Big Hands might be the most famous bar in South Manchester. You’ll find this place at the very bottom end of Oxford Road, just before Whitworth Park breaks up the urban with welcome green and the high street turns into Wilmslow Road. As you’d expect, then, this darkly lit, legendary watering hole is synonymous with university students, although the proximity to some of the city’s busiest and most prominent live venues also means the name has become shorthand for ‘muso hangout’ — whether that’s fans here for pre or post gig booze, or band members themselves.
Whether Big Hands really takes its name from the anthemic Violent Femmes track, Blister In The Sun, remains the subject of fierce debate. But what we can say for sure is that this operation has been “smashing glasses and records since 2001”. A place to “drink, dance [and] fall over”, the setup was directly inspired by the dive bars of New York City, so expect no frills but some amazing pints and other glasses being poured. Intimate in proportions, capacity is boosted by the upstairs roof garden, which on a summer evening is easily one of our favourite places to take a load off.
Long before Manchester’s bar and booze revolution made small batch, independent and artisanal alcohol par for the course, Big Hands was known for bringing in excellent European brews in bottles and on draught, alongside domestic craft specialists. This is very much still the case, and it’s worth noting there’s a very impressive whisky range available, too. Filed in the same list as city centre institutions like The Temple, this is the epitome of a rock & roll bar and a vital part of the local grass roots music scene, despite not actually hosting many gigs. A space where ideas have been conceived, songs and albums written and debates have waged about musicianship, triumphant comebacks and unforgettable gigs, if you’re looking for a real flavour of the city’s scenes, look no further.
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