It’s been a mad busy couple of months for Manchester’s clubs as our calendars are filling up rapid with gigs and club nights.
And whilst we’re nearing the end of festival season, music events are still coming in thick and fast.
Here, we’ve pulled together a selection of the club nights taking place this Friday. From garage tunes with DJ Q, to a Mike Skinner DJ set, there’s loads of house, techno, minimal and drum and bass in between.
And the best thing about going out on a Friday? Two whole days to recover…
Read on to find out our top picks.
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The Streets Afterparty
Earlier in the evening, The Streets will be playing Castlefield as part of this year’s Sound of the City event series.
But if you didn’t manage to get down to the Bowl for it, YES’s Pink Room will be hosting The Streets afterparty from 11pm, with a DJ set from the man himself, Mike Skinner.
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He’ll be spinning all the best in drum and bass, hip hop, house and UK garage.
Tickets are £15 on Skiddle right now. Get them here.
The Libero crew are putting on their last Manchester night of the year.
Manchester-based label, Libero, will take over Gorilla on Friday too, in what will be their final show of 2021 here in the city before the brand focuses on their upcoming UK-wide project.
Founders Luke Welsh, Mike Morrisey and Dan Costello will all be playing, of course. And they’ll be joined by Joseph Emmanuel who’ll set the tone beforehand.
Running until the early hour of 6am, there’ll be plenty of house, minimal techno and tech house to go at, if you can last the night.
Tickets will only set you back £6. Skiddle has some here.
Andy C playing WHP back in 2018. Credit: Metropolis/IG
The 12-week long Warehouse Project series kicked off this month with some serious lineups filling out the 10,000 capacity Depot Mayfield.
On Friday, Metropolis will take over the former train depot as part of the season, with one of the biggest drum and bass lineups you’ll find in Manchester all year.
Heavyweights Andy C, Sub Focus and Wilkinson will headline the show, with a huge list of other big names who’ll be warming up for them throughout the night, like High Contrast, North Base, Mark XTC, Mollie Collins and Friction.
If you fancy some house and techno, popular Manchester club night and record label Haus 22 will be joined by Slam at Joshua Brooks. The pre-party will kick off at 7pm in the bar with things moving downstairs to the revamped basement from 11pm.
Scottish duo Slam will be playing a rare all night long set until 4am. The producers have been making music and putting on their own club nights for decades and so have a load of experience in creating top class nights.
Tickets are a tenner. But student and group tickets come a bit cheaper. Find all the info here.
Calling all students: this one is a rite of passage.
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Ghosts of Garage has been making moves in the student scene for the past couple of years. And coinciding with Manchester’s freshers week the popular garage night will visit Hidden on Friday.
Clothing brand turned music label Dr Banana will be appearing, whilst Soul Mass Transit System will make his Manchester debut.
DJ Q will also play an extended UKG set. Plus, expect to see some Ghosts of Garage faves like Tht Girl, and of course Rich Reason, with B2Bs from Mattik and NG.OMA too, all hosted by T-Man.
Originally planned for March, organisers managed to confirm a new date and a new venue, now taking place at Hidden. All previous tickets remain valid though. And early bird tickets are already gone. But you can get first and second release tickets on Skiddle here.
For more music and events head here. And make sure you’re following The Manc Audio to stay up to date.
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World-renowned rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd announce HUGE Manchester anniversary gig
Thomas Melia
Legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd are returning to Manchester for a limited UK tour at one city’s foremost venues.
Six years since their last visit, we’re sure they’ve missed ‘That Smell’ of a Manchester crowd and it’s safe to say safe we’ve missed them too.
Known for our love of live music and gigs, there’s no better place to stop off at other than Manchester when you’re playing a world tour, especially celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.
Their name needs no introduction, however, if you need a reminder of this band’s remarkable career then ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’.
Just kidding, the well-seasoned country and blues veterans from Jacksonville, Flordia are one of the most acclaimed acts to ever come out of the US; in 2006 they received one of the biggest honours any artist could wish for, getting inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
With 14 official studio albums, several EPs and numerous live recordings, there are definitely more than enough songs to pack into one unforgettable night.
As one of just four dates here in England, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Manchester tour show is taking place at none other than the AO Arena, which has also reached a milestone in 2025 as they celebrate 30 years of unbelievable gigs. What better way to party than with a good ol’ fashioned rock show?
They won’t be travelling solo either, they’re also bringing Georgia-based rockers Blackberry Smoke as a support act, notable for their 2012 single ‘One Horse Town’ along with many others.
Rockin’ it out like they always do, bring on Manchester. That iconic Lynyrd logo will look immense in AO Arena this year.Credit: Supplied
They’ve chosen the right venue to belt the hits too and, ironically, they’ve chosen a Tuesday for their Manchester date, meaning you’ll be able to walk out of the concert singing ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ with more conviction than ever.
One thing is for sure, with a legacy as big as this, the rockers are guaranteed to have a great time. There might not be any founding members left following the passing of guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington in 2023, but you can bet the current lineup will do the originals justice and then some.
Lynyrd Skynyrd visit the AO Arena in Manchester on Tuesday 15 July 2025 with tickets going on sale from Friday 24 January at 10am. You can grab yours HERE.
Busted and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man added to huge music series line-up in Delamere Forest
Thomas Melia
Pop-punk band Busted and pop/soul singer Rag ‘N’ Bone Man are the latest acts announced to headline a music-filled forest a short drive from Greater Manchester.
The new names have been added to the huge Forest Live 2025 gig series, which takes place at Delamere Forest as well as four other unique outdoor locations across the country.
In a setting that’s mostly greenery and acres of trees, one voice is guaranteed to travel through the dense landscape of the forest, and that’s Rag ‘N’ Bone Man.
Joining the bill with the impressive soloist is boyband and still-to-this-day heartthrobs Busted who are visiting AO Arena this year as well, for those who aren’t such big fans of the festival scene.
Busted have had worldwide and national acclaim soundtracking the early noughties by transporting people a thousand years into the future with ‘Year 3000’ and educating us on ‘What I Go To School For’.
Rag ‘N’ Bone Man has his fair share of chart topping too with notable songs like the hard-hitting drum-heavy ‘Human’ to the Calvin Harris link-up ‘Giant’ which is a flurry of flamboyant horns and EDM beats.
You could be like these lucky gig-goers, front row in Delamere Forest.Raise a glass to your favourite band at Forest Live 2025.Bringing music and green spaces together, Delamere Forest, Cheshire.Credit: Supplied
Stockport five-piece Blossoms will also be headlining and they might be bringing their latest member Gary, the infamous eight foot gorilla, on stage with them too.
There’s another Gary on the bill too, with Gary Barlow set to play in June.
Dundee legends Snow Patrol are another of the acts who are set to play at Forest Live this summer.
Situated in Cheshire, Delamere Forest has been hosting events and shows as part of ‘Forest Live’ in partnership with lots of other unique green spaces like Sherwood Forest and Cannock Chase Forest too.
This initiative is set to drive more people into these natural environments that they maybe wouldn’t visit if it wasn’t for the music and make them realise how brilliant these grounds truly are.
Rag ‘N’ Bone Man is headlining on Sunday 15 June while Busted are set to headline on Thursday 19 June, both events are taking place at Delamere Forest as part of Forest Live 2025, with tickets HERE.
Forest Live 2025 at Delamere Forest line-up
13 June – Snow Patrol
14 June – Gary Barlow
15 June – Rag n Bone Man
19 June – Busted (with Twin Atlantic and SOAP)
21 June – Blossoms (with Seb Lowe and The Guest List)
Hannah Starkie -
23rd September 2021 
