Gigs & Nightlife

Team behind one of Manchester’s best-loved festivals launches new clubbing series

O2 Victoria Warehouse will host of one of the year's biggest parties.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 18th January 2023

The team behind one of Manchester‘s best-loved festivals has launched a new clubbing series in the city centre.

The organisers of Moovin’ Festival – which is known for taking over the fields of Stockport every summer – are bringing the festival’s eclectic vibes to dance floors across the region with a new series of unique club shows, which is aptly named ‘Moovin-In’.

Popular Manchester city centre venue O2 Victoria Warehouse is set to become the host of one of the year’s biggest parties.

The third edition of the Moovin-In clubbing series at O2 Victoria Warehouse on Friday 5 May sees previous Moovin residents and pioneers bring a mix of Drum and Bass, Jungle, Reggae, and Dub to headline what sounds set to be an unbeatable night.

The legendary David Rodigan, who is known as the original Reggae selector and soundclash champion, and is famous for his electric on-stage energy, is set to make his Moovin-In debut, and joining him in a rare Manchester appearance is Congo Natty, aka Rebel MC, who is widely-respected as one of the trailblazers in Jungle music.

The team behind one of Manchester’s best-loved festivals has launched a new clubbing series / Credit: Supplied

Also on the lineup for the night is Mad Professor – a Guyanese-born British dub music producer known for leading the second generation of dub reggae through his ‘Dub Me Crazy’ album series, which helped take Dub to a mainstream audience.

Alongside him is another true veteran of the urban music scene, General Levy – who is still one of the most in demand MCs in the country, and is famous for his exhilarating sets.

British Jungle and D’n’B duo, Micky Finn & Aphrodite, who are known for their long-standing anthems and have been a mainstay on the worldwide rave scene after living and breathing underground music for over 30 years, will also be making an appearance.

Dillinja, who is one of the more prolific producers in Jungle music with records on over 10 different labels – including his own – will also bring his innovative and ever-evolving style to Moovin-In. 

O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester will host of one of the year’s biggest parties / Credit: Supplied

As mentioned, some of the residents, locals, and upcoming acts who always play their part in Moovin Festival will remain to do so at the new club shows – with some of the names on the lineup set to bring a taste of their Mancunian D’n’B flavours to the stage including Mikey D.O.N, Mark XTC, Dawn Raid, Helen K, Jazzy Lioness, Indika, Woodstar, and Cameron Saccani.

Read more:

Tickets to Moovin-In at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester on Friday 5 May will be available online from 10am on Friday 20 January.

Grab yours here.

Featured Image – O2 Victoria Warehouse (Academy Music Group)

Gigs & Nightlife

Bob Vylan dropped from Manchester music festival following Glastonbury controversy

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester music festival drops Bob Vylan after Glastonbury chants

English punk rap duo Bob Vylan have been dropped from an upcoming music festival in Manchester following the recent controversy surrounding their set at Glastonbury 2025.

The media storm surrounding their much-talked-about and heavily televised Glasto appearance has seen them reportedly dropped by their agency and their US Visas cancelled, along with multiple concerts – one of those being right here in Greater Manchester.

Bob Vylan were scheduled to play RADAR Fest at Victoria Warehouse in Stretford this weekend, but now the organisers have informed gig-goers that the artists will not be performing in their planned slot on Saturday.

The alternative music event did provide any additional details, posting nothing but this image:

radar festival cancels bob vylan set
Credit: RADAR Festival

For anyone unaware, Vylan were heavily criticised for the pro-Palestine chants, which Glastonbury itself has deemed as having “crossed a line”, labelling the chants against the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) as antisemitic.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has also commented on the situation.

In addition to RADAR, Vylan were also due to appear at Kave Fest in France the following Sunday, 6 July, but the music event has also decided not to host them.

The BBC also opted not to broadcast Northern Irish band Kneecap as part of their coverage this year, as the Belfast rap trio have also been outspoken on the issue, among many other musicians of late.

Responding to the decision on social media not long after the news broke, the act simply shared the post on their Instagram story along with the caption: “Silence is not an option. We will be fine, the people of Palestine are hurting. Manchester, we will be back.”

The pair have said that they are being “targeted for speaking up.”

At present, an official police investigation has been launched into both Bob Vylan and Kneecap’s performances, with footage from both shows to be reviewed in order to decide whether their respective comments amounted to a criminal offence.

A statement added: “This has been recorded as a public order incident at this time while our enquiries are at an early stage.”

You can see the rest of the remaining RADAR Festival 2025 lineup down below.

RADAR Festival returns to Manchester with huge lineup this summer and you can still get tickets
It gets underway on Friday, 4 July.

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — NMK Photography (via Flickr)

Gigs & Nightlife

Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Live music crowd

Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.

If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.

From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.

The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.

This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.

Manchester skyline
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)

Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.

So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.

Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10. 

Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.

2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied

“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.

“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”

While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.

Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.

Read more:

“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.

“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”

Featured Image – Alex Bracken (via Unsplash)

More Gigs & Nightlife

Art & Culture

Free Britpop karaoke event comes to Printworks this week ahead of Oasis reunion

Audio

Aitch is playing a huge hometown set at The Warehouse Project

Audio

Lewis Capaldi announces MASSIVE comeback gig in Manchester this year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches