The University of Manchester Students Union has 4 performance spaces collectively known as the Manchester Academy.  The largest of these is this building on Oxford Road, sometimes referred to as Academy 1.  It apparently opened in 1990 with The Buzzcocks as the opening act.  In 2007 the venue had a complete refurbishment after which it had a capacity of 2,600.  According to the Academy's Wikipedia entry it has, " ... attracted positive publicity after being referred to as the UK's "greenest venue" with a third of the £3.5 million refurbishment budget going towards minimising the environmental impact and improving the sustainability of the reconstructed venue, as well as making substantial accommodation for disabled music fans. It also received the title of "Best Entertainment Venue" in the 2007 MCR Awards."