If you look at some of the most exciting, innovative & critically acclaimed electronic music that has come out of the beautiful North of England over the past years; from the psychedelic electronic rock of The Moonlandingz, to the folkloric radiophonic avantgarde Of Eccentronic Research Council ft Maxine Peake, to the party electro of International Teachers of Pop; at the forefront of all these projects (and many more) is a man in a hat and shades called Adrian Flanagan.

Adrian has spent two decades working on the fringes of alternative music as a songwriter, wordsmith, musician, producer, remixer, DJ and cultural agitator – working with artists as diverse as Maxine Peake, Yoko Ono, The Human League’s Philip Oakey, Fat White Family, Sean Lennon and many more. Adrian returns with his debut album under the Acid Klaus moniker, Step On My Travelator: The Imagined Career Trajectory of Superstar DJ & Dance-Pop Producer, Melvin Harris.

‘The Acid Klaus live collective experience is not dissimilar to taking ecstasy. You will feel love, you will feel euphoria, you will feel the crashing lows of your own insatiable lust for a good time! But don’t let that put you off!!’ Says Adrian.’

Rising star Mamoun wants to share with you his unfiltered, idiosyncratic and unorthodox world view - the things you think about and never say out loud... but need to hear!

Finalist: BBC New Comedy Award, Leicester Square New Comedian of the Year, Chortle Student Comedy Award and alumnus of the Pleasance Reserve. 'A loaded wit and a mischievous way of tweaking liberal guilt' (Chortle.co.uk).

A work in progress stand-up show taking a left field look at all walks of British society from a revered scholar of hood philosophy.

A thrilling debut hour from absurdist Australian stand up Jacob Henegan.

This show will contain 3 perfect jokes, and many other jokes that are imperfect but beautiful in their flawed nature.

Jacob will probably tell some charming stories and maybe make some witty observations.

Jacob will not do any skateboard tricks during this hour

Taiwanese "Force of nature" (Chortle) Kuan-wen traded his beloved island for the rainy British isles, for "Taiwanese" symbolises generations of migration and shifting identities.

Kuan-wen as heard and seen on BBC Three, BBC Radio 4 and Comedy Central UK. The WIP has been significantly rewritten after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea Birkby follows up on her award-winning debut with this work-in-progress. Is it about an awakening, clown school and her Mum, or is it about YOUR MUM? As listed in British Comedy Guides Top 10 Picks.

Expect: one liners, heart, pop culture, and maybe even sincerity?

“A hugely promising and already accomplished stand-up, surely destined for greater things.” ★★★★ The Scotsman

Mary O'Connell is conflicted: she hates capitalism but she loves to shop. A work-in-progress show of observational annoyance from a blunt and disturbed perspective. Mary performs stand-up comedy about money, pop culture and trying to be a good person while living in London.

As seen on Stand Up for Live Comedy (BBC Three), Laugh Lessons (BBC Three) and Comedy Central Live. Writer for The Emily Atack Show (ITV2) and The Now Show (BBC Radio 4).

Funny Women runner-up 2020, NATYS finalist and creative resident at Steve Coogan's Baby Cow Productions.

A show about hating yourself and, amongst other things, choosing not to. Do you have a critical inner voice? Join Alexander as he interrogates his own, tries to kill it, then comes for yours.

Alexander Bennett’s comedy has been variously described as dark, silly, filthy and thoughtful. He has numerous Edinburgh Fringe runs under his belt, has filmed several stand up specials and he created the cult hit comedy game show Hell To Play. He has recently started his new podcast Born Yesterday with comedian Andy Barr.

He was a key player in Mark Watson’s Comedy Marathon, was nominated at the Leicester Comedy Awards as part of Consignia and co-orchestrated a huge charity event at the Pleasance Grand in Edinburgh called Dan Vs Food, in which a cast of 25+ comedians (including Phil Wang, Ed Gamble, Iain Stirling, Nick Helm, Sophie Duker and Ivo Graham) watched a man called Dan eat his lunch. He has recently appeared on Radio 4 and The Comedian's Comedian podcast.

"Passionate and praiseworthy dark observational comedy" The Skinny

"Courageous and thought-provoking" The Scotsman

"His sharp interpretations of the world around him add a sinister spin to the everyday - Unique and hilarious" Reviews Hub

"A producer and performer of some refreshingly different material" Chortle

The beginning of 2022 saw Nuha Ruby Ra release her new single 'My Voice' on Brace Yourself Records. The new single followed last year's 'How To Move' EP, released to critical acclaim cementing Nuha as one of the most exciting and provocative new acts in the country.

The pulsating and dark, avant-pop of 'My Voice' has Nuha shape-shifting through the accompanying video like a Lynchian dream.

So far this year, Nuha has toured with the likes of Yard Act, Warmduscher, Viagra Boys, King Gizzard and The Wizard Lizard and Bambara and has appeared at festivals such as SXSW, The Great Escape, Bluedot, Latitude, Boardmasters and more.

Deep dive into the weird wonderful world of eBay with me. I’m obsessed with the thrill of an auction, it’s like shopping – but with a winner.

I have found a treasure trove of people not just selling items but a little piece of their life. I have bought it all. Is this because I am a sucker for a good story, or is it my obsessive-compulsive disorder combining with my hyperfocus fixation of my ADHD? You decide!

I’ll walk the audience through the rabbit hole I have found myself in, seeking validation for each progressively insane purchase.

“Ruby brings an infectious energy and steady stream of animated stories… injected with a deluge of sharp-witted reflections” – The Student

Njambi McGrath is an outcast. Kicked out of the choir at the age of 8, turned away from a modelling agent because she was black and being the ignored middle child.

Some people are driven by money, fame and success but not Njambi. She’s driven by the need to make the people who rejected her regret their actions.

Bradford-born, Wakefield-raised John Burton grew up fascinated by sound, and as a young boy would often drift off to sleep to the diffuse tones of his dad’s progressive rock collection emanating from the room beneath him. He tried piano, guitar, and a short stint playing mouth organ but they failed to captivate him. It wasn’t until halfway through his painting degree at Norwich School of Art and Design that he discovered the computer he bought to write his dissertation could take him on new sonic adventures by recording and manipulating sound.

His first recordings reached the offices of Planet Mu Records in 1999 where its founder and Aphex Twin collaborator Mike Paradinas encouraged John’s more experimental efforts. During this time, he acquired his artist name, suggested by a friend who compared his creativity and industriousness to that of a leafcutter ant. Working with Planet Mu, John released three critically-acclaimed albums which culminated in the release of The Housebound Spirit, an album which combined elements of music-concrete and electro-acoustic music with voice and guitar work more commonly found in folk music. It won an Honorary Mention at the 2004 Ars Electronica Awards, and was featured in The Wire’s top 50records of 2003.

His fourth album The Forest and the Sea was nominated for Best Album (Qwartz Electronic Music Awards 2007) and was toured extensively throughout Europe and Australia. Resurrection, released in 2015, marked another shift for John, building on his formidable reputation as an inventor of unusual handmade electronic instruments and extraordinary music software. For the track Gulps, John used a recursive software system to layer a recording of the North Sea 7.1 billion times, once for each human alive on the planet.

For his latest (seventh) album, John is thrilled to team up with fellow stalwarts of idiosyncratic electronica Border Community on the joyously upbeat Yes! Come Parade With Us. Weaving field recordings from the Norfolk coastline together with layers of lyrical modular synth, it comprises seven bright-eyed anthems that beam with positivity and a sense of place. An intensely personal project, John has also hand-drawn the labyrinthine album art and animated his own suitably exuberant rainbow-hued video to accompany the boundless enthusiasm of the restorative title track Yes! Come Parade With Us.

As part of his ongoing quest to create more expressive instruments with which to write and produce music John has designed, built and developed a unique light controlled musical interface which is the heart of his live show. Comprising a light sensitive controller and bespoke Max/MSP software which he plays gesturally using handheld lights. He has performed with it throughout Europe and given talks and workshops at various music and art schools, including the Royal College of Music. In 2012 he took this system to Vietnam at the invitation of the British Council and in 2014 played it to a sold-out Roundhouse in London supporting Imogen Heap. In 2015, the interface won the Qwartz Electronic Music Award for Innovation.

Since 2004 John has been a key member of experimental jazz band Polar Bear, recording five albums with them, touring extensively and picking up two prestigious Mercury Prize nominations. John has also performed with Shabaka Hutchings, Talvin Singh and Imogen Heap, supported Matmos, Otomo Yoshihide and Yo La Tengo and twice been part of Beck’s band at the Barbican, London. In 2007 he was also invited to perform at Jarvis Cocker’s Meltdown Festival at London’s Southbank Centre, alongside Beth Orton, Grace Jones, Nick Cave and Roisin Murphy.

Living up to his industrious artist name, John is also a prodigious producer and remixer. His production credits include Bas Jan and Melt Yourself Down and he’s currently working with Ed Dowie on his second solo album. And he’s been commissioned to provide scores for countless theatre, dance and poetry luminaries, such as the Handspring Puppet Company and renowned choreographer Wayne McGregor. John has also written custom software for artists including Jon Hopkins (as used on his 2018 album Singularity) and experimental beat boxer Jason Sing.

Futures in Music & Audio, presented by Cambridge School of Creative Industries degree students (ARU).

These sessions and workshops discuss the current state and future direction of music and audio industries. These sessions will provide insights and perspectives from artists and industry into the challenges and opportunities for employment and skill-set development for aspiring and established professionals alike.

11:00 – 12:00: The Infinite Monkey Theorem as applied to Music (Have we got a new Mozart Yet?)

12:15 – 13:15: Let The Music Pay: Surviving and Thriving in the Streaming Era

13 :15 – 14 :15: Networking

14:15 – 15:15: Fireside with Phil Harding

15:30 – 16:30: Anyone Can Play Guitar

16:45 – 17:45: “Uncertain Joys” with Billy Lunn (The Subways)

Michael Akadiri is a fast rising, multi-award winning comedian. His natural charm and cheeky, observational style has already seen him make an impact on the UK comedy scene, most recently winning the Komedia New Comedy Award.

He made his TV Stand Up debut on BBC One as part of the BBC New Comedy Awards and has been casted to appear in the next series of ITV2s Stand Up Sketch Show. He has written and performed sketch collaborations with LadBible and other broadcast credits include BBC Radio 4's Fred at the Stand, panel appearances on Times Radio and hosting on BBC Radio Kent. 

Neanderthal Canadian Trinidadian Norn Iron Loon Law brings his half baked thoughts on the last couple of years and a little time travel to boot. It might not always make sense but it’s always funny.

Farm boy blue collar surreal absurdity in his own very unique style. For those with a different take or taste in comedy.
Plus a lot of works on progress

Isy has been performing stand-up for nearly 20 years with three sell-out Edinburgh Fringe runs under her belt. Her show Pearl and Dean became a Radio 4 series, Isy Suttie’s Love Letters, which won a Gold Sony award. She has also performed stand up in Montreal and Australia, and may times on TV, as well as appearances on shows such as QI, Would I Lie to You and 8 out of 10 Cats. She has been nominated for three British Comedy Awards and her TV acting credits include Dobby in Peep Show and Ali in Man Down. She has published two books, a memoir called The Actual One and a novel, Jane is Trying.

Star of ITV2's Stand Up Sketch Show, BBC New Comedy Awards Finalist and Pleasance Reserve alumni Lily is, post pandemic, STILL banging on about her Vagina. Female comedians are often criticized for only talking about vaginas and periods, which is offensive, but in Lily’s case 100% true. She is very much leaning into her reviews of ‘rambunctious smut’ (Steve Bennett Chortle) and brings you an hour of dry wit and dirty jokes with some anecdotes about her long suffering boyfriend thrown in for the ladsssss.

Smut explores the many trials and tribulations of being a woman, like turning 30 only to discover that apparently your vagina gets bigger with age rather than usage, how to deal with your dogs cystitis, and what happens when your boyfriend has to help you birth your own menstrual cup... they are still together now by the way, if anything, it has brought them closer. ‘Charming and moderately obscene’ **** The Scotsman and ‘funny bones and great hair’ This is Cabaret.

Formed in 1978 with a core line-up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson, adding Tony Quigley, Denise Johnson and Matt Steele for touring and studio contributions, Manchester’s A Certain Ratio embraced the ethic and culture of the late seventies post-punk explosion, sounding like nothing else around them and refusing to fit in.

Ever wondered how Mike’s Great-Aunt Zusa made it from Poland to Luton with a war nipping at her heels? Here’s your chance to find out. Just to reiterate: this s a work in progress.

As seen on Man Down (C4), Taskmaster (C4). As heard on the St Elwick’s Neighbourhood Association Newsletter Podcast and the Three Bean Salad Podcast.

Three piece indie-pop band PEANESS are the kind of instantly likeable, warm and creative people that can get away with having radio DJ’s blush like a peach every time they have to say the band’s name on the airwaves.

Riot Jazz Brass Band hail from the grimy protoplasm of Manchester’s prolific creative scene. Since 2008, they have been spreading unconditional love and irresistible energy across the nation and continent.