Bluedot has issued a thank you statement to festivalgoers and workers for their cooperation after “unprecedented rainfall” lead to cancellations.
Cheshire’s multi award-winning celebration of music, science, and cosmic culture once again took over the grounds of the iconic Jodrell Bank Observatory this past weekend, with Grace Jones, Pavement, Roisin Murphy, Max Richter, and Leftfield among the names gracing the stage and entertaining the masses over the three-day festival.
But in case you hadn’t heard, it was a bit of a wash-out.
While we’re no stranger to heavy showers in Greater Manchester and the North West, it’s fair to say July has been a particularly soggy affair, and none more so than this past weekend – with torrential rain coming down thick and fast for basically two days straight.
Of course, with rain that heavy falling all across the region, it was expected that some disruption would be caused to pre-planned outdoor events, but after continuous hours of showers throughout Saturday, Bluedot organisers deemed it to be an “unprecedented rainfall”, and were forced into the “heartbreaking decision” of denying entry for day ticketholders on the final day of the festival.
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The festival urged Sunday day ticketholders “please do not travel” to the event.
In an official statement issued last Sunday morning, organisers said: “It has been determined that while muddy, the arena ground condition allows us to go ahead with our plans for today’s programme – but only for people already here at the festival.
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“We’ve had an unprecedented amount of rainfall over the past seven days that has seen the water level reach saturation point during the night, rendering our day ticket holder car park, pick-up and drop-off point and entrances impassable due to standing water.”
Staff at the festival worked hard through the night to deal with the situation, but conceded that it had “reached the point where it was not possible to accommodate further audience vehicles on site”.
Ticket refunds are to be issued, the festival confirmed.
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Bluedot issues thank you statement after torrential rain leads to ‘heartbreaking’ cancellations / Credit: bluedot (via Facebook)
Now, a few days after the 2023 edition of the festival has drawn to a close, Bluedot has issued another statement to “celebrate” all the attendees, workers, teams and organisations, and volunteers “who made sure the show could go on”, and has thanked them for their support and continued cooperation across the weekend.
“bluedot 2023 was able to take place as the result of an extraordinary effort from a huge variety of tirelessly hard-working teams and organisations committed to your happiness and wellbeing,” the festival said in its thank you statement.
The festival admitted that, without all of these people, “bluedot would be just an idea”, and are responsible for making attendees’ experiences “come to life”.
The Cheshire-based festival experienced an “unprecedented amount of rainfall” / Credit: bluedot (via Facebook)
The statement continues: “Most of all, we must thank you – our wonderful bluedot explorers – who, despite everything, waded through mud to surf the cosmic waves to achieve something against the odds; an amazing collective action to make fun, wonder and joy our world, just for a few days. We deeply appreciate the support we have received, both on site and online. The community of music, science and culture fans we are so fortunate to host, has come together stronger than ever.
“Our sincere apologies again to those who could not join us on the last day, which was a heartbreaking decision.
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“Having had a chance now to see the extent of the challenges we faced, we hope you understand our predicament and our reasoning. We are happy to share the update that all our ticket agents have now confirmed Sunday ticketholders will receive refunds directly within five days.”
Bluedot closed out its statement confirming that an FAQs page has been set up for anybody who is expecting a refund, and that it will be pushing back its planned onsale of 2024 tickets until it has dealt with all refunds.
Beyond The Music moves to MediaCity for the first-time ever
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester arts festival and conference Beyond The Music is back for 2026, but this time it will be heading to MediaCity for a Salford debut.
The long weekender is still a relative newcomer when it comes to the Manc events calendar, but it’s quickly gathered plenty of repute not just in the North West but within the industry as a whole.
Holding just its third edition later this year, Beyond The Music ’26 is set to be the most ambitious yet, spread across the three days and promising an impressive lineup both in terms of live performers, but also speakers, industry experts and wider activities.
With MediaCity and dock10 hosting their inaugural Beyond The Music, it’s another big win for the second city, with Sports Personality of the Year sticking over Salford way for the foreseeable future, along with other events like the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) Awards moving to the Quayside.
Much of the BBC’s World Cup coverage is also being hosted at their Salfordian studios and main Northern base this summer, too.
Given that so many big annual dates have now made the switch to central Manchester – the BRITs and the MOBOs, just to name two recent examples – you could say it only makes sense to spread things out across the surrounding boroughs and their equally rich heritage.
Not that you should need reminding, but Salford isn’t just part of the region: it’s a city all of its own right that boasts an immense amount of pride over what is nothing short of a sterling musical history.
As for the 2026 Beyond The Music programme, besides both the local artists and more international creatives than ever, there’ll be keynote conversations, industry showcases, and wider networking opportunities for anyone looking to immerse themselves deeper in this world.
You’ll have to wait a little while longer for a full live music lineup, but watch this space…
Mayor Andy Burnham and friends help launch Beyond the Music at MediaCityUK (Credit: Mark Waugh)
Sarah Pearson, Co-founder of Beyond The Music, said in an official statement: “Beyond The Music’s mission is to seize this moment, to come together and drive meaningful and lasting change in the music and content industry.
“It’s undeniable that the impact and importance of music and content are stronger than ever, but this is not reflected in their perceived value.
“The ethical and economic infrastructure of the music and content industries demands urgent attention and bold reform… It is our responsibility to protect creativity in order to ensure it doesn’t just survive but thrives. Things may feel difficult, but they are still possible.”
Mayor Burnham added: “Greater Manchester has always been at the forefront of cultural innovation, and Beyond The Music is a vital opportunity for the sector to come together and address the challenges and opportunities facing music and content creation…
“With its move to MediaCity and a bigger-than-ever programme, Beyond The Music is helping to cement our city region’s place at the centre of the creative economy.”
Taking place between 7-9 October 2026, you can register for early bird tickets right HERE. Roll on an even more extensive festival season than ever.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Albert Hall Manchester – groovy, hazy and effortlessly cool
Clementine Hall
Unknown Mortal Orchestra at the Albert Hall proved exactly why they’ve built such a cult following over the past decade.
Formed in 2010 by frontman Ruban Nielson, the band first broke through with their scrappy, lo-fi self-titled debut and since then, they’ve become known for their signature blend of psychedelic rock, funk, and warped pop.
I first saw the band back in 2023 at Glastonbury, and yes sorry I am one of those annoying people that bring it up all the time.
They’re the perfect band to close your eyes, sway your head and tap your foot to – and that’s exactly what the crowd were doing in unison last night at the Albert Hall.
Image: The Manc Group
From the second they stepped on stage, there was no rush – just that signature hazy groove met with enough stage lights to sink a ship.
You could barely see them on stage, but that made it even cooler. And you can only imagine how gorgeous the Albert Hall looked with hundreds of spotlights in different colours whizzing all over it.
Early tracks simmered and pulled us in before the band stretched out into crowd pleasers like ‘Multi-Love’ and ‘Hunnybee’. What an absolute tune by the way.
Image: The Manc Group
There wasn’t much crowd interaction but, again, there didn’t need to be. They let the music do the talking and by treating us to some of the most epic guitar solos we’ve ever heard (no, seriously), we’ll forgive them for not talking to us.
Each song melted into each other as the band oozed effortless charm and talent throughout the almost two hour set, which is no mean feat.
Of course, a sea of phones shot up for ‘So Good at Being in Trouble‘, their most popular track which prompted a harmonious audience singalong. Not very harmonious by me, admittedly.
It was a fantastic ending that left the audience feeling united by the laidback brilliance of Unknown Mortal Orchestra, and I hope they don’t leave it too long to come back this time.
Emily Sergeant -
26th July 2023 
