Ben Howard brought his 10th anniversary tour of I Forget Where We Were to Aviva Studios on Monday night under a moody Manchester sky and while the gig was by no means perfect, it was still as transportive as we’ve come to expect from the seasoned solo artist.
Still up there with one of the most boundary-pushing singer-songwriters in the country for our money, as one person in The Manc office put it, Ben Howard has always seemed like a talent who simply loves making art but has absolutely no interest in the fame that comes with it.
It seems like a pretty astute assessment, especially judging by his performance at the home of Factory International, which for many will no doubt have been a great start to the week but for the man himself, it looked like a tough one to get through.
That being said, there are few things that can hold back that kind of talent and it was still a stunning set for so many reasons.
Ben and his technicolour tree. The stage design and bespoke visuals really added to the experience. (Credit: The Manc Group)
First off, a special mention needs to go to support artist Billie Marten, who we’ve been waiting to see live for some time and did not disappoint. A pitch-perfect warm-up act that felt completely in line with the tone of the evening of music ahead.
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A soft, sweeping, beautiful voice much like the headliner. Definitely one to get in the earphones if you haven’t done so already.
But on to Ben himself, the 37-year-old opened the show on seemingly top form, welcoming more than half a dozen band members with him onto the stage and doing what he does best: starting quietly before building out the songs from an acoustic guitar to what feels like producing an album track live on stage.
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Although his career may have started with just him and his instrument, it doesn’t take long to understand why he has so many other session musicians on these tours: there are just so many layers to these truly enchanting soundscapes he creates that merely playing a backing track wouldn’t do it justice.
From the haunting horns knitting together these 10-year-old tracks (still hard to believe, we know), to the multiple guitars and strings elevating the overall profile of each song to something closer to an orchestra, you don’t get to hear many albums this authentically realised in every aspect.
A big shout-out to the venue as well; it was our first time visiting Aviva Studios for a straightforward concert and the one thing that struck us besides the sheer size of the place – no, seriously, the room was beyond massive – was the acoustics.
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You could hear every inch of that extremely fulsome sound no matter where you were in the enormous gig space gig and they were only further complemented by the visuals which were genuinely mesmerising at times.
Both visually and sonically, we couldn’t really fault anything about the performance for the majority of the evening, but then things started going wrong and it resulted in an unfortunate tail-off from a visibly frustrated performer.
It wasn’t just some moody auteur pageantry playing into the ‘troubled artist’ vibe either as far as we could tell – he even apologised for losing his temper at one point.
We’re not entirely sure what headspace Ben Howard was in on the night but let’s just say he gave Manchester an honest performance, at the very least.
Highlights included ‘Oats in the Water’, ‘End Of The Affair’, ‘Rivers In Your Mouth’ and ‘Conrad’. (Credit: The Manc Group)
He continued to have technical issues the longer things went on and battled through them charmingly, for the most part, but it became apparent that it was becoming too much of a distraction to plough through as he would have liked to.
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With so much distortion and various effects being pumped out, it was almost like he was fighting with the pedals more than they were doing him any favours and at one point he simply decided to do away with them and revert to the stripped-back string-picking that he has always excelled at.
We kind of wish he would have just stuck that rather than try and persist when things were clearly going wrong; at one point he even kept playing with three broken strings and that was arguably more impressive than any other moment in the entire set.
It culminated in him walking in the middle of the encore whilst his band were still left to play out the title track people had people waiting all night to hear. There were rumblings of confusion in the crowd and some understandable grievances; it’s not the first time it’s happened either, sadly.
Whatever the case may be, we hope he’s ok and that no one involved has to struggle through the same issue we did. He’s already said music in general is more difficult following his two mini-strokes, but it still goes without saying that he’s one of the most unique singers and guitar players around.
‘Keep your head, keep your heart strong.’
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Not how we wanted it to end but it still gave room for the fans to show their appreciation for the fantastic band. (Credit: The Manc Group)
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.
You can line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester
Thomas Melia
After a fun way to kickstart the New Year? Some people might suggest hobbies like ‘Tennis’, but how about a line dancing class playing Lily Allen’s new album in its entirety – we know which we’d rather do.
Grab your nearest ‘Nonmonogamummy’ or take ‘Madeline’, if you know one, because there’s a line dance class where you get to line dance to Lily Allen’s West End Girl in full right here in Manchester.
Hosted by Red Rodeo Club, a queer line dancing group based in Manchester, who have hosted monthly artist-inspired events city wide including Chappell Roan, Beyoncé, Charli XCX and more.
This troupe even managed to line dance all the way to one of Manchester’s most reputable LGBTQIA+ nights of the year, performing on the Archive stage at Homobloc just last month.
Now, Red Rodeo is returning with another special night that is sure to interest all the West Endand North West girls across Manchester, as it prepares a Lily Allen line dance spectacular later this month.
If you’re ‘Ruminating’ about attending this event, there’s absolutely no pressure or dance experience needed as the group prides itself on providing ‘classic boot-scootin tutorials with a party vibe’.
You’ll definitely be in good company regardless of your dance partners, as hosting the event is Violet Blonde, known for their extraordinary outfits and love of Country icon Dolly Parton.
We’re already onto a winner…
Your dance instructor for the night is the remarkable Shanika Sunrise, a rapper and producer, who boasts a seriously impressive roster of acts they’ve opened for, including Chappell Roan, Cupcakke and Moonchild Sanelly.
Opportunities like this aren’t always feasible for everyone, which is something this line dance group is aware of as they’re offering a ‘Red Rodeo Club Low Income Ticket’, suited for students, unwaged and disabled attendees.
Red Rodeo Club is bringing the ‘Lily Allen edition’ line dance class to Fairfield Social Club in Manchester on Thursday, 29 January 2026, from 7-10:30pm.
If you’re interested in grapevine stepping or electric shuffling your way to the Lily Allen West End Girl line dance event in Manchester, you can find tickets HERE.
Danny Jones -
22nd October 2024 
