With concerts still scheduled for the foreseeable future, Manchester’s music scene has been affected by the coronavirus crisis.
Gorilla and The Deaf Institute were on the brink of closure before being rescued last month, and Band on the Wall had to fire 26 other people after what they described as “the biggest crisis in our history” forced them to close so they could boost the renovation paintings already planned.
But there are still promising symptoms of confidence in the industry as plans for a new logo music venue are revealed in the city.
Canvas Manchester is expected to open at the new Circle Square development on Oxford Road next year, subject to a building permit.
Launched through BeSixth, which manages the east London venues, The Pickle Factory and Oval Space, the 400-seat basement will host a fortnightly program of concerts and clubs, such as fitness and ness sessions, social activism, networking and workshops.
Upstairs, there will be a ground-floor restaurant, Canvas Kitchen, accommodating a hundred more people and open to the public from 7am to 4am daily, and a “unique and affordable” member lounge, Canvas Club.
BeSixth said Manchester was the selection of herbs for its first foray out of the capital, as the most popular region of the moment for UK music tourists, which attracted more than 1.3 million audiences in 2019.
President Dean James said: “With Canvas Manchester, we need to introduce a whole new lifestyle concept that will unite others and offer something new and exciting to those who live and paint in the city.
“I think the other people in Manchester perceive that we are going through this pandemic, we are going to stand again and the city is going to recover.
“With its people, a rich and varied cultural scene, Manchester was going to be the first city we said yes to when we made the decision to invest outdoors in London, but we didn’t think we would locate anything like Circle Square site.”
Located in the heart of the University of Manchester, Circle Square’s new residential and recreational progression is a joint venture between Bruntwood SciTech and Vita Group.
It will come with a new 5.7-acre public park, Symphony Park, which will also host concerts, theater and other arts and cultural events.
Tom Renn, managing director of Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Our ambition for Circle Square has been to create a destination, a position that attracts others in the morning, day and night, and a position that would be part of the fabric of the Somewhere where tourists and innovators take it into account, will have to stop when they come to Manchester.
“With an organization of more than 40 virtual and generation companies, a collection of independent social and retail catering operators in Hatch and the latest outdoor event domain at Manchester Symphony Park, we are starting to see the domain growing at a rate never before observed in a new dominance in Manchester.
“Canvas Manchester is another radical replacement for Circle Square. BeSixth’s commitment to doing things is a nod to Manchester’s history and a sign of confidence in our city’s long-term cultural scene.
“The music industry, of course, has suffered because of the coronavirus pandemic, but what better place to boost its resurgence than in the city that believes a table is for dancing?”