Martin Guttridge-Hewitt steps out to experience Macclesfield’s most talked about music showcase and finest listening room. Who said a rainy Tuesday evening had to be dull? 

Directed off Chestergate by a chalkboard sign for “Live Music Tonight” the unassuming passageway guides us into a small courtyard. Here, a ground level doorway leads into a historic stone building, then a wooden staircase befitting what this place once was. Specifically, a button and silk twist warehouse. More generally, early industrial-era storage, past life evident in subtle detailing throughout the deceptively large first floor waiting above.

It’s Tuesday evening, the weather has failed to hold up its end of the bargain but that hasn’t stopped a sizeable crowd of music fans braving some of late summer’s wetter moments to fill The Button Warehouse before we arrive around 8PM. The only table available hides from the small stage behind solid brickwork, but thankfully the sound is crystal clear throughout the room and our position provides an unimpeded and non-disruptive route to the timber-clad bar. 

We’re not surprised to find the venue this busy given tonight is the Live Lounge, a weekly event that’s grown from humble beginnings into a rightly cherished Macclesfield music institution. Regularly reaching seated capacity on the promise of showcasing up and coming talent in a relaxed environment, for free, the deal soon becomes even sweeter with the presentation of crisp pints as the acts begin.

‘There’s a thriving scene here in Macc. But I think in terms of our lane, folk and singer-songwriter stuff, this is the best place to see live music. Although I would say that,’ says musician and vocalist Joel Gardner, the man behind Live Lounge. ‘We’ll let anyone play, we don’t really vet it as such, but it’s not strictly an open mic night either. It’s a pre-booked open mic. There’s lots of really good music and artists about and it’s really nice to see the scene kind of improving as well because of the success of what we’re doing here.’ 

Putting it into context, there are currently around 600 names on the Live Lounge database who are keen to play. Some will be familiar faces, others debutants, the point is this series has now established itself as a stop-off on the regional circuit for aspiring and emerging musicians. This reputation is validated in the standard of artists as the night unfolds in a hazy brew of soft-lighting, imported lager, and smooth sounds. 

A sax-guitar jazz duo who introduce themselves as Bill & Ben arguably steal the early hours with woozy overtures and meandering melodies at day dream tempos. The ear-worm effect is most evident during ‘Bilbao’, a track inspired by the namesake Spanish city and the gentle flow of its river. An apt reference point to convey the overall feeling throughout. We are un-rushed, the place is warmly inviting, tangibly unpretentious and truly authentic. There’s a sense everyone’s here to support those playing, and the platform itself. 

‘We couldn’t run as an open mic anymore as demand got too high. And I think as a performer, if you see it’s doing well midweek and it has its own audience, you’re playing to music lovers in a beautiful location, you know you need to have your set right,’ Gardner continues, explaining momentum behind Live Lounge has gathered pace since crowds and culture returned following pandemic lockdowns. ‘The open mic scene in Manchester particularly, but around Macclesfield as well, is really strong and we’ve been rushed off our feet with performers. So it’s all pre-bookings now. If anyone wants to play, they get in touch and we slot them in.

‘There are kind of ground rules here, like the focus is on the music. I think there’s loads of pubs and bars that put on music but it’s kind of in the background. It might be the most brilliant music you can hear but it’s not framed in that way,’ he replies when we ask for the secret behind Live Lounge’s success. ‘I just want this to be a place for the music community in Macclesfield, where someone who plays an instrument or someone who has just started to play and wants to go somewhere can meet other people, maybe start a band, and certainly get inspired by listening to some real quality live music.’

Of course, this hasn’t happened overnight. Live Lounge is run and, for the time being at least, usually hosted by Gardner. But it wouldn’t exist without Gemma Burleigh, owner-mastermind behind Button Warehouse. The pair met when he was playing another open-mic several years ago, a friendship formed and this then led to the weekly new music showcase. She’s quick to point out, it’s a consistent highlight, albeit not the only aspect of programming at the venue. Sunday Sessions round out each week from 2PM onwards, Thursdays can welcome touring gigs and live happenings take place many Fridays and Saturdays. Socials are the best way to find out what’s going on.

‘I’ve been the owner since 2019, when we started out in the building next door before outgrowing that and moving into this beautiful place,’ she tells us. ‘I’m responsible for the design and feel of the venue, it was important to me to create a space for everyone to feel safe and like it’s their home, I guess… I love the old bricks and wanted to create a laidback abandoned warehouse vibe, with a rustic-industrial feel. Some of the best nights I’ve had here have been live music and the Live Lounge events are simply magical, the variety of acts just makes it all feel so special.

‘One of the best gigs for me was my good friends Joe Doonan and Tim Gambles, they were simply incredible. The live stuff on Sundays is also amazing, with strong favourites like James Biddolph Jnr. and Grace Kelly,’ Burleigh continues. ‘We have a supportive, encouraging and truly magnificent community here at Button, myself and my staff have always been at the centre of that, making sure everyone coming through our doors feels welcome… It’s more than work… It’s a family… I am so grateful for each and every person who’s supported me on this journey.’

But sustaining hasn’t been easy. Across the board, the arts are in dire financial trouble, and this is rarely more obvious than the music scene. Revenue from sales of singles, EPs and albums has long since been decimated, and as of January 2024 the Music Venue Trust reported that two grass roots venues were closing in the UK every week, many due to running costs, including rocketing energy bills, others landlord disputes, rent rises and redevelopment projects. In the 12 months prior to those figures being published, 125 stages were permanently shuttered across Britain. Button Warehouse has not been immune.

Burleigh recounts how challenges staying afloat during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic, which unfolded within 12 months or so of the venue opening, have given way to ongoing financial pressures felt across the sector. There have been moments when it looked like things might fold, and it’s taken grit to get here. A familiar story playing out in towns and cities across the country, and one that emphasises how much risk and passion is involved in running operations like this, making a genuine cultural and community contribution. Not to mention how much we should value them.