Bloc Party and Yard Act take stage at BBC 6 Music Festival

The BBC festival, which has been hosted in Manchester since 2023, was held this year in smaller venues to celebrate the city’s independent music heritage.

Indie rock legends Bloc Party debuted three new tracks – Coming on Strong, Love Bombed and Pigwig to the crowd at Band on the Wall on Friday (March 27).

Bloc Party at Band On The Wall, Manchester (Image: Shirlaine Forrest/BBC Radio 6 Music)

They were supported by garage rock band The Horrors in the smaller venue which has a maximum capacity of 520 people.

This year’s focus on smaller independent venues saw Yard Act take to the stage at YES’s Pink Room – supported by Sorry.

Leeds quartet Yard Act performed hits like Dark Days, The Overload and We Make Hits which got the whole audience singing along to every word.

Yard Act at YES, Manchester (Image: Shirlaine Forrest/BBC Radio 6 Music)

The rising stars of the North’s post-punk scene then cracked into some newer songs with frontman James Smith thanking the audience for their patience.

When they left the stage the calls for an encore were enormous and the band eventually returned for two more songs.

The 2026 edition of the festival places a spotlight on independent venues across Greater Manchester, with events running from 25–28 March at spaces including Band on the Wall, YES and, new for this year, the Eccles Town Hall Ballroom. 

The festival also features new partnerships with local promoters FaT OuT and Homobloc.

BBC Radio 6 Music, the UK’s most‑listened‑to digital‑only station with a weekly audience of 2.4 million, will make performances and DJ sets available on BBC Sounds throughout the festival. 

Highlights will also appear on BBC iPlayer and BBC Music’s YouTube channel.