A night at The White Hotel and the future of alternative venues

“I love coming to Manchester,” Ben Cowper says. “You guys are lucky to have a place like this – it’s special.” I catch the Bristol-born DJ, known as Count van Delicious, after an infectious set alongside Get Serious partner, Harry Fitz. It’s part of a buzzing night at Salford’s White Hotel, hosted by self-described ‘Manctalo’…

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Sour Grapes: Making psych tapes on the third floor of Afflecks Palace

As you navigate the warren of walkways and stairwells in Afflecks Palace – the Northern Quarter’s alternative indoor market – you hear Sour Grapes’ sound-system before you see it. The DIY record label and promoter is tucked in a corner on the third floor, amongst a myriad of independent vendors, vintage boutiques and fashion traders.…

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Underdogs: Introducing the gIRLS series with Rhythm Lab Records

Rhythm Lab Records is an independent record label that formed as an offshoot of Manchester’s Reform Radio which fosters relationships between young musicians new to the industry. It’s this ethic of collaboration that is driving their gIRLS series which introduces two young female artists who have never met before and gives them the resources to…

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Coronaverses Collective: The zine helping to save the UK’s music scene

It’s coming up to a year since the pandemic brought an indefinite end to conventional live music in the UK. Stripped of their dominant source of income, musicians have been left to seek out alternative ways of keeping themselves afloat, while the government continues to leave them stranded. The lack of sufficient financial support for…

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