Top 3 MIF tickets still available

The great thing about Manchester International Festival is the amount of exciting, unique events it brings to the city; the downside being that most of them sell out before you’ve even got a chance to get your credit card out. Luckily, there are still some tickets available – here we list three of the best.

In Conversation with Dave Haslam and Neneh Cherry
Availability: Limited
The choice between putting either her performance at the festival or this conversation on the list was swayed by the thought that she might treat the crowd to an acapella version of Buffalo Stance in the middle of the chat anyway. It might not happen, but this Swede managed has managed to redefine her sound any number of times, often shifting the pop landscape  along with it, so getting to know the machinations that lay beneath is an opportunity that should not be missed.
Sun 7 Jul, Pavilion Theatre, Festival Square, Albert Square, 12.30pm, £6, www.mif.co.uk

Adam Curtis vs Massive Attack
Availability: Excellent (New tickets recently released)
One of the most incisive documentary-makers of our times teaming up with some of the most ingenious music-makers ever? The fact that there are tickets available at all for this should be enough cause for celebration – but given that most of those left are a recently released batch implies they won’t be available for long. Having stolen the show at MIF 2009 with his documentary It Felt Like a Kiss, Curtis’ collaboration promises to be ‘a collective hullicination’ about ‘the power of illusion and the illusion of power’, and will certainly be one of the most talked-about events at this year’s festival.
Thu 6 – Sat 13 Jul, Mayfield Depot Fairfield Street, M1 2QF, 9pm, £36 (£31 concs), www.mif.co.uk

Mogwai performing Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait
Availability: Limited
Zinadine Zidane – or Zizou, as he’s more affectionately known – is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers who ever lived, and the movie documenting his movements throughout a 2005 La Liga match for Real Madrid unsurprisingly became a cult classic very quickly. Mogwai created the soundtrack for the film, and for the first time they perform it live – given the fervent fan bases of both the band and the player, it’s unlikely there will be many left for long.
Fri 19 – Sat 20 Jul, Albert Hall, Peter Street, M2 5QJ, 8pm, £30 (£25 concs), www.mif.co.uk