Live music to return to Greater Manchester venue once graced by The Smiths and Paul McCartney

A venue at the University of Salford will soon welcome back live music for the first time in 10 years. Maxwell Hall will host acts as one of the venues for Salford’s Sounds from the Other City festival on May 5. 

The Hall has welcomed huge names such as The Smiths and Paul McCartney over the years. It has not hosted live music since 2014, but this will change very soon when the festival takes place. 

Maxwell Hall is a significant feature of the University of Salford’s Peel Park campus. It is divided into an upper and lower hall, with the upper part of the venue having space for 1000 people and a stage area.  

The Hall will be one of six venues at the Peel Park Campus used to host the music festival. Peel Hall, the Salford Museum & Art Gallery, the recently-refurbished Old Fire Station, the Working Class Movement Library and a stage on Heritage Lawn off The Crescent will all be used at the festival. 

Maxwell Hall was a key venue of the Manchester music scene in the 1970s and 1980s. A wide range of classic acts took to its stage, with the likes of Motorhead, The Who and The Kinks making appearances.

Tim France, Director of Performance, Music, English & Dance at The University of Salford, said: “We are absolutely delighted to bring live music back to the stage of our beloved Maxwell Hall. Sounds from the Other City is one of Salford’s most impactful and colourful musical spectacles and it is fitting that this year’s festival will mark the first time that bands have took to the stage there in ten years.

“It is a hallowed stage that has played host to some of the world’s biggest bands and will forever have a space in our city’s illustrious musical history. But it is time that live music returns there and we are tremendously excited to see it return as a venue for this festival and to see music showcased across our campus this May. From Peel Hall to the stunningly-refurbished Old Fire Station, the University of Salford will be the place to be this coming Bank Holiday Weekend for music lovers across Greater Manchester.”

How to get tickets to Sounds from the Other City

Tickets for the festival on Sunday May 5 are on sale now through the festival website. Prices are £35 plus a booking fee.