2025 Festival

2025 marked a huge milestone for us: the 20th edition of Sounds from the Other City. Two decades of celebrating grassroots venues and independent selectors, and creating a space for new music & art to thrive, ripe for discovery by our ever-welcoming and receptive audiences: aka You Lovely Lot.

For the second year running, The University of Salford’s Peel Campus played the role of festival hub – creating a dive-off point to experience the year’s exciting co-curated programme in historic halls, courtyards, pubs, green spaces and galleries stretched along our beloved Chapel Street & The Crescent.

Eleven-piece Mancunian trad folk ensemble Brown Wimpenny squeezed into Salford Museum and Art Gallery. Glastonbury’s Emerging Talent Competition winners Westside Cowboy played The Old Pint Pot, packed to the rafters. Nationally-beloved Drag artist Lill emerged from a giant birthday cake on The Green, adorned with Salford’s skyline, to kickstart a marching band parade headed by renowned party-starters Stealing Sheep around Peel Park…

And as sure as night follows day: then came the afterparties. Chaotic karaoke with Papa Sage in the Pint Pot. Dancing shoulder-to-shoulder (respectfully) to DJs across the ground floor spaces in Islington Mill. And once again, we welcomed back The White Hotel into the folds of SFTOC… bumping up the APH (Active Party Hours) to a whopping 17. Kudos to those of you who danced ’til the end: with our weary arms held to our sweat-dappled brows, we salute you.

Band on the Wall • Club Brenda • CROP Radio • Fat Out • FLUFF • Freya Wysocki • Green Island • Grey Lantern • Hayley Suviste • Heavenly Recordings • Hey! Manchester • High Hoops • Islington Mill • Kath McDermott & Friends • Love Party • Morsel • Not Quite Light • Now Wave • Papa Sage’s Karaoke Club • Rare Mags • Red Deer Club • Reform Radio • $eamu$ & Friends • SEEN • Self • Strange Days

Alex Milo B2B Yorlig • Amaka • Andy Votel • Anti Suzanne • Astrid Sonne • Atiké B2B Dr Jive • Bad Uncle • Bennettiscoming • Big Joanie • Big Other • BODUR • British Birds • Brown Horse • Brown Wimpenny • Buffee • Caleb Kunle • Chaines • Charlie Boy Manson • Chunky B2B Samrai • Club Brenda • Copper Sounds • d.clemente • Dawuna • Dead Air • Debs Gatenby • dj_wachita • DR MYSTERY • Du Blonde • Egg On Toast • Ellen Beth Abdi • Fastlove • The Fat Britney • Finn • Fliss Mayo B2B Henzo • Galgish B2B Linge • Ghetto Fabulous • Ghost Assembly • Good Afternoon • Grotbags • Grove x Toya Delazy x Taliable • Gwenno • Hachiku • Hayley Suviste • Holodrum • Holy Gore Arcade • INA B2B DR MYSTERY • Industries • Inness • Hallam B2B teepee h • James Holroyd • Jennifer Lucy Allan • Jennifer Reid • John Powell Jones • Jus ’T • kaoti • Karl D’Silva • KD22LR • Kynsy • La Familia • Ladybeige B2B Julie Wills • Left Cultures Magazine • Léna C • Leo Hermitt • LIINES • Lill • Loney • Loose Articles • Love Party • marjai • Marlene Riberio • Marley • Marsy • Meduulla • Meme Gold • Metrodome • Mica (UK) • Milkweed • Moth Slut • The New Eves • NIIX • Nøelle • THE NONE • Nora B2B teepee h • Norrisette • Not Bad For A Girl • Obeka • Oluwaseun Olayiwola • The Orchestra (For Now) • The Orielles • Papa Sage’s Karaoke • Reisner • Robin Hergé • set dressing • Sharari • Ship Sket • Shredding • SILVERWINGKILLER • Sockethead • Sonic Yootha • SOPHIA • The Stealing Sheep Marching Band Parade • Stu Richards • SYNNA G • Tara Lily • The Twilight Zone with Kate Feld, Nick Dunn & Mile Walsh • Tom Sharkett • Trance Fairies • Tristwch Y Fenywod • Twin Complex B2B thisvibrantbody • Violet Blonde • WDDS & Ror Materials • Westside Cowboy • What Do I Tell My Friends? • Whitehorse • YARD • Yolanda Damoyi • Zèyla • ZOLATEC