10 Iconic Live Music Spots in Manchester for Peak ’90s Nostalgia

As appealing as Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter are, it’s hard to imagine die-hard fans of either artist becoming pawns in a pan-media class war anytime soon. Wind back three decades and the music scene, in the UK at least, was an infinitely more tribal place. Manchester and London, and their most venerated musical exports, became the hub of a vitriolic and, in retrospect, utterly bizarre period where your musical tastes became a definer of your social class.

As the frothing tabloids framed it, Oasis were the authentic northern rabble rousers while Blur were the Southern pretty boys, and it made everyone involved a huge amount of money.

Now Oasis are reuniting, though Blur got there first with their two gigs at Wembley two summers ago. And while London suffers from an evisceration of its clubbing and nightlife scene, Manchester seems to be handling the changing nocturnal habits of music lovers a little more resolutely.

I grew up in Cheshire, just 40 minutes away from Manchester by train. And I’ve danced (appallingly) in the Hacienda, bought Stone Roses posters in Afflecks and even gone to see Blur live on enemy territory (aka the Manchester Academy)—albeit in 1994 when Oasis were still a year away from global, ubiquitous fame.

Manchester is still a city that moves to its own distinctively stubborn, uncontrollable, wide-eyed shuffle, but is no less captivating for a visit than it was in the days when Ian Curtis was contorting himself on stage or when Ian Brown was laconically shaking his maracas. Below, I’ve rounded up my favorite Mancunian music spots, past and present.

Band on the Wall

Morrissey may have stated not long ago that “diversity means conformity”. But it’s unlikely that he’s spent much time at the Band on the Wall – for my money, the most eclectically interesting and user-friendly gig venue in Manchester – of late. Formerly known as the George and Dragon, musicians in the early days of live gigs being held here were forced to play on a stage built halfway up the pub’s wall, designed to create more floor space for drinkers. Hence, the venue’s current name and back history includes concerts by the Buzzcocks, the Fall and Joy Division. These days, the venue is a one-stop counterargument to the idea that every young musician in Manchester is still attempting to become a clone of Noel Gallagher. At the Wall, you’ll hear world music, experimental dance, jazz and many sub-genres that have yet to be classified by what remains of the local music press.