A Goose Green bar has chalked up an incredible 1,000 live performances as it approaches its 10th anniversary next year.
The Green Room has welcomed an average of three bands a week to its popular – and often raucous – bar and recently passed the milestone with a performance from house regulars, The Henry Revue Band.
Regulars can attest to the atmosphere that this deceptively small venue – one that can easily welcome a few hundred through its doors on a weekend night – can generate.
“It’s the most fun bar I’ve ever worked at,” says bar manager, Jake Cullen. “It’s not a job – it’s like a night out without a hangover.”
Images of local musical heroes adorn the walls – many of them, like Ian Brown, Johnny Marr, Morrissey and Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs – with strong Altrincham links, and there’s even a Manchester Mojito on the menu.
And in a few weeks, on Thursday December 1st, it will welcome Mark Coyle, the producer of Oasis’ iconic debut album Definitely Maybe, for a special night that might just entice Bonehead – the band’s former guitarist – over from his home in Hale.
Preserving the town’s justified reputation as a hotbed of musical talent is certainly taken seriously at The Green Room.
As well as the prolific turnover of performances – there is a pool of six regular bands – there’s a high bar of quality that any band must meet in order to take the stage.
“People know they’re always going to get a quality live act here,” adds Jake, who refers to the bar as the “world famous Green Room”. “We never waste time with any sub-par bands – we always check them out before we book them.
“Musicians particularly like playing here because it’s small and intimate – they get a true gig feeling in a local bar, which is unusual. We’ve had singers with a wireless microphone behind the bar – we’re trying to get past them while we’re pulling pints!”
There’s no set genre of music – “it’s anything from the 60s to now”, with the exception of dance music – but whatever it is, The Green Room believes it can guarantee all-comers a great night as part of the regenerated Goose Green.
“You have your ale house (Costello’s), your wine bar and restaurant (House), a little Italian (La Piazza), the tiki bar (Traders Tiki), and Tavern On The Green with its great pies. It’s a great community destination. It’s a lot busier now and the clientele is noticeably better.
“People come to Goose Green now knowing that they will have a great night, and they don’t stay in one place all night. There’s a great offer here.”
To fit in with the way people move around this recently improved square of Altrincham nightlife, live music doesn’t start until 10pm at The Green Room, going on until 1am ahead of a 2am close. Every Thursday night is an open mic night, with bands taking to the stage on Friday and Saturday nights, as well as Bank Holiday Sundays.
“We like to think of ourselves as Altrincham’s original and best live music venue,” adds Jake. “Altrincham has been an amazing town for influential music, and we hope we continue that legacy.”
The Green Room, 10 Goose Green, Altrincham, WA14 1DW. An Evening with Mark Coyle (producer of Definitely Maybe) will take place on Thursday December 1st.
