After the intense heatwave of June, Manchester had some unreal scenes, with the World Cup being in full swing, and some amazing gigs hosted across the city, it is a perfect time to get out there and enjoy the City! From the return of Sounds of The City to smaller more intimate gigs, there’s something for everyone this month!

Here is what is going on in Manchester this month:

July 1

  • Divorce — The Abbey
  • Take That – Etihad – On the last date of their Manchester shows, Take That are playing their wonderful circus show one last time at the Etihad, featuring original band members Gary Barlow, Mark Owen and Howard Donald, it’s not just a normal gig, there is an entire circus performance happening at the same time, featuring things such as, a huge elephant that the band ride on, a fire show, fireworks and hundreds of incredible cast members, it will certainly be a night to remember!

July 2

  • Runnner — The Abbey
  • Fish56Octagon – Cupra City Garage Manchester – Fish56Octoagon’s story is one of what a passion and love for music can do for you in a modern world. Gaining popularity in 2023/24 from posting videos of him spinning records in his front room with a bowl of cornflakes in a dressing gown, he racked up a whopping 500k followers on Instagram, he has then been able to quit his job and focus on being a full time DJ, performing at Glastonbury, Creamfields and Parklife. Doors for Fish56Octagon are at 7pm.

July 3

  • Skorts — Big Hands – Formed in New York, Skorts are a new band bringing back the classic Rock n Roll feeling. From selling out gigs in bars and rooftops across NYC, bringing different backgrounds from across the states they pride themselves on bringing back the DIY ethos that countless bands before them laid the foundation for. Their debut album ‘Incompetent’ released in October of last year and this will be the first time they get to show their music off to the world!
  • Holly Head — The Abbey

July 4

  • Swell Maps — Kamera
  • Million Moons — The Castle
  • Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — Academy
  • Kings of Leon — Co-op Live – Formed in 1999 in Tennessee, and although they are American, Kings of Leon have had unreal success in the UK, with 9 top 40 singles, 2 BRIT Awards and 3 Number 1 albums, they have become a fan favourite, and they are returning to Manchester this July, it has been just under 2 years since they last played the Co-op celebrating the release of their latest album ‘Can We Please Have Fun’ Doors for Kings of Leon return are at 6pm.

July 6

  • Def Leppard — Co-op Live
  • Alana Springsteen – Academy 2

 

July 7

  • Ho99o9 – Deaf institute

July 8

  • Wet Leg — Castlefield Bowl
  • Alkaline Trio — Ritz
  • American Hi-Fi — Club Academy

July 9

  • virgin orchestra — The Eagle Inn
  • Kevin Morby — Ritz

July 10

  • Alexandra Savior – Club Academy

July 11

  • The Streets — Castlefield Bowl – In 2026’s ‘Sounds of the City’ series the second gig is a real treat! Performing their second album ‘A Grand Don’t Come for Free’ in full 22 years on from it’s release. Following the protagonist losing £1000 down the back of his telly, Mike Skinner takes listeners on a journey back to 2004, including drug and alcohol fuelled nights out followed by heartbreak. This is less of an album and more of a production. And 22 years on it still sounds incredible and this will be the first time the entire album has been performed live, so don’t miss it!

July 12

  • Sex Pistols — Castlefield Bowl
  • Crocodiles — The Abbey

July 14

  • Sunny Day Real Estate + Tooth — New Century Hall – credited as one of the earliest bands to claim the Midwest Emo genre, Sunny Day Real Estate became a cult favourite to come out of the Seattle music scene in the 90’s. whilst never reaching the heights of others such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam, their debut record ‘Diary’ received incredible attention from fans and critics, and after founding members Nate Mendel and William Goldsmith went on to join Foo Fighters the band broke up, reforming in 1997, 2009 and 2022 and released their latest record “Diary at London Bridge Studio’ a fully re-recorded version of their debut, alongside new original song ‘Novum Vetus’ Joining them in Manchester, is one of the most exciting and promising new bands on the scene at the moment, Tooth, heavily inspired by the Midwest emo scene, if you have tickets for this gig, get down early and check them out!

July 17

  • Chevelle + Return to Dust – Victoria Warehouse.

July 17

  • Boys Like Girls — Academy
  • Pat Metheny — Aviva Studios Hall

July 18

  • Thorns — Satan’s Hollow

July 23

  • Sunshine Underground — Gorilla

July 25

  • Janet Kay & Carol Thompson — Club Academy

July 30

  • Chris Murphy — Band on the Wall

July 31

  • The Loft + Alta Zuma — Gullivers – Closing off July with a bang is British indie band The Loft, formed in 1980, the band had to change their name from The Living Room after discovering a local venue, which was being ran by Creation Record’s Alan Mcgee. 40 years on in 2025 they released their debut record ‘Everything Changes, Everything Stays the Same’. This is quite a peculiar story but interesting certainly! Doors for The Loft open at 7:30