As a nation we love things involving jam. Whether it’s jamming out to our favourite song, jam on toast, and now Stockport’s inaugural Paint Jam.
This huge event covers a 1km walking tour from Merseyway to GRIT Studios on Canal Street, with four different locations hosting their own taste of Stockport culture.
There’ll be a variety of activities taking place across the walk, with breakdancers, food and drink options, and DJs keeping you company as you immerse yourself in everything the Greater Manchester borough has to offer.
Akse P19, Qubek, Hammo, Liam Bonini, Caroline Daly, and Kelzo are some of the artists involved.
All the four spaces will feature street artists, with the Canal Street boasting more than 20 creatives alongside music and refreshments.
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Manchester‘s-own Inspiral Carpets keyboard player, Clint Boon, will be part of the DJs on site providing ambience for the festival, perhaps incorporating sounds of the 90s ‘Madchester’ movement.
Radio 5 Live’s Nihal Arthanayake will also be attending as one of the event’s resident DJs.
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This time last year, Stockport invited Argentinian artists to transform a 70 metre wall into a vibrant art installation called ‘La Boca to La Stocka’, depicting stories from the respective cultures, and more than 1,000 people attended with just less than six days notice.
This year’s event though is set to be on a much larger scale.
A giant street art festival is coming to Stockport with over 50 of the UK’s top artists / Credit: Richard Meftah
“This project is about knitting together, building on, and extending the Creative Quarter linking Canal Street to Hopes Carr,” says John Macaulay, who is the co-founder of GRIT Studios and Art Battle Manchester.
“Last year, 1,400 people attended with only six days’ notice, which was fantastic. We’re aiming to make this year’s Paint Jam bigger, better, and more vibrant, creating a well-defined cultural corridor that bursts with world-class street art.”
First batch of special releases for Record Store Day UK 2026 announced
Danny Jones
Yes, it’s nearly time for Record Store Day 2026, and the list of the first dozen or so limited edition releases here in the UK has just been announced.
With a fair few familiar and, more importantly, Northern names on there (but of course), #RSDUK26 is set to be another great one.
A total of 15 songs have been named on the lineup for this year so far, and yet again, the drops are in support of War Child, who will also be hosting a number of very special and intimate charity gigs during BRITs Week.
The two organisations have collaborated for the sixth time after having first joined forces back in 2020, and it feels like both the annual observance and its catalogue have only got better ever since.
Plenty that have caught our attention already, and there’s only more set to come…
As detailed in the post on social media, the Record Store Day team have retierated that “£1 from every single copy sold of these releases will be donated to the charity, helping to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of the children who are living through conflict around the world.”
We quickly noticed the likes of The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Kaiser Chiefs, Mark Knopfler and Bring Me The Horizon, just to name a few.
Once more, here is the RSD 2026 release list in full:
Record Store Day release list | 2026
Corinne Bailey Rae – Live In New York
The Cure – Greatest Hits and Acoustic Hits (compilations)
Divorce – Live at Get Together 2025 for War Child
Dr Feelgood – Oily City Confidential (OST)
Fleetwood Mac – The Original Fleetwood Mac (compilation)
James Dean Bradfield – The Great Western
Kaiser Chiefs – The Future Is Medieval
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris – ‘All The Roadrunning’
Nicky Wire – Intimism
Primal Scream – Echo Dek
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Sigrid x BMTH – ‘Bad Life’
The Streets – Computers & Blues
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect…. Demos and B-sides
As always, all of these titles will be available behind the counter exclusively at indie record shops all over the country on Saturday, 18 April to celebrate Record Store Day UK 2026.
Oh, and if you need help with where to start, look no further.
Work begins on new £500m ‘culture hub’ with a cinema and performance spaces in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Work is finally beginning on a new £500 million culture hub in Manchester.
The first phase of plans to transform Wythenshawe Civic has entered an exciting new chapter, with Manchester City Council and placemaker Muse officially commencing construction of the new Culture Hub – which is tipped to provide a ‘major boost’ for budding artists, and creative groups and organisations in the area.
The hub is set to include space for food and drink on the ground floor, while the first floor is home to a mix of artist studio spaces and flexible areas for workshops, exhibitions, classes, and community events.
Locals can also expect a brand-new 40-seater cinema, which has been included following feedback given during a public consultation, and 200-seater performance space for a diverse range of performances.
Everything from dance and drama, to music and modern art will fill the performance spaces once the hub opens.
Expected to be completed in 2027, the Culture Hub sits within the first phase of a wider plan to ‘refresh’ Wythenshawe Civic, and will come to life thanks to £20 million of funding from the UK Government and a further £11.9 million from the Council.
What Wythenshawe Civic Centre looks like currently, before being transformed / Credit: Wikipedia Commons
“Listening to local people over the last year and more, we know that Wythenshawe residents want more from their town centre – more things to do, opportunities to spend time in Civic and night time attractions that give the area a lift and attract visitors,” explained Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council.
“This is the drive behind the Culture Hub – a place for local people with an interest in the arts to take part in creative activities, see a show, or enjoy the cinema space, right in the heart of their community.
“This is another exciting chapter in the transformation of Wythenshawe town centre.”
Joe Stockton, Development Director at Muse, called the construction of the new Culture Hub an ‘exciting moment’ for Wythenshawe.
He added: “Our aim is to create a space for the town’s talented artists and creatives to come together and give them the facilities and the space they’ve asked for, to put on amazing shows, live performances, and workshops.
“It’s all part of the wider plan to create opportunities for residents, new homes and jobs, as well as a thriving high street for people to spend time in.”
Thomas Melia -
9th September 2024 
