Eric Cantona has announced he’s heading out on a tour of the UK this year – and, of course, he’ll be playing a gig in our city.
Sure, he may be known as a Manchester United all-time great, and one of the best players in the history of the Premier League, but when ‘The King’ rocks up to see us in Manchester once again in a couple of months time, his reason for visiting won’t have anything to do with football on this occasion.
That’s because, in case you didn’t know, Cantona is a rockstar star… genuinely.
If this is the first you’re hearing of the legendary striker’s career pivot, then you may have missed the fact that he released his debut EP, I’ll Make My Own Heaven, to critical acclaim in 2023, along with two accompanying singles, and even played the whole album to a sold-out crowd at The Stoller Hall last October to celebrate.
And while the words ‘Eric Cantona‘ and ‘singing’ might come as a bit of a shock to you – and rightly so – we had a listen to his two singles, which are titled ‘The Friends We Lost’ and ‘Tu Me Diras’, and we can’t lie, they’re actually pretty good.
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Besides, the 57-year-old Frenchman has always been more than a sportsperson, as he’s not only an actor on stage and on screen – most famously for acclaimed directors, Alain Corneau and Ken Loach – but he also paints, writes poetry, and has picked-up photography too, not just as post-career hobbies, but as so much more than that.
Cantona says his outside-of-football passions stem from “the absolute necessity” to express himself creatively – and music is no different to that.
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Globally celebrated icon Eric Cantona announces a new tour for April 2024 across the UK and Ireland, marking his return to the stage following last year's debut sold-out success in London and Manchester.
This is why the honorary Manc is heading out on a tour of the UK this April, and will be gracing Manchester Palace Theatre‘s stage as part of that – with tickets officially going on general sale this Friday.
Eric Cantona – ‘Cantona Sings Eric’ UK tour dates 2024
Wednesday 10 April – Liberty Hall (Dublin)
Friday 12 April – O2 Academy (Glasgow)
Saturday 13 April – Music Hall (Aberdeen)
Sunday 14 April – O2 City Hall (Newcastle)
Tuesday 16 April – O2 Academy (Leeds)
Wednesday 17 April – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire (London)
Thursday 18 April – Wulfrun Hall (Wolverhampton)
Saturday 20 April – Palace Theatre (Manchester)
These new tour dates follow last year’s debut sold-out success in London and Manchester, which saw Cantona take to stage solo with just himself and a modest piano and a cello to “stamp his mark on new artistic heights”.
Presales for ‘Cantona Sings Eric’ start tomorrow (Wednesday 24 January) at 10am, with additional presales running throughout this week, all before general on-sale begins this Friday 26 January at 10am.
Paddy McGuinness announces work-in-progress shows ahead of first stand-up tour in eight years
Danny Jones
Beloved British comic Paddy McGuinness is heading back out on his first live stand-up tour in eight years this year and has announced a new run of work-in-progress shows in preparation, including one right here in Greater Manchester.
McGuinness hasn’t been out on the live comedy circuit for the best part of a decade but announced his long-awaited return late last year, with the 50-year-old heading out on the road this October.
However, as he looks to get stage sharp shape ahead of his ‘Nearly There’ tour, Paddy has picked a pair of local North West venues for the WIP sets, with a trio of shows at The Met in Bury, as well as half a dozen over in Darwen, Lancashire.
Just like the tour itself, these are sure to go quickly.
The Phoenix Nights and Max and Paddy star is playing nearly half a century of shows across the UK and Ireland from this fall onwards before closing out his tour in Dublin by April 2025.
His last tour, ‘Daddy McGuinness’ ran from 2015-16 and got pretty decent reviews across the board, with the focus largely revolving around his journey into parenthood, but his latest material is set to be quite the shift in tone.
Speaking ahead of the tour, the former Take Me Out and Top Gear host said: “It’s been eight years since my last tour and there’s lots of things to laugh about! I’m looking forward to getting back in front of a live audience, along with running the gauntlet of cancel culture, clickbait and fake news!”
Paddy also made a bit of a stir around these parts recently after he declared Bolton as still being part of Lancashire. No likey, no lighty on that one – sorry Paddy.
But never mind all that, we’re glad to see him getting back to his roots. The Farnworth-born funny man was also recently given a permanent role on BBC Radio 2 after becoming a firm favourite amongst the listenership. He will now run the 11am-1pm slot on Sundays.
As for his tour, after his warm-up shows in Bury and Darwen, the household name will be heading to The Lowry in Salford in March next year, with other nearby shows in the likes of Blackburn and Blackpool.
Tickets for Paddy McGuinness’ work-in-progress dates go on sale Friday, 3 May at 10am.
There’s a big listening party for Taylor Swift’s new album happening in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, popstars in the world right now will be releasing a brand-new album this Friday, and there’s a dedicated listening party happening in Manchester especially for the occasion.
In case you aren’t a Swiftie, or you just generally weren’t aware, Taylor Swift announced back in early February that she would be unleashing her eleventh studio album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, on the world on 19 April.
Just like anything the 34-year-old singer-songwriter does, the surprise announcement of the new album – which is a follow-up to her 2022 critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY award-winning album, Midnights – pretty much broke the internet when it happened, and her dedicated fans have been counting down the days ever since.
Now, after months of eagerly waiting, the big day is finally happening this Friday, and in a bid to properly mark what a massive day it will be, one popular Manchester venue has decided to host a dedicated listening party, so that Swifties can unite under one roof and celebrate the special occasion together.
Fairfield Social Club (FSC) which has recently opened its doors in the heart of Manchester city centre, is inviting fans to “gather with your closest Swifties” and head on down to its Green Quarter venue this Friday for a night that’s “dedicated to Tay Tay and her legacy”.
Not only will you get to hear The Tortured Poets Department in full from start to finish surrounded by dozens of fellow fans, but there’ll also be a bunch of other Swift-themed activities too.
There’s a big Taylor Swift new album listening party happening in Manchester this week / Credit: FSC
These include a Taylor Swift pub quiz with questions to all about her life and groundbreaking career to test your knowledge, friendship bracelet-making sessions, and just the chance to share the love and swap stories with other Swifties.
If all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, there’s also set to be a selection of themed cocktails to sip whilst you spend time ruminating on what Taylor meant in the lyrics of her songs only released a few hours prior.
Oh, and the best bit? FSC promises there “won’t be a Scooter Braun in sight” on the night.
The Tortured Poets Department Listening Party is taking over Fairfield Social Club this Friday 19 April from 7pm right through until 10pm – with tickets now on sale setting you back just £6 each, and already selling fast.