Audio

Busted at Manchester’s AO Arena — tickets, support acts, stage times and more

They're back with pop-rock guitar riffs, irresistible Noughties nostalgia, plenty of jump kicks and we couldn't be happier.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 29th September 2023

Guys, we don’t know if you heard but Busted are back on tour— or, more accurately, back on top and they’re bringing all the hits and unparalleled energy levels to Manchester’s AO Arena for a second night in less than a week.

The Busted boys played an initial sold-out show last weekend but had to add a second Manchester date due to the massive demand and although they received rave reviews the first time around, it might as well have been a warm-up for the main event which is already shaping up to be a belter.

With some seriously good supports, another soon-to-sell-out crowd of 20,000+ and the trio now having had a ridiculously good practice run only a few days ago, Busted at the AO Arena night two is going to be insane.

That being said, here’s everything you need to know about their 20th-anniversary tour date and greatest hits show.

Are there tickets left for Busted in Manchester?

If you’re still scrambling around in the hope of getting a last-minute ticket to hear the likes of ‘Year 3000’ and ‘What I Go to School For’ live, you’re in luck: there’s still a very small handful of tickets to be snapped up if you’re quick enough.

ADVERTISEMENT

There are still a few seats floating about, ranging from £42.50 to £53.50 on Ticketmaster, and you can obviously splurge on the AO Arena’s Champagne Experiences in the Electric Lounge if you fancy it.

As always, if you end up missing out you can also check out resale sites like Twickets and TicketSwap, we advise steering clear from ticket touts at all costs.

ADVERTISEMENT
You better do one better if you’re going to night two — don’t let us down!

Support acts

Busted have brought some truly great support acts along with them this time, including 90s and 2000s US pop favourites, Hanson — remember them?

As well as the equally iconic trio, Manc pop band New Hope Club are playing the home crowd too. Go on the local lads!

Throwing together some of the era’s most iconic pop-rock together with another three-piece from the modern generation, you’re getting a proper value-for-money and for-all-ages show this Saturday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Busted stage times for AO Arena night two

As for when you can expect to see each of these fantastic acts take the stage, doors will open from 6pm and New Hope Club will be getting things started at 7:30pm.

Finishing a quickfire set just a few minutes before Hanson, the American throwback best-known for ‘MMMBop’ with be playing from 8pm until 8:30pm — and you might even have a surprise in store. We’re saying nothing else…

Then, at 9pm, the main event gets underway with Busted set to play up until curfew around 11pm and we literally can’t wait.

20th Anniversary and Greatest Hits setlist

Thanks to the ever-reliable Setlist.fm (and the fact we already had multiple members of The Manc office go along to the first night), we even know what they’ll be playing:

  1. Air Hostess
  2. Meet You There
  3. Loser Kid
  4. You Said No
  5. Everything I Knew
  6. MMMBop (Hanson cover)
  7. Sleeping With the Light On
  8. Good One
  9. What I Go to School For
  10. Who’s David
  11. Falling for You
  12. Thunderbirds Are Go
  13. She Wants to Be Me
  14. 3am
  15. Crashed the Wedding

Encore

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Video (Brit Awards 2004)
  • Teenage Kicks (The Undertones cover)
  • Interlude
  • Year 3000

All the hits — what more could you ask for? Oh yeah, and did we mention they’re number one!?

Read more:

It’s going to be another great night at the Arena, we just know it, no matter where you end up.

And, seriously, if you can afford it don’t sleep on the VIP experience — it’s worth every penny and perfect for a special occasion.

We recently went along to try ourselves for this year’s Davis Cup and it was a brilliant experience.

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

Featured Image — Busted/@chazzadnitt (via Instagram)

Audio

Lorde to play massive Manchester gig later this year as part of world tour

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Lorde publicity shot

Lorde has announced she’s heading out on a massive world tour later this year, and of course she’s stopping off in Manchester.

The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter undeniably burst onto the music scene at the tender age of 16 with her runaway number one hit ‘Royals’ all the way back in 2013, and has been successfully cementing herself as a household name ever since.

Following her debut single, she has gone on to break several records with the releases of her first three studio albums.

She has also scooped up a handful of GRAMMYs and BRIT awards along the way.

Lorde is set to play a massive Manchester gig at the AO Arena later this year / Credit: Supplied

The 28-year-old – who is known and loved for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting – has recently delighted fans by confirming that she’ll be releasing her fourth studio album, titled Virgin, towards the end of next month, and not long after that highly-anticipated release is when you’ll be able to catch her taking to one of Manchester‘s biggest stages.

Fans of the critically-acclaimed pop star will be able to grab tickets to see Lorde when she performs at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday 15 November 2025 as part of the Ultrasound Tour.

Other major UK cities she’ll be stopping off at include London, Birmingham, and Glasgow – making this a somewhat exclusive ticket to get your hands on.

Lorde Ultrasound 2025 UK Tour Dates

  • Saturday 15 November – AO Arena (Manchester)
  • Sunday 16 November – O2 Arena (London)
  • Wednesday 19 November – OVO Hydro (Glasgow)
  • Thursday 20 November – Utilita Arena (Birmingham)

Tickets are set to go on general sale next week, following several pre-sales in the days leading up to it.

Support for Lorde’s Manchester gig is to come from equally-revered singer-songwriter and record producer, Dev Hynes – better known by his stage name, Blood Orange – who is believed to have lent several co-production credits to Lorde’s upcoming fourth studio album.

Fellow producer Jim-E Stack will also provide support in Manchester.

Lorde will be taking to the AO Arena stage here in Manchester on Saturday 15 November, and tickets officially go on general sale next Friday 16 May at 10am.

Read more:

General sale follows two pre-sales – a Three+ Presale on Wednesday 14 May, followed by an AO Arena-specific Presale on Thursday 15 May, both going on sale again at 10am.

Find out more and get tickets when they go on sale here.

Featured Image – Thistle Brown (Supplied)

Audio

Olly Murs at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Olly Murs Co-op Live Manchester gig times

The ‘Troublemaker’ himself Olly Murs is ready to cause some more chaos, and this time he’s returning to Manchester with throwback boyband, Blue.

X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which feels more like lads on tour with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.

Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, trilby-wearing popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.

Now, this cheeky chappy is embarking on the ’15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025′ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too.

Olly Murs is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester this week.
Olly Murs is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester this week.
Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons

Olly Murs UK tour dates

  • Thu 8 May – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Fri 9 May – Leeds, UK – first direct arena
  • Sat 10 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 12 May – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Tue 13 May – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Thu 15 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
  • Fri 16 May – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse live
  • Sat 17 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
  • Sun 18 May – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley
  • Thu 22 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Fri 23 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Sat 24 May – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse live
  • Sun 25 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena

Are there tickets left for Olly Murs’ Co-op Live gig?

There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at Co-op Live, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’.

To see a range of tickets and prices in all sections of this impressive new entertainment venue, Co-op Live, tickets can be found HERE.

Plus, even if you miss out on the Co-op Live, we wouldn’t worry too much, because the British popstar is also coming to AO Arena later this month near the end of his tour with tickets HERE.

Olly Murs 2025 tour – ’15 Years Of Hits’ setlist

This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’ – I mean, he’s bringing a flamethrower on stage…

No, seriously, LOOK:

After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs, give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.

Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?

  • Troublemaker
  • Right Place Right Time
  • Please Don’t Let Me Go
  • Thinking of Me
  • Oh My Goodness
  • Heart Skips a Beat
  • Kiss Me
  • Army of Two
  • Hand on Heart
  • Up
  • Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
  • Seasons
  • You Don’t Know Love
  • I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
  • Dear Darlin’
  • Years & Years
  • Never Been Better
  • Wrapped Up
  • Save Me
  • Dance With Me Tonight

What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?

Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!

Doors for Olly Murs’ ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025’ are scheduled for 6:30pm, with a kick-off time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.

The BRIT Award winners, Eurovision-performing and one-time chart toppers, are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics, including ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’, ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ and more.

How to get to Co-op Live

Tram

For those of you heading to Co-op Live, fortunately, it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.

Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre; they run until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

ADVERTISEMENT

Getting there by car and parking

If you’re driving, there are limited parking spaces available at the venue but these must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are also designated drop-off areas.

The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.

Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:

  • Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
  • Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
  • Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.

There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:

ADVERTISEMENT
  • Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
  • Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces

Walk/cycle

Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.

For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Mark Hayman/ Edward Cooke/Marcos Moreno (supplied)

More Audio

music festival at manchester skate park 2025

Art & Culture

A music festival is coming to a Manchester skate park

Audio

Scouting For Girls on Chesney Hawkes, Manchester gigs, Old Trafford and new tour

Catfish and the Bottlemen are included in the Live Nation Concert Week ticket sale

Audio

Tens of thousands of gig tickets for major concerts will be slashed in price this week

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches