Live music is finally returning to Manchester as The Stoller Hall becomes the first venue in the city centre to launch a full live concert programme since March.
The 500-seat music venue has announced an exciting line-up of concerts – including a mix of in-person and online performances – this week, making it the first full programme of live music events to return to any music venue in Manchester since lockdown restrictions began back in March.
The concert series will begin this November – with performances streamed live for online ticket holders – as well as live shows for reduced capacity, socially-distanced audiences in the venue itself.
In response to global travel restrictions as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this concert series has been curated to explore the theme of travel, and will bring the world’s finest classical, jazz and folk music from around the world to audiences in Manchester, performed by leading local, national and international performers.
The Stoller Hall is also thought to be the first venue to launch a public concert programme with the support provided by the UK government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
Speaking on the launch of the concert programme, Fran Healey – General Manager of The Stoller Hall – said: “We’re fighting to return to a world-class live music experience in the face of this pandemic.
“With Tier 3 lockdown restrictions now in place in Manchester, we’re abiding by the strictest of COVID-safety measures [and] reduced capacity ticketing in our venue means that audiences will be treated to a very exclusive experience.
“Thank you to everyone whose generous donations have helped The Stoller Hall to stay on its feet since the pandemic began.
“Now the government’s Culture Recovery Fund grant has given us the means to move forwards, we will play our part by bringing some spectacular live music to our stages, supporting the cultural economy and returning world-class live music to the nation.”
The Stoller HallThe Stoller Hall
She continued: “Most of us aren’t doing much travel at the moment, so this programme will bring sounds from around the world to audiences, as well as music from the best of our homegrown talent. This is the first step on the road to recovery, and there’s a long way to go, but it’s a huge milestone,
“Not just for us, but for the whole live music industry.
“Our autumn-winter programme is always a busy one, but this year it will be more emotional than we could ever have imagined.”
So, what’s in store for audiences from next month then?
Launching The Stoller Hall ‘Broadcasts Series’ is a celebration of the best of British brass, as the British Horn Society present a recital by Ben Goldscheider and Huw Watkins streamed live on Sunday 1st November, and then on 18th November, British concert pianist Murray McLachlan – who has appeared as concerto soloist with many leading UK orchestras – will perform a live of Beethoven piano sonatas in honour of the composer’s 250th birthday year.
The Stoller Hall will be also hosting a series of three concerts with Manchester Camerata, and will be blending physical and virtual audiences to embrace the best of Manchester’s music scene within the programme.
Yesterday something special happened! ⭐️⚡️
Musicians, educators & performers – all together again! ❤️
Performing for both socially-distanced in-venue audiences and live stream ticket holders are 2019 Parkhouse Award winners, The Lux Trio.
The award-winning group – which was formed in Berlin by pianist Eunyoo An, violinist Jae Hyeong Lee and cellist Hoon Sun Chae – has performed all over the world and received an array of awards including the first price at Gasteig Musikpreis competition in Munich, the Alice-Samter-Stiftung Kammermusikwettbewerb in Berlin, and the Artsylvia Foundation chamber music audition in South Korea.
Their first album on the Korean label O’ New World Music was released in 2018, and they will be one of the first live European acts in The Stoller Hall programme on Thursday 26th November.
The European leg of The Stoller Hall’s world tour will take audiences on a journey through Polish classical music.
British violinist Jennifer Pike MBE – former BBC Young Musician of the Year award winner – will perform pieces celebrating her Polish roots, and Manchester Collective – one of The Stoller Hall’s ensembles in residence, known for creating intimate and captivating live music experiences – will perform work by remarkable Polish composer Górecki, for an exclusive audience in the venue only.
You can book tickets to events, find more information, and familiarise yourself with all COVID-secure procedures via The Stoller Hall website here.
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Oasis are being linked with a massive outdoor gig next year
Danny Jones
After 16 long years of waiting, Oasis are officially the biggest band on the planet again (not that they ever really stopped), and now they’re being linked with a rather big outdoor gig at the storied Slane Castlenext year.
They’ve already done Knebworth, so why not tick another one off the list?
With the Live ’25 reunion tour well underway, and rumblings over what they’re going to do once this run of global comeback shows is done, Britpop fever hasn’t just had fans of the band reliving the 1990s – it’s practically taken over the music world.
There’s already plenty of talk circling – including a potential return to Knebworth – but now Oasis is pretty much the first and only name being tipped for a huge headline slot at Slane Castle, after 2026 dates were slated by the estate’s owners.
Slane Castle hosted natives, U2, for their Go Home live concert film back in 2002. (Credit: Sara Einarsson via WikiCommons)
While Harry Styles played Ireland’s historic and equally iconic venue back in 2023, the Co Meath concerts, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley, have somewhat dried up in recent years.
Prior to the former One Direction star, the last major musicians to play there were rock and heavy metal veterans, Metallica, more than half a decade ago.
However, the new lord of the manor, Alex Conyngham, is now looking to carry on where his father, Henry Mountcharles, left off in carrying on their live music legacy; and given that another legendary rock and roll band is pretty much anyone can talk about at the minute, their name has already been put forward.
As per the Drogheda Independent writer, John Kierans, Conyngham is reported to have said: “We want to bring the shows back, we miss them. It is not just about the revenue, but keeping the name of Slane as a rock venue on the map.
“It is what Slane Castle is known for, and I don’t want that legacy to fade away. This is one of the world’s great rock and roll venues with the most natural setting. We are working on plans, and hopefully we can pull something off for next year.”
While Oasis are due to play two nights at Croke Park in Dublin later this month, there is now a strong belief/expectation that a number of 2026 dates will also be announced. But will the stars align?
Slane Castle are said to be in negotiations to stage a massive concert in 2026.
Croke Park theoretically has a concert capacity of 82,000, but I'd love to see them at Slane Castle. Saw Oasis and REM there in 1995. It was epic. pic.twitter.com/CYf6VDDgPw
— 🟥 deli⁷ | just a person🥢ᶠᵘᵗᵘʳᵉ'ˢ ᵍᵒⁿⁿᵃ ᵇᵉ ᵒᵏᵃʸ (@na_do_saram) August 3, 2025
It’s also worth mentioning that they’ve played the 1,500-acre grounds before. Twice, in fact.
The first occasion was in July 1995, supporting R.E.M just before they hit arguably the height of their own powers with the release of their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? just a few months later, on 2 October.
Burnage‘s most famous sons and their bandmates go to do it all over again in 2009 (the same year they would eventually split up), with some incredible ‘warm-up acts’ in The Prodigy, Kasabian and Glasvegas.
Let’s be honest, either of those artists could probably book and sell out the place these days, so god knows how much a ticket for that lineup would set you back present day.
Regardless, if there’s one band that fits the billing to bring back the Slane Castle gigs at their boldest and best, it’s the almighty Oasis.
Whether or not the heavily rumoured 2026 dates are domestic to the UK and Ireland, we’ll have to wait and see, but the clamour is already there, no matter where they sign on to perform.
If you were at Heaton Park or had the fortune of seeing any of the Live ’25 shows, you’ll know they still sound as good as ever.
Featured Images — Sitomon (via Flickr)/Kinsie84 (via Wikimedia Commons)/Press Shots
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Drake at Co-op Live, Manchester: Forget ‘One Dance’ – we had many
Thomas Melia
Canadian hitmaker Drake graced Co-op Live in Manchester for the final night of the ‘Some Special Shows 4 UK’ tour with PartyNextDoor.
First song in and multi-hyphenate Drake is already feeling sentimental with ‘Gimme a Hug’ as he admits, “I appreciate the fans rockin’ with me / This is really just a small token.”
‘Marvin’s Room’ played out right after, and although the song prior references it as a favourite of “Durk’s boy”, this same love was shared between 23,500 fans in the crowd at Co-op Live last night.
Shortly after, the Toronto-born rapper began the usual minute-long introduction of his gigantic single ‘Passionfruit’ with fans roaring as soon as he sang the long-awaited ‘Listen’.
Drake played out to 94,000 fans across four sold-out nights at Co-op Live in Manchester (Credit: Audio North)
Less than halfway through this stacked setlist, and it was time for the holy trinity of the night: ‘God’s Plan’, ‘In My Feelings’ and ‘Nice for What’ – nothing short of back-to-back bangers.
Fellow Canadian artist PartyNextDoor joined the self-proclaimed ‘Champagne Papi’ on stage to perform a medley of hits from their collaborative album ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U’ next.
This R’n’B act made sure to play out his murky trap-fused number ‘No Chill’, and he squeezed in the equally melancholic melody ‘Somebody Loves Me’, too.
The pair may be promoting their joint LP but they took a second to squeeze in a throwback, matching each other’s energy while executing the 2016 collaboration ‘Come and See Me’.
Drake’s career is timeless, and the setlist proves just that as he delivers a rendition of one of his most recent successes, ‘Girls Want Girls’, followed by a track that laid the foundations of his career, ‘Fancy’.
Drake and PartyNextDoor for the ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour(Credit: The Manc)
Almost 30 songs deep and Drake still had fans reciting bars, verses and everything in between, and this continued as the two-time Brit award winner started 2023 anthem ‘Rich Baby Daddy’.
St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red wasn’t present for her renowned chant, but Manchester stepped up to the occasion, professing: “Hands on your knees, hands on your knees / Shake that *ss for Drake / Now shake that *ss for me”, verbatim.
It was only fair that the global rap titan finished with the setlist with two cellular-themed tracks, starting with the “You used to call me on my cell phone” number ‘Hotline Bling’ before the “Who’s callin’ my phone?” viral smash ‘Nokia’.
The setlist follows a very cyclical structure, as although Drake is known for his comical and cheeky persona on stage and online, deep down, the chart topper is very attentive.
Ending on the ever-emotive ‘Yebba’s Heartbreak’ with lines like, “How much can I show my love for you?”, it’s safe to say this international act is feeling pretty grateful after seeing 94,000 fans show up and show out for him across four non-consecutive nights.
Drake may refer to himself as the ‘Champagne Papi’, but it’s the 23,500 fans who were popping bottles and raising a toast to the rap champ; the support for this musical act is ‘Nonstop’.
Co-op Live really is booking all the big names now.
Emily Sergeant -
30th October 2020 
