The Moonlandingz

Chris Horkan

Book now

The Moonlandingz

22 September 2016

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

Book now

Fat White Family frontman, Lias Saoudi relishes the thought of hitting the road with The Moonlandingz and becoming his alter Ego, Johnny Rocket, but what can we expect from the live shows?

“A brief look at the world as it actually is. This is the ‘Ultimate Realism Tour’. These shows will take the futile embarrassment that is contemporary British life and embrace it relentlessly, passionately, pathetically!!” says Saoudi.

The Moonlandingz have just finished recording & mixing their debut album (due early 2017) in upstate New York with their friend, Sean Lennon co producing the record with the Moonlandingz/ Eccentronic Research Council’s synth wizards, Dean Honer & Adrian Sexeh Flanagan. Whilst in the U.S, the group were invited to open for Iggy Pop on the opening night of his ‘Post Pop Depression’ tour, at the prestigious Austin City Limits venue in Texas.

But what does one of the wildest frontmen in the Uk see as being the difference between his Fat Whites persona and his Alter Ego?

“Johnny Rocket is beyond shame, he is utterly free, whereas Lias has to deal with the droll of actually being alive, the usual assortment of small minded jealousies, shameless self interest and awe inspiring bad decision making.” explains Saoudi.

Lock up your fictional Daughters, The Moonlandingz are coming.

Music
Kavari at The White Hotel

Fresh from one of the year’s most uncompromising EPs, Kavari brings her Aphex Twin-endorsed, hard-clipped sound to Salford.

From £11.00

Where to go near The Moonlandingz

Manchester
Restaurant
Sampa

Sampa’s underground space is the perfect place to learn about both her new mind-expanding dishes and vintage sherries, reimagined for the late 2020s.

Northern Quarter
Restaurant
Sicilian NQ

Busy backstreet Sicilian restaurant in the Northern Quarter, serving up traditional dishes with well-executed vegan versions that more than match up.

Manchester
Restaurant
Maki & Ramen

Japanese sushi and ramen restaurant on High Street, Northern Quarter, founded by Teddy Lee. House-made noodles, eight-hour broths, plus sushi, donburi and vegan options.

Restaurant Orme
Manchester
Restaurant
Restaurant Örme

A hidden gem in the suburbs of Greater Manchester, serving high-level British small plates to a soundtrack of indie rock and roll.

The Abbey
Manchester
Restaurant
The Abbey

Historic Hulme pub with a very good live gig space, brought to you by the very capable team behind YES, Gorilla, Now Wave and Manchester Psych Fest.

Manchester
Bar or Pub
Pigeon Beer Wanderer

Pigeon Beer Wanderer brings wine-level ceremony to Manchester’s new “Beermuda Triangle”, courtesy of Joshua Lightfoot and his crack team of booze experts.

Image courtesy of Unitom.
Castlefield
Gallery
UNITOM Projects

The exhibition arm of Manchester indie bookshop UNITOM is a dedicated space for contemporary visual culture in the St John’s neighbourhood.

City Centre
Restaurant
Portfolio

Portfolio is a Champagne boutique on Manchester’s Bridge Street, offering a set menu of fine-dining small bites.

What's on: Music

Greg Freeman by Steve Gullick
MusicManchester
Greg Freeman at YES

Greg Freeman mines local history for character-driven tales of violence, loss and epiphany on his second album, Burnover.

From £18.00
Music
Kavari at The White Hotel

Fresh from one of the year’s most uncompromising EPs, Kavari brings her Aphex Twin-endorsed, hard-clipped sound to Salford.

From £11.00
Ora Cogan by Alexa Black.
MusicManchester
Ora Cogan at The Abbey

Gothic country ballads, psych-folk drones and pedal steel drawn long and slow. Ora Cogan brings her witchy country to Now Wave’s new (old) pub.

From £18.50
MusicManchester
Wednesday at The Ritz

Victory lapping the best album of their career so far, there hasn’t been a better moment yet to catch these North Carolina rockers.

From £29.95
MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2026

O2 Apollo becomes Pysch Fest’s main stage for the first time, with Billy Nomates and bdrmm heading the final wave.

From £44.80
Encounter Festival 2026
FestivalsLancashire
Encounter Festival in Preston

Preston comes alive with outdoor theatre, live music, dance and family-friendly creativity in one of the North West’s most joyful festivals.

Free entry

Culture Guides

“the ripple” artwork by Crowns & Owls courtesy of Good Machine.
Music

From post-industrial romance to experimental country, here's a hot new batch of weird gigs in small venues.

Food and Drink in the North

Squeeze the most out of these final weeks of summer thanks to our mid-August guide to food and drink in Manchester and the North.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre

From intimate dramas to spectacular outdoor festivals, discover the North West performances worth adding to your diary.

Exhibitions

Summer isn’t usually a high point in the exhibitions calendar, but Greater Manchester’s small galleries seem to have made a pact to change that this year.

Emily Lloyd-Saini as Grace in Space and Harrie Hayes as Lieutenant Strong in Horrible Science
Family things to do in the North

Whether you’re after storybook theatre, museum wanderings or illusion-bending play spaces, there’s plenty to keep curiosity ticking through winter and beyond.

A Girl Walks Home Alone At Night
Cinema in the North

There's no shortage of great films out at the moment, whether you're looking for the latest blockbuster, that hot arthouse flick fresh from Cannes or a cosy classic.