Our Favourite Music Venues In Manchester
Manchester is widely renowned for its illustrious musical heritage. The hometown of great bands such as The Smiths, The Stone Roses, Oasis and Take That, it’s no surprise that the music scene here has captured the attention of listeners worldwide for decades on end.
Mancunian creatives have been pumping out hit record after hit record since the early 2oth century, so it only right that our city has some of the best music venues in the country for you to enjoy your favourite songs. Here are our favourite spots to catch live music in the city centre.
O2 Ritz
Around since the initial rise of pop and rock ’n’ roll, the O2 Ritz Manchester has hosted shows from some of the all-time greats including The Beatles and Frank Sinatra. 100 years on and the place is still rocking.
Shows run almost every day here, varying from some of the best up and coming artists to outright superstars.
Found just off of Oxford St, the venue has very easy access to public transport including bus routes and Metrolink lines. With a capacity of 1500, there’s plenty of room for you and your friends to visit.
Whitworth St W, Manchester M1 5NQ
Albert Hall
With overwhelmingly positive reviews on Tripadvisor, Albert Hall is held in extremely high regard from locals who love the place. Everything here exceeds expectation from the building to the sound to the seating.
Originally a Methodist central hall, the eclectic style was influenced by Baroque and Gothic architecture, hence the church-like appearance and interior. After being closed for years on end, the Trof Group resurrected Albert Hall and converted it to a music venue in 2013. The rest is history.
Some of the big acts who’ve played famous sets here range from The Charlatans to Sam Smith. A great experience, pop over to their website and see what’s on at Albert Hall in the coming weeks.
27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR
Band On The Wall
A multi-award winning venue which has won the title of Best Night Out, Best Venue Team and Best Entertainment Venue (to name a few), Band On The Wall has been at the very heart of Manchester’s musical culture for the best part of a century!
The history behind this Northern Quarter venue is its massive popularity during WW2. British, American, Canadian and French servicemen as well as the local market traders and mill workers frequently attended the establishment for the live music and drinks. A regular band of two accordions, piano, drums, a singer and occasionally a saxophone would play.
After undergoing multiple transformation projects and refurbishments over the years, Band On The Wall is truly a one of a kind venue. The most recent work has spanned over the past two years and cost £3.5 million. After re-opening in March, it’s bouncing and should be worth a visit.
25 Swan St, Manchester M4 5JZ
Bridgewater Hall
Home to the incredible Hallé Orchestra, this £42 million majestic venue hosts over 300 performances a year with a massive capacity of 2, 371.
It’s mainly utilised for classical music groups, with orchestras having a large space to set up and play their instruments, however there are still plenty of rock, pop and jazz concerts all year round.
The Auditorium offers tiered seating over four levels and a large open platform with built-in stage lifts for total flexibility. More places of interest in Bridgewater Hall include the Barbirolli Room, arranged to suit a variety of conference set ups and the Green Room, which works perfectly for meetings, small receptions and dinners.
Lower Mosley St, Manchester M2 3WS
Blues Kitchen
With nearly a whopping 40,000 followers on Instagram alone, The Blues Kitchen has settled in the hearts of many Mancunians.
Their tagline of ‘Blues, Bourbon & BBQ,’ encapsulates the perfect marriage of good music, nice liquor and scrumptious food. The service is fantastic, but even this is overshadowed by the sheer beauty of the venue.
The interior is filled with mood lighting and wall-art displaying some of the best soul and blues artists of all time, such as James Brown. The choice of tiling by the bar, the vintage furniture included and coloured glass windows really set the vibe; you’d think you’re anywhere but grey old Manchester!
13 Quay St, Manchester M3 3HN
Gorilla
Under the distinctive Deansgate railway arches is Gorilla – a chic bar/club which offers a grill menu, gin parlour and of course, live music. They’ve hosted famous acts from the likes of Central Cee, the most followed UK rap artist, to local wordsmith JP Cooper. Gorilla loves putting on an entertaining show and giving the crowd a great night out.
You can dance the night away here and when the sun rises, there’s a tasty breakfast menu to help cure that draining hangover.
54-56 Whitworth St, Manchester M1 5WW
The Deaf Institute
The fun at Deaf Institute is spread across 3 floors with 3 bars and a kitchen with a roof terrace to enjoy a cold one. Originally built in 1878 as an actual deaf institute, the venue eventually got worn down and the deterioration left the place somewhat abandoned.
Its revival and refurbishment was inevitable with the growth of the Manchester’s music scene and the bustling nature of the areas around Oxford St saw it fit for another purpose. Music. The irony in keeping the original name ‘Deaf Institute’ gave it that special something.
Some of the world’s most recognisable faces with amazing talent have graced their humble stage in the early periods of their career and there will be plenty more future stars on the horizon selling out The Deaf Institute.
135 Grosvenor St, Manchester M1 7HE
