WHP

NotAMod wrote: As JG and a few other fans have pointed out you've got to commend them for trying something different and not simply booking two nights at an ordinary venue. Playing the WHP in a heaving, smoky, sweaty and barely lit underground car park certainly flies in the face of "old men promoting the album in a boring/safe manner".

I had tickets for both nights but ended up doing just the Sunday mainly because of ACR who I'd not seen for a couple of years now. They were predictably well worth the effort; it's easy to forget what a tight band they are and what a great catalogue of songs they've amassed. Nice to see them gaining exposure to a younger audience too. Spotted Jez Williams of Sub Sub/Doves/Black Rivers fame in the crowd towards the middle of NO's set.

I'd already seen the NO set a number of times and - won't lie - am a little bored with the running order but that's to be expected if anyone does more than a few dates of any band's current tour. The band themselves seemed to be having a good time with Singularity, the Planet Funk WFTSC and Richard X BLT still sounding fresh and exciting to these ears; I think those are definitely my favourite "new" bits. Got down the front next to the German Order for the first few tracks and made an attempt to film the opening bars of Crystal; nearly lost my phone more than once so edged off to the side for the rest of the night. Lively crowd (!) a few of us gave the encore a miss and headed off to find food.

The venue has divided opinion and I'm sort of in the middle on that; the toilets were horrible and ridiculously limited (only 2 "non-VIP" portaloos on the left side of the stage) plus there were crowd concerns but I liked the fact it was so different to an ordinary venue. Not somewhere I'd like to go to for every band but an experience nonetheless.

Unbelievable to read that some fans were denied access for allegedly no good reason; anyone affected should definitely apply for their money back pronto.

I would suggest that opinion is not divided - look on NO FB page or the comments on Manchester Evening News - I have never seen so much negativity about a venue. It was genuinely unsafe, people including my wife were scared. We left after about 6 songs because it was no enjoyment and this, judging by comments on various social media, was not at all rare. We came down from the NE, having seen NO a number of times before from 1986 onwards and were generally excited. It costs about £300 for a weekend like that - tickets, hotel, petrol, beer etc. but should be well worth it. Its not at all about money its about the fact that we came home upset, tired and exceptionally disappointed. Having gone on footy terraces in the '70's I know about crowding and pushing and shoving but never had that at a gig. NO must be aware of the genuine fear that this night caused many people and really should make a comment - I wouldn't want my money back because enjoyment is never guaranteed but I think some acknowledgment is in order.

I think WHP works great as more of a club night when people are more spread across the two rooms and there's no rush to get to the front as it's only DJs on the stage... Clearly not great for live acts though. That said, I commend the band for trying to do something different, and I think it's unfair to direct ire at them, the blame is probably more on WHP organisers for not foreseeing what seem like quite obvious problems...

Fawdy wrote:

NotAMod wrote: As JG and a few other fans have pointed out you've got to commend them for trying something different and not simply booking two nights at an ordinary venue. Playing the WHP in a heaving, smoky, sweaty and barely lit underground car park certainly flies in the face of "old men promoting the album in a boring/safe manner".

I had tickets for both nights but ended up doing just the Sunday mainly because of ACR who I'd not seen for a couple of years now. They were predictably well worth the effort; it's easy to forget what a tight band they are and what a great catalogue of songs they've amassed. Nice to see them gaining exposure to a younger audience too. Spotted Jez Williams of Sub Sub/Doves/Black Rivers fame in the crowd towards the middle of NO's set.

I'd already seen the NO set a number of times and - won't lie - am a little bored with the running order but that's to be expected if anyone does more than a few dates of any band's current tour. The band themselves seemed to be having a good time with Singularity, the Planet Funk WFTSC and Richard X BLT still sounding fresh and exciting to these ears; I think those are definitely my favourite "new" bits. Got down the front next to the German Order for the first few tracks and made an attempt to film the opening bars of Crystal; nearly lost my phone more than once so edged off to the side for the rest of the night. Lively crowd (!) a few of us gave the encore a miss and headed off to find food.

The venue has divided opinion and I'm sort of in the middle on that; the toilets were horrible and ridiculously limited (only 2 "non-VIP" portaloos on the left side of the stage) plus there were crowd concerns but I liked the fact it was so different to an ordinary venue. Not somewhere I'd like to go to for every band but an experience nonetheless.

Unbelievable to read that some fans were denied access for allegedly no good reason; anyone affected should definitely apply for their money back pronto.

I would suggest that opinion is not divided - look on NO FB page or the comments on Manchester Evening News - I have never seen so much negativity about a venue. It was genuinely unsafe, people including my wife were scared. We left after about 6 songs because it was no enjoyment and this, judging by comments on various social media, was not at all rare. We came down from the NE, having seen NO a number of times before from 1986 onwards and were generally excited. It costs about £300 for a weekend like that - tickets, hotel, petrol, beer etc. but should be well worth it. Its not at all about money its about the fact that we came home upset, tired and exceptionally disappointed. Having gone on footy terraces in the '70's I know about crowding and pushing and shoving but never had that at a gig. NO must be aware of the genuine fear that this night caused many people and really should make a comment - I wouldn't want my money back because enjoyment is never guaranteed but I think some acknowledgment is in order.

Never experienced pushing and shoving at a gig? What gigs you been going to, John Denver?

You have obviously never seen New Order before. The Warehouse Project was tame compared to New Order circa 1985.

The promoters did kindly provide a telephone box:

SS WHP

Digi Mike wrote:

Fawdy wrote:

NotAMod wrote: As JG and a few other fans have pointed out you've got to commend them for trying something different and not simply booking two nights at an ordinary venue. Playing the WHP in a heaving, smoky, sweaty and barely lit underground car park certainly flies in the face of "old men promoting the album in a boring/safe manner".

I had tickets for both nights but ended up doing just the Sunday mainly because of ACR who I'd not seen for a couple of years now. They were predictably well worth the effort; it's easy to forget what a tight band they are and what a great catalogue of songs they've amassed. Nice to see them gaining exposure to a younger audience too. Spotted Jez Williams of Sub Sub/Doves/Black Rivers fame in the crowd towards the middle of NO's set.

I'd already seen the NO set a number of times and - won't lie - am a little bored with the running order but that's to be expected if anyone does more than a few dates of any band's current tour. The band themselves seemed to be having a good time with Singularity, the Planet Funk WFTSC and Richard X BLT still sounding fresh and exciting to these ears; I think those are definitely my favourite "new" bits. Got down the front next to the German Order for the first few tracks and made an attempt to film the opening bars of Crystal; nearly lost my phone more than once so edged off to the side for the rest of the night. Lively crowd (!) a few of us gave the encore a miss and headed off to find food.

The venue has divided opinion and I'm sort of in the middle on that; the toilets were horrible and ridiculously limited (only 2 "non-VIP" portaloos on the left side of the stage) plus there were crowd concerns but I liked the fact it was so different to an ordinary venue. Not somewhere I'd like to go to for every band but an experience nonetheless.

Unbelievable to read that some fans were denied access for allegedly no good reason; anyone affected should definitely apply for their money back pronto.

I would suggest that opinion is not divided - look on NO FB page or the comments on Manchester Evening News - I have never seen so much negativity about a venue. It was genuinely unsafe, people including my wife were scared. We left after about 6 songs because it was no enjoyment and this, judging by comments on various social media, was not at all rare. We came down from the NE, having seen NO a number of times before from 1986 onwards and were generally excited. It costs about £300 for a weekend like that - tickets, hotel, petrol, beer etc. but should be well worth it. Its not at all about money its about the fact that we came home upset, tired and exceptionally disappointed. Having gone on footy terraces in the '70's I know about crowding and pushing and shoving but never had that at a gig. NO must be aware of the genuine fear that this night caused many people and really should make a comment - I wouldn't want my money back because enjoyment is never guaranteed but I think some acknowledgment is in order.

Never experienced pushing and shoving at a gig? What gigs you been going to, John Denver?

You have obviously never seen New Order before. The Warehouse Project was tame compared to New Order circa 1985.

Don't be silly. As I said I've seen NO plenty of times. I've seen the Jam in 1979. I saw the Sex Pistols a few years ago in Brixton. They were all lively, raucous gigs. I've never been to such a poor venue or one as unsafe. It's pretty clear they have a safety limit for two rooms. When everyone is crammed into one room there's no way the HSE would say it was safe. We left after about six songs and there others doing that. Social media suggest there were many people who were genuinely fearful and unhappy at the gig. I and they are not John Denver fans and to suggest so is pretty infantile.

Fawdy wrote:

Digi Mike wrote:

Fawdy wrote:

NotAMod wrote: As JG and a few other fans have pointed out you've got to commend them for trying something different and not simply booking two nights at an ordinary venue. Playing the WHP in a heaving, smoky, sweaty and barely lit underground car park certainly flies in the face of "old men promoting the album in a boring/safe manner".

I had tickets for both nights but ended up doing just the Sunday mainly because of ACR who I'd not seen for a couple of years now. They were predictably well worth the effort; it's easy to forget what a tight band they are and what a great catalogue of songs they've amassed. Nice to see them gaining exposure to a younger audience too. Spotted Jez Williams of Sub Sub/Doves/Black Rivers fame in the crowd towards the middle of NO's set.

I'd already seen the NO set a number of times and - won't lie - am a little bored with the running order but that's to be expected if anyone does more than a few dates of any band's current tour. The band themselves seemed to be having a good time with Singularity, the Planet Funk WFTSC and Richard X BLT still sounding fresh and exciting to these ears; I think those are definitely my favourite "new" bits. Got down the front next to the German Order for the first few tracks and made an attempt to film the opening bars of Crystal; nearly lost my phone more than once so edged off to the side for the rest of the night. Lively crowd (!) a few of us gave the encore a miss and headed off to find food.

The venue has divided opinion and I'm sort of in the middle on that; the toilets were horrible and ridiculously limited (only 2 "non-VIP" portaloos on the left side of the stage) plus there were crowd concerns but I liked the fact it was so different to an ordinary venue. Not somewhere I'd like to go to for every band but an experience nonetheless.

Unbelievable to read that some fans were denied access for allegedly no good reason; anyone affected should definitely apply for their money back pronto.

I would suggest that opinion is not divided - look on NO FB page or the comments on Manchester Evening News - I have never seen so much negativity about a venue. It was genuinely unsafe, people including my wife were scared. We left after about 6 songs because it was no enjoyment and this, judging by comments on various social media, was not at all rare. We came down from the NE, having seen NO a number of times before from 1986 onwards and were generally excited. It costs about £300 for a weekend like that - tickets, hotel, petrol, beer etc. but should be well worth it. Its not at all about money its about the fact that we came home upset, tired and exceptionally disappointed. Having gone on footy terraces in the '70's I know about crowding and pushing and shoving but never had that at a gig. NO must be aware of the genuine fear that this night caused many people and really should make a comment - I wouldn't want my money back because enjoyment is never guaranteed but I think some acknowledgment is in order.

Never experienced pushing and shoving at a gig? What gigs you been going to, John Denver?

You have obviously never seen New Order before. The Warehouse Project was tame compared to New Order circa 1985.

Don't be silly. As I said I've seen NO plenty of times. I've seen the Jam in 1979. I saw the Sex Pistols a few years ago in Brixton. They were all lively, raucous gigs. I've never been to such a poor venue or one as unsafe. It's pretty clear they have a safety limit for two rooms. When everyone is crammed into one room there's no way the HSE would say it was safe. We left after about six songs and there others doing that. Social media suggest there were many people who were genuinely fearful and unhappy at the gig. I and they are not John Denver fans and to suggest so is pretty infantile.

I respect your opinion. it was quite tame to me, sorry you only lasted 6 tracks, it must have been approved by HSE or else they would not get a licence. One of the best New Order gigs in recent years. If people wanna sit in the circle at a venue and watch a gig fair play (not a dig at you), but like the atmosphere (no pun) at the front(ish).

whilst it was a great NO performance I agree with the comments about feeling unsafe at the venue, I have been going to n.o gigs since 88 (hence the name!) and this is the first time I have felt in danger, i was near the mixing desk on sun before the band came on it felt really unsafe. i urge anybody who felt the same to report venue to manchester licensing , fire brigade and police. I have. If enough people complain something will be done. What are the band and the management saying about this???

Ahhh , how so clever funny and wonderfully quick witted is Bernard . hooky must have had an accident then and there , --- all this in reference to previous joke about a dog ,about 10 posts back which is the best joke I have heard from/ about dear old Bernard

Has there been a release of the live songs from the 93 montreaux show ? A best of live release featuring their best live versions of about 35 career songs would be most welcome

I respect your opinion. it was quite tame to me, sorry you only lasted 6 tracks, it must have been approved by HSE or else they would not get a licence. One of the best New Order gigs in recent years. If people wanna sit in the circle at a venue and watch a gig fair play (not a dig at you), but like the atmosphere (no pun) at the front(ish).

Last word from me: It seems that certain areas weren't too bad - probably at the front was better. Where we were there were a lot of surges, like the old footy terraces but with nothing to stop them. You had to concentrate to stay on your feet. Its nowt to do with be an old fogey or preferring the circle - there were two young girls in front of us who describes it as f****** ridiculous and then moved off. If someone had lost their feet in such a surge the crowd would have gone over the top of them - I am surprised that there weren't serious injuries or worse. It also seems obvious that the club has a capacity limit for two rooms - when one is empty the other one becomes way over capacity from an HSE point of view. Had there been a serious accident or worse the comment would have been 'how can this happen in 2015'. I've been going to gigs since 1979 and never, ever before felt unsafe - my wife was close to tears. I know that social media an distort things but Ive never seen such concerns raised on here or on FB by so many people - if NO aren't concerned by the amount of negative comments then Im surprised. NO are probably my favourite band and I love the new album but I enjoyed nothing about Saturday. You were clearly lucky to be at the front and not feeling unsafe - I'm pleased you enjoyed it. Had you been where we were I don't think you would have the same view. End of rant.

Then again the same old story...(in a different place):

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/whats-on/music-nightlife-news/pj-harvey-victoria-warehouse-complaints-12125140?service=responsive