In The City 5th – 7th October, Various Venues

The world’s biggest festival of unsigned music kicks off in Manchester.

In The City have recently laid claim to the title ‘the world’s biggest festival of unsigned music’. This is no mere hyperbole, though. Looking back into the statistics of the festival is astonishing.

The festival has launched acts such as Oasis, The Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, Coldplay, The Darkness and Arctic Monkeys. They’ve seen their unsigned acts go on to score over 400 Top 10 singles, 100 Top Ten albums, 19 Mercury Music Award nominations and 34 Brit Award nominations.

First conceived by the late, great Tony Wilson and his partner Yvette Livsey, In The City is an annual festival that draws hundreds of talent scouts and key industry figures to Manchester on a hunt for the Next Big Thing. Huge debates on everything from the state of the grime and dub scene through to the impact of the digital age take place during the day, while the nights are given over to a blur of gigs and showcases.

If you don’t want to pay the considerable delegate fee, you can also get involved by checking out the In The City Fringe, which will see plenty of guerrilla nights springing up hoping to catch your attention.

For more information, visit www.inthecity.co.uk