The 5 Best Manchester Gig Venues

When you are looking for a city that defines music, look no further than Manchester. Bands dream of playing there in the same places as their idols and influncers. Bands like Oasis, The Charlatans and James all came out of the great city and were a major influence to a lot of the bands that came after them, not just in Manchester but worldwide. The below list is the top 5 best gig venues in Manchester:

MEN Arena A huge arena that when full has 20,000+ people crammed inside. A huge cavernous structure that has two high tiers of seats all with amazing views, and huge floor for standing gigs or more seats if required. Some people hate the venue however, stating its size as a problem and disliking the stadium sized bands that it attracts. There are many others who love it though for the exact same reasons – the size and the calibre of bands. The atmosphere can be fantastic when a band such as Arcade Fire is in there with everyone singing along.

Apollo This is somewhere in between the MEN and Academy, both in stature and location. It is for bands that are riding on a wave of popularity, but have not gone quite stratospheric yet, so they cant play somewhere the size of the arena but also the demand is too high for somewhere small like Academy. It is an old theatre with the floor seats removed to allow for a standing area, but otherwise not a whole lot has changed. It also hosts cult bands such as Ocean Colour Scene and Crowded House.

Academy The smallest of the main Manchester gig venues, this is where bands start off. They have got some radio plays and some interest and then play at the Academy. All the biggest bands started here such as Oasis and Blur. It is a small, intimate venue and an opportunity to see the next big thing before they are massive.

GMEX This old converted train station is a conference centre for most of the years but usually in November and December hosts a number of great gigs from artists bored of the MEN. James, Arctic Monkeys and The Verve have all played here over the last few years. Mancunians love it because of the memories it brings back from the days when it was the main big venue in Manchester.

LCCC The cricket ground at Old Trafford is the biggest outdoor venue for the city that is regularly used. Huge bands like Coldplay and Take That play there, with crowds pushing 80,000 it is the pinnacle of a band’s career to play at venues like this. Great atmosphere especially if the sun is shining!

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