'Real statement' - The past, present and future of Manchester institution as new bar opens

But, for me at least, there is one music venue in Manchester that is wholly and truly deserving of such accolade. 

There are several reasons why Band on the Wall is special. Firstly, it has been here longer than the others, through the industrial revolution, war, and in recent years, rapid regeneration and the complete transformation of the city centre. 

Today, it’s best known for its diverse programming of music from around the world, catering for even the most niche of music tastes. It’s also one of a dwindling handful of venues in the UK with charity status, which means it can fully support the artists that perform there.

It’s the kind of place you can find yourself in at 1am, cocktail in hand, but also on a Tuesday night gig with your parents. Kids are also welcome at the Friday morning parent and baby music sessions.

Having had a big refurbishment during the pandemic, the venue’s evolution has taken another step forward this week with the unveiling of its brand new Copper Bar. We sat down with Band on the Wall’s CEO Gavin Sharp to talk about the past, present and future of one of Manchester's greatest – I’ll say it again – local institutions. 

“This is its natural state”

“In my head it had always been like one of those long, thin New York bars, gig bars, like SOBs, that was the vibe that I always imagined for this space,” Gavin says, explaining the vision behind Band on the Wall’s new Copper Bar, which he describes as a “real statement piece.”

The Copper Bar is a very literal name for the new feature. It’s an homage to the brass instruments at heart of jazz, reggae, Latin and afro music – genres Band on the Wall has championed over the years, sometimes when no other venues would. Hanging above it, there is a neon sign of the famous Beastie Boys track ‘No sleep till Brooklyn,’ a nod to the refurbishment’s sponsor Brooklyn Brewery, who have also contributed to the eye-catching new mural by leading Manchester street artist Qubek.

There are also some very personal touches to the new-look bar. Gavin has made the table we’re sitting at himself using some broken saxophone parts. The walls are covered in a black-and-white decoupage collage of photocopied gig posters and flyers from the archive, all selected and assembled by the bar staff, whom Gavin speaks about with great affection. 

“They've built the community and they've inspired it. They need a safe space, they want to feel involved. They have all been digging through the archive, finding all these amazing bits and pieces. That has been a lovely thing because all the bar staff have loved doing it.”

Band on the Wall’s long history and the New York influence are the two integral aspects of the update to the bar. Gavin said: “The more we worked towards realising it, the more it's felt like this is its natural state.”

“That all happened here”

Anyone who has been to Band on Wall will be familiar with the origins of its name. We’ve all seen the photo before. It was taken in the 1930s and shows a full band on the original stage, literally on the wall. “Just imagine that…” Gavin said as we both take a moment to look at it again. 

What some people won’t know, however, is that the building’s musical legacy dates back even further – to 1806. Gavin is passionate about the venue’s heritage, possessing a seemingly encyclopaedic knowledge of the area’s history and the role Band on the Wall has played in it. He tells me it all started in the corner of the room in the adjoining building, when it was the George and Dragon pub, surrounded by other little shops and an outdoor restaurant, the roof frame of which is still visible in the bar area. Although a lot of renovation work has gone into keeping it standing, Gavin adds. 

He said: “Even in 1806, its first licence was for live music. At the time it was all gin dens and that whole swing between prohibition, how bad drink is for the working classes, then back to ‘drinks are great, actually’. There was always that swing. But the thing that always kept it, so that it retained its licence, was that it had live music.”

In its early life, its location, near the stagecoach station at New Cross and the city centre’s printing presses, meant there was a constant flow of people, and ideas, passing through what is now Band on Wall. One printing press owner would even publish the news in song format known as Broadsides and sell them to the local pub singers, who would perform them on Sunday after church. 

Gavid said: “So when we talk about Manchester being at the heart and the centre of the industrial revolution –- of course, one of the key inventions of the industrial revolution was the printing press because that allowed word to spread. That all happened here.”

After the war, the area started to decline along with the textile industry. It wasn’t until the 1970s, when local jazz musician Steve Morris saw potential in the run-down building, that today’s Band on the Wall came into being. He understood the venue’s heritage and the need for a space that celebrated diversity in an increasingly multicultural Manchester. 

Gavin uses reggae as an example: “Back in the eighties, this was the only place that would consider booking a reggae band. And that was Steve. Where some of the pubs were 'no blacks, no Irish,' and all of that, Steve was one person, who was like 'I don't care'. We just love music from everywhere. Even though Steve was a jazzer, really, he just loved music.

“It's got this kind of long, chequered, funny history. All of this is very much embedded in this neighbourhood. It's not just, we've decided to make this a music venue which celebrates diversity and internationalism, it's just always been that.”

“We don't want barriers”

Over the past fifty years, Band on the Wall has gained an international reputation – but not without its obstacles. Like many of the smaller independent venues in Manchester today, it has had to deal with the financial consequences of the pandemic and then the cost of living crisis. 

Gavin said: “We face a lot of the same pressures, there's no doubt about it, like all small venues. This place has been to the very brink of closure and back again before we got the money to refurbish. We don't tend to get that close anymore, we're pretty solid. But the winds do affect us in the same way.”

But unlike the other grassroots venues in Manchester, Band on the Wall has charity status under the name Inner City Music. There used to be a whole network of venues like this across the country, benefitting from grants from local authorities and organisations like the British Council. Today, Gavin estimates there are only about four or five, and no others in Manchester.

This status allows Band on the Wall to seek out artists, rather than waiting for gig promoters to come to them. It means they can do things like help foreign bands obtain work visas for the UK, they can plan tours for these artists at other venues, and, importantly, pay them fairly. Inner City Music also runs educational outreach programs for all ages.

In an ideal world, Gavin thinks that many other venues in Manchester would operate this way given the chance but grants are getting harder to secure. “There’s just not enough support,” he said. And even Band on Wall still relies on bar profits, all of which goes back into the charity. 

In what seems like a radical move in today’s climate, where gig prices often reach into the hundreds, Band on Wall are committed to putting on free gigs every week on Friday (world, afro, latin, reggae) and Saturdays (funk, soul, RnB). Gavin said: “We're still focused on where the music comes from and what it is. You've got to let people come in and see it. It's not easy to do that. Because we're a charity and we're committed to treating the musicians properly, everybody on the stage is being paid properly, that means, one way or another, you've got to attract. How do you make that add up?”

Nonetheless, Gavin and the team strive to make their gig-going experience as inclusive and accessible as possible. And, as a regular myself, I think this is where the secret to the venue’s longevity lies.

Gavin said: “We don't want barriers. There's more and more young people moving into the city, with more people searching out cultural stuff. We want to be open and inclusive. We're safe, we celebrate diversity and we don't want anyone to feel threatened. A real key word is community, we want it to be a place that is for a creative community.”