What better way to get geared up for Manchester Punk Festival than a conversation with one of the organisers? Kieran Kelly has been putting on gigs for over 15 years. He’s one of the most established Manchester promoters who’s still within the DIY scene, promoting under the name Moving North. He’s also in the band Throwing Stuff, however, I don’t think we talked about that at all!
Kieran’s known as one third of the Manchester Punk Fest team, which he puts on alongside Anarchistic Undertones and TNSrecords. Now in its sixth year, MPF has evolved and grown since its inception in 2015. Kieran gives his top tips for enjoying the festival to the fullest, describes some of the stresses of organising such a large event, and talks about the DIY ethos at its core.
Although this is an unofficial MPF2022 special, we talk about a lot besides the festival. Kieran tells us about some of the best gigs he’s put on, as well as some of the most calamitous. We discussed the economy of punk rock gigs and tours, why he’s dedicated so many years of his life to promoting gigs, and some of his dream bookings.
Subscribe to the Shout Louder Punk Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Anchor or wherever you get your podcasts, so you never miss another episode. You can even listen right here:
- Keep an eye on all of Kieran’s gig booking over at movingnorth.bigcartel.com
- You can find all things MPF at manchesterpunkfestival.co.uk
- Manchester Punk Fest takes place on April 16th-18th. It’s sold out, but there are some resale tickets available via Twickets. They’ll also be selling tickets for the 2023 festival as soon as this year’s event kicks off.
- The closing track on the podcast is Scram by Jeff Rosenstock, from his album No Dream
Check out our other MPF-themed content! We’ll see you down the front.
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