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Enter Shikari announce biggest headline UK tour yet with a double bill of Manchester shows following first-ever No. 1 album
Shikari are on top form right now and Mancs will get two chances to see them early next year.
Fresh off the first UK Number 1 album of their careers, alt-rock legends Enter Shikari have announced their biggest-ever British headline tour next February.
Enter Shikari have been on the scene since 1999 and have gone on to become one of the country’s biggest exports, so it’s about time they got the full recognition they deserve, with their new album A Kiss From The World taking top spot on the album charts on Friday, 28 April — their first-ever UK No.1.
To celebrate, the veteran rockers from St Albans will be treating us to not one but two shows in Manchester, while every other city is only getting one. Guess that’s what you get when you’re a music mecca.
If you’ve never been to a Shikari gig before, you’ll want to be at one of these.
Having finished up their Manchester residency shows at New Century Hall just last month, the four-piece are wasting no time in kickstarting the next stage of this new album cycle and will be heading back out on the road come 9 February 2024.
Starting out in Leeds’ First Direct Arena, they arrive at legendary O2 Victoria Warehouse on 14 February, playing two nights in front of thousands of Mancs before bringing the tour to a close at Wembley on 17 Feb.
It may be a bit of a whirlwind tour with only six venues across seven dates — all in the space of nine days, no less — but the ‘fast and furious’ approach is very on-brand when it comes to these lads.
We spoke to them earlier this year, just before starting their run of shows at New Century and they only further confirmed that to be the case, insisting that this latest album is “full of nothing but bangers”.
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With multiple four and five-star reviews for the new album, A Kiss To The World, not to mention all of their other bangers from down the years, you’ll be getting Shikari at their very best.
Better still, the band are going to donate £1 for every ticket sold to the Music Venue Trust in support of grassroots music venues in each city on the tour. Nicely done, boys.
General sale for Enter Shikari’s Manchester shows along with the rest of the tour go live at 10am on Friday, 5 May.
You can grab yours HERE.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Image — Enter Shikari
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James Blunt announces huge Manchester gig on new European arena tour
Daisy Jackson
Singer-songwriter James Blunt is heading back out on tour next year, and has announced a massive Manchester gig as part of his run of arena shows.
The singer, perhaps best-known for his iconic 2005 pop ballad ‘You’re Beautiful’, is hitting the road again in 2027.
The newly-announced European tour is in celebration of his new album Airplane Mode, which is set for release this autumn.
James Blunt will kick off his tour in Leeds next spring, before heading over for a night at the almighty Co-op Live in Manchester.
Then he’ll head to more cities including Newcastle, Birmingham and London.
His new album, Airplane Mode, is being released on 6 November and will, according to his press release, be ‘exhilarating’.
James has already released the first single, ‘Tastes Like Summer’, and ‘Weight Of It All’, with 10 more songs to come on the record.
Airplane Mode was recorded with James’ brilliant long-standing live band, who’ll be back on tour with him next year.
Speaking of the new album, and recording in Pig Music Studios, he said: “Somewhere back there, I lost my way, but found it again in a studio in Banbury.”
James Blunt will be at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on 3 April, 2027. Tickets go on sale from 10am on 9 September.
James Blunt UK and Ireland 2027 tour dates
- 26 March – Leeds
- 27 March – Birmingham
- 28 March – Newcastle
- 30 March – Dublin
- 31 March – Belfast
- 2 April – Glasgow
- 3 April – Manchester
- 4 April – London
- 6 April – Cardiff
- 7 April – Bournemouth
- 8 April – Brighton
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Featured image: Supplied
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Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
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The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE
Featured Image: @samserved (via Instagram)
Danny Jones -
3rd May 2023 
