If you're looking for NYE party ideas, then we've a special guide on the way, but in the mean time, there's still a wealth of fantastic festive gigs and club nights prior to Turkey day. Here's just a selection (box) of choices.
Willis Earl Beal - Night and Day, Wednesday 2nd December
Chicago based Soul from breakthrough lo-fi solo singer-songwriter, Willis Earl Beal.
Peaches - Islington Mill, Thursday 3rd
Provocative electro goddess Peaches returns to Manchester after too long with her playful and subversive live show, playing material from her recent, long-awaited sixth album, Rub, alongside her back catalogue of filthy minded classics.
Guy Garvey - Albert Hall, Friday 4th
Manchester’s troubadour, the nicest man in indie rock, and so on and so forth, the lead singer of beloved group Elbow goes solo with no problem at all, with a quietly anthemic showcase of his spin-off material at the Albert Hall.
New Order - Warehouse Project, Saturday 5th
Making a triumphant return to a hometown hero’s welcome, pioneering electronic group and untouchable pop band Joy Division return for one of two nights at The Warehouse Project, with Factory Floor in tow, and DJs Erol Alkan, Horse Meat Disco and Will Tramp.
Chow Down w/ MSSINGNO - Soup Kitchen, Saturday 5th
Experimental bass movements from MSSINGNO, and grime and rave classics from the crew at Chow Down.
Django Django - Albert Hall, Sunday 6th
Following the runaway success of their debut LP, experimental leaning art pop band Django Django visit Manchester with a performance of fan favourites and tracks from recent follow-up, Born Under Saturn.
The Magic Numbers - Gorilla, Wednesday 9th
Celebrating ten years since the release of their debut album, which was nominated for the Mercury Prize.
St. Etienne - Albert Hall, Wednesday 9th
Bob Stanley’s seminal London pop band take to the Albert Hall stage for an exploration of their innovative and inimitable back catalogue, from classic cuts of Foxbase Alpha, to their celebrated 2012 LP, Words and Music.
Mariachi El Bronx - The Ruby Lounge, Thursday 10th
Hardcore punk favourites The Bronx once again appear under their mariachi guise, exploring the genre in their own inimitable style but losing none of their trademark on-stage fury.
Hudson Mohawke Presents - Warehouse Project, Friday 11th
One of electronic music’s most coveted alternative stars, not to mention occasional Kanye beatmaker, Hudson Mohawke presents an eclectic lineup of friends behind the decks at WHP, including a B2B with Mark Ronson, and a live show of his own material.
Rubric w/ Lazare Hoche - Whiskey Jar, Friday 11th
Having developed a cult underground following amongst house heads with his vinyl only label LHR, the Parisian selector brings his deep and distinctive sound to the basement of Whiskey Jar.
Selective Hearing & Grey Area - Soup Kitchen, Saturday 12th
Psychedelic rave techno to get completely lost in, featuring Blue Hour, Dyad and locals Reflec and Habgud taking care of business in Joshua Brooks’ smokey basement space.
Dub Smugglers - The Ruby Lounge, Saturday 12th
The hugely popular reggae soundsystem based out of Manchester bring another dose of dubplate power to The Ruby Lounge.
Madonna - Manchester Arena, Monday 14th
Arguably the reigning queen of pop, Madonna delves into her newer material and solid gold stable of pop classics for another edition of her always outrageous, unpredictable live shows on a grand scale.
Smoke Fairies - Soup Kitchen, Wednesday 16th
Folkish dream pop from cult duo Smoke Fairies, exploring their back catalogue and notable variety of wintery cuts, including we expect, fan favourite ‘Christmas Without A Kiss’.
Horsebeach - Band On The Wall, Thursday 17th
Now onto their second record, wistful local upstarts Horsebeach headline their biggest show to date at Band On The Wall, bringing a slight indie balearic flavour to the bleak midwinter.
The Hidden Christmas Forest - Hidden, Friday 18th
A reliable festive knees up as Hidden close out their successful first season with Mr Wilson Second Liners, Clap! Clap!, Banana Hill and Will Tramp, covering everything from afrobeat to disco.
meandyou Xmas Party - Soup Kitchen, Friday 18th
Gritty, raw techno styles in the basement of Soup Kitchen, with residents cutting through the heady atmosphere with a choice of some of their favourite records of the year and beyond.
Jools Holland - O2 Apollo, Sunday 20th
If you can’t wait until New Years Eve’s annual ‘Hootenanny’ (spoilers: in fact recorded in December), then Jools’ eternally popular, swinging celebration of boogie and indeed woogie rolls into Manchester.
See more music and nightlife in Manchester from Time Out.