The Salford Lads' Club is no stranger to Smiths fans — the band were famously photographed in front of the Manchester recreational club for the inner sleeve of The Queen Is Dead, and the building also made appearances in the band's videos for "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" and "Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before." And while the building still operates as a community centre, it may be expanding its services to become a concert venue in the near future.
Spokesman Leslie Holmes told the Manchester Evening News that, "We could have small exclusive gigs."
The 113-year-old building boasts a concert hall where "male voice choirs, minstrel troops and bugle bands" used to perform, though operational restrictions have prevented its use in more modern times.
American singer-songwriter and Smiths devotee Ryan Adams visited the Salford Lads' Club and was impressed by the acoustics, "clicking his fingers and saying 'oh that's amazing.'" Unfortunately, Holmes explained, "at the time we didn't have the capacity to offer him a concert."
Since then, though, improvements have been made to the infrastructure.
"But because we have put in new fire escapes and a lift, we have improved access to the building with a grant," Holmes continued. "Now we can have 200, and the sound gets better the more people you have in the room."
Regulations allow the venue to apply for up to ten temporary licences a year to host intimate shows of the sort, and according to Holmes, "We have one or two people interested already — promoters wanting to help us."
Although live shows at the Salford Lads' Club may be a very real possibility in the near future, it's probably a pretty safe bet that a Smiths reunion is still not happening any time soon.
Spokesman Leslie Holmes told the Manchester Evening News that, "We could have small exclusive gigs."
The 113-year-old building boasts a concert hall where "male voice choirs, minstrel troops and bugle bands" used to perform, though operational restrictions have prevented its use in more modern times.
American singer-songwriter and Smiths devotee Ryan Adams visited the Salford Lads' Club and was impressed by the acoustics, "clicking his fingers and saying 'oh that's amazing.'" Unfortunately, Holmes explained, "at the time we didn't have the capacity to offer him a concert."
Since then, though, improvements have been made to the infrastructure.
"But because we have put in new fire escapes and a lift, we have improved access to the building with a grant," Holmes continued. "Now we can have 200, and the sound gets better the more people you have in the room."
Regulations allow the venue to apply for up to ten temporary licences a year to host intimate shows of the sort, and according to Holmes, "We have one or two people interested already — promoters wanting to help us."
Although live shows at the Salford Lads' Club may be a very real possibility in the near future, it's probably a pretty safe bet that a Smiths reunion is still not happening any time soon.