For its third edition, Beyond The Music rang in some changes. The Manchester industry showcase and conference departed the city’s Northern Quarter, relocating to Salford’s MediaCity. While the event has its sights firmly set on the future of music – whether in terms of industry issues or the artists who could dominate – it gave its new home some signposts to the past, with each stage named after a beloved venue from Manchester’s past.
Over the week, Beyond The Music brought together thought-provoking panels and artists at different points in their careers, all with huge promise for the next level. NME was there to catch all the action – here are the top 10 shows we caught at Beyond The Music 2026.
Words: Rhian Daly, Andrew Trendell
Bawo
Where most artists performing in the MediaCity building let the festival-provided visuals tell audiences who they are, London rapper and singer Bawo did things his own way. Glitchy lo-fi visuals flanked the stage, immersing you in his world as he delivered a laidback set. Bounding around isn’t his M.O. – instead Bawo slinked across the stage, keeping things low-key energetically, but still utterly compelling. And when you’ve got songs with hooks as infectious as ‘Wrestlemania’’s, you can let the music do the talking. RD
Cutscene
Big trousers and bigger anthems came courtesy of the impeccably dressed Manchester-via-County Durham post-punk four-piece Cutscene. Delivering a wall of sound with an effortless cool, their late-night set rewarded those who stuck around with the shamelessly epic misery of Fontaines D.C., the skyward instrumental ambition of Mogwai and the sharp gut-punch paranoia of early Radiohead. The towering ‘Concrete Line’ captured this best as a set highlight, so go get that in your ears right now. Here’s hoping the scene is set for these lads to smash 2027: “ACTION!” AT
Dead Stilettos
“Can we get 10 beers please? That’s only two each” – a seemingly reasonable request if you’re playing an Irish bar on a Friday night, but no dice. Manchester five-piece Dead Stilettos responded by bringing the sound of a punk rock barroom brawl. With the sleazy glam look and attitude of The Cramps and The Stooges, and falling somewhere between a more groove-based Gilla Band via the dirtier corners of Viagra Boys’ garage rock, with a sprinkle of Maruja sax-punk for good measure. Their recent debut ‘Bodge Job’ is worthy of your attention, or at least someone buying them a round. AT
Holly Head
Of all the local artists on the bill at Beyond The Music 2026, four-piece Holly Head are one of the acts who’ve been gaining a decent amount of attention already. There’s good reason for that, as their Wednesday night set proved – a propulsive, raw explosion of feeling set to intricate, twitching riffs. Debut single ‘No Gain’ built up to frontman Joe Moss howling lines like “Born into the power you have”, while ‘No Country Is An Island’ provided a searing highlight in a thrilling performance. RD
JayaHadADream
“We make happiness from agony”, offered the NME 100 alum and 2024 Glastonbury Emerging Talent Competition winner, JayaHadADream. Everything’s pointing to this former criminology teacher becoming a pretty big deal, but as she pulled a passionate crowd on Friday with her radio-ready beats and smooth and fearless flow, you got the sense she’s aligning her own stars. This is manifesting greatness. AT
Kofi Stone
“All that we ask is that your mind is here in the now, and you’re not thinking about any problems in the past or future,” Kofi Stone’s DJ instructed the crowd before the Birmingham MC bounded onto the Electric Circus stage. Fresh off the release off his fourth project ‘The Last Flower To Bloom’, the “Mayor of Brum” closed out Beyond The Music 2026 with a set full of reflective, measured rap that shared stories from across his back catalogue. ‘Stories In Pyjamas’ contemplated Stone’s beginnings, while the soulful swoon of ‘Lavender’ followed a relationship’s journey. Stone’s healing energy was plentiful, making it easy to do as his DJ said and stay fully in the moment. RD
Silverwingkiller
Most showcase festivals invite something of a tepid industry atmosphere among the crowd, but Manchester duo Silverwingkiller were having none of that. Comprised of frontwoman Yushang Ni and drummer James Baca, their set on Thursday night was a crowd-invading battle-starter to match the challenge set by their ravey-yet-punky industrial hyperpop noise. Imagine Peaches driven by warped Can rhythms or Mandy, Indiana on actual mandy – or just go see for yourself at the first opportunity. You definitely won’t regret it. AT
Soapbox
“I’m sorry if you can’t f****** understand us,” apologised Soapbox frontman Tom Rowan in a thick Glaswegian drawl, “but what we just said was incredibly witty and insightful.” Between those moments of perception, the band also kept the crowd – and venue staff – on their toes, Rowan scaling whatever he could for the primal ‘Private Public Transport’ and terrifying the bartenders when he jumped behind the bar, before necking a nearby punter’s pint. This is the brutal breakneck rage of old-school punk but delightfully waving a red rag to the bull of Brexit Britain and two fingers to a generation who forgot what the genre stands for: thought-provoking, furious and dead fun. Oi oi! AT
Sweet Gene
Sweet Gene have yet to release an official single – the only evidence of their music online so far is a handful of demos on Bandcamp and a couple of live videos – but the buzz around the Manchester four-piece is steadily building. As soon as they kicked off their set at the Akoustik Anarkhy showcase on Wednesday, it was clear they’re on the path to big things, delivering a set that moved from acid-drenched baggy one minute to jangly indie and ‘Jungle’’s swaggering rock the next. Word on the street is they’ve got Mercury Prize nominee Dove Ellis producing some tracks for them – a fitting collaboration given their shared knack for sonorous, soaring melodies. RD
Venkappa
Manchester six-piece Venkappa only started releasing music earlier this year, but already they’re showing a ton of promise. Debut EP ‘Peace Offering’, which arrived last month, captures the hazy dreaminess of their sound, while their live show – as evidenced at Beyond The Music – is already full of confidence. Their set at The Salmon Of Knowledge drew on elements of Wolf Alice and Cliffords, with singer Abbie steering her vocals from soft to spine-tinglingly powerful, depending on what each song needed, with ease. You’ll want to keep an eye on this lot. RD
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