The Warehouse Project is now older than a large amount of the current student cohort. The seasonal series of club nights began at a disused brewery in Strangeways in 2006, that was previously owned by regional beer producers Boddingtons. After a period of movement between what is now O2 Victoria Warehouse and a space on Store Street that served as an air raid shelter underneath Manchester Piccadilly rail station, The Warehouse Project settled at its permanent home of Depot Mayfield. Since then, it’s developed into more than just a nightclub, hosting exhibitions across the city while also boasting a record label and short film under the name.
Following their involvement with newly-reopened, legendary club Sankeys, Sam Kandel and Sacha Lord began The Warehouse Project as a joint venture. The latter is a controversial figure: The Manchester Mill investigated him and Primary Event Solutions for informing the government wrongly on their function to obtain a £400,000 COVID-19 grant from the Arts Council, and misleading use of money that had been publicly donated. A subsequent investigation resulted in Lord’s resignation as Manchester’s nighttime economy adviser, a role he took on during Andy Burnham’s tenure as mayor. Still, many are ready to look past the scandal: Lord gave Manchester a venue for electronic music like no other in the UK.
Some outlets criticised The Warehouse Project upon its move to Depot Mayfield, including The Mancunion. An article published in October 2019 argued that “The sheer scale… scoffs at the idea of ‘counter-culture’”, declaring “the sense of excitement and adventure, that feeling of liberation” might have been lost in translation. The majority of students today will have been too young to experience a pre-2019 night at The Warehouse Project, but those who have attended its most recent location will attest to the escapism it continues to offer. While the piece was correct that “the smaller scale made it more exclusive”, in a post-Covid world, exclusivity is far from the clubber’s first desire. For those seeking a more intimate setting, grassroots spaces such as Stage & Radio and XLR remain, and are some of the city’s best in their own right, but you wouldn’t be able to find Four Tet or Kettama playing there.
For their twentieth anniversary celebrations, The Warehouse Project have levelled up. Last year saw huge names such as Sammy Virji, Overmono, Confidence Man and FISHER take over, leaving attendees wondering if they could ever top their 2025 calendar. Somehow, they’ve managed it: the WHP26 calendar is full of highlights and instant sell-outs, including homegrown speed garage talent Interplanetary Criminal who will perform a solo set as well as a back-to-back alongside fast riser Silva Bumpa. The remainder of the lineup includes names such as Bakey, Joy Orbison, Main Phase, Malugi and Skin on Skin, who have all performed at The Warehouse Project in previous seasons and come together for a night to remember.
Some of the season’s best lineups have been curated by new and returning labels and promoters, including Homobloc, Josh Baker’s You&Me, drum-and-bass-centric Worried About Henry, Max Dean’s NEXUP, East End Dubs’ Eastenderz, London promoters Eat Your Own Ears and Teletech venture XXL. La Discothèque share Groove Armada with legendary Manchester brand Haçienda’s night, but also bring Basement Jaxx to the depot, whilst facilitating Annie Mac’s return to the venue following her concourse-only Before Midnight show that kicked off last year’s season. Most recently announced is their 20 Years of The Warehouse Project night featuring a stage curated by record label Modern Funktion, with appearances across four rooms including Rossi. and Obskür.
Concourse-only shows are the perfect way to experience the true sense of escapism that some would argue is lost in The Warehouse Project’s commercialism: there’s a no-phones policy, meaning filming is prohibited and cameras are covered by stickers on entry. It makes for a brilliant atmosphere in the venue’s second-largest room, and artists such as Eric Prydz and Silva Bumpa are due to provide the experience to attendees throughout the season. The Warehouse Project’s opening party, headlined by the Dutch acid techno giant KI/KI in mid-September, will also take place as a concourse-only show, meaning the season is sure to start off on the right note.
The depot space will see electronic headliners ranging from the hardcore of Hannah Laing to the experimentalism of Overmono, as well as more mainstream sounds by Duke Dumont and Tiësto. However, it doesn’t end there. After a remarkable show at Castlefield Bowl in July, Mike Skinner and The Streets will continue their extensive tour performing seminal album A Grand Don’t Come For Free in full, stopping off at Depot Mayfield in November. The following month, Kneecap will play to 10,000 people at the venue, continuing their own rise and proving that The Warehouse Project hosts something for everyone. It may be catered primarily towards electronic music, but with previous guests in recent years including Primal Scream and Turnstile, there’s a surprising range of sounds and styles on offer.
The Mancunion’s 2019 article discussing The Warehouse Project’s move to Depot Mayfield concludes positively. Ultimately, it commends the venue for “showcasing the very best of today’s electronic music scene, on levels never before reached in the UK”. DJ Mag would agree, having consistently voted the series in the top ten of its Top 100 Clubs every year since 2021. With twelve weekends of electronic music on offer from September to December, it’s still a shame they don’t offer season passes.
