A historic mill in Manchester which has been used as a creative space for hundreds of musicians and artists is being turned into flats – with those who worked in the space forced to move out.
Brunswick Mill sits on the edge of Ancoats, alongside the Pollard Yard community of shipping containers that’s also home to a group of local creative businesses.
This former cotton mill will be a familiar sight to most of us – not just because of its traditional red-brick, canal-side appearance, but also because it’s cropped up on TV plenty of times over the years.
Both Liam Gallagher and Louis Tomlinson picked Brunswick Mill for their music videos, and Netflix and Disney+ crews have also used it as a location.
But more important than its fancy TV credentials is what the building has meant for so many local artists over the years.
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Liam Gallagher’s One Of Us music videoLiam Gallagher in one of the studios. Credit: Brunswick Mill Credit: Brunswick MillBrunswick Mill as it looks today. Credit: All My FriendsLiam Gallagher at Brunswick Mill and (swipe across) how the space looked as it closed
Brunswick Mill has acted as a rehearsal space, recording studio and meeting space for hundreds of musicians, who have been able to rent their own permanent, soundproofed rooms. The building is as grassroots and authentic and brilliantly Manc as it gets, down to its ‘very ropey toilets’ – but now the dream is over.
The developers are moving in and, before long, Brunswick Mill will be an apartment block.
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Arrowsmith Investments is planning a £58m redevelopment of the mill, which will see it turned into a block of 150 flats (127 further homes will be built next door). The plans fall short of the 20% affordable homes percentage.
Plans for Brunswick Mill. Credit: Hodder + PartnersPlans for Brunswick Mill. Credit: Hodder + Partners
Tales of heartbreak are emerging from the mill’s ancient walls as the musicians who have been based here over the last 17 years pack up and move out.
While Brunswick Mill’s team has found a new home in Salford, the new space is much smaller, and it means not all of the residents from Ancoats can go with it.
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One particularly gut-wrenching blog post has been shared by Liam Donoghue, founder of dance music blog and club night All My Friends, who wrote about how the closure will ‘hit Manchester’s creative community pretty hard’.
He said: “Brunswick Mill was a wreck. It was a dilapidated mill on the edge of Manchester which had some very ropey toilets and a lot of pigeon sh*t. But it was also an artistic hub that housed over 100 bands, producers artists, and DJs during its 20-year history.
“AMF moved into Brunswick Mill in 2019 and we’re sad to say we’re losing our studio after a brilliant 4 years. Yes, the toilets were a bit minging but the freedom it gave musicians of all stripes to play music as loud as they wanted and not have to worry about noise complaints and neighbors was a real boon to Manchester musical community.”
The post continued: “I do think it’s sad that any form of creative space is being squeezed out of Manchester. Even the outskirts aren’t safe…
“Personally, this city needs to reassess its relationship with its nightlife and music scene Manchester is a city with a proud musical heritage but that will quickly dry up without places like Brunswick to nurture new talent.”
‘Manc the Biff’: the Co-op Live crowd made the Clyro boys welcome on debut
Danny Jones
It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time to welcome Biffy Clyro back to Manchester, and they really didn’t disappoint on their Co-op Live debut.
Here’s our review of what was a proper rock show.
After a strong lineup of support acts with The Armed and Soft Play (formerly Slaves) injecting plenty of early energy into the crowds, already knew two things: the Scots wouldn’t disappoint, and a Manc crowd NEVER lets you down.
We knew everyone was on top form from the moment the Kilmarnock icons stepped out on stage under a swathe of blankets to the opener from their latest album, Futique.
Once the curtain was eventually lifted during ‘A Little Love’, which has quickly become one of the most popular singles for some time, you could see the sea of fans below start bouncing.
Rolling into the likes of ‘Hunting Season’ and Only Revolutions classic, ‘The Captain’, those bounces quite quickly turned into a healthy-sized pit, and those up in the stands with us finally got on their feet.
That was maybe our only complaint: we love seeing a seated section pretending they’re in standing from their start, but we get it and each to their own, of course.
In fact, the same goes for the rest of the session players joining them on the road this year.
One thing we weren’t expecting was quite how cool the production levels were going to be. We’ve never been Biffy fans for their creativity when it comes to toying with stage design or lighting rigs, but they threw in some fun effects regardless.
Highlights from the night included ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’, ‘Bubbles’, and ‘Black Chandelier’, though we were sad not to hear ‘Victory Over The Sun’, and it was especially gutting that one of our favourite tracks from the new record, ‘True Believer’, didn’t end up on the setlist.
Again, you can’t have anything – we’re just glad we got to be there and see a truly great British rock band proving that they are well and truly an arena-level band.
Lastly, even after all the years and an X-Factor cover trying its hardest to take the credit away from them, ‘Many of Horror’ is still an unbelievable rock ballad, and d’ya know who is an unbelievable rock band? “Biffy. F***ing. Clyroooooo.”
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires have announced an arena gig in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Hollywood Vampires are heading back out on tour, with a huge Manchester gig announced for this year.
The supergroup, which consists of one of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as one of rock’n’roll’s most iconic names, are set to perform at the AO Arena as part of a run of shows.
Hollywood Vampires is made up of A-lister Johnny Depp, as well as rock royalty including Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, plus Tommy Henriksen.
They last performed in Manchester with an arena gig back in 2023, making these their first gigs in almost three years.
Hollywood Vampires have now announced a return to the stage, with an AO Arena show on the cards for Tuesday 18 August 2026.
They’ll be supported in Manchester by The Jesus and Mary Chain, who marked their 40th anniversary in 2024 with a new album, Glasgow Eyes.
Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig. Credit: Aaron Perry
Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012, named after Cooper’s celebrity drinking club of the same name where the aim was reportedly to ‘drink until no one could stand up’.
Over the years, the supergroup has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Zak Starkey (formerly the drummer for Oasis).
They’ve now announced a massive UK tour , including a date at the AO Arena.
A Three Presale for tickets will take place from 10am on Wednesday 21 January, followed by a venue presale on Thursday 22 January, then general sale from 10am on Friday 23 January.
Daisy Jackson -
12th February 2023 
