When Parklife was first launched in 2010 it was a much smaller affair. Held over at Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield, it was just one day, 20,000 tickets were sold, and Ian Brown performed the night before. Not too shabby. But 12 years on Parklife is now a whole other beast.
So, what is it like to be the face of what is now the UK’s biggest metropolitan festival? “Pulling your hair out and firefighting,” says Parklife co-founder Sacha Lord, who is working from home on the day we talk, and feeling slightly fragile following a trip to the Etihad to watch Liam Gallagher’s homecoming gig the night before.
Though, would you expect anything less from Manchester’s night time economy advisor, who has spent most of his career championing the city’s music industry. One of the bosses behind Sankeys during the early ’00s and founder of clubbers' sanctuary The Warehouse Project, Lord’s impact on Manchester has been far-reaching to say the least.
