Live music in Manchester this week: 13-18 Oct

We dive into the listings to bring you this essential guide to gigs in Manchester this week plus the latest news on festivals, tour announcements and more. Think we've missed something? Hit up jess@theskinny.co.uk with the details.

Thu 13 Oct

Berlin-formed experimental rock lot Ulrika Spacek give their debut album, The Album Paranoia, a live airing. For those who haven’t yet caught it yet, expect “sludgy rhythms and poised delicacy,” at times recalling Sonic Youth. Soup Kitchen, 8pm, £7

Fri 14 Oct

20 years since forming and 10 since they parted ways, Scottish cult-pop duo Arab Strap reunite for an anniversary tour marking two decades since the release of their first record, The Week Never Starts Round Here. This Manchester date is just one of three in the UK, and holds an intriguing (albeit vague) promise of updated material. O2 Ritz, 7pm, £20

Jagjaguwar’s indie-folk star Angel Olsen returns this week, following the release of her highly acclaimed album, My Woman. If you need anything by way of persuasion, check out our very persuasive five-star review, which deemed Olsen's fourth LP a fearless and accomplished work that re-imagines the love song. Club Academy, 7.30pm, £12

Tarek Musa-fronted Spring King have had quite the year-and-a-bit since bagging a coveted slot at Texan music festival South by Southwest back in 2015. But it wasn’t until this summer that the Manc post-punk rockers released their debut album, Tell Me If You Like To, which they’ll be bringing home this week with support from Get Inuit. Manchester Academy 2, 7pm, £10

Sat 15 Oct

[Peaness. Photo: Debbie Ellis]

Now that the sun-drenched (or, more usually, mud-soaked) summer festivals have wrapped up, things move inside for a season of multi-venue equivalents. This weekend it's the turn of A Carefully Planned Festival, returning to the Northern Quarter to celebrate the best indie and alternative sounds that the region has to churn out, taking to multiple gig holes including Soup Kitchen, Gullivers, Aatma, The Castle and Mint Lounge.

Browse the full 164-act line-up here, which includes new Skinny favourites Peaness, allusondrugs, Lake Komo and many more, before reading our interview with festival founder Matthew Boycott-Garnett where he delves into his favourite acts to have played previous events and selects who you shouldn't miss this year. 15-16 Oct, various venues, 12pm, £14 (day pass) / £20 (weekend pass)

Tue 18 Oct

[Photo: Sam Huddleston]

The warm, sunny sounds of the American West Coast brighten up an average Manc Tuesday as LA's psychedelic garage/pop outfit Allah-Las head to town. Expect new twists with latest record Calico Review, which sees them experiment with new instrumentation, adding viola, harpsichord, Mellotron and theremin to their sound. O2 Ritz, 7pm, £11

Oslo-born experimentalist Jenny Hval is back with new material – very good new material, to be precise; four star material to be even more precise. Expect a mixed bag of black-metal influenced ambient experiments and synth-led songs from the affecting Norwegian singer as she tours latest album, Blood Bitch, her most personal record to date. Soup Kitchen, 7.30pm, £9

Now booking:

Now Wave bring us a much-needed dose of tightly constructed pop as the D'Addario brothers' outfit The Lemon Twigs hit up The Deaf Institute on 5 Dec in support of debut album, Do Hollywood. Tickets available here.

Catch NYC posse Cymbals Eat Guitars at Soup Kitchen in February, proving their worth as one of America's best rock groups from the past decade by cutting loose on the classic and thunderous drums/guitars/keys combo. Book here.