Venue Review: Soup Kitchen is cooking up something good

Tucked down the side streets and alleyways, to one side of Manchester’s city centre, breathes a young and intimate venue that has come to be a pivotal part of Mancunian culture. Just off Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter, Soup Kitchen operates as a trio of bar, canteen and club, and in just six years of its existence, has attained two awards and had some of the finest names in music walk through its doors.

By day, Soup Kitchen operates as a watering hole and eatery, offering up an ever-rotating choice of soup and mains, and for those planning to dine in the area, the jerk chicken is a must. As for drinks, the venue offers a wide range of cask ales and draught beers served alongside a healthy dose of atmosphere.

There are few other places in Manchester that offer the same rush at the beginning of a night as walking down the dank staircase to the club in the basement. The room itself is nothing more than a concrete cuboid with chipped walls, a bar at the back and a pair of speaker stacks at the front. Fans of live music in intimate spaces will be pleased to find that even in the toilets, you’re never more than ten metres away from your favourite artists.

However, the enclosed, subterranean space and humble size of Soup Kitchen seems only to work to its advantage. Huge names in electronic music have stepped up to the decks, including members from Hessle Audio, Project Mooncircle and Apollo Records, and due to the limited size of the venue, every show is packed with a great atmosphere. As any fan of bass-orientated music will tell you, there’s something to be said for low ceilings and high decibel levels.

Soup Kitchen are no strangers to a diverse range of music either. The venue hosts the monthly club night You Dig?, which has fast become known as Manchester’s premium funk and soul night, as well as previously hosting shows such as the recent metallic hardcore gig with northerners Employed To Serve and Rolo Tomassi. The venue also frequently hosts popular indie club night Remake Remodel.

Despite not having a rich history akin to that of Manchester’s other popular venues, Soup Kitchen has made a name for itself as one of the most eclectic places to spend an evening, proving that sticking to the basics and breaking down the walls between artist and fan is a sure way to make a name for yourself in a crowded market.