WHEN IN MANCHESTER: A recent addition to the festival scene, which features Manchester’s best upcoming bands; taking place in four different venues, featuring 23 bands, and is organised by women passionate about live music. This year the festival has teamed up with Flying Vinyl and Bluedot Festival.
What makes this festival stand out from many others is the fact that the organisers are all young women. Meet Ellen Offredy, Nicole Burrows, Abi Richardson and Miriam Rahimov.
The four all know each other through their mutual love of music. They decided to create a festival together following a night out in Manchester when they unexpectedly bumped into each other in Gullivers – where part of the festival is going to be held.
Ellen believes that as women trying to make it in the music industry it is important they all support each other.
She says: “Working together hasn’t put a strain on us at all. If anything, it’s made us closer friends.”
Whilst describing the organising process Abi says: “It has gone pretty smoothly so far.
“I think Manchester has some brilliant festivals already … but hopefully there is room for one more in the calendar.”
The title When In Manchester stemmed from the night the girls came across each other in Gullivers.
Ellen says: “We were all really drunk drinking rosé and whiskey from the bottles and passing it around, when really none of us are big rosé drinkers at all. I think there was an offer on at the time. We started saying “when in Manchester drink the rosé” as an excuse, and before we knew it the excuse for anything slightly unusually one of us said or did was “when in Manchester”.
The bands When In Manchester will be featuring include The Tuts, Jordan Allen, The Strawberries, Sapho, White Room, Kashmere and many more. This line up has been crafted to give a variety of exciting, upcoming bands with big things ahead.
Kashmere [Photography by Ellen McGoran]
“We’ve always gone down well here, and we love to play in Manchester. Some of the venues are just ace as well. There are so many small to massive venues to play here all with their own individual character.”
Kashmere are described by emergingnorth.com as: “Most certainly ones to watch” with a: “huge future” to come.
The organisers are all relatively local.
Abi says: “I am from Manchester, Miriam is from Germany but moved to Manchester and Nicole is from St Helens.”
Ellen says: “My parents moved to a town nearby Manchester called when I was 10. Manchester was my nearest city during my teenage years when I was really discovering myself, and my passion for music. It’s a great city for it.”
Both Abi and Miriam study Music Business at BIMM which is Europe’s leading contemporary music college, with an institute in Manchester.
“We started brainstorming our ideal line up for a small festival and wrote it all down just for a laugh. It wasn’t until we woke up the next day that we thought hang on a minute… we can make this happen” says Ellen.
Ellen says: “We’re not about the profit. We just want to throw a big party with our favourite bands and share their music. Any money made will be reinvested to do it all again next year.”
When In Manchester is being held on Saturday 15 April at Gullivers, Jimmy’s, Night & Day and The Castle Hotel on Oldham Street in the Northern Quarter. Doors are open from 2.30pm, and tickets are on general sale now from Skiddle.
#WhenInMCR
When In Manchester’s line up is as follows:
THE TUTS
JORDAN ALLEN
KASHMERE
ASYLUMS
WHITE ROOM
LUCIE BARAT
TRASH
ETHAN & THE REFORMATION
SAPHO
THE STRAWBERRIES
GATHERING OF STRANGERS
SEPRONA
BERRIES
THE NINTH WAVE
FOXE
SOUTH ISLAND SON
LA MODE
IVORY WAVE
SUGARTHEIF
PALM HONEY
JACK OLIVER MONTY
HONEY LUNG
WHERE FIRES ARE
[All live photography belongs to Ellen McGoran]
