Sometimes, life loves to throw a great big curveball at you. 2020 was that curveball.
But even after the most shambolic year in recent history, it hasn’t silenced our city’s music.
Now more than ever it’s important to take care of ourselves and each other. Musicians are finding their own ways of addressing mental health issues within the strained music industry.
When DJ and producer Liam Hyphen learnt that a close friend had taken his own life during lockdown last year, he wanted to pay tribute in the only way he knew how – through music. “This is for him, and everyone else we’ve lost,” Liam told Audio.
Dormancy is a project born out of grief, pain and loss – and the end result is a product of Liam’s resilience and determination.
ADVERTISEMENT
But his inspiration for the project was not only the loss of his friend, but actually the loss of his own path over the past year.
Knowing he needed to make some changes, he invested in some new music and photography equipment to embark on a new venture. He hoped it would inspire and enable him to express himself – and it did.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It came from a place of anger initially. I was getting sick and tired of feeling like I didn’t deserve a place within the music community in Manchester,” he told us.
“Everyone seems to have a team or group of people around them, but I mainly do it all on my own. Whenever I play a gig, nine times out of 10 I’m rocking up on my own. I’m in the studio on my own. I enjoy it, but it makes things that extra bit difficult.
“So, I decided right, I’m gonna finish this [project] and prove to myself that I can do it. Then came the idea of not just doing it for myself, but for everyone else that is struggling in Manchester. All the bartenders, the photographers, the DJs, the chefs, the waiting staff – everyone who makes it tick.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Unaware of the scale of task ahead, Liam went on to produce the track. But along with it, a fitting video that pays tribute to Manchester’s hospitality and music heritage, which he says took a painstakingly long time to get right. Ever the perfectionist, it seems!
“There were lots of trips around Manchester during daily exercise collecting clips of as many places as possible – and then loads more when I remembered somewhere I’d missed. Which happened a lot.
“Then came the editing – oh my god. I didn’t have a clue where to start. Originally, I just stuck them all together. Then figured out that I could place them to fit with the music and just kept learning and finding other ways to make it look like it wasn’t done by someone on their phone.
“I’m really happy with how it’s turned out because of how much effort and love has gone into it. But I know in the production world it’s actually very basic. Big respect to videographers and filmmakers.
The track itself takes inspiration from Manchester’s acid house era, fused with breaks and hard-hitting drums. Liam wanted to create something versatile – something for the clubs as well as easy-listening. He’s done just that by producing something with such an atmospheric vibe.
ADVERTISEMENT
Liam knows everyone will interpret the track differently, but that’s the beauty of music. “I imagine it’ll mean something different to everyone. Manchester is a city full of great culture and connects people from all different backgrounds,” he said.
“The hospitality and nightlife industry bring those people together and it is incredibly important. For me, it reminds me of all those people. It doesn’t matter who you are. That’s what makes Manchester so great – no judgement.”
Liam hopes Dormancy will raise a bit of money in the process. A percentage of the sales will be going to So Let’s Talk, a mental health charity who are supporting people within Manchester’s nightlife and hospitality industry.
“Paddy, who runs it, is doing amazing things and I wish there was more I could do. If anyone reading this is struggling, please reach out to them, or someone, or anyone. You’re not alone.”
This isn’t the first time Liam has had a crack at lifting Manchester’s spirits. A few months back, he drove around the streets of city centre on an open top bus, together with some other top-name DJs and blasted tunes.
ADVERTISEMENT
Now that Dormancy is ready for release, Liam looks back on the “emotional journey” and admits he’s bloody knackered after it all.
But he does reckon that Dormancy is the first record he’s actually finished. It just shows that good things come with determination and passion – and they’re always worth the work. There’s nothing like that sense of achievement, is there?
It’s a wholesome story and Liam should be proud of himself. By the sounds of it, he needs a nap now, though.
Dormancy is out on 6 February, check it out! You can also listen to his Manc Mixtapes episode here.
Audio
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | March 2024
Danny Jones
How do, Manchester – it’s that time again, time to look back over another great month of new music and pick out some of the best local artists we’ve been listening to over the past four weeks.
Be them veterans of the Manc music scene by now, or more up-and-coming bands and solo artists that are just getting excited, there’s space for all on this monthly list.
We’re all here for the same reason after all: we just love finding new tunes and acts that we’ve not come across before and with so much out there these days, it can be tough to sift through everything.
That’s where we come in, so without further ado, here are the five Manchester music artists that we’ve been listening to throughout the month of March.
1. The Covasettes
First up on the list is a Fallowfield-formed quartet with roots in Hyde and various other parts of Manchester that many of you may have seen on festival lineups over the past few years. They also happen to have just announced their biggest tour yet in support of more new music on the way.
If you’ve been lucky enough to see them live before like us, then you’ll know these lads have a dedicated following already that just keeps growing and deservedly so. With an irresistibly defiant and uplifting indie sound, there’s something very late 90s/2000s British alt-rock about them and we love it.
Having been releasing stuff since 2018, you can’t start anywhere else other than their biggest tune ‘Be Mine’ but we’d highly recommend ‘Duvet Thief’ (great album artwork too) as your second play and their latest single ‘One Tear a Time’ has already become a proper earworm of ours.
2. James Holt
Moving out to the borough of Bolton, local singer-songwriter James Holt has something very old school about his sound that we can never quite place – sometimes it’s almost a bit Cat Stevens, other times it’s Jimmy Webb, Elvis Costello and even Beatles or Lennon at the very least. All we know is we like it.
There’s just lots of twinkly 1960s and ’70s throwback about it and he’s had some serious praise from legends like Brian Eno and as you sweep through his expansive style, it’s easy to see why. A vintage look and sound paired with a bloody great hairdo and what do you get? One of the coolest artists in Greater Manchester.
It’s hard to recommend one particular place to begin but we’ll do our best; start with ‘Pendulum’, then his biggest tune ‘Mystery Girl’ and then we have a soft spot for ‘Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?’ because the little melody in it sounds a bit like ‘Keep on Movin” by Five — we can’t unhear it and now neither will you.
3. Dr Dr
A bit of a whiplash turn now with Manchester post-punk outfit Dr Dr, who recently played a superb set at Disorder that we’ve not stopped thinking about for a while.
Led by charismatic and supremely energetic frontman Fred Farrell, they give off a little bit of The Blues Stones, Royal Blood and plenty of other contemporary British rock; it’s fast-paced, great to bounce to and there’s some great electronics and distortion at work that really helps hit their style home.
Still early in their career and with only five tracks out so far, we’re just going to go ahead and tell you to give them all a listen but we will say that their latest single ‘Uppercut’ has had love from XS Manchester, BBC Introducing, Radio One and more – let’s just say can firmly put us on that list if admirers too.
No-nonsense Manc indie at its finest. If you like fast rhythmic guitars, a great live BPM, reliable vocals and that instantly familiar feeling that only Northern bands like this can deliver, then M60 need to be in your rotation.
‘I Don’t Mind’ may be their biggest tune and it’s undeniably catchy no matter how many times we hear it, but our other two picks simply have to be ‘Honey’ and our day one favourite ‘Darling’. Honestly, that’s a sing your lungs out and jump up and down with your mates kind of tune.
They’re also currently spearheading a very funny campaign to keep getting their name out there and it involves Gary Neville. We sincerely want them to succeed and have every faith they will.
5. Everything Everything
And the last spot this week could be no other: Manc alternative legends Everything Everything, fresh off having sat with their latest record, Mountainhead, for a good month now and boy is it a belter.
These guys have set a pretty high bar when it comes to albums over the years and Raw Data Feel was one of our most-played albums of 2022, but this might genuinely have some of their best work to date. ‘The End of the Contender’, ‘Don’t Ask Me To Beg’, ‘Enter the Mirror’ – all absolute rammers.
Stockport locals were honoured with their presence at a very special gig at The Plaza earlier this month and we’re still kicking ourselves for missing the ticket window. If you haven’t listened to these extremely experimental and immensely creative musicians before, rectify that mistake pronto and thank us later.
And there we have it, another month and a handful of amazing local artists from around the region and the best part is, since we do music so well around these parts, you already know there’ll be plenty more to get stuck into next time.
Speaking of which, you can find the Greater Manchester acts we picked out for February down below and you best believe you’ll be seeing us back here same time again next month.
Manchester’s biggest free music festival is back this Easter bank holiday weekend
Danny Jones
Sunnier days are well and truly on their way and better still, that means Manchester’s biggest free music festival and one of the best event series on the annual calendar is returning: that’s right, it’s time for Manifest 2024.
Back and bigger than ever, Manifest over at The Oast House in Spinningfelds returns this Easter Sunday and we cannot wait to get soaking in the sun, tunes and good vibes.
The biggest and most popular free music festival you’ll find anywhere in Greater Manchester, Manifest has been going for a few years now and it’s become such a staple of the warmer months here in the city centre that we don’t consider spring/summertime as having even started until it rolls around again.
Set to deliver an all-day line-up of live music with various acts playing from Sunday, 31 March at 1pm onwards and well into the early hours of Monday, 1 April, we can’t think of many better ways to spend the bank holiday.
Taking place on The Oast House’s large outdoor terrace complete with its dedicated stage and the big beer garden providing both coverage and plenty of room for Mancs to turn it into one giant dancefloor, thousands turn up to this series of events every year now.
Kicking off this season’s festivities on Sunday, 31 March, the first Manifest event of 2024 has a packed roster of musicians lined up including bands, solo artists and duos, as well as interludes from their resident and ever-reliable DJs.
Guests can expect not only a vibrant party atmosphere all day and night but tastes of pretty much every genre, from rock, pop and soul to R&B, funk, disco and blues.
Again, part of the reason this music festival series has become so popular is that it’s completely free, with space inside the venue dished out on a first-come, first-served basis. There were plenty of queues at every single date last year, so we recommend getting there early. Seriously, it packs out quickly.
You’ll have everything you need to keep you sorted throughout the day when it comes to food and drink too, by the way.
The Oast House’s street food-style menu will also be on offer for those looking to line their stomachs during the festivities.
We’re talking katsu chicken fries, Northern poutine with bone marrow gravy and Shorrock’s Lancashire cheese, chicken or plant-based gyros, stacked burgers, hot wings and hanging kebabs. We’ve tried it all and trust us, some seriously good scran this.
Festivalgoers can also keep cool with plenty of cold pints and house-made cocktails, including twists on the classics such as Watermelon Margaritas, Passionfruit Coladas and Pink Gin Punch. Phwoar.
The best part is, even if you’re already busy this weekend (obviously, scrap your plans and come here), you’ll have plenty more opportunity to enjoy Manifest this year with the free music festival returning every bank holiday weekend throughout the spring and summer.
There’s also set to be an extra few Saturday Manifest dates this year which are still yet to be confirmed but we’ll keep you posted as and when we know more – see you there, Manchester!
And to keep track of the other latest music news going on here in Manchester, keep your eyes peeled over on The Manc Audio.