But that doesn’t always have to be because of the clubbers themselves and their preferences, sometimes it’s actually about the clubs instead, as often, people can find these spaces to be too loud or overcrowded for them, and crucially, open too late into the night (or should we say early hours of the morning).
Luckily, former BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac is back to solve that very problem, as she’s set to host a series of club nights across the UK and Ireland that end before midnight.
Following the success of her big outdoor shows this past summer, the Dublin-born DJ, broadcaster, and writer has now announced that she’ll be bringing her Before Midnight clubbing concept back for more later this year, and she’ll be taking to a famous Manchester city centre stage in early November.
Annie Mac is hosting a club night in Manchester for people who want to go bed early / Credit: Eva Pantel (via Supplied)
For this upcoming series, the popular clubbing concept – which launched in 2022 – will be moving back inside, and the shows are set to be “darker, sweatier, and more intimate” this time around.
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As well as taking over Manchester’s iconic Albert Hall in the hearty of the city centre, Annie will also be heading to several other major cites – including London, Belfast, and Dublin.
Annie said she created the Before Midnight clubbing concept especially for “a generation of people who grew up with clubbing in their DNA, but who weren’t being served by the industry”, such as those who work on the weekends, who have exams to study for, who can’t afford a babysitter to stay over, or who feel particularly self conscious at a typical nightclub.
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Essentially, if you like to go to bed early, then this is also a night for you.
“I wanted to try and recreate the mood and atmosphere of a nightclub at a time that was accessible for me,” Annie said ahead of her tour later this year.
“I figured you can go and see any band, or play, or art show at accessible times, but there were few opportunities to see your favourite DJ in a nightclub at 9pm.”
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She added that the upcoming shows, including the one here in Manchester, will combine the best of everything she’s learnt from all her previous shows so far, and the main aim of the tour is to ensure parties are thrown for people who want to feel “safe, included, celebrated, and no matter what age they are, want to dance”.
Annie Mac’s Before Midnight tour will coming to Manchester’s Albert Hall on Saturday 2 November, with tickets set to go on general sale this Friday 20 September at 10am, as well as a presale the day prior (Thursday 19 September), also at 10am.
You can find out more and grab tickets to the one-off special club night here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Manchester rock and blues veterans Proud Mary announce handful of reunion shows in 2026
Danny Jones
Veteran Manchester rock and blues band Proud Mary recently announced a limited run of UK reunion shows, including a fairly intimate hometown show.
The seasoned Northern outfit may have seen plenty of lineup changes and a long hiatus of sorts, but now they’re returning for just a small handful of comeback gigs across the country.
Ahead of their seminal debut album turning 25 years old this year, 2026 also seems them steadily creeping up on the best part of three decades as a group in some form or another.
For anyone uninitiated, the native 90s and early noughties name was the first band signed to Noel Gallagher’s Sour Mash Records in 2001.
Their first-ever LP, The Same Old Blues, still remains their most revered work to this day.
Dubbed by the older Burnage brother and legendary Manc musician as “a lesson in songwriting” in an interview with the NME way back when, they started out as long-time friends and turned into fellow studio peers.
As well as supporting the likes of Oasis, Neil Young, The Stereophonics, Paul Weller, Ocean Colour Scene, Ryan Adams, Noel’s High Flying Birds and more on various tours over the years, they also famously headlined Isle of Wight Festival in 2004.
Having collaborated with the likes of another Britpop legend, Gem Archer, as well as The Smiths’ Andy Rourke, not to mention gaining plaudits from so many other contemporaries, they’re likely one of your favourite bands’ old faithful bands.
It still sits as one of the biggest live highlights.
Moreover, in regional terms, rising local indie rock quintet Rosellas are also joining them on the road for all but one of the shows.
Unfortunately for us, it is their date at Manchester Academy 3 (sigh)…
However, we’re still getting a fairly nearby name, with fellow long-running Crewe icons The Train Set joining them here in 0161 on 16 May. You can grab your tickets HERE.
Both of the Manc bands have also featured in our artists of the month, by the way, in case you wanted to see who else was listed alongside them.
Featured Images — Proud Mary (press shots supplied via Sonic PR)
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Alison Moyet has announced a huge European tour, including multiple Northern dates in the UK
Danny Jones
Seasoned British singer-songwriter and pop legend Alison Moyet is coming back to Manchester and more after announcing an extensive run of 2026 EU, UK and IE tour dates.
No rest for the wickedly talented and long adored.
Alison Moyet last visited Manchester in February last year, playing the stunning Bridgewater Hall in support of her latest album, Key, the 10th studio LP of her solo career.
However, now the 64-year-old artist and music veteran is set to play songs from her eighth record, the minutes, as well astracks from her days with Yazoo and more across Europe.
NEW: @alisonmoyet is headed on tour! Playing songs of Yazoo, including cuts from the minutes & Other, with a date at #O2ApolloManchester Fri 16 Oct.
— O2 Apollo Manchester (@O2ApolloManc) March 9, 2026
Moyet (real name Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard) formed Yazoo with ex-Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke in 1981, releasing two albums and becoming one of the most influential British groups of the time.
While clashes on multiple fronts saw the synth-pop duo ultimately break up in ’83, a handful of Yazoo hits like ‘Only You’, ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Situation’ have continued to crop up in the Basildon-born artists over the years.
Once nicknamed ‘Alf’ as a youth – the same title she gave to her seminal debut album, released the year after the split – the young ‘tomboy’, turned teen punk, then synth, soul and pop act has experimented with everything from electronica to printmaking.
Put simply, she remains just as much of a creative force today as she was back then.
2025 saw her first full headline tour in eight years, playing shows not just here and over in Ireland, but across the mainland continent, Australia and New Zealand.
This current calendar will also see her touring with fellow 80s icons The Human League and Soft Cell on their ‘The Generations Tour’ in the summer – but by the autumn, she’ll be rolling back the years and working through her own back catalogue.
As you can see, as well as coming to Manchester’s O2 Apollo, other dates to see Alison Moyet live in the North this October include the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, Sheffield‘s City Hall, Buxton, Blackpool and several others.
Speaking on the upcoming tour, Alison said: “Many years touring the same pool of songs, and I am keen for a palate refresher.
“Specifying which years I will be fishing from, too, I think, is a grand way to serve potluck for specific tastes. No bones…” Ever the wordsmith.
The domestic pre-sale window here opens at 10am this coming Wednesday, 11 March, with general admission tickets going live at the same time the following Friday (13 Mar); you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
Oh, and if you were wondering how her live performances sound these days, look no further than her recent Isle of Wight slot.
Emily Sergeant -
18th September 2024 
