Matt and Phred's marks more than 25 years of late-night jazz on Tib Street

Late at night in the Northern Quarter, the sound of a double bass or a trumpet drifting up from Tib Street usually means one thing. Matt and Phred's, Manchester's best-known jazz club, is in full swing.

The club was opened in 1999 by Matt Nickson, who has recalled the early days in an interview for the Manchester Digital Music Archive's Manchester Scene Stories series. He describes the club's roots in the former PJ Bell's site on Tib Street, where it has made its home ever since.

In the decades since, Matt and Phred's has built a reputation as a dedicated late-night jazz club, a description it still uses for itself. The emphasis is on live music, with a programme that has ranged from established names to emerging players finding their feet in the city.

Regular jam sessions have long been part of that mix, giving local musicians a place to sit in, swap ideas and develop. The club's listings have featured jazz jam nights alongside headline gigs, and Jazzwise has reported on its monthly line-ups.

The club's place in the wider jazz community was underlined in May 2025, when Manchester Jazz Festival chose it to host a party celebrating the festival's 30th anniversary. The festival described Matt and Phred's as its long-established partner venue, a fitting choice for a milestone birthday.

Nickson's influence has spread beyond Tib Street too. When a new jazz club, La Gitane, opened in the basement of Café Istanbul, Time Out reported that he was overseeing its music programming, a sign of how much his experience is valued on the city's scene.

For visitors, the appeal is simple. Matt and Phred's offers an intimate room, a late licence and live jazz in a part of the city that is already busy with bars and restaurants, making it an easy place to end an evening.

Upcoming gigs and jam nights are listed on the Matt and Phred's website, where tickets can be booked in advance for the more popular shows.