Capacity: 300
Who plays there: If it’s hipster indie you’re after, this is the place in Manchester to find it. The name and the Grade II-listed building (built in 1877) have history. Formerly an actual institute for deaf and dumb people, it returned in 2008, as a music venue run by the people behind the Northern Quarter’s Trof bar. With a growing reputation as one of the best and hippest small venues in the country, the Deaf Institute’s shabbily chic, dome-shaped music hall hosts rising stars such as Drenge, Lindi Ortega, Alvvays, 2:54, Peace, Marmozets and Kate Tempest, along with the occasional more venerable name, such as Chuck Prophet or Roddy Frame. The venue also holds club nights.
Cloakroom: Yes
Admission: £7-20.
Bar: The Deaf Institute’s main, ground-level bar boasts a wide selection of draught ales (such as Longhammer IPA at £4 a pint), craft beers, cocktails and coffees at reasonably competitive prices, with Wi-Fi throughout. The venue say there is something happening most nights, including open mics, quizzes, DJs and “a massive party”. There’s a special after-work drinking deal between 4-6pm where you can get a pint for £2.50 or a bottle of wine for a tenner. In the music hall itself, a much smaller bar is generally limited to pricier bottled beers, wines and spirits; a cheapskate Yorkshireman such as myself can sometimes settle for an orange juice for 60p.
Food: Situated a floor below the music hall, the bar and kitchen is open from 4pm for “dinner and late-night feasts”, serving food until 10pm, with “concise menus from around the world” and Sunday roasts. It now has a pop-up burger joint, providing carnivores and veggies with burgers in a brioche bun.
Toilets: Yes, downstairs
Wheelchair access: Sadly, no.
Sound: Usually very good. For a small room, the Deaf Institute has excellent acoustics.
Where to stand: Wherever you can, really, especially if it’s anything like full. The Deaf Institute isn’t the biggest of venues, so get there early and aim for either standing somewhere near the front or, if you’re really lucky, grabbing a place in the rising bank of seats at the back (which are usually like gold dust). If you can get a seat in the tiny, left-side balcony – which gives a great view of the stage – you’re doing very well.
Overall: Despite one or two quibbles over drinks and sight-lines, the Deaf Institute has a special feel that justifies its reputation as one of Manchester’s hippest, hottest venues. From the vast array of decorative loudspeakers on the walls behind the bar to the ever-impressive lists of new, breaking and occasionally revered artists in the schedules, it’s a venue that gives the impression that it cares about new and good, usually independent music. Presumably, this is what attracted Johnny Marr to hold a short residency here in 2011.
Address: 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HE
Telephone: 0161-276 9350
Website: thedeafinstitute.co.uk
Public transport: Situated at the edge of the town centre and near the university, the Deaf Institute is particularly well served by the numerous buses that run up and down the adjoining Oxford Road. Oxford Road railway station is a shortish walk.
