Off The Record

22/04/2020

alt-J's Joe has shared his three fantastic picks.

Any of these on your turntable?

Support Help Musicians and Record Store Day with Off The Record here – otrmcr.co.uk/isolationalbums

Here are Joe’s top three for Off The Record, Help Musicians & Record Store Day.

Old, New and Classic. https://www.helpmusicians.org.uk/offtherecord

13/04/2020

Liam Fray’s picks include a classical masterpiece and a soulful modern classic. otrmcr.co.uk/isolationalbums

What amazing music have you discovered this month?

08/04/2020

A great selection of from Badly Drawn Boy – including a compilation of the BBC's legendary sports themes!

Head to otrmcr.co.uk/isolationalbums for more great picks.

08/04/2020

Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett selected his three ...

Head to otrmcr.co.uk/isolationalbums to hear his playlist and support Help Musicians and Record Store Day UK!

07/04/2020

Revealing Off The Record's ...

What's soundtracking your time at home?

Some of our favourite musicians and celebrities have selected their favourite new, old and curveball records, to support Help Musicians and Record Store Day UK!

Join the fun –
http://otrmcr.co.uk/isolationalbums

10/02/2020

Want to get into the music industry but not sure how?

Apply today for OTR Extra and be guided through the ins and outs of the music business with key industry players.

For more info: http://www.otrmcr.co.uk/extra

10/12/2019

The inimitable Sundara Karma joined us at for an In Conversation with Shell Zenner, chatting about the process of songwriting, becoming indie rock heroes, & ancient Greek bishops, oddly enough.

📸 George Harrison

08/12/2019

Once the live showcase had wrapped, we headed down to Band on the Wall for what can only be described at the greatest thing to ever happen: Bandeoke. From now on we only karaoke if there's a full backing band who can play any song at the drop of a hat ~ AKA the Big Society boys!

Also: Shoutout to Colin (foreground, checked shirt) who wins most enigmatic performance of the evening ~ Colin you're the real MVP.

📸 Nathan Whittaker

05/12/2019

Did you catch the Horus Music showcase at The Peer Hat for ? They had the likes of Dramalove, Nadia Sheikh, The Baskervilles, The Sandemans & Denuo take to the stage for what was an incredible evening of new music in one of our fave NQ haunts.

📸 Dramalove by George Harrison

04/12/2019

Rebecca Boulton - New Order manager - joined us at & gave a wonderful insight into the making of one of the most prolific albums of all time in: 40 Years of Unknown Pleasures! 🖤

📸 George Harrison

02/12/2019

We like to call this first photo 'Business in the front, party in the back'.

Springfield Elementary won some serious brownie points for coordinating their outfits with the Gullivers NQ stage & if that wasn't enough, performed a most spectacular & "effortlessly smooth" set (Original Rock)! They've got a few gigs left to play before the year's out ~ head over to their page for details.

📸 Nathan Whittaker

01/12/2019

“The best advice I was given was be cheeky” ~ Fred Farrell / Saytr Play

Fair to say he’s taken that one on board then! 😉 The New Creative Process invited Kali & Joe (Lovers Music), Marieke Hulzinga (Amplify / FUGA) & Fred take a look at what productions & distribution options exist within the live industry today & how to make sure you're choosing the right one for you!

📸 George Harrison

29/11/2019

Same, mate.

It's almost the weekend & here's one of our fave groove gremlins looking not so casual. You'd feel the same if a group of sword-dancers appeared at your gig too (cc: BETHLEHEM CASUALS)

otrmcr.co.uk

27/11/2019

What did you think of 2019? We wanna know! Fill out our 2 minute survey & you could win tickets to Liverpool Sound City, lovely jubbly 💫🌟✨

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/OTR19

26/11/2019

Which of our OTR venues did you see the most of this year? We spent a lot of time at Soup Kitchen for the Kycker showcase which was packed with brilliant artists, incl. Hudsun, HAiG, The Hot Soles, Two Weeks In Nashville & Scarlet.

Here's a few snaps of Scarlet. tearing up the stage like only they could 🖤🖤🖤

25/11/2019

Did you catch the 'Have A Word' workshop with Lisa from Just The Type at this year's ? She offered up some brilliant advice for artists looking to self-promote & create a shiny little bio with a bit more zing than the 'band name, town of origin & genre' model!

Missed it? Luckily Jamie from The Unsigned Guide was there to furiously scribble down some top tips for you 👇👇👇

Advice for bands and musicians on how to write a brilliant biog

22/11/2019

At this year's we were joined by Horizons / Gorwelion, our official partner for Off The Record 2019 & curators of the stage at Night & Day Cafe ~ Horizons is a music scheme delivered by BBC Cymru Wales in partnership with Arts Council Wales to develop new, independent contemporary music in Wales 🌟

They brought some incredible talent to the stage at Night & Day Cafe with a lineup as exciting as it was varied, featuring incredible performances from HANA2K, Jack Perrett Music, Kidsmoke, Esther, Seazoo & Rosehip Teahouse!

20/11/2019

😍😍😍 The Lottery Winners stole the show at this year; joining the lineup at Band on the Wall as our special guest, they brought some Salford guitar-pop to the OTR crowd.

We'll have brand new single 'Little Things' on repeat for the foreseeable so if like us you can't get enough, why not pre-order their debut album (dropping 13.03.20) & grab yourself a ticket to their O2 Ritz Manchester gig?

🎫 Tickets on sale HERE > http://bit.ly/TLWO2Ritz
💿 Pre-order the album HERE > http://bit.ly/TLWPreOrder

19/11/2019

Did you catch Grimm Twins at ? They stormed The Castle Hotel stage last Friday night after dropping the brand new video for ‘Summer of Love’ & brought "a potent slice of goth-pop" to the crowds squeezed into The Castle's infamously teeny gig room!

Check it out here > http://bit.ly/GrimmTwinsSoL

📸 Nathan Whittaker (IG: )

16/11/2019

THANK YOU! What an incredible fourth edition of Off The Record, packed full of brilliant new artists from across the UK 💫

More photos incoming soon but for now we’ll leave you with this little gem! 📸 Winnie & The Rockettes by Nathan Whittaker

15/11/2019

What a day! We’re going into tonight’s live music showcase feeling super inspired! HUGE thanks to all our wonderful panelists & workshop leaders for bringing such insightful discussions to the table.

Head over to Band on the Wall now for a drink or two (sponsored by our friends at Ticketline) before the gigs kick off at 6:30!

📸 George Harrison

15/11/2019

The 2019 conference is now LIVE & we're kicking things off with ‘How to Start & Run a Venue’ for a deep dive into the business of running a music venue, how the scene has changed & what the future holds! ⚡️⚡️⚡️

There's a handful of tickets still on the door ~ no booking fee, cash & card accepted. Pop down & grab yours now.

14/11/2019

Join us TONIGHT at Band on the Wall for the opening party. We'll be joined by Chris Hawkins, plus Shell Zenner & Emily Pilbeam will be on hand to spin a few tunes.

Head down to kick off this year's festival & rub shoulders with the speakers & artists joining us tomorrow! Doors at 6PM!

Last few OTRMCR gig & conference passes here > http://bit.ly/OTRMCR19Tickets

14/11/2019

ESSENTIAL INFO ahead of OTRMCR tomorrow! 👇👇👇

Tickets & Entry >
Off The Record 2019 is a wristbanded event, and ONLY valid wristbands will grant you access to Off The Record venues. Registration & wristband exchange on Fri 15 Nov opens at CENTRAL METHODIST HALL (Ground Floor Reception) 9:30AM - 5:30PM. Wristband exchange re-opens at GULLIVERS LOUNGE from 6:00PM - 10:30PM. Guest list ticketholders need to head to the appropriate Wristband Exchange to gain entry into the festival.

You MUST exchange your ticket for a wristband to be permitted entry to any venue. Anyone attempting to gain entry with a ticket will NOT be permitted entry, & will be directed to the wristband exchange. Full t&c's of entry on our website > otrmcr.co.uk

Getting Here >
The OTR conference runs 9:30AM - 5:00PM at Central Methodist Hall, Oldham Street, Manchester M1 1JQ. The Methodist Hall is approx. 10 minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, and a 5 minute walk from Piccadilly Gardens.

Networking drinks provided by Ticketline 5:30PM - 6:30PM at Band on the Wall, 25 Swan St, Manchester M4 5JZ.

The OTR live music showcase runs from 6:30PM - LATE and is held at 7 Northern Quarter venues: Band on the Wall, Jimmy's, Night & Day Cafe, Soup Kitchen, The Peer Hat, The Castle Hotel & Gullivers NQ. Please note that curfews vary at different venues, see individual lineup artwork for further scheduling information.

We'll post live updates over on the IG & Twitter throughout the day. Follow us to stay up to date:

Got a question? Let us know in the comments 👇👇👇

There's still time to get your ticket > http://bit.ly/OTRMCR19Tickets

13/11/2019

Joining us at Off The Record 2019? As well as all the wonderful stuff packed into the conference & live music showcase there's plenty of great networking opportunities too, whether you're just starting out in industry or well estalished - knowing the right people certainly makes things a lot easier!

Thursday 14 Nov
🔥To kick start Off The Record we're heading to Band on the Wall & we've invited our mate Chris Hawkins to open up the festival for us this year, joined by Shell Zenner & Emily Pilbeam who'll be spinning a few tunes. Doors 6PM, FREE entry (Open to the public)

Friday 15 Nov:
⚡️Head to the Drynks Reception between 2:00PM - 3:30PM in the Collier Room of the Methodist Hall to rub shoulders with fellow industry professionals & cash in on those complimentary drinks courtesy of our friends at Drynks Unlimited (Wristband holders only)

⚡️Once the conference draws to a close, head over to Band on the Wall for a chance to build your own network ahead of the evening's live entertainment, kindly sponsored by Ticketline! Kick off at 5:30PM, we'll see you there! (Wristband holders only)

Pop down, you never know who you might meet in the crowd! Last tickets > http://bit.ly/OTRMCR19Tickets

13/11/2019

"Born in Salford and raised on romance, The Lottery Winners blend momentous guitar pop melodies with a humorous and wistful lyricism" & they'll be bringing some of that magic to this Friday 15 Nov.

If you haven't bagged a ticket yet we'd really recommend getting a move on, we're down to a handful! > http://bit.ly/OTRMCR19Tickets

The Lottery Winners · Song · 2018

12/11/2019

No NQ venue is more illustrious, or illusive than The Peer Hat - seamlessly integrating it's 'Olde English' aesthetic with a determined lean towards supporting current grassroots musicians & at this year's they'll be serving up a lovely little selection of artists!

We're talking Dramalove, Nadia Sheikh, The Baskervilles, Sandemans, Denuo all courtesy of the Horus Music showcase ~ head down from 7:35PM!

"Horus Music & sister company Anara Publishing are extremely pleased to be partnering with Off The Record again in 2019! Off the Record aligns with our ethos of helping artists understand all aspects of the music business. From distribution, playlisting, live opportunities & publishing, you can learn about it all at Off The Record 2019 & we're glad to be a part of it"

12/11/2019

Throwback to our OTR x Wilderness Record Store warm up event last month, with Big Society giving us a nice little preview of their latest single 'Give Me My Name'.

We can't wait to catch another super special set at in just 3 DAYS // 21:10PM // Jimmy's // Fri 15 Nov

Don't miss out > http://bit.ly/OTRMCR19Tickets