Northern Line
Northern Line is Jazz North’s answer to live touring support for Northern artists. Northern Line champions the most pioneering, bold and innovative artists across the scene. It’s a roster of the best new talent, recognised by promoters, festivals, funders and management.
The 18-month programme supports northern artists to reach the next stage of their live performance career and meet their ambitions through targeted 1:1 support and network development.
5 bands from jazz and jazz-related genres are selected each year through an open application and rigorous selection process using a panel of independent industry experts from across the UK.
Find out more about all active Northern Line artists below.
For artist bookings/availability
The artists listed below are currently active on Northern Line, and are available for supported bookings in the following periods. Please note, availability is flexible and we recommend contacting artists directly using contact details where listed.
The full Northern Line roster will be performing the Northern Line Showcase at manchester jazz festival on Sunday 17th May on the First Street Main Stage (near HOME cinema). The showcase is free to attend.
September 26 - September 27: Rory A. Green, Hang Linton, SwanNek. Rivkala, Ancient Infinity Orchestra.
Present - March 27: Ceitidh Mac
Present - December 26: Ellen Beth Abdi, Ex Easter Island Head, Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band, Amy Thatcher & Francesca Knowles, The Exu
Present - March 26: Tom Harris
Please contact heather@jazznorth.org for general booking enquiries or to connect with an artist.
Rory A. Green
Rory A. Green classical guitar / Eleanor Colee tenor saxophone / Zac Sapienza drums
Ghanaian-English guitarist, composer and producer Rory A. Green, inspired by his mixed heritage background, uses the sensitivity of acoustic instruments combined with infectious rhythms to create heavily layered, atmospheric environments for his music.
With a dynamic, conversational approach to the guitar and improvisation, Rory has been using music to tell stories and captivate audiences in his hometown of Manchester and across the UK, sharing stages with Laura Misch, Kessoncoda and Marysia Osu.
booking
roryalexgreen@gmail.com
SwanNek
Mollie Birmingham vocals / Olly Styles tenor saxophone / Jacob Egglestone guitar / Alexa K Palmer Campiglia cello / Findlay Hewitson keyboards / Jake Baines bass / John Hirst drums
SwanNek is a boundary-pushing contemporary jazz collective from Newcastle upon Tyne, renowned for crafting music that celebrates the people and places closest to their hearts.
SwanNek draw deeply from their own experiences, weaving personal stories into a dynamic and powerfully emotive sound: a fusion that reflects the rich and diverse musical identity of their hometown.
Their emotive, innovative and welcoming live shows have drawn praise from Radio 3’s Soweto Kinch and BBC Introducing’s Shakk (“a collective of musical superheroes”), consistently attracting an eclectic and ever-growing fanbase.
"Innovative. Dynamic. A combustion of musical talent." - Glasshouse ICM
website
booking
Jacob Egglestone, Findlay Hewitson - swannekofficial@gmail.com
Ancient Infinity Orchestra
Ozzy Moysey double bass / Joel Stedman flute, bass clarinet, congas / Matt Cliffe flute, alto flute, tenor saxophone / Khemi Shabazz oboe / Jacob Rider alto saxophone / Hugh Vincent piano / Elliot Roffe double bass / John Arnesen drums
Ancient Infinity Orchestra emerged in the North of England as a joyous, communal force, rooted in collective music-making and shared intention. Led by Leeds-based composer-double bassist Ozzy Moysey, the ensemble weaves melody, with expansive, uplifting improvisation, creating music that feels both intimate and cosmic.
Their latest recording, It’s Always About Love, blossoms with warmth, texture, and emotional depth, shaped by a rich palette of acoustic sounds and open-hearted collaboration. Affiliated with jazz, folk, classical, and devotional music traditions, the Orchestra offers generous, healing music that invites listeners into a shared experience of unity, openness, and joy.
instagram.com/ancientinfinityorchestra
website
booking
Agnese Daverio - hello@avalanche-agency.com
Rivkala
Rivkala vocals / Faye MacCalman saxophones, clarinet / Billy Bradshaw trumpet / Ben Lawrence keyboards / Luke Elgie guitar / Katy Trigger double bass, bass guitar / Mark Johnson drums
Self-proclaimed showgirl Rivkala - along with her esteemed band - blends jazz, soul, funk, and klezmer to build the twisted world of the Crushed Velvet cabaret bar, where she delivers biting yet playful social commentaries. The Mancunian singer-songwriter has made the North East her home over the past seven years, working across a range of projects and co-founding Jam Sandwich, an improvised contemporary jazz jam.
Winner of Youth Music Video of the Year (2025), Youth Music Ones to Watch (2026), BBC Introducing: One to Watch (2025), and Drake Music's Emergent Artist (2023), Rivkala delivered exhilarating performances in 2025 for BBC Proms (broadcast on Radio 3’s ‘Round Midnight), MOBO Fringe, Sofar Sounds, SXSW Roadshow and TV features for BBC Look North and ITV Tyne Tees.
facebook.com/profile.php?id=100089946803664
tiktok
website
booking
Bex Tuck - rivkala.music@gmail.com
Hang Linton
Hang Linton vocals, guitar, harmonica, sampler, synthesisers
A fearless sonic force, Hang Linton is a boundary-pushing artist from Leeds, fusing avant-funk, dance-punk, psych-rock and breakbeats into a raw and unapologetic sound. Armed with a sampler, synths and an unrelenting energy, Linton dismantles the polished and predictable, channelling the spirit of DIY counterculture with every performance.
Explosive, chaotic, and fiercely authentic, Hang Linton brings a live show that's part protest, part party, a cathartic release that challenges convention and demands your attention.
tiktok
website
youtube
booking
Haydn Britland - haydn@northernmusic.co.uk
Ex-Easter Island Head
Benjamin D. Duvall, Benjamin Fair, Jonathan Hering, Andrew PM Hunt
Experimental musical collective composing and performing music for solid body electric guitar, percussion and other instruments. The group plays multiple electric guitars augmented through mechanical preparations and extended techniques, creating hypnotic performances rich in repetition, shimmering drones and melodic invention through purposefully limited means.
The group’s latest album Norther (2024) was named album of the year by The Quietus. The Guardian described their music as “amongst the boldest experiments in British music”.
youtube
youtube.com/@Ex-EasterIslandHead-ed1uz
facebook.com/exeasterislandhead
blue sky
bsky.app/profile/eeih.bsky.social
bandcamp
Ellen Beth Abdi
Mancunian music-maker Ellen Beth Abdi uses live loops, pokey drums, undulating synths and quietly subversive lyrics to mould her unique sound.
‘Potent and lyrical electronic soul with a social conscience. For the thinkers and the movers of this dimension and others’.
Ellen’s enchanting and distinctive sound has gained her spots at Manchester International Festival, and support slots for Olivia Dean, Hollie Cooke, Ishmael Ensemble, Oscar Jerome and Allysha Joy. She was invited to collaborate live with music legend Angélique Kidjo, opening Aviva Studios for Manchester International Festival 2023.
Iinstagram
x
tiktok
website
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band
Ferg’s Imaginary Big Band is an organic and fluid ensemble of young jazz musicians drawn from across the Leeds and wider UK jazz scene. The band’s origins were as an informal five piece Sun Ra tribute project but quickly grew into a dynamic 25+ strong musical force with a reputation for energetic live performances and experimental arrangements.
Winners of 2023 The Peter Whittingham Jazz Award they have played shows at Manchester, Leeds, Lancaster and London Jazz Festivals and Love Supreme.
instagram.com/fergsimaginarybigband
record label
bandcamp
The Exu
James Mainwairing, Emil Karlsen, Dave Kane
The Exu is a powerful Leeds-based Anglo, Celtic, Scandi trio that redefines contemporary jazz with raw improvisation and deep, grungy, rocky attitudes. Featuring Mercury Prize-nominated saxophonist James Mainwaring, renowned bassist Dave Kane, and rising star drummer Emil Karlsen, their debut self-titled album blends jazz, rock, and improvisation. Fans of Gard Nilssen Acoustic Unity, Fly Trio, and The Thing will resonate with their boundary-breaking sound.
*** see availability key
website
bandcamp
Amy Thatcher & Francesca Knowles
'Envelope-pushing' accordion and percussion duo Thatcher and Knowles defy the preconceptions of what their instruments can do, breaking with tradition while tactfully adopting it as a foundation for playful experimentation. Their sensitive and dynamic live show incorporates drums, synths, keys and vocals in an unapologetic brew of colourful and creative composition. Their debut album ‘Emergency of the Female Kind’ showcases a spectrum of human-ness and the pair's undaunted attitude to kicking off a genre revolution, and in 2025 they bring exciting new music to the forefront.
‘Brimming with invention and energy. Together they’re dynamite’ - The Crack. ‘Perverse, and often fantastic’ - MOJO
*** see availability key
website
bandcamp
Ceitidh Mac
With a progressive twist to her music, Ceitidh Mac is an alternative singing/cellist, tipped by Jude Rogers as a ‘Fascinating Welsh-born, Tyneside-dwelling singer-songwriter & cellist, with an unusual, stunning voice.’ Absorbing in its originality, Ceitidh Mac creates songs that soar with contemporary arrangements & unusual instrumentation. A mesmerising live show, expect to be drawn in by bold songs & cello basslines. In Adam Walton’s words on BBC Radio Wales ‘Sublime & absolutely outstanding’.
** see availability key
x
website
Tom Harris
Tom Harris is a northern pianist who tries his best to make interesting music with kind people.
His heartfelt compositions explore mental health, masculinity, acceptance, and joy, all filtered through the musical influence of his favourite artists (Nina Simone, Snowpoet, Cécile McLorin Salvant).
Tom's latest offering takes inspiration from Buddleia - the vibrant purple shrub which thrives in ‘ugly’ places. It’s tough, beautiful, and a reminder that some version of life will always persevere…
** see availability key
instagram.com/tomharrisisacommonname
youtube
youtube.com/@tomharrisisacommonname
facebook.com/tomharrisisacommonname
website
Northern Line Round 8 Showcase took place at Hull Jazz Festival in November 2022.