The sun has shown signs it still exists which means only one thing – it’s the start of festival season. We were invited to the Ones To Watch Weekender hosted by Radio Sez of which I attended the Saturday.
Located in the middle of what is now a modern business estate, the Old Abbey Taphouse was the chosen venue for the Weekender. Even though I thought my Uber driver had kidnapped me on my way to the seemingly out of place venue, it is a vital part of the Hulme community. The cultural hub-in-a-pub hosts many vital community projects and believes that innovative projects and community led events can bring significant change and benefit to the area which undoubtedly pays great homage to the pub’s rich history.
The festival itself was hosted in a tent beside the pub not too dissimilar to those at large festivals such as Leeds/Reading but on a much smaller scale and over a cobbled terrace rather than 4 foot deep mud. The tent was decorated with silver bunting hanging from the ceiling, a laser light show, and even a bubble machine which all added to the festival experience. As what seems like every day in Manchester, the sky was on a mission to make itself known and poured down with rain – but that didn’t stop the outdoor Weekender. The rain pattered down on the tent, reminiscent of my childhood camping holidays where I would listen to the sound of the rain on the roof as long as I could will myself to stay awake; however, the tent at the Old Abbey Taphouse was notably drier, and I didn’t have to worry about accidentally touching the sides. As for internal hydration, the Old Abbey Taphouse offered a very strong tap water given with ice, which is a brilliant touch and didn’t have the often dusty Manchester water taste. It was a 5 out of 5 from me and it was significantly more free than their £5.50 pint.
Photos by @gracroc
Radio Sez hosts a radio show called ‘Ones to Watch’ which began on the student radio station ‘Fuse FM’ and has more recently moved to ‘STEAM Radio’ which is hosted from the Old Abbey Taphouse. When I asked her why she wanted to translate her radio show into a live event, Sez said that people kept telling her ‘Radio Sez’ needed to be bigger on the poster, she continued on to say “but it’s not about me, yeah it would be nice to have a few more radio listeners but ultimately my show is about platforming new artists. I think the radio’s such an intimate form of communication, it’s like one to one, but there’s only so much you can do on radio, like you can push it and whatever but ultimately post covid people want to get together”.
Sez told me she decided to apply to the ‘Jagermeister Save The Night’ fund on a whim and said she randomly got the email on the first date with her ex-boyfriend, speaking about this she said “it’s such a funny relation, but anyways I just kinda rocked up and he was like, you look happy and I was like, yeah I just won some money”. After learning part of her expenses were covered by the grant, she told me she thought “you know what, go big or go home, I’m going to do two days because I can’t narrow it down. I want to do more, and I don’t want to do an indie band and then a hip-hop artist, it doesn’t make sense, so I split it into two days”.
Although I can’t speak for the Sunday lineup of indie artists, the lineup of poetically driven hip-hop and rap on Saturday flowed smoothly – unmistakably due to Sez’ decision. I have attended a few independent events in Manchester with similar sized lineups which consisted of an eclectic mix of genres and even though that can be a great tool to reach a wider audience it can lead to a high risk of people becoming disinterested during performances which they didn’t go to see.
Photos by @gracroc
Sez introduced me to a new way to finally see artists on your ‘gig watchlist’, book them for your own event. She told me that she’s been listening to Baby Panna for ages and has played them on her radio show but hasn’t managed to see them live yet. She mentioned that they haven’t played the North West before which drew people from Liverpool and Blackpool to her event, she says “it’s all a discovery thing, you might come for Panna and end up loving Kaesu”.
On booking her lineup Sez also said “everyone here is enjoying themselves, loving the new music, finding new artists, finding the next one to watch. Tomorrow, Daisy – she’s playing Glastonbury. I booked her before she got that. I would literally do my silly little TikTok dances and put in the caption like ‘come to my showcase you’ll find the next person who’s gonna headline Glasto’. She’s not headlining, but she’s playing it so yeah, I booked a f*cking Glasto artist what the hell”. Radio Sez strongly believes in the artists she books, saying “they’re unreal, they deserve the biggest things, bigger audiences, and anything I can do to help push that I would do in a heartbeat”.
This sentiment of being able to bring light to independent artists and give them a space to play their music is so incredibly important. In 15 years time these big festivals would have no one to headline if it wasn’t for the independent people putting in the work and nurturing the local scenes today.
Photo by @gracroc
Grassroot venues and events, like the Ones To Watch Weekender, are becoming more paramount than ever with companies like Live Nation striving to take monopoly over the music scene, alongside the unstoppable force of cancellations of small and independent festivals – 43 so far this year have had to cancel due to rising costs. Grassroot events provide a space for artists to hone their skills and meet like-minded people. These types of venues and events are becoming harder to keep open with licensing issues and noise abatement notices (such as the long drawn out Night and Day Cafe case).
Unless they’re one of the incredibly small minority of people who managed to sign to a record label without previous industry experience (lovingly deemed ‘industry plants’), nearly every artist you can imagine will have played in grassroot venues and at independent events. Manchester has been a hub for cultivating upcoming artists for decades. People come here in the hundreds, maybe even thousands, every year to try and experience the energy which is the Manchester music scene. The Ones To Watch Weekender has been a beautifully fitting part of this diverse scene. Radio Sez gave a platform for talented musicians that even I, someone who prides myself in being involved in my local scene, hadn’t heard of.
By bringing artists from across the north and the wider UK together Radio Sez is widening the definition of community and bringing more than just locals together. With the rise of social media giving the power of worldwide communication at our fingertips it is important to consider who we think of as our community – be that geographically or like-minded individuals across the world. The Ones To Watch Weekender is a perfect example of what the music scene needs – community. We need more attention to be brought to grassroot events and for more people to get involved with them. If you can’t name 5 local bands, maybe you’re really missing out (or maybe you live in the Dales).
Words: Abby Spenceley
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