Beyond The Music has announced its second wave of artists for 2026, with the festival returning to MediaCityUK from 6th to 9th October.
Now in its third year, Beyond The Music has built a reputation as one of the UK’s more genuinely diverse showcases, with a pledged 50/50 gender split and a deliberate focus on under-supported genres and Greater Manchester talent specifically.
Burnley musician Cody Frost returns for a second time, following her 2023 Beyond The Music debut and having since been signed to a major label.
Manchester’s experimental electronic underground also gets a spotlight, with Another Country $$$$ and British/Chinese duo SILVERWINGKILLER both confirmed.
Elsewhere on the bill: Scottish art-rockers Walt Disco, London goth-rockers Mouth Ulcers (newly signed to Manchester’s LAB Records), Sunderland singer-songwriter Tom A. Smith, and a strong hip-hop/grime presence via Ch3ekz, JD Cliffe and Migraine Mowgli.
Heavier tastes are covered by ALT BLK ERA, Bruise Control, and Manchester prog-metal act 40,000 Leagues.
Away from the live music, the festival’s conference programme includes a 24th-anniversary screening of 24 Hour Party People and an AI summit convened by Prime Minister Andy Burnham, focused on AI licensing and attribution across the creative industries.
Tickets and full lineup details are available at beyondthemusic.co.uk.
This article is based on a press release from Beyond The Music.
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