Manacle on hunt for new premises

It has been labelled a tragedy by many a gay man -“ Taylor Square nightclub Manacle will soon be shutting its doors.
Patrons can breathe a sigh of relief, however, as the club will be reopened at a new, as yet undisclosed, location.
Manacle has long catered for the leather and fetish communities, its emphasis being on masculine men.
Monday 1 October has been slated as the final day of operation -“ after which time the Manacle signage will be removed from the hotel.
In the days following, the artwork will be taken off the walls and Manacle’s trademark cage and chain web will be removed.
Club manager Stuart Fraser, who passed the licensee baton to John Gabriel on Monday, was tight-lipped about the reason for the move.
We would probably prefer to have our own space, rather than somebody else’s space, he said.
The new location would not be discussed, but Fraser indicated it would be as close as possible to Taylor Square and Oxford Street.
There would be a time lull between Manacle vanishing from Taylor Square, Fraser said, and another club appearing.
But we will try to keep that as short as we can, he said.
Sydney Leather Pride Association president Doug Pereira said it was a shame Sydney would be without a leather bar for a short period.
There are other venues that the leather community does go to occasionally, he said.
But there is not a specific place for them.
The Sydney Leather Pride Association would be holding a farewell to Stuart and Andrew dance party on Thursday 6 September, Pereira said, called Locked Up.
Manacle will be holding its own Manacle Family Get Together on Friday 5 October.
Bar staff, entertainers and Manacle stakeholders were informed of the move last Friday, 24 August.