Free Trade Hall

The Story

On June 4, 1976, the Sex Pistols played in the Lesser Free Trade Hall's upstairs room to an audience of about 40 people. Among those present were the future members of Joy Division, The Smiths, The Fall, and the Buzzcocks, who organized the show. The building is now a Radisson hotel, but the upstairs room where it all happened still exists. The building was constructed in 1853 and served as Manchester's premier concert and orchestra venue, also hosting historic shows by Bob Dylan and Pink Floyd in the Main Hall.

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