Salford’s finest festival of new music, Sounds From the Other City, returns on Bank Holiday Sunday 5th May, for it’s 9th annual instalment. This is the place to spot the future of new music, and the organisers have put together another magnificent line up this year, taking in the finest in new alt, indie, rock, bass, new dance, weirdo folk, performance art and noise. Expect more than 60 acts performing across 11 awe-inspiring spaces up and down Salford’s historic Chapel Street.
Highlights of the bill have just been announced and acts to get thrilled about this year include Liverpool’s voodoo-popsters STEALING SHEEP (Heavenly), WARP RECORDS founder ROBERT GORDON, the brutal DIVORCE, 1xtra stalwart and FACT magazine favourite DJ Q, the country-flecked sounds of HISS GOLDEN MESSENGER, SUB POP’s cinematic beauties STILL CORNERS and BRAINFEEDER’s melodic maverick DAEDELUS, established live funk gurus FINGATHING and WILLIAM TYLER formerly of Lambchop as well as rising stars ROZI PLAIN, OFEI, GNOD, BIPOLAR SUNSHINE, DEFT – and a shimmering mountain more. The website has a full A-Z of artists taking part plus loads more info and sound bites.
SFTOC is also unique in that it reaches new and unusual nooks and crannies of the city. Taking in old school pubs like The Kings Arms (now owned by the Beautiful South’s Paul Heaton), The Crescent and The Rover Return as well as the atmospheric St Philips Church and now legendary performance space, Islington Mill, the grinning mob rolls up and down Chapel Street, a mere skip from Manchester city centre and Deansgate with the nearest stations being Victoria and Salford Central. In fact, the dressed-up venues are as much a part of the SFTOC experience as the music, as the festival’s impressive growth year on year reflects.
Tickets for more than 60 acts, 13 stages, AFTER PARTY spectaculars at Islington Mill & The Old Pint Pot and everything in between cost just £18
Starting out with just 400 capacity in 2005 it’s swelled to a massive 2000 with a luminescent roster of graduates that include Alt-J (2011), Marina and The Diamonds (2009), James Ferraro (2009)(former Wire’s artist of the year ) and The Ting Tings (2007). Taking in pavement shows, performances on station platforms, concerts for one in phone booths, groundbreaking visuals, live shows and DJ sets, you can’t help but stumble across your new favourite artist.
For 2013, the festival’s line-ups have once again been curated by Manchester’s most exciting music promoters including Now Wave (who’ve brought the XX, Everything Everything and Alt-J to a wider audience), alt-rock specialists Fat Out till You Pass Out (Boris, Wolves in the Throne Room, Swans), award-winning folk and alternative expert, Hey Manchester (Jens Lekman, The Handsome Family, Fucked Up) and Future Everything associates Faktion (Andy Stott, Cut Hands, Raime, Demdike Stare).
Tickets for more than 60 acts, 13 stages, AFTER PARTY spectaculars at Islington Mill & The Old Pint Pot and everything in between cost just £18. They are on sale now at skiddle.com, seetickets.com, quaytickets.com, or in person at Piccadilly Records, The Bay Horse & Islington Mill
Line-ups subject to change, keep up to date on www.soundsfromtheothercity.com
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