Plaid at The Deaf Institute

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Plaid

Plaid at The Deaf Institute, Manchester 22 June 2019 Tickets from £12.50 — Book now

Mainstays of Warp Records, Plaid are set to release their 10th studio album, Polymer, on the 7 June. Two weeks later, when you’ve had a chance to let this surprisingly experimental album sink in, they’ll give a live performance at The Deaf Institute on the 22 June. Here’s what to expect.

Ed Handley and Andy Turner have been furrowing their own path as Plaid since they diverged from trio The Black Dog in the early 90’s. Standing alongside label mates Aphex Twin, Autechre and Nightmares on Wax, they’re regarded as legends in the IDM world. Warm and playful, their melody-focussed electronic music is instantly-recognisable and highly listenable, going some way to explain why they’re one of Warp Records’ most enduring acts.

The most wonderfully detailed melody-based production we’ve ever heard from the duo.

Finding their winning sound early on in their career, Plaid have championed the approach of exploring every inch of their own territory before digging elsewhere; their nine studio albums have exhibited a finer and finer refinement of ‘the Plaid sound’. Never was this sound so polished than in 2016’s The Digging Remedy. Filled with exquisite melodies and hyper-detailed production, this was lauded as their strongest and most satisfying record to date, with brooding opener ‘Do Matter’ shining particularly brightly.

Judging by the first singles from the upcoming Polymer, though, this next one might just top it. For the first time, we find Plaid in … shock horror… an experimental mood. ‘Maru’, for example, is surprisingly heavy. Halfway towards industrial techno, it juxtaposes dry and aggressive drums with elegant, glacial pads to gorgeous effect. It was released with B-side ‘Recall’, which came as an even greater shock to fans used to the formula. Sparse, glitchy and forceful as hell, it sounds more Autechre than Plaid!

The polyrhythmic, slightly twisted ‘Los’ feels more like the Plaid we know and love, featuring some of the most wonderfully detailed melody-based production we’ve ever heard from the duo. The wistful ‘Dancers’, is also great. In huge contrast to the mechanical thwack of ‘Recall’, this one’s a little slice of heaven, with magical, oh-so-shiny synths and soft, rolling percussion leading us ever closer to the light.

Polymer is shaping up to be Plaid’s strongest work yet. What better time to catch them play live.

Plaid at The Deaf Institute, Manchester 22 June 2019 Tickets from £12.50 Book now

Where to go near Plaid at The Deaf Institute

exterior of Contact Theatre building
Manchester
Theatre
Contact Theatre

Following a major redevelopment, the iconic venue on Oxford Road will be reopening its doors to welcome the public back into the building this autumn. 

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Sandbar

Sandbar, just off Oxford Road in Manchester, is a well-loved watering hole, with a great selection of ales and some eccentric seating.

Johnny Roadhouse store
Manchester
Shop
Johnny Roadhouse

Buffeted by fried chicken outlets, legendary musical instrument emporium Johnny Roadhouse has been serving the local music community for over 50 years.

Manchester
Catalog Bookshop

Find Peter and his Christiania cargo bike around All Saints Park, a hop, skip and a bunnyhop from Manchester Poetry Library.

Manchester
Event venue
The Proud Place

Based in the heart of Manchester on Sidney Street, The Proud Place houses The Proud Trust and serves as a community hub for the wider LGBT+ population across Greater Manchester and beyond.

Manchester
Café or Coffee Shop
Eighth Day

Eighth Day is a co-operative shop that sells ethically-sourced food, wine and cosmetics. There’s also café that serves hearty, healthy meals in the basement.

What's on: Music

Rock and Goal
Until
ActivityManchester
Rock and Goal Tour

Join Joe Feeley a Mancunian through and through, who guides you into Manchester’s two pillars of cultural excellence with his Rock and Goal tour.

from £9.99
A black woman sat down looking to the left.
Until
MusicLeeds
Sound Out Leeds 2024/25

Leeds International Concert Season is on a mission to push boundaries, expand horizons, and ask the question: ‘What haven’t we heard?’ as it presents its city-spanning Sound Out Leeds series.

from £10.00
Two dancers and orchestra on stage
Until
DanceManchester
Dance:Music at the RNCM

Through a treasure trove of concerts, the RNCM’s initiative Dance:Music explores the symbiotic relationship between music and dance.

from £0.00

Culture Guides

A woman sits in a car with hands holding the steering wheel.
Cinema in the North

Vintage Alfred Hitchcock and a family friendly film festival are amongst our highlights this May.

Image by Jonathan Schofield.
Tours and Activities in the North

We've got many a good time in store this month as we round up the best walking tours, cultural classes and makers markets in the land.

Sextile
Music in the North

The outsiders, the oddities and the outrageous – we’re keeping it weird with a hot new batch of underground gigs about to hit Manchester, Leeds, and Liverpool.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

Dynamic dance, party-performance, high-energy stand-up and a site-specific show set in a pub. All this and more in our newest theatre guide.

A large sphere floats in a dark room with an ornate wall pattern, flanked by two arched windows and a checkered floor.
Exhibitions in the North

From precarious ceramics to photography festivals, spring is here and brings with it a breath of fresh air in visual art and exhibitions.

Okechukwu Nzelu
Literature Events in the North

If it's inspiring, inclusive events and avant-garde, experimental afternoons you're after, look no further than live literature this spring – we've got you covered.