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Bluedot festival reveals 2023 line-up, including Grace Jones, Roisin Murphy and Pavement

UK exclusives, world-firsts and the most beautiful festival back-drop on earth. Let's gooo.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 23rd January 2023

One of the country’s best-loved festivals has revealed its line-up for 2023, with Bluedot welcoming headline performances from the likes of Grace Jones and Roisin Murphy.

The popular music and science event, which takes place every July at the beautiful Jodrell Bank Observatory, will also include a UK exclusive from Pavement.

The multi-award-winning Bluedot has announced its first wave of artists for its 2023 festival, featuring Leftfield, Young Fathers, Django Django, Brett Morgen, Annie Mac, Chris Lintott, Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Tinariwen and many more.

This year’s massive line-up of global music talent will perform in front of the iconic backdrop of the 76-metre-wide Lovell Telescope, which last year was lit up with projections as a huge digital artwork for the first time.

Already announced are the BBC Concert Orchestra and Max Richter for Bluedot 2023, which will take place between 20 and 23 July.

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Bluedot 2022. Credit: Supplied

Saturday will be headlined by lo-fi pioneers Pavement with their only UK performance of 2023. The group headlined Primavera last year before embarking on a completely sold-out UK tour that took in four nights at London’s Roundhouse.

The legendary Grace Jones will be taking to the Bluedot stage performing songs from her six-decade-long pop career, including hits like Slave To The Rhythm and Pull Up To The Bumper. Bluedot will be her only northern show of the summer.

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Róisín Murphy will make history with her first-ever festival headline slot, calling on her lengthy career which began as one half of Moloko – the defacto queen of electropop has since delivered five solo albums, mesmerised audiences across clubland and is now set to open the weekend, with a cosmic dance party to usher in a new era following the success of her Roisin Machine album and tour.

Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt
Bluedot 2023 line up poster

Electronic music legends and multiple Mercury Prize-nominees Leftfield returned last month with the critically acclaimed This Is What We Do, featuring Lemn Sissay and Fontaines DC’s Grian Chatten. They’ll take a headline slot in Bluedot’s Orbit arena.

Also announced are Mercury prize winners Young Fathers, art rockers Django Django, feted post-punk four piece Dry Cleaning, Malian desert blues pioneers Tinariwen and experimental rockers Black Country, New Road, plus a Sunday Closing Party headlined by the iconic Annie Mac.

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Nubya Garcia, Georgia, Max Cooper (3D AV), David Holmes, Beak>, Gwenno, Teleman, CMAT, Lava La Rue, Big Joanie, Skinny Pelembe, Scalping, Westerman, Belief, Pictish Trail, Divorce, Madmadmad and Radiophonic Workshop also join the first wave of the festival’s music line-up. 

A huge part of Bluedot – which takes place at a UNESCO World Heritage Site – every year is its science programme, and this year that will include BBC Sky at Night’s Chris Lintott and Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Brainiac Live and renowned climate change researcher and author Mike Berners-Lee, whose How Bad Are Bananas? was named by The Independent as one of its ten recommended “best books to help you live more sustainably”.

Bluedot 2022. Credit: Tom Martin
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Lucas Sinclair
Bluedot 2022. Credit: Scott Salt

UK Space Agency’s Libby Jackson OBE and The Open University’s Professor of Planetary and Space Science Monica Grady CBE will also return to the festival. The full science bill will be revealed in the coming weeks. 

On the comedy and culture side of things, festival-goers can expect a David Bowie special edition of Adam Buxton’s Bug!, a screening and in-conversation with Moonage Daydream director, writer and producer Brett Morgan and an afternoon with White Rabbit Books featuring talks with Mogwai’s Stuart Braithwaite, Lias Saoudi of Fat White Family, and 90’s icon Miki Berenyi, whose book Fingers Crossed: How Music Saved Me From Success was named Rough Trade’s book of the year for 2022.

Bluedot is a family-friendly festival, and kids will be entertained by the likes of Our Kids Social Silent Disco, Pop-Up Puppet Cinema and the ever popular Jedi Lightsaber Training.

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Food and drink in the VIP Village will be curated by Manchester-based food charity Eatwell, featuring some brands including Dishoom, Caroline Martins, Where the Light Gets In, Another Hand and more. 

Festival director Ben Robinson said: “As we announce the line-up for the 6th edition of bluedot it’s with great pride in the team behind the show. From day one the festival has been ambitious in its programming and mission. Looking at the scale of iconic talent, breadth of genres & one off moments it really has matured into a very special vent. Thanks to everyone who’s continued to support the idea of bluedot, we look forward to gathering together again beneath the telescope with you all.”

bluedot was recently named Line-Up Of The Year at the UK Festival Awards, and Festival of the Year at the Live Awards, and has hosted headline performances from the likes of Bjork, Kraftwerk 3-D, New Order, The Chemical Brothers, Mogwai, Pixies, The Flaming Lips, Underworld and Jean-Michel Jarre, plus high-profile talks from Tim Peake, Brian Cox, Helen Sharman, Alice Roberts and Richard Dawkins and an array of groundbreaking arts and family experiences.

Tickets for bluedot 2023 go on sale 10am Friday 27th January.

To find out more and register for pre-sale access visit discoverthebluedot.com.

Featured image: Supplied

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Foo Fighters confirm they WILL tour the UK after the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Foo Fighters have confirmed a UK tour will happen in 2024

Foo Fighters have confirmed that a UK tour is on the way, with live dates and pre-sale soon to be announced.

The band’s future was thrown into question when long-term band member and friend Taylor Hawkins tragically died last spring.

Following Taylor’s sudden death, the group cancelled all their upcoming tour dates, including their massive show at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground.

They then arranged two star-studded tribute concerts in his honour, with performances from Liam Gallagher, Brian May, Mark Ronson and Supergrass, plus a moving drum solo from Taylor’s teenage son Shane.

The Foo Fighters recently announced that veteran session drummer Josh Freese would join the band, filling Taylor’s very rock n roll shoes.

And now new music from the legendary rock band has landed, and with it comes hints of a new UK tour.

A message on the Foo Fighters website says: “Foo Fighters will tour the uk in 2024. Order* ‘But Here We Are’ from the official store by Thursday 3pm for presale code access to the forthcoming live dates.”

Exactly when and where those dates will be hasn’t yet been announced, but you can safely expect some massive stadium shows for next year.

Frontman Dave Grohl recently shared a heartfelt letter thanking fans for their support over the last year.

He wrote: “Hey, it’s been a while…

“Now that we’ve returned from our first run of shows, I felt compelled to reach out and thank you all for being there for us.

“Every night, when I see you singing, it makes me sing harder. When I see you screaming, it makes me scream louder. When I see your tears, it brings me to tears. And when I see your joy, it brings me joy. But, I see you… and it feels good to see you, churning up these emotions together.

“Because we’ve always done this together. Time and time again. See you soon.”

Featured image: Danny Clinch

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Pink at University of Bolton Stadium — stage times, setlist and more

Danny Jones Danny Jones Pink Bolton gig tickets Manchester

Pop legend Pink is in Manchester as we speak ahead of her massive gigs at the University of Bolton Stadium this week, set to play not one but two shows at the Wanderers’ home ground.

Having been around since 1995 if you can believe that, the legendary Noughties singer recently released her ninth studio album, Trustfall, back in February and is now set to embark on a huge world tour entitled ‘Summer Carnival‘.

The UK leg, her first since 2019, consists of six big shows across Britain, but Manchester has the honour of not only hosting Pink for the first time in 10 years but being the one to kick off her world tour, which already consists of over 70 dates, nine different countries and runs all the way into 2024.

It might surprise a few to see that Pink’s playing at a football stadium in Bolton to get things started, but she’s played there multiple times before and while she might not have heard about the recent name change, it’s somewhere she’s more than familiar with. Here’s everything you need to know about it.

Tickets for Pink’s Manchester gig

It’ll be no surprise to hear that tickets to see one of the biggest pop artists of the past 20+ years aren’t exactly abundant but, fear not, if you’re a big Pink fan there are still some available for both nights.

The bad news is, given they’re in such high demand and the gigs are literally around the corner, they’ll cost you a fair few quid, to say the least.

The cheapest seats remaining on Wednesday, 7 June will set you back £135 per person; as for the following Thursday, 8 June, not only are there still some seats available at the same price but there are even a handful of Gold Standing Tickets in The Circle that will cost you £162.

Even the VIP packages for these gigs are all sold out as there are literally hundreds of people set to raise their glass to the pop sensation’s return.

Credit: Pink (via Instagram)

Pink support acts at Bolton Stadium

As if seeing Pink wasn’t enough, the Pennsylvania songstress will be accompanied by three different support across her double-header at the UniBol Stadium.

For those of you who do manage to get a ticket, she will be joined by fellow American singer-songwriter Gayle, rising DJ and producer KidCutUp who played her last tour, as well as fellow pop hit-makers, The Script.

Talk about a warm-up act — seeing The Script is a pricey ticket on its own, let alone a trio of exciting artists and then Pink!

Their appearances on Pink’s impending tour are also among the first the Irish group will play following the passing of their guitarist and co-founder Mark Sheehan back in April, having got back on stage in Blackpool earlier this week. It’ll no doubt be just as emotional an occasion for them on Wednesday.

Predicted setlist

Now, as for what Pink will be playing on her opening night in Bolton, we don’t really have any other gigs this year to go off, however, you can bet you’ll be hearing plenty of the new album as well as plenty of the classics from down the years.

We’re not going to lie, this setlist is adjusted from her last big show at Austin City Limits back in October 2022 and based on the stuff she’s played most this year according to Setlist.fm, so there’s a fair bit of guesswork here but here’s an idea of what you might get to hear:

  • TRUSTFALL
  • Get The Party Started
  • What About Us
  • When I Get There
  • F**kin’ Perfect
  • Just Give Me a Reason
  • Never Gonna Not Dance Again
  • Please Don’t Leave Me
  • Who Knew
  • Just Like a Pill
  • Me and Bobby McGee (Kris Kristofferson) 
  • Nothing Compares 2 U (Prince cover)
  • Try
  • Turbulence
  • Funhouse
  • Raise Your Glass
  • So What (encore)

So long as we hear ‘Get The Party Started’ we’ll be happy, to be honest — top-tier banger.

Stage times

As for set times, the University of Bolton Stadium’s doors are set to open at 4.30pm, with the first of the warm-ups, KidCutUp, beginning an hour later — one of three occasions he’ll be keeping the crowd entertained over the course of the evening.

Then at 6.45pm Gayle will play a roughly half-an-hour set before KidCutUp returns for the interval. As for the big support, The Script will be taking to the stage for an hour from 7:30-8:30pm.

Making a final appearance for 20 minutes as the main event, KidCutUp will once again get the crowd ready and raring to go before Pink arrives at around 8:50pm, will the show set to end no later than 11pm.

With such an early start time and so much music to enjoy on Wednesday and Thursday, it’s going to be a brilliant couple of nights in Bolton.

KidCutUp (via Instagram)
GAYLE (via Instagram)
Pink/BBC Radio 2 (via Instagram)

Travel and parking

As for how you’re going to get to Pink’s Bolton gigs, one of the best parts about Greater Manchester is our brilliant public transport networks mean you can always get around.

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With a shuttle bus running from Bolton Interchange, Chorley Railway Station and Wigan Robin Park to the stadium on both nights between 2-8pm, Big Green Coaches available from various locations, as well as Horwich Parkway as your nearest train station, there are several options for travelling to the gig.

As for if you’re driving in, there are plenty of places to drop gig-goers around the stadium and if you’re looking for parking, there are around 1800 spaces available at the stadium per night.

Parking spots, including 120 blue badge disability spaces, will be first-come-first-serve and bookable via the Evology app for £25. You can find out more information about pricing and how to book, as well as plenty of other travel information down below.

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Pink was one of the first big musical artists to ever play at Bolton Wanderer’s home stadium and helped usher the likes of The Killers, Little Mix, Coldplay, Elton John and more to join her.

With that in mind, it’s only fitting that she’s returned to the venue that she’s remained so fond of, declaring, “Manchester, I am so in love with you” after arriving in Manchester at the start of this week.

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Writing in a statement on the University Bolton Stadium Hotel website, Pink said: “It’s been a long three years and I’ve missed live music so so much… So it’s finally time! I am so excited to get back to the UK and Europe to sing, cry, sweat and make new memories with my friends. It’s going to be magical!” 

The mum of two even took her daughter Willow out in Trafford Park to celebrate her 12th birthday. Even hearing her name next to random Manc boroughs still sounds a bit surreal but we’re absolutely here for it — roll on Wednesday night!

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — P!NK (via Instagram)

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