Thanks so much t0 everyone who came down on Sunday – was a blast. We are in recovery. Pictures, videos and reviews to follow here soon.

It’s everybody’s second most favourite day of the year – Sounds from the Other City eve. We hope that you’ve sat with your family around the warm glow of the Sounds from the Other City website, that you’ve made your intinerary (and checked it twice) and sung merrily along with tracks from the SFTOC 13 Spotify playlist. We hate to say this – especially given the trouble you’ll have getting to sleep tonight through all the excitement – but this year’s festival is pretty much here, and we have some key things for you to remember.

TICKETS & WRISTBAND EXCHANGE

If you’re one of the few people who didn’t buy tickets in advance, we do advise you to get down to Islington Mill early, as there will be a very limited amount available for sale at Islington Mill, where the ticket collection will be open from 2 pm. If you’ve not purchased a ticket yet, we can’t guarantee that they’ll be available all day – in fact, they’ll likely sell out very early on – so don’t say we didn’t warn you.

Please note: there are always queues, which means that if there is anything that you are desperate to see early on (a lot of performances are from 3 onwards) then it would be wise to make sure that your wristband is collected as early as possible.

Also, please be advised that ticket collection will be closing at 10 pm.

LINE UP AMENDS

There have also been some changes to the line-ups for tomorrow, too

On Hey! Manchester’s stage at Islington Mill, BC Camplight has unfortunately had to pull out, though the majestic BIRD are coming over from Liverpool to take his place.

For the SceneSkype stage, Trojan Horse are unable to perform, though thankfully they’ve managed to hoodwink The Travelling Band in their place.

Unfortunately, Bridget Hayden won’t be playing at SFTOC, which means that Astral Social Club will be playing in her original slot, and a very special set taking over headline duties – we can’t say much, but it is going to be incredible.

For the rest of the line-up and times, you can check once again here

FOLLOW US

For up to the date information, we’ll be on twitter, facebook and instagram all day – follow us and stay tuned. We’ll see you tomorrow!

So while most of the focus is rightly going into the awesome array of new music talent that you will find up and down the street during the day, it wouldnt be SFTOC without some late hours action. And it is a bank holiday after all.

Islington Mill will be the main after-hours hosts with 3 rooms of action:

MAIN ROOM

Esqueezy v Dj Al (aka Boltonmore) 

What happens when you bring two eclectic maniacs with an obsession for Patron and Cocounut Ciroc together? Stuff gets totally wild. Good times are all these two know so expect a b2b fuelled battles of house, hip-hop, tech-noo0 and that fuzzy stuff in between. web

Chew Disco vs Pumping Iron

Free love and hot trax for homo rebels, rad straights, feminists, starchildren, moonshine-makers and everyone in-between, Chew Disco, rub up, side by side with a pumping (IRON) mix of vintage underground disco, pulsating house and aerobic Hi-NRG. Spirits High. No surrender. web

Gesamtkunstwerk vs Faktion

Heavy, deep, dirty anlogue electronics from these two masters of dark party action.  Also serves as handy precursor to their team up on May 31st at the Mill with their enormo bill of sonic visceral electronics with Vatican Shadow, Miles (Demdike Stare) and GNOD at the helm.

Chris Egan (Tusk)

A minor master at selecting records both fresh and forgotten, uniting the crowd with both a cutting edge and a pop sensibility. Inspired by the heights of acid house as much as Fleetwood Mac, Chris will be kicking proceedings off with a stripped back set of irresistible rhythms. Expect slow sweat build.

1ST FLOOR

Islington Mill’s resident ‘First Floor Film Night’ have put together a special playbill of over 5 hours of silent films from across the ages with pre-recorded soundtracks. Chill out on the sofas and make the most of that Marble Bar.

GALLERY

After a full day of sceneskyping its time to turn the tables and join with chat roulette friends in a special chat roulette disco. To be completely honest we have no idea where this one is going to end up.

Meanwhile elsewhere around the street you can see Faktion vs Unknown to the Unknown and Wet Play, make it all sweaty up at the Old Pint Pot till 1.30am and the Mind on Fire vs This City is Ours stage carrying on til 1am with a midnight slot from BlackSmif

 It’s time to get the notepads and pens out – or, if you’re a little more tech-savvy, to input data into a google calendar and then sync it to your iPhone or whatever – and start planning your Bank Holiday Sunday. Naturally, there are always going to be clashes, close calls (inevitably leading to a 10 minute scamper across Salford in the hope of catching the end of some set or other) and, on the day at least, moments where you have to weigh up having another pint against making the effort to move to another venue. We know, we’ve been there. Anyway, let’s not waste any more time – you’ve got stage times to print out and highlight, and we’re only bogging you down. Just one last thing, though – advance tickets are running low, so grab yours now here so all your carefully devised planning doesn’t go to waste http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Islington-Mill/Sounds-From-the-Other-City-2013/11799072/

HEY! MANCHESTER @ ISLINGTON MILL

3.45pm Rozi Plain

4.45pm Adrian Crowley

5.45pm Treetop Flyers

6.45pm Emily Barker & The Red Clay Halo

7.45pm Boats

8.45pm BC Camplight

9.45pm Denis Jones

10.45pm Daedelus

12.00am After Party

TRASH-O-RAMA @ THE ANGEL CENTRE 

3.30pm Stroke Cat

4.30pm ILL

5.30pm secret guests

(to be announced on Twitter by @trash0ramadjs)

6.30pm Die Hexen

7.30pm Laser Dream Eyes

8.30pm Queer’d Science

9.30pm Divorce

COMFORTABLE ON A TIGHTROPE @ UNITED REFORMED CHURCH 

3.15pm The Swamps

4.15pm Waiters

5.00pm Occult Hand

5.45pm Sacred Paws

6.45pm Edible Arrangements

7.45pm La La Vasquez

8.45pm Sea Pinks

9.45pm Volunteers Park

FAT OUT TIL YOU PASS OUT VS BAD UNCLE @ THE SALFORD ARMS

3.15pm Champion Lover and Borland

4.15pm Irma Vep and Douga

5.15pm The Cosmic Dead & Karl Astbury

6.15pm Keith Floyd

7.15pm McLean / Nichols / Quimby

8.15pm Peter J Taylor Guitar Orchestra

9.15—12.45pm  Gnod present a 3 hour Tesla Tapes showcase

9.15-9.35 Neil von Gnod

9.45-10.15 Raikes Parade

10-30-10.50 Druss & Branca

11.00- 11.15 Mike O’Neill

11.30 – 12.00 Dwellings

12.15- 12.45 Run Dust

MANCHESTER SCENESKYPE @ ISLINGTON MILL

4.00pm Paddy Steer (UK)

4.30pm Chateaux (UK)

5.00pm Travelling Band (UK)

5.30pm Pregnant (USA)

6.15pm Riognach Connolly (Brazil)

7.15pm Jarboe & Antic Clay (USA)

8.00pm Lavoy (Alaska)

8.30pm Modern Blonde (UK)

9.00pm Oxbow

(exclusive pre-record from secret location)

9.30pm D/R/U/G/S (UK)

10.30pm Chat Roulette Disco

MIND ON FIRE VS THIS CITY IS OURS @ THE KINGS ARMS

upstairs

3.15pm Ka/Van

4.15pm Origamibiro

5.00pm Szare

6.00pm Rain Dog

7.30pm Frameworks

8.30pm Deft

10.00pm  Fingathing

downstairs

3.00pm MOF & TCIO Residents

5.00pm One Five Eight DJs

7.00pm PYC Sessions

9.00pm Cogi

10.00pm Ghosting Season (DJ)

11.00pm Real

0.00pm  Blacksmif

BURIED BONES @ THE NEW OXFORD

3.00pm Bing Satellites

3.45 pm A Belied Guaniko

4.45pm Cheetham/Birchall Duo

5.45pm Chalaque

6.30pm Bridget Hayden

7.30pm Hiss Golden Messenger

8.30pm William Tyler

9.45pm Astral Social Club

SLIP DISCS @ DELI LAMA

4.00pm Aaron Parker

5.00pm Ian Vine

6.00pm GOVES

7.00pm Chaines

8.00pm Tom Rose

9.00pm Laurie Tompkins DJ

WET PLAY V FAKTION @ THE OLD PINT POT 

Upstairs – Wet Play

4.00pm Jason Boardman

5.30pm Horse Beach

6.15pm Wet Play DJs

7.15pm Rhodius

8.15pm James Holroyd

9.15pm RufDug

10.15pm Gramme

11:15pm Wet Play DJs

Downstairs – Faktion

3.00pm Faktion DJ

4.00pm Jah Bricks

5.00pm DJ Al

6.00pm Swing Ting

7.00pm DJ Q

8.00pm Mista Men

9.00pm Walter Ego

10.00pm Robert Gordon

11.00pm DJ Haus

12.00pm Faktion UTTU Xtra

NOW WAVE @ ST PHILS CHURCH

3.30pm Fun Adults

4.25pm Ofei

5.20pm G R E A T W A V E S

6.20pm BiPolar Sunshine

7.20pm Deptford Goth

8.30pm Still Corners

9.45pm Stealing Sheep

UNDERACHIEVERS PLEASE TRY HARDER @ THE CRESCENT

4.30pm Swimming Lessons

5.30pm Haiku Salut

6.30pm Songs for Walter

7.30pm September Girls

8.30pm Letters to Fiesta

9.30pm Post War Glamour Girls

10.30pm Parenthetical Girls

BAPTISTS & BOOTLEGGERS @ CREATIVE MEDIA CENTRE

4pm – 8pm 4 hour revolving improvisational

performance from members of:

From the get-go, we promised you surprises on the day – but, like the over-excited parents we are, we’re giving you one of your presents early. SFTOC aficionados among you may remember the compilation CD that came with last years programme, which was put together by Baptists and Bootleggers, which is one of the newest, most vibrant record labels in the north-west. We’re excited to be working with them again, this time on one of the weirdest – and potentially most exciting – stages that Sounds from the Other City has ever hosted.

There’s not long to go until the festival now and – don’t say you weren’t warned – there aren’t many tickets left, either – you can get yours here: http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Islington-Mill/Sounds-From-the-Other-City-2013/11799072/

Based in the Creative Media Centre on Bexley Square, B&B will bring you a 4 hour improvised jam, and have sent out an open invitation to artists playing the festival to pop in and join in throughout the day. With 4 stations set up, musicians will be able to turn up, plug in and play without having to stop the performance, meaning a continuous stream of ever-changing, ever-challenging sound. Though the line-up will obviously be fluid – and could, potentially, feature a cast of hundreds – we can guarantee cameos from…

Ill
Horrid
Yes Blythe
Irma Vep
James Moffat
Tombed Visions
Rhodius

A label based about the freedom of creative expression and high quality, highly individual release, it’s fitting that they should be curating a performance so unique and intriguing that it will never be repeated again. We’ll see you there in – god – 4 days…

We understand that there is more to life than music, art and festivals on Chapel Street – admittedly not much, but still. At Sounds…, for the last couple of years we’ve had a selection of food available in the Islington Mill courtyard, and it’s always gone down a storm, so this year we thought it would be a good idea to offer a little bit more of a selection across the board – because, no matter how hard you try, a couple of pints and a Parenthetical Girls set doesn’t provide anywhere near enough nutrition for you to get by.

Obviously, much like the musicians that play SFTOC every year, we were keen to get a good amount of variety in our bookings, which means we have the likes of Fire & Salt BBQ stoking their coals alongside Food by Kim’s vegan and vegetarian delights, as well as a Full Hog Roast and even a cake sale from our friends at the Women’s Institute. If this – and, of course, our wide selection of musical delicacies – sounds of interest to you, tickets are still available at the price of £18 from Skiddle here:http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Islington-Mill/Sounds-From-the-Other-City-2013/11799072/

So, here’s our big menu for SFTOC -if you’re feeling peckish, look away now…

Food at Islington Mill

Islington Mill will be acting as host to Hey! Manchester and Manchester SceneSkype, and will see performances by the likes of Daedelus, BC Camplight, D/R/U/G/S and Oxbow across the course of the day

Fire & Salt BBQ Co; serving up marinated meats slow-cooking above hickory and charcoal in their own barbecue pit 3—8pm. And a late night session for nocturnal munchers and seconds fiends from 11—12pm.

Food by Kim; Sumptious vegan and vegetarian mains with a selection of homemade snacks, teas and coffees. A good balancer to BBQ fest. Served between 3—8pm.

Food at Salford Arms

Salford Arms will be hosting the Fat Out vs Bad Uncle stage, featuring GNOD’s Tesla Tapes showcase among others

 A full simmering hog roast served with selection of sauces and salads. Beef & veggie burgers and veggie patties. Served all day

Food at the Kings Arms 

Kings Arms will host Mind on Fire vs This City is Ours, and will see performances by Fingathing, Deft and Blacksmif

BBQ with Frankfurters, Bratwurst, burger and veggie burgers. Afternoon and early evening.

Food at the Angel Centre

Trash-O-Rama will be making The Angel Centre home for the day, having booked Divorce, Queer’d Science and many more to play their stage

Womens Institute Afternoon Tea Room; traditional afternoon tea of mixed sandwiches, scones and assorted cakes served with tea or coffee (with raffle of course!) served between 2—5pm. All money raised from this event will go towards supporting the young carers centre and Salford Angels Womens Institute.

Hot food served all day in the canteen and performance space

Food at the Deli Lama

Slip Discs will be setting up camp all day in Deli Lama, with performance from GOVES and Chaines that will span contemporary composition to electronica and the murky waters in between.

As well as the usual terrific fare that this newly opened cafe on Bexley Square serve every day, there will also be handy-to-eat Posh Dogs and some vegan specials

++ Hot Bar food and snacks also available at the The Old Pint Pot & The Crescent pubs

Brand  new coffee shop on lower chapel serving hand roasted barista coffees and a fresh breakfast and sandwich menu. All week in the lead up to SFTOC13 they will be serving up a special “Sounds Sandwich” and will be open all day of the festival. Rumour has it they may be hosting a very ‘secret’ sftoc performance too!

Right, before we get started – and this is a strange tale, so if you’re reading on your mobile, go and sit down – it would be remiss of us not to remind you that this time next week we will be partying all day and all through the night, as SFTOC 13 will finally be upon us. Tickets are still available through Skiddle – but won’t be for long. get yours here: http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Islington-Mill/Sounds-From-the-Other-City-2013/11799072/

Err, we know that Sounds from the Other City has always had a bit of a focus on some of the weirder aspects of the music and arts scene, but somethimes things get a little too strange for us. Take today, for instance – as we were doing the usual boring, day to day work of organising a festival (in this case, walking from Islington Mill to top up some flyers around the venues in preparation for the big day), we came across a man dressed head to toe in silver clothing, a sparkling rock dangling from around his neck, shaking. We stuck the posters back in our backpacks, sat him down outside St. Philip’s School and tried to get him to speak – all to no avail. He was clasping this leaflet, which we – finally – managed to convince him to let go of. It seems that the Volkov are returning, and this time they have a focus on us earth folk – and we’re very afraid.

We have, of course, got previous with the Volkovs, as they invaded Islington Mill’s courtyard as part of Panopoly at SFTOC 12…

One thing that every music festival has is – well – music. What seperates festivals are the bookings – and obviously we make sure that we have the best in new music every single year – and the stages themselves. Some people like standing in a crowd of hundreds of thousands, watching Muse on a big screen in the freezing cold in a field. Not us. So along with acts like Daedelus, Parenthetical Girls, Hiss Golden Messenger, Deptford Goth, Still Corners and a load more, we have a few special bits for you, including some secret Red Deer Sessions. We had a chat with Duncan from Red Deer about what it is they do, their past with the festival and what we can expect…

Tickets for the festival – including the (still secret) Red Deer Sessions are available through Skiddle. Grab them whilst you can: http://www.skiddle.com/festivals/sounds-from-the-other-city/

Hi Dunc – to those who don’t know, could you tell us a bit about who you are and what Red Deer Club is? 

Red Deer Club is a label specialising in animal noises, deep tones and canadian exports.. we even have a hockey team.

On the other side of the coin we promote musics in Manchester and embrace all our musicians with a huge friendly hug, developing them for the brave cutthroat world of democracy.

It’s basically a label that has been running for eight years now (it’s our eight birthday in May) we are old and still here. We occasionally put on live nights in and around Manchester, it’s lots of fun.

Of course, you’ve got a long history of working with the festival yourself – any particular highlights that you care to remember?

I’ve been to every one, it’s a honour coming as a punter, then running a stage for a couple of years (in the best venue at SFTOC) and then somehow I ended up running the entire festival with Mark Carlin, god knows how that happened. I had to take a step back from running the festival due to mental health issues and now we back promoting some of the smallest shows at SFTOC, I like to keep things small….

In regards to highlights, the first years was great, I had a giggle fit in the middle of the street, for no particular reason, it felt good though. Then I guess the phone box gigs that Maurice Carlin organised, I had no part in this and didn’t witness any of them, but listening to feedback from the individuals who had chance to partake was one of my best experiences, it encapsulated everything that is good about SFTOC, a positive force acting for the good of man kind through the medium of art.

What do you reckon makes SFTOC the special festival that it is?

I think I may have just answered that questions above without even realising it, maybe that’s what special, the sense of surprise and intrigue, you never know what to expect, this is built on the passion of the many people involved, it’s an unstoppable force and hopefully shines through on the day, you can smell it.
And in terms of your involvement this year – is there anything we can expect? You’ve kept the details of everything pretty much to yourself – we’re even intrigued here at SFTOC towers…

This year has all been about the quiet, I am now leading a quieter life and I want this to reflect in the performances I’ve put together, I’ve put on quite a few shows and I don’t like too much SHOUTING. Not in the talking sense, more in the ‘living up to the hype’ sense… We are not aiming to change the way you put on shows, I just think it’s something different.

Normally shows are pretty boring and easy (anyone can do them) I guess the constant form of boredom has spurned us on to do some secret shows.

There hasn’t been many words about it as its a surprise, basically it’s 3 or 4 secret performances, in which you don’t now where you are going or who you are going to see. Even when you get there I am going to hide the performers, you may guess who is playing but I want these to appear faceless, bare to the common (wo)man. The voices will do the speaking, not the faces.
For the festival itself this year, is there anything that you’re particularly excited about?

I am looking forward to not having to run around like a dick and organising everyone, next year I may come as a punter and absorb all the rays into my face, but there’s always an itching burn to help out, it’s in my blood.

I may just sweep the streets next year, with my beard. The like that sort of performance stuff at Islington Mill. Performance.

To be perfectly honest, when we were planning the countdown of how many days there are left until SFTOC and penning in certain features for certain times, we had another interesting interview to come today. But that was purely because it kind of slipped our mind what the 26th April 2013 would mean for Manchester, and quite how much it would affect us. Tonight sees the end of an era – the moment when one of the most important parts of the city’s musical heritage would be packing it in.

Tonight, Dave and Kirsty will throw their last ever Underachievers, Please Try Harder – the best indie clubnight Manchester has ever known. Having started 5 years ago, they quit at the top of their game – and with a stage at Sounds from the Other City still to host, too. They’ll be running The Crescent, and have managed to convince PARENTHETICAL GIRLS, HAIKU SALUT, SEPTEMBER GIRLS, SWIMMING LESSONS, POST WAR GLAMOUR GIRLS, SONGS FOR WALTER and LETTERS TO FIESTA – tickets for the whole festival are still available here: http://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Manchester/Islington-Mill/Sounds-From-the-Other-City-2013/11799072/

Their special guests tonight will be Ghost Outfit – who have twice wowed the crowds at SFTOC – and we spoke to Dave ahead of their emotional goodbye at The Roadhouse. A word of warning if you turn up – expect tears, and buckets of them.

Hiya Dave – we won’t keep you long – but how does it feel knowing that this time tomorrow there won’t be another Underachievers clubnight left?

Erm, little strange, but we’ve been so caught up in making these last night’s big events, i’m not sure it will actually sink in for a few weeks yet. I think when we have no facebook events to do, bands to book, or ticket sales to check, it will properly hit home.

I still maintain it’s healthy to kill it now again. Least you’re not playing it safer than safe. However, a couple of months back this beautiful Nick Drake track bombed. Which was a surprise, because all previous times we played it, it went really well! Tough crowd or far too gentle for a dancefloor…either way, didn’t work out.

It will be just fine. I think sometimes people get too caught up in things like indie/ guitar music dying. We’ve been reading about it for over a decade now, but new bands are still starting up. And with that, so will clubnights.

Have a look at the Underachievers SFTOC line-up, as well as what else you can see on the day, here: http://soundsfromtheothercity.com/artist-a-z/

There isn’t long to go until Sounds from the Other City – but, for the first time, this year we’re getting things started especially early by having our own little warm up show in collaboration with our good friends – and SFTOC promoters to boot – Comfortable on a Tightrope. On their stage at the festival this year, they’ll be bringing Volunteers Park, Sea Pinks, La La Vasquez, and many more to United Reformed Church. Have a look at their full line-up here.

Tickets for this are available for £3 here or, for those who have yet to purchase their ticket to the main festival, there is a £20 bundle that will gain you entry to both the show and SFTOC here

Anyway, this Saturday (27th) we welcome Group Rhoda to KRAAK gallery as a little taster of what is to come little over a week later. In many ways, the project – work of San Franciscan Mara Barenbaum – is a quintessential SFTOC booking. Her album Out of Time, Out of Touch came out last year through Nightschool Records (home to DIVORCE, who play the festival for Trash-O-Rama this year, here is their website), 8 tracks which flit between industrial minimalism and flighty pop fantasy, often playing on the differences between those two differences. Comparisons have been made to both Suicide and Throbbing Gristle, but there’s a deeper sense of melody and harmony on show through all Barenbaum’s work. Here is what reviewers had to say about the records

 ”What is so impressive throughout the set is Barenbaum’s assured and single-minded vision. There is no way she’s about to make you a deal and drop a swooning piece of pop into the mix. Her industrial and minimal waves of sound skirt the edges of society – much like many of her influences once did. And with tracks like Nightlight, which feels like a drive through Brenbaum’s visual mind, you are led into an effectively hypnotic soundscape via the electronic rhythm and fading daylight.” – Bowlegs

“This album opens up a palette of new, yet historically sound territory in a concise and smart hybrid stylized record. GR offers the listener a cobustion of exploding space dust, writing a narrative based under the cloak of science fiction fact mantras of fucked up up up non pop non music music.” – Decaycast

“This is something different that will stimulate new memories as well as old Barenbaum is a clever and talented musician who is guaranteed a bright future.” – Penny Black

Have a listen to a selection of Group Rhoda’s atmospheric pop here:

Also on the bill are fellow Nightschool stalwarts Apostille, who have also released a 7″ through Comfortable on a Tightrope’s own little label. Again, the balance of this band’s art is based on the struggle between a sea of noise and the buoy of pop hooks

Adding a certain amount of ambiance to the bill are O>L>A, who specialise in slow build, cavernous soundscapes and luscious breakdowns. This performance will act as a preview for their forthcoming debut EP, and promises guitar loops, vocal harmonies and layer upon layer of carefully crafted atmosphere

Finally, we also welcome Kraken – the work of one Jamie Lee, also of one of the region’s most celebrated new acts, MONEY. A solo project, the work under this name are more reflective and stripped back, but still delivered with the intensity that has made his material some of the most feted across the world over the past couple of years. Turn up early, for to miss this performance would be a sin