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Post by thehartshillbadger on Jul 25, 2024 19:18:03 GMT
I’d say that’s fair, I’m on the border of course and it is better but Christ it’s gone so far downhill in the last 10 years. Probably at the same rate as Hanley but it was already better so I talked about that with some colleagues. I remember as a kid that going up Hanley with your mum was a day out. You only went now and again and it was a bit of a treat. That’s right and there was some cracking independent clothes shops, bars and cafes were busy, the right profile of people were there. I’d spend full days up there with my pals shopping and drinking, there was too much to do in one day. Nowadays I pop into TK Maxx for last minute stocking fillers, I believe that’s closing down n all |
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Post by cdf on Jul 25, 2024 19:23:08 GMT
I believe that once you have an arena and can book some top performers you will have people travelling into the city from other areas to see it. It's not just locals who would attend. Its not a case of if you build it they will come. It’s not that simple. |
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Jul 25, 2024 19:26:01 GMT
I believe that once you have an arena and can book some top performers you will have people travelling into the city from other areas to see it. It's not just locals who would attend. Its not a case of if you build it they will come. It’s not that simple. Of course, it’s just not happening. It’ll take billions to turn our city centre around and it isn’t getting spent. Flatten the lot and create green space with a big square of bars and restaurants in the middle to begin with |
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Post by mickeythemaestro on Jul 25, 2024 19:46:36 GMT
I believe that once you have an arena and can book some top performers you will have people travelling into the city from other areas to see it. It's not just locals who would attend. Its not a case of if you build it they will come. It’s not that simple. Kevin Costner disagrees 😆 |
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Post by tommycarlsberg on Jul 25, 2024 23:36:11 GMT
Well artists eventually want to make the transition from theatres to arenas, which is indicative of earnings and popularity I guess. A tour like the one you've quoted there would never happen now because we have purpose built arenas, as it looks like Iron Maiden would have been popular enough to fill them in 1983 but instead had to do multiple nights at the same venue, or multiple locations, to reach their full audience - indeed, they do now sell out all the main arenas. Touring has definitely changed today compared to even 15 years ago when I was a teenager. I would regularly see popular bands of the time like Courteeners, Bloc Party, The Wombats from the top of my head. www.atgtickets.com/venues/victoria-hall/ - There are no acts of that standing playing the Victoria Hall presently. For context it's a 1600 seat venue. These days if they're booking a tour for an exciting artist of the level of the artists I mentioned, they'd go your big cities and venues like, Manchester Apollo, Nottingham Rock City, Wolverhampton Civic Halls, Hammersmith Apollo. All of which are 3,000 plus. If they sold those dates out and thought they could sell more, it wouldn't make sense to add a Stoke Victoria Hall date, you'd take your chances at selling out another night at the sexier venues in Manchester and London because people will ultimately travel to these destinations. You wouldn't risk selling 1000 tickets at Victoria Hall, when 500 of them would travel and help you fill out the more prestigious venue. You see 'extra date added' next to the top venues all the time. If you go from this kind of top capacity theatre tour to arenas (look at a band like Fontaines DC now for an example), then you suddenly need to sell 10,000 more tickets per show, maybe more. Again, if you want to sell tickets in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester arenas, you need all the smaller cities around them (like Stoke) to feed into those audiences. So my point is, building an arena in Stoke and suddenly expecting bands/artists to start including the bet365 arena on their tours just won't happen. What is actually hindering Stoke, similar to the six towns/city centre debate, is we seem to have two really excellent theatres within 100 yards of each other, which sort of do the same thing. If there was a way they could magically merge into a 2,000 - 3,000 capacity theatre then maybe you can start competing with the likes of Wolverhampton Civic Hall and be included on these tours. My own experience leans more towards the comedy world and if you look across the calendars of the two theatres, they are still able to book top acts. This is due to comedians generally needing to do much more densely packed tours than musicians. Although if you look at the acts that have played and are playing this year, the likes of Frank Skinner, Jimmy Carr, they are truly household names that will sell anywhere. My colleagues who I mentioned are more averse to taking risks with more up and coming acts in Stoke. They ask me why they don't sell being from Stoke myself, so there isn't an answer for you there. I think perhaps the average wage argument might come in to play there, who knows? Tickets are expensive these days. Funnily enough, I posted this about a month ago but a younger comedy act who did actually recently play Vic Hall told me how shocked they were at how run down the city was, so maybe there is something in that. All of that is of course tailored to music and and live comedy/theatre world, and reading some of the comments on here I do think an arena being built with the intention of hosting the more niche events could actually be potentially be an excellent idea, so maybe actually I am wrong to dismiss an arena. I just don't see one disrupting the music and live comedy spaces. Who do you work for? I’ll narrow it down for you, we owe danceswithclams £200 |
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Post by iancransonsknees on Jul 26, 2024 5:40:29 GMT
I’ll narrow it down for you, we owe danceswithclams £200 Only Fans? |
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 7:22:14 GMT
I don't doubt the logic of what you say tommy - but I'm curious to know what has changed in the last 40 years* -- given what you say about the team at work finding it hard to sell tickets for those two venues. Look at this listing for Iron Maiden's UK tour in 1983 ( I pick them cos they're one of my faves and their tour lists were a who's who of middle-size theatres/halls back in the day): MAY Mon 2 Hull, UKCity Hall Tue 3 Preston, UKGuildhall Thu 5 Oxford, UKNew Theatre Fri 6 Leicester, UKDe Montfort Hall Sat 7 Southampton, UKGaumont Hall Sun 8 Ipswich, UKGaumont Hall Tue 10 Nottingham, UKGaumont Hall Wed 11 Bradford, UKSaint George's Hall Thu 12 Glasgow, UKApollo Theatre Fri 13 Edinburgh, UKPlayhouse Theatre Sun 15 Cardiff, UKSaint David's Hall Mon 16 Sheffield, UKCity Hall Tue 17 Newcastle, UKCity Hall Wed 18 Hanley, UKVictoria Hall Fri 20 Bristol, UKColston Hall Sat 21 Birmingham, UKOdeon Sun 22 Birmingham, UKOdeon Mon 23 Manchester, UKApollo Theatre Wed 25 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Thu 26 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Fri 27 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Sat 28 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon - Not only did they play Hanley, but still did 2 nights at Brum's Odeon down the road. (The following year they played the Viccy Hall AND 2 nights up the road at the Manc Apollo - so demand was there). Do bands not play this scale of venue on a tour any more - or has something changed that means Hanley is overlooked by promoters now? - Remember back in those days, we had our own promoter in the Potteries - Mike Lloyd - were they better at promoting the venue to tour bookers? I don't live in the area any more, I'm just curious to know what has changed if anything, that means S-o-T can't support even a decent 2,000 seat venue. What level of band does the Vic attract nowadays? * *** me, I'm old. Well artists eventually want to make the transition from theatres to arenas, which is indicative of earnings and popularity I guess. A tour like the one you've quoted there would never happen now because we have purpose built arenas, as it looks like Iron Maiden would have been popular enough to fill them in 1983 but instead had to do multiple nights at the same venue, or multiple locations, to reach their full audience - indeed, they do now sell out all the main arenas. Touring has definitely changed today compared to even 15 years ago when I was a teenager. I would regularly see popular bands of the time like Courteeners, Bloc Party, The Wombats from the top of my head. www.atgtickets.com/venues/victoria-hall/ - There are no acts of that standing playing the Victoria Hall presently. For context it's a 1600 seat venue. These days if they're booking a tour for an exciting artist of the level of the artists I mentioned, they'd go your big cities and venues like, Manchester Apollo, Nottingham Rock City, Wolverhampton Civic Halls, Hammersmith Apollo. All of which are 3,000 plus. If they sold those dates out and thought they could sell more, it wouldn't make sense to add a Stoke Victoria Hall date, you'd take your chances at selling out another night at the sexier venues in Manchester and London because people will ultimately travel to these destinations. You wouldn't risk selling 1000 tickets at Victoria Hall, when 500 of them would travel and help you fill out the more prestigious venue. You see 'extra date added' next to the top venues all the time. If you go from this kind of top capacity theatre tour to arenas (look at a band like Fontaines DC now for an example), then you suddenly need to sell 10,000 more tickets per show, maybe more. Again, if you want to sell tickets in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester arenas, you need all the smaller cities around them (like Stoke) to feed into those audiences. So my point is, building an arena in Stoke and suddenly expecting bands/artists to start including the bet365 arena on their tours just won't happen. What is actually hindering Stoke, similar to the six towns/city centre debate, is we seem to have two really excellent theatres within 100 yards of each other, which sort of do the same thing. If there was a way they could magically merge into a 2,000 - 3,000 capacity theatre then maybe you can start competing with the likes of Wolverhampton Civic Hall and be included on these tours. My own experience leans more towards the comedy world and if you look across the calendars of the two theatres, they are still able to book top acts. This is due to comedians generally needing to do much more densely packed tours than musicians. Although if you look at the acts that have played and are playing this year, the likes of Frank Skinner, Jimmy Carr, they are truly household names that will sell anywhere. My colleagues who I mentioned are more averse to taking risks with more up and coming acts in Stoke. They ask me why they don't sell being from Stoke myself, so there isn't an answer for you there. I think perhaps the average wage argument might come in to play there, who knows? Tickets are expensive these days. Funnily enough, I posted this about a month ago but a younger comedy act who did actually recently play Vic Hall told me how shocked they were at how run down the city was, so maybe there is something in that. All of that is of course tailored to music and live comedy/theatre world, and reading some of the comments on here I do think an arena being built with the intention of hosting the more niche events could potentially be an excellent idea, so maybe I am wrong to dismiss an arena. I just don't see one disrupting the music and live comedy spaces. with regard to the area being run down, it's successive councils having no longer term vision, and allowing anyone to set up a businesses outside the main towns. Businesses should be made to locate themselves in the the main centres to generate footfall. For example (and I know this may be 'slightly' contentious because it's between newcastle and stoke councils), if you go up king street from newcastle to etruria, there are so many beautiful old georgian buildings, but full of accountants and wealth management companies. these are the kind of companies that if placed together in a city centre, would essentially create a mini-financial district with like minded people creating footfall, and in turn, if anyone had the right level of idea, you'd create bars/restaurants befitting of this clientele, ie, a. more grown up vibe, instead of a shitty cheap shots and banging music kind of a bar. Also, if the kind of businesses left these beautiful old georgian buildings, it'd free them up for those who want this kind of housing stock that has such an aspirational aesthetic. There are a lot of people moving back from London right now, but they go elsewhere because the housing stock and amenities on offer are so poor. Instead, we have 'regeneration specialists' St Modwen, waiting for all their buildings/land they have got off the council on the cheap, to miraculously catch fire so they build the most basic of house design, further placing the city on a downward spiral as all those who would have moved back to the city, don't because the low standard of the property that is available. there is also a huge culture of fear within the city - from it's inhabitants - of change. No one wants to admit it, but anyone who does anything new or potentially exciting is shot down by the most vocal (and usually of pensionable age) in the local media, and it dampens any spirit for doing new projects. Badger made a point to raise the place and have greenery and bars/restaurants. Well, a lot needs raising for sure, however there are some great old buildings in hanley, they're just surrounded by monstrosities of new builds that exacerbate a local council lack of vision. the high street is dead and buried, it's not coming back. The model is what Manchester has got bang on, and that is contemporary events/food/drink/music, with green spaces, but built not just for the old, for all ages, regenerating historic buildings tastefully. there are also no decent hotels in Hanley. The Hilton one is awful, and cheap. There was talk of a really cool chain buying the old town hall and turning it into something incredible, however, as the arena idea when down the pan, i 'think' (could be wrong) they went away too. |
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Post by lordb on Jul 26, 2024 7:31:13 GMT
This idea that our area is so badly run down solely due to lack of ideas by the council just doesn't cut it for me
Can have all the ideas you want but when your budget is slashed then slashed again and then again and given we live in a poor place to start with then it's inevitable that pretty much everything gets worse which it definitely has
Thats not to say there are not issues with the councils, the dubious relationship with St Modwen and lots of other things but we could have the best most dynamic thinking council and we still would have had a horrendous experience
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Post by cdf on Jul 26, 2024 7:38:10 GMT
Its not a case of if you build it they will come. It’s not that simple. Of course, it’s just not happening. It’ll take billions to turn our city centre around and it isn’t getting spent. Flatten the lot and create green space with a big square of bars and restaurants in the middle to begin with I agree! I just think people have the perception that you build an arena and that’s it, the rest takes care of itself |
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 7:40:49 GMT
This idea that our area is so badly run down solely due to lack of ideas by the council just doesn't cut it for me Can have all the ideas you want but when your budget is slashed then slashed again and then again and given we live in a poor place to start with then it's inevitable that pretty much everything gets worse which it definitely has Thats not to say there are not issues with the councils, the dubious relationship with St Modwen and lots of other things but we could have the best most dynamic thinking council and we still would have had a horrendous experience of course, i agree, it's not 'solely' down to them, but there has been mistake after mistake from successive councils in their long term vision. they've also wasted huge amounts of money on some projects, and are reluctant to let these properties/land go to someone with ideas at what is now a low market value, because they've overspent on them in past. And having tried to deal with the councils nominated estate agent previously, it's like banging your head against a wall. Most estate agents will snap your hand off at any interest; not so for the ones i've had dealings with who have been so poor it's counter productive. The conspiracist in me says maybe they're instructed to stone wall this on behalf of the one of the bigger developers in the city. There needs to be an investigation into this relationship and it's toxic for the place, and detrimental to all of us. a handful of people with vested interests run this city, it's a shame because they're bottle necking any creativity in the place and running it down for their own benefit. for the record, i do believe the new council leaders want to do something positive for the city (as did the last set of leaders), but what has to be looked at is the other departments in the council that have powers for regeneration and building. |
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Post by elystokie on Jul 26, 2024 7:47:34 GMT
This idea that our area is so badly run down solely due to lack of ideas by the council just doesn't cut it for me Can have all the ideas you want but when your budget is slashed then slashed again and then again and given we live in a poor place to start with then it's inevitable that pretty much everything gets worse which it definitely has Thats not to say there are not issues with the councils, the dubious relationship with St Modwen and lots of other things but we could have the best most dynamic thinking council and we still would have had a horrendous experience of course, i agree, it's not 'solely' down to them, but there has been mistake after mistake from successive councils in their long term vision. they've also wasted huge amounts of money on some projects, and are reluctant to let these properties/land go to someone with ideas at what is now a low market value, because they've overspent on them in past. And having tried to deal with the councils nominated estate agent previously, it's like banging your head against a wall. Most estate agents will snap your hand off at any interest; not so for the ones i've had dealings with who have been so poor it's counter productive. The conspiracist in me says maybe they're instructed to stone wall this on behalf of the one of the bigger developers in the city. There needs to be an investigation into this relationship and it's toxic for the place, and detrimental to all of us. a handful of people with vested interests run this city, it's a shame because they're bottle necking any creativity in the place and running it down for their own benefit. for the record, i do believe the new council leaders want to do something positive for the city (as did the last set of leaders), but what has to be looked at is the other departments in the council that have powers for regeneration and building. There's something very 'whiffy' about the relationship with St Modwen and there has been for years, you're bang on, it needs investigating. |
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 7:49:04 GMT
This idea that our area is so badly run down solely due to lack of ideas by the council just doesn't cut it for me Can have all the ideas you want but when your budget is slashed then slashed again and then again and given we live in a poor place to start with then it's inevitable that pretty much everything gets worse which it definitely has Thats not to say there are not issues with the councils, the dubious relationship with St Modwen and lots of other things but we could have the best most dynamic thinking council and we still would have had a horrendous experience i forgot to add i only heard the other day (a reliable source, have no reason to doubt them - maybe this is common knowledge and i'm way behind the times), that both the BBC and Channel 4 enquired with the local council at the time, about setting up in the city, but it was so problematic that they eventually went to Salford and Leeds respectively. if my source is correct, and if this did indeed happen, it is insanity to let the biggest broadcasting company in the world walk away, and another after that. |
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Post by tommycarlsberg on Jul 26, 2024 7:59:45 GMT
This idea that our area is so badly run down solely due to lack of ideas by the council just doesn't cut it for me Can have all the ideas you want but when your budget is slashed then slashed again and then again and given we live in a poor place to start with then it's inevitable that pretty much everything gets worse which it definitely has Thats not to say there are not issues with the councils, the dubious relationship with St Modwen and lots of other things but we could have the best most dynamic thinking council and we still would have had a horrendous experience i forgot to add i only heard the other day (a reliable source, have no reason to doubt them - maybe this is common knowledge and i'm way behind the times), that both the BBC and Channel enquired with the local council at the time, about setting up in the city, but it was so problematic that they eventually went to Salford and Leeds respectively. if my source is correct, and if this did indeed happen, it is insanity to let the biggest broadcasting company in the world walk away, and another after that. This is what we really need for the city, some sort of modern industry to replace the potteries. As somebody mentioned earlier, maybe it could be used for the governments green energy plans. |
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 8:22:59 GMT
apologies, i'm going to spam the thread for a few posts, only because you can only add one attachment to a post. The options for classical or contemporary industrial housing stock can be rebuilt easily. This is what i want and have been trying to do, but get stonewalled. I get told "But the people of Stoke On Trent don't want this kind of housing" and my answer is "Really, can you show me the surveys that back up the claims?", but obviously they can't. Build housing stock that is aspirational, and you get more people moving back to the city, build housing stock that is not as aspirational, and the people with ideas and money go elsewhere. sorry, not a rant, but simply trying to point out where the city is going wrong in terms of regeneration and new ideas. Attachments:
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 8:23:39 GMT
industrial done very well, the younger generations love this Attachments:
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 8:24:22 GMT
an aspirational and classic aesthetic Attachments:
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 8:25:25 GMT
europeans on this classic regeneration too Attachments:
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Post by toppercorner on Jul 26, 2024 8:25:57 GMT
literally anything can be done with the right amount of vision and taste. Attachments:
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Post by Not_Nick_H on Jul 26, 2024 8:34:56 GMT
I don't doubt the logic of what you say tommy - but I'm curious to know what has changed in the last 40 years* -- given what you say about the team at work finding it hard to sell tickets for those two venues. Look at this listing for Iron Maiden's UK tour in 1983 ( I pick them cos they're one of my faves and their tour lists were a who's who of middle-size theatres/halls back in the day): MAY Mon 2 Hull, UKCity Hall Tue 3 Preston, UKGuildhall Thu 5 Oxford, UKNew Theatre Fri 6 Leicester, UKDe Montfort Hall Sat 7 Southampton, UKGaumont Hall Sun 8 Ipswich, UKGaumont Hall Tue 10 Nottingham, UKGaumont Hall Wed 11 Bradford, UKSaint George's Hall Thu 12 Glasgow, UKApollo Theatre Fri 13 Edinburgh, UKPlayhouse Theatre Sun 15 Cardiff, UKSaint David's Hall Mon 16 Sheffield, UKCity Hall Tue 17 Newcastle, UKCity Hall Wed 18 Hanley, UKVictoria Hall Fri 20 Bristol, UKColston Hall Sat 21 Birmingham, UKOdeon Sun 22 Birmingham, UKOdeon Mon 23 Manchester, UKApollo Theatre Wed 25 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Thu 26 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Fri 27 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon Sat 28 Hammersmith, London, UKOdeon - Not only did they play Hanley, but still did 2 nights at Brum's Odeon down the road. (The following year they played the Viccy Hall AND 2 nights up the road at the Manc Apollo - so demand was there). Do bands not play this scale of venue on a tour any more - or has something changed that means Hanley is overlooked by promoters now? - Remember back in those days, we had our own promoter in the Potteries - Mike Lloyd - were they better at promoting the venue to tour bookers? I don't live in the area any more, I'm just curious to know what has changed if anything, that means S-o-T can't support even a decent 2,000 seat venue. What level of band does the Vic attract nowadays? * *** me, I'm old. Well artists eventually want to make the transition from theatres to arenas, which is indicative of earnings and popularity I guess. A tour like the one you've quoted there would never happen now because we have purpose built arenas, as it looks like Iron Maiden would have been popular enough to fill them in 1983 but instead had to do multiple nights at the same venue, or multiple locations, to reach their full audience - indeed, they do now sell out all the main arenas. Touring has definitely changed today compared to even 15 years ago when I was a teenager. I would regularly see popular bands of the time like Courteeners, Bloc Party, The Wombats from the top of my head. www.atgtickets.com/venues/victoria-hall/ - There are no acts of that standing playing the Victoria Hall presently. For context it's a 1600 seat venue. These days if they're booking a tour for an exciting artist of the level of the artists I mentioned, they'd go your big cities and venues like, Manchester Apollo, Nottingham Rock City, Wolverhampton Civic Halls, Hammersmith Apollo. All of which are 3,000 plus. If they sold those dates out and thought they could sell more, it wouldn't make sense to add a Stoke Victoria Hall date, you'd take your chances at selling out another night at the sexier venues in Manchester and London because people will ultimately travel to these destinations. You wouldn't risk selling 1000 tickets at Victoria Hall, when 500 of them would travel and help you fill out the more prestigious venue. You see 'extra date added' next to the top venues all the time. If you go from this kind of top capacity theatre tour to arenas (look at a band like Fontaines DC now for an example), then you suddenly need to sell 10,000 more tickets per show, maybe more. Again, if you want to sell tickets in Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester arenas, you need all the smaller cities around them (like Stoke) to feed into those audiences. So my point is, building an arena in Stoke and suddenly expecting bands/artists to start including the bet365 arena on their tours just won't happen. What is actually hindering Stoke, similar to the six towns/city centre debate, is we seem to have two really excellent theatres within 100 yards of each other, which sort of do the same thing. If there was a way they could magically merge into a 2,000 - 3,000 capacity theatre then maybe you can start competing with the likes of Wolverhampton Civic Hall and be included on these tours. My own experience leans more towards the comedy world and if you look across the calendars of the two theatres, they are still able to book top acts. This is due to comedians generally needing to do much more densely packed tours than musicians. Although if you look at the acts that have played and are playing this year, the likes of Frank Skinner, Jimmy Carr, they are truly household names that will sell anywhere. My colleagues who I mentioned are more averse to taking risks with more up and coming acts in Stoke. They ask me why they don't sell being from Stoke myself, so there isn't an answer for you there. I think perhaps the average wage argument might come in to play there, who knows? Tickets are expensive these days. Funnily enough, I posted this about a month ago but a younger comedy act who did actually recently play Vic Hall told me how shocked they were at how run down the city was, so maybe there is something in that. All of that is of course tailored to music and live comedy/theatre world, and reading some of the comments on here I do think an arena being built with the intention of hosting the more niche events could potentially be an excellent idea, so maybe I am wrong to dismiss an arena. I just don't see one disrupting the music and live comedy spaces. You're spot on about the landscape of tours changing - in the last 20 years various "proper" arenas have popped up all over. Sheffield, Leeds, Nottingham have been added to the Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham ones that were around from the late 90's. Prior to that, "arenas" tended to be multi-purpose "sheds" like the NEC, GMEX, Wembley etc. Not ideal in some ways, and probably why Maiden and others stuck to the traditional Halls and Theatres route. One question about the Viccy Hall - has the capacity been reduced after the refurb/modernisation work a few years ago? I always thought it was closer to 2,000 capacity. 1,600 makes it about the same size as the Parr Hall in Warrington (where I live) and that only has the one balcony/circle and never appeared on the kind of tours that I've mentioned. Going back to your point about merging venues - I know the Queen's Theatre Burslem isn't in use, but what capacity is that? In the past, I've seen both comedy acts and rock bands there. There's definitely some scope for some kind of niche, but flexible venue - arena-shaped or otherwise. Built properly from the ground up with all the latest technology, it might make the area more attractive for entertainment and sports industry pros when looking for places to host things. |
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Post by elystokie on Jul 26, 2024 9:02:51 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. |
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Post by mickeythemaestro on Jul 26, 2024 9:46:03 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. Altrincham Food Market is often held up as a gold standard to how to regenerate a failing town centre. Since the council backed that after Altrincham suffered decline after the Trafford Centre opened it has done wonders to get the town centre back on track. Slightly different demographic and some very affluent surrounding areas and all that but definitely lessons to be taken.. |
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Post by cdf on Jul 26, 2024 11:49:38 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. Altrincham Food Market is often held up as a gold standard to how to regenerate a failing town centre. Since the council backed that after Altrincham suffered decline after the Trafford Centre opened it has done wonders to get the town centre back on track. Slightly different demographic and some very affluent surrounding areas and all that but definitely lessons to be taken.. Warrington Market on Golden Square have done something similar to Altrincham market. I would put Stoke more inline with Warrington gswarrington.com/events/ |
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Post by Not_Nick_H on Jul 26, 2024 11:55:48 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. So that's why that bit always reeks of spray paint! I pop to the baseball/sports bar there occasionally and enter and leave the area high as a kite  |
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Post by mickeythemaestro on Jul 26, 2024 11:56:11 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. Actually you make a good point about good quality street art/graffiti. It can, done on the right scale and done well absolutely put a new spin on an area. Some great examples scattered around Manchester that are really good. No reason that couldn't be achieved in the right parts of our city. We need Banksy to get the ball rolling perhaps... |
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Post by Not_Nick_H on Jul 26, 2024 12:00:58 GMT
Altrincham Food Market is often held up as a gold standard to how to regenerate a failing town centre. Since the council backed that after Altrincham suffered decline after the Trafford Centre opened it has done wonders to get the town centre back on track. Slightly different demographic and some very affluent surrounding areas and all that but definitely lessons to be taken.. Warrington Market on Golden Square have done something similar to Altrincham market. I would put Stoke more inline with Warrington gswarrington.com/events/As a resident I can confirm they've done a great job with Warrington's new market. Completely rethinking the layout and bringing the food court to the front, with the stall holders at the rear. The food area opens up so that people can make use of outdoor seating - proper café society almost. Loads of different food options plus a cocktail bar one side and ale the other. There's space to put entertainment on on a weekend evening either inside or out. No idea what Hanley market looks like these days, but it would benefit from that kind of rethink I'm sure.  Yes - Warrington and Stoke maybe used to be similar, but sometime around 1975 (I'm guessing - I moved there in '97) Warrington grasped the nettle and realised it couldn't depend on traditional industries anymore and started to modernise/seek investment. The fact it's better located between two big conurbations also helped. Stoke is a bit "isolated" in that respect. |
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Post by elystokie on Jul 26, 2024 12:45:17 GMT
Don't know if anyone has seen the graffiti on Charles Street opposite the 'Etruscan Square' and the, frankly insulting, 'levelling up' board hoardings but some of it is very, very good (and a sight better than the nonsensical slogans someone saw fit to pay for a few years ago!). I often visit the place below when I'm in that London, there's graffiti classes on most days, seems reasonably popular. www.leakestreetarches.london/Surely it wouldn't take much to turn those hoardings on both sides into something worth looking at and in turn a place for people to display their work? Maybe give food stalls free rent for a few months on the site to see if a food court type thing would work, it's not like it's bringing any money in currently. Actually you make a good point about good quality street art/graffiti. It can, done on the right scale and done well absolutely put a new spin on an area. Some great examples scattered around Manchester that are really good. No reason that couldn't be achieved in the right parts of our city. We need Banksy to get the ball rolling perhaps... There's a really good one of a matelot just up from the Sugar Mill, there's some incredibly talented artists about, they'd probably be glad of the opportunity, particularly in a visible location, Etruscan Square is very visible, just takes a bit of vision. |
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Post by supersimonstainrod on Jul 26, 2024 18:03:57 GMT
Actually you make a good point about good quality street art/graffiti. It can, done on the right scale and done well absolutely put a new spin on an area. Some great examples scattered around Manchester that are really good. No reason that couldn't be achieved in the right parts of our city. We need Banksy to get the ball rolling perhaps... There's a really good one of a matelot just up from the Sugar Mill, there's some incredibly talented artists about, they'd probably be glad of the opportunity, particularly in a visible location, Etruscan Square is very visible, just takes a bit of vision. It's a start.... |
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Post by toppercorner on Aug 1, 2024 20:42:40 GMT
Been in Hanley tonight for a few drinks.
Saw Ben Gibson knocking around Piccadilly, looking bewildered.
It's the first time I've been to Hanley on a week night, in the late evening light for years.
It's plain to see why Hanley is dying .. and I don't care who thinks I'm a miserable git, stuff needs to be brought into the conversation.
Firstly, the dirt on the bars and eateries. It's gross. You sit outside, and the buildings are covered in dirt and grime, now if i was a bar/eatery owner, I'd have some self pride and clean it off. It's reminiscent of those people who let their flats fall to bits and then starting weeping about it in the press because they haven't done anything and expect someone else too.
Secondly, the music. Jesus wept. I walked into one bar, and they're playing Abba and the spice girls. Now this is actually a very good looking bar with bags of potential (needs a clean obvs), but you couldn't sit in there because the music is so bad. Same for another bar, the music is just awful. People think it doesn't matter but it really does, its one of the most important things to consider. No wonder other cities are light years ahead, you need fresh music, for a cool crowd.
Which leads onto my last point. It's all geared up for a benidorm crowd. Sorry to say it, but catering for this crowd can only further reduce and opportunities in the city.
Slamwich club, very positive vibes in being contemporary.
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Post by thehartshillbadger on Aug 1, 2024 21:11:03 GMT
Been in Hanley tonight for a few drinks. Saw Ben Gibson knocking around Piccadilly, looking bewildered. It's the first time I've been to Hanley on a week night, in the late evening light for years. It's plain to see why Hanley is dying .. and I don't care who thinks I'm a miserable git, stuff needs to be brought into the conversation. Firstly, the dirt on the bars and eateries. It's gross. You sit outside, and the buildings are covered in dirt and grime, now if i was a bar/eatery owner, I'd have some self pride and clean it off. It's reminiscent of those people who let their flats fall to bits and then starting weeping about it in the press because they haven't done anything and expect someone else too. Secondly, the music. Jesus wept. I walked into one bar, and they're playing Abba and the spice girls. Now this is actually a very good looking bar with bags of potential (needs a clean obvs), but you couldn't sit in there because the music is so bad. Same for another bar, the music is just awful. People think it doesn't matter but it really does, its one of the most important things to consider. No wonder other cities are light years ahead, you need fresh music, for a cool crowd. Which leads onto my last point. It's all geared up for a benidorm crowd. Sorry to say it, but catering for this crowd can only further reduce and opportunities in the city. Slamwich club, very positive vibes in being contemporary. I went to Slamwich Club the other week, cool tunes, basic but functional decor. The staff were lovely and really work hard and the food was really good for a sarnie. We need more like this but sadly I doubt it’ll happen. Absolutely agree on the state of the buildings, absolutely no pride whatsoever and it’s basically a ghost town even in Piccadilly |
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Post by iancransonsknees on Aug 1, 2024 21:27:36 GMT
Been in Hanley tonight for a few drinks. Saw Ben Gibson knocking around Piccadilly, looking bewildered. It's the first time I've been to Hanley on a week night, in the late evening light for years. It's plain to see why Hanley is dying .. and I don't care who thinks I'm a miserable git, stuff needs to be brought into the conversation. Firstly, the dirt on the bars and eateries. It's gross. You sit outside, and the buildings are covered in dirt and grime, now if i was a bar/eatery owner, I'd have some self pride and clean it off. It's reminiscent of those people who let their flats fall to bits and then starting weeping about it in the press because they haven't done anything and expect someone else too. Secondly, the music. Jesus wept. I walked into one bar, and they're playing Abba and the spice girls. Now this is actually a very good looking bar with bags of potential (needs a clean obvs), but you couldn't sit in there because the music is so bad. Same for another bar, the music is just awful. People think it doesn't matter but it really does, its one of the most important things to consider. No wonder other cities are light years ahead, you need fresh music, for a cool crowd. Which leads onto my last point. It's all geared up for a benidorm crowd. Sorry to say it, but catering for this crowd can only further reduce and opportunities in the city. Slamwich club, very positive vibes in being contemporary. I went to Slamwich Club the other week, cool tunes, basic but functional decor. The staff were lovely and really work hard and the food was really good for a sarnie. We need more like this but sadly I doubt it’ll happen. Absolutely agree on the state of the buildings, absolutely no pride whatsoever and it’s basically a ghost town even in Piccadilly It's the same in most cities here. I vividly remember spending a few days in Chicago, being up early in the mornings and wandering around a few blocks. Virtually every restaurant, bar, deli etc would have someone washing down the exterior of the building, the pavement etc. Bar NYC and Toronto (Toronto subs for NYC in TV & film, maybe that's why) it was the same in most North American cities I've been privileged to visit. |
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