Sounds of the City 2024 is now well and truly underway and with Loyle Carner next up at Castlefield Bowl, the party is stepping up another gear.
The British rapper, who has carved out a sizeable space for himself in the overlapping jazz-fuelled and neo-soul spaces, is one of the biggest hip-hop artists in the UK and genuinely might be one of the first names that comes to mind when we think of a chilled voice we love listening to.
Loyle Carner has fast become one of our favourite solo artists in recent years but it’s also worth reminding those who might be new to his music that the London-born lyricist has been at this for well over a decade now.
Now, over a year on from his big slot at BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2023, the 29-year-old is on his way back to Manchester as the latest act at this year’s Sounds of the City and here’s everything you need to know if you’re going along.
For those of you looking for a last-minute Loyle ticket, you’re in luck because there are still a handful of general admission spots up for grabs.
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At £45 including fees, they’re pretty reasonably priced too, especially for such a big name and what has become a super popular city centre festival of late.
You can grab yours HERE but be quick about it or you’ll be rolling the dice on a reseller.
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Who is supporting Loyle Carner at Castlefield Bowl?
Another reason you can be happy with that ticket price is who you’re getting for the support act too, as opening up for Loyle will be fellow soul and hip hop connoisseurs Children of Zeus, who have a bit of legendary local status.
The Manc duo are both equally respected MCs, producers and beat-makers in their own right, so it’s no surprise their fellow contemporary gave them the nod for the show and it’ll be great to see them taking centre stage in front of a packed-out amphitheatre.
They also epitomise the smooth and RnB-inspired soulful sound that complements Carner’s sounds so well, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed for a live collab.
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Stage times for Sounds of the City 2024
Another thing a lot of people like about Sounds of the City is that the gigs tend to lean a little bit towards the earlier side of gigs, as doors open from 5:30pm and headliners don’t usually take the stage until between 8-9pm, though in Carner’s case, he is currently expected to wrap things up around 9:30pm.
This means you can look at around the 6-7pm mark for the warm-ups but, of course, these things are always subject to change so take that info with a pinch of salt and keep an eye out on socials.
We will update you on timings as we have more details.
Setlist
Now, while many of his recent gigs have been festival slots, so we can’t be too sure of what exactly to expect when it comes to his running order of tracks, you can expect plenty of tracks from his latest album hugo to be in the mix.
Also, thanks to the likes of ever-trusty Setlist.fm, we can at least give you a rough average estimate of what you might be listening to:
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
It’s just a short walk from Deansgate train station or the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, where you’ll find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester.
If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
Beloved Manchester club night Funkademia leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years
Danny Jones
One of the best-loved and longest-standing clubbing institutions in Manchester, Funkademia, is relocating once more as it leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years.
Started all the way back in 1995, there isn’t an older weekly club night in the history of this city, but the local weekend event and raver’s rite of passage is about to leave the cult favourite Northern Quarter venue after nearly a decade and a half and set up shop in another new home.
From its infancy at the old Boardwalk on Little Peter Street and popping up in the Mint Lounge back circa 2014, to the continued residency at Exhibition on Fridays, there have been many iterations of Funkademia and now the next chapter beckons from student-central over on Oxford Road.
It’s the start of a new era and it gets started this weekend.
Following in the footsteps of many famous promotions before them, future Funkademia nights will now be hosted by the legendary Deaf Institute.
Celebrating with a launch party on Saturday, 21 September, the iconic event will take over all three floors of the venue; The Music Hall will spin classic funk, disco, and soul beneath the disco ball, while the main bar (a.k.a. The Boombox Room) pumps R’n’B and hip-hop throughout the night.
Then, heading downstairs to the intimate bar and private hire room – regularly used for special events and celebration space – you can expect ‘big boudoir vibes’ and pure grooves spun by an array of special guests every Saturday.
Mint Lounge home held its final blowout at the venue this past spring bank holiday and they bid a fond farewell to the venue in true Funkademia fashion, but we’re glad it’s found such a wonderful new home.
The Deaf Institute is still one of our favourite venues in Manchester and always will be; plus, with almost three decades of dancing history behind them and no sign of slowing down any time soon, the future of Funkademia is in good hands.
Co-promoter Jamie Scahill said of the relocation: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Funkademia to The Deaf Institute, a venue we’ve all spent many late nights at and have long admired. After an incredible run at The Mint Lounge, it felt like the right time to move to a new home where we can continue to evolve and deliver the unforgettable nights that our crowd has come to love.
“There’s nowhere else quite like The Deaf Institute, and it’s the perfect place for us to start this new chapter. We can’t wait to see both familiar and new faces on all three dancefloors.”
As for the new home itself, General Manager Curtis Willson went on to add: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Funkademia to The Deaf Institute. This is a legendary night that has been a cornerstone of Manchester’s nightlife for nearly 30 years, and we’re honoured to be a part of its next phase.
“Our venue is all about celebrating music and creating memorable experiences, and we know that Funkademia will bring exactly that every Saturday night. It’s going to be something special, and we can’t wait for the party to start this September.”
Tickets for Funkademia’s opening night at Deaf and all subsequent dates are available now at just £5 via Skiddle, with 100 early-bird tickets for all September dates still priced for only £3. You can grab yours HERE.
Doors open from 7pm every week, with DJs playing “all killer, no filler, to keep the dancefloor movin’ until 4am” – and believe us, they always stay true to their word.
Blossoms announce massive Manchester residency with five shows at five different venues
Danny Jones
Stockport’s finest Blossoms puzzled everyone when they decided to skip out on any shows in Greater Manchester on their recent tour announcement – turns out they were just waiting to announce not one but FIVE massive gigs right here in the city centre.
With the fifth studio album Gary out this week, their utterly incredible gig in front of 30,000 at Wythenshawe Park still very fresh in our minds, not to mention talk of them supporting Oasis on their reunion trail also in the air, the high-flying indie five-piece are… well, doing just that.
That being said, we did double-take when Blossoms announced their brand-new UK tour last month and we couldn’t spot a single SK or even 0161-based date; safe to say we were very relieved when we realised they were just teasing us ahead of a historic Manchester residency.
August’s outdoor all-dayer might have been the biggest single show of their career so far, but revisiting some of the most iconic Manc stages they’ve played before in less than a week is something special.
Yes, while their popularity might mean they’re not able to squeeze their hordes of adoring fans into the likes of Night and Day Cafe any more, Blossoms’ will not only be playing multiple Manchester gigs, they’ll be retracing their steps and going back to the much-loved venues that put them on the map.
We’ve seen them at The Plaza and Edgeley Park on their home turf, Castlefield Bowl here in town and even at festivals such as Kendal Calling, Leeds, Glasto and more – seeing a bunch of blokes from around our way in the big leagues warms our heart – but the band and the fans never forget those early gigs.
That being said, the local lads will be playing Manchester Academy, the O2 Ritz, Albert Hall, Victoria Warehouse and O2 Apollo over the course of just five nights. Some feat – only the ones bound for greatness get to line up those kinds of billings.
With some of the support acts already announced, including Leigh’s very own The Lottery Winners, you can find the full list of additional shows down below:
Tuesday, 19 Nov 2024 — Manchester Academy 1 – Special guests TBA
Wednesday, 20 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Ritz – Plus special guests Neon Waltz
Thursday, 21 Nov 2024 — Manchester Albert Hall – Special guests TBA
Friday, 22 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse – Plus special guests The Ks
Saturday, 23 Nov 2024 — Manchester O2 Apollo – Plus special guests Lottery Winners
Speaking on the five residency gigs, Blossoms said: “We wanted to do something special with the Manchester shows for this run of gigs. We played each one of these venues on our way up, so it’s great after our Wythenshawe Park show to go and do these venues and remember where everything started for us. It’s a love letter of shows to the city! We can’t wait x.”
Tickets for Blossoms’ Manchester shows will be released just hours after Gary is finally dropped, with general sale going live at 9:30am this Friday, 20 September.
It won’t surprise any of you to learn that tickets for the other dates on the rest of their UK tour this October and November are almost sold out, so if you’re looking to see them anywhere else other in the country you best be quick about it.
You can grab yours HERE and we’ll see you at one of the five venues we hopefully get tickets for – at least we all get five chances!