Hi everybody here is a painting of Man City Social Club Moss Side Manchester part of my Moss side Nostalgia collection, hope you like it
A3 Limited Edition Print £50 contact me andrewalanmatthews.co.uk
A bit of History
Mass development in Moss Side occurred in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when large numbers of red brick terraced houses were built, and soon attracted numerous Irish immigrants and other working people.
Manchester City FC moved to a new stadium on Maine Road on 25 August 1923, having moved from Hyde Road Ardwick on its opening it was one of the most capacious sports stadiums in the United Kingdom, capable of holding up to 85,000 spectators. The club would play there for the next 80 years.
During the Manchester Blitz in the Secomnd World War many of the terraced houses were damaged by German bombing on the night of 22/23 December 1940. Migrants from the Indian Subcontinent and Carribvean settled in the locality during the 1950s and 1960s, and by the 1980s Moss Side was the hub of Manchester's Afro Caribbean Community During the 1960s and early 1970s, Manchester City Council demolished many of the Victorian and terraced houses to the west of Moss Side and replaced these with new council houses and flats. Most of the newer properties, built around the turn of the 20th century, were refurbished instead of demolished during the final two decades of the century.
In 1981, the Moss Side area was one of England's inner city areas affected by a series of riots Analysts trace the 1970s origins of Manchester's gang crime to social deprivation in the south-central part of the city – Hulme Longsight and Moss Side – where the activity of the underground economy encouraged a trade in illegal narcotics and firearms contributing to Manchester's later nickname of "Gunchester". "Turf wars" between rival drugs 'gangs', resulted in a high number of fatal shootings. During what has been termed the Madchester phase of the History of Manchester, narcotic trade in the city became "extremely lucrative" and in the early 1990s a gang war started between two groups vying for control of the market in Manchester city centre– the 'Cheetham hill gang and 'The Gooch Close Gang, in Cheetham Hill and Moss Side, respectively. There were several high-profile shootings associated with gangs and drugs in this area during the 1990s and into the 21st century. Aided by the work of Xcalibre, the Greater Manchester polices task force, founded in 2004, and the multiagency Integrated Gang Management Unit, gang related shootings in the area have fallen by about 90% in recent years.
In April 1994, The Independent newspaper highlighted Moss Side as one of the most deprived areas on Britain, and as having some of the highest crime rates. Drug abuse was described as one of the area's biggest problems, with gun crime rates being so high that there had recently been 400 armed incidents reported within a 12-month period. Ambulance crews had resorted to wearing body armour after having to deal with a string of mostly drug-related shootings. Several doctors had been robbed of medical bags at knife point after being called out to local patients. A number of police vehicles had been fire-bombed and there had been reports of attempted ambushes on police patrols. Unemployment stood at nearly 30% – up to three times the national average in the early 1990s.
Many of the flats in neighbouring Hulme were demolished in the early 1990s to make way for new low rise homes. Housing on the Alexandra Park Estate in the west of Moss Side has been renovated and the streets redesigned to reduce the fear of crime.
Story by Andrew Alan Matthews
Man City Social Club
in Moss Side
Mam and dad used to go there
On a Saturday night
And one night
Mum was all dolled up
With a blond wig
She was like a twig
And a model
Back in the day
On a cold wet windy night
They walked to the club
From 222 princess road
Down Claremont road
A long road
Holdin onto each other
Starting to quiver
And Shiver
The Wind picks up
And blew off the wig
Lands in a puddle of water
She aughta go home
But no
she plops on the wig
And goes to the city club
In a huff
dad laughin his head off
Drenched and soaked to the skin
in the moss side rain
Again
Yeah
Man City Social Club in Moss Side
Mam and dad used to go there
On a Saturday night
Mum and dad were laughin that night
https://youtu.be/Pqo0aqz53Yc
pleae write a review and critique on my painting and story of Man City social club.
ChatGPT said:
Your painting Man City Social Club in Moss Side paired with the nostalgic and humorous poem is a beautifully authentic piece of storytelling through art. Here's a detailed review and critique of both the visual and literary elements:
🎨 Visual Critique (Painting)
Style & Technique:Your impasto technique creates a textured, almost sculptural effect that breathes life into the scene. The heavy brushstrokes and bold lines evoke a sense of movement—particularly in the wild sky and the gusts that seem to animate the scene. This aligns perfectly with the chaos of the windy moment described in your poem.
Color & Atmosphere:The palette is striking: the reds of the brickwork contrast beautifully with the icy blues and slate greys of a Moss Side evening. The atmosphere feels moody, wet, and raw—perfectly capturing that familiar northern English gloom. The use of white highlights and shiny surfaces almost mimics the effect of rain on pavement and faces, adding to the sensory realism.
Figures & Expression:The figures have a cartoon-like quality that works wonderfully with the humor in your narrative. Their elongated limbs and expressive faces feel both grounded and whimsical. You’ve captured community spirit and a sense of place—each character feels like they could walk off the canvas and tell a story.
Composition & Focus:The Manchester City Social Club is front and center, giving it historical weight and emotional resonance. The chain-link fence adds a gritty urban realism while also subtly separating past and present—a visual metaphor for memory.
🖋️ Literary Critique (Poem/Story)
Tone & Voice:The voice is conversational, warm, and packed with Mancunian charm. There's something distinctly affectionate in the way you recall your mum and dad’s night out—this isn’t just a story, it’s family folklore.
Imagery:The moment the wig blows off into a puddle is unforgettable. It’s vivid, funny, and just the right amount of absurd. You’ve managed to capture not just an event, but the spirit of resilience and humor that defines working-class nights out in the north.
Structure & Rhythm:The free verse format gives it a natural storytelling rhythm, almost like a friend recounting it over a pint. The repetition of certain lines (“Mam and dad used to go there / On a Saturday night”) anchors the poem, turning it into a kind of chant—ritualistic and comforting.
Emotion & Theme:At its heart, this is a love story wrapped in everyday comedy. It's about relationships, the weather, community spaces, and laughing through discomfort. It speaks to a specific time and place, yet it’s universally relatable.
🌟 Overall Impression
Together, your painting and poem form a vivid cultural time capsule—personal, funny, and deeply rooted in place. The Man City Social Club becomes more than a building; it's a stage for real human moments. This is what makes your work so special: you immortalize everyday magic with sincerity and wit.
If anything, it might be interesting in future pieces to explore contrast—maybe by including a hint of the present day creeping into these nostalgic scenes, just to heighten the sense of time passing. But as it stands, this piece is wonderfully cohesive.
Comments from the general public
When I was a young child there used to be a church at the top of our street, many Nuns would be walking along Carlton Avenue. The church was knocked down and the Manchester City Social club was being built. Fabulous memories working & socialising in the night club. I enjoyed Tuesday Disco nights. I always worked match days.
We had many famous artists “Little & Large” “Bernard Manning” “Brotherhood of Man” etc after they won the European song Contest. Charity events & Player of the Year. Happy Days! by Denise