Book now: Soul legend Lee Fields at Gorilla

The first show to mark on your 2017 calendar also stands a chance of being one of the year’s standouts, as Lee Fields is to perform at Manchester’s Gorilla. He’s embarking on a European tour with Truth & Soul Records’ house band, The Expressions, whose silkily smooth sounds act as the perfect complement to Fields’ showstopping vocal dexterity. Charting a path from North Carolina in the late 1960s, Field’s artistic collaborations span several corners of musical greatness, sharing stages with fellow funk and soul connoisseurs Kool and the Gang, Sammy Gordon and the Hip Huggers and OV Wright, as well as exploring the blues and working with French house producer Martin Solveig. With Manchester being one of only two UK dates on the schedule, get in early to avoid missing out.

Wed 24 Jan 2018, Gorilla, 54-56 Whitworth Street, Manchester, M1 5WW. Tel: 0161 407 0301, 7pm, £15, www.thisisgorilla.com