Lineup revealed for new inner city warehouse festival Summer of Love
Taking place this August, Summer of Love is Manchester’s newest festival to hit the scene - and is one of the first in the world to accept payments in bitcoin.
The people behind Manchester label and esteemed party makers, Animal Crossing, have been teasing us with their latest venture for the past week. But today they’ve revealed the lineup for their new festival Summer of Love – and what a weekend it’s set to be.
Known for putting on parties in the most obscure places, the Animal Crossing team are quite the creative bunch when choosing their location. They’ve hosted in lofts, rooftops, railways arches and even a disused car showroom. So, don’t expect Summer of Love to be any different.
This time around, they’ll make use of an abandoned warehouse in a secret location within the centre of Manchester. They’re remaining tight-lipped on its whereabouts. But what we do know is that Manchester’s newest festival is set to deliver the best talent in underground music in real Animal Crossing style.
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On 21-22 August, a full 12 hours programme of music, arts and mindfulness will run from 11am until 11pm with stages hosted by a wide variety of people, with plenty of minimal house and techno on the agenda, and a particular focus on that Romanian style of deep groove.
The likes of Romanian pair Raresh and Praslea – a.k.a. Praslesh – are confirmed to play, alongside Apollonia’s Dyed Soundorom across the weekend. Plus, there’ll be a world exclusive b2b from Traumer and fellow Apollonia member Shonky to complete the headliners bill.
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Saturday will see a takeover from Wales’ Gottwood Festival who will look after proceedings at the ‘Love Factory’ stage by welcoming fellow Romanian DJs SIT, Priku, Sepp and Nu Zau to the occasion, whilst Turkish selector Onur Ozer will headline ‘The Second Stage’.
On the Sunday, the ARPIAR trio of Raresh, Petre Insperecsi and Rhadoo will welcome a fourth member, Dreamrec, who will provide some unreal visuals to accompany the set, to create the ultimate 360-degree experience.
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Manchester’s own Josh Baker and French selector Charlotte will set the pace at ‘The Second Stage’ on Sunday.
If you have the stamina, after parties will be running at The Loft until 5am too.
But it’s not just music.
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As passionate mental health advocates, Animal Crossing spent much of their time in lockdown raising money for Mind Manchester with a fundraising livestream. Now, a dedicated wellness area will be constructed at the festival, hosted by Mind Manchester themselves and complete with yoga classes from Blok.
Some of Manchester’s best independent food vendors will also be on hand to line your stomachs. A selection of hand-picked pop-ups curated by Eat MCR will give you the chance to grab a giant pizza slice from Nell’s Pizza, some fully-loaded fries from FryBy or some lighter options courtesy of The Green Lab, plus more.
The festival’s record fair, featuring local outlets Basement Wax, Vinyl Pimp, Wax Material, will be there if you fancy some crate digging. But more importantly, Summer Of Love will be one of the first festivals in the world to accept bitcoin as payment.
And finally, a dedicated art corner hosted by Smolensky Gallery will invite a load of the city’s painters, designers, photographers and graffiti artists to come together and create some live art. Meanwhile, the man behind Animal Crossing’s iconic illustrations, Matthew Alker, will host a deep dive into what goes into creating this visual feast for the eyes.
Phew.
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The two days are set to be absolutely packed with music, art and culture making this one hell of a weekend not to be missed.
The announcement comes at a good time following Boris Johnson’s bombshell lockdown announcement. Let’s hope this restores some hope of a festival summer actually going ahead this year!
Summer of Love organisers said: “This is our moment to reunite, rejoice and celebrate the reopening of the world we love and have missed so dearly.
“The Summer of Love Festival represents our freedom, our connection, our artistic expression in an environment that has been created bespoke for the two-day music, arts and mindful experience. There is always a positive, always a light to shine brighter. It’s all about the love.
“We can’t wait to see you in August, let’s dance like we mean it.”
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Those who register online will gain access to pre-sale tickets at 10am on Thursday 24 June, before general sale begins at 10am on Friday 25 June.
All that’s left to do is book the Monday off work, of course.
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Bright Eyes are heading back to Manchester on their new UK and European tour
Danny Jones
Beloved indie veterans Bright Eyes are coming back to Manchester for the first time in more than three years as part of a brand new UK and European tour.
Formed back in 1995, the Omaha outfit has remained a cult favourite among music lovers all over the world, exciting fans with their latest comeback after an 11-year hiatus in 2020.
However, the Nebraska band have struggled with touring issues ever since, having to postpone a raft of shows during Covid and even after the pandemic was over, they had to cancel the remainder of their 2024 shows back following frontman Conor Oberst’s persistent vocal issues.
Bright Eyes confirmed that the lead singer had “developed a condition that is exacerbated by excessive singing” back in September, but with their new album finally out Oberst and co. are crossing back over the Atlantic to pick up where they left off.
JUST ANNOUNCED: We're delighted to share that @brighteyesband are coming to our venue on the 21st of June, following the release of last year's new album 𝘍𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘋𝘪𝘤𝘦, 𝘈𝘭𝘭 𝘛𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘴!
Releasing their fifth studio LP Five Dice All Threes towards the end of last year – their first new outing in half a decade – the long-standing group have already got back on the road in North America and are due to land in the UK this summer.
Kicking off a run of 16 continental dates at Rock City in Nottingham, Bright Eyes arrive in Manchester on Saturday, 21 June and are set to play the legendary Albert Hall – a venue singer-songwriter Oberst himself played as a solo act back in 2017.
The last Manc venue they played was the equally iconic O2 Apollo back in 2022 and while they might have been away for a hot minute, their die-hard fandom hasn’t gone anywhere.
As for the new self-produced record itself (recorded at Obert and Mike Mogis hometown studio), its been described as capturing an “uncommon intensity and tenderness, communal exorcism and personal excavation.”
Bascially, if you like the usual emotional introspection Bright Eyes deliver, this is more of it.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/The Manc Group
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World-renowned rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd announce HUGE Manchester anniversary gig
Thomas Melia
Legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd are returning to Manchester for a limited UK tour at one city’s foremost venues.
Six years since their last visit, we’re sure they’ve missed ‘That Smell’ of a Manchester crowd and it’s safe to say safe we’ve missed them too.
Known for our love of live music and gigs, there’s no better place to stop off at other than Manchester when you’re playing a world tour, especially celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.
Their name needs no introduction, however, if you need a reminder of this band’s remarkable career then ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’.
Just kidding, the well-seasoned country and blues veterans from Jacksonville, Flordia are one of the most acclaimed acts to ever come out of the US; in 2006 they received one of the biggest honours any artist could wish for, getting inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.
With 14 official studio albums, several EPs and numerous live recordings, there are definitely more than enough songs to pack into one unforgettable night.
As one of just four dates here in England, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Manchester tour show is taking place at none other than the AO Arena, which has also reached a milestone in 2025 as they celebrate 30 years of unbelievable gigs. What better way to party than with a good ol’ fashioned rock show?
They won’t be travelling solo either, they’re also bringing Georgia-based rockers Blackberry Smoke as a support act, notable for their 2012 single ‘One Horse Town’ along with many others.
Rockin’ it out like they always do, bring on Manchester. That iconic Lynyrd logo will look immense in AO Arena this year.Credit: Supplied
They’ve chosen the right venue to belt the hits too and, ironically, they’ve chosen a Tuesday for their Manchester date, meaning you’ll be able to walk out of the concert singing ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ with more conviction than ever.
One thing is for sure, with a legacy as big as this, the rockers are guaranteed to have a great time. There might not be any founding members left following the passing of guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington in 2023, but you can bet the current lineup will do the originals justice and then some.
Lynyrd Skynyrd visit the AO Arena in Manchester on Tuesday 15 July 2025 with tickets going on sale from Friday 24 January at 10am. You can grab yours HERE.
Hannah Starkie -
23rd June 2021 
