Bluedot festival is finally set to make a return in 2022, with headline performances from Bjork, Groove Armada, Mogwai and Metronomy.
The popular festival at the Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire has revealed the first wave of its line-up for this July’s event.
Bluedot marries the worlds of music, science and culture in a family-friendly four-day extravaganza.
Both its 2020 and 2021 festivals had to be cancelled, with organisers saying a ‘lack of government support around insurance’ had forced them to call it off.
Bluedot will return in 2022. Credit: Lucas Sinclair
But Bluedot will be back between 21 and 24 July for its fifth instalment.
There’ll be huge performances beneath the 76-metre-wide Lovell Telescope, which will be lit up with projections as a huge digital artwork for the first time.
Bjork will close this year’s Bluedot in a UK festival exclusive, with a uniquely commissioned performance with the Halle Orchestra.
Bluedot has revealed its 2022 headliners. Credit: George Harrison
On Friday night, dance act Groove Armada will headline as part of the band’s final live tour.
Scottish post-rockers Mogwai are set to headline the Saturday night, following the release of their Mercury Prize-nominated As The Love Continues.
They’ll be joined on the Saturday evening by Metronomy, who’ll perform tracks from their upcoming seventh album, Small World.
Bluedot’s now-traditional opening concert on the Thursday evening will see Mercury-nominated Hannah Peel and Paraochestra take to the stage.
Bluedot Festival. Credit: Lucas Sinclair
Bluedot Festival. Credit: George Harrison
Also confirmed on the bill are psychedelic space rockers Spiritualized, current chart-toppers Yard Act, Warp Records mainstay Squarepusher, multi-instrumentalist composer Anna Meredith, the legendary likes of A Certain Ratio and Tim Burgess, and techno producer and creator of the official theme for the 2023 Women’s World Cup Kelly Lee Owens.
Bluedot 2022’s science programme will welcome key speakers including Radio 4’s Jam Al-Khalili, British filmmaker David Olusoga, space scientist Monica Grady, and many more.
Comedians such as Desiree Burch, Olga Koch, Robin Ince and Ahir Shah will also be making appearances as part of the culture programme.
The family-friendly festival will also have curations from Wallace & Gromit creators Aardman Animations and Clangers, and an enormous range of science-focused activities, workshops and live experiments across the Star Fields.
Festival director Ben Robinson said: “After two years away we are thrilled to be able to return with such a unique and diverse line up to the iconic Jodrell Bank for the fifth instalment of bluedot.
“We can’t wait for people to join us beneath the Lovell Telescope in July to experience four days of cosmic adventures which will close with a very special orchestral performance from Björk and The Hallé.”
Ed Sheeran announces ‘intimate’ Manchester date later this year
Danny Jones
The king of contemporary male pop music, Ed Sheeran, is returning to Manchester for one of his biggest dates ever, as well as his venue debut.
Yep, Teddy’s coming to Co-op Live.
The 34-year-old solo star and songwriting extraordinaire hasn’t played a standalone Manchester show since 2023, when he played the legendary AO Arena barely a year on from playing four sold-out nights at the Etihad Stadium.
And now he’s back for more with his first-ever gig at the city’s newest and Europe’s biggest indoor entertainment space.
Confirmed on Wednesday, 3 September, Ed Sheeran is set to play just a small handful of huge headline spaces this winter, including dates in Paris, Munich, Coventry and Dublin, as well as here in Manchester.
Announced ahead of his new LP and eighth studio album, Play, of which we’ve already heard four new tracks: ‘Sapphire’, ‘Old Phone’, ‘A Little More’ and ‘Azizam’ – the latter of which went straight to number one and stayed there for five whole weeks after it dropped.
These upcoming shows will be an extra and rare chance to see Sheeran before his all-new ‘Loop’ stadium tour, which kicks off in Australia next January.
Revealing details about the limited number of EU dates via his own social media channels, Sheeran wrote: “Coming to play some shows in Europe. These shows will be more intimate than a stadium show, obvz, but still will be incredible.”
We don’t know how he plans to make a room as big as the Co-op Live arena ‘intimate’, but we’re looking forward to seeing what he has in store…
He went on to add that he loves “playing these venues so much”, urging fans to pre-order the new record if they want to get their hands on tickets ASAP.
Play releases on Friday, 12 September, and those who pre-order the album exclusively through Amazon.co.uk before 7pm BST this Sunday, 7 September, can put themselves in with a chance of securing pre-sale tickets.
Elsewhere, early access will also be available to official Co-op members next Wednesday (10/9/25) ahead of general admission going live on Thursday, 11 September.
You can get ready to grab your tickets for Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live on Sunday, 7 December HERE.
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)/Ed Sheeran (via Instagram)
Gigs & Nightlife
A bring-your-own booze music venue is opening in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new nightlife concept offering bring-your-own-booze is coming to Manchester this month.
XLR will be the very first BYOB licensed music venue in Manchester, and it’s set to open on Wilmslow Road later in September.
Club-goers will pay for a ticket, then can bring their own beers and alcohol inside the club.
They say they want people to be able to make ‘the night as expensive as you want it to be’.
XLR owner Chris said that clubbing has lost its way from the early 2000s heyday and become ‘very corporate’, so it’s hoped that this new concept will break down those money barriers.
Tickets will be priced between £10 and £20, with lockers provided inside so that you can safely store your booze.
XLR will open on 24 September with appearances from Yung Singh and Bushbaby.
Owner Chris said in a teaser snippet today: “We’re bringing a really new and exciting concept to the venue this year, where customers can bring their own alcohol into the venue.
“Clubbing has come so very far away from what it used to be, sort of back in the early 2000s, and the early 90s as well.
“Clubs were meant to be about the music, whereas now it’s become very corporate, very money grab.
“The clubs used to be cheap and the bars used to be expensive.
“Clubs now, they’re just run very commercially.
“We don’t want people feeling like they’re being priced out of venues anymore.
“It’s very important that anyone can come to a club. We all know the crisis that’s going on with clubs and hospitality this year.
“When you pay for your ticket, you know you’re paying for the DJ, you pay for the promoter, you’re helping the venue to survive, you’re contributing to the culture.
“So the tickets will be £10 to £20, you can bring your own beers in, bring your own alcohol in, we’ve got lockers in place so that you don’t have to leave everything out on the dance floor.
“That’s the way that we’re gonna go this year. We hope that you get on board with the concept.
“We hope that you drink responsibly, because that’s really important as well.
“We’ll see you in September.”
See the latest from XLR Manchester on their Instagram HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
1st February 2022 
