Discover Madchester Music From Manchester Hotels

There’s must be something in the Manchester water as the city is home to some incredible bands that are as diverse as from The Smiths to The Bee Gees. Many of the music venues that propelled them to stardom have since closed down, but music fans can still tour some of the city’s main music sites:



The Free Trade Hall



The Radission Edwardian is the crème de la crème of Manchester hotels for music lovers. The façade of this building is the Free Trade Hall, whilst the building inside has been rebuilt as an opulent five star hotel. Pink Floyd and Bob Dylan had previously played this building but it was on the 4 June 1976 that the building would host one of the most important gigs in the history of British music, a concert which has since becoming legendary as a catalyst to the punk-rock movement. Although, only 40 people were believed to have attended the concert, audience members included Bernard Sumner and Peter Hook who went on to form Joy Division after meeting at this concert, Morrissey from the Smiths, Mark Smith of The Fall and Linder Sterling of Lupus.



Chorlton Cum Hardy



Between their birth in the Isle of Man and their family emigrating to Australia, the Bee Gees spent eight years living at 51, Keppel Road in Chorlton Cum Hardy. Although, fans can view the house from the street, the building is a residential property so remember to respect the residents. Another site that fans may wish to view is the Oakwood High School, which the three brothers attended. The school was recently named as a centre of excellence for performing arts and with The Bee Gees amongst its alumni who can argue with that.

The Hacienda



Sadly visitors to Manchester will discover that many legendary clubs such as The Boardwalk where Oasis formed, and The Beach Club where New Order played their first gig have since closed. As has Manchester’s most famous nightclub, The Hacienda. During the 1990s and at the height of the "Madchester" music scene, Newsweek labelled it as the most famous nightclub in the world. The Smith’s played their first gig at the venue and then played three times during 1983. The venue was even chosen by Madonna in 1984 to house her first UK performance. After numerous security failures and problems with drugs, the club was finally closed down in 1997. In 2003, the venue was bought by Crosby Homes and made into luxury apartments, where music fans can often be seen posing. Artefacts from The Hacienda and Factory Records, owners of The Beach Club, can be seen at the Manchester Museum of Science and Industry



Salford Lad’s Club



Fans of The Smiths will recognise this building both from the inside cover of The Smith’s, The Queen is Dead album and the famous photograph of the band. At the time the club was said to be furious and sought legal advice, however nowadays they are proud of their heritage and guests staying at Manchester hotels in this area will find upon entering the building that the walls are plastered with Smith’s memorabilia. The building later appeared on the video to Stop Me If You’ve Heard This One Before and is now a place of pilgrimage for many Smith’s fans. The band weren’t the only musicians to play the venue, the 1960s pop band The Hollies used to practise at the venue before they became famous.