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There’s a FREE jazz festival coming to Manchester this summer

There are some ticketed events, but you'll find the lion's share is completely open to the public.

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia - 10th April 2025

Manchester is about to get blessed by the music gods this summer as our annual free jazz festival is making its way to the city centre very soon.

Whether it’s the rich and creamy vocals of Raye that feel like a warm embrace or the lively and energetic horns of Ezra Collective that get you on your feet instantly, jazz is beloved among us Brits.

Jazz aficionados and music lovers alike are welcome to rejoice in the resounding rhythms of this special genre for free as Manchester Jazz Festival returns for an equally special anniversary.

This iconic festival, commonly abbreviated to MJF, has been blasting out triumphant horns, piano riffs, vocal scats and more for a whopping 30 years, and they’re inviting everyone to party with them.

Manchester Jazz Festival is returning to the city centre this May.
Manchester Jazz Festival is returning to the city centre this May.
This year, Manchester Jazz Festival are celebrating their milestone 30th birthday.
This year, Manchester Jazz Festival are celebrating their milestone 30th birthday.
Credit: Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

Manchester Jazz Festival is taking over First Street with tonnes of family friendly activities, food and drink vendors and, of course, lots of live music.

So much live music that they don’t just have one stage; in fact, this summertime festival will be spread across three different stages with a sweet selection of over 20 different bands too.

This year sees the event running across three dates next month, all aimed at featuring the very best homegrown contemporary jazz artists, with a showcase for rising stars on the final day.

We got to see the likes of Nubiyan Twist, adopted Manc favourites Conor & The GreensKeepers, Mercury Prize-nominated Corto Alto and tonnes more last time around.

The first batch of activities that will be taking place on 16 May include crafting with the geniuses from Plant, an ‘interactive Alice in Wonderland show’ and even a free yoga session.

Of course, there will be plenty more announcements and updates to follow, but this is already set to be a vibrant and exciting three-day party dedicated to keeping everything groovy.

In order to keep Manchester Jazz Festival ‘jazzin up your summer since ’96‘, they rely on donations to make the event accessible for all, support northern artists and keep running incredible creative projects.

That’s why, to celebrate this festival’s milestone birthday, a ‘£30 for 30’ campaign has been set up to raise money for the charity, which you can contribute to as you like.

Manchester Jazz Festival is returning for 2025 throughout First Street and further out into Manchester city centre from 16-18 May; best of all, as mentioned, the large majority of shows are completely free with no prior booking required.

However, if you’d like to keep attending events such as this, once again, you can pledge a donation to their ‘£30 for 30’ campaign, and it really does make a big difference.

You can check out the full lineup and events programme HERE.

MJF 2025 is set to be packed with all the usual groovy tunes and fun activities.
MJF 2025 is set to be packed with all the usual groovy tunes and fun activities.
Smiles all round, especially when you're watching live entertainment at this impressive festival.
Smiles all round, especially when you’re watching live entertainment at this impressive festival.
Credit: Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

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Featured Images — Publicity Pictures (via Supplied)

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Adidas drop Liam and Noel Gallagher SPZL trainers

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Adidas drop Liam and Noel Gallagher SPZL trainers

Liam and Noel Gallagher have teamed up with adidas once again to create their very own SPZL trainers.

The sportswear giant has today dropped the designs for the adidas LG Achille SPZL and the adidas NG Marathon SPZL.

The sure-to-sell-out trainers will officially hit shelves in the new Manchester adidas store, and other stockists, next weekend.

The footwear drop coincides with the ongoing Oasis reunion tour, which attracted hundreds of thousands of people to the city when they played five nights in Heaton Park.

Liam and Noel themselves have maintained a close relationship with Gary Aspden, curator of the adidas SPZL range, for more than two decades.

They’re often seen sporting the iconic trainers and creating product collaborations, and now they’re back with a new Three Stripes partnership and their very own new adidas SPZL trainers.

Up first is Liam Gallaghers’s adidas SPZL, with the Oasis frontman asking to bring back a revised version of an archival runner, the adidas Achille.

Adidas drop Liam and Noel Gallagher SPZL trainers
Adidas drop Liam and Noel Gallagher SPZL trainers

The LG Achille SPZL features a khaki mesh base, chocolate brown stripes, a beige suede T-toe overlay, and a sand outside, with a motif of Liam on the tongue of the shoe.

Noel Gallagher’s NG Marathon SPZLs are his first collaborations with the brand since his immediate sell-out shoes back in 2017.

His are a new hybrid inspired by the adidas Marathon 85 silhouette, keeping the suede upper and rubber outsole of the Marathon 85 but with a deep navy/sky blue palette with a reworked toe box and midsole, as well as details like the Eco-Tex tongue and tonal eyelets.

Both shoes feature a portrait of their namesakes on the tongue, as well as spare laces, co-branded sock liners, and commemorative packaging.

The adidas LG Achille SPZL and the adidas NG Marathon SPZL are set to launch via adidas SPZL stockists and the adidas Carnaby and MCR retail stores on 16 August.

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Featured image: adidas

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Oasis are being linked with a massive outdoor gig next year

Danny Jones Danny Jones Oasis rumoured for Slane Castle outdoor gig 2026

After 16 long years of waiting, Oasis are officially the biggest band on the planet again (not that they ever really stopped), and now they’re being linked with a rather big outdoor gig at the storied Slane Castle next year.

They’ve already done Knebworth, so why not tick another one off the list?

With the Live ’25 reunion tour well underway, and rumblings over what they’re going to do once this run of global comeback shows is done, Britpop fever hasn’t just had fans of the band reliving the 1990s – it’s practically taken over the music world.

There’s already plenty of talk circling – including a potential return to Knebworth – but now Oasis is pretty much the first and only name being tipped for a huge headline slot at Slane Castle, after 2026 dates were slated by the estate’s owners.

slaine castle gigs
Slane Castle hosted natives, U2, for their Go Home live concert film back in 2002. (Credit: Sara Einarsson via WikiCommons)

While Harry Styles played Ireland’s historic and equally iconic venue back in 2023, the Co Meath concerts, located in the heart of the Boyne Valley, have somewhat dried up in recent years.

Prior to the former One Direction star, the last major musicians to play there were rock and heavy metal veterans, Metallica, more than half a decade ago.

However, the new lord of the manor, Alex Conyngham, is now looking to carry on where his father, Henry Mountcharles, left off in carrying on their live music legacy; and given that another legendary rock and roll band is pretty much anyone can talk about at the minute, their name has already been put forward.

As per the Drogheda Independent writer, John Kierans, Conyngham is reported to have said: “We want to bring the shows back, we miss them. It is not just about the revenue, but keeping the name of Slane as a rock venue on the map.

“It is what Slane Castle is known for, and I don’t want that legacy to fade away. This is one of the world’s great rock and roll venues with the most natural setting. We are working on plans, and hopefully we can pull something off for next year.”

While Oasis are due to play two nights at Croke Park in Dublin later this month, there is now a strong belief/expectation that a number of 2026 dates will also be announced. But will the stars align?

The Gallaghers’ obvious Irish connection has only added further fuel to the fire, though some people believe that Liam has already let the cat out of the bag regarding a second residency at Knebworth – or rather, third, in his case.

It’s also worth mentioning that they’ve played the 1,500-acre grounds before. Twice, in fact.

The first occasion was in July 1995, supporting R.E.M just before they hit arguably the height of their own powers with the release of their second album, (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? just a few months later, on 2 October.

Burnage‘s most famous sons and their bandmates go to do it all over again in 2009 (the same year they would eventually split up), with some incredible ‘warm-up acts’ in The Prodigy, Kasabian and Glasvegas.

Phwoar…

Let’s be honest, either of those artists could probably book and sell out the place these days, so god knows how much a ticket for that lineup would set you back present day.

Regardless, if there’s one band that fits the billing to bring back the Slane Castle gigs at their boldest and best, it’s the almighty Oasis.

Whether or not the heavily rumoured 2026 dates are domestic to the UK and Ireland, we’ll have to wait and see, but the clamour is already there, no matter where they sign on to perform.

If you were at Heaton Park or had the fortune of seeing any of the Live ’25 shows, you’ll know they still sound as good as ever.

Oasis are clearly doing something very deliberate for the as-yet-unconfirmed Live ’25 reunion album

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Featured Images — Sitomon (via Flickr)/Kinsie84 (via Wikimedia Commons)/Press Shots

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