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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.

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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.

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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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DJ at centre of Parklife cancellations speaks out over ‘unsafe’ crowds

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Josh Baker has shared a statement after his Parklife set was cancelled

A rising DJ whose set was cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’ at Parklife festival has now spoken out on his side of events.

Josh Baker is a popular Manchester-born DJ who was set to perform on the brand-new Matinee stage on the Sunday night of the local music festival.

He had the second-highest billing of the day, followed by Chris Stussy as headliner of that particular stage.

But despite being booked onto one of the festival’s smaller stages, Josh Baker’s popularity quickly saw the space becoming overcrowded.

Videos shared on TikTok show fans clambering over the safety barriers that Parklife security had installed as a queue system, desperate to get inside for Josh’s set.

The young talent has now spoken out again about the incident, saying he could see from his vantage point it ‘quickly became unsafe’.

Josh Baker said that ‘the organisers made the right call’ despite the show ‘meaning a lot’ to him.

@joecole_18

#parklife #parklifefestival #2025 #parklife2025 #cancelled #joshbaker #chrisstussy

♬ original sound – joecole_18

He detailed that he has been going to Parklife since the age of 16, and playing such a big slot in the festival ‘felt like a proper full-circle moment’.

He added that he’s been looking into doing free follow-up shows, but has been unable to find a venue that would hold ‘anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play’.

Josh wrote on Instagram: “I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.”

He then said he’s planning ‘something ridiculous’ for his Creamfields appearance to make it up to fans.

Josh Baker said in his full statement on Parklife: “I’ve taken a few days to process what happened at Parklife last weekend, and I wanted to share a few words.

“This one was always going to mean a lot. Growing up in Manchester, I’ve been going to Parklife since I was 16, so to be booked for such a big slot felt like a proper full-circle moment. But just as I stepped on stage, the music had to be cut. When I came on there were too many people trying to get into the arena and it quickly became unsafe, and therefore the stage had to be closed for the rest of the day.

“It’s gutting, but I want to be clear – the organisers made the right call. Safety has to come before everything. After seeing a few of the videos from the crowd, I’m just relieved the situation did not escalate and everyone remained safe.

“Still, it’s hard to explain how much it hurt not being able to play. I know so many of you were excited for that set and it honestly blew me away seeing that many people turning up.

“Over the last few days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it right. I looked into doing a free follow-up show in Manchester, but the reality is, there are no suitable or possible venues which would hold anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play.

“The last thing I’d want is to announce something and end up disappointing even more people who couldn’t get tickets. After a lot of conversations and digging behind the scenes, we’ve had to accept that there’s no realistic way to do something that feels fair right now.

“I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.

“I really hope to see loads of you at Creamfields because I’m already planning something ridiculous to try and make this up to you in some way.”

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Featured image: Instagram, @joshbaker

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Legendary funk and soul act Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester

Danny Jones Danny Jones Kool and the Gang Manchester gig tickets

In case you hadn’t heard already, iconic funk, soul, and R’n’B artist Kool and the Gang are finally coming back to Manchester after far too long away from our musical city for a massive arena gig later this year.

Coming back to 0161 ‘For One Night Only’, the award-winning US supergroup and industry giants are set to make their first appearance here in over 15 years.

With a rich back catalogue and a career spanning six decades, not to mention multiple genres including funk, soul, disco, jazz (how they first began as an ensemble) and more, it’s only fitting they be given the top billing at the one and only AO Arena.

After Manc fans have had to wait for long, this is sure to be a night of ‘Summertime Madness’.

Though they need no real introduction if you know your music history, specifically African-American and Black music culture, Kool and the Gang are arguably one of the most influential acts to ever make it.

Having performed together longer than other R’n’B outfit on the planet, stood as one of the most sampled artists of all time and released a staggering 34 studio albums to date, they’re nothing short of foundational.

While, sadly, there is only founding member Robert ‘Kool’ Bell left from the original lineup formed back in 1964, the various iterations of the surviving live band have captured that same effortless cool, charisma, and effortless control of a crowd on the road that made the OG Gang such a toue de force.

As well as touring with everyone from Elton John and the Dave Matthews Band to The Roots and even a 50-city tour alongside equally legendary rock group, Van Halen, they have no shortage of accolades to their name.

How does two Grammys, seven American Music Awards (AMAs), a BET Soul Train Lifetime Achievement Award; a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and a place in the 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame; 25 Top Ten R&B hits, nine top ten hits in the pop charts, as well as 31 gold and platinum albums, strike you?

Best known for beloved tracks like ‘Celebration’, ‘Get Down On It’, ‘Cherish’ and ‘Jungle Boogie’, just to name a very small few (again, their discography is huge), you’ve most likely heard their songs or at least one of their serially sampled beats more times than its possible to count.

Yep, if there’s anyone that deserves the ‘icon’ moniker, it’s these lot.

Kool and the Gang come to the AO Arena in Manchester next month on Friday, 11 July and will have fellow British soul counterparts, The Real Thing, who looked to mirror their success throughout the ’70s, along for the ride.

General admission tickets are already on sale as we speak – you can grab yours HERE.

Pete Tong’s Ibiza Classics is returning to Manchester later this year
There are plenty more dance veterans coming to the AO Arena this year.

Read more:

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Featured Images — Andreas Lawen/Fotandi (via Wikimedia Commons)

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