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’.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
Music charity launches exclusive giveaway after naming Liam Gallagher as newest ambassador
Danny Jones
A local grassroots music charity is holding a special giveaway of exclusive Oasis x adidas Originals merch to celebrate Liam Gallagher becoming their latest ambassador.
The legendary British frontman and global rock icon is no stranger to teaming up with charities, but this latest project is seeing him focus on his hometown and the Manc music scene more than ever.
Brighter Sound, who are based right here in Manchester city centre, announced the one and only Liam Gallagher as their latest collaborator on Monday, 1 June, but that’s not all.
As mentioned above, they’re also holding a prize draw to raise funds for the cause, with some special kicks up for grabs – and they’re a model that became collectors’ items almost instantly.
The local music development organisation, which has been helping support young artists and aspiring creatives for more than two and a half decades at this point, revealed Liam would be teaming up not only to help promote fellow Mancunians in and around the music industry.
But there’s still much more to it than that.
With this special fundraising initiative also on the table – as are a limited edition pair of his sold-out adidas Achille SPZL trainers (including the extremely rare and highly sought-after Japanese-exclusive version) as part of the giveaway – this marks a commitment to supporting up-and-coming talent.
All proceeds from the charitable prize draw will go towards a crucial pot of money that will then go directly towards backing rising musicians across the region.
In case you haven’t seen the shoes in question, both Liam and his elder sibling Noel teamed up with adidas Originals during the Oasis Live ’25 merch boom and reunion tour phenomenon as a whole, each creating their own special ‘Spezial’ design. You can see more of them down below.
They obviously flew off the shelves rather quickly.
Speaking in an official statement, the 53-year-old said of the fresh partnership: “I’m honoured to be an Ambassador for Brighter Sound and support the new generation of creatives launch their music projects. We need more help for the arts, especially for the working class.”
Getting to work in and around his native territory across Greater Manchester will no doubt be an added bonus for the Burnage-born Gallagher brother.
As for Brighter Sound, the organisation’s director, Kate Lowes, added: “It’s a real honour to be working with Liam and his team on this special prize draw, and to welcome him as an ambassador for Brighter Sound. Manchester is an incredible place for music – and Liam and Oasis are a huge part of that story.
“This partnership reflects a shared commitment to making sure that more amazing talent continues to grow from the city and find its place on the world stage.”
For anyone looking to enter the prize draw and help support Brighter Sound’s work across Greater Manchester, you can do so right HERE.
Featured Images — Brighter Sound (supplied)/Jonnysmirth (via Wikimedia Commons)
Audio
Lottery Winners help debut new hometown anthem ‘Song For Leigh’ at massive stadium gig
Danny Jones
Indie pop favourites Lottery Winners smashed their first-ever solo stadium show at Leigh Sports Village at the end of May, and they also helped debut a dedicated hometown anthem for the town.
One of several current stars coming from in and around the Wigan music scene, it’s been a big few years for the Greater Manchester band, and their biggest-ever headline show on Saturday was yet more proof of just how much they’ve achieved in their career thus far.
That being said, however, this lot will never, EVER forget where they’ve been and, most importantly, where they come from.
You’ll find no better example of that than their sold-out LSV gig, which saw multiple celebrations of their local area, than one particular moment…
Posting on social media in the aftermath of the landmark live performance for the four-piece, frontman Thom Rylance wrote: “Little old Leigh, I haven’t slept a wink. I’m not sure I ever will again. I’ve never felt such a powerful punch of love hit me like that before, and I’m not even sure what to do with it all.
“Thanks isn’t enough, but let’s start there. Thank you for carrying us all this way. Thank you for making us feel special. Thank you for making all of this feel proper. Thank you to the grown-ups who trusted us with such a mammoth thing. Absolutely stupid that you let us do that, but I hope we made you proud.
“The feeling I get from looking across and seeing my best mates on the planet literally living their dream, in full HD, makes me so happy I could burst into bubbles. And thank you to Leigh. Our home. Our people. Nobody does it better. Last night was proof that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things.”
But as mentioned, perhaps the most wholesome part of the entire event was when they aired a brand-new tune created by Spirix Collective – a group of local musicians, dancers, and all-round creatives based in the heart of Leigh. Here’s what they’ve made:
What a lovely thing for everyone tied to this place.
Produced partly in an effort as part of the historic Lancashire county village’s bid to become the UK’s next first Town of Culture, it’s a track created on behalf not just of Leigh itself but to further help shine a light on the often criminally-overlooked borough of Wigan.
As for natives themselves, they signed off the milestone by adding in the caption: “Lottery Winners are massive. KOKO [Keep on keeping on].”
It’s fair to say that after seeing some of the scenes from over the weekend, we tend to agree.
Who was there on the night and, whether you were lucky enough to be or not, what do you make of the ‘Song For Leigh’ now you’ve heard it?
Hannah Starkie -
1st September 2020 
