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From rising stars playing basement sets to open air shows by your favourite bands’ favourite bands, there are some gems in this month’s music picks.
Thrillingly experimental and drawing on a potpourri of influences, Sorry are an ambitious band, but cover their tracks well; their 2020 debut album 925 was laced with all the irony and begrudging cool that the North London scene buzzes off these days. But that’s all smoke and mirrors; Sorry are brilliant songwriters, and an exciting live prospect at YES’ intimate basement venue.
Tirzah has been at the centre of the underground British RnB scene for the better half of a decade, her songs offering up hallucinatory celebrations of recovery, change and love. It’ll be great to catch them performed live in a venue as acoustically on-point as The Stoller Hall later this month.
Pixies, one the most influential and pioneering bands still operating today, blazed the trail for everyone from Pearl Jam to Nirvana to Radiohead. This summer they return to Castlefield Bowl, supported by Manchester live favourites The Slow Readers Club and Dutch alt-pop trio Klangstof.
Whether or not you subscribe to the idea that The Strokes “saved rock music”, it’s hard to imagine what the noughties would have looked or sounded like without them. A breathing avatar of New York City, the twin punch of their whip-smart garage rock and their perfectly dishevelled, elegantly wasted aesthetic made a massive cultural imprint. And their latest album, The New Abnormal, proves they aren’t going anywhere. Well maybe Lytham Festival in July.
What else? The best flora-themed hypno-folk-metal collaboration you’ll have heard in recent months (Richard Dawson and Circle), a qanun player whose music offers up a personal journey through the war in Syria (Maya Youssef), and a rundown of the best summer festivals in the North.
Here are our picks
Sounds of the City: Pixies at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester, 5 July 2022, from £50.50 - Book now
Pixies, one the most influential and pioneering bands still operating today, are returning to Castlefield Bowl, supported by Manchester live favourites The Slow Readers Club and Dutch alt-pop trio Klangstof.
The Strokes at The Proms Arena, Blackpool, 8 July 2022, from £61.85 - Book now
The Strokes, darlings of the early noughties indie rock scene, are heading to Lytham Festival this summer – their only North of England date this year.
From all-nighters to family-friendly fun via considered, thought provoking weekends, we select out top picks from the many, many festivals taking place in the North this summer.
Manchester Psych Fest at The Ritz, Manchester, 3 September 2022, from £45 - Book now
Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s leading psychedelic music and arts festival, returns this September, and with the second wave of artists now announced, the 9th edition of Psych Fest is set to be the best yet as it takes over Manchester for one day only.
Bluedot Festival 2022 at Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre, Macclesfield, 22–24 July 2022, from £59.75 - Book now
After two years without Bluedot, we’re super excited for its return in 2022, and the just-announced line-up is well worth the wait.
Manchester Folk Festival at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 13–15 October 2022, from £13.20 - Book now
Manchester Folk Festival is back with a huge line-up and a new venue on the books. We take a look at the artists playing at this year’s city-wide festival, from Grace Petrie to Lady Maisery.
Sounds of Nature at The Stoller Hall, Manchester, Until 5 October 2022, from £5.50 - Book now
This year, The Stoller Hall aims to connect audiences with nature through music, getting us thinking about everything from climate change to our relationship with the animal kingdom. Take a look at our highlights from their Sounds of Nature programme.
BADBADNOTGOOD at Albert Hall at Albert Hall, City Centre, 10 December 2022, from £17.50 - Book now
In support of their expansive 2021 album Talk Memory, BADBADNOTGOOD play their biggest show in Manchester to date, at Albert Hall.
New Century, Mayes Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester, M60 4ES - Visit now
From Jimi Hendrix to Pink Floyd, Manchester’s iconic New Century Hall once played host to some of the most influential artists on the planet. Following a £10m transformation, the ’60s dance-hall is returning this summer. Take a look at what’s in store.
We preview the standout classical music events and venues in Manchester and the north.
Plan for July’s food and drink outings at some of the best restaurants and bars in Manchester and the North.
Let’s make the most of early summer, with this month’s selection of brand new art exhibitions from across the North!
There’s plenty of sunshine-drenched reading to immerse yourself in from established names and emerging talent, poets and prose writers alike, both in real life as well as online.
Get out in the sun this month with tours and activities that will have you engaging positively with the climate, taking the plunge in Salford Quays and getting creative.