Factory Spotlight: After The Applause at Aviva Studios

Factory Spotlight hands the mic to After the Applause for a free live edition celebrating the launch of season two of the Manchester podcast.

After the Applause is built around the live music ecosystem in the North of England – platforming the voices behind underground events, and speaking to artists and industry professionals about the scene’s past, present and future. This Aviva Studios event brings that same focus, with an evening that mixes conversation and performance.

First, you’ll watch two Q&A panel discussions digging into the future of music in Manchester – the kind of on-the-ground talk the podcast has become known for. This will be hosted by Saoirse Gribbon, the young Altrincham creative behind the podcast, who launched After the Applause in 2024 to spotlight Greater Manchester’s underground scene.

Then the night pivots into performance: an hour of live music from guests who’ve appeared on Gribbon’s show, including NØELLE, Artist Lebo, Grumpy, Salo and Mya Lashantai.

The line-up reflects the breadth of the scene the podcast champions. Welsh-Ukrainian artist NØELLE brings immersive hyperpop, known for pushing live electronics through spatial audio and AV-led sets. Artist Lebo moves between Afrotech, amapiano and Afrohouse as a DJ, vocalist and songwriter, bridging her South African roots with UK club sounds.

British Nigerian-born artist Grumpy channels Afro-fusion, also drawing on his blended heritage and upbringing. Salo, a Georgian singer, songwriter, producer and pianist, combines neo soul, old jazz, blues and native Georgian harmonies, and Mya Lashantai, R&B singer-songwriter from South Manchester, fuses soulful melodies with intimate storytelling shaped by contemporary R&B influences.

There’s also a producer spotlight segment – beats from Manchester producers played out loud, with artists invited to jump on the mic and freestyle. It’s a simple idea, but a good one: a reminder that scenes are made in real time, in real rooms, by people taking the risk of trying something in front of each other.

Factory Spotlight exists to give grassroots organisations, collectives and individual artists the keys to Aviva Studios for a curated live programme – and After the Applause fits that brief naturally. Expect a night that feels community-first, future-facing, and powered by the city’s underground.