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.
Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
Independent Manchester band describes ‘absolutely massive’ moment The Cure wore their band tee on stage
Daisy Jackson
The Empty Page, a fiercely independent band in Manchester, have described the ‘insane’ moment they saw their band tee up on stage with The Cure.
The group have had a surreal run of attention from some of alternative music’s biggest names – but seeing The Cure’s Reeves Gabrels wearing their t-shirt in front of 25,000 people was something else entirely.
The Manchester band were among the thousands of people watching The Cure at Wythenshawe Park when the legendary group took to the stage – then frontwoman Kel Page noticed that something up there looked a bit familiar.
“You don’t notice at first, and then you start going ‘That looks like – hang on, that really looks like one of our t-shirts,” Kel said.
“Then you’re zooming in on your phone, and we just absolutely lost our heads.”
The shirt was indeed theirs, being worn on stage by The Cure’s Reeves Gabrels – turning an already huge Manchester show into an unforgettable moment for a fiercely independent local band.
“Honestly, we’ve experienced cool stuff, but I don’t think I’ve ever felt like that,” she said.
“I’m stood in a field with 25,000 people all looking at a screen, with a dude that I absolutely adore, wearing my band’s t-shirt. Endorsements don’t really come bigger than that. Literally bigger, because of the size of the screen.”
It’s a huge moment for The Empty Page, an alt-punk group formed in Manchester, who will play one of their biggest shows to date at Manchester Academy 3 next month.
The band is made up of Giz on guitar and Steve Kent on drums, with Kel Page as lead vocalist.
The Empty Page’s t-shirt on stage with The Cure. Credit: The Empty Page
Kel said: “The Cure are probably one of the most influential, brilliant bands of all time, and one of my favourite bands of all time. It’s just wild. I keep thinking it’s not real and I’m gonna wake up, because it’s such a weird thing to happen.”
The moment is the latest in what has been an extraordinary run of attention for the Manchester band.
“For something like this to happen is really cool, and it kind of comes after a long line of really cool things.”
A reel from The Empty Page was shared by Courtney Love, while Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson subsequently began sharing and commenting on their posts, as well as sending them messages of support. Then came Juliette Lewis.
When the actor and singer started sharing The Empty page’s music, Kel said: “This is f**king batsh*t. I cannot believe that THE Juliette Lewis is saying my band is good, this is absolutely crazy.”
“For Reeves from The Cure to wear our t-shirt on stage in Manchester is just insane,” she continued.
“That Manchester Cure gig is one of the hugest things to happen in Manchester for a while, especially for alternative gothy kind of punk/post-punk people.”
The Empty Page will play Manchester Academy 3 this September. Credit: The Empty Page
The Empty Page are a fiercely independent band, and have put on their own gigs, booked their own tours around the country and released their own albums on their own label. They don’t have the financial backing or industry infrastructure that many emerging artists rely on.
“We’re almost DIY to a fault,” Kel said. “We do everything ourselves. We don’t have big connections, we don’t have loads of money and rich famous parents, and we don’t have a record label or a manager or a social media company.”
Already, The Empty Page has noticed an uptick in sales on their t-shirts, with Kel saying it ‘feels like it’s becoming a bit of a cult merchandise item’.
But ultimately, the hope is that the attention leads people beyond the t-shirt and towards the music itself.
“I just hope it means that people will check us out, because we’re a really good band, and if you like The Cure there’s a chance you’ll like us.”
The Empty Page will play Manchester Academy 3 on 24 September, following a run of sold-out shows – tickets are on sale now HERE.
Danny Jones -
25th February 2025 
