When I moved to Manchester, I was ecstatic to start university and discover the great nightlife it has to offer. After three months in the city, I’ve quickly learnt which clubs I’ll be returning to and the ones I’ll most definitely be avoiding in the future.
I’ve visited a fair few since arriving in September and felt it would be beneficial to share my experiences, both positive and negative. As a result Her Campus at Manchester has decided to review clubs around Manchester from the female perspective and based on price, music, men, bouncers and environment. We’re starting with Tiger Tiger.
Located in The Printworks in the centre of Manchester, Tiger Tiger describes itself as “the best night out in town”, however my flatmates and I quickly disagreed as soon as we entered the building. Tickets cost >£5 and while they were reasonable, they’re certainly not student prices. I definitely wouldn’t be able to afford to go regularly.
After purchasing my ticket, I was immediately confronted by a middle-aged man who proceeded to hurl inappropriate comments at me and look at me in a way that was, quite frankly, disgusting. I was made to feel incredibly uncomfortable before I’d even entered the club.
Meanwhile, my flatmate had left her bankcard in McDonalds so we had to leave the club to go and retrieve it. I thought the bouncers would refuse to let us back in but they were surprisingly very friendly and accommodating. When we returned, we were let straight in and went upstairs.
There were two rooms, one playing R’n’B and the other playing a selection of retro 70s and 80s disco. In terms of music, I personally loved it. The variation meant we could explore both rooms, experience the different environments and move around depending on what were in the mood to listen to.
However, while the music was great, as soon as we entered, myself and another female flatmate had men swarm around us, refusing to leave us alone. One man even bit my flatmate’s ear! They simply wouldn’t leave us alone, even when our male flatmates pretended to be our boyfriends.
The persistence of the men left us feeling incredibly uncomfortable, not being able to move anywhere without new men coming up and pestering us. As a result, we felt the need to be careful with our drinks and where we placed them, although this was also because they were very expensive.
If I were to return, I would always go with a male friend, as this made it somewhat easier to tackle the harassment. However, the uncomfortable feeling we all experienced left us feeling reluctant to do so, which is a shame because we really enjoyed the music.
**This article is based on the experience and opinions and myself and my flatmates alone. You may not experience the problems we did and if you decide to go to Tiger Tiger, I hope you have a great night!