Arctic Monkeys are set to play two massive shows at Emirates Old Trafford as part of their sold-out 2023 UK tour this week.
After having the crowd in the palm of their hands as they took to the stage in two other major UK cities this week, the Sheffield indie rock icons are finally making their way to visit us here in Manchester and will be be playing to around 50,000 adoring fans over two nights at Emirates Old Trafford.
The beloved four-piece, fronted by Alex Turner, with Matt Helders on drums, guitarist Jamie Cook, and bass player Nick O’Malley, are undoubtedly one of the most successful British bands of the 21st century after bursting onto the scene with their debut album back in 2006 – which became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history.
That’s just one of a handful of records the indie rockers have to their name throughout their celebrated careers, as well as claiming six UK number one albums, selling over 12 millions records, and taking home countless awards – including BRITs, GRAMMYs, and the coveted Mercury Prize .
They’ve also had headlining slots at some of the world’s most famous music festivals, including Glastonbury twice.
The band are playing in Manchester this week as part of their 2023 UK tour following the release of their critically-acclaimed seventh studio album, The Car, back in October 2022.
And they look set to put on a seriously memorable show.
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So if you’re heading to see Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford Manchester this weekend, then here’s everything you need to know.
Arctic Monkeys are playing in Manchester as part of their 2023 UK tour / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
When are Arctic Monkeys playing in Manchester?
Arctic Monkeys were originally only booked to play one night at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 2 June, but after tickets sold-out in absolutely no time at all, the Sheffield band were quick to add a second Manchester date into the mix.
The band will now take to the stage on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
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With Emirates Old Trafford having a maximum gig capacity of 50,000 people, this means that up to 100,000 fans could see the indie rockers live over the two nights.
Are there any tickets still available?
Given the sold-out first night, and the decision to add a second night due to the absolutely overwhelming demand by fans, as you might expect, tickets to both Arctic Monkeys dates in Manchester are extremely hard to come by at this point.
At the time of writing, popular ticketing website Ticketmaster showed their were no tickets available to purchase, although this could change at any moment, so it’s worth continuing to check.
Also make sure to keep your eye on SeeTickets here for any last-minute releases.
And if you try to buy tickets second-hand, please make sure you’re using a reputable resale site so you don’t get caught out by scammers.
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Who is supporting Arctic Monkeys in Manchester?
Arctic Monkeys have two support acts lined up for both of the Manchester gigs.
The HivesThe Mysterines
The Hives
The Hives are the first of two acts supporting Arctic Monkeys on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
With six studio albums to their name, the Swedish five-piece rock band rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival, and their mainstream success followed with the release of their second album, Veni Vidi Vicious, which featured the hit single ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’.
The band has been acclaimed by music critics as one of the best live rock bands of the 21st century, so concertgoers are in for a real treat.
The Mysterines
The Mysterines are the second act supporting Arctic Monkeys, with the British alternative rock band hailing from Liverpool and the Wirral, and fronted by Lia Metcalfe, having enjoyed recent success following the release of their debut album, Reeling, back in March 2022 – which reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart.
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Stage times
These are expected stage times, although everything is subject to change on the night.
Gates Open – 5pm (Friday) and 4:30pm (Saturday)
Support Acts – The first support act is expected on stage around 6:40pm.
Arctic Monkeys – Expected on stage anywhere from 8:45pm – 9pm.
Emirates Old Trafford says the gig will finish “no later than 10:30pm”, and you can find more FAQs on the venue’s website here.
The Sheffield quartet will play Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
What is the potential setlist?
Although nothing is confirmed, with artists and bands known to switch setlists up from gig to gig and throw in a few surprises here and there, depending on the energy of the crowd and what they’re feeling that night, Arctic Monkeys have been roughly following a particular order of songs since their 2023 UK tour began.
Here’s the setlist from their gig in Bristol earlier this week.
Arctic Monkeys is fronted by Alex Turner on vocals and guitar / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
How to get to Emirates Old Trafford
There are, of course, a number of ways to get to Emirates Old Trafford, but as more 300,000 people are expecting to be descending on Manchester’s major venues for musical events this week, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been advising that the Metrolink will be the “quickest and most-reliable way” of travelling in and around the city centre.
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TfGM has also strongly encouraged that people making their way to either of the two Arctic Monkeys “plan ahead” due to coordinated rail strikes by Aslef and RMT unions on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
📣 It's a busy time for Manchester over the coming week! Here is a brief overview of what's to come:
– Rail strikes – Coldplay at the Etihad – Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford – Elton John at AO Arena
The closest Metrolink stop is Old Trafford, which is located next to Emirates Old Trafford, but it will be busy both before and after the concerts, so you could also use Trafford Bar for both southbound journeys on the East Didsbury or Airport lines, and for journeys back to the city centre.
The last tram from Old Trafford to the city centre will depart at 1:08am and towards Altrincham at 12:29am, while the last tram from Trafford Bar to East Didsbury will depart at 11:46pm and to the Airport at 11:31pm.
Drivers are being asked to add “a significant amount of additional time” to their journeys”, with congestion expected in the city centre and on the Inner Ring Road across the weekend.
You can read more about TfGM’s travel advice for this weekend here.
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Featured Image – Zackery Michael (via SJM)
Feature
Review | Some of the most fun you can have at a theatre – Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Danny Jones
On Wednesday night, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time: we went to a concert almost completely blind and walked in without having heard a single second – because how many times in life are you going to get the chance to say you’ve seen Jeff Goldblum music live in Manchester?
We can comfortably say it wasn’t just one of our favourite shows of the year so far, but it might be one of the best decisions we’ve made, maybe ever…
Honestly, there’s not even a whiff of exaggeration in that statement; within minutes of the headline date starting, a long, hard day suddenly melted away in the smooth, sultry, stylish and unapologetically silly atmosphere created by Jeff Goldblum and the truly wonderful Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
For starters, we were pleasantly surprised to see ‘Bonnie Scotland’s very own Liverpool-based singer-songwriter, Brooke Combe, opening up for the man himself, whose soulful, 1960s, 70s and Motown influences made for a perfect fit to warm up the crowd.
With the North West favourite – who we recently caught once again at NBHD Weekender late last month – even getting a perhaps initially hesitant and very possibly more Theatre-leaning audience inside the Palace to relax with some fun vocal exercises and Scottish banter, we were off to the races.
But in truth, this show turned out to be so much more than we were expecting – and by that we don’t mean when Brooke joined him on stage for a spell and had him try his first Irn-Bru…
In our heads, we were kind of expecting to see Goldblum, 73, playing his beloved piano as other members of the jazz band got to enjoy a few moments centre-stage as those who sat watching admired their sheer technical ability.
Where we actually landed was somewhere between a live and just the right amount of chaotic stream-of-consciousness stand-up show, interlaced with a series of effortlessly charming and loose bits of crowdwork as if he were compèring, and, of course, the incredibly cool musical arrangements.
It may not have been entirely free-form (it’s clear that a lot of time, effort and tireless rehearsal go into this shindig), but it did have the feeling that things were unfolding organically as the night went on, the perfect example being specifically for Manchester, with each local reference getting a rousing reception.
His latest LP is going down a treat with the critics in the early reviews, too, and having now heard a few samples, we’re not surprised.
As Jeff said at the top of the show, the best bit about this music is watching these marvellous musicians effectively jamming and playing call and response, not only with each other but you down below – not to mention with the man himself vamping over the top and enjoying plenty of solos on the keys.
Aside from crowd-pleasing arrangements of contemporary and well-known tracks like ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift and even his own bittersweet and oh-so-gentle take on ‘Over The Rainbow’, it felt not just like an intro to some cult favourites from within the genre, but a serviceable broad-strokes education at times.
Personally, we’ve always liked to think of ourselves as open to anything, sonically, albeit fairly limited when it comes to jazz, but we left feeling like we knew more about the mechanics and flow of a jazz gig than ever; we’re now eager to learn more and dive deeper into the syllabus curated by this superfan.
One very special mention also has to go to session singer Khailah Johnson, who recently shone in the & Juliet production on Broadway and is now currently on tour with Jeff on his Night Blooms run.
Believe us, she’s not merely performing ‘beside’ anyone; when you have a voice and presence that’s so big and has such range that you generate enough star-power for people to genuinely forget that a Hollywood actor is there right next to you, you KNOW you’re beyond talented. Simply spellbinding.
The whole crew had a lovely, laid-back quality that was just infectious. (Credit: Lucy Elson-Whittaker)
And then we have the A-lister himself, who clearly doesn’t only have the gift of the jab and a natural penchant for pageantry, but looks so at home up there that we would happily trade ever seeing him in a film again if it meant we could have the next few decades watching him be the live showman that he is.
For anyone who feared Jeff Goldblum’s music career might just be a famous bloke indulging himself in a side project and cashing in on fandom simply because he can, fret not: this man has as much passion, love and aptitude for jazz and this particular side of showbiz as any role we’ve seen him play, if not more.
Whether it be playing movie trivia games with those in the stalls, thanking fans he bumped into at his hotel, or inviting people there for a special occasion backstage, he ticked almost every box you could have asked for, from the cabaret vibes and Jurassic Park puns to simply playing his socks off.
The new album that gives its name to this current slate of live shows is much more than a play on words. Be it the soft and warm hues of the coloured spotlights, the off-the-cuff comedy interludes, or even the pure giggle-fits in the audience, the Palace Theatre was bursting with joy, life and vibrancy.
We sincerely hope Jeff Goldblum has grown as fond of the city as he claims, and that we get to watch him play a Manchester venue every year.
Coffee Rules: The Greek-born cafe that’s gone on to become a beloved Greater Manchester brand
Danny Jones
It’s rare that you find a place in an already saturated food and drink scene like Greater Manchester’s that genuinely comes across like a local community cornerstone, but that’s exactly what we got when we visited Coffee Rules in Salford.
We went for a brew, one of those viral iced coffee we’ve seen on socials, and maybe a nice bite to eat – but we left with much more and the impression that these lot are onto something big.
Opened in Arta back in their home country (also up in the northwest, by the way), they’ve never struggled to get queues out the door, and it’s no different here. This one is run by two siblings, 23-year-old Thomas and his younger brother Marios, 30, who have been smashing it since 2023.
Since launching their growing UK brand in the likes of The Meadows neighbourhood – one of two they have in the city of Salford alone, the other being Swinton – they’ve brought the lines with them. With authentic Greek food and drink like this, it’s not hard to see why.
They’ve now expanded to more than eight sites total, including one still keeping their own local reputation alive over in Athens, and this looks to be just the beginning.
Having not only spread across the ten boroughs but further out into the region with their Liverpool locations as well as a Yorkshire stronghold up in Sheffield, there’s more to come from Coffee Rules, both in terms of premises and their plans to take on the rest of the brunch game and beyond.
Suburban Mancs may have already seen the regular midday and weekend crowds that pack out their Chorlton venue, the Rusholme one is often filled with fresh-faced uni students in need of their caffeine fix, and it’s an increasingly similar story for those based in Bolton.
Or maybe you’re one of the many people based in Manchester city centre, who nip to their quiet, tucked-away corner of Ancoats for a fresh bake or even to have your eye caught by some of their merch with that modern mythological-inspired logo.
Whichever one happens to be closest to you, you’ll have the same satisfying experience, from sipping on speciality coffee and the scran, to the service and all-around atmosphere.
They’re also about to start hosting board game nights over at their Salford site, where they’ll be making the most of their large terrace with plenty of seating, which also has the added bonus of a retracted pergola – perfect for sunny days or simply sheltering from the Manc rain.
One thing we also noticed was just how many locals not only popped in throughout our time there, but the sheer number that had chosen to start their day at this particular spot.
There’s a regular Greek crowd, of course, but there’s also the native Salfordian and those currently residing in and around the up-and-coming area, who were pulling up in the large car park and taking a pew, or even those just looking for quick and top-quality grab-and-go stuff.
In fact, it’s one of the quickest venues we’ve seen fill up that fast in a hot, Med minute.
Speaking of, whether it be one of their superb Spanish lattes, or the equally sweet, sultry and viral ‘Freddo Cappuccino’, or their traditional spanakopita, not to mention their many Mediterranean pastry variations, there’s a big call for pretty much everything on the menu.
We could go on at length in listing what impressed us about just this one Coffee Rules branch, and we’ve made many trips to their Chorlton one in the past already, but it’s probably best that we just urge you to give it a try sometime soon. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed.
This is one of the fastest-growing franchises in the UK, and it’s no wonder they keep pulling in plaudits and invites to bigger and better industry within the industry as time goes on events over the past few years.
Oh, and one more thing, there’s plenty of savoury stuff that you’ll likely fall in love with, but we highly reccommend ordering the red velvet. Wow…
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2023 
