08/06/2026
Well, that concludes another year of M2TM Manchester, and what a year it’s been. Six months of hard work led to an epic sold-out all-dayer.
We would like to thank the management and staff at Rebellion Manchester. They’ve been on this journey with us throughout all six months. We especially want to thank Alex and Jason for allowing us to host these amazing events week in, week out. Your commitment to the underground scene is what keeps Manchester the best city in the UK for metal.
A huge thank you goes to ChrysalidHomo, Kringer and the Battle Katz, VLKA, Kilonova, Dystopian Sun, DEKAYTAH,nJOANovARC, VMBRA, and our headliners Ward XVI. You all contributed massively to one hell of a day and night of live music.
We also want to thank all the photographers who came down week in, week out, and especially the Heavy Metal Hikers for capturing pretty much all of the heats. You all do phenomenal work.
A huge thank you goes to our phenomenal crew, Paul Lord and Garry Brown, for making the day run so smoothly. We did have some technical issues, but there wasn’t much we could do about those. It’s a full day of live music, and issues will always arise from time to time. Both Garry and Lordy absolutely smashed it, and the complimentary emails have been flooding in from the bands.
At this point, we could be typing out commiserations to the three bands that didn’t win. However, that isn’t the case here. Aphotic Sky, Bloodsawband, and Sigils absolutely smashed their sets and made it an incredibly tough final for the winners. You fought off some of the best underground bands in the UK to reach the final. Considering Manchester Metal 2 The Masses is arguably the biggest and toughest region, that alone is an achievement worthy of congratulations. We know you’ll all be back next year, raring to go again.
What can we say about our winners, Technologist? Well, for one… wow. What a set that was. Without doubt, the best performance the band has ever produced. They have been performing at a huge level throughout all of the heats, but that was on a completely different level. We can’t think of a band that deserved that victory more. You’ve grafted for years, and that hard work has paid off. We are incredibly proud of what you’ve achieved, and you can be sure we’ll be front and centre in the New Blood Tent, cheering you on and no doubt shedding a few tears throughout your Bloodstock Festival set.
We’d also like to thank Steve Exocet Jones for coming down and judging the event. What a credit you are to the Bloodstock family.
Thank you to my wife Jayne Bennett for the constant hard work on the doors week in, week out. Thank you also to Rich Price of Rich Price Photography for being such an important part of the M2TM Manchester family. Your contribution, along with your fantastic photographs and posters, has been massively appreciated. You’ve also run the press side of things brilliantly.
Thank you to Dan from The Razor's Edge for coming down and doing a write up. We cannot wait to read that.
Thank you to our judges, Lordy, Rich, and Kris Dante Banks. It’s a huge commitment to do it week in, week out for six months, and we appreciate everything you’ve done.
A special thank you to Alex from Satans Hollow for treating ourselves and the crew. You looked after us like Royalty mate. Thank you so much.
Thank you to DebBee Jewellery for coming down with her amazing array of wonderfully crafted items.
We can happily announce that we, 0161 Manchester Underground Metal Community Promotions, will once again be running M2TM Manchester in 2027. Of course, that doesn’t mean applications are open just yet! 😂 Please keep an eye on this page for updates. We normally open applications around November.
Lastly, we’d like to thank all of you wonderful people for attending week in, week out. It’s not easy, either physically or financially, to keep showing up. Without you amazing, beautiful buggers, we couldn’t keep doing this. You’re the reason we do it.
So, all that’s left to say is we’ll see you all in a couple of months at our home, Bloodstock Festival. It’s going to be amazing, as it always is. There are so many phenomenal bands on the lineup, but of course, none more important to us than our very own Technologist. 😀
You can catch ourselves and the Technologist boys at around 8:45 this evening live on Radio Northwich chatting to Nicky Clifford. We will of course be discussing all things M2TM Manchester. Make sure you tune in.
