The Warehouse Project has announced details of its opening season party this autumn, with brand new stages and a headline performance from Jungle.
And the iconic clubbing series will expand beyond the walls of Depot Mayfield this year, also taking over spaces at the Star & Garter pub, Temperance Street, the Plant Room at Freight Island, and the roof above the venue.
The opening party for The Warehouse Project 2024 season – known as Repercussion – will be headlined by Bonobo and Jungle, along with a massive bill of other talent from the electronic, house and techno worlds.
The day-to-night party takes over three rooms at the enormous building near Manchester Piccadilly, Depot, Concourse and Archive within Depot Mayfield, and will kick off the months-long programme of music that draws hundreds of thousands to the venue.
Set to take place on Saturday 14 September, Repercussion will welcome master of electronic Bonobo, fresh off his Outlier showcase at The Warehouse Project’s first ever Australia edition.
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Then British dance project Jungle will round off their enormous world tour at WHP, a couple of months after they’ll headline Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl.
The line-up for Warehouse Project’s main stage, Depot, also includes Peruvian DJ, producer and vocalist Sofia Kourtesis; DJ Seinfeld who is known for his sweeping emotive cuts and creative samples; the emerging Austrian-born, Manchester-based salute with an upcoming debut album via Ninja Tune; alongside the mysterious act that has burst onto the jazz-house scene berlioz (DJ); NTS radio host Tarzsa and Mancunian Rich Reason.
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Credit: Sophia J CareyCredit: Graham Joy PhotographyWarehouse Project has announced its 2024 opening party, with a headline performance from Jungle.
The unique 360° booth at Concourse is set to welcome a blend of cross-genre sets, curated by Honey Dijon.
The line-up features Major League DJz who has been referred to as “amapiano’s global ambassadors” by DJ Mag; DESIREE with her soulful cuts and deep African infused house; and Josh Caffé who has crafted an assured reputation in the underground house and techno scene.
All alongside Rhythm Section’s founder Bradley Zero, Parisian DJ/Producer and multi-instrumentalist Chloé Caillet, and The Warehouse Project’s longest-standing resident, Krysko.
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Under the archway at Archive, the city’s music venue YES takes over the stage to celebrate contemporary UK club music.
Manchester’s very own Anz is set to lead the way, alongside sets from some of underground heroes Hamdi, Bakey, Love Remain, Aletha, Tañ, and Jim Bane.
Brand new for this year at Warehouse Project will be the On The Roof stage, a loft space with rare views of the Manchester skyline from the rooftop.
Warehouse Project 2023. Credit: Supplied
The intimate space will welcome a set up hosted by Luke Una presents É Soul Cultura, who will be DJing alongside the likes of deep house pioneer Chez Damier, Chilean artist Paula Tape who returns after her Boiler Room set at Repercussion 2022 and Manchester’s own rising star, DJ and Producer, Joey T.
Luke Una’s curation for É Soul Cultura has became one of Manchester’s staple parties in recent years, throwing in an all-welcome attitude and bringing in the free party spirit into the scene.
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Extending the stage to adjoining Temperance Street, Manchester-based party collective Habitat will present their biggest street party with Dutch artist Jarreau Vandal headlining alongside JAEL and Taylah Elaine, plus Habitat residents Yung_omz, AK Gramm, Tone Rarri, and all hosted by one of Manchester’s favourite presenters Faro.
Manchester’s legendary music pub venue, Star & Garter, is set to play host to the city’s newest online community radio station Crop Radio, with a line-up of grassroots acts from in and around Manchester.
Also participating at Repercussion, the Plant Room at Freight Island is another celebration of the expansive local underground heroes. With acts from SNO, Mikey D.O.N, Levi Love, Me Gusta Collective, Sam Redmore & Joe Motion, and Shimrise.
Pre-sale ticket sales go live on Thursday 30 May from 10am.
General ticket sales go live on Friday 31 May from 10am.
Tame Impala at Co-op Live, Manchester – lasers, lights, and a bit of a hangover
Daisy Jackson
The coolest man in the southern hemisphere has finally made his way back up north, for his first Manchester gig in a decade.
That cool man in question is Tame Impala, the music project of what-the-hell-can’t-he-play multi-instrumentalist Kevin Parker.
Sure, last year’s single release ‘Dracula’, and then its remix re-release with K-pop megastar Jennie, may have propelled Tame Impala up towards the top of the UK singles chart for the first time, but he’s got almost two decades-worth of music to dig through beyond that too.
It’s a hefty discography and it leads to a setlist that seems to almost peak about six times.
‘How could it possibly get better than this?’ we seem to ask as he plays The Moment, Elephant, Dracula, and Let It Happen pretty early on – but better it does indeed get.
It doesn’t seem to matter whether he’s up on the main space-ship-esque stage surrounded by lasers and lights, or sat on the floor of the B Stage playing around with a keyboard, Tame Impala has an irresistible, enchanting charisma. A lot more charisma that you’d expect from a man called Kevin.
Early on, he confesses that he’s quite severely hungover from last night’s show, where he had Dua Lipa (he wrote and produced her Radical Optimism album) as a surprise guest.
But you can see the hangover clear from his eyes in real time as 23,500 Mancs scream in his face. Which might not sound like a likely hangover cure, but who am I to argue with the evidence in front of me?
Although Kevin writes, produces, and records his music solo, he’s got half a dozen musicians up on the main stage with him, which looks like a convoluted space ship that fires confetti out of its thrusters (FOUR TIMES!).
With revolving lights, dancing lasers, and a metal grid base spewing out dry ice, it’s really one hell of a production.
It’s a light show designed to give us all a glimpse of his synesthesia (meaning he sees colours when he hears music (Billie Eilish has it too)) – essentially, if you couldn’t hear a thing and could only see the stage, you can still tell exactly what song is playing.
Still, when he saunters straight through the crowd to his smaller stage to mix tracks solo – no lasers, just a few lamps – flopping down onto a tangle of wires like a mad magpie building himself a nest, it’s a chance to remember this guy’s composing prowess.
A lot of the songs performed tonight are almost orchestral in their complexity, so that the whole show merges into one thundering, bewitching night of dancing and being blasted in the face by confetti.
It’s genius.
So can you not leave it another decade before you come back, Kevin?
Kahiki Soundhouse – the new Mint Lounge site is living up to the old name and its live music legacy
Danny Jones
If you went out in town back in the day (pretty much any time from the late 90s to the 2010s), or indeed have sampled a Funkdemia over the past couple of decades, chances are you tried or at least heard of Mint Lounge – but did you know it’s been replaced by a new kid on the block, Kahiki?
Kahiki Soundhouse, to give it its full name, is the new live music venue bar that has opened up the old basement space on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter.
In truth, it’s now more of a classic lounge than ever before.
The large open-plan floor, which used to be filled with people standing/two-stepping inside a fairly barebones club room with no air conditioning, has now been traded up for a stylish space lined with plush padded seats, classy low-lit tables perfect to share a glass or two over, and lots of new features.
Perhaps the biggest change is that the old soundbooth/stage area that used to be way at the back has now been swapped for a central 360° podium that changes up each night.
It really is the star of the all-week-round Kahiki show, if you ask us.
This also means that no matter where you are in the main venue (there are other rooms, but we’ll get to that), be it tucked in a booth to the side, at the bar, or even ‘behind’ whoever’s playing, you’ll have a virtually unobstructed view of what’s happening from noon until night.
Seriously, thanks to their already jam-packed schedule, the reviews aren’t just off to a great start only a few days in, but people have been turning up in the early evening and staying well into the early hours of the next day.
They’ve got duelling pianos, live bandaoke, acoustic nights and straightforward DJ sets for those who still fancy a taste of the previous vibe.
Kahiki’s maiden Manchester city centre venue definitely harks back to the good times had in the Mint Lounge days, but the team, who possess decades of experience between them, have combined a retro feel almost more akin to 1960s speakeasies, cocktails and evening venues.
It’s no secret that clubbing and the UK nightlife scene have changed quite a bit since the pandemic, but these guys look to have found that perfect blend of more relaxed seating, along with plenty of room to get up and boogie; there’s even a raised mini-stage/dance cage for your main character moments.
Better still, if you do want something a little bit away from the crowds of punters that are continuing to make this one of the liveliest new additions to NQ, they also have adjustable karaoke rooms where bi-folding doors can make room for up to 50 of you and your lot to party in privacy.
Let’s just say the spirit of the Lounge is alive and well in the Soundhouse.
Just one corner of KahikiYour podium awaitsOne of the smaller karaoke rooms
Daisy Jackson -
29th May 2024 
