A concert hall in the city centre has announced a series of ‘rush hour’ gigs – each one costing just £5.
The cheap gigs have been created so that Mancs have an alternative to sitting in traffic, or getting a bit too cosy on packed trams and trains around Greater Manchester.
And as they’re all taking place at The Stoller Hall, they’re handily right across the road from Manchester Victoria train station.
As well as giving us all a break from the commute, the gigs will support up-and-coming musicians, showcasing some of the brightest new talent in the country.
Every concert will cost just £5 (no, really) and last just one hour, with 6pm start times. You’ve got very little to lose.
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You can even pre-order a drink to collect and enjoy inside the concert hall.
The Stoller Hall hopes it will help us all avoid rush-hour and relax with an hour of live music instead.
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It’s been announced as part of The Stoller Hall’s Emerging Artists Scheme, supported by The Haworth Trust, which sees musicians in the early stages of their career given a platform at a world-class music venue.
Fran Healey, creative commercial director for The Stoller Hall, said: “We are passionate about nurturing new talent and giving a platform to musicians in the early stages of their career.
“Our new programme of ‘rush hour performances’ is a double whammy – you can support these exceptional young people and avoid busy travel times.
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“We’re very grateful for the generous support of The Haworth Trust who have made this new programme possible.”
The Stoller Hall’s rush hour gigs are taking place between September 2023 and March 2024, and tickets are available now.
The Stoller Hall’s cheap ‘rush hour’ gigs series in Manchester
13 September, 6pm – Phoebe Raynor
Mezzo-soprano Phoebe Rayner has a passion for contemporary vocal repertoire, premiering works by Professor Rachel Beckles Willson, Philip Grange, Cee Haines, and various student composers.
6 November, 6pm – Ensemble Raynard
Ensemble Renard are a wind quintet who are passionate about bringing a huge range of music to audiences of a variety of different backgrounds. Ensemble Renard is Ellie Blamiers (flute), Francesca Cox (oboe), Patrick Bolton (bassoon), George Strivens (horn) and Holly Isherwood (clarinet).
18 January, 6pm – Asaka Quartet
The Asaka Quartet is Ioan McDonald, Eriol Guo Yu, Susie Xin He and Jonathan Ho Man Fong. Through presenting creative and innovative programmes, they invite their audiences to discover new repertoire from a fresh and exciting perspective.
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6 Feburary, 6pm – Smorgaschord Collective
Smorgaschord Collective is a group of ambitious musicians aiming to cut away from ‘normal’ formalities of musical experiences, who come together to collaborate and create, with a strong emphasis on the new and the unusual.
13 March, 6pm – Helena Ricci
Forging her own path as a visionary classical musician, Helena Ricci is a trailblazing harpist praised for her expressive, dynamic playing and captivating stage presence. She is currently working on her debut album.
Featured image: The Stoller Hall
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Harry Styles announced as latest BRITs performer
Danny Jones
Yes, in what is set to be his Co-op Live debut (yes, the venue he’s literally invested in), Harry Styles has been confirmed as the latest blockbuster performer at this year’s BRITs
The lineup for the 2026 BRIT Awards was already pretty stacked, but this just takes the cake.
Not long after FINALLY announcing his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally and releasing the new lead single, ‘Aperture’, the Cheshire-born singer-songwriter is coming to the Co-op arena for the very first time as part of the ceremony’s live music lineup.
Absolute scenes. Screaming, crying, throwing up.
we've got news… Harry's coming home 💋🪩@Harry_Styles will be making his live TV performance debut of music from his new album 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.' at The BRIT Awards 2026
Watch the performance live Saturday 28th February on ITV1 & ITVX in the UK and on… pic.twitter.com/Aax3lV03xM
The 31-year-old former One Direction member turned solo artist and global megastar recently revealed a raft of live shows – and there’s been plenty of discussion surrounding ticket prices.
However, anyone who already secured a seat at the first-ever BRITs here in Manchester will no doubt be doing cartwheels now following the announcement.
As if that wasn’t a mega enough name, he will be joining the wonderful, already award-winning and fellow nominee, Olivia Dean.
As quite literally two of the biggest musicians on the planet right now, we couldn’t pick a better roster if we dreamed it up ourselves.
Speaking of Ms Dean, she is also one of several acts confirmed to be playing a series of intimate acts across the country – and her’s is right here in Manchester.
Featured Images — Leticia Moraes (via Flickr)/Press shots (supplied)
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Sounds From The Other City releases 2026 lineup with 100+ acts playing on 17 stages across Salford
Emily Sergeant
More than 100 exciting artists are set to perform on 17 stages dotted across Salford this spring.
In case you hadn’t heard, 2026 is the year Salford is celebrating 100 years since it was first declared its own city, and to celebrate such a monumental occasion, the popular Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) festival has now released its full lineup ahead of its return on the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Salford’s long-running independent festival of new music is known for its genre-spanning showcase of new artists from across the UK and beyond.
This year’s festival is curated by some of the most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines, and tastemakers in the North.
Music lovers will get the chance to see artists in a wide range of independent venues and unconventional spaces across the city – with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches, to concert halls and galleries.
Artists announced today include the uncategorisable masked provocateur Lynks, South African ‘future ghetto funk’ trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly, Manchester-based artist jasmine.4.t, who has recently been named BBC 6 Music Artist of the Year 2025.
Other artists to look out for include Grey Lantern, FaT OuT, ambient pop artist Pollyfromthedirt, genre-straddling South London six-piece, Blue Bendy, South London trio ashnymph, and Manchester quartet Pyncher.
The Sounds From The Other City festival has released its 2026 lineup / Credit: Breige Cobane (Supplied)
One of the undeniable highlights of the lineup is that the spiritual home of the festival, Islington Mill, will be programmed day and night by the legendary Band on the Wall, multi-award-winning Reform Radio, Manchester’s infamous queer day-rave BENT, and the LGBTQ+ POC collective Swagga, with performances from Sorvina, Renee Stormz, and Chimpo.
“This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme,” commented Emma Thompson, Co-Director of From The Other, as the lineup was announced this week.
“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital, not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important these spaces are for our scene.”
Sounds From The Other City 2026 takes place on Sunday 3 May, and tickets go on sale this week – with Early Bird ticket access available to mailing list subscribers from tomorrow (Thursday 29 January) and the remaining tickets going on general sale from Friday 30 January.
Prices remain unchanged from 2025 with tiers at £30/35/40/45, and you can get tickets when they go live here.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd September 2023 
