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Dance legends Basement Jaxx are coming to Castlefield Bowl next summer

It's been a long old while. Welcome back, boys. (this article contain affiliate links)

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 26th November 2024

Dance and electronic legends Basement Jaxx are coming to Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl next year for a massive outdoor show.

Summer 2025 is shaping up nicely.

The iconic DJing duo, famed for everything from disco and New York house to pure big-beat bangers, first formed back in 1994 and have created some of the most well-known hits to ever come out of the UK electronic scene.

Be it ‘Where’s Your Head At’, Do Your Thing’, ‘Romeo’ or one of their many other chart-toppers, they’ve been filling dancefloors all over the world

Starting from the base back in Brixton down in the capital, the expert disc jockeys and producers – real names Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe – are the latest act announced as part of the month-long festival Sound of the City Festival.

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The SOTC 2025 lineup is looking absolutely stacked, with the likes of Rizzle Kicks, Bloc Party, Elbow, Hacienda Classical and more already confirmed for the big summer celebration, but with Basement Jaxx now joining them too, it really is going to be a party atmosphere.

For the younger ones amongst you who might be wondering whether you know their music or not, even if you’re not sure of the song titles and can’t readily hum the tune etc., we promise you’ll know plenty of these once you hear them.

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Jaxx and co. are set to arrive at Manchester’s much-loved amphitheatre next July, the Castlefield Bowl show will be one of their first proper live headline shows in over a decade, along with slots at the likes of Latitude Festival, Wilderness and Camp Bestival, as well as just a handful of other dates.

Aren’t we lucky?

Rizzle Kicks announce massive Manchester comeback show at Castlefield Bowl
It’s not the only comeback that was announced this month…

Read more:

Speaking on the announcement, one-half of BJ, Buxton, said: “After a few years DJing around the globe, it’ll be great to return to the live stage and the Live Show Experience; to connect to people with life-affirming energy and give people a great time.”

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He went on to add: “It feels like 2025 is the beginning of a new era for many and I think that’s probably true for Basement Jaxx too.”

Basement Jaxx will be landing at Castlefield Bowl on Saturday, 12 July 2025 and tickets go on sale this Friday, 29 November from 9am onwards.

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

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Charli XCX at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for BRAT tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Charli XCX kicks off her BRAT tour in Manchester

Charli XCX is touching down in Manchester this week for the first night of her long-awaited BRAT tour.

The massive tour follows a huge summer for the British artist, where tracks from her sixth studio album – including Apple, Guess, and 360 – dominated festival circuits and dancefloors across the globe.

The 32-year-old star then took things a step further with her remix album, Brat and It’s Completely Different but Also Still Brat.

Her latest album was shortlisted for the Mercury Music Prize, and it’s up for seven Grammy Awards early next year.

Charli XCX has even performed a huge surprise free gig at Times Square in New York City, no less, just last week.

And just today she was announced as a headliner for Parklife 2025.

This massive new tour will bring her back to the UK for just a handful of arena shows, including a gig at the Co-op Live in Manchester.

Here’s everything you need to know.

Charli XCX 2024 UK tour dates

  • Wed 27 November – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live Arena
  • Thu 28 November – London, UK – The O2
  • Fri 29 November – Birmingham, UK – Resorts World Arena
  • Mon 02 December – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro Arena
Charli XCX has announced details of a huge UK tour. Credit: Hayley Weir
Charli XCX has announced details of a huge UK tour. Credit: Hayley Weir

Charli XCX tickets for Manchester Co-op Live gig

No, you’re too late.

After such a hugely popular summer, Charli XCX has driven HUGE demand and her massive arena shows are totally sold out.

Your only chance of getting tickets now is to check fan-to-fan resale sites like Twickets.

Who’s supporting Charli XCX?

Charli XCX is being supported by singer and DJ Shygirl on all her UK dates.

The British singer, rapper, songwriter and DJ, who also founded record label Nuxxe, is famed for her blend of dance, hip-hop, experimental pop, grime and deconstructed club music.

Her big hits include Cleo, encore, Mr useless, Nasty and BB.

What are the stage times for Charli XCX in Manchester?

These haven’t been announced yet by Co-op Live but we do know that doors to the venue will open at 6.30pm.

The venue has said that there’ll be an 8pm start, which will presumably be when Shygirl takes to the stage.

Then Charli XCX herself should be on somewhere between 9pm and 9.30pm before a gig curfew of 11pm.

Once the venue shares official stage times we’ll be sure to update this article.

Expected setlist

Well, this is an unusual one – as Manchester gets the BRAT tour before anyone else, we actually have no clue what the setlist will look like.

There are sure to be plenty of club bangers and dance floor fillers from Charli XCX’s latest album as well as her earlier work.

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She recently held a joint tour with Troye Sivan in the states, so we’ve picked out her parts of the setlist there below to give you a rough idea.

365
360
Von dutch
Club classics
Unlock It
Sympathy is a knife
Guess
Spring breakers
Girl, so confusing
Everything is romantic
Speed Drive
Apple
Vroom Vroom
1999
Track 10
I Love It
Talk talk

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Featured image: Harley Weir

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Deacon Blue announce new album and UK tour, including massive Manchester gig

Danny Jones Danny Jones Deacon Blue Manchester gig tickets AO Arena

UK pop-rock legends Deacon Blue have just announced a new album and UK tour, including a massive date here in Manchester.

The Scottish superstars and long-standing British band are back with their 11th studio album and have confirmed a slew of domestic tour dates along with the announcement.

Having been going since 1985, they are well and truly some of the most revered recording veterans to ever come out of the country, known for hit tracks like ‘Real Gone Kid’, ‘Dignity’, ‘Loaded’ and more.

Revealing a total of 20 dates across various arenas and theatres, Deacon Blue will be kicking things off their tour in their home country before sweeping across the rest of the nation.

In addition to the new LP, The Great Western Road, Deacon Blue have plenty to celebrate next year as 2025 also marks the band’s 40th anniversary.

Speaking on the new album, founding members Ricky Ross and Dougie Vipond say it reflects on their journey as a group, as well as their lengthy career in the industry in this new album, as well the band’s shared age and experience after four decades making music on taking it on the road.

Commenting on the announcement, lead singer Ricky Ross said: “It’s just the next part of the adventure and it’s as exciting now as it was back then.”

“I love the idea that a circus coming to town is a temporary existence, a little bit of magic suddenly appears in the middle of a town or a village and then it goes away. It’s very similar to what you do live.

Perhaps most excitingly besides the upcoming album itself, one of the coolest things about this new tour is that it’s not going to be your average old headline gig: they’ve promised two different shows.

Explaining that they’ll be “curating a show that changes and evolves, pulling out little surprises every now and again”, the theatre shows will also be distinct from the bigger arena shows, allowing them to flick between the new music and the hits.

They’ve said they want to give fans “the best night of their lives” and make each show just as brilliant as the last – big words indeed.

“The live experience is so ephemeral, at the end of a show people lose all their inhibitions, and then it’s over. You have to be there. That’s what’s magical about it”, says Ross.

As for The Great Western Road – a tribute to Glasgow’s legendary street of the same name located between the city centre and its West End – the album drops on 21 March 2025, with Deacon Blue arriving in Manchester a few months later.

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Deacon Blue will be coming to the AO Arena in Manchester city centre on 1 October 2025 and general admission goes live at 9am this Friday, 29 November.

Three mobile customers can also get exclusive presale access on Wednesday, 27 November from 10am.

You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Supplied

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