The Warehouse Project has published a mammoth lineup announcement as the promotion prepares to roar back to life this autumn.
Manchester’s flagship clubbing series has unveiled part of its much-anticipated second edition at Mayfield Depot – having been forced to pause in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions.
WHP21 kicks off on Friday 17 September with 12 weeks of music and culture, running right up until New Year.
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The opening night will see funk legends Nile Rogers and Chic take over the Depot – bringing some house and disco vibes to the table. They’ll be joined by the likes of Horse Meat Disco, House Gospel Choir, plus Manchester’s very own Craig Charles and Gina Breeze. Whilst La Discothèque will present Norman Jay, DJ Paulette, Veba and Joe Motion over on the Concourse.
Launching on Saturday 18 September is Repercussion Festival, a brand-new concept for 2021.
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From 2pm until 4am there’ll be six different arenas of music throughout Mayfield Depot, including an additional open-air street party on the neighbouring Temperance Street next door.
Full details on Repercussion will follow next week. But we can tell you there’ll be a series of specially curated bills, presented by Boiler Room, Mr Scruff’s Keep it Unreal, MasterSounds, The FACE and Worldwide FM.
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Acclaimed DJs and producers like Floating Points, George Fitzgerald, Laurent Garnier, DJ Seinfield and DJ Koze will provide the soundtrack.
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Metropolis on Friday 24 September is the one to look out for if drum and bass is more your thing. There’ll be a huge bassy lineup, showcasing genre stars like Andy C, Sub Focus, Wilkinson, High Contrast and Dub Phizix.
The following week will see 12 hours of music from the likes of Carl Cox, Peggy Gou, The Blessed Madonna, Honey Dijon, Daniel Avery, Haai, Skream and Special Request which will make up Part 1 of Welcome to the Warehouse.
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Eric Prydz will then take over the Depot on Friday 1 October. From 9pm, there’ll be appearances from the man himself, plus Artbat, Christoph, Franky Wah, Reinier Zonneveld and Anfisa Letyago.
Nina Kravitz playing the WHP at Mayfield Depot in 2019 / Image: Jake Davis.
Welcome to the Warehouse resumes on Saturday 2 October with Part 2, featuring yet another unreal string of artists across three stages. Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati and Michael Bibi are set to head things up in the Depot, whilst The Martinez Brothers, Seth Troxler and Kerri Chandler will take care of the Concourse.
We’ll have to wait a little bit longer for the full season calendar for WHP21, as organisers say it’ll be with us in the coming weeks.
Until then, pre-sale for the opening six shows starts at 10am on Wednesday 26 May. Then tickets go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 27 May. Get your alarms set now.
Little Simz announces biggest-ever Manchester gig ahead of new album
Danny Jones
The queen of British rap, the one and only Little Simz, is coming back to Manchester for what will be her biggest headline show in this city to date.
A whole three years on from her last album No Thank You, the rapper from Islington is heading back out on the road after wrapping up the recording of her sixth studio LP, Lotus.
The first single ‘FREE’ has already dropped, and despite the release date itself being pushed back, news of a new Little Simz tour later this year more than makes up for it, if you ask us.
Little Simz already has two NME Awards to her name for Best British Solo Act and Best British Album, not to mention a BRIT itself for Best New Artist in 2022; oh yeah, and she won the Mercury Prize as well as a BET Hip Hop Award over in the States for ‘Best International Flow’ – all before she turned 30.
With that in mind, you can understand why so many are frothing at the mouth to hear her new record when it does finally drop.
There doesn’t appear to be any problems with the album itself: Simbiatu Abisola Abiola Ajikawo, to use her full name, is simply busier than ever and has just booked a role in a film because, yes, she acts too.
Lotus will now drop on Friday, 6 June, just in time for fans to get learning the lyrics ahead of festival season, which we have no doubt she’ll play a big part in.
You can hear the first taste of the next chapter down below:
Little Simz returns to Manchester for a Co-op Live debut on 16 October with tour supports still yet to be announced.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 9 April from 10am for official Co-op members and general admission will be available from the same time on the following Friday (11 April).
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Hannah Starkie -
25th May 2021 
