Review: Neighbourhood Festival 2022 shows strengths of city's music scene

Neighbourhood, paradoxically one of the biggest small music festivals in the UK, made a welcome return to Manchester’s Oxford Road corridor this Saturday. It also served a welcome reminder of how strong the city’s musical talent remains.

Since the summer, the Manchester Evening News has been reviewing the best of the grassroots scene in town. with so many of those names appearing on Saturday, plus some soon-to-be new favourites, the festival provided a good encapsulation of where Mancunian music is at.

And, based on Neighbourhood, it’s in a really strong. The city remains a talent factory for musicians of all kinds. Venues are enjoying the post-pandemic world. Organisers are getting better and better at co-ordinating those kind of multi-venue festivals which can be a nightmare to visit.

READ MORE:Our picks for Manchester's best small gigs in October 2022

“Have you all had your weetabix?,” Pastel singer Jack Yates asked the Gorilla crowd to get the day going in earnest, but the opening of their set was hampered by some severe feedback issues - on occasion drowning out their playing.

However, when the band could be heard, they proved that the MEN’s summer review was no fluke. Punchy drums are complemented by a distinct Manc sound which is still popular - while the group are evidently inspired by Oasis, they are not an impersonation of them.

There’s real talent in the lads who opened for Liam Gallagher at Knebworth in June, and expect them to be higher up the bill for Neighbourhood 2023.

Further down Oxford Road saw Lucy Deakin play to Yes’ intimate basement in the mid-afternoon. Performing with her band, the singer-songwriter had some serious power behind her vocals - and bite in lyrics, especially for track