Hiya Digging for Kanky, thanks for joining us in the virtual RGM lounge today. Grab a brew and take a seat.
Can you tell us about your journey before Digging for Kanky?
We’ve been involved in music for all of our adult lives up to this point, in one way or another. With myself (Ben) and Kat having worked in and around live music and club nights for some years and Smithy being in and out of bands since his late teens. Music production and songwriting has always been with us as a recreational outlet we have, however, now decided to put our ideas out there for the world hear and hopefully enjoy. It’s been a ride so far, but these are the first steps in what’s hopefully a long journey. There’s so much more to come.
What’s the live music scene like in Manchester right now? Anyone we should be looking out for (bar you, of course)?
Manchester’s music scene is thriving as always, across multiple genres. It depends on what you’re looking for really, it’s all there. Whether it’s soulful vibes from The KTNA and Children of Zeus to the likes of Cooper T breathing new life into the Mancunian punk scene. If heavy bass and sweaty dancefloors is your vibe then check out Cartridge, Biome, Hypho and Gnasha or Drum and Bass legends Calibre, Lenzman and DRS. There are some strong up and coming artists too, you should check out Fieves, an electronic/spoken word duo with a beautiful sound. Also K Estate, a refreshing and energetic indie/synth pop collective out of Middleton. There are so many more, we’d run out of time listing them all. Do some digging, there are some real gems to be found. Bring back D’Lyfa Reilly.
It seems like being a social media curator has become added to the many jobs of a musician, how do you feel about this?
As with anything in life, the world we exist in is changing and progressing at such a pace we must be adaptable enough change with it without being manipulated by it. We have a loose understand of the ever-changing online algorithms and social media trends, but more than anything we’re about making good music and that will always stand above any other aspect of the scene for us.
What’s your view on the Music industry today?
The music industry is forever changing and confusing at times, but human expression is always what will truly be at the core of it. In my opinion the mainstream charts aren’t where it’s at, at least now. The best way to keep the scene fresh is to be supporting up and coming talent wherever possible, it’s something that we do as music fans and implore others to do as well. Buy the merch, buy tickets to the gigs, stream the music, tell your mates.
Where do you feel you currently sit within the music industry?
I think, like so many others, we sit within a bit of a niche. If dark sounds and lyrics mixed with hard hitting beats and rhythm resonate with you then definitely check us out. We have a relatively small but loyal fanbase and we believe there are a vast amount of music lovers out there that can relate to and fall in love with our stuff too, they just need to find us. We’ll keep pushing to become as discoverable as possible.
What’s the biggest thing you have learned recently as you progress with your music?
We’ve learned to take our time. We’ve been working on a collection of music over the past couple of years, which is all yet to be released. In the past we have rushed the release process and overlooked aspects of the mixing and master process of our tracks at the cost of a complete and polished sound. We believe that our forthcoming releases are finally close to what we’ve always wanted to achieve and we’re very excited to get them out there for everybody to hear and see.
What was your best experience on stage?
We headlined a show at a small, but iconic, Manchester Venue called The Castle Hotel. It’s an intimate room and was cool to perform to our closest and most loyal following. The atmosphere was truly something else that night and we got to share drinks and talk to a load of people who’ve been supporting us from the beginning.
Tell us something about you that you think people would be surprised about.
Something that we often get asked about, that people seem to find interesting/surprising is where the name Digging for Kanky comes from. We’re from an area in North Manchester called Middleton and locally most people know the legend of Old Kanky the grave robber. The legend goes that in the 1880’s Kanky used to dig up the graves of the recently deceased at St Leonards graveyard in Middleton and take them by canal boat to Manchester to sell to the university for medical research. The graveyard is still known locally as Kanky’s graveyard and the alleyway leading down towards the water is known as Kanky’s ginnel. Hence the name Digging for Kanky. It’s more of a nod to where we come from than an obsession with grave robbery, but we think it’s fitting with our dark and moody vibes.
I hear you have new music. What can you tell us about it?
The first release from our album is Send Me Away and is due to release across all digital platforms on the 5th of September ‘25. Send Me Away is all about escapism, in this case more specially, breaking away from the daily grind in the midst of a rave at 5am when the suns about to come up and you’re totally in love with everybody in the room. There’s a dark loneliness to it but also a feeling of momentary bliss, where nothing else matters. The track has also been remixed by Manchester’s own electronic bass maestro Cartridge. The remix is due to release on the 19th of September, keep your ears peeled for that one.
Is there anything else you would like to share with the world?
Send Me Away is the first of four releases from our forthcoming album Raining Stones. Raining Stones is set for release in 2026, we truly believe that we’re sat on something special and can’t wait to get it out there. Apart from that follow us on whatever socials you prefer and please don’t be shy to say hello, whether it’s a comment on a post, you want to slide into our DM’s or come and say hello at a show. We love chatting to likeminded people. Keep listening. Stay Moody. Long live Kanky.
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