Book now: The best gigs coming to Manchester’s Albert Hall FT Courtney Barnett, Lightning Seeds, Shygirl and more

A genuine icon of the lo-fi genre, Bill Callahan’s (AKA Smog) unique sound is the result of experimenting with homemade tape albums recorded on four-track tape recorders. Callahan will be joined by Matt Kinsey, Jim White and Dustin Laurenzi for his Albert Hall show, which promises to be nothing short of spectacular.

One of Australia’s most successful recent musical exports, Courtney Barnett’s sublime deadpan vocals and witty lyrics have resonated particularly well on our shores. Her notoriety as a magnificent live act has only added to that glowing reputation.

A show already upgraded due to overwhelming demand, John Darnielle brings The Mountain Goats to Manchester later this month. Throughout the 90s, the band were known for producing low-fidelity home recordings (most notably, on a cassette deck boombox) and releasing recordings in cassette or vinyl 7-inch formats. Since 2002, they’ve adopted a more polished approach, often recording studio albums with a full band and becoming one of the most exciting live acts around.

A group who needs little introduction, it doesn’t get much better than 90s heroes The Lightning Seeds playing on a Saturday night in one of Manchester’s most gorgeous venues. Going one better, they’ll be joined by local favourite, Badly Drawn Boy, who’ll be performing classics from his own illustrious career.

With melodies that intertwine between bassline, garage, dancehall and hip hop, Blane Muise, better known as Shygirl, has enjoyed a wild rise to prominence since emerging in 2016. Her ferocious debut album, Nymph, dropped just last month, cementing her status as one of the most unique, impressive new artists on the scene.