It’s a cracking month for gigs and club nights in Manchester this month, with the usual worldwide recording stars rubbing shoulders with fierce new talent, some old school pop icons and the return of a underground hip-hop force.
Here are the best gigs and club nights in Manchester in November…
Marlon Hoffstadt: Party of the Year
Berlin producer and DJ Marlon Hoffstadt – aka DJ Daddy Trance – will be descending on The Warehouse Project for the Halloween weekend with a bag full of bangers and a wild line-up, including (deep breath) Benwal, Biianco, Club Angel, DJ Gigola, Emilija, Fenrick, Helena Lauwaert, Horsegiirl, Leaha, Malugi, Niamh, Saidah, Sam Alfred, Sam Girling, Sedef Adasi, Surf 2 Glory, VTSS and X Club. This is a marathon, not a sprint, kicking off at 5pm, and also featuring a Gag Takeover from the Charli xcx-approved Alex Chapman and Zoe Gitter. Strap in.
Ember’s Monster Masquerade
Ember & the Vixens are back, with a love letter to all things creepy, spine-tingling and nightmarish. Selina Helliwell’s sparkling show will transform Fairfield Social Club into a Halloween-style cabaret den, featuring live music, burlesque, spoken word, circus & more – in this cabaret spooktacular. Join the Vixens for a creepy cabaret and a belated Halloween celebration on Saturday 1 November – Monster Masquerade themed fancy-dress is encouraged.
Sam Wills
Smooth, neo-soul Brit-funk vibes from Sam Wills at the Pink Room at YES. On the back of his most recent set Speak (his previous album, debut Breathe, landed him over 450 million streams), he will land with a DJ set from Children of Zeus’s Konny Kon and emerging US star Nyah Grace.
Busted v McFly at Co-op Live
Pop rock legends Busted stormed the stage at McFly’s sold out 21st birthday headline show in London, to announce they would be going on tour together next year. Busted v McFly will see the two groups visit some of the UK’s biggest venues, including Co-op Live in Manchester on 5 November 2025.
Emma-Jean Thackray
Emma-Jean Thackray’s new album Weirdo sees the Mercury-nominated artist blur jazz, grunge, soul, and pop in a self-made masterpiece recorded entirely in her South London flat. Channelling George Clinton’s funk and Kurt Cobain’s grit, it’s a bold, funny, and deeply heartfelt exploration of recovery and self-expression. She lands at Band on the Wall on 6 November.
Five at AO Arena
Formed in 1997, Five were one of the most successful boy bands of the early noughties, topping charts across the globe. After 25 years apart, the multi-platinum selling band Five are finally back together again, as they embark on a UK tour. Abz Love, J Brown, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon take to the stage at AO Arena in Manchester on 7 November 2025.
Richard Ashcroft at Co-op Live
After supporting Oasis on the UK leg of their huge Live ’25 gigs, The Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft returns to headline a huge date in Manchester. Celebrating the release of his seventh solo album Lovin’ You, the Bittersweet Symphony singer will play at Co-op Live on 8 November 2025.
Clipse
Hype will often come these days with phrases like ‘run, don’t walk’ or ‘this is not a drill’. But this really isn’t. Pusha T and Malice are reunited, after splitting back in 2010. Pusha always said ‘never say never’, and these will be the first shows in support of their fourth album, the Pharrell Williams-produced Let God Sort Em Out, one of the most hotly-anticipated hip hop albums in years featuring collabs with Kendrick Lamar, Tyler, The Creator, John Legend, The-Dream and Nas. With only two shows happening in the UK, this date at the O2 Victoria Warehouse will be huge. So run, don’t walk.
The Rapture
Punk-funk icons The Rapture return for their first tour in years, in fact since their first reunion shows in 2020 (they originally split in 2014). One of spearheads of the post-punk revival of the early 2000s – along with the likes of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and !!! – albums like House of Jealous Lovers, Echoes and the Danger Mouse co-produced Pieces of the People We Love helped define a time where dance music and an angular punk aesthetics seamlessly combined, to the backdrop of labels like James Murphy’s pivotal DFA. They play New Century on 12 November.
Bastille at AO Arena
One of the UK’s biggest live acts, multi-platinum selling band Bastille bring their ‘From All Sides’ tour to Manchester. Playing songs from their first 15 years, the arena shows promise to be a celebration of the band’s career so far. Each setlist will feature tracks from across Bastille’s entire discography – everything from fan favourites to deep cuts and intimate unplugged moments, rarities from the Other Peoples’s Heartache mixtapes, alongside seminal moments from across the band’s four top five charting albums.
Red Laser
The magnificent Red Laser crew join the burgeoning Friday night posse to be taking over the decks at APT. Disco, above Cane & Grain. The parties are being thrown in conjunction with Red Bull, so expect tunes and vibes across the gamut from Manc-talo to breakbeats to electro in this loft-style space in the middle of the NQ.
Blood Orange
From Test Icicles to Lightspeed Champion to Blood Orange (via collabs with everyone from Kylie to Carly Rae Jepson to ASAP Rocky), the truly peerless Dev Hynes released his fifth album – Essex Honey – in the summer, to universal acclaim. One of the most undeniably talented British singer-songwriter-producers of his generation, he lands in Manchester to play the Victoria Warehouse with a wealth of stunning material to draw from.
BC Camplight with Badly Drawn Boy
Every BC Camplight album has a backstory every bit as compelling as its music. A Sober Conversation is no different, as virtuoso songwriter and pianist Brian Christinzio documents the last two years of his life, finally confronting a shocking childhood trauma while embracing sobriety, to create his bravest and most revealing record. In one of their biggest shows to date, Christinzio and band bring the record to the majestic O2 Apollo, and is joined by legendary Mancunian singer-songwriter Badly Drawn Boy.
Nia Archives presents Up Ya Archives
The magnificent Nia Archives brings her Up Ya Archvies party to her spiritual home of The Warehouse Project. The line-up is immense. Skream & Benga reunited, Girls Don’t Sync, 4am Kru, Fcukers, Anz and Bakey B2B Mia Koden being just a handful of those playing this marathon all-dayer into the night. Meanwhile Hit & Run take on the Archive, with sets from Mala, Clipz and Sicaria alongside Rich Reason, Chunky, Slay Sparkz and T-Man on the mic.
DR DR
Describing themselves as ‘aggressive but familiar, like a punch in the face from a family friend’, these cheerful chaps head to the Northern Quarter’s SOUP to play some extremely noisy alt-rock. Expect a theatric display of heavy, dissonant rock, as performed by five Mancs on the ascent. With support to be announced.
Tanita Tikaram
Tanita Tikaram makes her long-awaited return to Manchester with a rare performance at Stoller Hall. Rising to fame at just 18 years old, she became known for her remarkable voice and for challenging the music stereotypes of the late 1980s and early 90s. Across nine studio albums, Tikaram’s music and collaborations have reflected her deep engagement with themes of humanity and politics. This special Manchester concert will see Tikaram reimagine her extensive back catalogue and debut new material, offering audiences a deeper insight into her artistry. She will perform with a specially assembled chamber band featuring musicians from diverse backgrounds, blending genres such as contemporary classical, folk, indie, pop, and electronic music.
DJ Premier X The Alchemist: He’s the Preemo, I’m the Chemist World Tour
Two of the most iconic names in hip hop production history – and there’s not an ounce of hyperbole in that statement – DJ Premier and The Alchemist team up for a rare live performance in Manchester. The pair bring their He’s The Preemo, I’m The Chemist tour to the city on Thursday 20 November.
Adrian Younge
Renowned composer and producer Adrian Younge brings a 10-piece orchestra to perform Something About April III, the finale in his Brazil-inspired psychedelic soul series. Blending analog warmth, cinematic strings and deep-groove rhythm, it’s a rare live glimpse into one of modern music’s most visionary minds. He lands at Band on the Wall on 20 November.
Lorde at AO Arena
Alt-pop icon Lorde brings her Ultrasound tour to Manchester. The New Zealander’s global headline tour will kick off at Co-op Live in support of her fourth studio album Virgin. Lorde will be supported in Manchester by Blood Orange and Jim-E Stack.
Loyle Carner
Loyle Carner’s lands in Manchester for three nights at the Victoria Warehouse, showing off new album hopefully !, a radiant, reflective record about fatherhood, growth and finding light in change — blending hip-hop, soul and alt-R&B sounds into his most expansive work yet. One of the most compelling British voices to have emerged in recent years.
Betty Boo
90s pop sensation Betty Boo will be marking 35 years since the release of her debut album Boomania, which really did unleash said mania when it emerged in 1990. Hip-pop anthems like Where Are You Baby? and Doin The Do feel like they are well overdue a revival too. You’ll be able to hear stuff from Rip Up The Rule Book, her new album, too.
Sabres of Paradise
Producer and DJ Andrew Weatherall was bestowed his nickname ‘Lord Sabre’ thanks to his work as Sabres of Paradise, responsible for timeless classics like Smokebelch and the seminal 1993 album Haunted Dancehall, as well as the associated Sabresonic warehouse raves of the early 90s. Having split in 1995, founding members Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns announced they would reform and tour in 2025 – so here they are, bringing the madness back to The White Hotel, a venue Weatherall would have significantly approved of.
Victoria Jane
Victoria Jane takes to the stage at one of Manchester’s most historic venues for her debut headline show. Celebrating the release of her brand-new EP, Victoria Jane will play at Band On The Wall on Thursday 27 November. One of the most exciting voices in UK Soul and R&B, Victoria brings vulnerability, groove, and grace to every note. This special hometown show will feature the first live performances from her new project, where she’ll also be joined by support from Effi Nicki, R’Monah, Saint Harmony and Saedes.
