Live music in Manchester this week: 25-31 Jan

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. 

Fri 27 Jan

[Mexrrissey]

If you, like us, could do with a musical nod to sunnier climes, look no further than Mexrrissey, who pay tribute to The Most Miserable Man on Earth and The Smiths through Mexican reimaginings of the Morrissey back catalogue. Silly, yes, but that’s what you want right now, isn’t it? Let loose, honey. The Ritz, 6.30pm, £16.50

Sat 28 Jan

Following our inaugural two-floor party back in September, Stay Fresh Fest returns to The Deaf Institute for another celebration of some of the most vital new music in the North. On the bill you’ll find – take a deep breath – new Heavenly Records signees The Orielles, Luxury Death (the new project from Ben Thompson and Meg Williams), cosmic explorers Henge, scuzzed-out garage rockers Heavy on the Magic, Sheffield’s lo-fi noise poppers Seize the Chair, riff-heavy sludge monsters Mums, polyrhythmic electronic outfit Strobes, lounge metallers Lake of Snakes and party-smart punks Patty Hearst. Holy shit we’re excited – click on the links to get more info on each of the Fresh-ists. The Deaf Institute, 4pm, £8-£10

[Blooms, photo: Michael Barrow]

Here we go again with some of that sundrenched escapism, with a smattering of dreamy lo-fi surf-pop from rising Manchester trio Blooms, who we like and think you might like too. Presented by Flat Plastic, support comes from Macclesfield’s The Showers, shoegaze types Foxglove and indie poppers Floral Scene. Gullivers, 7.30pm, £5

Ian Goncharov - Float in a Mustard Tonic from Caustic Coastal on Vimeo.

The HQ of Salford-based independent art label Caustic Coastal becomes the stage for a collab between Idle Chatter and Sacred Tapes, who present an evening of live music from Katz Milk (the performance and recording project from Ben Morris, Ben Knight and, on occasion, Andrea Kearney); White Death (duo Kelly Jayne-Jones and Hannah Ellul, who work with feedback, found sounds, flute and synthesizer); and Nino (the new musical partnership of artists Aliyah Hussain and John Powell-Jones, who use contact mics, melodica, pedals, synths, voice and guitar). The evening will also mark the final chance to view Ian Goncharov’s retrospective Float in a Mustard Tree. Caustic Coastal (Unit 2, Regents Trading Estate, 

Oldfield Road

), 7pm, free

Sun 29 Jan

[Horsebeach]

Independent Venue Week and Tim Peaks present Horsebeach and Friends, an evening headlined by Manchester’s own lo-fi dream pop locals. They’ll be joined by Belfast psychniks Documenta and Yucatan, who hail from the Welsh mountains – all housed in the basement of everyone’s favourite independent venue, Soup Kitchen. Soup Kitchen, 7pm, £5

Mon 30 Jan

[exmagician, photo: Colette Norwood]

Truly suited to a hair-in-the-wind road trip, Belfast’s exmagician is the duo of Cashier No. 9’s Danny Todd and James Smith. Having been busy crafting multi-era psychedelia, with flangey synth and lazy garage vocals, they’re now out and about with their forthcoming debut album Scan the Blue, released via Bella Union in March. The Castle Hotel, 7pm, £7.50

Now booking: 

The internet went characteristically giddy yesterday as news broke that Interpol would be embarking on a Turn the Bright Lights anniversary tour, marking 15 years since the release of their critically acclaimed debut. They'll be hitting up the Albert Hall on Sun 3 Sep, but you've only got to wait until Friday (27 Jan) to try and secure a ticket.