Moovin Festival is set to take over some prime Greater Manchester countryside again this summer.
The popular festival has revealed its biggest line-up yet, with acts including Orbital, Shy FX and DJ Jazzy Jeff on the bill.
Moovin takes over the eco-friendly Whitebottom Farm in the heart of Etherow Country Park over the August bank holiday weekend.
The massive Stockport event, which has sold out its last two festivals, has stages including The Barn, a converted cow shed with a massive bar and hay bales to sit on.
Once ‘Manchester’s best kept secret’, the independent event has become a well-established staple on the region’s events calendar.
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Moovin Festival. Credit: The Manc Group
Festival-goers are welcomed by a magical canopy of trees, a lake with waterfowl, and a breathtaking gorge, with a limited capacity at the festival itself to ‘keep the friendly, intimate (adult only) family vibe which has helped to make this boutique festival so special’.
Billed as a weekend of ‘quirky, hedonistic madness’, this summer’s headliners include dance pioneers Orbital, funk and soul from Roy Ayers, dancehall vibes from Sister Nancy, and the party-starter that is DJ Jazzy Jeff.
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Hip hop heavyweights the Sugarhill Gang and Jungle Brothers, Alabama 3, and a theatre show from Slamborees will all also be on the bill.
The Udder One stage, a club in a field, will showcase Shy FX, dance legend Louie Vega, and Soul II Soul maestro Jazzie B.
Moovin Festival. Credit: Charlie Perkins
Craig Charles will bring his ever-popular funk and soul skills to the fields, while the Mad Professor will bring dub and reggae vibes.
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Then Moovin resident Krafty Kuts will ‘blow your wellies off’ with a back-to-back set with the Plump DJs and Freestylers.
Across five stagers there’ll be a mix of music and performance that supports upcoming and local talent as well as established artists.
Graeme Park, Jon Da Silva, DJ Paulette, Micky Finn, Dillinja and DJ Randall will all join this year’s Moovin line-up.
On top of the music, festival-goers can take advantage of yoga classes, gong baths, massages, circus and dance performances, poetry, magic, ethically-sourced food and drink, fresh juices and smoothies, treats, sweets and delights.
Lady Gaga is a tour-de-force of talent at the Co-op Live Manchester
Clementine Hall
Lady Gaga proves she’s a truly world-class act after two sold-out nights at the Co-op Live Manchester, as if we needed any reminding.
The city of Manchester has been flooded with harness-wearing, mesh-sporting little monsters over the past two days.
And that’s because the absolute icon that is Lady Gaga brought her ‘Mayhem Ball’ to the Co-op Live for two nights.
I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t know who this fabulous woman is. Over the past decade, she’s won an Oscar, headlined the Super Bowl, performed in blockbusters alongside Al Pacino, no less, and her songs are literally ingrained into our minds.
It’s been a whole 11 years (yes, really) since she performed in Manchester, and it’s safe to say she was back with a bang.
The performance was split up into five distinct acts, and each one was as exhausting and exhilarating as the next.
She begins the show by bopping out of a comically huge red dress, but this staging was only the start of what madness was about to ensue.
Luckily, we’d been prepared by the other half of the Audio North team, who had the equal privilege of seeing her on night one and were left similarly speechless.
Throughout the 30-song epic, we had crutches, sand pits, cages, skeletons, enough wigs to produce an amateur production of Annie, and we didn’t question any of it. Why would we? It’s Lady Gaga.
Kicking things off with ‘Bloody Mary’, the two and a half hour marathon didn’t leave any stones unturned.
We had all the bangers, from ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Paparazzi’ to ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Applause’, it had us wondering why any other superstar even bothers putting a song out these days.
Pop is in a good place at the moment with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and so on, but you can make a strong case for Gaga having helped pave the way for every lady in the business ever since.
Gaga truly had us in the palm of her hands (or claws at one point), even more so when she left the stage to de-robe and show her more vulnerable side for the last two songs – beanie firmly on.
It wasn’t just a concert: this was a fully-fledged tour de force of talent that Manchester won’t forget any time soon.
Sometimes there’s no point in intellectualising why someone has that ‘X-factor’; sometimes you just have to take a step back and say WOW.
Manchester nightclub clamps down on no-phones policy after ‘disappointing’ rule breakers
Daisy Jackson
Amber’s, a nightclub in Manchester with a strict no-filming policy inside, has shared a strict new set of rules to prevent people using their phones.
The venue says it’s seen an ‘increased amount of phones on the dance floor’ despite its very clear policy against such a thing.
That’s included a recent set from Fred Again, where videos of his show were all over social media the next day.
Amber’s has said it’s ‘disappointing’ to see people flouting the rules of the space, leading to the venue introducing a zero tolerance policy.
Fans who are caught filming on their phones will be asked to leave Amber’s on the spot – no second chances.
There’ll even be extra members of staff patrolling the venue, to protect the ‘vibe of the space’.
“If you are spotted at any point across the night using your phone to record, you will no longer be permitted inside Amber’s,” they shared.
Amber’s wrote in a statement today: “Since our launch back in December, we have made it very clear that we are a No Phones venue. We want to create an experience for everyone where they are present in the moment and not distracted by phones.
“While the majority of people that attend Amber’s keep their phones away, there are a select few that don’t.
“This is of course disappointing.
“Over the recent weeks and months, we have seen an increased amount of phones filming on the dancefloor and we are aware of numerous videos shot on phone appearing online.
“To those that come to Amber’s and respect our house rules, thank you, you are contributing to an incredible vibe in the room.
“For those that don’t, we ask that you think about the space and the people around you before removing your stickers.
“The rules previously have been that if you are seen filming on your phone, you are politely asked to stop, if you are seen again, you are asked to leave the venue.
“From now on, as a renewed pledge to our No Phones policy, if you are seen recording in the venue, you will be asked to leave, there will be no second chances.
“There will now be extra members of staff patrolling the venue, ensuring that the vibe of the space is protected and if you are spotted at any point across the night using your phone to record, you will no longer be permitted inside Amber’s.
“Open your mind. Honour the concept. Respect the space.”
Daisy Jackson -
24th February 2022 
