"A festival like no other...One of the best days of the year"
Manchester Live
It was the biggest, hottest and – according to 81% of our audience (yes, we even did an evaluation!) – our ‘best’ festival yet.
On an unusually tropical Bank Holiday Sunday, our 2018 Artistic Directors Stina Puotinen & David Bailey (the illustrative hand behind almost all the drawings you see on this website) welcomed us into the weird and wonderful world of ‘SoundsTown’ – a fictional town set within the city limits of the festival site.
From the get go 2018 truly encapulated the Sounds spirit: including a chaotic early doors dog show, disco seances, a school of painting and decorating, hot dog eating competitions and drinking and dancing on the streets from start to finish.
And thats before we mention the 152 acts across 30 stages and afterparty venues that brought the heat to put on the heat!
"the ultimate homage to a Salford changing fast but anchored by its artists"
The Independent
(in no particular order)
Bad Uncle . One Five Eight, Band on the Wall, High Hoops, The Beauty Witch, Bound Art Book Fair, Reform Radio, Comfortable on a Tightrope, MurMur, Eastern Bloc, Fat Out, Legroom, Good Afternoon, Grey Lantern, Heavenly Recordings, Hey! Manchester, IMPA.TV, Invisible Wind Factory, Market, Night Fantasy, Now Wave, Regal Disco, School of Electronic Music, Strange Days, Thirsty Girls Collective, Tru Luv, Young Identity, The Engine House Collective, BIMM, Top of the Hill, Ella Henry, Moist Collective and antics Clubnight.
77:78, [ K S R ], AJA, Akaram, Alxdr London, Anna Burch, Anni Rossi, Atatat, Barbarossa, BBC Philharmonic Ensemble, Bitowski, Bodies on Everest, Bog FM Roadshow, Boredom (Live), Boy Azooga (solo), Boys Will Be Boys, Brian Leech, Burgundy Blood, Cattle, Cavalier Song, Chrystal, Cong Burn, Crumbs, Cucina Povera, Cutwerk, Dan Stock, De Rumba DJs, Devastia, DJ Acid Rephlux, DJ Hongee, DOE, Don’t Be Cruel, Drahla, Dr Mystery, DUDS , E11e, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, Éntha (live), Ex-Easter Island Head (solo), Faded Gold, Farhood + Tardast, Footshooter, FYI Chris, Ghold, Goat Girl, Godspeed you! Peter Andre, Hatchie, Have You Ever Seen The Jane Fonda Aerobic VHS?, Heavenly Jukebox DJs, Her’s, Hey Colossus, Happy Meals, Hesska, High Hoops (all night long), Honor Gavin, Horsey, Hot Bone, Hotel Lux, Hover Squid, Industries, Innerstrings, IWFM Radio Roadshow, Jack Galereux, Jacuzzi, Jade Mannion, Jasmine Jones, Jaz Linklater, JC Leisure, Jessica Higgins, JP Huzzle, Just Blankets, Kayla Painter, Kerrie King Bongos, Kiss Me Again, Kxngs, Late Night Karaoke Dungeon hosted by Marilyn Misandry, Laura Bailey, Laura Bowler, Laura Misch, Liohness, Lorenzo Senni, Luminous Bodies, Luxury Death, Lychee, Lynch, Manni, Means&3rd . MeMe Gold, Merlin Nova, Miasma, Mold, Monopoly Phonic, Mortal Sinner, MT Hall , Mun Sing, Mur Mur, Mush, Mutch, NABB GANG, Nick Ainsworth, Night Fantasy DJs , Not Waving , Notchyy, Nun Habit , OneFiveEight presents… Beng! Beng! Beng!, Otherchannels, Out Of Quiet, OVA, OYL, Pearl City, Perkocet, Personal Best, Pijn, PINS (DJ set), Pip Blom, Punctured Disco, Rachel Goodyear, Rattle, Reality Goggles, Richard Nhoebra, Rosebud, Run Logan Run, SheBeKeke, She The Throne , sir Was, Sleazy F presents: Dripset Live, Slumb Party, SNO, Somnia, Sorry, Spectrum (Sonic Boom/Pete Kember), Sunny Wray, Suzi Wu, Sweaty Palms, Team Picture, The Aleph, The Bear Around Your Neck, The Foetals, Toucanplay, Vacuus otiosus, Virginia Wing/XAM Duo, vwls, W H Lung, Werkha . White Room, William The Conqueror, Wolf Girl, XamVolo, Yadda, Yammerer, YOWL and Yuri.
"The ONLY day/metropolitan festival that actually feels like a real festival, not just going between locations to see some music"
Too Many Blogs