Fresh off the back of his double award win at the Drum and Bass Awards 2021, Manchester-based DJ and producer, Bou, is killing the scene right now.
Last weekend, he picked up the award for Best Producer for the second year in a row, as well as Best Track for his collab with fellow Manc drum and bass legend Trigga with “Veteran VIP”.
He managed to take a break from his New Zealand tour this week to squeeze us in for a quick chat about what he’s up to at the minute.
Not only has he been busy swiping up industry awards, Bou has had his head down with the launch his own record label, Gossip – and its first release is out today.
“I’ve been visualising Gossip for over two years,” he told Audio. “Getting the right team together to make the dream come to life – having Dale, Hedex, David & Wilf around me – has helped me so much in making this happen and I can’t wait for the future of it.”
“I have tons of unreleased bangers that I’ve kept for this label. From huge collabs with legends like High Contrast to dubs from myself that people have been after for the last three years – and also talks of my first album on there. I have so much to release and create, and it’s finally time.
“My first release on the label is “Cous Cous”, with the talented Inja. I’ve been sat on this tune for around a year and a half, so I can’t wait to get it out. Plus, we had a wicked livestream and music video to premiere, so keep an eye on that.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/COfTCGgh7g7/
Looking back on Bou’s career so far, it’s been packed with highs and he’s still only 24-years-old.
He first got a taster of drum and bass when he went to a rave in some woods in Rivington with his mates when he was 15 – and he instantly became hooked on the genre.
So, he set about learning to DJ and produce and cites Shy FX as one of his early inspirations. But it was the legendary station Bloc2Bloc that helped him find his spot on the Manchester scene.
The guy behind it, Jack Banner, helped put Manchester’s bass music on the map and was streaming online long before the pandemic-induced livestreams came along.
Any up-and-coming drum and bass or jungle artist in Manchester is likely to have passed through the Bloc2Bloc HQ at some point, Bou being one of them.
“I met so many people [at Bloc2Bloc] who are into drum and bass,” said Bou. “Having a community of people that relate to what you want to do is massively important, in my opinion. Jack has helped myself and many artists grow so much. Huge respects to him.”
Now, Bou is on track to becoming one of the most exciting producers on the scene at the minute. His recent awards speak for themselves. But his secret to success is taking your time with productions and releases, as you’re always learning and improving.
“I feel like my sound is always developing and maturing the longer I make music. And my taste is always changing,” he said. “One of the main things I love in drum and bass is there is so many ways to express yourself when making it, it’s something you don’t find in a lot of other genres.”
He’s got a load of tours and festivals all around the world planned for the post-Covid comeback.
Currently touring New Zealand, he’s played alongside some familiar Mancunian drum and bass faces like Tonn Piper this week, headlining in front of a 4000-strong crowd in Christchurch. Something he says is still so surreal.
But despite global success, Bou still manages to stay humble. And it’s only a matter of time before he becomes one of the biggest names in the genre – if he isn’t already.
If you’re into drum and bass, keep your eyes on Gossip because there’ll be a lot going down on the label very soon.
Listen to “Cous Cous” on our New Manc Audio playlist now here.
Stay up to date with music and events around Manchester with The Manc Audio.
Featured image: @rhysbelding/IG
Music
Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more
Thomas Melia
The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.
The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.
But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.
Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.
Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.
The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.
Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.
Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group
Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.
One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.
The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.
“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.
“The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.
“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead. The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
American rock band Alter Bridge announce massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
American rockers Alter Bridge have announced a brand new album and a massive European tour along with it, including a pretty big gig here in Manchester.
Staring down the barrel of their eighth studio release, the Orlando-based heavy rock, progressive and alternative metal four-piece are bringing their brand of triumphant, in-your-face, Floridian guitar thrashing and powerful drumming to the city centre in the new year.
Veritable veterans of the industry at this point, Alter Bridge are set to drop their upcoming record – a self-titled project which will debut almost a whole 22 years on from the launch of their first, One Day Remains – at the start of 2026, and will be heading out on the road soon after.
Confirming a total of 31 dates across the continent, they’ll be getting the shows underway in mid-January before landing in the UK just over a month later.
NEW SHOW: @alterbridge ANNOUNCES THEIR HEADLINE TOUR 'WHAT LIES WITHIN'' 🔥🎸 Plus, Daughtry and Sevendust!
Fronted by lead singer and equally talented guitarist, Myles Kennedy (who also performs with fellow genre legend, Slash, as part of The Conspirators), Alter Bridge have regularly notched number one in the rock charts, and have landed as high as number three in the UK’s pop-dominated Official Album Charts.
In 2017, they cleaned up at the 6th annual Loudwire Music Awards, winning ‘Best Rock Band’, ‘Best Rock Album’ and ‘Best Rock Song’ all in one night.
Boasting more than a billion streams to their name to date, they have gradually become one of the biggest and most commercially successful rock bands in the US over the course of more than two decades now.
Other tour dates on this side of the pond include Northern neighbours Newcastle, as well as the likes of Nottingham, Glasgow, London and Dublin over in Ireland.
Alter Bridge will be joined in Manchester by fellow long-standing rock outfit, Daughtry (‘What About Now’, ‘Home’, ‘Over You’), as well as Atlanta legends, Sevendust.
With such a well-respected discography, not to mention a deep and rich back catalogue, you can expect them to play a healthy selection of the hits as well as their newest tracks, which will be available on Friday, 9 January.
Speaking ahead of their latest LP, Kennedy said in a statement: “You can’t ever rest on your past success. We’ve never allowed ourselves to get too comfortable. The only way to stay at a certain level is to be very dedicated to what you’re doing. We’ve crossed the 20-year mark.
“We’ve proven we can do this for the duration. We worked hard to get to a place where we can plant our flag. We’re still around as the four original members, so it felt appropriate to call the album Alter Bridge.”
Co-founding member and former Creed lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti, went on to add, “I think this record earns that title. The material felt strong enough, so we’re letting the music speak for itself.”
Alter Bridge arrive at the AO Arena in Manchester on 26 February 2026, with Three+ presale available from 10am tomorrow (Wed, 16 July), venue early access going live at the same time on Thursday, and general admission tickets up for grabs from Friday – again, 10am.
Hannah Starkie -
7th May 2021 
