Library Live

Never Mind The Books Here’s PUNK DAY!
2026-07-11 11:30 - 16:30 UTC | Henry Watson Music Library
This July, the Henry Watson Music Library will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Sex Pistols’ iconic 1976 gig at the Lesser Free Trade Hall.
A definitive milestone in the city’s musical history, Sex Pistols’ first appearance in Manchester has since become the stuff of rock legend. Named “the most important gig of all time” by the NME, it was a watershed moment that ushered in a new generation of artists and a new way of thinking, and redefined music in the North, and beyond, forever.

With the former Lesser Free Trade Hall just across the street, the Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library will be commemorating that legendary date with a day that salutes everything PUNK.

Promising a packed afternoon of themed talks and Q&As, acclaimed author DAVID NOLAN will be presenting his book “I Swear I Was There – Sex Pistols, Manchester and the Gig that Changed the World”. Despite thousands claiming they were in attendance, only a handful of people were actually there – but those that were went on to form bands including The Smiths, Buzzcocks, Joy Division, New Order and The Fall. In a myth-busting masterclass of investigative journalism, Nolan has sorted the hardcore facts from the rock’n’roll fiction and will be appearing at the Library in-person to tell us exactly who really was at the Lesser Free Trade Hall gig, and who has just been blagging…

Elsewhere, Manchester music scene legend and talking head JOHN ROBB, will be talking about his brand new book “Punk Rock Ruined My Life and Other Stories”. As the frontman of both Membranes and Goldblade, and founder of tastemaker site Louder Than War, John is a man who knows punk inside-out. Chatting through his new memoir, he will be delving into his deep friendships with figures like Poly Styrene to Chris Packham, growing up in Blackpool, interviewing icons like Mark E. Smith to Patti Smith, plus opening-up on a host of other riotous stories.

Plus, proving it wasn’t just the Pistols tearing up the rule book, Louder Than War journalist IAIN KEY will be presenting his new “All The Young Punks: A People’s History of The Clash”. From their own punk explosion of 1976 to become an internationally acclaimed arena act, Iain will be discussing their history with lifelong Clash fan PAUL HANLEY (ex-Fall).

And in true punk spirit, one of Manchester’s most fiery new acts DEAD STILETTOS will be performing live to show us that the legacy of what the Sex Pistols started in the Lesser Free Trade Hall is alive and well. DIY to the core, the five-piece have been described as “Stoogified Mancunian Punk” and will deliver a shot of live rock’n’roll mayhem to close proceedings with a bang.

Book tickets here or click on ‘Book Now’ below and ‘pay-what-you can’. All donations go to Manchester Libraries to support future activities.

LOVE STORIES etc FESTIVAL
2026-07-17 10:00 - 2026-07-18 20:00 | Performance Space
#LoveStoriesEtc romance festival is returning for a third year to Manchester Central Library on 17th and 18th July 2026 for two packed days of exciting author panels, industry expert led workshops, and creative sessions!
The schedule for Friday 17th July includes…
‘How to Boss Booktok’ with Ash Jayy from The Picture of Romance
‘What Can an Editor do for You?’ with freelance editor Caroline Hogg
A writer’s advice session hosted by the Romantic Novelists’ Association
‘How to look Professional Online on a Budget’ with Branding Expert and Photographer, Claire Gardner from The Authors Lounge
A Book Bedazzling Party
Kindly sponsored by Vinci Books. Escape to the sun with a Sublime Retreats romance by Joy Skye!
A Booklovers tour of Manchester
A Silent Reading Social Event
Why Romance Readers Should Rule The World with Bella North
On Saturday 18th, we’re spoiling you with a bumper Author Day including –
Rosie Walsh, Lizzie Damilola Blackburn, Kate Lord Brown,
Cal Speet, Rachel Hore, Jessica George,
Cressida McLaughlin, Kiley Dunbar, Rufaro Faith Mazarura,
Liz Fenwick, Holly Hepburn, Chloe Seager,
Bella Osborne, Jill Mansell, Kirstie Pelling,
Rachel Wood, Libby Page, Beth Moran, Megan Clawson
Bianca Gillam, Matt Cain MBE, Ellis Hunter
Jack Strange, Tessa Bickers,
Catrin Cadogan, Roxy Dunn, Annie Lord
Rosie Storey and Georgia Stone!!
DUE TO DEMAND, EXTRA TICKETS ARE NOW AVAILABLE ON EVENTBRITE HERE!

Stereo Listening Booth - LIVE!
2026-07-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Henry Watson Music Library
A special matinee show from the Manchester electronic act LIVE from the Henry Watson Music Library.

Ellesmere Port resident Patrick Oakford and Manchester’s Travis Eagle write and perform original electronic / dance / trance / club soundscapes under the name Stereo Listening Booth.
Reviewing the debut album ‘Disko Noir’, Louder than War magazine described the experience as ‘somewhere between a less sleazy Soft Cell and more interesting New Order’.
The band’s mission statement is a simple one: ‘nothing ruled out, nothing ruled in’.
Stereo Listening Booth will be performing live at selective venues throughout the year, with an exclusive performance right here in the Henry Watson Music Library at Central Library.
Special guests TBC – watch this space.
Book tickets and make a donation on Eventbrite here or ‘Book Now’ below
All donations go to the Manchester Libraries Trust (registered charity number: 1150161).

Watch / listen to “99 Otago St” here:

The Puppet Folk Experience!
2026-08-20 19:00 - 20:00
The Puppet Folk Experience is a joyful live show combining acoustic music and beautifully crafted puppetry.

Manchester Libraries are so excited to welcome the wonderful Puppet Folk Experience to Central Library this August. It’s going to be the most sensational, inspirational, celebrational show!!
The Puppet Folk Experience is a joyful live show combining acoustic music and beautifully crafted puppetry.
Musician Andy and puppeteer Liam bring songs, characters, and playful storytelling together in a performance full of humour, nostalgia, and warmth. Featuring lively banjo-led music and an ensemble of expressive puppet characters, the show celebrates the charm of classic puppetry and musical storytelling.
The Puppet Folk Experience delights audiences young and old with a performance that is heartfelt, imaginative, and full of fun.
Doors opem 6.30pm
Performance starts 7pm
Cafe and bar will be open all evening.
Tickets are only £5 plus booking fee. There is also a buy 4 tickets for the price of 3 offer!

Manchester Literature Festival presents An Evening with Mieko Kawakami
2026-08-25 08:00 - 17:00 | Performance Space
Join us for an unmissable evening with one of Japan’s most celebrated young novelists.
The Booker-shortlisted author of Heaven and Breasts and Eggs, Mieko Kawakami makes a rare visit to the UK to launch Sisters in Yellow, a gripping, stylish noir set in Tokyo’s shadowy underbelly.
Hana is fifteen, hopeful and living in a tiny Tokyo apartment with her mother, with no money and no security. Then Kimiko enters her life – a bright, magnetic force who offers escape. Together they open Lemon, a shabby bar that becomes a fragile haven of friendship, independence and possibility. For a moment, Hana feels invincible. In the narrow alleys of Sangenjaya however, nothing is as it seems, and hope can quickly turn to danger.
Twenty years later, Kimiko stands trial for a shocking crime, and Hana must confront her own past and its devastating consequences.
Dark, hypnotic and utterly compelling, Sisters in Yellow confirms Mieko Kawakami as one of the great writers of her generation. Join us as she discusses sisterhood, betrayal and the stories that haunt us.
‘This is not the Japan you find in novels about cats, cafés and bookshops. Kawakami draws back this cosy façade to reveal the grimy reality underneath — and she does it with consummate style. With Sisters in Yellow, she proves she is still the most exciting Japanese novelist at work today’ The Times
‘I can never forget the sense of pure astonishment I felt when I first read Mieko Kawakami’ Haruki Murakami
Mieko Kawakami is the acclaimed author of the internationally best-selling novel Breasts and Eggs, a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and one of Time’s Best 10 Books of 2020. Her other novels, translated by Sam Bett and David Boyd, include Heaven, shortlisted for the 2022 International Booker Prize, and All the Lovers in the Night. In 2024, Sisters in Yellow won the Yomiuri Prize for Literature in Japan. Her books, translated into over forty languages, are known for their insights into the female body, and philosophical questions surrounding gender, class, and ethics in modern society. Born in Osaka, Kawakami lives in Tokyo, Japan.
A Manchester Literature Festival event supported by Library Live.
Booking tickets here or ‘Book Now’ below
