Liam Fray has announced he’ll be playing a special one-off acoustic Christmas gig here in Manchester this December.
The Middleton-born musician has, of course, made his name by being the frontman of Manchester indie rock band, Courteeners, for nearly two decades now – but more recently, he’s also been going solo too, and has been performing some special unplugged acoustic sets to hundreds of adoring fans.
And in just a few weeks time, he’ll be returning to his home city to do just that once again.
The 38-year-old will be taking to the stage at one of Manchester’s best-loved music venues for one night only in the lead-up to Christmas.
But many will remember that his last show in our city, however, was a sold-out headline gig at Heaton Park back in June of this year, where a whopping 50,000 indie rock fans all came together to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Courteeners’ debut album St. Jude.
St. Jude ended up going straight to the top of the UK Album Charts when it was re-released in January this year, which made Courteeners only the third band to hit number one with a reissue after The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.
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Liam Fray has announced one-off acoustic Christmas gig in Manchester / Credit:
So now, to round-out what has clearly been a successful year, Fray has announced one last live show.
He’ll be performing a one-off acoustic Christmas set at Albert Hall in Manchester city centre on Sunday 17 December, with tickets set to go on sale this Friday (27 October).
Interview | Chatting with Tim Burgess before he chats to Mancunians on their doorstep
Danny Jones
In case you hadn’t heard, local music legend Tim Burgess is coming back to the AO Arena right here in Manchester this February for another intimate evening following the success of his last visit.
Set to include not only an interview but live stripped-back performances as well as Q&A, it’s your chance to see one of our region’s most famous musical sons up close and personal.
Returning for a candid and eye-opening sitdown with local DJ and radio host and Northern music champion, Chris Hawkins, it’s sure to be a special night.
Before posting up in The Mezz (which you can still grab tickets for), we had the honour of interviewing Salford’s very own Tim Burgess ourselves. Here’s what he had to say ahead of the event…
So you’ve returned to the AO again for another intimate gig. What do you love most about these smaller, conversational evenings compared to traditional gigs?
“Live events just have a connection with an audience that no remote link, AI or recording could ever match. From arriving and running through a soundcheck, meeting the arena team and catching up with Chris Hawkins, it all builds up to when the audience comes in.
“Chris and I don’t plan what he’s going to ask, so it’s all on the spot – nothing’s recorded, so you never know what might get said.
“Chris is a fantastic interviewer, and I get to meet everyone over the merch table at the end; I don’t get that at a Charlatans show – they are brilliant, and the tour we did in December was a brilliant experience for all of us.
“Maybe I prefer my bandmates being there when it comes to playing the songs, but it’s a chance for an audience to hear them in a way that they probably haven’t heard them before.
For anyone who hasn’t been to a Q&A-Sides show before, how would you describe the experience?
It’s a brilliantly informal night out – the chance to hear some of the stories behind the songs and 35 years’ worth of recording and touring adventures – plus a few songs with me and a guitar, and maybe a harmonica involved too.
“I’ve chatted to lots of people after the shows, and they always say it was a fantastic insight and that they loved the songs – then I realise they’re talking to me and they’d probably just say that anyway.”
Are there any particular songs that really shine in this stripped-back setting?
“You get to hear them as many of them were written. Particularly, the songs that Mark [Collins] and I came up with – it would usually just be me singing and him with an acoustic guitar, so it’s back to how they originally sounded.
“I’ve got quite a back catalogue of songs I’ve learned, so I’ll maybe keep them a bit secret. Suffice to say, there will be a few Charlatans’ classics, absolutely.”
When you look back on your career so far, are there any moments that feel especially meaningful to share in a setting like this?
“Our audience has grown up with us – lots were teenagers when we started, and I was in my early twenties. We’ve shared moments of grief, triumph, elation and tragedy – it’s just that ours were done in the cauldron of touring and recording with sometimes the eyes of the world on us.
“At times, it’s not been easy, but life will have been tough for our fans too. Chris is brilliant at making it seem like it’s just the two of us, and nothing is off limits – then you might say something funny and two hundred people laugh, and you snap back to realising it’s not the two of us talking in a pub.”
You’ve met and worked with so many iconic artists – are there any stories that always get a great reaction when you tell them live?
“I suppose there are some fairly iconic times – lots of people in the audience would have been at Knebworth when we played there with Oasis. Our situation was made all the more poignant as Rob Collins had died shortly before the show, and we weren’t even sure if we would play.
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“It was a real existential moment for us – then there are funny stories of doing Top Of The Pops with a dressing room opposite The Smurfs. A lot has happened in those three and a half decades…
Being a Salford lad yourself, what do you think it is that makes a Manchester crowd so special?
I’m biased, but up until the band started, all my greatest moments happened in and around Manchester, and I was part of that crowd, whether watching [Man] United, seeing a band or losing yourself on the dancefloor of a club.
There’s a sense of feeling at home – there’s a BIG, beautiful world out there, and maybe we won’t tell the Midlands contingent in The Charlatans, but Manchester is always a homecoming for us.
Once again, if you fancy grabbing a last-minute ticket for ‘Tim Burgess – Live and In Conversation’ on Sunday, 8 February, there are still a few available.
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The show starts from 7pm, and you can secure your seat right HERE.
Northern veterans Embrace announce new album and special UK anniversary tour
Danny Jones
Northern rock veterans Embrace have announced a new album, as well as a raft of landmark anniversary tour dates in the UK, including a big Manchester gig.Guess you could call it ‘A Glorious Day’…
In all seriousness, we’re big fans of Embrace here at Audio North, and a lot of people across the wider team grew up listening to these lot, either through our parents or as part of our first adolescent forays into music.
Often lumped in with so-called ‘dad rock’, perhaps due to the era and radio-friendly sound they’ve cultivated over the course of their long and successful, albeit somewhat underdog career, it’s merely a sign of their longevity and how palatable their brand of alternative guitar-driven tunes has always been.
LP number nine – simply entitled Avalanche – will be no different, we’re sure.
Pre-order ‘Avalanche’ from our official store for priority access to pre-sale tickets for the tour 👉 https://t.co/LZwz3o7xY5 or link in bio ☝🏻
UK Tour Pre-sale: 4 Feb UK Tour General sale: 6 Feb
Well, the record itself is set to be a highly personal one, according to a recent interview with Clash Magazine, but the boys have always put plenty of themselves into their long-running discography.
As per an official press release, frontman Danny McNamara believes this might be more “honest, open, and raw” than anything they’ve done before.
This being their first new material since 2022, when the band released How to Be a Person Like Other People (album number eight, which recieved largley positive reviews for being similarly introspective), die-hards are understandably hugely excited, with pre-orders already flying.
The Bailiff Bridge-born band were praised on that last outing for returning to something closer to their classic post-Britpop sound, and judging by the latest release, ‘Road to Nowhere’, we’re getting more of that familiar style that fans have grown so fond of over the decades.
Speaking of which, the Embrace boys are celebrating 30 years as a touring band in 2026: an incredible feat for any artist, but we’re always especially proud of those from up North.
Confirming the full news via social media on Wednesday, 28 January, the well-established and long-running Yorkshire group revealed a healthy run of live tour dates for this winter.
Listing a run of a dozen dates in total, Embrace comes to Manchester Academy (1) in mid-November, with Newcastle being the other northernmost show in England.
Surprisingly, there are currently venues booked in their home county, but you may well see special shows announced there in addition to the first batch of 30th anniversary gigs. You can see the full list of tour dates announced down below.
Embrace 30th anniversary UK tour dates 2026
Aberdeen Music Hall – Monday, 9
Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom – 10 Tuesday, 10
Newcastle NX – Thursday, 12
Manchester O2 Academy – Saturday, 14
Nottingham Rock City – Sunday, 15
Brighton Dome – Tues, 17
Bristol Beacon – Thurs, 19
London Roundhouse – Friday, 20
Birmingham O2 Academy – Sat, 21
Cambridge Corn Exchange – Sun, 22
Margate Dreamland – Tues, 24
Torquay Arena – Thurs, 26
Southampton O2 Guildhall – Fri, 27
Cardiff Tramshed – Sat, 28
As for those of you looking to watch them in the city centre, early access will be granted to those pre-ordering the album, which drops on 12 June, from Wednesday, 4 February. General sale tickets will be available the following Friday (6 Feb) at 10am.
You can get ready to grab your tickets for the upcoming Embrace gig at Manchester Academy when they go live right HERE.
Meanwhile, you can hear the band’s new single, which is already becoming a fan favourite Embrace song, in full down below – let us know what you think of it in the comments.
Emily Sergeant -
24th October 2023 
