Anyone who has an appreciation of dance music in the UK will be familiar with the prolific Hacienda nightclub that was legendary in the 1980's and 90's and is the stuff of folklore for those that experienced it. There's no question that those who did visit the Manchester club still show great loyalty to that time and the resident DJ's who were synonymous with the club. For all those that experienced the summer love, Chicago House music and Detroit techno, as well ecstasy for the first time, it was definitely something new, and thirty years later, it's still very relevant today.

Hacienda Classical

It seems the whole world has caught up to that time, dance music being proliferated around the globe and brand culture so integral to popular culture. The passion and loyalty of that movement, the vision of Mike Pickering, Rob Gretton, Tony Wilson, Peter Hook and Graeme Park progressed the inspiration of club culture that led to the 'Madchester' movement. Great bands such as Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays were all born at that time and their sound is still cutting edge today, all this goes to prove why the spirit of the Hacienda still lives on. Many other dance promoters and music cultures followed in the footsteps of the Hacienda.

The Hacienda club shut down in 1997, however we see many Hacienda club nights still happening and recently we see the latest take of the Hacienda with Hacienda Classical. Last year's tour was a great success and now Hacienda Classical hits the road again with its first gig at Leeds Direct Arena on Fri 14th April. The tour is already immensely popular having already with sold out dates at the Royal Albert Hall and Manchester's Castlefield Bowl.

This year, the organisers have added more dates to the lineup, which include a number of festivals, all this comes after the 2016 concert run which had rave reviews and great applause by many happy punters - either for those reliving their youth or experiencing it for the first time.

Mixing the elements of classical music with dance music with uptempo beats is an attractive prospect to any discerning listener; bringing some class to dance music and cool style to classical. The orchestra performing with Mike Pickering, Graeme Park and other featured artists of that time, is Manchester Camerata, one of Europe's best chamber orchestras, and is a perfect mix for the spirt and ethos of the Hacienda.

For those that have seen Hacienda Classical before, I am told that the set list is new and they've learnt a lot from last year. In a recent interview, Graeme Park explains: "We have approached it differently from last year, as Mike [Pickering] and I chose those tracks, and then I created a DJ mix that I would have done if I was playing in the Hacienda, so it started laid back and built it up. However, we realised after the third show that in the live setting the set was taking too long to get going, which is great in a club, yet wasn't right for a classical show. This year we're going straight for the jugular."

Of course you will want to dance at these gigs, so it's certainly going to be an entertaining and interesting gig. There's also a plethora of amazing after parties, the first being at Church in Leeds, already being raved about as a top quality venue, with Derrick Carter, Francois K, Mike Pickering, Graeme Park and Buckley all on the bill, that definitely takes you back to the good times! With such quality in one night, it's no wonder Hacienda Classical is selling out so fast and why the Hacienda continues to live on!

FRIDAY 14TH APRIL 2017 Leeds First Direct Arena, Leeds
SATURDAY 22 APRIL 2017 The SSE Hydro Arena, Glasgow
FRIDAY 26 MAY 2017 Royal Albert Hall, London (SOLD OUT)
SATURDAY 1 JULY 2017 Castlefield Bowl, Manchester (SOLD OUT)
FRIDAY 14Th JULY 2017 Kew The Music, Kew Gardens, London
THURSDAY 3RD AUGUST 2017 Lytham Festival, Lytham
FRIDAY 4TH AUGUST 2017 Times Square, Newcastle
SUNDAY 6TH AUGUST 2017 Hope & Glory Festival, Liverpool
SATURDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER 2017 Brighton Racecourse, Brighton