Sounds from the other City announces 2024 line up

Sounds From The Other City, Salford’s much-loved annual multi-venue festival, is set to take place in its usual Spring Bank Holiday weekend berth on Sunday 5th May. Today, they reveal a typically diverse and ambitious line-up, including details of a SFTOC mega-afterparty, alongside news of this year’s art directors.

Highlights include Welsh icon Gruff Rhys at the University of Salford’s historic Maxwell Hall, where he will become the latest in a long list of musical legends to have performed in the space. Across the lawn, alt-jazz rising star Muva of Earth and underground hiphop gem Kinkai will grace the auditorium stage of Peel Hall, whilst just next door at the Salford Museum & Art Gallery, Mercury Prize nominee C Duncan and Australian Music Prize nominee Belle Chen are set to play a fittingly masters-adjacent location.

One of the festival’s favourite returning venues, the beautiful St Philip’s Church, will play host to melancholic electro post-punk trio Nightbus, indie-sleaze scenester Viji, and multi-instrumentalist Halo Maud, fresh from her guest vocal for The Chemical Brothers and with a brand new album dropping in March.

As ever, the festival offers up a wealth of new and rising talent with hotly tipped artists including unabashed gallic synthpop duo Free Love; abrasive electronic seafarers and Sleaford Mod tour support Jellyskin; free-spirited funk multi-instrumentalist ISHA; lofi showgaze solo act TTSSFU; the hi-NRG gay disco and introspective bedroom pop of Pink Pound; sound artist and Oram award winner Kelly Jayne Jones; and the spiritual afrobeat of Ezra Collective member Ife Ogunjobi. Not to mention a smattering of stalwarts of the underground, including soundsystem legend and John Peel favourite Mikey D.O.N.

The day will wrap up with a joyous afterparty at Maxwell Hall, featuring live sets from the legend that is A Guy Called Gerald, celebrated DnB vocalist and DJ Jenna G and Bermudian producer and multi-percussionist Obeka, alongside dancers from Club Clam and Ghetto Fabulous and DJ sets from  Lil Minx and  Fastlove b2b Aiden Francis. 

Leaving their mark on the look and feel of the day across the site, SFTOC 2024 festival Art Directors are The Fvck Pigs. The pink-clad Pigerati dance troupe are recognised for previous collaborations with the likes of Peaches and have quickly become a dancefloor favourite, performing at Homobloc, Boomtown and many more. 

As well as spreading their muck with interactive elements popping up all over Soundstown, the Pigs will be presenting the first ever edition of Pork Idol: a pageant-style competition which will invite Salford’s next top pig to compete for the crown before they can join the Pigs in storming the stage at the official SFTOC24 afterparty.

About Sounds From The Other City

Created for music lovers by music lovers, Sounds From The Other City has been a firm underground favourite since 2005; delivering a unique annual event that champions local promoters and programmers and celebrates the off-kilter beauty of Salford, the oft-overlooked ‘other city’ to Manchester. 

Throughout the years, the festival has hosted early-day performances from artists as diverse as Black Midi, Marina, Alabaster de Plume, Alt-J, The Ting Tings, BiPolar Sunshine, Hannah Peel, GoGo Penguin right through to 2017’s Mercury Music Prize winner Sampha, BBC Sound of 2018 nominee IAMDDB and 2021 Mercury Music Prize nominees, Black Country, New Road.

What sets Sounds apart from almost every other festival in the land is a freewheeling approach to its programming that creates an authentically co-created event.  Each year the festival invites a selection of the grassroots independent scene of the region – live promoters, record labels, club nights, magazines, venues – hands them a venue and a budget and lets them rip, with total free rein on what they programme; if you like it, book it! 

Together that collective energy comes together in one almighty blast of energy that takes over the Chapel Street and Crescent areas of Salford, right on the doorstep of Central Manchester.  Comprising largely of non-venue spaces, each year the audience can look forward to visiting new and underexplored parts of the city.

Sounds From The Other City 2024 takes place on Bank Holiday Sunday 5th May. Tickets are on sale now at soundsfromtheothercity.com.

Sounds From The Other City is made possible by funding from Salford City Council,  the University of Salford, Arts Council England and GMCA Culture Fund. It is supported by Salford’s Culture & Place Partnership, a cross- city collective delivering Salford’s strategy for culture and creativity.

Sounds From The Other City 2024 line-up

(VENUE, selector, artists A-Z)

MAXWELL HALL

Now Wave

Daisy Rickman

Gruff Rhys

TTSSFU 

+ more tba

THE GREEN

Good Afternoon x Green Island Festival

Atike B2B Una Lee

Good Afternoon

Pink Phono

Kay B2B Tomi from Brockley

SALFORD MUSEUM & ART GALLERY

Hey! Manchester 

C Duncan

Marker Starling

Laura J Martin

Belle Chen

Eliza Niemi

PEEL HALL

Band on the Wall x Reform Radio

Hosted by Renee Stormz & Lashimba

ISHA

Ife Ogunjobi

muva of Earth

KinKai (Live PA)

Lavender Rodriguez

SHEwillprovide

Urbi B2B JUNO

THE WORKING CLASS MOVEMENT LIBRARY

The Untold Orchestra 

Dija Bhlue

Esther Koch

Renee Stormz

Mali Hayes

O’Sapien

Ruth Owens

SAF-S2E

THE OLD FIRE STATION

$eamu$ & Friends

Fellowship (LIVE)

Ggeebow

Hannah O’Gorman

Industry Plant

Maracuya (Not Bad For A Girl)

Mikey Don

Sus-R & Club Penguin

Teepee H & Magee

THE OLD PINT POT (UPSTAIRS)

Alphaville  x Fat Out x The Beauty Witch

Cameron Graham

Dancer

Good News

Grave Goods

Gurnal Gadafi 

Shake Chain

THE OLD PINT POT (DOWNSTAIRS)

Alphaville  x Fat Out x The Beauty Witch

Claire Welles

Co-Pilot

Jellyskin

Nature Boi 

Thraa

ST PHILIPS CHURCH

Strange Days x Heavenly Recordings 

BEATRICE

Halo Maud

Lilo

Nightbus

Viji

PARTISAN CLUB, ISLINGTON MILL

FAIR PLAY x Grey Lantern

Another Country $$$$

Free Love

Nukuluk

Pink Pound

Waterbaby

Zolatec

MIRAGE BAR, ISLINGTON MILL 

DIYD x Dreams of Decay

Chermansog

Kelly Jayne Jones

Powders

She The Throne

The Seer

BEXLEY SQUARE 

SEEN

Amaka (2 sets)

Abnormal Sleepz (DJ set)

Chandé b2b Samrai

Meme Gold

Ms Dee

PORTA

Mas O Menos x Traketeo

Atalaya

Atike

LaFrance

Levi Love

Lilith

Luna Lazer

Mas O Menos

Stallone

Yeguachita

THE NEW OXFORD

SHEwillprovide

Amaka 

Asandia

Ayy Den

KD22LR

Kemi

Sez

Urbi

Zubz

AFTERPARTIES

MAXWELL HALL

SFTOC

A Guy Called Gerald (Live)

Jenna G (Live)

Obeka: Drums of Utopia (Live)

DJs: Lil Minx //  Fastlove b2b Aiden Francis

Dancers: Club Clam // Ghetto Fabulous // 

PARTISAN CLUB, ISLINGTON MILL

The Beatriarchy

Colecta

Gracie T

MYNA

Shannon From Admin

MIRAGE BAR, ISLINGTON MILL 

Cavalcade

Ronnie Stone

Missy Jay

Amiel Nitrate