First look: iconic Manchester venue Band On The Wall re-opens and it’s unrecognisable
manchestereveningnews.co.ukWhile most of Manchester’s music venues have already emerged from the pandemic, one particularly iconic part of it is only just reopening its doors.
But what an entrance it’s about to make. Band On The Wall has been part of the fabric of the city’s music scene for almost two hundred years, but perhaps best known in relatively moderns times in the 1930s, when it was the George and Dragon pub and, famously, had its bands playing perched on a stage constructed halfway up the wall above the crowd.
Now, after two years under scaffolding, and having knocked through into the derelict Victorian fruit and veg wholesale building to the rear, the venue is now ready to be unveiled - and it’s been completely transformed. Read more:The incredible history of the Band On The Wall The main room has now been expanded from a 340 to 520 capacity crowd, with a brand new stage constructed in the venue’s bar area, which will play host to the city’s emerging talent, and host a variety of free gigs.
Additionally, the venue has also been re-worked so that it provides complete unaided step-free access. “The construction all took place during the pandemic,” Band On The Wall CEO Gavin Sharp told the Manchester Evening News. “They shut us down on the Friday, and we had the demolition crew booked in for the Monday to start knocking the walls out. “It’s beautiful, and it’s fantastic to have achieved it.
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