The North Will Rise Again at Gorilla and The Invisible Wind Factory

Johnny James, Managing Editor

Book now

The North Will Rise Again

27-28 March 2021

Always double check opening hours with the venue before making a special visit.

Book now

Crucibles of the nation’s music industry, Manchester and Liverpool are uniting to host The North Will Rise Again, a live-streamed micro-festival featuring The Charlatans, The Lightning Seeds, Red Rum Club, Ist Ist, Zuzu and LIINES. 

The festival is the brainchild of John Robb of Louder Than War and Karl Connolly, the founding director of Liverpool Music House. The pair have curated the event as a way of supporting the north’s live music scene and its eco-system, following a year of catastrophic damage.

The North Will Rise Again will provide work for independent venues, production staff and film crews that have been hit hard during the pandemic, while proceeds from the festival will go to charities Liverpool Music House and The Music Venue’s Trust #SaveOurVenues campaign.

The festival will be split across two days, with the 27th March being live-streamed from Liverpool’s iconic Invisible Wind Factory. The Charlatans will headline, preceded by Red Rum Club and Zuzu. On 28th March, the festival will stream from Manchester’s recently-saved Gorilla, where The Lightning Seeds will top the bill, after performances by Ist Ist and LIINES.

And there will be more than just music. Author, journalist, Louder Than War founder and Membranes frontman John Robb will conduct backstage interviews and Q&As with the bands, which will be interspersed between the live performances.

Speaking about the festival, Robb said:

“As the wonderful Hunter S Thompson once said, ‘when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro…’ With the North Will Rise Again we fulfill his prophetic words with a series of live cast gigs that embrace the cultural, social and political aspects of the north of England and inspire, empower and entertain people across the world. We will bring life back to the local music communities and will draw the powerhouse cities of Liverpool and Manchester together and celebrate what we have in common to the world and then pave the way for the post-pandemic culture renaissance as the north will truly rise again!”

Tickets are priced at £7.50/10.00 for each stream and are available globally from Universe.com, Ticketmaster and Livefrom.Events.

Where to go near The North Will Rise Again at Gorilla and The Invisible Wind Factory

The Warehouse In Holbeck
Leeds
Event venue
The Warehouse In Holbeck

Run by acclaimed theatre company Slung Low, The Warehouse in Holbeck is home to boundary-pushing performance and community projects.

Leeds
Event venue
The Attic

Tucked away above the bustle of Merrion Street, The Attic is one of Leeds’ most distinctive small venues – intimate, unpretentious, and steeped in DIY spirit.

The Chevin is a great place for visitors to do lots of different activities and is open all year round with 5 free car parks. To help you find out whatís best for you we have divided this section up into some of these different activities.Please be aware that The Chevin is a working estate so you may see vehicles including timber-extraction lorries using some of the tracks.Self-guided WalksThe Chevin is a big place and there is a good network of paths to make your own circular walk, but if you want to follow a themed trail there is a Geology Trail, Heritage Time Trail and a route for Tree Spotters.Bikes & HorsesThere is an extensive bridleway network on the eastern parts of The Chevin that caters for a range of abilities.Orienteering and GeocachingTwo orienteering courses and a number of geocache sites are waiting to be discovered.Climbing & BoulderingThere are many fantastic crags for climbing and boulders for bouldering.Mobility Scooters & Wheelchairs
Leeds
Restaurant
Oporto

For many years, Oporto has been a beacon of alternative energy on Leeds’ Call Lane – serving up great food and drink alongside resident DJs and live music.

Manchester
Gallery
Black Redstart Gallery

Black Redstart Gallery is located in the Northern Quarter and runs a busy programme of exhibitions from emerging and established artists.

RJC Dance Xmas Show
Leeds
RJC Dance

RJC Dance, based in Chapeltown, Leeds, champions youth and education, leading inclusive Black dance in the North through national partnerships.

Manchester
Gallery
texture mcr

Possibly one of the city’s most mysterious art galleries, texture is a small and perfectly-formed independent space in Ardwick.

The Beacon at Cliffe Castle Park
Bradford
Park
Cliffe Castle Park

Cliffe Castle Park hosts the Beacon, a stunning performance space that will be touring the district throughout Bradford UK City of Culture 2025.

What's on: Music

MusicManchester
Manchester Psych Fest 2025

Manchester Psych Fest, the UK’s trailblazing psychedelic music and arts festival has announced a massive bill for its 2025 edition.

From £44.80
Summer at Aviva Studios
Until
ActivityManchester
Summer at Aviva Studios

From global dance and live music to storytelling, skateboarding and football, get ready for a dream summer on the banks of the River Irwell.

Free entry
the band
MusicLeeds
DIIV at Project House

Emerging from a four-year crucible of creative tension and personal reckoning, Brooklyn shoegazers DIIV return to Leeds.

From £22.50
Blondshell by Hannah Bon.
MusicManchester
Blondshell at New Century

With sardonic wit, towering hooks and distortion dialled high, Blondshell lands at New Century this September, armed with album number two.

From £24.00
Lyra Pramuk by Leonardo Scotti
MusicManchester
Lyra Pramuk at The White Hotel

Part prayer, part protest, part dancefloor séance – Lyra Pramuk brings her otherworldly live show to The White Hotel.

From £19.60

Culture Guides

Cinema in the North

This month we recommend a season of Film noir, cult Australian movies and a huge celebration of DIY community cinema.

Theatre in Manchester and the North
Theatre in the North

This season’s theatre is gloriously eclectic: from radical cabaret and reinvented classics to new musicals and boundary-pushing performance.

Author portrait
Literature Events in the North

Our latest round-up features plenty of one-off live literature events to wrap your ears about, so get those diaries ticking over...

Sprints
Music in the North

10 fresh shows across Manchester, Leeds and Liverpool, threading together noise, ritual, euphoria and release in all their messy, beautiful forms.

Detail of an abstract sculpture, with burned materials and rusty chicken wire at the centre, with rusted metal bars bent around it.
Exhibitions in the North

Chocolate fountains, beautiful batiks and medieval marginalia - this month's supersized Exhibitions Guide has it all.