Audio

An incredible performance of Marvel’s ‘Infinity Saga’ by a live orchestra is coming to Manchester

That 'Portals' theme is going to go OFF.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 3rd February 2025

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

Read more:

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.

ADVERTISEMENT

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.

‘The Witcher in Concert’: the smash-hit video game’s soundtrack brought to life in Manchester

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Image (supplied via Bridgewater Hall)

Audio

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | January 2025

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester music you've never heard before

Happy New Year! Can you really get away with that at the end of January?… Who knows?

Either way, 2025 is underway and we just know it’s going be another fantastic 365 days for music.

If you’re new here then first off, hello – we appreciate you clicking and hope you’ll be back here on a regular basis; secondly, for those of you who joined us in 2024, you know the drill: every month we put together a list of Greater Manchester music we’ve been listening to over the past few weeks.

It is to our perennial sadness that we’ll never be able to ‘complete’ all of the music that will ever be released in the world, but we can certainly give keeping up with everything 0161 is doing and has done a good old go or so help us, almighty tunage gods! Enough pratting about, let’s get stuck in:

Five Manchester bands and artists we’ve been listening to recently

1. Casino Club

Ok, landing our inaugural artist nod of 2025 is a group we truly believe is going to go very far this year and part of what is a promising new creative boom down the road in the WN postcode area.

That’s right, we’re heading to Wigan first and foremost and giving a very big shout-out to local band, Casino Club, who are helping spearhead the next generation of music coming out of the Greater Manchester borough. This isn’t just indie rock, it’s indie rock and roll that we’re very excited about.

With rip-roaring guitar riffs that hint at everything from Green Day to Sterephonics and Catfish, as well as frontman Marcus Grimshaw’s fantastic vocals, they’ve struck an infectious and extremely listenable balance already. As for songs, there are plenty, but we’d say start with ‘The Fear’, ‘Kick a Hole Into the Sun’ and ‘Runaway’.

2. The Chameleons

Oh yeah, we do old bands too; this series is just as much about spotlighting perhaps forgotten or underrated Manc music as it is about the new blood and The Chameleons are a great example of that.

The Middleton-formed band came to the fore at the start of the 80s when so many other massive names were coming through the Greater Manchester scene, so it was hard to carve out even a slither of the spotlight let alone one rivalling the likes of The Smiths, New Order, Inspiral Carpets and so on.

But make no mistake, this lot are still going strong, with a die-hard following eagerly awaiting their new album. It might sound like a sweeping generalisation but their sound does typify that era. Most will start with ‘The Swamp Thing’ but their 1993 debut album Script From The Bridge is still their best.

3. Phoebe Green

Now up next is a singer-songwriter and chief Manc music queen in charge of ‘devastating alt-pop’: her words, not ours – though we do to tend agree and heartily recommend you give her a listen. She’s actually been going since 2016, unbelievably, but she’s gaining more and more traction year after year.

The BIMM graduate was actually born over in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, but she’s been studying, living and making a new for herself here in Manchester for a good long while now, so yes, we’re absolutely claiming her as one of our own – especially after becoming a Neighbourhood Festival fave.

Her style has definitely evolved but, more importantly, there’s no genre she won’t put a distorted electronic twist on. At present, you’ll get notes of St Vincent, 070 Shake, MARINA and more; ‘Break My Heart’ and ‘Lucky Me’ make for the perfect starting point and ‘IDK’ was on Killing Eve. ‘Nuff said.

@ph0ebegreen ‘WHAT ARE YOU DOING’ OUT NOW ⭐️ #newmusic #altpop #synth #nostalgia #originalsong #femaleproducer ♬ What Are You Doing – Phoebe Green

4. 808 State

Our penultimate pick for January is the iconic electronic and techno outfit 808 State, who made new waves with their sound in the late 1980s, well into the 90s and are partly still going to this day.

If you’ve never come across them before, their influence on modern electronica and the wider dance music is massive, not only being labelled among the pioneers of acid house but former member Gerald Simpson (A Guy Called Gerald) went on to lay the foundations for what would go on to become jungle.

That’s right: we have them to thank for not just drum and bass but many sub-genres of electronic music as a whole. With such and varied long career (even if it’s only co-founder Graham Massey now) there’s plenty to enjoy: ‘Cübik’, ‘Spanish Heart’, and the Bicep remix of ‘In Yer Face’, just to name a few.

They took their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which also played a big role in revolutionising modern music production.

5. The Falls

Last but not least, we’re giving an early seal of approval to a young bunch of lads going by ‘The Falls’ and while they might not sound anything like the predecessors from Prestwich – with which their name differs only because it’s a plural – we’re hoping they’re bound for similar success.

Hailing from Salford, this fledgling four-piece has barely even got going yet but they’ve definitely got a good feel for the indie warehouse from the off and

They’ve only released four songs thus far too, so you can get on board with these boys early doors. ‘The Millionth Time’ and ‘Waiting For Yesterday’ promise lots of solo showing off in the future, and the loose-wristed main riff on ‘My mind’ almost reminds us of the fast-paced part of ‘Shiver’ by Coldplay before turning into something very different. We look forward to seeing where they go.

Read more:

And just like that, the first Manc artists of the round-up of the year is all said and done – we hope enjoyed it and at least we’re introduced to a couple of names you haven’t come across before.

ADVERTISEMENT

That’s basically how it works: we’ll be back here, ‘same bat-time, same bat-place’ every month with another batch of Manchester bands, solo artists and more for you to feast your ears on.

Until next time, you can get stuck into our final round-up from 2024 down below, not to mention all the others from last year and, as always, keep your eyes peeled on Audio North for all the big and interesting music news.

Oh, and of course, if there are any Manchester artists that you think we should check out then let us know in the comments.

Catch you at the end of Feb!

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | December 2024
Here is the last batch of exciting new Manchester artists we’re got all giddy about.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Casino Club (via X)/Jacob Whittaker (via Flickr)/Supplied

Audio

Tom Grennan announces his biggest-ever Manchester date ahead of new album

Danny Jones Danny Jones Tom Grennan Manchester Co-op Live tickets

With a brand-new album on the way, Tom Grennan is coming back to Manchester for his most ambitious gig here yet, not to mention his biggest run of UK shows ever.

You may know him from his chart-topping singles or you may even know him from reimagining the iconic Gillette advert – either way, you’re not going to want to miss his upcoming arena tour.

Coming alongside Tom‘s fourth album, Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be, and the unveiling of his new single ‘Shadowboxing’, the multi-platinum-selling artist has today announced the simply named GRENNAN ’25 tour.

Bringing his largest-ever headline shows to fans up and down the country, Tom Grennan will be making his Co-op Live debut this September.

To date, Tom has seen over 1.3 billion streams and holds a whopping nine million monthly Spotify listeners to date, already boasting a reputation as a multi-platinum-selling artist at just 29.

He was recently nominated at the BRITs for the Best Alternative/Rock Act, marking his third consecutive nod at the annual award ceremony, following Song of the Year for his international smash ‘Little Bit Of Love’ and Alternative/Rock Act in 2022.

With two number-one albums under his belt alongside sold-out arena tours and an MTV Award for Best UK Act, Grennan has made a name for himself as one of the country’s biggest artists.

‘Shadowboxing’ is the second single to be unveiled from Tom’s fourth-coming studio album (which drops on 15 August) following the release of ‘Higher’ back in September, and is the first song he and Justin Tranter wrote together.

“It represents what the whole album is about,” Tom said: “It’s about my fight with a side of me I have a lot of trouble with. It’s still a daily battle. But I’ve learned how to fight all these demons and I’m mentally and physically prepared now. I’m in athlete mode.”

You can listen to the track down below:

The ever-rising solo artist will be playing a total of 11 dates on his upcoming UK tour this autumn including a huge date at Leeds’ First Direct Arena before arriving here in Manchester on Friday, 19 September.

He was last here during the summer for the most recent Sound of the City shows at Castlefield Bowl, playing a sell-out date to well over 8,000 fans.

General admission for Tom Grennan in Manchester will be available from 10am next Friday, 7 February but official Co-op Members can access pre-sale from the same time on Wednesday (5 Feb).

You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Shots (supplied)

More Audio

Eurovision festival and party Manchester tickets

Audio

‘The world’s biggest Eurovision festival’ and celebration is coming to Manchester

Bring Me The Horizon cover Wonderwall by Oasis

Audio

Listen to Bring Me the Horizon’s cover of an Oasis classic

The Witcher 3 live in concert Manchester tickets

Art & Culture

‘The Witcher in Concert’: the smash-hit video game’s soundtrack brought to life in Manchester

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches