Off The Record Festival 2018 Reveal Line-Up

Manchester multi-venue live music event and conference Off The Record has this year announced its music line-up ahead of the event for the first time ever, with further acts still to be revealed. It has also confirmed selected panels from its conference line-up, with more announced in the coming weeks.

After two sell-out years, Off The Record will return to Manchester’s Northern Quarter on 15^th and 16^th November, with more venues and its biggest artist, conference and curator line-up yet.

 

Following suit with previous years, trusted national curators, including Everything Everything, Huw Stephens, Rob Da Bank, Ana Matronic, Fickle Friends and The Orielles, have nominated the artists performing.

Everything Everything (pictured) are curating their own stage at this year’s event, after being keynote speakers in 2016, and artists confirmed to perform as part of this include, CHILDCARE, Giant Boys, See Thru Hands, SPQR and vwls, alongside a DJ set from the band themselves. The band say;

“Off The Record’s clever remit captures artists at a very special, vivid and all-too-brief point in their careers. It’s our pleasure to be involved, and to give a platform to a group of acts we’ve encountered that find themselves in this enviable position.”

The event, sponsored by Exit Live, will also see curators independent label and leading TV platform, Distiller TV, and award-winning distribution and label services company, Horus Music, curating their own showcases.

Artists confirmed to perform at this year’s Off The Record, and the curators who chose them, are:

WOOZE (John Kennedy)
The Old Pink House (Tipping Point & When In Manchester)
Chappaqua Wrestling (Flying Vinyl)
Kinkajous (Low Four Studio)
Pearl City (Rob Da Bank, Bestival)
LibraLibra (Sound City)
Lady Ice (BBC Introducing Manchester)
Mary Miller (Rebalance)
Seatbelts (The Orielles)
Peaness (Make Noise)
Happy Spendy (Goldflake Paint)
Olivia Nelson (Abbie McCarthy)
MELLT (Huw Stephens)
Medikul (Tom Ravenscroft)
Delights (When In Manchester)
The Ninth Wave (Distiller)
Djuno (Horus)
Vana Blue (Horus)
Ditz (Horus)
Team Picture (Low Four Studio)
Rascalton (Kendal Calling)
Thyla (MCR Live & Fickle Friends)
Babe Punch (Make Noise)
Paris Youth Foundation (Distiller)
Fizzy Blood (Distiller)
Cherry Shoes (Horus)
Debra Ohalete (Horus)
Self Esteem (London in Stereo)
Himalayas (Distiller)

This year’s conference line-up, taking place at Manchester’s Methodist Central Hall, will include a special songwriting masterclass, which is new for this year and launching with legendary Manchester band Doves, along with an In-Conversation with Simon Parkes, founder of renowned live music venue Brixton Academy.

Panels confirmed so far and some of the guest speakers include; Getting Your Music Heard: Streaming vs Radio with Abbie McCarthy (BBC Radio 1 and BBC Introducing), DIY vs Indie vs Major with Julie Weir (Sony Music), The New Power Generation with Kali Bradford (Distiller), Northern Revival with Author and DJ Dave Haslam and Chris Hawkins (BBC 6 Music) and The Evolution of Mastering with Kevin Tuffy (Stormzy, RagnBone Man, Lady Leshurr). The conference and live music showcase will have a strong female representation, with female-led initiatives from curators Keychange, Re:Balance, When In Manchester and Make Noise all addressing the gender imbalance in music.

Off The Record was launched by three of the UK’s premier independent music festivals; Kendal Calling, Sound City and Bluedot. Together they wanted to create an event to educate and connect a new generation of music industry professionals while showcasing some of the best new music in the UK.

The performance venues for Off The Record include Jimmy’s, The Peer Hat, Soup Kitchen, Gullivers, Night & Day, The Castle Hotel, Aatma and additional venue for 2018 Band On The Wall; making this the biggest Off The Record yet. All the venues are a few minutes walk from one another in Manchester’s Northern Quarter.

Tickets are on sale now and there are currently limited tickets priced at £35 for an Earlybird Gig & Conference Pass, £20 for an Earlybird Conference Pass and £15 for an Earlybird Gig Pass available from http://bit.ly/OTR2018Tickets. Gig passes are 18+ only and Ticketline Network are the primary ticketing agent at this year’s event.

 

Off The Record will run as follows:

Thursday 15^th November:

7pm-late – Networking drinks at Band on the Wall sponsored by Ticketline Network

Friday 16^th November:

9.30am-6pm – Conference at Methodist Central Hall
6pm-late – Music Showcase at Jimmy’s, Band on the Wall, The Peer Hat, Soup Kitchen, Gullivers, Aatma, Night & Day, The Castle Hotel

 

For further information please head to https://www.otrmcr.co.uk