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BBC 6 Music Festival: The Lathums headline opening night in Manchester

BBC The Lathums at BBC 6 Music FestivalBBC
The opening night was headlined by Wigan band The Lathums

Performances from a clutch of rising stars opened the BBC 6 Music Festival in Manchester.

Sets from The Lathums, Antony Szmierek, Afflecks Palace and Phoebe Green at the city's Band on the Wall venue on Thursday launched the four-day event.

The festival will also see headline shows from Arlo Parks and Christine and the Queens, alongside DJ sets from Erol Alkan, Don Letts and Steve Lamacq.

Presenter Stuart Maconie said it would be a "great weekend" of shows.

"We've got bespoke performances, people doing new and original things... but I'm also looking forward to Tim Burgess and Yard Act DJing and a late night rave with Hot Chip and Erol Alkan," he said.

BBC Phoebe Green at BBC 6 Music FestivalBBC
Manchester singer-songwriter Phoebe Green was one of four acts to play
BBC Antony SzmierekBBC
Antony Szmierek brought his "poems to dance to" to the stage

The opening night's show was a joint event between the station and BBC Music Introducing, which supports unsigned, undiscovered and under the radar musicians.

Ryan Durrans, who plays with headliners The Lathums, said BBC 6 Music was "really good, especially for the amount of new talent that is emerging from everywhere across the UK these days".

"They helped us out in the early days, so it's nice to be back and playing," he added.

BBC Afflecks Palace at BBC 6 Music FestivalBBC
Afflecks Palace have been called "Nu Manchester" by critics
BBC The Lathums at BBC 6 Music FestivalBBC
The Lathums said the station and the festival were great for new bands

The shows will take place at the Manchester venue and Trafford's Victoria Warehouse.

The BBC recently announced that the festival, which has previously been held in cities across the UK, would be permanently based in Greater Manchester in the future.

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