All articles filed in Deep Dive

A group of care home residents take up their places in a circle in the living room. In the centre is a table with percussion instruments: bells, shakers, little drums, big drums. A music therapist joins them, playing a cheerful tune on the keyboard that addresses each resident by name.  “You might not realise if…

There is something magical about the dance floor of a club. From the early days of house music in Chicago, techno clubs in Detroit and Berlin, and the UK’s rave scene in the ‘90s, comes a well-documented narrative of love, joy and euphoria. The dance floor is a space synonymous with the gathering of queer…

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…

With all restrictions now lifted and nightclubs open at full capacity, the live music industry is slowly getting back on its feet. Many have welcomed the return of queues outside bustling clubs and the chance to see their favourite artists on stage. For others, it’s all a bit too soon. Festivals are representative of the…

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…

Manchester’s move into Tier 3 has meant that non-essential shops can now open and benefit from festive sales. With the sad news that Magma is closing its doors for good still raw, we have created a guide to supporting independent records shops in our city.

The world of strobes, sticky floors and ecstatic crowds seems a million miles away. In its place is Tier 3, an uncertain arrangement in which already mounting pressures on the nightlife industry have increased.

Manny Meekz’s debut EP Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop, inhabits a dark world of gritty alienation. The Gorton MC has delivered a project full of sober bravado, compulsive violence and forensic self-examination.

The last few months have seen innumerable upheavals in the cultural sector. Culture was once centred on shared spaces: clubs, galleries, theatres, community buildings and city centres. Memories of such hustle and bustle now seem increasingly distant. Likewise, as the furlough scheme ends, countless job losses are imminent. Fatalism is hard to avoid, a bleak winter approaches.   Against…

It will come as no surprise that coronavirus restrictions have hit the creative and events industries hard. While owners and investors can keep larger venues and businesses afloat, grassroots music venues – often the first step on the ladder for artists trying to make a name for themselves – have struggled to keep their heads above water.  Whilst the reopening…