After eight years of making music and thirty-six imprint releases later, seminal Manchester music collective and label Swing Ting has announced its last drop – and it’s a belter.
Finishing on a high, the Swing Ting label has dropped a collection of remixes of Manchester MC Fox’s debut 2019 album Juice Flow, which focused on his own journey whilst working with the collective over the years.
A stalwart of the Manchester scene, Fox has appeared regularly as a vocalist on Swing Ting’s releases as well as acting as a resident MC at the now-discontinued club nights that once filled Soup Kitchen’s basement with ravers every month.
So it seems only fitting that he’s all over the final release, too.
MC Fox pictured outside Soup Kitchen, the home of the Swing Ting dance in Manchester, where the collective hosted monthly parties from 2011-2019. / Image: F_13zm
The culmination of a decade of performing at Swing Ting dances, the originalJuice Flow album featured a star-studded guest-list of worldwide collaborators, friends and family.
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Now, this new Juice Flow Remixed package sees producers Lenzman, Nowheretobefound, Sam Binga and Sherry S retouch and revisit four of the original thirteen tracks with a contemporary edge.
Firstly, North-Quarter’s Lenzman flips the Tappa Benzfeaturing Day Ones into a sweet, soulful drum and bass roller that has already been getting rotation from scene heavyweights. Opening with the line “Out to my day ones and my day twos / Shout to my bredrins and my stay trues,” it all feels a bit emotional.
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North-Quarter’s Lenzman / Image: Izzy Gramp
Next, mysterious Nowheretobefoundtakes the eponymouse title cut on a breezy, blissed-out soulful garage tip, before Sam Bingatakes the Coco-featuring Rebel Souljah on a bubbling, percussive UK funky-ish workout.
Last but not least, Sherry Ssteps up for the final rework, ramping up the tempo of the Anz-produced Live Life for a roughneck, two-step banger set to cause club damage.
Set to drop on Friday 4 February, it is the last ever release on the Swing Ting label – first founded in 2014.
Over the years, the Manchester label has achieved global acclaim from the likes of Mixmag, Resident Advisor, DJ Mag, Pan African Music, Riddim Magazine and The Wire with wide support across BBC 1Xtra, Radio 1, NTS live and more.
Just like Swing Ting itself, Fox has never been one to be held down to one particular sound and this final release seems a fitting tribute to both.
A mix of bass-heavy party sounds spanning a range of genres, Juice Flow Remixed sees them exit out on a high in a fitting tribute to many years of hard work and floor-filling party bangers.
Feature image – Swing TIng
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Halestorm announce HUGE Manchester gig and new album this year
Thomas Melia
Award-winning American rock band Halestorm have just announced their latest album as well as a slate of UK tour dates, and they’re stopping off in Manchester later this year.
The four-piece consists of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale alongside guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith.
This post-grunge and heavy metal-influenced collective is no stranger to regular slots on big stages, known for playing up to 250 shows a year as headliners and as support acts – impressive stuff from a prolific band who are approaching their fifth studio LP.
Lead vocalist Lzzy Hale from the band Halestorm coming to Manchester this year.Credit: Sitro47 (via GoodFon)
They also became the first female-fronted band to win a Grammy in the ‘Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance’ category back in 2013 with ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’. There’s just no stopping them.
With that in mind, Halestorm are bringing their ‘balls to the wall’ and in-your-face live performances across the Atlantic once again, stopping off in various cities including London, Birmingham and, of course, the de facto music capital of the North, Manchester.
These rockers have chosen none other than AO Arena to play ‘The nEVEREST Tour’, which is set to be nothing less than a fiery spectacle.
The group last touched down in our city back in 2022 on their ‘Back from the Dead’ tour in this very same arena to a roaring crowd of fans, which they’re nailed on to attract once again this year.
Halestorm always do things big, that’s why this tour coincides with the announcement of their new album ‘Everest’, which drops this August, giving fans plenty of time to learn all the words and get in all the head-banging practice they need.
Just look at how many tour dates they’ve got coming up in Europe and the UK alone.
We are SO excited to announce The nEVEREST WorldWide Tour coming this fall!!!
On-Sales begins Friday, May 2nd but varies by territory. Check local listings and subscribe to our newsletter for more pre-sale and on-sale information at https://t.co/9Qhzd42L52. pic.twitter.com/LW8Bhc7DTQ
Halestorm have caught plenty of attention over the years too, sharing the stage with fellow heavyweights like Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, as well as Heaven & Hell, just to name a few.
Expectations will be high as this lot are known for having the ability to dominate any sold-out stage with their serious stage presence; they will definitely deliver on the night.
Halestorm are coming to AO Arena in Manchester on 24 November 2025 with Three+ pre-sale starting from 6 May, AO Arena pre-sale from 7 May, and tickets going on general sale from Thursday 8 May – 10am across the board.
Featured Images — Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
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Music venue charity issues ‘shocked’ statement ahead of impending Manchester closure
Thomas Melia
A nationwide music charity has issued a statement after discovering the news of another impending Manchester venue loss, as student-favourite Retro Bar looks to be closing.
Reputable UK non-profit, Music Venue Trust, has come out to express their shock at the plans to shut the long-standing and well-established nightlife and music venue.
Adjacent to the University of Manchester campus, Retro Bar has catered to students and locals alike for more than 35 years. The nightclub, bar and live performance space is set to be displaced in a new venture between Bruntwood SciTech and the university.
In a statement posted on social media, Music Venue Trust wrote: “It’s just not good enough to dismiss the extraordinary value these organisations bring to their communities, the cultural ecosystem and the night time economy.”
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) was formed just over a decade ago to protect and improve independent and grassroots music venues across the UK, so they were quick to step in upon learning that Manchester’s beloved Retro Bar faces closing.
The organisation works closely with larger venues and grassroots music venues to help support the infrastructure of the music industry and live music as a whole.
They even partnered with Katy Perry, who is heading out on tour and visiting AO Arena later this year, with £1 from every ticket sold going to this charity to be distributed to independent music venues.
MVT went on to explain that “Retro has not factored into the Sister masterplan in any meaningful way and faces the very real prospect of permanent closure this July”.
The impending closure of Retro makes way for a £1.7 billion joint development, which is being labelled as the ‘Sister Masterplan‘, between the uni and the Greater Manchester property development group.
Retro hosts in excess of 200 live gigs per year and welcomes upwards of 20,000 customers annually, having served as a staple venue in Mancunian nightlife culture.
In response to the plans, the MVT is currently leading a crowdfunding attempt to save the space and has even received the backing of a very familiar face.
On the fundraising site, anyone thinking of donating will find a video from the one and only Frank Turner – a passionate grassroots advocate – who is fully behind the campaign.
Georgina Pellant -
25th January 2022 
