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Drake announces two HUGE Manchester gigs… and they’re next month

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Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 3rd June 2025

Talk about last minute, Drake has just announced he’ll be coming to Manchester for two huge gigs this summer.

Yes, that’s right – he’s literally here next month.

You may remember that on Valentine’s Day, the GRAMMY award-winning and multi-platinum global artist Drake teamed up with fellow Canadian rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR to release their collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, and now to celebrate the release, the duo are making their highly anticipated return to the UK and Europe.

The arena tour, aptly named ‘$ome$pecial $hows 4 UK’, will kick off on 20 and 21 July at Birmingham Utilita Arena, before Drake comes to visit us Mancs shortly after.

The Toronto rapper will be taking to the stage at Manchester‘s newest live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, following three nights of headlining Wireless Festival at London’s Finsbury Park.

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The tour will then continue across Europe, with stops in Munich, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and more, all before wrapping up on 23 September in Hamburg at Barclays Arena. 

The tour marks Drake’s first return to Europe and the UK in six years, following his 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour.

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$ome $pecial $hows 4 UK 2025 dates:

  • Sunday 20 & Monday 21 July – Utilita Arena, Birmingham
  • Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July 25 – Co-op Live, Manchester

Throughout 2023 and 2024, Drake completed his monumental sold-out 80-date It’s All A Blur Tour across North America, featuring special guests 21 Savage and J. Cole.

Breaking more records along the way, Wireless announced Drake as the 2025 headliner for all three nights, each featuring unique setlists and special guests, and the festival sold out within minutes – which is the fastest sell-out in its 20-year history. 

Drake will be at Co-op Live on Friday 25 and Saturday 26 July, and in true last-minute fashion tickets go on sale in the pre-sales tomorrow (4 June), before general on sale begins this Friday 6 June.

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You can get tickets when they go on sale here.

Or, if you’re feeling a bit fancy, you can have a look at some VIP tickets and packages through SeatUnique here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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Barry Can’t Swim books huge headline show at The Warehouse Project with unbelievable supports

Danny Jones Danny Jones Barry Can't Swim WHP tickets

It’s another big win for dance and electronic fans in Manchester as the beloved Barry Can’t Swim has been announced as part of the WHP25 programme, revealing a massive headline show.

The Edinburgh-born beat-maker, producer and solo artist has played Manchester before, he’s even played The Warehouse Project before, but nothing quite like this.

Confirming not just his own twin performance, with a full live show and an accompanying DJ set, but nothing short of an incredible lineup of support acts, this event could very well be the best night of the 2025 WHP calendar already.

Not only is ‘Everything Is Going To Be Alright’, it’s going to be bloody brilliant.

Undoubtedly one of Scotland’s biggest music exports in recent years, Barry Can’t Swim – real name, Joshua Spence Mainnie – was one of several acts who absolutely smashed Warehouse Project last year.

Having been shortlisted for the recent Mercury Prize, earned a nomination for Best Dance Act at the 2024 BRITs, being named DJ Mag’s ‘Breakthrough Producer’ award and winning ‘Best Dance Album’ for his most recent record, When Will We Land?, it’s been a great 18 months or so for him.

As it happens, his debut LP was one of our most played on Spotify and favourite albums of the year, full stop, so we were delighted when we got to see his curated show at Depot Mayfield back in November.

Now he’s set to come back to one of Manchester city centre’s leading nightlife venues for one of his biggest and most ambitious sets.

To be honest, with the other names already confirmed as joining him, this is essentially shaping up to be an ultimate club event for us.

That’s right, as well as Barry Can’t Swim‘s own impressive credentials, there is plenty more pedigree on show as part of the second curated evening, with the likes of Chloé Caillet, Prospa, firm favourites Jayda G and DJ Seinfeld, as well as Ross From Friends presents Bubble Love.

Better still, there’ll also be a special ‘b3b’ set (how many times have you seen that?) featuring Etiénne de Crécy, Cassius and DJ Falcon.

Set to land at WHP Manchester on 21 November, Barry Can’t Swim general admission goes live at 10am this Friday, however, pre-sale is available via the venue and for anyone who pre-orders his sophomore studio album, Loner, set to release on 11 July.

You can see the full 2025 WHP lineup online and get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

barry can't swim whp manchester lineup
Barry Can’t Swim headline dates are not to be missed – especially in Manchester and certainly not at WHP (Credit: Annika Wallis)

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Featured Images — Annika Wallis (supplied)/Audio North

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Benson Boone has announced a headline gig in Manchester – and it’s a big one

Danny Jones Danny Jones Benson Boone Manchester gig tickets

American pop sensation and unrivalled king of unnecessary front flips, Benson Boone, has just announced his first-ever headline Manchester arena gig as part of a new arena tour.

The solo artist and acrobatic chart-topper has seen a meteoric rise in the US and, as is usually the case across the Atlantic, he’s become increasingly popular over here too.

Benson may have performed here in Manchester before as part of the 2024 MTV EMAs and for a small show at The Deaf Institute, but now big fans have the added Boone of getting to watch a standalone show at one of Europe’s leading indoor entertainment venues.

Announced on Friday, 30 May, the 22-year-old will be making his way across the pond from Washington for a limited run of UK concerts, with a date at Co-op Live arena being one of just five dates.

Extending his ‘American Heart Tour’ ahead of the release of his eponymous sophomore record, with this autumn leg, Co-op Live will mark his individual visit to 0161.

The Grammy-nominated artist has earned several nods of recognition already for his first album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, which was released just last spring.

He has been described as among the current trend of male singers who fit into the American Idol and ‘Voice audition pop’ genre (a term recently coined online), along with the likes of Teddy Swims, Shawn Mendes, Alex Warren and others.

Regardless of the slightly tongue-in-cheek term, he’s become a huge hit around the world and landing him is still a big coup for the venue that has already welcomed similarly massive pop contemporaries like Swims, Sabrina Carpenter, Olivia Rodrigo and more.

In case you’re wondering just how big a deal he is over in the States, even this early in his career, his domestic headline dates sold out in seconds, quite literally…

The last time he visited Co-op Live was to perform at the most recent MTV EMAs

Benson Boone is coming to Manchester on Monday, 27 October and will be playing just two other British venues: The O2 in London (two nights) and the Utilita Arena in Birmingham.

Safe to say you don’t want to miss this one if you like soaring vocals and lots of flipping.

General admission tickets go live at 10am on Thursday, 5 June, but Co-op Members can gain access via the arena’s official pre-sale window from the same time on Tuesday (3 Jun).

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

We’re pretty excited by the pending arrival of another trending pop name very soon as well.

The UK’s 2025 Eurovision act Remember Monday has announced a Manchester gig

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Featured Images — Press Shots/Audio North

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