It has been at the forefront of developments in Manchester’s music scene for the past 80 years and its famous ‘stage’ on the wall of the auditorium has been the spring board for acts such as the Buzzcocks and Joy Division.

This project was part of a larger scheme funded by Arts Council England Manchester City Council to repair and restore the internal and external fabric of the Band on the Wall venue and Picture house buildings, and reopen Band on the Wall as a music venue. A new digital archive of music and oral history recordings, photos and programmes relating to the history of the venue would also be created.

Our grant supported plans to repair to the building – from the external façade to the restoration of internal features such as Victorian ceiling plasterwork and cast iron columns. Plans also included creating a digital archive of Band on the Wall’s past performances, oral history recordings, interviews and images relating to the history of the venue. The archive will be called ‘Our Archive’ and will be accessible online and displayed on screens in the Picture House auditorium area.