northern comfort

My friend and I came down to support your opening night, tonight, only to be refused entry, by some big thug on the door.
With no explanation we were turned away, all he said was 'not tonight ladies'.
I have never been so humiliated in all my life, let alone turned away from a little club such as yours.
We travelled from Oldham to Manchester, because i received an Email from yourselves, inviting us to your opening night.
We are two respectable ladies, not a couple of slappers, but thats how your door staff made us feel.
I am an entertainer, and gig all over the North West, and know a lot of influential people, who, i will be telling, the underhanded way we were treated tonight.
I could have filled your club with nice people i know, but not when i tell them how i was treated.
I would just like to thank you, for ruining my first night off, that i have had for months.
If this is the way you treat people on your opening night, then i can never see you making a success of your club.

we too were turned away from the club last night as well as numerous others.we to had a letter saying that we were welcome to come in,and when we got there were turned away by the doorman,as if we were dirt because we were too old.we have brought lots of nice people in over the years and this is how we are treated.who actually owns the place as we were told it was still stuart a
nd if that is so he owes us money.he knows what for.to stop people because of age is discrimination is wrong no where in manchester do they stop you coming in because of age unless you are under 18.surely there is a law against this in fact i know there is and if thats the way to go then so be it.

I fully support the previous comments about the big burly bouncer insisting that the ‘Club’ would not be to my taste….how would he know as he’s never met me before! However he certainly made sure I got the his message loud and clear that I along with my respectable friends would not be welcome…..to be honest I didn’t see him allowing anybody entrance…..which is stage given the current economic climate and there’s not many places around that charge an entrance fee….Heard on the grapevine that Stuart is still responsible for the day-to-day management…..He made a right ‘pigs breakfast’ of Mr. Bookbinder’s legendary club….watch this space!!!

Hello everyone, thanks for your comments.

First, I'm nothing to do with Voodoo Lounge - it's not my night that's on there and I don't work for them. The original post was in support of the club's relaunch, and my friend Andy. I can't, and don't, speak for Voodoo Lounge in any way.

However, I am sorry that your nights were ruined, and you don't feel you can return. I was there that night, and a couple of friends of mine also had trouble getting in, only succeeding when they pointed out there were on the guest list. I've mentioned this to a few of the people who work there - hopefully they will take this on board.

Rob

i feel stuart should have been honest about the take over of the club, as there are many people who still have valid bookbinders membership.
mr bookbinder would turn in his grave to see what has become of his club...it was always a wonderfull night when he ran it
there are plenty of clubs around manchester that cater for teenagers or house music but almost none that cater for the over 40s.....i feel..along with lots of other people you have made a very big mistake.

Is this a new young club. I was planning to go Saturday night with my cousin but may think again. If it isn't the age group of Bookbinders then it will be too young. What a shame the only nightclub where people of 40 and over could go and listen to good music has gone. Not sure where older people will go now.

dont go to bookbinders on saturday because if you are over 40 they will humiliate you and not let you in,they wont say its your age but that the club will not be your scene how do they know have they got a crystal ball.on saturday a dj that used to work there and he is a great dj went in and called us up and told us there were only 10 people in the club.it looks like there new clientele are going to let them down and this act is going to bite them on the bum.but the waay everyone was treated that night when they tried to get in was demeaning and humiliating.all bookbinders old customers now go to cellar v on lloyd st off deansgate next to the nags head,where the old register office was.and by the people who have answered my message,they had a brillant night entrace was 4pound drinks were cheap and a lot of the customers were from bookie.dalia i dont know how you can let stuart do this to all his regulars who put bread and butter on your table.

Hi Malexander

Thanks for your message. I will tell my friends about cellar v. To be fair though I did get a text message tonight about evenings for 30 plus at the old Bookbinders club now Voodo Lounge. They are opening from 9.00 pm until 1.00 am from Thursday 1 October 2009 for the older crowd but most of my friends are working. I am very lucky as it doesn't really matter if I don't go to clubs because I am married but my husband knows I like music and love the atmosphere of town. He doesn't mind me going out with my friends sometimes on a Saturday night. He actually tried the old Bookbinders a few weeks ago and it wasn't his scene. He couldn't believe none of the men washed their hands in the toilet and they just walked straight out. I have always had a good laugh at Bookbinders and like the staff and the music. Maybe it means that over 40's will enjoy the Thursday night evenings starting on 1 October and also still go to Cellar V on a Saturday night. I have never been to Cellar V but will definitely be interested in trying it.

Going out for me on a Saturday in town makes me feel good and it is nice to know there are some places which cater for the 40's plus age group.

its like the carrot and the donkey,you can come in on thursday but are not welcome after the age of 45.my friends and i want to go out on a friday and saturday not a thursday,he opened and closed on a thursday because he didnt try to make people enjoy thereselves.he was nasty to a group of ladies that had been going in for years so they too stopped going as far as i am concerned if i am not welcome on fri sat,why on earth should i give him my money and custom on a thursday,we do still work and thursday is not a good night.we will be going to cellar v,and meeting all the crowd from bookies.i think he is keeping his options open and if the vodoo lounge fails then he might change his mind about the age group

Voodoo Lounge does not discriminate against anyone - age, gender etc. As with any new venture there are certain teething problems that may need to be ironed out. All manchester doormen are registered and therefore have full training and experience & the management must allow them to make certain decisions on the spur of the moment. I am very sorry some of you feel you were treated unfairly. 'Bookbinders Nightclub' has closed after 20 years. When Brian used to knock back people on the door, as with any venue, he too got called a variety of derogatory names, however this is a business and not personal. Voodoo Lounge does not play the same type of music and will not necessarily appeal to the same clientele, however if any of you would like to try it we are open fridays and saturdays from 10pm til 3am playing funk, disco & rare groove.

Right - comments now disabled for this one, I think the points have been made. As I said before - this site is nothing to do with Voodoo Lounge.

I've deleted a couple of the comments that were just repeats, and also one that was the same person commenting, but under a different name; I'm not stupid.

Voodoo Lounge have commented, and I think their reply is perfectly reasonable. Any new venture will have teething difficulties when trying to establish something new, and this is what we're talking about here. As for all the people complaining about it 'not being an over 40-s' night; was it ever? Really? Or was it simply that the crowd that went there 20 years ago haven't moved on? If there was a market for over-40s nights Manchester would be full of them.

The fact is that clubs in Manchester are having difficulties surviving nowadays, and each club has to reinvent itself for a new audience in order to keep going. All you over 40's - would you have gone to a club when you were 19 that was full of 45 year old? Of course not. And they're the new life blood for all clubs in this city. You don't want to know what the current raft of clubbers thought of the old Bookbinder; it wasn't pretty.

If you really love Bookbinders, then support it in its quest to survive. Everyone's sorry you felt offended, as per the comment from the club, but times move on and clubs need to survive and make money. If you think you're going to like the music, then come down. If not, I guess it's time to go somewhere else.

it would be nice if we had been allowed to go in the vodoo lounge to see if we would like it or not,but you are being rude to people oldier the 19 is it you said,there was nothing wrong with the people maybe they were not young but they were clean tidy and always looked their best they did not try to be young.but they still enjoy nights out,the clubs in manchester are only for the young this club was unique in that it welcomed people of all age groups no matter what.i have an idea who put this reply in and you cant justify what you have done.why do you think it was going for 20 yrs,the young crowd would not have kept on going that long after a few weeks they just move on

HOW MANY TIMES? I DO NOT WORK FOR VOODOO LOUNGE. Jesus.

"I have an idea who put this reply in" YES. ME. My name is next to it, and it's on my site. I haven't done anything to your club; moaning at me won't help you. And replying to yourself under a different email name, suggesting that you should get yourself a lawyer, is a bit ridiculous.