manchester jazz festival and Factory International present

mjf takeover

Headshot of Satnam Galsian in front of a stone wall
Date
24 May 2026
Venue
The Social, Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ

1–6pm

1–2pm: Dilettante   

3–4pm: Caraway

5–6pm: Satnam Galsian + Special Guests

Free to attend – no booking required

Accessibility features available for this event: Wheelchair Access

manchester jazz festival take over the Social for a closing celebration featuring Dilettante, Caraway, Satnam Galsian and Special Guests

manchester jazz festival finishes in style with a party in the Social celebrating the work of three women or women-led songwriters.

Satnam Galsian presents the vibrant premiere of a brand new mjf originals work Love or Sacrifice, which reimagines women’s roles in Punjabi folklore. Plus, enjoy sets from alt-folk Bristol band Caraway and art-pop collective Dilettante.

Don’t miss the last day of Women in Jazz Photography: Her Frame. Her Sound. – an exhibition of iconic jazz photographs captured by women.

manchester jazz festival takes place from 15 to 24 May 2026. Explore the latest line-up here.

Find out more about the artists below.

Line-up

Dilettante outside, with a red bicycle behind them

Dilettante

Dilettante is the art-pop brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and former BC Camplight member Francesca Pidgeon.

Based in the North of England, Dilettante has supported Caribou, Self Esteem and Philip Selway (Radiohead) with her intricately looped sax and fuzzy guitar riffs. The live quintet has sold out headline shows across England, plus festival appearances at SXSW (Texas, US), Pop Montreal, NXNE (Toronto), Kendal Calling, Deershed, Live at Leeds, Focus Wales and The Great Escape and mjf.  

The sophomore album Life of The Party was released earlier in 2025 on EMI North and led to plaudits and live sessions from 6Music DJs Marc Riley, Huw Stephens and Iggy Pop. 

Francesca Pidgeon vocals, alto saxophone, guitar, loop pedal / Kate Pham backing vocals, guitar, percussion, synthesizer / Aaron Collins-Wood bass, keyboards / Jack Me drums

Six members of Caraway stood in a line outside

Caraway

Sometimes stripped bare, sometimes hard-hitting, Caraway’s songs tell stories of today’s world – from conversations with strangers to body memory, freight ships and NHS waiting lists. 

Soul-stirring and cinematic, they blend poetic lyrics with rich soundscapes, foley samples, intricate rhythms, double bass grooves and sultry horn lines. Fronted by Polly Meyrick, Caraway fuses jazz and neo-soul with the twists and turns of their global folk influences. They merge electronic and organic sounds, resonating with artists like Bonobo, Submotion Orchestra, This Is The Kit, Ezra Collective and Portico Quartet.

Polly Meyrick vocals, saxophone, clarinet / Tom Valentine keyboards, vocals / Dom Cramp trumpet, synthesizer, MPC / James Simpson guitar / Paul Hopkins double bass, synth bass / Kyle Edwards drums

Headshot of Satnam Galsian in side profile, stood in front of a stone wall

Satnam Galsian

Satnam Galsian is a British Asian singer-songwriter and progressive folk artist whose music blends the rich tradition of Punjabi folk with contemporary, feminist storytelling. Through her distinctive sound, Satnam reimagines the vibrant narratives of her heritage, responding to traditional Punjabi songs through a modern and empowering lens.

Love or Sacrifice is a new piece that explores themes of gender roles and the expectations of women in South Asian culture. Her songs are deeply rooted in her personal experiences.

Satnam has two self-released EPs and was a recipient of the Alan James Creative Bursary and an Opera North Resonance residency. Satnam is also part of Kinaara, a cross-genre trio that blends Punjabi folk songs, original compositions and Celtic music.

Photography Credit: Libby Greenwood. Love or Sacrifice is co-commissioned by Oldham Coliseum Theatre, Wigan Old Courts, Khushi Festival and mjf.

Piano Trail

  • Five people in red t-shirts smiling outside Aviva Studios with the piano

    The UK’s largest piano trail is back, running from 29 March to 31 May 2026!

    The mjf piano trail competition will see 18 free-to-access street pianos dotted throughout Greater Manchester.

    Find one of the pianos at Aviva Studios – just pop down and have a play!

    Find out more about the piano trail here.

Access information

Getting to Aviva Studios

Our full address is Aviva Studios, Water Street, Manchester M3 4JQ and the what3words is chop.feeds.chase.

You can approach Aviva Studios along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield). Both entrances to the building have double sets of glass doors.

Inside Aviva Studios

Once inside Aviva Studios, there is step-free access to all areas of the venue. The flooring throughout the building is smooth concrete.

The entrance to the Warehouse is by lift or stairs from the Social. Two lifts and a staircase to the Warehouse are located in the Social opposite the bar.

The entrance to the Andrew Law Hall is by lift, escalator or stairs from one side of the Social beside the brick arches. There is only one escalator, and this will take you up to the Andrew Law Hall before the show, and will be reversed so that you can travel down at the end of the performance.

The Social has a range of seating, including those with arms and backs.

The bars in the Social and Hall Foyer have lowered accessible service points.

Our building is large. We have portable stools available to borrow if you would benefit from resting along the way during your visit.

We have wheelchair spaces and seats at standing events for all events.

Toilets

There are accessible toilets on all public levels of our building.

Accessible toilets are located inside the main toilets space in the brick arches of the Social.

Here you’ll find a mixture of accessible cubicles with left- or right-hand transfer, towards the back of the space, as well as ambulant accessible cubicles with grab rails, as well as a Changing Places facility.

The toilets in the brick arches of the Social are split into male, female and gender neutral – all of which contain accessible cubicles. There are shared handwashing facilities in each arch – they have soap dispensers under the mirrors to your left and dryers to the right. There are separate handwashing facilities inside the accessible cubicles.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in both Hall Foyers, at stalls and circle level.

There are additional single-room accessible toilets located in the Warehouse Foyer.

You do not need a key to use the accessible toilets at Aviva Studios.

Assistance dogs

Assistance dogs are welcome in our building, and we can provide mats and water bowls on request, just ask a host when you arrive. We can also take care of your assistance dog if you do not want to take your dog into the performance space. Please also refer to our assistance dogs policy.

If you are bringing an assistance dog to a ticketed event, please let us know in advance by contacting access@factoryinternational.org or calling our access phone number: 0161 817 4531 (phone lines are open 10am to 6pm, Monday to Saturday).

Travel information

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street (coming from Quay Street) or along Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

Train and tram

There are a number of rail and tram stations within the city centre which are just a short distance from Aviva Studios. The closest stations are:

By bike and active means

By Bike

There are 40 bike parking spaces at Aviva Studios including space for two accessible bikes.

National Cycling Route 6 passes close to the venue and this TfGM webpage can help with route planning.

You can also hire bikes from on-street docking stations across the city centre. The closest docking stations to our venue are currently on Deansgate by Liverpool Road and (400m from the building) and by King Street (500m from the building). Take a look at Transport for Greater Manchester’s webpage for advice on cycle hire.

By Walking and Other Active Means

Aviva Studios can be approached along Water Street via Liverpool Road (coming from Deansgate or Castlefield).

If you're coming from Quay Street, the safest route to avoid construction works is via the cut-through opposite Gartside Street and past Booking.com.

All footways in the surrounding area are well lit and there are appropriate crossings across all main roads.

Pedestrians with visual impairment are recommended to approach the building via Water Street, from Liverpool Road. This route has traditional carriageway and footway design with fixed street furniture which should help with navigation to the entrance.

A footbridge at Left Bank in Spinningfields provides an accessible link across the River Irwell to Salford Central station, and a further footbridge also links Aviva Studios with the Salford area of Middlewood Locks.

Bus

Free bus

The free bus 1 service connects Piccadilly Station, Oxford Road and Deansgate rail stations, as well as other areas of the city centre to Aviva Studios.

The service stops on both Liverpool Road and Quay Street, close to the venue. Buses operate every 10 minutes during the day from Monday to Sunday and they are wheelchair accessible. For full details of the free bus 1 route and timetable, please visit the Bee Network website.

Bee Network services

Piccadilly Gardens is situated in the heart of Manchester and there are a number of bus services that will take you on to Aviva Studios. The 33 bus which starts at Shudehill, calls at Piccadilly Gardens and will take you straight to Liverpool Road. Services operate every 30 minutes Monday to Saturday and every hour on Sunday.

Alternatively, you can board either a 35, 36 or 38 bus to Bridge Street bus stop which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Coming into Manchester Victoria rail station? Head on over to Shudehill Interchange (which is a seven-minute walk via Hanover Street) where you can catch the 33 bus to Liverpool Road.

Alternatively, you can board either an 8, 67 or 100 bus from Manchester Victoria to Bridge Street bus stop, which is a seven-minute walk via Left Bank and Water Street to the venue.

Car

There is a NCP car park (Manchester Spinningfields) approximately 0.25 miles (400m) away from Aviva Studios at Spinningfields, New Quay Street, Manchester, M3 3BE. It has 35 accessible bays.

There are a small number of Blue Badge spaces along Water St and Quay St. Otherwise head towards Liverpool Road, Great John St and Lower Byrom St – close to our neighbours, the Science and Industry Museum where there are a small number of additional Blue Badge spaces.

For a list of other parking bays available in the area, visit Manchester City Council website.

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