Ay up, you lot. It’s us again, back to give you another list of some of the best new music we’ve been listening to, be it little-known tunes from new and upcoming artists in Greater Manchester or the biggest releases from ever-rising names around the region.
We launched this new monthly series at the start of 2024 and will be serving up suggestions for all you Manc musos regularly throughout the year and beyond, so you best get in on the ground floor so as to as not to miss a single shout.
But let’s not faff about any longer, shall we?
Time to get stuck into five Manchester artists we’ve had on repeat throughout February — and it’s a leap year, so we’ve had an extra day of listening to make our picks.
Manc bands we’ve been listening to over the past month
1. Hello Cosmos
First off, we’ve got Hello Cosmos: a Manchester-based creative consisting of a four-piece at their core and other session musicians like Elara, a wonderful saxophone player and vocalist who is well worth looking into in her own right.
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Founded by From The Fields director, Ben Robinson — the events organisers behind Kendal Calling and bluedot — their style is a seriously wild mix of alternative electronic and pop-punk. Think Yard Act if they had more synths, sax, keys, violins and had a Christopher Eccelstone sound-alike on vocals.
Our standout tunes to start with have to be their ‘FUSE’ from their debut Dream Harder, ‘Loud Is Beautiful’ (which pretty much encapsulates the full range of their sound in one track) and ‘Metaverse’ — there’s also a great twist on it by Catu Diosis and that goes for the whole Hard Dirt (Remixed) album too.
We also got to see them live at Stockport’s new Live at St Mary’s gig series and it was quite the experience.
2. OMA
Next up is an instrumental outfit and touring band called OMA, who have played on stage with the likes of American rapper Isaiah Rashad as well as Japanese hip-hop artists and producer Shing02, and they just might be some of the coolest cats on socials right now.
Going more and more viral on TikTok every week with their live takes on hip-hop classics by Dr Dre, Nas, MF DOOM, Lauryn Hill, 2Pac and countless others, we can’t accurately describe just how much we want to be in a room and headbob to their addictive recreations of iconic beats from down the years.
Every clip is an absolute earworm and you simply can’t listen to any of them just once. They don’t have any signature tracks of their own but it only takes one video to get hooked. I mean, honestly, just listen to them — and bonus points if you can figure out where they’re playing:
In at number three, although we couldn’t possibly put this is any particular ranked order, is local indie-pop group Hi Sienna — a bunch of best mates based out of Chorlton who make great stuff and they’re absolutely wonderful.
With every member taking time out of work to make their music dream happen, they sum up their sound perfectly in their tagline: unsigned, unmanaged and unbelievably good. Too right. We also recently had the pleasure of chatting with them as part of the new series of Stream GM’s Spill The Sound.
It’s nothing but positive vibes and non-stop fun listening to these lot and if we had to pick our favourites, they would be ‘Enter Disco’, ‘Be A Man’ and the soon to be released ‘Pickleback’ which we got a cheeky glimpse of over at The Yard recently. It’s a belter.
The penultimate stop on this month’s list is the mighty Maruja, who are bringing both funk and punk roots to their alternative rock scene here in Greater Manchester and we can’t get enough.
Playing White Hotel and New Century this April as their profile keeps growing around the city centre and beyond, we reckon it won’t be long before you see their name everywhere — not that our incredible fandom and heavy bias are getting away with us or anything…
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Seriously though, they sound both familiar and unique enough if you’re this kind of stuff and genres that naturally overlap. We’d recommend kicking off with ‘Tao’, arguably their most popular tune ‘The Tinker’ second and then their latest single, ‘The Invisible Man’.
Last but by no means least is Cassia. They’re technically from down the Macclesfield but they’ve been plying their trade here in 0161 since they first began and we just hope they remember us and all our great proving grounds when they well and truly blow up. And trust us, they will.
Mixing tropical and Caribbean sounds with irresistible indie sonics and vocals, we just feel all nice and happy whenever we listen to them – almost as if we were on holiday. We also got to chat with these guys recently too and they were equally delightful.
If it’s your first time listening to them, you can’t go wrong with ‘Right There’, their new tune with KAWALA, ‘Circular Motion’, and a key part of our Summer 2022 soundtrack, ‘Drifting’. So, sooo good.
And that’s it for this month’s list and, believe us, it was a toughy as there were plenty of other local bands and artists that we could have picked, but we’re sure they’ll pop up on here soon enough.
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As always, be sure to keep your eyes over on The Manc Audio so you don’t miss a single bit of music news this year.
Oh yeah, and if you didn’t read last month’s selections of Manchester artists that you need to get on, you know what to do:
Featured Image — Cassia/Hello Cosmos (press image)/Hi Sienna (via IG)
Audio
Indiana Jones, live in concert, is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
An all-time Hollywood favourite is being brought to Manchester audiences like never before, as a special showing of the first Indiana Jones film is coming to the city centrein concert.
Steven Spielberg and George Lucas’ action-adventure series is one we all know and love – and if you haven’t seen it before, what are you playing at?
Having said that, the original beloved blockbuster still stands up as the most fondly remembered of the series to this day; put simply, the ‘best’ film in the ‘Indy’ franchise is Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Whether you agree with us or not, you can’t deny that the idea of hearing a live concert version of that iconic Indiana Jones score being played in the flesh by a proper orchestra sounds mega. Case in point:
The legendary John Williams score has been played in some of the most prestigious rooms in the world.
Now, how about hearing those incredible trumpets and French horns over the audio of the film itself, soundtracking each scene as it plays on the big screen in front of you?
Yes, we are nerding out, and so should you be.
After a globe-trotting trek that Indy himself would be proud of, the Disney Concerts production is now gearing up for its UK tour, with just a handful of lucky cities selected for the privilege.
You can see the full list of tour dates down below (we’ve highlighted other Northern shows for you, too):
Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark: Live In Concert – UK tour dates | 2026
Sunday 31 May – Manchester Bridgewater Hall Monday 1 June – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall Tuesday 2 June – Edinburgh Usher Hall Wednesday 3 June – Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Thursday 4 June – Birmingham Symphony Hall Friday 5 June – Sheffield City Hall Sunday 7 June – London Eventim Apollo
As you can see, not only will the run of live shows be kicking off on home turf, but they have selected the one and only Bridgewater Hall for the movie concert experience – a more than fitting venue.
Released back in 1981, it’s unbelievable how timeless and instantly recognisable the iconic Indy theme and film score still is to this day.
Disney’s early access window and the presale via the venue both open from 10am this Thursday, 11 December, with general admission going live at the same time the following Friday (12 Dec).
You can get ready to grab your tickets to the Manchester screening and live orchestral performance next May right HERE.
Be it movies, TV or even games, we’re loving how many of these kinds of shows are coming to our city now, from all-time classics like Indiana Jones to cult favourite bits of British kids’ telly…
A big battle of the bands is happening in Manchester this week – and it’s all for charity
Danny Jones
A massive battle of the bands event is happening in Manchester this week, and it’s helping raise money for crucial grassroots organisations.
Better still, it’s happening at one of our favourite venues in the city centre: Band on the Wall.
Now, the beloved Northern Quarter institution hosts all kinds of live music throughout the year, so they’re no strangers to events like a battle of the bands competition. Teaming up with homegrown charity Forever Manchester and some other well-known faces, this is set to be a big one.
This brand new event will see local businesses and employees come together to form a band for one night only, to see who is the best of the best up on stage. Who knows? You could be about to see the best-kept secret…
Yes, Manc worker bees are banding together (quite literally) to form the exclusive super group and will be judged by a panel of audiophile aficionados.
It doesn’t matter whether you work in the industry, you do office admin or work in a cafe all day long; at the debut ‘Forever Manchester Rocks‘ competition, consider yourself a music god in the making.
The live on-stage battle is open to pre-existing bands who have already played together, but we’ll confess, we’re looking forward to seeing what those cobbled together specifically for this contest are going to sound like.
Finalists not only have the opportunity to perform at the most iconic venues, but the winners of this year’s competition will claim the inaugural ‘Manchester Business Rocks Legends’ trophy, as well as being invited to play the annual Forever Manchester Birthday Party at the Kimpton Clocktower in February.
Once again, the best part of this new battle of the bands event at Band on the Wall is that it’s all for the greater good, with important funding being generated for local community groups – a cause that both pursue with 24/7, 365 days a year.
If you’re interested in a last-minute sign-up, the rules for entering the competition are as follows:
A majority of band members must work at the same company or in the same industry
Covers or originals welcome – just bring your best 15-minute set
You bring the instruments and tunes – the backline, PA and sound engineer will be provided
Acts will be judged on talent, energy, crowd reaction, showmanship and amount of money raised.
Nick Massey CBE, chief exec at Forever Manchester, said: “As a region famed for its musical prowess, entrepreneurial spirit and its sense of community, Forever Manchester Rocks just made total sense to me as our next big occasion.
“It is a battle like no other, and we’re calling for businesses across the region to trade their KPIs for killer riffs to show us how they shine on stage… And it’s all in support of a fantastic cause, with the money raised helping to fund vital community initiatives in the Greater Manchester region.
“We can’t wait to see colleagues from across the region unleash their hidden talents and bring that Manchester energy to Band on the Wall on 10 December!”
For those looking to come along this Wednesday (10 Dec), you can grab your tickets HERE.
Danny Jones -
29th February 2024 
