Matt Nickson joins Manchester Scene Stories to look back at the origins of Matt & Phred’s, Manchester’s jazz scene, the Northern Quarter and the musicians, venues and characters that shaped the city’s live music culture.
Matt recalls opening Matt & Phred’s in 1999 and talks about the club’s roots in the former PJ Bell’s site, as well as the earlier history of the building and surrounding area. He reflects on Manchester jazz before the club opened, including Band on the Wall, Decoy Records, jam sessions, pub gigs and the musicians who kept the scene alive through the 1980s and 1990s.
The conversation also explores Matt’s own musical background, including his time with Chapter and the Verse, Manchester’s acid jazz period, the growth of café-bar culture and the relationship between jazz, funk, soul, Latin music and the city’s dance scene.
Matt remembers the importance of giving musicians somewhere to develop their craft, with regular live performances and opportunities for emerging bands to build confidence and stage experience. He talks about artists who later went on to achieve wider success, including GoGo Penguin and Matthew Halsall, and reflects on the wider network of Manchester musicians who passed through the club and surrounding scene.
We also discuss the changing Northern Quarter, the importance of independent venues such as the Roadhouse and Night & Day, and how live music helped reshape Manchester city-centre culture after a period dominated by clubs and electronic music.
Later in the conversation, Matt talks about record shops as meeting places, the role of Decoy Records in Manchester’s jazz community, and how discovering music has changed in the streaming era. He also reflects on the opportunities independent musicians now have to release their own work without relying entirely on major record labels.
The interview ends with Matt recommending jazz records and artists for anyone wanting to explore the music further.
This video is presented as an oral-history conversation based on Matt’s own memories and recollections.
For additional historical context, Matt left Matt & Phred’s around 2006/07, and the Turner family took over the venue in 2010. The Live Music Processions around Manchester’s Northern Quarter discussed in the interview were developed by the subsequent Matt & Phred’s team, with the first taking place in October 2011 and featuring a 52 Skidoo band procession
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