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 act Luvcat 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.Â
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)Â 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:Â
The Northern Music Award 2025, sponsored by Live NationÂ
Special Recognition Award, sponsored by SJM ConcertsÂ
Artist of the Year, sponsored by TicketmasterÂ
Band of the Year, sponsored by ASM GlobalÂ
Album of the YearÂ
Music Moment of the Year, sponsored by American ExpressÂ
Disruptor in MusicÂ
Newcomer of the YearÂ
Breakthrough Act of the YearÂ
DJ of the YearÂ
Music and Culture for WellbeingÂ
Festival of the Year, voted for by readers of The Guide LiverpoolÂ
Inspirational Venue of the Year Under 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat UniqueÂ
Inspirational Venue of the Year Over 2,000 Capacity, sponsored by Seat UniqueÂ
Megastar Pitbull is heading to Roundhay Park in Leeds for a headline festival performance where you're sure to be yelling "Timber".
Lots of Leeds music lovers might be flocking to Roundhay Park for an outdoor gig like no other because this one comes with 'Hotel Room Service' - not literally, but the Cuban-American star will probably deliver a rendition of this smash hit.
Amid this current heatwave, we might even be able to change the 'International Love' lyrics from "Hotter than Miami" to "Hotter than Roundhay".
Pitbull playing out to a crowd of bald caps at Co-op Live in Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Pitbull UK tour dates
Tue 30 June - Belfast, UK - Ormeau Park
Wed 1 July - Bellahouston Park, UK - Glasgow Summer Sessions
Fri 3 July - Leeds, UK - Roundhay Festival
Sat 4 July - Cardiff, UK - Blackweir Fields
Sun 5 July - Lancashire, UK - Lytham Festival
Are there any tickets left for Pitbull at Roundhay Park, Leeds?
If you're up for singing"I'm on fiiiiiire" with the lively leeds crowd and Pitbull himself you can find tickets for his Roundhay Festival headlining slot HERE.
Oh and did we mention you can 'Talk Dirty' with Jason Derulo and 'Snap Yo Fingers' when Lil Jon takes to the stage, all in one day? This festival is top class.
Pitbull setlist for UK festival tour
These upcoming dates from the phenomenal Floridian are part of the Pitbull: I'm Back! tour which has already stopped off at a variety of venues stateside.
Here's all the tracks you need to get memorising ahead of Mr. Worldwide's British summertime shows:
Don't Stop the Party
International Love
Hotel Room Service
I Feel Good
Suavemente
Shake/ Culo
I Know You Want Me (Calle Ocho)
On the Floor
I Like It
DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love
Feel This Moment
Gasolina
JUMPIN
Timber
Time of Our Lives
Fireball
Give Me Everything
What other artists are on the 3 July Roundhay Festival lineup?
Jason Derulo
Tinie Tempah
Lil Jon
Los Tucanes De Tijuana
Jazzie Martian
CJ. AllDayy
Dan Hills
DJ Flex
What are the stage times for Pitbull's headline Roundhay Festival?
Last entry for all shows is 8.30pm with box office closing slightly earlier at 8pm and any headliner expected to wrap up their set by 10.30pm.
Getting to Roundhay Park
Car
Just a 10 minute walk from Roundhay Festival's West Entrance is Connaught Fields which is the closest parking option.
Or, if you're up for a walk and want something more cost-effective, Fearnville Park and Stride is a 30 minute walk away, with parking spaces on the grass fields and a scenic country path which leads you to the festival.
Accessible parking can be found on Mansion Lane with a clear pathway to the event with spaces needing to be pre-booked when purchasing your ticket at no extra cost.
Bus/ coach
A dedicated shuttle bus service has been set up to and from Roundhay Festival running every 20 minutes from 11am to 8pm on Sovereign Street, just four minutes from Leeds Train Station.
The last shuttle bus from Roundhay Park back to the city centre will depart at 12.30am with clear signposting and stewards on hand for any gig goers.
Roundhay Festival has also partnered with Big Green Coach meaning concert attendees can hop on from a wide range of pick-up points across the UK from Wakefield all the way to Coventry - more info HERE.
Car/ taxi drop off
Vehicles heading to Roundhay Festival should follow marked signs for 'Pick-up/ Drop-Off points'.
Drivers should not attempt to pick-up or drop-off from any of the nearby roads aside from those already designated via signage: North Pick-up/ Drop-off via Park View Crescent | South Pick-up/ Dro-off via Wetherby Road.
Extra Info
All travel updates and road closures on event days will be announced and regularly checked HERE.
Featured Images; Press shot (via supplied) / The Manc Group
Audio
Royel Otis at Piece Hall, Halifax – sunny music for a VERY sunny day
Daisy Jackson
I had a feeling that Aussie duo Royel Otis would bring the sunshine to Halifax. But I thought it would be a little more metaphorical than this…
As West Yorkshire melts in a record-breaking heatwave, and the sun sets over the magnificent Piece Hall, this feels like the perfect artist to be on this stage.
Their new wave, upbeat indie makes you feel like you've been plucked out of the UK and dunked straight into Byron Bay.
Royel Maddell cannonballs onto the stage with the energy of a man much more acclimatised to hot weather than us Brits, moving so fast we actually glimpse his face before it's lost again behind that signature mop of hair.
Then follows Otis Pavlovic, a languid, relaxed, but tightly note-perfect front man.
They're here to perform tracks from their two studio albums, including last year's Hickey, alongside the covers that rocketed them to fame.
Forget the commercial charts - the fan-voted Triple J Hottest 100 is the holy grail of music in Australia, and these guys have absolutely dominated it in recent years, for good reason.
Their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's Murder On The Dancefloor topped the alternative charts and reached number two on the Hottest 100, while their beautiful version of Linger by the Cranberries made it onto the soundtrack of the hit show The Summer I Turned Pretty.
Royel Otis at The Piece Hall in Halifax
For their show at The Piece Hall, Royel Otis whizz through an upbeat setlist of smooth indie hits. I Wanna Dance With You comes with a set of instructions displayed on the screen behind them.
"Dance with the person next to you. "Stop dancing. "Put your hands in the air."
And we do, because we're obedient, eager-to-please, slightly drunk idiots, and the instructions are fun.
Their live version of Murder On The Dancefloor is one of the most joyful sights I've ever seen at a gig. Everyone is dancing, and not your usual bobbing about in place - spinning, shimmying, holding hands, laughing in each others' faces.
Of course, their own music still hits hardest here. Sofa King, Who's Your Boyfriend, and Kool Aid are all crowd favourites, while Oysters In Your Pocket cements itself again as a timeless indie banger as it closes the show.
This was one of those shows where everything went just right - a happy crowd, stunning weather, and one of the most talented duos on the circuit right now.
Danny Jones -
28th January 2025 
