Stockport icons Blossoms return to Manchester for a four-leg run at the O2 Apollo on Thursday and fans who have managed to grab a ticket are in for some seriously special surprise appearances.
The SK band are coming toward the end of their most recent UK and Ireland tour for their 2022 album, Ribbon Around the Bomb, and those present for their London show were treated to guest appearances from three different artists on Saturday, 3 December.
Fans watching on at the O2 Academy Brixton were blown away as Miles Kane, Rick Astley and former Spice Girl Mel C took to the stage for the standout set.
While the trio of special guests have all collaborated with Blossoms in the past, getting all three of them on the stage in the same night is quite the triumph and, as you can see, it went down a storm.
Both Mel C and Astley have appeared alongside Blossoms before. The former joined the group at Glastonbury earlier this year and Astley previously took to the stage with them in Manchester for a number of performances last year.
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The ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ singer seems to have drummed a close bond with the Stopfordians in recent years, especially in their home county.
Here he is playing the Morrissey role as they played a number of The Smiths covers in 2021. Chances are, those going along this week will be in for a similar experience.
Blossoms had to add a fourth Manchester date to meet the demand from locals, with the promise of special guests no doubt helping drive ticket sales.
Though we’re sure Manc crowds would be more than happy to see the likes of Kane, Astley and Mel C pop up for yet another guest spot, the local lads could have a raft of entirely new surprise appearances in store.
It’s going to be a belting few nights at the Apollo.
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Blossoms will be playing the legendary Manchester venue from Thursday, 8 December until Sunday, 11 December.
Featured Image — @agathe_boulous/@_Fonesk (via Twitter)
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Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Danny Jones -
5th December 2022 
