XXL @ The Warehouse Project 2025
- Francesca Melia
- 4 days ago
- 5 min read
All Photos by Francesca Melia @cheszkii -
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XXL returned to The Warehouse Project last weekend and I went in again with my camera, ready for another night inside Manchester’s biggest techno institution. I have been going for a couple of years now and every time I arrive at Depot Mayfield I get that same mix of excitement and worry. Excitement because it never fails to bring something heavy and communal... Worry because every year the scale gets bigger and I am never sure if it can still feel like that first time.
For anyone who has somehow missed the rise of XXL, here is the short version. Teletech started small in Manchester. Proper small. Student flats, DIY setups, chaotic early events that leaned into real energy rather than polish. The growth since then is almost surreal. Teletech created XXL in collaboration with The Warehouse Project and what began as a local hard Techno party has become a global touring monster with its own community, its own aesthetic and its own reputation for nights that feel intense and communal at the same time. They represent the shift in Techno over the past decade. Techno used to be treated like the serious cousin of house, tucked away in darker rooms. Now it is the main attraction. It sells out warehouses and festival stages and it has become one of the biggest youth subcultures across the UK and Europe.
It makes sense that Manchester would host something like XXL. The city has always loved industrial textures and loud nights. When WHP moved to Depot Mayfield it basically handed Teletech a perfect playground. The place is huge, gritty and full of potential for sound systems and lighting rigs that feel physical. Techno thrives in space like that. Big kicks, long tunnels of reverb, strobes that turn a crowd into a moving silhouette. Being in there with a camera is like being swallowed by the building. You are constantly watching for little pockets of intimacy inside a space that can hold thousands. Those contradictions are part of what makes this event so addictive.
This year I felt the lineup was more balanced than last time. The Concourse stage was my favourite and easily the most alive. Partiboi 69, Odymel and Funk Tribu brought a fun and bouncy flavour that fit the room perfectly. The sound felt tight and warm and the energy never dipped. I got some of my best close up shots in that room because the crowd seemed completely locked in. It had the right level of chaos without feeling overcrowded. It reminded me why XXL works so well inside WHP.
The Depot held the heavier names. We went in early and caught Holy Priest which surprised me because I usually associate him with much later sets due to his harder-style beats and industrial power. It still worked and it set a good pace for what came next with 999999999, Only Numbers and Azyr. The scale of the room felt even more intentional this year. The lighting had more texture and there were these mannequin figures hanging above the crowd that would slowly move downward. They looked eerie and theatrical and I noticed people staring at them with the same curiosity they gave the strobes. WHP does production very well and every year they seem to push the visual side a bit further. As a photographer it is one of the best venues to shoot. You have depth, layers, scaffolding, smoke and enough movement to make every shot look like it belongs there.
There were frustrations though. Lobsta B and Mandidextrous have solid fanbases in Manchester and I felt they were placed in a room that was too small for their draw. We tried to get in but the space never felt comfortable, so we had to skip them. Archive also disappointed. The lighting was lovely and created a surreal haze, but the sound lacked punch. It felt hollow which is the last thing you want in a room dedicated to Techno.
I did notice a shift in the collectives identity this year. Earlier editions leaned heavily towards industrial, hard and relentless. This year felt more varied. You had Donk influences through Lobsta B, Jungletek through Mandidextrous, bouncy and playful sets in Concourse and then the usual heaviness in the Depot. It felt like Teletech is branching out and trying to pull in as many corners of the electronic world as possible. That curiosity might shape where this collective goes next.1
Outside the music, the venue itself felt more manageable this time. More toilets, more access points, better flow, although the stairs and steps can still become a mini obstacle course at peak times. WHP is expensive, no point denying it. Tickets rise, drinks rise and the cost of living crisis hits everyone. At the same time, smaller grassroots venues are shutting down and people want reliable nights with big sound and big names. XXL and WHP offer that and they do it at a scale smaller venues simply cannot match. That tension is becoming part of club culture now. People want huge and safe and impressive, but they also want authenticity and community. XXL is trying to hold both at once and it mostly succeeds.
As I looked back through my photos the next morning, tired and slightly broken, I felt something familiar. It is clear that Teletech is still evolving, still expanding and still trying to figure out what it can become inside a venue that already feels close to its physical limits. There has to be a ceiling. At some point WHP cannot get bigger without losing the human energy that makes nights like this memorable. What they can improve now is the finer detail. Sound consistency across all rooms. Fairer placement for artists with strong followings. Commitment to keeping the atmosphere breathable as crowds grow. And maybe more attention on affordability because rave culture loses its edge when only certain people can afford to be there.
Even so, XXL remains one of the most exciting Techno nights in the UK and the community around it is loyal and loud. Watching thousands of people move together inside that giant warehouse reminded me why this scene refuses to fade, it isn't a trend here but is part of Manchester’s identity.
I personally want to see how far XXL pushes itself and how WHP continues shaping the rave experience. If this year showed anything, it is that Techno still thrives when it is given room to breathe and people to carry it. The future is wide open and I am curious where the next beat lands.
So, As always we will see you at the front (of the next XXL) ❤️
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