Free jazz (and more).

Guest blogger Chris Horkan takes us foraging for live music

Think Manchester and before you know it you’ll be thinking about live music. From Bob Dylan ‘going electric’ at the Free Trade Hall to the Sex Pistols inspiring a generation of the city’s musicians, our city has long been famous for its gig scene. Visit Last.fm or pick up a copy of CityLife, and you’ll find dozens of international acts passing through the city every week. But who in their right mind would pay £27.50 to see James Morrison at the MEN Arena when there’s so much interesting live music available for free (or at least on the cheap) on your doorstep? Here’s a taster…

Folk music has always had a strong following in Manchester, and the arrival of ‘new folk’ brought in a young crowd with luxurious beards and a penchant for all things acoustic. Down in student-land (Withington, to be precise), Fuel cafe has been hosting intimate gigs in its upstairs hideout for years. Red Deer Club is one promoter who uses the venue, with semi-regular nights featuring the cream of Manchester’s folk scene plus regular out-of-towners and special guests. All music events at Fuel are funded by donations.

Or if your taste in folk is for the more traditional, pay a visit to Great Bridgewater Street’s old-style boozer, Peveril of the Peak. Every Tuesday you’ll find one of its many nooks occupied by a group of artists making music for their own pleasure – although they won’t mind if you buy a pint, pull up a stool and listen in.

Classical music has been a mainstay in the city ever since Charles Hallé established Britain’s oldest extant symphony orchestra here in 1858. Nowadays, Manchester is well served by three orchestras, a conservatoire, two university music departments and Chetham’s School of Music. You’ll find classical stars of the future performing regularly in some of the city’s best-sounding venues – including Manchester Cathedral and the usually closed-off confines of Chets. Most concerts cost around £5, but lunchtime recitals in particular are often free.

For those whose taste could best be described as ‘diverse’, check out Special FX at the Royal Exchange Theatre. Every Friday the theatre’s Great Hall hosts a different act – from soul, folk and jazz through to musical comedy. Entry is free, and there’s a happy hour running simultaneously at the bar. Entertainment begins at 6pm.

If jazz is your thing, chances are you already know about Matt & Phred’s, which presents a revolving cast of talented jazz and blues musicians to enjoy for free during the week. To further sweeten the deal, the Tib Street venue offers a free pizza with your drinks before 7.30pm, Monday to Thursday. Or if you’d rather accompany your free jazz with a super-strength continental lager, drop by Sandbar on Grosvenor Street on Tuesdays, where a different group performs from 8.30pm each week.

Finally, something of a tradition is being revived of late: house gigs. One that particularly stands out is a Facebook-organised tribute to New York art popsters, the Magnetic Fields. Local musicians of all shapes and size are invited to turn up at a semi-secret location in Victoria Park on 13 December and cover one or more songs from the band’s masterpiece, 69 Love Songs.

Chris Horkan has been promoting concerts in Manchester for almost four years. He writes for his Mancubist and Hey! Manchester blogs when he can find the time. He used to be a classical music journalist.

Image credit: Natalie Blooms, photographed by Magicube77, whose work you can view on Flickr here.

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