Unmissable Music History in Manchester: Maxwell Hall

Header Image Credit: Maxwell Hall exterior by University of Salford

On 25 March 1964, Dave Berry & The Cruisers played the first-ever concert at Maxwell Hall. The converted building, opened just three years before by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh, had previously served as a private residency for the Maxwell Family during the 17th century and, in the 1900’s, had become a public space for the community of Salford. 

Photo of Maxwell Hall in 1973, by Steve Skidmore.

Renovated with the support of Lancashire County Council and Salford City Council in the 1960s, the venue opened alongside The Maxwell Building as part of the Royal College of Advanced Technology – it would then become the University of Salford in 1967. 

Photo of Maxwell Hall in 1976, by Martin Thirkettle.

It soon became a revered music venue, with bands including The Hollies, The Who and Black Sabbath taking to the stage during the late 60’s. More famously, during a Friday afternoon of 1972, Paul McCartney played with Wings for a crowd of over 600 fans – they had all gathered in a matter of few hours to see the former Beatle and his new band in their spontaneous university tour. The tickets for this now legendary gig cost only 50p. 

The Kinks, Motorhead and The Jam followed suit, bringing their iconic sounds to the hall. Blondie, four years into their career and having just released their second album, Plastic Letters, played here on 3 March 1978. Irish rock band U2 joined the venue’s catalogue of artists in October 1981, the month they released the album of the same name. 

Greater Manchester bands made up a huge chunk of Maxwell Hall’s music programme, especially during the late 70’s and 80’s, with Joy Division’s founding member Peter Hook taking the stage with New Order in 1985 where they were supported by the then up-and-coming Happy Mondays. James graced the venue twice, in 1986 and ‘89, as did The Fall in ‘86 and ‘87. 

Ticket for James, 24 October 1986. 

Said to be one of the top 100 gigs of all time, on Sunday 20 July 1986, The Smiths sold out Maxwell Hall to an enthusiastic crowd – the venue was so packed, fans were practically on the stage – and drummer Mike Joyce remembers it as his favourite gig he ever played as it “felt like we’ve come home”, even as Manchester lad Morrissey chanted for Salford. 

The Smiths playing Maxwell Hall in 1986, by Nick Barber. 

The concert was so intense that some damage was left from the frenzy. Maxwell Hall was used less often as a music venue from the 1990’s, as more venues made their debut in Manchester and joined the circuit. The last official concert was played by The Charlatans in December 2004, though in 2024 Salford festival, Sounds from the Other City, brought music back to the hall with Welsh artist Gruff Rhys. 

In 2019, redevelopment of the historic hall was announced by the university with the project aiming to return Maxwell Hall to a world-class entertainment venue and is part of a regeneration plan aiming to “put Salford back on the music venue map”. 

Panorama of Maxwell Hall in 2024, by Evan Hurst. 

Early in 2024, the University of Salford put a call out, asking the public to provide any memorabilia from past concerts at the venue. The images in this article have been provided and are property of the Maxwell Hall Digital Archive, which is now home to over 300 items including old tickets, posters and interviews. 

Hear from the characters that are part of the history of Maxwell Hall below: