The selected cohort will receive an 18 month programme of 1:1 mentoring, a showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival 2026 and a bursary to support their live touring costs.
Northern Line is now open for applications until 12 noon on Friday 7th November 2025
Jazz North, development agency for northern jazz, has been boosting artists’ careers since its inception in 2012. Northern Line is the flagship development programme that takes their live touring careers to the next level.
The programme, which has supported ninety bands and hundreds of musicians since it launched in 2013, is seeking the next five artists to join its thriving roster of live touring artists.
Northern Line ensures gigs can happen, despite the ever changing landscape.
Chris Bye, Jazz North CEO, says: “For over a decade Northern Line has celebrated the most exciting new jazz coming through the northern scene. Once again Jazz North throws open the doors and invites the most innovative, engaging, subversive and sensational to step up. Northern Line not only offers significant financial support, expert mentoring and critical showcasing opportunities, but also serves as recognition regionally, nationally and internationally that an artist is an essential one to watch.”
Northern Line offers northern jazz and jazz-adjacent artists and bands intensive 1:1 support, industry upskilling and a live touring bursary through the following strands:
- A cash bursary, scaled according to the size of their ensemble and proposed touring ambitions.
- An artist development plan for targeting promoters, festivals and venues, helping them to perform in new places and build audiences.
- A showcase at Manchester Jazz Festival on Sunday 17 May 2026, with promoter networking.
- 1-1 support from the Jazz North team to help them achieve their goals.
- Priority access to Jazz North workshops and events focussed on specialist areas (eg marketing, businesses advice)
Past Northern Line artist, Danni Skerrit (Dirty Freud) said:
“Being on Jazz North has been massive for us as a band. It's taken us from being a band making good music to an outfit with some direction. We always knew how we wanted to sound, but doing this has given us the confidence to push on. Without this support […] we would not have had the time and space to create the music which really represents our sound, this would not have been possible without [Northern Line].”
Northern Line artists are selected through an open application process, shortlisted by an advisory panel of music industry experts. For this 12th round, the panel includes Rianne Thompson (The Glasshouse ICM), Aisling Doherty (Serious), Josh Aitman (marketing manager at We Out Here), Thomas Rees (Radio Producer for Soweto Kinch’s Round Midnight), David Porter (Hull Jazz), Bob Walker (Scarborough Jazz) and Ni Maxine (previous Northern Line artist, programmer at The Wombat).
Successful applicants will perform at the Northern Line Showcase at manchester jazz festival (mjf) on Sunday 17th May 2026 in front of a public audience and invited music industry guests.
mjf is the city’s longest-running music festival, championing regional artists, new commissions, European collaborations and musical innovation. The festival celebrated its 30th edition in 2025. Next year’s festival will take place from 15-24th May 2026 at venues around the city.
Steve Mead, mjf’s Artistic Director, says:
“Jazz North’s Northern Line Showcase is now a regular and highly-anticipated event during mjf: celebrating, as it does, the latest roster of specially selected northern artists as part of our free opening weekender at First Street.
For artists, it's a chance to perform in front of a curious, listening crowd, and for audiences, it's a memorable afternoon of discovery, surprise and energy.”
Northern Line opens for applications at midday on Wednesday 1st October. Applications close at midday on Friday 7th November 2025.
Visit www.jazznorth.org/northern-line to find out more and apply.
