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Cherry Ghost鈥檚 Simon Aldred, who performs as one of the headliners this year, summed the general feeling, saying that the decision was "dead sad; festivals such as Dpercussion unify the various genres that exist in the city and give the place its identity.

"That kind of independent spirit, which was essential to the likes of Factory and the Ha莽ienda, is sadly lacking as most cities now are becoming homogenised.

That mix of disappointment and hope is echoed by DJ Bob from local label, The Kr8z Recordings, who sees Dpercussion as vital to Manchester as it is 鈥渢he date in every Manchester band鈥檚 diary that they aspire to play. The location is great and where else can you see 200 bands on ten stages for free?

"It is another example of the City鈥檚 short-sightedness in its efforts to re-brand itself, instead of embracing what is already here. Let鈥檚 hope someone else takes up the baton."

"60,000 people can't be wrong"

It鈥檚 not the only finger of blame being pointed at the city itself. Karen Boardman from Crisis Management has been involved with the festival many times and she too sees it as an issue that needs to be addressed by the city leaders.

As she puts it, "take Manchester City Council... 60,000 people can't be wrong. Castlefield was made for this. Give the people of Manchester what they want, not what you think they need."

For photographer Shirlaine Forrest, there鈥檚 no light at the end of the tunnel. She doesn鈥檛 share the optimism that there will be a last minute resurrection and thinks that it鈥檒l be an unfillable hole in the city鈥檚 musical year.

"The end of Dpercussion, an event which has successfully profiled many great acts, always with a more open, relaxed atmosphere than the other national events, is a massive blow to Manchester music."

The musician, critic and writer John Robb takes a more measured view:

"It鈥檚 a shame in some ways as it鈥檚 become a key event in the Manchester music calendar - a great free day out for the city and even if the bands were generally quite obscure trendy unknown indie bands, that didn鈥檛 stop 50,000 people turning out for a great weekend of fun - which is something that should be encouraged in the city and not denied.

"Castlefield is the perfect site for a mini festival like this so it鈥檚 a shame that after ten years of Dpercussion and five years of the similar, preceding Waters Edge festival, that the plug has finally been pulled by the money people, leaving Castlefield Basin as an unused lump of concrete."

So can Dpercussion by saved? The organisers Ear To The Ground insist that its no longer economically viable but perhaps, with a bit of luck and a few changes in funding, a future for Dpercussion could still be found.

Or as Dom Thomas of B-Music succinctly puts it, "I just can't see it being the last one; someone will step in and sort it, probably under another name." Here鈥檚 hoping.