Wolf Alice @ The Apollo
Wednesday 12th January / Thursday 13th January
Wolf Alice are a band that a lot of us have grown up with. I was breaking in my first pair of Dr Martens and hanging about Affleck’s Palace when their very first ever EP came out, and I’ve watched the band blossom into festival headlining fiends over the years, producing music that has matured beautifully, like a nice bottle of red and a slab of stinky cheese. They’ll be returning to Manchester in early January to play the Apollo and treat us to songs from their most recent album, Blue Weekend. Expect powerhouse vocals from Ellie Roswell and a live mix of raucous punk energy, sprinkled with some intimately sweet moments from their back catalogue of stunning music.
Lonelady @ The Trades Club
Friday 14th January
Julie Campbell AKA Lonelady is a true electronic-pop pioneer. Her groove-stricken music is a nod to bands of the 80s including Yazoo, Pink Rhythm and The System, who blend rare disco with punchy synth rhythms to create music that truly makes you move. Her live performance is also captivating, as her industrial-esque sound is played out across various instruments including, guitars, drum machines and stacked synths, depicting the DIY Manc heritage and its industrial past.
Roy Ayers at The Blues Kitchen
Sunday 16th January
Roy Ayers will be bringing his funk-fuelled stage show to no other than Manchester’s Blues Kitchen next year, for a show-stopping danceathon to cure those January blues. The 81-year-old jazz legend pioneered the jazz-funk period of the 70s, which saw him release outstanding, soulful tunes including timeless classic, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, and with a career spanning 6 whole decades, his music is truly loved worldwide. Unbelievably, there are still tickets available for this show, which you can bag by following the link below.
A.O. Gerber @ The Castle Hotel
Saturday 22nd January
A.O. Gerber is a singer-songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist based in Los Angeles. Her beautifully haunting music has been crafted through her circuitous path, studying Art History and Italian in college and then leaving school temporarily to work on farms before her music career really took off, but it was so worth the wait. Throughout Gerber’s first full-length record ‘Another Place to Need’ she invites you personally and warmly into rooms she’s crafted with sonic intensity. Rich vocals deliver hauntingly intimate lyrics while lush arrangements of synths and horns billow and build, offering an ecstatic catharsis.
International Teachers of Pop @ Night & Day Cafe
Friday 28th January
Do you fancy a dance this January? International Teachers of Pop are coming to Night & Day Cafe armed with their perfect pop-infused electro bangers for a night of BIG fun. The Sheffield-based band are a creative force, thrusting catchy choruses, glittering synth sounds and stunning social commentary vocals by singers Leonore Wheatley and Katie Mason right in your face. Think The Human League meets Kylie, International Teachers of Pop are ready to give you a lesson in synchronised dancing this Jan!
Soul II Soul at Manchester Academy
Saturday 29th January
I’ll be here, right on the front row, trying to catch the eye of Jazzy B so that we could reminisce about the time we chatted for 3 minutes in the backstage area of Parklife. He’ll definitely remember me of course and not just think of me as some mental super fan.
