The 20 longlisted festivals for the Favourite Festival of the Year award at the inaugural Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards (NMAs) have been announced.
Some of the biggest music events from across the north of England have been selected, with The Manc’s audience completing the list this week.
Among those up for the title are huge names like Kendal Calling, Leeds Festival, Parklife, Creamfields North and Bluedot, plus smaller locally-loved festivals such as Highest Point and Moovin Festival.
After 19 festivals were selected by the NMA’s panel of music industry professionals judges, it was over to you to pick the 20th.
And we can now reveal that you’ve clubbed together to nominate Right to Roam festival in Bolton to complete the Festival of the Year Award shortlist.
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You can cast your vote below to choose the overall winner of the award.
The Nordoff and Robbins Northern Music Awards will be the first of its kind to celebrate the northern music scene, and will take place on 30 November at Aviva Studios, the home of world-renowned Factory International.
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The performance-packed show, headlined by Special Recognition Award winner Melanie C, will kickstart a new chapter in celebrating diverse talent from the North of England, year after year. Tickets will be on sale soon – sign up for early bird access.
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.
The Northern Music Awards have been created by the UK’s largest music therapy charity Nordoff and Robbins, to raise awareness of their transformative work and fundraise for more music therapy provision throughout the region, including the opening of a new dedicated music therapy centre which will open next year, in Salford.
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Awards categories range from Newcomer of the Year to Artist of the Year, Band of the Year, DJ of the Year, Disruptor 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 Favourite 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.
“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.”
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Rising heavy metal band Spiritbox announce biggest-ever Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Rising rock band Spiritbox have just announced their first-ever Manchester arena gig, which will be their largest show to date in the city.
Listing a number of UK shows on their upcoming European leg, which is set to be the biggest headline tour of their career thus far, the British Columbians are on fire right now.
As one of the hottest heavy, progressive and metalcore outfits on the planet at the moment, Spiritbox were founded back in 2017 and have gone on to generate one of the fastest-growing global followings in the alternative scene.
Now nearly a decade into their career, they’re returning to Britain for some truly massive dates – including a fair few maiden visits to some huge venues.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Spiritbox Wednesday 16 September
They bring their biggest UK headline show yet to Co-op Live.https://t.co/LNtmWDYoYT@coopuk members get first in line for tickets. Co-op Member Presale: 10:00 Wednesday 25 February General Sale: 10:00 Friday 27 February pic.twitter.com/Hvos7mfqEa
Fronted by the incredibly versatile vocals of lead singer Courtney LaPlante, Spiritbox started out as a duo – after Courtney and guitarist Mike Stringer left their former band, ‘Iwrestledabearonce‘ – but have now doubled in terms of personnel.
Now flanked by bassist Josh Gilbert and drummer Zev Rose, the pair have turned the group into an absolute powerhouse, with a big fan base not only in North America but across mainland Europe as well.
The ferocious four-piece finally dropped their second studio LP, Tsunami Sea, last March, following the success of their hugely popular first album, Eternal Blue, back in September 2021.
It’s been a whirlwind journey since that breakout record, having since gone on to play some of the biggest festival stages around, including Reading and Leeds, Download and the Rock am Ring (Nürburgring) in Germany.
Being joined by Ukrainian contemporaries Jinjer and their US metalcore cousins Dying Wish throughout the run, it’s going to be an absolute rager.
Set to support their most recent release, there’ll be a lot of their sophomore outing in the setlist, but you can guarantee all of their biggest hits on the night, too.
Coming to Co-op Live for an inaugural performance on 16 September, Co-op members get early access as usual, but Spiritbox fans can also sign up to presale via their dedicated mailing list.
As for general admission tickets, as you can see above, they will be made available from 10am this Friday, 27 February.
Oh, and speaking of Canadian artists, they’re not the only big rock band making their Co-op Live debut -only this lot have been around for more than five decades…
‘Hefty’ Foo Fighters ticket prices for surprise Manchester gig divide opinion
Danny Jones
Foo Fighters fans, gig-goers and all-round music lovers in general have been left up in arms after the legendary American rock band announced some surprise shows in the UK and Ireland – including here in Manchester – as ticket prices have labelled ‘shameful’ by some.
In case you missed the news that sent us here in Manchester and all over the nation into bedlam, Foo Fighters recently revealed they would be playing just a handful of shows up and down the country, all at smaller venues than their usual arena tour dates.
Sharing the news fairly last-minute over the weekend, with tickets going on sale this past Sunday and (shock) selling out almost immediately, many have taken issue with the band’s and/or promoters’ approach to the event.
While lots have revelled in the excitement of a show scheduled for this week being dropped on our laps in the eleventh hour, lots of others feel the price point for the tickets is ‘ridiculous’.
Although they’re not quite on the level of the controversial Oasis/Harry Styles sagas, at £99 including all fees, they’re still up there with the most expensive gig tickets venues like these will ever charge.
Most poignantly, the tickets were sold strictly in person via the box office, with fans queuing up outside a trio of venues.
Taking place at the O2 Ritz, which has a capacity of roughly 1,500, the Foo Fighters’ Manchester date is not only one of the most in-demand gigs, but also promises to be one of their sweatiest – and, apparently, most divisive.
For some, this is a very cool bit of marketing and at least an attempt to curb online ticket touts, plus helping support live music spaces directly; on the other hand, the significant fee remains a sticking point they refuse to move past.
Responding in the comments underneath the post by the Ritz, one person wrote: “That ticket price is f****** disgusting. It’s not costing them f*** all to play there, if Harry Styles can play the Co-op Live for £20 then they should”; another simply added, “99 quid is wild, do better.”
Safe to say it has split opinions across the board.
i really want to know who is paying £100 to see foo fighters at o2 academy ritz and what they do for work to justify that
Big fan of the foo fighters but having only in person tickets and then still charging £100 is a joke. Then to move other bands earlier to slot them in isn’t fair
As you can see, it’s also affected other acts set to play these same rooms this month, too.
Others have also doubted whether the ‘face value exchange’ tactic really works all that much, as a few people on social media reported having already found a number of tickets being listed on resale on certain platforms.
What do you make of artists charging these kinds of prices for exclusive one-off shows like this, or the cost of gig tickets in general these days?
Better yet, did any of you succeed in grabbing tickets to see Foo Fighters at the Ritz here in Manchester this Friday, 27 February?
Daisy Jackson -
15th August 2023 
