Bar Shrimp in Manchester uses acoustic panels to balance music and talk
Loud DJ sets, but no shouting at the table: Manchester cocktail bar Bar Shrimp relies on laser-etched wall panels and an acoustic ceiling. Dezeen shows the concept in a video.
Photo: Edemorais / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized)
Video: YouTube · Dezeen · youtube.com
Manchester cocktail bar and restaurant Bar Shrimp has fitted its interior with sound-absorbing products by Autex Acoustics, design magazine Dezeen reported on 6 October 2026. The space originally had a concrete floor and glass walls; a bespoke “Frontier Axis” ceiling system and “Mirage” wall panels with laser-etched patterns were added to reduce reverberation and echo. According to Dezeen, the dark interior with red velvet curtains and plush banquettes draws on vintage New York bars and music lounges.
The bar is run by chef Joseph Otway, front-of-house Richard Cossins and drinks specialist Daniel Craig Martin, who also operate neighbouring bistro Higher Ground in Manchester’s Chinatown, trade site Restaurant Online reported. The venue has a high-end British-made sound system and a dedicated music director; the music is turned up after dinner service.
The embedded Dezeen video – according to Dezeen a partnership production with Autex Acoustics – shows, per its title, how the panels are meant to balance music and conversation. Cossins tells Dezeen the aim is a space where “you don’t have to shout”.