The Blackthorn Festival is simply the best, says Isaac

No Hot Ashes (Isaac Taylor is second left)

AT a loose end between July 21 and 23? If so, ace Manchester outfit No Hot Ashes are urging you to get down to the increasingly popular Blackthorn Festival, near Stockport.

A camping extravaganza with brilliant established and up-and-coming bands strutting their stuff throughout the weekend, the Blackthorn - this year headlined by the Lightning Seeds, Reef and Space - will again be the place to be seen.

Post-pop funk trailblazers No Hot Ashes - one of the city's hottest prospects at present - will play the festival for the third time, and front-man Isaac Taylor clearly can't wait.

He told the Chronicle: "It's just a lovely little festival. It's all camping, so it's not like Parklife, where you haven't really got that aspect.

"It's a proper festival, and it does give a lot of unsigned bands the chance to play to a really top audience.

"There's always decent headline bands on too. It's just great, and the farm they've there is ideal because it's like a nice little barn and hay and all that kind of stuff.

"There's a number of tents on the site - it's just a great festival.

"If any music-lover is in the area, I would certainly recommend it.

"We have done bigger festivals, and while not putting Blackthorn down in any way, festivals like Y Not, Kendal Calling and the one at Bingley are ones which we've also really liked.

"Blackthorn is the highlight for us though. I guess because we've got a good crowd around Stockport."

No Hot Ashes' current line-up of Taylor, guitarist Luigi Di Vuono, bassist Jack Walsh and drummer Matt Buckley have been together since the early 2014 release of debut single Goose.

They have made massive strides, playing up and down the country and at major festivals elsewhere including Y Not and Kendal Calling.

The band have announced to me exclusive details of their next major Manchester show, when they will headline the popular Sound Control venue on June 17.

Taylor said: "It's going to be our big headline show that night, and though it's not been properly announced yet, we can't wait.

"We're just getting all the stuff sorted out for it now - posters, promo material and all that. It's going to be a good gig.

"In fact, it'll be huge. It's going to be 14-plus, so a lot of our 14, 15, 16-year-old fans will be able to come. That's the one I think I'm looking forward to most at the moment."

On that night - and at any NHA gig for that matter - band merchandise will be available, and that's clearly an important part of what hopefully continues to be the path to nationwide acclaim.

Taylor said: "Merchandise is always massive for us if we've got a single out (the latest, Bellyaches, was released last month).

"In many ways it seems crazy to us that we are still unsigned, yet loads of people want to wear No Hot Ashes on their chests. It is nice, and that extra money does pay for us to go back in the studio. To be honest, for every release we do, T-shirts, CDs, tote bags and even lighters with our name on always sell well.

"We always do loads of merch, and we always sell it, and that has to be a positive for us.

"For me it's weird, especially when I think I'm only 18 and I see people walking round Manchester with our t-shirts on."

* Check out the No Hot Ashes Facebook for all the latest band updates.