A really great concert venue. Very clean even in the midst of a concert, and the staff are incredibly lovely and helpful. When my daughter got a little claustrophobic due to the crowd one of the staff members went out of the way to help us and make sure she was okay. It's a small venue which I really enjoy because even standing at the back of the room you get a great view of the stage, which you don't with bigger arenas. I'd definitely go to another concert here again.

Great venue, been here a few times now. Came to see Future Islands, fantastic atmosphere and really enjoyed the night. As with all big venues now, there are security checks going in, bag checks and metal detectors but plenty of staff to ensure it doesn't hold you in a queue for long. Would recommend as a venue for live music.

Was here for Jason Chan's show. Great venue for a live music show up close to the performer. It's an amazing experience, where the crowd can easily interact with the performer from a very short distance. The lighting effect and stage sound effect are very nice. These things add up together to make a splendid evening, full of joy and excitement.

Went to watch picture this here in October 2023. Really good show. The Academy is a relatively small venue and you are close to the stage. We did queue up for around 10 minutes but the queue moved fast. Inside there are lenty of bars and facilities. It was easy to book the tickets online and they scanned the QR code at the door after a quick search by security. Doors opened at 7 but the supporting act didn't start till 8ish and the actual band didn't come on till gone 9 so there's no rush to get in there. Would definitely go and watch something there again. It was a 15 minute walk from Oxford station and easy to find. Plenty of eating places along the route including a nice Chinese restaurant across the road.

A tiny bit soulless but good for a gig. Good acoustics and large bars. Good access for all. Expect lots of students and prices to be a little more reasonable than some other Manchester venues.

This venue is amazing comparing to any London venue. It's easy to get in, lots of bars, big bathrooms, when the concert ends you are outside in a few minutes.

Great concert venue and all staff are friendly, polite and very helpful. We attend the Stoner gig and had a great night. The young lady on the bar was superb.

I've been coming here for years. A great venue that has good bars with a decent selection of drinks. It's a decent size but can still feel intimate. The sound is usually very good too.

Saw Steel Panther here. Nice safe feel to the place. Set within the student living district, decent car parking right behind the venue. Really enjoyed my time here 👍

Liked the concert. Good place for the events. Please be thoughtful what you are living after the events for the Staff.

I've been coming to this venue since my uni days. The queue might be intimidating at times, but once it starts moving, it goes fast. There are bars all around, and depending on the show type, you can stand or sit. So, check with the organisers what type of tickets you are buying. Most recently, I visited 2 weeks ago for a standing concert and I loved it.

Always a very long queue to get in but the venue is lovely, good view from most areas while standing, the merch kiosk can be abit of a nightmare as there is no distinct queues but the staff are friendly and the atmosphere is amazing

My first visit to Manchester Academy was during Day 1 of the Freshers’ Fair, and I have some feedback about the event layout. The stall placements didn’t optimize foot traffic very well. There was a significant crowd bottleneck near the entrance, while stalls at the back remained largely unvisited. Interestingly, there was also noticeable empty space in the middle of the venue. I believe the event organizers could improve future fairs by rearranging the stalls. Specifically, placing less visited stalls—such as the NHS Jobshop and summer camp booths—between high-traffic stalls offering activities and freebies could help distribute the crowd more evenly. This was my initial experience at Manchester Academy, so I didn’t explore the entire venue. However, as I plan to be a frequent visitor during my years of study at the University of Manchester, I’ll provide more updates on the venue in the future.

Great venue. We were in number 3. Would be good to have signs outside the building detailing the acts and timings. There is a bar inside number 3 which is good. Quite echoey when stood near the bar - people chatting seems much louder than it probably was! We moved forward and had no problems and a good view. Great venue for a more personal performance.

Best gig I have seen for a long long time! Waauw, Billy Strings was in absolute top form! What a gig! Great venue. Come back soon Billy!! #BMFS for those who know! 😎

Two visits in one week, two very different artists Megan Moroney and Olivia Dean. On both occasions, had a fantastic time. Reasonable prices in comparison to some venues. Staff are friendly and helpful.

I went to see N-Dubz with my non biological brother, and it was my first gig ever. They did a little meet and greet and they were really down to earth people who were really fan orientated. It was an amazing night.

Had the pleasure of attending the Manchester academy tonight, was supposed to be a gig with 2 tribute acts , crowded Scouse and split friends, unfortunately crowded Scouse cancelled due to Illness, split friends went on giving a great performance with many classics from the band, the venue itself is excellent very well set up and the staff were excellent, big shout out to Joe who helped many times through the evening, nothing was too much trouble, thank you Joe,

Brilliant small venue. Saw limp bizkit. Quiet expensive. I think we paid £3 for bottled water? Got into the venue fast, no messing about, but staff checked people on entry.

Great facility for music. I was so impressed the bouncers at the front of the gig were handing out water regularly. Lots of helpful staff, big bathroom facilities, and drinks as there were multiple bars. Everything ran like clockwork.

I went to see north west calling at the academy, and even though it was a great gig the sound quality was atrocious and to exit the venue they gave you a wristband rather than stamping your hand which caused a large build up, I was not searched when entering the venue either even though I entered 3 times meaning It is very unlikely you will be searched when entering

Excellent venue. Big but not too big, plenty of bars and toilets and a great atmosphere. Absolutely loved the gig and can't wait to go to another there

Not my favourite venue but it's ok. We stood behind the sound peoples bit & could kind of see. Unless you were right at the front it didn't seem to be great views. The sound was quite good.

Never been before. Great venue and decent priced beer too. The two pint pots definitely help!?!

Good big venue plenty of bars and great facilities for disabled (balcony, own bar and toilets) the only thing they need to tackle is vaping on last gig it was really an issue and haven't seen anyone gotten pulled from crowd I understand it's not easy but there was absolutely nothing they did about that.

Went for the ICE NINE KILLS gig on 04/06/2023. Enough space even though event was sold out. Drinks no too expensive - usual gig prices. Maybe about £5.50 ish for a pint of cider (can't really remember). Toilets were clean enough. Enough that you didn't have to wait along time (which usually isn't the case for women's loos 😅). Long queue to get in, but all normal gig stuff. Happy with venue. Bar staff were quick and attentive.

Second time at the academy this time for Alexis on fire (amazing) first time was funeral for a friend (also amazing) great spot. No venue parking but there is a pay and display a 2 minute walk away. Great location with plenty of food and drink options local.

Great venue for live music. Relatively small and intimate, with good acoustics. There's a student union bar, with limited drink options. Good atmosphere. Numerous options for parking at a walking distance. Lots of options of bars and restaurants nearby too.

A great modern experience in a building that is in effect the students Union. The gig I went to in the Academy 3 upstairs, there are a lot of them had great acoustic

First time being in here for a concert. Huge floor , great sound systems , but I'd definitely state that most of us had little space at all to move, ehen everyone was inside ,shoulder to shoulder almost , in truth i felt if something went wrong the night i was there , it could end up a dangerous stampede situation....so my first point was to look for fire exits, enough around and lit up well ... There was people smoking weed inside the event and outside the doors and it was a family event too where kids were around this no one preventing this either which I found interesting. clean toilets ....clean building . not sure there was any Aircon or if it wasn't working properly as everyone including myself was gleaming with glorious sweat and melting not pleasant in a ram packed place... trying ti walk through everyone to get out the main room was a nightmare due to lack of space ... so for health and safety reasons I'd say I was shocked with certain events and tragedies happening around the world at concerts. Just my experience. Had an amazing night minus some of the concerns above.

Saw H.E.R last night and she was amazing but I couldn't stay til the end. I was so disappointed with waiting 2 hours for it to start👎They must know that people are going to wait in the queue outside before waiting to go inside so in total we waited 2.5hrs! Doors should have never opened so early and there was no info on the website to say what time she was starting. A heads up on the time would have made the whole experience better, even if they told us in the queue, not just a note on the wall as so many people missed it and Im ot a regular sorry, I came up especially with my daughter from Essex to see H.E.R 🙄 I was so uncomfortable in bed after standing for so long with hardly any movement (cos it was so cramped and hot) for nearly 4 hours. If the information was clearer it would have made a difference. It said ' H.E.R and Special Guests' so straight away you think that there's artists before her right, nope a couple of her band members singing solo's. They were amazing but again information is key, even if it spoils the surprise: Dont have people standing for so long!! The venue was OK though, drinks service wasn't too bad either and enough toilets plus a lift to the balcony which was good for disabled access. A decent venue, just needs to be more detailed when giving information. And Manchester Academy, please don't respond to this review with an explanation or try to justify it, no excuse for the wait regardless what you say!!

Great venue. Not too big and was well staffed. Brilliant to finally see Cadillac Three after nearly 3 years wait.

Decent venue tucked away at the university. Unfortunately, the bar wasn't subsidised so didn't bother drinking. Plenty of space to move and good vantage points. Nice seating available for oldies or those who feel the need to sit at gigs.