Leroy Richardson on The Hacienda, Dry Bar & Manchester’s Music Scene
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- Опубліковано 5 лют 2025
- In this exclusive interview, Leroy Richardson, former manager of the iconic Hacienda and Dry Bar in Manchester, shares his journey from machine tool engineer to a key figure in Manchester’s music scene. Leroy reflects on his early days enjoying music at clubs like Pips, his time playing football for Manchester City youth team, and his first encounter with the Hacienda through Tony Wilson. He talks about the early struggles of the club, how Dry Bar became one of the UK’s first designer bars, and the vibrant energy that made the Hacienda famous.
Leroy reminisces about the shift in the music scene with the arrival of Acid House and Ecstasy, mentioning friends like Jeff the Chef and Bill Smart. He also touches on his experiences traveling with Hacienda nights, running Gullivers pub, and the bond formed among the people in Manchester’s music community. With stories from the early punk and indie scenes to the rise of legendary DJs, this interview captures a defining era of Manchester’s cultural history.
Leroy’s favorite tracks? “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters and “The Love I Lost” by Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes. Discover the moments that shaped his journey and the people who made it unforgettable.
For anyone interested in Steve Shy who Leroy mentioned, check out this website.www.shytalkleg...
Filmed by Francesca at @acidrainuk
Read the full article: www.acidrainuk...
#Hacienda #ManchesterMusicScene #DryBar #AcidHouse #Punk #JeffTheChef #TonyWilson #LeroyRichardson #Gullivers #CrystalWaters #HaroldMelvin #EcstasyCulture #ClubCulture #ManchesterIcon
Best podcast I've watched in ages. Filled me with nostalgia. Leroy is humble - I've been around the Manchester music scene for 40 years...and be it pub club or festival - Leroy is ensuring the engine room ticks over. 👏👏👏 Love you Leory. You truly are one of the kindest, most endearing, wonderful, tenacious and humble souls I've ever had the pleasure to call my friend. Well done Paul on encouraging Leroy to tell these stories on camera. Awesome life less ordinary ❤. The core of Manchester right there.
Thanks so much Sharon and I totally agree with everything you said x
What a fantastic interview. It makes me reflect on my music journey in life, of my music influences, of the paths I took. Starting from being a kid, loving rock and rock, then Punk, Then New Wave. I then became a top Break Dancer, dancing in a crew called 'Break City Crew' in Newcastle at a place called Tiffany's (The Side Walk) and got into Hip Hop and electro music. In 1987 I was driving one day and Marvin Gaye's 'You Sure Love to Ball' came on the radio and it changed my life to become a massive Soul music head. I started record collecting Soul, Funk and other genre. From then I always wanted to DJ and became a DJ in Sunderland in 1988 and played Soul and tunes like Trouble Funk, in a club and also a bar as the birth of Acid House, Rave, House was starting to happen in the North East of the UK.
My nights starting play less soul and more of this 'New stuff' that was taking over. Then came 1989 and I went to a Club Havana in Middlesbrough for a night out with friends, because we heard about this club. Seeing MC Lee and DJ Huey, hooked us all to go there every week. I gave up DJing because I loved the Rave scene too much and just wanted to be on the floor with the crowd and see the guest DJ's, to be captured in that 'Oneness of a crowd' we experienced at clubs and Warehouse Raves. Then I went to the 'Arena' in Middlesbrough where I saw many great guest DJ's. Both these clubs were very special. We travelled about to clubs, to the likes of Back2Basics , Cream, Hard Times, etc. I then took up DJing again, playing House nights and Soul nights and also became a scratch DJ in a band. So glad I lived it all to the full and music. Still love to dance, still got my massive record collection and still love to DJ, especially eclectic genre sets. Music is my soul.
I say again, this was a fantastic interview, so interesting, Big respect, peace and love!
Thanks so much Benji, I’ve read this twice . This is one part of doing these videos that I really love , reading the comments after . Check out the Russ one on here if you haven’t seen it yet , I reckon you will love that one as it’s more about the records and the birth of House music 😀
@@PaulBSceneStories Thank you Paul I will check this out and your other videos too. History is not just the big events in life, history is also all of the little details that usually get lost in time. But thankfully channels like yours, with the interviews, fill in many of the interesting details of the bigger picture. Take care and keep on doing your thing! Best wishes mate.
@ Thanks mate, I’ve lots more planned in new year 😀
Nothing but love for Leroy ❤
Yeah there’s so much love and respect for Leroy in Manchester isn’t there 😀
I first met Leroy back in the 90s in Dry Bar. An absolute sound, lad. Always welcoming. I remember, I was in Dry one night with a bunch of girls, and he walked up with a tray of drinks. The lads got a heart of gold. He was the reason why I went on to work at the Hać and the Home Night Club. I even did a stint working at Athenaeum. The good old days.
Thanks for sharing , yeah he’s got a heart of gold. I used to go Athenaeum as well 😀
Top guy leroy always looked after his staff and let us have a laugh behind the bar, even some nights on top of it 😅 avvin it ! Peace leroy
Everyone loves Leroy don’t they, so glad I got to do this with him 😀
Leroy was the man to know, back in the day.
I was 24 at the height of the scene, I was 60 the other day! And still have the bonds i made in the hac.
Yeah I still have the bonds , doing these videos have rekindled my social life again and I’ve started going out again , making new friends I never got to meet back then as well x
The reason why Dry Bar was such a great place to hang out was Leroy and Mark ruled it with a Marshmallow Gauntlet.
They'd let you have a laugh in there, you felt comfortable, it was everybody's home that's why no one took the piss.
They were the Gatekeepers of the lunatic asylum.
Best time of my life without a doubt.
If they opened another Dry Bar now I'd work for free collecting the glasses for those boys.
❤😂😅
Totally agree x
Wonderful interview, history and vibe
Thanks John, Leroy has so many stories, I’m hoping to do more with him at some point 😀
I first met Leroy on my honeymoon in Tunisia 1985. Really nice bloke, he took us round a few of Manchester clubs when we got back home . When you read about the Manchester scene back then in various books, Leroy’s name crops up very often. A well respected decent man. Glad to see he’s looking good. Great interview thanks.
Thanks , I will see him Friday and show him this and other posts x
My first visit to the Hacienda was in 1983 to watch Killing Joke my second visit was in 1986 to watch Big Audio Dynamite my third visit was in June 1988 went ever week after changed my life forever ...Thanks for this ....
Wow , some amazing gigs there. Glad you liked the video Andy 😀
I enjoy listening to interviews like this,especially when it sheds a bit more light on the hacienda and the manchester scene back in the day. There can allways be something new or different learned from hearing someone elses life stories. Thankyou for this,and thankyou to Leroy too.
Thanks Eddie 😀
Leroy is one of the absolute best. A true gent.
Totally agree 😎
Really enjoyed the interview and thanks for the shout outs but the only thing I'm giving away r u were right about me getting arrested I do think the Same ,Lovely to c u last week and nice one x
Legend 😎
Loved dry bar around 89 / 90though it was a good walk to the Hac and remember Leroy well, my Mrs was a fan!
Dry bar was really special in 89 wasn’t it 😀
Very soothing to listen to Leroy. Always a privilege to be able to talk to him about all sorts of things (including music) in Gullivers when it not too busy - yeah he is indeed a top man and totally professional at his job n all - nice 1 mate for doing this - this was defo no "ramble" - twas an excellent documentation of Manchester culture - cheers both.., Sam (used to DJ sometimes in Gulls ... p.s. Leroy always paid a decent whack n all - nuff respect)
Thanks , I’ll show Leroy the comments on here today x
@@PaulBSceneStories nice 1 man - hope yous had a cool time - much appreciated x
I worked for Leroy at Dry201, a seriously cool guy & great to work for.
What a great place and manager to work for 😎
Hi Leroy I loved those old days some of the best times with you, and that song wow love you lots ❤️❤️
I’ll show him all the comments Friday x
Thank you, we go way back xx
Thursday 23 June 1983 my mate Dean and I made our first visit to The Hacienda to see Set The Tone play live (promoting their Shiftin Air Affair album) this was the first of many Hacienda nights for me. The club had been open for 12 months and was struggling, I was 17 years old. On the night SET THE TONE played, there was less than 20 people in attendance, despite this, the band still gave it their all... I remember Evelyn from the band throwing a skipping rope and encouraging the guy who caught it to join in on the on-stage shenanigans 20 people or not it was fuckin awesome...5 years before House music was to change the fortunes of The Hacienda forever.
I love reading stuff like this , thanks for sharing x
Had my 18th in the hacienda and my 21st in dry bar leroy was always a top gent.
I bet they were good nights 😎
Great interview Guys thanks for sharing
Thanks Alastair 😀
Love the jeff the chef interview!
New Jeff one will drop in December hopefully 😎
Harold Melvin and the blue notes 😎 great interviews and stories as usual ..........keep at um mate .........😀
@@DavidHodkinson-ps1cb thanks Dave, that was my first face to face one . I’m planning on doing more like that 😀
Looking good Mr Banks !
Oh wow Alan Owen, how did you find this video ? 😀
@ haven’t a clue mate - it just appeared in my feed and I thought “now there’s a face I haven’t seen for a while…” 😂
Really enjoyed this interview, so interesting. 👌
Thanks Samantha , that was my first face to face interview. I don’t plan questions before so some of the stuff he was saying was new to me . I try and let a natural conversation flow x
Leroy was my brother from another mother. 😍
He’s a legend x
Always fair to every one was Leroy a real gent : looking good mate ⭐️
Yeah he’s a top bloke isn’t he x
Great times Leroy ,best wishes DJ Steve Williams
I’ll see Leroy Friday so will show him all the comments. X
@@stevenwilliams-mp5wofollow my instagram @paulbeft
I met Leroy when he was my manager at Gulliver's 2012-2013. A top man and true gentleman. Manchester owes this man so much. Great to see him looking so well.
I’ll show him the comments when I see him Friday 😀
Lovin these ❤️
Thanks , I only went in Konspiracy a few times. I’m sure I went went it first opened as I remember it not being busy
@@PaulBSceneStories I started going out in town in the summer of 89, before I started college, Devilles and Lazy Lil's, then literally a couple of months later (after the penny dropped with house music) l Konspiracy quite regularly and the 'Dome every now and again, so you could say I came a bit later to the scene. I'm absolutely fascinated with what came before in Manchester and elsewhere, the media and press would have you believe that acid house happened overnight but nothing happens in a vacuum and this comes across really well in your videos. It was such an exciting time, so creative and without any kind of plan or agenda 👍
I went in Lazy Lils a lot when Tin Tin was DJing. We would have been in there at the same times I reckon 😀
Nice one for keeping up with the great interviews. X Leroy legend ❤
Last time i seen him was at Daz Partington new band BIG UNIT playing at Gullivers Oldham St Nice one for the free pint Leroy i owe you one Carl Heny Henshall MVITA dj ❤
I love Gullivers , we talk about it at the end x
Nice one we'll have to have a meet up one time and maybe and interview in the with MVITA ❤
@@ExploringwithCarlyeah I’ll get round to as many as I can on the scenes 😎
Great interview i loved it I know Russ to9 he sold me his old school stuff from Manchester underground records. Great djs @@PaulBSceneStories
@@ExploringwithCarlthanks , my next video I’m releasing is with Russ 😎
Remember Leroy running No1 Central and I think he managed was it teasers on Peter street.
It was the old Number 1 club on Central Street near Town Hall 😀
that was it…..they used to have an electro house night on a Thursday called romp….another brilliant night.
Leroy knows
Never knew of Donald Johnson's link to Sweet Sensation!
Great interview.
Leroy is 'ard as fuk.
Me neither till this interview, I am learning loads as I do these 😀
Tosh Ryan now THERE'S an interview
Thanks Al 😀
PaulB I love your channel, and your time is my time, but this interview really fkn irritated me (because I'm a professional photographer!) The camera keeps going in & out of focus because the camera is left set on AUTO-focus so the camera itself is in control. Everytime you move the camera will re-adjust focus. This works for actors, animals, children, dancers, moving subjects. Both subjects here are sat still. You only need to focus ONCE pre-recording and LEAVE IT alone. I don't mean to be an arse, I just think your product could look so much better quality because the content is crazy good. Feel free to have an offline convo with me about it x
Thanks Al , it was my first face to face so I’ll show the feedback to the lady who filmed it x
@@PaulBSceneStories Tell her to just switch the lens to 'M' instead of 'A' (manual over auto), focus on the image middle with an aperture of f8 - f16 which, since you've got the camera on a tripod, should be achievable. If not, turn up the ISO setting until it looks correctly exposed, ie bright enough for your purpose. Then the lens focus won't go in & out as your subjects move about. The entire shot will maintain focus as it's set manually. You need to be in control of your camera, not the other way around! Thanks for recieving my critique positively. It comes from a place of love, believe me! One Love x
@@albaker4827 I’m learning as I go along. I didn’t even prepare questions for this one and others. I like to let a natural conversation flow, it seems to be working for me so far. I’m not confident on the technical side yet so I appreciate feedback x
I think It would be safe to use the names Leroy Richardson and Roger Eagle in the same sentence.
Legends 😎
The hitman and her was the only night in the hac i hated! out of every single time i went in.
The 3 B's
Wow, Chris Bradley ha ha . You had the best nicknames for people ever , I was thinking of “ Diddy Nibbler “ the other day 😀
@@PaulBSceneStories hahahahaha. Will catch up soon mate