BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2023 is heading to Manchester & not everyone is happy

The BBC Radio 6 Music Festival is a staple of the UK music calendar having started in 2014. It has been hosted in Manchester, Newcastle, Liverpool and London in years gone by.

Following the radio station traveling to Birmingham for Independent Music Week last month - with Steve Lamacq appearing at the Hare & Hounds in Kings Heath, there were hopes the West Midlands could get a look in this year.

However, BBC announced today (February 14) where the music festival will be set up - and the West Midlands residents are unhappy.

The Radio 6 Music Festival will be held from 23 – 26 Mar 2023 at O2 Victoria Warehouse, Greater Manchester - its new permanent home. Ramona and Band on the Wall will also host events, including DJ sets from Tim Burgess, Yard Act, Steve Lamacq.

Radio 6 Music Festival line up

March 23: BBC Introducing are hosting a night at Band on The Wall featuring Phoebe Green, Antony Szmierek and Afflecks Palace.

March 24: Indie Forever at Band on The Wall Friday 24th March - A club night with guest DJs playing nothing but solid gold upbeat indie bangers including Tim Burgess, Steve Lamacq, Emily Pilbeam, Yard Act and Good Future. Loyle Carner and Wu-Lu on Friday 24th March with an opening DJ set from Tarzsa.

March 25: Christine and the Queens and Lava La Rue Saturday 25th March with an opening DJ set from Jamz Supernova. A club night with guest DJs playing rave bangers with a sprinkling of the finest new club sounds including a DJ set from Hot Chip, Erol Alkan, AFROSEUTSCHE and Phoebe IH.

March 26: Arlo Parks and The Big Moon will be taking the main stage with Don Letts (DJ Set) as an opening act. Daniel Avery will give a 60 minute Morning After Music live from RAMONA.

How the West Midlands reacted to the news

Many people in the West Midlands are not pleased that the region has been snubbed again.

One person wrote on Twitter: “ Yet again, @BBC6Music using a very specialised map when choosing where to set the #6MusicFestival. 9 festivals, 6 in England and not once in The Midlands. How many times is that in the North West now?”

Another added: “Yes of course @BBC6Music why not go back to Manchester for the festival? Afterall, there aren’t any other cities to visit are there? As long as you don’t count Birmingham, Leeds, Sheffield, Southampton, Nottingham, York, Plymouth, Exeter, Gloucester... #bizarre”

One more Twitter user wrote: “They have a definite blind spot. This will be the 9th #6MusicFestival, the 6th in England & they’re yet to do anything in the Midlands. The closest they’ve been is Bristol, which is south west. They seem to be stuck with the old rhetoric that England is split into North/South...”

Lyle Bignon, a Birmingham-based music industry, media and NTE consultant, told BirminghamWorld: “A significant number of BBC Radio 6 Music shows are produced in and broadcast from the North West, and the station has plenty of links with the region through presenters and staff.

“Also, the first edition of BBC 6 Music Festival was in Manchester in 2014. With that in mind, and in the context of the BBC being under intense scrutiny, pressure to cut costs and justify the licence fee, bosses have – unsurprisingly - taken the decision to permanently home the festival in Manchester.

“Whilst Birmingham is set to benefit from the relocation of BBC’s Newsbeat, 1Xtra and Asian Network operations over the coming months and years, the city and surrounding region have not seen a proportionate representation from 6 Music or Radio 2 over the past decade in terms of pre-recorded or live shows, outside broadcasts, special programming and factual commissions.

“In fact, the absence of Midlands-focussed popular and contemporary music, news and factual programming that stations like BBC 6 Music and BBC Four could do so well, has been glaringly obvious to many music fans, listeners and viewers who live in Birmingham and surrounding cities and towns.

“Its extremely disappointing that the Festival has not visited Birmingham once in its nine years; a bad track record by any metrics.”

How to get tickets

Tickets for BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in Greater Manchester will be available to book at 10am on Thursday 16th February. You can book on the BBC 6 Music Festival.