Sounds of the City

Sounds of the City is a summer season of outdoor gigs by big name acts at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester.

It’s not strictly a festival, more a series of curated gigs on a big outdoor stage with an amphitheatre-style set-up. But it’s still got that heady summer buzz and a festival feel. This year, Sounds of the City is bigger than ever featuring eight events over two weeks.

2025’s line-up includes the soulful and emotional anthems of local legends Elbow on Wednesday 2 July, the baggy nostalgia of The Charlatans on Thursday 3 July, the old-school indie disco vibes of Shed Seven on Friday 4 July and the always-popular Hacienda Classical on Saturday 5 July.

It continues the following week with the raucous blues of The Black Keys on Wednesday 9 July, alternative favourites Bloc Party on Thursday 10 July and the feel-good energy of Rizzle Kicks on Friday 11 July before finishing up with a Basement Jaxx house party on Saturday 12 July.