The Old Pint Pot is hosting a pop-up gig series with local artists to raise money for Manc foodbanks
What's better than a party at a great pub? A party at a great pub with live music from local artists where the money goes towards local charity — that's what.
Beloved local boozer The Old Pint Pot is holding a new pop-up series of live gigs, DJ sets and day-into-night parties to help raise money for Manchester charities.
One of the most popular pubs in Salford, the iconic watering hole and its owners are hosting the first of what they hope to be many of these charity music-based events in March from their storied attic space which has seen plenty of live entertainment and partying down the years.
Welcoming the headliners DJ Absolutely Sh*t (Il Bosco and Metrodome‘s spin-off) — a favourite duo over at White Hotel — North West-based DJ BUNNEY and her mix of acid, electro and breakbeats, as well as Manc legend and esteemed selector, Rhod Parry.
Rhod alone is at the heart of the Manchester DJ scene, whether it be programming the extended vinyl set party ‘Open to Close’ on Thursdays at Eastern Bloc or his own production/shows on NTS and Reform Radio, so it’s no surprise that he’s got his in this local community event too.
Powered by the REC. arts, entertainment and promotions collective, the very first of the parties over at The Old Pint Pot kicks off on Saturday, 9 March, having previously streamed past events via their YouTube channel.
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All that being said, this is the first time they will playing sets and hosting community-driven parties around Manchester city centre and all of the money raised will be going directly to their chosen local charity partner, Manchester South Central Foodbank.
So yeah, you can dance the night away at one of the most inviting riverside pubs in Salford and Greater Manchester full stop, all whilst helping put food on the table for those who need it most.
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As the organisers themselves said, “Who doesn’t love a tear-up in your local boozer?” — plus it’s all for a good cause, so you’d be a fool not to go along really.
The Old Pint Pot has seen many a gig in its time but not many as important as this one. (Credit: Supplied/Rhod Parry via Instagram)
Sticking with the theme of locality, the acts hand-picked to play this first event haven’t just played at the likes of Glastonbury, Lost Village, Boiler Room and Love International, they are regulars in the late-night music culture here in our area, so they know all about what this city and its people mean to each other.
Tickets are live now and will set you back just a fiver, with all the proceeds raised going directly to local Manc foodbanks and emergency relief across Hulme, Whalley Range, Moss Side, Old Trafford and more. You can grab yours HERE.
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The fun kicks off from 6pm at The Old Pint Pot on Adelphi Street in Salford, with live music and partying right through till midnight and beyond. Say no more, we’ll see you there and hopefully, we’ll be back again for plenty more this year.
And to learn more about the Manchester South Central Foodbank, please watch this recent and truly moving video down below.
When Siobhan had to give up her job to care for her dad, she got little support from the social security system. This isn’t right. Universal Credit should protect people from going without the essentials. 💚 Sign @TrussellTrust and @jrf_uk petition 👉 https://t.co/oFPsOd4KfVpic.twitter.com/CLjhta2Gso
Akon speaks on his connection to Manchester after run of Co-op Live gigs
Danny Jones
Music veteran Akon has recently discussed his connection to our city following his run of live shows here in Manchester.
In fact, he went so far as to say he feels much more affinity here than he does with ‘The Big Smoke’.
The seasoned Senegalese-American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian, teamed up with fellow chart-topper Ne-Yo for not just one, not even two, but three whole nights at Co-op Live this May as part of their co-headline tour across the UK and Ireland.
Chatting with Simone Riley on BBC Radio Manchester before the third and final gig of the trio, Akon admitted that there’s “something about Manchester” that he loves way more than London.
As you can see, while he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is about it in the North compared to the capital, he said simply that “it’s crazy here”, and he loves it.
Same, mate. Same.
Admitting that he feels “more attached to Manchester than London” and labelling the energy from the crowds as “stupid” up here (he meant it in a good way, we promise), Simone couldn’t help but confess her joy over his comments.
He’s not the only global superstar to have recently shouted out their affection for 0161, either, as Billie Eilish also said something similar.
Speaking to the mainline BBC at the premiere of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), she said that while the dates lining up were certainly a key factor, there were other reasons why she chose Manchester to film her new movie.
Our Audio North team were also lucky enough to chat with Akon’s touring partner Ne-Yo recently, too, who also had nothing but good things to say about us as a place to play.
As for Akon, the 53-year-old has obviously played here plenty of times over the decades, with last year’s tour being his first return in a decade.
That being said, given how glowingly he’s spoken about us and how popular these joint performances were, we reckon it won’t be that long before he comes back.
Last but not least, we obviously couldn’t resist going along to at least one of the nights for ourselves; listen to what we had to say about the tour in our full review down below.
Antony Szmeirek announces second album along with biggest UK tour dates yet
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.
The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.
Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.
Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.
The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.
His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.
On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.
The 34-year-old carries that same idiosyncrasy throughout his lyricism and creative concepts, as well.
‘Chalk’ is a perfect example of this, as the song is inspired by The Edge of Everything documentary: a film about the career of legendary British snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Here’s the music video…
As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.
In addition to a pair of hometown shows here in Manchester, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026
We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:
Danny Jones -
7th February 2024 
