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Manchester Evening News
Manchester Evening News
Entertainment
Ellie Kemp

The Manchester acts worth watching at Glastonbury 2022

Glastonbury is back for the first time in two years, returning to its home at Worthy Farm in Somerset. Kicking off on Wednesday (22 June), the iconic festival is well underway, brimming with exciting live performances.

The coronavirus pandemic meant the event was cancelled in both 2020 and 2021. So music fans - most of whom bagged their tickets in 2019 - will be eager to get back out and enjoy all the action.

Festival-goers are in for a real mixed bag of weather, with both sunshine and thunderstorms forecast as the week goes on. But in true British style, there's no doubt they'll be sticking around to see the stellar line-up of acts on offer.

Read more: Glastonbury's plea to everyone attending 2022 festival

Those headlining the event this year include Sir Paul McCartney, Kendrick Lamar and Billie Eilish. While festivals are the perfect opportunity to catch your favourite artists performing live, they're also a great chance to see some local talent - who, you never know, might just end up headlining the famous Pyramid Stage in years to come.

Here's our round-up of 10 Manchester talents worth watching at Glastonbury this year...

Piri and Tommy

Duo Piri and Tommy will be gracing Glastonbury with their dance and drum 'n' base-inspired tunes. The Manchester couple, who told the NME they had their first date at Piccadilly Gardens, began making music during lockdown.

They went on to have a viral hit, when their single Soft Spot - which has racked up more than 13 million Spotify streams - took off on TikTok. It garnered airplay on major radio stations and launched them onto the bill of festival spots up and down the country.

Since, the duo have released two more tracks, Beachin' and Words. And there's plenty more to come from them; Piri and Tommy recently signed to Polydor Records, with a debut album in the works.

Where: Lonely Hearts Club

When: Thursday 23 June from 9.15pm to 9.45pm

Tim Burgess

The Charlatans frontman will be performing at Glastonbury (Craig Connor/ChronicleLive)

Salford's Tim Burgess, frontman of The Charlatans, will be performing twice at Glastonbury 2022. The rocker, who formed the band in 1988, celebrated The Charlatan's 30th anniversary last year with a string of special shows across the country.

In their decades-long lifespan, The Charlatans have notched up 13 top 40 studio albums - three of them reaching number one - as well as 22 hit singles. As a soloist Tim has released five solo albums with his fifth, titled Typical Music, due to drop on 23 September.

Taking to Twitter, Tim shared his excitement about the gig. Alongside a photo of the Glasto line-up from 1987, he said: "Imagine if I could get a message to that wide eyed version of me that first went to @glastonbury in 1987 - that in 2022 I’ll be playing two gigs, one for @Greenpeace (plus I’m reading a bedtime story for @CBeebiesHQ) and that @PaulMcCartney will be headlining the festival!"

Where: Greenpeace (2pm to 2.45pm) and William's Green (8.30pm to 9.30pm)

When: Saturday 25 June

July 7

July 7 is making his Glasto debut (Press handout)

Musician July 7 will be making his Glasto debut this weekend after being championed by BBC Introducing. His latest single Recharge has been featured Tune Of The Week on Radio 1.

The Manchester beatmaker was taken under the wing of Nigerian music mogul Mr Eazi, who signed him up to talent initiative emPawa. Soon after, July 7 jetted off to Spain to work with some of the country's best artists.

In an interview with Notion Magazine, July 7 revealed that her grew up playing Flamenco guitar and is teaching himself to become fluent in Spanish. The young star collaborated with the likes of with Young Thug and Travis Scott, and dropped his EP Rendezvous at 7 in February.

Where: BBC Music Introducing Stage

When: Sunday 26 June from 2.30pm to 2.55pm

McFly

Catch McFly at Glastonbury this weekend (Getty Images)

Pop-punk band McFly are set to perform their biggest tunes to the Glastonbury crowd this weekend. The four-piece, made up of Bolton's Danny Jones, Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter and Harry Judd, have enjoyed a glittering pop career.

The group have been making music since 2003, penning hits including debut single Five Colours in Her Hair, which shot to number one on the charts. They earned a total of seven number one singles in less than a decade, including Obviously, All About You and their cover of Don't Stop Me Now.

McFly, whose name was inspired by Marty McFly from Back To The Future, have embarked on 13 tours - the most recent one was in 2021. And now, Glastonbury is their next stop...

Where: Avalon Stage

When: Sunday 26 June from 6.20pm to 7.20pm

Porij

Genre-defying four-piece Porij are making their Glastonbury debut, with their high-energy anthems sure to get Worthy Farm dancing. Friends Eggy (singer and keys player) Tommy (singer and guitarist - and also Tommy off of Piri and Tommy), Jammo (bassist) and Tom (drummer) created the band while studying at Manchester's Royal Northern College of Music in 2019.

Within a year of being together, Porij's single Dirty Love was featured on BBC 6 Music's playlist. They've since released a string of singles, as well as mixtape Breakfast and EP Baby Face. Porij's latest single Lose Our Minds was debuted on BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds.

Sharing their Glasto news on Facebook, Porij wrote that they 'genuinely can't believe' they're playing the iconic festival and are 'beyond excited and grateful.'

Where: BBC Music Introducing Stage

When: Sunday 26 June from 5.50pm to 6.15pm

Blossoms

Stockport's Blossoms (Blossoms)

Blossoms is among those putting Greater Manchester on the map at Worthy Farm this weekend. The indie-pop group, who in their early days toured with The Charlatans and The Courteeners, have released four albums so far.

Stockport lads Tom Ogden, Charlie Salt, Joe Donovan, Myles Kellock and Josh Dewhurst dropped their latest EP, Ribbon Around The Bomb, in April which won rave reviews - and was appointed BBC Radio 2's Album of the Week. More recently, the four-piece has supported The Killers on their stadium tour, and have a packed schedule of festivals this summer.

Where: Other Stage

When: Friday 24 June, from 2.15pm to 3.15pm

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Noel Gallagher will be taking to the Pyramid Stage this weekend (Getty Images)

Having just wrapped-up a UK-wide tour, Manchester hitmaker Noel Gallagher will be taking to the Pyramid Stage just before Paul McCartney this weekend. Noel has been centre stage of the British music scene since the mid-nineties Britpop explosion.

As a founding member of Oasis, alongside his brother Liam, Noel has sold over 70 million records, including albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? In 2010, a year after Oasis split up, the brothers went their separate ways and both pursued solo careers.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' debut album went platinum in the UK and sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide.

Where: Pyramid Stage

When: Saturday 25 June from 7.15pm to 8.30pm

Elbow

Elbow (Getty Images)

Manchester legends Elbow will be rocking Glastonbury's Pyramid Stage this weekend. Frontman Guy Garvey is one of the most celebrated songwriters of his generation, twice winning the coveted Ivor Novello award, as well as the Mercury Music Prize for album The Seldom Seen Kid - and a BRIT award for Best British Band.

The Bury band, who have nine albums and countless live shows under their belts, have been a group since 1990 but officially became Elbow in 1997. Aside from Elbow, Guy is also a visiting professor at the Manchester Metropolitan University and presents on BBC Radio 6 Music.

Where: Pyramid Stage

When: Sunday 26 June from 5.45pm to 6.45pm

John Cooper Clarke

John Cooper Clarke (Hull Daily Mail)

The self-proclaimed 'King of poetry' Dr John Cooper Clarke is performing at Glasto this weekend. The Bard of Salford, who had a UK top 40 with track Gimmix! in 1979, has inspired several new generations of performers from Arctic Monkey's Alex Turner to Plan B.

Arctic Monkey's hit I Wanna Be Yours, for example, reworks John's poem of the same name. In 2020, the punk poet released a memoir under the same title.

Two years previously, John published his first collection of poems in over 30 years. Named The Luckiest Guy Alive, it was a collection of audience favourites, set pieces and brand new poems proving that although three decades had passed, he was still at the top of his game. Later that year, he embarked on a UK tour.

Where: Avalon Stage

When: Saturday 25 June from 6.25pm to 7.40pm

Lamb

Electro duo Lamb, consisting of producer Andy Barlow and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes, are among the talented Manchester acts performing at Glastonbury. The pair have played the festival many times before, with Andy recalling in 2021 that Lamb has had 'some of the most magical and most memorable experiences...in these sacred lands.'

The pair's single Górecki, from their debut album released in 1996, has featured in a whole host of TV shows and films - and also charted at number three in the UK. They went on to release another six studio albums over the next 25 years, as well as playing a plethora of live shows and festival spots.

The Secret of Letting Go, the band's most recent album, was written and recorded across Devon, Ibiza and India and released in 2019.

Where: Avalon Stage

When: Saturday 25 June from 9.35pm to 10.35pm

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