Music
Guide
Best Live Music in Manchester This Month: September 2026
Our guide to the must-see gigs, concerts and club nights in Manchester this month
Manchester’s gig calendar isn’t slowing down as we head into September, with a packed week of live music across the city’s biggest arenas and most beloved grassroots venues. From chart-topping pop and R&B icons to rising indie stars and underground favourites, there’s something for every kind of music fan. Whether you’re after a huge night out or a more intimate show, here are the best gigs happening in Manchester this month.
Worship in the club with Rave Jesus
- Where: The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HE
- When: 1 September
Here’s something different – Christian dance music producer Rave Jesus is heading to the UK, bringing his set of EDM worship tunes to these shores for a spiritual club experience. If that sounds like your bag, The Deaf Institute is where you need to be on Tuesday night. Biblical.
Get tickets to Rave Jesus at The Deaf Institute
Get in your feelings with iconic singer Sam Smith
- Where: Albert Hall, 27 Peter St, Manchester, M2 5QR
- When: 3 & 4 September
With ubiquitous hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and ‘Too Good at Goodbyes’, and a voice like no other, Sam Smith is one of our most iconic modern pop singers. In support of their latest album, the swoony Hazel Eyes, they’re headlining two nights at the lovely Albert Hall – a perfectly intimate setting.
Get tickets to Sam Smith at Albert Hall
See a massive show from R&B titan Daniel Caesar
- Where: Co-op Live, Etihad Campus, 1 Sportcity Way, Manchester, M11 3DL
- When: 4 September
Hailing from Toronto, Daniel Caesar is a modern R&B titan. He’s collaborated with the likes of Justin Bieber, Bon Iver and SZA, and his albums have earned him tons of awards and critical acclaim. His latest one, Son of Spergy, is his highest-charting yet, and he’s celebrating that success with a night at the massive Co-Op Live.
Get tickets to Daniel Caesar at Co-Op Live
Reunite with A$AP Rocky on his first headline tour in years
- Where: Co-op Live, Etihad Campus, 1 Sportcity Way, Manchester, M11 3DL
- When: 5 September
Rapper, actor, producer, entrepreneur and style icon, A$AP Rocky is a true renaissance man. His most recent album, Don’t Be Dumb, is his first in eight years, and it sees him headlining his first tour in almost as long. This is absolutely not one to be missed for any of Manchester’s hip hop fanatics.
Get tickets to A$AP Rocky at Co-Opy Live
Get to know rising Glasgow singer-songwriter Pat Hamilton
- Where: The Deaf Institute, 135 Grosvenor Street, Manchester, M1 7HE
- When: 7 September
20-year-old Glaswegian singer-songwriter Pat Hamilton is one of the hottest young acts in the UK, racking up millions of streams and fresh from a support slot for Maroon 5 at BST Hyde Park – all while still a student. His first headline tour of the UK kicks off this month, and any fans of Ed Sheeran, Lewis Capaldi or Paolo Nutini should consider catching him at The Deaf Institute before he’s a big name in his own right.
Get tickets to Pat Hamilton at The Deaf Institute
Prepare for it to get loud with Dance Gavin Dance
- Where: Manchester Academy, Manchester University Students Union, Oxford Rd, Manchester, M13 9PR
- When: 9 September
Dance Gavin Dance from Sacramento, California are veterans of post-hardcore and math-rock. Formed in 2005, they’ve released eleven albums over the years, full of technical riffs and experiments with jazz and funk elements. It’s been over three years since they last came to Manchester, and this time they’re bringing with them Nottingham alt-rock trio As December Falls. Bring your earplugs!
Get tickets to Dance Gavin Dance at Manchester Academy
Live the Nashville dream with Jane McDonald
- Where: AO Arena, Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M3 1AR
- When: 10 September
Jane McDonald is perhaps best known for presenting TV programmes like Loose Women and Cruising with Jane McDonald, but she’s also a prolific singer and songwriter. Her latest album, Living the Dream, was released in March of this year, and it’s a tribute to classic country music, recorded in Nashville’s famous Blackbird Studio. She’s taking that on the road across the UK, with a stop at the AO Arena on Thursday the 10th.
Get tickets to Jane McDonald at AO Arena
See a stand-alone UK show from Pakistani star Atif Aslam
- Where: AO Arena, Victoria Station Approach, Hunts Bank, Cheetham Hill, Manchester, M3 1AR
- When: 11 September
Atif Aslam is one of Pakistan’s biggest musical stars, recording Urdu and Punjabi-language songs for numerous Indian and Pakistani films. This year he released the studio album Subah Aye Na, which is his first in 18 years; he’s described it as an opportunity to reconnect with his creative identity after so many years writing for the screen. He’s headlining the AO Arena in a stand-alone UK show, which is sure to be a special evening.
Get tickets to Atif Aslam at AO Arena
Celebrate one of Primal Scream’s most acclaimed albums
- Where: New Century Hall, 34 Hanover St, Manchester, M4 4AH
- When: 11 & 12 September
Glasgow’s Primal Scream are one of the most legendary British bands of the ‘90s, with their psychedelic and danceable sound going on to influence indie music for decades to come. Unlike many of their peers, they’ve never stopped, and they released their twelfth album Come Ahead in 2024. They’re now on tour playing their acclaimed 2000 album, XTRMNTR, in full. While they aren’t Mancunians, they’ve definitely got a special affinity with the city that birthed Madchester, so their two nights at New Century Hall next Friday and Saturday will be very special indeed.
Get tickets to Primal Scream at New Century Hall
Feel the electropop bangers of Romanian star INNA
- Where: O2 Ritz, Whitworth St W, Manchester, M1 5NQ
- When: 13 September
INNA – real name Elena Alexandra Apostoleanu – is Romania’s biggest pop star, reaching massive chart success in her home country and across Europe, and appearing on tracks with the likes of Pitbull, J Balvin and Daddy Yankee. She’s also a human rights activist who’s been outspoken on topics like domestic violence and LGBTQ+ rights. Her appearance at the Ritz will be one of two UK shows on her latest ECHOES tour, and it’s set to be an intimate night of electropop bangers.
Get tickets to INNA at O2 Ritz
