SHALAMAR | HMV Ritz | Fri 5 Dec | £28.25
The group's first single, the 1977 Motown medley Uptown Festivalfeatured a bevy of faceless studio musicians; once it became a hit, Dick Griffey decided to form a performing group under the name Shalamar. They are now to perform their catalogue of hits at HMV Ritz in their first live performance in years. Bring your afro picks.
Shalamar
BASEMENT JAXX | 02 Apollo | Sat 6 Dec | £28.95
Basement Jaxx, British electronic dance music duo from London are to play Manchester's O2 Apollo after a chart hiatus. They first rose to popularity in the late 90s and are responsible for that song that played on loop throughout most of the early 00s - you know the one - Where's Your Head At? The one with the talking monkeys? You got it...
Basement Jaxx
BOMBAY BICYCLE CLUB | 02 Apollo | Sun 7 - Mon 8 Dec | £27.95
Electric English indie outfit, Bombay Bicycle Club from London's Crouch End, received widespread critical acclaim this year for their album So Long, See You Tomorrow. Now four albums down in nine years and with their own studio, the only thing the boys would change is their name: "We would have picked a better name if we knew it would last this long," said bassist Ed Nash in a recent interview.
Bombay Bicycle Club
KASABIAN| Phones 4U Arena | Fri 12 Dec | £32 - £43
After scoring a prestigious headline slot at Glastonbury over the summer - the crowning achievement in the career of any band - Kasabian appear to have the world at their feet and can do no wrong at the moment.
Kasabian
JOOLS HOLLAND plus guests | O2 Apollo | Fri 12 Dec | £41.50
Dust off them dancing shoes, because the ex-Squeeze man turned solo artist turned TV presenter brings his show to Manchester, expect an array of different instruments and a whole lot of boogie-woogie jazz.
Jools Holland
XFM Winter Wonderland | O2 Apollo | Mon 15 Dec | £34.95
A strong line up for this year's XFM Winter Wonderland. 2014 sees Ben Howard, Wild Beasts, George Ezra, Hozier, Jimi Goodwin and Circa Waves take stage.
Ben Howard
ONLY MEN ALOUD | Bridgewater Hall | Mon 15 Dec | £30.25
With songs from Hollywood and Broadway, male voice choir and Last Choir Standing-winners, Only Men Aloud, will add some sparkle to your Christmas with their take on music from movies and musicals.
Only Men Aloud
RUSSELL WATSON | Manchester Monastery | Mon 15 Dec | £43.50 - £60
The UK's best-selling classical artist, Russell Watson, will be embarking on a tour taking in some of the nation's most beautiful Cathedrals for a very special candlelight Christmas concert with a choir.
Russell Watson
INSPIRAL CARPETS | The Ritz | Fri 19 Dec | £22.50
When Clint Boon isn't hosting his famous drive time radio show on XFM, he's in a little band called Inspiral Carpets. The popular 80s Psychedelic Oldham band are returning to the city for a special homecoming gig, giving fans a chance to recapture a bit of their youth.
Inspiral Carpets
WILEY | Gorilla | Fri 19 Dec | £14.85
Often championed as 'The godfather of UK Grime', Wiley is coming to Gorilla. He's the man behind break-through (and darn catchy) single Wearing My Rolex but also has a huge back-catalogue of albums with hard-edged beats exploring new boundaries.
Wiley
