Description

The Doctors of Madness are ?the missing link between David Bowie and The Sex Pistols? (The Guardian May 2017).

Exploding onto the music scene in 1975 with their theatrical, William Burroughs-inspired Sci-fi nightmare, they were misunderstood by many, but those who knew understood the importance of the band?s dangerous, uncompromising approach to lyrics, to music and to performance.
The blue hair, exotic stage-names, the lyrical themes of urban decay, political propaganda, mind control and madness were all taken up by the punk bands who followed in their wake. Combining the avant-garde approach of The Velvet Underground with a distinctly European aesthetic the band counted among their fans members of The Damned, The Adverts, The Skids, Joy Division and Spiritualized. The Doctors may not have been Jesus Christ, but they were, arguably, John The Baptist!!!
They were trailblazers, pioneers, adventurers?pushing the boundaries of rock music and theatre to see how far it would go before it bust.
After producing 3 brilliant albums the Doctors called it a day and front man / lead singer and songwriter went on to have a successful and varied career as a solo artist; producer; actor and writer.
40 years after their initial split The Doctors Of Madness are back with a new album Dark Times and an incendiary energy and a passionate fury that would be the envy of many bands just starting out. Their songs are political, tender, and genuinely edgy, complex but forthright, melodic and epic, and their live shows have been critically acclaimed in the UK, France, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia and Japan.
Support is provided by Manchester's The Harveys. Known in a previous life as Harveys Rabbit when they did radio sessions for John Peel amongst others, toured with The Fall and had an underground hit with their version of Robert Forster's "Is This What You Call Change?" the band have now re-emerged as The Harveys. The band are known for their powerful live performances, and their strong songs. They have had a number of singles released and made available on Salford based German Shepherd records and are currently finishing off some new recordings, soon to be ready for release

Description

The 200 year long story of The Castle Hotel is woven not just into it’s bricks and mortar, its Victorian tiles or its mosaic floors. It’s a feeling that you can’t put your finger on. It’s in its people. In its memories. And in the layers of history built up over centuries of experience.

The Castle Hotel started life in 1776, although records show that there has been a dwelling on the site since the 1400s. Over the course of a century the pub changed name several times, trading first as The Crown and Sceptre, then The Crown and Anchor and later The Clock Face. In the late nineteenth century the pub was acquired by Kay’s Atlas Brewery and started a new chapter as The Castle Hotel; which is probably when the current tiled façade and bar were added. In the early 1930s Frederic Robinson took over Kay’s Atlas Brewery and, consequently, The Castle Hotel.

The pub’s now deeply cemented relationship with the city’s music scene probably began when it was a stopping off point for people on their way to Band on the Wall.

In 1979, a now legendary John Peel interview with Ian Curtis took place here, weaving The Castle further into the fabric of Manchester’s musical heritage. Sadly, The Castle fell on hard times and closed it’s doors in 2008. This cherished public house was not to remain closed for long though, and in 2009 friends Jonny Booth and Rupert Hill took over The Castle Hotel and set about bringing the decrepit building back to life.

After a period of restoration which saw the infamous leaky roof replaced and the pub’s entire interior sympathetically brought back in line with it’s rich heritage, the renovation was completed in October 2010 with the grand unveiling of the new Music Hall and Theatre at In The City 2010.

So that’s the story so far. And now The Castle Hotel is ready for it’s next chapter; one which will see this historical drinking house continue to evolve at the beating heart of Manchester’s creative communities. So come along, pull up a stool, and become a part of our story.

66 Oldham Street,

Manchester,

Greater Manchester,

England,

M4 1LE.

0161 237 9485