42nd Street

The first challenge is finding the place! You basically go down a side road then an alley off Deansgate and its about a 10 minute walk from the bus stop at St Peters. If you get there before half 10 you get in free (although bear in mind there may be a queue), don't wear open toe shoes as I had to buy some primark pumps off them on the door before I was allowed in when I tried to wear flip flops. The music is pretty similar everytime I've been although wednesdays is retro night. Its mainly students in the week then more locals at the weekend. Drinks are cheap (although there is a reason they aren't great!) and there is a big dancefloor area. I would recommend it for a cheap, fun night out.

As long as you know what to expect and your expectations aren’t too high, 42s is a great club. I spent about 8 years going here three times a week, and in that time it hasn’t changed a bit.
It’s mainly students and local young Mancunians looking for cheap drinks and a few laughs. The entrance has gone up to about a fiver and drinks are a couple of quid (it was free entry and 50p a drink when I started going!), so quite a bargain.
The music isn’t the most cutting edge on the indie scene – there’s a lot of Stone Roses and James but not so much ‘nu-rave’ type stuff with Black Kids and New Young Pony Club, MGMT etc.
The queue is not nice! Make sure you’re there before 10.30 or you could be there all night. Bootle St where the entrance is is quite dirty, so watch out for the dubious puddles in doorways while you’re there!

42nd Street is another one of Manchester's fine indie clubs. It is very no-frills and tends to have a quieter, less manic vibe than its competitors. The crowds tend to be slightly more cool than those you would catch at 5th Avenue. The drinks are super cheap - you could easily get a drink that would suit you for £1 and the entry is reasonably priced - look out for flyers or bring your NUS card. The music played on an average tends to be more eclectic and jumps from classic Manchester indie to up-to-date "nu rave" to the Beatles! They are open most evenings through the week aiming more at the student markets, but it's not much cheaper then than on the weekends. The unfortunate thing is that there is regularly a large queue and if you get there too late you could be waiting some time as the bouncers regularly announce that it's "1 in 1 out!" you have been warned!!

Take careful note of where this is cos it's nicely hidden in an alley way and took me ages to find on the first attempt!! Being just off deansgate though, it's well served by public transport. Quite a small club. Mainly a student club, so very very cheap drinks with some good special offers. But I find it less studenty than 5th Avenue. They play indie indie indie! Can get very packed on the dancefloor so you're quite likely to lose you're friends! Doormen can be a bit knobish though! I find it a friendly crowd, much better than 5ths and less weirdos as well!