Hey! Manchester promotes gigs by folk, Americana and experimental bands from around the world in Manchester, England. Read more here, see below for our latest shows, check out our previous shows, contact us, or join our mailing list, above.

Upcoming shows: Chris Brain... Mr Ben & the Bens... Daudi Matsiko... Jolie Holland... Christof van der Ven + Niamh Regan... Ariel Sharratt & Mathias Kom... Giant Sand... Melanie Baker... Sophie Hutchings... Jerron Paxton... Ghostly Kisses... Sounds From The Other City 2024... Francis of Delirium... The Buffalo Skinners... The Handsome Family... Memorial... His Lordship... Florry... Bad Bad Hats... Dana Gavanski... Caoilfhionn Rose... The Lovely Eggs... Rain Parade... Charlie Parr...

When: 7.30pm on Thursday 2 September 2021
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

PLEASE NOTE: This show is sadly cancelled. Please contact your ticket vendor for a refund, and watch this space for news of future Alice Boman dates in Manchester. Here’s a note from Alice:

‘I feel really sad having to say this, especially since the last gig got canceled at the last minute too. But due to the latest updates on the COVID-19 travel restrictions we have to cancel the gig in Manchester and the whole England tour. I’m sorry and I wish that we wouldn’t have to do this but unfortunately there’s no other option. You will of course get a full refund on your tickets. I hope you understand and I hope that we’ll be able to book a new show soon. Until then, take care and stay safe. Love, Alice.’

We’re excited to be working with Alice Boman for the first time!

‘It’s a powerful feeling when you’re in that world and you lose track of time,’ says Alice Boman of the deeply hypnotic state she entered when making her mesmerising and long-awaited debut album, Dream On. This transfixed state is one that she also seamlessly plunges her listeners into. Her deeply textural, atmospheric and immersive sounds – coupled with her fragile yet engulfing and ethereal vocals – create something of a vortex that listeners are sucked in by. A world where ambient, dream pop and folk merge into a unique new form.

The profound sense of quietness that can be heard in her music stems from its simple roots. Initially a project that started at home when she was a teenager, the songs she was making were just ‘sketches’. Yet as soon as other people heard them, it was clear that there was so much more to her talents than simple home tinkering. Two EPs followed, 2013’s Skisser and 2014’s EP II, as did a wave of critical acclaim and an array of TV placements for her music on shows such as Transparent, Wanderlust and 13 Reasons Why. With her new reach, the Swedish songwriter captivated listeners one-by-one.

A period of reflection and concentration on songwriting followed, as did a run of stirring one-off singles made with producer Fabian Prynn: Heartbeat, Dreams and End of Time. Boman now finds herself in a place far away from the artist she started out as. ‘It’s like two different worlds,’ she says. ‘I didn’t even realise that this was something I could do for a living. Things feel a bit more certain now and it’s nice to be able to dive into it fully.’

Despite her debut album feeling fuller and richer, as well as being her most accomplished work to date, Boman’s intimacy remains intact. ‘I didn’t want to lose the nerve of intimacy,’ she says. ‘That’s an important thing for me.’ The songwriting for the album initially began in a similarly isolated and autonomous way. ‘I took instruments and recording equipment to a house in the countryside of Sweden for a few weeks to get away from everything,’ Boman says. ‘To just focus on writing and playing. No distractions. Sometimes you need that distance to get into a flow.’

Local support comes from Matthew Fortunati. Influenced by the music of Elliott Smith, Sufjan Stevens, Pedro The Lion, Bright Eyes and many more, Matthew Fortunati is an Italian American songwriter and composer based between Manchester (UK) and San Gemini (Italy). He first went on stage in March of 2015, supporting anti-folk Canadian artist Oldseed during part of his Italian tour. In May of the same year, he won the Indiepolitana music contest on the coast of the Adriatic Sea in Fano, a town in the Marche region of Italy. The award of the contest consisted in five shows through the country, which gave him visibility and the chance to book further gigs the same year.

In the summer of 2015, he released his first EP, The Best You Can Is Good Enough, with three independent labels: Astio Collettivo, Periferica Produzioni and Waves for the Masses. The fifteen-minute extended play reached the channels of Rolling Stones Italy and Rockit. In August of 2018, with the help of diNotte Records and General Soreness, he releases Super Taller, an eight-track album inspired by the life of his grandfather. In the summer of 2019, shortly after graduating from the University of Salford in creative music technologies, he was commissioned by New Creatives North and Arts Council England to produce a composition for BBC Arts, where he experimented with binaural field recordings, classical ensembles and electronics.

Buy tickets now. Tickets are available from the bar (no booking fee), Vinyl Exchange, WeGotTickets.comTicketline.co.uk and on 0871 220 0260.

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All shows are 18+ unless otherwise stated.