Canalside Studio in Tameside, Manchester is a cool little recording studio that you may not have heard of, but with clients ranging from The Paris Angels to members of Manchester Legends The Chameleons it’s well worth a look.
Canalside was designed from day 1 to be a cool place to be, anything we offer beyond that is just the icing on the cake really.
A Recording Studio In Manchester – Like No Other
You get the feeling when you walk up to Canalside Studios that your entering a world a little different to the normal swanky studio world, and you’d be right. There are no BMWs in the car park (There is a cool retro Porsche though) and no fancy reception areas – what there is instead is industrial revolution era canal views, mills and a very ‘Manchester’ vibe. It feels like your in Manchester city centre a few decades ago, it feels legit.
Retro Recording Gear Meets A Modern Ethos
Stepping inside you’re instantly in the live performance area, and it’s pretty incredible. Stephen has adorned the whole place with cool bric a brac, from a Chameleons lamp to massive posters of Nirvana to a whole boatload of retro recording gear (Reel To Reels, Studio Compressors and more), it’s a lot to take in. The whole place is lit up with moody LED lighting and it gives off a comfy, almost homely vibe. Importantly it’s not overwhelming – This is not a place you’ll feel performance anxiety.
If people don’t feel relaxed here, I’ve failed. You don’t record amazing performances when people are stressed out – Stephen
Of course, that doesn’t mean much if the studio isn’t geared up to let you record and rehearse, so it features:
- Full digital recording set up
- Rehearsal Rooms with PA and mics
- Secure storage
It’s just a top place to be – Here’s Stephen’s Take on it: So, what’s the low down on Canalside: “Well, it’s a small studio and rehearsal room at heart, made in the way that I’d want to be in if I was in a band, which I am, a few in fact!” Anyone we’d know about? “My main band right now is SWJ Group – We do all our recordings at Canalside and rehearse here, it’s going well.” And you record in house? “Yeah, we’re a six piece plus a brass section so it keeps me on my toes, but the studio handles it no problem. It’s deceptively well set up to record pretty much any band of any size.” What’s all this about a Chameleons connection? “Well, I’ve known the boys a long time and their drummer John Lever was a good pal, he recorded his first solo album with his project Red Sided Garter Snakes with me, and Chameleons guitarists Dave Fielding has recorded down here as a session guest. It was always a pleasure working with those guys, an honour really.” Any other cool bands been through your doors to record? “Punk legends Ed Banger & The Nosebleeds. Manchester Dub guys Supajamma (Fronted by Audioweb‘s Martin Merchant) & V2 with more punk vibes spring to mind.” Sounds like you’ve been at this a while? Yup, early on in my career I was luck enough to work with all sorts, from Aswad to The Stone Rose’s, both as a tape operator and general dogsbody, but it gave me great experience. So, how do people go about getting in on the action? “Best way is shoot me a message through my website or Facebook” Awesome thanks Stephen, anything else to add? “Nah, I’m good, you gonna sort the links out?”
Yup! Contact Canalside by Clicking here – Get Stephen on Facebook by Clicking here Contact The Gigsville Team by Clicking Here About The Author
Designer and founder of Gigsville. Guitarist and a bit of a nerd.
Into: All music, from Fugazi to Enter Shikari. Retro games, VR and family.
Best gig I’ve played in so far was with Tower Of Power at The Ritz Manchester
