Manchester music agency Sounds of Manchester (SoM) has launched a raffle to raise money to continue supporting local artists – and there’s tonnes of Manchester music memorabilia and merch up for winning.
A jack-of-all-music-trades agency, Sounds of Manchester provides local artists with affordable studio space, production services, videographers, and lighting and sound hire.
You name it, this lot can sort it out.
But before the pandemic, Sounds of Manchester was hosting events and putting on gigs around the city. Last year, they turned their attention to livestreams, as a way of keeping videographers, lighting and sound engineers, and of course artists in work throughout the pandemic.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CKT334Qneap/
Matt Jones, Director of SoM, told Audio why he set up the company in the first place and why it’s important to get behind the local music scene during these times: “I hate seeing people struggle when their music is outstanding. It really isn’t fair. Sometimes you look at a singer on the radio and think ‘if it wasn’t for money, they wouldn’t be where they are right now’ and that’s not the way it should be.”
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“Musicians struggle these days to get their music out there, even if it’s better than some of the stuff we hear on the radio on a day-to-day basis. That’s why we wanted to help.”
Included is everything you’d need to professionally record three tracks and film the BTS action too. But they can also provide full promotional material, and social media and marketing assistance.
Image: Will Francis/Unsplash
Matt says the low price doesn’t compromise on quality, though. Instead, they work with freelancers and college students to keep the costs low but the standard high, whilst providing everyone with the experience.
But in order to maintain these cheap studio packages, there needs to be a pot of money available for the future. Mainly, this will allow for new equipment, upgrades, giveaways and ensure they can still pay freelancers a decent cut.
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So, the team have set up a raffle to help raise a bit of extra cash to go towards the maintenance of Sounds of Manchester.
“The raffle was an idea that came to me during lockdown,” said Matt.
“[After] seeing people on Facebook raffling wax melts, candles, chocolate hampers, I thought ‘there isn’t anything like this for music fans’. So, we set out to contact some larger bands, artists, photographers, painters, DJs and loads of other industry professionals to see if they’d be in a position to contribute.”
SoM raffle prize
There are more than 30 prizes up for grabs, which have been donated by contributors such as Callow Youth, Shed Seven, The Lottery Winners, Trust a Fox photography and artist Frank Rimmer.
Tickets are only £1 – and you can buy as many of them as you like to maximise your chances of winning.
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The prize pot includes signed band memorabilia, tour tickets, prints, exclusive tour posters, limited edition vinyl, CDs and loads more.
So, go on what ya waiting for? It’s only a quid – you’d find that down the back of the sofa.
Audio
Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
A candlelit Queen tribute concert is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
Yes, you read that right: a candlelit concert dedicated to the one and only Queen, with a spectacular West End Cast and a talented live rock band, is coming to Manchester city centre in January.
In fact, it’s coming home, as this wonderful event started right here in 0161 back in 2021.
Concerts by Candlelight themselves host concerts up and down the country at various points throughout the year, but their much-loved ‘Queen by Candlelight‘ special knows all about lighting up Manc venues.
Having since gone on to become an internationally acclaimed live concert experience, we’re glad we still get to see the ‘Princes of the Universe’ on our doorstep.
Credit: Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
With the likes of Bridgewater Hall and the magical Manchester Monastery all having played host to the promotion on many ocassions, this time Queen by Candlelight is coming to the legendary Manchester Opera House in the new year.
One of our most historic and legendary theatres, it’s only fitting, really, that they be chosen to welcome a night of equally iconic tunes.
But it’s worth reminding more casual fans that these aren’t just British rock and pop anthems; Queen‘s discography is one that still has global recognition to this day.
That’s why this specific show has been taken to virtually every corner of the world, with the incredibly talented cast of singers and musicians delighting audiences in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and New York, to domestic crowds here in town and down in London’s West End.
‘Queenies’ or ‘Darlings’, as Freddie Mercury used to call them, can expect all the big hits, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Are The Champions’, to ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ and ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and plenty more from the back catalogue.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store this coming January:
With tickets already flying out fast, we really would recommend securing your seats early before they inevitably sell out.
To quote the promoters themselves, “this spectacular celebration of Queen’s biggest hits is guaranteed to rock you.”
Coming to the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 6 January, you can book your tickets for Queen by Candlelight right HERE.
And if you’ve never been to one of their candlelit events before, you only need to see how much of a ball we had at their country event earlier this year to find out how much fun they are…
Hannah Starkie -
9th February 2021 
