Equipment and backline available at this venue. We verify and update this section regularly.
PA system
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer
About The Pen & Pencil
The Pen & Pencil is a grassroots music venue in Northern Quarter, Manchester. PA system and vocal mics are provided; bring your own instruments and amps.
The Pen & Pencil is a New York-inspired bar and restaurant on the corner of Hilton and Tariff Street (57 Hilton Street) in Manchester's Northern Quarter (M1 2EJ), named after the infamous mid-20th-century bar on East 45th Street in New York's 'Steak Row'. Wednesdays here are all about live music: a weekly open mic from 8pm hosted by singer-songwriter Izzie Walsh, a well-known fixture of the Manchester open-mic circuit (she also hosts at The Bay Horse on Thursdays). Expect an open, varied bill — singers, performers, comedians, poets, spoken word and anything else. A PA and vocal mic are provided; bring your own instrument, amp and pedals. Manchester's open-mic scene is built around the Northern Quarter circuit, so you'll find a mix of working musicians and curious locals. Solo songwriters, duos and acoustic acts work best; full bands should ask the host first.
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
Fri
Sat
Sun
Nights The Pen & Pencil usually has live music — typical start 20:00
Have you played here? Was the backline info accurate? One tap, no sign-up required.
The Pen & Pencil isn’t in the Manchester top 10 yet — these are the front-runners of its 83 ranked rooms,
by gigs on the calendar over the next 30 days, refreshed nightly.
Not seeing your venue? This ranking counts gigs listed in the next 30 days.
If your room has no page here yet, create
one free and it joins the directory. If it is already listed, add your
gigs and it will rank on the next nightly refresh.
Rankings like this run across GigXchange: the national Hardest Working Rooms table tracks the UK's busiest grassroots
stages week on week, the Pint Index prices a gig ticket in pints
city by city, and UK market statistics covers what live
music pays. All of it is built from the same directory this page lives in.
Common Questions
Seven things people ask about booking The Pen & Pencil.
PA system and vocal mics provided. BYO instruments and amps. Need a venue with full backline? Filter Manchester venues by backline.
Contact the venue for genre preferences. Most Manchester grassroots venues book a mix of rock, pop, folk, and acoustic acts.
Sign up free on GigXchange to view The Pen & Pencil’s booking contact, fee range, and submission process. Most grassroots venues accept email submissions with a link to your music or EPK. Check current UK fee benchmarks before quoting.
Capacity data is pending for The Pen & Pencil. Sign up to contribute or contact the venue directly.
Yes — The Pen & Pencil hosts open mic nights. Check the listing for day, time, and signup details on the Manchester Open Mic Finder.
57 Hilton Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M1 2EJ. See the map below for directions. Browse more Manchester venues nearby.
Fee ranges are available to signed-up artists on GigXchange. Grassroots venue fees in Manchester vary by event type, band size, and whether the deal is a flat fee or door split. The GigXchange Rate Calculator shows current UK percentiles.
Keep up with Manchester
One email a week with live music near you. Free, and it keeps rooms like this one full.
Help keep grassroots venues open in Manchester
—
A UK venue stops hosting live music every 5 days — and turning up is what keeps a room
open. Get a free weekly email of gigs in Manchester. Unsubscribe any
time. Privacy.
Booking or playing in Manchester? The GX Index publishes what UK gigs actually
pay, by city, band size and venue type, and the GX Index reports set out the methodology and the sample behind
every figure. Both are free to read and free to cite.
