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
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani gives thoughts on Andy Burnham running for Prime Minister
Emily Sergeant
Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, has given his thoughts on Andy Burnham’s intention to run for Prime Minister.
In case you missed it, after it was announced last Friday that Andy Burnham had clinched the victory in the crucial Makerfield by-election, winning 24,927 votes (54.8% vote share) and a majority of 9,231, he then went onto announcing his intentions to run for Labour Party leader, and therefore Prime Minister, after Keir Starmer confirmed he would be stepping down.
Greater Manchester‘s next Mayoral Election has also been announced, given that Burnham is now not eligible to stay in the role – with the date set for Thursday 30 July and candidates frequently being announced.
Talk of Burnham’s chances of running the country have been around for months now, but have ramped up considerably over the past week of course in the wake of his by-election win.
It’s fair to say that for much of Andy Burnham’s time as Mayor of Greater Manchester, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was up there as one the most famous Mayors in the world… but over the past year, he’s arguably had to hand that unofficial title over to Zohran Mamdani, the current Mayor of New York City.
Mamdani is considered to be a democratic socialist, and campaigned for things like progressive, affordability-focused platform, supporting fare-free city buses, universal child care, city-owned grocery stores, a rent freeze on rent-stabilised units, additional affordable housing units, and a $30 minimum wage by 2030.
He has also expressed support for LGBTQ+ rights, comprehensive public safety reform, and tax increases on corporations and those earning above $1 million annually.
Mamdani was elected Mayor of New York City last October, and was officially sworn in on New Year’s Day at the start of this year.
Since then, he has successfully – very successfully, in fact – made a name for himself around the world, and has even managed to deliver on a good chunk of what he set out to do in his campaign, seeing many calls for him to become President one day.
Oh, and he’s also a massive (and very knowledgeable) football fan – an Arsensal fan, to be precise, but football in general really.
Appearing on BBC’s Football Daily podcast this week to talk about his love of the sport as the US currently hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Mamdani was also asked to give his thoughts on Andy Burnham and his upcoming run to be Prime Minister.
“I don’t think anything comes with ease at that kind of a level,” Mamdani started out in response to host Mark Chapman’s question.
“I do think they are very important skills because many people have lost faith in Government, the place they earn that faith back, they decide to trust again, is at the most local level. That’s where they see what it’s like to have a Government that delivers for them.
“And if you’re able to respond to people, whether it’s in Greater Manchester or New York City, it is at the heart of what people are looking for for any kind of politics.
Mamdani then closed out his thoughts by questioning: “I don’t think he’s an Arsenal supporter though?” and when the hosts clarified that Burnham is an Everton fan, Mamdani responded: “Well at least you can respect that someone has suffered.”
He concluded: “No but like, I like it when I meet someone who’s a fan of a team that hasn’t just won and won and won.”
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Trendy Ancoats wine bar Blossom Street Social to close after six years
Emily Sergeant
Trendy neighbourhood wine bar Blossom Street Social has announced its closure after nearly seven years serving the Ancoats community.
Blossom Street Social first opened its doors back in 2019, just months before the country – and the res of the world – was plunged into the COVID-19 lockdowns, but despite all the challenges during the early days, this wine bar went on to become a true staple of Ancoats life – hosting events, exhibitions, wine tastings, and everything in between.
But now, the owners have had to make the heartbreaking decision to close, saying they’ve ‘danced our last dance, played our last record, and poured our last glass of wine in Ancoats.’
Announcing the news in a statement to social media this week, Blossom Street Social said: “Blossom Street Social closes its doors after six and a half years at the heart of the Ancoats community.
Blossom Street Social has announced its closure after six years / Credit: The Manc Group
“When we opened in 2019, just months before the world changed forever, we couldn’t possibly have imagined the journey ahead. Through lockdowns, uncertainty and everything that followed, we somehow managed to build something that became far more than a wine bar.
“Wine was always at the heart of what we did, but so were the conversations, the music, the art and the community that grew around it.
“We’ve hosted tastings, exhibitions, launches, celebrations, social sessions and countless memorable nights. We’ve introduced people to wines they’d never tried before, watched friendships form and shared in some truly special moments.
“We’ve watched first dates become engagements, engagements become marriages, and couples return with babies in tow. We’ve celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, new homes and countless milestones alongside you. We’ve shared conversations, laughter, music and moments that mattered from our little corner of Ancoats. We will never forget them.”
The team then went on to thank ‘every customer, artist, DJ, supplier, collaborator and friend’ who became part of their story.
The owners also gave a special thank you to the staff members who stayed ‘to the very end’ and ‘showed up when it was hard’, admitting that they couldn’t have done it without them all.
Georgina Pellant -
12th January 2022 
