19th December 2006
It's not so grim oop north
What you mean you've never been to Manchester?? How long have you lived in this country? Pathetic.
You know who you are. You people who believe the strange and mystical lands north of High Barnet are nothing more than fairy-tale worlds of cloth caps, whippets and pints of mild. Well have I got news for you.
I would like to point you in the direction of the numerous reviews provided by my good chum Niggle as evidence of what a fine northern city like Manchester has to offer. I will also provide some evidence of my own about this lovely little spot known as Odd Bar.
I like bars that play good, but slightly off-the-wall music. Check. I also like bars frequented by attractive ladies. Check and check. I also like bars that feel a bit quirky, daring to break free from shackles of mainstream. Check-diddly-check-check. I like a bar where you can get a cosy seat on a Friday night, talk to your buddies over a few pints and watch the assorted human traffic bubble and boil the night away. Check. I love a bar where you can go for a Jimmy Riddle (this is men's only by the way) and laugh your socks off at a grafitti class war on the walls of the gents (if you're not sure what I mean, typical exchanges start with a mindless slagging off of 'artsty-wankers' scrawled by a butcher called Lee and are followed by numerous witty retorts penned by the middle-class uber-trendies). Check mate.
Yes, this place has a lot going for it. So why not 5 stars? Easy. It suffers from the 'London-wannabe' syndrome that is fairly common in provincial boozers. This manifests itself in two key irritating ways. Firstly, they for some reason feel that they can charge what they like for drinks because it's on the trendy edge of proceedings. I'm talking 3.20+ for a pint here, which oop north is downright extortionate. Secondly, they tend to be frequented by a pretentious bunch of fashionista types who specialise in 'look-at-me' and 'I'm-so-out-there' type noncing/flouncing. Still, both negative factors are not terminal, expecially the second, which usually adds a lot of comedy to the sights and sounds.
All things considered, one of the best nightspots in Manchester, in my humble opinion. Evidence (if it were needed) that life beyond London is possible and can even be quite enjoyable. Try it....ya might like it.
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