A hip hop exhibition spanning fifty years of Manchester beats and culture has popped up inside a Spinningfields car park.
Showcasing over 250 items with some dating all the way back to the 1970s, the collection has been created by Spinningfields in partnership with Manchester Hip Hop Archive – a non-profit community organisation documenting half a century of hip hop culture.
Currently housed inside the ground floor unit of NCP on New Quay Street in Spinningfields, those heading down can expect to find pieces that encapsulate the evolution and impact of hip hop on Manchester’s artistic, social, and political landscape.
Open to the public from 12pm – 8pm every Thursday to Sunday until Saturday, 30 September, the collection includes clothing, photographs, records, sketchbooks, posters, and flyers that vividly showcase core elements of hip hop – emceeing, deejaying, breakin’, and graff.
Image: Unity Radio FM
Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
Highlights include a 106FM D.I.Y. pirate radio transmitter built by Sergei(DNA) that was used to fearlessly broadcast unauthorised signals from makeshift studios and tower blocks across Manchester in the 2000s, introducing listeners to grass root DJs and artists.
The legacy of 106FM lives on, having since transformed into Unity Radio92.8FM, the first independent black music radio station at Media City.
Other gems surfacing from the vaults of the Manchester Hip Hop Archive’s collection include cassette tape recordings of the late Stu Allan’s “Bus Diss” radio show from the 1980s, vintage Adidas from 1984, and a Mr Scruff sketchbook with ‘Keep It Unreal’ postcard artworks spanning 20 years of shows at Band on the Wall.
It also features significant streetwear items from the pioneering boutique, The Sheep Store, acknowledged as one of the earliest, if not the very first, grey importers of the Supreme, X- Large, and Stussy brands within the UK.
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
A party thrown by DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx on 11 August 1973 is officially recognised as the birthday and birthplace of hip hop.
50 years later, hip hop is a global cultural movement that’s richly woven into the fabric of Manchester – and the Archive’s unique collection of memorabilia and materials authentically showcases the city’s position in the history of UK Hip Hop.
Featured image – Google Maps
Audio
Sam Fender teases enormous stadium gig in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Sam Fender has teased a return to the live stage – and they’re set to be his biggest shows yet.
The Newcastle-born singer-songwriter released a Lord of the Rings-inspired skit video last night, which showed him taking on the role of Frodo Baggins.
He then lit ‘beacons’ at several stadiums around the UK and Ireland, including in Manchester and his home city of Newcastle.
The Mercury Prize-winning star last performed in our city last summer, when he headlined a night at Live From Wythenshawe Park 2025.
But now he’s teasing a show at the Etihad Stadium, which will be significantly larger.
Alongside his Manchester gig, Sam Fender seems set to announce stadium concerts at St James’s Park in Newcastle (where he performed three headline shows in 2025) Malahide Castle in Ireland, Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, Murrayfield in Edinburgh, and Wembley Stadium in London.
Posters have also popped up around Manchester city centre today ahead of the official announcement, which read ‘PROPER MASSIVE’.
Obviously, Sam Fender will be fitting his gig in around another rather large and already-announced tour at the Etihad Stadium, with Oasis already set to play a record-breaking 11 nights next June.
Clubland to celebrate 25 years with huge arena show in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Clubland is heading to Manchester for a special arena-sized anniversary celebration next year.
The Clubland Arena Tour promises a night of the biggest artists and biggest anthems, giving fans the chance to come together for a celebration of the dance music brand.
Celebrating 25 years of Clubland, the tour will stop off at arenas in Leeds, Glasgow, Newcastle, Aberdeen, and of course Manchester.
With the event set to take over one of Manchester’s biggest live entertainment venues, anticipation is already building for what promises to be a nostalgic night of club classics and dancefloor favourites – even before the lineup is announced.
The full line-up is expected to be announced very soon, with fans encouraged to keep an eye out for further details.
Previous headliners at Clubland Live have included Cascada, Basshunter, Scooter, Ultrabeat, and Vengaboys, always guaranteeing a night of non-stop anthems.
For many dance music fans, Clubland has become synonymous with the sounds that dominated clubs, radio playlists and party nights throughout the 2000s.
Credit: Supplied
Over the years, Clubland has continued to celebrate the artists and songs that helped define an era of dance music, giving fans the chance to experience their favourite tracks live alongside thousands of like-minded clubbers.
From infectious pop-dance hits to harder-hitting electronic anthems, its events tap into a sense of nostalgia while keeping the energy of a night out firmly at the centre of the experience.
The 25th anniversary tour looks set to build on that legacy, bringing a quarter-century of club classics to arenas across the UK.
The Clubland Arena Tour will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Friday 30 April 2027.
Tickets will go on sale on 30 October from 9.30am, but you can also register for the AO Arena presale to get early access to tickets on 29 October from 9.30am.
Georgina Pellant -
4th September 2023 
