140 Deansgate, a historic Manchester building that has been boarded up for over ten years, is set to reopen as Resident, a five-floor music venue and bar featuring a club, pizza spot, bar, and record store.
Sandwiched between The Lost Dene and the Sawyers Arms, the building dates back to 1890 and was designed by Manchester architect Edward Salomons, who also worked on the Manchester Reform Club and the original Manchester Jewish Museum building.
Initially used as a showroom and office for the Manchester Gas Committee, the building has more recently been home to cafes, late night bars, and members' clubs, including Majestic and its last occupier, The Fantasy Bar.
Venue Details and Opening
Resident is built around the city's underground music scene and has been billed as unique to the city. It will open next Thursday, November 12, with a red-lit room below street level called Electric Pizza Shop, featuring future disco sounds, cocktails, and pizza served by the slice until late.
After dark, the basement and ground floor will become a club, with DJs selected based on what they can bring to the space rather than their social media following, so the lineup is expected to feature new names and grassroots players.
The design, created by Fight or Flight Studio, includes neon pixel art icons such as lightning bolts, cherries, and spinning records, along with high-flash 35-mm-style photography.
Residents and Opening Night
Resident will build up its own roster of talent who will perform alongside headline acts. The first set of parties will be free, with core residents including Urbi, Shimrise, Groove Division, Joe Roche, Rhod Parry, Pez, and SUI 13.
Opening night duties will be handled by Belfast DJ and producer Holly Lester, who has played residencies in Ibiza as well as the Warehouse Project.
The venue will also house a record shop run by Manchester label and collective Do As You Please (DAYP). Led by founder Niall Roche, the store will mark Deansgate's first vinyl shop in 30 years, selling short run and hard-to-find electronic records from Europe, the US, and Japan.
Future Plans and Founder Comments
Inspired by listening bars and basement clubs from around the world, the Resident space aims to nurture talent across music, food, and the arts, evolving each year through a series of volumes. Plans are already in the works to add Asian kitchens to the ground floor and Latin and Mexican kitchens on the first.
Arytom Dmitrijev, founder of Resident and Electric Pizza Shop, said: "It's about independents coming together to make things happen. Every beer we pour is independent and local, with no big names. We're working with strong local creatives and artists, produce-led chefs and DJs, partnering with the people who deserve it and championing Manchester's creative, musical and culinary scenes."
Niall Roche, founder of Do As You Please, added: "DAYP is the product of persistent exploration of Manchester's music scene and being surrounded by purpose-driven people. Over the past few years it's become its own world of incredible, talented friends, sonic rarities and fun, interesting art."
Resident: Volume One opens on Thursday, November 12, at Deansgate, Manchester. Electric Pizza Shop opens first, with free entry to the first season of parties with guestlist sign-up through Cue.
