If you’re a massive Marvel fan or just love the full body, sweeping sound of a live orchestra, then this one is for you, as an audio-visual concert experience of the ‘Infinity Saga’ is coming to Manchester.
‘AVENGERS!… Assemble…’
Whatever you make of superhero films and TV, one thing that never comes into question in these titles is the music: it’s always powerful, uplifting, moving, sometimes chilling and the absolute epitome of what it is to sound cinematic.
That being said, there is no bigger movie franchise on the planet than the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) and now you can witness the awe-inspiring soundtracks behind their 23-film collection of films played in person by the Novello Orchestra right here in our hometown.
After first debuting back in August 2024 at a sell-out Hollywood Bowl – which saw the Los Angeles Philharmonic Music and Artistic Director Gustavo Dudamel bring the iconic scores to life on stage in front of thousands of movie and music fans – the comic book characters are superhero-landing in Europe.
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Better yet, 2025 also marks the debut UK tour of Marvel Studios’ Infinity Saga Concert Experience, with just six lucky cities being selected to enjoy the show; two London shows have been announced along with two in Scotland, but you can bank on Manchester being the best. It always is.
Set to take place at the veritable entertainment institution that is the beautiful Bridgewater Hall for just one night only, audiences will be treated to movie scores from The Avengers, Iron Man, Black Panther, Black Widow, Thor, Captain America, Captain Marvel, The Incredible Hulk, Ant-Man and MANY more.
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Showcasing original compositions by the likes of Alan Silvestri, Danny Elfman, Ludwig Göransson, Michael Giacchino, Ramin Djawadi and several other classical experts who have created unforgettable cinematic soundscapes, it promises to make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up.
Here’s just a glimpse of what you can expect:
The best audio-visual moments in Marvel history performed by a live orchestra in Manchester – it’s a sci-fi/fantasy fan’s dream.
Officially licensed Disney Concerts and in full collaboration with Marvel Studios’ live experiences team, the Hall will get to enjoy a unique way of not just rewatching but truly reliving some of the most legendary sequences and sounds from all 23 films in the MCU’s unparalleled Infinity Saga.
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Without giving too much away, we think it’s fair to say you can expect the performance to culminate in one of the best movie moments and all-time greatest live cinema experiences: Marvel’s magnum opus and conclusion to the saga, Endgame — it feels strange to think that was 2019 by the way.
The Infinity Saga Concert Experience comes to Manchester on 8 June and tickets will be available from 10am this Friday, 7 February. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Videogame fans can expect a similar live score experience coming to another magical venue later this year too.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Image (supplied via Bridgewater Hall)
Audio
Greater Manchester music community unites to pay for local band’s new tour van
Danny Jones
In a touching bit of news that just goes to show the power of the grassroots music community here in Greater Manchester, a local band has successfully raised enough money to finally buy a tour van, all thanks to donations from fans like you.
You just love to see it.
The group in question is Spangled, who we’ve been following for some time over on our Audio North page, and they’ve featured as one of Artists of the Month.
More importantly, however, just a few weeks after setting up a fundraiser to help pay for a proper touring vehicle, they’ve smashed their target and then some, meaning they’ll be back hitting the road in no time.
Setting a £10,000 target when they first created the GoFundMe at the end of May, they breached the halfway point on 23 June, and now, just over a fortnight later, they’ve amassed £10,455 and counting.
Incredible stuff.
Writing an emotional post following the conclusion of ‘Project Vangled’, the post-punk rockers wrote: “You lot fucking did it. Somehow we’ve smashed our £10k target for the van, meaning we’re in a phenomenal position to go and buy one as soon as we can over the next few weeks.
“Special thank you to Robert Mitchell – who donated an outrageous £4.5k. We’re truly speechless and blown away. Robert, you are the man. Please drop us a message or an email, as we’d love to do something special for ya in return.
“The next Spangled chapter is upon us. And it’s all down to you, the people. LGFS.”
We’re sure you guys can figure out that final acronym all on your own, but if you’ve even been lucky enough to be at a Spangled gig, you’ll know exactly what it means; at the very least, if you haven’t listened to their stuff yet, you really need to.
Have you checked our first monthly listening round-up of the year? 🎧
Our inaugural cover stars of 2026 are the incredible @Spangledband – or rather the great bit of artwork for their latest single is. 👌
It’s also been great to see the reactions to the news on social media, with fellow industry peers such as promoters This Feeling and music outlet RGM Magazine both popping up in the comments to pass on the congratulations to the lads.
Oh, and big Rob Mitchell, whoever you are, you’re an absolute legend.
We just love hearing stories like this, especially when it involves up-and-coming artists that we know and love, not to mention truly believe can go all the way if given the right kind of access and a helping hand every now and again.
So to all those who have, give YOURSELVES a hand, and continue to show your support for the rising stars of the future like, well, these guys…
Wet Leg proved they’re well beyond the hype with a triumphant Castlefield Bowl debut
Clementine Hall
The Isle of Wight five-piece kicked off their biggest headline shows to date as part of Manchester’s Sounds of the City series.
If you have ever for a moment thought you are even remotely cool then think again, because you are not and never will be as cool as Wet Leg.
On paper, a Wednesday evening in Manchester should be fairly civilised. In reality? Thousands of people screaming the words to Chaise Longue in an old Roman amphitheatre while the sun slowly disappears behind the city skyline. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.
Wet Leg rolled into Castlefield Bowl with the confidence of a band who know they’re on a serious hot streak.
There was no over-the-top production, no unnecessary gimmicks – just a ridiculously tight live band and lots of attitude.
Rhian Teasdale remains one of the coolest frontwomen around, demanding the crowd with her full-throttle rockstar energy without even breaking a sweat. The chemistry across the band was undeniably magnetic, and every track landed harder than the last.
Tracks from their sophomore album moisturizer sat perfectly alongside fan favourites, with the biggest singalongs naturally arriving with Wet Dream, Mangetout and the unavoidable Chaise Longue.
Of course a special shoutout must go to Leeds band English Teacher, who delivered a blistering support set that deserved far more than polite applause and warmed the crowd up effortlessly (as if we weren’t already warm enough).
Gigs at Castlefield are always special, and this one was no exception.
For a band that’s spent the last few years steadily building momentum, this felt like another significant step forward. Wet Leg looked completely at ease headlining one of Manchester’s best-loved outdoor venues, and if last night’s performance was anything to go by, there are plenty more big stages waiting for them.
Danny Jones -
3rd February 2025 
