Music in the North

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Ritual, rebellion and ridiculous levels of fun – our latest music picks are in. From Lyra Pramuk’s sacred synths to the sugar rush of YAANG, Blondshell’s fuzzed-up therapy sessions to the piano-led art-rock of Sans Froid, these shows favour instinct over polish, and connection over everything.

Manchester Psych Fest‘s final announcement brings psychedelic mischief; Refract 2025 pits world-class musicianship against DIY dance floors. And in Keighley, Summer Sounds gathers bhangra, jazz, soul and more for a bold, borderless weekender.

Too weird for the radio, too good to miss – these are the live experiences worth showing up for.

Our top picks

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.

Lyra Pramuk at The White Hotel

Lyra Pramuk at The White Hotel, Salford, 4 September 2025, From £19.60 - Book now

Part prayer, part protest, part dancefloor séance – Lyra Pramuk brings her otherworldly live show to The White Hotel.

Lyra Pramuk by Leonardo Scotti
Lyra Pramuk by Leonardo Scotti

Sans Froid at Wharf Chambers

Sans Froid at Wharf Chambers, Leeds, 12 September 2025, From £8.00 - Book now

Smart, eccentric, and gleefully out of step with trends – Bristol quartet Sans Froid bring their tangled, piano-led art-rock to Leeds.

Sans Froid
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

Blondshell at New Century

Blondshell at New Century, Manchester, 4 September 2025, From £24.00 - Book now

With sardonic wit, towering hooks and distortion dialled high, Blondshell lands at New Century this September, armed with new songs and unfinished business.

Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
Blondshell by Hannah Bon.

Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest at Albert Hall, Manchester, 30 August 2025, From £44.80 - Book now

Manchester Psych Fest is back with 70+ live acts, turning the city into a playground for the ones who like it loud, loose and a little off-centre.

Image supplied by Now Wave.

Pussy Riot (Riot Days) at Future Yard

Pussy Riot (Riot Days) at Future Yard, Wirral, 24 August 2025, From £36.40 - Book now

Amid a packed line-up of rising bands, Riot Days – a live protest piece by Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina – plays at Future Yard.

Pussy Riot (Riot Days)
Kerim Okten.

Vessels at Brudenell Social Club

Vessels at Brudenell Social Club, Leeds, 15 August 2025, From £17.00 - Book now

Once a post-rock collective, now something closer to a live techno machine, Leeds band Vessels bring it home to the Brudenell.

album artwork
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

DIIV at Project House

DIIV at Project House, Leeds, 31 August 2025, From £22.50 - Book now

Emerging from a four-year crucible of creative tension and personal reckoning, Brooklyn shoegazers DIIV return to Leeds for the first time in nearly a decade.

the band
Image supplied by Leeds Inspired

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.

Green Island Festival at Hulme Garden Centre

Green Island Festival at Hulme Community Garden Centre, Manchester, Until 6 September 2025, From £25 - Book now

Hulme’s Green Island Festival returns this summer, bringing a three-part series of events to Hulme Garden Centre and the iconic NIAMOS.

Festival-goers at Green Island
Green Island Festival

More music events

Lyra Pramuk by Leonardo Scotti
MusicManchester
Lyra Pramuk at The White Hotel

Part prayer, part protest, part dancefloor séance – Lyra Pramuk brings her otherworldly live show to The White Hotel.

From £19.60
MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.

From £44.80
Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry
Overmono at The Warehouse Project
MusicManchester
WHP25: Overmono at Depot Mayfield

Electronic powerhouse duo Overmono return to The Warehouse Project to curate a show featuring a huge line-up of pals at the top of their game.

From £49.50
Get Outside with Bradford 2025: An image of a large man made pool with fountains in front of a historic building with a clock tower
Until
FestivalsBradford
Get Outside with Bradford 2025

Explore art in the moorlands, soundscapes through the glen and appreciate how the city has become totally transformed when you get outside with Bradford 2025.

Free entry
the band
MusicLeeds
DIIV at Project House

Emerging from a four-year crucible of creative tension and personal reckoning, Brooklyn shoegazers DIIV return to Leeds.

From £22.50
Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Spotlight on

Walking Tours in Manchester by Jonathan Schofield

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

Music in the North

Manchester
Park
Platt Fields Park

Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield is steeped in history, the land having been acquired by the Platt family in 1225.

HOME Manchester
Manchester
Theatre
HOME Manchester

Offering a packed schedule of events and things to do, HOME Manchester is one of the city’s leading hubs for arts and culture.

The MerseyMade building in Liverpool
Liverpool
Shop
MerseyMade West Kirby

In the MerseyMade shop you’ll find bottled gin from the likes of Turncoat Gin, Anfield Gin, Albert Dock Gin and Three Graces Gin. Yep, Liverpool REALLY likes its gin.

Cumbria
Event venue
Penrith Old Fire Station

Main venue for Eden Arts, an artist-led organisation based in Eden in Cumbria creating projects around mass participation, local distinctiveness and digital engagement, from Picnic Cinema to The Winter Droving.

Culture Guides

Two women stand next to an orange car.
Cinema in the North

August brings a huge LGBTQ+ film festival, plus a reggae classic and a spotlight on Japanese animation.

Theatre in Manchester and the North.
Theatre in the North

From outdoor shows to drama in the dark, our theatre guide celebrates genre-pushing work, new writing and contemporary performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...