Manchester jazz club secures £1.65m expansion grant

Manchester’s Band on the Wall venue has secured £1.65million for their planned expansion. The city council have approved plans for the jazz and blues club to take over and refurbish the derelict Cocozza building at the rear of the property, meaning the venue will expand from a 350 to 500 capacity, plus open up a kitchen, terrace bar and mini-cinema. The Cocozza is one of the few remaining structures from the Victorian Smithfield Market in the North East of Manchester City Centre. The club says the grant will allow them to enable a greater provision for music performance, education and community projects.

Speaking to Jazz FM, Gavin Sharp, CEO of Inner City Music said:  “Band on the Wall has worked closely with Arts Council England for many years. The welcome news of a successful stage two Capital funding will help transform Band on the Wall into a world-class space for music performance, education and cultural engagement for the people of Manchester and further afield. The Capital funding will allow Band on the Wall to significantly enhance its facilities for learning and participation activity and performance, and the expanded building will be a space for the public to experience both music from around the world, and participate in programmes that explore and celebrate the rich cultural heritage of the local area.”

The planned learning complex will include a rooftop A/V suite, allowing young people and education participants to create new work by engaging with international touring artists. Band on the Wall is actively looking for supporters to help make the expansion happen –visit https://bandonthewall.org/charity/ to find out more.