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Bluedot unveils huge lineup for ‘A Weekend In Outer Space’ festival in July

Aiming to bring the Jodrell Bank experience online after the popular festival was cancelled due to coronavirus, 'A Weekend In Outer Space' is free to view and will include music, science talks, culture and family shows.

The Manc The Manc - 20th July 2020

Elbow, Orbital and Daniel Avery will all star on the bill for a virtual weekend event hosted by science and music festival Bluedot.

The three-day, intergalactic-style showcase will also feature live performances from Roni Size, BCUC and Ana Matronic’s Deep Space Disco, as well as interviews and panels including Brian Cox, Ann Druyan and Jim al-Khalili.

Musician Tim Burgess will be joined by New Order, Metronomy and Ibibio Sound Machine for album listen-alongs, with immersive ‘journey to outer space’ and ‘return to Earth’ shows hosted by Henge.

Orbital

Aiming to take the Jodrell Bank experience online after the popular festival was cancelled due to coronavirus, ‘A Weekend In Outer Space’ is free to view and will include music, science talks, culture and family shows.

The event – which will take off on 24 July and run right through the weekend – is raising money for Jodrell Bank Discovery Centre; the award-winning science centre at the observatory which is currently closed.

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The Discovery Centre is part of The University of Manchester and a registered charity – attracting more 1.3 million visitors since 2011.

Over 85% of its income is generated from admission, gift shop and cafe sales – and fans can support the centre by contributing to the fundraiser online.

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Hugh Venables / Geograph

Bluedot 2020 has been postponed to July 2021, with Bjork, Groove Armada and Metronomy confirmed as headliners.

Discover more about ‘A Weekend In Outer Space’ on the official website.

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Wolf Alice announce massive Manchester gig as part of new European tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wolf Alice Manchester gig tickets 2025

Get ready to lose your marbles, Manchester, because Wolf Alice aren’t just back with more music and a brand new but they’re playing a massive show right here in the city centre.

The beloved British alt and indie rock outfit is one of the most talented groups of musicians to come out of the country in some time, earning countless nods for their debut LP and winning the Mercury Prize award for their sophomore outing back in 2018.

Now eyeing up album number four and having dropped a smash-hit first single, which has already been met with even more acclaim (why break the habit of a lifetime?), they’ve got us even more excited with the announcement of a huge headline date here at the AO Arena.

The Clearing for the amount of limbs in that standing section couldn’t be big enough.

Set to return to Yorkshire later this year as part of the touring cycle for their long-awaited studio comeback, The Clearing, the Wolf Alice Manchester gig is one of a select few UK arena dates confirmed, such as an equivalent over at Leeds’ first direct arena.

The four-piece, fronted by Ellie Roswell, will also be playing a handful of intimate domestic shows.

Due for release on August 29, 2025, we already know the next project is going to be another brilliant entry by the multi-BRIT and NME Award winners.

Written in their native district of Seven Sisters in North London and recorded in LA with Grammy-winning producer Greg Kurstin, the album is being branded a “bold, emotionally rich evolution of their sound.”

“It’s a record that radiates ambition, confidence, and an unfiltered sense of self—arguably their most cohesive and timeless work to date.”

Better still, to help support the grassroots venues that helped them while coming up, £1 of every ticket from this show and other domestic arena shows on the soon-to-be fully confirmed European tour will be donated to fundraising efforts.

What do you make of their new direction?

General admission tickets for Wolf Alice at AO Arena are available on Friday, 23 May from 10am.

It goes without saying that the demand for these things will be massive, so we’d get in that online queue as quickly as possible. The support act(s) haven’t even been revealed yet either.

You can also sort yourself out with exclusive early access by signing up for the AO pre-sale window on Wednesday, 21 May at 5pm; Three Mobile members will have an earlier opportunity also from 10am earlier the same day.

Get ready to grab your tickets for Friday, 28 November HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Shots (supplied)

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Swinton’s FREE festival full of live music, food, and ‘family fun’ returns later this month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A popular festival full of pop-up live music, performance, food, drink, and family fun is back in Swinton later this month.

Returning to the Salford town for the third year running at some of Swinton’s favourite venues and well-known locations, Swinton Sounds – which is a collaboration between Salford City Council and From The Other – is all about celebrating the local area and its vibrant community.

Throughout the weekend, local venues will welcome a lineup of Greater Manchester’s best musicians and DJs in a programme curated by the team behind the Sounds from the Other City festival.

Local venues including Swinton Grand Palais, The Swinton Hop House, and The Wobbly Stool, as well as Swinton Square, and the beautiful Victoria Park, are just some of the places residents can head to around town to catch all the action.

Swinton Sounds is back later this month / Credit: Salford City Council

Kicking off on Friday 30 May and running through to Sunday 1 June, Swinton Sounds will launch at the historic Grand Palais with a dancefloor-filling set from Untold Orchestra, with unique takes on dance songs from all the best decades, so expect disco, funk, soul, and lots of shuffle-inducing surprises.

Some of the other stand-out musical performances across the weekend come from the likes of Soul artist Yemi Bolatiwa, Ghana-born, Manchester-raised contemporary guitarist and composer Rory A. Green, and R&B, Gospel, and Neo Soul fusing singer-songwriter Kiké.

Away from the music, festivalgoers will also be able to catch a visually-striking performance piece from the UK’s leading makers and creators of outdoor arts, theatre, and spectacle in the public realm, Walk the Plank – inspired by the nesting birds found around the waterways of Salford.

Throughout the weekend, local venues will welcome a lineup of Greater Manchester’s best musicians / Credit: Supplied

Craft-based family fun will also be provided by Manchester’s Little Artists, while Swinton’s-own Arts Let Loose will be inviting kids to dance and create to music under UV lights.

Clay and craft workshops for the all the family will come courtesy of Clay Life, and Salford Mad Pride will be in town to promote creativity, arts, nature, and community connection for wellbeing, all while celebrating the unique talents of those who struggle with mental health.

If you’re feeling a bit peckish, Fratellis will be providing the pizza, and local bars, The Wobbly Stool and The Swinton Hop House will be running pop-up bars. 

Further refreshments will be served from The Hive community hub.

There’ll also be lots of food and family-friendly entertainment over the three days / Credit: Supplied

“Swinton has plenty to celebrate, and has the potential to be one of the best places to live in Greater Manchester,” commented Councillor Jack Youd, who is the Deputy City Mayor at Salford City Council.

“Local people have told us they want to see a more vibrant Swinton, with more going on and more reasons for people to visit and spend their leisure time in the area, so this exciting weekend of activities is part of a programme of events developed in response to that community ambition, and it’s a great opportunity for people to explore the town and experience something new.”

Read more:

Swinton Sounds will take over Swinton for three days at the end of this month from Friday 30 May – Sunday 1 June, and all events are free to take part in.

Find out more here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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