Max Cooper 3D/AV at Factory International

Sometimes a birthday treat is the perfect excuse to step into another world. Ours began with pre-show eats at The Trading Route, tucked away in the rapidly rising St John’s neighbourhood of Manchester on the site of the old Granada Studios. The area already hums with new energy and promise, and it set the tone perfectly for what was to come.

Inside Factory International, Max Cooper’s 3D/AV performance proved to be nothing short of mesmerising. Layers of visuals floated and collided, wrapping around the audience in dreamlike fashion. At times it felt like we were inside a living, breathing digital sculpture. The way images appeared to leap out and dissolve again was reminiscent of the great pioneers of audio-visual performance such as The Chemical Brothers (Wide Open) in their heyday or the cut-and-splice trickery of Coldcut, but it also evoked memories of The Orb’s drifting soundscapes and, more recently, the lush and layered world-building of Bonobo.

At certain points, the imagery felt straight out of The Designers Republic; sharp, futuristic and graphic-heavy with a distinctly British electronic design language. Elsewhere, flashes of bold messaging and stark lettering brought to mind the politically charged projections of Massive Attack shows. One line in particular stood out: “The limits of my language DO NOT mean the limits of my World.” It hung in the air as both a challenge and a promise, underscoring the night’s ambition to expand thought as much as sensation.

The sound system was pushed to its limits. Low frequencies rolled like seismic waves across the cavernous room, giving the speakers a proper workout and ensuring that every drop landed deep in the chest as much as the ears. One highlight among many was the slow, steady rise of Josh Wink’s Higher State of Consciousness, its spiralling build creating a collective tension that finally released in tingles and roars of delight. It sparked instant happy memories of seeing Josh Wink himself drop it live in a sweaty New York basement many years ago, a reminder of just how timeless and transportive that track still is.

What makes Cooper’s shows so powerful is that the spectacle never outpaces the feeling. Every transition of light, shadow and sound seemed to carry intention, whether cosmic, human or somewhere in between.

The evening did not end when the house lights came up. We wandered across to Side Street, with its 1970s inspired retro interior and easygoing cool. It felt like the perfect bookend, from the futuristic to the nostalgic, and a reminder that Manchester continues to evolve, layering past and future in ways that surprise and inspire.

This was a night to remember. A birthday to savour. And another reminder that the Factory is now a place where world-class artists can rewire the senses and leave you seeing and hearing the city in a whole new way.