Festival season doesn’t end with the summer. Last Saturday, Manchester saw its streets light up as crowds poured in and out of beloved, legendary music venues all across the city centre. Now a decade since the first Neighbourhood Festival was born, the lineup continues to spotlight some of the best Indie acts of the new generation. Here's our top 5 picks from the day... Photo Credit: Paul Lang Florence Road Wicklow four-piece Florence Road have made waves on the Indie Pop sce

Nowadays Neighbourhood Festival is considered a staple in the indie calendar. However, ten years ago, when the festival first started, no one could have imagined the success the event has become. In its first year, the festival saw acts including Blossoms, Circa Waves and Liam Fray take to the stage. Ten years on, almost all the acts didn’t exist when the festival first opened its doors, but the aim of bringing the best up and coming bands to new fans, remains the same. Phot

Manchester's premiere music conference and festival Beyond The Music returned this month, this time taking over Salford's Media City. The daytime conference brought together some of the most influential and forward-thinking music business professionals for discussions on industry inequalities, innovative music-making and the future of the industry landscape. Highlights were the discussion with the team behind Yungblud and the keynote with Steve Coogan marking the anniversary

On a warm Autumn night in Manchester, we saw the long awaited return of one of the city's brightest talents, Phoebe Green, all thanks to the work wonderful work of Independent Venue Week who have showcasing the #BestofBritish at shows across the country. Photo Credit: Kitty Handley Known for her introspective and uniquely relatable lyricism and hypnotic electro-pop textures, Phoebe has long been at the forefront of Manchester's emerging scene. Her 2020 single 'Reinvent' beca

Beyond The Music, Manchester's creative industry conference and music showcase returns from October 6-9 for three days of vital, policy-setting, conversations, lectures and networking events as well as three nights of break through music showcased across venues in Salford. TICKETS ON SALE NOW Photo Credit: Mark Waugh The full 2026 conference programme titled Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness details Beyond The Music’s commitment to a strengthened, connected and colla

Since 2021, No Play have provided grassroots music for the scene, by the scene, and this year's festival is no different. 35 Bands across 5 stages provided the perfect day out for any Alternative or Hardcore Fans, with a strong sense of community throughout every aspect of the festival. No Play Festival encapsulates everything incredible about the Hardcore and Alternative fellowship, especially within the North West. Photo Credit: @eyes_widephotography Based in the heart of L

Twenty years since it first landed in Daresbury, Creamfields has cemented itself as one of the UK’s biggest dance music festivals, and this was my first time making the trip. Located just outside Warrington, the site pulls crowds from Liverpool and Manchester in their thousands, alongside ravers from every corner of the country. Several transport options run into the site, with signposts and security stationed throughout to keep the flow of thousands moving in the right dire

This weekend saw around 90,000 festival goers descend on the iconic Bramham Park site for a weekend of unforgettable music. Across the site, established headliners shared the bill with a wealth of emerging talent, resulting in a host of triumphant performances. Overall, Leeds once again proved why it remains one of the UK’s favourite festivals. Since its inception back in 1999, Leeds Festival has firmly established itself as a mainstay in the festival calendar. Whilst its roo

For one month Edinburgh becomes the centre of the cultural universe, inviting the best comedy, theatre and performance talent from across the world to enjoy a summer of pure cultural expression. We had the pleasure of visiting Edinburgh Fringe towards the end of the month and here's a quick rundown of our comedy highlights: Rob Auton - Jupiter With his trademark combination of dead-pan humour, absurd story-telling and strangely sentimental poetry, 'Jupiter' was Rob Auton at h

Lewis Capaldi and Loyle Carner are set to take over Liverpool's Sefton Park on Saturday August 15th for In The Park with Capaldi set to deliver his biggest-ever outdoor headline show in the city. Loyle Carner will be bringing his signature blend of diaristic lyricism and genre-defying sound to Liverpool. Twice shortlisted for the Mercury Prize and the recipient of multiple BRIT and NME Award nominations, Carner has built a global following with over 1.1 billion streams to his

LAUGHTERAMA, Manchester’s mega-hit comedy festival, returns to Castlefield Bowl from 2nd-6th September with five nights of incredible open-air comedy, with MICHELLE WOLF set to headline the final night. Tickets are available here. Just announced, primetime Emmy nominee, Have I Got News For You star, and international comedy powerhouse Michelle Wolf will headline the final show, joining a line-up already packed with comedy stars. Michelle is known for her sharp wit, candid sto

With the beautiful backdrop of Derbyshire’s rolling hills, Y Not Festival has carved out a reputation as one of the most beloved weekends in the festival calendar. It hits the sweet spot between the intimacy of grassroots indie charm, and the scale and spectacle of a major event. Therefore, it is no wonder why many mark it as a staple in their festival summer. 2026 saw an increase in capacity, allowing more than 30,000 eager music lovers into the fields of Pikehall for an unf

Hundreds of people, us amongst them, were staggering through Hillsborough on Friday night. Our legs and backs already sore, ears ringing a little, we marched to the next place despite the cool that had taken the air, replacing the amber sun’s heat. The trams had been too full for us to attempt climbing into. Instead, we took upon ourselves the hike back to the city centre, to the late bars of West Street, so that we could keep dancing. We sounded like a zombie mob, all o

We couldn't think of a better way to spend one of the hottest evenings of the year than sampling three of the most exciting UK performers while lapping up the summer sunshine. Well, this is exactly what we were treated to at Manchester's Castlefield Bowl this week as Wet Leg, English Teacher and THEATRE took to the stage in the blistering heat. Photo Credit: Harry Proctor // @harry.proctor.56 The natural amphitheatre of Castlefield Bowl immediately brings a cinematic quality

Despite the miserable weather in Manchester on Wednesday evening, American Indie Folk singer Annabelle Dinda had no problem uplifting the crowd with her energetic set. Dancing with her band on stage, the singer’s whimsical energy was felt by the audience, whose cheers got louder with the more songs she played. As her set came to a close, there were chants of ‘one more song’ and ‘another one’ that proved Annabelle had successfully done her job of warming up the crowd. The exci

Soul-crushing lyricism, angelic voices, and enchanting tunes- what more could you ask for on a Wednesday night in Manchester. This was exactly what dreamy, folky, singer-songwriter, Evie Moran, delivered as well as her opening act, Bryony Lloyd, at Band on The Wall, in the heart of the Northern quarter. Behind its rainbow painted doors beheld a show just as colourful. Photo Credit: Jake Cook With a low-lit ambience, opener Bryony Lloyd joined the stage, bringing audience m

This May, we took our first ever trip down to Brighton for THE most iconic festival for new music, The Great Escape, and it certainly lived up to its reputation. Taking place across the plethora of vibrant grassroots venues around the city and seafront, we took in 4 days of superb sets from the most exciting new acts across the world. Here’s our rundown of our most memorable moments from the weekend. Of course, the very nature of the festival is about showcasing emerging acts

Merseyside's multi-venue festival Sound City returned once again on Bank holiday weekend and proved why we love it so much. Running from venue to venue to catch everyone on your packed schedule, inevitably bumping into your best mates, your favourite band and that ex you haven't spoke to in 5 years... Photo Credit: Paul Lang (@paullangphotographer) // BOOT Magazine With an absolutely stacked line up filled with the most exciting new acts from the UK and beyond, are schedule w

Although Manchester's Brit-Pop Indie legends James have been playing for over 40 years, we knew they would still have a few tricks up their sleeve ready to make the gig a standout performance. The hype for the show started hours before they came on, with hundreds flocked outside the stadium wearing James ’ signature daisy on t-shirts, hats, hoodies and bags. Despite the overarching nostalia of the night, there were people of all ages queuing at every entrance, speaking to the

The time has come to start planning your festival schedule for 2026! Here's some of our favourites where you can discover your new favourite artist... Photo Credit: Kendal Calling 2025 Sound City - Liverpool (2nd-3rd May) Liverpool's city festival always provides one of the best venue hopping experiences and always guarantees new music discovery. The 2026 line up features some of the most talked about newcomers from the world of Indie and Post-Punk including Keo , Westside Co