The Met presents another action packed line-up of music, theatre and comedy, plus the return of some old favourites
This Autumn, the programme at The Met, the hugely popular venue in the heart of Bury, goes from strength to strength with a great line up of entertainment to suit all tastes.
The Met is filled with music and theatre throughout the year, there is always something new happening within our walls. As well delivering a huge programme of events, The Met has its own recording studio, and even has its our own community jazz orchestra.
Families are a priority at The Met and panto is always at the top of everyone’s Christmas list. This year, The Met presents Rumpelstiltskin, (Fri 6 – Thu 26 December), the most magical pantomime yet. Presented by The Big Tiny, the producers of Dick Whittington and Aladdin, Rumpelstiltskin has all the important ingredients essential for the perfect pantomime – magic, mayhem and above all, true love.
Bury Beer Festival
On the 8th and 9th November The Met’s hugely popular annual celebration returns to town. With food, drink, music and good times on tap, the festival offers beer fans the chance to try some new brews as well as many old favourites.
Other Autumn programme highlights include:
COMEDY & CABARET
First Thursday Comedy, (Thu 5 Sep, Thu 3 Oct, Thu 7 Nov & Thu 5 Dec), top quality comedy at The Met on the first Thursday of every month; LOUD Cabaret, the monthly queer cabaret night hosted at The Met features fabulous rising stars from across Bury and beyond; Henry Normal & Nigel Planer, (Thu 10 Oct, 7.30pm), comedians and poets Henry Normal and Nigel Planer (The Young Ones) join forces with poetry, stories, jokes, a Q & A, fun, knitwear and a few surprises; Steven P Taylor – Performance Poet, (Wed 16 & Thu 17 Oct), thecomic poet is back with his latest show, in which he offers his own tongue-in-cheek take on life;Mark Thomas: Gaffa Tapes, (Thu 24 Oct), jokes, rants, politics, play and the occasional sing song.
THEATRE
Top Whack PIP, (Thu 19 Sep, 7:30pm), a new musical comedy by MaD Theatre Company; New Dawn Fades: A Play About Joy Division and Manchester, (Wed 16 & Thu 17 Oct), the story of four ordinary lads who, inspired by the punk revolution of 1970s Manchester, who came together to form one of the most influential bands of all time, Joy Division; Nanna’s OnlyFans Film, (Thu 31 Oct), Dolly and Nellie are making a few extra quid with their OnlyFans page, which they run from an old folk’s home in Radcliffe. But when one of the other residents drops dead during filming, trouble quickly follows.
FAMILY
Tales from the Lighthouse, (Sat 19 Oct), families and children are invited on a voyage of music, puppetry and storytelling, as a mysterious stranger helps a lonely lighthouse keeper rediscover the magic, beauty and power of the sea that surrounds his home (ages 5+); Mr Sleepy Bum, (Fri 25 Oct), Mr Sleepy Bum has silly and strange dreams at night and he’s going to re-enact them in this high-energy, interactive, kids’ comedy show for the whole family, (ages 3+); The King’s Polar Bear, (Sat 16 Nov), a playful and highly visual show for children, the perfect family theatre experience, (all ages).
MUSIC
The huge line-up of performers includes: Paul McKenna Band, (Sat 28 Sep), fronted by one of Scotland’s most eloquently expressive vocalists and songwriters, the Paul McKenna Band forge a dynamic alloy of Scottish and Irish traditional roots with contemporary acoustic pop; The Annie Keating Band, (Fri 4 Oct), a staple of the contemporary Americana scene, Annie Keating writes and sings like a woman who knows deep down that heartache is the price of hope, and she can make us believe that all of it is worth the cost; Wishbone Ash: Live Date 2 Live Tour, (Sat 5 Oct), the legendary band perform their biggest-selling album Live Dates 2, along with songs from many of their other, much-loved albums; Judie Tzuke – Jude The Unsinkable,(Fri 11 Oct), one of the UK’s finest singer-songwriters presents an intimate evening, performing old favourites alongside songs from her new album, Jude The Unsinkable; Jack Rutter, (Fri 11 Oct), this Yorkshire folk singer is one of the standout voices of the current folk, roots and acoustic music scene; The Enid, (Sun 13 Oct), UK progressive rock legends return to The Met for a special concert in celebration of their fiftieth anniversary; Chris While and Julie Matthews, (Wed 23 Oct), one of the finest and most loved duos on the British folk-roots stage return to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary; Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, (Fri 25 Oct), a touch of ‘Americana’, yet quintessentially English, since emerging in 2016, this duo have been defying all conventions of style, genre and compartmentalisation; Joshua Burnell, (Sat 26 Oct), baroque pop for the modern world with hooky melodies drenched in warm, retro-synth textures, lush harmonies and words to make you think; Hayseed Dixie, (Sat 26 Oct), twisted Hillbilly country rockers bring their rootin’ tootin’ renditions of rock classics to town; Guy Davis, (Thu 31 Oct), two-time Grammy nominee for Best Traditional Blues, musician, actor, author, and songwriter uses roots, blues, folk, rock, rap, spoken word, and world music to address the frustrations of social injustice; Sunny Sweeney,
(Fri 15 Nov), this country music fireball straddles the line between Texas country and Nashville Americana with songs from her latest album Married Alone; Christine Collister: Children of the Sea, (Sat 16 Nov), returning to touring for the first time in four years, Christine Collister will be performing songs from the Children of the Sea project along with a selection of old favourites; Steve Knightley, (Thu 21 Nov), the former Show of Hands frontman, returns with an outstanding solo show; Ralph McTell, (Sat 23 Nov), one of the UK’s most gifted and prolific songwriters, and a virtuoso guitarist celebrates over fifty years on the road. McTell has received multiple awards including the Ivor Novello Award for his hit Streets of London, and the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards; Eleanor McEvoy, (Thu 28 Nov),one of Irish music’s biggest stars, perhaps best known for her song Only A Woman’s Heart which was the title track of the best-selling Irish album in Irish history; The Houghton Weavers, (Thu 12 Dec), a fun-packed, sing-a-long family show with great music and funny stories galore!; Tim Edey’s Celtic Christmas, (Sat 14 Dec),music from this multi-award-winning folk musician; and St Agnes Fountain, (Thu 19 Dec), musical invention, laughter and the star-dust atmosphere of the Christmas season.
TRIBUTE BANDS Pinked Floyd, (Sat 28 Sep), a spectacular evening packed with cherished favourites from the timeless albums Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, The Division Bell , Wish You Were Here, Animals, and A Momentary Lapse of Reason; Elvis: As It Was, (Fri 4 Oct), the sensational Tommy Holland and The Rising Sun band perform a night of Elvis’s music faithfully recreated to bring an authentic feel, look and sound of the period of his career when he was at his most dynamic; 80s Mania, (Sat 12 Oct),Europe’s premier 1980s tribute concert, featuring 28 chart topping 80s icons recreated live on stage; Abba Reunion, (Fri 22 Nov), a chance to re-live the addictive ABBA phenomenon that swept the world in the 70s and 80s, a party style tribute concert, featuring their greatest hits; Mama – The All Era Genesis Tribute Band, (Fri 29 Nov), an evening of music encompassing all eras of the band from the early albums with Peter Gabriel up to the last with Phil Collins.
POPSTAR PARTIES AT THE MET
Come to The Met and be treated like a star! The Met’s popstar parties put you and your friends centre stage with a bespoke Studio Session in our state-of-the-art recording facilities. Be greeted with a drink, take part in a photoshoot with a professional photographer, then have your chosen song recorded in the studio by one of our professional engineers. A full version of the recording and photographs will be provided at the end of the session. Can be enjoyed solo or as a group. These parties can be booked any time, subject to availability.
FOOD AT THE MET
The Met will now be welcoming local food outlets to operate a monthly pop-up food offer our of their kitchens on a monthly basis. This varied offer will allow visitors to grab a bite while enjoying a refreshing drink in one of their fully stocked bars. Pop-up schedule:
Mon 26th August – Dough So Good
September – Soul Shack
Early October – Mamma Sue
Late October – Tibetan Kitchen
November – TLM Sweet Haven
December – Dough So Good
General information:
Tickets:
Telephone: 0161 761 2216
In person: The Met, Market Street, Bury, BL9 0BW Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturday (10am-2pm) or Friday (12-5pm), and from one hour before any show.
To find out more about supporting the work of The Met by donating as little as £5 per month visit themet.org.uk/support or call us on 0161 761 2216.
