Music in Manchester and the North

DRIFT at The Lowry, Manchester, 23 October 2018 - Find Out More

Working in conjunction with The Lowry, the Drift_MCR project (Test Card, VAM and Meraki Collective) is commissioning a series of performance-based artworks from local artists. Considering how great their last event was at The Great Northern Warehouse, this is definitely one for the diary.

Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival 2018 at Huddersfield Town Hall, 16–25 November 2018, from £9 - Book now

Now in its 41st year, Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival returns with a future-leaning programme of dusk-till-dawn events. Here are our top picks!

Manchester Folk Festival 2018 at HOME Manchester, Manchester, 18–21 October 2018, from £6.00 - Book now

Indulge in a long weekend packed with amazing gigs in great venues. Get involved in singing, songwriting and craft workshops. Grab your friends and dance a ceilidh. This festival is a chance to discover exciting bands, create something you’re proud of, relax with friends and make new connections.

Jane Weaver: Loops in the Secret Society at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 21 October 2018, from £20 - Book now

This first solo outing in five years by Manchester-based experimental pop musician Jane Weaver promises a uniquely atmospheric audiovisual take on the music from her two highly acclaimed recent albums, The Silver Globe and Modern Kosmology, in one of the city’s most unusual venues.

In Good Company at Grand Central Hall, City Centre, 26 October 2018, from £20 - Book now

Featuring American musicians Phosphorescent and BC Camplight, In Good Company is a new event taking place at Liverpool’s Grand Central Hall. With both acts joined by their bands – and more artists still to be announced – this promises to be an unusual and exciting use of this special venue.

Eleanor Friedberger at Lancaster Library, Lancaster, 27 October 2018, from £10 - Book now

Part of Get It Loud In Libraries, an exciting project which puts on music events in beautiful libraries across the UK, Eleanor Friedberger’s gig at Lancaster Library is definitely one for the diary!

Sons of Kemet at Band on the Wall, Manchester, 28 October 2018, from £14 - Book now

Jazz titan Shabaka Hutchings brings his group Sons of Kemet to Manchester’s Band on the Wall this October, in support their Mercury Prize-nominated new album ‘Your Queen is a Reptile’.

Mac DeMarco at Victoria Warehouse, Manchester, 30 October 2018, from £27.50 - Book now

To celebrate Manchester promoter Now Wave’s 10th anniversary, Canadian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Mac DeMarco plays Trafford Park’s huge Victoria Warehouse. The full line-up is to be announced.

The Ligeti Quartet: Reich and Crumb at The Leadmill, City Centre, 31 October 2018, from £5 - Book now

Modern and contemporary music specialist The Ligeti Quartet presents a one-off concert in Sheffield, featuring two of the 20th Century’s masterpieces: Steve Reich’s Grammy Award-winning Different Trains and George Crumb’s iconic Black Angels. With a diverse programme of works by John Adams, John Zorn and Tanya Tagaq completing the programme, this looks set to be an exciting and unique evening at The Leadmill.

David Byrne at Manchester Arena, Manchester, 2 November 2018, from £33.50 - Book now

At this ‘American Utopia’ concert, David Byrne will draw on solo material as well as his days with Talking Heads. Don’t miss the chance to catch the legendary artist at Manchester Arena in November!

RNCM Symphony Orchestra at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 2 November 2018, from £5 - Book now

A wonderful concert featuring some of Richard Wagner and Sergei Prokofiev’s most original works. All before the concept of ‘originality’ is turned its head, with Ravel’s incredible arrangement of Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’, as well as a brand new response from RNCM composer Aaron Breeze.

Parcels at Manchester Academy 2, Manchester, 5 November 2018, from £16.50 - Book now

Parcels are one of the most downright fun bands around at the moment. Fusing funk, disco and pop, they sound like an amalgamation of The Beach Boys and Chic. With a debut album just around the corner, now is the time to indulge in the hip swinging joy of one of their live shows.

Will Gregory Moog Ensemble at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 6 November 2018, from £20 - Book now

Performing works by Bach, John Carpenter, and extracts from ‘A Clockwork Orange’, The Will Gregory Moog Ensemble will dazzle an RNCM audience with the possibilities of the analogue synthesiser.

Kamaal Williams at Gorilla, Manchester, 6 November 2018, from £15 - Book now

With characteristic effortless, Kamaal Williams’ trippy musical visions will weave a Manchester audience in and out of broken beat, hip hop, funk and drum and bass. Don’t miss your chance to watch the young virtuoso do his thing.

Ana Silvera: Oracles at Manchester Jewish Museum, Cheetham Hill, 7 November 2018, from £10 - Book now

Equal parts a musician and a poet, Ana Silvera draws from her own eventful life as well as from folklore and myth. At the Manchester Jewish Museum she will be performing her stunning album Oracle in its entirety.

Mammal Hands at Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Manchester, 8 November 2018, from £16 - Book now

Combining jazz, electronica, classical, north Indian, folk and ambient styles, Mammal Hands make achingly powerful music whose ebbs and flows take you on a deeply immersive and cathartic journey.

Manchester International Festival and The Warehouse Project present 'Special Edition' at Mayfield Depot, Manchester, 3–11 November 2018, from £22 - Book now

Featuring five performances in the atmospheric Mayfield Depot, ‘Special Edition’ boasts Swedish experimental pop artist Fever Ray, Bonobo (and friends), Manchester grime artist Bugzy Malone and Northern Irish electronic duo Bicep. Presented by Manchester International Festival and The Warehouse Project, the series is overseen by BBC 6 Music DJ Mary Anne Hobbs, with lighting design by Stuart Bailes.

Sefiroth: Adio Kerida (Farewell Beloved) at Manchester Jewish Museum, Cheetham Hill, 12 November 2018, from £10 - Book now

Sefiroth are an international collective of musicians who explore and re-imagine traditional Sephardic (Judeo-Spanish) repertoire with a contemporary aesthetic. At the Manchester Jewish Museum they will be performing a brand new show: Adio Kerida (‘Farewell, Beloved’).

GoGo Penguin at Albert Hall, City Centre, 17 November 2018, from £18.5 - Book now

Taking a victory lap after the release of their critically acclaimed album A Humdrum Star, Manchester’s own jazz-but-not-jazz trio stop off at Albert Hall to revel in some well-earned hometown glory.

James Holden & The Animal Spirits at Royal Exchange Theatre, City Centre, 9 December 2018, from £20 - Book now

For his third and latest album, electronic musician and DJ James Holden has recruited a band – The Animal Spirits – to supplement his custom-made modular synths with brass, woodwind and percussion. Experience the record live and in-the-round at the Royal Exchange theatre.

The Stoller Hall Autumn/Winter season, 6 July 2018–31 December 2019, from £6 - Book now

Manchester’s newest concert hall continues to push boundaries with its upcoming Autumn/Winter season – from a brand new audiovisual work to celebrate 100 years of votes for women to a one-off staging of a dark adaptation of A Christmas Carol, via a visit by the world-renowned Gould Trio and a year-long series celebrating outstanding pianists who studied at Chetham’s.