This weekend marks Parklife 2022, a proper Manchester celebration of music to kick-start the festival season. As crowds descend on Heaton Park, many will be thrilled to see the likes of 50 Cent, Lewis Capaldi and Bicep headlining its main stages. but, alongside these worldwide superstars, the festival doesn’t forget its roots.
This year, as always, there are some cracking Manchester-based acts taking to its stages across the two days. Hand-picked by clubbing institutions such as Warehouse Project and local radio station, Reform Radio, we’ve put a list together of the best local acts that are sure to have fellow Mancs beaming with pride this weekend!
Children of Zeus
First up is soul and hip-hop duo, Children of Zeus. If you haven’t already had the chance to see them, make sure you catch their set on the Parklife stage this weekend! Consisting of pals Konny Kon and Tyler Daley, their journey was born out of a love of 90s Manchester pirate radio, with their sound now crafting cloudbusting melodies and future-classic, timeless British soul.
Mason Collective
Hailing from the depths of Manchester’s underground scene, Mason Collective is headed by Blair Suarez, Adam Myles and Omar Gudar. The trio are known for their explosive DJ sets that merge groove, funk, house and acid into one mind bending medley that has taken them overseas to perform at worldwide festivals and renowned clubs in Ibiza. Fashion is very much at the forefront of the Mason Collective brand, too, with collaborations with Adidas, Footasylum and Gramm, so they’ll no doubt show Manchester how festivals are really done this weekend at Heaton Park!
DRS
No stranger to the stage, rapper DRS has spent each weekend for well over a decade lyrically adorning DJ sets up and down the country and across international waters playing at some of the world’s most respected venues and festivals. He’ll be taking to the decks at Parklife this weekend to smash through a set of his favourite hip-hop, house and electronica, another one not to be missed!
Aletha
Already carving quite the spectacular name out for herself, Manchester-based DJ and Warehouse Project 2022 resident, Aletha will be taking over the Casa Bacardi stage this Saturday. Known for her slick, jazz-led sets than are then fused with broken beat rhythms and nostalgic synth sounds, you’ll be able to catch her in all of her groove ridden glory at the festival this weekend.
Mangetout
Multi-instrumentalist, DJ and producer, Mangetout AKA Josh Bithell has been making a memorable impression across some of Manchester’s most legendary venues recently. With gigs at Low Four Studios, Band On The Wall and Derby Brewery Arms, his unique blend of disco hits and powerful Daft Punk-esque electronica has breathed a new lease of life into the scene. He’s one for the VIPs this weekend, taking to the VIP Bandstand stage on Saturday with a DJ set to warm up the early party punters, spinning everything from early 90s melodic house to his own remixes of soul greats.
Interplanetary Criminal
Breaking onto the local circuit with his unique blend of techno, garage and two-step, Interplanetary Criminal is definitely one to have on your radar this weekend! Now flying the nest with gigs at festivals across the UK and regular spots in London, he will be playing two sets at Parklife, one on Saturday AND one on Sunday, so if you’ve only managed to bag a day ticket do not fret, as he’ll be bounding onto the stage armed with killer mixes all weekend.
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Rich Reason
HIT & RUN legend, Rich Reason is rocking up to parklife this weekend to provide festival goers with the very best jungle, jazz, dub and dancehall! His career has landed him shows on BBC 1Xtra, as well as across all of the major UK festivals, so he’s well versed in the form of crowd pleasing hits from the depths of his decks. The founder of HIT & RUN has always been invested in the local community, continuing to champion and promote local musicians and DJs – so Parklife is, of course, the perfect festival for the DJ.
Tarzsa Williams
One of the UK’s most exciting young DJs around at the moment, Tarsza is a champion of electronic soul. Her sets have landed her coveted spots on stations such as NTS and Swing Ting, as she has the unmatched ability to provide soundtracks for an easy Sunday morning, all the way through to a sweaty underground night at Manchester’s after hours hideouts. She’ll be performing on Saturday this year at the Repercussion stage, so make sure you check her out!
Egg On Toast
Egg On Toast, also known as Alice Kanako will take to the decks on Saturday at Reform Radio’s ‘Smallest Club in the World’ stage. They’re a DJ who performs as part of the Not Bad For A Girl collective of female and non-binary DJ’s from Manchester, their sets often encompassing delightful energetic percussion and euphoric tracks with rolling bass. Basically, all of the ingredients needed to pack out a tent full of misfits desperate for a damn good boogie.
REME
With creative and enlightening music at the forefront of his selections, REME’s passion for DJing and producing started in the underground Manchester scene. He became one part of the MVSON family and has since spent his time perfecting his craft, which has a distinctive sound that’s grounded in melodic house and techno. He’ll be DJing on Sunday at the Jagermeister stage!
Nick Dansu
New to the Manchester scene, Nick Dansu is bringing his explosive DJing skills to the VIP Bandstand stage this weekend! Cosmic house and two-step is at the forefront of his sets, so he’s definitely one to check out if you’re in the mood for an afternoon pick me up on Saturday. You’ll spot him performing regularly in the city, as well as other clubbing hotspots including Leeds and London, so if you can’t get enough this weekend, you’ll no doubt catch him tearing up dance floors near you soon!
