Years ago, when I was maybe 16, I had a bad experience with the door staff at Manchester Gorilla, and swore I'd never go again. But here we are, some 9 years on, breaking my word to see Beans on Toast play live!
Gorilla is a small venue, on Whitworth Street, with a capacity of 550. Needless to say, small venues aren't usually the most wheelchair friendly, but honestly, I didn't find it too bad. Let's just say that my experience here as an able-bodied teenager was much worse than as a wheelchair-using adult.
Travel
This venue is pretty close to Oxford Road Station, I mean the building is literally built into the bridge that holds the train tracks. So if you were wanting to use public transport, it would be easy to get from the station to the venue.
As I tend to do most of the time, I drove with the intention of parking close by. I know that outside the building, there are 3/4 disabled on-street parking bays. So we parked my car there, it's potluck if those bays are empty, but there's something so satisfying when they are and parking is made that bit easier for the night. If those aren't free, there are some on-street disabled bays outside the Palace Theatre (round the corner) or a Q Park about a 10-minute walk/push from Gorilla.
Entering the Building
The regular entrance isn't accessible for wheelchairs, so we had to enter the venue through the bar. The staff were super helpful and we got in relatively quickly. If you're stuck, just ask the door staff, or any other staff member really, and they'll be able to take you through to the main room.
Image Description: This photo is taken from the crowd, a few rows back from the stage. Beans of Toast is stood in the centre of the stage with his guitar. He is lit by yellow stag lights and is looking down as he plays his guitar.
Toilets
However, I must say, the Accessible Toilet, is far from accessible and driving your chair in there, feels a lot like playing Tetris. Had I been in my manual wheelchair, I would have had more room to manoeuvre, but either way accessible bathrooms should be accessible regardless of the wheelchair you use. I couldn't get a photo that showed just how small the room was, but trust me when I say there was very little room to move in there.
Seating
Okay, so I don't know how much I can comment on this because I think we went to the wrong place. I mean it was fine, but it definitely wasn't where we were meant to be. I was with my sister, Em, and after getting a drink at the bar we just found a place in the crowd and stayed there for the night. It was only when the crowd opened up a bit, halfway through the set when Beans on Toast came down into the audience, that I noticed a group of wheelchair users sitting together near the stage. To be honest, it was nice to just be part of things the same way I would have if I didn't have an SCI. I guess for me, it was a good thing that the staff didn't force me to sit in a certain place when I was happy where I was.
Final Thoughts
If you're an active wheelchair user, this venue is more accessible, or maybe the toilet is more accessible. It's swings and roundabouts because had I not been in my powerchair, I'm not sure sitting in the crowd would have been as safe or comfortable. This definitely isn't my favourite venue when it comes to wheelchair access, and I think I'd try to avoid it where possible, but it's doable. If the disabled toilet was better thought out, I'd be more positive about the venue as a whole - hopefully, it's something they improve in the future!
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