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Kendrick Lamar announces huge Manchester Arena show

The Pulitzer prize-winning rapper is bringing his Big Steppers World Tour to Manchester this November.

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 16th May 2022

Kendrick Lamar crashed the internet this morning when he dropped his new album Mr Morale and the Big Steppers.

Now it looks like he might be about to crash it again.

The Californian rap superstar has confirmed he will be performing across the globe as part of his Big Steppers World Tour, and Manchester is lucky enough to be getting a visit.

Fans will be treated to the artist’s first live performance in four years when Kendrick returns to the city in November.

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One of just seven planned stops on the UK leg of his tour, he will appear in Manchester on 16 November for one night only before jetting off abroad.

With support from Baby Keem and Tanna Leone, Kendrick will take his latest thorny opus – a double album that features everyone from Kodak Black to Sampha and Portishead’s Beth Gibbons – out on the road later this year.

Image: Spotify

Tickets will go on general sale from Friday 20 May at 10am via livenation.co.uk

Kendrick Lamar’s last album DAMN debuted at No. 1 in the US and managed to go triple platinum in just over a year, which is no mean feat.

Understandably there has been a huge amount of anticipation surrounding his new release, which finally dropped today leaving fans across the globe reeling.

The Pulitzer prize-winning rapper’s fifth album has a lot to live up to, even more so as his last planned release with longtime label Top Dawg Entertainment.

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Described as a “deeply uncomfortable” work by Pitchfork Media, it has already spurred fans online to create somewhat patronising guides on how best to listen to the album.

The full set of UK tour dates for the Big Steppers World Tour are as follows:

Wed Nov 02– Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Thu Nov 03 – Leeds, UK – First Direct Arena
Fri Nov 04 – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Sat Nov 05 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon Nov 07 – London, UK – The O2
Tue-Nov 08 – London, UK – The O2
Wed Nov 16 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena

 Feature image – Kendrick Lamar / Renell Medrano

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‘The Brand With the 3 Stripes’: adidas returns to Market Street with dedicated Manchester Oasis shop

Danny Jones Danny Jones new Oasis adidas collab shop Manchester city centre

Manchester’s famous Market Street adidas store has reopened as quite possibly the most mega and, certainly, the most Manc shop on the high street – thanks to Oasis.

Amidst their already iconic collaboration with the global sports apparel name, Oasis have followed up their recently opened pop-up shop with another bold and (go on, we’ll say it) BIBLICAL building dedicated entirely to the ‘band with the three stripes’.

Or should we say brand?*…

You’ll have to have been living under an entire ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ to have missed this crossover, but it really does have to be visited in person to truly appreciate.

oasis adidas store market street
oasis shop manchester
The Oasis x adidas shop is sure to be a big Manchester attraction in its own right. (Credit: The Manc Group)

With tonnes of memorabilia, genuine artist artefacts, a shed-load of every adidas Originals shoe model imaginable; dedicated Live ‘25 tour printing, buckets of buckets hats and simply more merch than you can shake a tambourine at, it’s a genuinely incredible space.

In fact, we’d wager you don’t even have to be a fan of the legendary Britpop band to enjoy the massively overhauled rooms.

Put it this way, if you like adidas, the effortlessly cool nature of Manc culture, or even just really, really good quality sports, street and casual-wear, you’ll get something out of this.

Besides the archive walls, photo-booth (which we spent an inordinate amount of time in) and all the other nods to Noel and Liam, there is still a standard adidas Originals floor upstairs.

With a corner still set aside for the usual football stuff, a whole wall of their different shoes with detailed explanation and story behind each type, plus even more fitting rooms.

The Market St shop is almost unrecognisable compared to what it used to be like – you kind of only recognise because it’s still in the same spot – and it really does feel akin to a home for the much-loved brand, the city that wears its logo not just like a uniform but a badge of honour, and a shrine to our Oasis.

Separate from the pop-up merch stores that have appeared over in Spinningfields, London is the only other place that will be getting a store like this, and with stocks of almost every item available quite literally selling out as fast as tickets did, this is one of the few places you’ll still find them.

With that in mind, we couldn’t help but walk away with our own customised Oasis ‘Live 25 World Tour ‘Jacquard’ football jersey, complete with our own branding on the back. Not quite on the same level as adidas or Oasis, but we’ll take it.

oasis jacquard jersey
oasis adidas footall shirt
You’re damn right we’re framing this one… (Credit: The Manc)

Read more:

Bohemians FC are just the latest outfit to come up with a footy-Oasis crossover, releasing a special FAI Cup shirt, and we are absolutely here for this full-scale ’90s revival that’s gripping the nation and, indeed, the globe.

We also still have a competition for you to win two tickets to see the Burnage boys in the flesh on their ‘Live 25 reunion tour this summer, so don’t forget to enter HERE.

Roll on Heaton Park and please let Oasis’ marriage with the adi-trefoil insignia ‘Live Forever’.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

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Transport ‘masterplan’ announced as more than 300,000 fans hit Manchester for Oasis reunion gigs

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Greater Manchester’s transport ‘masterplan’ has been released ahead of Oasis’ huge run of reunion gigs starting next week.

Manchester is all set for a sensational summer of sound, and as more than 300,000 music fans prepare to descend on our city next week as a little-known band called Oasis (sarcasm detected) reform for the first time in over a decade, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has now announced its plan to transport everyone to and from Heaton Park.

With the Gallagher brothers staging five nostalgia-drenched gigs starting from next Friday (11 July), the transport network wants to make sure no one is left ‘looking back in anger’ over their travel arrangements.

Travel arrangements for the hotly-anticipated reunion shows have involved months of planning by TfGM and its partners, so over the next couple of weeks, you can expect to see additional staff on the network, more frequent, all-double tram services running to Heaton Park from Victoria station, and a shuttle bus service running from the city centre.

TfGM’s state-of-the-art control room will also be operating 24/7 to monitor and coordinate the public transport system and respond to any emerging incidents as they materialise.

Here’s everything you need to know.

A Metrolink tram in Manchester city centre
Oasis reunion rehearsals have begun says Liam Gallagher
Greater Manchester’s transport ‘masterplan’ has been released ahead of the Oasis gigs / Credit: TfGM | Simon Emmett (Publicity Picture)

Travelling by tram

The best way for fans to beat the traffic and get to the 80,000-capacity outdoor venue over the five dates will be to travel using the Metrolink network.

On each night, there will be a six-minute service from Victoria Station to Bury – the only city centre station with a direct tram to Heaton Park – and this service will be capable of carrying 4,000 passengers an hour, with concertgoers travelling from other lines told to change onto a Bury-bound tram at Victoria.

If you have a ticket for front standing, your best option is to get off and on again at Bowker Vale, which is the closest stop to the venue entrance on Sheepfoot Lane, as the Heaton Park stop will be closed at 9pm on all nights.

Both the Bowker Vale and Heaton Park stops are just a few minutes away from the park gates, but as as the Heaton Park stop will be closed at 9pm on all nights, if you have a ticket for front standing, your best option is to get off and on again at Bowker Vale, which is the closest stop to the venue entrance on Sheepfoot Lane.

For the shows on 11, 12, and 19 July, the final trams will leave for the city centre at 2:02am and for Bury at 1:16am, and on 16 July, the last trams will run at 1:32am to the city centre and 12:46am to Bury.

Travelling by tram to Heaton Park is recommended by TfGM / Credit: TfGM

Travel by shuttle bus

Alternatively, there will be frequent shuttle buses from Lever Street in the Northern Quarter from 1:30pm on each event day, with the last bus departing at 7:30pm.

Buses will then start running back to Manchester after the event – with the city centre drop-off point being Shudehill Interchange – from a temporary bus station inside Heaton Park from 10pm, and buses will continue to run until all passengers have cleared the bus station.

Limited shuttlebus tickets, priced at £10, are available, but these must be purchased in advance through the Bee Network app.

Further details on how to buy the tickets can be found on the Bee Network website.

Driving to the venue

There will be increased congestion and various road closures in place around Heaton Park and the surrounding areas on each of the event dates.

Those who have to drive or need to be dropped off and picked up are encouraged to consider taking advantage of the 24 ‘park and ride’ sites in Greater Manchester, where you can park for free and hop on a tram to your destination.

The park and ride sites on the Bury line are Whitefield, with 331 spaces and 13 disabled spaces, and and Radcliffe with 480 spaces and 22 disabled spaces.

Shuttlebus services will be in operation on all dates of Oasis’ run of gigs / Credit: TfGM

And if all of that wasn’t busy enough as it is, Manchester will also be playing host to a number of other big events during Oasis’ run of shows – including Kool & The Gang at AO Arena and Billie Eilish at Co-op Live.

So as you can see, public transport and roads will be busier than usual during this exciting time, so TfGM encourages everyone to allow plenty of time for their journey and check the Bee Network app or website for the latest travel advice.

Read more:

All the latest travel updates for Oasis Live ’25 shows can be found here.

Featured Image – TfGM

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