Now we’ve all enjoyed our little taste of freedom over the past two weeks, we’re looking ahead to June when we’re finally released back into some form of normality.
And with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown in full swing now, we thought we’d put together another round-up of music events and gigs to book in Manchester right now – because there are just so many good ones to choose from.
Plus, we’ve got a lot of making up for lost time to do…
Left, Right & Centre, The Old Abbey Taphouse – 2 May
The Old Abbey Taphouse will play host to Manchester club night Left, Right & Centre on 2 May to celebrate their 3rd birthday.
Heading the lineup is Scapa, Jazz, Porter Brook and Hessle Audio’s Bruce from 4pm until 11pm.
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This one will still be seated and socially-distanced, but we’re still more than happy to have a dance at our tables at this point.
Longstanding Manchester drum and bass night Hit & Run continue their return on Friday 25 June with a massive lineup at Hidden. Kick off your first weekend of post-covid freedom with the bassy sounds of Fox, Chimpo, Truthos Mufasa, Slay, Sparkz, Metrodome plus head honcho Rich Reason.
Less than 1% of tickets remain for this one so we imagine they’ll be snapped up soon – get them on Skiddle here.
Libero, venue TBC – Friday 25 June
Libero’s Luke Welsh, Mike Morrisey and Dan Costello will be accompanied by special guests for a big event in June – but they’re keeping everything hush at the minute with no venue announcement.
Wherever it happens, we know these boys will pull it out the bag – they always do.
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Join them for a big night of house, minimal and techno on 25 June.
Skiptrace Day Party at The Old Abbey Taphouse – Saturday 26 June
Another one at The Old Abbey Taphouse – this time, for Manchester label Skiptrace’s all-dayer on 26 June.
A handful of Skiptrace alumni will be playing from 2pm until 11pm, which will feature housey vibes from Joe Roche, Althea and Ed Hodge, plus the bassier style of Walton, creating a proper mixed bag.
The Projekts Skatepark, located right under the Mancunian Way, will welcome some of Manchester’s best underground labels and promotors on a handful of dates from July through to September.
Kaluki, Mason Collective, Haus22 and Moxy Muzik will all takeover the skatepark, where we expect to hear plenty of house, minimal and techno vibes to get you in that post-covid summer party mood.
MrTraumatik & Friends, The Bread Shed – Saturday 24 July
To celebrate the release of his new track ‘Hallucinations’, MrTraumatik is setting out a series of UK tour dates which will include The Bread Shed on 24 July.
The grime MC and drum and bass producer is known for his chaotic tracks and explicit lyrics – and we can expect this kind of mayhem in July.
You&Me Music in the Trees, Venue TBA – Saturday 7 August
House and tech label You&Me have found a picturesque little spot just outside Manchester city centre to celebrate their sixth birthday on 7 August.
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It’ll take place from 2pm to 11pm in a brand-new unused space that organisers can only describe as “built for dancing”.
The lineup and venue haven’t been announced yet, but You&Me never disappoint so get your tickets here.
After party also pending.
Fields of Gold, Ashton Cricket Club – 3-4 September
Fields of Gold festival
Fields of Gold will take over Ashton Cricket Club on 3 and 4 September for two days of tribute bands.
Woasis, The Smiths Utd, The Ultimate Stone Roses, and Laid are all set to play your fave Manc songs in what will be the ultimate celebration of the city’s music.
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Plus, there’ll be DJ sets from Clint Boon and Happy Mondays’ Bez throughout the weekend.
Stay up-to-date with music, gigs and events around Manchester with The Manc Audio.
Music
Placebo are returning to Manchester with a special re-worked album tour for their 30th anniversary
Danny Jones
Placebo are coming back to Manchester city centre for a very special anniversary show celebrating their seminal debut album, which will be re-worked 30 years on from its release.
The beloved British alt-rock band, which first broke onto the indie, post-glam and pseudo-goth scene back in the mid-1990s, haven’t played here since November 2022, so it’s fair to say fans have been waiting for a return.
Last time out, they played the AO Arena, but this year they’ll be making a maiden visit to one of Europe’s biggest indoor entertainment venues.
Announcing the ‘RE:CREATED‘ re-release of their debut album and the accompanying anniversary tour this week, tickets are set to go on sale very soon.
Confirming just a handful of UK shows this December following a more extensive European run in autumn and winter 2026, they are the latest big rock name to book Co-op Live.
Placebo’s self-titled debut album, RE:CREATED
As mentioned, Placebo RE:CREATED features “powerful reworked and embellished versions of all ten tracks from the original album”, as well as two new bonus tracks.
The group say that these new songs are sort of like an ‘amplification’ of what made their inaugural studio outing such a success in the first place.
Speaking in an official statement, they said: “We think of this record as a director’s cut. We haven’t recreated it from scratch. We went back to the original master tapes and brought 30 years of playing these songs live back into the record.
“This project was about finally finishing the record, dragging it into the 21st century sonically, while preserving the integrity and the spirit of the original. It’s not about improving it; there’s nothing wrong with it – it’s about completing it.”
Signing off and getting tails up ahead of the tour, they added: “It’s a celebration of where we began, and a meeting point between who we were then and who we are now; a way of honouring that innocence, while letting the songs exist with the scale, confidence, and energy of the band we’ve become”.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Placebo: 30th Anniversary Tour Playing songs from ‘Placebo’ & ‘Without You I’m Nothing' Friday 4 December https://t.co/qwOm3NNGQH @coopuk members get first in line for tickets. Co-op Member Presale: 09:00 Wednesday 25 March General Sale: 09:00 Friday 27 March pic.twitter.com/MO72ui1ntW
It remains to be seen who, if anyone, will be supporting them for the limited run of domestic shows, but it has been revealed that they will also be playing some fan favourite songs from their sophomore LP, Without You I’m Nothing. You can see the rest of the gigs here in Britain and Ireland down below:
Placebo UK tour dates 2026
2 – Dublin, Ireland – 3 Arena 4th – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live Arena 5th – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley 7th – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
For those looking to secure early access, you can do so by pre-ordering the album (which drops on 19 June), with the pre-sale window opening at 9am on 24 March.
As for general admission, they will be available from the same time the following Friday, 27 March.
You can get ready to grab your tickets to see Placebo at Co-op Live in Manchester for their 30th anniversary gig right HERE.
They’re not the only big rock name that first back in the 90s set for a big Manc arena show this year.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via SJM Concerts)
Music
Review | What we made of Country 2 Country 2026, and why Manchester should be very excited
Danny Jones
Excuse me, but it looks like we might have a new favourite festival on the cards: Country 2 Country – and it’s very rare we gig in London and enjoy ourselves anyway near as much as we do up North, but now we’re already dreaming of just how good C2C Manchester could be.
In fact, scratch that, we know it is.
Billed as Europe’s biggest country music festival, there really isn’t anything quite like it here. Yes, there’s Buckle & Boots Festival closer to home, but there’s nothing in the folk and country world on this kind of massive scale, unless you go all the way to see the actual CMA Fest over in the US.
London’s also been lucky enough to host some very big names at BST Hyde Park too, but this fully-fledged arena weekender, complete with an outdoor festival hub, town square, trading post, a barn full of line-dancers, and SO much more, celebrates every single part of that culture.
By day, the aim is to make a little country town, complete with shops, food, drink and music aplenty. (Credit: Audio North)
But… We think the North can do it better.
So too did some of the acts and punters as well, by the way; we spoke to several people on-site who’d made the trip from all over because it was closer than Glasgow, Belfast or Berlin.
Up-and-coming British country rock artist, Bronnie – who was literally hours away from a move across the pond to pursue her dreams of living the cowgirl turned music artist experience down in the Southern states – said simply: “There’s always this feeling like there’s more fun to be had up North”
Moreover, the friends she’s already made over in America’s ‘Music City’, she says, have claimed that “the vibes are just better”, apparently. Not to sound too biased, but we obviously couldn’t agree more.
However, with the news that C2C is coming to Manchester city centre and Northern England for the very first time, people are already hopping mad at the idea of a Manc debut.
That’s to say that what The O2 in London isn’t special and will always be to most punters, we just know full well that our particular region is going to take to this new annual event like a duck to water.
A lot of the people we spoke to kept repeating the same: that working class connection, simple but relatable imagery, the pure poetry you’ll find not only in Nashville but creative cousins like Manchester.
The Broadway strip in Austin may be the spiritual home of this kind of music, but we Greater Mancunians lay claim to plenty of genres and some of the biggest artistic traditions ourselves.
With that in mind, we are convinced we’re going to leave a lasting impression when our inaugural Country 2 Country Festival comes to the AO Arena next year.
Our line dancing might leave a little to be desired, but we’ve got a whole year to work on it, not to mention plenty of time to dive even further into the UK’s growing country music obsession.
You can see more pictures from our 2026 C2C gallery down below.
Country fashion was everywhereThe official CMA Spotlight Stage was one of the bestNo one shyed away from a partyKruse Brothers were one of our favourite from the weekendAlana Springsteen was incredibleAnd by the evening, it’s a proper hedonist hoedown… (Credit: The Manc)
Hannah Starkie -
22nd April 2021 
