A live orchestra playing jungle and drum & bass is coming to Manchester
Fabio & Grooverider's live orchestral interpretation of sound system culture has been infamous since the first collaboration at London's Southbank Centre in 2017
Fabio & Grooveriderare coming to Manchester alongside a live orchestra to play renditions of famous jungle and drum & bass tunes.
Following two incredible sold-out shows at London’s Southbank Centre earlier this year and a handful of select festival appearances throughout the summer, Fabio & Grooverider and The Outlook Orchestra have announced three brand new live dates for January 2024.
Performing in Manchester and Nottingham for the very first time as well as a huge London show, The Outlook Orchestra will present a very special score celebrating a history of jungle and drum & bass alongside Fabio & Grooverider, aka the godfathers of the scene.
Exploring classic anthems in new ways and sparking the imagination of generations of music lovers, the show at Manchester Academy on 13 January 2024 promises some outstanding orchestral renditions of the scene’s most iconic and well-loved tracks.
The orchestra will also be joined by a selection of special guest vocalists for each night, with details of performers still yet to be released.
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Image: Fabio & Grooverider
Image: Fabio & Grooverider
The live orchestral interpretation of sound system culture has been famous since the first collaboration in 2017 – but this is the first time Manchester fans will have the chance to catch it in their home city.
One of the most legendary partnerships in the drum and bass world, Fabio & Grooverider remain at the forefront of a scene they helped build – championing the now global sounds of jungle, drum & bass, and beyond.
Widely recognised as musical pioneers, not to mention one of the most iconic duos in the genre, they have been making their mark since 1988 and continue to be beacons in the underground scene.
From their seminal residency RAGE at London’s infamous Heaven nightclub to Metalheadz, Speed, and Swerve club nights, their careers as DJs have taken them across the globe and influenced many artists across various genres.
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Since its formation in 2017, The Outlook Orchestra has grown to be a force in its own right, collaborating with champions of sound system culture from across the globe and striving to drive the scene forward in new and exciting ways.
Guaranteed to be an unforgettable night, this unique musical experience will be a true celebration of the past, present and future of UK rave culture.
Tickets go on sale Friday 1 September at 930am and are available online here.
Featured image – Fabio & Grooverider
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A brand new grunge and hard rock festival is kicking off in Manchester
Danny Jones
Manchester grungers, hardcore heads, and fans of all things rock, pay attention because there is a brand new festival coming to the city centre – and it has possibly the best name for a live music event we’ve heard in some time.
Ahem… let us introduce you to Broken Knees Fest.
Yes, donning a name that feels increasingly more relatable the closer we get to the wrong side of 30, Broken Knees Festival 2025 marks the inaugural edition of Manchester’s newest series of rock and grunge gigs, helping spotlight rising artists across the genres from within two crucial grassroots venues.
Very loud music inside tightly-packed, small-capacity rooms? It’s a winning formula that never fails. It’s about time we broke a sweat – here’s hoping the knees just about hold out.
Hosted in the heart of the Northern Quarter, which continues to thrive as a creative hub for new music and art of all forms, the festival will be debuting at small-cap favourites Gullivers and Castle Hotel just across the road.
As you can see, the lineup is full of up-and-coming talent within the guitar-driven space, but you can bank on more than a few bringing their die-hard fans to fill the place out to the rafters.
It doesn’t matter if you prefer punk, hardcore, grunge or another specific sub-genre found somewhere in between the ever-sprawling rock spectrum, there’s something to suit all alternative tastes at this one.
With the likes of Bohmen, Mavis, One Dimensional Creatures and Smother headlining the first-ever iteration of the festival across four stages, you can expect plenty of energy and even more noise.
Set up by the events group of the same name, Broken Knees Promotions, who help platform rock and alt acts across Greater Manchester and beyond year-round, this is more than just a festival: it’s a grassroots celebration through and through.
Best of all, if you’re interested, you don’t have to wait long because it’s kicking off next month.
Gigs go off in here. If you know, you know… (Credit: Audio North)
Broken Knees Fest 2025 is happening on the weekend of 21-22 June, and you’ll be glad to hear that, as a brand new event, prices have been kept nice and low.
The early bird window had prices starting from just £12, and although this tier has now sold out, day tickets are still only £15 while a full weekend pass will set you back £25.
Until then, why not dive into another load of new Manchester music? We round up artists from all genres each month; we’ll also confess to leaning slightly more towards the heavier stuff from time to time.
Olly Murs cancels Manchester gig after walking off stage six songs into huge arena show
Daisy Jackson
Olly Murs has now officially cancelled his show in Manchester tonight, a day after walking off stage just six songs into a huge arena gig.
The Heart Skips a Beat star had been performing in Glasgow last night when he abruptly stopped the show, apologised to fans, and left the stage.
The gig was cancelled around 30 minutes into his show, which is part of a huge UK arena tour that was meant to be heading to Manchester tonight.
A tearful Olly said that he was seeing a doctor last night and would update fans of the rest of his shows ‘as soon as I know anything’.
It’s now been confirmed that his gig at the AO Arena will not be going ahead.
Olly Murs said in a statement: “30 minutes into my set in Glasgow I lost my voice & unfortunately had to leave the stage midway through the show. This has never happened before and not something I take lightly.
“I’m sorry to all the fans who came out to the show last night and am forever grateful for your support.
“To everyone in Manchester and Birmingham I’m deeply sorry, but am unfortunately going to have to cancel my shows this weekend. I have contracted a respiratory infection and have been instructed to go on a strict 48 hour voice rest by the doctor to ensure no further damage to my vocal cords.
“I have been enjoying this tour so much, and am so sorry to let down my fans – but have to put my health first. I’m hoping to be fighting fit in a few days to finish this amazing 15 year celebratory tour with a bang.”
In a video he shared to Instagram last night, Olly Murs said: “Firstly I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I had to walk off after six songs and cancel the show. I’ve never done this in 15 years.
“Most of the time as singers you can kind of get through it if your voice isn’t 100% – I walked out tonight thinking my voice was great, I maybe felt a little bit run down but I didn’t think I couldn’t do the show. I wouldn’t have come out there otherwise.
“So to walk off after six songs, as I said, I’m so sorry. As you can probably hear from my voice, I just sounded rubbish and it’s unfair for you guys that spent all that money to come and see me. You deserve the best show and me being at my best, and I’m so sorry from the bottom of my heart.
“Hopefully I can recover from this.
“I’m actually going to see a doctor tonight which is great, so I’ll give you guys an update as soon as I know anything. Obviously I wanna try my absolute best to make these shows possible at the weekend.
“So yeah, so sorry for everyone tonight, apologies from the bottom of my heart. Gutted.”
Georgina Pellant -
29th August 2023 
