Goat in Manchester

Goat are a Swedish psychedelic-rock collective that emerged in 2012, performing anonymously behind masks and an invented mythology connected to Korpilombolo. Their debut album, World Music, introduced the heavy percussion, distorted guitars and communal vocals heard on songs including “Goatman” and “Run to Your Mama”; later records include Commune, Requiem and Oh Death. A 2013 concert at the Electric Ballroom in London was documented on Live Ballroom Ritual, preserving the group’s masked, costumed full-band performance. Goat later recorded a concert film for Levitation Sessions, bringing the same percussion-led ensemble format to a studio setting. Their festival history includes performances at Glastonbury and Roskilde Festival.

Maruja are a British band formed in Manchester in 2014, playing post-punk and art rock shaped by noise, jazz improvisation and tenor saxophone. They became known more widely through the EPs Knocknarea and Connla’s Well, including tracks such as “The Tinker,” “Thunder” and “One Hand Behind the Devil.” In 2023, Maruja toured British and European clubs following the release of Knocknarea. Further headline dates behind Connla’s Well followed in 2024, extending the band’s live work through continental Europe. The group performs as a four-piece built around guitar, bass, drums and saxophone, using spoken and shouted vocals alongside extended instrumental passages. Its headline schedule has repeatedly included Manchester and London.