BBC 6 Music’s Chris Hawkins hosts ‘Awesome Friends’, a night dedicated to finding the freshest sounds and championing the acts you need to watch.
On Saturday 17th January 2026, Awesome Friends will feature an array of rising artists with Florentenes, Cherryholt and The North at Manchester’s iconic The Deaf Institute.
The Deaf Institute is home to early performances from some of the UK’s most successful acts such as The 1975, Charli XCX, Wolf Alice, Florence & The Machine, HAIM, Wunderhorse, Johnny Marr plus many more.
Awesome Friends brings the next wave of future success stories to this legendary stage.
No stranger from finding new talent, Chris Hawkins has a standout show on BBC 6 Music championing alternative anthems and fresh sounds. Chris was an early supporter of emerging acts Sam Fender, Wet Leg and The Lathums, now all headline performers.
Chris says: "Awesome Friends is all about discovering the best new acts and supporting them on their journey to main stages. The night is an amazing opportunity for music fans to get up close with incredible emerging artists and fall in love with new favourite bands. Manchester’s music scene is fantastic shape and introducing the next generations on stage is a massive thrill."
Serving as a platform for the emerging, grass roots acts and those destined to be our future musical heavyweights, Awesome Friends has the potential to be the next Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall in ‘76, Glasgow’s King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in ‘93 or The Grapes Pub Sheffield in ‘03 – and you’ll be able to say you were there when it all began.
Tickets will be available from Friday 31st of October at 10am via www.gigsandtours.com. Keep an eye out for further locations and dates to be added soon.