Salford’s beloved Sounds From the Other City festival (SFTOC) has announced it will return to Chapel street‘s pubs, churches and community corners in 2022, bringing new music, performance and art to Salford once again.
Spreading across a host of exciting indie venues, it will celebrate intimate gigs in small spaces – taking over the likes of Bexley Square, Seven Bro7hers Beerhouse, fivefourstudios, Hot Bed Press, Old Pint Pot, Partisan, Porta, Regent Trading Estate, Saint Philip’s Church and The New Oxford.
Manchester International Festival’s new cultural space, The Factory, will also present a stage of up-and-coming artists as part of the SFTOC ahead of its official opening next year.
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
The festival has released its initial line-up today, welcoming a host of local Greater Manchester talent from across the city to perform following a two-year break.
Names to watch out for on this year’s roster include Manchester’s LayFullStop, Jenna G, OneDa, Katbrownsugar, Mali Hayes, Jazztronica, and LYR (Land Yacht Regatta) – the brainchild of UK Poet Laureate Simon Armitage and his bandmates Patrick James Pearson and Richard Walters.
ADVERTISEMENT
Elsewhere, Chandé and Gracie T, fresh off the back of their iconic 2021 B2B Boiler Room set, will bring a mix of garage, funky and classic Asian bangers to Salford.
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
Joining them on the bill will be much-lauded British electronic music producer Holy Other and Grove, the proudly black and queer Bristol-based producer, vocalist and DJ.
ADVERTISEMENT
Many more artists due to appear on the lineup are still to be announced.
This year’s community festival promises to recapture the “true, sweat-drenched, hands-on DIY SFTOC spirit”.
A regular sell-out, despite having taken two years off there’s no doubt that Sounds from the Other City is a genuine DIY success story and has a reputation for championing huge breakout artists at early points in their career.
ADVERTISEMENT
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
In previous years, the festival has housed early performances from a diverse mix of artists including 2017 Mercury Music Prize winner Sampha, Manchester BBC Sound of 2018 nominee IAMDDB, Slowthai, Marina, Alt-J, James Ferraro, Hannah Peel, GoGo Penguin and Black Midi.
SFTOC has been a firm underground favourite with music lovers since 2005, delivering a unique annual event that champions local promoters and celebrates the off-kilter beauty of Salford, the oft-overlooked ‘other city’ to Manchester.
Taking place across the May Bank Holiday, this year the festival will kick off on Sunday 1 May 2022.
Riv Burns, Creative Director for the festival, said: “Coming back from two years without a festival was always going to be daunting.
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
“The support of our extended community from crowdfunders in 2020, through to purchasing tickets in the back end of 2021 with just a date announced, through to sheer enthusiasm from promoters and artists has been overwhelming and humbling.
ADVERTISEMENT
“This first wave of artists is so unbelievably exciting and quintessentially SFTOC, I’m really proud and can’t wait to bring this AND MORE to Chapel St and the surrounding area on Sunday 1st May. It really is shaping up to be a vintage year, full of magic, collaboration and new faces. One you don’t want to miss.”
This year’s artists have been selected by Manchester tastemakers Alphaville, Band on the Wall, Beauty Witch, Big People Music, Daytimers, Fat Out, Good Afternoon, Grey Lantern, Heavenly Recordings, Hey! Manchester, Kiss Me Again, Ladies Music Pub, Love Rain, NIAMOS, Now Wave, Partisan Collective, Reform Radio, Strange Days, Sweet Vibrations Radio, The Factory, Tru Luv and VAM.
Image: Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC)
The full Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC) 2022 lineup announcement so far:
Call it a Truce – Chandé (DJ) – Contours – Do you Remember the First Time? (DJ) – For Breakfast – Frazer (DJ) – Freya Beer – Glue 70 – Gracie T (DJ) – Grove – Gut Level (DJ) – Holy Other – Isaiah Hull – Jenna G (DJ) – Juke Joint (DJ) – Katbrownsugar (DJ) – Kid Katharsis – LayFullstop – LYR – Mali Hayes – Mandy, Indiana – Modern Nature – Nayana Iz – Obeka (LIVE) – OneDa – Psychederek – Sarah Bates – The Bug Club – The Rebel – Wesley Gonzalez
England given potential advantage against Norway after reports of illness in World Cup camp
Danny Jones
England may have just been given a potential advantage ahead of the 2026 World Cup quarter-final against Norway, as it’s said that multiple players have been feeling sick of late.
Now, we’d never wish illness upon anyone… BUT, you certainly won’t hear us complaining about this one.
Yes, according to head coach Ståle Solbakken, some of his teammates haven’t been at their best over the last few days, but he has assured supporters that everyone is recovering well.
Speaking to the media before the upcoming clash, the manager said: “We’ve really only had Jorgen [Strand Larsen of Crystal Palace] who has had a fever, but then there’s been a bit of coughing and rasping scattered throughout [the national squad].”
He’s also admitted the Three Lions will be a tough challenge.
However, the initially reported ‘sickness bug’ is now being played down, with Solbakken noting that with his wider travelling camp having to contend with temperatures, altitude, air conditioning, flights, “changing rooms and all that […] it would be strange if something or other didn’t crop up.”
So, while it may have been exaggerated to a degree, they’ve certainly not been 100%.
The Scandinavian outfit are based at a training complex in Greensboro, North Carolina for this year’s World Cup – their first in nearly three decades – and have had to fly all across the United States for their matches in Boston, New York and Dallas thus far.
Once again, though, even the team doctor has told Norwegian press that the claims have been blown out of proportion, citing “very little fuss considering that we have been close together for almost six weeks”, and insisting that “all players are healthy now”.
Even James Corden was quizzing the opposition on the claims ahead of the fixture:
When asked about the truth in the headlines by domestic news outlet Nettavisen, he even went on to add: “So great that they believe this. We are in control.”
So perhaps there is a bit of sensationalism and/or gamesmanship at work, but that won’t stop us from hoping for a second that there’s even a shred of weakness to be capitalised on.
It remains to be seen just what condition both teams are in after the respective round of 16 thrillers – especially Thomas Tuchel’s side, who had to do it the hard way with 10 men against Mexico in that exhausting first knockout tie – but we’ll take whatever glimmer of hope we can that luck is on our side.
And regardless, it’s given England fans online plenty of material to have some fun with ahead of what is no doubt set to be another very long and stressful night this weekend.
Murder investigation launched as man dies two years after ‘life-changing’ Oldham attack
Emily Sergeant
A murder investigation has been launched following the death of a man who was attacked two years ago in Oldham.
Ramon Logan was left seriously injured following the assault, which took place in Oldham back in July 2024, resulting in life-changing injuries, and a man was even jailed following the attack while Ramon continued to fight for his life.
Sadly, Ramon died on 30 June at the age of 42.
A Home Office post-mortem has taken place and further reviews are being conducted to determine the cause of death.
Following this and further enquiries that have been carried out, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed that officers have now launched a murder investigation, but no arrests have been made as of yet.
Speaking as the murder investigation has been launched, Detective Inspector Andy Day, from GMP’s Oldham district, said: “We know how difficult and painful the last two years have been for Ramon’s family, and we are continuing to support them following his death last week.
“We have now launched a murder investigation, and are keeping his family updated as we progress our enquiries. We are assessing all available material and will be making further reviews in due course.”
Ramon’s wife, Charlotte, has also paid tribute to him: “It is with a broken heart I announce the passing of my beautiful husband, Ray Logan, on 30th June. Ray was a loving husband, father, son, brother, and friend to many, and will be missed immensely by everyone who knew him.
“Ray was a part of so many people’s lives, and as much as we all have our existing memories to remember him by, it is heart-breaking that we won’t get to make any new ones.
“Ray never stopped fighting to get better for the last two years, all we can wish for now is that he gets the justice he deserves.”
Georgina Pellant -
8th February 2022 
