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Stockport band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year

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Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 29th May 2026

Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked lineup.

They might have a ‘Joke About Divorce’ from time to time, but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, having played at Bramham Park three times in the past decade already.

The Stockport band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track ‘Charlemagne’ and more recently with the addition of their fifth studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.

Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles, and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they visit this August bank holiday weekend.

As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)

Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.

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The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as ‘Special Guests’, appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.

Also listed on the lineup are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K’s and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.

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Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.

Whether you’re there for ‘Your Girlfriend’ or ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’, one thing’s for sure, you’re guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.

Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.

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Dermot Kennedy at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Irish singer-songwriter Dermot Kennedy is bringing The Weight Of The Woods tour to Manchester for a night of powerful ballads and bangers.

After busking for a considerable time, Kennedy took to streaming platforms to upload his music before dropping notable tracks like ‘Glory’, ‘Moments Passed, ‘Power Over Me’, ‘Giants’ and more.

Since then, this Irish performer has amassed a total of 9 million monthly listeners and multiple songs with over 100 million streams across three chart-topping albums.

In 2023, Dermot Kennedy teamed up with electronic music group Meduza for a monster of a collaboration titled ‘Paradise’, which peaked at 5 on the UK Official Charts.

Gig guide | Dermot Kennedy at AO Arena, Manchester

Dermot Kennedy UK tour dates

Are there any tickets left for Dermot Kennedy at AO Arena?

Hoping for some ‘Better Days’? Well, maybe that can happen by getting the chance to see Dermot Kennedy live on his latest ‘The Weight Of The Woods Tour” in support of his most recent album of the same name, which dropped back in April.

Don’t be ‘Outnumbered’ and grab a ticket or two for Dermot Kennedy on Saturday, 30 May at AO Arena in Manchester HERE.

Dermot Kennedy setlist for 2026 UK tour

  • The Weight Of The Woods (Reprise)
  • Honest
  • Wasted
  • Outnumbered
  • Sycamore
  • Refuge
  • Lost
  • An Evening I Will Not Forget
  • All My Friends
  • After Rain
  • Happiness
  • Moments Passed
  • Blue Eyes
  • Endless
  • The Weight Of The Woods
  • Stockholm
  • Turnstile
  • Better Days
  • Power Over Me
  • Funeral

What are the stage times for Dermot Kennedy in Manchester?

AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you’ll be leaving the venue reminiscing ‘An Evening I Will Not Forget’ before the sun’s up.

Supporting Dermot Kennedy on the night will be some of his fellow countrymen in the form of Irish trio, Amble, who will be taking the Manchester crowd on a journey to ‘Mary’s Pub’ and reflecting on ‘Schoolyard Days’.

Getting to AO Arena

Tram

For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.

Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Train

Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.

Bus

A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.

A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.

@the.manc When are you next heading to the @AO Arena? 😱 #themanc #manchester #aoarena #preshow #entertainment #gigs #music #liveshow ♬ Love You So – The King Khan & BBQ Show

Getting there by car and parking

The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.

Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.

Walk/cycle

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Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)

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Paul Heaton announces HUGE headline Manchester gig with ACTUALLY cheap tickets

Danny Jones Danny Jones Paul Heaton cheap Manchester gig tickets

Fellow Northerner and firmly adopted Mancunian, Paul Heaton, has just announced one of his biggest-ever shows here in Manchester, and he’s putting the focus back on affordable ticket prices.

And when we say affordable, these ones are ACTUALLY cheap for such an established name, let alone at such a big venue.

Revealing a whole new UK tour to toast the release of his latest album, Jenius, Heaton will be playing to the biggest crowd for a headline gig of his career later in the year, with a bit of help from some very familiar support acts.

Confirming his second visit to the Co-op Live arena this coming autumn, along with nearly a dozen domestic dates up and down the country.

Writing on social media, the ‘Jenius Tour’ isn’t just about the record itself; it will be “celebrating more than 40 years of unforgettable songwriting.”

As you would expect, these concerts will obviously feature plenty of Housemartins and Beautiful South tunes, as well as a wealth of his solo material.

The LP itself, which will be his sixth studio project outside of the bands (including his first release under the old ‘Biscuit Boy’ moniker), features 15 tracks touching on everything from love, pubs and booze, community and counsel, football, the state of the nation right, as well as ‘the overall wisdom of kindness’.

You can tell the Bromborough-born artist grew up in the North West, and we count ourselves honoured for him to have South Manchester.

He may be more Mersey than Manc by birth, but you can tell he’s fully immersed himself in the local culture, by both still finding new and relatable things to write about 23 albums later, but recording it down the road at Blueprint Studios, too.

More importantly, he’s also made sure to set the tickets at a more than reasonable price point, detailing that they start at only £39.50.

He’ll also have serial collaborator Rianne Downey – whose vocals also feature throughout Jenius – on board, not to mention The Lightning Seeds serving as another warm-up and then some.

Fans can find the full list of newly announced shows down below – we’ve taken the liberty of highlighting the Northern ones for you.

Paul Heaton UK tour dates – 2026

October
Thurs 29 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
Fri 30 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Sat 31 – Leeds, First Direct Bank Arena
 
NOVEMBER
Mon 2 – Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Tues 3 – Plymouth, Arena
Fri 6 – Sheffield, Utilita Arena
Sat 7 – London, The O2
Tues 10 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
Wed 11 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Fri 13 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
Sat 14 – Manchester, Co-op Live

As always, besides enjoying early access by pre-ordering the album/via his mailing list, Co-op Live‘s dedicated venue presale will be available to official Co-op members from 9:30am on Wednesday, 3 June.

Meanwhile, general admission tickets go live at the same time on the following Friday (5 Jun), and once again, from just £39.50. You can get ready to grab yours right HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Publicity pictures

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