The unofficial Queen of Australia and Britain’s adopted pop princess, Kylie Minogue, is bringing her dance tracks to Manchester, taking up residence in AO Arena for two nights of pop perfection.
Whether you first got to know Kylie from her stint on Neighbours, her delicious range of branded wines or her marvellous discography, it’s safe to say this star has built quite a legacy.
She loves coming across the pond to the UK and Manchester, specifically, playing the legendary AO Arena over 30 times, and we’re grateful for every single one, especially these two upcoming shows.
Kylie has played at AO Arena, Manchester over 30 times and we’re certainly not complaining.
Now Kylie is returning with her long-awaited ‘Tension Tour’ which features the huge phenomenon that is ‘Padam Padam’ as well as her newest single ‘Lights Camera Action’.
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Kylie Minogue UK tour dates
Fri 16 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
Sat 17 May – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 19 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Tue 20 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
Thu 22 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Fri 23 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 26 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
Are there tickets left for Kylie at AO Arena?
If you’re ready to get into the ‘Real Groove’ with this Aussie act, there are two Manchester dates you can get tickets for, and if we didn’t know any better, we’d say she did this ‘Especially for You’.
Fancy spending a night like this with Minogue and her crew on Monday, 19 May? You’ll be able to find tickets HERE.
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Better still, if you fancy seeing her back to back or can’t make the first date for whatever reason, she’ll be playing again just 24 hours later.
Kylie Minogue ‘Tension’ tour setlist
According to her most recent gig recorded on the ever-trusty Setlist.fm, anyway…
Lights Camera Action
In Your Eyes
Get Outta My Way
What Do I Have to Do?
Come Into My World
Good As Gone
Spinning Around
Taboo
On a Night Like This
last night i dreamt i fell in love
Better the Devil You Know
Shocked
Things We Do for Love
Dancing
The Loco-Motion
Hold On to Now
Cupid Boy
Kiss Bang Bang
Chocolate
2 Hearts
The One
Where the Wild Roses Grow
Say Something
Supernova / Real Groove / Magic / Where Does the DJ Go?
Confide in Me
Slow
Timebomb
Edge of Saturday Night
Tension
Can’t Get You Out of My Head
All the Lovers
Padam Padam
Love at First Sight
What are the stage times for Kylie in Manchester?
Kylie is heading to AO Arena, Manchester for two nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.
If you’re head is ‘Spinning Around’ trying to work out your plans ahead of the big night, fear not as doors open from 6pm with the show commencing at 7:30pm.
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Support comes in the form of Jodie Harsh, a London-based drag queen and music producer, who’ll be tailoring a DJ set especially for both nights of the ‘Tension Tour’.
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm, meaning you can watch this pop princess in action and don’t have to wait ‘A Second to Midnight’ to hear all her timeless hits. Last pun, we promise…
How to get to AO Arena
Tram
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
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Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Manic Street Preachers and Suede announce second co-headline tour, including huge Manc gig
Danny Jones
Beloved British bands Manic Street Preachers and Suede have announced another co-headline UK tour, booking a number of big gigs, including a massive Manchester date.
The two seasoned UK rock artists are teaming up for a huge run of live shows, booking nine arena performances so far. Time to do it all over again.
Each of the groups released their latest albums last year, with both now in double figures when it comes to studio LPs, and while each has taken their most recent records on the road at least in part, the pair will be playing tracks from both – as well as a fair few of the hits – at Co-op Live later this year.
Confirming the joint headline tour on Friday, 24 April, Manics and Suede fans alike will be absolutely lapping up the prospect of this special partnership.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Manic Street Preachers and Suede Saturday 31 October
Marking the biggest collaboration for both legendary bands.https://t.co/tNwdT7TxPZ@coopuk members get first in line for tickets. Co-op Member Presale: 09:30 Weds 29 April General Sale: 09:30 Fri 1 May pic.twitter.com/lqnqahls5D
Revealing the plans in a social media post, the Co-op wrote: “Two of the UK’s most pioneering and celebrated bands, Manic Street Preachers and Suede, have come together for a co-headline tour…
As the Welsh rock icons and the long-standing 1990s favourites from the London scene have more than 75 years of experience between them, with both outfits forming in the mid to late 80s.
The venue goes on to dub this “the biggest collaboration to date for both legendary bands and offers a unique opportunity to experience their renowned live performances.”
With Suede reaching their 10th album cycle this past September with Antidepressants, it’ll be one of the largest rooms they’ve ever played.
As for the Preachers, the 15th Manics record dropped back in February of 2025; this was also the first outing from bassist and lyricist Nicky Wire on vocals across the project.
The Blackwood act last played our city at the Apollo last May; however, the duo also famously co-headlined Castlefield Bowl together for the first time at Sounds of the City ’24; now they’re returning for a Co-op debut to do it all over again.
It remains to be seen whether they will announce more domestic dates this coming winter, but given this is such an exclusive one-off crossover, we wouldn’t be surprised if you see extra November slots added for the likes of London and Manchester.
Make no mistake, we expect tickets for this one to fly out the door.
If you want to go along, the official Co-op Member Presale will go live at 9:30am next Wednesday, 29 April, and fans can also sign up to the bands’ respective mailing lists for more early access opportunities.
General admission will be available from the same time on the following Friday (1 May); you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
They’re not the only homegrown veterans heading back out across the country this winter either…
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via SJM Concerts)
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Bask is BACK – bosses confirm return to ‘golden era’ of popular Stockport spot
Danny Jones
In brilliant news for Stopfordians, Bask is officially coming back, as current boss Jon Fitzpatrick is bringing back one of the key core members of the OG owners and staff, co-founder Benji Taylor.
Very exciting times for the town centre.
While local DJ, musician and entrepreneur, Jon, is the man behind the Irish-American bar and grill reboot under his surname that began in June of 2025, the business has gone on to become more of a morning and afternoon venue in the time since then.
However, with the help of Benji returning after a bit of well-deserved time off and having spent a period working on other ventures, they’re looking to dip back into the evenings as well and make this more of an all-day spot.
Writing a statement in the caption of the post, the duo said, “We couldn’t be more proud to announce that Bask is back, and we are pleased to reveal one of the original crew returns to help our team return it to the golden era.
“Live music, great bands, entertainment all week, and non-stop fun. We’re not a late-night venue like it was recently; we want to keep it mature and [aim] to enhance the experience for our customers.
“Our daytime, sport and relaxed atmosphere won’t change, and our kitchen will actually be open later than it is now! We have many goals, but our main aim is to put credible, exciting live music back on the Stockport map. With Benji and Jon’s experience, it’s gonna be a magical time for Stopfordians.”
We met face-to-face with the prolific pair last week, and they made it clear that their shared vision is simple: marry Fitzpatrick’s steady daytime trade with the initial magic of that very first iteration of Bask.
Get it right, and they could very well create a new all-seasons superpower on the Stockport bar scene, as the brand certainly had a taste of that when they first captured attention with inside that packed-out unit just outside the train station.
Speaking to The Manc, the Bask boys admitted it was a “real shame” how things transpired towards the end of the previous setup, acknowledging that trouble with some problematic punters (especially in the early hours of the morning) effectively “spoiled” what became a weekly pilgrimage for many others.
That’s why, although they’re opening well into the evening and nighttime – with a full schedule of regular events such as live music, stand-up, karaoke, quizzes, darts nights and more already lined-up – they haven’t gone for a late license this time around, as they want to preserve what made it special.
Set to fully re-launch on 1 May from 5pm onwards, we’re expecting them to be off to the races the second the word about the comeback spreads.
Ben and Jon also still believe that in the era post-Bamboo in Hazel Grove closing, Stockport hasn’t really had a well-known and reliable night out, comparable to that kind of experience. Other than here.
Now, Bask isn’t a club, nor was it ever supposed to be; it was a bar that, on its day, was one of the biggest parties in all of Greater Manchester, and although it won’t be ’till two’ this time around, we can’t wait to see the gang get back to their best.
Locals will also be glad to hear that borough favourite Stock Party will also be returning this summer, and you can bet on seeing some familiar native faces taking part.
Thomas Melia -
14th May 2025 
