Top 4: Free, weekly events at Odd Bar ft. open mic, blues & spoken word

With loads of free events lined up to showcase Manchester’s cultural bounty, a trip to Odd Bar guaranteed to be crammed with creativity – and all with no entry fee. Events start at 8 or 9pm, and all you have to do is drop in. Here’s the breakdown: –

1. Spoken Word & Live Music with Ode (every 3rd Thu)
First up, the Young Identity and Speakeasy hip hop/poetry crossover crews have fused powers to introduce Ode. Boasting a house band who’ve appeared on the BBC’s hit drama Peaky Blinders, their next installation also features the lyrical wizardry of On Yer Mic’s Caveman (Patrick Farrell) and Shara Al-Shamiry on Thursday 18 August, plus an open mic crowned by the loudest cheers.

2. Open Mic with Franco and the Dreadnought (every 2nd Tue)
An Open Mic with a difference is hosted by a Manchester singer songwriter with a hip hop lean, Franco and the Dreadnought. Every second Tuesday at Odd, he’ll compere and might even accompany you while you strut your stuff. Next event: Tue 9 Aug

3. Vinyl Appreciation Night (every 2nd & 4th Thu)
If you hit the bar on the 2nd or 4th Thursdays, you can join many other vinylphiles to chat records and crate digging, or simply grab a beer, cocktail or wine during happy hour (9pm-midnight) and take in the sounds at Odd’s popular Vinyl Appreciation Night. Next event: Thu 11 Aug.

4. Live Americana (every Sun)
See out each week with bluesy grooves as The Wicked Path’s Americana night takes over the downstairs bar, inviting the likes of Dr Butler’s Hatstand Medicine Band, Lonesome & Penniless Cowboys, and any other top quality local folkies worth a place on their Sunday stage.

Odd Bar, 30-32 Thomas Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester, M4 1ER, 0161 833 0070, all events 8pm apart from Vinyl Appreciation at 9pm, FREE, www.oddbar.co.uk