This year’s BBC Radio 6 Music Festival will take place from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th March in Greater Manchester.
The station’s flagship event, which will see global premieres of brand new live shows, new music debuts, unique collaborations and surprise guests, returns to the location of the station’s first ever festival in 2014. Greater Manchester will also be the 6 Music Festival’s permanent home having travelled around the country since its launch.
Live performances will come from Loyle Carner – featuring a brand new collaboration with the AMC Gospel Choir from Manchester (Friday 24th March), Christine and the Queens – the global premiere of his new live show (Saturday 25th March) and Arlo Parks – the global premiere of new music, with special guests (Sunday 26th March). Further live performances will come from Wu-Lu, Lava La Rue and The Big Moon.
There will also be DJ sets across the weekend 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.
The festival line up was announced on air today by Mary Anne Hobbs, including 6 Music Festival Presents featuring live performances at the O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester and 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.
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.
Tickets for each separate event will be available from 10am on Thursday 16th February at bbc.co.uk/6musicfestival, where the full festival line up can also be found.
Manchester radio mainstay Mark Radcliffe said: “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. 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.”
Samantha Moy, Head of BBC Radio 6 Music says: “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.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester and part-time DJ Andy Burnham added: “There is a rich musical heritage in Greater Manchester, and a real pride in the independent music scene, and as BBC Radio 6 Music has always supported new and alternative artists, it’s a perfect fit for the festival to have its permanent home in the city for the years to come. There’s so much new Greater Manchester music out there right now that deserves to be heard, which is why we started Artist of the Month with BBC Radio Manchester, and like BBC Radio 6 Music, we want to give emerging talent a platform.”
