It’s safe to say last year’s new intake of university students were robbed of a decent freshers week in 2020. This year, however, is a whole different story.
Manchester’s music scene is unrivalled – we all know that. And being a student in the city, you’re usually spoilt for choice with club nights. Sadly, over the past 18 months that’s not been the case.
But since COVID-19 restrictions were lifted in July and nightclubs could reopen again, our calendars have been blowing up with music events.
So, if you’re heading to the city for the first time, or are returning for the new academic year, you’ll be pleased to know that the city’s clubs are throwing some serious parties this time around. And we’ve put together our very own guide to Manchester club nights in and around freshers week.
Which university you’re heading to, will of course determine your official freshers week dates are. But here we’ve included events spanning two weeks to cover all bases.
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These aren’t your typical ‘freshers’ events. There’ll be no foam, UV paint and £1 Jagerbombs. There will, however, be some decent music and even more decent vibes to kick off your time in Manchester properly.
Lean and Bop is back at The Deaf Institute
Fans of Drake, AJ Tracey, Post Malone, Kanye West, Cardi B, Frank Ocean and the likes of, this one’s for you.
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Lean & Bop – Manchester’s biggest hip-hop, grime and R&B club night – is back with a freshers part one event at the Deaf Institute from Tuesday 14 September.
They’re putting on a freshers week double header, with a part two the following Tuesday. And Lean & Bop fans will be pleased to know the club night will be returning for a weekly Tuesday night residency going forward, too.
The Deaf Institute | 135 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HE | 14 September | 10pm – 3am
90s nostalgia at Hatch
Did you know Hatch is launching a new weekly student night ‘Show Me Love’ on 14 September?
Every Tuesday for the foreseeable, you can enjoy a whole evening of old school hits and 90s nostalgia. All this alongside the usual Hatch offerings of beers, cocktail and tasty food options to line your stomach – or sober you up.
Oh, and it’s free to get in. But you’re best booking a table in advance anyway.
On Friday 17 September, newcomer Discopia returns to The Bread Shed for a second time, offering a night of funky beats, house and underground disco.
Discopia’s last visit to The Bread Shed was a delightful concoction of music, confetti and bubble guns.
But joining the lineup this time around will be Matty B, Dom C. Taylor and Cameron Rawson. Together, they’ll concoct the good-vibes-only dancefloor atmosphere that we all need right now.
If Purple Disco Machine, The Shapeshifters and Fat Boy Slim are a bit of you, get yourself down.
The Bread Shed | 126 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HL | 17 September | 11pm – 3am
Festival-like lineups at The Warehouse Project
The Warehouse Project will take over Mayfield Depot for 12 weeks. Credit: whp_mcr/IG
If you really want to go all out with one of the biggest scale Manchester music experiences, the Warehouse Project at Depot Mayfield is a must.
With a capacity of 10,000, the disused train depot opposite Piccadilly Station is like having a mini festival right here in the city.
Known for putting on festival-calibre lineups every single weekend, the 2021 Warehouse Project season is probably one of the biggest we’ve seen to date.
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On Friday 17 September, the lineup is heavily funk, house and disco orientated with Nile Rodgers and Chic, Horse Meat Disco, Craig Charles, Gina Breeze, DJ Paulette and more.
Tickets are generally more expensive but you’ll more than get your money’s worth. Find info and tickets here.
New students might not be familiar with the legend of Rusholme’s Antwerp Mansion. If you’re one of them, Google it.
But whilst it’s gone but never forgotten, the spirit of the beloved mansion lives on in the Antwerp Mansion Presents series. And this latest one at The Bred Shed on Saturday 18 September will see a collab with Bass Face for celebration of the rich history of drum and bass music.
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Seasoned drum and bass DJs will join fresh up-and-coming talent to bring the filthy beats and wobbly basslines. Mampi Swift will also play a two-hour set using a six-deck set up and it’s not to be missed. Plus, a ‘B3B’ with Kara, Kelvin 373 and Katalyst, and B2B from Frankee D and Bad Habitz will make this a big one.
The Bread Shed | 126 Grosvenor Street, M1 7HL | 18 September | 11pm – 3am
Hidden turns ‘weird and wonderful’ with Triple Cooked
The house and techno party starters Triple Cooked are experts at bringing venues to life with their colourful stage design and props. Hidden will undergo a Triple Cooked makeover on Sunday 19 September where two floors of the venue will be transformed into a ‘weird and wonderful adventure’.
Downtex Mill | 16-18 Mary Street, M3 1NH | 19 September | 11pm-4am
The biggest lineup ever from Hit & Run
Hit & Run’s annual ‘Start of Season Slammer’ always kicks off the academic year properly. Credit: gbmultimedia/IG
Longstanding bass music student night Hit & Run has revealed a giant lineup of DJs and MCs for its annual ‘Start of Season Slammer’ which coincides with freshers week.
Across the three floors of Hidden, you can expect to revel in five hours of drum and bass, jungle, bass, and dubstep from all the familiar Hit & Run faces.
Join Chimpo, Metrodome, Truthos Mufasa, Tonn Piper, Strategy, Slay, Rich Reason and more to kick off the academic year in a heavy bass-driven fashion. Plus, there’ll be an exclusive classic liquid DnB set from Ivy Lab.
What else would you be doing on a Monday? Nothing. Tickets on Skiddle here.
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Downtex Mill | 16-18 Mary Street, M3 1NH | 20 September | 11pm-4am
Moxy Muzik returns to Joshua Brooks
After a number of years, Moxy Muzik will return to the new-look Joshua Brooks. Credit: jackkirwin/IG
After an extended hiatus, Darius Syrossian’s Moxy Muzik residency finally makes its returns to the new and improved Joshua Brooks just in time for freshers week.
It all kicks off on Monday 20 September with an extended three-hour set from the man himself. Plus, appearances from Hock and Jake Adams.
This’ll be a one-off event due to such popular demand, because from early November the residency will resume a monthly Friday night slot like old times.
If you fancy one last dance before lectures get serious, tickets are only a fiver. Get them on Skiddle here.
Enjoy some FREE live music at Hatch with Open Beat. Credit: Hatch/IG
If you’re still going by Thursday, there’s another freshers all-dayer on down at Hatch with a music lineup curated by Open Beat in association with BIMM Institute.
The live music will start from 7pm, with performances from Kid Blue, Manta, Minerva Daisy, The Demo, Foxglove, plus DJ set from Unity Radio and BBC Radio1Xtra DJ Jermaine Lee to round things off.
This one is completely free too, which is a bargain considering all this live music! You still need a ticket to get in though, register here.
As one of our favourite small venues in the city, we strongly recommend you get down to Stage & Radio. And there’s a Lucid Juice event happening there on Thursday 23 September which falls within freshers week.
With Samurai Breaks, Hardcore Soy, Tee, Shannon From Admin B2bB Chande and Ekkinz B2B Gina all on the lineup, it’ll be a busy night of jungle, bass, breaks, acid house and grime.
For more music, club nights, gigs and events in Manchester, click here and follow The Manc Audio on Instagram.
Featured image: Hit & Run by gbmultimedia/IG
Gigs & Nightlife
Kings of Leon at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American rock band Kings of Leon are making their way to Manchester for a second visit to Co-op Live as part of their current EU/UK arena tour.
Formed in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared, plus their cousin Matthew Followill, the rock band has gone on to achieve nine top 40 singles and six UK number one albums.
The rockers have two singles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including their standout hit ‘Sex on Fire’, which has amassed over 2 billion streams and ‘Use Somebody’ with 1.2 billion – two tracks that helped skyrocket them from cult favourites here in Britain to global superstars.
This four-piece’s latest LP, Can We Please Have Fun, dropped mid-2024 and knowing how energetic crowds were at the previous Manc gig, it’s safe to say we’ve got this covered.
They even let us know the England score last time out (read our full review), too.
Gig guide – Kings of Leon at Co-op Live, Manchester
Kings of Leon UK tour dates
Fri 3 July – Glasgow, UK – Bellahouston Park
Sat 4 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 6 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Are there any tickets left for Kings of Leon at Co-op Live?
If you’re wondering where you’ll ‘Find Me’ on Saturday 4 July, it is probably watching these four relatives play their two decades’ worth of hits at Co-op Live.
Don’t ‘Waste a Moment’ as there’s only a limited number of tickets left if you’re after catching a glimpse of Kings of Leon live – get yours HERE.
Kings of Leon are gearing up for their Manchester gig at Co-op Live this July (Credit: Press shot)
Kings of Leon setlist for 2026 UK tour
These American rockers have been performing all across Europe, switching up a couple of songs at each show; however, the hits below have featured at most of their appearances.
Slow Night, So Long
Waste a Moment
Find Me
On Call
Radioactive
The Bucket
Revelry
Manhattan
Use Somebody
Wait For M
Split Screen
Closer
Molly’s Chambers
Razz
MyParty
Supersoaker
Fans
Back Down South
Seen
Pyro
Black Thumbnail
To Space
Knocked Up
Sex on Fire
What are the stage times for Kings of Leon in Manchester?
Doors for Kings of Leon at Co-op Live in Manchester are set to open at 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm from a huge indie rock band.
Supporting the US rockers is a band who have received comparisons to Kings of Leon, the loud-and-proud Scottish stars The Snuts, known for their tracks like ‘Glasgow’, ‘Elephants’ and ‘Maybe California’.
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 1am 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.
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 on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
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 on 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.
Tickets for Kings of Leon’s UK tour dates are selling out fast. (Credit: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons)
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)/Raph_PH (Flickr/WikiCommons)/Audio North
Gigs & Nightlife
A brand-new live music series with big Northern names is coming to Blackpool
Danny Jones
An all-new live music series is coming to the beloved Northern seaside town of Blackpool, and there’s already plenty of big regional names booked for the inaugural slate of gigs.
What’s more, you won’t have to wait long for it to get underway, as the first date is this July.
Being organised by well-known local record label and promoters Scruff of the Neck, the brand-new multi-date event marks its debut edition through the summer and all the way into autumn.
Announcing a raft of 27 different acts in total, the inaugural Blackpool Live looks set to be a belter – and we’d be very surprised if this first year isn’t the start of something very special…
BLACKPOOL LIVE 2026
We are proud to reveal the full lineup of 27 amazing artists all heading to Blackpool this summer as we bring the best live music to one of the UK’s premier getaway locations. pic.twitter.com/kWVGtqbl4T
— Scruff of the Neck (@scruffoftheneck) June 26, 2026
As you can see, already confirmed for Blackpool Live 2026 are the likes of Feeder, Doves, The Fratellis, resurgent indie landfill throwbacks, The Enemy, Happy Mondays, The Pigeon Detectives, and even Oasis’ reunion support stars, Cast.
But even the so-called ‘warm up’ slots for each day of shows are filled with plenty of popular up-and-coming talent, as well as already established headliners in their own right.
From youngsters like our very own Alex Spencer, as well as fellow Mancs IST IST and Slow Readers Club (just to name a handful) to the likes of We Are Scientists, Inspiral Carpets, The Futureheads and more, the maiden live music crowds set to descend on Blackpool’s Winter Gardens are set to be spoilt.
Spread across multiple stages over the next few months, this fledgling event is not only a celebration of bands and artists from across the North, but a great way to spotlight grassroots music venues and the town in general.
Designed by illustrator Rod Hunt, you can see a map giving you an overview of key sites that will be partnering with the festival down below.
Credit: Rod Hunt (supplied)
Inspired by a trip founder Mark Lippmann and some friends took back in 2006 – travelling all the way from Hazel Grove in Stockport to see Arctic Monkeys at the historic Empress Ballroom – this fresh live music promotion is a story two decades in the making.
After an initial smaller outing with just three groups on the bill last year, 2026 is the first proper iteration of the Blackpool Live vision.
Speaking ahead of its launch, Lippmann said in a statement: “People always ask what the best gig you’ve ever been to was, but when you think about it, you remember so much more than the band. You remember who you were with, what you did before the show and how the whole day felt.
“Blackpool is uniquely placed to create those experiences. You can jump on a train, spend the day by the sea and finish it watching incredible live music in one of Britain’s most iconic venues. That’s what Blackpool Live is really about.”
You can find out more information about all of the headline shows and grab your tickets right HERE.
Hannah Starkie -
10th September 2021 
