Main Image Credit: WEDGE Collective
The inaugural BRITs Fringe Lab took over New Century Hall, home to our Manchester campus, for a packed day of workshops, masterclasses and live music on the eve of the BRIT Awards 2026.
Fringe Lab brought together emerging artists, music professionals and creatives for a jam-packed programme of talks, hands-on workshops, immersive masterclasses and high-energy discussions. And for our dBs Manchester students, it all happened right on their doorstep.
Credit: WEDGE Collective
The 2026 BRIT Awards marked a huge shift for British music: the ceremony left London for the first time in nearly 50 years, heading north to Manchester's Co-op Live. But organisers wanted the BRITs' impact to stretch well beyond a single Saturday night broadcast. Enter BRITs Fringe: a week-long programme of cultural events, workshops and showcases running across the city under the banner 'Manchester Seen and Heard'.
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Delivered by Brighter Sound, an award-winning Manchester-based music development charity, in collaboration with Manchester Music City and supported by Manchester City Council, GMCA and the Manchester Accommodation BID, the Fringe was designed to amplify grassroots creativity, elevate local voices and connect emerging talent with the wider music industry.
At the centre of it all was Fringe Lab.
Credit: WEDGE Collective
From 10am to 5pm, Fringe Lab took over New Century and delivered in-depth talks, panel discussions, hands-on workshops and behind-the-scenes industry insight. The daytime line-up was stacked with industry heavyweights: YolanDa Brown OBE DL, Jamz Supernova (BBC 6 Music), Rich Castillo (Lionbear Music), The Lottery Winners, Donae'O, Zed Bias, Låpsley, Sam Potts (AWAL), Scott Lewis (EMI North) and Mark Lippmann (Scruff of the Neck) all led sessions across the day, alongside 1-2-1 review sessions, networking opportunities and advice pods.
The Connextions Hub on the first floor served as Fringe Lab's central networking space, where attendees could meet organisations shaping today's music and creator ecosystem. We're proud to say that dBs Institute had a presence in the Hub, alongside the likes of EMI North, TuneCore, PPL, PRS for Music, Music Declares Emergency, Manchester Music City, the Greater Manchester Music Commission and DIY Magazine.
Then from 7pm, the venue flipped into showcase mode. Four of Manchester's most exciting rising artists, Chloe Slater, Meduulla, Nxdia and Third Kulture, took to the stage for a live showcase spotlighting the city's potential future BRIT Award winners.
Credit: Alice Kanako
This event felt tailor-made for what we do at dBs Institute. Our mission has always been about more than teaching technical skills; it's about preparing students for real careers in the music and creative industries. Fringe Lab embodies the same ethos: breaking down barriers, creating genuine pathways and putting emerging talent face-to-face with the professionals who can help shape their futures.
Having the event take place in our own building made the connection even more exciting. Our Manchester students could walk out of their studios and step straight into conversations with A&R scouts, label heads, broadcasters and fellow creatives, granting them the kind of access that can genuinely change a career trajectory.
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dBs was also listed as an official partner for BRITs Fringe alongside institutions including the Royal Northern College of Music, BIMM, Chetham's School of Music, the University of Manchester and the School of Digital Arts at Manchester Metropolitan University. Being part of that network speaks to the strength of our Manchester campus and the role we play in the city's music education landscape.
Credit: WEDGE Collective
Manchester has always punched above its weight when it comes to music. From newer acts like Aitch and Pale Waves carrying the baton passed through Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division and 808 State, the city has an ecosystem of venues and world-class institutions that not only hosts music but produces it at every level. The decision to bring the BRITs here, and to build an entire fringe programme rooted in local scenes, felt like recognition of something Manchester's grassroots community has known for a long time.
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Kate Lowes, Director at Brighter Sound, captured the spirit of the occasion, noting that the team were incredibly proud to be delivering the very first BRITs Fringe and that it felt especially fitting it was happening in Manchester- a city with a long history of being a true 'city of firsts'.
For our students, staff and the wider dBs community, Fringe Lab was the perfect example of why our Manchester campus exists where it does. We're not on the sidelines of the music industry here, we're right in the thick of it. And with the BRITs confirmed to return to Manchester in 2027, this is just the beginning.
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