There was a time, I’m fairly certain, that Justin Timberlake was the coolest man in pop music.
The Tennessee-born star is a triple threat who can sing, dance and act (…alright, last one is up for debate. We all saw In Time).
There might be a few more memes about him than he’d like these days (‘What tour? ‘The world tour’), but stick him back on a big stage and you quickly remember why Justin is often referred to as the Prince of pop.
He’s got more than 30 years of stardom to back him up, during which time he’s never stopped churning out pop bangers and arena tours, plus all those years he spent as part of boyband royalty N SYNC.
In the early days of Justin Timberlake’s solo career, I was a misty-eyed teenager with his poster on my wall. I was even gifted a mug for my 16th birthday that said ‘Born to be Mrs Justin Timberlake’, and still drink a brew out of it now.
ADVERTISEMENT
So the chance to see my first celebrity crush live on stage for the first time, and at the staggering Co-op Live arena, triggered the sort of giddy frisson I thought I’d left behind about the same time I stopped writing ‘DJ luvz JT’ into my school planner.
We’ve got a cracking view of the full thing from the venue’s new Hangout area, tucked up in the heights of the venue where you’re basically sat at the bar to watch the concert.
ADVERTISEMENT
Justin Timberlake is, obviously, not quite the same pop star I fell in love with all those years ago.
During the UK leg of his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, there are definitely moments where he veers wildly close to cringe, like when he insists on cueing the drum solos with a point and a call of ‘DRUMS!’. It’s so aggressively American I feel like we’re all supposed to have recited the Pledge of Allegiance to be allowed in. I keep switching between having the ick and wanting to throw my bra on stage.
But once you embrace all the cheese and corn of Justin Timberlake’s live show, you’re in for a wild ride.
ADVERTISEMENT
His older hits like Cry Me A River, Senorita, and Summer Love blend seamlessly with material from his most recent album Everything I Thought It Was, with a sprinkling of family-friendly chart-toppers from the likes of Can’t Stop the Feeling! from Trolls.
Throughout the show, Justin spends almost as much time dancing as he does singing, as per the boyband bible of the 1990s, with at least one perfectly-executed dance break in every single song.
The floating stage at Justin Timberlake’s Manchester show. Credit: The Manc GroupJustin Timberlake on the smaller b-stage at Co-op Live Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
He covers some ground too, choosing not to sneak his way over to his smaller b-stage but instead taking his time to dance and sing his way through the audience, taking a heartwarming amount of time to give a front-row performance to those seated in the accessible section.
His audience participation mostly involves being sweet to children and wooing women with birthday songs. His natural charisma does the trick. At one point he asks who’s single in the room and I let out an enthusiastic ‘WOOO’ despite the husband waiting for me at home.
The staging is full of surprises (unless you’re on Tiktok), with an entire chunk of the big screen breaking away and soaring away from the stage, spinning and tilting as it goes.
ADVERTISEMENT
For the encore of Mirrors, Justin rides the big screen like a comically large, glowing surfboard, then it folds away like a Murphy bed taking him with it. Does he have to abseil back down the other side? Who knows.
There really aren’t many artists in the industry who’ve been doing it this well for this long.
And that is why, even in 2024, I will proudly drink from my born to be Mrs. Justin Timberlake mug.
Featured image: The Manc Group
Audio
UK’s leading trance music festival to return to Manchester next month with impressive lineup
Thomas Melia
The UK’s leading trance festival is coming back to Manchester for an unforgettable clubbing experience next month.
Rong Indoor Festival are pioneers of trance music, and are known for hosting a wide range of events nationally.
Starting in 2009, the festival is not only the UK’s biggest trance music events but one of the leading events throughout the whole of Europe, and often brings together some of the music genre’s biggest names, alongside lots of other talented performers on the same lineup.
This year sees the party take to O2 Victoria Warehouse in the city centre at the start of next month – with some highly-anticipated debuts set to play the decks when the festival returns for one day only on Saturday 5 October.
With doors opening at 6pm, eager clubbers will be treated to 11 hours of trance, as the music isn’t stopping until 5am, making it the perfect night for lovers of EDM sounds and melodies.
2024’s lineup boasts 30 performers and more than 10 accompanying support DJs, who will be keeping the Manchester crowd alive all night long.
Acts like EDM DJ Ben Nicky, and Dutch vocal trance group 4Strings, are just two of the names set to grace the Manchester live music scene for the very first time, while Irish talent Bryan Karney will be putting on two phenomenal performances.
The UK’s leading trance music festival is back in Manchester next month with an impressive lineup / Credit: Supplied
The event will be spread across two stages, meaning festivalgoers have more opportunities to see artists take to the stage while immersing themselves in the world of trance.
Anyone who wants to make a full day trip out of the event can buy limited VIP tickets to the pre-party event, which is being held at Joshua Brooks from 12pm-5pm – including a queue jump for the main festivities.
Find out more and grab yourself some tickets for Rong Indoor Festival 2024 are available here.
Featured Image – Supplied
Audio
Beloved Manchester club night Funkademia leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years
Danny Jones
One of the best-loved and longest-standing clubbing institutions in Manchester, Funkademia, is relocating once more as it leaves Mint Lounge after 14 years.
Started all the way back in 1995, there isn’t an older weekly club night in the history of this city, but the local weekend event and raver’s rite of passage is about to leave the cult favourite Northern Quarter venue after nearly a decade and a half and set up shop in another new home.
From its infancy at the old Boardwalk on Little Peter Street and popping up in the Mint Lounge back circa 2014, to the continued residency at Exhibition on Fridays, there have been many iterations of Funkademia and now the next chapter beckons from student-central over on Oxford Road.
It’s the start of a new era and it gets started this weekend.
Following in the footsteps of many famous promotions before them, future Funkademia nights will now be hosted by the legendary Deaf Institute.
Celebrating with a launch party on Saturday, 21 September, the iconic event will take over all three floors of the venue; The Music Hall will spin classic funk, disco, and soul beneath the disco ball, while the main bar (a.k.a. The Boombox Room) pumps R’n’B and hip-hop throughout the night.
Then, heading downstairs to the intimate bar and private hire room – regularly used for special events and celebration space – you can expect ‘big boudoir vibes’ and pure grooves spun by an array of special guests every Saturday.
Mint Lounge home held its final blowout at the venue this past spring bank holiday and they bid a fond farewell to the venue in true Funkademia fashion, but we’re glad it’s found such a wonderful new home.
The Deaf Institute is still one of our favourite venues in Manchester and always will be; plus, with almost three decades of dancing history behind them and no sign of slowing down any time soon, the future of Funkademia is in good hands.
Co-promoter Jamie Scahill said of the relocation: “We’re thrilled to be bringing Funkademia to The Deaf Institute, a venue we’ve all spent many late nights at and have long admired. After an incredible run at The Mint Lounge, it felt like the right time to move to a new home where we can continue to evolve and deliver the unforgettable nights that our crowd has come to love.
“There’s nowhere else quite like The Deaf Institute, and it’s the perfect place for us to start this new chapter. We can’t wait to see both familiar and new faces on all three dancefloors.”
As for the new home itself, General Manager Curtis Willson went on to add: “We’re incredibly excited to welcome Funkademia to The Deaf Institute. This is a legendary night that has been a cornerstone of Manchester’s nightlife for nearly 30 years, and we’re honoured to be a part of its next phase.
“Our venue is all about celebrating music and creating memorable experiences, and we know that Funkademia will bring exactly that every Saturday night. It’s going to be something special, and we can’t wait for the party to start this September.”
Tickets for Funkademia’s opening night at Deaf and all subsequent dates are available now at just £5 via Skiddle, with 100 early-bird tickets for all September dates still priced for only £3. You can grab yours HERE.
Doors open from 7pm every week, with DJs playing “all killer, no filler, to keep the dancefloor movin’ until 4am” – and believe us, they always stay true to their word.