The Charlatans are the latest act to join the stellar Sounds of the City lineup this summer.
Set to return to Manchester‘s iconic outdoor venue Castlefield Bowl for the first time in 10 years, during what is the height of the summer live music season this July, The Charlatans will stage a major headline show as part of Sounds of the City’s already-stacked lineup for 2025.
Elbow, The Black Keys, Rizzle Kicks, and Hacienda Classical are among the other headline acts previously announced for the festival.
As one of the UK’s best-loved and most enduring rock bands, The Charlatans have crafted a back catalogue of depth and variety over 35 years, scoring several hit songs and claiming three UK number one albums along the way.
‘The Only One I Know’, ‘One To Another’, and ‘North Country Boy’ are just a few of their well-known songs to hit the mainstream.
“Castlefield Bowl is such a brilliant venue,” commented the band’s frontman Tim Burgess, on the announcement of the Manchester gig. “Our previous show there was one of my favourite Charlatans gigs ever, so we can’t wait to play again in July.”
The West Midlands four-piece are set to be joined by some very special supporting guests when they take to the Castlefield Bowl stage on 3 July.
The Charlatans will play a huge outdoor Manchester gig at Castlefield Bowl this summer / Credit: FAC51 The Hacienda
Yorkshire rock band Embrace will be joining The Charlatans following the 20th anniversary of their massive selling album Out Of Nothing and a huge sold out tour, while also joining the lineup is the Wirral five-piece The Coral – who have a legendary status on the 21st century British music scene, thanks to their impressive run of hit singles.
The Charlatans will play Castlefield Bowl as part of Sounds of the City 2025 on Thursday 3 July, and tickets go on sale this Friday (28 February) at 10am.
The increasingly popular Cheshire Fest returns for 2025 next month, and some much-loved Manchester music names are leading the lineup.
Hosted at the stunning Capesthorne Hall estate, just a short drive from the city centre and even closer by for some boroughs, the Macclesfield-based music festival is ready for another big summer blowout.
Cheshire Fest came back with a bang and a bit of a rebrand back in 2022, selecting a whole new venue that has gone down as an instant hit across the North West.
Set to welcome more punters than ever this year, the lineup promises indie icons, up-and-coming artists from around the region and beyond, as well as plenty of the usual dancefloor fillers.
Credit: Press shots (supplied)
So, ‘Which local talents native to Greater Manchester are on the Cheshire Fest 2025 lineup?’, we hear you ask – well, get ready for a bit of the old, the new and the future.
Not only will you be treated to performers from indie icons like Peter Hook & The Light, who will be sure to play plenty of Joy Division and New Order classics, but Bez from the Happy Mondays will be bringing the party atmosphere, along with veteran Oldham rock band, Inspiral Carpets.
There’ll be plenty more dance vibes too, as always with Cheshire Fest and their continued passionate partnership with Ministry of Sound (MoS).
As well as the legendary Tunde from pop-soul duo, you can also expect plenty of club energy from the likes of DJ Billie Clements, Chester’s very own K-Klass and many more.
Oh yeah, don’t forget the stylings of MoS Ibiza Anthems featuring Ellie Sax and Friends, who’ll be pumping out tracks by the likes of Faithless, Eric Prydz, Becky Hill, The Shapeshifters, Daft Punk, Robin S and Fisher, just to name a few.
Made up of multiple stages, including the all-new ‘Indie Live Lounge’, around 5,000 are set to attend this all-day festival, with VIP tickets already sold out.
Taking place on Saturday, 2 August, you’ll have all fuel you need until the end of the night; there’ll be a street food village featuring local vendors, an international lager bar, a silent disco and even a ‘Wellness Tent’ and relaxing Premium Lounge by Bollinger for when you need to cool off, it’s to everything.
Cheshire Fest is a strictly 18+ only event, but trust us, those who are of age will be dancing the night away with all the vim and vigour of their youth.
General admission tickets are available now and can be purchased from £40 per person before booking/admin fees.
Rap champion Drake is touching down in Manchester at Co-op Live for four nights of electric energy with some very “special shows 4 u”.
The Canadian hitmaker has just come off the back of three very impressive nights at one of the biggest music events of the year, Wireless Festival, and now he’s ready to tour the UK and Europe.
Drake has solidified his position in the rap field, dropping bangers from 2006 and since then, he’s gone on to have some of the most streamed tracks of all time with ‘One Dance’ and ‘God’s Plan’.
He’s also become a mainstay in online music discussions, earning a place in ‘The Big Three’ where the Toronto-born rapper shares this honour with fellow respected rap nobles J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar.
Now, Drake has teamed up with fellow Canadian artist PartyNextDoor to release their joint album ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U’
Drake UK tour dates
Sun 20 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 21 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Wed 23 July – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Fri 25 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sat 26 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 28 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 4 August – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Drake tickets for Co-op Live gig
Mr ‘Hotline Bling’ is making his way to Manchester not just for one night but for four, and it seems we Mancs couldn’t be more in our feelings as tickets for ‘Some Special Shows 4 UK’ are limited.
If you don’t want to be left saying ‘What Did I Miss?’, you can still get your hands on a couple of tickets to the upcoming Drake gigs in Manchester HERE.
And anyone after getting the best ‘Views’ and a premium seat for the Champagne Papi’s special Manchester tour dates can find all available dates and tickets HERE.
Drake ‘Some Special Shows 4 U’ setlist
Drake last touched down in the UK on his 2019 Assassination Vaction Tour.Now, the rap royalty is taking on 23,500 venue, Co-op Live.Credit: The Come Up Show (via Flickr)
After almost two decades racking up an impressive collection of hits, it’s no surprise that this setlist is quite a lengthy one.
Drake is known to tweak and fine-tune his setlists depending on each city, like his recent three-day headline slot at Wireless Festival, which saw a new roster of hits each night.
The Canadian rapper recently played a huge headline gig in Birmingham, and these were the tracks that played out. Hopefully, a lot of these will get a performance in Manchester when he visits Co-op Live.
Gimme a Hug
Marvin’s Room
Teenage Fever
Passionfruit
Jungle
What Did I Miss?
Headlines
Know Yourself
Nonstop
Sicko Mode
No Face
Circadian Rhythm
Laugh Now Cry Later
God’s Plan
In My Feelings
Nice for What
Controlla
Find Your Love
Hold On, We’re Going Home
One Dance
Blue Green Red
Who Told You
CN Tower
Something About You
Spider-man Superman
Die Trying
Somebody Loves Me
OMW
Girls Want Girls
Fancy
Love Me
Hours in Silence
Rich Baby Daddy
You Broke My Heart
Knife Talk
Rich Flex
IDGAF
Hotline Bling
Nokia
Yebba’s Heartbreak
Who is supporting Drake at Co-op Live?
With so many songs to get through, it’s no real surprise that there’s just one support act for ‘Drizzy’s Co-op Live debut, and it’s a pretty popular compatriot of his.
Teaming up with Drake for their first-ever joint album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U – which lends its name to this tour – you can
His name is often stylised in all caps, but we feel that’s almost like internet shouting, so we’ll just share one of those aforementioned features instead.
They’ve been working together in some capacity for more than a decade now.
Don’t worry, if you haven’t heard much of him before, there’s very little shouting – though you will likely recognise his soft R’n’B vocals.
What are the stage times for Drake in Manchester?
Doors for each of Drake’s ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour with PartyNextDoor will open from 6:30pm with no official start time listed yet.
That being said, you can expect the pair to spend a fair amount of time together on the stage.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can hear all 40 songs on the Canadian performer’s setlist without having to say ‘Hold On, We’re Going Home’.
Drake is bringing the ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour for four nights in Manchester.PARTYNEXTDOOR a.k.a. Jahron Anthony BrathwaiteCredit: Supplied
How to get to Co-op Live concerts
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, luckily, it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time; there are also designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via 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. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.