The old New York New York goes Loco
8:53am Friday 15th March 2013 in Local
BOLTON has a new nightclub — and its owners hope it will put the town on the regional map.
The former New York New York, in Bridge Street, will reopen as Loco Bolton after a £500,000 investment, bringing 20 news jobs to the town.
The 1,000-capacity club was briefly reopened last year but has since been bought by a North Wales businessman.
David Thomas, based in Wrexham, owns 10 clubs but also works for the national Luminar nightclub chain, which once owned New York New York along with Ikon, which closed in January, 2012.
Luminar sold various clubs across the UK last year, blaming falling trade on the recession, young people’s lack of spending money and pub industry changes.
Now, Tom Benson, an ex-Tower FM promotional manager and DJ at Bolton’s J2 venue, is working with Mr Thomas to promote Loco.
The venue opens tomorrow and has a programme of weekend entertainment planned for the next few weeks, including a night with DJs from Burnley’s Angels club, which became well-known in the 1990s and 2000s.
The club also wants to build links with the University of Bolton, other organisations and promoters for midweek events.
Mr Benson said: “We want to expand Bolton’s night-time offering. It has become limited in recent years with the closure of clubs like Atlantis and Ikon.
“We’ve got lots of ideas and want Loco to be a safe, well-run venue. People have become used to going to Manchester or Liverpool for clubs but we want to offer something closer to home.
“We’ve got DJs lined-up for weekends but also want to host mid-week events. Some smaller Bolton venues, like Blind Tiger, host live music and we don’t want to step on their toes. However, this is a bigger venue and we can perhaps add to what’s available.”
Mr Benson, aged 27, went to Bolton School and then studied fashion PR before moving into promotions.
New York New York was opened in 2006, inspired by the 1970s superclub Studio 54.
Its dance floor was a replica of the original. At the time, Luminar spent £1.2 million refurbishing the venue, which was previously home to Chicago Rock. Loco has been refitted and includes three bars and a VIP area
Comments(13)
Wolfie190
says...
1:10pm Fri 15 Mar 13
tommy wrote:Im with you on this one, I think there are less people going out now than when the other clubs mentioned shut.
Sorry, I personally think this will never work. Over the last decade, the trend has been that any club too far away from Bradshawgate will suffer. Atlantis, Hawthorns and even Ikon suffered due to the location. Ok, maybe the latter closed for many more reasons, but you see my point.
I'll put my savings on this being derelict in 12 months.
Reality50
says...
2:02pm Fri 15 Mar 13
Reality50
says...
2:05pm Fri 15 Mar 13
boltonnut
says...
3:35pm Fri 15 Mar 13
wsw69
says...
4:47pm Fri 15 Mar 13
Personally, I'd sooner risk a night out in Afghanistan or Syria rather than Bolton.
Wolfie190
says...
5:20pm Fri 15 Mar 13
BWFC71
says...
10:24am Sat 16 Mar 13
Reality50 wrote:No it hasn't!!!
Bolton has always been a pub town and compared to other towns nearby Manchester Liverpool Wigan etc it has always had a third rate club scene. For Pubs in the town centre Bolton is premier League but for clubs its always been even in the 70s 80s and 90s very much League 1 or 2.
Maxwell Plum
J2
Ikon (formerly known as Ritz and Rockerfellas)
Club on Spa Road (now been knocked down)
Club in the basement where Jobcentre used to be
Club used to be in basement of where the BN currently occupy (although in those days it was Barclays Bank)
Thats just to name a few.
But yes in last 3 or 4 years the clubs have gone whilst teh bars now tend to stay open longer - possibly due to teh fact that many people are more pub people than wanting to go to a club. In fact of the clubs in Manchester are pubs with a dancefloor, to be brutally honest.
I wish every success to the new club and hope it works out for them, like any new venture in Bolton Town Centre - we have to as the town centre is dying on its feet!!!
grimtown
says...
11:32am Sat 16 Mar 13
Reality50
says...
4:27pm Sat 16 Mar 13
ton,Peppermint Place Blackburn plus loads clubs in Manchester as Bolton was a poor-ish-alternative
. Maxwells was a dump and Ritzy and its various names it had was dreadful. Atlantis was too far out.The Bradshawgate pub scene is still pretty good hence why I say Bolton is largely a pub town. Manchester Wigan Liverpool are better for clubs and always have been.
Reality50
says...
4:30pm Sat 16 Mar 13
ton,Peppermint Place Blackburn plus loads clubs in Manchester as Bolton was a poor-ish-alternative
. Maxwells was a dump and Ritzy and its various names it had was dreadful. Atlantis was too far out.The Bradshawgate pub scene is still pretty good hence why I say Bolton is largely a pub town. Manchester Wigan Liverpool are better for clubs and always have been.
BWFC71
says...
1:35pm Sun 17 Mar 13
Then of course the club scene was helped with "The Hitman and Her" which frequented Ritzy's more than most other clubs in the country during its run and even visited a club in Farnworth a few times!!!!
We did have a good club scene for quite a few decades but it started falling apart with the failure of Atlantis - which would have been more popular if Bolton Council had kept its promise to make The Valley as the towns main Entertainment zone - it was known as "The Valley Centretainment!" but, as usual the council did sweet FA.
berushka
says...
9:43pm Sun 17 Mar 13
seems like a nice boy then!
seven quid for a gottle of geer, what? You are all being ripped off blind, because a good pint of Pilsner, (Czech beer) or similar still costs just sixty or seventy pence, and this and a packet of cigarettes will set you back a massive one pound thirty. Someone is making a lot, I mean a lot, of money. We had a concert here recently, with Jethro Tull, U2 or three, whatever, and KISS, and a good ticket was six pound; even the concert that Michael Jackson had in Praha a few years ago cost only 25 quid for the best seats. Some people are living in the wrong country, it appears to me.
tommy says...
9:56am Fri 15 Mar 13
I'll put my savings on this being derelict in 12 months.