Manchester students have an excellent social life (why else do they go to Manchester?..) and are well served by the Students' Union which is a major player in the city's entertainment.
The SU has an impressive five bars, four inside the union building and one nearby. Built in 1999 on the ground floor of the SU is the Solem Bar, and it is anything but its near namesake. Open every night of the week, it serves good food and drink and has pool tables, MTV and other satellite TV channels. Although there are occasional live gigs and DJ sets it is mostly used for a relaxing drink before going to a club. The University has now also inherited the drinking venues of UMIST, Harry's Bar with its selection of real ales and big screens is a highlight.
The Main Hall is situated on the first floor and is the SU's main dance and gig venue. The Lemonheads and Placebo are recent performers. The Hop and Grape is on the top floor of the union and is the smallest of the union bars. Despite its size (and the stairs to the top of the Union) there is always a great atmosphere in here.
The Cellar is in the cellar...no shit, some might say...but bear with me. The Cellar (capital C), is the Union's club venue with numerous club nights throughout the week, during which clubbers and walls get really sweaty and the atmosphere can be electric! Pulling chances are also high...(Just thought you might want to know).
The Academy is one of Manchester's premier live venues, and host in the past to such Brit super-bands as Prodigy, Oasis, and Blur. More recent performers have included Bloc Party, The Kaiser Chiefs and The Killers. Situated close, but not in the SU building, it is also home to Club Tropicana.
The Burlington Rooms are another decent drinking venue, if for any miraculous reason you've managed to get bored with the others. 'The Burlington Society' is a society for postgraduate and mature students only, situated in a building next to the John Rylands Library - the Shunck Building - there are however 2 rooms in the building which are available for use by non members:-
Upstairs is the Common Room (The Schunck Room), a grand airey hall ideal for meetings, debates and large functions.
Downstairs is The Burlington Bar with a cosier atmosphere and (obviously) a licensed bar; great for smaller events and parties. There is a third room, The Bennison Lounge, which is specifically for members of the Burlington Society. It has a coded lock (ooooo! how exciting..) and only members may obtain the code on production of their membership card. Well how poncey, nobody wants to go to your stupid party anyway.
