Manchester Pride is set to return this August Bank Holiday weekend.
The hugely-popular LGBTQ+ festival – which historically takes over the city for a whole weekend every year – had its 2020 edition cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, but following the government announcement that most regulations could be lifted by 21st June, at the earliest, the festival’s organisers are doing “everything they can” to ensure the event returns this summer.
Despite tickets for this year’s event already selling like hotcakes, the lineup of musical artists is yet to be announced.
We all have a list of acts that we’d ideally love to see make an appearance over the weekend’s celebrations, but now someone’s made a website that creates your ultimate Manchester Pride lineup based on your most-played Spotify artists.
And it’s absolutely brilliant.
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Similar to the now-viral Festify website – which helps you create your own festival based on your listening habits – Twitter user @0hj0e has created a website that uses your Spotify data and recent steaming statistics to make your dream lineup.
So while we wait for freedom, let’s just imagine a world where every single artist we loved played at Manchester Pride 2021.
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It’s the stuff dreams are made of, right?
Here’s how to create your own Manchester Pride 2021 lineup using Spotify
The website will then ask you to log into your Spotify account, and then press “GO”.
Select the time period you’d like your specialist Manchester Pride lineup to be selected from.
You can choose between one month, 12 months, or all time.
People who’ve tried the website out for size have been taking to social media over the past week to share their ultimate weekend of acts, with everyone from Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Rihanna, to Bat For Lashes, Paramore and even Steps lined up to play.
You can give it a try via the the manchesterpride.herokuapp.com website here.
Music
Oasis announce surprise exclusive song on new War Child album HELP(2) releasing this week
Emily Sergeant
Surprise… we’re getting a new Oasis song on Friday.
Well, not actually ‘new’ – but we had to get your attention somehow, and hopefully we succeeded. That’s because, if you didn’t already know, this Friday (6 March) is release day for the new HELP(2)album in aid of War Child, and even before this announcement, it was already gearing up to be one of the most anticipated projects of the year.
But now, it’s got even better, as War Child Records has today announced that Oasis will feature on the album with a very-special inclusion – a stand-alone 7” single.
Fans of the iconic Manchester band will be able to listen to the track enclosed within the gatefold of the vinyl edition and as a hidden track on the double CD version, as well as it also being available to stream from this Friday too.
The band have generously contributed an exclusive live version of the fan favourite song, ‘Acquiesce (Live from Wembley Stadium, 28 September ‘25)’, to the album.
This marks the first physical release of a live recording from Oasis’ record-breaking 2025 world tour, with the recording taken from the final night of their seven-show run at Wembley Stadium.
In case you don’t remember, Oasis actually previously featured on the original HELP album all the way back in 1995, opening the record with ‘Fade Away’, and Noel Gallagher also contributed as one third of The Smokin’ Mojo Filters, alongside Paul McCartney and Paul Weller, so this is actually the band’s return nearly three decades on.
Oasis’ return proves their enduring support for War Child’s mission to ‘protect, educate, and stand up for’ the rights of children affected by conflict.
HELP(2) is being released on Friday 6 March / Credit: Supplied
‘Acquiesce – Live’ follows other recent releases taken from the HELP(2) record, including ‘Begging For Change’ by Pulp, ‘Opening Night’ by Arctic Monkeys, ‘Flags’ by Damon Albarn, Grian Chatten & Kae Tempest, and ‘Let’s Do It Again!’ by The Last Dinner Party.
Other big-name artist set to feature on the album are Fontaines D.C, Olivia Rodrigo, Depeche Mode, Foals, Wet Leg, Ezra Collective, and countless more.
HELP(2) will be released on Friday 6 March via War Child Records, and you can pre-order the album here or stream it on all streaming services.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Supplied)
Music
BRITs 2026 – A (completely subjective) ranking of all the performances from worst to best
Emily Sergeant
The BRIT Awards brought all the action to Manchester last night, including some absolutely stellar performances by huge names.
But who gave the best performance of the night? And who sadly missed the mark?
That’s right – The BRITs landed in Manchester for the first time in its 46-year history, electrifying Co-op Live as part of a two-year deal described as a ‘bold new chapter’ for the legendary event, and there was some incredible live acts performing to celebrate.
Now, before we get into it, this piece right here very much defines what Op-Ed is. This is an article written up based on personal opinion, and should only be viewed in that way. You see, we usually like to remain as impartial as we can on The Manc, and always aim to present things from all perspectives where possible. Often, you’ll even see us referring to ourselves using collective pronouns (as we just did there… and right then too), but right now, it’s time for some first-person pronoun usage – hi, my name’s Emily, and this is my ranking.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t one of the lucky The Manc Group team members who got to attend the BRITs in person at Co-op Live last night, so I just sat at home watching from the comfort of my sofa while live-reporting on all the winners instead.
That did mean, however, that I got a front-row seat to all of the night’s performances, so I’m arguably *qualified* to rank them all from worst to best… right?
Okay, so here it goes then.
___
Honourable Mention
I only feel it’s fair to put this performance into its own category and not include it as part of the full ranking, given the fact that it paid tribute to indisputable rock icon Ozzy Osbourne following his passing last year, and came after he was award the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Rock on, Ozzy.
9. Sombr
Look, I’m sorry to Sombr. I actually am. I don’t even really dislike his music that much, ’12 to 12′ is an undeniable banger (a banger he didn’t perform though, I might add) and for all I know he could be a really genuinely nice lad in real life – but when he gets up on that stage, I just… it’s not for me okay.
Also the fake ‘stage invasion’ wasn’t needed. I know his new song’s called ‘Homewrecker’ but he didn’t perform that one either, so it just didn’t make sense to have it in there.
8. Alex Warren
I have to confess, straight off the bat – this was not as bad as I was expecting it to be.
I mean, I can’t say I’ve ever willingly listened to Alex Warren’s chart-topping song ‘Ordinary’ all the way through before, so I don’t know what exactly I was expecting from it, to be honest, I just wasn’t expecting it to be good… and it wasn’t, but it also wasn’t that bad either, so I respect that.
HUGE shoutout to James Blunt, though – like what the hell? Sure.
7. HUNTR/X (KPop Demon Hunters)
Right, why were they in the car park?
I mean I know ‘why’, it’s for the kids. But imagine being an East Manchester resident just trying to enjoy a quiet Saturday night in, and then all you can hear are three singers reaching excessively high notes outside your house, even when all your doors and windows are closed. Should’ve just let them inside. Song’s a banger though, it genuinely is.
Also, if we’re still doing confessions, I genuinely thought HUNTR/X were an AI band until only a couple of months ago and was truly humbled to find out they weren’t after exclaiming it with my whole chest. Anyway, the more you know. I blame the fact it’s an animated film for fooling me.
6. Raye
I’m expecting to get a bit of backlash on this from all the Raye fans in our office, but this one just didn’t grab me to be honest. It didn’t really distinguish itself from any other Raye performances, and I think I just wanted a bit more?
Cannot fault her talent though. I really can’t.
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5. Wolf Alice
Surprisingly, given the type of music and artists everyone who knows me knows I’m a fan of, I’ve never really taken to Wolf Alice a great deal, and I’m not entirely sure as to why either, which feels a little unfair to them. This performance, however, was impressive.
My personal favourite part was when everyone climbed out of the sofa, and also when Ellie was looking dead down the barrel of the camera lens singing on that suspended bridge thing.
I might have to bury whatever non-existent hatchet I seem to have with them, and get to know.
4. Olivia Dean
Olivia Dean was the big winner of the night, hands down (I mean, she won four BRITs so it’s less ‘hands down’, more just facts) and you will never, repeat NEVER, see me tearing her down for that. But I just don’t think her performance of her huge viral hit ‘Man I Need’ here secures her a spot in the top three performances of the night.
This does not mean I didn’t enjoy it though. Oh no, I thoroughly enjoyed every single second of it, and it looks like she did too – and honestly, that’s the main thing. Nothing else matters.
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3. Mark Ronson
Dua Lipa surprise appearance coming down from the ceiling on a disco ball. That’s it, that’s the review.
Okay, to add to it a bit more, I suppose – this was overall a really lovely performance to honour Mark Ronson’s impressive Outstanding Contribution to Music award that he accepted earlier, and was a great retrospective on his illustrious career. The Amy Winehouse tribute was a tear-jerker.
Also, rogue Ghostface Killah appearance in the year 2026. Okay then (Wu-Tang are performing at Co-op Live later this month on their UK tour, so not that ‘rogue’, but we weren’t expecting him here, were we?).
2. Harry Styles
It pains me, physically pains me, that I’ve just had to write out ‘2. Harry Styles’, but unfortunately, he’s just missed out on the top spot.
Less than a week before he takes to the Co-op Live stage in Manchester for one night only next Friday to celebrate the release of his fourth studio album, Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally, our lovely Harry performed lead single ‘Aperture’ to open last night’s BRIT Awards, and it was just joyful to witness from start to finish.
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That white boy’s got a good bit of motion, you can’t take that away from him.
It’s slightly more of a niche thing to praise, but as someone who’s grown up dancing my whole life, the choreography here really is my s**t, and really elevated – if not made – the whole performance.
1. Rosalía
I’ve only just picked my jaw up off the floor.
This was, by far, my most highly-anticipated performance of the night by a country mile, and f**k me did it deliver. It has to be said, while we’re here, that Rosalía’s Lux ended up being my pick for album of the year in 2025 according to our Audio North year-end list, so there may be a little bit of bias in my review, but this was genuinely everything I was hoping it would be and more.
This was Rosalía’s first – and so far, only – performance of ‘Berghain’ live on television since the album was released to universal acclaim this past November, so even if it wasn’t particularly up your street, you still got to witness a hugely important moment.
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The transition to the additional ‘rave’ element once the song had finished really turned it into the sort of thing that could be played in the infamous Berlin club it’s named after. Excellent touch.
Also BJÖRKKKKKKK. Ahhhhhhhh. If you wanted the most genuine re-creation of my reaction when she appeared last night, this was it. “AHHHHHHHH”.
Emily Sergeant -
16th April 2021 
