The Best Live Music Venues in Manchester

“A city that gave the world Oasis, The Smiths, and The Chemical Brothers, Manchester’s legendary music scene is one of Britain’s finest. Star-studded stadium gigs, intimate indie bolt holes and grand orchestral performances, the city has the lot. Make time for some music during your next visit with a gig at one of Manchester’s best music venues.

Band on the Wall
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A true icon in the Manchester music scene, Band on the Wall is the place to head to for jazz and experimental music. One for the purists, it was reopened in 2009 after a £4 million renovation that focused almost completely on sound and performance quality.

Besides live music, the venue puts on some of Manchester’s most popular club nights, such as BBC Radio 6 DJ Craig Charles’ monthly Funk and Soul Club. Another bonus: it’s in the Northern Quarter, the heart of the city’s alternative nightlife.

Night and Day Cafe
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Another Northern Quarter stalwart, Night and Day has gained a bit of a reputation for hosting some of the UK’s biggest acts before they were famous – Manchester favourites Elbow and Johnny Marr to name a few. Nowadays, the cafe is better known for its eclectic, alternative calendar and reasonably priced tickets.

Open since 1991, it’s the kind of place you can walk in off the street and catch a quality gig – If you’re after some last-minute music in an independent setting, this is your best bet in Manchester.

Bridgewater Hall
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Know your Bach from your Beethoven? Then head down to Bridgwater Hall. With three resident orchestras – the BBC Philharmonic, the Halle and Manchester Camerata – it’s the city’s undisputed champion for all things classical.

A collector’s item for audiophiles, it’s been meticulously designed to ensure the highest quality sound, with the engineering sometimes bordering on the unbelievable – the whole building sits on 300 giant springs to reduce the chance of vibration and acoustic interference from the outside world.

As well as the hall’s lengthy classical calendar, the venue regularly hosts rock, jazz, and world music, among other genres.

O2 Apollo
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This enormous art deco venue (Manchester’s second largest) attracts some of the biggest names in music and comedy – everyone from Peter Kay to Take That have graced its Grade II listed stage.

Befitting of its status, the Apollo has everything you’d come to expect from a top venue, both good and bad. So, while you can be sure of a quality show, over-priced drinks and big queues at the bar are a given. Located on the fringes of the city centre in Ardwick Green, it’s also further out of the action than most Manchester music venues.

Gorilla
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Small in size but big on atmosphere, you’ll find this eclectic little venue tucked under the railway arches of Whitworth Street West. It’s run by Trof – the same people who own the Deaf Institute and Albert Hall – and puts on a broad range of music, from Icelandic rock to and soft-sung US folk, played in Gorilla’s trademark intimate, industrial setting – a nod to the city’s rich textile heritage.

Another one for a good night out, the venue puts on regular club nights, and with its swanky, impeccably stocked gin bar, you’ll never be left dry on the dancefloor. The restaurant isn’t too shabby, either.

The Deaf Institute
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Not to be misinterpreted as a crude attempt at irony, the Deaf Institute’s name harks back to 1878 when it was a school for the hearing impaired. Like many of Manchester’s top music venues, it lay neglected and unused for decades until the Trof Group resurrected it in 2008.

Today, it’s a music hall and bar popular with Manchester’s student scene – Manchester Metropolitan University campus is close by. Spread over three floors, there’s a bar and restaurant downstairs and a roof terrace above the music hall.

Manchester Academy
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Sweaty mosh pits, plastic cup pints, raucous bands on tour … the Academy used to be Manchester’s go-to venue for all things rock, punk and mental. Nowadays its calendar has diversified a bit, but no matter who the headline act is, one thing is certain: it’s going to be a loud one.

The Academy is four venues (Academy 1, 2, 3 and Club) spread over two buildings. The bigger acts tend to play 1, a huge, no-frills music hall that holds over 2,000 people. The complex is on the edge of town, attached to Manchester University’s old students’ union.

Albert Hall
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A spectacular renovated chapel, few venues in Manchester come close to Albert Hall for setting and atmosphere. Stained glass windows, antique organ pipes, and lofty vaulted ceilings provide the backdrop in this beautiful Grade II listed music hall. A hidden gem in the realest sense, it’s now iconic upstairs hall went unused for almost 60 years until the Trof Group took over and restored it in 2013.

While its calendar is varied, Albert Hall has a knack for pulling in well-known alternative bands – think Hot Chip, Beck and the Manic Street Preachers. Find Albert Hall on Peter Street, right in the city centre.

Need a place to crash after the gig? Check out these Manchester hotels.”