When
an invite from Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel group dropped into our inbox inviting us to
spend a weekend in Manchester for their 10th anniversary to find out
about the city’s iconic music scene we simply couldn’t wait to hop on a train
and head for the north. Our resident presenter, Clare Harrison, set out to
learn more about ‘Madchester’ and the hotel’s long history with music.
I had a warm welcome when I arrived in Manchester, made even more so by fellow music blogger Zoe (from Romeo and The Lonely Girl) who joined me to indulge in a weekend of music nostalgia. The Free Trade Hall was our base for the weekend and it couldn’t have been more perfect; the iconic music venue transformed into Radisson Blu Edwardian hotel effortlessly capturing modern, decadent style without losing the history and importance of the building.
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| Radisson Blu Edwardian Manchester |
Free Trade Hall; the name
itself conjures flashbacks of famous shows such as David Bowie and Bob Dylan;
the latter drawing shouts of “Judas” from the crowd after he famously played an
electric guitar in his 1966 concert. And perhaps my favourite slice of history
is that the Free Trade Hall was the venue for a
concert by the Sex Pistols at
the start of the punk rock movement
and in attendance, Steven Morrissey who after being inspired by the show
decided to go on and form a band you may have heard of; The Smiths, but more
on that later.
The hotel is celebrating its 10th
anniversary and couldn’t have made us feel more welcome and the building really
has to be seen to be believed; not only is it a pivotal piece of music history
but a centre of incredible art, culture and food; oh and the beds are the
comfiest thing ever.
Radisson Blu Edwardian Room
Sienna Spa
And after getting settled into
our rooms we were treated to a luxurious top-to-toe festive spa package. A
detoxing body scrub, was followed by a personalised facial and then a manicure;
all in the relaxing surroundings of the Sienna Spa, tucked inside the hotel
itself. And we even had time to fit in a swim and sauna before heading for
dinner.
The contemporary feel is
carried the entire way through the hotel and Opus One, the hotel’s very own
glamourous restaurant was the perfect place to be wined and dined for the
evening.
Opus One
Day 2 in Manchester and after
the best night’s sleep we were up and out early ready for a busy day of
exploring. Radisson Blu Edwardian had kindly arranged for us to go on the famous Manchester
Music tour- http://www.manchestermusictours.com/
Established in 2005 by Inspiral Carpets drummer Craig Gill the company host a range of exclusive specialist
driving tours such as Joy
Division, Oasis and The Smiths allowing you to experience all the
sights of the city and beyond that inspired the Manchester music scene. And I couldn’t
have been more excited when it was revealed we were doing The Smiths/Morrissey
Tour.
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The Tour was absolutely
sensational and the perfect thing to feed my interest in the band and Manchester.
Visiting sights such as Strangeways Prison (that inspired the album “Strangeways,
Here We Come”) and Morrissey’s old house were inspiring enough, yet alone a
guided tour of the iconic Salford Lads Club. Made famous by the shot of the
band it is the one place I had always wanted to visit and couldn’t believe our
luck when, as part of the tour we had a guided tour inside it. Still a full
working lads (and girls) club it is an active part of the community and Morrissey
is one of the benefactors allowing the club to still help the children in the
area.
It is steeped in history and the volunteers who run the club regaled us
with tales of Morrissey and show us The Smiths room holding all the photos, memorabilia
and messages to the band. We are told that people even send gifts to Morrissey
to the club! It was truly a tick off the bucket list for myself and it is great
to see that the club still does so much for the local area. And, we were let in
on some news that filled me with sheer delight; Salford Lads Club, after
receiving funding, will soon be able to host regular music gigs. I can’t say
who has shown interest, but I can guarentee that some musical legends are
wanting to play there; I am already planning a trip back to Manchester to see a
show and stay again at Radisson Blu Edwardian.
After a fun filled morning and
only a few hours before my train back to London Zoe showed me around the city
and we checked out the huge Christmas Market which was the perfect way to toast
to a successful weekend.
Thank you for having us
Radisson Blu Edwardian ; it was the perfect weekend and the perfect way to celebrate your
10th anniversary. I can’t wait to do it all again in the new year
when Zoe visits me down in London. Here’s the 2015 
