Prepare yourself for an August of audio delights at Band on the Wall, from brand new acts ready to impress, to stone-cold veterans of the music scene. There’s even a cinema screening which will have you scootering back to mid-60s London. Here are some summer highlights hand-picked by The Wire – check the Band on the Wall website for early bird ticket deals.

Free Vibes
Discover the hottest kids on the block with a free music showcase over three August Thursdays. Free Vibes (Thu 3, 10 & 31 Aug, 7.30pm, FREE, www.bandonthewall.org) features 12 of the newest rising bands including Manchester grungers Slowhandclap, ‘wunder fuzz’ trio Mister Strange and recent Tramlines Festival stars Sauce.

We are the Mods
Cinema’s about to get lively with this special screening of Quadrophenia (Sat 6 Aug, 7pm, £6, www.bandonthewall.org), with Phil Daniels getting lairy in Brighton. Burn off the popcorn afterwards with a Mod-themed disco. Twisted Sisters DJs will drop tunes from The Who, The Kinks and Small Faces. Advance entry to the disco only is £3.

Ned Doheny + Hamish Stuart (Average White Band) + Dream Lovers + Tremors

There will be some serious SoCal vibes going down when Ned Doheny makes a rare appearance at Band on the Wall (Tue 8 Aug, 7.30pm, £17.50, www.bandonthewall.org). The California songwriter, best known for the 1976 album ‘Hard Candy’, is supported by Hamish Stuart from Average White Band. Come feel the West coast sunshine – with a dash of Scotland – on Swan Street.

Omar
London singer Omar (Sat 12 Aug, 7.30pm, £17.50, www.bandonthewall.org) has an expansive career, getting his big break on Gilles Peterson’s influential Talkin’ Loud label, working with legends like Angie Stone and Erykah Badu. He even conjured up one of music’s most memorable basslines with ‘There’s Nothing Like This’. The sounds don’t stop there – check out the official afterparty too (Sat 12 Aug, 11pm, £10, www.bandonthewall.org) headed by UK garage aficionado Zed Bias.

Craig Charles Funk & Soul Club ft. Myles Sanko
End August with a bank holiday blast of flavoursome funk courtesy Craig Charles. His Funk & Soul Club (Sat 26 Aug, 9pm, £17.50, www.bandonthewall.org) comes home to Band on the Wall, this time with a special guest appearance from Myles Sanko, a Ghana-British soul singer who’s been played all over the world – including on Charles’ long-running BBC Radio 6 Music show.

Thu 3  – Thu 31 Aug, Band on the Wall, 25 Swan Street, Manchester M4 5JZ, Tel: 0161 834 1786, www.bandonthewall.org

Thu 3 Aug - Thu 31 Aug
Words:
Fat Roland
Published on:
Thu 10 Aug 2017