Some of you might still be nursing a two-day hangover now that the bank holiday is over.
But just because our favourite weekend of the year is all done and dusted, it doesn’t mean the fun has to be.
If you’ve already got the Friday feeling nice and early this week, we’ve got you covered with a stonking selection of events happening in and around the city.
Check them out below.
Sit & Bun at Escape to Freight Island – September 3
Escape to Freight Island
First up on Thursday night is ‘Sit & Bun’ – the little sister of popular Manchester night ‘Hit & Run’.
The lineup features Manchester-based artists who will bring their hip-hop and soul styles to the Freight Island platform. Finally, we have some long-awaited live music. Literal music to our ears!
The KTNA will take the to the stage at 7.15pm. The twin sisters describe their style as “cosmic soul”. Expect powerful and thought-provoking lyrics, backed by calming soul sounds. Layfullstop takes the 9.15pm slot with her stunning voice and playful fusion of jazz and hip-hop.
DJ support will also come from Hit & Run’s very own head honcho. He’ll mix up the vibe with some reggae, funk and jazz beats. Come down and support some wholesome Manchester talent.
Craig Charles Funk and Soul Club at Social Avenue – September 4
Craig Charles
Some may know him as Lloyd from Corrie, but Craig Charles is a living legend of the Manchester music scene. His monthly Funk and Soul Club at Band on the Wall has thrived over the years.
During the summer, he takes his club night to festivals all over the country. Sadly, there was none of that this year. However, you can catch him for a one-off set at Social Avenue.
Anyone who has seen Craig Charles play knows what to expect. If you’re new, well, you’re in for a treat. Enough said.
Live Forever sit down disco at Venue – September 4
Sit down disco at Venue
Parkas at the ready, Venue has returned with a COVID edition of its famous indie night ‘Live Forever’.
As expected, there’s a limited capacity and you’ll be singing into your mate’s face from across a table instead of in their arms. But that’s a small concession to pay for a full night’s worth of indie classics in a club.
James listening party of The Night Before and The Morning After – September 5
James
Calling all James fans, this one is for you.
At 7.30pm on Saturday there’ll be a Twitter listening party of renowned Manchester band James’ albums The Night Before and The Morning After.
This is a great opportunity to learn more about the classic records and talk through the lyrics with other superfans.
A bit of a different one; more info is available here.
Missile to the Moon at Old Abbey Tap House – September 5
Old Abbey Tap House
You could head down to Old Abbey Tap House for their rescheduled event ‘Missile to the Moon‘ on Saturday.
A selection of Manchester DJs will provide the soundtrack for the evening. It’s the quirkiest little place with booze, vegan food, music, a micro-brewery and even an urban farm where they grow their own food.
They’ve converted their terrace to allow for social distancing and it appears to be under cover should the heavens open. This is Manchester, after all.
Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more
Thomas Melia
The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.
The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.
But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.
Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.
Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.
The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.
Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.
Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group
Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.
One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.
The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.
“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.
“The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.
“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead. The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
American rock band Alter Bridge announce massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
American rockers Alter Bridge have announced a brand new album and a massive European tour along with it, including a pretty big gig here in Manchester.
Staring down the barrel of their eighth studio release, the Orlando-based heavy rock, progressive and alternative metal four-piece are bringing their brand of triumphant, in-your-face, Floridian guitar thrashing and powerful drumming to the city centre in the new year.
Veritable veterans of the industry at this point, Alter Bridge are set to drop their upcoming record – a self-titled project which will debut almost a whole 22 years on from the launch of their first, One Day Remains – at the start of 2026, and will be heading out on the road soon after.
Confirming a total of 31 dates across the continent, they’ll be getting the shows underway in mid-January before landing in the UK just over a month later.
NEW SHOW: @alterbridge ANNOUNCES THEIR HEADLINE TOUR 'WHAT LIES WITHIN'' 🔥🎸 Plus, Daughtry and Sevendust!
Fronted by lead singer and equally talented guitarist, Myles Kennedy (who also performs with fellow genre legend, Slash, as part of The Conspirators), Alter Bridge have regularly notched number one in the rock charts, and have landed as high as number three in the UK’s pop-dominated Official Album Charts.
In 2017, they cleaned up at the 6th annual Loudwire Music Awards, winning ‘Best Rock Band’, ‘Best Rock Album’ and ‘Best Rock Song’ all in one night.
Boasting more than a billion streams to their name to date, they have gradually become one of the biggest and most commercially successful rock bands in the US over the course of more than two decades now.
Other tour dates on this side of the pond include Northern neighbours Newcastle, as well as the likes of Nottingham, Glasgow, London and Dublin over in Ireland.
Alter Bridge will be joined in Manchester by fellow long-standing rock outfit, Daughtry (‘What About Now’, ‘Home’, ‘Over You’), as well as Atlanta legends, Sevendust.
With such a well-respected discography, not to mention a deep and rich back catalogue, you can expect them to play a healthy selection of the hits as well as their newest tracks, which will be available on Friday, 9 January.
Speaking ahead of their latest LP, Kennedy said in a statement: “You can’t ever rest on your past success. We’ve never allowed ourselves to get too comfortable. The only way to stay at a certain level is to be very dedicated to what you’re doing. We’ve crossed the 20-year mark.
“We’ve proven we can do this for the duration. We worked hard to get to a place where we can plant our flag. We’re still around as the four original members, so it felt appropriate to call the album Alter Bridge.”
Co-founding member and former Creed lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti, went on to add, “I think this record earns that title. The material felt strong enough, so we’re letting the music speak for itself.”
Alter Bridge arrive at the AO Arena in Manchester on 26 February 2026, with Three+ presale available from 10am tomorrow (Wed, 16 July), venue early access going live at the same time on Thursday, and general admission tickets up for grabs from Friday – again, 10am.
Hannah Starkie -
1st September 2020 
