By most metrics, New Year’s Eve in Manchester this year would be considered a washout.
A chilly, determined and miserable drizzle had been coming down in sheets since mid-afternoon, and Canal Street was fast turning into an actual canal.
But you wouldn’t know it to step inside the Shiredale pub in Harpurhey. Perched on the edge of a 60s estate, this flat-roofed watering hole appears to be defying the culture of decline seen by pubs across the country.
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Warm and welcoming, with old fashioned Christmas lights in primary colours twinkling at you from the wall, over striped banquettes packed with families and groups of friends determined to have a good time, this place could warm you up on even the most miserable Mancunian evening.
A family place in every sense of the word, it’s been run by husband and wife John and Debbie Thompson for ten years. Their daughter Katie is behind the bar with her mum, and John’s sister Sarah also works there – though she’s happy to be on the other side of the bar this evening.
Landlady Debbie Thompson with regular Jackie.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
“We’ve been really busy over Christmas, it’s been great,” said staff member Sarah. “On Boxing Day we were rammed, we had customers waiting at the door when we opened.”
Landlady Debbie agreed, though she conceded that the so-called Mad Friday had been very quiet this year, mirroring a trend the M.E.N observed in the city centre.
“It’s the last Friday before Christmas so people are saving up for that,” she said. “And the weather was bad – I think that put a lot of people off.”
Tonight, the pub is well attended, and there is music, drink and karaoke to ring in the new year, as well as a table heaving with party food.
Locals from Harpurhey and beyond have shunned the delights of a rain-soaked city centre – and the lure of staying at home on the sofa – for the lively but comfortable atmosphere here, somewhere between a family party and a school disco.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
Steve Gee, who is immaculately dressed in a tuxedo, is managing the entertainment. He’s at the pub most nights a week – and has been for years – all the way from Macclesfield to act as DJ and compere.
Tonight, between classic party bangers from the 1990s to the 2010s, is a steady stream of willing singers, eager to take the mic – and take their performance seriously.
The performers have chosen a mix of songs startling in its variety. There are the classics, real karaoke go-tos like Islands in the Stream, Valerie by Amy Winehouse and Burning Love by Elvis – but also an ambitious performance of the bluesy jazz ballad Cry Me A River.
One of the bar staff sings Adele’s When We Were Young beautifully – and another man seems determined to bring all present to tears with R.E.M’s Losing My Religion and Coldplay’s Yellow
.
New Year’s Eve at the Shiredale pub in Harpurhey.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
Karaoke nights are obviously a big part of what draws customers to the Shiredale. But besides singing and drinking, the place is clearly an important hub for the local community.
There are children’s Christmas parties, free pool, bingo and quizzes. The pub hires out their space as a function room for local groups, including a disco for adults with learning difficulties.
On December 21, the pub’s Facebook page shared a post by the Harpurhey Neighbourhood Project advertising their community Christmas dinner. “PLEASE DON’T EAT ALONE THIS CHRISTMAS,” wrote the post.
As well as a band of regulars, staff say they have many visitors from further afield. “Not just Birmingham and Leeds – we’ve had people from Sweden and Norway,” says Sarah.
“People staying in their AirBnBs nearby who come down for a drink – they’ve ended up staying for karaoke rather than going to the Northern Quarter.”
Inside the Shiredale pub in Harpurhey on New Years Eve.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
All the punters the M.E.N spoke to had nothing but praise for the place. One woman – who has just dispatched an impressive rendition of the Cranberries’ Zombie – is Lisa Ward, whose brother Shayne won the X Factor in 2005.
The 43-year-old may be holding rambunctious court with her friends over trays of pints and Jagerbombs, but this is her first night out since the summer.
She’s enthused about her new dress – black with glittery silver accents – which she is thrilled to fit into after losing nearly three stone. She’s been coming to the Shiredale for several years.
“When I was younger, I used to go clubbing in town, and there were a lot of expectations,” she said. “When I first came here, I didn’t know anyone – but it’s so welcoming and chill.
“You always know what kind of night you’re going to have, too. It’s really friendly and family oriented, and people are up for singing and dancing.
Lisa Ward and friends inside the Shiredale pub in Harpurhey on New Years Eve.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
“And there’s never any trouble – if there is, it’s dealt with so fast that you never see it.”
Most of the punters are over the age of 40. One couple, in their 60s, moved away to Wales two years ago, but before that were regulars for years. They’ve brought their grandson, who happily sings a duet with his grandad.
Another regular, John, has spent his life working as a painter/decorator in north Manchester and has now settled in Harpurhey, a stone’s throw from his native Collyhurst.
After a battle with throat cancer a few years back – which he won – he says he can’t sing, but is still crooning along tunefully to every singer.
“I know nearly everyone here,” he says cheerfully. “My daughter’s sat just over there.”
Regular John and his daughter.
(Image: Kenny Brown)
As the evening draws on, the volume inside the small space reaches shouting volume, the small dance floor becomes crowded with swaying bodies and punters grow more and more tipsy.
But all along, the atmosphere remains astoundingly friendly and welcoming. Lisa Ward brought our reporter three non-alcoholic beers throughout the evening; another regular, Jackie, brought over plates of food.
“We have so many regulars, we know practically everyone around here,” said staff member Sarah. “Everyone looks out for each other. There’s not a lot of pubs like this that are left.”