Zack Knight & Sanam Marvi to perform at Manchester International Festival 2023

The Manchester International Festival 2023 will take place between 29th June – 16th July featuring performances by Zack Knight, Metz ‘n’ Trix and Sanam Marvi to name a few.

Sonics, Stories and Scenes of the Diaspora, Sunday 1st July
From Metz ‘n’ Trix to Manara, Asian Dub Foundation to UK Apache, M.I.A to Joy Crookes, South Asian diaspora impacts on the UK music scene and wider culture are immeasurable. For this day-long takeover of Manchester Museum’s South Asia Gallery, SEEN Magazine shine a light on this heritage and celebrate the sounds of global majority and South Asian diaspora artists making waves today.

Building on themes featured in the Manchester Museum’s ground-breaking new South Asia Gallery, the event features live performances, DJ sets, screenings and panel discussions. SEEN is a Manchester-based music magazine and platform, created by global majority and marginalised people. Founded by Tunde Adekoya, Kamila Rymajdo and Swing Ting’s Balraj Samrai, it celebrates unheard voices and enables communities to narrate their own stories, while connecting with scenes linked to Britain’s colonial history.

Sanam Marvi: Saturday 8th July, 20:30 (UK)
Sanam Marvi is a titan of Sufi music, revered throughout Pakistan and beyond. Singing in Urdu, Sindhi, Punjabi and Saraiki, she offers a uniquely beautiful interpretation of Sufi poetry supported by an unbelievable vocal range.

Trained by her father, as well as classical music legends Abida Parveen and Ustaad Fateh Ali Khan, Sanam spent her childhood singing at festivals and shrines across Pakistan. In 2009, a breakout performance on national television turned her into an overnight sensation.

She’s since toured the globe, uniting millions of fans across cultural borders and generations in their love of Sufi music. A regular on Pakistan’s famed Coke Studio show, Sanam knows no bounds. Her music has reached Bollywood and earned her recognition from UNESCO and Pakistan’s highest civilian award.

Desi Factory: Saturday 15th July, 19:00 (UK)
Manchester’s own Sam Malik curates a night of British South Asian talent to mark the closing weekend of MIF23.

Expect R&B-infused tracks with a signal to Bollywood from headliner Zack Knight. Known for his infectious songs and slick productions, Zack has written for Tinie Tempah, opened shows for Taio Cruz and Jessie J, and is a star in his own right – selling out a UK headline tour and writing and producing the huge international hit Bom Diggy. Support comes from melodic singer-songwriter Ezu, BBC Asian Network’s legendary DJ Bobby Friction and Bambi Bains – a trailblazer in the UK’s Desi R&B and Bhangra scene, as well as Joash, Kami Kane, Luqy and Freezy, all hosted by Nikita Kanda.

Desi Factory is curated by Sam Malik, a pioneer of the city’s creative scene determined to shine a light on next gen talent, as well as the best of British South Asian music. A member of the Factory Sounds 2022 cohort – our artist development programme for Manchester’s music visionaries – Sam is making waves across the city with new music agency SM Music MGMT.

Artistic Director and Chief Executive, Factory International & Manchester International Festival John McGrath says: “From the radical and agenda setting to the purest of celebrations, MIF23’s programme covers a huge range of art forms and styles – from a ritual on the banks of a newly uncovered river, to mixed reality from one of Japan’s greatest composers, from a hunt for artworks across the city to a residency from one of American music’s most vibrant superstars. A genuine melting pot of creativity where artists share their ideas with each other and the public, the Festival will once again take the temperature of our times, and imagine possibilities for the future.

As always MIF is rooted in its home – in the spaces and places of Greater Manchester. So at the same time as we take up residency in our flagship new venue with our centrepiece exhibition of Yayoi Kusama’s incredible inflatable sculptures, the Festival will extend its reach throughout the city: finding unexpected locations to show its work in, and working with local artists and residents to perform and take part. MIF23 will be a true celebration of the city and its cultural offerings.”