Music fans are paying extra attention to the ‘ones to watch’ lists for 2021.
After a rough twelve months (which cancelled thousands of gigs and left the handful of surviving shows to proceed in unusual, socially-distanced formats), a symbolic fresh start is exactly what the industry needed.
Live gigs’ dormant era may finally come to an end next year; a chapter that will surely go down in history as one of the most cathartic and triumphant in music history. Understandably, fans want to get to know the artists who will be riding the crest of a famous wave when gigs return.
The first place people are looking to find these new musicians is, naturally, the north.
Manchester established a reputation for itself as an innovator, trend-breaker and bar-raiser many decades ago, and every December the nation cups its ears and leans towards the Rainy City to eavesdrop on the local talent tipped to soundtrack the upcoming year.
ADVERTISEMENT
One band already been touted for big things is the Wigan-born ensemble The Lathums – who have been added to the BBC’s prestigious ‘Sounds of’ list (which has a knack of pinpointing Britain’s next breakout stars).
But there’s another group who’ve been making a racket on the local circuit over the past couple of years – selling out venues across the region before they’ve even finished a first full studio album.
ADVERTISEMENT
Callow Youth.
The four piece – who hail from Failsworth and Tameside – burst onto the Manchester music scene in 2017 and have turned heads for their earwormy blend of jangly indie rock ever since; a crossbreed of Britpop, late noughties indie pop, and post-punk revival.
Since signing for Golden Robot Records, Callow Youth have been the focus of music magazines and featured on BBC Radio – with their single ‘Red Leather’ reaching number 3 on the UK vinyl singles chart.
ADVERTISEMENT
Pre-pandemic, the group had been booking sellout shows across the country – including a rowdy performance in March at Manchester city centre’s iconic gig venue Deaf Institute.
Their rising star on the live circuit was brought back down to earth by COVID, but Callow Youth have sustained the momentum in the studio by continuing to write new music through the rest of 2020.
Callow Youth’s singles so far – including ‘Rough’, ‘Did It Really Matter?’ and ‘Wake Up’ – manage to evoke the sound of chart-topping noughties rock (sporadically reminiscent of The Wombats, The Courtneers, and The Vaccines) whilst simultaneously feeling completely fresh and modern; buoyed by palpable pace and energy.
Their latest track ‘Over Your Head’ – a post-punk-style production that offers a narrative on daily life in Britain and the effects of social deprivation – was released on December 14 and has already racked up thousands of plays on streaming sites to give the group a strong footing for 2021.
There’ll be dozens of bands jostling for a place on those stages when venues are finally allowed to reopen. Don’t be surprised to see Callow Youth right there in amongst it.
You can download their latest single, ‘Over Your Head’, online now.
Audio
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
The Manc -
14th December 2020 
