Live music in Manchester this week: 29 Jun - 6 Jul
While the week's undisputed highlight – Beck at the Albert Hall – sold out long ago, there’s still plenty to sink those music-loving teeth of yours into, from Glasgow pop-punksters to local indie (via Queen Bey)...
We dive into the listings to bring you this essential guide to gigs in Manchester this week – plus tips on which gigs to book ahead for. Think we've missed something? Hit up jess@theskinny.co.uk with the details...
Wed 29 June
[The Spook School, photo: Kat Gollock]
Fat Cat’s Glaswegian pop-punk noisemakers PAWS are heading to Soup Kitchen, armed with material from their third album, No Grace, to win over fans of Cheap Girls, Japandroids and Beach Slang. That sorta thing. They’ll be joined by fellow Scots The Spook School (pictured), who are also onto the new stuff with their second LP, Try to be Hopeful, and
Soup Kitchen, 7pm, £7.50
Fri 1 Jul
Bad Uncle and Moving North team up to bring you an evening with Durham-based indie-pop outfit Martha, who return following a stellar show at this year’s Sounds From the Other City – also a year on from being invited to play Billy Bragg’s Leftfield stage at
Soup Kitchen, 7pm, £6.50
[Guy Garvey, photo: John Lewis]
And so kicks off the return of Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl (not to be confused with Salford’s Sounds From the Other City, of course), which this weekend welcomes Elbow behemoth Guy Garvey and Hacienda Classical – along with, further into the programme, hairy hat-wearing James Bay (more like James BAE to the kids, amiright?), Stereophonics and Catfish and the Bottlemen, New Order and The Last Shadow Puppets. Some dates are sold out, so you may have to scout around for tickets.
1-8 Jul, Castlefield Bowl, 5pm, prices vary
Sat 2 Jul
[Lake Komo]
Lancaster’s Lake Komo embark on their latest tour, popping down the road to Manchester before a month of live dates takes them across the UK in support of new a single, Milwaukee. Support comes from Larkins, Marsicans and Bayonet, together proving the North’s indie rock scene is still going strong, and unafraid to keep developing.
Night & Day Café, 7.30pm, £7
Warp Records and Planet Mu exemplar Tim Exile will be showcasing his new self-made instrument this week with a demonstration workshop and live performance down in the Soup Kitchen basement.
A classically-trained violinist and celebrated electronic producer, Tim's known for his innovative DIY approach to making music and his improvised live sets, and his latest project seeks to combine the fluidity and spontaneity of traditional acoustic instruments with the infinite worlds of synthesis and sampling. Go find out more with the demo, before witnessing the magic in action.
Soup Kitchen, workshop: 5pm, live show: 7.30pm, £8 (£12 with workshop ticket)
Tue 5 Jul
[Beyonce, photo: Sam Brill]
There are somehow still tickets knocking about for Beyonce (the one that incites phrases like "Yas KWEEEN" and "Imma let you finish"), who’s back to trotting the globe with her Formation world tour. Not into pop, you say? Especially not for £80+, you cry? Well why not let Lauren Laverne circa 2011 rant you into it in the vid below.
Old Trafford Cricket Ground, 5pm, £81.15
Now booking...
Sometimes it’s hard to commit to a gig that’s four months away, not knowing what the hell you could be up to that day while also knowing that it’ll most likely sell out. If there’s one gig to pledge yourself to, though, it’s Beth Orton, who plays Manchester Cathedral on 4 October.
The folktronica pioneer returns with her new album, Kidsticks, which sees her signature ethereal vocals pumped up by frenetic drumbeats, looped to high heaven (thanks to input from Fuck Buttons' Andrew Hung) and even given the occasional disco tinge – and, more importantly, already one of our albums of the year. Go go go.
The Now Wave All Dayer at The White Hotel was a roaring success last year; aside from anything else, it introduced us to bucolic folk-rock outfit Whitney, who then went on to sell out their recent Manchester show at Gullivers. 2016's shindig in October is in its early planning stages, but Now Wave have announced the first act in the form of Let's Eat Grandma, a 16- and 17-year-old duo dealing in folky gothic pop. Keep those eyes peeled, and in the meantime, you might as well snap up one of those earlybird tickets.
On a similar note, A Carefully Planned Festival also returns this October, having just announced some 80 acts that'll be taking to Aatma, The Castle, Gullivers, Mint Lounge, Night & Day, Soup Kitchen, Texture and more. You've got the likes of The Orielles, Championlover, the aforementioned Peaness, Psyblings and Joanna Gruesome to look forward to; check out the names confirmed so far here, before getting yourself a limited earlybird weekend ticket for cheaps.