Snoop Dogg has announced a massive gig at the AO Arena in Manchester in 2023 as he finally reconfirms tour dates.
The legendary rapper was meant to perform here in 2020 but had to move it due to the pandemic, and then pushed his show back again earlier this year.
But now his UK and Ireland tour is all set for next spring, with some huge names coming on tour with him – including Xzibit as a special guest for England and Scotland.
Also joining the tour will be West Coast hip hop royalty Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, Obie Trice and D12, plus Irish rap duo Versatile.
With more than 25 years under his belt in his rap career, Snoop Dogg (previously known as Snoop Doggy Dogg and, briefly, Snoop Lion) will be performing from his massive collection of 19 solo studio albums and five collaborative albums at the AO Arena.
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His singles have included Drop It Like It’s Hot with Pharrell, Gin and Juice, and What’s My Name?, collaborating with the likes of 2Pac, Miley Cyrus, Bruno Mars, Stevie Wonder and Drake over the course of his career.
He was first discovered by Dr Dre in the early 1990s, and his debut album Doggystyle (produced by Dre himself) climbed straight to the top of the Billboard hip-hop charts.
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Now, he has the distinction for having the most Grammy nominations of any music artist— 17 to date – without having won one.
His success has spilled onto the screen too, with appearances in films like Starsky & Hutch and Training Day.
He’s also the face of that inescapably catchy Just Eat advert…
It’s been nearly eight years since Jordan Stephens and Harley Sulé, otherwise known as iconic British duo Rizzle Kicks, released music together and played to audiences of adoring fans nationwide, instead favouring acting and other solo projects in the meantime – but now, the pair is drawing their indefinite hiatus to a close and heading out on a UK tour in 2025.
The duo, which has sold more than one million singles and 600,000 albums in the UK, is set to peform their first headline show in nearly a decade at London’s iconic KOKO in Camden next month, before they hit the road.
The highly sought-after London show sold out in less than a minute, so it’s expected that eager Greater Manchester fans will also quickly snap up tickets to see the duo’s first tour when they go on sale later this week.
Rizzle Kicks will be arriving in Manchester and taking to the beloved O2 Ritz stage in March 2025, as well as headlining other major cities like Birmingham and Brighton.
Rizzle Kicks – UK Tour Dates 2025
Wednesday 19 March – O2 Ritz, Manchester
Friday 21 March – O2 Institute, Birmingham
Saturday 22 March – O2 Forum Kentish Town, London
Friday 16 May – Brighton Dome
The pair returned in style with comeback single ‘Javelin’ being released this past summer, and have now followed on with this continuation of their mature and evolved sound with new track ‘Gumdrops’ – which offers a nuanced discussion about masculinity and lad culture.
Both singles are taken from a forthcoming, as-yet-untitled, project that sees Rizzle Kicks return to the pop music space sober, in love, and equipped with life lessons, self awareness, and a maturity they’ve built on separately, while still retaining their sense of humour and humanity that sets them apart from other artists.
Rizzle Kicks will perform take to the O2 Ritz stage in Manchester on Wednesday 19 March 2025, and tickets will go on general sale from this Thursday (10 October) at 10am.
World-renowned Matilda The Musical is coming to Manchester on its major UK tour
Emily Sergeant
The world-renowned Matilda The Musical is set to head out on a major tour of the UK and Ireland from next year.
And, of course, it’ll be stopping off here in Manchester.
It has been announced today that the Royal Shakespeare Company’s smash-hit musical production, which is based on Roald Dahl’s beloved book of the same name, will embark on its second tour of the UK and Ireland in October 2025, and this includes a special four-week run at Manchester’s iconic Palace Theatre.
The critically-acclaimed musical has been seen by 12 million people across 100 cities around the world since it first debuted, and it continues to play to packed houses in London’s West End and on Broadway each week.
Maggots, it's time to be REVOLTING! 🦎@TheRSC's Matilda The Musical is heading back on tour across the UK and Ireland from Oct 2025, returning to a venue near you.
The beloved production about a determined heroine with a vivid imagination has won more than 100 global awards – including 24 for Best Musical.
Written by Dennis Kelly, with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, and developed and directed by Matthew Warchus, the show will be celebrating its 15-year anniversary when it heads out on its UK tour towards the end of next year.
It’ll be opening at Leicester Curve in October, before travelling to other major cities like Bradford, Liverpool, Plymouth, Sunderland, Edinburgh, and of course, Manchester – where it’ll run through March and April 2026.
The cast of Matilda The Musical on stage in the West End / Credit: Manuel Harlan
“When we first started working on the show, our aim was to make a lovely little jewel of a musical for the RSC’s Courtyard Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon,” explained composer and lyricist, Tim Minchin. “We never imagined that all these years later it would still be running in the West End, have been made into a film, and is now about to embark on its second tour of the UK and Ireland.
“I’m deeply proud of Matilda The Musical, and every single talented person who continues to work on it with passion and enthusiasm.”
The cast of Matilda The Musical on stage in the West End / Credit: Manuel Harlan
Matilda The Musical will be on stage at Manchester Palace Theatre from Thursday 26 March – Saturday 25 April 2026, and tickets go on sale next week.
Priority Booking for RSC and Theatre Members, and ATG Cardholders, will be from 10am on 22 October 2024, with general on sale for all venues, including Manchester, from 10am on 24 October 2024.
Daisy Jackson -
21st December 2022 
