Were you a blue, green, yellow or red hoody? Aston, Marvin, JB and Ortise are back, better than ever before with their hits tour ‘Everybody Say JLS: The Hits Tour’ and were smashing them out at Manchester’s AO Arena last night singing.
Not only did hearing all the classics live again make me extremely happy — being one of the girls who had all the posters on my wall and, of course, the blue Aston hoody — but I couldn’t think of a better way to describe this gig than pure nostalgia.
The runners-up of X-Factor 2008, JLS (Jack the Lad Swing, for any of you who always wondered) came back together once again to bring all the nostalgia of the noughties to a packed-out Manchester crowd.
With five number-one hits, six million records sold worldwide and four multi-platinum albums, it’s easy to forget just how big a thing these boys were in their heyday but there was never any doubt they were going to sell out the Arena — and that they did.
It isn’t the first time JLS have played Manchester’s AO Arena, but it somehow still felt like the old days (Credit: The Manc Audio)
Kicking off the night was the fabulous Persian-American pop star, Shab, who is supporting the band across all their UK dates. The passionate and outspoken singer is a rising star in the pop world and whether or not people were familiar with her beforehand, she certainly left an impression.
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Playing through singles including ‘Indestructible’, ‘Sexual’, her latest hit ‘VooDoo’ with rap veteran Fat Joe and what had to be my favourite, ‘Ain’t Thinking Bout You’, she kicked off the night with plenty of vibey pop music to get everyone going.
Dipping back into those high-school memories even more, British rap and fellow pop icon Tinchy Stryder came out next, walking out to the tune of ‘Seven Nation Army’ as people chanted, ‘Ohhh, it’s Tinchy Stryder’.
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Bringing back all of his classics like ‘Take Me Back’, ‘Never Leave You’ and, of course, finishing on ‘Number 1’ (still as much of a bop as you remember it), we knew from this point on how much of an enjoyable trip down memory lane this night was going to be.
Shab, Tinchy Stryder, JLS and a few Manc’s took centre stage at the AO Arena on Thursday night.
And then they arrived. There was A LOT of inaudible screaming, to say the least. Starting off with ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ — whipping out their original dance routines, no less — they made it clear this really was the ‘Greatest Hits Tour’ from the very off.
‘Hottest Girl in the World’, ‘One Shot’, ‘Do You Feel What I Feel’ and the first single from their last album in 2021, ‘Eternal Love’ (written by none other than Ed Sheeran); they even brought fans on stage for ‘I Know What She Like’.
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Shout to Paige, wherever you are, as she was not letting that moment go for anyone, dancing all around the stage and hugging the lads so tightly that Ortise and Aston had a handful trying to get her sat down. Brilliant.
And then it happened… The moment we’d all be waiting for — the meme all JLS die-hards and the majority of Brits know regardless of whether they’re a fan or not: JB SAID MERRY CHRISTMAS! Met with cheers and laughter in equal measure, all I could think was, ‘How can it get better from here?’
Of course, there were some tear-jerking moments as well, such as Ortise telling the crowd how the moving story of a family illness motivated him and his brothers to chase their dreams, before going on to build an even bigger family with the JLS boys.
Whenever an act asks the crowd to hold up their lights you know it’s going to be an emotional one too. As they played ‘Close to You’ and ‘Make Me Proud’, you could see all the friends hugging in the crowd as a magical sea of lights sparkled across the AO.
With a quick costume change, they came back out to ‘The Club Is Alive’ and this is where I knew we were going to get our next big moment and they didn’t disappoint: a trademark backflip from Aston because why the hell not? After all, this was a celebration of all things JLS and more.
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Speaking of which, the four-piece were intent on reliving the very best of their era, bringing out a set of DJ decks and facing off against each other with their favourite tracks from that beloved period of pop.
From Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ and ‘Baby’ by Justin Beiber to ‘Super Bass’, ‘All I Do is Win’, ‘Bonkers’ and so many more, the crowd was absolutely bouncing. But the fun didn’t stop there either, as they also brought out special guests Fleur East for her hit ‘Sax’ and The Wanted’s Max George singing ‘Glad You Came’. Trust us, glad doesn’t even begin to cover it.
We knew they had to end on a high, playing ‘Love You More’ as the penultimate track before disappearing into the floor in a blast of fireworks second to last, with fireworks, and then they disappeared into the ground before reappearing for the encore.
The AO Arena lit up in blue, red, green and yellow as if to call upon a team of pop music Power Rangers, we all knew what was coming as they polished off the show with ‘Everybody in Love’ — and believe us, absolutely everyone’s hands were up as confetti scattered across the sky.
As a girl who grew up loving JLS, whether they were part of your adolescent music taste or not, I can honestly say that the celebration of all things Noughties made it one of the best shows I have been to in a long time. I’ll be keeping one eye on summer in the hopes of another tour and more massive Manc dates.
Bicep present Chroma AV DJ set at The Warehouse Project 2024 – tickets, lineup and more
Danny Jones
Another big night at The Warehouse Project is just around the corner as Bicep return to Depot Mayfield for what is set to be an incredible night with a whole host of top guests in tow.
The Bicep presents Chroma AV (audiovisual) DJ set is arguably one of the biggest dates on the entire WHP 2024 calendar, with the Belfast duo sitting comfortably at the top of the current electronic scene.
It may have been more than three whole years since their sensational sophomore record, Isles, but as part of the ‘CHROMA’ project launched back in January, the new label, event series and hybrid live-DJ show has given us our first taste of new music from the pair along with producing partner, Hammer.
So, if you’re heading to Warehouse for Bicep and co. instead of Sam Fender this Friday – hopefully, you’ve got tickets for the latter on Saturday – here’s everything you need to know.
Bicep at The Warehouse Project gig guide
Bicep smashing Repercussion 2023 (Credit: Supplied via Graham Joy)
Are there tickets left for Bicep at WHP?
If you’re still looking to have a night jam-packed with tunes and some of the best light shows you’ll find anywhere in Machester, there are still tickets left to catch Bicep at Warehouse Project.
Early entry tickets (before 9pm) start from £29.50 + booking and handling fees, with standard full-price tickets clocking in at £43.35 with all service charges included.
There are also VIP passes available if you fancy being bougie. Whatever your preferred option, you can grab yours HERE.
The CHROMA lineup for WHP 2024
For their return to the Warehouse, Bicep have attracted a fantastic collection of names to see throughout the night before they headline the whole shebang.
With Aussie favourite Mall Grab, aforementioned collaborator Hammer, as well as British DJ icon SHERELLE (Sherelle Camille Thomas), to name but a few taking part, it’s going to be a brilliant night.
You can see the full lineup down below:
Bicep Present Chroma AV DJ Set
Mall Grab
Daphni
Helena Hauff
Bubble Love (Ross From Friends)
SHERELLE
Elkka – Live
Moxie
Effy
LCY
Hammer
Denham Audio
Machine Woman
Space Afrika
Giulia Tess
Cameo Blush
Swoose
Bakey
Bicep WHP stage splits
As for where you can find these dance and electronic pioneers playing, WHP will once again be split up across the main Depot room, the equally popular Concourse stage and the Archive room.
With an overall capacity of roughly 10,000, the place is sure to be packed out but you just need to figure out which area suits you best.
Stage times for Bicep presents Chroma – Manchester
As for when you get to catch each of these incredible acts, we’ve broken down Bicep’s WHP set times in a handy little table for you.
That being said, you can access all of these times easily on the night by downloading the WHP24 app.
DEPOT
CONCOURSE
ARCHIVE
Hammer b2b Swoose – 8-10pm
Giulia Tess – 8:30-9:30pm
Cameo Blush – 8:30-9:30pm
Moxie – 10-11pm
Effy – 21:30-22:45pm
Space Afrika – 9:30-10:45pm
Elkka – Live – 11:05pm-12:05am
Mall Grab – 22:45pm-12am
Machine Woman – 22:45pm-12am
Bubble Love (Ross From Friends) – 12:05-1:05am
SHERELLE – 12-1:15am
LCY – 12-1:15am
Daphni – 1:05-2:15am
Helena Hauff – 1:15-2:30am
Denham Audio b2b Bakey – 1:15-2:30am
Bicep – 2:15-4am
n/a
n/a
Transport and how to get to The Warehouse Project
Just an eight-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly or a 20-minute walk from Manchester Victoria Station, it’s super easy to get to Warehouse Project on foot or via public transport.
You can catch a train or multiple tram lines from Victoria and various other points around the city centre which will drop you off at Manchester Piccadilly; better still, a tram journey will only set you back £1.90 and not much more for the train.
Taxis are also widely available across Manchester city centre starting from £5 upwards from Manchester Victoria to Depot Mayfield or £4 and above for a ride to the venue from Piccadilly.
Final things to remember
Credit: Graham Joy
There are multiple free drinking points inside as well as free cups of water behind the bar. Stay properly hydrated and you’ll be able to rave well into the early hours.
Please also note that multiple amnesty bins can be found on your way into the building. We urge everyone to stay safe and look after one another.
Lastly, anyone wearing a football shirt will not be accepted into the venue but other than that, have an absolutely incredible time.
You can find the rest of the WHP24 programme below:
Fast-rising Manc rockers ROLLA announce biggest-ever headline show
Danny Jones
Manchester band ROLLA have announced their biggest-ever headline gig right here in their hometown and it’s set to be a barnstormer.
The local rock and roll outfit are on the up not only amongst the Manc music scene but Britain at large, notching huge nods from the likes of Rolling Stone as well lots of love from us here at Audio North, and now the in-your-face five-piece are set for a landmark show.
Having crossed a number of city centre venues already, ROLLA have now revealed they will be playing none other than New Century Hall for the first time in their career.
Still only a few short years into their journey to stardom (and yes, we do believe they’re going to be that big), this latest date is a huge milestone for the Mancs.
MANCHESTER… IT’S TIME, THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
We're thrilled to announce our biggest ever headline show at New Century Hall May 3rd, 2025. 💥
Pre-sale Wednesday 10am, General sale Friday 10am. 🫡
It was only last month that the ferocious indie rockers put their ever-growing fan base to good use by throwing a sold-out charity gig at Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club in a successful campaign to save it from closure, and the scenes from the show were unbelievable.
Speaking on what was a momentous night for the band and Greater Manchester as a whole, ROLLA hope it will go down as something “current and future members of the club and our fans can always look back on it as a special moment in time.”
They also detailed how the atmosphere at the gig was so electric that they used a lot of the footage to create the music video for the new single, ‘It Ain’t Easy’, labelling it “the perfect nod to the massive achievement of helping towards keeping the clubs’ doors open.”
And they really did put their money where their mouth was, raising a whopping £8,000 through ticket and merch sales on the night – a huge 24-hour contribution towards the overall £250k target which was finally reached with just a few days to spare last week.
You can hear the track and see the fantastic visuals that go along with it down below:
As far as memorable Manchester gigs, this is just the start for ROLLA.
Going to discuss the landmark headline show, the band added: “This is more than just a gig—it’s a defining moment for the band and our fans – a coming together of everything we’ve built so far and we mean to make it special. It’s gonna go off.
“New Century Hall is a proper Manchester institution. It’s been a part of the city’s music scene for decades, and after its recent revival, it’s sounding and looking better than ever. We can’t wait to fill it out with our sound.”
If you’ve not come across their sound before, there are some very noticeable Oasis influences – not just because of some very familiar-looking haircuts and use of sunglasses in their photoshoots either – but, put simply, they deliver some of the punchiest rock riffs around right now.
Music outlet Gigwise has hailed them as “one of the most energetic and full displays of indie rock ‘n’ roll on offer today” and we tend to agree, having also named them on our Manc Bands of the Month just this past October.
With their four-track debut EP set to release on 7 March, two tracks from which we’ve already heard and immediately added to our playlists, they’ll be bringing their tunes and hopefully more new music to the much-loved city centre venue on 3 May 2025.
We have every faith that they will set out the 1,300-capacity New Century Hall thanks to their already die-hard cult following alone, so you best be quick if you want to be there.
You can grab tickets to Rolla’s biggest-ever Manchester gig, not to mention for less than £20 per person, right now via the DICE anti-touting app or directly HERE.
The Manc Audio -
3rd November 2023 
