BRITs Fringe
Megan Wyn, Cutscene & more prove themselves as a key part of Manchester’s new voice during BIMM & DIY’s BRITs Fringe showcase
24th February 2026
Other BIMM alumni Grrace and Zoë’s Brothers were also out to impress in the YES Pink Room tonight.
As the 2026 BRIT Awards take centre stage, bringing new eyes to the local scene, Manchester is out to prove exactly why it deserves the spotlight, with events taking place across the city - including a special showcase from the city’s own BIMM University, held in the iconic YES Pink Room.
The venue’s pink walls fall behind the crowd as Zoë’s Brothers take to the stage sporting custom flared trousers - a symbol of both their connection as twins and their alternative sound, which stands reminiscent of The Eagles or Pink Floyd. Drifting through their set with hypnotic keys, gritty guitars and delayed harmonies, they watch the crowd fall quiet in anticipation as they perform their debut single, ‘Black Cars’. The lights overhead, meanwhile, reflect on the closed eyelids and tapping feet of the audience, who are content to simply take in the whole experience.
Next up, Grrace start slowly, with coarse guitars and impeding drums that lie underneath a bed of haunting vocals. As the energy builds through each song, they channel this force, expelling it through intense charging guitars and direct vocals, creating a grungier and immersive post-rock soundscape that rings out over the audience.
After a quick break, the room fills to capacity for Cutscene as they sound more poised than ever before, capturing the crowd with their washed guitars, airy vocals and diverse sound. Confronting Fontaines DC-esque, emotionally-driven breakdowns with darker, more intense tones, and replacing them with chunkier bass notes, their set is a grand, emotional release of atmospheric post-punk.
Finally, Megan Wyn is last to take to the stage, confirming this as her first gig of the year before lighting up the room with loaded vocals and a presence so compelling that her previous statement feels like it must be a lie. As she dances from one track to the next, landing on 'If I Can’t Have You', phones fly from pockets into the air; she jokingly encourages them, saying she needs some new TikTok content. The track itself feels larger than life, with loaded drums and sharp, bursting guitars turning the once-bobbing heads into a sea of crashing waves.
And just like that, the last note plays out to an eruption of applause and chants for “one more song” - but, as the lights fade and Megan exits the stage, the show is over. Left behind are tired feet and half-drunk beers, and a night filled with Manchester’s upcoming talent that you'd be hard pushed to forget.
This feature is brought to you as part of DIY’s work supporting this year’s edition of the BRITs Fringe.
Curated by local music development organisation Brighter Sound - in collaboration with Manchester Music City and supported by Manchester City Council, GMCA and the Manchester Accommodation BID - the BRITs Fringe aims to celebrate the city’s rich musical history and incredible current grassroots scene (all under the banner of ‘Manchester Seen and Heard’), via a series of events happening across the city in the lead up to the BRIT Awards themselves. For more information on the BRITs Fringe, head to Brighter Sound’s website now.
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