YES brings four floors of music and late nights to Charles Street

Manchester has no shortage of music venues, but YES has carved out a special place since opening on Charles Street in 2018. The multi-floor venue combines live music, a bar and late-night events in a building with a long history of its own.

The venue was created by Now Wave, one of the city's leading independent music promoters. Its opening weekend ran from 21 to 23 September 2018, exactly ten years to the day since Now Wave put on its first show, a fitting way to mark a decade of bringing bands to Manchester.

The building itself dates from 1912 and was home for many years to Capes Dunn and Co, the auctioneers. Its transformation into a music venue gave the old building a lively new purpose just off Oxford Road.

At the heart of YES is the Pink Room, the venue's main live music space. From the start, the team made sound a priority. At opening, they explained that while the Pink Room was more minimal in its look, they were going all out on sound quality, installing a Danley speaker system.

That attention to detail has helped YES attract exciting artists. On its opening weekend, acts including Let's Eat Grandma and Laura Misch played the Pink Room, setting the tone for a programme that has championed new and rising talent. For many fans, catching an artist in a room of this size before they move on to bigger stages is a big part of the appeal.

Beyond the gigs, YES has become a social space in its own right. Confidentials described it at launch as the city's new four-storey hangout, with space for drinks, food and club nights alongside the gigs.

Its location also makes it a natural stop on a night out. Charles Street sits within the Oxford Road Corridor, close to the universities, Oxford Road station and plenty of other bars and venues.

Gig listings, club nights and ticket links are published on the venue's website and through Now Wave, so it is worth checking what is on before heading down.