The long-awaited lineup for this year's BBC Radio 6 Music Festival has been revealed. The festival, permanently held in Greater Manchester, will take place from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 March.
The festival, which has a mix of daytime and evening events, will feature new music debuts, performances and surprise guests. This year, Young Fathers, Gossip and The Smile will headline the event at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester.
Last year saw the performances from Christine and the Queens, Loyle Carner, Romy, Phoebe Green and The Charlatans’ frontman Tim Burgess. Last year’s festival was also held in Manchester and featured gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse, Band on the Wall and RAMONA.
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Featuring on the stage with Young Fathers, who'll be collaborating with the Hulme and Moss Side community choir on Thursday 7 March, will be artists Hak Baker and DJ Sherelle. Young Fathers commented: “A 6 Music stage has been given to us and the door of endless possibilities has been opened. Beyond anything else it will be a night to celebrate a wide mix of folk coming together."
The next night, Gossip, lead by vocalist Beth Ditto, will perform their first UK show in four years, giving 6 Music the global premiere of unreleased material. They'll perform on International Women’s Day (Friday 8) and be supported by CMAT and AFRODEUTSCHE on the decks.
Ahead of their 2024 performance in Manchester, Gossip said: "We're so excited - Manchester is going to be the first to hear our new record live. Such a special crowd, we've missed you so much and can't wait to be back."
The Smile and the London Contemporary Orchestra will entertain Manchester crowds with a world-exclusive performance - representing the first time the Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and Tom Skinner project have performed with an orchestra. They'll be supported by Jordan Rakei, as well as Mary Anne Hobbs and Anna Phoebe.
The Smile couldn't hide their excitement during a radio interview with Lauren Laverne this morning, and said: “We’ve got a lot of work to do to prep for the 6 Music Festival as it’s one thing to do it in the studio, but it’s another thing to do it live. We’ve decided to work with the London Contemporary Orchestra on the performance but as they’re all incredibly versatile musicians, we’ll figure it out!”
Over a dozen of DJ's will play over the weekend, but if you don't manage to bag tickets or miss a show, highlights will be broadcasted on BBC Radio 6 Music channel and BBC Radio Manchester from MediaCityUK in Salford, as well as on BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel. The weekend will be broadcasted each day from 5.30am all the way to the end of the night to keep audiences entertained.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “It’s fantastic to see the BBC Radio 6 Music Festival returning to Greater Manchester this year. We’re immensely proud of our musical heritage, but also the phenomenal depth of talent and the exciting independent scene across our city-region right now.
“There’s so much new Greater Manchester music out there right now that deserves to be heard, which is why it’s so important to develop platforms for emerging artists."
How to get tickets for BBC Radio 6 Music festival:
Tickets will be available from Thursday 18th January at 10am through the BBC Radio 6 website for 18 years olds and over.
