Band on the Wall has a long and enviable history. Starting life as a pub called 'George and Dragon' in 1803, it was a pub, hotel, and entertainment venue for more than 150 years before being saved in the mid 1970s by jazzer, Steve Morris. Thousands of acts have played there over the years, including John Cooper Clarke, Joy Division, The Fall, and The Buzzcocks.

Having taken the decision to close in 2005, to do vital building work and reinvent the venue yet again, it now seems as if the funding is proving harder to find than anyone would have thought. And now there's an online petition to sign if you want to show solidarity. For a venue that's shown support to so many over the years - punters, bands, young people, the city and its cultural identity - it would seem a shame if a few of us can't find ways to support it now.

Good luck guys...