The Commoners

The Commoners are a Toronto-based rock band whose blend of soulful roots rock, blues and southern-inspired rock and roll reaches Manchester on this visit, with Canadian blues guitarist Spencer MacKenzie on the bill.

The Commoners released their debut studio album, Find A Better Way, in 2022. Recorded in Toronto, the nine-track record mixed driving rock songs such as "Fill My Cup", "Too Much" and the title track with more reflective material including "Naturally", "I Won't" and "Hangin'On Again". Its singles received significant airplay on UK radio, and the album was praised by Powerplay Magazine, which awarded it 9/10, and by Blues in Britain.

The band followed it with the sophomore album Restless in 2024, recorded at RHC Music in Toronto. The record pairs soaring rock anthems with slower, introspective tracks that deal with life on the road. Afterwards the band toured across Europe and the UK and supported Samantha Fish, Jesse Dayton, The Sheepdogs and DeWolff.

Spencer MacKenzie is a Canadian guitarist, singer and songwriter from Southern Ontario who plays blues and blues-rock. His fourth studio album, Empty Chairs, was released in 2026. The concert takes place at Band On The Wall, a live music venue at 25 Swan Street in Manchester's Northern Quarter, which mainly hosts pop, rock and indie concerts.