Free live music festival coming to Manchester with legendary K-Klass to headline
Printworks Manchester has announced a brand-new free live music festival, Live & Loud bringing together some of the UK’s hottest upcoming and established artists from Manchester and beyond for a two-day weekender culminating in a floor-filling headline set from 90s Madchester royalty and Grammy Award nominated house heroes K-Klass.
Taking place across Friday 27 and Saturday 28 February during BRIT Awards weekend, Live & Loud is a collaboration between Printworks Manchester and industry legends Genre Music who will curate and host the event. Across the weekend, the programme builds from family-friendly daytime sets into high-energy evening sessions, blending live acts and DJs across two packed programmes all hosted in the centre of Printworks and underneath the largest digital ceiling in Europe.
Friday’s line up (4pm–10pm) opens with Manchester DJ Matt Hydes, bringing more than two decades of experience to the decks, the evening continues with the Honey Bee Jazz Band, who’ll be putting a lively jazz twist on crowd favourite pop and soul classics before KingFast delivers a soulful set, shaped by Jamaican roots with a Belfast upbringing.
As Friday evening progresses, Reform Radio resident Urbi will step things up with feel-good house and garage selections, followed by live-looping funk and neo-soul from 2Vibe, before Tristan Walsh closes the night with peak-time disco-house remixes built for the dancefloor.
Saturday’s programme (2pm–10pm) kicks off with international DJ Emma Ellis, whose upbeat, feel-good sets have taken her from Manchester to Ibiza and beyond followed by Guy Connor, whose crowd-friendly solo set draws on festival appearances including Glastonbury and Benicàssim ahead of versatile DJ Jorge Martin, whose crowd-savvy selections span house, disco and Manchester classics.
Live music from acoustic duo Kick Back Sundays, will fill Printworks with uplifting harmonies, before Manchester dance scene mainstay Gareth James will be deliver groove-led soulful house and disco heavy hitters with a set that’s been crafted since his debut on the 90s Madchester scene. Sabira Jade follows with an intimate live set, before Genre Music residents Jay Murt and Matt Walsh set the tone ahead of a special guest appearance from dance music royalty, K-Klass. Renowned for era-defining house anthems, from their seminal remix of Bobby Brown’s “Two Can Play That Game” to the timeless “Rhythm Is a Mystery” K-Klass will deliver a masterclass in club music in the heart of the city that helped make them.
Dan Davis, General Manager at Printworks, said: “Manchester is renowned for its musical heritage and we are excited to bring music to life here at Printworks. Live & Loud will place Manchester artists front and centre, with an eclectic line-up that is diverse in genre, background and generation - reflecting our commitment to championing a wide range of local and upcoming artistic talent for a must attend weekend of live music.”
Colette Burroughs-Rose, Director at Genre Music said of the partnership: “Live & Loud is Manchester in full voice - familiar faces and new names coming together under one roof across two standout days. This is Genre Music’s home city, and we’re proud to be partnering with Printworks on a music programme that welcomes everyone: family-friendly by day, great for evenings with friends. Alongside curating a truly eclectic mix of the city’s incredible DJs and live acts, we’re also capturing the artists' stories on film to help amplify their voices and creativity beyond the stage.”
Selected performances across the weekend will also be filmed, helping to amplify local talent beyond the city. The epic weekender marks the start of a new monthly live music pop-up series at Printworks in collaboration with Genre Music with more to be announced soon.
Live & Loud takes place at Printworks Manchester on Friday 27 February (4pm–10pm) and Saturday 28 February (2pm–10pm).