Gigs & Nightlife

9 festivals up to an hour away from Manchester with tickets left

There's so much happening up north this summer.

Hannah Starkie Hannah Starkie - 4th June 2021

Lockdown restrictions are lifting and the sunshine is out. Summer is definitely getting closer now – and that inimitable festival feeling is finally within reach.

For most of us, raving in a big field with a thumping soundtracks alongside thousands of others is a distant memory – with the vast majority of large-scale events cancelled for well over a year.

But there’s hope for the future – and loads of mint day festivals have been pencilled in to take place in summer 2021 and beyond.

We’ve put together a list of the biggest events up to an hour’s(ish) drive from Greater Manchester. Here are some of our top picks that still have tickets remaining.*

Newsam Park, Temple Newsam, Leeds – Saturday 10 July

The brand-new open-air festival Newsam Park festival was due to take place in July last year – but was cancelled for obvious reasons. They’re having another go on Saturday 10 July with a scaled down version but packed with all the same big-name house and techno DJs.  

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On the former site of the Cocoon in the Park festival at Temple Newsham in Leeds, there’ll be two stages featuring the likes of Jamie Jones, Denis Sulta, Sven Vath, Mella Dee and Nightmares on Wax throughout the day.  

Tickets here.

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Acropolis, Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire – Saturday 31 July  

Aerial view of the grounds and ruins of Tutbury Castle, Staffordshire / Image: Acropolis

Another new one for 2021 is Acropolis which will make its debut at Tutbury Castle in Staffordshire on Saturday 31 July. 

The ruins of the castle will provide a moody and atmospheric setting for this techno-fuelled day. Alan Fitzpatrick, Eats Everything, Enzo Siragusa, Pawsa and Manchester’s own Mason Collective are confirmed to play, with support yet to be announced.  

Tickets available on Skiddle here.

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Mardi Gras, Roundhay Park, Leeds – Saturday 14 August 

Mardi Gras at Leeds’ Roundhay Park is yet another exciting new addition to the 2021 festival calendar on Saturday 14 August.

There’ll be two full-size festival production stages hosting everything from local acts to global names.  

The lineup is yet to be announced so keep an eye out for that. Tickets are already running low, get yours on Skiddle here.  

Retro In The Park, Burnley – Saturday 28 August  

After a bit of nostalgic house music? Burnley’s Retro In The Park festival should do the trick.

On Saturday 28 August, there’ll be three arenas of music at Towneley Park, each with a different vibe.

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The UK’s largest house classics event, Retro, will take over Arena 1, with Roger Sanchez and Graeme Park taking the headline spots. 

Some of best 90s artists will be taking the stage over in Arena 2. Think: N-Trance, Nightcrawlers and K-Klass.

Arena 3 will also see the Angels Reunion with Stu Allan, Rob Tissera and Matt Bell.  

General admission and VIP are still available on Skiddle here.  

Wile Out Festival, Burnley – Sunday 29 August  

Again at Burnley’s Towneley Park, Wile Out Festival on bank holiday Sunday is boasting a massive bass and house lineup featuring some huge artists like DJ EZ, Mistajam and James Hype on the main stage, alongside Sigma, Tom Zanetti, Flava D and Bad Boy Chiller Crew at the bass stage. 

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Sam Divine, Low Steppa and Huxley will also take on the Cuckoo Land stage to provide the house energy. 

This one’s on final release so be quick.  

Highest Point, Lancaster – 3 and 4 September 

People sat around the Highest Point festival sign /Image: Highest Point

Up in Lancaster, across two days on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 September, will be Highest Point.

Following the success of the 2019 weekender, the festival will return for another instalment at Williamson Park later this year.  

Friday will see DJ sets from Rudimental and Wilkinson, alongside performances from Becky Hill and Ella Eyre. Then, there’ll be tons more house and tech from the likes of Richy Ahmed, Josh Butler, Seb Zito, Monki and East End Dubs.  

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On the Saturday, Rag’N’Bone Man takes the headline slot and there’ll be music from Clean Bandit, plus cracking sets from Hybrid Minds, Friction and Dimension to make up the drum and bass offerings.  

Tickets on Skiddle here.

Mint Festival, Leeds – Saturday 25 September  

The crowd at Mint Festival / Image: Mint Festival

Another one just down the M62 in Leeds is Mint festivalon Saturday 25 September.

Now in its tenth year, the festival promises to be the biggest and best edition yet, at its new home of Newsam Green Farm, located just 10 minutes outside the city centre.

There’ll be four arenas of techno, house and tech house which will see Leeds’ faves Patrick Topping, Eats Everything and Darius Syrossian on the decks, alongside Amelie Lens, East End Dubs, Elliot Adamson and Enzo Siragusa.  

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Grab your tickets available here.  

elrow goes to the Midlands – 25 and 26 September  

Sandwell Valley Country Park in the Midlands will play host to the famous elrow on 25 and 26 September.

There’ll be the usual confetti, inflatables and carnival madness and whilst the lineup is yet to be announced, they always curate the biggest and best parties so it’s well worth grabbing a ticket here.

Cream Classical on the Waterfront, Liverpool – Saturday 18 September 

Liverpool’s iconic Pier Head will be home to “Cream Classical on the Waterfront” for an open-air event on Saturday 18 September. The show will bring together a 50-piece orchestra who will perform an extra special live set curated by K-Klass.

Between 12pm and 11pm, there’ll be sets from legends Basement Jaxx, Faithless, Seb Fontaine and Tall Paul.  

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Tickets on Skiddle here.  

Stay up to date with Manchester music and events with The Manc Audio.  

*Tickets available at time of publishing. 

Featured image: Elrow

Gigs & Nightlife

Circa Waves on their new album, unreal tour lineup, a big health scare and ‘the best band’ around right now

Danny Jones Danny Jones Circa Waves interview on new album and 2025 tour lineup

With Circa Waves announcing a new album and a brand new UK tour early next year, we were very kindly given the privilege to chat with one of the most consistent indie bands of the past decade.

Sitting down with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kieran Shudall, we were buzzing with questions about their upcoming record, what we’re dubbing as one of the best indie tour lineups in years, what they’re making of the UK music scene right now and, of course, why the North West is the best.

For anyone unaware, it’s been a pretty intense period for the Liverpool lads and their frontman, especially, after a health scare early last year, so we’re more grateful than ever that they’re back and looking in true fighting form ahead of their shows come February 2025.

You can read our full interview with Circa Waves down below.

Audio North interviews Kieran from Circa Waves

Circa Waves live in Kobetamendi, Bilbao at BBK Live 2017.
Kieran gave us a really great, in-depth chat.
Credit: Dena Flows/The Manc Group

Right off the bat, the sixth studio album is coming out, Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a big, bold title – what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?

Well, ‘Death and Love’ was basically the first song I ever wrote for Circa. It was back in 2012 or something, but it never got released and it was just a title that was always lying around.

We were trying to think of a title for this record and with what I went through – like a big sort of health scare and then came out the other side and feeling very grateful for life – that seemed like a really appropriate title and I feel like it grabs your attention a little bit.

Feel free to move on if it’s too personal but if you would you mind telling us about the health scare?

Yeah, well, about a year and a half ago now I found out that one of my arteries in my heart was fully blocked and, basically, within like two days was on the operating table with them sticking a thing [stent] up my arm into my heart. Yeah, it was mad.

We had to cancel a bunch of tours; I got told you have to sign this form that says you have a 100% chance of dying on the operating table, so that’s not cool. It was just mad and I kind of came through the other side feeling super grateful and happy to be alive and in a band, you know

I feel more fortunate now that I’ve got through it all, so a lot of the record is about getting through that and the fears that came along with it. It gave me some good material haha.

For sure, that trauma always serves great art at least. There’s obviously a part one in there too, so is the second done and was this a double album experience in the recording process?

I’m still doing it – finishing it right now actually. We kind of just had too many songs and thought let’s just split it into two. I guess back in the day it’d be like a double album but yeah, the first one is nine songs and this one I’m still deciding. Maybe 10?

There’s just had a lot of ideas and we thought, well, why not? In this day and age, it’s so easy to kind of put music out and people consume music so fast that it felt like we just may as well.

Absolutely. So where do you think you’ve pushed things sonically this time – is it more of an evolution or a continuation?

I feel like we’ve landed on our feet in what we’re about now, certainly what I think Circa Waves should sound like, so it’s kind of similar to the early records, I guess.

A lot more guitars, sort of raw, scrappy drums, and they feel like festival songs to me but obviously the subject matter is like 10 years on from the first record, so your life experience makes the lyrics different, but I hope that it sort of feels like a refinement of sorts.

And have you guys got a favourite track that you’re particularly excited for people to hear or a personal favourite?

The thing about band members is everyone just likes it when their instrument’s the loudest. I don’t know, there’s a track called ‘Hold It Steady’ which is quite different to anything we’ve done before; I’m excited for that one to be heard but I think they’re all bangers.

We’ll absolutely take that haha. For the tour, you’ve got an unreal lineup of support acts with Peace and our fellow Mancs, Corella – we’ve seen both of them this year and they were great – how did you go around picking your warm-ups?

Peace was a funny one, I sort of have liked them for a long time and I went to the old NME Tour that they were on in probably 2011 or something but I remember watching them being like, ‘Oh wow and man I’d love to do the NME Tour.

Circa Waves didn’t exist at the time and then a few years later we did it ourselves, so they were sort of a big inspiration for me to play indie music, so it was cool to have them on. And then Corella are just ones that have been cropping up every two minutes on my Instagram feed and they’re just like a really good indie band right now.

Who is supporting Circa Waves in Manchester?
Peace at Kendal Calling 2024
circa waves tour support acts
Corella had a pretty iconic moment on the main stage too…

So it all felt like a good fit and we kind of want to just make the night feel like a big festival of music that people will love that type of music really. It’s just a proper guitary indie night, you know?

Lovely, can’t complain about that. In terms of venues, you’ve got some great Northern institutions on there: The Academy in Leeds, Victoria Warehouse here in Manchester and your massive hometown show. How much do you love those dates as North West locals?

Yeah, I love it, man. I mean, there’s nothing better than playing up North and I know that sounds like something that people say to just please people from there but it really is the best.

Liverpool, obviously, for me is such a big one and my family all go to those ones, so it’s cool for that reason but Manchester’s always been an amazing crowd. I don’t know what it is about Manchester – Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool are always just amazing.

Bang on, and as for that hometown gig, how special is that Olympia show gonna be and do you have any special treatment up your sleeve?

You know what? I haven’t thought about it. There’s always the temptation of asking someone to get up with you. [Yeah, maybe get Jamie Webster on the go?] Yeah, I’ve been writing with Jamie and Miles [Kane] quite a bit but I don’t know. We’ll keep it all secret anyway.

Yeah let’s not spoil anything. Another one we’re always curious of is how much you consider that famous Manc vs Scouse rivalry in music. Do you buy into it at all?

I don’t know, I think in my life when you have like really p***ed up conversations with someone who’s more into the Manc scene than the Liverpool scene I just think we’ve got The Beatles, so we always win.

I do think, you know, you’ve got your Joy Divisions and your Smiths and your Oasis and all this – they’re amazing bands, but we’ve got The Beatles. So it’s just you can’t like. [Like the ultimate Top Trumps card] Yeah, in Pokemon, it’d be shiny Charizard.

Fair enough. What about other Northern acts you’re particularly excited by at the minute?

I mean, there’s so many but it’s too hard but the band I think are the best at the moment is Wunderhorse. I met Jacob [Slater] a while ago when he was doing Dead Pretties and I was like obsessed with his writing and he sent me a bunch of acoustic stuff and I was just like man, “You are f***ing annoyingly talented.”

Then when Wunderhorse came out and I was just blown away. It’s amazing to watch it just become this big thing now. It’s cool to see people on TikTok sharing clips of ‘Teal’ and just seeing kids getting into proper music. So yeah, love them, man – I’m so excited to see where they end up.

He’s not wrong, by the way. Their Manchester Academy gig in October was one the best of our lives and not to sound like needy cool kids but we’ve very much backed them from day one.

Wunderhorse’s Jacob Slater on the band’s rise, second album, raw energy on stage and more
You can read our full interview with Jacob himself here.

Preaching to the choir here, mate. And finally, if Death and Love are two of the words, what’s the third?

Hmmm… Fortitude. That’s me trying to be really clever there – I’m not but that’s my answer.

Read more:

We really appreciate Kieran taking the time to chat with us and are so glad that he’s now fully recovered and raring to go.

Death & Love Pt. 1 is scheduled to release on Friday, 31 January and Circa Waves will bring their new music to the stage the following month.

You can grab your tickets to their Manchester show HERE.

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Featured Images — Dena Flows/The Manc Group

Gigs & Nightlife

Hacienda Classical announces record-breaking show at Castlefield Bowl next summer

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Hacienda Classical is set to make yet another triumphant return to the historic Castlefield Bowl next summer.

Manchester’s iconic celebration will mark its record-breaking ninth appearance at the Sounds of the City festival when it arrives in the city centre next July, and will once again be captivating local audiences and travelling fans alike.

In case you’re unfamiliar with the groundbreaking musical project, Hacienda Classical fuses a unique blend of classic dance tracks and orchestral arrangements, with the unmatched spirit of the legendary Hacienda, garnering rave reviews from critics and fans along the way.

Resident DJ Graeme Park carefully curates a selection of iconic anthems from the late 1980s and early 1990s, which are then reimagined with orchestral arrangements by the Manchester Camerata Orchestra.

The not-to-be-missed experience featuring powerful vocals and special guests has sold out multiple shows at prestigious venues worldwide.

At next year’s Castlefield Bowl date, the voice of M People, Heather Small, will join the show, along with house legends K-Klass performing a full live set, while DJ Paulette and Tom Wainwright also join as resident DJs for the night.

Curator Graeme Park will also take to the decks before the show too.

“I am already beyond excited that Hacienda Classical is returning to Castlefield Bowl in the heart of Manchester for the ninth time,” Graeme Park said.

“No other live act has performed so many times at this superb outdoor venue and it’s an honour to be part of this incredible journey that is now a major highlight in my diary and yours too. I can’t wait to bring the love next July.”

Read more:

Hacienda Classical returns to Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl on Saturday 5 July 2025, and tickets officially go on general sale this Friday (8 November) at 10am.

You can get tickets when they go live here.

Featured Image – Hacienda Classical

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