Fresh from its huge 20th anniversary edition of beloved festival Sounds From the Other City (SFTOC), the team are set to continue the celebrations with a late-night musical takeover at Aviva Studios this month.
Forming part of Manchester International Festival’s final weekend festivities, Surround Sounds will spread across Aviva’s huge South Warehouse and outdoor spaces on Fri 18 Jul.
Performed in-the-round, Surround Sounds will be a ‘non-stop carousel of sounds and unexpected performances’ from an array of artists that exemplify the variety of styles, energies and characters that have graced SFTOC stages over the past two decades.
Joining the packed lineup will be noughties icons WU LYF, who return to the stage following a 13-year hiatus, along with their first new music since their 2012 breakup. Following three sold-out shows at The Kings Arms, WU LYF prepare for their biggest UK date in a fitting celebration of the festival which played such a massive part in the group’s early career.
North London rapper Lex Amor will also be performing her long-awaited sophomore project, Forward Ever, a profound meditation on resilience and the human condition and her most personal and sonically ambitious musical attempt to date. A hands-on producer, fully in control of her art, with engineering and co-production credits on all tracks, Lex Amor epitomises the DIY energy of SFTOC.
Also on the lineup: Manchester-based viola player Sophia Dignam, whose impressive roster of collaborators include Jorja Smith and Cleo Sol; rapper Che3kz; Manchester’s legendary drummer Adisa Allen; and the transcendent sounds of Gambian kora player Jali Kuyateh.
Closing the party, AFRODEUTSCHE promises to keep everyone dancing into the early hours, unleashing iconic local performers Ghetto Fabulous, The Fvck Pigs, Club Clam, and drag royalty Banksie and Coco Cannelll.
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- Words:
- Bradley Lengden
- Published on:
- Thu 10 Jul 2025
