A huge German beer festival is taking over Hatch this weekend
Hatch will be transformed into an Oktoberfest-inspired “bier hall'' for the weekend, with long tables, bunting, music, sausages, keg cracking and lots of German beer
As October ushers in the start of Autumn, it also brings with it the delights of Oktoberfest – a brilliant German beer festival with over 200 years of history behind it.
Plenty of places in the city are getting involved in the festival this year, including Manchester’s independent shipping container village Hatch – who are encouraging food and drink lovers to grab their lederhosen and get ready to celebrate Oompah-style with them under the fairy lights.
In what will be Hatch’s first urban Oktoberfest, the destination will be transformed into an Oktoberfest-inspired ‘bier hall’ this weekend – bringing long tables, bunting, music, sausages, keg cracking and lots of German beer (naturally).
Hatch favourites Grandad’s sausages will be on hand with German-inspired currywurst, or if that’s not your style, there’s a huge range of other traders to choose from including Abeja Tapas Bar, Fuku, T’arricrii, Hanoi 75 and Oh My Cheesecake.
Drinks-wise, the Hatch bars will be serving up a range of Bavarian beers especially for the weekend, including a host of brews from Bavarian craft specialists ABK. Stocking ABK’s full range, drinkers can try the brewer’s helle, edel, dunkel, festbier, radler beers across the weekend and more.
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The stage, meanwhile, will welcome live Bavarian music throughout the day courtesy of Oompah group Brasswurst. Mixing up traditional German drinking songs with iconic modern pop tunes, with hosting duties performed by Madame Von Spowitch, you already know it’s going to be a belting weekend.
Tucked under the Mancunian way, Hatch has also invited some special, lederhosen-wearing guests to roam about throughout the weekend and keep their Oktoberfest revellers entertained.
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If you’re staying into the evening, DJs will take over the entertainment side of things as the sun goes down – pulling out some big, anthemic selections perfect for toasting tankards and dancing the night away.
Taking place this weekend from 12 pm until late across Friday 8 and Saturday 9 October, Oktoberfest at Hatch is free entry but booking is advised. Book yours here.
The Black Keys at Co-op Live – tickets, support act, stage times, setlist and more
Danny Jones
With the Co-op Live finally open (we can hardly believe it either), it feels like the action-packed live season in Manchester this summer is starting to ramp up and with blues rock heavyweights The Black Keys set to follow Manc music royalty as the brand-new arena’s second night, we can’t wait.
The Manc Audio had the pleasure of reviewing their incredible show at the AO Arena last year and it only served as a reminder of just how polished these guys are when it comes to bringing the last 23 years of studio material to life on stage, so it was little surprise when they were confirmed for the Co-op.
Ok, yes, they might have been on the unfortunate end of the venue’s early setbacks, but the fans haven’t gone anywhere and, fortunately, their rescheduled show is now set to go off without a hitch this Wednesday, 15 May.
That being said, unless you happened to be at Elbow last night as well, this will be your first time at Co-op Live so, as always, we thought we’d put together a useful gig guide with all the important information you need to know ahead of The Black Keys’ highly-anticipated headline slot.
Are there tickets left for The Black Keys at Co-op Live?
If you’re hoping to swindle a last-minute ticket for Co-op Live’s sophomore show, you’re in luck. Given the rescheduled date, there are quite a few tickets left for The Black Keys‘ Manchester gig – it just depends on how much you’re willing to pay.
With standing and resale tickets on the floor starting from £42.50 (before fees), there are also plenty of seats available all around the arena’s lower bowl; all of these spots are nice and close to the stage too, with tier-one seating ranging anywhere from £75.95 to £88.06 depending on your view.
You can grab yours HERE and, of course, we strongly urge you to avoid illegal ticket touts. No gig is worth the risk of being stung over.
Who’s supporting The Black Keys in Manchester?
Arguably one of the most exciting parts about The Black Keys’ return to Manchester is who they’ve picked as the support act for this UK tour, as they’ve kept things fittingly North West because, you know, all the best music is from ’round here, isn’t it?
They might not be Mancs but Liverpool-based Circa Waves have become favourites amongst the indie scene over the past decade or so, not only playing huge festival slots but selling out their own headline tours all over the UK for years now.
We’d pay good money to see Circa on their own – in fact, we have and will continue to – so folding them in as part of Wednesday’s night performance makes this an insanely good value-for-money show as far as we’re concerned.
As for when you’ll get to see both of these incredible acts, doors Co-op Live open from 6:30pm and, according to the website, Circa Waves are due to start the gig at 7:30pm.
There will be an interval between sets and we can estimate that The Black Keys themselves won’t take the stage until 9pm, meaning that you’re in for a roughly two-hour action-packed headline show before the curfew at 11pm.
As always with gigs, these times are always subject to change, so make sure to keep an eye on the artists and the venue’s socials for all the latest information.
Setlist
The Ohio rockers kicked off the UK leg of their massive European tour with three nights at London’s Brixton Academy – where they also brought out Manc music legend and recent collaborator, Noel Gallagher – before nipping for a couple of shows in Paris before flying back here to Manchester.
Going entirely off the songs they played across those shows, we think we have a pretty good idea of the setlist, and there are plenty of tunes off the new album too. Here’s what you can expect (we think):
I Got Mine
Gold on the Ceiling
Your Touch
Tighten Up
Have Love Will Travel (Richard Berry & The Pharaohs cover)
Everlasting Light
Next Girl
Lo/Hi
This Is Nowhere
Heavy Soul
Weight of Love
Howlin’ for You
Beautiful People (Stay High)
Only Love Matters
Fever
On the Game
Wild Child
I Heard It Through the Grapevine (Gladys Knight and The Pips cover)
Is The Black Keys’ ‘record hang’ party still happening in Manchester?
Now, The Black Keys tours have become famous for their ‘record hang’ parties at local venues all over the globe, with their last visit to Manchester ending in the YES. I know, imagine bumping into Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney in Pink Room (we literally did).
Obviously, their April show had to be ultimately rescheduled the venue they did have earmarked for after their Co-op Live gig was cult favourite nightclub, Hidden, over in Cheetham Hill.
Although there has been no update from the band as to whether or not their afterparty is still happening, we thought it only right to give you a heads-up in case they decide to follow through with their original plan and go play a semi-secret DJ set – and again, keep an eye out for any announcements.
Travel info – how to get there, parking etc.
Tram
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Now, as for how you’ll get to shows at Co-op Live, luckily it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
If you want to take another new and improved arm of Manchester’s public transport system, not only is there a whole host of routes that drop you off close to the venue but there’ll also be a free shuttle bus from the city centre to and from events between 20 April-30 June 2024.
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You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
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Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the boke all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
That should be just about everything you need to know if you’re heading to see The Black Keys at the Co-op Live in Manchester tonight and we sincerely hope you have a belter.
Better still, we hope the venue lives up to your expectations and we must admit, now we’ve seen inside and it truly is Live, it is pretty darn impressive.
Elbow at Manchester’s Co-op Live – support act, stage times, setlist and everything you need to know
Danny Jones
Just a few weeks on from when it was initially due to open, Co-op Live is finally set to live up to its name and welcome Manc music legends Elbow as their first-ever gigthis Tuesday.
The brand-new arena has had a turbulent start to life shouldering the reputation as the largest indoor entertainment venue in Europe, but after weathering a series of unfortunate setbacks, it actually feels rather fitting to have such a renowned local name kicking off their freshman calendar of events.
Led by award-winning songwriter, producer and frontman Guy Garvey, Elbow have enjoyed an incredible three-decade-long career, cementing themselves as one of the most influential British rock bands ever and now they’re set to help start a whole new chapter for live music in Manchester at the Co-op.
Here’s all the important information you need to know ahead of a momentous night.
We’re sorry to kick things off with the bad news first but, unfortunately, tickets for Elbow and Co-op Live‘s opening night have completely sold out. No surprises there, really – it is their first tour since 2018 after all.
You can obviously keep your fingers crossed that a few spares will pop up on trusted resale sites like Twickets and TicketSwap, but please do your research when it comes to dealing with any resellers.
And, as always, we strongly urge you to avoid illegal ticket touts altogether. No gig is worth the risk of being stung over and simply ignoring them is the only to help stop them from continuing to be a problem in the industry.
Made up of singer-songwriter and Blur guitarist, Graham Coxon, and former Pipettes member-turned-Mark Ronson collaborator and solo artist, Rose Elinor Dougall.
The pair released their debut self-titled album back in February 2023, receiving strong reviews for their unpredictable mix of folk rock, post-punk and even psychedelic moments. Confidently dipping their toes into so many genres, they’re the perfect complement to Elbow’s often sprawling sound.
Co-op Live’s new opening night kicks off with the doors opening from 6:30pm and support act The Waeve taking the stage an hour later.
Elbow themselves are due to start their headline set at 9pm and with all main bowl events set to the same curfew, you can expect to be leaving the venue around 11pm.
But don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of time between the acts to grab another drink, nip to the loo and just take in the surroundings as the very first gig-goers to attend the brand-new arena.
Setlist
Now, with Elbow having released their 10th studio album Audio Vertigo back in March, the four-piece who’ve been playing together since 1990 and under that moniker since 1997 will naturally be playing a selection of songs from the latest record, as well as a sprinkling of the hits.
Now, as for how you’ll get to shows at Co-op Live, luckily it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
If you want to take another new and improved arm of Manc public transport system, not only is there a whole host of routes that drop you off close to the venue but there’ll also be a free shuttle bus from the city centre to and from events between 20 April-30 June 2024.
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the boke all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
And that should be just about everything you need to know about Elbow’s Manchester gig this week and Co-op Live’s inaugural night of live music.
We always recommend keeping your eye on socials to find out more info on stage times which can always be subject to change, you might want to be even more on the ball in case there are any last-minute announcements.
That being said, at present, there have been no indications of any further hiccups at the arena from either Co-op Live or the band themselves, so (touch wood) we should be all good.