From Ezra Collective, Fat Dog to Mogwai – everything you need to know about BBC Radio 6 Music Festival 2025 in Manchester

From Mogwai to English Teacher, expect plenty of new and established acts gearing up for this year’s Radio 6’s flagship annual music festival hosted across Manchester.

From 26 to 29 March 2025, this year’s festival features headline performances at O2 Victoria Warehouse Manchester from Ezra Collective, Scotland’s Mogwai, and Kae Tempest – with a ‘global premiere’ of new material.

New favourites Fat Dog will also be taking to the stage, alongside Leeds’ indie rock four-piece English Teacher and American singer, songwriter and musician Perfume Genius, with 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova, Tom Ravenscroft and SHERELLE all DJing at the venue.

There is plenty to look forward to, with other events and club nights including a BBC Introducing night, New Music Fix Live, Indie Forever, Rave Forever in partnership with The Warehouse Project, and Morning After Mix Live.

Listeners will hear live music, highlights and interviews across the four days from 6 Music presenters including Nick Grimshaw, the new Breakfast Show host from Monday 24 February on weekdays 7-10 am and Lauren Laverne, who begins her new mid-morning show 10am – 1pm on the same day.

A 6 Music Festival Channel is set to launch on BBC iPlayer on Monday 17 March with classic festival performances from previous years. From Saturday 29 March, the channel will see the station’s presenters bring viewers back-to-back performance highlights and live sets from this year’s event.

“Woof, woof 6 Music,” says Fat Dog from South East London. The band released their debut studio album, WOOF, in September 2024 to critical acclaim. 

“Yet again proving your impeccable taste by inviting us to play your festival. We can’t wait. Going beast mode for this one.”

Hailing from Leeds and Lancashire, English Teacher credits Manchester for its successes: “The band wouldn’t be what it is without 6 Music and without Manchester. This is going to be a very special celebration.”

As for the highly anticipated Mogwai, they say: “We are immensely excited to return to the 6 Music Festival and Manchester this year. 6 Music has always been champions of independent music and ourselves and it’s an honour to be part of this year’s celebration.”

Tickets to each event are sold separately and will be available here from 10am on Thursday 6 February.

Here’s the full line-up for the festival:

• Wednesday 26  March – from 7pm, BBC Introducing will be at YES with Adult DVD, Renee Stormz, jasmine.4.t

• Thursday 27 March  – from 6.30pm at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, 6 Music Festival Presents… Ezra Collective + Fat Dog + 6 Music’s Jamz Supernova (DJ set) at Victoria Warehouse Manchester 
• Then New Music Fix Live at YES (10pm): DJ sets from 1-800 GIRLS, Florentino, Marie Davidson and NAINA

• Friday 28 March – 6 Music Festival Presents… Mogwai + English Teacher + 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft (DJ set) at Victoria Warehouse Manchester from 6.30pm

• Expect Indie Forever Live at Band on the Wall from 9pm: DJ sets from Sports Team DJs, Lava La Rue, Steve Lamacq, Viagra Boys and Nathan Shepherd 6 Music Festival & The Warehouse Project present Rave Forever at Amber’s – which embraces a ‘no phones’ policy to encourage everyone to engage fully with the music. Then at 11pm, DJ sets from Ayy Den, nora, Anish Kumar and SBTRKT

• Saturday 29 March – Morning After Mix Live at YES from 12pm with DJ sets from Jamz Supernova and Emma-Jean Thackray. Head over to Victoria Warehouse in Manchester from 6.30pm for 6 Music Festival Presents… Kae Tempest + Perfume Genius + 6 Music DJ SHERELLE (DJ set).

ON AIR AND ONLINE

• Highlights from the festival, including live and recorded-live performances will be broadcast on 6 Music and BBC Radio Manchester from MediaCityUK in Salford, as well as on BBC Sounds, BBC Four, BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.

• The 6 Music broadcast schedule is as follows:

• Wednesday 26  March – Huw Stephens broadcasts from YES ahead of the BBC Introducing night (4-7pm) Tom Ravenscroft and Deb Grant broadcast live from the 6 Music radio studios in MediaCityUK, Salford, to reflect on the BBC Music Introducing night that’s taking place at YES (7-11pm)

• Thursday 27 March – Chris Hawkins (5-7am), Nick Grimshaw (7-10am), Lauren Laverne (10am-1pm), Craig Charles (1-4pm) and Huw (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK. Tom and Deb broadcast live from YES ahead of New Music Fix Live and bring listeners festival performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm) New Music Fix Live DJ sets from YES (11pm-2am)

• Friday 28 March – Amy Lamé (5-7am), Nick (7-10am), Lauren (10am-1pm), Craig (1-4pm) and Huw (4-7pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK. Emily Pilbeam and Nathan Shepherd broadcast from Band on the Wall ahead of Indie Forever and bring listeners performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm) Indie Forever DJ sets from Band on the Wall (11pm-2am)
• Saturday 29 March – AFRODEUTSCHE presents Morning After Mix (6-8am) Mark Radcliffe & Stuart Maconie (8-10am) and Craig (10am-1pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK
• Jamz Supernova broadcasts live from YES, bringing listeners a special DJ set from Emma-Jean Thackray at Morning After Mix (1-4pm). Zakia broadcasts from MediaCityUK (4-7pm). Tom and Deb broadcast live from MediaCityUK, bringing listeners festival performances from Victoria Warehouse (7-11pm). Rave Forever DJ sets from Amber’s (11pm-1am)

• Sunday 30 March – Don Letts presents Morning After Mix (6-8am). Radcliffe & Maconie (8-10am) and Cerys Matthews (10am-1pm) broadcast from MediaCityUK. Guy Garvey’s Finest Hour (1-4pm). Amy and Chris present the 6 Music Festival Wrap Up live from MediaCityUK

In the lead up to the festival, Ezra Collective (17^th – 20^th February, 11pm-12am), Mogwai (24^th – 27^th Feb, 11pm-12am) and Kae Tempest (3^rd – 6^th March, 11pm-12am) will each present new four-part series of Artist in Residence. Artist in Residence sees musicians invite listeners on a journey into their musical soul, with each episode based around a different theme or mood. In addition, Perfume Genius (Mike Hadreas) and his partner and collaborator Alan Wyffels will present an episode of Love Notes (Monday 10^th February, 11pm-12am), in which they will take listeners through the songs which have soundtracked their relationship, have inspired them and which they want to share with each other.

BBC Radio Manchester will bring listeners festival highlights and more from local artists performing at the BBC Introducing night at YES (Wednesday 26 March).

From Monday 17 March, BBC iPlayer will launch a 6 Music Festival Channel, featuring classic performances from previous years. From the morning of Saturday 29 March, the channel will see 6 Music DJs present coverage of performance highlights from Ezra Collective, Mogwai, Fat Dog and English Teacher, followed by sets from Kae Tempest and Perfume Genius as they happen that evening. Victoria Warehouse sets and highlights will also be available to watch on demand across the weekend and for 30 days after broadcast. Individual tracks will be available on BBC Music’s YouTube channel.

BBC Four will broadcast highlights from the festival on Friday 4 April.