I’m going start this review (if you can even call it that as opposed to just pure, unadulteratedfanboying) by noting that I have a pretty high bar when it comes to concerts making it into my top 10, let alone considering ‘the best ever’, but Wunderhorse at Manchester Academy was the one.
Game-changing, a magnum opus; the yardstick by which I will now compare every gig for the foreseeable future – this all might sound far too superlative and exaggerated but I’m sticking by it.
This year alone, we’ve had the privilege of going along to see Jungle, Liam Gallagher, The 1975, Blossoms’ biggest-ever show at Wythenshawe Park and even the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter as the frontman just to name an extraordinary few.
Every single one of them was unreal and made me eternally grateful for that incomparable feeling of ecstasy that seeing the music you love brought to life in front of you brings, but seeing the increasingly high-flying Wunderhorse do their thing in front of a Manchester crowd sent actual chills down my spine.
Wunderhorse at Manchester Academy was pulsating from start to finish. (Credit: The Manc Group)
If you’ve for whatever reason not cottoned on to what these lads are doing yet, I’m not going roll out the typical tired trope of “What are you playing at!?” or any of that, I’m just going to implore you to start your journey with this band now and see them live as soon as you can.
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Besides maybe Fontaines D.C., who they have already toured with earlier this year – cannot believe we missed out on that one – they are perhaps one of the most exciting bands around right now and they have just given me a core memory I will never forget. I dare say plenty of others in the room would agree.
For me there’s no question about it: I’ve fallen in love with this ferocious four-piece so hard it’s made me feel like a teenager who’s just discovering their taste for the first time and despite still only being a few years in, I am fully convinced they are the best thing since sliced bread.
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The show itself was everything you would hope for from a proper rock show, from the fans screaming every last word like their lives depended on it, to the entire crowd jumping up and down from start to finish and the pit nearly consuming everyone with crowd-surfers galore and utterly breathless energy.
A 10/10 performance from the audience is always guaranteed in Manchester but the band themselves also went above and beyond by delivering moments like this:
It might seem like a little thing to some of you, but vamping for a good minute or so on stage and thrashing out solos that aren’t part of the studio version of a song as if they’re jamming in a room like no one else is even there just doesn’t happen any more – at least not very often.
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We’ve been watching clips of the Midas tour ever since it kicked off earlier this year and for me, personally, I feared that I had built up the expectation so much that it could never possibly have lived up to the vision I had in my head.
I had absolutely nothing to worry about. Not only were they flawless, with frontman Jacob Slater (who we recently interviewed) and lead guitarist Harry Fowler particularly intoxicating to watch up close and personal, but the roughly 2,600 fans inside the venue gave every last ounce of their effort.
There were the usual limbs, beers, cups and even items of clothing being flung in the air but, more specifically, I don’t think I’ve ever perspired so much at a gig. I was literally dripping and let me assure you, neither I nor anyone else could care less.
In fact, following a particularly sweaty mid-song hug with a stranger, we turned to each other and realised we were wearing the same bit of merch before proceeding to spend the entire gig losing our minds together and even swapping numbers after the show. You have to love special moments like that.
We started out here and ended up bouncing within spitting distance of Jacob’s viral barking. It was utterly delightful carnage.
It’s hard to say how or why a band strikes a chord with so many people, never mind so quickly having only put out their first single back in 2021, but they’re truly bound for greatness in my eyes.
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This isn’t a love-drunk echo chamber either: another member of the team reviewed their gig at The Deaf Institute back in April 2023 and labelled them “a band so good you’ll never see them on a stage this small again.” We love it when we’re right.
We first saw them supporting the mighty Sam Fender in 2022, who is also clearly up there with this country’s greatest at the minute, and we were pretty blown away even back then as largely uninitiated listeners. Nothing has changed since other than the fact that both have gotten much, much bigger.
Wunderhorse have clearly set a ridiculous standard for their live shows and simply refuse to drop their performance levels by even an inch and I can wholeheartedly say with my chest that last night will go down as the single greatest gig of my life.
But they’ve been making those kinds of memories for weeks on end now. Here they were in Leeds on Friday when our equally obsessed Hoot team went along to see them:
Much like their unskippable albums, there wasn’t a single low point in the entire set but highlights included ‘Purple’, ‘Arizona’, ‘Emily’, the ultimate thrasher that is ‘July’ and cult-favourite ‘Superman’, which has only be played a handful of times on this tour. How lucky are we, eh?
In fact, we spent this entire song holding one fan a lot as he didn’t crowd surf so much as he just slowly spun in absolute dreamland and it’s the most envious I’ve been of someone so clearly in the moment that I’ve possibly ever been.
My arms are still aching, as is everything else to be fair, but there is nothing like walking away from a gig knowing that you left it all out on there and so did everyone else.
They were incredible and so were every single one of you inside the venue. I don’t care how over the top it may sound, nights like that are when the power of music literally floors you and makes you feel grateful to be alive to experience that level of emotion.
Anyway, enough of all that uncomfortable sincerity; this review of Wunderhorse at Manchester Academy wouldn’t be complete without the song everyone was waiting for: ‘Teal’, a.k.a. song that made me so happy I let out a tear the second the intro started. Soak it in and go see them for yourself.
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios – still electrifying after decades in the game
Lonnie Bowes
At Aviva Studios, Fatboy Slim showed that even after decades in the game, he’s still finding new ways to electrify a room.
Set against a backdrop of lasers, confetti cannons and LED Screens Fatboy Slim felt less like a DJ and more like the lord of acid ballroom, ready for the tidal wave of fans in front of him.
Whether you’re an old-school Mancunian rave head or a new kid on the block you knew he was always in control, issuing a constant bombardment of psychedelic colours and smiley faces.
Long before he stepped up to the decks, anticipation had been building and when the first beat dropped the response was immediate.
From the very beginning it was clear he knew his Manc audience were hooked. Pictures of cultural iconics like Chadwick Bosman, Idris Elber and Andy Warhol were totted on the screen behind him.
He played The Rockafeller Skank, setting out his set with an obvious hit.
It was Ya Mama (Push the tempo) to bellow out across the vast floor of Aviva Studios next, accompanied by the original 2010 music video on the backdrop behind him.
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
From there, the set unfolded like a guided tour through decades of dance floor dominance, old and new blending seamlessly.
The crowd was then hit by ‘Groove Amada – I see you baby (Fatboy Slim Remix)’ the shift that occurred at that moment is something only a tune of that stature can deliver.
Throughout the set, he doubled down on the heavier moments. ‘Weapon of Choice’ landed like a controlled explosion with lights strobing, bass reverberating through your chest, while a remix of ‘Mr Brightside’ originally by The Killers showcased his ability to stretch a breakdown just long enough to keep thousands hanging in suspense.
The emotional high point arrived with ‘Praise You’. Phones lifted, arms wrapped around shoulders, strangers turned into temporary best mates. For a few minutes, Aviva Studio’s felt less like a room and more like a shared memory in the making.
But sentimentality didn’t linger for too long. This is Fatboy Slim, after all. The pace soon ramped back up with ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ delivering that spine tingling, hands in the air, friends on shoulders moment that defines nights like these.
Even between tracks, he worked the crowd with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what they’re doing, after 40 years it’s absolutely no surprise to us. A Hawaiian shirt , a well-timed rewind, a teasing fake drop and not to mention a for airhorns it’s showmanship at it’s finest.
As the main set drew to a close, ‘Right here, Right Now’ felt like a finale in itself. The track even these days feels defiant, euphoric, and was shouted back in fragments by a crowd that’s lived with this track for years, while a percentage of the crowd hearing it live for the first time.
The encore didn’t mess about. One final surge of energy, one last seismic drop, and boom! More confetti, fireworks, lights and smoke than even Greater Manchester Fire Department could handle. It sent Aviva Studios into a closing frenzy. Fans were sweat-drenched, smiling, and reluctant to see the lights come up.
Fatboy Slim at Aviva Studios wasn’t just another tour stop. It was a reminder that while trends shift and scenes evolve, few artists understand the architecture of a great night out quite like he does. Decades in, and he’s still orchestrating chaos with pinpoint precision. Once again proving that some acts don’t fade with time, they just refine the formula.
RAYE at Co-op Live – tickets, times, setlist and more for Manchester shows
Thomas Melia
If you’re asking, “Baby, where the hell is my RAYE gig guide?” – fear no more: here’s everything you need to know for her Manchester shows.
This part pop, part soul, part R’n’B champion needs no explanation with seven BRIT awards, two Ivor Novello awards and a Grammy in her collection so far, it’s safe to say RAYE has made a name for herself.
Hailing from Tooting, South London, Rachel Keen, recognised by her artist moniker RAYE, has amassed 8.5 billion streams on Spotify, with almost 15 songs receiving over 100 million streams.
Her discography is one of the most distinctive, with an endless list of hits like ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, ‘Escapism.’, ‘Prada’, ‘Worth It.’, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ all under her belt.
Now, RAYE is gearing up to play the biggest tour of her career so far, and she’s chosen to pay Manchester a visit, not once, but twice, as she performs at the 23,500 seater Co-op Live.
Gig guide | RAYE at Co-op Live, Manchester – all you need to know
RAYE is heading to Co-op Live Manchester on 17 & 18 February / Photo Credit: Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shot (supplied)
Anyone after witnessing RAYE and letting out all their ‘Oscar Winning Tears’ in front of this South London singer has two opportunities to do so with tickets for her two Manchester shows still available.
Thinking February 17 is the date you’d like to see RAYE in Manchester at Co-op Live, and maybe even take your friend? (Bonus points if their name is ‘Suzanne’) – tickets HERE.
February 18 sounding more like your style? Take the ‘Love of Your Life’ to watch this phenomenal artist dominate Co-op Live at her second Manchester date HERE.
Or, grab your ‘Black Mascara’ while “Sipping on Chardonnay 2016” as there’s even a couple of premium seating options courtesy of Seat Unique HERE.
RAYE setlist for 2026 tour
Credit: Sebastian Kapfhammer/Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shots (supplied)
If you’re reading this setlist and wondering why you don’t know some tracks, that’s because they’re from RAYE’s highly-anticipated sophomore release THIS ALBUM MAY CONTAIN NEW MUSIC.
But don’t worry, as there’s still plenty of songs from My 21st Century Blues and her decade-spanning career, too.
I Will Overcome
WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
The Thrill Is Gone.
Skin & Bones
Suzanne
Beware the South London Lover Boy
Flip a Switch. / Decline
Five Star Hotels.
The Winter Woman
Hard Out Here
Genesis, pt. ii
Fly Me to the Moon
Worth It.
Nightingale Lane
Ice Cream Man.
I Know You’re Hurting
Oscar Winning Tears.
Click Clack Symphony
Secrets
You Don’t Know Me
Black Mascara.
Prada
Joy (with Amma and Absolutely)
Escapism.
Stage times for RAYE and her support acts at Co-op Live, Manchester
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning we can ′Buss It Down’, with this multi-talented artist and still be tucked up in bed before the early hours.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm, with a kick-off time expected to be 7:30pm, with support being a family affair as RAYE’s sisters Amma and Absolutely take to the stage.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know 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 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
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.
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 on 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 on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike 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.
Danny Jones -
20th October 2024 
