A huge festival dedicated to the Madchester era is coming to Mayfield Depot this Easter, bringing some of the period’s biggest artists to the stage for a huge one-off show.
Pulling together some of the biggest hitters from the era, the show will see members from iconic 80 and 90s dance groups Faithless, 808 State, The Prodigy and The Happy Mondays all take to the stage inside the huge warehouse in what promises to be a one-of-a-kind event
With a headline Dj set from Faithless and a live performance from Manchester’s own acid house legends 808 State, responsible for creating arguably the closest thing the genre has ever got to a symphony with their standout hit ‘Pacific State’, the show is sure to be a huge nostalgia trip for those who were there the first time around.
Also on the bill are Chicago house and deep house legend Marshall Jefferson, original Hacienda resident and all-around Manchester legend DJ Paulette, electronic dance duo K-Klass, Bez and Rowetta from The Happy Mondays, and former keyboardist for The Prodigy, Leeroy Thornhill.
Another former Hacienda resident, Jon DaSilva, is also down to play some solid selections at the festival, as is co-founder of Gio Goi clothing Chris Donnelly – a key player in shaping the sportswear casual fashions of Manchester’s early rave scene, as well as organising some of the city’s biggest parties, like the infamous ‘Joy’ rave in Rochdale.
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Chris and his brother, Anthony, are also credited with coining the phrase 24-hour party people – a saying now synonymous with the Madchester era.
First brought to life in the late 80,s the Madchester sound was born out of the indie scene, at the time dominated by the likes of The Smiths, The Fall, and New Order.
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Bands like New Order and The Happy Mondays fused guitar music with psychedlic, funk and house music to create something entirely new – first called ‘Baggy’ thanks to the associated fashions, but later termed ‘Madchester’ by Factory Records boss Tony Wilson.
Full lineup for the Madchester festival:
Faithless [DJ Set]
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808 State [Live]
Marshall Jefferson
K-Klass [DJ / PA]
Bez & Rowetta [Happy Mondays]
Leeroy Thornhill [The Prodigy]
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Jon DaSilva
DJ Paulette
Chris Donnelly
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Manchester Remembers Foundation announces its return for a special anniversary charity match
Danny Jones
The Manchester Remembers Foundation has announced the return of its charity football game in 2027, which will coincide with a special anniversary close to all Mancunians.
For those unaware, the MCR Remembers charity matches were set up in memory of the Manchester Arena victims, helping raise funds for the families of the 22 who sadly died in the attack.
While the fifth iteration of what started out as an annual vision, set for this past summer, was sadly cancelled back in May and the Foundation itself seemingly shut down, the co-founders have decided they’re not ready for it all to end just yet.
Somewhat quietly confirming the return of the fundraising footy match on social media, the next fixture will be returning next year, which marks a full decade since the tragedy.
Folks, having time to reflect we’ve decided that we just couldn’t go out like we did. No matter how difficult things get we have to keep going.
We are planning a spectacular return for the 10th anniversary in 2027. Plans and talks to begin shortly pic.twitter.com/ZRTmAJalov
— The McrRemembers Foundation™️⚽️🐝 (@McrRemembers) October 2, 2025
Writing a slightly lengthier statement on Instagram, MCR Remembers creators Aaron Lee and Paul Corrigan said: “No matter how difficult things get and how little support we get from people in positions to help, we have to keep going.
“We take inspiration from the brave and courageous people who were so closely involved with the arena attack. We will continue to remember those affected and celebrate their legacy.
“We are planning a spectacular return for the 10th anniversary in 2027. Plans and talks to begin shortly We will reassess after that event. As always, thank you to those that stuck by us. We see you, and we appreciate every single one of you. Stay tuned. Aaron / Paul.”
Lee – a local and a former police officer on 22 May 2017 – set up the organisation with his friend and fellow fundraiser (10 marathons in 10 months) with the aim of not only honouring those lost but also to help raise vital funds for their families and native bereavement charities.
They’re two incredibly inspiring individuals who have done a lot to help those in and around Greater Manchester, as well as keep that date in our heads and hearts.
Although information is still scarce in these early stages, The MCR Remembers Foundation has assured that details regarding exactly when and where the game is set to take place will be shared over the coming week and months.
It goes without saying that we here at The Manc are glad to see the moving charity match being confirmed for a comeback, even if it’s only for a one-off, and can’t wait to see which ex-pros and celebrity players get involved.
Then again, who knows? A successful return could signal the start of a fully-fledged revival, and we sincerely hope it does.
Watch this space and see you next year for the anniversary edition of Manchester Remembers 2027.
Manchester given extra £3m funding to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping
Emily Sergeant
Manchester has been handed a £3 million funding boost to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping across the city.
The ‘substantial’ extra funding, which was announced by the Government last week on World Homelessness Day (10 October), will be a top-up to Manchester City Council’s existing homelessness funding up until 2027 in recognition of the continuing pressures that Manchester and other UK areas are currently under.
The Council says it’s already begun to set out plans for how the extra money will be spent to make sure it has the ‘maximum impact’.
At this time, it’s expected that around £550,000 of the funding will be awarded by the Council as grants to organisations in the city’s Voluntary, Community and Faith Sector – which are supporting people who are homeless, or are at risk of homelessness.
Manchester has been given an extra £3m funding to help ‘prevent’ homelessness and rough sleeping / Credit: Gary Knight (via Flickr)
Other funding will be used to ‘bolster support’ to help people in temporary accommodation move on to settled homes.
The funding will also be used to adapt temporary accommodation for people with physical disabilities and other needs, which will meet the demand for such housing, while 180 ‘care leavers’ who would otherwise be at risk of homelessness will also be housed in shared rented homes.
Finally, part of the funding will be used to help ensure social housing in the city is available to those who need it most – including a major crackdown on tenancy fraud, back efforts to bring empty homes back into use, and help people whose existing social housing is too large for their needs to ‘right size’, freeing up larger homes for families.
Today is World Homelessness Day.
Support is available from Citizens Advice for those who've experienced or are at risk of homelessness, hear from Councillor Joanna Midgley and Jess about this help.
“Tackling the homelessness crisis is one of Manchester’s biggest priorities and, working with our community partners across the city, we are turning the tide,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the Leader of Manchester City Council.
“In Manchester, we are working tirelessly to prevent people from becoming homeless in the first place through early help, and to ensure anyone who does become homeless gets the support they need to build new lives in settled homes.
“We welcome today’s extra funding boost from Government which, nationally, adds an extra £84 million to the billion that was committed earlier in the year.”
Georgina Pellant -
2nd March 2022 
