CityLife

Study best gay scene in Britain

Chrissy Darling

EACH September sees a new wave of students come to Manchester for the first time to begin a long course of education that will hopefully see them leaving (or staying) in a city that makes them wiser than they were before.

Events like Pride have turned Manchester into one of the UK's most vibrant cities for young gay and lesbian students making the urban playground even more of an oasis of tolerance as years go by.

As gay-friendly cities go, Manchester is second to none, with a fabulous selection of bars, restaurants, clubs and cultural hubs that can act as great support for someone 'out' in a new city. And the Gay Village itself can be a source of great comfort and enjoyment for those looking to take part in all the activities this city of ours has to offer.

Must-visit

For your first clubbing experience in the city there are a few must-visit spots. Poptastic is one of them. John Hamilton's anything goes club night is a real trailblazer on the gay scene and was one of the first nights to bring an injection of indie pop music into a scene predominantly soundtracked by dance music in various guises.

Poptastic takes place every Tuesday and Saturday at Club Alter Ego. It is a raucous, kitsch and bad news in you have a lecture to attend on Wednesday morning.

Manchester's gay superclub is without doubt Essential. Owned and run but musical impresario Nigel Martin Smith (he of Take That fame) it is a big, loud, proud mix of camp fun and cutting edge gay club culture.

Legendary 'door whores' Chrissy Darling and Rhoda Horse can often be seen on Canal Street looking like living works of art to make the late, great Leigh Bowery proud.

Bender and the Flip nights are the big ones, though look out for all-nighters, too, which are not for the faint-hearted. Don't forget NMS's Queer Bar on the main drag also.

Cruz 101

One of the village's most respected clubs and an institution in its own right is Cruz 101.

The village's original gay club, it has serviced the community for more than 15 years now, pumping out pop, camp and harder house sounds to eager crowds and is well worth a visit. The AXM bar and club are a relatively recent addition to the scene, too, and AXM Late is building up a fine reputation since it took over from the Hollywood Showbar.

On a more relaxed note, Taurus, at the other end of Canal Street, comes highly recommended and wins more awards than it knows what to do with.

An oasis of community values in a sea of potential hedonism, Taurus is where you go if you're new to the scene, looking for art, music or theatre and is particularly handy if you're on a quiet date. The staff and regulars are a chatty bunch and the space is entirely attitude free.

Vanilla

Similarly, Steph Kay's Vanilla bar is another institution aimed squarely at the burgeoning lesbian community.

With its endless succession of nights featuring great DJs, you can hear indie guitar rock, pop hits and even the odd riot grrrl favourite. Again, it is a very inclusive and accommodating space for new girls on the scene.

But this is all just the tip of the iceberg. With bars and clubs such as Company, Via, Velvet, as well as traditional pubs such as The Rembrandt on the scene, you know you've moved to the right city to get an education - and a whole lot more.

All you need to do now is dive on in...

If you have any new events going on in the Village - why not tell us below.