Oh hello there. All calmed down from the Oasis chaos now, have we? Well good, because we’re back to celebrating newer and largely lesser-known local bands and artists – hopefully to the point that they become far too big to need round-ups like these.
Not that we’ll stop writing them, mind you.
Yes, after last month’s edition (wink wink, nudge nudge), we’ve got five more Manc born and bred or at the very least currently based somewhere in within boroughs bands and artists that Audio North has been enjoying of late.
We welcome all walks of tunage here, by the way; it’s the best way to be and if you don’t manage to find something there’s always next month or all the previous ones, for that matter. Let’s get into it.
Five Manc artists we’ve been listening to recently
1. Nia Archives
Kicking the September rundown in style, we’ve got the wonderful Nia Archives, who despite not hailing from Manchester originally has made a happy home here, playing countless stages around the city since she moved here when she was just 16 and now she’s well and truly shining.
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The 2022 BBC Introducing Artist of the Year is set to deliver her Up Ya Archives club night to The Warehouse Project for just the second time and if you’ve never heard her before, you’re really not ready for the breadth going on. Dance, electronic, D’n’B, jungle, neo-soul – she really does play with it all.
From Bradford, Leeds then to 0161, she’s got to be one of our favourite talents around right now. ‘Baiana’ is certainly one of her biggest tunes and her debut title track ‘Silence Is Loud’ is a certified banger, but we’re gonna shout out her remix of ‘leavemealone’ by Fred again… and Baby Keem.
From varied floor-fillers to another genre-bending outfit that we’re ashamed to confess we arrived far too late but are making up for it with some intense listening over the last 30 days. They started out as a trio nailing alternative synth-pop but things have got even more interesting and complex since then.
With roots in Wilmslow, Cheadle Hulme and various other spots around Greater Manchester, the band has grown in every sense of the word since their highly acclaimed 2019 debut, not only because they’re a five-piece these days but because their sound is oozing with so many sprawling influences.
One of the first tunes we heard from them is ‘High Pressure Days’ (it’s a cover but we don’t care), so that has to go in there as a potential starting point, but we’d also check out ‘Somebody Like’ before trying ‘Bloom and Fade’ off their upcoming third album, out 18 October, to see how much things have changed.
Next up is a much more familiar sound for us as Yasmin Coe has the shimmery, shoegaze-esque guitars that her sound is fitting right in with the 90s revival that’s currently thriving all over the country, not to mention a great display of versatility so early on in her career.
If you ask her, she’s self-proclaimed ‘girl power pop’, but there’s everything from Lana Del Rey, Mazzy Star, Wolf Alice and more going on here; safe to say we’re really excited to see where else she takes her music and we’ll definitely be buying a ticket to see her in person very soon.
Fortunately for you, Yasmin’s still pretty fresh so she only has four songs for you to get stuck into – ‘No Hope’, ‘Doubt’, ‘Promise Not To Care’ and her latest, ‘Linen’ – and you’ll get something different from all of them. We love artists like this, keep it up.
For a slightly heavier, more in-your-face entry at number four, our penultimate band has been enjoying the live setting for years but is slowly working its way onto people’s playlists – ours included.
There’s a lot more no-nonsense American rock to the very Mancunian-named Haciendas than there is Madchester or even Britpop, but that feels somewhat refreshing in amongst the mix of contemporary guitar-driven bands, and they also have the attitude to back it up. Think The Reytons but with more US-inflections and riffs and you’re part way there.
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This is music that doesn’t need over-intellectualising: it’s fast, fun and even if it does subscribe to somewhat formulaic chorus formats, they’re winning combos for a reason. Our top picks are ‘Overdose’, ‘Brighter Days’ and you can’t go wrong with ‘I’m Not In Control’.
5. Denver County Council
Last but not least, we’ve got Denver County Council: one of the best sounding and, in our opinion, best-dressed bands in Manchester – especially if you’re like us and you love early Kings of the Leon era or anything even remotely close to the country aesthetic. There’s a real mix of blues/old-school rock and roll vibe with an indie sensibility, what’s not to like?
These guys came on our radar around the time they landed a spot on AO Arena‘s stripped-back series last year and we’ve been enjoying them on and off ever since, to be honest. However, since we spotted them on the lineup for Neighbourhood 2024, they’ve been firmly back in the rotation.
These guys haven’t put out tonnes of much just yet either, however, if we had to play favourites amongst the few it would be ‘Grace’, ‘Flawd’ and Mad Love – but the strictly the live version that we can’t wait to hear for ourselves this weekend. Having said that they can also do lovely slower ones like this:
These guys are the real ‘DCC’ and they’re the fifth and final name of our Manc artists of the month.
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
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.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Danny Jones -
30th September 2024 
