Off The Record is an up and coming music conference and festival that takes place in Manchester’s Northern Quarter. It is dedicated to giving new artists a platform to showcase their music while also offering professionals valuable networking opportunities.
The festival takes place at numerous venues across the Northern Quarter such as Gullivers, Band On The Wall, Soup Kitchen, and Night & Day Café, just to name a few. Despite the relative difference in venues and the spread of people attending, one thing remained consistent, the atmosphere was electric. Each set had a remarkable turnout and the crowds just couldn’t get enough!
One thing that was particularly striking was the normality of the bands, which sounds like a ridiculous thing to say but bear with me… When people see a band/artists live it is quite normal to put them on some kind of pedestal, when in reality they probably aren’t that different from us! For instance, Jack Perrett and his band told the crowd how they had travelled to the festival straight after finishing work earlier that day, if that isn’t grounding I don’t know what is! They followed this up with catchy, well performed songs, which certainly got the crowds approval. Everyone just seemed to be having a genuinely great time!
Off The Record also hosted bands who weren’t as new to the game. HAiG was formed a few months ago so although they are a relatively new band, frontman Billy Bibby is no novice. Despite the half an hour time slot they gave a headline performance. From insane musicality to banter with the crowd, their experience was evident and they were a hit! With a little blast of confetti at the end of their set, they really made it their own.
Another thing that stuck out was the diversity of the artists that were performing. It wasn’t all the typical rock/indie bands that you would associate with the Manchester music scene. Voodoo Black, a Manchester based rap group, performed a set at Band On The Wall and they were one of the most engaging groups of the night. They pushed for the audience to get involved and it definitely wasn’t in vain! They dabbled with elements of old school hip hop which was a refreshing change.
All of the bands were really well suited to the venues that they were playing, which just added to the overall atmosphere of their sets. An example of this would be Springfield Elementary. They played at Gullivers, a lively old school bar with wooden flooring and ornate furnishings. The band themselves gave off 90s vibes as they came on stage in their turtlenecks and general retro aura. Their set was effortlessly smooth and again, they seemed genuinely privileged to be playing as they said a chirpy “cheers” after each song.
Off The Record is a great platform for aspiring new musicians to showcase their talent early on in their career. It is a welcoming, accepting space in which all kinds of music can be explored and everyone can bond simply over their love for music. Supporting new musicians is one of the most important things you can do, it could be the difference between them continuing with their passion or falling at the first hurdle, after all, you never know where they could be in a few years…