Well, hello there; fancy seeing you all here – presume you’re waiting on another batch of new Manchester bands and artists you’ve not come across before?
Stupid question, of course you are. It’s the end of the month after all and that’s how we like to start the next one. Best foot forward and all that.
In case you happen to be new here, right about now is the time (as you’ve probably guessed from the title) that we round up five of the best musicians from in and around Greater Manchester that we’ve been listening to recently.
Let’s not muck about any longer, shall we?
Five Manchester bands and artists you should listen to
1. John Bramwell
His S-heavy voice cuts through so much this album in such a satisfying way.
First up on our list is John Bramwell, best known for his years with noughties alternative and indie band I Am Kloot, but he’s been enjoying his solo journey since 2016, and so have we. With his sophomore album released earlier this year, we finally found time to try it out – in a word: stunning.
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Hailing from Hyde, the former frontman and guitarist released his standalone debut in 2017, but even before that he released a passion project under the name ‘Johnny Dangerously’ way back in 1989 entitled, You, Me and the Alarm Clock, once called “the best British album you’ve never heard” by The Guardian.
Suffice it to say, the 60-year-old has been on a long and winding road to becoming a straight-up singer-songwriter for some time now and it’s great to hear where his sound has got to. There’s a real 1960s and ’70s feel to a lot of it; we’d start with the title track, ‘It’s Just You’, and ‘I Am The Sky’, which shows a real range to those vocal tones.
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2. Hollows
Second on our list of Manchester bands and artists for November is the alternative trio, Hollows, who after stumbling across a little while back we’ve now rediscovered following their release of their latest EP, Running With Scissors.
While it’s by no means heavy, they’re probably the most guitar-driven name on the list this month. We picked up bits of Placebo and even contemporary Smashing Pumpkins at times but, put most simply, they’re just a good rock band and we still think there’s a lack of those around these days.
Their newest stuff is undoubtedly their best but you’ve still got to start with ‘UV Lights’ in our opinion (simply because we did), but from there we’d encourage you’d move on to ‘History’ and ‘Talon’.
Shifting over to electronic for a spell, our next nod goes to rising DJ and producer Oldboy. Named after the cult-hit film, his sound certainly carries over plenty of inspiration from movies and TV – and not just because he samples Brad Bitt in Seven on one of his tracks.
Born in York before spending his uni days in Sheffield and eventually landing here in Manchester a few years ago, the rising Northern star – real name Max Carter – does garage, dub and house best but there’s lots of variety on show. He also has his own record label, Front Toward Enemy.
With a catalogue dating back to 2021 and a versatility spanning so many sub-genres, not to mention a truly great selection of instant earworm sampled, he can pretty much turn his hand to anything provided there’s bass and some distortion involved. ‘Grab Di Mic’ is his latest, ‘Find Da Cure’ is a great intro and his ‘Got Yo $’ rightly went viral on TikTok a while back. Give him a spin.
Amidst all these new Manchester bands and lesser-known artists, Oldboy’s live sets are a nice change of pace.
4. The Recreation
Penultimately, we’ll quite literally keep effing and blinding until you listen to the fantastic local five-piece that is The Recreation, who have quickly become a bit of an obsession of ours. They released their second LP this past May and the only thing we’ve been listening to the same amount is their first.
To be completely honest, we’ve only really chimed with the stuff from 2020 onwards, but let’s just say we really struggled to pick our favourite tracks from the Oldham lads because we genuinely love all of it so much. That being said, if you had to push for once from each album, we’d go ‘Summertime 35s’ from their debut and ‘Call Me Back Sugar’ from Love In.
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A really special shout-out also has to go to the extremely stripped-back spoken word track, ‘remember the future? interlude’, which delivers such matter-of-fact but surprisingly moving Northernisms that we really urge you to find a quiet corner in a dark room and just experience it. Big up The Rec.
couldn’t have done it without the wizardry of @thekaratesuit and a huge thanks to Ramin Bostan for providing the luscious trumpets you hear on track 6 ‘Kharhi’. Both amazing talents in their own right!
Last but not least are the whippersnappers of the bunch, local lads Montello who were recently got onto thanks to the Stanleys lads, who named this little four-piece one of the names helping fly the flag for the mini music hamlet of Wigan.
When we say young by the way, we’re talking no one much older than 17 in this promising little outfit but they’ve already got a style and a sound that gives the impression of a band that has been at this much longer than they have and there’s definitely some similarities to The Lathums, Stanleys and more.
It’s no-nonsense indie rock and you know we love a bit of that. Better production levels and even more confidence will come as they inevitably mature but, at the minute, they’ve got three tracks you have no excuse not to work through them all. The Wigan scene really is growing and we’re here for it.
They also happen to be playing our Audio North stage at Year’s End Festival next month, so we best see your there and listening to live!
And we’re sorry to say it but, once again, that’s all for another month.
We sincerely hope you give these fantastic Manchester-based bands and artists a go over the coming weeks and come back for more recommendations for our final edition of 2024 at the end of December.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied/via Facebook)
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Pulp at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Britpop band Pulp is heading over to Manchester for a night of singing along right through to ‘Sunrise’ or until Co-op Live’s curfew.
Jarvis Cocker and co., known more famously as UK cult classic band Pulp, are heading on the road, stopping off at various arenas up and down the country.
Their latest discography addition, their comeback LP, More, just debuted on the UK’s Official Album Charts and in pole position, no less: a very impressive feat that makes that a total of three number ones in their career.
Their eighth album is remarkable in more ways than one, as not only has it become a talking point in the music world, it’s also the band’s first new release in 24 years – an absolute banger as well, by the way.
Cocker and his bandmates are no strangers to the North either, much like our friends over at The Sheff, the Pulp frontman and several members of the lineup, both past and present, are Steel City natives.
As Britpop lovers and fans of the band ourselves, we’re buzzing about their chart-topping return, but no way as proud as their home city.
Pulp gig guide – all the key info you need to know
Pulp’s last visit to Manchester took place at Castlefield Bowl when they played a show as part of the impressive summer music series, Sounds of the City. Fast forward to 2025, and now they’re taking on the region’s biggest indoor entertainment and live music arena.
Let’s all imagine this picture of Jarvis is him checking the road signs on his way to Manchester
Are there tickets left for Pulp at Co-op Live?
If you’re suffering from ‘The Fear’ of not getting your seat ahead of Pulp’s ‘You Deserve More’ tour, there are limited seats for the Co-op Live show in Manchester HERE.
Don’t wait around, though; these won’t be around for long.
And if you fancy feeling all special and setting yourself apart from the rest of the ‘Common People’ for once (not that the mixer isn’t still the best place to be), why not treat yourself to a luxury concert experience thanks to SeatUnique, where you have access to your own private lounge?
Pulp 2025 ‘You Deserve More’ tour setlist
Spike Island
Grown Ups
Slow Jam
Sorted for E’s & Wizz
Disco 2000
F.E.E.L.I.N.G.C.A.L.L.E.D.L.O.V.E
Tina
Farmers Market
This Is Hardcore
Sunrise
Something Changed
The Fear
O.U (Gone, Gone)
59 Lyndhurst Grove
Acrylic Afternoons
Do You Remember the First Time?
Mis-Shapes
Got to Have Love
Babies
Common People
A Sunset
What are the stage times for Pulp in Manchester?
Pulp are set to perform at Co-op Live, Manchester on 21 June.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning everyone can stay for the final ‘Slow Jam’ or two without worrying about getting home too late.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with a kick-off time of 7:30pm, which gives you an hour to turn to your friend and ask, “‘Do You Remember the First Time’…we watched Pulp?”
Pulp x Co-op Live afterparty
If you’re not ready go home after the encore and you really do think ‘You Deserve More’, you can always cop yourself a ticket to the afterparty inside Co-op Live’s Backstage Club’ too.
With a DJ set to play indie favourites straight after the show and until late, the party doesn’t stop until you say it does. Tickets are available now.
We recently got to experience it ourselves on our last visit to the arena to watch the one and only Lionel Richie, and it certainly left an impression on us.
We didn’t meet him backstage, but he did call us his ‘cousins’…
How to get to the venue
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre, and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
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Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Massive music-filled takeover planned as 1.3m tourists descend on Manchester this summer
Emily Sergeant
Plans for a massive music-filled takeover of Manchester have been announced ahead of 1.3 million tourists descending on the city centre this summer.
It comes as no surprise that this summer is set to be a big one for music in Manchester.
Parklife weekend has just been and gone, but in 2025, the fun is far from over, as there will be countless global megastars taking to the stage at some of our city’s biggest music venues, such as Co-op Live and the AO Arena, over the next couple of months, and there’s also the Sounds of the City concert series to look forward to at Castlefield Bowl, as well as a handful of Wythenshawe Park gigs.
Oh, and in case you’ve been living under a rock, there’s also the small matter of Manchester’s most legendary band, Oasis, reforming for a run of gigs at Heaton Park next month too.
Sure, Manchester is big for music all year round, but as you can imagine, 2025 is set to be bigger than ever, which is why Manchester City Council has now announced its very-own musical takeover called MCR Live ’25 to help celebrate what promises to be a sensational summer of sound.
On the setlist: 🎸 A star-studded guitar trail, courtesy of Wild In Art 🛍️ Pop-up markets to explore 🎡 A festival bar to soak up the summer vibes 🥳 And much, much more!
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) June 12, 2025
There’ll be everything from a pop-up bar in Piccadilly Gardens with surprise live acts doing sets, and markets in St Peter’s Square selling vinyl and vintage goods, to block parties in the Northern Quarter, and the already-announced Music for the Senses art trail dotted around all the well-known city centre sights.
The Piccadilly Gardens space, known as The Hub, is designed to be the ‘basecamp’ for Manchester’s music tourists, and will be an easy place to drink at the bar, sample some of the best street food in the North West, catch surprise acts and DJ takeovers on the outdoor stage, or bring the family along during the day for some music-inspired fun.
If you head to St Peter’s Square, this is where you’ll find the pop-up markets running alongside Oasis’ legendary homecoming gigs, which will bring together local makers, artists, and indie traders for a celebration of sound, style, and city pride.
A massive music-filled takeover is planned as 1.3m tourists descend on Manchester this summer / Credit: David Oates Photography
Several ‘block parties’ will be taking over the Northern Quarter on selected Fridays and Saturdays in both June and July, so it’s your chance to head on down to Edge Street and Thomas Street and take in all the action happening over two stages – with DJs and live acts playing throughout the day.
There’ll also even be an ‘Oasis Week’ at Manchester Central Library, with legendary Supernova live sets, Gallagher look-alike competitions, a Big Oasis Quiz, Supersonic film screenings, and so much more.
But the stand-out event has to be the art trail, which is titled Music for the Senses: an art arrangement for a musical city, running across the city centre from early July until the end of August, and is a collaboration between global art producer Wild in Art – the creators of the famous Bee in the City project – and the Council.
There’ll be pop-up bars, music markets, block parties, and loads more dotted around the city / Credit: MCC
At the heart of the exhibition will be an interactive installation called ‘Guitar Street’ created by Manchester artist Liam Hopkins, known as Lazerian, which will lovingly repurpose 100+ broken guitars, all donated by members of the public.
“We’re already known the world over for the music we make and for our unrivalled music scene, and this summer we’re going all out with MCR Live ’25 to harness the moment and celebrate the massive contribution that music makes to the city,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council.
You can find out everything happening for MCR Live ’25 on the VisitManchester website here.
Of course, the annual Manchester Day celebrations will also be back and taking over the city centre’s main streets on Saturday 26 July too, and this year, that’s also music-themed… because why wouldn’t it be? It makes sense.
Danny Jones -
29th November 2024 
