Beloved R&B singer Gabrielle has announced an arena show in Manchester as part of a new UK tour.
The star will be heading out across the UK next year, performing at a mix of arenas, concert halls and iconic music venues.
Gabrielle has announced The Hits Tour today, where she’ll perform the biggest songs from her impressive three decade-long career.
Gabrielle topped the charts from the minute she released music, with her debut single ‘Dreams’ hitting the number one spot back in 1993.
Her career reached new heights in 1999 with the release of her landmark album, Rise, which has gone 4x Platinum certified and is one of the stand-out records of the era.
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Over the last 30+ years, Gabrielle’s voice and music have shaped British pop and soul, and she remains a defining figure to this day.
Across her career she’s achieved six top 10 albums, including 2018’s Under My Skin.
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She’s also earned two BRIT Awards, two MOBO Awards, and an Ivor Novello Award, recognising both her commercial success and songwriting excellence.
In recent years, she’s joined Adele at BST Hyde Park, as well as toured alongside legends such as Lionel Richie, Simply Red, Tom Jones to name just a few.
In 2025, Gabrielle embarked on her biggest UK tour to date, which included at show at the almighty AO Arena in Manchester, where she’ll return next spring.
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Expect to hear hits including Rise, Dreams, Out of Reach, Sunshine, When A Woman, and Give Me a Little More Time when she performs here on Saturday 24 April.
Before The Hits Tour kicks off in 2027, you’ll be able to see Gabrielle performing with Rick Astley and Michael Buble, as well as at festival stages including Tramlines and Kendal Calling.
Tickets for Gabrielle will go on sale on Friday 17 April, with an artist presale from Wednesday 15 April – you can get tickets HERE.
Gabrielle ‘The Hits Tour’ 2027 – UK Dates
Thursday 25 March – Ipswich Regent
Saturday 27 March – Southend Cliffs Pavilion
Monday 29 March – Portsmouth Guildhall
Tuesday 30 March – Oxford New Theatre
Thursday 1 April – Glasgow SEC Armadillo
Friday 2 April – Bradford Live
Saturday 3 April – Newcastle O2 City Hall
Monday 5 April – York Barbican
Wednesday 7 April – Bath Forum
Friday 9 April – London Eventim Apollo
Tuesday 13 April – Nottingham Royal Concert Hall
Thursday 15 April – University of Wolverhampton at The Civic Hall
Morrissey claims sole credit for The Smiths’ iconic Salford Lads’ Club photo shoot idea
Danny Jones
Morrissey is once again raising the issue of credit and disputes over The Smiths’ legacy, as the controversial former frontman has now claimed that their iconic photo shoot outside of Salford Lads’ Club was entirely his idea.
The 66-year-old lead singer turned solo star from Urmston is no stranger to sparking debates and attracting controversy, and it seems his latest is to do with one of the most iconic images in British music history, let alone just Greater Manchester.
The Davyhulme-born bard and divisive artist goes on to claim that the other co-founding members of the iconic Manc band initially viewed as more of his “lunacy” – the suggestion seemingly being (as it often is with Morrissey) that they simply didn’t understand the ‘genius’ at the time.
Many of his most die-hard fans still believe that most don’t and never will.
He even jokes that, in another life, it could very well have been something entirely different and random, such as the Kellogg’s factory in Trafford, basically suggesting that other members would have simply followed suit.
In his words, he argues that “now millions of people come from all over the world to be photographed on that very spot, it is claimed as a Smiths idea. It wasn’t, it isn’t, and it never shall be.”
Once again, this is by no means the first time he’s called into question, ‘who did what’ and/or who owns what bit of intellectual property; in fact, there was apparently another one of these instances with Johnny Marr only recently.
‘Moz’ and Marr have been at loggerheads pretty much ever since the group disbanded back in 1987, and still look to be far away from seeing eye to eye on virtually anything.
The Strokes announce first Manchester gig in two decades
Daisy Jackson
The Strokes are finally set to return to Manchester for the first time in years, announcing a huge arena show today.
The iconic indie rockers have shared details of a new European tour, which includes a night at the massive Co-op Live arena here in Manchester.
The news comes hot off the heels of their celebrated Coachella set over the weekend.
The Reality Awaits Tour, named after their upcoming seventh studio album, will take The Strokes to Manchester as well as London and Newcastle, plus several cities across Europe.
The Strokes broke into the industry back in 2001 with their seminal debut album Is This It, which spawned massive indie anthems like Last Nite, Hard To Explain, and Sometimes.
Since then, they’ve released six studio albums, all of which have climbed into the top 10 of the UK Albums Chart.
You can expect to hear all sorts of fan favourites, like Reptilia, Juicebox, and You Only Live Once, plus new music including their latest single The New Abnormal.
Co-op Live said: “This is set to be an unmissable show as they come to Co-op Live for the first time and we can’t wait!”
Last time The Strokes played in Manchester, it was at the O2 Apollo way back in 2006 – the same year they supported Foo Fighters at Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
They played Lytham Festival more recently, but haven’t ventured back into Manchester itself since.
The Strokes will play at Co-op Live in Manchester on 26 October 2026.
Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday 17 April HERE, with a number of pre-sales beginning from Wednesday 15 April.
Daisy Jackson -
13th April 2026 
