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Lily Allen at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for West End Girl UK tour

We know a certain someone’s going to have ‘The Fear’ over this tour.

Lydia Mastrolonardo Lydia Mastrolonardo - 19th June 2026

The ‘Nonmonogamummy’ herself, Lily Allen, is visiting AO Arena in Manchester for her theatrical and unforgettable West End Girl UK tour.

After releasing one of 2025’s biggest albums West End Girl, a run of intimate gig dates up and down the country were announced including right here at Aviva Studios in Manchester in March.

The demand for this British pop star to add more dates was inevitable and that’s exactly what Allen did, as she now kicks off an arena tour across the UK.

Once wasn’t ‘Just Enough’, and we’ve been blessed with not one, but two nights of Lily Allen at the AO Arena in Manchester, on Friday 19 June and Saturday 20 June – lucky us.

Although the ‘Smile’ singer refrains from playing some of her older smash hits, this gig is still remarkable, with the Hammersmith-born singer performs the previously mentioned tongue-in-cheek LP in full.

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Meet us at the ‘Pussy Palace’ (aka the AO Arena) for an evening of messy lyrics and quality vocals, fulfilling all of our nosey desires, she even provides text receipts for us to read.

Expect to feel like you’re having your friend relay the truth about their toxic relationship post-break up and then celebrating them finally leaving that loser – Lily just gets us. 

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Gig Guide | Lily Allen at AO Arena, Manchester

Lily Allen returns to Manchester for two gigs at AO Arena. Credit: Henry Redcliffe

Lily Allen UK tour dates

  • 16 June – Newcastle Utilita Arena
  • 17 June – Glasgow OVO Hydro
  • 19 June – Manchester AO Arena
  • 20 June– Manchester AO Arena
  • 21 June – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
  • 23 June – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
  • 24 June – Cardiff Utilita Arena
  • 26 June – Birmingham BP Pulse Live
  • 27 June – London The O2
  • 30 June – Dublin 3Arena

Are there tickets left for Lily Allen at AO Arena?

Yes and it’d be a real ‘Shame For You’ to miss out on this one.

There’s a handful of seated tickets available for Friday 19 June at £88.35 each, as well as good availability of resale tickets.

On Saturday 20 June you can get seats for £49.85, £66.35, or £88.35, or standing tickets for £66.35 – see the latest HERE.

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Seriously, ‘What You Waiting For?’ – get it booked.

Support act for Lily Allen in Manchester

Lily’s gone for a rather novel support act on her West End Girl tour, which is proving to be quite a laugh at arenas so far.

She’s pulled in Dallas Minor Trio to warm up the crowds, a trio of cellists who perform a setlist of Lily Allen’s biggest hits from through the years.

And if that’s not enough, they put the lyrics on screen too, so it’s like a true karaoke moment.

Lily Allen setlist for 2026 tour

The show ‘Lily Allen Performs West End Girl‘ will see the singer/songwriter play her brand-new album in its entirety, in the order the songs appear on the record:

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  • West End Girl
  • Ruminating
  • Sleepwalking
  • Tennis
  • Madeline
  • Relapse
  • Pussy Palace
  • 4chan Stan
  • Nonmonogamummy
  • Just Enough
  • Dallas Major
  • Beg For Me
  • Let You W/In
  • Fruityloop

Stage times for Lily Allen at AO Arena, Manchester

Lily Allen has announced a gig at the AO Arena in Manchester. Credit: Charlie Denis
Lily Allen has announced a gig at the AO Arena in Manchester. Credit: Charlie Denis

These are the only times that are confirmed, but it’s expected that Lily Allen will be on stage around 9pm:

  • Doors open 6pm
  • Starts 7.50pm

Getting to AO Arena

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

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Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Getting there by car and parking

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The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.

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

Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)

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Audio North’s Artist of the Month – Aaron Dinning | June 2026

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Aaron Dinning is an indie-pop act whose songs span the highs and lows of relationships, and now he’s Audio North’s latest Artist of the Month.

Born in County Durham, studied in Leeds, and now the curator of a live music events organisation based in Manchester, Dinning sure knows a thing about northern music.

With hits to his name already like ’24’, ‘Look Who’s Holding The Gun Now!’, this queer musician is gearing up to release a deluxe edition of his sophomore EP Boys Become Men.

If his name feels familiar to you, that’s because it probably is, as Aaron Dinning has performed at a multitude of venues across the north – including Feel Good Club, Popup Bikes, and The Proud Place.

Now, Dinning chats to Audio North about his upbringing and music journey, as he accepts the title of Artist of the Month for June.

An interview with Aaron Dinning – Audio North’s Artist of the Month | June 2026

Aaron Dinning is making his mark in the Manchester music scene with his indie-pop tracks / Credit: Press Shots (Supplied)
Aaron Dinning is making his mark in the Manchester music scene with his indie-pop tracks / Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)

You were born in County Durham and now live in Manchester. How have those two places shaped you as an artist?

I think there’s such a contrast in the environment of those two places. Durham was so formative for me growing up, back then I didn’t have the autonomy to vocalise it but now I see Chester-Le-Street specifically as such a ‘small town mindset’ kind of place.

If I stayed at home, I would never be the artist I am today. That’s not to say that growing up somewhere like that isn’t just as important as the place which makes you feel accepted. You can’t have such a strong desire for one without a disdain for the other.

What does being a northern musician mean to you?

I think being northern, to me, just means breaking the mould and showing that if I can do it, anybody can. It means building my career on my own terms, it’s taught me to unapologetically be myself, on and off stage.

I always say that I want to write the songs I needed when I grew up because there was nobody like me from the North. Sometimes it still feels like I’m the only one too.

To me, if I can write a song, or put on a performance that resonates with a 15-year-old kid who’s still figuring out who they are or who they love, that’s the most fulfilling thing that can come from sharing my art.

This Northern talent is from Country Durham, studied in Leeds and is now based in Manchester / Credit: Press Shots (Supplied)
This Northern talent is from Country Durham, studied in Leeds and is now based in Manchester / Credit: Press Shots via Jack Garrod (Supplied)

The music industry can feel very London-centric at times. Have you found being based in the North to be an advantage or a challenge?

It’s a bit of both really. Yes, London is where the majority of the big names in music are, but in my mind, I always compare it to that scene in Baby Reindeer when the guy says ‘You find yourself a background artist in a cast of millions’ (niche).

I like that the industry isn’t as saturated as London up here, but I can see that changing in years to come. The North has always been where it’s at and truly where all these major labels should be looking for who’s up next because you might just find a gem like me waiting to be found.

Is there a northern artist who made you think, “If they can do it, so can I”?

Definitely Sam Fender. I know it’s a bit of a cliche nowadays, but I absolutely love him and he’s what I think of when it comes to a classic northern success story.

I’ve seen him six times and the last time at St James’ Park was a completely different calibre of show to when I saw him at Boiler Room in 2019 and paid fifteen quid for the ticket.

Me and him are completely different, but I imagine we had a similar sort of upbringing in the terms of characters we knew growing up in rougher areas. I feel like he cracked the mainstream so well with his first album and he’s only gotten better since. I’d want my first album to have the same kind of critical acclaim as his.

Dinning fuses his sexuality throughout his music, being an openly queer pop musician / Credit: Press Shots (Supplied)
Dinning fuses his sexuality throughout his music, being an openly queer pop musician / Credit: Press Shots via Tom Hargreaves (Supplied)

What made Manchester feel like the right place for the next chapter of your career?

I recorded my entire EP here whilst I was still living in Leeds with Toby Ollis Brownstone from the beginning of 2024. That year and a half which I spent travelling back and forth in Manchester made me love the city and loathe commuting.

I knew I wanted to move to Manchester when I got invited to play the Queer as F*ck open mic on Valentine’s Day in 2025. That was the first show I played accompanying myself on the guitar, I agreed to play three hours before doors and completely fumbled my way through the set.

The feeling of the room was like nothing I’d experienced before, to come to a show in another city I had never played in and feel so welcomed, at home and accepted by a room full of likeminded people, felt like a feeling I could only replicate in Manchester.

Has living in Manchester changed your songwriting at all?

Generally speaking, I’ve been playing guitar a lot more since moving here. I feel like there’s a naive fresh start that comes along with moving to new places and feeling like your life’s going to drastically change.

Becoming the Producer of SoFar Manchester helped me feel integrated and I’ve met so many cool people doing that job while spotlight my friends who are artists and bring them to the city that I fell in love with – It’s all very full circle.

I’ve brought Romy Taylor, Caitlin Doran, Sophie Green, and GRACEY over to play SoFar events and they’re all equally amazing creatives who are based in Leeds, like I once was.

The '24' singer has played gigs in unusual Manchester city centre locations like Popup Bikes in Ancoats / Credit: Press Shots (Supplied)
The ’24’ singer has played gigs in unusual Manchester city centre locations like Popup Bikes in Ancoats / Credit: Credit: Press Shots via Emily Atherton (Supplied)

What do you think Manchester does better than anywhere else when it comes to music?

I think Manchester is such a hot pot of different styles and genres. I think the thing it does best is spotlight LGBTQ+ artists. Not just in music, but drag is somewhere I look to when I think of performance, and the queens in the village are truly a sign of resilience and individuality.

I’ve had more shows just for being queer in Manchester than anywhere else I’ve lived, there’s so many freelance creatives, charities and gig promoters who are looking out for LGBTQ+ artists to celebrate, even making entire lineups out of us.

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Featured Images – The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)

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Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave

Danny Jones Danny Jones NBHD Music fest lineup Manchester city centre 2026

Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.

Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.

However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.

Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.

As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.

Especially for us Mancs.

With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.

That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.

We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.

For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…

It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.

We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.

Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.

Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.

And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.

Review | We need NBHD Weekender every year – and so does the North West
Such a great duo.

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Featured Images — Anthony Mooney Photography (supplied via SJM Concerts)

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