BRITs Week 2026: YES hosts Rossi. in support of War Child

Rossi. has had an undeniably impressive twelve months. Last June saw the producer and DJ release ‘High on Me’, a collaboration with Jazzy that took the world of dance music by storm upon its release. The track managed to crack the top twenty of the UK singles chart, remaining in the Top 100 for fifteen weeks. It also received a nod within the nominations for this year’s BBC Radio One Dance Awards, going up for Track of the Year while Rossi. himself was amongst the nominees for Breakthrough DJ of the Year. Since then, Rossi. has shown no signs of slowing down, announcing his curation of The Orchard stage at Yorkshire’s MiNT Festival and releasing the mini EP Home, a collection of three tracks led by a remix of ‘television’ by woozy alt-pop trio Night Tapes.

Following three Manchester appearances in 2025, including a set at Parklife Festival, the minimal house maestro returned to the city for an intimate show in the Pink Room at YES. The venue hosted Rossi. the night after hometown hero Josh Baker touched down for a set of his own, with both events forming part of the BRITs Week schedule ahead of the main awards night at Co-Op Live. Each year, BRITs Week sees the biggest names play their smallest shows in support of War Child, offering fans a chance to witness their favourite acts in intimate settings.

Before Rossi. himself took to the stage, Olive F performed a warm-up set that saw her stray from her usual jazz-house style, seamlessly switching into deep tech influences more suited to the headliner. This included a teasing remix of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Backseat Freestyle’, within which Olive F would intersperse lines from the track before cutting them short, keeping the crowd on their toes.

The opening segment of Rossi.’s own set included recent single ‘Ease Your Mind’, as well as sprinklings of mega-hit ‘High on Me’ which commanded the audience’s attention. Not one to play his biggest track first, though, Rossi. teasingly continued the set as if these sprinklings had never happened. ‘Don’t Touch That Dial’ provided an early highlight with its controlled, hypnotic energy and repeated tongue-in-cheek sample, as did a remix of Frank Ocean’s ‘Lost’ which witnessed the first of many sing-along moments.

As the clock passed ten, Rossi. gave the crowd what they’d been waiting for: a high-tempo, explosive spin of ‘High on Me’ blasting through the Pink Room speakers. Perhaps surprisingly for a venue that usually caters for guitar bands rather than DJ sets, the sound system at YES held up for the time Rossi. was on stage, and if there was one takeaway from the night, it was that the space should be used for electronic music far more often. Once the extended version of ‘High on Me’ had faded out, Rossi. treated the audience to a selection of high-energy crowd-pleasers. This included Modjo’s seminal noughties nu-disco and funk-house classic ‘Lady’, as well as The Bucketheads’ ‘The Bomb’ which saw plenty of jumping from animated attendees. As the latter came to a close, Rossi. threw heart hands to the audience, many of whom had danced at the front from the very beginning.

One of the best things about Manchester is its electronic scene, alongside the city’s position within musical heritage more generally. The BRIT Awards choosing Co-Op Live as their hosts is a testament to this, and the BRITs Week shows were a much-appreciated opportunity to witness the biggest names around in some of the city’s best small spaces. Rossi. at YES not only highlighted the importance of grassroots venues, but also saw 250 attendees contribute to the work of War Child, something which cannot be undervalued.