It started with an Alan Partridge-themed raffle held in the basement of a Manchester club some 20 years ago.
That event helped set the foundations for a music festival named amongst the likes of Reading and Leeds at a top awards ceremony.
But earlier this month, Manchester Punk Festival (MPF) was named the Best Small Festival of the year at the UK Festival Awards 2024.
This Easter, MPF will celebrate its tenth festival with more than 140 acts performing to hundreds of fans across nine independent venues in the city. And, since starting in 2015, it’s become a rite of passage and the ‘weekend of the year’ for many punks and like-minded music fans.
Founded by a collective, including musicians and promoters like Anarchastic Undertones and Moving North, the festival has kept hold of its independent roots since it began. Co-founder Andy Davies, who also runs DIY Punk music label TNSRecords, says MPF is more about the spirit it brings to giggoers than the type of music it showcases.
“It’s punk, but it’s more punk in its ethos than it is in sound, really,” Andy explains to the Manchester Evening News. “It’s more than just the Sex Pistols or Blink-182. Punk is about mixing things up and trying different things out. It’s also about championing independent music and DIY bands who sort everything themselves and there’s often a mix of actual sounds.”
Andy taking lead of Knife Club at Manchester Punk Festival 2022
(Image: Mark Richards)
Taking place across venues including Gorilla, The Bread Shed, Yes, Zombie Shack, and The Union, the 2025 festival – held from April 18 to 20 – will feature headliners The Menzingers, alongside the likes of Strung Out, Dillinger Four, Death By Stereo and Belvedere.
“We certainly didn’t think we’d still be going ten years later,” Andy says. “It was just something we tried with gigs in front of like 50 people. Our biggest achievement is that we’re getting bands and punters from all around the world to come to Manchester and spend time in these independent venues.”
For Andy, who moved to Manchester in 2001, he started his TNS empire as a fanzine in 2003. Those Alan Partridge-themed raffles and parties soon followed, then other club nights, before the punk record label was launched. It has now released more than 120 different titles since.
Johnny Foreigner at Manchester Punk Festival 2024
(Image: Kristy 18)
Andy, who is the lead singer of the band Knife Club and has previously played in bands like McGraw and Revenge Of The Psychotronic Man, met the other members of the MPF collective in similar settings. The festival launched in 2015 at now-closed institution Sound Control.
“All of us involved were doing stuff individually, we all had quite busy events but we didn’t really think our crowds crossed over as much as they could do,” he explains. “It’s mostly relatively small bands with a handful of big headliners for people who want to come together in some independent venues and have a good time.
“Being able to support independent venues is huge to us. We know how hard it is to get an independent venue to work so being able to help them and keep them busy is great.”
Crowds at the 2018 Manchester Punk Festival at The Bread Shed
(Image: Mark Richards)
The idea of winning a prestigious award at the same ceremony that also championed the likes of Boomtown and the Isle of Wight Festival was never ever initially on the cards.
Named Best Small Festival, it beat the likes of Beat Herder and RADAR Festival to the title. MPF was also nominated for Best Metropolitan Festival and the Grassroots Festival Award too.
“We’re not doing it for the awards, but to win the Best Small Festival in the UK is ridiculous,” Andy laughs. “We’d never dream of getting to this point really.
Propaghandi performing at Gorilla during MPF 2018
(Image: Mark Richards)
“There are lots of big festivals out there that work because of lots and lots of sponsorship. There is a huge difference between what we’re trying to do because we’re completely independent and non-sponsored. This isn’t our job – we’re all volunteers, we do it because we love it and we want to champion the community we’re a part of.”
And it’s that community which Andy, who works as an arts and graphics teacher at a college, believes is the reason they have been championed at the top ceremony – and why they are still going today.
“We’re really glad we’re doing it,” he says. “This is the weekend of the year for our audience so we just want to continue having this community where people feel so invested. I’ve not got any big ambitions, it’s amazing what it’s at now and I never expected it to become what it is.
Stand Out Riot performing at Sound Control in 2015 for MPF
(Image: Mark Richards)
“The biggest achievement for us is that we are able to exist in its current format without any sponsorship.”
And recalling those early Partridge-themed events in the city, Andy adds: “It’s really funny thinking back to how silly everything used to be and how there was a real sense of fun about things.
“I don’t think we’ve ever lost that about us, really. Of course, there are times when you have to take things seriously but I do think part of our success is in how we’ve just tried to make sure that everyone enjoys themselves – that’s so important.”
Tickets for Manchester Punk Festival, taking place from April 18 to 20, 2025, can be bought here.