Emerging North stars ready to shine bright

Dan Seal

MUSIC EXTRA: A RECENTLY created website and promotional outfit — Emerging North — is hoping to expand considerably in 2016.

The site is the brainchild of 28-year-old Chadderton new music fanatic Dan Seal.

Seal has worked on his website, www.emergingnorth.com, since June 2014 and built a reputation for quality reviews, previews and features on hopeful young North-West-based bands and artists.

Describing how Emerging North came to be, Seal said: “I’d been the guy who’s always down at the front checking out all the local support acts. Sometimes these bands or musicians were better than the headline act.

“I thought it must be hard for these people to get the exposure they deserve, so I created a platform for them. I started writing a few words about the bands, and that’s how it started.

“I’ve never been in a band, I do this for the pure love of the music. If you can’t play, write — that’s how I’ve looked at it.”

Over 18 months, Seal has galloped up and down the region checking out gigs and encouraging musicians to get in touch so their material could gain exposure. He’s now firmly entrenched in the world of fresh new music and there is plenty of genuine talent out and about — particularly on his doorstep.

“I could be at a gig every night if I wanted to, and the music that is coming through to me means it is taking over my life,” he said.

“It’s mainly Manchester-based, but there are bands in Sheffield and Leeds who are looking good at present, as well as couple from Liverpool. Oldham is vibrant, though. There’s some brilliant bands out there. Goda Tungl and the Visitors are two of the best bands out there at the moment.”

The next step for Seal is a major one: event promotion. Already it’s looking like “Emerging North Live” on January 9 in the city is set to be a roaring success.

Seal added: “Our night is at Aatma, the former Kraak Gallery in Manchester, and it’s dead cheap at just a fiver a ticket. The Visitors will be playing, while a band called Barron will open for us. A massive 2016 is in store for both those bands. Larkins will headline, and it’s just going to be a great night.

Online tickets are already sold out and DAn expects the event as a whole will too.

“I’m hoping it will turn into something more regular,” he said. “Me and my friend Daz are putting the night on, hopefully once a month in the future, and we’re just going to hand-pick who we feel are the best bands from around the region.”


LISTEN to Simon Smedley’s exclusive audio interview with Dan Seal at: