There was a time, I’m fairly certain, that Justin Timberlake was the coolest man in pop music.
The Tennessee-born star is a triple threat who can sing, dance and act (…alright, last one is up for debate. We all saw In Time).
There might be a few more memes about him than he’d like these days (‘What tour? ‘The world tour’), but stick him back on a big stage and you quickly remember why Justin is often referred to as the Prince of pop.
He’s got more than 30 years of stardom to back him up, during which time he’s never stopped churning out pop bangers and arena tours, plus all those years he spent as part of boyband royalty N SYNC.
In the early days of Justin Timberlake’s solo career, I was a misty-eyed teenager with his poster on my wall. I was even gifted a mug for my 16th birthday that said ‘Born to be Mrs Justin Timberlake’, and still drink a brew out of it now.
So the chance to see my first celebrity crush live on stage for the first time, and at the staggering Co-op Live arena, triggered the sort of giddy frisson I thought I’d left behind about the same time I stopped writing ‘DJ luvz JT’ into my school planner.
We’ve got a cracking view of the full thing from the venue’s new Hangout area, tucked up in the heights of the venue where you’re basically sat at the bar to watch the concert.
Justin Timberlake with his dancers at Co-op Live in Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
Justin Timberlake is, obviously, not quite the same pop star I fell in love with all those years ago.
During the UK leg of his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour, there are definitely moments where he veers wildly close to cringe, like when he insists on cueing the drum solos with a point and a call of ‘DRUMS!’. It’s so aggressively American I feel like we’re all supposed to have recited the Pledge of Allegiance to be allowed in. I keep switching between having the ick and wanting to throw my bra on stage.
But once you embrace all the cheese and corn of Justin Timberlake’s live show, you’re in for a wild ride.
His older hits like Cry Me A River, Senorita, and Summer Love blend seamlessly with material from his most recent album Everything I Thought It Was, with a sprinkling of family-friendly chart-toppers from the likes of Can’t Stop the Feeling! from Trolls.
Throughout the show, Justin spends almost as much time dancing as he does singing, as per the boyband bible of the 1990s, with at least one perfectly-executed dance break in every single song.
The floating stage at Justin Timberlake’s Manchester show. Credit: The Manc GroupJustin Timberlake on the smaller b-stage at Co-op Live Manchester. Credit: The Manc Group
He covers some ground too, choosing not to sneak his way over to his smaller b-stage but instead taking his time to dance and sing his way through the audience, taking a heartwarming amount of time to give a front-row performance to those seated in the accessible section.
His audience participation mostly involves being sweet to children and wooing women with birthday songs. His natural charisma does the trick. At one point he asks who’s single in the room and I let out an enthusiastic ‘WOOO’ despite the husband waiting for me at home.
The staging is full of surprises (unless you’re on Tiktok), with an entire chunk of the big screen breaking away and soaring away from the stage, spinning and tilting as it goes.
For the encore of Mirrors, Justin rides the big screen like a comically large, glowing surfboard, then it folds away like a Murphy bed taking him with it. Does he have to abseil back down the other side? Who knows.
There really aren’t many artists in the industry who’ve been doing it this well for this long.
And that is why, even in 2024, I will proudly drink from my born to be Mrs. Justin Timberlake mug.
Featured image: The Manc Group
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Oasis are being linked with a massive outdoor gig next year
Danny Jones
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 Castlenext 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.
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?
Slane Castle are said to be in negotiations to stage a massive concert in 2026.
Croke Park theoretically has a concert capacity of 82,000, but I'd love to see them at Slane Castle. Saw Oasis and REM there in 1995. It was epic. pic.twitter.com/CYf6VDDgPw
— 🟥 deli⁷ | just a person🥢ᶠᵘᵗᵘʳᵉ'ˢ ᵍᵒⁿⁿᵃ ᵇᵉ ᵒᵏᵃʸ (@na_do_saram) August 3, 2025
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.
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.
Featured Images — Sitomon (via Flickr)/Kinsie84 (via Wikimedia Commons)/Press Shots
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Drake at Co-op Live, Manchester: Forget ‘One Dance’ – we had many
Thomas Melia
Canadian hitmaker Drake graced Co-op Live in Manchester for the final night of the ‘Some Special Shows 4 UK’ tour with PartyNextDoor.
First song in and multi-hyphenate Drake is already feeling sentimental with ‘Gimme a Hug’ as he admits, “I appreciate the fans rockin’ with me / This is really just a small token.”
‘Marvin’s Room’ played out right after, and although the song prior references it as a favourite of “Durk’s boy”, this same love was shared between 23,500 fans in the crowd at Co-op Live last night.
Shortly after, the Toronto-born rapper began the usual minute-long introduction of his gigantic single ‘Passionfruit’ with fans roaring as soon as he sang the long-awaited ‘Listen’.
Drake played out to 94,000 fans across four sold-out nights at Co-op Live in Manchester (Credit: Audio North)
Less than halfway through this stacked setlist, and it was time for the holy trinity of the night: ‘God’s Plan’, ‘In My Feelings’ and ‘Nice for What’ – nothing short of back-to-back bangers.
Fellow Canadian artist PartyNextDoor joined the self-proclaimed ‘Champagne Papi’ on stage to perform a medley of hits from their collaborative album ‘Some Sexy Songs 4 U’ next.
This R’n’B act made sure to play out his murky trap-fused number ‘No Chill’, and he squeezed in the equally melancholic melody ‘Somebody Loves Me’, too.
The pair may be promoting their joint LP but they took a second to squeeze in a throwback, matching each other’s energy while executing the 2016 collaboration ‘Come and See Me’.
Drake’s career is timeless, and the setlist proves just that as he delivers a rendition of one of his most recent successes, ‘Girls Want Girls’, followed by a track that laid the foundations of his career, ‘Fancy’.
Drake and PartyNextDoor for the ‘Some Special Songs 4 UK’ tour(Credit: The Manc)
Almost 30 songs deep and Drake still had fans reciting bars, verses and everything in between, and this continued as the two-time Brit award winner started 2023 anthem ‘Rich Baby Daddy’.
St. Louis rapper Sexyy Red wasn’t present for her renowned chant, but Manchester stepped up to the occasion, professing: “Hands on your knees, hands on your knees / Shake that *ss for Drake / Now shake that *ss for me”, verbatim.
It was only fair that the global rap titan finished with the setlist with two cellular-themed tracks, starting with the “You used to call me on my cell phone” number ‘Hotline Bling’ before the “Who’s callin’ my phone?” viral smash ‘Nokia’.
The setlist follows a very cyclical structure, as although Drake is known for his comical and cheeky persona on stage and online, deep down, the chart topper is very attentive.
Ending on the ever-emotive ‘Yebba’s Heartbreak’ with lines like, “How much can I show my love for you?”, it’s safe to say this international act is feeling pretty grateful after seeing 94,000 fans show up and show out for him across four non-consecutive nights.
Drake may refer to himself as the ‘Champagne Papi’, but it’s the 23,500 fans who were popping bottles and raising a toast to the rap champ; the support for this musical act is ‘Nonstop’.
Co-op Live really is booking all the big names now.
Daisy Jackson -
9th August 2024 
