Iconic Manchester music venue The Star & Garter has been saved

Hooray!

Legendary Manchester music venue The Star & Garter has been saved after its new owners signed a 10-year-lease with the pub’s landlord.

The venue, which was famously referenced in The Courteeners‘ ‘Modern Love’, has secured its future as part of new plans to re-generate the area behind the city’s Piccadilly Station.

It has been purchased by The Mayfield Partnership – a new venture which has seen Manchester Council joining forces with Transport for Greater Manchester and regeneration experts U+I.

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As well as securing the new lease on the 216-year-old building with landlord Andy Martin, the partnership has also pledged continued investment to refurbishment and keeping the pub as a live music venue.

Star & Garter landlord Andy Martin is seen with U+I’s James Heather (Photo: Press handout)

Mr Martin said: “After almost 30 years of repeated false promises about the potential redevelopment of Mayfield, I’m relieved and more than satisfied that the Star and Garter, the venue described as the ‘Municipal Fortress of Vengeance’, or ‘The Temple of Doom’ and name checked in two Courteeners songs, is in safe hands and not destined to suffer the same fate as at least three other music venues in Manchester.”

He added: “The plans for Mayfield are incredible and long overdue.

“It’s the most exciting time for this part of the city that I can remember since the Commonwealth Games.

“Mayfield, London Road Fire Station and the plans by Manchester University to develop its campus means that over the next 10 years the Piccadilly/ Mayfield area will become the most improved and talked about place in Manchester city centre.”

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The pub, which first opened in 1803, has played host to shows from the likes of Status Quo, The Courteeners,  Frank Carter and the Rattlesnakes and Bring Me The Horizon.

Over the last 20 years, it has also been the home of Manchester’s beloved Smiths Disco.

It attracted wider fame in 2016, when The Courteeners sang of “finding solace at the Star & Garter’ on their track ‘Modern Love’.

Doubts over the venue’s future began to emerge in 2014, when Mr Martin claimed it was unlikely to last three years.

Last year, a number of leading artists and industry figures led the Agent Of Change campaign to stop the closure of independent live music venues across the UK.

“Without the grassroots clubs, pubs and music venues my career could have been very different,” said Sir Paul McCartney of the campaign. “If we don’t support music at this level, then the future of music in general is in danger.”

In March, London venue The Social was also saved after a crowdfunding goal of £95,000 was achieved in less than a week.

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