WHAT'S ON AT MANCHESTER ACADEMY, MANCHESTER
Manchester Academy is four independent venues all (almost) under one roof, located on campus at The University Of Manchester. The venues are Academy 1,2,3 and Club Academy. The original student union building was built in 1957, the Academy in 1990, with Buzzcocks being the first band to play there. Following a refurb, capacity grew to around 2600 for Academy 1, 950 for Academy 2, 450 for Academy 3, and 650 for Club Academy.
Manchester Academy attracts a varied wealth of local and worldwide artists, including Adele, Nirvana, Blur, Oasis, David Bowie, Bruno Mars, Inspiral Carpets, Stevie Wonder and Lady Gaga. It is often referred to as one of the UK’s greenest venues, making substantial steps towards minimising environmental impact and improving sustainability.
Enjoy exciting shows, events, concerts and premieres at these four live music venues. Events to look forward to include Throwing Muses, Tim Gallagher, Joeboy, Bootleg Blondie, A Thousand Horses, Manchester Psych Fest 25, and Goldie Lookin Chain. See what's on at Manchester Academy below and book tickets online.
Most Popular Shows and Events at Manchester Academy, Manchester
What's On at Manchester Academy, Manchester
49 Winchester

Club Academy
Wednesday 8 October 2025
Virginia-based 49 Winchester is ready and roaring to break onto the scene with its unique brand of tear-in-your-beer alt-country, sticky barroom floor rock-n-roll, and high-octane Appalachian folk. ...Killswitch Engage

Academy 1
Thursday 9 October 2025
Having sold over four million records in the U.S., Massachusetts heavy metal heroes Killswitch Engage are considered one of the earliest leading forces of the metalcore genre. They have scored five Top 40 albums in the UK, with 2006's As D...SYML

Academy 2
Thursday 9 October 2025
SYML is the solo venture of Seattle artist Brian Fennell, who was previously part of the indie band Barcelona. Collaborating with Lana Del Rey on the song "Paris, Texas" and with artists like Guy Garvey (Elbow), Lucius, Sara Watkins, Charlo...Testament & Obituary

Manchester Academy, Manchester
Friday 10 October 2025
A co-headline gig from the thrash metal titans. California's Testament is often credited as one of the most popular and influential bands of the thrash metal scene, as well as one of the leaders of the second wave of the genre of the late 1...Testament & Obituary Manchester Tickets

The Dualers

Academy 1
Saturday 11 October 2025
The Dualers are a 9-piece Jamaican Rhythm & Blues band from South-East London. They first hit the headlines when the single Kiss on the Lips stormed in to the UK top 30 despite no industry or professional backing, they progressed to playing...Cloudbusting - The Music of Kate Bush

Academy 3
Saturday 11 October 2025
'If you missed seeing Kate herself, Cloudbusting are the next best thing!' Simon Mayo, BBC Radio 2Cloudbusting have been championed by BBC ONE as one of the most authentic tributes in the world. Their passion for Kate's music has won over s...JADE Manchester Tickets

Newton Faulkner

Academy 3
Tuesday 14 October 2025
Multi-Platinum selling Surrey-born acoustic singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner possesses a pop sensibility that allows him to sit easily alongside the likes of Jack Johnson, Paolo Nutini, and Ed Sheeran - who stole his original "ginger guy ...d4vd

Academy 2
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Houston indie musician David Burke, better known as d4vd (pronounced "David"), is an artist that's unable to be boxed into a specific genre, with familiar hits including his UK Top 40 hits 'Romantic Homicide,' a grungy, guitar-driven breaku...LEAP

Academy 3
Wednesday 15 October 2025
Indie rock sad boys LEAP are on the verge, in every sense of the word. Bubbling with anticipation, whether it's the palpable energy at their explosive sold out shows across the UK and Europe, or landing in Shazam's top 50 viral playlist, th...d4vd Manchester Tickets

Mimi Webb

Academy 1
Thursday 16 October 2025
Weaving octave-destroying vocals, gut-wrenching ballads and confessional storytelling, Canterbury-born singer-songwriter Mimi Webb is proving herself to be a viral pop powerhouse. Her emotional tales of open-heart honesty have captured hear...Panic Shack

Manchester Academy, Manchester
Thursday 16 October 2025
Cardiff punks Panic Shack aren't interested in the keys to the boys' clubhouse or fighting with sharp-elbows for a seat at the table. They're with you, out there: in the pit, at the bar, in the group chat - and their sound, collar-grabbing ...Larkin Poe

Academy 1
Friday 17 October 2025
Rebecca & Megan Lovell of Larkin Poe are singer/songwriter, multi-instrumentalist sisters creating their own brand of Roots Rock 'n' Roll: gritty, soulful, and flavoured by their southern heritage. Originally from Atlanta and currently livi...Pop Will Eat Itself

Academy 2
Friday 17 October 2025
With the help of John Peel, the industrial/alt-rock Stourbridge band's earliest singles became surprise chart hits in the late 80s and early 90s thanks to their many samples of other songs and musical scores. Tracks like "Get the Girl! Kill...The Dreggs

Academy 3
Friday 17 October 2025
Australian folk pop duo Paddy Macrae and Zane Harris describe their music as "acoustic folk with a little 'singer-song writer'. ...Men I Trust

Academy 1
Saturday 18 - Sunday 19 October 2025
The Quebecois electo-pop band's rise to indie fame is a bit more abnormal than most. The group initially started without their lead singer, as a duo with programmed robotic electronic drums alongside boisterous synthesizers heavily inspire...NewDad

Manchester Academy, Manchester
Saturday 18 October 2025
Growing up in Galway, Ireland, the four members of NewDad thank a random band name generator for their unusual moniker. Dark and stormy with undeniably beautiful moments amid the mammoth guitars, there's a heaviness to the music, which t...PorkPie

Academy 3
Saturday 18 October 2025
Scotland's 9 piece Ska Behemoth, a music force of nature that have been tearing up stages the length and breadth of the country. Combining top quality dance along ska standards from The Specials, Bad Manners, Madness, The Beat, etc. with...Coheed and Cambria

Academy 1
Monday 20 October 2025
Coheed and Cambria is an American progressive rock band formed in 1995. The group's critically acclaimed music incorporates aspects of progressive rock, pop, heavy metal, and post-hardcore. The southern California band Thrice merges hardco...Football Cliches Live

Academy 2
Monday 20 October 2025
Welcome to the most pedantic night of your footballing life;The Football Cliches podcast, created and presented by Adam Hurrey, was launched by The Athletic in 2020 to dive deep into the subconscious code of the world's most talked-about an...Jessie Murph

Academy 1
Wednesday 22 October 2025
Teenage Nashville Country pop star Jessie Murph was discovered by uploading vlogs and covers to TikTok and YouTube, clocking up millions of streams in the process. Her song "Pray" charted around the world, leading to a collaboration with ...The Royston Club

Manchester Academy, Manchester
Thursday 23 October 2025
The Royston Club are the Wrexham band tipped by Gigwise as 'the new band from Wales most likely to do a Catfish'. Despite only being active for two years, the young four-piece have already completed two UK headline tours totalling 30 dates,...Spacey Jane

Academy 1
Friday 24 October 2025
Fremantle, Australia's very own garage pop outfit Spacey Jane went from backyards to bright lights, sharing the stage with the likes of Car Seat Headrest, Nothing But Thieves, Alex Lahey, The Jungle Giants & more. For relatively new kids on...Sanctum Sanctorium - The Dark Side Of The 80s

Academy 2
Saturday 25 October 2025
Formed through a mutual love of 80's goth and alternative rock music. Sanctum Santorium are a live 5-piece tribute band that faithfully recreate classic hits by artists such as The Cult, Killing Joke, Sisters of Mercy, Billy Idol, Bauhaus a...Ten

Academy 3
Saturday 25 October 2025
Mancunian melodic hard rock band Ten were formed in 1994 by frontman Gary Hughes following a prolific solo career. ...Ben Ellis

Academy 3
Tuesday 28 October 2025
Welsh pop singer-songwriter and TikTok star Ben Ellis ismainly known for his acoustic covers of popular songs. ...Graham Bonnet Band (Rainbow / Michael Schenker Group / Alcatrazz)

Academy 3
Wednesday 29 October 2025
After initially finding mainstream success with pop duo The Marbles - who reached no.5 in the UK with the single "Only One Woman", Graham Bonnet enjoyed a solo career throughout the 1970s, until truly making his mark with Ritchie Blackmore'...The Lovely Eggs

Academy 2
Thursday 30 October 2025
Lancaster indie rock duo the Lovely Eggs were formed in 2006 by Holly Ross and David Blackwell following the breakup of all-girl punk band Angelica, which Ross fronted between 1994 and 2003. Blackwell, a member of psychedelic drone outfit ...Ocie Elliott

Academy 3
Friday 31 October 2025
With songs gracing the soundtracks of Greys Anatomy and Sweet Magnolias, among others, folk duo Ocie Elliott pen tunes that feel lived-in. You can hear their memories, experiences, and emotions in the dusty acoustic guitars, the sparse prod...Emofest

Academy 1
Saturday 1 November 2025
Put on your eyeliner, lace up your high-tops and get ready to rock to all your favourite nostalgic emo anthems as the Emo Festival is the greatest tribute night to the music that was never just a phase... Teenage Nostalgia featuring all ...Hanabie

Academy 2
Saturday 1 November 2025
Hanabie. (花冷え。) is a Japanese metalcore band from Tokyo known for combining loud and heavy music with contrasting Harajuku aesthetics in a style self-described as "Harajuku-core". Their songs incorporate elements of metalcore, hardc...Amplifier

Academy 3
Saturday 1 November 2025
Described as "Soundgarden, Tool, Black Sabbath, Oceansize and Pink Floyd taking copious amounts of mind-altering substances and venturing on a trip through time and space (to another dimension), and back again," Manchester progressive rock...Marc Scibilia

Manchester Academy, Manchester
Saturday 1 November 2025
The Buffalo-bred, Nashville-based singer-songwriter Marc Scibilia makes soulful music on his own terms, channeling the national mood. Finding inspiration in folk, country, alternative, and anthemic pop music, he has crafted a distinctly Ame...Sports Team

Club Academy
Wednesday 5 November 2025
The London-based collective met while studying at the UK's prestigious University of Cambridge. Drawn together by a shared love of '90s rock and a desire to shake up their stale local scene, the six-piece began to develop their energetic li...Hard Life

Academy 1
Thursday 6 November 2025
Formerly known as Easy Life until being sued by easyGroup over the use of the "easy" in 2023, Leicester indie pop group act Hard Life reached no.2 in the UK charts with their first two albums. ...James Marriott

Academy 1
Friday 7 November 2025
With influences such as Foals, The Strokes, Two Door Cinema Club, and Sam Fender, Swiss-born, Buckinghamshire-raised multi-disciplinary indie rocker James Marriott originally gained popularity on YouTube, with over 2 million subscribers,...Flipturn

Academy 2
Friday 7 November 2025
Florida indie rockers flipturn return as sonic architects, harnessing their impressive knack for hooks, shimmering soundscapes and "nostalgia-inducing lyrical delivery" (Uproxx). They have added more grit, craft and vulnerability than ever ...Pygmy Twylyte - The Music of Frank Zappa
