The Clone Roses, alongside a host of other Manchester band tribute acts, will be taking to the stage at Heaton Park next summer.
The massive outdoor gig will celebrate our city’s rich musical heritage, with names like Oas-is, The Smiths Ltd, and Courtbetweeners all performing.
The show comes in celebration of The Clone Roses’ 25th anniversary and follows the success of last year’s Spike Island gig.
‘Heaton Park – The Resurrection’ will see the much-loved The Stone Roses tribute band follow in the footsteps of their idols Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni.
The Clone Roses. Credit: The Manc Wanderer
A decade after The Stone Roses’ 2012 reunion gigs at Heaton Park, The Clone Roses will be commemorating their own milestone.
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Gav Scott (aka ‘Ian’) says: “We’ve been wanting to do Heaton Park for ages but it’s such a popular and busy park. When the opportunity finally came, we couldn’t say no!
“Over the years, we’ve played the Blackpool Empress Ballroom, Spike Island, and now this… it feels like we’ve completed The Stone Roses cycle to a certain degree!”
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The Stone Roses at Heaton Park in 2012. Credit: Flickr
Speaking of those 2012 Heaton Park gigs, which Gav watched from the crowd, he said: “We went on the Saturday and it was strange for us as we weren’t really getting into it like everyone else… we were thinking things like ‘what’s Mani wearing’, ‘what’s the guitar John is playing,’ making notes on setlist!
“Still loved it mind, and we never got to see them first time round so it was an incredible moment for us… That Roses Heaton Park setlist was all the classic songs you’d hope them to play so I’ve no doubt our show will be very similar to their set in 2012.”
He continued: “We’d love to celebrate our 25th Anniversary in the city that have been so loyal to us from day one.
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“I think people have accepted that we really put the effort into recreating a Roses show and they are really supportive of what we do. In terms of the day itself, there’s going to be an absolute feast of Manchester music!”
Warm-up acts will include famous faces from the original Madchester era, like DJ sets from Bez and Clint Boon.
There’ll also be other ‘cloners’ (or tribute acts) including Oas-is, The Smiths Ltd, The Courtbetweeners, Happy Mondaze and The James Experience.
Heaton Park: The Resurrection will take place on Saturday 13 May 2023.
Tickets will be priced from £22.50, with VIP packages available, and go on sale on Saturday 5 November at 10am. You can get yours at www.the-resurrection.co.uk.
Hilary Duff announces massive Manchester gig on first world tour in nearly 20 years
Danny Jones
Noughties throwback, Hilary Duff, is continuing her contemporary comeback trail by announcing a brand-new world tour, including a massive arena gig right here in Manchester.
That’s right, Lizzie McGuire herself is returning to the UK with new music.
In all seriousness, child star Hilary Duff has gone on to have quite the career, but it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had fresh music from her, which is why her next album and huge run of tour dates around the globe feels like such a big deal.
Ahead of her sixth studio release, lucky… or something, dropping this month, the American popstar has now confirmed nearly 50 upcoming dates in support of the record; she also still managed to give us a very Disney Channel reveal video.
Yes, heading out on the road across North America, Europe, the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia and New Zealand, Hilary Duff has announced a total of 47 gigs so far.
With no other live shows confirmed in mainland Europe yet, Great British and Irish fans can be glad of the five shows locked in for the UK leg.
Having said that, with the 38-year-old enjoying a real renaissance of late, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more added to the newly confirmed ‘lucky me’ tour.
As mentioned, with her latest LP scheduled to launch on 20 February, we got her most recent track just a few short weeks ago.
Following the lead single from the project, ‘Mature’ – also released this past November 2 – you can see the music video for her ‘Roommates’ down below.
The song is also produced by her husband, Matthew Koma.
This newest outing is the first Hilary Duff album in over a decade, following 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out; it’ll also be nearly two of them since her last world tour, having last played Manchester all the way back in 2007.
As for her shows, following a number of performances in late 2025 and this year already, she’ll be playing throughout the calendar and well into early 2027.
You can see the rest of the European tour dates thus far down below.
Hilary Duff UK and IE tour dates – September ’26
6 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
8 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena Cardiff
10 – London, UK – The O2
Thursday, 12 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
13 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
For tickets to see her here in Manchester at the end of this summer, early access can be enjoyed by Three mobile members from 10am on Tuesday, 17 February, or via the venue’s own presale window from the same time next Thursday, 19 Feb.
As for general admission, tickets will then go live at 10 the following Friday (20 Feb), and you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
SING TO ME PAOLO! 🎤🛵💅
Superstar @HilaryDuff brings 'the lucky me tour' to Manchester!
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via AO Arena)
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Gig Review | Mika shines at the AO Arena in Manchester on the first night of his world tour
Aimee Woodcock
Mika’s Manchester stop on his ‘Spinning Out’ global tour was a vibrant, high-energy celebration of all things pop.
Not happy with just walking on stage – this is Mika we’re talking about – he made his entrance on a spinning hamster wheel, bathing the AO Arena in kaleidoscopic lights.
Opening with ‘Modern Times’ and ‘Eleven’ from his latest discography before leaning into one of the classics, ‘Relax, Take it Easy’, the atmosphere inside the packed arena felt charged.
His stamina was something that stood out from the get-go, delivering every track with that signature Mika flair, accompanied by choreography and a live band that matched his energy – no mean feat.
The production leaned heavily into colour and movement, with swirling visuals and playful stage design that mirrored the tour’s theme of motion and momentum with nods to themes of LGBTQ+ rights.
Working through this current album, and after a quick outfit change, we were treated to an a cappella intro to another classic, ‘Lollipop’ with Mika dressed in a full pink suit (and shoes).
Between songs, Mika’s easy rapport with the crowd added warmth and intimacy to the arena-sized performance.
He shared anecdotes and playful banter, encouraging the crowd to sing along, uniting the fans.
Highlights included a rendition of ‘Grace Kelly’, which sparked one of the loudest reactions of the night, and a heartfelt performance of his more reflective ‘Happy Ending’ offered a welcome contrast to the glittering pop anthems.
Daisy Jackson -
3rd November 2022 
