It may not be the place you’d expect, but actual Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe is heading to Warrington for a gig.
In fact, would you even expect to hear that actual Oscar-winning actor Russell Crowe has ventured into music professionally in the first place? It’s the first we’re hearing of it, but it’s true – the massively-celebrated star of Gladiator, A Beautiful Mind, The Insider,Les Misérables, and so much more is touring the UK with his live band this summer.
And, for some reason, he’s chosen Warrington as one of the places he’s stopping off at.
Manchester‘s music scene is undoubtedly world-famous, and most global artists will make a concerted effort to step on the stage in our city as part of the touring schedules, but the same cannot definitely cannot be said for the neighbouring Warrington.
At least Russell Crowe’s set to, quite-rightly, show some love to the Cheshire town this summer though, as he heads out on his ‘Indoor Garden Party’ tour of the UK and Ireland in July.
After first kicking things off in the Irish capital of Dublin at the prestigious Gaiety Theatre, Russell and his band of talented live instrumentalists – whose relationships with the actor-turned-musician all go back 30 years – will be making their way over to the fellow northern city of Leeds, Inverness in Scotland, and of course, London at the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire.
They’ll be entertaining crowds here in the North West at Warrington’s Parr Hall on Thursday 4 July 2024, and tickets are set to go on general sale this week.
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Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party 2024 Tour Dates
Monday 1 July – Gaiety Theatre (Dublin)
Thursday 4 July – Parr Hall (Warrington)
Wednesday 24 July – O2 Shepherds Bush Empire (London)
Thursday 25 July – Brudenell Social Club (Leeds)
Friday 26 July – Eden Court (Inverness)
Irish singer Lorraine O’Reilly will also be joining Russell and his band The Gentleman Barbers as they head across the UK and Ireland this summer.
Russell Crowe is throwing a big ‘garden party’ gig in Warrington this summer / Credit: Russell Crowe (via Instagram)
Russell’s ‘Indoor Garden Party’ concept started all the way back in 2009 outside a pub in London, but this is the first time he’s bringing it back on the road in our country again since 2017.
What exactly is an ‘Indoor Garden Party’ though? Well, according to Russell himself, it’s “an event, a band, a happening. It’s fluid. The personnel changes, but it’s always big. It’s like a festival where I gather people I admire, musicians and storytellers, and we put on a show.”
Tickets to all 2024 UK and Ireland dates of Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party – including Warrington – go on general sale this Friday 8 March, with prices starting at £45 each.
James Arthur to play massive Manchester show on UK arena tour next year
Emily Sergeant
James Arthur is the latest act to announce a massive UK arena tour, and he’ll be paying a visit to Manchester next year.
On the day that Manchester’s newest live entertainment arena,Co-op Live, is set to welcome one of the world’s current biggest pop star, Sabrina Carpenter, another major pop act is set to take to that very same stage around this time next year, as James Arthur has today announced a huge arena tour.
The former X Factor winner is heading out on an 11-date tour of the UK in early 2026, and that includes a visit to our city in mid February.
After performing in some of the UK’s biggest cities in the days prior – including London’s O2, the bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham, and shows in other northern cities such as Sheffield and Liverpool – the will 37-year-old singer-songwriter will stop off Manchester to close out his impressive tour.
He’ll be performing at Co-op Live on Saturday 21 February 2026.
The announcement of next year’s UK tour next year’s coincides with the upcoming release of Arthur’s highly-anticipated next studio album, PISCES.
In recent years, Arthur has cemented himself as one of the biggest names in contemporary pop and soul, amassing 11 Platinum hit singles, more 38 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and two UK number one albums along the way – including his most recent release, Bitter Sweet Love, which was celebrated with a sold-out UK and Europe arena tour, culminating in a historic performance in his hometown of Middlesbrough to an audience of 25,000 fans.
James Arthur UK arena tour dates 2025
3 February – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
4 February – Glasgow OVO Hydro
6 February – Newcastle Utilita Arena
7 February – Aberdeen P&J Live
10 February – Birmingham bp pulse LIVE
11 February – Bournemouth International Centre
13 February – Sheffield Utilita Arena
14 February – Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
16 February – Cardiff Utilita Arena
18 February – London The O2
21 February – Manchester Co-op Live
James Arthur is playing a massive Manchester show on his UK arena tour next year / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
With the upcoming release of PISCES on 25 April, Arthur is said to be ‘diving deeper into his personal struggles’ to create a collection of songs that is ‘as introspective as it is sonically adventurous’.
Tickets to James Arthur’s 2026 UK arena tour, including the Manchester Co-op Live gig on Saturday 21 February, go on pre-sale next Wednesday 19 March at 9am, and then on general sale on Friday 21 February at 9am.
Find out more and get tickets when they go on sale here.
Featured Image – Wikimedia Commons
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Popular Manchester comedy festival returns with impressive lineup of local talent and ‘cult sensations’
Emily Sergeant
A popular comedy festival is returning to our city with yet another impressive lineup of local talent and ‘cult sensations’.
That’s right… some of the UK’s best comedy names are coming to Manchester.
Following the success of events held the last two years, renowned production company, A Lovely Time, has once again put together an absolutely jam-packed lineup of television names, internet sensations, hotly-tipped newcomers, and even critically-acclaimed comedians for a weekend full of comedy shows in the heart of the city centre.
Taking place at Fairfield Social Club – which is tucked away down at the Green Quarter – the weekend-long festival, aptly called A Lovely Weekend, will kick off on Friday 6 June.
You can expect three full days of laughter at the hands of an expertly-curated lineup, who’ll mostly be staging ‘work in progress’ shows and sets.
Popular comedy festival A Lovely Weekend is returning to Manchester this summer / Credit: Kristyna Baczyna | Caro Ferretti
This year’s festival is bringing 19 new shows to the mix, including the likes of Edinburgh Comedy Award winners John Kearns and Jordan Brookes, and local talent done-good Rachel Fairburn and Josh Jones, as well rising stars Sharon Wanjohi, Ayoade Bamgboye, and Molly McGuinness.
Plus, you can also catch cult sensations like Mark Silcox and the formidable Frankie Monroe, making for a truly unmissable weekend of comedy.
“It’s such an honour to bring this amazing lineup of comedians to Manchester, which is quickly becoming the most exciting city for comedy in the UK,” commented festival organiser John Stansfield ahead of this summer’s event.
Co-organiser Chris Cantrill, who is also a comedian himself, added: “As a comedy fan I have to say I cannot wait for this year’s festival. It feels positively decadent.”
A Lovely Weekend 2025 will take over Fairfield Social Club from Friday 6 – Sunday 8 June, and tickets are on sale now – with tickets to individual shows, and specific day and weekend-long passes all available to get your hands on.
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2024 
