A cabaret club that also hosts student nights, The Birdcage brings something a little different to the most commercial part of Manchester. Fun, and most certainly cheesy, it is an ideal venue for an evening of full-on entertainment.

The Venue
Opposite the Printworks, The Birdcage benefits from an ideal location right in the heart of Manchester. Being a fairly small club as soon as you enter The Birdcage you pretty much see it in its entirety. It is all on one floor in one room, with varying levels and seating areas to create the feeling of a more intimate atmosphere. In spite of the fairly small room there are three bars which are all normally busy, but the one across on the right hand wall is usually the best bet for getting served the quickest.

There is a seating area comprising of booths set in front of the stage which is home to the cabaret act or the dance floor depending on the night.

The VIP section is towards the back of the club, elevated and encased in glass, but hilariously it rarely houses any actual VIPs, although the girls pretty enough to be given free VIP membership and smugly sit there enjoying the minimal queue for the bar and the fact that the room is air conditioned do bring the punters in. Unfortunately, one of the major drawbacks of the club is that when it is busy, which it is always is, it gets extremely hot so be prepared to perspire in aid of a good night out.

As for the smoking area, it's outside the club on the pavement, and fortunately there is some overhead coverage so that when it rains you don’t get soaked. However, you will freeze as there is no outdoor heating or shelter from the wind. Thankfully though, when you stumble out of The Birdcage at the end of the night the taxi rank is handily right outside so you don’t have to walk more than a couple of steps, handy when you're wearing heels or have had a few too many.

The Atmosphere
The Birdcage has an extremely commercial feel to it. The girls are all wearing their fake tan, high heels and short skirts and the guys have freshly highlighted hair and clearly take care of their appearance. If you shun the mainstream and actively seek out the alternative then Birdcage won't be for you. However, when it is the cabaret night a slightly more varied crowd show up as it is one of the cheapest places in Manchester to watch a live cabaret show.

The club is always packed which depending on your taste can be a very good or very bad thing. Those who like several rooms and choices of music style will be disappointed as it is one room, one style, but this does have the advantage of making it extremely easy to find anyone you lose during the night.

The Music
The music is mostly current chart and dance hits, with the odd throwback to old school cheese thrown in for good measure. On the student cabaret nights it is all old hits being played, usually the student anthems which the whole room goes crazy for. Students love their cheese.

The Drink
The drinks can be fairly expensive at the weekend, but on a student night there are plenty of drinks offers on to keep the cheap drink flowing.

The Last Word
A superb night out for anyone who adores mainstream and cheese, The Birdcage is great for dancing with other lighthearted souls.