Bimini, one of the headliners of this year’s Manchester Pride Festival, has pulled out of performing due to the event’s main headline sponsor.
The drag artist, who placed as runner-up on RuPaul’s Drag Race UK, said in a statement this week that they ‘cannot in good conscience perform at this year’s event’.
Bimini wrote that the ‘tough decision’ had been taken because of Manchester Pride Festival’s headline sponsor Booking.com, which is alleged to have profited from the occupation of Palestine (it’s been reported that the platform had listings in the Occupied Palestinian Territory between March 2021 and May 2023).
They said in their statement that ‘as an artist and activist, I stand for justice and accountability’.
Bimini is a familiar and popular face at Manchester Pride, having also nabbed a triumphant headline spot last year.
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The line-up for Manchester Pride 2024 also includes Sugababes, Jessie J, Eurovision star Loreen, Rita Ora, Katy B and Keala Settle, alongside a staggering list of LGBTQ+ performers and talent.
Bimini is the fourth artist to pull out of this year’s huge celebration, with BollyWitch, Felix Mufti and Dan Chan also refusing to perform for similar reasons relating to the event’s headline sponsor.
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Booking.com has said it’s ‘incredibly disappointed’ to head that Bimini has pulled out of Manchester Pride Festival.
Manchester Pride, the charity behind the huge August bank holiday festival, added that it ‘respects and understands’ Bimini’s decision and added that it continues to ‘engage in meaningful dialogue’ with Booking.com.
Bimini said in their statement: “After careful consideration, l’ve made the tough decision to withdraw from headlining the Friday night at Manchester Pride this year. This choice is not taken lightly; I deeply value the Manchester community and the celebration of love and diversity that Pride represents.
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“However, after learning of allegations against one of the event’s sponsors, Booking.com, I have decided I cannot in good conscience perform at this year’s event.
“Booking.com list vacation homes in disputed territories and has been blacklisted by the United Nations Human Rights Council as a company that has human rights violations concerns.
“As an artist and activist, I stand for justice and accountability. Bimini”
BIMINI. Credit: Publicity picture
A spokesperson from Booking.com said: “We are of course incredibly disappointed, but we continue to engage with Manchester Pride on this topic to help understand the context behind our position.
“We firmly believe that it is up to travellers to decide where they want and need to go. Our role is to ensure that people can make an informed decision that’s right for them, and that includes accurately labelling listings in areas that are disputed or affected by conflict.
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“We also remain steadfast in our commitment to making travel easier for everyone, regardless of who you love or how you identify, and to our many partnerships with organisations like Manchester Pride that share in that inclusive vision.”
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, David McGovern, the Chair of Trustees at Manchester Pride, said: “We respect and understand Bimini’s decision to withdraw from the Manchester Pride Festival. Manchester Pride has always valued the principles of freedom and liberation, and we honour each individual’s right to protest in their own way.
“The team at Manchester Pride stands in solidarity with all those suffering from the devastating war in Gaza and all the innocent people subjected to violence in Palestine and Israel. At our core, we value liberation and believe nobody’s free until everybody’s free.
Bimini’s statement in full as artist pulls out of Manchester Pride. Credit: Instagram, @biminibabes
“After extensive discussions with Booking.com to understand their stance and actions regarding accommodation listings in occupied territory, we are continuing to engage in meaningful dialogue with them and our other sponsors.”
David also explained that, as a charity, Manchester Pride must utilise commercial revenue streams to fund their vital events, community work, and other charity objectives.
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He continued: “Manchester Pride and the LGBTQ+ community have a long, proud history of protest. We fully recognise, respect and support any artist’s decision to perform or not perform at the Manchester Pride Festival and we continue to stand by, facilitate and champion our communities’ right to protest.
“We are a listening charity, we continuously engage with our communities to ensure our programme of activities and grant-making meets the needs and priorities of intersectional LGBTQ+ people living in Greater Manchester. We continue to consult with our artists and communities to be able to provide authentic, meaningful support in the run-up to our vital celebration of LGBTQ+ life.”
Bicep present Chroma AV DJ set at The Warehouse Project 2024 – tickets, lineup and more
Danny Jones
Another big night at The Warehouse Project is just around the corner as Bicep return to Depot Mayfield for what is set to be an incredible night with a whole host of top guests in tow.
The Bicep presents Chroma AV (audiovisual) DJ set is arguably one of the biggest dates on the entire WHP 2024 calendar, with the Belfast duo sitting comfortably at the top of the current electronic scene.
It may have been more than three whole years since their sensational sophomore record, Isles, but as part of the ‘CHROMA’ project launched back in January, the new label, event series and hybrid live-DJ show has given us our first taste of new music from the pair along with producing partner, Hammer.
So, if you’re heading to Warehouse for Bicep and co. instead of Sam Fender this Friday – hopefully, you’ve got tickets for the latter on Saturday – here’s everything you need to know.
Bicep at The Warehouse Project gig guide
Bicep smashing Repercussion 2023 (Credit: Supplied via Graham Joy)
Are there tickets left for Bicep at WHP?
If you’re still looking to have a night jam-packed with tunes and some of the best light shows you’ll find anywhere in Machester, there are still tickets left to catch Bicep at Warehouse Project.
Early entry tickets (before 9pm) start from £29.50 + booking and handling fees, with standard full-price tickets clocking in at £43.35 with all service charges included.
There are also VIP passes available if you fancy being bougie. Whatever your preferred option, you can grab yours HERE.
The CHROMA lineup for WHP 2024
For their return to the Warehouse, Bicep have attracted a fantastic collection of names to see throughout the night before they headline the whole shebang.
With Aussie favourite Mall Grab, aforementioned collaborator Hammer, as well as British DJ icon SHERELLE (Sherelle Camille Thomas), to name but a few taking part, it’s going to be a brilliant night.
You can see the full lineup down below:
Bicep Present Chroma AV DJ Set
Mall Grab
Daphni
Helena Hauff
Bubble Love (Ross From Friends)
SHERELLE
Elkka – Live
Moxie
Effy
LCY
Hammer
Denham Audio
Machine Woman
Space Afrika
Giulia Tess
Cameo Blush
Swoose
Bakey
Bicep WHP stage splits
As for where you can find these dance and electronic pioneers playing, WHP will once again be split up across the main Depot room, the equally popular Concourse stage and the Archive room.
With an overall capacity of roughly 10,000, the place is sure to be packed out but you just need to figure out which area suits you best.
Stage times for Bicep presents Chroma – Manchester
As for when you get to catch each of these incredible acts, we’ve broken down Bicep’s WHP set times in a handy little table for you.
That being said, you can access all of these times easily on the night by downloading the WHP24 app.
DEPOT
CONCOURSE
ARCHIVE
Hammer b2b Swoose – 8-10pm
Giulia Tess – 8:30-9:30pm
Cameo Blush – 8:30-9:30pm
Moxie – 10-11pm
Effy – 21:30-22:45pm
Space Afrika – 9:30-10:45pm
Elkka – Live – 11:05pm-12:05am
Mall Grab – 22:45pm-12am
Machine Woman – 22:45pm-12am
Bubble Love (Ross From Friends) – 12:05-1:05am
SHERELLE – 12-1:15am
LCY – 12-1:15am
Daphni – 1:05-2:15am
Helena Hauff – 1:15-2:30am
Denham Audio b2b Bakey – 1:15-2:30am
Bicep – 2:15-4am
n/a
n/a
Transport and how to get to The Warehouse Project
Just an eight-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly or a 20-minute walk from Manchester Victoria Station, it’s super easy to get to Warehouse Project on foot or via public transport.
You can catch a train or multiple tram lines from Victoria and various other points around the city centre which will drop you off at Manchester Piccadilly; better still, a tram journey will only set you back £1.90 and not much more for the train.
Taxis are also widely available across Manchester city centre starting from £5 upwards from Manchester Victoria to Depot Mayfield or £4 and above for a ride to the venue from Piccadilly.
Final things to remember
Credit: Graham Joy
There are multiple free drinking points inside as well as free cups of water behind the bar. Stay properly hydrated and you’ll be able to rave well into the early hours.
Please also note that multiple amnesty bins can be found on your way into the building. We urge everyone to stay safe and look after one another.
Lastly, anyone wearing a football shirt will not be accepted into the venue but other than that, have an absolutely incredible time.
You can find the rest of the WHP24 programme below:
Fast-rising Manc rockers ROLLA announce biggest-ever headline show
Danny Jones
Manchester band ROLLA have announced their biggest-ever headline gig right here in their hometown and it’s set to be a barnstormer.
The local rock and roll outfit are on the up not only amongst the Manc music scene but Britain at large, notching huge nods from the likes of Rolling Stone as well lots of love from us here at Audio North, and now the in-your-face five-piece are set for a landmark show.
Having crossed a number of city centre venues already, ROLLA have now revealed they will be playing none other than New Century Hall for the first time in their career.
Still only a few short years into their journey to stardom (and yes, we do believe they’re going to be that big), this latest date is a huge milestone for the Mancs.
MANCHESTER… IT’S TIME, THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
We're thrilled to announce our biggest ever headline show at New Century Hall May 3rd, 2025. 💥
Pre-sale Wednesday 10am, General sale Friday 10am. 🫡
It was only last month that the ferocious indie rockers put their ever-growing fan base to good use by throwing a sold-out charity gig at Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club in a successful campaign to save it from closure, and the scenes from the show were unbelievable.
Speaking on what was a momentous night for the band and Greater Manchester as a whole, ROLLA hope it will go down as something “current and future members of the club and our fans can always look back on it as a special moment in time.”
They also detailed how the atmosphere at the gig was so electric that they used a lot of the footage to create the music video for the new single, ‘It Ain’t Easy’, labelling it “the perfect nod to the massive achievement of helping towards keeping the clubs’ doors open.”
And they really did put their money where their mouth was, raising a whopping £8,000 through ticket and merch sales on the night – a huge 24-hour contribution towards the overall £250k target which was finally reached with just a few days to spare last week.
You can hear the track and see the fantastic visuals that go along with it down below:
As far as memorable Manchester gigs, this is just the start for ROLLA.
Going to discuss the landmark headline show, the band added: “This is more than just a gig—it’s a defining moment for the band and our fans – a coming together of everything we’ve built so far and we mean to make it special. It’s gonna go off.
“New Century Hall is a proper Manchester institution. It’s been a part of the city’s music scene for decades, and after its recent revival, it’s sounding and looking better than ever. We can’t wait to fill it out with our sound.”
If you’ve not come across their sound before, there are some very noticeable Oasis influences – not just because of some very familiar-looking haircuts and use of sunglasses in their photoshoots either – but, put simply, they deliver some of the punchiest rock riffs around right now.
Music outlet Gigwise has hailed them as “one of the most energetic and full displays of indie rock ‘n’ roll on offer today” and we tend to agree, having also named them on our Manc Bands of the Month just this past October.
With their four-track debut EP set to release on 7 March, two tracks from which we’ve already heard and immediately added to our playlists, they’ll be bringing their tunes and hopefully more new music to the much-loved city centre venue on 3 May 2025.
We have every faith that they will set out the 1,300-capacity New Century Hall thanks to their already die-hard cult following alone, so you best be quick if you want to be there.
You can grab tickets to Rolla’s biggest-ever Manchester gig, not to mention for less than £20 per person, right now via the DICE anti-touting app or directly HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd August 2024 
