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Kylie Minogue announces huge Manchester shows at the AO Arena

SCREAMING.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 19th September 2024

Global pop icon Kylie has just announced details of a huge 2025 tour, which will include TWO shows at the AO Arena in Manchester.

This will be Kylie Minogue’s biggest tour since 2011, kicking off in her native Australia before heading around the globe.

Last time she performed in Manchester was in 2019 when she did a surprisingly intimate show at Castlefield Bowl – prior to that, it was the Golden tour at the AO Arena.

Now the princess of pop is back with her highly-anticipated Tension Tour, with more dates across Europe and America still to be announced.

Kylie said: “I am beyond excited to announce the TENSION TOUR 2025. I can’t wait to share beautiful and wild moments with fans all over the world, celebrating the Tension era and more!

“It’s been an exhilarating ride so far and now, get ready for your close up because I will be calling Lights, Camera, Action … and there will be a whole lot of Padaming!”

The tour comes in support of Tension II, a brand new collection of 13 songs that’s set for release on 18 October and follows the chart-topping Tension.

The new album will feature nine brand new studio tracks, plus dance hit Edge of Saturday Night with The Blessed Madonna, as well as collaborations with Orville Peck, Bebe Rexha and Tove Lo, and Sia.

Kylie Minogue announces huge Manchester show at the AO Arena
Kylie Minogue announces huge Manchester show at the AO Arena
Kylie Minogue announces huge Manchester show at the AO Arena
Kylie Minogue announces huge Manchester show at the AO Arena

Kylie said: “The Tension era has been so special to me … I can’t possibly let it be over just yet! Welcome to ‘Tension II’.”

This year alone, she’s taken home the Global Icon Award at the BRITs, win the Best Pop Dance Recording Grammy for the smash hit, ‘Padam Padam’, attend the Met Gala, complete her inaugural Las Vegas Residency, perform at WeHo Pride and release a series of high profile collaborations.

Kylie will perform at the AO Arena in Manchester on Monday 19 May 2025, and the newly-added date of Tuesday 20 May 2025.

Tickets for the UK dates will go on general sale at 10am Friday 27 September.

Fans will be able to sign up for venue pre-sale through the AO Arena here.

Kylie 2025 UK tour dates

  • Fri 16 May Glasgow OVO Hydro
  • Sat 17 May Newcastle Utilita Arena
  • Mon 19 May Manchester AO Arena
  • Thurs 22 May Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
  • Fri 23 May Sheffield Utilita Arena
  • Mon 26 May London The O2
  • Tues 27 May London The O2
  • Fri 30 May Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
  • Sat 31 May Birmingham bp pulse LIVE

Featured image: Erik Melvin

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Manchester music legends lead Cheshire Fest 2025 lineup

Danny Jones Danny Jones Cheshire Fest lineup 2025

The increasingly popular Cheshire Fest returns for 2025 next month, and some much-loved Manchester music names are leading the lineup.

Hosted at the stunning Capesthorne Hall estate, just a short drive from the city centre and even closer by for some boroughs, the Macclesfield-based music festival is ready for another big summer blowout.

Cheshire Fest came back with a bang and a bit of a rebrand back in 2022, selecting a whole new venue that has gone down as an instant hit across the North West.

Set to welcome more punters than ever this year, the lineup promises indie icons, up-and-coming artists from around the region and beyond, as well as plenty of the usual dancefloor fillers.

macclesfield music festival
cheshire fest ministry of sound
Credit: Press shots (supplied)

So, ‘Which local talents native to Greater Manchester are on the Cheshire Fest 2025 lineup?’, we hear you ask – well, get ready for a bit of the old, the new and the future.

Not only will you be treated to performers from indie icons like Peter Hook & The Light, who will be sure to play plenty of Joy Division and New Order classics, but Bez from the Happy Mondays will be bringing the party atmosphere, along with veteran Oldham rock band, Inspiral Carpets.

There’ll be plenty more dance vibes too, as always with Cheshire Fest and their continued passionate partnership with Ministry of Sound (MoS).

As well as the legendary Tunde from pop-soul duo, you can also expect plenty of club energy from the likes of DJ Billie Clements, Chester’s very own K-Klass and many more.

Oh yeah, don’t forget the stylings of MoS Ibiza Anthems featuring Ellie Sax and Friends, who’ll be pumping out tracks by the likes of Faithless, Eric Prydz, Becky Hill, The Shapeshifters, Daft Punk, Robin S and Fisher, just to name a few.

Made up of multiple stages, including the all-new ‘Indie Live Lounge’, around 5,000 are set to attend this all-day festival, with VIP tickets already sold out. 

Taking place on Saturday, 2 August, you’ll have all fuel you need until the end of the night; there’ll be a street food village featuring local vendors, an international lager bar, a silent disco and even a ‘Wellness Tent’ and relaxing Premium Lounge by Bollinger for when you need to cool off, it’s to everything.

Cheshire Fest is a strictly 18+ only event, but trust us, those who are of age will be dancing the night away with all the vim and vigour of their youth.

General admission tickets are available now and can be purchased from £40 per person before booking/admin fees.

You can grab your tickets HERE.

This isn’t the only big party happening in nearby Cheshire this summer either…

A huge house and disco music festival is taking place just on the border of Greater Manchester
How does a full day house, vocal and disco sound?

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Featured Images — Cheshire Fest (supplied)

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In memory of Gallagher Hill: an ode to one of the greatest moments in Manc music history

Danny Jones Danny Jones

The Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour shows at Heaton Park are officially over, with an estimated 400,000 fans having flocked to the fields for the historic Manchester gigs – but actually, there were A LOT more than that, thanks to what will now and forever be known as Gallagher Hill.

In truth, it’s impossible to know just how many people went to camp out and watch their favourite rock and roll band and arguably the greatest to ever do it, play their five homecoming nights from the unofficial spectators’ hill that was quickly named after the Burnage boys.

But with approximately 80,000 ticketed fans attending each of the gigs and thousands – more and more each night, as it happens, even with the initial views from Heaton Park’s cow field being restricted by a giant barricade – it’s not too outlandish to estimate that not far off half a million came to listen.

Come rain or shine, like true Mancunians, they turned up and sang their hearts out, as did countless others who made the trip just to watch from Gallagher Hill.

By the fifth and final night, as you can see by the scenes above, the raised section of the 600-acre park was absolutely packed with people of all ages and backgrounds, coming not just from all over the region but even further afield.

When boarding one of the trams heading to the show on Sunday, 20 July (Oasis‘ last Live ’25 gig at Heaton Park), we even overheard someone who said they had travelled down from London to the city simply to watch from Gallagher Hill as they’d not yet managed to get a ticket.

Regardless, he just couldn’t wait, and after seeing the videos on social media, was clearly compelled to come and join in the party.

And who could blame him? Like only us Northerners can do, not that we’re biased or anything, the city, Bury, and the boroughs at large managed to turn Oasis Mania/Fever/whatever you want to call it into what we can only imagine it’s like when Glastonbury takes over Worthy Farm and beyond.

The tidal wave of fans jumping on the bandwagon only got bigger with each gig, and it wasn’t long before the Gallagher brothers themselves got wind of it and began dedicating songs to them.

Once the trend had taken off and fully hit social media, Liam told the crowds last week, “If you lot are listening on the hill… ‘Bring It On Down’.”

By the evening of the final farewell, he and Noel had even arranged for free shirts that read ‘Gallagher Hill’ to be handed out to punters posted up on the truly Greater Mancunian mound, with Noel’s daughter Anaïs sharing images of the happy recipients who were among the lucky lot to score one.

With the veritable sea of bucket hats and Oasis merch all over 0161 over the past fortnight alone, ‘Gallagher Hill’ itself was pretty much decked out in ‘Mancuni-form’.

‘What was suppose to be a day in Manchester ended up on Gallagher’s hill singing Oasis with an Oasis top and bucket hat.’
The Gallagher kids doing their bit too.

‘What a 2 weeks to be alive. Oasis Manchester unbelievable last night on Gallagher hill with the wee man.’
Credit: Anaïs Gallagher (via IG)/Paige Coult (via X)/@rossparlane

If the commitment to seeing the Britpop legends here in the UK and, indeed, ‘All Around The World’ wasn’t already evident and impressive enough, we’re sure it is now.

Would-be gig-goers came and set up shop with their camping chairs, kids, picnics, ever so slightly more affordable crates of cider and so on to join in the action for what was (barring Sunday) the perfect place to soak up the sun and some free tunes.

Some fans even went so far as to fly their paraglider over the event – nope, not joking…

Most people just wanted to turn up so they could say ‘been there, done that’ – and ironically, some really did get the t-shirt to boot.

Put simply, Oasis’s Manchester homecoming wasn’t just like festival season for the city, it was practically Manc Christmas; we’ve never seen anything quite like it.

And a big chunk of that, we feel, is owed not just to what was witnessed inside Heaton Park but all around, in places like Definitely Maybe Bar, out on St Peter’s Square and, above all else, the magical, musical, Mancunian commune that was Gallagher Hill.

We know there was controversy around it at times, but above all else, it helped create unforgettable memories among those who missed out on tickets that will, well, ‘Live Forever’.

You can read our full review of Oasis Live ’25 night five at Heaton Park but, for now, we’ll leave you with one last moving image that will be remembered for all time.

RIP Gallagher Hill and ‘as you were x’.

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/@rebeccahl26 (via X)/Supplied

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