Interview: We talk to Bitch ahead of their 6th birthday celebrations

Manchester's regular party night Bitch celebrates six years at the forefront of the city's house music scene this month. 

The past year has seen the night spread its wings far and wide, with a summer long residency in Croatia, events in Leeds, Newcastle and Northern Ireland - and guests including Hardwell, Nicky Romero, Michael Woods, Tim Mason, Danny Howard, Third Party and Kryder to name but a few.

September 29th sees Bitch blow out six candles on its birthday cake, with a party at its Manchester home of Venus headlined by Michael Woods. The same night will also see the night host its own arena at Leeds' Mint Festival - featuring none other than the mighty Eddie Halliwell. 

Ahead of the sixth birthday mayhem, we caught up with Events Manager Ric to talk special guests, sunnier climes, and just what it is about Bitch that keeps clubbers coming back for more. 

Hi Ric, first of all can you sum up Bitch in one sentence?

Parties fuelled by quality house music, real clubbers, with a hint of glamour - all combining to create an unrivaled, electric atmosphere.

What is the music policy?

Our foundations have always been electro, progressive and tech house. We pride ourselves on finding the top local, national and international DJs and producers, ensuring we are at the forefront of what is happening in house music. We stick to our roots, but evolve as the genres do.

When did the night first launch and where?

The first ever Bitch event was a Sunday party in 2006 at Sankeys, Manchester.

Venus and Bitch seem to go hand in hand - what is it about this club that suits Bitch so well?

The club prides itself in being all about the music, and a club ran by clubbers for clubbers. Without being too cliché we are all one big family, with the common goal of delivering events fuelled by high quality music and a friendly atmosphere. We want every single person who comes to the venue to feel like they are part of the family.

I understand Venus has just undergone some improvements - tell us about that?

Since moving to the new venue, the guys at Venus haven’t stopped improving the club. Both rooms have had new DJ booths, new lighting, one of the bars has been moved and refurbished, birthday booths have been added... honestly by the time I've finished this interview they have probably made another improvement. They welcome feedback and act on it almost immediately.

This summer saw Bitch venture out to Croatia for a residency at Papaya Club. How did that go?

Amazing, and that’s an understatement. We did five weeks out there, hosting the daytime pool parties with some of our Bitch favorites playing for us. We had Oliver Lang, D.O.D, Claudia Cazacu, Third Party and Danny Howard. Everyone loved it out there. It was like a Bitch night at Venus, but outside in the sun, everyone there for a good time and to enjoy the music!

What do you think of the burgeoning club and festival scene in Croatia? Does it have the potential to rival Ibiza as a clubbing destination in the future?

Hideout has already established itself out there, and it’s starting to cath the attention of a lot of people in the UK as well as throughout Europe. Honestly, Pag Island is one of the most beautiful places in the world, add to that some of the best outdoor clubs I have seen, lineups from all genres to rival anywhere in the world along with friendly locals, amazing food and decent drinks prices. It's definitely one to watch. I can’t wait to get back out there next summer.

You're also hosting an arena at Mint Festival this year. What do you have up your sleeve for that?

It’s an extremely exciting time for us. Especially with the Mint festival falling in line with our 6th Birthday weekend. We have the main man, the technical wizard that is Eddie Halliwell headlining along with a whole host of leading names in the game today. We are also taking the Bitch girls which will all add to the show we have in store for Mint Festival. Put it this way, we aren’t holding anything back for this one.

Bitch seems to have a very loyal following - what is it about the night that inspires such loyalty?

I think it's because the people behind it are Bitch fans themselves. Everyone who is involved with the events and the brands has a passion for what we are doing and that gets passed on to everyone who comes to our events. Everyone knows they can speak to us, give us feedback and we listen and act on it. The Bitch family stretches far beyond who’s on the pay roll; it's every single person who comes to an event, listens to our radio show, supports us on social media and takes an interest in everything we do.

You've welcomed some big names to the Bitch decks over the past year. What do you look for when booking an artist?

We do endless research into who’s up and coming, who’s producing the freshest tracks, who’s tearing the roof off venues. A great example of this is when we had Nicky Romero in March this year, and now he is on the line-up for nearly every major event and festival in the world.

Who would be Bitch's dream booking?

Eddie Halliwell was on our dream list, and now we can tick him off. I think if we ever put on an event with the whole Size family that would be something special.

What's next for Bitch?

Bit of a football manager’s answer, but we are concentrating on the 6th Birthday celebrations at the moment, with the Mint Festival during the day and then one of my personal favourites Michael Woods headlining at Venus for the night event. After that we start looking to Croatia again next summer, sign some more tracks to our newly established record label ‘Bitch Music’, and then who knows? One thing is for sure, we definitely have a lot more in us yet.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Jaeger?

Bitch celebrates 6 years on September 29th, with a double celebration at Mint Festival and Venus. 

Special packages are available for those wishing to go to both parties, including entry to both Mint Festival and Venus, and coach travel between the two. 

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