NYQ - Northern Quarter's Cord bar is reborn

We're not really sure when Cord closed, it could have been two weeks ago, it could have been two years ago. The point is that people stopped going (which seems like a pretty solid reason to close). 

There was a time, however, when Cord was the Manchester bar. Opened in 2001, on a shifty side street off Tib Street, the bar's stylish, laid-back take on the traditional boozer struck a chord with the city's creative coterie, becoming a boozy bolthole for DJs, hip musos and an emerging band called Elbow.

As is the way, the times changed, more bars opened, punters moved on (see nearby casualties including Odd and Dry Bar).

Now Cord is set for another reinvention, this time at the hands of music agents and marketeers Ben Spier and Keith Patterson, who plan to reopen the Dorsey Street venue this April under a new name, NYQ.

Combining a 'cocktail lounge of distinct character' (overseen by master bartender Ben Scorah) with a stripped-back basement that 'bursts to life below street level each weekend', the pair hope to attract Manchester's underground music scene with 'nods to early 1980s New York... exceptional resident DJs and the odd special guest'.

Speaking about the new venture, Spier said: “NYQ will complement the thriving cocktail bar scene in the Northern Quarter and become a place where people can enjoy a good night out, good drinks and get down on the dance floor.”

NYQ are now recruiting for a number of positions, visit www.nyqmanchester.com for more details. Keep an eye on @NYQMANCHESTER