Bob Dylan has added three new dates to his sold-out world tour – including a show here in Manchester.
The legendary singer kicked off his Rough and Rowdy Ways Worldwide Tour last December in the USA.
His previously announced UK dates included four shows at the London Palladium, plus gigs in Cardiff, Hull, Nottingham and Glasgow.
But due to huge demand, Dylan has now added three more shows in the UK.
His first tour in more than five years will bring him to Manchester’s O2 Apollo in November.
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New Bob Dylan tour dates have been announced. Credit: Publicity picture
He’s also announced new gigs in Oxford and Bournemouth.
The Rough and Rowdy Ways world tour will take place for a whopping period of time, between 2021 and 2024.
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Every show on Bob Dylan’s tour will be strictly no-phone events, with audience members told to put their mobile devices in a sealed Yondr bag.
Tickets for the new dates go on sale this morning, Monday 5 September.
Full Bob Dylan UK tour dates
October 19 London Palladium
October 20 London Palladium
October 23 London Palladium
October 24 London Palladium
October 26 Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
October 27 Hull Bonus Arena
October 28 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
October 30 Glasgow Armadillo
October 31 Glasgow Armadillo
NEW SHOWS
November 2 Manchester Apollo
November 4 Oxford New Theatre
November 5 Bournemouth BIC
Featured image: Facebook
Gigs & Nightlife
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | May 2025
Danny Jones
Oh, hey, didn’t see you there. Come looking for more top Manc tunage, have we? You’re in luck, because Greater Manchester just keeps pumping out top bands and artists all the time, hence why we do this.
If you’re new around these parts, first of all, welcome and secondly, the whole thing is very simple: every month, we round up some of the best talents coming out of 0161 and talk about why we like them. I know, groundbreaking stuff, right?
They don’t have to be born and bred in Manchester, but they do need to have made this their music home – the first the correct career decision they made, the second being working their way into our ears.
So, now all the housekeeping is done and dusted, let’s dive into some delightful new Manchester music, shall we?
Five Manc bands and artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. IST IST
This month we’re starting off with one of those Manchester bands that may not be new but still crop up for us at regular intervals to remind us of two things: first of all, that they’re brilliant and secondly, that they should have featured on our regular round-up of artists a long time ago.
We’re talking about IST IST, who returned with another live, multiple LP-spanning compilation (plus some extras) this past March, which we’ve had on plenty over the past month. It goes without saying that they sound brilliant live, and we feel bad for only just remembering how good and prolific they’ve been.
You always get plenty of New Order, but also White Lies and Editors; Future Islands, The National and lots of other baritone-driven bands that bring that element of melodrama to layer over the instruments themselves. ‘You’re Mine’ might be their biggest track, but ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Exist’ are also favourites.
2. Robbie Cavanagh
Now, we all know that country music is having a real moment right now and we, for one, couldn’t be happier about it, to be completely frank. Though arguably simplistic at times, it’s soulful, often impressively pared-back, and when something does impress you lyrically or technically, it sticks.
With that in mind, we recently realised that award-winning songwriter Robbie Cavanagh has been on somewhat of a comeback since 2023, and we hadn’t noticed until painfully recently. Returning after a six-year hiatus – bar some little ditties during lockdown – his latest project has some of his best work yet.
Fully tilting from folk into country and folk, the stunning vocalist belatedly blew us away with the bluesy single ‘Helpless’ and a gorgeous new collaboration with solo artist, Abby Gundersen (equally talented sister of Noah), but please still start with his 2016 Mahogany Session, where it arguably all began.
Named after Manchester city centre’s famously eclectic indie emporium, Afflecks Palace have never quite blown up in the way they way we thought they would when we first came across them years ago, but there’s still plenty of time and we’ll be damn it if they don’t deserve more regular listeners.
You’ll also be glad to know that, despite the name, they aren’t one of those trite, overly performative bands who wear a stereotypical Manc-ness on their sleeve that we sometimes come across; they’re just good and deserve a lot more recognition for their contribution to the neo-pysch genre.
As for where to start, we’ll admit we prefer their first album; ‘Forever Young’ is noodley and catchy, ‘Everything Is an Attempt to Be Human’ has those shoegazey guitars, but it just doesn’t get better than the incomparable ‘Pink Skies’, which still makes us feel some type of way – we just can’t quite describe.
We just love it. ‘Nu-Madchester’, or whatever you want to call it, its distinct sunniness never fails to tickle a part of our brains.
4. Findlay
Next up is Stockport singer-songwriter Findlay, who released more new music this past February, and has been making indie pop that ropes in plenty of other influences for more than a decade now.
That being said, she’s always experimenting with her sound, as her collabs with Blossoms, Miles Kane, Bill Ryder-Jones, Joris Delacroix have shown, and this latest iteration seems to have her tapping into everything from almost 50s and 60s female soul singers to slow electronic and more.
We love the smooth sexiness and sheer ambition of her latest single, ‘Stay Kinky’ and ‘Waste My Time’ always feels like a late-night chiller fit for music video set in a dingey bar, however, we still have a soft spot for her debut, ‘Your Sister’, with the riff that’s almost reminiscent of ‘Blockbuster’ by Sweet.
Last but not least, it’s the second time we’re featuring a returning artist and it comes in the form of young Alex Spencer, whose journey from busking around the streets of Greater Manchester to sold-out headlines shows and featuring on the likes EA Sports FC 25 (yes, FIFA) is a truly remarkable one.
The charming and still fresh-faced local lad from Droylsden is nothing short of proof that hard work and determination can pay off, and those ‘Bucket List’ dreams really are within reach. Obvious talent aside, this teenager has grafted his arse off and we couldn’t be more proudof how far he’s come already.
He last featured in this round-up back in April 2024 but even in the time between then, he’s released plenty and developed even further as musician, so much so that we’re not going to suggest which songs to try; instead, you can watch our most recent interview with him and relive his last year or so with us.
I’m Alex Spencer and This is my journey so far!
8 years of my music journey summed up in 1 minute 55😅 Thankyou to everyone who’s followed my journey so far, to anyone new or to anyone who doesn’t know my story, I made this video to show where it all started and how I got here❤️ pic.twitter.com/Hi3W7MHMxX
So, the next time you hear someone foolishly complaining that the Greater Manchester music scene ‘isn’t what it once was’, you can go right ahead of show them these bands and artists.
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In fact, you could just point them in the direction of this very page and Audio North, in general, as we do this round-up every month and plenty more every week, meaning you’re headphones never dry up.
For instance, you can check out which Manchester bands and artists we were listening to back in April, both new, current and old, down below. We’ll see you again very soon.
A huge Irish festival with iconic music stars, markets, food and more is coming to Greater Manchester
Daisy Jackson
A massive Irish music festival with masses of food, drink, crafts, workshops and surprises is returning to Greater Manchester this summer.
Craic by the Creek 2025 will bring together all the best bits of the Emerald Isle for a weekend-long knees-up in a gorgeous countryside location on our doorstep in July.
There’s a huge music line-up (with plenty more still to be announced) featuring Boyzlife, made up of Keith Duffy from Boyzone and Brian McFadden from Westlife.
And this fun-filled Irish Music Festival is the only one of its kind offering full weekend camping, at the beautiful village of Compstall in Stockport.
The countdown is now officially on for this unmissable celebration of Irish music, culture, and community spirit, which will take place between 18 and 20 July.
Craic by the Creek has been hailed as the greatest Irish music festival in the UK and is back for 2025 bigger than ever.
Already announced to perform live along with Boyzlife are The Tumbling Paddies, Derek Ryan, All Folk’d Up, Johnny Brady, The Kilkennys and loads more.
There are still more acts to be revealed in this stacked line-up.
And it’s not just about the music at Craic by the Creek – there’s also a bustling Irish-themed craft market with handmade goods, Irish-inspired food and drink, social dance workshops, and plenty of surprises.
Expect a weekend of tunes, traditions, community vibes and campfire craic.
Craic by the Creek will take place between 18 and 20 July, 2025 – tickets are on sale now via Skiddle, and they’re already flying.
Daisy Jackson -
5th September 2022 
