ManchesterOnline

City gives Moby a buzz

DANCE music Guru Moby is coming to Manchester this month to play a gig - in a tiny café.

Rare date for cult favourite Johnston

TROUBLED singer songwriter Daniel Johnston will perform a rare set, with some of his famous friends, at New Century Hall.

Back from The Darkness

WHEN Justin Hawkins plays at Manchester's Roadhouse next month, it will be the eve of an important anniversary.

Watch out Glastonbury!

COULD Manchester be on the verge of staging its own annual Glastonbury-style pop festival?

Take That stick to pop

TAKE That have spoken out for the first time about their new album.

Latitude @ Henham Park

ROSS Noble leading an avalanche of fans down the slope from the Comedy Tent to demand sausage sarnies at the vegan snacks van was probably the most bizarre act of an oh-so-well-mannered Kensington rocks in the country fest.

The B-52s @ Academy 1

KOOKY is a word too easily attributed to every band that appears with over the top eye make-up and hairstyles that break with convention, but it’s should be a picture of the B-52s that defines the word in any dictionary.

Elbow make Mercury shortlist

BURY indie-rock veterans Elbow have capped a wonderful six months with a Nationwide Mercury Prize nomination.

Goldfrapp back at Apollo

MANCHESTER Goldfrapp are to bring their unique blend of disco, electro pop and glamour to the Apollo.

City debut for Shadow Puppets

FANS despondent at The Last Shadow Puppets initial decision not to include Manchester in their string of autumn shows will be pleased to know we’ve been included as one of four additional UK dates.

Jay-Z @ M.E.N. Arena

JAY-Z and friends electrified tens of thousands in an M.E.N. Arena show.

Arena return for Crows

US alt-rockers Counting Crows will return to the M.E.N. Arena for the first time in over five years, it has been confirmed.

Kylie @ M.E.N. Arena

SHE may have ditched her tiny corsets, but Kylie Minogue was the ultimate showgirl as she made her triumphant return to the M.E.N. Arena.

Oasis confirm album details

THE countdown to the release of Manc rockers Oasis’ seventh studio LP is on after the band confirmed a title and release date.

Primal come off the pop...

GARY Ryan talks to Mani about Primal Scream's new album - and life in general.

Crowning glory for Arena

GLASTONBURY headliners Kings of Leon have announced a date at the M.E.N. Arena.

International jazz cocktail

FROM 808 State to a 22-piece string orchestra, Manchester Jazz Festival enters its 13th year with an eclectic mix of cutting edge jazz from the north west to Cuba.

Chester festival going for a song

THIS year's Chester Summer Music Festival seems designed to prove that good things can come in small packages.

Flying the McFly flag

YAWN, groans Danny Jones as he arrives to enthuse at CityLife about the latest news in the McFly camp.

Get into the festival mood

THIS July you have a chance to hark back to the original festival spirit with the Secret Garden Party.

Watch the latest from the Social

EVER since the much-missed Tony Wilson invited the hottest local and national talent on to his Other Side of Midnight show while working for Granada in the 1980s – Manchester has always sought to showcase new acts on local television.

Search for boyband member

FORMER Take That guru Nigel Martin-Smith has scoured the region for the last two years looking for young lads with enough charisma and talent to make up the members of new five-piece band ASBRO.

Summer In The Park @ Platt Fields

FOOD and turns? Can it ever work? Chicken in the basket cabaret, aagh! Or dining room chomping and chatter with a neglected pianist weeping inside?

V slot for Bye Bye Johnny

ROCHDALE punks Bye Bye Johnny will have their sound heard by thousands at one this summer’s major UK festivals. The local lads have been picked by a top music producer to play this year’s V festival in Stafford.

Watch The Verve’s Love Is Noise

AFTER their shock reformation last year, Wigan space rock veterans The Verve release the first fruits of their new labour on August 4.

R.E.M. return in rude health

THE changes the music business has under gone have been undeniably seismic in the 28 years since rock outfit R.E.M. first burst out of the college scene of their adopted home town.

Music festivals 2008: round-up

THE line-ups for this year's summer musical festivals are coming together nicely with V the latest to confirm its running order. Find out who's playing where, here.

Now Booking!

A QUICK run down of the bands playing in Manchester over the coming months... a lot of the gigs will be reviewed on M.E.N. Online the following day:

Are you Reviewer of the Month?

WOULD you like to eulogise or vent your spleen about a recent music gig, comedy set or theatre show you have recently witnessed? Then enter M.E.N. Online's Reviewer of the Month competition.

Watch Elbow’s One Day Like This

BURY indie-rockers Elbow release another cut from their acclaimed new LP, The Seldom Seen Kid, on June 2.

Watch The Music’s Strength In Numbers

BACK after a four-year hiatus, Leeds indie-rockers The Music release a new single on June 9.

Watch MGMT’s Electric Feel

SET to be one of the band’s of the summer, retro New York collective MGMT release a new single on June 23.

Watch Glasvegas’ Geraldine video

ONE of 2008 undoubted hot prospects, Glasgow bombastic surf-pop outfit Glasvegas release another cut ahead of their feverishly-anticipated debut LP.

Watch The Kooks' Shine On

FOLLOWING the expected success of radio-friendly comeback Always Where I Need to Be, Brighton indie outfit The Kooks release another single on June 30.

Watch The Last Shadow Puppets’ Standing Next To Me

THE Last Shadow Puppets release their second single ‘Standing Next To Me’ July 7.

Watch Madonna’s Give It 2 Me

QUEEN of pop Madonna releases another cut from her latest offering, Hard Candy, on July 14.

Watch Basshunter’s All I Ever Wanted

SWEDISH superstar DJ Basshunter’s new single is out now.

Primal Scream - Beautiful Future (B-Unique)

THIS is, says Bobby Gillespie, "more like a pop record, more like classic songwriting".

Adele - Hometown Glory (XL)

BACK in October last year, CityLife was the delighted recipient of this single on its first release on Jamie T's Pacemaker label.

Gig Guide: July 2008

CHECK out who's playing live in Manchester in July.