Music in the North

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Summer might be giving up the ghost, but gig season’s just warming up. From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.

Shoegaze is back, and TikTok’s to blame. Find out why as we dig into unlikely stardom of the 20-year-old Wisp, who’s clocked up more streams than some of her heroes. You can catch her at The Deaf Institute, while TTSSFU, who takes the genre in a darker direction, plays at The Attic in Leeds.

On the electronic front, Skee Mask returns to The White Hotel with precision-engineered breakbeat-techno, and Halina Rice (for fans of Jon Hopkins, Max Cooper and Rival Consoles) lands at Liverpool Arts Club with a live AV trip that’s part rave, part art-happening.

Elsewhere MF Tomlinson threads Talk Talk’s experimentalism with 70s tinged folk at The Castle; New York art-punks Les Savy Fav breach your personal space at The Brudenell; and Dialled In present a triple bill at Band on the Wall, led by benju master Ustad Noor Bakhsh – a living link to Balochistan’s folk lineage.

Read about all this and more below.

Our top picks

Skee Mask at The White Hotel

Skee Mask at The White Hotel, Salford, 19 September 2025, From £11.00 - Book now

Skee Mask, the producer behind some of the most inspired electronic music of the past decade, returns to The White Hotel.

Wisp at The Deaf Institute

Wisp at The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 23 October 2025, From £19.25 - Book now

Shoegaze’s unlikely resurgence has catapulted 20-year-old Wisp from iPhone demos to Coachella. In support of her debut album, she headlines The Deaf Institute.

Wisp Press Image
Elinor Kry

TTSSFU at The Attic

TTSSFU at The Attic, Leeds, 9 November 2025, From £13.00 - Book now

TTSSFU – Wigan-born, Manchester-based Tasmin Nicole Stephens – makes lofi, grungy shoegaze that takes the genre in an intriguingly dark direction.

MF Tomlinson at The Castle

MF Tomlinson at Castle Hotel, Manchester, 29 October 2025, From £11.00 - Book now

London-based, Brisbane-born singer-songwriter MF Tomlinson brings album number three, Die To Wake Up From A Dream, to The Castle.

Ustad Noor Bakhsh, Jaubi and Amrit Kaur at Band on the Wall

Ustad Noor Bakhsh, Jaubi + Amrit Kaur at Band on the Wall, Manchester, 1 October 2025 - Book now

Dialled In, the London-based, artist-led collective all about inspiring South Asian expression, return to Manchester with a pretty unique triple bill

Image supplied by Band on the Wall

Les Savy Fav at Brudenell Social Club

Les Savy Fav at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 31 October 2025, From £25.00 - Book now

Blurring the line between performance art and punk show, New York’s Les Savy Fav return to the Brudenell on All Hallows’ Eve.

the artist in a mask
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Halina Rice at Liverpool Arts Club

Halina Rice at Arts Club Liverpool, Liverpool, 15 November 2025, From £17.50 - Book now

Operating in the same orbit as Jon Hopkins, Max Cooper and Rival Consoles, Halina Rice pairs emotive electronic music with cutting-edge visuals to create live events she describes as “part rave, part art-happening”.

Halina Rice Profile Press Image
Michal Augustini

Dog Race at Oporto

Dog Race at Oporto, Leeds, 14 September 2025, From £11.00 - Book now

Part post-punk grit, part gothic spectacle, Dog Race are a strange and compelling presence in the UK’s alt underground.

Dog Race Press Image
Holly Whitaker

The New Eves at Hyde Park Bookclub

The New Eves at Hyde Park Book Club, Leeds, 16 September 2025, From £12.50 - Book now

Celebrating the release of their debut album, The New Eves bring their raw, ritualistic folk to Leeds’ Hype Park Bookclub.

the band
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Poor Creature at The Attic

Poor Creature at The Attic, Leeds, 16 September 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

Featuring members of Landless and Lankum, Poor Creature reimagine centuries-old folk songs with dreamlike textures, earthy harmonies, and a subtle, timeless pull.

David Cleary.

Inspirational Artists at RNCM

Inspirational Artists at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 26 September 2025–16 June 2026, From £12.50 - Book now

This autumn, the RNCM launches its second Inspirational Artists series, spotlighting a huge range of touring musicians and ensembles, each bringing something unique to the stage.

Abel Selaocoe_Spring 2026_credit Phil Sharp_sq
Abel Selaocoe. Image courtesy of Phil Sharp.

Sprints at The Jacaranda

Sprints at The Jacaranda, Liverpool, 27 September 2025, From £19.50 - Book now

One of the most urgent voices in alt-punk, SPRINTS are heading to Liverpool for an intimate in-store show and signing ahead of the release of their second album.

Sprints
TITOUAN MASSÉ

M(h)aol at Future Yard

M(h)aol at Future Yard, Wirral, 19 September 2025, From £15.68 - Book now

Irish post-punk firebrands M(h)aol return to Liverpool this September, bringing their raw, rhythm-driven new album Something Soft to Future Yard.

Mhaol x Snare Press Image
Cait Fahey

Modern Nature at Rough Trade Liverpool

Modern Nature at Rough Trade, Liverpool, 2 October 2025, From £15.00 - Book now

Modern Nature bring their shape-shifting blend of bucolic folk, free jazz and psych-tinged post-rock to Rough Trade Liverpool this October, in support of their forthcoming album The Heat Warps.

Modern Nature

WHP25: Overmono at Depot Mayfield

Overmono at Depot Mayfield, Manchester, 18 October 2025, From £49.50 - Book now

Overmono return to The Warehouse Project this October with Pure Devotion – a self-curated night of high emotion, heavy sonics, and a no-messing line-up from the sharpest edges of global club culture.

Overmono at The Warehouse Project
The Warehouse Project

The Hallé 2025-26 Season

The Hallé 2025-26 Season at Aviva Studios, Manchester (and other venues), 25 September 2025–27 June 2026, From £17 - Book now

The Hallé’s new season blends classical heavyweights, boundary-pushing premieres, and genre-straddling names like Jonny Greenwood and Anna Meredith – plus a whole festival dedicated to John Adams.

Alex Burns.

More Music

MusicLeeds
Poor Creature at The Attic

Poor Creature reimagine centuries-old folk songs with dreamlike textures, earthy harmonies, and a subtle, timeless pull.

From £15.00
Mhaol x Snare Press Image
MusicBirkenhead
M(h)aol at Future Yard

Irish post-punk firebrands M(h)aol return to Liverpool this September, bringing their raw, rhythm-driven new album Something Soft to Future Yard.

From £15.68
MusicManchester
Skee Mask at The White Hotel

Skee Mask, the producer behind some of the most inspired electronic music of the past decade, returns to The White Hotel.

From £11.00
A large mechanical puppet controlled by multiple people. Encounter Festival in Preston
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Expect a jam-packed day of outdoor performance, live music, family fun – plus Preston’s iconic Torchlight Procession and fireworks finale.

Free entry
Sprints
MusicCity Centre
Sprints at The Jacaranda

One of the most urgent voices in alt-punk right now, SPRINTS are heading to The Jacaranda for an intimate in-store show and signing.

From £19.50

Experiences

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Walking Tour Stock imagery
Until
ActivityCity Centre
The Manchester Music Walkabout

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ActivityManchester
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Salford Lads Club Exterior
TourManchester
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