Yes, after finally releasing a first taste of new music this month, The Lathums have finally announced their next album and an accompanying 12-date UK tour to boot.
Gosh, it’s been a really great few weeks for music, hasn’t it?
The much-loved Wigan band dropped the likes of ‘No Direction’ back in July, as well as new single, ‘Stellar Cast’ – which they described rather fittingly as a “Jamaican Ale-fuelled fever dream” – earlier this week and have now confirmed the title and release date for their latest LP.
Set to debut on Friday, 7 March next year, their next project will be called Matter Does Not Define and the local lads won’t be wasting any time in touring it either, with the UK dates scheduled to kick off just a few days later.
Having watched them at Kendal Calling back in 2023 and enjoyed gigs multiple times here in Manchester, we can confirm we’ve got a very soft spot for seeing The Lathums live.
It was only this past summer that they headlined a sold-out hometown show at Wigan’s Robin Park Arena, playing to more than 11,500 fans on a weekend shared with Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, who has just been confirmed as the support act for the Oasis reunion tour.
You don’t get to play stages that big without being a bloody gig at what you do.
ADVERTISEMENT
With that in mind (not to mention two number-one records in a row already, don’t forget), we’re very excited to hear what these guys have come up with for their third studio outing.
Speaking in an official statement on behalf of the band, frontman Alex Moore says there is a “raw, real and energetic” vibe to the album, adding that there were some nice nostalgic personal touches that made its production special.
“Recording Matter Does Not Define felt like coming full circle”, says Moore. “We worked on it with our good friend and old college tutor, John Kettle, which brought us back to our roots. The process felt organic, without the pressure to cater to industry demands, and it allowed us to really explore creatively.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It was like being back in college, free to make music without constraints. ‘Duz’ [drummer Ryan Durrans] even plays a frying pan in ‘Stellar Cast’, a random touch you might not expect.” He summed it up by labelling it “everything we hoped it would be”.
The Lathums will kick off a dozen domestic tour dates in Barrowland, Glasgow on Thursday, 13 March 2025 before arriving in Manchester for their O2 Apollo gig on Friday, 11 April.
General admission for all UK dates go on general sale to fans at 10am on Friday, 8 November 2024.
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.”
Danny Jones -
30th October 2024 
