Manchester Music History: Landmarks Every Music Fan Should See

Salford Lads Club opened in 1903, and Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Scout movement, officially opened it in 1904. It was founded by brothers William and James Groves and Arthur Whitnall, in a purpose-built building designed by Henry Lord. Now called Salford Lads and Girls Club, it is still used by its original organisation, and Historic England has called it the finest surviving purpose-built lads club in England.

Music fans know its entrance from Stephen Wright's photo of The Smiths, taken in 1985 and used inside the sleeve of The Queen Is Dead. Inside, the Smiths Room celebrates that link, and The Hollies once practised in the club's concert hall. Open days run on Wednesdays and Saturdays, when entry is free and you can see the famous entrance, the Smiths Room and the historic boxing gym.

Band on the Wall on Swan Street in the Northern Quarter takes its name from the 1930s, when landlord Ernie Tyson built a stage high on the back wall for the resident band. In 1975 jazz musician Steve Morris and Frank Cusick reopened it as a music venue. It went on to become a home for Manchester's jazz, punk and world music scenes.

Buzzcocks, Joy Division, The Fall and John Cooper Clarke all played here during the punk and post-punk years. Today it is run by a registered charity with a World of Music education programme, and an expansion added a second stage and a step-free entrance. It was named Inspirational Venue of the Year in 2024.

The Albert Hall on Peter Street was built in 1910 as the Manchester and Salford Wesleyan Mission, designed by William James Morley. It was deliberately built not to look like a conventional church, with a Gothic design in Classical forms and a facade of Burmantofts faience. The building has been Grade II listed since 1982.

Its main hall holds around 2,000 people, and the original organ still survives. Winston Churchill spoke there in 1950, and in 2013 the hall was restored and reopened as a music venue. Today it is one of Manchester's most striking places to see a gig.

The Free Trade Hall on Peter Street was built between 1853 and 1856, designed by Edward Walters, and is Grade II* listed. It was home to the Hallé from 1858, when Charles Hallé's Grand Orchestral Concerts began, and it stands on the site of the Peterloo Massacre of 1819. Its grand Renaissance-style frontage still lines Peter Street today.

Some of music's most famous nights happened here. Bob Dylan played his electric set in 1966, and on 4 June 1976 the Sex Pistols played the Lesser Free Trade Hall at a gig organised by Howard Devoto and Pete Shelley, who went on to form Buzzcocks. Ella Fitzgerald, David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust and Pink Floyd also played the hall before it became a hotel in 2004.

The Haçienda opened on Whitworth Street West on 21 May 1982, owned by Factory Records and New Order and co-founded by Tony Wilson and Rob Gretton. Its catalogue number was FAC 51, and its interior was designed by Ben Kelly with graphics by Peter Saville. From 1986 its Friday Nude night helped bring house music to Britain, and the club became the heart of the Madchester era.

The Smiths played there in 1983, Madonna made her UK debut there in 1984, and New Order, The Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Oasis are all part of its story. The Haçienda apartments now stand on the site and keep the famous name. Look out for the PRS for Music Heritage Award plaque marking James's first official gig here in 1982.

The Bridgewater Hall opened in 1996 as the home of the Hallé, the BBC Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata, taking over from the Free Trade Hall. The whole building floats on almost 300 earthquake-proof springs that shut out noise and vibration, and its auditorium seats nearly 2,400. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened it on 4 December 1996.

Its Marcussen organ has 76 stops and stands 11.6 metres high, and public building tours and organ tours take you behind the scenes, including a look at the springs beneath the hall. Outside in Barbirolli Square stands Kan Yasuda's sculpture Ishinki – Touchstone, carved from 18 tonnes of polished Carrara marble. Local lore says touching it brings good luck.