Johnny Marr, Frank Turner and Tim Burgess are amongst the artists backing a petition to try and save popular Manchester gig haunt Night & Day from one of those pesky statutory nuisance abatement notices.
The operators of the venue have said their business is now at risk after a neighbour complained about noise levels at the space. According to local media, the complaining neighbour has only lived in the neighbourhood for a year while the Night & Day Café has been in business since 1991. And while you might think that a local council would side with a venue on such issues when a complainant has clearly chosen to move into a city centre property next to a pre-existing and long-established gig venue, things don’t always turn out that way.
Speaking to Manchester Evening News, Night & Day’s in-house promoter Gareth Butterworth said that the venue’s owners could face a £20,000 fine or six month jail term if they don’t deal with the complaint. And that would likely ruin the business. Says Butterworth: “The worst case scenario is that we shut down – bringing an end the employment of everyone who works here, not to mention destroying one of the major hubs for live music in Manchester, for local and international musicians”.
He went on: “It’s very upsetting. We understand that this resident has lived here for less than a year. We’re an independent business that’s been a staple of the Manchester arts scene for 23 years. We tried to speak to the resident, to explain the nature of our business, and we understand noise can be annoying – but why would you choose to move next door to a live music venue if noise is going to be an issue?”
The petition calling on Manchester City Council to withdraw the statutory nuisance abatement notice is here.