Johnny James

This Irish folk six-piece released a stark and often beautiful debut EP that gives little hint of their “feral, snarling” live show.

Former black midi bassist Cameron Picton fronts a project that’s equal parts lush chamber pop and feral, goading chaos.

Fresh from one of the year’s most uncompromising EPs, Kavari brings her Aphex Twin-endorsed, hard-clipped sound to Salford.

Jonny Greenwood plays live the instrument that gave his Oscar-disqualified film debut its unmistakable, unforgettable voice.

Finding new things to say with one of the oldest instruments around, Jonny Greenwood’s eight-hour organ piece takes over Manchester Cathedral.

John Powell’s Oscar-nominated score, co-written with Sigur Rós’s Jónsi, gets a rare live-to-picture performance this Christmas.

30 years after writing a piece for The Bridgewater Hall’s opening celebrations, Thomas Adès returns to conduct it alongside Stravinsky and a world premiere.

Silenced for 157 years after scandalising Paris, Offenbach’s political satire Barkouf finally gets its UK premiere in Manchester.

James MacMillan’s new symphony gets its world premiere as the Hallé opens its 2026/27 season, marking 30 years since The Bridgewater Hall became the orchestra’s home.

After recently finding a new home in Cheetham Hill, texture 2.0 hosts its second show, fittingly themed around transience and impermanence.

This free exhibition brings 1980s posters that survived against the odds, from when Manchester was becoming a global music city.

Folklore wraps around human anxiety in this new PINK exhibition, where the dragons and giants of Lake Bala become placeholders for fear itself.