Live music in Manchester this week: 5-11 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.

Wed 5 Oct

Featuring a rotating line-up of musicians including drummer Andrew Cheetham and guitarists Nick Mitchell and Edwin Stevens, Desmadrados Soldados De Ventura are a free psychedelic rock ensemble formed back in 2012 in this 'ere Manchester. They’ll be hitting up Soup Kitchen this week following the recent release of new 4LP box set The Grand Celestial Purge, with support from Tor Invocation Band. Soup Kitchen, 7pm, £6

[Mitski. Photo: Ebru Yildiz]

Elsewhere, Japan-born, New York-based singer-songwriter Mitski stops by this week in support of fourth studio album, Puberty 2 – from which you can expect another barrage of indie rock, this time with a confessional depth that centres on those elusive notions of happiness and inner peace. The Deaf Institute, 7pm, £8

Fri 7 Oct

[Beaty Heart. Photo: Alexander Bell]

Now Wave present South London trio Beaty Heart, whose fervid electro-pop has been ramped up a gear with second album Till the Tomb – which has been met with firmly positive reviews since its July release. The Deaf Institute, 7.30pm, £8

Sat 8 Oct

[Blossoms. Photo: Andy Sawyer]

Manchester gets a brand new multi-venue music bash in the form of Neighbourhood Festival, taking over key gigging spots like Albert Hall, The Deaf Institute, Gorilla, Sound Control and the O2 Ritz and filling 'em right up with the likes of Circa Waves, Blossoms, Twin Atlantic, White Lies, Fenech Soler, Lonely the Brave, Rae Morris, Rationale, The Pigeon Detectives and many, many more (100 in total, to be a little more precise). Various venues, 1pm, £30

Meanwhile, Ladyfest MCR – a festival of music, art and ideas celebrating Manchester’s women past and present – gets into full swing with Ladyfest Live, which sees post-punk trio LIINES, experimental duo Tangerine Cat, singer-songwriter Elena Cau and others take to the stage for an evening showcasing female musical talent from the North and beyond. Gullivers and The Castle Hotel, 5pm, £10

Sun 9 Oct

[Wild Beasts. Photo: Tom Manley]

Domino-signed indie-pop rockers Wild Beasts live up to their name with their primal latest album, Boy King. They're joined at the Academy tonight by Manchester's own alt-rock outfit Money and dark pop duo Ardyn. Manchester Academy, 7pm, £16

Mon 10 Oct

[Parquet Courts. Photo: Stuart Moulding]

NYC punk/indie ensemble Parquet Courts return to the North, promising a compelling new direction with latest full-length corker Human Performance – deemed, in our four-star review, as “a character study of washed-out, boozed-up self-awareness.” Manchester Academy 2, 7.30pm, £15

Tue 11 Oct

For something decidedly less frenetic, try folksy Irish singer-songwriter James Vincent McMorrow, who steps in the following day with the fruits of his latest labour, We Move, recorded between Toronto, Dublin and London to neatly mirror the record's aim of exploring how we move forward in life. Albert Hall, 7pm, £20

[Man of Moon. Photo: Elliot Hatherley]

Churning out solid drone-ridden krautrock, young Edinburgh duo Man of Moon are Chris Bainbridge and Michael Reid – on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively – who are currently doing the rounds on their autumn UK tour, which also included a set at Liverpool Psych Fest last month. Read our interview with them here. Soup Kitchen, 7pm, £6

Now booking:

[Jenny Hval. Photo: Michael Barrow]

We suggest getting (only slightly) ahead of the game by taking a look at Hey! Manchester's programme for the rest of the year, before it all sells out – which, more often than not, it does.

There's still Jenny Hval at Soup Kitchen and Stephen Steinbrink at The Castle to catch in October, while November boasts Ryley Walker and BC Camplight (both at The Ruby Lounge), Steve Gunn at Gullivers and Whyte Horses (plus pals Badly Drawn Boy, Stealing Sheep, The Go! Team and Josefin Öhrn) at the Dancehouse, before the year bows out with The Burning Hell at Gullivers in December. 

Check out full istings at heymanchester.com.