After their inaugural celebration last year, the Northern Music Awards are back for 2025 and they’ve got some incredible guests ready to soundtrack the night.
As if we Northerners needed any more excuses to celebrate and revel in our achievements, we now have an annual award show dedicated to celebrating our music, as we all know it’s the best in the country. Ah, stuff your modesty, it’s the best in the world.
Last year saw a stripped-back set by Liam Fray (The Courteeners), as well as performances by fellow award winners English Teacher, The Ks and a standing ovation for the first-ever ‘Northern Icon’, Lisa Stansfield.
Now returning for just its second ceremony, not only has the location been revealed but so too has the lineup of live performers set to delight crowds on the night.
This time it’s Merseyside who gets to welcome this important music night and it’s taking place at the Liverpool Olympia, a stunning 2,000-cap room and one of the city’s most historic live venues.
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Performers, nominees, and winners alike will be seated in a venue packed with music royalty, as everyone from Manchester’s very own New Order, contemporaries like Jake Bugg and hometown hero Jamie Webster have all played here. Oh yeah, and some band called The Beatles…
One of the most anticipated performances of this year’s show comes in the form of the Stockport superstars Blossoms, who have been touring up and down the country with their latest release, Gary.
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Also helping provide entertainment is indie rockers, The Zutons, who are ready to raise the roof and celebrate Northern music in style, especially after a Richard Ashcroft opening slot last summer.
Chiedu Oraka, an upcoming rapper from Hull, is set to put on a high-octane performance and is also shortlisted for the Newcomer of the Year Award.
Similarly, rising artist and Liverpudlian actLuvcat is also shortlisted and taking to the stage, bringing her unique brand of jazz-influenced romantic rock to her home crowd.
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Also nominated for this same title are The KTNA who opened for R’n’B masterclass Janelle Monáe last summer. Other names include Beth McCarthy, Pixey and Seb Lowe.
As Northern music champions, more or less every region is covered from Greater Manchester all the way to Yorkshire, the North East, Lake District and beyond.
There is once again a great focus being pushed onto festivals at this year’s ceremony too, with the already coveted ‘Festival of the Year’ award going to Beat-Herder in Lancashire – but who will claim it this year and from which specific region?
Nominees include: Kendal Calling (Lake District), Tramlines (Sheffield), Neighbourhood (Manchester), Lytham Festival (Lytham Saint Annes), Parklife (Manchester) and Sound City (Liverpool).
The winner of this award championing live music festivals isn’t picked by officials; instead, it’s decided by public vote.
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There are 16 awards in total with two new trophies courtesy of ‘Album of the Year’ and ‘Industry Rising Star’. Here’s a full list of the awards you can expect at the 2025 Northern Music Awards:
The Northern Music Award 2025, sponsored by Live Nation
Special Recognition Award, sponsored by SJM Concerts
Artist of the Year, sponsored by Ticketmaster
Band of the Year, sponsored by ASM Global
Album of the Year
Music Moment of the Year, sponsored by American Express
Disruptor in Music
Newcomer of the Year
Breakthrough Act of the Year
DJ of the Year
Music and Culture for Wellbeing
Festival of the Year, voted for by readers of The Guide Liverpool
Inspirational Venue of the Year Under 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat Unique
Inspirational Venue of the Year Over 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat Unique
A beloved Manc gig venue is hosting a special afterparty following Manichester tribute festival
Danny Jones
A much-loved live music institution in Manchester is set to host a dedicated afterparty for the inaugural ‘Manichester’: the live tribute festival in memory of Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield.
Seeing the grassroots music scene gathering together in moments like this is the kind of stuff that would make the man himself SO proud.
With Manichester 2026 announced this past March and set to take place later this month in honour of the legendary Stone Roses and Primal Scream bassist, tickets for the main event sold out very quickly.
This came as no surprise, of course, but now other Manc venues are joining in toasting the life and career of Mani for one very special evening.
Shared by Madchester.com, who are helping organise the Manichester ’26 along with surviving members of the Mounfield family, as well as Mani’s friends and peers such as his brother Greg and Damon Minchella of Ocean Colour Scene, gig space Gorilla are hosting it.
The small-cap live music room, bar and restaurant has hosted many a special night over the past decade or so – hosting multiple War Child charity shows in the past few years, for instance – and even when they’re not hosting a set themselves, they’re always more than happy to join in the celebrations.
With that in mind, there always likely to pay their respects to the late, great and iconic local musician in some way, but now they’re teaming up with Madchester directly.
Positioned as the official ‘aftershow’ following the mini tribute festival, as you can see, there will be just 600 tickets available, with general admission for the main event already gone as mentioned.
At one point, it looked like the kind-spirited and well-meaning idea might be scrapped altogether after some confusion between the organising partners.
Thankfully, that all looks to have been put to bed, and all those involved can focus on what’s important: honouring Mani in the best way possible – with a load of live tunes and a good time.
In terms of those who will be playing on the night ahead of the aftershow, the likes of the equally legendary Peter Hook, Rowetta, The Kowloons, Jon McClure from Reverend and the Makers, plus many more, have been announced as part of the lineup.
There is also still a ‘AAA’ headliner still yet to be confirmed, so watch this space.
As for the Manichester afterparty at Gorilla, keep an eye out on socials for the ticket link to drop and, hopefully, we’ll see you there for a night to remember.
Rochdale AFC go viral with song choice during promotion party celebrations
Danny Jones
Rochdale AFC are going viral on their return to the Football League, not just because of the remarkable end to their already spectacular season, but over their song choice during the promotion party in the dressing room.
We promise you: even if you haven’t seen it already, you will absolutely love this clip.
For those who haven’t been following their journey over the 25/26 campaign, Rochdale AFC were promoted back to League Two and the EFL proper, after more than a century in the top four divisions came to an end back in 2023.
Thankfully for the Greater Manchester side, who have always served as an important grassroots side throughout the decades, their hiatus wasn’t too long, and scenes inside the Wembley dressing room have been circulating all over social media – especially thanks to the track selection.
— National League on DAZN (@DAZN_NationalLg) May 10, 2026
If Olivia Dean is the artist of the moment, then Rochdale simply have to be one of the teams of the year.
Lifting the National League playoff trophy in the aftermath of a tense 2-2 draw, where the Vallians came back from a two-goal deficit to bring the tie level – thanks to goals from substitute Tyler Smith and Emmanuel Dieseruvwe in the 78th and 96th minute, respectively – you could say they were men in need.
Managing to then survive extra time and make it to penalties, another pair of crucial saves in the shoot-out from starring keeper Oliver Whatmuff, and a decisive miss from Boreham Wood’s Cameron Cox sealed the dramatic win for The Dale.
Breathless stuff.
All that being said, you’d expect some of the usual football-adjacent big win bangers to be heard in the aftermath of a playoff win: ‘Freed From Desire’, chants of ‘We are going up’, ‘Sweet Caroline’ these days, and so on.
But not these lot: they decided to stick on ‘Man I Need’, singing their hearts out and jumping up and down in unison like they were in one of her two recent Manc crowds themselves.
In case you missed it, her Co-op live shows were unsurprisingly incredible, but we’ll admit that seeing a bunch of blokes scream and cheer as they throw drinks in the air and sip suds straight from the shiny cup has definitely added another dimension to our love for this song and the Olivia ‘Deannaissance’.
Not only has the soulful singer-songwriter written one of the best radio hits in recent memory, for our money, but she’s even getting now former non-league footballers choosing her as the soundtrack to their main character moments.
You just love to see it (watch the full highlights HERE).
With Jimmy McNulty’s side having only just narrowly missed out on automatic promotion and the National League crown in that crazy title-decider against fellow entertainers York City, it can’t be denied that they’ve been the other truly box office outfit this term; another late comeback proved it once again.
No side with over 100 points and 90 goals scored should be denied going up and a piece of silverware, which is why, although they’ve been a great advert from the fifth tier, so many are still calling for ‘3UP’. We want more moments like this, please…
Thomas Melia -
28th January 2025 
