Manchester is known for its rich musical culture and still rivals most cities with its live scene. From iconic returns to the stage to rare performances in incredible venues, it’s all going on with Manchester gigs. We’ve truly got the low-down on the biggest gigs happening in Manchester in October, so allow us to get you all excited about what’s to come in live music this month.
Large/mid-scale gigs in Manchester
1. Neighbourhood Festival – Various Manchester Venues, Saturday 5 October
Manchester’s biggest multi-venue festival, Neighbourhood, is back for 2024. Having been around for years now, the original Neighbourhood festival came before its weekender sister, with several Manchester city centre venues hosting gigs throughout the day. Each venue has its own line-up and stage times, which you can find here. The Neighbourhood line-up this year includes the likes of Pale Waves, Seb Lowe and The Academic, and it’s always a good day out if you fancy snapping up a ticket – even just to have a look around some of the city’s music venues.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Various locations.
2. Planet Earth III Live – AO Arena, Sunday 6 October
Experience the awe-inspiring Planet Earth III Live in Concert, showcasing Earth’s diverse landscapes and wildlife in breathtaking 4K footage, displayed on a giant LED screen and accompanied by music from the television score performed live by The City Of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. Be transported to remote corners of our planet where extraordinary stories of resilience and wonder unfold through an epic presentation of music and visuals.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 AO Arena, Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M3 1AR.
3. Crowded House – Co-op Live, Tuesday 8 October
Multi-platinum, iconic rock band Crowded House embark on their Gravity Stairs UK and Europe tour this October. Tour news follows the release of Crowded Houses’ acclaimed eighth studio album Gravity Stairs, their first release since 2021’s Dreamers Are Waiting. Produced by the band with Steven Schram, the album shows Crowded House in its current incarnation — Finn, Nick Seymour, Mitchell Froom, and Finn’s sons Elroy and Liam — as sharp as ever, feeling musically adventurous, and still capable of reaching the staggering highs that have made them an international favourite.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍Co-op Live, 1 Sports City Way, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3DL.
4. The Last Dinner Party − Victoria Warehouse, Friday 11 October
Winners of both the BBC Radio 1 Sound of 2024 and the BRIT Rising Star Award, London-based quintet The Last Dinner Party hit the road on their headline tour this month in support of their debut album, Prelude To Ecstasy. Expect some of this groundbreaking girlband’s biggest hits when they take to the stage in Manchester including Nothing Matters and Sinner, which both appear on their incredible debut album.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M17 1AB.
5. Jax Jones − Manchester Albert Hall, Saturday 12 October
Jax Jones brings his ‘It’s The Pop Up Tour But Bigger. Tour’ to the Albert Hall in Manchester on Saturday 12 October. The London-based DJ and producer whose house tracks incorporate a wide range of musical influences, from pop and R&B to hip-hop and funk, broke through with I Got U, a 2014 collaboration with Duke Dumont that hit number one on the UK charts. He then released a lengthy string of hits featuring stars like Demi Lovato, Years & Years, and Tove Lo, collected on the 2019 full-length Snacks (Supersize).
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Manchester Albert Hall, 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR.
6. Ms. Lauryn Hill & The Fugees – Co-op Live, Saturday 12 October
The iconic Ms. Lauryn Hill & The Fugees are coming to Co-op Live on 12 October with ‘The Miseducation Anniversary tour’, featuring special guest YG Marley and more. This is an absolute must-see for fans of the 90s hip hop scene that Lauryn Hill & The Fugees are so well-known for, with plenty of huge hits in their back pockets. The trio will be celebrating the anniversary of Lauryn Hill’s iconic album The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, so you can expect massive tunes like Superstar, Nothing Even Matters and Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You – it’s set to be an incredible night.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍Co-op Live, 1 Sports City Way, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3DL.
7. Squeeze 50th Anniversary – O2 Apollo, Saturday 12 October
To celebrate their momentous 50th anniversary, British music legends Squeeze head out on a massive UK tour. With a half-century distinguished by some of the smartest and sweetest guitar-pop made during the rock’n’roll era, Squeeze will be performing an impressive list of hits and rare gems from their extensive back catalogue.
Expect huge hits like Cool for Cats and Up The Junction, plus an incredible atmosphere on the night. Joining Squeeze is one of the UK’s most treasured songwriters Damon Gough aka Badly Drawn Boy. His set will feature a career-spanning set of hits and fan favourites.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 O2 Apollo, Stockport Rd, Manchester M12 6AP.
8. Chris Stapleton – AO Arena, Wednesday 16 October
Country star Chris Stapleton will take his ‘All-American Road Show’ across the pond this October for a series of headline arena shows in the UK and Ireland, including a stop at Manchester’s AO Arena. The upcoming performances celebrate Stapleton’s highly anticipated new album, Higher, which will be released on November 10, produced by Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton and Chris Stapleton.
Already receiving critical attention, Stapleton has unveiled two album tracks: Think I’m In Love With You and White Horse, which will most likely be coming out on stage in Manchester, and the show is bound to be packed with hits from over the years. This is a must for any country fan.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 AO Arena, Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M3 1AR.
9. Caravan Palace – Manchester Albert Hall, Sunday 17 October
World-renowned for their hybrid band-and-electronics setup, Caravan Palace are coming to Manchester on October 17. Those who have caught one of their explosive concerts at the likes of Glastonbury, Somerset House, Coachella, or any number of venues over the years will understand how much of an exciting prospect this is, as their approach to their live sound sees an expanded array of all playing, all-dancing band members that bleed infectious energy.
As the momentum and anticipation for their fifth album grows ever larger, Caravan Palace’s 15-year reign across genre-defying house music has seen them just as much beloved in the mainstream as in the underground electronic circuit.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Albert Hall, 27 Peter St, Manchester M2 5QR.
10. Alice Cooper – AO Arena, Thursday 17 October
Icon, pioneer, and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee – Alice Cooper has achieved so much in his lengthy career – but most importantly, he remains one the greatest rock shows on the planet. Returning to the UK for the first time since 2022, in October, Alice and his award-winning band are heading to the AO Arena in Manchester with the Too Close For Comfort tour, bringing fans closer than ever to Alice with giant video screens blending the live action with pre-recorded scenes to delve deeper into Alice’s world.
Expect spectacle – snakes, guillotines, monsters and more – wreaking havoc on stage nightly. Classics like Under My Wheels, I’m Eighteen, Schools Out, Poison, Billion Dollar Babies, and No More Mr Nice Guy are staples and there are surprises every night, effortlessly drawn from one the greatest catalogues in rock and roll – plus support from iconic Mancs, Primal Scream.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 AO Arena, Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester M3 1AR.
11. Keane – Co-op Live, Saturday 19 October
Britpop megastars Keane will be playing Manchester’s Co-op Live this month, as they celebrate 20 Years of their landmark debut album – Hopes and Fears. Although this tour will be celebrating Hopes and Fears, Keane will be playing from all of their acclaimed body of work, including tracks from their imperious debut through to their 2019 studio album Cause and Effect.
Expect some of their biggest hits to make an appearance, such as Everything’s Changing and Somewhere Only We Know, alongside great new material. Local rising stars The Lathums will also be joining Keane, as they continue on their run of amazing shows here in Manchester.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍Co-op Live, 1 Sports City Way, Etihad Campus, Manchester M11 3DL.
12. WOMEX Festival – Various Manchester Venues, Thursday 24 – Saturday 26 October
WOMEX (Worldwide Music Expo) 24 Festival gives music fans a unique opportunity to access this prestigious music industry event, and discover over 50 live acts from across the world representing a mix of musical genres and styles, including folk, afrobeat, roots, jazz, reggae and electronica.
WOMEX 24 Festival will take place over three nights at five of Manchester’s most iconic venues – Albert Hall, Manchester Central, O2 Ritz Manchester, HOME and Aviva Studios, the home of Factory International, with an exclusive Opening Night concert at The Bridgewater Hall on 23 October hosted by Manchester icon DJ Paulette. Find out more and see the full schedule here.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Various locations.
13. Ice Spice – Victoria Warehouse, Wednesday 30 October
Multi-platinum-selling and GRAMMY-nominated rapper Ice Spice hits the UK with her headline ‘Y2K! World Tour’, in support of her debut album. Stacked full of hits, Y2K! pulls no punches as the follow-on to her widely-acclaimed 2023 EP, and she won’t be pulling any punches when she graces the Manchester stage this October.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Victoria Warehouse, Trafford Park, Stretford, Manchester M17 1AB.
Small/intimate gigs in Manchester
14. Nik Kershaw – Academy 2, Wednesday 9 October
80s icon Nik Kershaw makes a huge return to Manchester this month, with two albums from back in the day. 1984 – Yes, a dystopian novel by George Orwell but also the year that Nik Kershaw was the UK’s biggest selling artist, languishing for some 62 weeks in the top 40 singles chart (no, really – 62 weeks – some singles overlapped) and releasing two platinum albums, Human Racing and The Riddle. On the 40th anniversary, Nik and his band take to the road to perform both albums in their entirety. This will never happen again so you will not want to miss it.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Academy 2, Manchester University Students Union, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PR.
15. Nina Nesbitt − Academy 3, Thursday 17 October
Following the release of album Mountain Music, Nina Nesbitt is taking her soulful sound on tour, playing Manchester’s Academy 3 this month. Having been successful in the music industry for over a decade now, Nina really knows her way around, and this intimate performance is perfect for her voice and genre, allowing fans to get as close to her as possible.
🎟️ Find tickets here.
📍 Manchester Academy 3, Manchester University Students Union, Oxford Rd, Manchester M13 9PR.