There have been plenty of famous nights to come out of Manchester from the days of the Hacienda right through to current darlings Sankey's Soap. Others might not get quite such acclaim but are just as popular with the locals, and one such night is Tangled.
Tangled may not be super-cool or cutting edge and the venue's a bit on the cheap 'n' cheerful side; they make up for it, however, by having a damned good vibe and a friendly atmosphere second to none.
In fact, Tangled's proved so popular that it is their Tenth Anniversary Weekender when DJ mag turns up to catch the first leg. Normally taking place every Saturday, they've opted for two parties to celebrate their birthday. The music policy is one of quality underground trance in the main room with breakbeat upstairs; in fact, this claims to be the UK's longest running breaks night and we've no reason to doubt it.
The birthday weekender features 'Ten Years of Tangled Classics' on Friday and 'Tangled Future' on Saturday, so we're treated to everything from 'Playing with Knives' to 'Children' to 'Like an Angel' in the main room tonight. There may be a slight air of people holding back before going really mental tomorrow, but the dancefloor is still busy from beginning to end. Tangled, like most good nights, is residents-based and Phil Morse and Terry Pointon know exactly what they're doing. It's the same in the breakbeat room where people of varying ages and dress senses mingle together in an attitude-free environment. Strangers really do come up and strike up conversation - very refreshing it is too.
The music is also pretty impressive upstairs. It's breakbeat in the loosest sense of the word, with Steve Thorpe joined by former resident Herbie Saccani - making a rare return visit. Their aim is simply to make people dance and that's pretty much what they do with classics like 'Bombscare' sitting alongside the latest TCR promo.
On this evidence Tangled definitely has another ten years in front of it - and this was only a dress rehearsal for the Saturday night. Lordy!
MATTHEW DUFFIELD