Band on the Wall

Band on the Wall is a live music venue at 25 Swan Street in the Northern Quarter area of Manchester city centre. 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 buskers. 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...