Euan Blackman

Lizzy McAlpine brings the comfort and warmth of her LA studio to the Victoria Warehouse stage. Backed by an exceptional ‘Nashville’-style band, McAlpine treated the crowd to a thoughtful and mellow set, showcasing her deeply personal storytelling and immaculate vocal ability. With no support opener, Lizzy and the band arrived on the stage to the ambient sounds of dreamy synths and tweeting birds before easing into the opening track ‘The Elevator’.

Ben Howard delivered a spellbinding set of sophomore record 'I Forget Where We Were' in Manchester's vast Aviva Studios. With flawless textures and rich tones, Ben and his talented band enveloped the attentive crowd with a wash of nostalgia, celebrating the album's 10th anniversary. It was my first visit to Aviva Studios, Manchester’s latest cultural hub. With the warehouse capacity at 5000+, I was seriously impressed by the sheer scale and size of the venue; it was a surreal room to be in.

After a fairly decent sleep in the general camping (shout out to the great facilities and also the incredible friendliness of all neighbours at the site) my Friday experience began at the idyllic ‘Mountain Stage’. This main stage has to be in one of the greatest settings for music in the country, with the Brecon peaks looming over - like something from Lord of the Rings. The first act I caught was the fascinating Mermaid Chunky.