The annual BBC 6 Music Festival has once again rolled back into town – after making Manchester its permanent home back in 2023 and bringing with it its singular cross-section of British alternative music.
As ever, there’s a host of headline gigs taking in everything from indie legends to cult DJs, and this year it’s spreading to more and more venues too, including the glorious Eccles Town Hall Ballroom, while collabs are happening with the likes of Homoelectric and FaT OuT.
So without further ado, find our picks for this weekend (full list in the comments 🔗)
Bloc Party and The Horrors at Band on the Wall - Friday 27 March
If you were around for the early-2000s indie explosion, this pairing feels like a homecoming. These two – who will have undoubtedly sat on the same festival line-ups back in the day – have spent the intervening years playing much bigger stages that the bijou Band on the Wall. So it will be a joy to see them back in a spot where you can actually feel the amps vibrating through the floor.
Courtney Barnett and Jacob Alon at Band on the Wall - Saturday 28 March
Saturday’s main show leans into songwriting rather than nostalgia. Courtney Barnett has built a reputation for razor-sharp lyrics and dry storytelling, delivering songs that feel conversational but land with surprising emotional weight. Alongside her is rising singer-songwriter Jacob Alon, whose introspective folk-leaning sound has been gaining serious traction.
The FaT OuT showcase at Eccles Town Hall Ballroom - Saturday 28 March
One of the more interesting additions to this year’s festival is the afternoon showcase in Eccles, curated with Manchester promoter FaT OuT. The lineup brings together artists like Lauren Auder, Naima Bock and R.AGGS, all operating in that slightly hard-to-categorise space between indie, experimental pop and art-leaning songwriting. It’s the sort of bill that perfectly captures what the festival does well: spotlighting artists who may not headline arenas yet, but who are shaping where alternative music is heading next.
