Rafters (nightclub)

Rafters, later known as Jilly's, was a nightclub located in St. James Buildings, Oxford Street,[1][2] Manchester, England. Some well-known bands played concerts at Rafters in the 1970s and 1980s.

This article is about nightclub in Manchester. For the tennis player, see Patrick Rafter. For structural members for support the roof deck, see Rafter. For other uses, see Rafter (disambiguation).

Rafters
Rafters logo
Logo from 1979 poster
Rafters is located in Manchester
Rafters
Rafters
Location in Manchester
Address65, Oxford Street (St. James Buildings)[1][2]
LocationManchester, England
Coordinates53°28′31″N 02°14′29″W
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)Rock
Capacity1,000[3]
Construction
OpenedStart of the 1970s
RenovatedRenamed to Jilly's in 1983, to MusicBox in 1992[3]

Rob Gretton, who went on to become the manager of Joy Division, worked at Rafters. It featured in the 2007 film Control.

History

Rafters opened in Manchester in the 1970s in St James's Buildings in Oxford Street. The schedule generally remained the same: live gigs on Monday and Wednesday nights and a Folk night on Tuesday. By the mid-1970s the venue had become better known by the public and musicians, and leading musical bands began to play there. Following the rise of punk rock in 1976 and 1977, the venue became one of the main places in Manchester for live music. Joy Division performed there and in other Manchester venues such as Rock World.[3]

Numerous new bands played in Rafters in 1977 among them Paul Young of Sad Café and Dougie James. At this time Rob Gretton was one of the DJs at the club and also became a leading figure in the Manchester punk scene. The Stiff Records Test (Chiswick Challenge) organised by Stiff Records took place here on 14 April 1978. The event proved significant in the history of the band Joy Division. Rob Gretton and Tony Wilson of Granada TV were present at the event and saw Joy Division play. Joy Division were the last of 17 bands to play, but made a strong impression on those at the concerts. As Rob Gretton commented:[3]

So they went on about ten to two and they were blazing madmen. And I just went and watched them. Great! Best band I've ever seen – and they sent a tingle up my spine. And I was dancing all over...I went up telling them - at the end - telling them how brilliant I thought it was ... And I went raving about them all next day

— Rob Gretton, about Rafters club, memories about Stiff Records Test[3]

In 1978, the memorable DJ partnership of Colin Curtis and John Grant established the region's leading jazz-funk night at Rafters. The club closed in 1983. In its final years the DJ was Mike Shaft who appeared on Piccadilly Radio with Takin' Care of Business; though he resigned one night after being informed by the management that they felt that 'the club was becoming too black' for them.[4][5] After that the club was renamed as Jilly's which existed to 1993, after which the club was called Music Box, the site of the Electric Chair club nights, which moved there from The Roadhouse in the late 90s and were hugely influential until they came to an end in 2008.[3]

Concerts

Notes
  1. Info from So It Goes TV series page
  2. It is not known if there was one concert or two. "?? December 1977: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1977 (Warsaw). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  3. Info from Joy Division#Early releases
  4. Info from TGV DVD set page
  5. Info from TG+ DVD set
  6. Info from The Southern Death Cult album page. Songs named Crow and Faith
  7. Info from Festival of the Tenth Summer page

References
  1. "Places of Interest". Joy Division central. pp. Places in Manchester. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  2. "Listed buildings in Manchester by street (O)". A-Z of Listed Buildings in Manchester. Manchester City Council. Retrieved 22 February 2010
    Oxford Street (east side): …Nos.65 to 95. St. James's Buildings. Grade II. 20.6.88
    {{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
  3. "Our history". Jilly's Rockworld - home of Manchester's rock & alternative community. Retrieved 23 February 2010.
  4. https://electrofunkroots.co.uk/mike-shaft
  5. https://electrofunkroots.co.uk/electrospective-event-mike-shaft-interview
  6. "31st May 1977: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1977 (Warsaw). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  7. "30th June 1977: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1977 (Warsaw). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  8. "The Prefects Gig History". punk77.co.uk. Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  9. "13th October 1977: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1977 (Warsaw). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  10. "24th November 1977: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1977 (Warsaw). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  11. "28th March 1978: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1978 (Joy Division). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  12. "14th April 1978: Rafters, Manchester". Joy Division Concerts. Joy Division central. pp. 1978 (Joy Division). Retrieved 22 February 2010.
  13. "Dire Straits tour 1978". Tours. Canada: Mark Knopfler official site. Archived from the original on 9 September 2012. Retrieved 13 February 2010.
  14. "1981 Tour". Depeche Mode (Old version). Retrieved 22 February 2010. {{cite web}}: External link in |publisher= (help)
  • "Our history". Jilly's Rockworld - home of Manchester's rock & alternative community. Retrieved 23 February 2010page about "Rafters"{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)

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