NME’s top 10 shows from Beyond The Music 2026

For its third edition, Beyond The Music rang in some changes.

The Manchester industry showcase and conference departed the city’s Northern Quarter, relocating to Salford’s MediaCity.

While the event has its sights firmly set on the future of music – whether in terms of industry issues or the artists who could dominate – it gave its new home some signposts to the past, with each stage named after a beloved venue from Manchester’s past.

Over the week, Beyond The Music brought together thought-provoking panels and artists at different points in their careers, all with huge promise for the next level.

NME was there to catch all the action – here are the top 10 shows we caught at Beyond The Music 2026.

Words: Rhian Daly, Andrew Trendell Bawo Bawo.

Credit: Lucy CRG Art Where most artists performing in the MediaCity building let the festival-provided visuals tell audiences who they are, London rapper and singer Bawo did things his own way.

Glitchy lo-fi visuals flanked the stage, immersing you in his world as he delivered a laidback set.

Bounding around isn’t his M.O. – instead Bawo slinked across the stage, keeping things low-key energetically, but still utterly compelling.

And when you’ve got songs with hooks as infectious as ‘Wrestlemania’’s, you can let the music do the talking.

RD Cutscene Cutscene.

Credit: Gracie Hall Big trousers and bigger anthems came courtesy of the impeccably dressed Manchester-via-County Durham post-punk four-piece Cutscene .

Delivering a wall of sound with an effortless cool, their late-night set rewarded those who stuck around with the shamelessly epic misery of Fontaines D.C. , the skyward instrumental ambition of Mogwai and the sharp gut-punch paranoia of early Radiohead .

The towering ‘Concrete Line’ captured this best as a set highlight, so go get that in your ears right now.