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Date: Sunday 18 May

Deep Cabaret Un

mjf @ First Street (ask Garden Stage)

Personnel and instrument(s) – Steve Lewis voice & guitar  

Deep Cabaret has been Lewis’ shapeshifting brand since mjf commissioned ‘Top Ten Sex Tips’ from him in 2005. After curating the brilliant band that made ‘Matchless’ (2019) and ‘beWILDer, World As Kin: Songs of Attention and Reciprocity’ (2021), 2025 finds Lewis exploring his solo work through his show ‘How Terribly Strange.’

A deep dive into listening to, improvising alongside, and playing with nature has guided a shift from the ego- to the eco-centric in his music-making. ‘How Terribly Strange’ shares this very personal, animistic response to the environmental crisis in a set of ‘enchantments’ that invite you to sink into the fecund mystery of the land.

An authentic voice and guitar, played as only a drummer could, tell stories, straightforward and allusive, of Lewis’ quasi-shamanic encounters. Listeners find themselves moving between audience, witness and congregation. This is music as an offering that aims to serve the ecosystem of nature, community and creativity, by bringing us all back to loving the living world.

“Moving, uplifting, connecting.”  

“Intimate, involving and immersive.” – comments from recent audiences 

Sponsor credit/photographer credit in italics under main copy (where applicable) 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: Free

Ben Gaunt

mjf @ First Street (ask Garden Stage)

Personnel and instrument(s) – Ben Gaunt melodica, glockenspiel, electronics  

In his own words, Ben Gaunt is a professor: a composer with classical training and an Ivor Novello nomination – and an experimental musician with OCD. Whilst participating in mjf’s hothouse programme in 2024, Gaunt travelled to France to study Bouffon (a type of clowning) at École Philippe Gaulier; his learnings from this experience have infused his musical identity ever since. In short, if you want to hear what the music of a classical jazz clown professor sounds like, this gig might just be for you.  

Sometimes beautiful, sometimes meditative, and sometimes tranquil. Yet at the same time aggressive, crazy, and unusual. Armed with a melodica (or two), a glockenspiel, a laptop, and any other instruments he can lay his hands on, he will bring you a set full of contrast, complexity, and carefully crafted compositions. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm

Price: Free

The Exu

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Personnel and instrument(s) – James Mainwaring saxophone / Dave Kane double bass / Emil Karlsen drums  

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest northern artists to be selected for the groundbreaking touring programme Northern Line. 

Named after a Jean-Michel Basquiat painting and inspired by the artists’ multi-faceted stylistic approach, The Exu is known for its raw, expressive, and dynamic qualities, blending street art with neo-expressionism to create bold, thought-provoking work.  

The Exu makes layered, intense, creative and beautiful genre-fluid improvised music. The trio brazenly draws its musical influences from the worlds of free jazz, grunge, death metal, hip hop, bebop, and experimental music.  

“We are the sum of our record collections, the films we have seen, the books we have read. It all goes into the mix to make our music,” explains Dave Kane.  

Kane and Mainwaring share the compositional duties while young Norwegian drummer Emil Karlsen brings versatile, intricate textures and groove. Mainwaring (of Mercury Prize-nominated Roller Trio) blends fiery and sensitive saxophone approaches with a playful edge, while double bassist Kane ignites each performance with cathartic, heartfelt energy that lingers long after the final note. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 4:45 pm - 5:30 pm

Time: 6:15 pm - 7:00 pm

Price: Free

Ex-Easter Island Head

mjf @ First Street (House of Social Main Stage)

Benjamin D. Duvall prepared guitar & percussion & sampler & keyed zither / Benjamin Fair prepared guitar & percussion / Jonathan Hering prepared guitar & percussion / Andrew PM Hunt prepared guitar & percussion

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest northern artists to be selected for the groundbreaking touring programme Northern Line. 

Ex-Easter Island Head is a Liverpool-based experimental musical collective composing and performing music for solid body electric guitar, percussion and other instruments. The group plays multiple guitars augmented through mechanical preparations and extended techniques, creating hypnotic performances rich in repetition, shimmering drones and melodic invention through purposefully limited means. 

Their records and live performances have received critical acclaim from The Wire, New York Times and The Quietus, who bestowed their Album of the Year accolade in 2024’s Norther. 

Favourably compared to Steve Reich, Glenn Branca and John Cage, the group’s music has been praised for its mixture of percussive drive, emotional warmth and playful experimentation.  

They have performed worldwide in venues ranging from the tiny Scottish island of Iona to a 150-year-old brewery in Berlin, with major festival appearances including ATP, Supersonic and Le Guess Who? Collaborators have included the BBC Philharmonic, composer Arnold Dreyblatt and musicians Laura Cannell, Charles Hayward and Andre Bosman in the group Whistling Arrow. 

“Amongst the boldest experiments in British music” – The Guardian 

 

Please note the Great Manchester Run is taking place on Sunday 18th May between the hours of 9 – 12 pm. Please allow for extra travel time during this period. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 1:00 pm - 1:45 pm

Price: Free

Ladies of Midnight Blue

mjf @ First Street (House of Social Main Stage)

Hannabiell Sanders bass trombone, percussion, vocals / Yilis del Carmen Suriel percussion, vocals  

Led by multi-instrumentalist Hannabiell Sanders, Ladies of Midnight Blue is a dynamic duo that fuses rhythms, brass, and vocal chants to create an energetic musical tapestry that transforms every stage into a vibrant celebration of freedom and community.  

The duo shares an unmatched chemistry that drives their mission to use music as a tool for social change. With their resonant sound and commitment to meaningful artistry, they push creative boundaries, building connections and uplifting spirits through music that is as powerful as it is unforgettable.  

Through their music and initiatives, they engage in a variety of impactful work that inspires communities and empowers the creation of inclusive cultural events. Their commitment to activism and education is evident in their TEDx Newcastle talk, “Performance, Ethos, & Everyday Activism.” From headlining festivals to grassroots projects, Ladies of Midnight Blue empowers audiences and communities worldwide.  

Photography Credit: Anna Miller

Please note the Great Manchester Run is taking place on Sunday 18th May between the hours of 9 – 12 pm. Please allow for extra travel time during this period. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 5:30 pm - 6:15 pm

Price: Free

mjf 30th Anniversary Party ft. Honey Bee Jazz

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Matt and Phreds

Katerina Kaifa vocals / Tom Miles piano / David Grundy bass / Nikolas Kallithrakas drums  

Come down, raise the roof and help celebrate mjf’s 30th anniversary at our long-established partner venue, Matt & Phreds.  

For nearly 3 decades, Matt & Phreds has established itself as the ultimate late night jazz club, quickly becoming the go-to after party during the festival period. Expect their signature, infectious and friendly energy, coupled with mjf’s very best live music and maybe even a slice of birthday cake… 

Honey Bee Jazz will provide the tunes for this extra-special gig, playing a selection of popular jazz, swing and Bossa Nova, as well as jazz rearrangements of pop hits from the 1980s to the 2020s. Yep, this band has it all!

So party on over after our free opening weekender at First Street and help us raise a glass to Manchester’s longest running music festival. 

Doors 6pm 

Happy Hour 6-8pm 

Call 0161 273 5495 to reserve a table 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 8:00 pm - 10:30 pm

Price: Free

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New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Nisha Ramayya spoken word, text / John Pope double bass, small objects, electronics / John Garner violin, shakuhachi, small objects

A vibrant collaboration between three artists drawing on spiritual jazz, deep listening, mercurial poetry and spontaneous improvisation, New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds brings together the nimble violin-and-bass duo of John Garner and John Pope with the gracefully probing text of poet and author Nisha Ramayya.  

Exploring and celebrating the music of shared influences from Alice Coltrane and Fred Moten to Ahmad Jamal and Don Cherry, these three creators seek to bring their audience into a world charged with the thought-provoking, life-affirming potential of art and dreaming. Garner and Pope’s long-standing partnership, built on years of playing and improvising together, serves as a flexible and dynamic setting for Ramayya’s sensuous poetry, which she performs, de-constructs and re-examines in the eruptive moment of performance.  

Formed in 2024 to perform at Newcastle’s esteemed Masala Festival, New Ways of Moving in the Counterworlds is an exuberant and timely celebration of connectedness, an artistic riposte of imperial narratives and a powerful hymn to love and resilience. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 3:15 pm - 4:00 pm

Price: Free

Ellen Beth Abdi

mjf @ First Street (HOME Stage)

Ellen Beth Abdi vocals & electronics 

mjf partners with Jazz North to present a showcase of the latest northern artists to be selected for the groundbreaking touring programme Northern Line. 

Mancunian music-maker Ellen Beth Abdi uses live loops, pokey drums, undulating synths and quietly subversive lyrics to mould her unique sound.  

Ellen pops up in many areas of the Manchester scene, providing lead and backing vocals (& keys) for legendary indie/alternative bands in the city. From supporting The Stone Roses at Wembley Stadium, touring with New Order for their seminal MIF shows and, most recently, touring and recording with A Certain Ratio (all by the age of 27), Ellen is now focused on her solo music. 

Ellen’s enchanting and distinctive sound has gained her spots at Manchester International Festival, and support slots for Olivia Dean, Hollie Cooke, Ishmael Ensemble, Oscar Jerome and Allysha Joy. She was invited to collaborate live with music legend Angélique Kidjo, opening Aviva Studios for Manchester International Festival 2023.   

Having been taken under the wing of the ‘old guard’ of Manchester’s music scene, whilst very much representing the city’s new school, Ellen has had a unique mentorship, enabling her to learn from the best. The synergy between past and present has informed a well-rounded, nuanced skill set and an innate appreciation for the city’s rich cultural heritage, of which she is now an integral part.  

Photography Credit: Jody Hartley

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 1:45 pm - 2:30 pm

Price: Free

Ella Ronen

mjf @ First Street (ask Garden Stage)

Ella Ronen vocals, guitar, ukelele

The first of three highly individualistic solo voices gracing the Garden Stage this afternoon, Ella Ronen is a Zürich-based musician, poet, and community facilitator. Her music is a mix of poetry and storytelling, creating her own genre of radical vulnerability, one she has fondly named ‘Heartcore’. Her live performances are best described as ceremonies.  

Ella conveys heartbreakingly concise insights about the human experience with honest, poetic, and magical-realist lyrics. Enveloping and driving all of this, is her deep, powerful, unforgettable voice. Her latest record, ‘The Girl With No Skin’, produced by Sam Cohen (Kevin Morby) was recently released via BB*Island (Hamburg) and Irascible (Zürich). The record was selected as album of the week on WDR 3 Resonanzen (Germany), the Ferarock Network (France), and was featured on BBC (UK).. THi sis her debut performance  

“‘The Girl With No Skin’ is a hidden gem of an album with not a word ornate wasted. It is rich with engaging and imaginative storytelling, making for a great introduction to a major talent.”- Andrew Neal, Silent Radio UK 

Ella is an alumnus from the mjf hothouse artist development programme, joining the programme as part of our European exchange initiative Constellations. With many high-profile European appearances to her name, mjf is delighted to welcome Ella to mjf for her debut UK public appearance. 

Please note the Great Manchester Run is taking place on Sunday 18th May between the hours of 9 – 12 pm. Please allow for extra travel time during this period. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 1:45 pm - 2:30 pm

Price: Free

Ponyland

mjf @ First Street (House of Social Main Stage)

Frankie O’Keeffe vocals / Matt Forster sax & synth / John Pope bass / Jordie Cooke guitar / Adam Stapleford, Mark Johnson drums

Ponyland are a psychedelic punk force of nature; a multi-limbed monster of scuzzed-out riffs and thunderous ritualistic grooves. Combining the grinding onslaught of Lightning Bolt, the ecstatic spectacle of Sun Ra and the irreverent spirit of System of a Down, this unhinged, masked menagerie has to be seen to be believed. Intoxicating rhythms meet hook-driven waves of riffage, with ecstatic energy that will make your legs rattle uncontrollably. 

The band formed in 2017, whilst founding members Jordie and Frankie lived off-grid in a Cumbrian forest, surrounded by a community of like-minded freaks: a defiant DIY spirit runs through the practice of the band, inspired by artists such as Rage Against The Machine, Lightning Bolt, Tortoise and Sons of Kemet.  

A grassroots approach to touring has kept them vitally connected to their audience and reflects both their egalitarian performance style and the self-reliant production of both their full-length albums.  

In 2019 they travelled to the Netherlands to represent the UK at Rotterdam’s prestigious InJazz Festival, and they have shared stages with kindred spirit bands like The Comet is Coming, Snapped Ankles and BCUC. 

Having headlined stages at Solfest, Kelburn Garden Party, Eden Festival, Lindisfarne Festival, Kendal Calling and many renowned venues across the UK, their dynamic, ecstatic live show brings our opening weekender at First Street to raucous close. 

Please note the Great Manchester Run is taking place on Sunday 18th May between the hours of 9 – 12 pm. Please allow for extra travel time during this period. 

Date: sunday 18 may

Time: 7:00 pm - 7:45 pm

Price: Free