Rob Hetherington, CEO of Spider Entertainment said: “We are thrilled to be bringing Spider Box Manchester to Printworks this September.
Artist impressions of how Spider Box will look in Manchester
“We have considered multiple locations across the UK for our first Spider Box venue, and we are delighted to be opening the first in Manchester, a city rich with music, culture and entertainment.
“We believe we have an immersive entertainment offering like no other and guests can expect an unforgettable day or night with each visit. We will have even more information to come over the next few months so watch this space.”
Dan Davies, Printworks’ Centre Manager, said, “This year marks a transformative period for us as we significantly expand our entertainment offerings following a £21 million refurbishment.
“Spider Entertainment, with its unique concept, will provide our customers with exceptional entertainment for all ages. Additionally, it will offer fantastic food and drink that will stand out in Manchester’s vibrant culinary scene.”
You can sign up here for updates on Spider Box in Manchester, and follow them on Instagram here too.
You can also get a proper glimpse inside with this video.
Hit theatre production set at a house party to visit Manchester on UK tour
Daisy Jackson
Alright then, 24 hour party people, we’ve found a theatre production you might like the sound of – it’s called The House Party, and it’s set in (you guessed it) a house party.
This smash hit production by pioneering theatre company Headlong is set to land at HOME in March as part of the arts venue’s 2025 theatre season.
It tells the tale of a wild 18th birthday party, where Christine is trying to pick up the pieces of her best friend, a newly-dumped Julie (who happens to be the birthday girl).
Themes of class, power and privilege are all explored with a raw intensity as the cast on stage plough through shots and dive head-first into a night that will change everything they know.
The House Party, which has received glowing reviews from previous showings, is filled with ‘privilege, desire and destruction’.
When it stops off in Manchester, its cast will include Bridgerton’s Sesley Hope as Christine, Synnøve Karlsen (Miss Austen, Last Night in Soho) as Julie, and Tom Lewis (Gentleman Jack, Patience) as Jon.
The ensemble of Frantic Assembly performers includes Ines Aresti, Oliver Baines, Cal Connor, Micah Corbin-Powell, Rachael Leonce, Jaheem Pinder and Jamie Randall.
The House Party is written by Laura Lomas and is a reimagining of August Strindberg’s Miss Julie for today’s generation.
It’s directed by Headlong’s artistic director Holly Race Roughan, who directed the Royal Shakespeare Company’s world premiere of David Edgar’s major new political play The New Real.
The House Party. Credit: Ikin YumThe production will be at HOME. Credit: Supplied
Movement direction will come from Frantic Assembly’s Scott Graham.
Prior to the UK tour of The House Party, Headlong celebrated its 50 year anniversary, including the hit production of A Raisin in the Sun which played nationwide.
The House Party will be at HOME in Manchester between 25 and 29 March, 2025 – you can get your tickets HERE.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff
Daisy Jackson
If you’re not a handy person, when something breaks, the temptation is often to abandon or bin it straight away.
But that’s just not how we’re gonna do it here in Greater Manchester any more, with the return of the annual Repair Week to help you learn valuable repair skills and save money at the same time.
Whether it’s tinkering with your bicycle, fixing up your small tech items, or having your furniture re-varnished and upcycled, there are so many places and people who are on a mission to help you fall back in love with your belongings.
There are even workshops to help you put flat-pack furniture together.
Taking place between 3 and 9 March, Repair Week will be the chance to learn skills, fix your stuff, gain repair confidence and find local fixers.
Events throughout the week (and beyond) will be hosted by community groups, businesses and plenty more.
You can sharpen knives, fix zips, and un-wobble chairs with a little hand from local repair heroes.
JillyGDesign Jewellery in Heaton Moor will fix up your sentimental and special jewellery items, while Rag Revival will help you turn unusable textiles into new creations with basic sewing skills.
There are repair cafes popping up all over Greater Manchester where you can take your belongings.
Greater Manchester’s annual Repair Week is back to make you fall back in love with your stuff. Credit: Supplied
Repair Week will highlight schemes like the Manchester Library of Things, where you can borrow the tools and equipment you need for those repair jobs at home.
During the week you’ll also be able to take a behind-the-scenes tour of the incredible Renew Hub, the UK’s biggest reuse hub, where donated items are brought back to life.
Similarly, you’ll be able to get inside the textile recycling centre run by homelessness charity Emmaus Bolton, where you can choose your own fabric from the scrap store and turn it into a very handy draught excluder to keep costs down and your heat in.
Recycle for Greater Manchester’s Repair Week will take place between 3 and 9 March, with workshops, events and resources to help you revive your belongings.
Thomas Melia -
16th July 2024 
