Music in the North
Johnny James, Managing EditorManchester’s closing out the year – and looking to the new one – with a run of gigs from some of the country’s best underground exports. Bar Italia return with a sharpened sound, Sorry bring their shape-shifting new record to Gorilla, Manchester’s own Westside Cowboy present their much-hyped debut EP, and the ever-enigmatic Mark William Lewis is back at The White Hotel.
Ibibio Sound Machine turn away from sun-kissed festival bounce and towards the sweatier pulse of a club at Band on the Wall, and Legowelt brings vintage machines, sci-fi dreams and 30 years of restless invention to deepest darkest Salford. Further down the line, we’re eyeing up a few summer highlights, including a rare open-air show from Neil Young.
But before all that, we’d better utter the C word. No, the other one. This Christmas season you’ll find concert halls in full festive mode, while New Year’s Eve is sprouting its usual whirl of blowouts, which you can read about in our dedicated Christmas guides.
