We Are Manchester Live
Some nights aren’t just gigs. They’re reminders. Last Saturday’s We Are Manchester Live was exactly that.
Put together by local radio presenter and Neck of the Woods Festival and the up and coming Riotfest MCR promoter and organiser Ruth Murray, this one landed at The Peer Hat, a room that’s seen a lot over the years and still feels like the right place for nights like this. You walk in and it just works. No fuss, no pretending to be something it’s not. Just music, people, and that familiar low-level buzz that something good might happen.
Lottie Gray
Ruth’s ear for talent is no accident. Lottie Gray is a perfect example. She was first picked up by Ruth after heading along to a live music event herself, and what stood out straight away was Lottie’s vocal flexibility and the maturity in both her songwriting and performance. Watching her here, that early instinct felt spot on. There was control without stiffness, confidence without ego, and a delivery that held the room without needing to shout for attention.
Jesus Knievel
were a booking a long time coming. A band Ruth had wanted to get on a We Are Manchester bill for quite some time, and you could feel that this wasn’t a last-minute grab. Their set brought a harder edge to the night, grounding everything with grit and urgency. Classics Cactus and Feedback Budgie Love landed with real weight, the kind of songs that remind you why people stick with a band in the first place. Tight, loud, and played with intent, it was a set that shifted the room and gave the night its backbone.
What nights like this really underline is how important spaces and platforms like this still are. These are the rooms where bands grow, where artists get found, where people take chances on something new. Places like The Peer Hat don’t exist just to host gigs, they help build scenes.
This wasn’t about big production or polished spectacle. It was about care, curation and connection. We Are Manchester Live continues to quietly prove that some of the most important music moments still happen at grassroots level, in rooms like this, with people who are actually paying attention.
PHOTOS CREDIT – SIMON LEE
FOLLOW JESUS KNIEVEL HERE
FIND OUT MORE ABOUT GRASSROOTS VENUES HERE
FIND MORE TOP BANDS COMING OUTTA MANCHESTER CLICK HERE
