House 9

I’m not entirely sure the people who opened this place chose to, or whether they were forced to by the shadowy consortium I imagine operate the Locks from the background to perpetuate the appearance that the Locks is a vibrant, happening place full of modern bar-​lounges, and not a cesspit of despair that it would otherwise appear to be. Unfortunately, although House 9 is not the worst of the places on the Locks, it does nothing to shake the pall of mediocrity that hangs over the whole place.
I really can’t tell the various bars apart half the time, as they always seem to be filled with the same crowd of obnoxious morons determined to ruin everyone else’s night. The drinks are expensive, the musics sub-​par, and the name’s terrible. I know I go on about bad names a fair amount, but House 9? Really? Which genius came up with that one?
It’s an average bar, in the company of shit bars, which sort of makes it look good, but there’s no reason to be there in the first place. Just go somewhere better, like into Deansgate proper. Or the Northern Quarter. Or the ninth circle of hell.

House 9 is alright, and its pretty new so if you’re bored of everywhere on Deansgate, its probably worth a try.
Angela makes a good point about the security, as this part of Manchester seems to cast the net wide when it goes in search of bouncers, and ends up bring up all the scum from the bottom. These guys were welcoming, and even let me in for free, while there was supposed to be a couple of pounds charge. Having said that, I think its usually free anyway, unless they have something special on.
It is relatively cheap, especially for Deansgate, so that’s another thing its got over its local rivals. However, there were some downsides to my visit. There was a large 18^th birthday party going on, which was loud and dominant. A number of under 18 year olds were present and they had a wristband system in operation to mark out the ones eligible to purchase alcohol. Irritating.
Music also was pretty poor, apart from a few Michael Jackson choonz, for whom I have a soft spot. They did take a number of our requests though so I’ll have to say fair play there. The décor is done out in that formulaic trendy, shoes-​only, style bar, which is pretty boring and unwelcoming.
Basically if you absolutely have to hang out on Deansgate Locks, then you should probably go for the lesser of a bunch of evils and have one at House 9, but if you can tear yourself away, just go onto Deansgate itself and go somewhere actually nice.

I was glad to hear that an new independent nightspot had taken hold at Deansgate Locks, and it did not take long for me to persuade a group of mates to pay this new club/​bar a visit! The whole venue is spread out over two floors, I wandered around expecting to see the signs of the same-​old chain-​type bars that have for the most part put me off going to Deansgate locks for some years, and as I had heard that this place was being touted as a music fuelled chilled bar space for the more «experienced» night-owl…I gave it a shot! I found that while you can clearly see that alot of effort has been out into creating the desired atmosphere, the bar prices were way too high! I must say though that importantly the crowd were pretty decent, and there were not too many of the type of people I go out of my way to avoid in the other Locks bars. The bar staff were friendly and polite… and most importantly, the music was top!. OK, I will be going again at some point no doubt, and actually it is nice to finally have a reason to visit the Locks again!

This new bar, located in Deansgate Locks, has only just opened in the last 2 months and I love it! It is tucked away in the old lock keeper’s house and has various levels as well as 2 terraces overlooking the canal. The rooms themselves have that under the arches feel, which gives the place an intimate feel and reminds me a little of The Cross in London. For this reason it appeals to an older crowd who want something a little more special.
The staff and the management are extremely curtious and look like they’re having fun. There are no intimidating security lurking at every corner which you often find in the pretentious clubs in this area (or at least I wasn’t aware of them) and the vibe is very relaxed. The bar stocks the regular drinks and aren’t over-​priced. Love it.