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Busted announce huge 20th anniversary arena tour, including Manchester date

The nostalgia this just unlocked...

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 23rd March 2023

Busted have announced a huge new arena tour to celebrate their 20th anniversary and greatest hits.

The comeback tour was finally announced this morning after the trio had teased some big news yesterday, sending their fans into a tailspin.

Busted’s new tour will take them across the UK this September, including a night at the AO Arena on 24 September to wrap up the run of shows.

The group, consisting of James Bourne, Matt Willis and Charlie Simpson, formed back in 2000 and dominated the charts with songs like Year 3000, Air Hostess, and What I Go To School For.

They released two studio albums before splitting in 2005 when drummer Charlie left to focus on rock band Fightstar.

And although Busted did return with two more albums (Night Driver and Halfway There), this latest arena tour announcement has sent fans wild.

Joining Busted on the 20th Anniversary and Greatest Hits Tour will be fellow boyband royalty Hanson, as well as New Hope Club and The Tyne.

The boys will also release a 15-track album featuring new recordings of their biggest hits, including a new version of Loser Kid with Simple Plan.

In a nostalgic video trailer released this morning, Charlie said: “It’s about celebrating what Busted meant to the fans and it’s about us being able to go out and share that experience with them.”

Busted
Busted. Credit: Publicity photo

Frontman Matt added: “I think at the end of the day we just wanna go out and play really f**king cool shows. That’s what I really wanna do.”

Reacting to the announcement, one person wrote: “Not to be dramatic but I’ve waited my whole bloody life for this.”

Another said: “Heart palpitations obsessed as a 8 year old, cried to my local radio when you broke up now 27 with three kids down the line still obsessed still tempted to ring the local radio crying.”

Tickets will go on sale on Friday 31 March.

Busted 20th Anniversary and Greatest Hits tour dates

September 2 – Plymouth, Pavilions
September 3 – Cardiff, International Arena
September 5 – Swansea, Arena
September 6 – Bournemouth, BIC
September 7 – Brighton, Centre
September 9 – Birmingham, Utilita Arena
September 10 – London, The O2
September 12 – Bridlington, Spa
September 15 – Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena
September 16 – Newcastle, Utilita Arena
September 17 – Leeds, First Direct Arena
September 19 – Aberdeen, P&J Live
September 20 – Glasgow, OVO Hydro
September 22 – Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
September 24 – Manchester, AO Arena

Featured image: YouTube

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Gorillaz announce huge Manchester arena gig on upcoming UK and Ireland tour

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Gorillaz announce huge Manchester arena gig on upcoming UK and Ireland tour

Gorillaz are well and truly back, and they’ve announced a huge Manchester gig on the upcoming The Mountain Tour.

The legendary band, created by musician Damon Albarn and artist Jamie Hewlett, will be performing at the Co-op Live arena next spring.

Gorillaz is a virtual band made up of singer 2D, bassist Murdoc Niccals, drummer Russel Hobbs and Japanese guitar prodigy Noodle.

The huge tour announcement comes along with the announcement of their new album, The Mountain, which features a whole myriad of collaborations including Johnny Marr, IDLES’ Joe Talbot and Dennis Hopper.

It’s their ninth studio album and promises to be a ‘playlist for a party on the border between this world and whatever happens next, exploring the journey of life and the thrill of existence’.

The Gorillaz The Mountain Tour will visit arenas across the UK and Ireland next Spring, with support from Trueno, and follows the sold-out 5-star House of Kong exhibition and four triumphant performances at Copper Box Arena.

Manchester will get the new Gorillaz tour first, with the band kicking things off at Co-op Live on 21 March before heading to cities including Leeds, Cardiff, Nottingham, and Liverpool.

The BRIT and Grammy-winning virtual band formed following a collision of mishaps, meetings and pure luck to blow up a pre-digital world.

The album will officially release on 20 March 2026.

General on sale begins at 11am on Friday 19 September HERE.

Gorillaz’ ‘The Mountain Tour’ dates in full

MARCH
21 – Co-op Live, Manchester
22 – BP Pulse Live, Birmingham
24 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow (support from Trueno)
25 – First Direct Arena, Leeds
27 – Utilitia Arena, Cardiff (support from Trueno)
28 – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham (support from Trueno)
29 – M&S Bank Arena, Liverpool (support from Trueno)
31 – SSE Arena, Belfast

APRIL 
1 – 3Arena, Dublin (support from Trueno)

JUNE
20 – Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London (support from Sparks and Trueno)

Featured image: Press image

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The adopted Manc indie pop star with that we’re backing to win the Mercury Prize this year

Danny Jones Danny Jones CMAT Mercury Prize shortlist 2025 favourites

The 2025 Mercury Music Prize shortlist is officially out, and we’re proud to say that the North has been well represented once again this time around, with multiple names from the top end of the nation featured among the nominees – including an adopted Manchester-based rising star.

You know what, cratch that: she might as well be a Manc music queen at this point, if you ask.

We may be heavily biased here, but with indie and alt-pop artist CMAT making her way onto the Mercury Music Prize award shortlist this year, our vote is practically already cast.

If you haven’t listened to CMAT yet, then you’re seriously missing out, and following the release of her latest LP, Euro-Country, at the end of August, it’s little surprise she’s earned the Mercury nod.

What is CMAT’s connection to Manchester?

She may be Irish-born, but the ‘Dubyone Diana’ truly started to make a name for herself in Manchester, and you’re damn right we’re taking her as one of our own.

Moving to 0161 as a teenager with her old band, Bad Sea, she was just 17 when she got here; now 29 and making fairly different music to the kind she did as part of the previous duo, she’s grown massively in popularity over the last few years – and she’s done a lot of it from right here in Greater Manchester.

From playing the city centre music venue circuit to stunning crowds at the likes of Kendal Calling and Glastonbury Festival, she’s come a long way in a relatively short amount of time.

Come on, if this isn’t award-winning energy, then we don’t know what is…

We welcome her to keep leaning into country music as much as she wants.

There’s another reason we want CMAT to win the Mercury Prize

It isn’t just because we’re somewhat biased local fans that we’re putting our money on her winning the 2025 Mercury Prize: she nearly already did this time last year for her sophomore outing, Crazymad, For Me, having released three impressive studio albums in less than 36 months.

Further reflecting on the second shortlisting, Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (ergo, ‘CMAT’) went on to explain: “I had a weird thing happen at the Mercury Prize 2024 when Annie Mac was announcing who the winner was.

“As she was reading it, I had this weird flip in my stomach, that I didn’t want to win the Mercury Prize for THAT record, because I had a feeling I could make something better.

“Two days later, I started to make EURO-COUNTRY. The Mercury Prize put a bottle rocket up my bum, to try and do something a bit more cutting edge and experimental and intense, if that makes sense.”

She signed off by adding, “I didn’t necessarily expect to be nominated again as a result, but I am very happy to have been.” We had a feeling she would, to be honest, hence why she was among our artists of the month – not even a fortnight before the shortlist was announced, no less.

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | August 2025
You say CMAT was our headliner last month, and rightly so, Euro-Country is an absolute triumph.

Thompson joins the likes of resurgent Sheffield Britpop icons, Pulp, as well as Wolf Alice, FKA twigs and lots more talented acts on the list.

Not only are there plenty of Northerners on the list, but our friends over in Yorkshire have had another big year too.

Leeds jazz musician Emma-Jean Thackray has also been nominated, and with the story behind her most recent heartbreaking but brilliant material, it’s no surprise.

Unsurprisingly, the likes of Fontaines D.C. and Sam Fender are also on there after a standout 12 months for both artists, but we’re sticking with CMAT for our 2025 Mercury Prize winner. After all, surely she can’t miss out two years in a row?

You can see the full list of nominees down below:

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Publicity picture

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