Fairplay fest is quickly becoming one of the biggest days on the calendar for the independent music scene in Manchester. Embracing a variety of independent venues in the Northern Quarter, as well as local talent, and more established names on the indie circuit, makes it one of the most refreshing music events of the year. I was lucky enough to drop by last weekend.

The festival is located across 5 venues in the Northern Quarter, and is set up in a more rough and ready format than most other festivals of the present day. We live in a time where arts funding from ACE is being slashed across the board, and where working class communities in particular are facing huge issues in terms of access to the arts, making up just 7.9% of people in the creative industries. The Government has chosen to slash funding to arts courses by 50%. In the midst of this attack against the cultural sector, the festival’s choice of venues and its independent setup in many ways feels like a political statement. A statement against the commercialisation of music and the arts and against giant entertainment conglomerates like Live Nation. 

In usual fashion, I was running late and feeling a little worse for wear after a healthy dose of madness at The White Hotel the night before. This meant I was disappointed to miss most of the first round of acts kicking off the festival in various locations around the Northern Quarter. But, once I’d had my first pint (hair of the dog perhaps wasn’t the best choice), I was ready to go. It was straight over to the Peer Hat, where I caught the last ten minutes of the fabulous Doss. Their closing track, a raucous diss track of DF Concerts and King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut, sent the crowd as crazy as I’ve seen any crowd at 3 in the afternoon. The track firmly cemented them as Scotland’s answer to Sleaford Mods – as funny, as socially aware, but with better accents.

I was particularly excited to catch Bikini Body and they certainly didn’t disappoint. One for fans of Panic Shack or Dry Cleaning, they are part of this new wave of female led punk and post-punk which feels like a British-based, second generation Riot Grrrl movement. The group haD the Peer Hat rocking in no time, with their high intensity set complete with jangling guitars and comical lyrical quips.

However, with otherwise limited plans on how I was going to spend my day – running on too little sleep and a bag of crisps, I found myself spending parts of the day wandering between venues checking out various acts with no concrete plans. And honestly, doing this is really where the magic happens. It’s what festivals like this are all about, encouraging discovery and finding new artists. I’d endeavour anyone lucky enough to have such events on their doorsteps to go to an artist they haven’t heard before. To look beyond the headliners, and see what you find.

For me, I found myself wandering into the Castle Hotel early in the day and seeing YAANG – a local band I hadn’t heard before and had no intention of seeing. But they stole the show for me. The electronic production, pop feel, punk lyrics and truly rock and roll guitar and bass, made them the most exciting act of the day for me. They were chaotic and camp and did not allow the binaries of genre stifle their creativity. A definite highlight.

Indeed, it was simply through dandering into Night and Day Cafe that I also came across Piglet – an artist from Belfast I’m ashamed to say I had yet to listen to. But, coming from some rather high energy sets to step into the queer, sad boy energy was a well needed reset. And, perhaps fueled by a bit too much alcohol, and a lack of sleep, the emotion at times got the better of me throughout such a mellifluous set. Being from Belfast, to hear a fellow Belfast native connect so much with their queerness on an artistic level was a truly liberating and deeply personal experience.

As the end of the night came round, I prepared myself for the big one, SCALPING. Knowing already how perfect SOUP’s soundsystem is for a set like this, I was buzzing. And the performance was overwhelming: blistering drums and bass, heady guitars and acidic synths. It was the perfect union of band and venue. And it reminded me why electronic music is my favourite music style. Its versatility and diversity is unparalleled. Watching SCALPING, I couldn’t help but think of what SOPHIE once said about what the purpose of music was for her – which was to push limits and take things as far as possible. And electronic production can do this quite like nothing else. The Bristol group closing of SOUP was monumental, the perfect choice, and an excellent end to this part of the night.

Some of the other excellent acts I caught across the day were Suep, whose indie-pop bangers were never going to disappoint, Me, Charles, a raw and captivating display of emotional vulnerability, and Silkback Armour, a totally new and welcome surprise for me – and many more excellent acts were missed! 

The night rounded up with Keg in Night and Day Cafe, who’s energy, passion (and excellent fashion in the form of matching fedoras), was almost enough to make me stay into the wee hours. Rounding out the night in Night and Day Cafe felt rather full circle. It grounded the festival in what it was really all about. And it felt like a true show of solidarity from every person at the event for one of the most iconic venues in Manchester. A venue that’s been there since before the Northern Quarter was the ‘hipster haven’ it is today, since it was surrounded by empty buildings and seedy adult stores. And a venue which is now fighting for its survival against a council Noise Abatement Notice. The day felt like a massive ‘fuck you’ to the landlords causing its potential closure.

However, the aforementioned hangover had begun to creep in, and a swift exit was made before the end of the set. Despite my early exit, the takeaways from Fairplay fest were huge. Allowing a day to recentre the independent venue, to give it new life felt like a radical choice for modern day music promotion. It’s after events like this that I take time to consider how lucky I am to live in a city with such a rich and vibrant underground culture. Coming from Belfast, a city where arts and culture has taken a hit like in no other city, I feel fortunate to now be in a city where cultural heritage is able to be celebrated and supported.

And some departing advice. Go to bands you’ve never heard of, go to the small venue with the cheap booze, show up for the support act, invite your mates, invite your ma. These venues and these musicians are the lifeblood of the music industry.