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Factory Sounds funding programme returns to help Greater Manchester’s music scene

It has helped so many get on the Manc music ladder.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 4th December 2024

Greater Manchester’s vital Factory Sounds programme is back for 2025 and is once again hoping to help platform up-and-coming musicians and more around across the region.

The development scheme created by world-leading arts organisation Factory International, now housed permanently at Aviva Studios, has returned for another year and looks to invest in the Manchester music scene from the ground up.

An annual initiative, Factory Sounds aims to support and raise the profile of musicians and the music industry across the 10 boroughs, with a total of 15 applicants picked to take part and make the next step up in their careers.

With applications now open for the 2025 programme, those who prove successful in the process applicants will be granted a potentially life-changing £1,000 towards their work.

Starting back in the pandemic when arts funding was under even more threat than it is today, Factory Sounds has been a crucial lifeline for many artists and creatives looking to get their start in the local industry, as well as providing a key learning outlet.

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The money given to each chosen individual goes towards things like the creation of a new project, recording studio access; peer-to-peer support, networking opportunities and a series of regular masterclasses in artist management, promotion, fundraising and more.

Better yet, 2025 promises to be their biggest to date not only in terms of scope but also the size of the cohort itself, with the number of places more than doubling from this past year, when there were just six grants up for grabs.

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2024’s intake included the artist and producer RenzNiro, community station STEAM Radio MCR; the soulful R&B performer, Rumbi Tauro, Reggae rap artist and spoken word poet, J.Chambers, electronic producer and vocalist Caitlin LM and many more, with one of our favourite up-and-coming bands, Loose Articles, having also benefited from the scheme in the past.

Applications for the next are now open, as is the Factory International Fellowship, which offers six artists from the North the opportunity to shadow the creation of major new work at Aviva Studios, receiving a financial bursary as well as mentoring tailored to their specialism, needs and goals.

But it doesn’t stop there either, as Factory International‘s Spring 2025 Artist Takeover is also open, welcoming groups and collectives of South Asian descent from any discipline who are based in the North of England – not just Greater Manchester – to join the programme.

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Applicants in this case must have a minimum of five years professional practice but, come May 2025, they will hand over the keys to the vast Warehouse space at Aviva Studios for use by a South Asian artist or group looking to experiment, play and create work on an epic scale that is not possible elsewhere.

Promising even more financial aid through this limited scheme, selected artists will be offered financial support of up to £10k to explore and realise their ideas, as well as receive dedicated guidance from industry experts within the Factory International team. 

Again, the prospects that these various schemes are bringing to real people looking to bring their art to life cannot be overstated.

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Speaking on the announcement, Factory Sounds 2024 artist and co-creator of queer electronic music night FLUFF, Markus Hetheier, said: “It felt amazing to have the chance to take a risk using the Factory Sounds funding.

“We also had mentorship and advice which helped us grow FLUFF from a small to a bigger, more professional project. It was useful receiving training on different aspects of being an artist and it felt nice to connect with like-minded people.”

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Factory International’s Head of Music, Rivca Burns, added: “Supporting the development of musicians based locally – as well as those from across the globe – to grow within our spaces is at the heart of what we do at Factory International…

“We recognise there’s a huge demand for schemes like this to exist and we are really excited to say that this year we have both increased the number of places as well as added industry mentors to give expert guidance and the opportunity for creatives to thrive.”

Applications close at 12 noon on 20 January, so if you or someone you know is looking to break into the Manchester music scene and could benefit from the extraordinary opportunity, send them HERE.

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

Featured Images — Factory International (supplied)

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Fast-rising alt-rock cult favourites Keo announce Manchester gig on new UK tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Keo O2 Manchester Ritz gig tickets

Up-and-coming alternative rock band Keo have just announced a new UK tour and “most ambitious chapter yet” in terms of live performances, including a Manchester gig that we CANNOT wait for.

Combining the likes of post-grunge, garage rock and more, Keo are one of the most exciting and fast-emerging new acts in the space right now, having seen their recent run of half a dozen domestic shows sell out completely.

Pulling influences from artists of The Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, as well as most notably fellow contemporaries and former tour partner, Wunderhorse, they’re well-positioned at the front of the guitar-driven revival and are bound for big things. We’re by no means the only ones banking on it either…

Having been described as “already that band” by Dork and delivering “a sound that has given UK guitar its biggest kick up the fretboard in years” by Rolling Stone, you can bet tickets for these shows will be snapped up in seconds, too.

Set to play their biggest Manchester venue to date, Keo will be playing the O2 Ritz on Whitworth Street next spring, and let us tell you, that sprung floor is not ready…

Co-fronted by two brothers, Finn and Conor Keogh (originally from Devon before ultimately getting their music careers underway in the capital), the now London-based group make quite a racket for just the four of them.

That being said, they also do quiet moments well, too, as seen in several of the ‘calm before the storm’ breakouts in songs like ‘Thorn’, ‘Fly’, ‘Crow’ and many more.

If you like anything close to grunge or even just shoegazey riffs, trust us, they’ll be right up your street.

One of the most exciting parts about this lot is how feverishly their fans have packed out their audiences all over the country, somehow learning every single word to every song before most of the material had even been released on any kind of platform. They’ve led with their live reputation – and it shows.

Case and point – the crowd at The Key Club in Leeds, where our mates over at The Hoot got to witness them up close and personal as the entire room erupted in a chorus of screams about a girl called Amber:

“To be playing venues like these with only five songs out still feels surreal”, says lead singer Finn Keogh. “We always imagined we’d reach this level after years of supporting other bands, but somehow we’ve skipped that step.

“It’s mad, come March, our biggest indoor shows will have been our own. Electric Ballroom [in London] is a special one for me personally; I’ve seen some life-changing gigs there. To be on that stage this time around is going to feel unreal.”

Listing a total of 16 live show dates up and down the country throughout March and April of 2026, it’s fair to say we Mancs are excited to see them playing their biggest room in our city to date, having absolutely smashed Gorilla this past October.

Tickets for Keo at the O2 Ritz in Manchester go on sale next Wednesday, 5 November at 10am; you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.

The debut release from Keo has delighted fans and critics alike, and their Manchester gig is sure to be a stormer.

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

Featured Images — Hermione Sylvester (supplied)

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IDLES frontman Joe Talbot set for ’10 Songs That Made Me’ interview at AO Arena

Danny Jones Danny Jones Joe Talbot 10 Songs That Made Me podcast interview Manchester AO Arena tickets

Cult favourite frontman Joe Talbot of IDLES fame is set to for an eye-opening sit-down interview as part of AO Arena’s ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series.

The lead singer of the politically-charged post-punk band will be joining the in-conversation event opposite BBC 6 Music host and popular radio host, full stop, Chris Hawkins.

Having often drifted into hardcore, art rock and even spoken word at times, Joe Talbot and co. have become known for the cutting lyricism and insightful songwriting in general, so we can only assume that diving into his own musical influences will be just as riveting.

Joining his fellow audophile on stage at the city’s legendary live music and entertainment venue this November, Talbot and Hawkins will be running through the tracks that quite literally helped create the musician we know today.

According to the AO, the arena will host an in-depth chat with the provocative 41-year-old artist as he walks Chris Hawkins through “the most important musical chapters of his life, his stunning musical journey from resident DJ at one of Bristol’s hottest clubs, through to headlining Glastonbury festival.”

It is quite the career he’s had when you break it down.

They go on to promise “raw honesty and trademark wit” as Joe reflects on the record, acts and cultural moments that shaped him as a young performer before breaking onto the scene with IDLES.

As for the ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series itself, it may be what it says on the tin, but most interestingly, being in the crowd and hearing it from each different group/individual changes the experience entirely.

“More than a story of success—it’s a journey of resilience, passion, and community”, they go on to add. “Expect an evening of candid conversation, unexpected anecdotes, and deep dives into the music that has not only defined Joe’s career but also resonated with millions around the world.

If you’re fans of the band or Talbot, in particular, you’ll already know they’re great orators; plus, if you caught even a small clip from his own fledgling Oh Gatekeeper podcast, you’ll know he loves nothing more than diving deep into tunes that shape not just the audio landscape but people at their core.

Just casually getting the lead singer of The Strokes on for in the first season, as you do…

On a personal note, we’ve watched the IDLES x Grammy Museum interview on multiple ocassions at this point, and know how much artistry there is behind everything they do.

The same goes for Talbot, specifically – there’s no doubt about that.

If you’re interested in being part of the audience for Joe Talbot’s in conversation event with Chris Hawkins as part of ’10 Songs That Made Me’, tickets for the date at AO Arena on Tuesday, 25 November are live now, and you can grab yours via Skiddle right HERE.

Last but not least, special mention goes to the interviewing expert himself, whose recent chat with Tim Burgess about The Charlatans getting back into the studio is also well worth a listen.

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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 shot (supplied)

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