After dropping their sophomore album 'NATIONAL AVERAGE' last summer, completely by surprise, Black Country duo BIG SPECIAL immediately cemented their place as one of the most exciting new Rock acts in the country. Their blend of cynical social commentary and angsty Punk attitude blended with moments of more thoughtful, vocal reflections has hints of Yard Act and Sleaford Mods while also embodying a definitively unique spirit all of their own. Photo credit: Isaac Watson @

Ahead of the BRIT Awards coming to Manchester for the first time in its history, The K’s  took to the Gorilla Stage on Friday night in support of War Child as part of the highly-anticipated Brits week lineup. The Merseyside quartet showcased their ever-growing prowess on the concert stage to a sold-out crowd, creating the perfect sense of communal celebration not only for their music, but for an incredible cause.  Photo Credit: Paul Lang / @paullangphotographer On what would

Australian four-piece Radium Dolls have taken the Alt- Rock scene by storm since the release of their first album in 2024. Known for explosive live performances, the band has a talent for combining humour and introspection with blistering, intense instrumentals. Their recent sophomore album ‘Wound Up’ is an eleven-part dive into raw storytelling and anthemic musicality.   Photo Credit: Danysha Harriott The album’s second track ‘Scorching Heat’ exemplifies the band’s knack

Over the past two years, Dutch duo Sarah   Julia  have quickly established themselves as exciting new talents in the world of Indie Folk with their otherworldly, enchanted, and wholly individual sound. Made up of sisters Sarah and Julia Nauta, ‘ Bigger Picture ’ is their latest single, a perfect summation of their nostalgic and harmonically lush sound.   Tender and intimate, and on just the right side of twee, the duo perfectly combine the modern Indie Folk sensibility of con

Ellur cements herself fully in the Indie Pop genre with her debut album ‘At Home In My Mind’ , a reflective, yet hopeful embodiment of the turmoil of your early twenties. The album isn’t so much about growing up but learning how to exist inside uncertainty, turning overthinking into both subject and setting.  Characterised by her impressive vocals and songwriting, tracks like ‘Missing Kid’ land at the emotional core of the album, capturing the strange realisation that you’

Dream Nails  has recently shrunk to become a three piece, not shrunk, that’s the wrong word. Exploded into a three piece? Picking up the scatters of electric vocals and lashing drums, they’ve built a softer, smoother melody, into which old pieces of the riot grrrl debris has embedded itself. This has manifested itself in their newest album ‘You Wish’ , a more pop led exploration of the political rage that defines their band.  Credit: Marieke Macklon Opening this album is ‘The

It’s not often you get a line up that demands you arrive the second the doors open but that was the case last Friday night at Manchesters New Century Hall. Headlining the night was the energy-fuelled Indie Pop duo Good Neighbours but first up was FLETCHR FLETCHR , one of the most exciting new live acts in the country.  From start to finish their set was filled with a dramatic tension. A blend of moody synths, dense drum beats and echoed vocals that floated through the venue.

BIG SPECIAL’s sophomore long-play ‘NATIONAL AVERAGE’ arrived completely unannounced last year, infused with true Black Country grit and an array of sharply-produced electronic instrumentals, in a brain-challenging, hypnotic commentary on the darkness of the modern age. Any album released out of the blue, purely under the guise of a pixelated projected picture of egg and chips, is destined to turn heads, that’s without question. The blueprint that offered up the formula for t

The city’s biggest celebration of the best new and independent film, Manchester Film Festival , returns in 2026. An annual celebration of storytelling through cinema, MFF brings film lovers and filmmakers together for 11 days of screenings, Q&As, red-carpet glamour, and so much more. Now in its twelfth year, Manchester Film Festival has grown year-on-year, and is now one of the biggest celebrations of cinema in the UK, with consistently high reviews from The festival will als