2009 10 18 Observer Peter Hook

FROM OUR CORRESPONDENT...

MANCHESTER

PETER HOOK
MUSICIAN

WHY VISIT...?

You could spend your life trying to figure out why it is so special - how could any city feel so comfortable? I’m a well-travelled man, but there is nothing to compare with the feeling of returning home. In the old days, I would immediately head out to Dry, the bar that I used to own with the rest of New Order. These days, like many men of my age and ilk, I now like to go straight to bed. For those with more energy, there’s always lots going on. The In the City (inthecity.co.uk) music convention and unsigned bands festival starts today and runs until Tuesday, the Manchester Comedy Festival (manchestercomedyfestival.co.uk) started last week and runs till Sunday, and a major new exhibition on UK hip hop has just opened at the Urbis (urbis.org.uk).

CHECK IN...

Whenever New Order played Manchester, we would stay in a city centre hotel. I like the Lowry (0161 827 4000; thelowryhotel.com) but it is very minimalist and I often edge towards the more over-furnished Great John Street Hotel (0161 831 3211; greatjohn-street.co.uk) which includes the former green room at Granada TV. Lounging around there reminds me of the days we spent abusing hospitality when Tony Wilson worked at Granada. The Free Trade Hall, where the Sex Pistols played in 1976, is now the Radisson Edwardian (radissonedwardian.com).

GET YOUR BEARINGS...

 I started work as a clerk at the Town Hall, and we used to skive off by sneaking through the files office and up the stairs of the clock tower. It is the heart of Manchester for me (see visitmanchester.com for maps, advice and directions). Then head to Market Street, the grand parade for people watching, and the Arndale Centre. I worked in the planning department when the Arndale was proposed, and I like to think I delayed it by two years. Building it meant tearing up the old market and it took a long while before it was loved, but it is fantastic now. Behind the Arndale Centre is the Northern Quarter, Manchester’s coolest area.

GRAB A SNACK...

The Dalton Street Cafe (0161 832 3588) is an institution, though these days you are more likely to find me in the Restaurant Bar and Grill (0161 839 1999), opposite.

RETAIL THERAPY...

For designer clothes, the man always used to be Rich Creme, who was over seven foot tall and wouldn’t let you out of his shop (64 Bridge Street) until you bought something. He once sold an invisible shirt to Rob Gretton, the manager of New Order. Now I go to Flannels on St Ann’s Place (0161 832 5536) and I believe the young footballers follow my example. For music equipment, Johnny Roadhouse on Oxford Road (0161 273 1000) is the place. The Northern Quarter has small record shops and cult fashion stores like those inside Afflecks Palace (0161 839 0718; afflecks.com), but even in the 70s we would shop there: in Joy Division, we bought our clothes at New Cross Army Surplus (0161 834 1818; militarykit.com) on Tib Street. A plastic hat for me, a pair of tank commander goggles for Bernard.

EAT LIKE A LOCAL...

Like Dry, the Market Restaurant (0161 834 3743) opened in the Northern Quarter long before the area was rebranded. Unlike Dry, it is still going. Michelin-starred chef Michael Caines has a great restaurant in Abode hotel (0161 200 5678; abodehotels.co.uk).

COCKTAIL HOUR...

The Peveril of the Peak (Great Bridge-water Street) is the perfect pub, and it is still a great meeting place, as it was when the Hacienda nightclub was around the corner. The bar at Harvey Nichols (New Cathedral Street) knows how to make a cocktail, and so does the Modern bar at Urbis (Cathedral Yard, urbis.org.uk), which has a must-see panorama over the city.

A LAZY SUNDAY...

It sounds odd, but I like the new financial district, Spinning Fields (spinningfieldsonline.net). It looks great, with loads of restaurants around a green space, though it is the one place that does not look like Manchester. From there, you can walk along the canal or stroll to Exchange Square or Millennium Gardens, which have that lazy Sunday feel as everyone sits and waits for someone to dump a bottle of washing-up liquid in a fountain.

DON'T LEAVE WITHOUT...

Experiencing the music. Manchester is England’s music city and it all happens around the same streets where the Buzzcocks used to run the original punk venue, the Ranch, at Foo Foo Lamar’s gay club. The Roadhouse (Newton Street, 0161 237 9789; theroadhouselive.co.uk) is the same as it ever was, scuzzy and dark. Manchester’s original jazz venue, The Band on the Wall (Swann Street, 0161 834 1786; bandonthewall.org) has reopened, beautifully refurbished and with working lavatories. There is the Night and Day Cafe (Oldham Street, 0161 236 4597; nightnday.org) and I like the new Ruby Lounge (High Street; 0161 834 1392). I’ve always remained close to the city’s music scene, not necessarily by choice. Even when New Order was a success, the Hacienda swallowed so much money that I had to work as a roadie, humping gear for other bands.

For more information about short breaks see visitenglandnorthwest.com. There’s a 24-hour accommodation booking service on 0871222 8223