The longlisted nominations for the Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards’ Festival of the Year have been announced – and it’s up to The Manc’s audience to complete the list.
A panel of esteemed judges have picked out 19 festivals that stood out from the crowd, whether it’s for their line-ups, their charitable missions, their commitment to the environment or their value for money.
But the 20th slot remains open, and the Northern Music Awards is asking The Manc audience to nominate their favourite festival ahead of the awards themselves in November.
The form to submit your favourite festival for consideration is at the bottom of this article.
The Manc has been announced as the sponsor for the Festival of the Year category, and we’re delighted to help champion this brilliant format of live music.
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There’s nothing like the joy of a festival, whether it’s a small family-friendly affair or a star-studded line-up with parties running into the early hours.
Festivals already selected – and the 20th nominee still to be chosen – all demonstrate incredible creative direction, atmosphere, reputation and brand.
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Those already on the list include festivals around Greater Manchester like Highest Point, Bluedot, and Parklife, huge events near Leeds including Leeds Festival and Long Division Wakefield, and Sheffield favourites like Tramlines and Get Together.
Parklife festival. Credit: The Manc Group
The Northern Music Awards themselves will be the first of its kind to celebrate the northern music scene, and will take place at Aviva Studios (formerly known as Factory International) on Thursday 30 November.
After the inaugural event, the awards will be hosted in a different northern city every year and will continue to recognise the breadth of musical talent across the north of England.
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The Northern Music Awards have been created by music charity Nordoff and Robbins, with money raised from tickets going back to help fund the opening of a new dedicated music therapy centre, based in Salford.
Awards categories range from Newcomer of the Year to Artist of the Year, Band of the Year, DJ of the Year, Maverick in Music, and the Northern Music Award.
A special Music and Culture for Wellbeing award will showcase outstanding and innovative creative arts provision in the North, that uses music and culture to support and connect with people that face health, wellbeing and socio-economic challenges.
We here at The Manc will be proud sponsors of the Festival of the Year category.
Kristen MacGregor-Houlston, head of brand partnerships at The Manc, said: “We at The Manc are incredibly excited and proud to be sponsoring the favourite festival award at the Northern Music Awards.
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“It is a fantastic opportunity to really champion the awesome festivals we have across the North of England. We have always been proud supporters of Northern music talent and events and we are thrilled that Nordoff and Robbins are bringing these awards to Manchester in November.”
The festivals already nominated for Festival of the Year at the Northern Music Awards
Beatherder Lancashire
Bluedot Cheshire
Confessional Blackburn
Creamfields North
Deer Shed Yorkshire
Get Together Sheffield
Highest Point Lancaster
Kendal Calling Cumbria
Leeds Festival
Lindisfarne Festival Northumberland
Long Division Wakefield
Lytham Festival
Manchester Pride
Moovin Stockport
Neighborhood Warrington
Parklife Manchester
Sounds from the Other City Salford
Sound City Liverpool
TramLines Sheffield
Cast your vote here:
Featured image: Lucas Sinclair
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Donald Glover announces surprise world tour along with new Childish Gambino album out of the blue
Danny Jones
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, has just announced a brand-new world tour along with releasing his latest album, all in the space of just a few hours.
With virtually no warning whatsoever, the multi-talented musician, actor, writer, filmmaker producer and comedian decided to drop the completed version of 3.15.20, the experimental record he quietly dropped four years ago, along with a brand new music video and a series of global tour dates.
Titling the ‘finished’ fourth studio LP, Atavista, and releasing a music video for ‘Little Foot Big Foot’ – which features what we’re sure will go down as an equally iconic dance routine akin to that seen in ‘This Is America’ – it seems like he’s been quietly plugging away at new music in the background.
Just hours later, Manchester’s AO Arena confirmed that they would be hosting Childish Gambino’s Manc gig this fall, with the tour itself kicking off in the US this August.
After dropping the surprise release of Atavista and music video for Little Foot Big Foot, Childish Gambino is making a return to the global stage with The New World Tour. Join us in Manchester on Tuesday 26th November. 🌍💫 Tickets go on sale on Friday 17th May at 10am. pic.twitter.com/2nMRdX7d3s
Childish Gambino is back and he’s coming to Manchester later this year.
But the surprises don’t stop there either.
As detailed in a statement on social media, in which he informed his fans that “there’s a special vinyl coming soon [with] visuals for each song” from Atavista, he also revealed that an “all new Childish Gambino album comes out in the summer.”
There’s so much information to take in right now we can barely catch our breath.
Joining him as the main support act for the newly announced world tour is Amaarae, a Ghanaian-American singer-songwriter and fellow R’nB star. Here’s what she sounds like if you’ve never come across her before:
With his gig at the AO Arena scheduled for Tuesday, 26 November, this isn’t just the first time he’s been in Manchester for a good long while but it’s also the first Childish Gambino tour since 2018/19.
Alongside his various TV and movie projects like Atlanta, the Amazon reboot of Mr. & Mrs. Smith franchise, as well as the upcoming standalone Star Wars film, Lando (just to name a few), it’s clear that Glover is still as busy as ever.
General admission for the Childish Gambino and ‘The New World Tour’ goes live at 10am on Friday, 17 May and if you think these things are going to stick around for long, think again.
You can be ready and waiting to grab your tickets HERE.
‘Manny’s Loudest’ brunch event returns this month with live performances and DJ sets
Daisy Jackson
A brunch event that showcases Manchester’s vast musical talent is returning to the city this month for its second instalment.
Manny’s Loudest, created by Loud__Mcr who provide a platform for untapped talent, will again be helping artists to kick-start their careers over the bank holiday weekend.
Alongside live performances and DJ sets, there’ll be food served up by NamFuzion, which blends Vietnamese and Jamaican grill.
The first Manny’s Loudest event in February pulled in 500 people, and organisers are hoping to push this even further for part two on 26 May.
It will all be taking place at the Manchester Recording Studios in Hulme, which has a capacity of 600.
Mervin and his team will be creating an immersive audience experience around the DJ decks, which Mervin describes as ‘a niche that can be scaled into the modern day talent show but with a party twist to it’.
Manny’s Loudest – a brunch event showcasing new talent – returns to Manchester
And every penny made from Loud__Mcr’s brunch event is put back into the process, acquiring mainstream headliners to perform and become part of their community.
It means that up-and-coming and undiscovered talent can perform on the same stage as experienced artists, providing an unparalleled platform and a chance to learn from those who have been in the industry for longer.
Loud__Mcr are proud to be providing artists with a chance to show their creative work, but also offering a supportive community.
Event organisers are also looking for any possible sponsor opportunities to help promote the event.
Manny’s Loudest will take place at Manchester Recording Studios in Hulme (3 Archway, Birley Fields, M15 5QJ) on 26 May. You can get your tickets here, and follow @Loud__mcr on Instagram for updates.
Daisy Jackson -
25th July 2023 
