Clint Boon announces shock closure of iconic Manchester nightclub

The legendary Manchester South nightclub is due to close after one last party this weekend after 27 years of entertaining the city’s masses. The shock closure was announced on Twitter by one of the club’s most famous resident DJs – music icon Manc Clint Boon.

Clint has been playing Saturday nights at the South King Street venue for over 20 years with his famous Boon Army, Disco Rescue and Forever parties. Inspiral Carpets star Clint announced the closure on his Twitter on Thursday afternoon much to the dismay of fans.

He said: “A message I never hoped I would have to post. My Saturday night at South will be the club’s closing night. Due to issues beyond our control (myself, management and owners) , Manchester will lose one of their greatest nightclubs of all time.”

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He went on to say, “The South has been my second home for over 20 years and it’s been an important part of the Boon family journey. Please join us on Saturday for our closing party.

“Needless to say, this will be a great send-off and probably an emotional one! Lots of love.”

Clint’s posts were greeted by a huge outpouring of gutted fans who spoke of their own “legendary” nights spent at the basement club. The venue was well known for its indie parties, but also celebrated an eclectic mix of musical styles, including the Murkage garage party.

It was first opened as South in 1995 by former Hacienda promoter Paul Cons, as an “antidote” to the superclub trend. In 2001 it was taken over by Oldham club entrepreneur Aaron Mellor’s Tokyo Industries and redesigned by renowned Hacienda designer Ben Kelly in 2010.

The site also has a long history as a nightclub, dating back to the 1970s when it opened as one of Manchester’s first gay clubs. But there are now signs on the door of the South King Street unit stating that the landlord had “relinquished the lease” to South.

Tokyo Industries explained in a statement that the closure is due to the end of the lease during Covid and the “owner wishing to redevelop the space”. It is not yet known what the next plans are for the famous club site.

Commenting on the closure, club general manager Aaron Mellor said: “Over the past few years we have seen more and more residential apartments surrounding us on South King Street, leading to noise reduction advisories and adaptation after adaptation to try and fix the sound issues Most recently the demolition and redevelopment of the old Pizza Express building into a hotel closed our adjacent street moving our smoking area to South King Street returning more problems noise from residents overlooking this street. We have become landlocked by residential development. .

He added: “All good things must come to an end – we’ve had some amazing times in this building, but now seems like the right time to close the chapter in this story. All the staff, club nights, promoters and of course Mr. Boon, will be safely moved to our Deaf Institute, Gorilla and Factory locations. All you need is SOUTH…x.”

Inspiral Carpets keyboardist Clint began DJing at South’s Friday night slot The Rock + Roll Bar in 1997, and by June 2001 had taken over the club’s Saturday night residency will definitely finish as Manchester’s longest-serving clubnight, ironically 21 day-to-day this weekend.

DJ Clint told MEN he hopes people can focus on the positive aspects of what the nightclub has brought to the city over the past 30 years.

He said: “Things come to an end, I had an amazing time working there for 20 years, but it’s the end of an era for me.

“I remember some of the big names who played there – I remember being next to Anthony Wilson when he was a DJ, and Alan McGee, he said it was the biggest disco he had ever been in in the world. It made a huge impression on a lot of people.

“We’ve all seen people who met in the South, ended up getting married and then came back with their kids when they were 18. I’m more disgusted with the city than I am, it’s been a big part of my life, and a big Boon family celebration, but I want to celebrate what we’ve really achieved for so long in Manchester.”

Clint added, “It’s the end of an era but there’s a lot to celebrate. We had some brilliant times and created a lot of love in this room.”

Clint also paid tribute to the history of the place. He said: “It’s amazing that since the 1970s it has never stopped being a club for all these decades.

“I will remember a lot of good nights there. Besides the club nights, there were also the huge after-show parties, it really had a colorful history.”

Clubgoers sent their own memories to Clint after he made the announcement on Thursday afternoon. Operators of Manc 42s nightclub sent a message of support with a heartbroken emoji saying: “Another staple of the Manchester scene is gone. Hope you all have a great last night for you all!”

Guy Hodgkiss-Cook added: “Hollow out! Man I had a great time there and Red Stripe never quite tastes the same anywhere else. Have a great time and send it on Saturday. Big Love to all the people involved over the years. PS- If you remember one of the nights too well, you did it wrong.”

Helen Wilson said: “Gutted!! I spent most of my 20s in there!! I have great memories and I always got drunk and asked you to play Voodoo Ray, you always did. Happy days!”

Tickets for Clint’s final set on Saturday can be purchased online at www.SOUTHnightclub.comand there are also plans to stream the event live on BeatStream, with more details to be announced on Clint’s official Twitter account @therealboon.

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