Inside the new Manchester nightclub you'll never find on TikTok or Instagram

In the same week that the likes of Sam Fender, the Human League and Pete Tong all played in Manchester, there was another night of music that took place in the city centre. It was one that you won’t find any footage of on Instagram or TikTok.

The city’s newest nightclub Amber’s is unique in the sense that it has a strict no-phones policy - meaning no one is allowed to film or take photographs during the night - in an attempt to bring the focus back onto the music.

With the 1,000-capacity venue, housed in the former Canvas spot within the Circle Square neighbourhood on Oxford Road, having already sold out all Saturday events in its opening month, it's a move that seemingly has gone down well with ravers.

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Fronted by an established team of industry professionals - including Jeremy Abbott, who is the co-founder of creative agency Nothing Forced and has also taken up residency slots on Rinse FM - it’s aimed to be an opportunity for clubbers to enjoy themselves without the many distractions of life today.

“Because we are a no-phones venue, these sets are really going to create this you-had-to-be-there moment for everyone involved,” Jeremy explains to the Manchester Evening News. “It’s going to be a really special experience on the dancefloor that you can’t really get anywhere else right now.”

Having opened on Thursday (December 5), the club is not just unique in its no-photo rules, either. Advance tickets for the club’s nights are fixed at just £5, whilst the line-up of artists and DJs performing each Saturday night won’t be revealed until the very next day.

“Our main focus points were amazing sound and representing a broad spectrum of the underground electronic scene at an affordable price,” James Hutchins, aka Hutch, who is the current resident of famed London nightclub fabric as well as a resident DJ on Rinse FM, says.

“We really wanted to look at three big narratives in clubland at the moment - that it’s expensive to go out, dancefloors are full of phones, and line-ups are often very similar.”

Jeremy and Hutch also hope that by not revealing Saturday line-ups in advance, people will get to discover artists and DJs they may not have otherwise stumbled across. For the opening roster of shows, performers included Mr Scruff, MC Kwasi, NIKS and Or:la.

“We kind of want people to walk down the stairs and not really have any idea who’s playing or what to expect, and just be blown away by amazing music,” Jeremy says. “Hutch and I have been working really hard to make sure there’s a really good spread of artists, sounds, and styles.

“Some of them will be household names who you’ll have seen on festival stages, whilst others will be brand-new who are starting their journey. But we maintain that they will all be of a very-high standard.”

As well as being an exciting selling factor for clubbers, it’s also got a lot of benefit for the performer too. “There’s not that much of an expectation,” Hutch says. “As an artist, it’s really going to lend itself to freedom of expression, and they can just basically do what they want. Nobody is turning up expecting a specific hit or set, because they don’t know who they are coming to see.”

And how that no-phones policy works is relatively simple. When you enter, a sticker will be placed over your phone’s camera and you’ll be asked to ‘honour’ the club’s concept. Repeat offenders will be asked to leave if seen trying to go against the rules.

“When we say there’s a no-phone policy, we just mean we don’t want people filming or taking photos and spending their time looking through a camera,” Hutch explains. “Of course, you need to be able to use your phone to message people and for contactless payments, but if we can do just one thing to keep your attention on the music by putting a sticker on then that’s going to just enhance everybody’s night.”

One thing that people will know in advance of the Saturday night events is the type of genre that the show will revolve around. Whilst the club will have a big focus on underground electronic music, nights will regularly vary across different genres and soundscapes.

There will also be four residents at the club. Alongside Jeremy and Hutch, Zuri and ALETHA will also be popping up throughout the Saturday shows to bring what they’re known for to the venue.

“Me and Hutch have been sharing dancefloors together for a decade now,” Jeremy adds. “So for us, this is like a dream project - it’s like working with your best mate - and we’re doing something that hopefully adds something positive to clubland.

“We’ve tried to take all of the amazing experiences we’ve had and channelled it into what we think makes for the best dancefloor and the best clubbing experience - and that’s what we’ve ended up in Manchester.”

The venue will also have an in-house welfare team, as part of a collaboration with W.E.L.Safe. Having worked with festivals and clubs up and down the country, the organisation will have staff on hand to support clubbers in a ‘non-judgemental manner’ if they need assistance.

And, as a city renowned for its music scene, the pair say they have a lot of respect for Manchester when asked for their thoughts on its nightlife scene right now. “I think Manchester’s got an amazing club scene,” Jeremy suggests.

“It plays host to a really rich array of clubs like White Hotel, which has some of the best underground dance music nights in the country, and there’s also the likes of Progress Centre and Loft doing amazing stuff with techno.”

Hutch adds: “We’ve also got Soup Kitchen and Stage and Radio, which are slightly smaller but offering a fantastic spread of electronic music. For us to come in as a slightly larger venue and to fill the gap between the mid-size venues and the bigger Warehouse Project-style spaces, it’s super exciting for us and we’re just really happy to be amongst them.”

“It’s really important for us to find our space and slot into the city,” Jeremy says. “We want to bring something new, something that we think is exciting and would be a nice addition to Manchester’s brilliant clubbing scene.”

In February, there are already plans in motion for Amber’s to start hosting live music and gigs - which will see line-up’s announced in advance. As for what the future holds, with the reaction so far, the pair seem convinced they have something special on their hands.

“We’ve kinda started from zero, so to sell out all our Saturday events in December without announcing a single line-up is pretty mad,” Jeremy enthuses. “It’s been the wildest, most exciting and scariest thing we’ve ever done together but I think we’re onto something good.

“The idea you can come to us and experience brilliant music for a fiver - it’s clearly resonated with people. We really appreciate the response and the leap of faith that people have given us.”

Hutch says: “We’ve been in this space for a long time as ravers, so we’ve tried to create this experience by ravers, for ravers. It’s about being in the moment, feeling safe, being affordable, and having a good time where you can express yourself. I can’t wait for people to give it a go.”

Amber's is at 3 Symphony Park, Manchester, M1 7FS. Open 10pm to 4am (last entry 12am) Tuesday to Saturday. Follow on Instagram for news of ticket sales.