After the inaugural event last year, the Northern Music Awards are back for 2025 and they've got an incredible lineup of live acts ready to soundtrack the night.
As if we Northerners needed any more excuses to celebrate and revel in our achievements, we now have an annual award show dedicated to celebrating our music, as we all know it's the best in the country. Ah, stuff your modesty, it's the best in the world.
Last year saw a stripped-back set by performances by Leeds very-won award winners English Teacher, Liam Fray, The Ks and a standing ovation for the first-ever 'Northern Icon', Lisa Stansfield.
Now returning for its sophomore ceremony, not only has the location been revealed but as per The Manc, so too has the lineup of live performers set to delight crowds on the night.
This time it's Merseyside who gets to welcome this important music night and it's taking place at the Liverpool Olympia, a stunning 2,000-cap room and one of the city's most historic live venues.
Performers, nominees, and winners alike will be seated in a venue packed with music royalty, as everyone from legends like The Beatles and New Order to contemporaries like Jake Bugg and hometown hero Jamie Webster have all played here.
One of the most anticipated performances of this year's show comes in the form of the Stockport superstars Blossoms, who have been touring up and down the country with their latest release, Gary.
Also helping provide entertainment is indie rockers, The Zutons, who are ready to raise the roof and celebrate Northern music in style, especially after a Richard Ashcroft opening slot last summer.
Chiedu Oraka, an upcoming rapper from Hull, is set to put on a high-octane performance and is also shortlisted for the Newcomer of the Year Award.
Similarly, rising artist and Liverpudlian actLuvcat is also shortlisted and taking to the stage, bringing her unique brand of jazz-influenced romantic rock to her home crowd.
Also nominated for this same title are The KTNA who opened for R'n'B masterclass Janelle Monáe last summer. Other names include Beth McCarthy, Pixey and Seb Lowe.
As Northern music champions, more or less every region is covered Yorkshire and Greater Manchester, all the way across the North East, Lake District and beyond.
There is once again a great focus being pushed onto festivals at this year's ceremony too, with the already coveted 'Festival of the Year' award going to Beat-Herder in Lancashire - but who will claim it this year and from which specific region?
Nominees include: Kendal Calling (Lake District), Tramlines (Sheffield), Neighbourhood (Manchester), Lytham Festival (Lytham Saint Annes), Parklife (Manchester) and Sound City (Liverpool).
The winner of this award championing live music festivals isn't picked by officials; instead, it's decided by public vote.
There are 16 awards in total with two new trophies courtesy of 'Album of the Year' and 'Industry Rising Star'. Here's a full list of the awards you can expect at the 2025 Northern Music Awards:
The Northern Music Award 2025, sponsored by Live Nation
Special Recognition Award, sponsored by SJM Concerts
Artist of the Year, sponsored by Ticketmaster
Band of the Year, sponsored by ASM Global
Album of the Year
Music Moment of the Year, sponsored by American Express
Disruptor in Music
Newcomer of the Year
Breakthrough Act of the Year
DJ of the Year
Music and Culture for Wellbeing
Festival of the Year, voted for by readers of The Guide Liverpool
Inspirational Venue of the Year Under 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat Unique
Inspirational Venue of the Year Over 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat Unique
An exciting new venue is set to open its doors this year, marking a significant moment for the city’s nightlife scene.
Introducing Mint XL, the latest venture from the team behind the Mint brand that represents the next evolution of a name that has been central to Leeds’ music culture since the 90’s.
Built on over three decades of experience in the industry, the team’s track record spans from intimate club spaces to major outdoor festivals.
Mint XL will build on this knowledge to bring a venue designed to operate on another level, bigger and better than ever before.
Image: Supplied
With a capacity of over 2000 across multiple rooms, Mint XL has been purpose-built to host a wide range of events. Think large-scale electronic music lineups and extended DJ sets to live performances, brand activations, and private hires.
At the heart of the venue is a focus on sound and experience. A newly-installed Funktion-One Vero system will power the main rooms, supported by high-spec production throughout.
Mint XL will also operate a strict no-phones policy during club events, keeping the focus on the music and the moment.
Images: Supplied
“Mint XL is the next chapter for the brand,” says Owner Shane Graham. “From Mint Club through to Mint Festival, we’ve spent nearly two decades building something special in Leeds, and this is a natural progression of that journey. It allows us to take everything we’ve produced over the years and deliver it at a much bigger club setting.”
Director Mikey McMahon adds: “Mint XL is a big step forward for us. It allows us to programme multi-bill lineups at a much bigger scale across multiple rooms, while also expanding beyond electronic music into live bands, private hires, and brand-led events. At its core, we’ve designed it as a fully versatile space that can adapt to different audiences and experiences under one roof.”
Bring Me The Horizon announce huge Manchester gig for Count Your Blessings anniversary
Danny Jones
Bring Me The Horizon have sent British rock fans into bedlam by booking a special anniversary gig celebrating 20 years since their debut album, Count Your Blessings, and we’re lucky enough that it’s coming to Manchester.
And that’s not the only massive announcement they’ve dropped along with it.
It seems hard to believe it’s been two whole decades since the Northern favourites first burst onto the scene with their first LP, and the Yorkshire heavyweights have come a long way since, both sonically and career-wise in general.
Teaming up with Outbreak ahead of their 2026 festival, they teased the show with a series of posters dotted around Manchester city centre last week.
Yes, the band are set to perform their maiden studio outing, along with a few bonus tracks, in its entirety for the first time EVER.
.@OutbreakFest Presents: Count Your Blessings | Repented
played in full, for the first time ever [manchester 10th july 2026] + other bangers.
It remains unclear whether they’ll be playing it in the original order, nor do we know how many big hits from other albums they’ll be throwing into the set.
All we know is that it’s going to be absolute chaos in those pits.
Presented by Outbreak, the landmark show will be held at the Bowlers Exhibition Centre, a.k.a. the BEC Arena, where the hardcore, punk and all things alternative festival is hosted every year.
Even the poster alone is making us feel nostalgic for our ‘mosher’ phase (as if it ever ended); get your fringes, skinny jeans and checkerboard Vans at the ready.
One of the biggest names to have ever come out of Sheffield – an impressive feat in itself given its rich musical heritage – they’ve done wonders for heavier genres domestically.
Whether you dub them emo, metal, deathcore/anything and everything in between, you can’t deny they’re one of the biggest UK exports this scene has ever, well, seen.
Better still, the all-day event will also feature performances by Static Dress, Rolo Tomassi, Dying Wish, Heriot, Car Underwater and Still In Love.
Last but not least, in arguably even more exciting news, the band have also revealed that they are releasing a full re-recorded version of Count Your Blessings to mark the milestone, dubbing it the ‘Repented‘ version. Not to exaggerate, but we’re absolutely screaming over here…
Fans get their hands on early access by pre-ordering the remastered album from a special old-school, very Myspace-esque landing page; as for general admission, tickets go on sale at 10am this Friday, 17 April – you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Danny Jones -
28th January 2025 
