Sunday was history in the making as hundred of music fans flocked to the o2 Ritz Manchester and it’s surrounding venues for an opportunity to buy merchandise from bands and artist. The event, organised by Charlatan’s frontman Tim Burgess was the first of what many people will hope becomes an annual event.
The stalls were manned by bands and band members, and you could literally buy an ACR album from ACR! Fans also had an opportunity to pick up limited edition merchandise including a series of T-Shirts printed on demand. Throughout the day interviews and performances were held at Gorilla and The Ritz including an interview with Burgess himself to celebrate the market’s launch.
Dave Haslam also interviewed New Order and was a wonderful addition to the day with his insightful discussion and thoughtful questions. Live performances came from Starsailor’s James Walsh who was appearing in the Tunnel of Love, with the road being renamed especially for the day. Walsh has had a busy weekend appearing at Neighbourhood Weekender too!
My personal highlights had to be the Manchester Poet Tony Walsh’s all too brief appearance on the Ritz stage mid afternoon. Shoppers literally stopped in their tracks as Walsh’s set picked up the pace and no doubt picked up a few new fans in the process. It was a quick walk to the Tunnel of Love to see another highlight of the afternoon, Chris Bridgett back with a brand new album ‘Seven Songs for Summer’. We were lucky to see a debut live performance of a handful of tracks which went down very well with the crowd that had gathered. Bridgett knows how to work a live audience, and also run a market stall, that lad can charm!
The event brought the best side out of Manchester, the creatives gathered and gabbed away at stalls, musicians mingling with fans like old friends, not a hint of ego here, just Manchester doing what it does best. So come on Tim, let’s make this a yearly thing, and give these hard working folk a chance to sell their wonderful merch without having to pay that dreaded commission.
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