Inside Manchester's Hacienda: Dance music pioneer Mike Pickering tells of legendary nightclub

EXCLUSIVE: Inside Manchester's Hacienda: Dance music pioneer Mike Pickering tells of legendary nightclubMike Pickering is the godfather of dance music, winning the Mercury Prize as part of M People, signing Calvin Harris, and played an instrumental part in the legendary Hacienda3amHannah Britt, Senior Reporter Mirror Features17:00, 18 Apr 2026View 6 Images'He should be awarded a knighthood for services to clubbing', says Noel Gallagher of the legendary Mike PickeringWhen Mike Pickering became resident DJ at the Hacienda in Manchester it was an arts venue where people often sat around listening to poetry. But he helped turn it into a cathedral of the acid house movement, packed to its black and yellow pillars with people raving, covered in sweat, with eyes like saucers. Mike, 72, who was 27 when the Hacienda opened in 1982, has been credited with transforming attitudes to dance music.‌Looking back at the venue’s heyday, he says: “88, 89, those were the two years for me: it was fantastic, historical. It went from being a multi-purpose art venue, poetry readings, gig venue, to a club which kickstarted the dance revolution. The beauty of the Hacienda was that it attracted everyone, there were no barriers, you came as you were, brick layers, clothes designers, doctors, bin men, everyone together, football hooligans who were no longer football hooligans, were all there together. Noel and I always say that it stopped being glorious, on New Year’s Eve 1989. Before that it was a secret society, police didn’t know what we were doing, didn’t know about the ecstasy. Then one night it was on the 10pm news and the bubble burst.”‌READ MORE: 'Grim' UK city transformed from horror deaths hotspot to superstar paradiseIn the Hacienda’s early days, Mike was responsible for booking the acts and also worked at Factory Records, signing Happy Mondays and James. He says: “We had everyone you could think of – Curtis Mayfield, Eurythmics, The Smiths, Erasure, Culture...