BBC Radio 6 Music Festival is coming back to Manchester for the first time in nine years - and is making the city its permanent home.
The beloved weekend of gigs will be back in town next month, returning to the location of the radio station's first ever festival in 2014, the BBC revealed today (February 14). The festival will be making a return from Friday March 24 to Sunday 26, and is set to feature some of the station's hallmark mix of exciting new acts and ground-breaking old favourites.
Live performances will come from Loyle Carner featuring a brand new collaboration with the AMC Gospel Choir from Manchester, Christine and the Queens with the global premiere of their new live show and Arlo Parks with another the global premiere of new music. As well as a host of DJ sets, events will be at Victoria Warehouse, Band on the Wall and Ramona.
READ MORE: 'The best neighbourhood in Manchester? Wythenshawe. I have to say that'
DJ sets across the weekend will come from AFRODEUTSCHE, Erol Alkan, Daniel Avery, Don Letts, Good Future, Hot Chip, Jamz Supernova, Steve Lamacq, Tarzsa, The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess, Yard Act and BBC Introducing DJs, Emily Pilbeam and Phoebe I-H.
Announced on air today by Mary Anne Hobbs, 6 Music Festival Presents will take place each night at the O2 Victoria Warehouse. There will also be club nights at Band on the Wall and Victoria Warehouse, themed around 6 Music’s Indie Forever and Rave Forever shows and a Morning After Mix live broadcast on the Sunday at Ramona.
6 Music Festival is back for good
Since it began in 2014, the 6 Music Festival has taken place in Manchester, Tyneside, Bristol, Glasgow, Belfast, Liverpool, Camden and Cardiff and has seen performances from artists including Bombay Bicycle Club, Brittany Howard, Depeche Mode, Foals, Goldfrapp, IDLES, James Blake, Johnny Marr, Kae Tempest, Kelis, Little Simz, Pixies, Primal Scream, Róisín Murphy, Self Esteem, Wet Leg and more. In 2021, the 6 Music Festival presented 18 classic sets from festivals and nine new performances from Michael Kiwanuka, Laura Marling and Bicep amongst others.
Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music said: “6 Music will be rooted in Salford over time, so we’re bringing the festival back home to Greater Manchester, where it all began, with some incredible performances. You may have seen Arlo Parks, Christine and the Queens and Loyle Carner before, but you won’t have seen them like this before. It promises to be a very special weekend indeed.”
“It's great to welcome the 6 Music festival back to Greater Manchester and particularly exciting that the focus this time will be on new work," added presenter Mark Radcliffe. "It's all at the Victoria Warehouse. It's quite dark in there so I have booked an eye test in order to make sure I have the right glasses to see everything.”
Who is playing, when and where?
6 Music Festival Presents… at Victoria Warehouse Manchester
6 Music Festival presents Loyle Carner and Wu-Lu - Friday March 24, from 6.30pm
- Tarzsa (DJ Set)
- Wu-Lu
- Loyle Carner – featuring a brand new collaboration with the AMC Gospel Choir from Manchester
6 Music Festival presents Christine and the Queens and Lava La Rue - Saturday March 25, from 6.30pm
- Jamz Supernova (DJ set)
- Lava La Rue
- Christine and the Queens – the global premiere of a brand new Christine and the Queens live show
6 Music Festival presents Arlo Parks and The Big Moon - Sunday March 26, from 6.30pm
- Don Letts (DJ set)
- The Big Moon
- Arlo Parks – the global premiere of new music and special guests
Club nights
6 Music’s Indie Forever at Band on the Wall - Friday March 24, from 9pm
Nothing but solid gold, upbeat indie bangers from 6 Music’s Steve Lamacq and guest DJs:
- BBC Music Introducing’s Emily Pilbeam (DJ set)
- Good Future (DJ set)
- Yard Act (DJ set)
- Tim Burgess (DJ set)
6 Music’s Rave Forever at Victoria Warehouse Manchester - Saturday March 25, from 11pm
Rave classics that listeners know and love with a sprinkling of the finest new club sounds from 6 Music’s AFRODEUTSCHE and guest DJs:
- BBC Music Introducing’s Phoebe I-H (DJ set)
- Hot Chip (DJ set)
- Erol Alkan (DJ set)
In addition, on the morning of Sunday March 26 (from 12pm), Morning After Mix at Ramona will see Daniel Avery provide a two-hour DJ set.
Indie Forever, Rave Forever, and the Morning After Mix are weekly shows on 6 Music and BBC Sounds, celebrating the best upbeat indie on Indie Forever, the finest dance music from across the decades during Rave Forever and offering blissful tracks to ease you into the day for the Morning After Mix.
On Thursday March 23 (from 7.30pm), the 6 Music Festival warms up with BBC Music Introducing Live at Band on the Wall, with sets from Manchester acts including Afflecks Palace, Antony Szmierek and Phoebe Green.
How to get tickets
Tickets for each separate event will be available from 10am on Thursday 16th February at bbc.co.uk/6musicfestival.
Highlights from the festival will be broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester from MediaCityUK in Salford, as well as on BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.
What can I catch online, on radio and on TV?
BBC Radio 6 Music
6 Music presenters including AFRODEUTSCHE, Amy Lamé, Cerys Matthews, Chris Hawkins, Craig Charles, Deb Grant, Don Letts, Gideon Coe, Gilles Peterson, Jamz Supernova, Lauren Laverne, Marc Riley, Mark Radcliffe, Mary Anne Hobbs, Steve Lamacq, Stuart Maconie, Tom Ravenscroft and Tom Robinson will all be broadcasting live over the festival weekend from MediaCityUK in Salford and the festival venues.
Steve Lamacq will broadcast his show live from Band on the Wall on Thursday March 23 (4pm-7pm) ahead of the BBC Music Introducing night, Indie Forever (Saturday March 25, 12am-2am) will be live from Band on the Wall, Rave Forever (Sunday March 26, 12am-3am) will be live from Victoria Warehouse Manchester and Morning After Mix will be live from Ramona (Sunday March 26, 1pm-2pm). Plus there’ll be live and recorded-live performances from every event broadcast on 6 Music across the schedule for listeners to enjoy, wherever they are in the UK.
BBC Radio Manchester
BBC Radio Manchester will hear from BBC Music Introducing Live at Band on the Wall on Thursday March 23 (7pm-10pm), bringing listeners performance highlights from the Manchester-based artists playing that evening. There will be more highlights from the festival on Friday March 24 (7pm-10pm) and on Saturday March 25, BBC Music Introducing in Manchester (8pm-10pm) will revisit performances from Afflecks Palace, Antony Szmierek and Phoebe Green at Thursday night’s BBC Music Introducing Live at Band on the Wall and broadcast interviews with these artists.
All BBC Radio 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester programmes will be available on BBC Sounds after broadcast.
BBC Four
On the evening of Sunday March 26, BBC Four will broadcast three 30 minute programmes: Arlo Parks at the 6 Music Festival, Christine and the Queens at the 6 Music Festival and Loyle Carner at the 6 Music Festival. Each show will see these artists introduce highlights from their sets.
BBC iPlayer
From early afternoon on Sunday March 26, BBC iPlayer will stream performance highlights from Christine and the Queens, Hot Chip (DJ set), Lava La Rue, Loyle Carner and Wu-Lu before showing sets from Arlo Parks and The Big Moon live from Victoria Warehouse Manchester. Performances will be introduced by the artists themselves.
Sets will also be available to watch on BBC iPlayer for 30 days. Individual tracks will also be available on BBC Music’s YouTube channel.
BBC Sounds
In the lead up to the festival, BBC Sounds presents a 6 Music Festival Back to Back Sounds collection. Listeners can enjoy programmes celebrating Arlo Parks, Loyle Carner and Christine and the Queens, as well as themed episodes of Indie Forever and Rave Forever and The Morning After Mix.
Read next:
-
20 amazing places you need to visit across Greater Manchester in 2023
Sugo Pasta Kitchen forced to change its name following row with Glasgow restaurant
S Club 7 announce reunion tour to celebrate 25th anniversary - and they're coming to Manchester
Salford West Indian favourite Sunrise set to open new branch in East Manchester
The hidden Lake District ruin with romantic views two hours from Greater Manchester
