Albert Hall, Manchester

First time in the Albert Hall and was impressed with this stunning building. What a amazing and beautiful location for a gig. The staff where amazing and I was super lucky to see Of Monsters and men. The beers are expensive but that's normal for places like this. Its super hot though and if your on the top floor the toilet run is a long way.... Makes weatherspoons toilets look like a short walk

Great little venue, ideal for those who want to enjoy live events but don't want to deal with long queues and big crowds. The building itself is beautiful,being an old methodist church is has a nice look about it. We opted to stand/sit on the balcony which gave us a great view of the stage. The show itself was fantastic and the acoustics in the main hall are awesome. One bit of advice would be it you are planning on going up on the balcony,take something soft to sit on or be prepared for a very numb bum by the end of the night.

Visited last year to attend a gig by the band Lawrence. Had such an incredible time and the building itself is stunning! One of best places I've been to for a concert/gig... like mentioned by other visitors, this venue is perfect for smaller events (less queues and not as many people). Hope you's all like me pics of Lawrence! 🙂

An amazing beautiful and historic venue to visit. Purchased tickets for the Inspiral Carpets concert on Saturday 13th December. A great set by the band who interacted with the audience throughout. The place was packed out and I'm sure everyone who attended weren't disappointed. I made special arrangements with the in-house accessibility team who went above and beyond to ensure the night went without a hitch. Gina and the team reserved accessible seats for us on the upper floor and Shannon worked her socks off in taking drinks orders and bringing them to our seats. I have never experienced the professional and supportive service that we received from them at any other music venue anywhere. I cannot recommend this venue and the staff enough, they made the whole night such a wonderful experience.

Genuinely beautiful old fashioned venue with attractive stained glass windows and architecture, helpful bar staff offering drinks at reasonable prices, security present but low key, large venue but still intimate in feel and not too cramped so capacity sensibly managed. Standing room and spacious balcony area. Acoustics worked really well: It was a rap show but every lyric was discernable and not overpowered by the track. Ticket price for this event was very competitive. City Centre location so ideally located for surrounding eateries, pubs and shops.

Went to this place for the first time to see the amazons. Amazing venue with some beautiful features. Toilets are a bit freaky though. Love these smaller venues the acoustics are fabulous 👌

I Was fortunate to visit The Albert Hall in Manchester for two gigs on consecutive evenings, I had never been to this venue before and certainly wasn't disappointed, apparently it was once a church now converted as a live music venue, the bands acoustics were great. Mainly an all standing venue but get in early enough and there are benches on the balcony, good bar areas and helpful staff within the venue, look forward to visiting in the future, certainly a hidden gem in the City centre

This is one of the best venue in Manchester in terms of accessibility, not because they're the most accessible but because they're the most attentive and caring. There's a lift, there are people bringing you drinks and merch to your seat, there's an accessible toilet (bring your radar key or you can ask the staff to borrow theirs), there are allocated seats to make sure everyone is sat somewhere that match their needs, and everyone is very welcoming and smiling which is fantastic ❤️ In terms of could be even better if: - real chairs. The cushions are very hard and not comfortable and the bleacher are too deep to use the back support and fold knees so I ended up seating with my legs crossed which caused pain the day after. - test the artists lighting beforehand. We saw Daði Freyr and one of his spotlight was pointing directly towards us the entire time, so we couldn't see him despite being quite close, and without risking a migraine. - similarly we couldn't see the screens behind the artist as they were angled to face towards the crowd and we were on the side, but that can't really be helped. But apart from that, it's my favourite place to go to. Each time there's an artist I like I hope they perform here rather than at another venue, so thank you for all your work!

At long last I made it to a gig at the Albert Hall - a venue I've been wanting to check out for a long time but needed to wait for the perfect gig. So on Saturday night my friend and myself went to see Metronomy which was perfect for the surroundings and was totally 'high energy' kick ass! If you've ever been lucky enough to gig it up at the Paradiso in Amsterdam then this is the closest equivalent we have, a converted church and hall and some amazing Victorian architecture surrounds you on all sides. Trof own this place which fits in well with their portfolio of Deaf Institute, Gorilla, The NQ one etc (all cool venues, all a bit different) and I believe there's plans downstairs to make it a all a bit more proper soon (bar, food, day time venue etc) The only thing letting this place down is the quite awful selection of drinks on offer - the beer is either Tuborg or San Miguel and more random lagers...not a single ale, IPA or anything which is really not on considering you're still have to pay £4-£4.50 for such rubbish beer. Considering Trof have always got a good rep in their bars across their portfolio I feel this is really letting down the brand. Getting out is a bit of a ball ache - great venue but narrow Victorian stairs. Be expecting to wait in line and the queues for the coat check were huge so I really wouldn't bother. We have tickets for Afrikka Bambata and DJ Shadow in Feb - can't wait to get back then, just hope they sort out the beer before then.

I'm a fan of unusual gig venue, some of my favourites in Glasgow being King Tuts and the Barrowlands, so I'm rather thankful that I've gotten to experience two rather amazing gigs at The Albert Hall during my time in Manchester. It's a truly beautiful old building, with some rather stunning acoustics. There's a nice mix of standing downstairs and places to sit upstairs in the balcony. I've seen Brand New and Primal scream here and both were excellent, although I think just for sheer experience nothing is going to top being in the VIP area watching Primal Scream being so close that it feels like you're on stage with them. I couldn't recommend going to a gig here more. Do it, you won't regret it, I promise.

Thank you Trof!! The hazy memories of Brannigans are completely replaced by the best music venue in Manchester. The music hall itself is the majestic renovation of the old church, with stained glass windows, and the old organ pipes acting as a backdrop for the stage. The standing area is spacious and well proportioned - it's almost a square, which makes a change from the long thin 'corridor' approach of many venues in Manchester. The seating area is a 3 sided balcony standing on ornate pillars. Despite the balcony, the space feels completely open thanks to the high ceilings (which are full of ornate carvings). Churches always make great venues (e.g. Islington Chapel or Manchester Cathedral), so it's a massive service to the music scene in Manchester. What I think is most exciting about Albert Hall is that because it's such a unique space, hopefully bands will treat gigs there as something special. Everyone's seen bands mid-tour sleepwalking through a set, especially mid-week. The first band I saw at the AH was Half Moon Run (the first 'official' gig at the AH, excepting the special gigs for the MIF), and they certainly seemed to be excited to be playing such a beautiful venue. Anything that can snap bands out of a trance and reminds them to stay in the moment is a great thing. London has plenty of beautiful venues, so it's about time Manchester had something to compare. Downstairs is a pub-like bar, with a strangely anachronistic light-up dancefloor (was this a leftover from Brannigans? I can't remember). I assume in non-gig nights, this will act as the main bar, but at the gig it was used for pre-drinks and the march stall. I can see the venue would be great for club nights as well as gigs, so I'll be interesting to see which nights move over to there (I assume the typical Deaf Institute rota?). The only issue I can see is with leaving. The exit is via two very poky stairwells that then lead into a single door exit (for some reason the exit onto Peter street is blocked so everyone leaves into the backstreet). Leaving a gig involves a lot of crushing at the best of times, but this felt somewhat unnecessary. Still, that's just nitpicking. Can't wait to watch the gig list for Albert Hall get released. Next gig I'll be seeing there is Neutral Milk Hotel, and I can't wait to see a special band in a special venue!

Albert Hall is a beautiful venue that had been minimally restored to host gigs. The venue is across three levels, toilets and cloak rooms in the lower ground floor, stage and bar on the first floor and a balcony in the second floor. The balcony has large wooden steps for sitting on so no more standing in the sweaty crowd for oldies like me! I went to see Chvrches on Tuesday and it was my first visit to the venue. The lights were AMAZING but was not sure if they are venue lights or Chvrches lights! There was a lot of security on but all were friendly and helped people with mobility problems find seats. There were a lot of bar staff on too so there was never a long wait at the bar either! I would definitely be looking at more gigs here cos it's really beautiful. They have a bingo night in Thursday's...!

This is such an amazing venue, one of the best I've been either here or in the States. It's a converted Methodist meeting hall and the beautiful stained glass windows are clearly visible around the top seating area. They looked particularly amazing when complemented by the outstanding lighting design. Sound quality I also thought was excellent and the view is good from standing in the pit (stage elevated pretty high) as well as from on high. Really nice to have the option to sit or stand and still benefit from an excellent view & acoustics. Also, as Rana M pointed out, it's the perfect combination of large capacity and intimate feel. There are several bars, one downstairs, one outside the music hall and one inside selling some decent drinks (and Tuborg). The range and quality of artists booked here is also outstanding - I saw Lykke Li who I realised was playing when I was buying tickets for Common, I was also pretty excited to see Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings and Boyz II Men and have already booked for the War on Drugs (and actually just saw Interpol (oh AND GODSPEED! YOU BLACK EMPEROR!!!) are playing too, it's all basically awesome). Great work from the Trof team, who with Deaf Institute and Gorilla now have a hat trick of dedicated outstanding music venues.

What a venue indeed! I've been to quite a few gigs in my day, and I have to say, I find the atmosphere of Albert Hall to be one of the most uniquely characteristic. Reading up on its history, the "Chapel Hall" was completely unused since 1969, until it was renovated in 2012/13 to be used as a concert venue. Therefore, this hall was MADE for some serious music! Its oval structure is great for an even distribution of acoustics, making the sound pretty phenomenal. Logistics aside, the overall look of the hall really is impressive in itself. You have this incredible, old school church look going on with big mosaic window panes, an entire upstairs horseshoe loft with plenty of seating, and most notably, these behemoth organ pipes directly on stage. The organ pipes give such a stylish and ultimately badass stage presence, which is great for capturing performance action shots! The structural elements of Albert Hall are not the only thing to boast its quality ambience. I love the overall size of the venue - it is seriously perfect for a powerful performance yet an intimate experience. I was there to see an American indie band called Band of Horses. Lucky for me, I was front and center and in no way did anyone ever push, shove or meander around me to try to get to the front. The venue is just large enough to fit a sizable amount of people into the room, and the upstairs loft has volumes of rowed seating as well. Therefore, everyone really has their own space to jam out and enjoy without feeling too cramped. A+++++ for me! The directional flow of Albert Hall is also what makes it a successful concert venue. Once you enter, you can either go downstairs for the coat check/smoking area/toilets, or upstairs to the main hall. Both the main floor and the downstairs have proper exits, which makes it really useful when the concert ends. You have plenty of people heading out the main doors, but then a large group of people leave from the downstairs exit as well. So everyone's cleared pretty quickly and orderly, another major plus! I also love how they have doors connecting straight into Albert's Schloss, allowing you to continue the party immediately after the gig. Touche, Albert Hall.

What a great venue ! I love when an old building ends up being reused in a great way and this place is fab ! Good sized main hall with standing downstairs with Pop up bars running down each side. A fair sized stage which you can get close to and a mezzanine floor with boxed seating up above. It's all general admission but the upper floor is a first come first served kind of deal so if u want to sit, get up their quick for a decent seat. Bonus of being up the top is u can come right round the side to the stage and watch the band from virtually on top of them which is awesome :) Friendly security, fairly priced drinks, great atmosphere, gothic styling and good lighting. Only downside is the toilets are alllllllll the way down in the basement so be prepared to be almost in need of an oxygen tank by the time u get back upstairs. Loses a star for the hike !

I've been twice for gigs to this place (Ryan Adams and Franz Ferdinand)! it used to be a chapel which makes the venue quite interesting! sound quality is very good! you have some (not very cumfy) seating upstair that gives you a good view over the stage but you need to arrive early for that. i really enjoyed both concerts in this venue and will definitely go back! the atmosphere was great!

This is one of, if not the, best music venues in the city - choose the right artist and you're in for an absolute acoustical treat. It's the perfectly sized space for me - not too small that you feel crammed in and not too large that you're lost in a veritable sea of gig-goers, miles from the stage. Having seen two gigs here now - Godspeed You! Black Emperor last year and Beck last month - I can safely say it's my favourite mid-sized setting. A Grade II listed, early 20th century former Methodist Central Hall and then a nightclub in the 90s, it was refurbished and converted in 2013 to hold concerts. They've done a great job keeping the impressive Gothic elements on show. It's first-come first-served for the upper horseshoe tiered seating, but we've never bothered going up there, favouring standing in front of the stage instead. They unfortunately lose a star for two main reasons - disappointing beer options and the fact it takes AGES to leave through the doors when the gig's over. I know that there are stairs and it's not a built-for-purpose venue, but I'm sure the process can be improved and these bottlenecks reduced. Tip: due to the above, consider making your way towards the exits during the encore.

Absolutely incredible music venue! If one of your favourite bands/artists plays here, make sure you go. It's a great space and even better if the acts make use of the space (I've seen Anna Calvi and St Vincent here, who both did). As a venue and a space I can't fault it and I'm keeping my eye out for more gigs here. It could be five stars if the drinks weren't so crap. Next time I will not be paying £4 for a warm can of Tuborg dumped into a plastic cup. Also getting out is a total pain.

Had the pleasure of going to see Lykke Li with Natalie W and was blown away by the performance and the surroundings. The logistics of the layout have been covered already by the various reviews but I must add it really has to be seen to be believed. The incredibly high ceiling gives the place a natural acoustic advantage which the organisers utilise to its fullest potential. The spacious feel of the venue also heightens the lighting display that accompanies the music. The neon lights bounced around the hall majestically with each song Li played, the drum beat cannoning into the crowd with mesmerising force. There were bars scattered all over the venue but if you do goto a sold-out show, drinking heavily is probably not the way to go. With the heat generated by the strong crowd and the cramped/claustrophobic feel it inevitablycreates, the only fluid worth intaking is H2O. My only advice would be to go upstairs and find a seat. Not only is the view much much better (and the sound probably too) but you'll leave the venue with both ear drums intact. The gigantic speakers on the side of the stage are very unforgiving for people stood anywhere near the stage. It's probably a sign of getting old but being closer to the performer really isn't going to be a life changing experience for you, losing your hearing probably is. I can't wait to come back to this place. In fact I might even break my New Year's eve going taboo and venture out this time, because the New Year's eve party at Albert Hall looks pretty delicious.

I was not given the courtesy of a response so I will paste my email below: Dear Sir/ madam, I am contacting you today regarding the Yung Lean and Sad Boys event on the 13/12/2017. After travelling from Worcestershire to Manchester with great excitement for this event, I have found my experience soured by your policies/ door staff. Upon reaching the security check point I was expecting to have my bag searched. Instead I was told if I did not get rid of this bag I could not enter the venue! I was then left with the difficult decision to either leave the event, which I had traveled and booked a hotel for, or lose my bag which I had also spent a lot of money on and had personal value to me. I completely understand why this policy would be in place, however I was not made aware of this policy at any point prior to the gig, nor was there an option to have my bag searched/ put into a cloakroom. Furthermore if this was part of a drug prevention system, the smell of marijuana throughout the venue would proove your search procedure EXTREMELY ineffective. Not only was this situation extremely unpleasant but the doormans attitude made it worse, there were numerous other people asking about this policy who were not made aware. One of which was banned from entering the venue for 'arguing'. In light of this I would like a member of your team to contact me with an appropriate resolution to the matter, alternatively I can forward the purchase details of the bag and this can be reimbursed.