In the 21st Century words like ‘legendary’ are frequently overused, but it’s hard to think of a better way to succinctly describe Band On The Wall. Arguably the most famous venue in the whole city region, a license was first granted to sell alcohol on this site back in 1803, and by the 1930s it had garnered a reputation for peddling live music in addition to the beers and other drinks, with artists performing on a raised stage running down one wall of the old pub. Hence the name.
Skip forward another half century and by 1984 Band On The Wall had registered as a creative arts charity, having spent the previous decade at the centre of Manchester’s burgeoning punk and post punk scenes, with outfits like Buzzcocks and The Fall slowly giving way to a more globally-focussed programme of regular shows. More recently still, a £3.5million investment with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, DCMS, Manchester City Council, Arts Council England and others completed early-2022, adding a small stage to the bar area and expanding the main room significantly to cater for capacity crowds of up to 500, taking over the neighbouring and equally-historic Cocozza Wood Building in the process. The team have also recently launched weekly yoga as part of their wellbeing programme, where all abilities are invited to take part in the morning sessions. Upstairs, meanwhile, is one of the UK’s most innovative cultural learning programmes, World of Music.