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Manchester

March kicks off with a packed weekend. Hit & Run celebrate their ninth birthday at Hidden, welcoming Kahn, Gantz and Commodo on 4 Mar (10pm, £9.99-12.99). That same night also sees the third instalment of Cult, this time flying in &ME for his Manchester debut at 1 Primrose St (11pm, £9).

It's a busy night, in fact: there’s also another A/V extravaganza laid on at Texture by the Hold Tight clan, who bring in former Dreamworks and Space Jam animator (genuinely) Steven Burch to lead the visual front (10pm, £5); Selective Hearing’s sixth birthday with Oscar Mulero (location TBC, 10pm, £12.50), or Funkineven at the freshly formed Mantra Live (10pm, £5 – bargain!). Not to mention the small matter of Ricardo Villalobos at Gorilla, with support from UMHO and the Zutekh jocks (11pm, £25).

If you somehow fail to make it on the Friday, why not treat yourself to Paranoid London at Hidden on 5 Mar (10pm, £13.50-£15)? Or, there’s another promising episode of Inside Out with ghostwriter, producer, DJ, visual artist and modern renaissance man Ge-ology turning up at Soup Kitchen (11pm, £10), where you can also catch co-founder of Sex Tags DJ Fett Burger leading proceedings on 10 Mar (11pm, £5). The following day, 11 Mar, you’ve got Len Faki and Scuba at Hidden (10pm, £10).

On 12 Mar, it’s Gerd Janson and Jeremy Underground, again at Hidden (10pm, £12.50); or a four-hour stint from Ostgut Ton signee Boris at Joshua Brooks (11pm, £6-10). Our pick would be the Kelvin Brown and Garth Be tag team at Soup Kitchen, which promises top rope action for as little as £2.50/£4, c’mon (11pm).

Big one on St. Paddy’s Day, 17 Mar, from the crew at Percolate – DJ Sprinkles in the Soup Kitchen basement (10pm, £12.50). If you’re saving your green ‘til the day after, then where better than Nightmares On Wax at Joshua Brooks (10.30pm, £10)? Barely a week goes by these days without Mr. Evelyn getting booked in Manchester – not a bad thing.

Sat 19 Mar you’ve got a Dispatch Recordings showcase at Antwerp Mansion, with sound sculptor Icicle on display for £9 (10pm). Potentially decent night at Sankeys too: Soul Capsule for £8 (11pm).

Later in the month on 24 Mar, French stalwart Phil Weeks brings the goods to Hidden for £8-15 (10pm). On 25 Mar it’s the turn of Raf Daddy – of The 2 Bears fame – under the Homoelectric banner at Antwerp Mansion (10pm, £12). Same night there's Amsterdam favourite Young Marco and Fort Romeau at Hidden (10pm, £8-12), before a great lineup for High Hoops' 12-hour slog at Islington Mill on 26 Mar (2pm, £8), with Antal, Daminao Von Erckert and Ruf Dug all on the roster. 

Liverpool

It's no less busy at the other end of the M62: Less Effect bring in Kowton, Peverelist and Hodge, each pulling their weight to the Livity Sound Showcase at Constellations on 4 Mar (9pm, £7). Canadian ski enthusiast Eddie C is on at 24 Kitchen Steet, just £6/£8 for that one (10pm). There's also Maribou State for a tenner at The Shipping Forecast (10pm), or you can catch Rayko at Buyers Club for £7.50 (10pm) – decisions, decisions.

The day after on Merseyside, you can help celebrate Modular's birthday with the wonderful Baby Ford at Buyers Club (10pm, £15) or Paleman at 24 Kitchen Street for £7 (11pm), while on 11 Mar, there's always Rødhåd at The Garage for £10 (10pm), or Abandon Silence's shindig at Buyers Club for a fiver (10pm).

On 12 Mar you've got Mungo's Hifi and dBridge at 24 Kitchen Street (10pm, £12) or Detroit favourite DJ Bone at Buyers Club (11pm, £10), while Sat 19 Mar provides a chance to catch Big Miz at Buyers Club for just £5 (10pm). Finally, on 26 Mar, Or there's the heavy prospect of Dave Clarke, Luke Slater and Speedy J at Constellations (9pm, £10-£17.50).

That's all folks, have fun.