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Busted and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man added to huge music series line-up in Delamere Forest

Because where else would you get to hear 'What I Go To School For' and 'Human' in a forest?

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 21st January 2025

Pop-punk band Busted and pop/soul singer Rag ‘N’ Bone Man are the latest acts announced to headline a music-filled forest a short drive from Greater Manchester.

The new names have been added to the huge Forest Live 2025 gig series, which takes place at Delamere Forest as well as four other unique outdoor locations across the country.

In a setting that’s mostly greenery and acres of trees, one voice is guaranteed to travel through the dense landscape of the forest, and that’s Rag ‘N’ Bone Man.

The powerhouse vocalist loves Northern crowds especially Manchester, back in October when we sat down with the Uckfield singer he said ‘Whether it was playing Gorilla or the Ritz… I never seem to have had a bad crowd’.

Joining the bill with the impressive soloist is boyband and still-to-this-day heartthrobs Busted who are visiting AO Arena this year as well, for those who aren’t such big fans of the festival scene.

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Busted have had worldwide and national acclaim soundtracking the early noughties by transporting people a thousand years into the future with ‘Year 3000’ and educating us on ‘What I Go To School For’.

Rag ‘N’ Bone Man has his fair share of chart topping too with notable songs like the hard-hitting drum-heavy ‘Human’ to the Calvin Harris link-up ‘Giant’ which is a flurry of flamboyant horns and EDM beats.

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You could be like these lucky gig-goers, front row in Delamere Forest.
Raise a glass to your favourite band at Forest Live 2025.
Bringing music and green spaces together, Delamere Forest, Cheshire.
Credit: Supplied

Stockport five-piece Blossoms will also be headlining and they might be bringing their latest member Gary, the infamous eight foot gorilla, on stage with them too.

There’s another Gary on the bill too, with Gary Barlow set to play in June.

Dundee legends Snow Patrol are another of the acts who are set to play at Forest Live this summer.

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Situated in Cheshire, Delamere Forest has been hosting events and shows as part of ‘Forest Live’ in partnership with lots of other unique green spaces like Sherwood Forest and Cannock Chase Forest too.

This initiative is set to drive more people into these natural environments that they maybe wouldn’t visit if it wasn’t for the music and make them realise how brilliant these grounds truly are.

Rag ‘N’ Bone Man is headlining on Sunday 15 June while Busted are set to headline on Thursday 19 June, both events are taking place at Delamere Forest as part of Forest Live 2025, with tickets HERE.

Forest Live 2025 at Delamere Forest line-up

  • 13 June – Snow Patrol
  • 14 June – Gary Barlow
  • 15 June – Rag n Bone Man
  • 19 June – Busted (with Twin Atlantic and SOAP)
  • 21 June – Blossoms (with Seb Lowe and The Guest List)

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Featured Image: Publicity Picture (Supplied)

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World-renowned rockers Lynyrd Skynyrd announce HUGE Manchester anniversary gig

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Legendary Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd are returning to Manchester for a limited UK tour at one city’s foremost venues.

Six years since their last visit, we’re sure they’ve missed ‘That Smell’ of a Manchester crowd and it’s safe to say safe we’ve missed them too.

Known for our love of live music and gigs, there’s no better place to stop off at other than Manchester when you’re playing a world tour, especially celebrating the 50th anniversary of the band’s formation.

Their name needs no introduction, however, if you need a reminder of this band’s remarkable career then ‘Don’t Ask Me No Questions’.

Just kidding, the well-seasoned country and blues veterans from Jacksonville, Flordia are one of the most acclaimed acts to ever come out of the US; in 2006 they received one of the biggest honours any artist could wish for, getting inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.

With plenty of well-known radio rock staples to their name such as ‘Free Bird’, ‘Simple Man’ and, of course, the iconic ‘Sweet Home Alabama’, they’ve sold more than 28 million records and are ranked at no. 95. in Rolling Stone‘s ‘Top 100 Artists of All Time’.

Now that’s pedigree, right there.

With 14 official studio albums, several EPs and numerous live recordings, there are definitely more than enough songs to pack into one unforgettable night.

As one of just four dates here in England, Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Manchester tour show is taking place at none other than the AO Arena, which has also reached a milestone in 2025 as they celebrate 30 years of unbelievable gigs. What better way to party than with a good ol’ fashioned rock show?

They won’t be travelling solo either, they’re also bringing Georgia-based rockers Blackberry Smoke as a support act, notable for their 2012 single ‘One Horse Town’ along with many others.

rock concert manchester, lynyrd skynyrd, manchester
Rockin’ it out like they always do, bring on Manchester.
rock concerts this year, lynyrd skynyrd, manchester
That iconic Lynyrd logo will look immense in AO Arena this year.
Credit: Supplied

They’ve chosen the right venue to belt the hits too and, ironically, they’ve chosen a Tuesday for their Manchester date, meaning you’ll be able to walk out of the concert singing ‘Tuesday’s Gone’ with more conviction than ever.

Similarly to Katy Perry, who also announced a gig at AO Arena set for this year, £1 from every ticket will also be donated to Live Trust in support of grassroots music venues. Love that.

One thing is for sure, with a legacy as big as this, the rockers are guaranteed to have a great time. There might not be any founding members left following the passing of guitarist and songwriter Gary Rossington in 2023, but you can bet the current lineup will do the originals justice and then some.

Lynyrd Skynyrd visit the AO Arena in Manchester on Tuesday 15 July 2025 with tickets going on sale from Friday 24 January at 10am. You can grab yours HERE.

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

Featured Images — Publicity Pictures (Supplied)

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Watch Johnny Marr join Franz Ferdinand on stage in Manchester for a Smiths classic

Danny Jones Danny Jones Johnny Marr joins Franz Ferdinand on stage in Manchester

Franz Ferdinand are the latest act to play Aviva Studios as part of the ongoing Amazon series here in Manchester and were joined by a local music legend during the performance: none other than the mighty Johnny Marr.

Amazon Music UK’s ‘City Sessions’ has already seen the likes of Bastille and Ella Henderson kick off the programme of live performances at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, and this past weekend saw the alternative indie veterans become the third.

Better yet, the Manchester crowd got to see one of their hometown heroes as well, as the former Smiths guitarist turned lyricist and solo artist joined the Glaswegians on stage for a spell.

A ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again’ cover by Franz Ferdinand featuring Johnny Marr himself was on absolutely no one’s bingo card for 2025 but we’re very happy we’ve lived to see this cameo.

@alixhgz never would i have imagined @Franz Ferdinand to have covered bigmouth with johnny marr wtf #fyp #franzferdinand #thesmiths #johnnymarr #foryoupage ♬ original sound – alix

The 61-year-old musician still has all the effortless swagger he always did and although anyone would struggle to match the same distinct vocal style as Morrissey, lead singer Alex Kapranos did a great job.

Reacting to the clips shared online, the excitement in the room was clearly palpable, with one person writing, “I let out the biggest scream” and another adding, “The crossover I didn’t know I needed!”

A third wrote: “I’d like to see them do an album together like the magnificent FFS album” – referring to the standalone collaboration record created by the Franz Ferdinand and Sparks supergroup in 2015.

Local social media and marketing company, Altrincham HQ, also shared footage of the two artists colliding to perform the Franz fan favourite ‘Do You Want To’, with Marr playing lead throughout.

Just excellent.

The entire performance was livestreamed on Amazon’s Twitch channel as part of the City Sessions series, so you can back and watch the full thing, but it’s fair to say this was the highlight.

It was only back in September that we saw the re-release of Johnny Marr’s only solo album with The Healers, Boomslang, but we’re glad to see the Manc icon is still finding plenty of opportunities to get on stage and do what he does best.

As for whether we’ll see more live performances of The Smiths tunes in the near future, Morrissey recently said that Marr now has full rights to all of their music and could feasibly tour with someone as lead should he wish.

However, the latter was quick to deny the controversial frontman’s claims and insisted that he had simply refused to sign an important document. His response also detailed previous talks about a potential reunion, though the chances of it ever happening now looked slimmer than ever.

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Featured Images — Nicholas O’Donnell (supplied)

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