Another first for mjf: theatre meets live music as we expand our 2026 partnerships, joining forces with Greater Manchester’s historic, well established, long-running repertory theatre, Oldham Coliseum, known for its community engagement, and nationally-acclaimed productions.
For their brand new 2026 season, mjf has programmed two genre-pushing events, bringing jazz right into the heart of the Oldham community.
“It’s a joy to be working with the newly-reopened and refreshed OCT, and to contribute to their new season with some vibrant contemporary artists that have featured in recent mjf editions. I hope Oldham music fans will explore what’s on offer and that mjf fans will make the short trip to discover some of the captivating venues that are helping to keep culture thriving in the area.”– Steve Mead, Artistic Director, mjf
The performances will take place during the manchester jazz festival, 2026, on Wednesday 20 and Thursday 21 May 2026. To book tickets visit the link HERE.
Vipertime – Tickets: £15 (available HERE)
Date: Wednesday 20 May
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: Whittles, Oldham
“That was Vipertime. I wouldn’t mind hanging out somewhere where that was going on. I guess I’d have to go to Leeds” – Iggy Pop
Born in the snake pit of Leeds house parties, aggro-jazz four-piece Vipertime have earned a ferocious reputation making a series of incendiary appearances at venues and festivals across the UK, honing their craft while pushing their line up of saxophone, bass and twin drum sets to its sonic limits. Both live and in the studio, their music is a sweaty dance floor incarnate.
Double Bill: Lullaby Song Cradle and Her Revelation Tickets: £15 (available HERE)
Date: Thursday 21 May
Time: 7.30pm
Venue: George Street Chapel
Lullaby–Sonic Cradle is an immersive music performance for family audiences and adults alike. The show weaves improvised electronics with nighttime soundscapes collected from across the globe by sound artist, Duncan Chapman, soothing Carnatic vocals from Supriya Nagarajan and luscious improvised harp music from Lucy Nolan. They have collected over 300 lullabies internationally from libraries to office blocks and these are woven into the soundscape and used as a stimulus for improvisation. Her Revelation is a part-improvised ritual exulting the everyday. Inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin’s idea of the ‘Life Story’, we weave arranged songs exploring mundane feelings between improvised soundscapes built on reactivity to each other.