A hip hop exhibition spanning fifty years of Manchester beats and culture has popped up inside a Spinningfields car park.
Showcasing over 250 items with some dating all the way back to the 1970s, the collection has been created by Spinningfields in partnership with Manchester Hip Hop Archive – a non-profit community organisation documenting half a century of hip hop culture.
Currently housed inside the ground floor unit of NCP on New Quay Street in Spinningfields, those heading down can expect to find pieces that encapsulate the evolution and impact of hip hop on Manchester’s artistic, social, and political landscape.
Open to the public from 12pm – 8pm every Thursday to Sunday until Saturday, 30 September, the collection includes clothing, photographs, records, sketchbooks, posters, and flyers that vividly showcase core elements of hip hop – emceeing, deejaying, breakin’, and graff.
Image: Unity Radio FM
Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
Highlights include a 106FM D.I.Y. pirate radio transmitter built by Sergei(DNA) that was used to fearlessly broadcast unauthorised signals from makeshift studios and tower blocks across Manchester in the 2000s, introducing listeners to grass root DJs and artists.
The legacy of 106FM lives on, having since transformed into Unity Radio92.8FM, the first independent black music radio station at Media City.
Other gems surfacing from the vaults of the Manchester Hip Hop Archive’s collection include cassette tape recordings of the late Stu Allan’s “Bus Diss” radio show from the 1980s, vintage Adidas from 1984, and a Mr Scruff sketchbook with ‘Keep It Unreal’ postcard artworks spanning 20 years of shows at Band on the Wall.
It also features significant streetwear items from the pioneering boutique, The Sheep Store, acknowledged as one of the earliest, if not the very first, grey importers of the Supreme, X- Large, and Stussy brands within the UK.
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Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
Image: Manchester Hip Hop Archive
A party thrown by DJ Kool Herc and his sister Cindy at 1520 Sedgewick Avenue in the Bronx on 11 August 1973 is officially recognised as the birthday and birthplace of hip hop.
50 years later, hip hop is a global cultural movement that’s richly woven into the fabric of Manchester – and the Archive’s unique collection of memorabilia and materials authentically showcases the city’s position in the history of UK Hip Hop.
Featured image – Google Maps
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Loyle Carner announces THREE massive Manchester gigs to follow Glastonbury headline slot
Daisy Jackson
Loyle Carner will perform three huge gigs in Manchester as part of a newly-announced UK tour, chasing his headline Glastonbury slot.
The groundbreaking British artist will be heading to the O2 Victoria Warehouse later this year alongside shows in cities including London, Glasgow, Newcastle and Birmingham.
Loyle Carner has also confirmed today that a brand new album is on the way – hopefully! is set for release on 20 June.
It’ll give fans a week to listen and love his new music before he headlines The Other Stage at Glastonbury festival on 27 June.
He’s already released two surprise new songs – ‘all i need / in my mind’, as his new chapter sees him explore fatherhood, childhood and alternative music.
Loyle Carner has sung, produced and ‘accidentally’ formed a band for this latest release, which includes audio clips of his son.
Loyle Carner first emerged in 2013 with his A Little Late EP, followed by his debut album Yesterday’s Gone in 2017, with plenty more releases in the years since.
He’s been shortlisted TWICE for the Mercury Prize and has scored BRIT and NME Award nominations too, as well as 1.1 BILLION streams.
You’ll recognise his face from campaigns with global brands like YSL, New Balance, and Nike, not to mention his sold-out shows including Alexandra Palace, Wembley Arena and the Royal Albert Hall in his beloved London hometown alone.
Loyle Carner will perform at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 23, 24, and 24 November 2025.
Tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday 2 May – you can get tickets HERE.
Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
4th September 2023 
