We’re quite literally doing somersaults because one of the very best music festivals in the North and possibly the entire UK if you ask us, Green Island Festival, is returning to Manchester for 2025 and we cannot wait.
The predominantly outdoor summer music celebration has grown a fiercely loyal cult following over the years and now entering its fifth year, they’re making sure that the rather fitting wood anniversary of the forest-like festival is the biggest yet.
With the first wave now out and the weather shaping up nicely (no, we don’t know that for sure, but we’re manifesting nothing but good vibes from here on out… ), the festival season can’t come soon enough.
For anyone still not clued up just yet, the fast-growing Manchester-based festival based over at Hulme Community Garden Centre is a three-part music series spread across three months.
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With a trio of day-into-night festivals taking place once a month over a busy summer period for gigs and events, it’s one of the best-organised bits of live entertainment you’ll find in all the 10 boroughs.
As mentioned, 2025 marks Green Island’s fifth birthday, born with the mission of creating a space to platform and celebrate the flourishing scene of musicians and DJs in the North, as well as platforming sounds around the globe, with artists from as far and wide as Tanzania and Cuba taking to their stages.
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Having started out as just a 150-person capacity event with just two stages back in 2021, the four years since have seen the festival grow massively and become not only a staple event for the local community but the Manc grassroots music scene as a whole.
Championing multiculturalism, individualism and music in all its diversity of sounds and forms, with unrivalled up-close performances and a charming and welcoming atmosphere, Hulme Garden Centre serving as a shining example of a crucial community and arts space makes for the perfect venue.
Here’s the lineup so far:
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Green Island Fest 2025 is going to go OFF. (Credit: Press Images)
Spanning four stages this year a record max limit of 1,500 people per day – yes, as in 10x the number of punters it started out with – we can’t wait to see the level up.
You’ll navigate between the plants and trees to discover the various stages, each with a unique atmosphere and showcasing different sounds, as well as a block party occupying nearby Warwick Street.
For wave one of the lineup: June will see DnB hero DRS headlining the Main Stage, joined by a full 11-piece band for a very special performance on his home turf. With over 25 years of discography, he’ll be shutting down the stage with old-school gems as well as fresh releases.
Also gracing the stage will be The Zawose Queens, set to bring a slice of Eastern Africa to Manchester with their enchanting fluid polyrhythms and rapturous polyphonic singing of the Gogo (aka Wagogo) people of the Dodoma region of central Tanzania, plus tonnes more.
July presents a couple of our favourites from the most recent Manchester Jazz Festival (MJF); Conor Michael & The GreensKeepers will bring their lively blend of hip-hop and jazz, as well as poet turned rapper Meduulla, who featured on our Manc Artists of the Month back in July, will be both be in tow.
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As for the third and final event in September, the story is very much a similar one, as our MJF 2024 pick of the bunch, a.k.a. the nine-piece powerhouse of players, producers and composers that is Nubiyan Twist will be bringing their infectious, free-flowing ‘jazztastic Afro-kissed funk’ and groove to the party.
Whether you’re there from the start whilst half of Manchester and beyond else is over at Parklife this year, or you’re there for the final chapter, we can guarantee you one thing: you will never have been to a live music event quite like this and you WILL have the time of your life.
Block parties are cool and all that but the Forest stage is where it’s at, just FYI… (Credit: Supplied)
The rest of the lineup is still yet to be announced, so keep your eyes peeled for wave two over the coming months. Plus, if you or someone you know is looking to book their first-ever festival slot, they can send in samples of their music/mixes to register their interest in being part of it.
We call that grassroots and supporting local artists in action.
The three-part series of day festivals will return on 7 June to celebrate its fifth anniversary, with the sophomore event on 2 August and a final closing party on 6 September 2025.
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Pre-sale is already live with general sale available from on Friday, 28 February, with tier one tickets priced at £25; tier two at £30 and T3 at £35.
Best of all, not only will there be low-income and neighbours ticket options priced at just £12.50, to ensure accessibility for all and local community inclusion, but entry for children under 12 is completely FREE – because music is for everyone and they want to encourage families to come and dance together.
Get ready to grab your tickets for Green Island 2025 HERE.
DJ at centre of Parklife cancellations speaks out over ‘unsafe’ crowds
Daisy Jackson
A rising DJ whose set was cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’ at Parklife festival has now spoken out on his side of events.
Josh Baker is a popular Manchester-born DJ who was set to perform on the brand-new Matinee stage on the Sunday night of the local music festival.
He had the second-highest billing of the day, followed by Chris Stussy as headliner of that particular stage.
But despite being booked onto one of the festival’s smaller stages, Josh Baker’s popularity quickly saw the space becoming overcrowded.
Videos shared on TikTok show fans clambering over the safety barriers that Parklife security had installed as a queue system, desperate to get inside for Josh’s set.
The young talent has now spoken out again about the incident, saying he could see from his vantage point it ‘quickly became unsafe’.
Josh Baker said that ‘the organisers made the right call’ despite the show ‘meaning a lot’ to him.
He detailed that he has been going to Parklife since the age of 16, and playing such a big slot in the festival ‘felt like a proper full-circle moment’.
He added that he’s been looking into doing free follow-up shows, but has been unable to find a venue that would hold ‘anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play’.
Josh wrote on Instagram: “I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.”
He then said he’s planning ‘something ridiculous’ for his Creamfields appearance to make it up to fans.
Josh Baker said in his full statement on Parklife: “I’ve taken a few days to process what happened at Parklife last weekend, and I wanted to share a few words.
“This one was always going to mean a lot. Growing up in Manchester, I’ve been going to Parklife since I was 16, so to be booked for such a big slot felt like a proper full-circle moment. But just as I stepped on stage, the music had to be cut. When I came on there were too many people trying to get into the arena and it quickly became unsafe, and therefore the stage had to be closed for the rest of the day.
“It’s gutting, but I want to be clear – the organisers made the right call. Safety has to come before everything. After seeing a few of the videos from the crowd, I’m just relieved the situation did not escalate and everyone remained safe.
“Still, it’s hard to explain how much it hurt not being able to play. I know so many of you were excited for that set and it honestly blew me away seeing that many people turning up.
“Over the last few days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it right. I looked into doing a free follow-up show in Manchester, but the reality is, there are no suitable or possible venues which would hold anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play.
“The last thing I’d want is to announce something and end up disappointing even more people who couldn’t get tickets. After a lot of conversations and digging behind the scenes, we’ve had to accept that there’s no realistic way to do something that feels fair right now.
“I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.
“I really hope to see loads of you at Creamfields because I’m already planning something ridiculous to try and make this up to you in some way.”
Legendary funk and soul act Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester
Danny Jones
In case you hadn’t heard already, iconic funk, soul, and R’n’B artist Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester after far too long away from our musical city for a massive arena gig later this year.
Coming back to 0161 ‘For One Night Only’, the award-winning US supergroup and industry giants are set to make their first appearance here in over 15 years.
With a rich back catalogue and a career spanning six decades, not to mention multiple genres including funk, soul, disco, jazz (how they first began as an ensemble) and more, it’s only fitting they be given the top billing at the one and only AO Arena.
After Manc fans have had to wait for long, this is sure to be a night of ‘Summertime Madness’.
Though they need no real introduction if you know your music history, specifically African-American and Black music culture, Kool and the Gang are arguably one of the most influential acts to ever make it.
Having performed together longer than other R’n’B outfit on the planet, stood as one of the most sampled artists of all time and released a staggering 34 studio albums to date, they’re nothing short of foundational.
While, sadly, there is only founding member Robert ‘Kool’ Bell left from the original lineup formed back in 1964, the various iterations of the surviving live band have captured that same effortless cool, charisma, and effortless control of a crowd on the road that made the OG Gang such a toue de force.
As well as touring with everyone from Elton John and the Dave Matthews Band to The Roots and even a 50-city tour alongside equally legendary rock group, Van Halen, they have no shortage of accolades to their name.
How does two Grammys, seven American Music Awards (AMAs), a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a place in the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine top ten hits in the pop charts, as well as 31 gold and platinum albums, strike you?
— Melodies & Masterpieces (@SVG__Collection) May 27, 2025
Best known for beloved tracks like ‘Celebration’, ‘Get Down On It’, ‘Cherish’ and ‘Jungle Boogie’, just to name a very small few (again, their discography is huge), you’ve most likely heard their songs or at least one of their serially sampled beats more times than its possible to count.
Yep, if there’s anyone that deserves the ‘icon’ moniker, it’s these lot.
Kool and the Gang come to the AO Arena in Manchester next month on Friday, 11 July and will have fellow British soul counterparts, The Real Thing, who looked to mirror their success throughout the ’70s, along for the ride.
General admission tickets are already on sale as we speak – you can grab yours HERE.
Danny Jones -
25th February 2025 
