Read our latest highlights from the live classical music offer in Manchester and the North, taking in a number of the region’s most cherished ensembles and venues.
Want more music? Head to our general Music guide for our latest scoop on the North’s best gigs and festivals.
Composer Simon Knighton curates an eclectic evening of sonic invention and boundary breaking new music in Sound Sculptures.
Jazz lovers rejoice – manchester jazz festival is back with a bumper edition in 2025, as the festival celebrates its 30th anniversary.
The 27th instalment of The Bridgewater Hall’s flagship classical music series is here. True to form, there are some incredible concerts to look forward to, featuring some of the leading ensembles and musicians of our time.
Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.
Home to the Hallé and the BBC Philharmonic orchestras, the Bridgewater Hall attracts some of the biggest names in classical music. Purpose-built to the tune of £42m, the hall was designed around its acoustic needs; it floats on 280 earthquake-proof isolations springs that mute all external noise, perfect for shielding around 250 performances a year from the trams outside.
The Royal Northern College of Music is both a music venue and an academic institution training up some of the country’s finest music students.
Still Manchester’s newest kid on the concert hall block, The Stoller Hall opened its doors in April 2017 to further enhance the city’s already enviable live music provision.
The 1930s Art Deco Philharmonic Hall, home to the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, gives no hint of the sensuous curves of the auditorium inside from its hard exterior.
Hallé St Peter’s is a deconsecrated Grade-II listed church, once a theatre prop store, then a knitting factory, before being restored and becoming home to the Hallé orchestra.
Manchester’s Albert Hall is an astounding Wesleyan Chapel turned live music venue, regularly hosting classical concerts.
Manchester Cathedral dates back to at least the 1400s and has been rebuilt many times. In current, striking form, it’s still a place of worship, but also host to regular gigs and events.
From sunny Los Angeles to deepest darkest Salford, electronic punk duo Sextile head to their spiritual home of The White Hotel.
from £16.00
Slow Knife perform a brand new live score for Dario Argento’s iconic giallo as part of Leeds Jazz Festival.
from £11.50
Open-air club Progress scales up to 5000 capacity and launches a spring/summer season of forward-thinking electronic music and grassroots culture.
from £0.00
After 27 years, the groundbreaking nightlife documentary Hang The DJ takes us back to the nineties dance scene.
from £25.00
manchester jazz festival is back this May with 10 days of live music from some of the best northern, national and international musicians operating in the world of contemporary jazz.
0-£30
The Hallé invites audiences to a year of classical masterpieces, world premieres and appearances by some electrifying artists and composers.
from £17
Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.
from £44.80
Playable art installations, Shakespearean adaptations, contemporary cabaret, hip hop and live photography, Factory International bring another electrifying Spring Season.
Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.
from £10.00
The Bridgewater Hall’s flagship concert series brings the best international orchestras, celebrated recitalists and world-renowned choirs to Manchester.
from £8
Get priority booking on the best seats, special discounts, invitations to exclusive events and much more. Are you in?
from £45.00
Join the electrifying musical ‘That Night in Manchester’. Immerse yourself in the vibrant Manchester indie scene. Step into the Madchester time machine as you hear a father recount the highs and lows of his life to his only son during the Madchester era spanning his life through the 70’s 80’s & 90’s as you experience the music performed live on stage.
Presenting the best walking tours in Manchester for history buffs, culture enthusiasts, and those looking to scratch beneath the surface of the city.
Take me there
From the team behind the Kazimier, the Invisible Wind Factory is Liverpool’s most eclectic live music venue and nightclub.
District Liverpool is a multi-purpose venue in the Baltic Quarter, hosting gigs, club nights, films, cabaret, festivals and much more.
Soup Kitchen is a superb communal cafe by day and an excellent live music venue by night. The perfect choice for lunch or a great night out.
Brilliant venue for catching a touring band on the rise. The boringly titled Academy 3 or more interesting Hop and Grape, as it was once known, is a self contained…
The Trades Club is a celebrated small music venue and socialist members cooperative combining standout gigs with support for political cause.
This former Roman Catholic church closed its doors in 2004 but recently re-opened as a flexible event space, under the management of the Hallé.
Hailed as something of a cry back ‘to the way the Northern Quarter used to be’, The Peer Hat is a great pub and music venue.
Considered the spiritual home of The Warehouse Project, Store Street first hosted the Manchester club series back in 2007.
Eclectic as ever. You'll find inventive reworkings, world-class contemporary dance and Greater Manchester's inaugural Improv Festival in our guide.
We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.
We've got laughs and we've got leftfield on the live literature radar this month. Something for everyone, from poets playing with form to short story writers looking long.
With these lighter, brighter days and warmer temperatures, it's really starting to feel like summer here in the North West!
Open air clubs, new festivals and long-awaited gigs. The North West's live music scene is heating up this spring.
Willow weaving, textile collages, digital arts and ecology - all this and more in our exhibition top picks this month
Live scores, midnight movies and the latest from Wes Anderson are just some of our upcoming film highlights.
