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Bluedot festival reveals 2023 line-up, including Grace Jones, Roisin Murphy and Pavement

UK exclusives, world-firsts and the most beautiful festival back-drop on earth. Let's gooo.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 23rd January 2023

One of the country’s best-loved festivals has revealed its line-up for 2023, with Bluedot welcoming headline performances from the likes of Grace Jones and Roisin Murphy.

The popular music and science event, which takes place every July at the beautiful Jodrell Bank Observatory, will also include a UK exclusive from Pavement.

The multi-award-winning Bluedot has announced its first wave of artists for its 2023 festival, featuring Leftfield, Young Fathers, Django Django, Brett Morgen, Annie Mac, Chris Lintott, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Tinariwen and many more.

This year’s massive line-up of global music talent will perform in front of the iconic backdrop of the 76-metre-wide Lovell Telescope, which last year was lit up with projections as a huge digital artwork for the first time.

Already announced are the BBC Concert Orchestra and Max Richter for Bluedot 2023, which will take place between 20 and 23 July.

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Bluedot 2022. Credit: Supplied

Saturday will be headlined by lo-fi pioneers Pavement with their only UK performance of 2023. The group headlined Primavera last year before embarking on a completely sold-out UK tour that took in four nights at London’s Roundhouse.

The legendary Grace Jones will be taking to the Bluedot stage performing songs from her six-decade-long pop career, including hits like Slave To The Rhythm and Pull Up To The Bumper. Bluedot will be her only northern show of the summer.

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Róisín Murphy will make history with her first-ever festival headline slot, calling on her lengthy career which began as one half of Moloko – the defacto queen of electropop has since delivered five solo albums, mesmerised audiences across clubland and is now set to open the weekend, with a cosmic dance party to usher in a new era following the success of her Roisin Machine album and tour.

Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt
Bluedot 2023 line up poster

Electronic music legends and multiple Mercury Prize-nominees Leftfield returned last month with the critically acclaimed This Is What We Do, featuring Lemn Sissay and Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten. They’ll take a headline slot in Bluedot’s Orbit arena.

Also announced are Mercury prize winners Young Fathers, art rockers Django Django, feted post-punk four piece Dry Cleaning, Malian desert blues pioneers Tinariwen and experimental rockers Black Country, New Road, plus a Sunday Closing Party headlined by the iconic Annie Mac.

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Nubya Garcia, Georgia, Max Cooper (3D AV), David Holmes, Beak>, Gwenno, Teleman, CMAT, Lava La Rue, Big Joanie, Skinny Pelembe, Scalping, Westerman, Belief, Pictish Trail, Divorce, Madmadmad and Radiophonic Workshop also join the first wave of the festival’s music line-up. 

A huge part of Bluedot – which takes place at a UNESCO World Heritage Site – every year is its science programme, and this year that will include BBC Sky at Night’s Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Brainiac Live and renowned climate change researcher and author Mike Berners-Lee, whose How Bad Are Bananas? was named by The Independent as one of its ten recommended “best books to help you live more sustainably”.

Bluedot 2022. Credit: Tom Martin
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Lucas Sinclair
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt

UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson OBE and The Open University’s Professor of Planetary and Space Science Monica Grady CBE will also return to the festival. The full science bill will be revealed in the coming weeks. 

On the comedy and culture side of things, festival-goers can expect a David Bowie special edition of Adam Buxton’s Bug!, a screening and in-conversation with Moonage Daydream director, writer and producer Brett Morgan and an afternoon with White Rabbit Books featuring talks with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family, and 90’s icon Miki Berenyi, whose book Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success was named Rough Trade’s book of the year for 2022.

Bluedot is a family-friendly festival, and kids will be entertained by the likes of Our Kids Social Silent Disco, Pop-Up Puppet Cinema and the ever popular Jedi Lightsaber Training.

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Food and drink in the VIP Village will be curated by Manchester-based food charity Eatwell, featuring some brands including Dishoom, Caroline Martins, Where the Light Gets In, Another Hand and more. 

Festival director Ben Robinson said: “As we announce the line-up for the 6th edition of bluedot it’s with great pride in the team behind the show. From day one the festival has been ambitious in its programming and mission. Looking at the scale of iconic talent, breadth of genres & one off moments it really has matured into a very special vent. Thanks to everyone who’s continued to support the idea of bluedot, we look forward to gathering together again beneath the telescope with you all.”

bluedot was recently named Line-Up Of The Year at the UK Festival Awards, and Festival of the Year at the Live Awards, and has hosted headline performances from the likes of Bjork, Kraftwerk 3-D, New Order, The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Underworld and Jean-Michel Jarre, plus high-profile talks from Tim Peake, Brian Cox, Helen Sharman, Alice Roberts and Richard Dawkins and an array of groundbreaking arts and family experiences.

Tickets for bluedot 2023 go on sale 10am Friday 27th January.

To find out more and register for pre-sale access visit discoverthebluedot.com.

Featured image: Supplied

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A 5k charity event where runners dress up as Pitbull is coming to Manchester city centre

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pitbull fancy dress 5k charity run Manchester

Yep, you read it right the first time – a regular 5k charity run returns to Manchester this month, only this time, those taking part will be dressed up as Pitbull for some reason…

Don’t ask us, we just thought it was funny and it’s for a good cause, so why the hell not?

For a little context, this is the latest idea from Slow Run Club: a local running organisation that takes place weekly at three different locations across Greater Manchester.

We know ‘Mr Worldwide’ himself has been and gone, having played a couple of nights in Manchester earlier this year, but these lot have decided two nights of yelling ‘Timberrrr’ still wasn’t quite enough and asking those joining the October fundraising 5k to dress up like the one and only Pitbull.

In case you missed it when ‘Dale’ fever took over the city streets this past summer, bald caps, sunglasses, black felt goatees and drawn-on moustaches descended upon central Manchester as they have been all over the UK and beyond for his live shows.

Was it utterly daft? Yes. Was it still one of THE best gig crowds we’ve seen in yonks? Absolutely.

The 44-year-old Floridian rapper and resurgent pop star played multiple nights at the Co-op Live, and they were brilliant, but we’re not going to pretend that the best wasn’t seeing the sea of shiny bald heads and shades in suits and ties.

It’s rare that you see such a shared moment of abandoning inhibitions and embracing the silliness; it was genuinely so great to see, and it’s that same energy that these guys are trying to tap into. Put simply, it’s about letting go and dancing like no one’s watching.

Teaming up with fellow charity-focused running group, Run The Streets MCR, Slow Run Club (SRC)’s Pitbull fancy-dress-themed run is just the latest in a growing trend of alternative ways to get some exercise in.

You can ‘run and rave’ as part of this new charity-driven social in Manchester city centre
After you’ve gone all ‘305’ at the Pitbull run, these Manchester runners are worth looking into as well.

Having done everything from the regular fancy dress Halloween runs to Oasis, Sabrina Carpenter, ABBA-themed runs, and many more, you’d be surprised how much you don’t care about what people think when you’re running around and dancing to tunes – especially when it’s for charity.

Once again, the Slow Run Club x Run The Streets MCR ‘Pitbull Edition’ 5k charity run takes place this month on Wednesday, 22 October, from 6:30pm onwards outside The Tap House on Circle Square, just off the Oxford Road Corridor, before setting off at a laid-back social pace.

This is the same place and time you’ll find SRC’s city centre regular meet-up every week; speaking to The Manc, founder Holly Spiers said: “We run from The Taphouse every Wednesday (just not usually dressed as Pitbull) and offer an inclusive pace as well as rest stops.”

Speaking of fancy dress, if you haven’t seen the group of four mates who made history at the 2025 Manchester Half, stop what you’re doing and read this:

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North/Slow Run Club MCR

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Courteeners set for huge hometown event at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The latest artist due to play Wythenshawe Park has been announced, with hometown heroes Courteeners set to take the stage in Manchester.

Now that is a big booking.

The Middleton-formed Manc band remain one of the biggest contemporary names to come out of Greater Manchester, and having already played to record-breaking crowds at Heaton Park, Old Trafford, and most venues in the region over the last two decades, this is just the next one to tick off.

Better still, they’re bringing some brilliant acts along with them for Live From Wythenshawe Park 2026, with the one-day festival becoming more established every year.

Who is supporting Courteeners at Wythenshawe Park?

As well as openers, Getdown Services and Girl In The Year Above, who’ll be representing Bristol and the Irish delegation respectively, there’s no chance of the warm-ups not doing their job before the headliners get underway.

The two big support acts scheduled to join the St. Jude stars for the massive outdoor gig are none other than Merseyside veterans, The Coral, as well as fellow indie favourites, The Vaccines.

Get. IN.

As if that lineup wasn’t already one of the best Live From Wythenshawe Park has seen to date, the latter are set to play their debut album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, in full – 2026 marks a whole 15 years since it was first released, if you can believe that.

You won’t be surprised to hear that their headline UK tour celebrating the same milestone has sold out pretty much across the board, with a second Manchester date added AND now an extra chance to see them live supporting Courteeners.

General admission for the show goes on sale 10am on Friday, 24 October 2025, with tickets available via Gigs and Tours.com as well as Ticketmaster; Courtneers are also donating £1 from every ticket sold directly to the Music Venue Trust, the UK charity protecting and improving grassroots music venues.

That’s what we like to hear.

Contributions like this really do go on to help keep local venues open, support up-and-coming new artists on tour, not to mention it serves as an investment in the future of live music in what is an increasingly challenging industry.

With Courteeners set to follow another big and even more iconic indie rock band already confirmed, Live From Wythenshawe Park 2026 is shaping up nicely.

The Cure announce outdoor summer gig at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester
You can get ready to grab your tickets to both HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)

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