Moments like these…  

Last Thursday, we concluded our adidas Originals ‘Anniversary City Series’ with the launch of our adidas Originals Manchester – size? exclusive at New Century Hall, NOMA, where a curated range of culture-clashing performances successively lit up one giant stage that lies beneath a psychedelia-inspired ceiling; a keepsake from the venue’s acid-house days. The aftermath? A night that’s forevermore crystallised in the 3-Stripes history books.

Handpicked artists from Shanghai, Dublin, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and Manchester all ran the show – a diverse reflection of the storytelling from this year’s coveted collection that saw each city receive a bespoke instalment which added to the rich lore of the ‘City Series’. Do yourself a solid and get stuck in below to see what went down. 

Ellis Murphy

A vintage blend of maverick folk flair and quintessential Liverpudlian charm, our guest compere, Manchester’s @antonyszmierek introduced @ellismurphymusic as the opener to kick off the night, who set the tone for the evening with a slew of raw, original songs sung straight from the soul.

You might also recognise this lad from our adidas Originals Liverpool – size? exclusive launch campaign earlier in the year, where we drew from the city’s abundance of musical heritage. Clearly, this new generation is already providing us with nothing but more of the same greatness that’s already synonymous with the vibrant port city that gave us some of the biggest global bands ever, such as The Beatles and Echo & The Bunnymen. You love to see it.

SILVERWINGKILLER

We searched far and wide to try and find a Shanghai artist with a strong Mancunian edge, and we couldn’t be happier with who we came across. Salford-based, @SILVERWINGKILLER are a two-piece who pull cues from Chinese mythology and fuse multilingual vocals with disruptive, adrenaline-fuelled live shows.

You could literally feel the soundwaves coursing beneath the floorboards while SILVERWINGKILLER’s punk chaos erupted out and over the stage of New Century Hall. A hypnotising performance that halted you on the spot and demanded your attention. Watch out for what this underground duo conjures up next – something biblical, undoubtedly.

VLURE

Enter Glasgow residents, @VLURE. A five-piece who were nominated as BBC Introducing Scotland’s Artist of the Year in 2023. They also won Best Live Act at the Scottish Alternative Music Awards in 2023 and Electronic & Dance Live Artist of the Year at the 2024 Scottish Live Music Awards. “It’s for Glasgow. It’s for you and your mates. It’s for every mad night and every moment when time stood still. Hold it close. Let it escalate.” Class act.

Kojaque

Dublin represent. The penultimate performance saw Kojaque’s unapologetic hip-hop serenade the crowd as the night shifted into fourth gear. Atypical of Dublin’s usual musical suspects, @Kojaque has set Dublin’s hip-hop landscape on fire in recent memory.

Hailing from Cabra, the artist’s raw lyricism encapsulates the trials and tribulations of life growing up in his hometown. His most recent album, Phantom of the Afters, released in 2023 and deals with grief, homesickness and cultural stereotypes – things the Dubliner has dealt with since making the jump over to London after the pandemic. 

Mike Skinner (DJ) 

Crank it up to the gigawatts. 

A UK garage legend whose history speaks for itself. The Streets pioneer and Birmingham native closed the night with a DJ set that turned into so much more than what was advertised on the tin. We weren’t even ten minutes into the gig before Let’s Push Things Forward was worked into the set, followed by a couple of classics from A Grand Don’t Come for Free such as Fit but You Know It and Blinded by the Lights. What more could you ask for to round up our biggest event of the year in light of our 25th anniversary? 

Keep your eyes peeled on the size? blog to see what’s on the cards for 2026. There’s no excuses my friend…