Striking Matches – Deaf Institute – Sunday 10 May:
Country music duo Sarah Zimmermann and Justin Davis have become country music sensations, owing in part to their music being featured on the hit TV show Nashville. But that tells only part of the tale as they released their excellent T Bone Burnett-produced debut album Nothing But The Silence in March, full of driving guitars which lend themselves perfectly to outstanding live shows. In fact their tour has proved so popular that they have already scheduled a return to the UK in November. Support comes from Lucy May. Tickets £12.
Twenty One Pilots – Deaf Institute – Tuesday 12 May:
One of 2014’s buzz bands Twenty One Pilots appear at the Deaf Institute ahead of the follow up album Blurryface during a limited run of dates. Twenty One Pilots have built a strong reputation for live gigs, with energetic sets and a distinctive sound, and this has helped them to gather a big following and raised expectations for them going forwards. Support comes from The Academic. Tickets £13.50.
Ewert And The Two Dragons – Deaf Institute – Wednesday 13 May:
Besides having one of the coolest names in music, Estonian indie-rockers Ewert And The Two Dragons have also got some serious ability, which has been evidenced by a series of awards within their homeland and beyond as their stock has continued to rise off the back of their third album Circles which was released earlier this year. Support comes from Bird to Beast. Tickets £8.00.
Ben Williams presents – The Castle – Thursday 14 May:
Singer songwriter and guitarist extraordinaire Ben Williams launches his monthly Nailed It night at The Castle, with the opening night featuring Williams himself, returning to the castle following his outstanding debut album, Who Do You Think You Are, launch night there earlier in the year, as well as Stevie Williams Trio and Gilian Edgar. Tickets £4.
Mark Knopfler – Manchester Arena – Saturday 16 May:
Grammy Award winning Mark Knopfler returns to Manchester to perform tracks from his ninth solo album Tracker as well as some of his classics and some Dire Straits hits alongside a seven piece band which has been working with him for the best part of two decades. “The thing about the old Straits songs is that these things are signposts for people’s lives. Obviously I’ll play things differently here and there to keep it alive and meaningful to me, and away from a cabaret thing. But there are things, like the twiddly bits at the end of ‘Sultans,’ if you don’t do your twiddly bits, the world’s not right for people. I like playing the old songs, I wrote them and people like to hear them, it’s as simple as that.” he commented. Tickets £45 – £50.
The Lost 37 – Deaf Institute – Saturday 16 May:
The Lost 37 were formed in 2013 in Wilmslow and in just two years have built an astonishing reputation on the back of festivals and gigs around the UK, featuring their distinctive mix of punk and pop rock’n’roll, which has seen them crowned Castle Rocks Festival’s ‘Best New Act’ as well as garnering the support of the likes of Peter Hook and Bruce Foxton. Tickets £7.
Olivia Chaney – Band on the Wall – Saturday 16 May:
Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards nominee Olivia Chaney performs at Band on the Wall in support of her debut album The Longest River, an album which balances original compositions with newly arranged covers including jazz singer-composer Sidsel Endresen’s Blessed Instant, Chilean folk composer Violetta Parra’s La Jardinera and even Baroque composer Henry Purcell’s There’s Not A Swain. The Royal Academy of Music graduate has built a strong following in the UK and internationally through acclaimed live performances. Tickets £12.50.
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