Gone from the main bar are the plain white walls and chunky wooden tables with mismatched chairs, a fixture there for more than a decade.
Instead, velvety green chairs, dark walls, and exposed filament bulbs overhead give the revamped space a sort of New York speakeasy vibe that more than fits with plans to host late-night music acts here for ‘after show’ parties, some running as late as 2.30am throughout the week.
Image: The Manc Group Image: Jody Hartley
Little nooks carved out in corners make for intimate date spots at night (or a good hidey-hole to work away in during the daytime), and right at the back the original bar has been replaced by a stage draped in theatrical red velvet curtains – perfectly setting the scene of a late-night jazz bar.
In the day, they’ll be serving Patel’s Pies and other snacks here, with a new bar menu full of bespoke cocktails, cask beers from Hebden Bridge brewery Vocation, low-intervention wines from Kwas, and a solid no and low section with different wines, beers and spirit offerings.
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By night, it’s all pints in hands and party atmosphere as the venue’s live music programme gets rolling again after months of reconfiguration, postponements and delays.
Image: Jody Hartley
Some shows taking place this month are part of tours the Band On The Wall team had organised in 2019 or 2020, showing just how long it has taken for things to get back to normal after the pandemic. At last, nature is healing.
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The main bar and stage area has been expanded, the stage pushed back from the stage door and lifted high above the crowd to ensure even those in the back now have a decent view (as long as they’re not stuck behind one of the supporting pillars).
The balcony area is still there, as is the main stage bar – with most of the work here going into tweaking and upgrading the already-excellent PA system and installing a brand new lighting rig.
Image: Jody Hartley
We’re told the capacity has now grown in here to at least 500, but the team is anticipating being able to sell even more tickets once they’ve worked out a few kinks. It’s cost a pretty penny, too, with around £3.5million being fundraised for the project’s development since 2015.
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Backstage, a connecting platform makes it easy to roll the grand piano from the main stage to the bars, and lots of work has been done throughout the venue to ensure it’s completely wheelchair accessible for both performers and artists.
More is still to come, with ongoing construction at the back of the building currently putting in a new recording studio, workshop spaces and a roof terrace that will be used by students of Manchester College.
Image: Jody Hartley
The work is set to be fully completed at the end of April, but after a long period of closure, bosses were keen to get the doors open again to keep doing what they do best: booking brilliant underground musicians and filling up dancefloors with fans eager to hear (and see) them play.
With so many closures of small, intimate venues in recent years, the new bar makeover at Band On The Wall brings something Manchester is sorely lacking – a small, intimate space where upcoming artists can play and be heard, right in the hearrt of the city centre.
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Riding the line between the big mainstream venues and the spit and sawdust dive bars, it’s great to see it open once again with a promising lineup for artists all confirmed for its reopening.
Featured listings for the Band On The Wall reopening:
MF Robots / Fri 11th March / Buy Tickets Amadou & Mariam and Blind Boys of Alabama: From Bamako to Birmingham / Tue 15th March / Buy Tickets Avi Kaplan / Sun 20th March / Buy Tickets Balimaya Project / Tue 22nd March / Buy Tickets Bill Laurance Trio / Thu 24th March / Buy Tickets Soft Machine / Mon 28th March / Buy Tickets Ibibio Sound Machine / Fri 1st April / Buy Tickets Mario Biondi / Sun 3rd April / Buy Tickets Focus / Tue 5th April / Buy Tickets Asian Dub Foundation / Fri 8th April / Buy Tickets Roberto Fonseca / Thu 21st April / Buy Tickets James Taylor Quartet / Sat 14th May / Buy Tickets
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
Manchester Storm announce return to AO Arena after nearly two and a half decades
Danny Jones
In a huge bit of regional sporting news, Manchester Storm have announced they will be coming home to the AO Arena after nearly two and a half decades away from the iconic venue.
Massive news for Manc ice hockey followers and local sports fans in general.
Revealing the long-awaited return after 24 long years away from the place where Manchester’s native hockey team first began its story, the team, AO figures, and even some fans were part of a special announcement event inside the 20,000-seater stadium this week.
Confirming the news on Monday, 27 April, MCR Storm will be back playing at the AO Arena later this year – just in time for the start of the 2026/27 campaign.
— Manchester Storm | #TakeShelter (@Mcr_Storm) April 27, 2026
As detailed in a full press release from the Greater Manchester club, they are seemingly marking a milestone moment in their next chapter by going back to their roots.
It goes on to read: “Founded back in 1995 as a tenant of the then newly-opened Manchester Arena, the original Manchester Storm quickly became one of British ice hockey’s most iconic teams.
“In their inaugural season, the Storm secured the First Division championship before becoming founding members of the Ice Hockey Superleague in 1996.”
Coming somewhat full circle more than a generation later (Storm having made it to the play-off finals of the modern Elite Ice Hockey League era this April for the first time in their history), they have made one-off returns to the storied space in recent times.
However, many supporters have been waiting for a fully fledged return for some time now; equally, others are understandably sad to pay a bittersweet goodbye to the ‘Storm Shelter’ over in Altrincham, with the building having already pulled licensing for next year.
They have been at the Planet Ice rink for over a decade now, and the company itself have even issued a lengthy response following the departure – namely noting the issue of communication, clarity and fair notice. Nevertheless, for the vast majority, this felt like a long-overdue comeback.
With an ex-player turned head coach and all-round club legend, Cam Critchlow, having also signed on for another campaign behind the bench, it’s been a busy week in and around the organisation.
Representing the Manchester Storm ownership group, former coach Ryan Finnerty and partner Emma said in a joint statement: “This is a major milestone for our partnership group and a vision we’ve worked towards for some time.
Returning Manchester Storm to the AO Arena is a proud moment for everyone involved. It’s about giving our fans a premier stage in the heart of the city and delivering an outstanding live experience.
“Together with our leadership team and Canadian partners, our ambition is clear — not just to compete, but to lead in the Elite Ice Hockey League and beyond. This marks the start of an exciting new era for the club. Manchester Storm is coming home.
“Today marks a hugely exciting and significant moment for both the Manchester Storm and the Elite League”. The EIHL themselves have also celebrated the news, adding that they feel it reflects “the scale and ambition of the league”.
Are you happy to see them setting up shop at the AO Arena once again? Better still, do you remember going there to watch games the first time around? Let us know down in the comments.
Georgina Pellant -
8th March 2022 
