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Oxford Road's Odder Bar To Close
Owner says the bar wasn't struggling, but received an 'offer she couldn't refuse'
OXFORD Road's Odder bar, part of the Odd group that includes Odd bar, Oddest bar and The Blue Pig, has announced that it will not reopen for the impending student year.
The bar will make way for a multinational coffeehouse.
"When the offer came along it seemed like the right time and we couldn't refuse. I do feel slightly guilty selling to yet another coffeehouse but this offer will allow us to carry out some new and exciting plans for the brand."
Odder, opened in 2006 along Manchester's Southern Gateway (or 'Knowledge Corridor', urgh), has been faithfully servicing the student contingent for the best part of a decade, offering reasonably priced drinks and grub alongside lively gigs, quiz and club nights.
Odder
In recent years, the Oxford Road bar has been home to popular club nights such as Murkage, Pop Bubble Rock, Overproof, Revolver, Chow Down and More Bounce, welcomed special guests including Foals, Raekwon, Fantastic Mr Fox and Jaques Greene, and hosted after-parties for the likes of Jurrasic 5, Wu Tang Clan, Pharcyde and Kendrick Lamar.
Owner Cleo Farman told Confidential that although Odder wasn't struggling and she felt 'a bit guilty' about selling to a multinational coffeehouse, she'd received an offer that would allow the group to march on with new plans:
"The bar was actually doing alright," said Farman. "It is difficult down there, the area has changed and the student pound has become harder to get hold of. We made changes, putting on more gigs and DJs, and that worked but the bar was creeping away from what I wanted it to be.
"When the offer came along it seemed like the right time and we couldn't refuse. I do feel slightly guilty selling to a coffeehouse but this offer will allow us to carry out some new and exciting plans for the brand."
Owner Cleo Farman
Farman intends to refurbish all three of her other units, expand and rebrand Northern Quarter's Blue Pig and put in place plans for something completely new.
"We're refurbing all the units and completely renovating the interior and exterior of Oddest in Chorlton," said Farman. "We've been looking at expanding Blue Pig for some time now. We want to open out the basement to create a larger bar and event space.
"I've also got something completely new in the pipeline, turning something that isn't a bar into a bar. I've got to keep my cards close to my chest on that one."
Both Odd Bar and The Blue Pig will feature at next month's Manchester Food and Drink Festival.
Blue Pig, Northern Quarter
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It seemed "odd" when the upstairs lost its quirkiness and went a bit Yates's wine bar so I can see how she feels Odder was creeping away from how she had envisaged it.
A real shame as it had been a great bar, noticeably quieter in recent times though. I'm worried about Oxford Road, Kro 2 and the MMU Student Union have also gone in recent years and there's now nothing between here and Grosvenor Street making it a little scary at night, it used to be buzzing.
This is the Oxford Rd Corridor! A select group of the great and good meet regularly to talk up the Oxford Rd Corridor, producing brochures, presentations, initiatives etc. And what do we see for all their efforts?? The BBC is a car park. Cornerhouse is coming down. Kro is a Tesco. And a drop in activity at night. Give up this Oxford Rd Corridor, or at least, give up taking council tax payers money to talk up an empty idea.
1. Cornerhouse isn't definitely coming down. 2. Odder has been dead for ages (sadly) so we never go there any more. The upstairs used to be the main reason to visit. 3. What's with calling it the Southern Gateway? What an awful name. There must be some slightly more interesting and historical name we can use instead of this poor, could-be-anywhere moniker.
How about it's real name? Chorlton-on-Medlock.
It's part of the city centre, so has lost it's identity as a distinct place. Almost no-one refers to Chorlton-on-Medlock by it's historic name anymore, so de facto it is not it's 'real' name.
@Gimboid Zzzzzzz
Good point, moron.
@Gimboid I'm sure you're all about Spinningfilelds, New Islington, East Manchester and Eastlands too? There's nothing wrong with calling things by their real name. Try it, it's liberating, not non-PC. Anyway, Bradford sounds much nicer don't you think?
No surprise really. The bar had stopped opening some afternoons for ages, and if you're ever near the junction of Charles Street and Oxford Street or on Chester Street you'll see a large footfall of students but most are Chinese or Arabic/Asian/Muslim and they obviously won't be seen in bars, but you will see the latter bunch looking all Joe Cool in the other retailers eg. coffee shops.
Isn't that a little close to an inappropriate comment?
You clearly have not been to China if you think Chinese youth won't be seen dead in bars.All Chinese cities have large bar areas and loads of nightclubs.
You clearly didn't read the above rant Anon. The poster said the latter bunch and not Chinese students and TBH, you will see the latter bunch in Starbucks and Nero and not Revolution. That's a factual comment, not an inappropriate one. Just saying.
I did and your not correct.The comment made reference to chinese students not going in bars,not chinese students preferring Starbucks to Revolution.
I disagree Anon. The OP made no reference to Chinese students not going to bars. The way I read it is Chinese 'or' and the latter bunch being a 'bunch' ie. those three others, and it is they that don't go to bars. Is that right?
Draw a Venn Diagram and stop being tw*ts.
I think it was the "looking all Joe Cool" part that was probably inappropriate.
I think they meant 'Joe Bloggs'.
I find that offensive.
Entirely appropriate. Everyone who walks around with their eyes open knows that Muslims only use Muslim establishments. Its all part of the plan
If that's not an intended as a parody comment, you're a very stupid person.
I blame the BBC.
and tesco.
Or you could blame KRO2 for never refreshing itself and becoming so dreary and unimaginative that people stopped going. It used to rake in £40k a week back in the early 2000s but sadly fell on its arse.
Costa has arrived!