A fundraising festival for The Christie cancer unit at Macclesfield is taking place from 22nd to 24th October at the town’s Christ Church, featuring acts including Peter Hook and The Light and John Bramwell, as well as Space, Cabbage, Space Monkey, Lottery Winners, Pins and more.
In 2004, research was published in The Times naming Macclesfield and its borough the most uncultured town in Britain, based on its lack of theatres, cinemas and other cultural facilities. The festival is part of a new initiative to overcome this.
Christ Church is a redundant Anglican church on Great King Street, and was in use until 1981 with a stained glass window behind the stage.
The festival is a non-profit initiative working with The Christie, which is opening a centre at Macclesfield District General Hospital, which has been delayed due to covid.
Friday night headliners are Peter Hook and The Light, supported by Yellow Brain, San Pedro Collective, Suddi Raval, Leon The Pig Farmer and local Macclesfield rising stars Queen Cult.
Saturday will see a full day of music With I Am Kloot’s John Bramwell, Cabbage, Space Monkey, Sylvette, Dave Fiddler, The Pagans SOH Bethlehem Casuals, local band Sinclair and M30.
Sunday welcomes Liverpool’s finest Space, Leigh’s finest The Lottery Winners, Pins, Manc funk SWJ Group, Kiziah and The Kings, Officers and Gentlemen, The 99 Degree and Cyrcles.
There will also be free after-party bands at local venue Mash – Cold Water Swimmers, Def Neon, Lucigenic and Dead Captain.
Tickets are out now from £30: see skiddle.com and look for “Macclesfield in-October”.
Macclesfield has a long history of music: it was the home town of Ian Curtis and Stephen Morris, of Joy Division, and Gillian Gilbert, who along with Stephen Morris was a member of New Order. Other Macclesfield acts to have gained recognition include The Macc Lads and Marion. Silk Brass Band, the Macclesfield-based brass band, won the national champions of Great Britain title in 2003.
The blues singer John Mayall was born there in 1933. More recently, local band the Virginmarys achieved national and international success. Chart-topping UK band The 1975 also partly come from Macclesfield.
