One of the most momentous live music weekends in Manchester is fast approaching, as even before Parklife 2025 gets underway, we must first prepare to welcome Catfish and the Bottlemen.
The Welsh indie rock band remains one of Britain’s biggest and best contemporary exports, even with a fairly substantial hiatus; the proof is in the pudding too, with their huge Heaton Park headline gig selling out and the fandom not fading even one iota in the time between their last album and now.
Are there tickets left for Catfish at Heaton Park?
We hate to be the bearers of bad news, but unsurprisingly, Catfish’s Heaton Park – their first Manchester headline gig in many years – sold out very quickly.
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On the other hand, you’ll be glad to hear that there are some official resale tickets and VIP packages listed on Ticketmaster.
You can grab your tickets HERE and, of course, you can always keep your eye out for spares on trusted resellers like Twickets and TwicketSwap. Proceed with caution, though, and don’t risk getting stung.
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Support acts
Now, for those who don’t know who is supporting Catfish and the Bottlemen at Heaton Park, you’re in for an absolute treat, because this is a great little lineup that includes a much-loved Manchester band.
As well as a set from London-based DJ and producer Katie Owen to kick off the day, local legends and fellow indie rock favourites James are the main warm-up act.
In terms of when you can expect the action to get underway, Katie Owen is expected to get underway right from doors at 5pm until approximately 7:05pm; there will then be a roughly 25-minute interval before James take to the stage at 7:30pm.
Following a slightly longer break in play, the main event kicks into gear at 9pm, with Catfish expected to play a roughly 1h30m set.
Curfew is at 11pm, so you can expect people to start filing out of the park promptly after the end of the show. We’d also urge attendees to arrive nice and early and get in the queue from 4:30pm.
Setlist
Now, while the setlist obviously hasn’t been confirmed yet (that would spoil the fun now, wouldn’t it?), for the more impatient among you who are trying to figure out what the boys might play, you can check out the most recent running order of tracks from their comeback at Reading Festival last year on Setlist.fm.
It looks a little something like this:
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Intro: ‘Aint That a Kick in the Head’ (Dean Martin song) and ‘Helter Skelter’ (The Beatles song)
Longshot
Kathleen
Cocoon
Soundcheck
Pacifier
Twice
Fallout (‘Bartender and the Thief’ snippet in outro)
2all
Rango
Outside
Fluctuate
7 (Extended outro)
Cocoon
Who knows what the encore will be at this point, but one thing we will see is that the above setlist will surely include their most recent song ‘Showtime’ as well as persistent die-hard fan favourite ‘ASA’, which was recently released as a single at long last – maybe a bit of ‘Glasgow’ and ‘Hourglass’ too.
To be fair, we’d be happy with just about any of their tracks.
Last but not least, if you’ve never been to the massive green space before, your best bet is to travel via tram or other Bee Network public transport. Metrolink services will be running direct from Victoria to the venue during the day, and thankfully, it’s just a case of getting off at the Heaton Park tram stop itself.
From there, you can enter the event site via the North Gate; after the party is over, the Bowker Vale tram stop located near the East Gate is your quickest exit. Please also be mindful that Heaton Park station will also be closed from 9pm due to help with congestion and safety reasons.
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Otherwise, the usual Big Green Coaches will also be running from the city centre, which can be booked in advance, and taxis home will be available from Blackley New Road and along Bury Old Road.
And that should be just all the important key information you need to know ahead of what is sure to be a memorable night. Touch wood and keep everything crossed, folks…
Jessie Ware announces biggest-ever headline tour, including massive Manchester arena show
Danny Jones
Beloved British singer-songwriter Jessie Ware has just announced her biggest headline tour to date, including a massive arena show right here in Manchester.
She’s back with a bang, all right…
The solo star revealed the title and album cover for her sixth studio LP, Superbloom, in late January, and with the release date now fast approaching (Friday, 17 April), she’s gearing up for some truly huge gigs, both domestically and across Europe.
Set to make her Co-op Live debut later this year – the venue having booked so many big names already for 2026 – her Manc comeback can’t come soon enough.
Commenting on the announcement, the award-winning UK artist said: “I am so excited to be performing my biggest shows ever. We made it to arenas!!! I am playing iconic venues around the world, and I couldn’t be happier.
“The ‘Superbloom’ Tour will be filled with celebration, dancing, theatre, cowboys and goddesses, and of course a LOT of singing. Can’t wait to step into my garden where we all shall bloom!”
Born in London, she may not be a Northerner, but we’ve always had a lot of love for her music.
The 41-year-old has also found a whole new audience over the decade or so, thanks to the smash-hit podcast she records with her mum, Lennie, called Table Manners.
With her following stronger and more varied than ever, it’s no surprise she’s playing a space as big and industry-leading as the Co-op.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Jessie Ware 🪩 Saturday 5 Decemberhttps://t.co/r240zY16az@coopuk members get first in line for tickets. Co-op Member Presale: 09:00 Tuesday 21 April General Sale: 09:00 Thursday 23 April pic.twitter.com/yctYxk4W8Z
Confirming just four shows here in the UK and Ireland, us being the only other one in England bar The O2 in London, local fans can count themselves lucky she’s coming to our city.
Booking her return to 0161 for this winter, Jessie Ware comes to the Co-op Live arena in Manchester on 5 December, 2026.
Part and parcel of this venue, official Co-op members get early access, but you can also secure pre-sale by ordering her new album.
She’s also playing a more intimate in-store show here in town at the Arndale HMV if you miss out; see her socials for more info on that one.
As for general admission standing and seated tickets, you can get ready to grab yours from 9am on Thursday, 23 April, right HERE.
Olivia Dean at Co-op Live, Manchester- tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
The multi-award winning Olivia Dean is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester for two nights of her The Art of Loving Tour this April.
Pop and Neo-soul superstar Olivia Dean is continuing her phenomenal past 12 months by performing an arrangement of her hits and deep cuts from her newest LP The Art of Loving across the globe.
Dean recently scooped up four BRIT awards and three MOBO awards at the end of March right here at Co-op Live and now she’s returning to teach Manchester how to be ‘Nice To Each Other’.
The ‘Man I Need’ singer entered the music scene back in 2019 and instantly caught the attention of music lovers and critics alike, going on to receive a Mercury Prize nomination for her debut album Messy.
Gig guide | Olivia Dean at Co-op Live, Manchester – all you need to know
Olivia Dean is heading to Manchester for two shows at the impressive Co-op Live this April / Credit: Gwen Trannoy (Press shot)
Olivia Dean UK tour dates
Wed 22 April – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Thu 23 April – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Sat 25 April – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sun 26 April – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Wed 29 April – London, UK – The O2
Thu 30 April – London, UK – The O2
Fri 1 May – London, UK – The O2
Sat 2 May – London, UK – The O2
Thu 11 June – London, UK – The O2
Fri 12 June – London, UK – The O2
Are there tickets left for Olivia Dean at Co-op Live?
Olivia Dean is bringing The Art of Loving Tour to Manchester on 25 and 26 April / Credit: Jack Davison (Press Shot)
Now… here comes ‘The Hardest Part’, answering a question that’s on everybody’s lips and althought it might be ‘So Easy (To Fall In Love)’, getting tickets to Olivia Dean’s gig might be difficult.
These tickets are in very high demand and have sold-out on all major ticketing platforms, so if you’re up for seeing this powerhouse, you might have to set up reminders on Ticketmaster or official resale sites like Twickets.
Olivia Dean setlist for 2026 tour
The ‘Man I Need’ songwriter is performing live in Manchester at Co-op Live / Credit: Jack Davison (Press Shot)
The Art of Loving Tour hasn’t officially kicked off yet but based off the name of this current run of shows, we can only hope her sophomore album gets played in full.
Here is the track list for The Art of Loving:
The Art of Loving (Intro)
Nice To Each Other
Lady Lady
Close Up
So Easy (To Fall In Love)
Let Alone The One You Love
Man I Need
Something Inbetween
Loud
Baby Steps
A Couple Minutes
I’ve Seen It
Stage times for Olivia Dean at Co-op Live, Manchester
Doors for the ‘I Could Be A Florist’ hitmaker are set to open from 6.30pm with no official starting time listed yet.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning you’ll have plenty of time to say ‘Ok Love You Bye’ and make it home in time before it gets to midnight.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know 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 and until 1:00am 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.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are 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 on 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:
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 on 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.
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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Danny Jones -
12th June 2025 
