What's On North 22-29 Sep: Liverpool Psych Fest
Summer may have drawn to a close, but the festival feeling is still going strong with Liverpool Psych Fest, Stay Fresh Fest at The Deaf Institute and, in a boozier turn of events, Oktoberfest at the Great Baltic Warehouse in Liverpool.
Each week The Skinny team hand-pick a selection of the best events from the North's cultural calendar to provide you with this here top ten guide to the most exciting goings-on for the week ahead. From gigs, plays and exhibitions to spoken word, pop-up foodie events and one-off film screenings, we give you the insider's guide to things to do in Liverpool, Manchester and Leeds every Thursday morning.
⚡️ PSYCH OUT ⚡️
Time to welcome the Northern events calendar's ultimate musical monster as the almighty Liverpool Psych Fest (23-24 Sep) returns for another weekend of atmospheric drones, clanging guitarwork and trip-your-tits-off visuals.
Headliners Super Furry Animals will be joined by the likes of The Horrors, Acid Mothers Temple, Demdike Stare, The Wytches, The Lucid Dream, a virtual reality collab between SFA's Pete Fowler and artists Draw&Code, along with a dedicated Psychedelia in Film season at FACT Picturehouse – though you can click here to see the five we're gonna be, ahem, psyched to see.
Manchester heads: don't forget that Warehouse Project also kicks off this weekend, taking us through to the new year one party at a time.
Stay Fresh Fest
The Deaf Institute, Manchester. Sat 24 Sep, 4pm
We've got a two-floor fest of sweet-ass bands this weekend over at The Deaf Institute, welcoming rising names of the UK's alt scene including Cowtown, Catholic Action, Ethan and The Reformation, Peaness (pictured), Francis Lung, Kyotoya and more. Be there or be square. Photo: Debbie Ellis
Morley Arts Festival
Various venues, Morley. Fri 23 Sep-Sun 9 Oct, times vary
Now entering its 11th year, Morley Arts Festival kicks off this week to bring us 17 days of art, live music, spoken word and more, including an appearance from John Cooper Clarke and performances of Alan Bennett's Talking Heads series.
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Manchester Contemporary
Old Granada Studios, Manchester. Thu 22-Sun 25 Sep, times vary
Taking place alongside the Buy Art Fair at Old Granada Studios, Manchester Contemporary includes over 25 booth presentations from emerging artists including London-based Chloë Manasseh (work pictured), Manchester-based fine artist Helen Wheeler, fine art photographer Lucy Ridges and many more.
Oktoberfest
Great Baltic Warehouse, Liverpool. Thu 22-Sun 25 Sep, times vary
Let's raise a stein to our Bavarian brethren by getting in on the action for Oktoberfest, the world's largest beer festival, as Independent Liverpool brings Munich to Merseyside this weekend. Expect oompah bands, frankfurters and all the beer. PROST!
Wakefield Lit Fest
Various venues, Wakefield. Fri 23 Sep-Sun 2 Oct, times vary
WLF launches into its fifth year with poet and spoken word hero Hollie McNish (pictured), international best-selling author Derek Landy, poet Roger McGough and many more. Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic
Fiesta Bombarda Carnival
Islington Mill, Manchester. Thu 22 Sep, 9pm
Fiesta Bombarda returns to Manchester for a new series of carnivals, launching this week with none other than dub reggae linchpin Prince Fatty. He'll be joined by Horseman, Cervo (Banana Hill), Kens and Dobson (Euphony) and Handsome Rob (Fuse FM).
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