Manchester Theatre News & Reviews
Music Listings Factory International Early 2025
BOOK YOUR TICKETS HERE
Factory International has an exciting programme of music on the way in the first weeks and months of 2025, from an immersive 360-degree Lightroom screening by 150 different visual artists from 45 countries to celebrate Coldplay’s chart-topping new album; once in a generation art pop superstar FKA Twigs; jazz-sensation Nubya Garcia; an intimate tour by actor and Years & Years frontman Olly Alexander; a feverish live experience of Shakespeare and Radiohead’s seminal album reworked by Thom Yorke and performed live by 20 musicians; pioneering electronic legends Tangerine Dream who mark 50 years of their landmark recording Phaedra; and the return of Manchester International Festival (MIF) in July with the full programme coming in March. See you at the front left and happy 2025!
UPCOMING GIGS
Coldplay: A Film for the Future
22-25 January 2025
Working alongside 150 different visual artists from 45 countries, Coldplay ask audiences to experience the band’s No 1 album Moon Music in exclusive 360-degree screenings at Lightrooms in London and Seoul and right here in Manchester at Aviva Studios.
For A Film For The Future, each artist was given a handful of music snippets from Moon Music and asked to create corresponding visuals. There were no rules or guidelines, and no knowledge of other artists’ creations.
In each venue, state-of-the-art audio technology and 11m high projection across four walls and the floor will allow visitors to be fully immersed in the visual and audio experience – using the same technology as our David Hockney: Bigger & Closer (not smaller & further away) production by Lightroom.
Nubya Garcia
1 March 2025
One of the hottest names in contemporary jazz, Nubya Garcia hits the road with her second album Odyssey – a masterful blend of orchestral arrangements, R&B, jazz, broken-beat, and dub in what is her most personal work to date.
FKA Twigs
18 March 2025
Art pop star FKA twigs takes over the Warehouse ahead of their electrifying new album EUSEXUA in what they describe as; a state of being. A feeling of momentary transcendence often evoked by art, music, sex, and unity. Eusexua can be followed by a state of bliss and feelings of limitless possibility.
FKA Twigs is a singer, songwriter, creative director, and dancer known for her avant-garde performance style.
Her first album LP1 (2014) was nominated for the Mercury Prize before Magdalene (2019) cemented her status as a once-in-a-generation talent. In 2015, twigs joined MIF15 for a standout ten-day residency. Last year, she starred in the gothic film The Crow alongside Bill Skarsgård.
Olly Alexander
4 April 2025
Olly Alexander rose to fame as the frontman of Years & Years – the wildly successful, chart-topping pop band who formed in 2010. In 2021, he received a string of nominations for his stunning performance as Ritchie Tozer in the Channel 4 drama series It’s a Sin.
This intimate tour will feature songs from his new album Polari, a pop record for the ages, looking back on history as a means to learn more about yourself.
Hamlet Hail to the Thief
27 April – 18 May 2025
World premiere
Shakespeare’s great tragedy and Radiohead’s seminal album collide for a feverish new live experience that fuses theatre, music, and movement. In this fast-paced distillation of the play, Shakespeare’s words and Radiohead’s album illuminate one another in thrilling new ways as the music becomes a critical part of the narrative. Personally reworked by Thom Yorke, the deconstructed album will be performed live onstage by a cast of 20 musicians and actors. The production is a collaboration between Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, and celebrated directors, Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones. It will premiere at Aviva Studios before transferring to the Royal Shakespeare Company, Stratford.
Tangerine Dream: Celebrating 50 years of Phaedra
9 May 2025
Marking fifty years since their classic album Phaedra, the pioneers of electronic music Tangerine Dream and current members Thorsten Quaeschning, Hoshiko Yamane and Paul Frick perform the album in full alongside a host of fan favourites.
Founded in 1967 by Edgar Froese in Berlin, Tangerine Dream have since released more than one hundred albums as well as numerous film soundtracks and the original score for Grand Theft Auto V. Their early ‘Pink Years’ albums had a pivotal role in the development of Krautrock while their ‘Virgin Years’ albums helped define what became known as the Berlin School of electronic music.
Released in 1974, Phaedra is the group’s fifth album and one of the most influential recordings in the history of electronic music. It was the first to feature their trademark sequencer-driven sound, which propelled them to their status as Godfathers of Prog.
Manchester International Festival
3-20 July 2025
Aviva Studios and venues cross Manchester. Full programme to be announced in March 2025
2025 will also see the return of the world-renowned Manchester International Festival - first edition to be curated by Factory International Creative Director Low Kee Hong. One of the world’s leading arts festivals, and the first to be entirely focused on the commissioning and producing of ambitious new work, MIF has been staged every two years in Manchester since 2007, and has commissioned, produced and presented world premieres by artists including Björk, Jeremy Deller, Akram Khan, David Lynch, Wayne McGregor, Steve McQueen, Yoko Ono, Maxine Peake, Skepta, Christine Sun Kim, and The xx.
The 2025 edition of Manchester International Festival (MIF) will include a host of world premieres and special events by artists from around the world unveiled in venues and spaces across the city. For the second time the festival will also take place at Aviva Studios – the new permanent home of Factory International – including the much-loved Festival Square which will take over the riverside outdoor spaces of Aviva Studios with free live music and a wide variety of food and drink.
