Band on the Wall
Encyclopedia
Band on the Wall is a live music venue at 25 Swan Street in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre
.
. Manchester was then at its height as the first industrial city at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution
.
The 'Band on the Wall' was a nickname
from the 1930s
when the landlord of the time Ernie Tyson placed a stage high on the far wall of the pub on which the musicians played. A regular band of two accordion
s, piano
, drums
, a singer and occasionally a saxophone
would play.
During World War II
the venue was popular with British
, American, Canadian
and French
servicemen
as well as the local market traders and mill workers. Italian
prisoners of war and deserters were rumoured to frequent the establishment. The band often played on during air raids
, particularly as they became more common. Walter Greenwood
wrote that a record 24,000 bottles of beer were sold here on one day of a Bank Holiday weekend.
manufacturing industry declined and many people left the area; the market was also suffering.
In 1975 local jazz
musician Steve Morris and his business partner Frank Cusick bought the George & Dragon with the idea of turning it into a jazz club, a conversation with Johnny Roadhouse
convinced them to name it the Band on the Wall, jazz musicians from the local area as well as international artist played at the club. The late 1970s
saw the emergence of a new sound--Punk
and it was at the Band on the Wall that many of the Manchester punk bands played. This was part of the New Manchester Review nights, a fanzine and listings magazine which was the starting point for the now defunct City Life
. Many notable post-punk bands played during this time including Buzzcocks
, Fast Cars, The Fall amongst others. The venue was also used by the Manchester Musicians Collective. An album entitled "A Manchester Collection" was released by Object Records featuring some of those members in April 1979. Several other bands later released music through Factory Records
played including Joy Division
and A Certain Ratio
. In 1982 the venue briefly closed for some internal redevelopment work. It was after the reopening that the Dizzy Gillespie
logo was first used. It was during this decade that the venue began to gain an international reputation for so-called "World Music" and a programme that covered multiple genres. Performers who went on to gain international reputations included Mick Hucknall
, who played on several occasions as Frantic Elevators. Other notable performances came from Purrkur Pillnikk
who supported The Fall for three dates in 1982, supporting vocals came from a young Björk
.
and the Heritage Lottery Fund
as part of a £4 million project to transform the venue into a 21st century centre for music.
The Band on the Wall has been refurbished and opened on September 25, 2009 with a performance by the venue's patrons Julian Joseph
and Mica Paris
.
as one of 12 venues which had made the most important contributions to jazz music in the United Kingdom, reflecting its history as one of Manchester's premier jazz venues and its current role in bringing music to new audiences, finishing second in the voting for the inaugural award.
In 2010, Band on the Wall's chairperson Kathy Dyson won a Parliamentary Jazz Award for her services to education and music programmer Mike Chadwick won a silver Sony Award for his radio work. Band on the Wall's website (and developers Cahoona) won a Big Chip Award in the 'not for profit' category.
Band on the Wall has also been voted the 'Best Night Spot' at the 2010 Manchester Tourism Awards.
Manchester City Centre
Manchester city centre is the central business district of Manchester, England. It lies within the Manchester Inner Ring Road, next to the River Irwell...
.
Early history
The building dates back to around 1862 when a local brewery, the McKenna Brothers, built it as the flagship pub of their operation. It was called the George and Dragon; the first license on the site was granted to Elizabeth March in 1803. No-one knows when music started to be played at the venue but market pubs were well known for their musical connections, and the nearby Smithfield Markets and textile factories ensured that this was a bustling area with many musicians and buskersBusking
Street performance or busking is the practice of performing in public places, for gratuities, which are generally in the form of money and edibles...
. Manchester was then at its height as the first industrial city at the forefront of the Industrial Revolution
Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the social, economic and cultural conditions of the times...
.
The 'Band on the Wall' was a nickname
Nickname
A nickname is "a usually familiar or humorous but sometimes pointed or cruel name given to a person or place, as a supposedly appropriate replacement for or addition to the proper name.", or a name similar in origin and pronunciation from the original name....
from the 1930s
1930s
File:1930s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: Dorothea Lange's photo of the homeless Florence Thompson show the effects of the Great Depression; Due to the economic collapse, the farms become dry and the Dust Bowl spreads through America; The Battle of Wuhan during the Second Sino-Japanese...
when the landlord of the time Ernie Tyson placed a stage high on the far wall of the pub on which the musicians played. A regular band of two accordion
Accordion
The accordion is a box-shaped musical instrument of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone family, sometimes referred to as a squeezebox. A person who plays the accordion is called an accordionist....
s, piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, drums
Drum kit
A drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, a singer and occasionally a saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
would play.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the venue was popular with British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, American, Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
servicemen
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
as well as the local market traders and mill workers. Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
prisoners of war and deserters were rumoured to frequent the establishment. The band often played on during air raids
Airstrike
An air strike is an attack on a specific objective by military aircraft during an offensive mission. Air strikes are commonly delivered from aircraft such as fighters, bombers, ground attack aircraft, attack helicopters, and others...
, particularly as they became more common. Walter Greenwood
Walter Greenwood
Walter Greenwood was an English novelist, best known for the socially influential novel Love on the Dole .-Biography:...
wrote that a record 24,000 bottles of beer were sold here on one day of a Bank Holiday weekend.
Later history
The area fell into decline during the middle of the 20th century as the textileTextile
A textile or cloth is a flexible woven material consisting of a network of natural or artificial fibres often referred to as thread or yarn. Yarn is produced by spinning raw fibres of wool, flax, cotton, or other material to produce long strands...
manufacturing industry declined and many people left the area; the market was also suffering.
In 1975 local jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
musician Steve Morris and his business partner Frank Cusick bought the George & Dragon with the idea of turning it into a jazz club, a conversation with Johnny Roadhouse
Johnny Roadhouse
John "Johnny" Roadhouse was a British musician who specialised in saxophone.Roadhouse was born in Sheffield, but lived in Manchester from an early age. He taught himself how to play the saxophone. Originally an aircraft fitter with Metropolitan-Vickers at Trafford Park, he began to play with local...
convinced them to name it the Band on the Wall, jazz musicians from the local area as well as international artist played at the club. The late 1970s
1970s
File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...
saw the emergence of a new sound--Punk
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
and it was at the Band on the Wall that many of the Manchester punk bands played. This was part of the New Manchester Review nights, a fanzine and listings magazine which was the starting point for the now defunct City Life
City Life (Magazine)
City Life was a Manchester-based listings magazine that was published between December 1983 and December 2005. It was a distinctive blend of radical politics and coverage of the increasingly exciting Manchester youth culture scene of the early 1980s, coinciding with the rise of Factory Records and...
. Many notable post-punk bands played during this time including Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, Fast Cars, The Fall amongst others. The venue was also used by the Manchester Musicians Collective. An album entitled "A Manchester Collection" was released by Object Records featuring some of those members in April 1979. Several other bands later released music through Factory Records
Factory Records
Factory Records was a Manchester based British independent record label, started in 1978 by Tony Wilson and Alan Erasmus, which featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Joy Division, New Order, A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, Happy Mondays, Northside and James and...
played including Joy Division
Joy Division
Joy Division were an English rock band formed in 1976 in Salford, Greater Manchester. Originally named Warsaw, the band primarily consisted of Ian Curtis , Bernard Sumner , Peter Hook and Stephen Morris .Joy Division rapidly evolved from their initial punk rock influences...
and A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio
A Certain Ratio are a Post-punk band formed in 1977 in Manchester, England. While originally part of the punk rock movement, they soon added funk and dance elements to their sound. They are sometimes referred to as "post punk funk"...
. In 1982 the venue briefly closed for some internal redevelopment work. It was after the reopening that the Dizzy Gillespie
Dizzy Gillespie
John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie was an American jazz trumpet player, bandleader, singer, and composer dubbed "the sound of surprise".Together with Charlie Parker, he was a major figure in the development of bebop and modern jazz...
logo was first used. It was during this decade that the venue began to gain an international reputation for so-called "World Music" and a programme that covered multiple genres. Performers who went on to gain international reputations included Mick Hucknall
Mick Hucknall
Michael "Mick" Hucknall is a British singer and songwriter. He was the lead singer of the British band Simply Red, and is recognisable for his smooth, distinctive voice and wide vocal range, as well as his red curly hair.-Early life:...
, who played on several occasions as Frantic Elevators. Other notable performances came from Purrkur Pillnikk
Purrkur Pillnikk
Purrkur Pillnikk is a rock band from late punk era in Iceland. The band existed for 18 months and were very active as they released at least two LPs, one live-album and two EPs...
who supported The Fall for three dates in 1982, supporting vocals came from a young Björk
Björk
Björk Guðmundsdóttir , known as Björk , is an Icelandic singer-songwriter. Her eclectic musical style has achieved popular acknowledgement and popularity within many musical genres, such as rock, jazz, electronic dance music, classical and folk...
.
Rebirth
Band on the Wall is operated by Inner City Music Ltd, a registered charity. The organisation was awarded £3.2 million in July 2007, in combined awards by Arts Council EnglandArts Council England
Arts Council England was formed in 1994 when the Arts Council of Great Britain was divided into three separate bodies for England, Scotland and Wales. It is a non-departmental public body of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport...
and the Heritage Lottery Fund
Heritage Lottery Fund
The Heritage Lottery Fund is a fund established in the United Kingdom under the National Lottery etc. Act 1993. The Fund opened for applications in 1994. It uses money raised through the National Lottery to transform and sustain the UK’s heritage...
as part of a £4 million project to transform the venue into a 21st century centre for music.
The Band on the Wall has been refurbished and opened on September 25, 2009 with a performance by the venue's patrons Julian Joseph
Julian Joseph
Julian Joseph is a jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger and broadcaster. Joseph has worked solo, in his all-star big band, trio, quartet, forum project band or electric band....
and Mica Paris
Mica Paris
Mica Paris is an English soul singer, radio and television presenter, and occasional actress. Her forename is pronounced Misha.-Beginnings:Paris' roots are in soul and gospel music...
.
GMMAZ
GMMAZ (Greater Manchester Music Action Zone) has their office in Band on the Wall. They run music projects here for young people aged between 11-19.Awards and nominations
In 2009 Band on the Wall was named by the Brecon Jazz FestivalBrecon Jazz Festival
Brecon Jazz Festival is a music festival held on an annual basis in the rural surroundings of Brecon, in south Powys, Mid Wales. Normally staged in early August, it plays host to a range of jazz musicians who travel from across the world to take part and to many visiting tourists who are attracted...
as one of 12 venues which had made the most important contributions to jazz music in the United Kingdom, reflecting its history as one of Manchester's premier jazz venues and its current role in bringing music to new audiences, finishing second in the voting for the inaugural award.
In 2010, Band on the Wall's chairperson Kathy Dyson won a Parliamentary Jazz Award for her services to education and music programmer Mike Chadwick won a silver Sony Award for his radio work. Band on the Wall's website (and developers Cahoona) won a Big Chip Award in the 'not for profit' category.
Band on the Wall has also been voted the 'Best Night Spot' at the 2010 Manchester Tourism Awards.