Gigs & Nightlife

Standing ovation for Peter Kay as thousands flock to see comic’s big comeback

"I’ve never in my life had a standing ovation when I came on... I’m going to go away for four more years."

The Manc The Manc - 8th August 2021

Bolton comic Peter Kay was treated to a standing ovation from thousands of fans at the Manchester Apollo this weekend as the Bolton comic made his big comeback at a charity show.

The star of Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy’s Road To Nowhere returned to the stage for the first time since 2017 for two Q&A sessions in aid of the Doing it for Laura charity on Saturday (7 August).

The fundraisers were organised for University of Manchester student Laura Nuttall – who was diagnosed with aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma multiforme in October 2018.

Kay knew the family (having met Ms Nuttall’s mother during her time working at Granada studios 20 years ago) and had “called up out of the blue” to ask how he could help.

Ms Nuttall’s sister Gracie introduced Kay to the audience and said her family was “eternally grateful” to the comic and attendees for “potentially saving my sister’s life”.

Thousands queued in bucketing down rain to see the comedian’s live performances – with both Q&A sessions selling out in minutes last week.

Kay enjoyed a rousing reception and joked: “I’ve never in my life had a standing ovation when I came on… I’m going to go away for four more years.”

Answering questions submitted by fans, Kay said he was now “too embarrassed” to buy garlic bread from stores after a joke he made years ago has been widely quoted ever since.

Kay also revealed that he had written two Christmas specials of Max and Paddy with Paddy McGuinness, but the duo had never got round to making them.

Kay – who has been crowned as Mancunians’ favourite ever comedian – stepped back from the limelight in 2017, abruptly cancelling tours and projects due to “unforeseen family circumstances”.

He has only appeared sporadically in the past four years – including the 2018 finale of his sitcom Peter Kay’s Car Share and as a guest on Cat Deeley’s BBC Radio 2 show back in January.

Featured image: Wikimedia Commons

Gigs & Nightlife

ENHYPEN at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

It’s time to ‘Scream’ as K-pop boyband ENHYPEN are about to land in the UK as they embark on their European leg of the ‘Walk The Line’ tour.

Global superstars ENHYPEN are visiting Manchester for the first time ever, trading ‘Highway 1009’ for the Mancunian Way as they play out in the highly acclaimed 21,000 seater, AO Arena, this bank holiday.

ENHYPEN consists of seven members, including Sunghoon, Heeseung, Jungwon, Sunoo, Jake and Ni-ki – all of whom have stayed loyal to the group since they formed back in 2020.

This very ‘Walk The Line’ tour kicked off almost one year ago with two sold-out stadium shows in Korea before making its way across America, and now the boys are sinking their ‘Teeth’ into the UK and Europe.

Expect this Manchester live music venue to feel like a living runway as these K-pop idols are known for their stylish looks and designer brand partnerships, such as Italian fashion house Prada.

ENHYPEN gig guide

ENHYPEN UK tour dates

  • Fri 22 August – London, UK – The O2
  • Mon 25 August – Manchester, UK – AO Arena

ENHYPEN tickets for AO Arena gig

Anyone after some ‘Sweet Venom’, also known as precious tickets to ENHYPEN’s upcoming Manchester show, will be pleased to know that they aren’t in ‘Fatal Trouble’; there are still a few options left if you act fast enough.

You’ll have to act fast, as we’re sure you’re aware these K-pop nobles have given everyone a serious case of boyband ‘Fever’, and there is absolutely ‘No Doubt’ you’ll have a fabulous night when you grab your tickets HERE.

ENHYPEN setlist

  • Brought the Heat Back
  • Fever
  • ParadoXXX Invasion
  • Future Perfect (Pass the MIC)
  • Given-Taken
  • Lucifer
  • Teeth
  • Blessed-Cursed
  • Fatal Trouble
  • Bite Me
  • Your Eyes Only
  • Loose
  • Scream
  • Tamed-Dashed
  • Sweet Venom
  • Go Big or Go Home
  • Moonstruck
  • XO (Only If You Say Yes)
  • No Doubt
  • Bad Desire
  • Helium
  • Paranormal
  • Drunk-Dazed
  • Go Big or Go Home
We’d like to hear and, more importantly, see this one.

What are the stage times for ENHYPEN in Manchester?

AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can ‘Go Big or Go Home’ and still make sure you get your beauty sleep.

There is no confirmed support act as of yet, however, it looks like this will remain as they have fronted this tour independently across the globe.

Doors for this event are opening from 6pm, and this huge K-pop concert is expected to kick off at 7:30pm when this group reminds you that they ‘Brought the Heat Back’.

How to get to AO Arena

@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

Getting there by car and parking

The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

About the AO Arena

The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.

For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.

All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.

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Featured Images – Publicity Pictures (supplied)/The Manc Group

Gigs & Nightlife

Rising pop favourite CMAT announces huge headline show in Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones CMAT Manchester gig tickets

Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT has announced a new show here in Manchester, and as she’s pretty much an honorary Manc at this point, you can expect the tickets to be snapped up in no time.

The Irish singer – real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (erm, duh?) – relocated to 0161 as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.

First arriving with her old duo Bad Sea, it didn’t take the teenager too long to find a following among her Manchester cousins, and soon, CMAT was considered among the best and up-and-coming artists our city had to offer.

In fact, little else has changed in that respect besides the fact that more and more of the country and, indeed, the world knows about her now, so you can guarantee there’ll be plenty of demand for this new headline concert.

Announcing the big gig at O2 Victoria Warehouse on social media this Friday, 22 August, the Dublin-born ‘Dunboyne Diana’ from County Meath by way of Manchester, CMAT is set for multiple Northern shows over the next six or seven months alone.

The show over in Trafford is one of just half a dozen new shows confirmed in support of her upcoming new LP, Euro-Country, which debuts at the end of the month.

Dropping on Friday, 29 August, her third album follows undoubtedly the biggest year of her career yet, having supported the likes of Sam Fender and having played massive festival slots like Glastonbury this summer.

Other gigs include nights at ‘Ally Pally’ in London, Cork, Edinburgh and more. Commenting on social media amid the new additions, CMAT simply wrote: “Come and see me, CMAT, and The Very Sexy CMAT Band, play our BIGGEST SHOWS EVER next year!”

She actually has a healthy run of live performances coming up this autumn, including one at Manchester Academy One on 4 October – though, as we’ve already warned with this latest date, tickets disappeared faster than you could say, ‘I wanna be a cowboy, baby’.

Admittedly, more than half of those shows have already sold out, but that’s why we’re getting an extra show for our trouble.

With new singles ‘Running/Planning’, ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’, ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’ and even the title track, ‘Euro-Country’, all having already been released since this past March, we’ve already got a decent taste of what’s to come next from Ireland’s finest.

Speaking as long-time listeners ourselves, we can assure you that these songs have gone down as instant hits among the fan base.

Arriving on Thursday, 12 March 2026, you can enjoy the pre-sale window via O2 Priority Access or by pre-ordering her new record, and general admission goes live at 10am next Thursday, 28 August.

You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

She’s not the only soulful female singer who’s just booked her biggest Manc date yet either…

Olivia Dean announces HUGE Manchester gig at Co-op Live as part of UK tour

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Press shots (supplied)

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