Fuel Café Bar is a vegetarian café-bar and upstairs stage on Wilmslow Road in Withington, south Manchester (M20). Alongside fresh veggie food, coffee, cakes and a big drinks list, the upstairs room programmes live music, comedy, poetry, quizzes, open mics and board games. Two regular open mics run here: BOOM, a fortnightly Monday night dedicated to music of black origin (soca, jazz, blues, rap, reggae, afrobeats, R&B and poetic storytelling), and Amp Presents on the third Tuesday of the month — an informal, low-tech evening of music, poetry and storytelling, all mediums welcome, with sign-up in advance via ampmcr.com or at the venue by 7.45pm. Open 11am–late daily; c. 70 capacity upstairs.
Withington · Every other Monday · Free
Fuel Cafe Bar Open Mic
Withington's monday-night free open mic at Fuel Cafe Bar — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 10-minute slots, all ages.
Open mic at a glance Fuel Cafe Bar · Manchester
Monday
Open mic night
Apr 2026
Listed since
03 Jun
Last verified
Free
Entry
10 min
Slot length
Verified
Listing status
Run a Manchester open mic? List it free — verified within 48 hours
Last updated: 3 June 2026
Fuel Cafe Bar Open Mic — Quick Facts
Withington's monday-night free open mic at Fuel Cafe Bar — PA + vocal mic, walk-in sign-up from 7:30pm, 10-minute slots, all ages.
✓ Verified activeLast verified
The Details
Everything you need before you turn up
DayMonday
Start19:30
Sign-up19:30 walk-in
Slot length10 min
EntryFree · all ages
Capacity–
Performer typesMusic · Poetry
Sound engineerBYO / hire on the night
View on map
Where
Fuel Cafe Bar448 Wilmslow Road
Withington
Manchester M20 3BW
Withington, 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
PA system provided
Walk-in sign-up
Music, Poetry 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.
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About Fuel Cafe Bar
About This Open Mic
Every other Monday in Withington, Manchester
Kicks off at 19:30
Free entry for performers and audience
10-minute slots
PA provided — BYO instrument
Part of the Manchester open mic directory
The Night
Fuel Cafe Bar's upstairs room in Withington hosts BOOM — a fortnightly Monday open mic celebrating music of Black origin, from soca, jazz and blues to rap, reggae, afrobeats, R&B and poetic storytelling. It runs 7.30pm till 10.30pm, entry is free and performers get a free drink. Home-grown acts especially welcome; this is a warm, genre-spanning night rather than the usual acoustic-guitar circuit. Fuel is a long-standing veggie cafe-bar, so expect a friendly, community feel.
What's on stage — equipment and backline at this venue, verified regularly.
PA + monitors
Drum kit
Guitar amp
Bass amp
Keys / keyboard
Vocal mics
In-house engineer
The Night at a Glance
How Fuel Cafe Bar’s Monday night runs.
19:30Sign-up
19:30Kick-off
22:30Last songs
00:00Venue closes
Every other Monday 10-min slots Free entry
Find Fuel Cafe Bar
448 Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester M20 3BW
Planning Your Monday Night
Arrive by 19:30 to sign up for a slot. Entry is free and the open mic typically runs until 22:30. A PA is provided — bring your own instrument and amp.
Part of the Manchester live music scene.
What should you charge for paid gigs?Most open mic musicians are ready for paid work sooner than they think. Check live UK rates by role, city, and venue size.
Try the Rate CalculatorCommon Questions
Seven things people ask before turning up at Manchester's Fuel Cafe Bar 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.
PA + vocal mic provided. BYO instrument and amp.
10 minutes per act — typically 3 songs solo.
Yes — free entry for performers and audience. Most Manchester mics are free; browse the list.
Solo and duo acts work best given the gear available; ask the host before bringing a full band.
448 Wilmslow Road, Withington, Manchester M20 3BW.
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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