Happy Mondays, Confidence Man and Liam Fray to play free Manchester gigs as part of new Adidas exhibition

The Happy Mondays will be playing the headline show in a series of free concerts this month to mark the launch of adidas Original’s new SPEZIAL F.C. exhibition.

The legendary Manchester band will be kicking off proceedings on 19 November at Canvas located on Oxford Road’s Circle Square, followed by Australian duo Confidence Man on 21 November and 808 State’s Graham Massey on 23 November. Even more homegrown Manchester talent fills the lineup for the rest of the week, including Courteeners frontman Liam Fray (24 November), rapper DRS (25 November) and Pastel and Afflecks Palace closing the event on 26 November.

Each performance will round off a full day of events organised as part of the SPEZIAL F.C. exhibition by adidas Original and clothes retailer END. The exhibition is a celebration of football culture and will feature trainers inspired by the beautiful game.

On display, in a purpose built space next to Canvas, there will be both vintage and reissue adidas trainers, as well as football boots – some match worn – and a complete adidas Spezial archive, including unreleased samples, working prototypes and archival shoes.

It will be open each day from 12pm to 8pm.

Throughout the week there will also be a series of talks and screenings of World Cup matches, which will also take place at Canvas.

For more information about the talks, screenings, exhibition and gigs, you need to register for tickets on the SPEZIAL F.C. website.

All the events are free, but they will be accepting donations for Manchester Young Community Champions, a charity that promotes youth development through sport.