Iconic Manchester music venue Band on The Wall is preparing to reopen its doors this spring following an extensive £3.5 million expansion project that has transformed the 200-year-old venue into a ‘bigger and better’ version of its old self.
As part of the refurbishment, the 40-year-old scaffolding that’s long concealed the dilapidated adjoining three-storey Cocozza Wood building behind it has now been removed – and new CGI images give a picture of how the new and improved music venue will look once it reopens its doors in two months’ time.
Thanks to funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, the deteriorating old building has been restored and joined together with Band on the Wall to form a larger ground floor venue space, which also features a new ‘grand and ambient’ bar area.
A second, newly created bar space, meanwhile, now boasts a new stage, perfect for smaller capacity performances of up to 80 people, and will serve a menu of hot and cold food throughout the day from March 2022.
The new-look ambient bar is one of many impressive new additions to the iconic Manchester music venue. / Image: CGI supplied by PR
Both the bar stage and main stage are designed with step-free access, with the venue now more accessible than ever before.
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The work, which has been ongoing for nearly two years now, sees the adjoining Cocozza building brought back to life after nearly 50 years of neglect.
It has extended the main room’s capacity to 500 and helped to create a whole floor dedicated to its innovative learning programme, World of Music – a broad and integrated programme of heritage, music, learning and research projects.
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This means that local and grassroots community projects working out of the space today now have a dedicated space on the first floor, where previously they were working out of just two rooms.
Purpose-built to deliver community-based learning engagement that celebrates Manchester’s migrant communities and their musical legacies, the first floor is now a dedicated learning space with one large main group space, two breakout group rooms and a state-of-the-art AV suite where budding creatives can record music, interviews, podcasts and film.
The main room has been expanded to a new capacity of 500 / Image: CGI supplied by PR
As a registered charity since 1984, the driver for the transformation of the venue is to create a collaborative hub for young people, the local community and Manchester’s creatives, and to celebrate the cultural diversity of Greater Manchester.
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Speaking on the new and improved look, Gavin Sharp, CEO of Band on The Wall, said: “Band on the Wall has always been bigger than just a venue, and over the last two years we’ve been very busy working on our expansion project […}
“We are delighted to open our doors once again this March, and we look forward to welcoming guests back to our newly improved venue.”
Band on The Wall itself has been a hub for Manchester’s music scene since 1803 and takes its name from its time as The George and the Dragon pub, when performers would literally play on a stage situated halfway up the wall – put there to ensure there was more room for dancing below.
The venue, which has a very impressive history, was at the epicentre of Manchester’s punk scene in the late 70’s, welcoming early performances of the likes of The Fall, Buzzcocks and Joy Division as well as hosting a young Björk, Nadine Shah and Sun Ra Arkestra.
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The refurbishment is made possible thanks to designs by Manchester-based architects OMI and funding from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, who supported with a £1.4million grant.
Further support came from the Arts Council England, Foyle Foundation, Oglesby Foundation, DCMS, Charities Aid Foundation, Carlsberg, Ticketline, Lloyds Bank and Manchester City Council.
Jennifer Cleary, director, Combined Arts & North, Arts Council England, said: “Band on the Wall is an iconic music venue with global recognition. It has been a wonderful journey seeing the venue modified and modernised, whilst keeping its historic charm, and we have been pleased to support this redevelopment with National Lottery funding through our capital programme.
“We look forward to seeing the new possibilities that the re-opening of the venue will continue to bring – both locally and internationally.”
David Renwick, director, North of England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund added: “Thanks to National Lottery players, we are proud to support Band on the Wall and its growth as one of the UK’s leading creative and cultural venues – with an important and diverse heritage that dates back from 1803. We are really excited to see its programming unfold – and especially to see new talents from their learning programme, World of Music.”
For Band on the Wall’s much-anticipated reopening, fans of the venue old and new can expect a jubilant celebration of Manchester’s international musical heritage.
The reopening season features shows by Binker & Moses, Ibibio Sound Machine, Balimaya Project, Emma Jean Thackray, Jazzanova, Bill Laurance, Asian Dub Foundation and much more. To see the full line-up and purchase tickets, view the full listings for reopening here.
Feature image – Band On The Wall / Google Maps
News
Bury primary school teaching assistant jailed after pleading guilty to child sex offences
Emily Sergeant
A teaching assistant from Bury has been sentenced after pleading guilty to multiple sex offences against a ‘vulnerable’ young boy.
Terri Cook, of Masefield Avenue in Radcliffe, appeared at Manchester Minshull Street Crown Court last week, where she was sentenced after pleading guilty to eight charges of sexual offences.
The sentencing came after officers from Greater Manchester Police‘s (GMP) Child Protection Investigation Unit (CPIU) began in ‘intense’ investigation into Cook back in September of last year after a member of the public reported seeing her out with a young boy.
The subsequent investigation showed that she had been grooming and manipulating the young boy into engaging in a sexual relationship with her.
Police found numerous messages on Cook’s phone where she had been inciting sexual communications with the boy and holding indecent images of him, and she was also found to have been buying him expensive items, like jewellery and clothing, for a period of more than nine months.
During a powerful statement read out in court, the young boy was described as being ‘extremely kind and caring’, with his mum adding: “Despite experiencing traumatic events earlier in his life, he continued to be positive and compassionate. He smiled every day and made us all laugh.”
Cook was sentenced four-and-a-half years in prison for eight charges of sexual offences.
Speaking following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Adam Stanfield, from GMP’s Bury CPIU, said: “This case was a horrific example of calculated abuse of power, and Cook targeted a vulnerable child who put his trust in her.
“Grooming is a form of manipulation that can leave lasting emotional and psychological damage, and our priority remains protecting young people and supporting victims as they recover.
“This sentencing also emphasises our unwavering commitment to protecting male victims. They can be victims too and I urge anyone who believes they may have been through anything similar to please report to us.”
Featured Image – GMP
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The richest people in the North West have been revealed, featuring Harry Styles, Sir Jim Ratcliffe, and Gallaghers
Daisy Jackson
The Sunday Times Rich List has been published today, revealing the wealthiest person in the North West to be Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
The annual list highlights the richest people in the UK, often filled with famous faces and business moguls.
This year, the 350 individuals on the list hold a combined wealth of £783.5 billion – that’s about a quarter of the UK’s total annual GDP.
The Sunday Times Rich List also highlighted other North West figures, such as Harry Styles, the Issa brothers, and Tyson Fury.
Other famous faces from elsewhere in the UK include Sir Elton John, Lord Lloyd-Webber, Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, JK Rowling, Charlotte Tilbury and Sir Lewis Hamilton.
It found that Sir Jim Ratcliffe – chemicals magnate, Ineos CEO, and Manchester United shareholder – still tops the list regionally despite falling revenues and a £515.7 million loss.
Mohsin and Zuber Issa are fourth on the list of the wealthiest in the North West – the Blackburn billionaire brothers founded the EG Group petrol stations, and acquired the supermarket giant Asda.
Betfred brothers Fred and Peter Done come next, with an estimated net wealth of £3.6bn.
Property developer and Renaker founder (Renaker is behind the Deansgate Square towers) Daren Whitaker saw his wealth grow by £100m in a single year.
Elsewhere on the list are Liam and Noel Gallagher, making their Sunday Times Rich List debut at £375 million.
Michael and George Heaton, the British brothers behind the Represent streetwear brand, paid themselves minimum wage for a decade before selling a stake and making £18.5m each.
Robert Watts, compiler of the Sunday Times Rich List, said: “This year’s Rich List is a tale of two exoduses. One in six of the individuals and families who appeared on the list two years ago don’t feature this time.
“Many foreign billionaires who have been living in the UK have also dropped out because they have moved away. We have also seen a sharp rise in the number of British nationals now resident in Dubai, Switzerland and Monaco. As UK nationals these people remain on our Rich List — wherever they now live.
“These two exoduses pose challenges for the UK economy and its public finances. Will more of the wealthy now set up or grow their ventures overseas and in doing so create fewer jobs here? How much tax — if any — will Rachel Reeves’s Treasury be able to extract from those affluent Brits who have now left the country?
“For nearly 40 years the Sunday Times Rich List has analysed the fortunes of Britain’s most affluent people. We believe understanding where wealth lies and where it is being accumulated is a vital part of a functioning democracy.
“Over the years our research has told us a lot about our country, charting the way a generation of largely self-made entrepreneurs overtook the old money of the landed gentry.
“This year’s edition shines a light on fortunes made from artificial intelligence, driverless cars and crypto-currencies as well as baby milk, make-up, hoodies and other everyday items. We know many of our readers find those rags-to-riches stories of entrepreneurs who started out with little more than a laptop and an idea particularly inspiring.”
Georgina Pellant -
12th January 2022 
