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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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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.
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Watch adorable Lottie, 7, wowing crowds at Manchester Carnival on stage with Serani
Daisy Jackson
A tiny singer has ended up as one of the stars of the show at Manchester Caribbean Carnival after she was pulled up on stage by dancehall singer Serani.
Little Lottie, at just seven years old, belted out a verse of the star’s hit song No Games while the huge crowd cheered and danced.
And Serani was so impressed with her, that he’s now got back in touch and asked her to feature on his new song, and treated her family to a day out in London with him.
Videos of the heartwarming exchange at Carnival have been widely shared on social media, with one video earning more than 6.2m views on TikTok at the time of writing.
In the below video shared with The Manc, Serani is seen crouching down to her eye level, before asking the young girl for her name and telling her she is ‘so sweet’.
Lottie then grabs his arm and whispers in his ear that she doesn’t know all the words, to which he responds: “You don’t need to know all of it baby, just sing for the beautiful people of Manchester.”
After a brief hesitation, Lottie, wearing a pink tie-die dress, starts belting out No Games – and the crowd absolutely erupts.
Serani then starts singing the lyric ‘It’s, it’s, it’s Serani’ – but is interrupted by Lottie shouting ‘LOTTIE’, much to the delight of the onlookers.
Once she hits her stride, there’s no stopping the tiny star, who had all of Alexandra Park in the palm of her hand.
Thousands of people have shared their love for the adorable moment on social media.
Comments have included ‘GET IT LOTTIEEEEEE’ and ‘LOTTIE MASH UP DI PLACE’.
Another person wrote: “The way her confidence shot up when everyone hyper her.”
Someone else said: “Wow the way I felt that energy thru the phone like POW.”
One user commented: “Love the crowd hyping up the boss girl! She’s got fantastic taste in music too!”
Serani has since said: “She is the star, she just took over the stage, she’s so sweet.
“I never thought the video would get so big but the views just kept growing and growing.”
Featured image: Supplied
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You can rave inside the empty Grade-II listed Victoria Baths in Manchester this autumn
Emily Sergeant
Ever wondered what it’s like to dance the night away inside an empty swimming pool?
Well, there’s no need to wonder any longer, as Manchester‘s music lovers are invited to become a part of the city’s partying history later this year when the iconic Grade-II listed Victoria Baths hosts three day raves that are set to be headlined by some world-renowned DJs and famous names on the house, electronic, and techno music scene.
The Victoria Baths takeover comes as JBM Music – the team behind popular city centre venue, Joshua Brooks – launch a new series of ‘Manchester 360’ events this November.
Already gearing up to be a “weekender like no other”, the historic Victoria Baths – which dates back to 1906 – will be kitted-out with an immersive 360° sound system and killer light shows that will fill the venue’s stunning architecture with an atmosphere it’s never seen before.
Manchester 360 take over Victoria Baths. Three days of parties across Nov 4th, 5th and 6th in an Grade-II listed swimming pool with @DariusSyrossian, Lee Burridge and @DimitriParis.
Victoria Baths was once described as “a water palace” and called “the most splendid bathing institution in the country” – but it’s soon set to take on a whole new life as bathing will turn into raving on the first weekend in November, with three talented DJs in the international electronic scene lined-up across the three days of parties.
Event organisers are promising to take partiers to “another realm”.
First up is local hero Darius Syrossian, who is no stranger to playing packed out and sweaty dance floors with his edgy and straight-up house sound, and he’ll then be followed by another UK legend Lee Burridge – the man behind ‘All Day I Dream’, with his own zoned-out and hypnotic take on house.
Then last but not least, French titan Dimitri From Paris will cook up dazzling disco and filter house sounds that are packed with soul and colour.
Dimitri From Paris and Lee Burridge are two of the famous names headlining the day raves this November / Credit: Supplied
Manchester 360º: Weekend Takeover is coming to Victoria Baths on Friday 4, Saturday 5, and Sunday 6 November 2022, and you can now join the waitlist to get exclusive ticket access before they are released to the wider public next week.
You can find out more and join the waitlist for tickets here.
The Manc -
14th December 2020 
