Wigan Pier Nightspot coming back to life for a night

DJs hope to transport dance music fans back to the glory days when they mark 25 years since the Wigan Pier club starting playing house.
The Pier NightspotThe Pier Nightspot
The Pier Nightspot

The group of enthusiasts who make up BTID events are returning to the borough to stage Back 2 the old Pier (The Silver Anniversary) at the Pure nightclub this weekend.

The special night marks a quarter of a century since the canalside club began its rise to become one of the most well-known and influential venues in the country.

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Fans are promised plenty of vintage tracks from the old days, with the night at the Clarence Yard venue just off Wallgate particularly focusing on popular tunes from Wigan Pier’s early years.

Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)
Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)

The DJs, all of whom spun the decks there in its heyday, also promise live acts and say Pure is an ideal venue for reviving the atmosphere and spirit of the Pier.

Martin Tomlinson from BTID Events said: “Pure is a perfect venue because it almost mimics the layout of the Pier with the balcony.

“We’re expecting a few of the old crowd to come down and relive the memories but we’ve also seen younger people and fresh faces getting into the music.

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“Wigan Pier started off really underground and people were attracted because it was different. The major record labels briefly got interested and then it almost went underground again. With it being the 25 years it will be lots of old classics from the dance era. We’ve always kept that Wigan Pier style of underground dance music with bounce, deep and hard house and trance.”

Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)
Rikki Gray, Mick Blakley (DJ Mickey B) and Martin Tomlinson (DJ Nitra M)

BTID say they are delighted to be back in Wigan, having staged house music events around the UK and abroad since the Pier shut its doors five years ago. The group began running popular bounce, house and trance music nights at Park Hall nightclub, Charnock Richard, but has also taken its collection of floor-filling tunes to party capital Ibiza as well as Blackpool and yachts.

The night at Pure will feature live performances, with Paradise featuring Mandy Edge playing anthem I See The Light and Maximum Spell taking to the stage for renditions of I See You and You and I.

Once regularly welcoming thousands of revellers from around the country, the Pier club closed in 2011 following a long battle over noise prompted by complaints from nearby homes.

Saturday’s event runs from 9pm until 4am. Tickets are £15 in advance or £20 on the door if it does not sell out before.