The Blind Tiger
The Blind Tiger is a privately held UK bar and live-music venue operator in Greater Manchester running Bury and Rawtenstall venues, offering weekly band nights, jam sessions, craft beers and a wide spirits range to local live-music and craft-drink consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersRawtenstall, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Blind Tiger does
The Blind Tiger is a privately held, UK-based operator of independent live-music bars headquartered in Bury, Greater Manchester (16-18 Bolton St, BL9 0LJ). Founded on 25 February 2005, it runs a dual-venue model across Bury and Rawtenstall (1 Brook Street, BB4 6AA) following the October 2017 takeover of The Artisan venue; a third Bolton site opened in August 2012 and is historically referenced but the currently listed active footprint is two venues. The core product is a weekly live-music programme (band nights, Wednesday jam sessions, DJ nights, plus the recurring "Glaston-Bury" festival) layered on a craft drinks offer spanning world beers from over 10 countries (Brooklyn Larger, Hop House 13 on tap, Brewdog and Caledonian Craft Beer in bottles), up to 10 craft ciders, unusual gins/malts/rums/vodkas/bourbons, and house creations including the "Dick Kicker" shooter.
The business has no disclosed proprietary technology stack: the digital surface is a static .co.uk website (theblindtiger.co.uk) with a What's On listings page and a Band Bookings form, complemented by organic Facebook and Instagram accounts handling event promotion. Distribution is exclusively physical and direct-to-consumer via walk-in trade at the two venues; band bookings are inbound via email, website form, or posted CDRs, restricted to acts local to the north-west of England.
The revenue model is straightforward on-premise drinks and ticketed/door sales against a 11–50 employee headcount; there are no disclosed prices, no app, no API, no franchising, no partnerships, and no external funding. The Blind Tiger is privately held with no disclosed ownership beyond a founder/operator-family characterisation, and the most recent dated corporate action is the 2017 Rawtenstall acquisition.
The Blind Tiger firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Blind Tiger
- Legal name
- The Blind Tiger
- Website
- https://theblindtiger.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Blind Tiger is a privately held UK bar and live-music venue operator in Greater Manchester running Bury and Rawtenstall venues, offering weekly band nights, jam sessions, craft beers and a wide spirits range to local live-music and craft-drink consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Blind Tiger industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Bar and Live Music Venue
- NAICS
- Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (72241), Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) (7224)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Music Bars & Venues (CRANACAH)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Live Music Clubs & Venues (MPAGAIAB), Neighborhood & Sports Bars (THAFAEAA)
Keywords
Where The Blind Tiger is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Rawtenstall
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
The Blind Tiger business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels4 records
The Blind Tiger product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Blind Tiger operates physical bar and live music venues in Greater Manchester (Bury and Rawtenstall), selling alcoholic beverages including world beers, craft ciders, spirits, cocktails, and the signature house shooter The Dick Kicker. Its venues host weekly live band performances, Wednesday jam nights, DJ nights, bank holiday events, and the annual Glaston-Bury festival, serving individual consumers in the north-west of England.
Product overview
The Blind Tiger Bars is a dual-venue bar and live music operation in Greater Manchester, comprising the original Bury venue (opened February 2005) and the Rawtenstall venue (acquired October 2017). The core offering centers on live music programming including weekly jam nights, local band performances on bank holidays, and the Glaston-Bury festival event. The venues also operate as bars with an extensive drinks program featuring world beers from multiple countries, craft beers, ciders, and premium spirits. The Bury location is famous for its house shooter, The Dick Kicker. The business also runs a Band of the Week feature and accepts band booking enquiries via email and post.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Live Music Venue and Bar (Bury) Live music venue and bar at 16-18 Bolton St, Bury BL9 0LJ, hosting local bands, Wednesday jam nights, and bank holiday performances for adult consumers in Greater Manchester.
- Live Music Venue and Bar (Rawtenstall) Live music venue and bar at 1 Brook Street, Rawtenstall BB4 6AA, hosting UK bands and continuing the Blind Tiger live music and craft drinks ethos for adult consumers.
- Glaston-Bury Festival Annual live music festival event hosted at The Blind Tiger Bury venue.
- Wednesday Jam Nights Weekly Wednesday night jam sessions at the venue where customers and local musicians can perform live.
- World Beers Selection Range of world beers from over 10 countries, with Brooklyn Larger and Hop House 13 available on tap, sold at the bar.
- Craft Beer and Cider Range Craft beer range including Brewdog and Caledonian Craft Beer, plus up to 10 different ciders, sold at the bar.
- Spirits Selection Wide selection of unusual gins, malts, rums, vodkas, and bourbons sold at the bar.
- Cocktails, Bombs and Shooters Range of cocktails, bombs, shooters, and specialty house creations, including the famous Dick Kicker shooter, sold at the Bury venue.
- Band Bookings Service Service for local north-west England bands and musicians to submit demos (CD by post or email with music links) and enquire about performing gigs at The Blind Tiger venues.
Companies that use The Blind Tiger
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Blind Tiger technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Blind Tiger partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
The Blind Tiger competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Band on the Wall: Manchester-based live music bar and venue hosting regular gigs, DJ nights, and grassroots music programming. Directly comparable in geography (same city region) and as a music-led bar with similar scale and customer base.
- Night & Day Cafe: Independent Manchester bar and live music venue serving craft drinks and hosting emerging artists. Comparable as a small-scale, music-forward neighborhood bar operating in the same Greater Manchester market as The Blind Tiger.
- Brudenell Social Club: Long-established independent live music venue and pub in Hyde Park, Leeds. Directly comparable as a UK regional music pub with regular band programming, competitive drinks selection, and grassroots artist development ethos similar to The Blind Tiger.
- The Leadmill: Long-running independent music venue in Sheffield hosting live bands, club nights, and grassroots events. Comparable as a UK regional live music bar/venue of similar size and ethos, though historically larger than The Blind Tiger.
- The Lexington: Independent London pub and live music venue hosting emerging artists with a curated drinks range. Comparable as a small, music-led bar with grassroots programming and craft drink offering, though based in London rather than the north of England.
- The Trades Club: Members' club and live music venue in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire, combining bar trade with grassroots live programming. Comparable as a small northern-England music bar with community-driven artist development.
- Joshua Brooks: Small Manchester bar and live music venue hosting club nights and live acts. Comparable in scale, format, and customer overlap with The Blind Tiger's Bury and Rawtenstall venues.
- Sound Control Manchester: Manchester live music bar and small venue offering drinks alongside band-led nights. Comparable as a music-programmed venue with a similar drinks-and-gigs commercial model in the same regional market.
Broad incumbents
- J D Wetherspoon: UK national pub operator with a wide drinks range including world beers and spirits. Comparable as a UK bar operator selling similar product categories, but operating at vastly larger scale with a different value proposition (no live music focus).
- BrewDog (Bar Operations): Large multinational craft beer bar operator with multiple UK sites stocking Brewdog and other craft brands. Comparable in craft beer programming and event-led bar trade, but at much larger scale and broader geographic footprint than The Blind Tiger.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Blind Tiger social profiles
Digital presenceThe Blind Tiger financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Blind Tiger leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
The Blind Tiger funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Blind Tiger M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Blind Tiger
What does The Blind Tiger do?
The Blind Tiger operates physical bar and live music venues in Greater Manchester (Bury and Rawtenstall), selling alcoholic beverages including world beers, craft ciders, spirits, cocktails, and the signature house shooter The Dick Kicker. Its venues host weekly live band performances, Wednesday jam nights, DJ nights, bank holiday events, and the annual Glaston-Bury festival, serving individual consumers in the north-west of England.
Is The Blind Tiger a public or private company?
The Blind Tiger is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Blind Tiger founded?
The Blind Tiger was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Blind Tiger based?
The Blind Tiger is headquartered in Rawtenstall, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
Who are The Blind Tiger's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Band on the Wall, Night & Day Cafe, Brudenell Social Club, The Leadmill, The Lexington, The Trades Club, Joshua Brooks and Sound Control Manchester. Broad incumbents are J D Wetherspoon and BrewDog (Bar Operations).
Does The Blind Tiger have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Blind Tiger.
What industry is The Blind Tiger in?
The Blind Tiger's product category is Bar and Live Music Venue. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRANACAH, Live Music Bars & Venues, with a secondary code of MPAGAIAB, Live Music Clubs & Venues. Its NAICS code is 72241 and its SIC code is 5810.