Manchester Academy Reviews Summary

Venue Atmosphere

Pros:

• "I had a truly enjoyable time at this venue for a metal gig recently, as I have in the past."
• "Really good little venue. It was a great atmosphere watching Palaye Royale."
• "What an amazing venue, the staff are very friendly, inside three bar areas and plenty staff to serve."
• "An amazing concert venue! We went there to see Animals as Leaders and loved every second of it."
• "Great venue for a more intimate musical experience."
• "Fantastic atmosphere and really enjoyed the night."
• "Venue is massive and has a great atmosphere, loads of students go to events due to its location so events always have a lot of energy."

Cons:

• "Surprisingly a squared shaped venue, which doesn't make sense acoustics wise... the sound quality was not good."
• "Shocking venue, Shocking event, I won't attend again..."
• "The sound quality was atrocious."
• "The only thing they need to tackle is vaping on last gig it was really an issue."
• "The worse point of this place however is the overbearing heat and lack of air."
• "The atmosphere was poor."
• "Terrible acoustics, very poor layout inside."

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Staff in ALL areas were very helpful. They were welcoming and friendly and were the jewels in the crown of this venue."
• "Staff seemed organised and genuinely happy to be working there and helping people."
• "The staff were friendly and helpful."
• "Staff are amazing here, they meet all accessibility needs."
• "The staff are great, helpful and know who's next to be served."
• "Fast and polite security."
• "The show was amazing, including staff especially a staff member called Carl who was at the front who interacted with me and my friend and spoke to us asking us how our day was, made us laugh and simply made our night even better by helping us have the best possible experience."

Cons:

• "Your policy on selling bottled water is flawed!"
• "It was hard to get wrist bands and the staff were unkind on the door ignoring us."
• "Merchandise staff not very approachable."
• "Security were absolutely pathetic, and 2 artists decided not to turn up."
• "Bar staff were super slow and other than telling me the price, didn't say a word."
• "Nobody ever answers the phone when you want to make enquiries."
• "venue was decent however the security staff really let us down."

Accessibility and Facilities

Pros:

• "Inside there are plenty of bars and facilities."
• "The toilets were clean."
• "For parking I highly recommend Cecil Rd car park."
• "Super easy to get to, busses stop just outside and there is parking about a quarter of a mile away on Denmark road."
• "Housed in the Manchester University Student Union, excellent level/ramp access and consideration to those with restricted mobility."
• "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."
• "The toilets were well kept, everything was fairly clean and tidy for a music venue."

Cons:

• "Only let down by lack of parking in the area but we got a space for £5."
• "Great music venue but drinks are overpriced and from mid to end of the night most of the women's toilets in Academy 1 became blocked as the flushers weren't working and were unusable."
• "Great venue but they always over book the disabled access. Never enough space for wheelchair users."
• "terrible selection of non alcoholic drinks full of artificial sweeteners which I advised before arrival I was allergic to, but wasn't allowed to bring my own."
• "If you suffer from anxiety, stress, claustrophobia or breathing difficulties DON'T come here."
• "Brilliant venue, only issue I have is they've made the car park right next to the venue a permit holders only."
• "TOILETS ARE A TOTAL DISGUSTING DANGEROUS DISGRACE."