Neuron: The dream team of AV specialists born out of Manchester’s underground scene
Behind the curtain of every great gig, there’s a team of people found a way to set the stage perfectly so that the magic could happen. And there’s one of those remarkable groups operating in Manchester right now: Neuron.
Some live shows are truly special. Not just in the moment. But for weeks, months, years, and decades afterwards. They’re destined to play out on a loop forever.
Stone Roses at Spike Island. Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall. Oasis at Knebworth. Hacienda House Party on United We Stream. These live performances are still talked about and always will be. Not just because of who was on stage. But because during these shows – everything came together at exactly the right moment.
Behind the curtain of every great gig, there’s a team of people who’ve found a way to set the stage perfectly so that the magic could happen. And there’s one of those remarkable groups operating in Manchester right now: Neuron.
Starting out as a passion project for half a dozen DJs and musicians who just wanted to make memorable shows by pooling their resources, Neuron has expanded into a dream team of sound, lighting and video techs providing services that range from event production (including sound, lighting, staging) and management (set design, streaming) to installations (digital signage, home cinemas, AV integration).
Neuron offera a wide range of AV services
Specialists across the board in show production, Neuron rose up from the local underground scene back in 2010 – and the collective has since morphed into one of the leading AV solutions providers in the entire North West.
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Every year, they’ve gotten bigger. And after 10 years serving the city, Neuron’s portfolio now reads like a Who’s Who of Manchester’s big-name venues.
The brand has kitted out bars/restaurants such as One Eight Six and The Jane Eyre; setting the stage for club nights at Hidden and Yes; and did a little bit of everything for new venue The Blues Kitchen.
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Neuron’s team have also provided sonic experiences for juggernaut festivals like Glastonbury, Outlook and Dimensions; as well as taking the lead on live streaming virtual occasions as big as Digital Diwali.
The company has provided the platform for conferences, education projects and corporate occasions, too – including the stunning grade-II listed Rosso restaurant.
Jonny Wharton – one of the founding members of Neuron and now head of Event Production – said that the brand’s success ultimately boils down to a strong bond and shared love for what they do.
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“Neuron grew organically as a family,” he explains.
“It’s always been something we all actually care about rather than just a job. We care about the music and we care about the events.
“It’s a blessing for us, really.”
Neuron has become a leader in the live streaming sector
The events sector has taken a real wallop in recent times – and Neuron felt the blow just like everyone else. Indeed, the brand was predicated to enjoy its biggest year yet in 2020, but lockdowns scuppered what was all set to be a record-breaking business period.
Nonetheless, the Neuron team has stuck together – and so has the wider AV industry. Neuron actually worked alongside its competitors throughout the pandemic – swapping equipment and collaborating whenever it was clear one company could help the other.
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Neuron also did its bit to support its friends with the ‘We Make Events’ campaign – marching through Manchester city centre over summer as part of a day of action demanding better treatment for the events world.
The company eagerly endorsed the ‘Light It In Red’ campaign (where culturally significant buildings lying dormant were illuminated to highlight their status) and also stepped up to provide solutions for socially-distanced gigs during COVID.
When events weren’t happening, Neuron also did whatever it could to provide care homes with the necessary equipment they might need.
“We’re not sit around and do nothing people. We had to do something,” Jonny explains.
“Of course it’s been tough. The events side of the business has seen a 90% drop. And we’re still fighting to recover that. But luckily we have the installation service where we service venues with AV kit.
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“We were also a lucky recipient of the Cultural Recovery Fund – which has been a huge help.”
Neuron has provided services for venues right across Manchester – including YES
As restrictions came and went, and the performance industry tried to find a way to adapt to everything being so different, Neuron decided to become leaders.
The team threw itself head-first into the world of live streaming – mastering the art so their clients could put on immense high-quality productions even during a pandemic.
Neuron’s Trafford warehouse space was cleared and the team invested in building a brand new stage. It gave Neuron a means to turbocharge streaming and produce digital shows that gave viewers an experience as close to a live show as possible.
“[Mastering live streaming] allowed us to stay current in the community and produce virtual events that kept entertainment going,” Jonny explained.
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“Also, when we were allowed, we opened our doors to artists and musicians, facilitating live music with a skeleton crew.”
Neuron took care of its own people, too, during the pandemic – putting aside a pot of money for staff to take training courses at home if they desired.
“So many event workers and freelancers were just sat at home not knowing what to do or when work was going to come back,” Jonny recalls.
“So, we thought we could help by paying for them to learn a new skill – which might be a positive thing to do.”
Neuron has played a role in putting on huge festivals – including Glastonbury
Whilst Neuron’s ‘best year yet’ has been put on ice, there’s intense optimism among the staff for the future of the business.
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The company has secured a 10-year lease on its current home in Trafford Park – and there’s lots of work on the horizon now that COVID restrictions are due to be removed.
Experts are predicting a new Roaring Twenties at the rear end of the pandemic – with a period of “intense social interaction” expected over the next few years. And a smart bet would be that Neuron will be there behind the scenes – enabling many of these massive events to go ahead.
The brand is best-placed to serve the biggest chapter in recent history for promoters because it offers everything any venue could need.
Jonny states: “People are appreciative of one-stop shop in terms of events production. It’s not ideal to have to deal with three to four different suppliers. Dealing with one person makes things a lot easier
“Our original name had ‘pro audio’, but we dropped that as part of a rebrand to signify that we do offer a full range of services for events and venues. We wanted the brand to reflect growth and maturity.”
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Alex Morgan, Director of Venues & Installations at Neuron, added: “We can provide solutions for music venues, clubs, bars, restaurants, hotels, schools and unis – it’s all bespoke.
“We’re a solutions-oriented company. Most people using this AV equipment aren’t techies – so we’re focused on making it easy.
“We’re also really easy and fun to work with. What we say is if you’re looking for something, just come down and have a chat.
“At the very least, we’ll have some useful ideas for you.”
Neuron understands the events world – because that’s exactly where it came from. The team was brought together by Manchester’s underground culture – and now they’re trying to help the industry bounce back; bigger and better than ever.
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It’s been a dismal few months for live performances, there’s no doubt about it. But it does mean we’re sure to see some historic shows take place over the coming months: The comeback gigs that will be remembered forever as launching a new era.
And Neuron will be there. Setting the stage.
Neuron-av.com
Audio
Drake announces two HUGE Manchester gigs… and they’re next month
Emily Sergeant
Talk about last minute, Drake has just announced he’ll be coming to Manchester for two huge gigs this summer.
Yes, that’s right – he’s literally here next month.
You may remember that on Valentine’s Day, the GRAMMY award-winning and multi-platinum global artist Drake teamed up with fellow Canadian rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR to release their collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, and now to celebrate the release, the duo are making their highly anticipated return to the UK and Europe.
The arena tour, aptly named ‘$ome$pecial $hows 4 UK’, will kick off on 20 and 21 July at Birmingham Utilita Arena, before Drake comes to visit us Mancs shortly after.
JUST ANNOUNCED @drake Drake returns for the first time in six years. Bringing the $ome$pecial$hows 4 UK tour to Manchester on 25 & 26 July 2025. Support from @partynextdoor.@coopuk Member Presale: 4 JUNE 12:00 General Sale: 6 JUNE 12:00
The Toronto rapper will be taking to the stage at Manchester‘s newest live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, following three nights of headlining Wireless Festival at London’s Finsbury Park.
The tour will then continue across Europe, with stops in Munich, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and more, all before wrapping up on 23 September in Hamburg at Barclays Arena.
The tour marks Drake’s first return to Europe and the UK in six years, following his 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour.
$ome $pecial $hows 4 UK 2025 dates:
Sunday 20 & Monday 21 July – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July 25 – Co-op Live, Manchester
Throughout 2023 and 2024, Drake completed his monumental sold-out 80-date It’s All A Blur Tour across North America, featuring special guests 21 Savage and J. Cole.
Breaking more records along the way, Wireless announced Drake as the 2025 headliner for all three nights, each featuring unique setlists and special guests, and the festival sold out within minutes – which is the fastest sell-out in its 20-year history.
Drake will be at Co-op Live on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, and in true last-minute fashion tickets go on sale in the pre-sales tomorrow (4 June), before general on sale begins this Friday 6 June.
Or, if you’re feeling a bit fancy, you can have a look at some VIP tickets and packages through SeatUnique here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Audio
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | May 2025
Danny Jones
Oh, hey, didn’t see you there. Come looking for more top Manc tunage, have we? You’re in luck, because Greater Manchester just keeps pumping out top bands and artists all the time, hence why we do this.
If you’re new around these parts, first of all, welcome and secondly, the whole thing is very simple: every month, we round up some of the best talents coming out of 0161 and talk about why we like them. I know, groundbreaking stuff, right?
They don’t have to be born and bred in Manchester, but they do need to have made this their music home – the first the correct career decision they made, the second being working their way into our ears.
So, now all the housekeeping is done and dusted, let’s dive into some delightful new Manchester music, shall we?
Five Manc bands and artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. IST IST
This month we’re starting off with one of those Manchester bands that may not be new but still crop up for us at regular intervals to remind us of two things: first of all, that they’re brilliant and secondly, that they should have featured on our regular round-up of artists a long time ago.
We’re talking about IST IST, who returned with another live, multiple LP-spanning compilation (plus some extras) this past March, which we’ve had on plenty over the past month. It goes without saying that they sound brilliant live, and we feel bad for only just remembering how good and prolific they’ve been.
You always get plenty of New Order, but also White Lies and Editors; Future Islands, The National and lots of other baritone-driven bands that bring that element of melodrama to layer over the instruments themselves. ‘You’re Mine’ might be their biggest track, but ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Exist’ are also favourites.
2. Robbie Cavanagh
Now, we all know that country music is having a real moment right now and we, for one, couldn’t be happier about it, to be completely frank. Though arguably simplistic at times, it’s soulful, often impressively pared-back, and when something does impress you lyrically or technically, it sticks.
With that in mind, we recently realised that award-winning songwriter Robbie Cavanagh has been on somewhat of a comeback since 2023, and we hadn’t noticed until painfully recently. Returning after a six-year hiatus – bar some little ditties during lockdown – his latest project has some of his best work yet.
Fully tilting from folk into country and folk, the stunning vocalist belatedly blew us away with the bluesy single ‘Helpless’ and a gorgeous new collaboration with solo artist, Abby Gundersen (equally talented sister of Noah), but please still start with his 2016 Mahogany Session, where it arguably all began.
Named after Manchester city centre’s famously eclectic indie emporium, Afflecks Palace have never quite blown up in the way they way we thought they would when we first came across them years ago, but there’s still plenty of time and we’ll be damn it if they don’t deserve more regular listeners.
You’ll also be glad to know that, despite the name, they aren’t one of those trite, overly performative bands who wear a stereotypical Manc-ness on their sleeve that we sometimes come across; they’re just good and deserve a lot more recognition for their contribution to the neo-pysch genre.
As for where to start, we’ll admit we prefer their first album; ‘Forever Young’ is noodley and catchy, ‘Everything Is an Attempt to Be Human’ has those shoegazey guitars, but it just doesn’t get better than the incomparable ‘Pink Skies’, which still makes us feel some type of way – we just can’t quite describe.
We just love it. ‘Nu-Madchester’, or whatever you want to call it, its distinct sunniness never fails to tickle a part of our brains.
4. Findlay
Next up is Stockport singer-songwriter Findlay, who released more new music this past February, and has been making indie pop that ropes in plenty of other influences for more than a decade now.
That being said, she’s always experimenting with her sound, as her collabs with Blossoms, Miles Kane, Bill Ryder-Jones, Joris Delacroix have shown, and this latest iteration seems to have her tapping into everything from almost 50s and 60s female soul singers to slow electronic and more.
We love the smooth sexiness and sheer ambition of her latest single, ‘Stay Kinky’ and ‘Waste My Time’ always feels like a late-night chiller fit for music video set in a dingey bar, however, we still have a soft spot for her debut, ‘Your Sister’, with the riff that’s almost reminiscent of ‘Blockbuster’ by Sweet.
Last but not least, it’s the second time we’re featuring a returning artist and it comes in the form of young Alex Spencer, whose journey from busking around the streets of Greater Manchester to sold-out headlines shows and featuring on the likes EA Sports FC 25 (yes, FIFA) is a truly remarkable one.
The charming and still fresh-faced local lad from Droylsden is nothing short of proof that hard work and determination can pay off, and those ‘Bucket List’ dreams really are within reach. Obvious talent aside, this teenager has grafted his arse off and we couldn’t be more proudof how far he’s come already.
He last featured in this round-up back in April 2024 but even in the time between then, he’s released plenty and developed even further as musician, so much so that we’re not going to suggest which songs to try; instead, you can watch our most recent interview with him and relive his last year or so with us.
I’m Alex Spencer and This is my journey so far!
8 years of my music journey summed up in 1 minute 55😅 Thankyou to everyone who’s followed my journey so far, to anyone new or to anyone who doesn’t know my story, I made this video to show where it all started and how I got here❤️ pic.twitter.com/Hi3W7MHMxX
So, the next time you hear someone foolishly complaining that the Greater Manchester music scene ‘isn’t what it once was’, you can go right ahead of show them these bands and artists.
In fact, you could just point them in the direction of this very page and Audio North, in general, as we do this round-up every month and plenty more every week, meaning you’re headphones never dry up.
For instance, you can check out which Manchester bands and artists we were listening to back in April, both new, current and old, down below. We’ll see you again very soon.