Once all of the hysteria from Christmas and New Year’s Eve – a festive period that makes the space of a week feel like a lifetime – has eventually worn off, you’re left with something of a void. While part of you is glad it’s all over, where once your calendar was filled with parties, buffets, dancing and drinking, lies a tumbleweed of detoxes, diets, people clambering onto the wagon and a Christmas pud that no one wants to finish.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. And we have 10 things to do to prove it…
The Girls, The Lowry, Fri 8 – Saturday 30 January
A new musical by Gary Barlow and Tim Firth, ‘The Girls’ is inspired by the story of the Calendar Girls (yep, it was made into a film, too), exploring how an intriguing project in a sleepy Yorkshire village soon helped a bunch of ordinary women achieve something extraordinary. As such, you can look forward to it warming your heart as the Christmas glow thaws.
Global Roots x Banana Hill, Soup Kitchen, Friday 15 January
Party season may have struck you hard, but 15 days into the new year you’ll find few reasons left to not get back on it. The solution can be found in Soup Kitchen’s basement, as it welcomes Dark and Lovely Global Roots and Banana Hill, teaming up once again as part of their quarterly takeover for sounds from across the world, featuring guests Thris Tian and Contours.
Chali 2na, Band on the Wall, Saturday 16 January
Get the January cobwebs shaken from your system by the signature baritone vocals of Chali 2na – best known as a member of iconic hip hop troupe Jurassic 5 – who’ll be joined by Canadian DJ/producer duo The Funk Hunters as well as Manchester’s own In The Loop DJs.
Delia Derbyshire Day, HOME, Sunday 17 January
Make your way down to HOME this January to help them celebrate the life and career of Delia Derbyshire (1937-2001), a leading light of early electronic music, who’s probably most famous for realising the now-famous ‘Dr Who’ theme back in the early sixties. For Delia Derbyshire Day, HOME will be screening rare experimental art films, showcasing new artworks, holding hands-on family workshops, hosting pop-up improvised performances and more.
The Maccabees, Albert Hall, Monday 18 – Tuesday 19 January
The January gig circuit may be renowned as one that’s fairly quiet, but to shatter such pigeonholing The Albert Hall welcomes one of the UK’s biggest bands, who stop off as part of their tour supporting their first ever UK no. 1 album, ‘Marks To Prove It’.
Homoelectric , Hidden, Friday 22 January
Once the annual nonsense that is the festive period has all died down, then and only then will Homoelectric be emerging, taking to Manchester’s new favourite place for a party that promises musicalism by Jamie Bull and Will Tramp!, and exhibitionism by Ted Rogers and Joshua Hubbard.
Broken Brass Ensemble, Band on the Wall, Thursday 21 January
Get back into the party spirit with the brassy oomph Broken Brass Ensemble, who’ll be bringing their well-loved fusion of traditional New Orleans brass with hiphop, Balkan, funk and more to Band on the Wall. You’ll have no choice but to get swept up in the energy, so put the supergreen smoothie down and ready yourself to throw some shapes.
Beach Slang, The Star and Garter, Thursday 21January
Following a gig here in May last year, Philadelphia’s raucous punk-rock outfit (made up of James Alex, Ruben Gallego, Ed McNulty and JP Flexner) take to The Star and Garter for a live show in support of recent material, from which you can expect to witness, put simply, ‘Guitar, bass and drums. Played loudly.’
Stephen K Amos, The Lowry, Sunday 24 January
Proving January’s really not as depressing as many of us might suggest, Stephen K Amos heads to The Lowry in tow with his feel-good comedy and heaps of new material, touring with his latest show ‘The Laughter Master’ fresh from sell-out tours over in Australia and New Zealand.
Massive Attack, O2 Apollo, Thursday 28 January
As you’d have expected, tickets for this sold out super quickly, but if you’re one of the lucky few that managed to get involved you can expect a heady dose of nostalgic trip hop from the Bristolian pioneers of the genre.