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: Coruja Jones... Good News... Myriam Gendron... Rob Heron & The Tea Pad Orchestra... Tropical Fuck Storm... Kris Drever... Erland Cooper... Pokey LaFarge... Admiral Fallow... Skinny Lister... New Starts... The Sheepdogs... The Dead Tongues... Svaneborg Kardyb... James Heather... The Unthanks in Winter... Jim Moray... Josh Rouse... John Craigie... Emily Barker... Gratis: Sophie Jamieson... C Duncan... Dustin O’Halloran... Chuck Prophet... The Ocelots... Sean Rowe... Fionn Regan... The Weather Station... Beans on Toast... Joshua Burnside... The Loft... Martin Kohlstedt... Nadia Reid... Danny & the Champions of the World... The Delines... Chris Brain... Heather Nova... Mark Eitzel... Hayden Thorpe & Propellor Ensemble... Jerron Paxton...

When: 7.30pm on Friday 28 March 2025
Where: Gullivers, 109 Oldham Street, Manchester, M4 1LW

We’re delighted to be welcoming Chris Brain back – this time, to Gullivers!

Yorkshire’s Chris Brain has carved his place firmly into the contemporary folk scene following his highly-regarded first two albums, Bound to Rise (2022) and Steady Away (2023).

Garnering acclaim from the likes of Cerys Matthews (BBC 6 Music) and Mark Radcliffe (BBC Radio 2), he has since shared the stage with iconic acts like Robert Plant, Jacqui McShee and Martin Simpson.

With the release of his third much-anticipated album, New Light, in Spring 2025, he will be embarking on a UK/Ireland solo tour. New Light brings a refreshingly contemporary sound as Chris contemplates transformation, nostalgia and tenderness in times of vulnerability – all woven around his familiar gestures towards the natural world.

From sublimely deployed strings and dappling piano to rhythmic percussion, the album’s arrangements are perfectly wrapped around Brain’s honeyed vocals, anchoring fingerpicked guitar and persuasive melodies.

Recorded in various locations, from his allotment shed to The Nave Studios, New Light embodies the expanded parameters that his sound has reached. Both intimate and expansive, New Light expresses a surety of Chris Brain’s song-writing abilities with the album’s imagery and melodies dwelling long after the music ends.

‘There are shades of the master Ralph Mctell here and I can think of no greater compliment than that. Love it!’ – Mark Radcliffe, BBC Radio 2 Folk Show

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All shows are 18+ unless otherwise stated.