When: 7pm on Thursday 12 March 2026
Where: The Yard, 11 Bent St, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M8 8NF

We’re delighted to welcome Seamus Fogarty to The Yard!

London-based alt-folk alchemist Seamus Fogarty is delighted to announce the release of his new album Ships on Scottish label Lost Map Records, in partnership with Swedish label Sing A Song Fighter.

Packed with poignant and funny slice-of-life vignettes touching on everything from Geoffrey Chaucer to DIY coffins, and existing in a wonderful new sonic realm where songs and stories coexist peacefully with fragmentary electronics, drones and field recordings, Ships is his most expansive and uplifting collection of music to date. The first single from the album I Passed Your House has already made waves since its release, getting picked up by BBC 6 Music presenters Huw Stephens and Gideon Coe, and Radio 2’s Marc Radcliffe. It also spent 2 weeks on RTE Radio 1’s Recommends list in Ireland.

Born and raised on the west coast of Ireland but living in London since 2010, Seamus released his debut full-length God Damn You Mountain on cult Scottish label Fence Records (King Creosote, Jon Hopkins) in 2012. This was followed by a pair of exceptional albums released via Domino Records – 2017’s The Curious Hand (‘magical amplified folk journeys through modern life’, 5* – the Guardian) and 2020’s A Bag Of Eyes (‘a gloriously trippy journey’ – The Sunday Times). His most recent release, the Hee Haw EP, was released on Lost Map Records in 2023 with the lead single They Recognised Him receiving high praise from a range of DJs and personalities across the BBC and beyond including Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy who singled it out for recommendation on his Limited Edition show on 6 Music (‘just brilliant’).

He has maintained a busy live schedule through 2025 opening two sold-out shows for Portishead’s Beth Gibbons in London’s Roundhouse and Luxembourg’s Neumünster Abbey and sharing the stage with Mike Heron in Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank, and at End of the Road festival, as part of an all-star band assembled to celebrate the music of The Incredible String Band. He also completed a sold-out Irish tour to celebrate the vinyl reissue of his debut album in the spring.

He has toured extensively around the UK, Ireland and Europe, both solo and with a range of artists including Lisa O’Neill and This Is The Kit, and has appeared at many notable festivals including the main stage of Green Man, Eurosonic, Latitude, Electric Picnic, Mosely Folk and Haldern Pop. He has also appeared on Other Voices in Ireland and recorded live sessions for Mark Radcliffe on BBC Radio 2 and Cerys Matthews on BBC 6 Music.

Recorded at studios in London, St Leonards-on-Sea and Margate and fine-tuned in his own home studio in Walthamstow, Ships boasts an incredible list of collaborators and musicians including string-arranger and multi-instrumentalist Emma Smith (Pulp, Beth Gibbons), drummers Chris Vatalaro (Anohni, Radiohead) and Aram Zarikian (Grasscut), and horn player Joe Auckland (Madness, Oasis). Additional production and engineering comes from by Leo Abrahams (Brian Eno, Jon Hopkins) and Mike Lindsay (Tunng, Lump).

‘Magical journeys through fable and modern life & back again, often in the same song’ – the Guardian

Local support comes from Quincey May Brown – a Manchester-based solo artist. She creates harp-led music combining elements of folk, jazz, drones and playful lyrics. Her debut album, Basic Surgeon, was featured as a Record of Note on BBC Radio Scotland’s The Roddy Hart Show and was also ranked #27 in cult chamber-pop radio show The Curve Ball’s top 30 albums of 2023.

The Yard is an accessible and unique creative hub based in a regenerated old school building in North Manchester just a 10-minute speed walk from Shudehill tram stop. They programme an eclectic mix of intimate seated gigs like NQ Jazz, silent film and improvisation nights, dance nights, and more.

This show is a co-promotion with Big Badger Music.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Thursday 12 March 2026
Where: The Stoller Hall, Hunts Bank, Manchester M3 1DA

PLEASE NOTE: This show has now sold out! Doors open at 7pm, with Janileigh Cohen on at 7.30pm and Eric Bibb at 8.30pm.

We’re delighted to welcome Eric Bibb back to the Stoller Hall – with special guest Janileigh Cohen!

Three-time Grammy nominee and blues legend Eric Bibb returns to the stage in 2026 with his brand-new album, One Mississippi – his most musically adventurous and ambitious work to date.

With an award-winning career spanning five decades, Bibb has become one of the most respected voices in roots and blues music. His warm baritone, masterful acoustic guitar, and gift for storytelling have captivated audiences across the globe. On One Mississippi, Bibb continues his late-career renaissance, blending blues, folk, soul, and Americana into songs that speak to our shared past and present.

The album features thirteen original compositions, alongside the title track One Mississippi, written by Bibb’s high school friend Janis Ian with Fred Koller. Produced by long-time collaborator and musical director Glen Scott, and recorded in Sweden with an all-star line up – including guitarist Robbie McIntosh (Paul McCartney, John Mayer) — the record brims with honesty, hope, and a call for unity in divided times.

For this highly anticipated tour, Eric will be joined by his exceptional band:

Glen Scott (Bass, Keys, Backing Vocals),
Robbie McIntosh (Guitars), and
Paul Robinson (Drums)

Prepare for an unforgettable evening of music—featuring both new songs and timeless favourites—delivered with the soul, warmth, and integrity that have made Eric Bibb an international treasure.

‘This new collection of stories… is a call for peace, justice & unity in a divided world’ – Eric Bibb

Tour support comes from Janileigh Cohen. Janileigh Cohen’s music began quietly — songs written in a shed at the bottom of her grandmother’s garden in rural Lancashire, inspired by Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell. Those early, solitary beginnings have since rippled outward in unexpected ways.

A piano cover of Nick Cave’s The Ship Song led to a sync in the acclaimed Australian film Blueback, while her rendition of Jackson C. Frank’s timeless Blues Run the Game featured in an episode of the Emmy Award–winning US drama This Is Us. These moments of global reach emerged organically from a practice rooted in intimacy, honesty and storytelling.

Her debut album, As a Child, due for release in 2026, was recorded with an array of stellar musicians from Manchester to Nashville, made possible in part through the generous support of her listeners. It is a quietly assured debut, shaped by patience, collaboration and an enduring belief in the healing power of humanity and song.

This show is a co-promotion with Band on the Wall.

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

Buy tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Friday 13 March 2026
Where: Howard Assembly Room, 32 New Briggate, Leeds LS1 6NU

We’re delighted to welcome Jens Lekman back to Leeds!

Jens Lekman is an accidental wedding singer. But he’s also a wedding singer for a reason. Ever since his 2004 song If You Ever Need a Stranger (To Sing at Your Wedding) he has had a side gig fielding requests from strangers to sing at their weddings. For over twenty years, he’s had a particular vantage point from which to see the role love songs can play in our lives.

In 2020, he and novelist David Levithan co-conceived a novel-with-music, Songs from Other People’s Weddings. Originally this album was meant to contain the songs from the weddings in the book, but as the novel came together, Lekman began to imagine what happened between the book’s chapters.

The book and the album eventually became intertwined but also found their own paths. The book remained the structure of the story, but the album sometimes snuck behind the scenes. Stories from the songs made their way into the book and vice versa. The result is an exploration of what we sing about when we sing about love — euphoria, doubt, dislocation, tenderness, conflict, playfulness, gratitude, ingratitude, longing, belonging, questioning, answering.

It’s very much about a relationship and how it’s reflected through the relationships and weddings of others, but most of all it’s a lovesong to lovesongs.

Special guest is Family Stereo. Family Stereo is the indie-folk project of London based singer-songwriter Blake Watt. With several self-released EPs to his name, his sound combines rich lyrics and an intricate, finger-picked style with distorted folk-rock, alt-country and dreamlike soundscapes. Family Stereo’s debut album is set for release in Summer 2026.

This show – the only one on the north of England – is a co-promotion with the Brudenell.

This is a 14+ show.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Saturday 14 March 2026
Where: Band on the Wall, 26 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ

We’re excited to be welcoming Beans on Toast back – this time, with the Beans on Toast band, plus Ruth Lyon!

Beans on Toast hits the road with his full band and new album Kill Them with Kindness. Expect songs, stories, chaos and community in equal measure.

The new record is up there with his finest work to date, bouncing between songs about the shitshow of planet earth and the fall of the establishment, to family life, planting trees, and the absurdities of modern living. The record was captured with his new full band, who’ll bring it to life on stage alongside plenty of Beans on Toast classics.

Every show is unique but always full of optimism, honesty and singalongs. His belief in positive change through kindness and his authentic folk style have made him a cult hero, and his passion is infectious. Step right up for a night of music, mischief and magic with Beans on Toast.

“A master of his art” – Full Pelt

“Genuinely life-affirming” – Louder Than War

“A proper folk singer” – Frank Turner

Support comes from Ruth Lyon, known for fronting Newcastle’s finest ramble rousers, Holy Moly & The Crackers. Her solo project is incredible, and she is a force to be reckoned with. As an honorary member of The Beans on Toast Band, each night after her set, Ruth will jump up with Beans on Toast and the band to play fiddle and sing a few songs. It’s going to be epic.

Ruth Lyon is a potent songwriter from Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, who weaves deeply evocative narratives and powerful meditations, with an artistry that balances delicacy and strength. Forged by her experiences as a disabled woman and a life-long sense of otherness she explores the beautiful mess of human existence. The songs are rich with poetic nuance and the unconventional insight of a young life lived to capacity – a mesmerising blend of analogue and angular anti-folk that gives as much attention to silence as sound, with understated yet muscular grooves. Shimmering between the abstract, the archetypal and the naked truth – meaning lingers just beneath the surface, daring listeners to both reach out and dig deep; to give their emotions a solid, tangible shape.

Coming off the back of performances across the world – most notably supporting Zaho De Sagazan on an arena tour across Europe; performing at New York City Hall where she received the prestigious Danny Award, a global recognition of disabled creatives; Brighton’s Great Escape international showcase; Glastonbury Festival; SXSW Texas; as well as being included on the Disability Power 100 List which named her as among the most influential disabled people in the UK – Lyon released her debut album Poems & Non-Fiction in June 2025, working with acclaimed producer John Parish (PJ Harvey, Aldous Harding). The album reached top 20 in the UK’s official album breakers charts, and top 50 in the official record store charts, cementing Lyon’s reputation as a singular voice in the contemporary music landscape; one that dares to challenge, comfort, and captivate in equal measure.

Bassie Gracie, who plays in Beans’ band, will open the show with a short spoken word set.

This show is for ages 10+. Under 16s must be accompanied by an adult.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

When: 7pm on Saturday 14 March 2026
Where: YES Pink Room, 38 Charles Street, Manchester, M1 7DB

We’re excited to be welcoming Svaneborg Kardyb back to Manchester!

When Nikolaj Svaneborg and Jonas Kardyb first met in Aalborg in Northern Denmark in 2013, they discussed forming a duo together, but they only brought the idea to fruition as Svaneborg Kardyb six years later, further south in the university city of Aarhus. In that first week where they reconnected and started playing together, they seemed to have a telepathic understanding they’d not enjoyed in other groups they’d been in.

“We didn’t have to say anything,” marvels Jonas, “we could just play, and even though we then sometimes stumbled through, it was still music. That’s where the energy in the project came from: it was such a short hop from just playing, to writing and composing. We like to call it that we compose in the moment. It’s not about playing freely, it’s more about being very attentive to what melody is in there, trying to play very simply, and catch that one idea.”

“Because we are only two in the band,” Nikolaj further reasons, “that means there’s only one other person to listen to, and to change direction according to, so we just pay attention to one another, and music seems to come out of nowhere.”

Nikolaj Svaneborg says that his gentle, silky style on the keys derives from the Young Chang model he learnt on as a child at home. “Those pianos are so loud and hissy, we used to put a cloth between the hammers and the strings – it was the only way it was possible to play it and still have people in the room. The core of my technique is playing really quietly, so I wouldn’t disturb people with that terribly bright piano.”

Nikolaj’s first non-domestic experiences were as an accompanist within the Danish community singing tradition known as Højskole. “It’s not technically a choir, it’s just a tradition where people come together to sing these simple, memorable songs that everybody knows – hymns, political songs, love songs, thematical songs. That’s what I find most interesting in music composition: you have these three chords that everybody’s been playing since the 1600’s, but you can still find a new melody that sparks something original.”

Nikolaj was inspired by Jan Johansson’s ‘Jazz På Svenska’ album from 1964, where Swedish folk songs were sparsely reworked for piano and double bass, and he remains plugged into the New Nordic Jazz scene.

Jonas Kardyb has a quite different background in music. “I like that stuff Nikolaj’s into,” he says, “but also blues and Americana – Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, The Band. I’ve played in a lot of guitar bands, and I’ve always loved good songs. I grew up in Tønder, close to the Southern border, where since the mid-’70s we’ve had Denmark’s biggest folk festival, which brings over Irish and American artists. Often, there are no drums, and at home I found playing along to folk and blues records without drums felt really cool.”

Playing with Nikolaj, he says, opened the way to play innovatively, free of genre. “You shouldn’t play like a jazz drummer just because you maybe decided you’re a jazz duo,” he says. “We just met up and played, and found you can do what you like, and that made the music flow.”

During those long, almost forgotten gruellingly indoors-y pandemic months, the two chanced upon a video of Poland’s Hania Rani performing her song ‘F Major’ on the Icelandic tundra. At the end, they noticed logo branding for Manchester’s Gondwana Records, and there began a classic YouTube rabbit-hole of discovery as they sought out other artists on the label.

“Every artist, I liked,” enthuses Nikolaj, “and how everything was kind of jazzy, but not jazz at all, and everyone was doing it differently. It’s everything I like about the exploration in jazz.”

So, they emailed Gondwana bossman Matthew Halsall, and after a six-month interlude (Halsall had already dug what he’d heard, but his reply went to spam, so he chased them down on Instagram), the two parties were connected. By that point, they’d all but completed their third record, ‘Over Tage’ (= “over the roofs”), with fresh touches of trumpet and guitar; with Gondwana’s help in “shaping it for release”, the album came out in November ’22. From there, with the label’s reach and support, they’ve enjoyed taking their music to the world, touring far and wide.

“With instrumental music,” Nikolaj reflects, “there are no words, so there’s nothing separating everybody – everybody is on the same page, so we can really connect with people. We have a song called ‘Freudesang’, which means ‘The Whistling Tune’. We play it at every show, and we conduct people into whistling along, and everybody can do it. It’s that Højskole vibe, but we found you can do it in Romania, and it’ll be fun. It also worked in Canada, Prague and the UK.” And with Superkilen released in October 24 you get the feeling that many more people around the world will soon discover the charm and quiet intensity at the heart of their music.

‘Their sound floats and twinkles like it’s from another place… there’s myth and magic there’ – Elizabeth Alker, BBC Radio 3

Special guest is Rory A. Green. Ghanaian-English guitarist, composer, producer Rory A. Green uses inspiration from his mixed heritage background and the sensitivity of acoustic instruments and combines them with the sonic complexities of synthesis, heavily layered instruments and infectious rhythms to create beautiful, atmospheric environments for his music to exist in.

With his dynamic, conversational approach to the guitar and improvisation Rory has been using music to share stories and captivate audiences across the UK. Sharing stages with artists such as Laura Misch, Kessoncoda, Marysia Osu and Kessoncoda.

Book tickets now.

Attend on: Facebook

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.

Attend on: Facebook

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.

Attend on: Facebook

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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