The Castle

went here sunday night-my first time and def not the last .the fall were playing and to see them in such close proximity was a rare treat. the sound was great for a small venue compared with night and day (manc)(no disrespect intended) but i would choose the castle anytime over night and day. my own reasons non of wich are particularily negative. staff were v nice,drinks ok prices.
not a single complaint.
i recommend it.

Talk about confusing. There's a Castle on Oldham Street in Manchester City Centre that's a pub/club/music venue. There's a Castle IN OldHAM that's a pub/club/music venue. You can imagine me racking my brains to figure out which one I was meant to be reviewing. I'm not just randomly capitalising, I'm trying to generate EMphasis. See? See?

I found myself at the Castle in a unique act of stalking. The boy who is now my other half had a band that played there back in the day, I was feeling very sorry for myself and it always cheered me up to see him do his thing so I took a cab all the way to Oldham. Yes, it didn't look cool, but at this point I just assumed he didn't think I had a crush on him. Well, if I wasn't making it obvious by paying a £16 taxi fare to Oldham... Anyway, ahem, let's put that behind us. This Castle is a great deal more modern and trendy-looking than its namesake in the city, with fluorescent tube lighting all over the place, sleek but comfortable booths and a neon bar with some fairly reasonably priced drinks.

Hang on. This is Oldham? Salt of the earth, flat cap and pipe Oldham? This looks more like something you'd see on Deansgate Locks. It doesn't have a lot of character, again, one could have easily plucked it straight from the Locks, but what makes it unique is its location and certainly its outdoor terrace. I sat out there in the height of summer and was highly impressed. It was very, very pretty and felt marvellously relaxed. Apart from the butterflies in my stomach at the presence of the beloved, of course.

Babyshambles have played here. That don't impress me much, but it might do you. It's a super gig venue and when it's packed the atmosphere really picks up. Do try and catch a band here, it's worth it if you're in the area.

My other half was supposed to be seeing Ash in Manchester, but got ill and couldn't make it, so being the thoughtful girlfriend that I am, I booked tickets for us to go and see them on their A to Z tour (they visited each town in alphabetical order). The only thing was... that O is for Oldham. I'd never been to Oldham before, and had never considered it as a town which would attract anything other than local bands. After a couple of lengthy bus journeys, we finally made it.

I'd done my research online, and had found out that bands such as Kasabian, the Bluetones, Oasis and the Stone Roses have played at the Castle and that it was also the birthplace of the Inspiral Carpets. I think it's a combination of this fact and the regal-sounding name that led me to be disappointed when I caught my first glimpse of the venue from the outside - it looked like a tiny run-down pub.

However, the inside of the venue was great - they'd made a good use of the little space they had including a long bar with an open area in front, and a raised platform in front of the small stage. We bought our drinks from the bar, where there is a TV screen displaying whatever's going on on stage, and headed over to the raised area. The sound quality was really good, and the atmosphere was outstanding (although I did come away rather crushed and sweaty to say that Ash really aren't all that heavy). It was such an intimate venue that Tim Wheeler and co had to walk right past us and create a path through their fans to get onto the stage as there was no backstage area. The only problem was that once we were in, it was impossible to get out and back to the bar or toilets, due to a large metal bar running the length of the room and severe overcrowding. Oh well, it saved us forking out for more drinks.

We had to catch the last bus back to Manchester, so were unable to stay for the indie, rock and metal clubnight which is on every Friday from midnight, but if I'm ever back in Oldham on a weekend I know where I'll be heading!

The Castle is one of those timeless local venues. It's not the cleanest venue by any counts, in fact it's quite literally sticky, and I wont even mention the toilets as it's best to keep away. The size of the main bar room is one of it's virtues as it allows the performers to give a very intimate show, conversely is the band is terrible there's no way to escape it.


It features a lot of up and coming local bands of various quality. All in all it's a great little live band experience for anyone daring enough to brave the Oldham nightlife.

Great little place that offers some really good bands. Quite a few of the bigger bands played here before they hit the big time. It is a really intimate venue which allows you to really enjoy the music and gig atmosphere and the staff are down to earth and friendly. Outside decking area can get very busy but is particularly nice to enjoy a drink on during the summer. Not directly in the town centre but not too far away.
Only downside is that there arent many toilets and the toilet area itself is very small so can be cramped and difficult to get to the sink if there is a queue.

One of Oldhams premier live music venues. Has hosted some very big bands before they hit the big time. Only open at the weekend and attracts a very alternative crowd. Off the beaten track but worth the trip. Open until late. Small entrance fee at the door but a good choice of venue for finishing a night out.