The Warehouse Project

The Warehouse Project is a series of club nights organised in Greater Manchester, England, since 2006. Unlike most other clubs, it has a limited seasonal approach rather than running all year. Each year's season runs from September through to New Year's Day, plus occasional one off dates such as Bank Holiday weekends. This period corresponds with the busiest time of the year and the student calendar.[2]

The Warehouse Project
The current Mayfield venue, pictured in 2020
LocationMayfield Depot (2019–present)
Store St., Manchester (2014–2018)
Victoria Warehouse, Trafford (2012–2013)
Store St., Manchester (2007–11)
Strangeways Brewery, Manchester (2006)
TypeNightclub
Genre(s)House, techno, Trance, electro, live concerts
Capacity10,000[1]
Opened2006
Website
www.thewarehouseproject.com

History
Warehouse Project events were held underneath Piccadilly station (Store Street) from 2014 to 2018, and were also previously held there from 2007 to 2011.

The Warehouse Project was initially started as a joint venture by Sacha Lord and Sam Kandel, who both had previous involvement with the Sankeys nightclub in Manchester.[2] It began operations in the disused Boddingtons Brewery in Strangeways, and then moved into a space under Manchester Piccadilly station, on Store Street, which previously served as an air raid shelter.[3]

On 14 July 2011, The Warehouse Project announced that the 2011 season would be the last ever WHP event at Store Street.[4] This was followed by a later announcement on 22 March 2012 that the 2012 season would be based at the Victoria Warehouse, to the west of Manchester city centre in Trafford Park, near Old Trafford football stadium.[5] The club remained at this location for the 2013 season as well. In late 2013, rumours started that The Warehouse Project was due to move to the disused Mayfield Depot next to Manchester Piccadilly station from 2014 but a planning application was subsequently withdrawn in September 2013. The Warehouse Project's 2013 season drew to a close at the end of the year, with a final closing party on 1 January 2014 at the Victoria Warehouse venue.[6]

Despite the announcement made in 2011, the 2014 season returned to Store Street, in a move described by the organisers as returning to their "spiritual home" for one last year.[7] During this time, the owners of Mayfield Depot decided to redevelop their site rather than retaining it as a cultural venue,[8] so the 2015 season was again located at Store Street.

The 2017 season was announced in July 2017, with 31 shows at Store Street from September that year.[9][10] The "last ever" event at Store Street was held in 2018.[11]

In 2019, the events moved to a refurbished Mayfield Depot.[12][13]

Music and artists

Since its foundation, the club has played host to numerous internationally acclaimed DJs such as Carl Cox, Sven Väth, Aphex Twin, Richie Hawtin, Deadmau5, Annie Mac, Pete Tong, Armand Van Helden and Erick Morillo, and musicians such as De La Soul, Happy Mondays, Chic, The Prodigy, Disclosure, Basement Jaxx and Foals.[14] In 2007, The Warehouse Project was voted by dance music magazine Mixmag as the best club in the United Kingdom.[15] In 2013, The Warehouse Project was voted by DJ Magazine as the "Best Club Series" in the magazine's Best of British Awards.[16]

The Warehouse Project is noted for placing international DJs alongside less established artists.

Awards and nominations

DJ Magazine's top 100 clubs
Year Position Notes Ref.
2013 19 New entry [17]
2014 26 — [18]
2015 12 — [19]
2016 28 — [20]
2017 17 — [21]
2018 27 — [22]
2019 26 — [23]
2020 11 — [24]
2021 9 — [25]
2022 8 — [26]

Fatalities

Two high-profile deaths have occurred at The Warehouse Project, those of Nick Bonnie and Souvik Pal, alongside several reports in the media of near-misses.[27][28] These incidents resulted in calls from local councillors such as David Acton and Mike Cordingley for the licence to be revoked or reviewed.[29] However, police statements have countered this, with high-ranking officers supporting the club and its management.[30] Sixteen individuals were hospitalised during the first weekend of the 2013 season from taking drugs at the venue,[29] and also included drug dealers at the club who attempted to avoid arrest by swallowing all their stash.[27]

Souvik Pal

At the end of the 2012 season, on New Year's Eve, Souvik Pal was escorted out of the club.[31] He was subsequently found dead in the adjacent canal later that month.[32][33] The unexplained death was later reclassified as a murder investigation after reports of Pal being seen leaving the area with an unknown individual after being thrown out of the club.[32] Although the death did not occur on the premises of the club, local councilors questioned whether the security at the club was sufficient.[31]

Nick Bonnie

On the very first night of the 2013 season, a group of friends from Gloucestershire attended the opening event at The Warehouse Project.[30] During the course of the night, one of their party fell ill and had to be taken to hospital, where he later died due to an overdose of an illegal drug he had consumed at The Warehouse Project. Initially, it was believed that Bonnie had purchased the drug inside the club from a dealer, largely due to testimony of his friends, and this led to police and media fears of a "bad" batch of ecstasy, possibly laced with PMA.[29] However, in subsequent court proceedings, the friends admitted to having invented this story to cover that they had brought the drug into the club themselves.[34] The fall out from the death led to further calls for the club's licence to be reviewed,[29] and in the following days further hospital statements contributed to media reporting that the club itself had become an unacceptable risk.[35]

The club responded to this by increasing in the number of medical and security staff at the venue.[28] Various national politicians, including the then Prime Minister David Cameron, commented on the incident and the dangers posed by people taking illegal drugs at clubs such as The Warehouse Project, calling it a tragic death.[36]

References
  1. "The Warehouse Project Manchester | Events and tickets for The Warehouse Project in Manchester". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  2. "Five minutes with... Sacha Lord-Marchionne and Sam Kandel, founders of the Warehouse Project | Interview". EN for Business. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  3. "The Warehouse Project". djmag.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  4. "Latest News: Composit Music". Skiddle.com. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  5. "History". Victoria Warehouse. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  6. Blake, David (28 August 2013). "Manchester Mayfield railway station". Manchester Confidential. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  7. "Warehouse Project announces 2014 season launch party". Manchester Evening News. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.
  8. "Warehouse Project plans to move into Mayfield Depot scrapped after owners pull out". Manchester Evening News. 6 August 2014. Retrieved 6 August 2014.
  9. "The Warehouse Project 2017 Lineups Announced".
  10. Daly, Rhian (19 July 2017). "The Warehouse Project reveals full line-up for 2017 edition". NME.
  11. Heward, Emily (25 July 2018). "Warehouse Project tickets on sale for final Store Street line up". Manchester Evening News.
  12. Pellant, Georgina (18 September 2019). "Inside Mayfield Depot - The Warehouse Project's new home for 2019". I Love Manchester.
  13. Paine, Andre (25 June 2019). "Warehouse Project moves to Depot, unveils 2019 season". MusicWeek.
  14. "Topic: News In Efficient Options For Garcinia Extract". 4clubbers. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  15. "Manchester's most influential club in the last five years: The Warehouse Project". Viva Lifestyle. 2012. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  16. "Best club series: The Warehouse Project". 2013. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
  17. "Top 100 Clubs 2013". DJ Mag.
  18. "Top 100 Clubs 2014". DJ Mag.
  19. "Top 100 Clubs 2015". DJ Mag.
  20. "Top 100 Clubs 2016". DJ Mag.
  21. "Top 100 Clubs 2017". DJ Mag.
  22. "Top 100 Clubs 2018". DJ Mag.
  23. "Top 100 Clubs 2019". DJ Mag.
  24. "Top 100 Clubs 2020". DJ Mag.
  25. "Top 100 Clubs 2021". DJ Mag.
  26. "Top 100 Clubs 2022". DJ Mag.
  27. "Suspected drug dealer critically ill after swallowing drugs at Warehouse Project". Manchester Evening News. 29 September 2013.
  28. "Woman hospitalised after taking drugs at Warehouse Project comes out of coma". Manchester Evening News. 7 October 2013.
  29. "Warehouse Project: Revealed, shocking full toll of drug horror at death club". Manchester Evening News. 1 October 2013.
  30. "Warehouse Project tragedy: Man from Gloucestershire dies and five others hospitalised after taking ecstasy". Manchester Evening News. 28 September 2013.
  31. "Missing Manchester students father arrives in UK from India to help search". The Guardian. 8 January 2013.
  32. "Mystery man on bridge may hold clue over death of Warehouse Project clubber". Manchester Evening News. 31 October 2013.
  33. "Souvik Pals body found in canal near spot where he disappeared". Manchester Evening News. 23 January 2013.
  34. "Pals of Warehouse Project drug-death clubber Nick Bonnie walk free after admitting lies over tragedy". Manchester Evening News. 20 October 2014.
  35. "Hospital staff left in tears by spate of bad ecstasy victims". Manchester Evening News. 1 October 2013.
  36. "Charity workers drugs death". ITV. 30 September 2013.

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