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.
There’s a big listening party for Taylor Swift’s new album happening in Manchester this week
Emily Sergeant
One of the biggest, if not the biggest, popstars in the world right now will be releasing a brand-new album this Friday, and there’s a dedicated listening party happening in Manchester especially for the occasion.
In case you aren’t a Swiftie, or you just generally weren’t aware, Taylor Swift announced back in early February that she would be unleashing her eleventh studio album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, on the world on 19 April.
Just like anything the 34-year-old singer-songwriter does, the surprise announcement of the new album – which is a follow-up to her 2022 critically-acclaimed and GRAMMY award-winning album, Midnights – pretty much broke the internet when it happened, and her dedicated fans have been counting down the days ever since.
Now, after months of eagerly waiting, the big day is finally happening this Friday, and in a bid to properly mark what a massive day it will be, one popular Manchester venue has decided to host a dedicated listening party, so that Swifties can unite under one roof and celebrate the special occasion together.
Fairfield Social Club (FSC) which has recently opened its doors in the heart of Manchester city centre, is inviting fans to “gather with your closest Swifties” and head on down to its Green Quarter venue this Friday for a night that’s “dedicated to Tay Tay and her legacy”.
Not only will you get to hear The Tortured Poets Department in full from start to finish surrounded by dozens of fellow fans, but there’ll also be a bunch of other Swift-themed activities too.
There’s a big Taylor Swift new album listening party happening in Manchester this week / Credit: FSC
These include a Taylor Swift pub quiz with questions to all about her life and groundbreaking career to test your knowledge, friendship bracelet-making sessions, and just the chance to share the love and swap stories with other Swifties.
If all of that didn’t sound brilliant enough as it is, there’s also set to be a selection of themed cocktails to sip whilst you spend time ruminating on what Taylor meant in the lyrics of her songs only released a few hours prior.
Oh, and the best bit? FSC promises there “won’t be a Scooter Braun in sight” on the night.
The Tortured Poets Department Listening Party is taking over Fairfield Social Club this Friday 19 April from 7pm right through until 10pm – with tickets now on sale setting you back just £6 each, and already selling fast.
Smash-hit musical Kinky Boots starring Strictly’s Johannes Radebe is coming to Manchester next year
Emily Sergeant
Smash-hit musical Kinky Boots is heading out on a tour of the UK next year, and the talented cast will be stopping off here in Manchester.
The Broadway and West End phenomenon, which is based on a true story and is an adaptation of a 2005 film of the same name, has become known and loved by musical theatre fans all across the globe since its stage debut back in 2012, and has scooped up several Tonys, Olivier Awards, and GRAMMYs along the way.
And now, it’s set for a revival starring Strictly Come Dancing‘s Johannes Radebe, and the production will be touring the UK and Ireland from January 2025.
Kinky Boots The Musical features a score by Cyndi Lauper and a book by Harvey Fierstein, and this new production will be directed by Artistic Director, Nikolai Foster – who has famously helmed productions of The Wizard of Oz and Billy Elliot, to name a few – as well as starring the fan-favourite Strictly pro as Lola, alongside and rising star Dan Partridge as Charlie Price.
Smash-hit musical Kinky Boots starring Strictly’s Johannes Radebe is coming to Manchester / Credit: Ollies Rosser (via Supplied)
In case you’re unfamiliar with the Kinky Boots story, here’s brief rundown.
After inheriting his family’s failing shoe factory and with a relationship on the rocks, life is proving to be very challenging for Charlie Price, but that is until he meets Lola – a drag queen whose “sparkle and unsteady heels” might just hold the answer to saving the struggling business.
The 2025 revival production is already being billed as “guaranteed to raise you up” and “celebrate everybody’s individuality” when it arrives here in Manchester next February.
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Kinky Boots The Musical, is strutting back to Manchester in a new production starring Strictly Come Dancing’s Johannes Radebe and rising star Dan Partridge.
“Kinky Boots is one of the things I’m proudest of in my career,” commented Cyndi Lauper, on the musicals return to the road across the UK.
“I’m so excited that audiences will get to see it again, in a new production, as it’s like a happy pill, and we could all use some of that right now, so I can’t think of a better time or place to relaunch this special show in its place of origin.”
Emily Sergeant -
5th March 2024 
