Every Sunday in Northern Quarter, Manchester
Kicks off at 20:00, sign-up from 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
12-minute slots
Full backline on stage
Part of the Manchester open mic directory
Northern Quarter · Every Sunday · Free
The Soup Kitchen Open Mic
Northern Quarter's Sunday-night free open mic at 31-33 Spear Street, M1 1DF — basement music venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
Open mic at a glance The Soup Kitchen · Manchester
Sunday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
12 min
Slot length
Community
Listing status
Run a Manchester open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
The Soup Kitchen Open Mic — Quick Facts
Northern Quarter's Sunday-night free open mic at 31-33 Spear Street, M1 1DF — basement music venue, full backline, in-house engineer, 12-minute slots.
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The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DaySunday
Start20:00
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length12 min
EntryFree · 18+
Capacityc. 150 standing
Performer typesMusic
Sound engineerIn-house, included
Where
The Soup Kitchen31-33 Spear Street
Northern Quarter
Manchester M1 1DF
Northern Quarter, Manchester — check venue website for parking and nearest station.
Contact
Walk-in sign-up only
No advance booking
Host: in-house team
Highlights
Free entry for all
Full backline on stage
In-house sound engineer
Walk-in sign-up
Music welcome
How do you rate this open mic?One tap, no sign-up required.
Spotted something wrong with this listing?Closed, moved night, different start time? Let us know and we'll re-verify within 48 hours.
What's on Stage
Equipment and backline available at this venue. We verify and update this section regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
3 vocal mics
In-house engineer
About This Open Mic
The Night
The Soup Kitchen is a Northern Quarter basement music venue. Sunday open mic — full backline.
180 minutes, 15 acts at 12 minutes.
Sign-up process
Sheet at the bar at 7:30pm. Walk-in.
Getting there
31-33 Spear Street, M1 1DF. 4 minutes from Piccadilly Gardens.
The venue
Basement venue. 18+. Capacity c. 150.
About The Soup Kitchen
The Soup Kitchen — now trading simply as SOUP since a light 2020 rebrand under the same ownership — has been a fixture of Manchester's Northern Quarter since 2010, sitting at 31-33 Spear Street (M1 1DF). It's a 200-capacity, two-floor independent built around a stripped-back basement room of decaying brick that's become one of the city's most-loved DIY music and club spaces. The downstairs stage programmes forward-thinking, up-and-coming indie and rock bands, electronica and dance acts, plus regular club nights and DJ sets. Open Wednesday through Saturday (late, with Friday running to 4am), it pairs a ground-floor café-bar with a gig and club basement, and is a genuine grassroots launchpad for emerging Manchester talent.
Planning Your Sunday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 23:00. Full backline is provided — just bring your instrument and pedals.
Part of the Manchester live music scene.
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31-33 Spear Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1DF
Common Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at Manchester's The Soup Kitchen open mic.
Walk-in sign-up only, opens at 19:30. Arrive early — slots fill on the night. See other Manchester open mic nights for alternatives.
Full backline: drum kit, guitar amp, bass amp, vocal mics, plus an in-house sound engineer. Bring your own instrument and pedals.
12 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Manchester mics are free; browse the list.
Yes — full bands welcome and the backline is set up for it.
31-33 Spear Street, Northern Quarter, Manchester M1 1DF.
Mostly fellow musicians, friends and Manchester regulars across the Manchester open mic scene. Manchester open mic crowds tend to listen attentively.
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