Mr Scruff has been on the Manchester dance scene since the nineties and knows the city’s nightlife like the back of his hand. From The White Hotel to SOUP, the city is home to a sprawl of sweaty basement clubs, graffitied student hovels and intimate gig spots – and has maintained its reputation for having an excellent club scene. While many late-night venues have come and gone over the years, Scruff pays tribute to one stalwart that has become a spiritual home to the producer and DJ.
‘I started going to Band on the Wall in the nineties. It’s a lot older than me and is in this listed building by the Northern Quarter. It used to be just a plain room with a stage but it’s had a few facelifts over the years. I’ve DJ’ed there many, many times – I’ve had my regular Manchester residency there since 2009 and it’s been my foundation for the last 15 years.
‘I love going out to Band on the Wall when I’m not working, too. I saw Fat Freddy’s Drop play what was probably their first gig in Manchester to about 30 people there. But my favourite memory of the venue is when I saw Gregory Porter there during one of his first UK tours. You could have heard a pin drop throughout the whole performance. It was a spine-tingling moment, the crowd was completely spellbound. It was a spiritual experience.
‘Any venue that can stick around for more than 10 or 20 years, consistently booking good acts with a lot of variety – that’s a really difficult thing to do in these times. It’s absolutely essential and sometimes we can take these places for granted.’
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Mr Scruff is playing We Out Here festival, August 10-14 in Wimborne St Giles.