Culture Guides
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Seasonal Guides
Livestreamed gigs continue to help us connect with our favourite artists and venues, while supporting the industry around them.
Top picks in our Music Guide this month include a set by electronic duo Bicep, who will be giving tunes from their new album Isles a heavy makeover at London’s Saatchi Gallery. A few weeks later, post rock misfits Black Country, New Road, will be streaming a live performance of their incredible debut album For the first time, filmed at the Southbank Centre. Closer to home, we look forward to a brand new concert by Manchester Camerata – “Britain’s most adventurous orchestra” (The Times) – featuring rising star saxophonist Jess Gillam.
We also write about Sounds From The Other City, whose organisers have had to cancel the festival for the second year running. They’re thus appealing to local music fans for financial help in a bid to secure the jewel in the crown of Salford’s music scene.
We’ve also updated our Lockdown Listens playlist with our favourite releases from 2021 so far, including tunes by Black Country, New Road, Ólafur Arnalds, FKA Twigs, Squid and Matt Berninger.
Here are our picks
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1. Black Country, New Road Livestream
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2. The North Will Rise Again at Gorilla and The Invisible Wind Factory
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3. The Hallé Winter Season 2020/21
Courtesy of Joel Chester Fildes The Hallé Winter Season 2020/21 at The Bridgewater Hall, City Centre, Until 29 April 2021 - Book now
We are delighted to welcome the Hallé back to the stage for a Winter Season packed with world premieres, Manchester originals, the familiar and the new.
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4. NQ Jazz Live
NQ Jazz Live at The Stoller Hall and online, 19 April–21 June 2021 - Book now
A massive programme of live jazz music, spanning venues across Manchester, has been announced as part of a collaborative series by NQ Jazz, The Stoller Hall and The Yard.
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5. Psappha: Music for Sitar (In Focus) at Hallé St Peter’s
Kabilan Raviraj In Focus: Music for Sitar at Hallé St Peter’s, Ancoats, 13 May 2021, from £5 - Book now
Spotlighting an instrument that usually remains in the concert hall shadows, Psappha invites sitar virtuoso Jasdeep Singh Degun to lead a wonderfully varied programme at Hallé St Peter’s.
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6. Shame at O2 Ritz
Shame -
7. Psappha: Music for Cimbalom (In Focus) at Hallé St Peter’s
Psappha: Music for Cimbalom (In Focus) at Hallé St Peter’s, Ancoats and online, 25 March 2021, from £5 - Book now
Psappha explores the full range of the lesser-spotted cimbalom with a varied programme that features several world premieres
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8. Gary, Indiana at YES
Will Shields -
9. Victoria String Quartet Livestream at The Stoller Hall
Victoria String Quartet Livestream at The Stoller Hall, 16 April 2021, from £10
Beaming live from The Stoller Hall on 16th April, the Victoria String Quartet will perform an emotion-filled programme of Mozart, Beethoven and Puccini.
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10. Psappha: Black Milk at Hallé St Peter’s
PhilipGatward Psappha: Black Milk at Hallé St Peter’s, Ancoats, 29 April 2021, from £5 - Book now
Black Milk, the penultimate concert in Psappha’s 2020-21 season, features a world premiere by Mark-Anthony Turnage plus two Viennese chamber group classics.
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11. Get Together Festival at The University of Sheffield Students’ Union
Gavin Ovoca Get Together Festival at University of Sheffield Students' Union, Sheffield, 1–2 May 2021, from £25 - Book now
Over May Bank Holiday, The University of Sheffield Students’ Union is hosting an exciting new festival, headlined by The Murder Capital and Self Esteem.
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12. Psappha: Music for Accordion (In Focus) at Hallé St Peter’s
Alejandro Tamagno Psappha: Music for Accordion (In Focus) at Hallé St Peter’s, Ancoats, 27 May 2021, from £5 - Book now
Joining Psappha at Hallé St Peter’s, world-class accordionist Miloš Milivojević guides us through a variety of music written for this unexpectedly versatile instrument.
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13. Neighbourhood Weekender 2021
Neighbourhood Weekender Neighbourhood Weekender 2021 at Victoria Park, Southport, 29–30 May 2021, from £64.25 - Book now
The Neighbourhood Weekender returns to Warrington for its third outing next May bank holiday. We make our top five picks from the line-up.
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14. Thom Yorke at Victoria Warehouse
Alex Lake Thom Yorke at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 13 June 2021, from £54.70 - Book now
Following the release of his excellent solo album ANIMA, Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke is performing not one but two shows at Victoria Warehouse next June.
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15. Manchester Psych Fest 2021
Steve Double -
16. Lost Under Heaven at The White Hotel
Lost Under Heaven Lost Under Heaven at The White Hotel, Salford, 19 September 2021, from £10 - Book now
Manchester duo Lost Under Heaven are performing two socially distanced live shows at The White Hotel this January.
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17. Braids at YES
Ariana Molly
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Psappha 2020/21 Concert Season
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The Hallé – Fanfare for the Hallé
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World of Music Choir (Spring 2021)
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