For 18 years, Manchester’s In The City event has brought the music industry together, opened up a hot topic or two for debate, and introduced some of the best new and emerging bands in the world. Now, as the premier date in the international music calendar, ITC 2009 promises to inspire and educate, entertain and liberate, and maybe even change the lives of music fans, young entrepreneurs and emerging talent.

Running this coming weekend from Sunday 18th October to Tuesday 20th October, the event includes a ton of panels and exhibition stands alongside a massive lineup of unsigned and emerging bands. And when you remember that in the past it hosted legendary gigs by the then unknown Oasis (Manchester Town Hall – 1992), The Chemical Brothers (Jabez Clegg, Manchester – 1995), Daft Punk (Aboard the Fitzcarraldo, Dublin – 1996), Coldplay (Cuba Café, Manchester – 1997), The Darkness (The Kings Arms, Salford, Manchester – 2002) and Nine Black Alps / Arctic Monkeys (Manchester Academy – 2005), you get the distinct feeling that something big is likely to come out of this.

There’s a ton of info at http://www.inthecity.co.uk/ and if you’re going to be there at some point over the weekend, let us know who you saw and how you rated ’em in the comments…

By Barry Bell on October 15, 2009