Shakey Graves

Shakey Graves, the Austin-born songwriter also known as Alejandro Rose-Garcia, brings his lean, story-driven Americana to Manchester Academy on 2 September 2026. He first made his name as a one‑man band, working suitcase kick, snare accents and steel‑string guitar into a compact, percussive frame. That minimal setup shaped early songs from Roll the Bones (2011) and The Donor Blues (2012). With And the War Came (2014) he opened the sound, adding harmonies and co-writes like Dearly Departed with Esmé Patterson, while keeping the direct, narrative edge that runs through his catalog.

On stage he shifts between solitary setups and a tight trio, sliding from campfire folk to ragged blues and stripped country rock without losing the intimate core. Fingerpicked patterns, open tunings and clipped rhythms anchor the stories, letting the groove breathe and the voice sit close.

Recent releases — Can’t Wake Up (2018), the Look Alive EP (2020), Roll the Bones X (2021) and Movie of the Week (2023) — feed a set that moves between hushed, bare arrangements and louder, fuller cuts. Songs stretch and change shape from night to night, but the tension-and-release dynamic stays front and center.