CityLife

Heart & Soul

Heart & Soul

Heart & Soul
Hale
January 2010

Overall: 3/5

MOST bars in Cheshire suburbia that try to capture the cash-rich crowd fail to do so without creating an air of exclusivity.

Whether through inflated bar prices, a charge on the door, or table service to private booths, they cut loose the lower end of the market and pander to the uber-wealthy.

Undeniably, new DJ bar Heart & Soul, in Hale, is fresh turf for the premium spenders and football faction of its catchment area, but its down-to-earth approach means it strikes a balance between laid-back local boozer and VIP party spot.

It’s an independent, start-up venue by operators Mike Turner (formerly Living Ventures) and Jamie Parker. Indicative of the bar’s name, which has its own tattoo-esque logo design (by Herbal Penguin), it is a self-designed project that has the welcoming qualities of a modern living space.

The venue’s minimal backdrop of wooden floors and clean walls is livened by red leather sofas, see-through chairs, colour-changing strip lighting and cult artwork like the Bob Marley graphic spread across glass panels and the Lost Boys frieze.

Split into the entrance bar area, rear dancefloor space and upstairs room with its own outdoor roof terrace and small bottle/shots
bar, Heart & Soul migrates between early evening bar and club space with ease.

With a Northern Quarter vibe, informed musical tastes dictate Friday’s indie and hip hop, Saturday’s older sound spanning the likes of Stevie Wonder and The Kinks, and Sunday’s classic house and dub. 

21 Ashley Road, Hale, WA14 2DP (0161 9297307).