<\/p>\n
Steve Coogan and Andy Burnham are set to participate in events for Manchester\u2019s Beyond The Music 2026. Find all the details below.<\/p>\n
This year\u2019s edition of the festival is due to take place across multiple spaces within MediaCity in Salford between October 6 and 9.<\/p>\n
BMT\u2019s core ethos is to \u201craise, discuss and solve some of the biggest problems facing the creative industries\u201d currently. The event will bring together major voices in music, tech, film, gaming and content, as well as various political figures.<\/p>\n
The 2026 instalment will kick off with a special\u00a024th anniversary premiere of 24 Hour Party People<\/em><\/a>, ahead of the 2002 comedy-drama\u2019s\u00a04K rerelease in cinemas worldwide.<\/p>\n The screening will be accompanied by an exclusive keynote conversation with director Michael Winterbottom and actor Steve Coogan, who played Manchester music pioneer Tony Wilson in the story of the city\u2019s iconic Factory Records.<\/p>\n Speaking on bringing the film back to Greater Manchester, Winterbottom said:\u00a0\u201c24 Hour Party People<\/em> was made as a celebration of the spirit and music of Manchester and Factory Records under the chaotic leadership of Tony Wilson.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, Beyond the Music is the perfect place to premiere the re-release of the film, just 24 years after we made it.\u201d<\/p>\n Coogan added: \u201c24 Hour Party People<\/em> is the work that is closest to my heart. I haven\u2019t seen it for nearly 25 years. It captures the creative spirit of the town I am proud to have grown up in. I feel very sentimental about it all, which Tony Wilson would have deplored.<\/p>\n \u201cLike Anthony HW and all those working-class musicians, when it came to tell the story, Michael Winterbottom and [writer] Frank Cottrell Boyce made something special. \u2018A vague plan wrapped in an impossible dream\u2019, but it worked.\u201d<\/p>\n Tickets for Beyond The Music\u2019s exclusive premiere of 24 Hour Party People<\/em> are limited \u2013 sign up here<\/a> to register your interest.<\/p>\n Elsewhere at BTM \u201926, newly appointed Labour MP for Makerfield and former Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, will convene the \u2018All Content Global AI<\/a> Summit\u2019. This is scheduled to close the conference on October 9.<\/p>\n The session will include practitioners, rights holders and policymakers from every corner of the music and creative industries together for the first time to align on a shared, rights-based position for AI.<\/p>\n They\u2019ll explore ways to protect art and its creation, whilst ensuring commerce can grow and flourish alongside modern technology.<\/p>\n You can find more information about Beyond The Music 2026 here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burnham recently launched his Labour leadership bid after Prime Minister Keir Starmer announced his resignation<\/a> last month. He has since shared plans to spend some of his working week in Manchester, should he become the next PM (via BBC News<\/em><\/a>).<\/p>\n This spring, Burnham helped confirm that Beyond The Music \u2013 which he helped found \u2013 would be returning in 2026<\/a>. He said it would continue to explore current issues facing the music industry via keynote conversations, industry showcases and networking opportunities.<\/p>\n \u201cGreater Manchester has always been willing to take a stand on the issues that matter \u2013 standing up for the people behind the music, making sure they are recognised, rewarded, and able to build sustainable careers,\u201d Burnham explained.<\/p>\n He also\u00a0spoke to\u00a0NME<\/em> along with other figures from the music industry in 2024<\/a> about the festival and the dire need to support grassroots music venues and new artists across the UK.<\/p>\n NME<\/em>\u00a0asked him for his reaction to\u00a0Coldplay making their own ticket levy, after the band announced they would donate 10 per cent of their profits from their 2025 UK stadium shows to save the grassroots<\/a>.<\/p>\n With the move,\u00a0Chris Martin<\/a>\u00a0and co. followed in\u00a0the footsteps of Enter Shikari<\/a>, and in the wake of recommendations from MPs to\u00a0add a \u00a31 levy on arena and stadium gigs<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI wholeheartedly support it,\u201d Burnham told us. \u201cI made a call here last year that the industry needs to do more to give back to support its own grassroots venues, rehearsal spaces and talent development systems. I think it\u2019s brilliant, and I applaud Coldplay for doing that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n<\/blockquote>\n
\n<\/blockquote>\n