Heatwave at The Blues Kitchen

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

Heatwave at The Blues Kitchen Manchester

18 January 2024
Date
Time
Session Features
18 Jan 2024
7:00 pm-10:00 pm

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Heatwave Live
The Blues Kitchen
Book now

Banish the January blues as disco icons Heatwave bring the fire and the funk to The Blues Kitchen.

It’s been nearly 50 years since the release of Too Hot To Handle, one of the key records in the dawn of Britfunk. It came to existence after American servicemen and brothers Johnnie and Keith Wilder, stationed in Germany, were discharged from the army and relocated to the UK, where they met songwriter/keyboardist Rod Temperton. With Temperton they formed a multi-cultural band featuring musicians from from all over the world, while recruiting the Midas touch of 70s hit-maker Barry Blue. Together, they created a debut album that made North London sound like Hollywood.

The three lead singles, ‘Ain’t No Half Steppin’’, ‘Super Soul Sister’, and the anthemic ‘Boogie Nights’ were unstoppable, the latter reaching number two in the British pop charts before taking on America. With so many musical roots between the band members, it was only natural that the album would be a fusion of various genres, taking in disco, funk, soul, R&B, jazz and rock to create something that was their own.

That debut record was the high watermark of the group’s career, though several hit singles and acclaimed records did follow. But various tragedies and the formation of other projects took hold, before the three core members of the group passed away between 2006 and 2017. The current incarnation of Heatwave is thus not anything like the original line-up. Think of it more as a celebration of the glorious, irrepressibly upbeat early music that group released. The perfect antidote to those January blues.

Where to go near Heatwave at The Blues Kitchen

Castlefield
Event venue
Old Granada Studios

Manchester’s old Granada Studios is an iconic piece of the city’s history and home to Sidney Bernstein’s television empire.

Manchester Opera House by Phil Tragen
City Centre
Theatre
Manchester Opera House

A commercial touring theatre, the Manchester Opera House is reopening in August 2021, all set to host the city’s finest mainstream theatrical productions, music gigs, opera and ballet.

Aviva Studios
Manchester
Event venue
Aviva Studios

Factory International at Aviva Studios is a world-class cultural space in the heart of Manchester, building on the success of MIF.

Manchester
Hotel
Moxy Manchester City

Moxy Manchester City is a stylish 146-bedroom hotel in Spinningfields, with an attractive living room lobby and modern, well-stocked bar.

The Mews Bar and Charcuterie
Manchester
Bar or Pub
The Mews Bar and Charcuterie

Based at Great Northern’s thriving plaza, The Mews Bar and Charcuterie is a stylish place for drinks and high-quality food boards, from the team behind the excellent Northern Quarter cocktail

Manchester
Restaurant
Hey Little Cupcake

Hey Little Cupcake is a small, trendy cupcake boutique nestled in Spinningfields that uses the finest ingredients to create a signature collection of cupcakes, cakes and brownies.

What's on: Music

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

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

A host of Halloween horrors, experimental shorts, plus pioneering black British cinema make our October Cinema Guide.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Theatre this month bursts with contrasts - from bold new writing and Black History Month highlights to contemporary arts and reimagined classics.

Exhibitions in the North

Galleries around the North are gearing up for a new season of exhibitions - from iconic art prizes to smaller, artist-led gems.

Wisp Press Image
Music in the North

From corrupted shoegaze to experimental electronica, post-hardcore to Indian classical, these are the shows that should be on your radar.