Niall Horan is the latest headliner to be announced as part of the Co-op Live’s massive opening season next year.
As Manchester‘s newest – and soon-to-be the UK’s largest – live entertainment arena nears closer and closer than ever to officially opening its doors and welcoming visitors, with a huge launch season that’s already jam-packed full of events, Co-op Live has today confirmed the next two music acts set to grace its stage.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Global music superstar @NiallOfficial joins us as part of his "The Show – Live On Tour" run. https://t.co/zB2nxXa4Nz@coopuk Members to get first in line access to tickets.
The former member of boyband One Direction, turned chart-topping solo singer, is already playing the city’s current biggest stage, the AO Arena, on 5 March 2024 – but tickets for that absolutely flew off the shelves, and the show is now sold out.
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Luckily, the Irishman’s planned to pay our city another visit.
Following on from the release of his third studio album, The Show, back in June, Niall is heading out on a global tour in 2024 to celebrate, and he’s set to stop off at the Co-op Live on 27 August.
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The Show – Live On Tour 2024 is the 29-year-old’s biggest tour of his solo career, and his first headline run since 2018’s Flicker World Tour.
Horan is set to performing songs from all three of his solo albums.
Throughout 2024, he’ll play more than 30 shows in arenas right across mainland Europe, and North America in both the US and Canada.
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Niall Horan has been announced as the latest Co-op Live headliner / Credit: Niall Horan (via Instagram)
“My favourite thing in the world is being on tour,” Niall said ahead of 2024’s tour.
“Performing my songs for my fans and sharing those incredible moments together are the reason why I write music in the first place, and this is going to be my best tour yet so I cannot wait to see all you “lovers” on the road in 2024.
“There’s nothing better than watching the crowd sing back to you with all that emotion on their faces and knowing that they’re attaching the song to something meaningful in their own lives.
“To me, that’s always the greatest thing that can ever come from songwriting.”
Once again, as part of the highly-anticipated £365 million venue’s “pioneering” partnership, Co-op members will get the chance to gain early access to tickets through a designated presale on Wednesday 6 September at 10am, all before the general sale takes place.
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General sale tickets are available through Co-op Live from Friday 8 September at 10am, and you can grab them here.
Beloved comedy stage play The Full Monty to return to Manchester for iconic film’s 30th anniversary
Emily Sergeant
Beloved comedy stage play The Full Monty is heading on a UK tour next year, and will be stopping off here in Manchester.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the iconic British film of the same name, which was released to the world back in 1997, a major national tour of The Full Monty will kick off next year, and will be taking to one of Manchester‘s most famous stages in the spring.
Described as being ‘fast-paced and irresistibly funny’, Simon Beaufoy’s heartfelt play tells the story of an ordinary group of men who are striving to reclaim their dignity and pride.
The film may be turning 30 years old next year, but the play remains as strikingly relevant today as it ever has, especially resonating powerfully in an era that is marked, once again, by an unfortunate cost of living crisis.
Audiences will get to watch as Gaz and his mates find themselves down on their luck, cast aside, and underestimated, but ultimately determined to fight back… even if it means revealing more about themselves than they ever imagined (wink wink).
Celebrating the 30th Anniversary of the iconic film, The Full Monty is back by popular demand and the boys are returning to The Opera House!
ATG+ Presale 👉 Wed 11 Mar 10am Groups Presale 👉 Wed 11 Mar 12pm General Sale 👉 Thu 12 Mar 10am
“A lot has changed in Britain since The Full Monty appeared thirty years ago,” Oscar-winning screenwriter Simon Beaufoy said.
“What hasn’t changed is our need for laughter, compassion and dignity. I’m so delighted the Monty Men are back on the road with all their flaws, jokes and wobbly bits, bringing a bit of much-needed joy to audiences once again.”
So, what can audiences expect? Well, the production will deliver a ‘rollercoaster of laughter and heartbreak’, as crowds are invited to relive the iconic music of the 90s cheering on this unforgettable group of lads as they prepare to put on the show of their lives.
The Full Monty will take to the iconic Manchester Opera House stage from Monday 5 through to Saturday 10 April 2027, as well as dates in other northern cities like Sheffield, Bradford, Liverpool, York, and Glasgow, alongside many more major UK locations.
Casting is set to be announced soon so keep your eyes peeled.
But in the meantime, tickets are set to go on sale in March – with pre-sales starting on Wednesday 11 March, and general sale starting the day after (Thursday 12 March), both at 10am, and you can get your hands on them here.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Wigan favourites Stanleys release first single ahead of debut album next year
Danny Jones
Fast-rising Wigan band Stanleys have dropped the lead single from their debut album, which is finally on its way and will be coming sometime next year.
Entitled ‘Pass The Time’, the Stanleys’ latest outing arrived on Friday, 20 February, and while there’s still no specific release date for the first-ever full-length LP, we do know it’s coming at some point in 2027.
To simply label it as more catchy indie would be a disservice to the craft and graft these lads have put in: this is definitely a step forward and in a slightly different direction, with an even more guitar-driven feel and an extra bit of gruff about it compared to previous Stanleys material.
Our only minor complaint is that we wish it lasted a little longer – we want MORE.
An energetic two-and-a-half-minute track that we can already see becoming a fan favourite, it’s one we’re looking forward to hearing in the flesh.
We’ve caught the Stanleys boys live a few times now, both here in Manchester city centre and at their sold-out show in Wigan as part of The Monaco relaunch, as well as at the likes of Kendal Calling festival in recent years.
Safe to say, they never disappoint, and neither do their growing crowd of die-hards.
With lyrics touching on not just the passing of time but also that sense of youthful ambition and how it fluctuates with age, it feels like one of those defiant indie rallying cries we grew up listening to in our own adolescence, and it definitely has plenty of energy to it.
Both The Manc and our wider Audio North team had the pleasure of chatting with them back in November 2024, and you can tell they have big plans to take on not just the local music scene but the UK and beyond.
The release of ‘Pass The Time’ comes almost a year on from their last song, ‘Out the Door’: a similarly fast-run song, albeit with a different vibe.
Positioned as part of Wigan’s next generation of new bands and artists, Stanleys are clearly looking to keep developing as musicians, and if tunes like these are anything to go by, then we can’t wait for their first full record.
They’re also going to be playing a night here in Manchester city centre and beloved grassroots venue, Night and Day, this April; you can grab tickets HERE.
So get adding it to your Spotify playlists, watching the music video, and maybe we’ll see you at the gig.
Emily Sergeant -
1st September 2023 
