If you’re a kid born in the 90s or noughties, get your classic Converse on, an old-school tie out of the cupboard and oversized camo pants with an unnecessary amount of zips at the ready, because pop-rock queen Avril Lavigne is coming to Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl this week.
We hope you still have some kind of emo fringe going on and a spare spiked bracelet or two lying around somewhere, but don’t worry if not – even if Avril seemingly hasn’t aged, the rest of us have.
That’s right, the 39-year-old singer-songwriter who soundtracked the youth of so many Mancs, let alone millions of others around the world, is the very first act of Sounds of the City 2024 lineup and what a way to kick things off.
On the scene since 1999, the iconic ‘Sk8er Boi’, ‘Complicated’ and ‘Girlfriend’ singer is still up there with one of the most iconic voices on the planet and getting her to play her first-ever gig at Castlefield Bowl is some coup for the festival if you ask us. Here’s everything you need to know.
Are there tickets left for Avril Lavigne at Castlefield Bowl?
Now, we’re sorry to break the news to you but Avril Lavigne‘s Greatest Hits show at this year’s Sound of the City is a sold-out event. No surprises there, really.
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However, when it comes to big gigs like these, there’s still the chance that you might find a few spares popping up here and there on legitimate resale sites like Twickets, Viagogo, TicketSwap etc.
That being said, we always advise due diligence when it comes to picking up second-hand tickets and we urge you to avoid ticket touts by all means necessary – they’re illegal and the only way to get rid of them as a problem in the gig industry is to ignore them altogether.
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Who’s supporting Avril Lavigne in Manchester?
For those of you who are going along to the show, you’re in for another early to mid-2000s treat as the Canadian pop-rock princess is joined by her fellow compatriots Simple Plan as the main support act on this tour.
Made famous by tracks like ‘I’m Just A Kid’, ‘Perfect’, ‘Welcome To My Life’ and a version of the Scooby-Doo theme (oh yeah, that one), they’ve been going almost just as long as Avril and are still releasing new music all these years later, with their last album dropping in 2022.
They even did a collab with Natasha Bedingfield over a decade ago and if you’re wondering whether you’ve heard them before, you most definitely have but, like the Lavigne, it’ll be their first time at the Bowl so you best make it a special one.
Judging simply from last year’s times, doors to Sounds of the City typically open from 5:30pm onwards and the main event headliners don’t usually start until somewhere between 8:30-9pm.
We’ll confess there’s still a bit of guesswork since details are yet to be confirmed, but you can probably expect Simple Plan to take the stage from roughly 7-7:30pm – but once again, these are always subject to change.
Don’t worry either way, we’ll update you with the final stage times as and when we get them.
The Greatest Hits setlist
As for what the timeless singer-songwriter will be playing on the night, we have the good fortune of this being a tour in support of her recently released Greatest Hits album and having just watched her smash Glastonbury set this past weekend, so we think we have a pretty good idea of the running order.
The order might be tweaked slightly but here’s a guess and what she is likely to play based on the performance at Worthy Farm:
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Girlfriend
What the Hell
Complicated
Here’s to Never Growing Up
My Happy Ending
He Wasn’t
Don’t Tell Me
Losing Grip
I’m With You
Bite Me
Love It When You Hate Me
Sk8er Boi
That being said, other favourite tracks like ‘He Wasn’t’, ‘Head Above Water’, ‘Rock N Roll’; ‘Keep Holding On’, ‘Smile’, ‘Bois Lie’; ‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘Nobody’s Home’ could be part of a full 20 track setlist.
Imagine how much a Yungblud guest appearance for ‘I’m A Mess’ and this version of her ultimate ballad (don’t even try to argue) would go off…
Someone get a Yungblud’s flight-tracker going right now and find out if he’s heading to Manchester.
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
It’s just a short walk from Deansgate train station or the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, where you’ll find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester.
If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
Sounds as good as she ever has.We had a blast watching Blossoms at the bowl in 2023. Credit: Justin Higuchi (via Flickr)/The Manc Audio
Avril Lavigne rocks up to Castlefield Bowl on Wednesday, 3 July to kick off a great summer of music at Sounds of the City 2024, with the likes of Jungle, The National, Tom Grennan and more.
Aren’t we lucky to get such amazing names filing into the city for such massive shows every year?
As for Avril, we’ll see you there skater boys and girls!
Featured Images — Press Images/The Manc Group/Justin Higuchi (via Flickr)
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Madison Beer announces massive Manchester show at Co-op Live arena
Danny Jones
Yes, not long after a breakout period in her career, rising pop star Madison Beer has announced an extensive series of arena shows, including one right here in Manchester at Co-op Live.
Heading to major cities in mainland Europe before arriving here in the UK for just a pair of British shows and then moving on to North America, the 26-year-old singer-songwriter has gone from playing small rooms just a few short years ago to now playing some of the biggest rooms an artist could hope for.
Madison Beer got her first taste of fame after Justin Bieber shared her YouTube cover of Etta James’ ‘At Last’ way back in 2012, but it’s been quite the journey for the New York-born vocalist over the past decade or so.
Announcing the new tour in support of her third studio LP, Locket, which is scheduledfor release later this week (16 January), Beer will be coming to Manchester in late spring.
Confirming the concert themeslves, the venue wrote: “Two-time GRAMMY-nominated, platinum-selling artist Madison Beer is heading to Co-op Live with the locket tour.
“This tour marks the first time her forthcoming new album, locket [stylised in all lowercase] will be played live for the masses.”
Best known for tracks like ‘Selfish’, ‘make you mine’, as well as her most recent singles ‘yes baby’ and bittersweet’, she has hundreds of millions of followers all over the world and across her Instagram and TikTok platforms alone.
With that in mind, booking a room as big as Co-op Live was only a matter of time, really.
Madison will be arriving in Manchester on 31 May and bringing along a trio of rotating support acts with her on the road.
As you can see, Cuban-American alt-pop singer Isabel LaRosa will be joining her fellow contemporaries on stage later this year.
Just 21 years old, she might be a few years behind Beer, but she still has a passionate cult following of her own, even at such a young age.
The pre-sale window for Madison Beer’s Manchester gig at Co-op Live will be available to official members from 10am on Monday, 19 January, or by signing up/pre-ordering via her mailing list.
As for general admission, tickets will go live at the same time the following Wednesday (21 Jan). You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
It really is a great time for pop music once again – so much so that even themed nights centred entirely around smash-hit albums are being put on…
Featured Images — Justin Higuchi (via Flickr)/Press shot (supplied)
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Huge artists announce intimate charity gigs for BRITs Week 26 for War Child
Daisy Jackson
A huge line-up of intimate charity shows from some of the world’s hottest artists has been announced, ahead of the BRIT Awards coming to Manchester.
BRITs Week 26 for War Child will see major artists playing their most intimate shows, taking over grassroots venues across the UK.
These exclusive shows are in aid of War Child, to help fund aid, education, and specialist mental health support for the rights of children whose lives have been affected by war.
Posters have been popping up all around Manchester announcing the upcoming shows, and now the full line-up has been released.
The BRITs Week 26 for War Child will see artists including Fatboy Slim, Myles Smith, and Josh Baker performing at intimate venues in cities such as Manchester, Nottingham, and Newcastle.
Also joining the gig series this year are Lambrini Girls, Jacob Alon, kwn, Rossi., Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins OBE.
The gig series, delivered by DHL, will be the biggest yet and offers fans a chance to see one-off performances from some of the most exciting names in music in smaller, iconic venues, with all proceeds going towards War Child’s vital work.
Previous War Child gigs locally have included Manc music icons The 1975 performing at the 550-capacity Gorilla.
BRITs Week will take place around The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard, taking place on Saturday 28 February at the Co-op Live – the first time in the awards’ 50-year-history that it’s left the capital city behind.
The very special opening night show on 12 February will see Grammy Award-winning Fatboy Slim performing at the Boiler Shop in Newcastle.
And up here in Manchester, War Child has teamed up with The Warehouse Project to put on two nights at YES – one with Mixmag’s Year Defining DJ Josh Baker, and the other with DJ Mag’s One to Watch Rossi.
Further announcements are expected in the coming weeks.
Clare Sanders-Wright, Head of Live Music at War Child, said: “BRITs Week is back for its 13th year, and once again the lineup is nothing short of extraordinary. The atmosphere at these shows is always electric, with fans getting the rare opportunity to experience their favourite artists up close in some of the UK’s most beloved intimate venues.
“Right now, one in five children globally are living with the devastating impact of war. That’s more than 520 million children worldwide, facing violence no child should ever have to endure.
“I want to extend a huge thank you to the artists and their teams for giving their time, passion and talent to make these shows possible. Their support helps War Child continue our vital work to protect, educate and stand up for children caught in conflict, and to champion our message that No Child Should Be Part of War. Ever.”
The full lineup for BRITs Week 26 for War Child is below
12 February – Fatboy Slim – Boiler Shop, Newcastle
16 February – Lambrini Girls – The Garage, London
24 February – Myles Smith – Rescue Rooms, Nottingham
25 February – Jack Savoretti and Katherine Jenkins OBE – Emerald Theatre, London
25 February – kwn – Patterns, Brighton
25 February – Josh Baker – YES, Manchester
26 February – Rossi. – YES, Manchester
27 February – Jacob Alon – Music Hall at Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh
Fans can sign up to the War Child pre-sale HERE, which closes at 3pm Wednesday 14 Jan. Pre-sale begins 10am on Thursday 15 January.
General sale then begins at 10am on Friday 16 January HERE.
There are also £10 prize draws to win tickets to all shows open HERE.
Danny Jones -
2nd July 2024 
