When: 7.30pm on Wednesday 18 March 2026
Where: YES Pink Room, 38 Charles Street, Manchester, M1 7DB

We’re excited to be working with Heavenly for the first time – plus Tulpa!

Heavenly are an indie pop band who released four critically acclaimed albums between 1991-1996, becoming key figures in the independent music scenes of both the UK and US through their associations with seminal labels Sarah Records and K Records. Highly influential on what has become known as ‘twee pop’, they inspired generations of musicians with their perfect blend of punk energy and pop sensibility.

Originally forming in Oxford in 1989 from the ashes of legendary punk pop combo Talulah Gosh, Heavenly features Amelia Fletcher (vocals/guitar), Peter Momtchiloff (guitar), Robert Pursey (bass), Cathy Rogers (keyboards/vocals) and Ian Button (drums).

Members of the indiepop scene in the UK and the burgeoning Riot Grrrl scene in the US, Heavenly created a unique blend of infectious melody and sharp-edged lyrics. The band’s original catalogue ran from jangly debut Heavenly vs. Satan (1991), through the harmony-rich Le Jardin de Heavenly(1992) and riot grrrl-influenced The Decline and Fall of Heavenly (1994), to the Britpop-era Operation Heavenly (1996).

Heavenly reformed in 2023, after a 27 year hiatus. Amelia and Rob had been angrily approached by their daughters, wanting to know why their parents’ old songs were all over their TikTok timelines. Having established that this was not an algorithmic blip, and that there was genuine interest in their old songs, the band decided to play a few shows. Reunion shows in London, Paris, Madrid and New York sold out quickly, with both original Heavenly fans and a much younger audience clamouring to see the group live.

Newly rejuvenated, the band started writing songs again. A new 7” single, Portland Town, was released in July 2025 and their fifth album comes out in February 2026.

For their spring 2026 dates, the band will play songs from their past career alongside tracks from the new album. This combination is important to the group. ‘If you’re just doing your old songs and nothing else, you’re almost like one of those cover bands – but of yourself. That would have felt pretty weird pretty quickly,’ says Amelia Fletcher.

Their spring 2026 tour also marks three decades since the release of Operation Heavenly. The band had expected their fourth album to be their most successful but they never promoted it properly due to the death of original drummer Mathew Fletcher just before its release. Drummer Ian Button now completes the Heavenly line-up.

Alongside Heavenly these days, Amelia, Rob and Ian currently also play in Brian Bilston and The Catenary Wires and Swansea Sound; and Peter plays in The Would-Be-Goods and Tufthunter.

Special guests are Tulpa. Tulpa are very new: nothing has been released up until now, not even a digital single. Despite this, they attracted the attention of Marc Riley & Gideon Coe, who invited the band to record a live BBC 6 Music session this summer. Around the same time, Skep Wax Records were sent the finished album, Monster Of The Week, and knew they had to release it. Meanwhile, in the creative hotbeds of the UK’s DIY festivals and indie venues Tulpa are quickly gathering a loyal following. They have recently supported Throwing Muses, Pale Blue Eyes and Bug Club and will be playing a series of headline gigs in October and November 2025.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7pm on Wednesday 8 April 2026
Where: Low Four Studio, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, Manchester M3 4EN

We’re delighted to be working with Ambre Ciel (Gondwana Records) for the first time – plus Run Remedy!

Gondwana Records is delighted to release still, there is the sea – the debut album from Canadian composer and singer Ambre Ciel.

Ambre Ciel is a composer, violinist, pianist and singer who hails from Montreal, Canada and is a purveyor of dreamy, expansive, spacious pop music that draws influence from the contemporary classical influenced artists such as Agnes Obel, Patrick Watson, Sufjan Stevens and Thom Yorke. As well as the impressionist world of Debussy and American minimalists such as Phillip Glass and Steve Reich, and in addition mentions ‘music that breathes’ from such artists as Gyða Valtýsdóttir, JFDR, or the collaborative work of Jónsi and Alex Somers.

Ambre, who sings in both her native French and English, hails from a family of singers and artists: ‘I started my journey learning violin at six and began experimenting with pedal effects and looping melodies later on.’ University followed with a focus on composition and recording. ‘That’s when I started exploring composing and songwriting more deeply – both the world of sounds in itself and songs built mostly with layers of violin and voice. It was also during this time that I returned to my “first” instrument, the piano, which opened more harmonic possibilities.’

For Ambre, her debut album still, there is the sea represents a beginning, a first and she says imperfect attempt to create this other world that was living in her mind. She has crafted a beautifully refined ‘pop album’ making a lot of space for strings arrangements and other acoustic instruments, as well as her own beautiful voice. ‘On a personal level, I was searching for silence. I had just finally moved to a quiet apartment in Montreal and for the first time, I had all the time and space to hear silence and create, being solitary and living in the intangible world of possibilities.’

The enigmatic title of the album, still, there is the sea, came to Ambre when she realised that water was a subconscious but recurring theme throughout the album in terms of melodies and lyrics: ‘eau miroir’ refers to how the water can be some kind of mirror, ‘cycle’ embodies a cyclical, perpetual movement, ‘atlantis’ refers to this inward looking quest and distancing from the world, ‘sometimes’ has sounds from rain and storm, and refers to a storm happening inside someone’s thoughts. ‘The water element can be very thin, fragile, but it’s always in movement and can resemble a larger and massive current, expansive, and I wanted to move between instrumental and song with this fluidity and was interested in finding ways to create something that could still feel cohesive. It also reflects this entire season of solitude and silence, how to me creating music represents this access to an underworld closer to the realm of dreams, that can be deep, surreal, rich and very grounding too.’

The songs and compositions on still, there is the sea, also aim to offer a way of coping with what is going on in the world, an escape from the horrors of war and climate change. An attempt to create beauty and hopefully offer escapism and to engage with the world in a way that is meaningful and authentic. ‘Music is mysterious and powerful. You don’t always know how you feel and then just by improvising at the piano there’s a transfer operating and the opaqueness of your emotions translate in a music that can be as emotionally complex and inherently constructive.’ It is a quality that appealed to Gondwana Records label boss, Matthew Halsall, whose own music offers similar spaces for escape for the listener and indeed for Ambre, who was first drawn to the label via the music of Hania Rani, it felt like a natural home. ‘Gondwana has its own distinctive identity, their artists have their own eclectic influences and I think this is how original work happens. When I discovered the other artists on the label, I felt a resonance with lots of music influences that I recognised and felt that I would have a lot of space to grow and evolve as an artist.’

While still, there is the sea is very much Ambre’s own personal statement and artistic vision as a composer, arranger and producer, Pietro Amato, a member of Bell Orchestre and The Luyas and a french horn player for Patrick Watson and Arcade Fire, offered support and experience (and an extra pair of ears) as co-producer and Owen Pallett (Final Fantasy, Arcade Fire) gave assistance with the orchestral arrangements Ambre wrote for the FAMES Skopje Studio Orchestra conducted by Sasho Tatarchevski. And deeply sensitive musicians such as percussionist Stefan Schneider (Bell Orchestre, The Luyas), clarinettist Guillaume Bourque and a string trio made of Marilou Lepage, Sebastian Gonzalez Mora and Julien Siino all brought their unique voices to the record.

This then is still, there is the sea the debut album from Canadian composer and singer Ambre Ciel, at once dreamy, spacious, self-contained, fragile, mysterious but open and honest and we’re delighted to share this gift with the world and invite you to join this wonderful artist on the first steps of her artistic journey.

Local support comes from Run Remedy. Run Remedy is Robin Koob — an ex-evangelical violin nerd turned alt-indie sad girl with a sense of humour. Born in Jersey and forged in church choirs and string quartets, she now stomps through the streets of Manchester, crafting songs that are equal parts shoegaze, diary entry, and stand-up set.

With the recent release of her debut album, Xtian Skate Night, she’s caught the ears of BBC 6 Music, with strong support and airplay from some of the station’s most beloved DJs. Her music swerves from grief to giggles without warning — diving into everything from religious trauma to secret crushes and awkward family dinners. The result? Heartfelt, catchy, and just unhinged enough to feel like a fun therapy session.

This show takes place at Low Four – a recording studio situated on Deansgate Mews in the Great Northern warehouse. This intimate venue features a fully stocked Cloudwater bar.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7pm on Thursday 23 April 2026
Where: Low Four Studio, Deansgate Mews, Great Northern, Manchester M3 4EN

Gratis – our series of free entry shows – continues with Sunflower Thieves!

Rooted in sisterhood, childhood friends Amy Illingworth and Lily Sturt-Bolshaw found their feet in Leeds to form Sunflower Thieves. Gathering plaudits from BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 2, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing, Radio X, CLASH, The Line Of Best Fit, Atwood Mag and more along the way, they released their debut EP Someone To Be There For in 2022 and follow-up Same Blood EP in 2024.

A self-produced partnership, nurturing a unique sound, SFT take a blueprint of dreamy, rousing soundscapes and inject it with grit and vulnerability. Navigating friendships, the longing for connection, romance, mental health and therapy, it’s a warm, comforting hug and support network in sonic form.

The duo have sold out headline shows across London, Leeds and Nottingham as well as toured the UK alongside the likes of Tors, Lexie Carroll, Samantha Crain, Dan Croll, Lewis Watson, Hayley Blais, Flyte, Say She She, Hannah Grace, Get Cape.Wear Cape.Fly and more.

This show takes place at Low Four – a recording studio situated on Deansgate Mews in the Great Northern warehouse. This intimate venue features a fully stocked Cloudwater bar.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

This is a free entry show! You can reserve your place via Seetickets.com

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Thursday 23 April 2026
Where: Kamera at Lloyd & Platt, 617 Wilbraham Road, Chorlton, Manchester, M219AN

We’re delighted to welcome Lande Hekt to Kamera!

Lande Hekt has quietly become one of the UK’s best underground songwriters. On her 2021 debut full-length Going To Hell and 2022’s House Without a View, she explored her queer identity, sobriety, and childhood trauma through the lens of heartfelt, conversational indie-pop, which led to spots opening for the likes of Alvvays, Throwing Muses and The Beths. Her new album Lucky Now, written and recorded with producer Matthew Simms (Wire, It Hugs Back), reflects the most mature and confident version of Lande Hekt yet. “I’m not as concerned about how I’m presenting myself,” Hekt says. “I’ve tried to think less about how things are coming across, and just write songs that make me feel connected to myself and what I value.”

Hekt’s musical touchstones — The Wedding Present, The Sundays, The Replacements — remain the same, but at the same time she’s delved deeper into other influences. Lucky Now is indebted to 1980s twee-pop and jangle-pop like The Pastels, Tallulah Gosh and The Bats, plus more modern iterations of the sound such as Autocamper and Jeanines, in its ecstatic, soaring melodies and gorgeous, tactile guitars. The sound is fitting for Hekt’s new lyrical outlook, where, though despair and anxiety rear their heads, she digs deep to find the gratitude. “I wanted to try and push for something slightly more positive, which I’m trying to do more of generally — just to not fall apart,” Hekt says.

In keeping with that, opening track “Kitchen ii” is a love song about sharing simple, domestic moments with a partner, while “Rabbits” is a song about hope inspired by one summer solstice spent on Glastonbury Tor. Meanwhile, the slower, acoustic-based “Middle of the Night” is about “reeling from a realisation of being properly happy for the first time in my life,” Hekt says. Hekt also returns to more politically-based songwriting, after largely avoiding politics in both life and music during a disillusioned period, on “Circular” (“they change the law like it’s a game and we’re the pawns getting played”) and “A Million Broken Hearts”. “If you get swept up in the notion that being politically engaged in any way is embarrassing, that is so dangerous,” Hekt says now. “It’s really important to try and find a way to reject that.”

During the process of making the album, Hekt also moved from Bristol back to her hometown of Exeter. She wrote Lucky Now’s closing track, “Coming Home”, about the experience of returning there after a long tour; smelling the familiar smells, spotting the familiar faces. In a lot of ways, Lucky Now is about return — return to joy, return to places and parts of the self once left behind. Who you once were can seem unreachable, but sometimes you can build a bridge.

Tour support comes from Mumble Tide – ‘Indie folk duo from Bristol. Kinda country, kinda synthy, kinda moody’.

Kamera is the brand new venue upstairs at Lloyd & Platt (formerly The Lloyd’s) in Chorlton – by the team behind the Castle Hotel and Gullivers.

This show is a co-promotion with Alphaville.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Saturday 25 April 2025
Where: Hallé at St Michael’s, 36-38 George Leigh Street, Ancoats, Manchester M4 5DG

We’re delighted to be hosting Nadia Reid – Live With Strings at St Michael’s – plus Juni Habel!

New Zealand–raised, Manchester-based songwriter Nadia Reid returns with a special Record Store Day release: Nadia Reid with NZ Trio – Live at Old St Paul’s.

This album comprises of a number of tracks recorded live at Old St Paul’s in Wellington, New Zealand with NZ Trio, a string trio based in New Zealand. Nadia sang an incredible array of her catalogue, including a song that has been released this year alongside her latest album Enter Now Brightness, accompanied by a beautiful classical string arrangement. All of the tracks on the album have never been released before, digitally or physically, making it not only Nadia’s first ever live album, but also first live album with new live arrangements.

Two of the tracks on the album include beautiful covers, one from Mazzy Star and another from New Zealand-based Mahin?rangi Tocker.

The record will include a gorgeous Blue Denim vinyl, printed inner sleeve with words from Nadia and a QR insert to download the tracks.

The release will be accompanied by three extra special shows in London, Bristol and Manchester, with a string duo to accompany the tracks on the album, as well as older songs.

Special guest is Juni Habel. Juni Habel’s fragile finger-picked lullabies warm themselves by the open fire with her rich intimate voice atop twinkling arrangements and strange percussive instrumentation. Like glowing embers in the dark, these songs are odes to life and death, the beauty of belonging and human kinship with nature.

The Norwegian’s first album in three years, Evergreen In Your Mind  – released 10 April on Basin Rock – follows the breakthrough success of her Carvings LP. The songs remain delicate, Habel’s voice playing an elegant lead role – but there are fluctuations too. The small shifts in Habel’s sound mark a notable stride forward, with more focus on the groove. Playfulness was embraced and, perhaps most importantly, patience played a fundamental role in shaping every element of this incredible set of torch folk songs. Brushed with the gentle touch of pastoral psychedelia, these are songs that sit in half-light, in the gas between where we are and where we might be.

This concert takes place in Hallé at St Michael’s – a former Roman Catholic church, which was founded in 1859 and became the heart of the Little Italy Community in Ancoats.

This is a 14+ show. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

This show is a co-promotion with Grey Lantern.

Book tickets now.

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When: 7.30pm on Friday 1 May 2026
Where: The Castle Hotel, 66 Oldham Street, Manchester M4 1LE

We’re delighted to be working with MEMORIALS for the first time!

MEMORIALS draw inspiration from folk, dub, post punk, experimental tape music, 60s soul, garage rock and 70s spiritual jazz, twisting these influences into their own unmistakable sound.

The duo of Verity Susman and Matthew Simms (ex-Electrelane/WIRE) recently toured the USA opening for Stereolab and have been called ‘Stereolab’s evil twin’.

Their new limited edition 7” single Cut Glass Hammer is out on Fire Records on 3 December, with a new digital single, In The Weeds, released on the same day.

‘Kaleidoscopic art-pop and adventurous psych-rock with an immersive, experimental aura’ – KEXP

‘From baroque ’60s acid pop to Can-esque pounding krautrock to heavy psych… also very The Doors at times’ – Brooklyn Vegan

Special guest is Thorn Wych. Thorn Wych makes instruments from tree branches in her backyard workshop which she feeds through a chain of lofi effects machines, and she sings in tongues, creating atavistic hymns and hypnotic dances. For this tour she will be bringing her new Yew tree instrument series. The Yew tree symbolises renewal, rebirth and everlasting life; and with these she will usher in the new year and sing praise to Asherah the Eternal Mother of All.

Thorn Wych’s debut album Aesthesis was released on the label Hoodfaire in November 2024.

‘Haunted, sinister drones, glitched electronics and vocal incantations that reestablish the coordinates for England’s Hidden Reverse… sounds and song that pull post-industrial and traditional music into a ghostly, mesmerising fog that’s wholly unique’ – World of Echo

Book tickets now.

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When: 7.30pm on Friday 1 May 2026
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

PLEASE NOTE: This show has now sold out!

We’re excited to welcome Cat Clyde back – this time, to Gullivers!

Cat Clyde is a singer/songwriter based out of rural Ontario, Canada. A combination of driven, soulful blues and sweet, folk- tinged, dulcet tones that carry a particular sense of familiarity provide the structure on which she creates her unique sound.

With influences ranging from Patsy Cline and Lead Belly to Karen Dalton and Bobbie Gentry, this patchwork of musical significance, when stitched to her modern approach, fits like a well-tailored, corduroy-road cloth.

Cat is currently finishing up her next album to be released on Concord Records, with one song, Wild One, being released so far.

Local support comes from Harriet Dagnall. Combining elements of dream-pop and indie rock with soaring ethereal vocals, Harriet reluctantly categorises herself under the catch-all ‘alt-pop.’ Drawing influence from the likes of Fleetwood Mac, The War on Drugs, The Japanese House and Alvvays, Harriet’s narrative song writing style alongside intimate and personal lyricism bring to life her own unique stories, whilst connecting to universal experiences of love, friendship and, frequently, rage.

Book tickets now.

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When: 2pm until late on Sunday 3 May 2026
Where: St Philip’s Church, Encombe Place, Salford, M3 6FJ

Hey! Manchester teams up with Strange Days to curate a stage at this year’s Sounds From The Other City!

Celebrating the best emerging artists and genres from across the UK, SFTOC returns with an eclectic lineup curated by a diverse group of independent local promoters, selectors and tastemakers. The festival will once again take place in unconventional venues across Salford, with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches to concert halls and in-between spaces.

This year – our 16th year in a row – we return to a very special venue for us: St Philip’s Church! The building is one of Greater Manchester’s finest Georgian buildings, dating back to 1825, and its Greek style is unique in Salford.

Our stage’s line-up – booked in collaboration with fellow independent promoters Strange Days – features Blue Bendy, Hater, ashnymph, Pyncher and SLAG. Listen to them all via our stage’s playlist:

To find out more about Sounds From The Other City – and to buy tickets (giving access to all stages) – visit Soundsfromtheothercity.com.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Wednesday 6 May 2026
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

We’re excited to welcome Chris Brain back to Gullivers!

Chris Brain is a Yorkshire-based folk singer-songwriter whose work sits firmly in the British pastoral tradition, shaped by close attention to place, memory and emotional nuance. His fourth album, Red Sun Rising (2026), is a quietly powerful collection of songs centred on yearning, restlessness and the desire for change.

Rooted in acoustic textures and intimate storytelling, Red Sun Rising feels like a record made in motion: landscapes shifting, seasons turning, inner lives gently unsettled. Brain’s songwriting balances melody and restraint.

A familiar voice on BBC 6 Music and the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show, Chris has shared the stage with iconic acts like Robert Plant, Jacqui McShee and Martin Simpson. Golden Days, the first single from his debut album Steady Away, is prominently featured in the A24 film We Live In Time, starring Oscar-nominated actors Florence Pugh and Andrew Garfield.

In Spring 2025, Chris embarked on a near sell-out UK/Ireland solo tour including a packed hometown show at Leeds’ Brudenell Social Club. He rounded off the year with a sold-out seven-date tour of Japan and a headline performance at the iconic Union Chapel, accompanied by Lockeland Strings.

In 2026, Chris performs a headline show at The Tron Theatre, Glasgow as part of Celtic Connections and a 17-date UK and Ireland tour is planned to mark the release of Red Sun Rising.

‘There are shades of the master Ralph McTell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that, I love it’ – Mark Radcliffe, BBC 2 Folk Show

‘Yorkshire singer songwriter Brain consistently impresses with his third album’ – Daily Express

‘Contemporary folk song at its finest’ – Songlines Magazine

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7.30pm on Friday 8 May 2026
Where: The Eagle Inn, 19 Collier Street, Salford, M3 7DW

PLEASE NOTE: This show has already sold out! But watch this space for a big follow-up show, to be announced soon.

We’re delighted to be working with Gustaffson again!

Gustaffson host an intimate live show at The Eagle Inn, Salford. This will be the bands first live performance of 2026, playing music from their critically acclaimed debut album Black & White Movie –plus a chance for their audience to hear brand new material.

The Eagle is favourite venue of the northern five-piece, which has been a staple in their musical journey so far – a back drop for music videos and post studio drinks.

‘Best Five Artists of October 2025’ – The Manc & Audio North

‘Blurring the boundaries between music and film’ – ITV Granada

‘Gigs of the year 2025’ – RGM Magazine

They will be supported by Manchester folk acoustic artist Mark Kelly.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook