Johnnie Walker and global music platform NTS today announce Keep Walking Live: Manchester, a three-day, city-wide takeover celebrating pioneering music movements. Marking the first-ever city-wide edition of the initiative, the programme runs from 13–15 March 2026, activating Manchester’s most revered venues and spaces including SOUP, New Century, Eastern Bloc, and Impiety Hour. The programme spotlights a curated mix of homegrown talent alongside internationally acclaimed names including DJ EZ, KOKOROKO, Venna and Nubya Garcia.
Driven by a mission to support these creative communities, Johnnie Walker and NTS will contribute 100% of the net proceeds of ticket sales of the event to Manchester music charity Brighter Sound Ltd, a registered charity (no. 1154803), to support local artist development. From community projects to international exchange, Brighter Sound supports emerging talent and music professionals through programs and advocacy that tackle inequality and strengthen grassroots music.
Keep Walking Live begins on Friday 13 March at the iconic Northern Quarter venue SOUP,
celebrating the depth of UK underground dance culture with a focus on UKG and bass-driven club music. UK garage icon DJ EZ, whose influence has shaped generations of dancefloors, headlines the opening night alongside Manchester’s own Anz, a longstanding NTS Resident. The night also features NTS stalwart Finn, a much-loved regular in the city’s clubs, while emerging local talents KD22LR and Tyronwithnoe reflect the raw, evolving spirit of Manchester’s current underground.
Saturday offers multiple paths, starting with free, bookable DJ workshops at the NTS Manchester Studio. These sessions are led by residents Finn and Abena. The afternoon continues at Eastern Bloc with an intergenerational DJ showcase featuring Annabel Fraser, Kim Lana, and Rick.
That evening, the energy shifts to New Century, the landmark venue where the city’s working-class history, radical politics and progressive music culture have collided for over half a century. An afro-fusion and neo-jazz celebration will be headlined by MOBO-nominated collective KOKOROKO, known for their joyous horn-led live shows, the night also features a live set from Venna, a leading figure in the UK’s contemporary jazz renaissance who will perform alongside a live band. Support comes from Manchester-based DJs Kusasa plus Charisse C, and Captain Lulaz, both alumni of the Johnnie Walker x Dankie Sounds Bold Steps initiative, set inside the venue’s vintage dancehall with its famously bouncing floor.
The takeover concludes on Sunday at Impiety Hour, the off-kilter and experimental space from the minds behind The White Hotel, for the ‘Sunday Slow Down’. This community-oriented day features listening sessions and panels with local figureheads. The evening finale features a special, stripped-back performance headlined by Nubya Garcia, one of the UK’s most influential contemporary jazz saxophonists and composers, whose work bridges jazz, dub, and Afro-Caribbean traditions. She is supported by atmospheric Space Afrika’s Manchester contingent, known for their city-rooted sound, and genre-fluid artist Oriki, providing a final moment to celebrate Manchester’s creative energy in its most intimate form.
By focusing on spaces rooted in community culture, Keep Walking Live: Manchester celebrates the venues that cultivate and sustain the city’s creative talent. These cultural ecosystems—spanning the legendary basement of SOUP and the forty-year legacy of Eastern Bloc to the historic Century Hall and the experimental Impiety Hour—are essential to the artists and curators who define the local landscape. This partnership between Johnnie Walker and NTS pays homage to the pioneering Northern spirit that continues to influence the global music landscape.
For more information and tickets please visit:
www.nts.live/events/keep-walking-manchester
