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A$AP Rocky announces huge Manchester gig on new world tour

A whopping 42 dates are coming this year

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 20th January 2026

A$AP Rocky is heading out on a massive world tour, and is including a gig here in Manchester.

The rapper, producer, actor and entrepreneur has just announced his upcoming 2026 tour, the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour, with a whopping 42 dates across the globe.

This will be fans’ first chance to hear his latest album and first release in eight years, Don’t Be Dumb, live.

The huge A$AP Rocky tour kicks off this May in the USA, before heading across to Europe in July.

That leg will include a gig at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 5 September, one of only three UK shows on the tour.

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The announcement has come hot on the heels of the release of his fourth album last week, which Billboard has said ‘not only rewards patience but adds new wrinkles to the rapper’s approach — an evolved relationship with melody and a wiser lyrical slant’.

It became Spotify’s most pre-saved hip-hop album, with one million saves even before its release.

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As well as his music career, A$AP Rocky has starred in films including the Golden Globe-winning If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, and has cemented himself as a fashion icon with his work as co-chair of the 2025 Met Gala.

He’s also been announced as the creative director for Ray-Ban, and was appointed as Chanel’s new house ambassador.

General sale for the Don’t Be Dumb World Tour will go live at 9am on Tuesday 27 January HERE.

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There’ll be artist pre-sales, a Mastercard pre-sale, and various VIP packages available too.

Don’t Be Dumb European tour 2026 dates

  • Tue Aug 25 Brussels, Belgium ING Arena
  • Thu Aug 27 Amsterdam, Netherlands Ziggo Dome
  • Sun Aug 30 London, UK O2 Arena
  • Wed Sep 02 Dublin, Ireland 3Arena
  • Fri Sep 04 Glasgow, UK OVO Hydro
  • Sat Sep 05 Manchester, UK Co-op Live
  • Tue Sep 08 Cologne, Germany Lanxess Arena
  • Thu Sep 10 Milan, Italy I-DAYS*
  • Fri Sep 11 Munich, Germany Olympiahalle
  • Sun Sep 13 Lodz, Poland Atlas Arena
  • Wed Sep 16 Hamburg, Germany Barclays Arena
  • Fri Sep 18 Copenhagen, Denmark Royal Arena
  • Sun Sep 20 Oslo, Norway Unity Arena
  • Mon Sep 21 Stockholm, Sweden Avicii Arena
  • Thu Sep 24 Riga, Latvia Xiaomi Arena
  • Fri Sep 25 Kaunas, Lithuania Zalgiris Arena
  • Mon Sep 28 Berlin, Germany Uber Arena
  • Wed Sep 30 Paris, France Accor Arena

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Featured image: @pleckham

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‘Manc the Biff’: the Co-op Live crowd made the Clyro boys welcome on debut

Danny Jones Danny Jones

It feels like we’ve been waiting a long time to welcome Biffy Clyro back to Manchester, and they really didn’t disappoint on their Co-op Live debut.

Here’s our review of what was a proper rock show.

After a strong lineup of support acts with The Armed and Soft Play (formerly Slaves) injecting plenty of early energy into the crowds, already knew two things: the Scots wouldn’t disappoint, and a Manc crowd NEVER lets you down.

We knew everyone was on top form from the moment the Kilmarnock icons stepped out on stage under a swathe of blankets to the opener from their latest album, Futique.

Once the curtain was eventually lifted during ‘A Little Love’, which has quickly become one of the most popular singles for some time, you could see the sea of fans below start bouncing.

Rolling into the likes of ‘Hunting Season’ and Only Revolutions classic, ‘The Captain’, those bounces quite quickly turned into a healthy-sized pit, and those up in the stands with us finally got on their feet.

That was maybe our only complaint: we love seeing a seated section pretending they’re in standing from their start, but we get it and each to their own, of course.

A special shout-out also goes to replacement bassist Naomi MacLeod, who has stepped in for James Johnston – having quit the tour to focus on his physical and mental health (get well soon, JJ) – and she was bloody FANTASTIC.

In fact, the same goes for the rest of the session players joining them on the road this year.

One thing we weren’t expecting was quite how cool the production levels were going to be. We’ve never been Biffy fans for their creativity when it comes to toying with stage design or lighting rigs, but they threw in some fun effects regardless.

Highlights from the night included ‘Tiny Indoor Fireworks’, ‘Bubbles’, and ‘Black Chandelier’, though we were sad not to hear ‘Victory Over The Sun’, and it was especially gutting that one of our favourite tracks from the new record, ‘True Believer’, didn’t end up on the setlist.

Again, you can’t have anything – we’re just glad we got to be there and see a truly great British rock band proving that they are well and truly an arena-level band.

Lastly, even after all the years and an X-Factor cover trying its hardest to take the credit away from them, ‘Many of Horror’ is still an unbelievable rock ballad, and d’ya know who is an unbelievable rock band? “Biffy. F***ing. Clyroooooo.”

‘Mon the Biff’ and see you next time.

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Featured Images — Audio North/The Manc Group

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Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires have announced an arena gig in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig

Hollywood Vampires are heading back out on tour, with a huge Manchester gig announced for this year.

The supergroup, which consists of one of the biggest names in Hollywood as well as one of rock’n’roll’s most iconic names, are set to perform at the AO Arena as part of a run of shows.

Hollywood Vampires is made up of A-lister Johnny Depp, as well as rock royalty including Alice Cooper, and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, plus Tommy Henriksen.

They last performed in Manchester with an arena gig back in 2023, making these their first gigs in almost three years.

Hollywood Vampires have now announced a return to the stage, with an AO Arena show on the cards for Tuesday 18 August 2026.

They’ll be supported in Manchester by The Jesus and Mary Chain, who marked their 40th anniversary in 2024 with a new album, Glasgow Eyes.

Johnny Depp supergroup Hollywood Vampires announce Manchester gig. Credit: Aaron Perry

Hollywood Vampires formed in 2012, named after Cooper’s celebrity drinking club of the same name where the aim was reportedly to ‘drink until no one could stand up’.

Over the years, the supergroup has worked with the likes of Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, and Zak Starkey (formerly the drummer for Oasis).

They’ve now announced a massive UK tour , including a date at the AO Arena.

A Three Presale for tickets will take place from 10am on Wednesday 21 January, followed by a venue presale on Thursday 22 January, then general sale from 10am on Friday 23 January.

You can grab tickets HERE.

Hollywood Vampires tour dates in full

  • Wednesday 12 August – The O2, London
  • Friday 14 August – TK Maxx presents Depot Live, Cardiff Castle, Cardiff
  • Saturday 15 August – TK Maxx presents Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough
  • Monday 17 August – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
  • Tuesday 18 August – AO Arena, Manchester
  • Wednesday 19 August – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
  • Friday 21 August – Colchester Castle Summer Series, Colchester
  • Saturday 22 August – TK Maxx presents Live at The Piece Hall, Halifax
  • Tuesday 25 August – PSD Bank Nürnberg ARENA, Nuremberg
  • Wednesday 26 August – Adidas Arena, Paris
  • Friday 28 August – Lanxess Arena, Cologne
  • Sunday 30 August – Barclays Arena, Hamburg
  • Tuesday 1 September – Parco Della Musica Open Air, Milan
  • Wednesday 2 September – Castello Carrese Open Air, Este

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Featured image: Aaron Perry

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