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Band On The Wall closed in 2005 because of the deteriorating condition of the premises and to allow Inner City Music, the charity responsible for it, to concentrate on fundraising and planning for the new venue.

The plan is to take the existing building and turn it into not only a performance space, but also a recording studio, video suite and exhibition area, thanks in part to an extension into next door to create a sister building called The Picturehouse.

Now that the funding, supplied by both Arts Council England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, is in place, those plans can be carried out. At present, construction will start on the site in January 2008, with an aimed completion date of the end of the same year.

In 1959: The sign reads Band On The Wall

A beat before

Band On The Wall was founded in 1865 as the George And Dragon, a flagship pub for a local brewery. It turned into a music venue in 1937 when the landlord at the time, Ernie Tyson, installed a shelf high up on the wall, which led to it being nicknamed ‘band on the wall’.

It’s fame grew out of its status in the 70s as both a jazz and a punk venue, while in the 80s, it almost single-handedly introduced world music as a live experience to Manchester.

It’s easy to see why it is held in such high regard when you consider just some of the musicians that have played there. Björk, Nico, John Martyn, Memphis Slim, Courtney Pine, Abdullah Ibrahim, Lee Scratch Perry, Martin Carthy, Norma Waterson, Mica Paris, Gabrielle, Mark Knopfler, Nitin Sawhney, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Goldie have all graced the stage, and that list doesn’t even include the Mancunain luminaries who’ve played there, like The Fall, Mick Hucknall, Joy Division, The Chameleons and John Cooper Clarke.

And it’s not just Band On The Wall that has history. The adjacent building that’s set to be the new annexe has its fair share of tales to tell too. Built around the same time as the George And Dragon, it went on to be what is believed to be Manchester’s first picturehouse and is now a Grade II listed structure.

A band on the wall (pic: Sabrina Susan Fuller)

The sound of the future

Past glories, though, are nothing without a firm future and Inner City Music are confident that the grants mean that a much-enhanced Band On The Wall will see more great times ahead. For Chief Executive Ian Croal, it’s a case of looking back and forwards at the same time:

"These grants will enable us to provide Manchester and the UK with an international stage for the best music from around the world and a platform for the finest local talent. The funding will also help us restore the two buildings now involved in the project and to develop a new music archive facility.

"The grants recognise the important role the venue has played in the musical life of Manchester over several decades, in addition to contributing to its growing future role."