I took my daughter to a Taylor Swift experience in Manchester, it was truly magical

The music alone at Candlelight: A Tribute to Taylor Swift was mesmerising, but the setting made the whole experience even more special

Everyone knows that tickets to Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour are like gold dust, but it was another event showcasing her music that I took my daughter to in Manchester.

Inside our city’s beautiful cathedral, four talented musicians from String Infusion took to the stage for a rather fabulous candlelit orchestral performance of 14 of her well-known songs.

The string quartet had the audience mesmerised as we listened to them perfect the notes to everything from Lavender Haze and Anti-Hero to Snow On The Beach and Shake It Off.

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We we were told not to sing along, which was probably for the best given the fact I’m struggling to learn the lyrics to her vast collection ahead of our concert trip later this year. My daughter has no such problem, largely down to the luxury of spare time mostly spent on Spotify – oh to be a teen again.

In fact there was no singing at all – and no cameras – not until the final encore when we were encouraged to belt out Cruel Summer and film or take photos of the musicians with their stunning backdrop.

Taylor Swift Candlelight Concert at Manchester Cathedral(Image: Manchester Family/MEN)
The absence of phones throughout Saturday evening’s show meant the audience, of all ages, was truly able to focus on the music, which seemed to fill the venue beyond the capabilities of a four-piece orchestra.

Their talent was a wonder to watch – at times traditional play, but also plucking, clicking of the fingers and even some perfectly timed banging on the cello to achieve the beat of I Knew You Were Trouble.