Neighbourhood is back and better than ever on Saturday 5th October with yet another stellar line-up!
Taking place in some of Manchester’s best and iconic music venues, the festival recently announced their first wave of artists for this year, with headliners Pale Waves, as well as ADMT, Louis Dunford, Corella, Antony Szmierek and more, plus many more artists to be announced!
Keep reading to find out the one’s to watch at this year’s festival…
Maxwell Varey
Wigan-native, Maxwell Varey made his bold entrance onto the scene in November 2023 with his
self-written & self-produced debut EP full of propulsive indie rock and alternative pop anthems.
A mainstay on the North-West of England live circuit over the last 18 months; Maxwell’s profile
has been boosted from features in major publications such as NME, The Line of Best Fit,
CLASH, guitar.com; airplay at BBC Radio 1, BBC 6 Music, BBC Introducing; being playlisted on
Radio X & Amazing Radio; and getting playlist covers at Spotify.
Brògeal
Hailing from the windswept Highlands of Scotland in Falkirk, five-piece Brògeal came together in high school over their love of Scottish and Irish folk music and punk and garage rock. Adding banjo and mandolin to electric guitars to the mix, the band soon found their own unique voice has seen them emerge as one of the best live bands in the UK and one of the biggest breakout groups in the last 12 months.
The band have already been tipped by The Independent, So Young, Clash, Dork, The New Cue, Backseat Mafia, God Is In The TV and Tenement TV, and have recently released their self-titled EP – listen here.
PIXEY
Pixey is the heir to a lineage of British pop music that is both anthemic and tender. She draws from and reinvents the far-flung sounds which defined her upbringing: the rousing choruses of Britpop, the off-kilter pop of Grimes and the dancefloor-defining instincts of The Prodigy, channelling those influences through a vision that is remarkably fresh.
Across her career to date, Pixey has picked up acclaim from Notion, NME, DIY, Dork, The Line Of Best Fit, CLASH and many more. She has also received swathes of tastemaker support across national radio at the likes of BBC Radio 1, where she has received a plethora of accolades including Best New Pop, Poppest Record, Future Bop, two Tune Of The Week nods and over 100 plays and 20M impressions across her entire catalogue.
New single, ‘Give A Little of Your Love’, out now!
Soft Launch
Forming together after years of different individual projects, Soft Launch quickly became a natural force, packing out their live shows without any publicly released music, including selling out London’s The Grace within an hour.
Key publications such as Dork and DIY Mag have coined the Irish quintet as one of the most exciting bands on the scene right now; and these aren’t the only people shouting about Soft Launch. Pop icons CMAT and Declan McKenna (previous Neighbourhood artists!) have urged people to go and listen to the fivesome, with Declan McKenna later bringing the group on tour with him in early 2024.
New song, Piano Hands, out now!
Alessi Rose
Weaving between pop subgenres Alessi Rose is developing a sound and style all her own.
Mixing the dreams and delusions of youth with the sometimes crushing, other times euphoric
realities of coming-of-age, the 20-year-old artist’s innate understanding of the intersection
between vivid fantasy and disarming honesty is part of what makes her ascension inevitable.
Alessi gained great success from uploading covers to Youtube, and emboldened her to upload self-penned demos that caught ears worldwide, including those of several high profile managers, UK and US record labels in both the UK and US, and BBC Introducing; Alessi promptly charting in the top 10 most played local artists of 2022 without a single release to her name.
Debut EP ‘rumination is ritual‘ out now!
Balancing Act
Balancing Act have quickly become renowned for their charged live shows and all round electric sound. Kai Jon Roberts (vocals) and Jackson Couzens (guitar) first met in Manchester whilst working on separate projects. After packing up and moving to London, they joined forces with David Carpenter (bass) and Patrick Hanbury (drums), forming the now settled quartet in 2022.
After gaining traction with their debut EP in November 2022, Balancing Act have become something of a key name in “ones to watch” discussions, being branded a contender for “the new generation’s favourite band” by Jack Saunders.
New single, ‘Laylow’, out now!
Siobhan Winifred
Growing up in the Dorset countryside with a strong Irish Heritage, Siobhán was influenced at a young age by the lyrics and artistry of Rufus Wainwright, Leonard Cohn and Alex Turner, creating music that is both intimate and expansive.
Siobhán has established an ever growing fanbase and received lot’s of critical praise and early support from tastemakers across radio and press including the likes of Jack Saunders, Jess Izsatt, Mollie King, Maia Beth and Nels Hylton at BBC Radio & BBC Introducing, Brooke Reese and Travis Mills at Apple Music. Siobhán also saw lots of early support at Spotify with adds on New Music Friday, Fresh Finds, Lyric Therapy, Our Generation and many more.
New single, ‘Lungs’, out now!
Neighbourhood Festival – Saturday 5th October