Manchester's best underground gigs from summer 2022

Manchester has been alive this summer. It's hummed in the heat, basked in the brilliance of the Lionesses, and cut loose in its first post-pandemic freedom.

The city's bars, clubs, and venues have also been alive. They've coarsed with energy from the mega-stars, to the festival DJs, and the bread-and-butter smaller acts who give this city - this city which is a cultural institution within itself - the rhythm which is so intoxicating it makes the decision to stay so easy.

That's why, in a new series, the Manchester Evening News has been out to capture that rhythm. We've been to the small, dingy clubs, the renovated music halls, and the former ballrooms to get the best of the action.

READ MORE: Host of Manchester bands and emerging talent added to Neighbourhood Festival lineup

It's something we are going to stick at, with a regular monthly gig preview list and review spots. For the inaugural reviews, we've picked out our favourite performances from July and August.

Even during festival season, it was hard to slim down our favourites, but we've managed it. So, where to start?

Where else would be better than Pixies at Band On The Wall? The surprise show — announced a little over 36 hours before the four-piece took to the stage at 8pm featured sense of effortless craft and sonic beauty that shows, even 34 years in, the band still know how to entertain.

The sprawling two-hour set featured no talking — just number after number after number, played masterfully. There were firm cheers and shrieks of ‘oh my god’ for ‘Nimrod’s Son’, ‘Gigantic’, and ‘Wave of Mutilation’. The deliberate manner in which the four-piece approached the show led to a driven performance - in a way where A leads to B which leads to C. It might not