Stockport and its street party scene seem to be thriving at the moment and now Manchester’s increasingly popular Block Party is getting involved too.
We’ve all seen how SK1 Records and their street parties have taken off over the past year or so, so it only makes sense for Block Party to team up with them and others to bring their tried and tested format to another Greater Manchester borough this summer.
No, we don’t care how many times you repeat it, it isn’t Cheshire and hasn’t been for ages.
But back to the matter at hand, Block Party – who have already seen great success over at Piccadilly Trading Estate with the help of Manc brewers Cloudwater, Track, Balance and Sureshot – are set to deliver a day of music entertainment, food, bevs drink and fun for all the family.
Aptly named ‘Stock Party’ (some things just line up perfectly), the latest street party will be landing on the historic Underbank in collaboration with all their usual partners as well as local beer experts Robinsons Brewery and Runaway, as well as Michelin-recognised Where The Light Gets and many more.
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Being brought to life with the help of Stockport’s Business Improvement District (BID), Totally Stockport and Stockport Council as part of the growing ‘Old Town’ revival moment, they’re set to deliver a day of music entertainment, food & drink and family activities around the town centre.
‘Robbies’ Brewery on Lower Hillgate will be home to the main festival square and bar, pouring the freshest beers from each of the breweries, with tunes being pumped out onto the street by SK1 Records and a special DJ set curated by Bohemian Arts Club to ensure a proper party atmosphere.
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For those who prefer a nice pinot noir, Isca will be serving up a selection of their natural wines; plus Where The Light Gets In will be serving up BBQ and Honest Crust – one of the best pizza places anywhere in Greater Manchester – will be serving up slices… of heaven, we mean.
Although we can promise plenty of dancing and footfall, Underbank will also be lined with tables and chairs enabling festival-goers to enjoy an alfresco beer from a five-tap van located outside Rare Mags, while Yellowhammer pottery and bakery will see visitors can build their own tankard in a special one-off.
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There are even more offerings food and drink-wise too, with popular local bars Spinn Off and Cracked Actor, Cafe San Juan and Marley’s Tacos all serving up street food and pints for you to gulp down in the sunshine (fingers crossed).
Head just a few metres over the road and you’ll also find Stockport’s oldest and newly restored White Lion pub hosting an Old Town General Store DJ set and tap takeover, with Ginger’s Ice Cream Emporium on hand serving up their artisan ice cream. As if things couldn’t get any more summery.
Best of all, you don’t have to wait too long as Stock Party is happening on 20 July, lasting from 12-9pm and is completely free entry. You can bank on us being there and dancing along the cobbles until dusk. See you in SK next month!
Block Party first event in Stockport event beckons (Credit: Stockport BID)
Catfish and the Bottlemen stun fans with surprise Heaton Park gig
Danny Jones
Whilst most of their followers have been fretting that they were getting ready to break up again, Catfish and the Bottlemen have just stunned everyone by announcing a surprise gig at Heaton Park in Manchester.
Out of nowhere.
The Welsh rockers have been back touring together this year after a three-year hiatus, playing multiple festival sets and headline dates at the likes of Cardiff Castle and released their first new music back in February – much to the delight of fans all over the country – and now they’re coming back to 0161.
Set to play the biggest stage in Manchester next summer, just less than a month before Heaton Park erupts into bedlam for the Oasis 2025 shows, Catfish and the Bottlemen will make their Manc return on Friday 15 June.
Now, don’t get us wrong, this is wonderful news if it all goes ahead as planned, but it has to be said that there is some hesitation coming from interested gig-goers – ourselves included.
Catfish have caught a lot of flack recently for cancelling their Australian tour on the day it was meant to start along with the entire run of US shows “due to artist illness”, with little detail given to fans other than how to sort their refunds. But it gets worse…
They also cancelled their Dublin gig at the RDS Simmonscourt just 15 minutes before doors were set to open and with fans already waiting outside the venue. Again, not the best look.
Perhaps more concerningly, even at some of the shows that have gone ahead this year, there have been concerns raised around the nature and quality of their performances, as well as the wellbeing of charismatic if albeit a bit chaotic frontman Van McCann.
The Oasis reunion shows have also put a bit of a spanner in the works when it comes to their upcoming London shows next year too, as both bands are set to play the capital on the same day. It remains to be seen how many of those tickets will now be put up for resale.
We’re reserving judgment for now but you can understand some of the reticence.
Nevertheless, we’re not going to pretend that we’re not absolutely buzzing to hear this news and we’re hoping that this massive Manchester show goes ahead and off without a hitch.
They last came to town in 2019 when they played the AO Arena and played one of their final shows before the split just down the road at Neighbourhood Weekender back in 2021, so it’s fair to say it’s been a while. Keep everything crossed, Catfish fans.
General admission goes live next Friday, 4 October at 10am but you can access pre-sale, which starts at the same time on Wednesday, 2 October, by signing up via the mailing list.
You can grab tickets for Catfish and the Bottlemen at Heaton Park, Manchester HERE and good luck to us all.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Silly Little Man (via Flickr)
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Fontaines D.C. announce massive Manchester gig at Wythenshawe Park
Danny Jones
Undoubtedly one of the most exciting bands on the planet right now, Fontaines D.C. have just announced one their biggest headline dates yet as they are the latest act set to take Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park stage.
Fontaines already have a sell-out Manchester show coming up at Aviva Studios (arguably the biggest acts that have played the new arts venue yet) but now they’re set to level up to one of the biggest stages in the region next summer.
That’s right, following in the footsteps of legends such as Noel Gallagher, New Order, Johnny Marr and the likes of Blossoms earlier this year, the Dubliners are the first artist to be named as part of Live From Wythenshawe Park 2025.
Not even remotely exaggerating, this is going to be utterly enormous.
Landing in Manchester for the massive outdoor gig on Friday, 15 August – 2025 being just the third year of the now must-not-miss annual event – the young post-punk and alternative rockers are effectively skipping several steps on the gig venue ladder to play the huge summer festival.
The announcement comes fresh off the back of the release of Romance, the band’s biggest record to date. Produced by James Ford and met with incredible responses from fans and reviewers alike, it’s categorically one of the albums of the year.
Elton John recently declared that they are “the best band out there at the moment” and with NME dubbing them as “the defining band of their generation”, not to mention massive sets at Glastonbury’s Park Stage and Reading and Leeds, this date shouldn’t really come as that as much of a surprise.
That being said, what we couldn’t have predicted was how amazing the support acts were going to be, as warming the all-day festival crowd up will be none other than critically-acclaimed Belfast rap trio, Kneecap, and Leeds’ Mercury Prize-winning indie outfit, English Teacher.
Fontaines will be smashing an already seismic gig at London’s Finsbury Park next July, but then they’ll be bringing their unreal live atmosphere to Wythenshawe Park just a month later, and with Kneecap in tow too, you can guarantee a big Irish delegation will be turning up for this one.
General admission for Fontaines D.C. Live From Wythenshawe Park goes live next Friday, October 4 at 9am but you can access pre-sale, available from the same time on Wednesday, 2 October,by signing up for the mailing list.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE and, as always, good luck with securing these ones!