POP: SLEEVE NOTES

The seventh running of the In The City music conference returns to its original Manchester home for five days of talking about music and listening to new bands from 12-16 September. Previous evening showcase events have been responsible for hurtling Oasis, Placebo, Kula Shaker (above) and Elastica to prominence, and one of this year's hottest prospects is 18-year-old local Lee Griffiths, a songwriter whose music has been described as "big folk". Special gigs are also promised by Cypress Hill, Idlewild, Republica and Puressence, while Luke Vibert is the pick of the dance-music events. For more information, drop into their website (www.inthecity.co.uk).

It will soon be time again for the annual dosage of rock 'n' roll films and documentaries with the NME at the NFT season, which runs this year from 1 Oct to 5 Nov. Highlights include live films of Metallica, Portishead and Embrace, while Year of the Horse, a documentary reliving Neil Young and Crazy Horse's 1976, 1987 and 1996 world tours, looks like being a gem. Lou Reed, Patti Smith and the Manic Street Preachers are also subjects of documentary films. In past years many of the screenings and talks have sold out. Tickets are available from the box office (0171-928 3232).

Now that summer is over, the big releases will start hitting the racks. In the coming month, albums are promised by the Chemical Brothers, Manic Street Preachers, Marilyn Manson, Faithless and UB40.

Tim Perry