Secret Night Gang at The Blues Kitchen

Johnny James, Managing Editor
Secret Night Gang

Secret Night Gang at The Blues Kitchen Manchester, Manchester 16 June 2021 Tickets from £12 — Book now

The Blues Kitchen, Manchester’s newest venue, has unveiled a great live music programme for its first few months in business. Featuring alongside names like Roy Ayers and Slum Village is Manchester’s own Secret Night Gang, whose silky, silky blend of soul, R&B, gospel and funk is well worth checking out on 16th June.

Founding members of Secret Night Gang, Callum Connell & Kemani Anderson have shared a love of writing music together since they were 14-year-old school friends. Hooking up with bassist Stuart Whitehead in 2018, a summer of endless late nights was spent combining their shared vision, and writing their debut album.

Fast forward to 2021 and they’ve just signed to Gilles Peterson’s Brownswood Recordings, the globe-trotting purveyor of all sounds soulful and inspired. While the album is still forthcoming, lead single ‘The Sun’ gives us a taste of what to expect, and it’s pretty glorious.

‘The Sun’, which has already clocked up over 100K listens on Spotify and featured on the latest Grand Theft Auto soundtrack, is like a salve for the soul. It’s a really simple tune, but there’s a depth to it that you can’t quite put your finger on. This has a lot to do with 21-year-old singer Kemani Anderson, who sounds like a young Stevie Wonder, his voice steeped in soul and wisdom beyond his years.

The music around Kemani, meanwhile, oozes the warmth of hazy summer afternoons, with subtly intoxicating guitar work from Jack Duckham and a rhythm section that plays not one extraneous note. The same goes for ‘Don’t Mess With My Heart’, a more sentimental track that recently featured on Band on the Wall’s 2020 fundraiser compilation. Like ‘The Sun’, this track finds every instrument in effortless balance, making it easy for the listener to sink into the groove and drift away.

If these tracks are anything to go by, then Secret Night Gang’s debut album is going to be something special, and so is their gig at The Blues Kitchen. Taking place a week before a desperately-yearned-for summer, it’ll be a joyous occasion to have live music of this calibre back in our lives.

Secret Night Gang at The Blues Kitchen Manchester, Manchester 16 June 2021 Tickets from £12 Book now

T3 and Young RJ
MusicManchester
Slum Village at The Blues Kitchen

Detroit icons Slum Village are taking over The Blues Kitchen this April, performing new music as well as tracks from their legendary 2000’s albums.

from £24.75

Where to go near Secret Night Gang at The Blues Kitchen

Castlefield
Restaurant
The Loft Manchester

Smart event space in the building previously occupied by Walkabout, and now host to all manner of exciting one-off happenings

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.

Factory International
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.

City Centre
Café or Coffee Shop
Grindsmith Deansgate

The second branch of artisan coffee outlet Grindsmith provides welcome relief amid the chain bars and coffee shops of sometimes soulless Deansgate.

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 bar Alvarium.

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

Until
ActivityManchester
DJ Gym at Hatch

Learn some DJ and production skills with DJ Gym Manchester, based in the culturally infused surrounds of Hatch.

from £269
Until
MusicManchester
Open Deck at Band on the Wall

Bring your records for a spin at our Open Deck session this Saturday! If you’ve bought some new vinyl from a local record shop this week, just show your receipt at the bar to get yourself a free 9” pizza!

MusicManchester
EXTC at Band on the Wall

Terry Chambers, the original drummer from XTC, brings the revered band’s classic songs to Band on the Wall this July.

Culture Guides

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in Manchester and the North

Affecting contemporary performances and fresh, relevant takes on enduring classics, we pick out shows that help us scrutinise the world we live in.

Teenage Dads
Music in Manchester and the North

Fresh concert seasons, forward-thinking festivals and a revolving door of amazing gigs. Things are looking bright as spring comes into view.