A massive battle of the bands event is happening in Manchester this week, and it’s helping raise money for crucial grassroots organisations.
Better still, it’s happening at one of our favourite venues in the city centre: Band on the Wall.
Now, the beloved Northern Quarter institution hosts all kinds of live music throughout the year, so they’re no strangers to events like a battle of the bands competition. Teaming up with homegrown charity Forever Manchester and some other well-known faces, this is set to be a big one.
This brand new event will see local businesses and employees come together to form a band for one night only, to see who is the best of the best up on stage. Who knows? You could be about to see the best-kept secret…
Yes, Manc worker bees are banding together (quite literally) to form the exclusive super group and will be judged by a panel of audiophile aficionados.
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It doesn’t matter whether you work in the industry, you do office admin or work in a cafe all day long; at the debut ‘Forever Manchester Rocks‘ competition, consider yourself a music god in the making.
The live on-stage battle is open to pre-existing bands who have already played together, but we’ll confess, we’re looking forward to seeing what those cobbled together specifically for this contest are going to sound like.
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Finalists not only have the opportunity to perform at the most iconic venues, but the winners of this year’s competition will claim the inaugural ‘Manchester Business Rocks Legends’ trophy, as well as being invited to play the annual Forever Manchester Birthday Party at the Kimpton Clocktower in February.
Once again, the best part of this new battle of the bands event at Band on the Wall is that it’s all for the greater good, with important funding being generated for local community groups – a cause that both pursue with 24/7, 365 days a year.
If you’re interested in a last-minute sign-up, the rules for entering the competition are as follows:
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A majority of band members must work at the same company or in the same industry
Covers or originals welcome – just bring your best 15-minute set
You bring the instruments and tunes – the backline, PA and sound engineer will be provided
Acts will be judged on talent, energy, crowd reaction, showmanship and amount of money raised.
Nick Massey CBE, chief exec at Forever Manchester, said: “As a region famed for its musical prowess, entrepreneurial spirit and its sense of community, Forever Manchester Rocks just made total sense to me as our next big occasion.
“It is a battle like no other, and we’re calling for businesses across the region to trade their KPIs for killer riffs to show us how they shine on stage… And it’s all in support of a fantastic cause, with the money raised helping to fund vital community initiatives in the Greater Manchester region.
“We can’t wait to see colleagues from across the region unleash their hidden talents and bring that Manchester energy to Band on the Wall on 10 December!”
For those looking to come along this Wednesday (10 Dec), you can grab your tickets HERE.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Billy Weaver (supplied)
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Swedish pop icon Robyn to play huge Manchester gig on European tour this summer
Emily Sergeant
Generational Swedish pop icon Robyn is heading out on a big European tour this summer, and she’ll be stopping off in Manchester.
This is Robyn’s first major tour since 2019, and it will feature 20 dates as well as her biggest ever headline shows – including London’s 20,000 capacity O2 Arena, and three consecutive hometown nights at Stockholm’s Avicii Arena.
And, of course, a night at Europe’s largest indoor arena – Co-op Live, here in Manchester.
Having provided some of the biggest moments in pop culture over the last three decades, Robyn is currently in the eye of one of the year’s most celebrated musical returns, as 2026 has seen her announce her ninth studio album, and her first since 2018, titled Sexistential, produced with longtime collaborator Klas Åhlund, and reuniting her with Max Martin for their first co-writes since 2010.
It’s said to be the ‘most ecstatic’ record Robyn has ever made, and is tipped to be the sound of one of contemporary music’s most influential artists ‘coming home’.
This upcoming tour will feature an exciting lineup of special guest openers across the UK and Europe dates – with 808 State and Zhala on the bill for Manchester‘s gig, bringing together a mix of boundary-pushing artists who are either friends of Robyn or among the voices that inspire her.
Robyn – The Sexistential Tour UK & EU 2026
Wednesday 24 June – 3Arena, Dublin
Friday 26 June – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Saturday 27 June – Co-op Live, Manchester
Tuesday 30 June – ING Arena, Brussels, Belgium
Wednesday 1 July – Adidas Arena, Paris, France
Friday 3 July – The O2, London
Wednesday 8 July – Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany
Saturday 11 July – Unity Arena, Oslo, Norway
Tuesday 14 July – Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark
Thursday 16 July – Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Friday 17 July – Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Saturday 18 July – Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden
Following on from the UK and European tour, Robyn will then head over to the US and Australia for another run of huge dates in major cities such as New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Mexico City, before the tour draws to a close in Melbourne in Australia on 24 November.
Robyn will bring The Sexistential Tour to Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 27 June 2026, and tickets officially go on sale this week.
There are two separate pre-sales happening this week before tickets then go on general sale this Friday 13 February – there’s the Co-op Presale, which starts tomorrow (Tuesday 10 February) at 10am, and then the Spotify Presale, which starts on Thursday 12 February at 10am.
You can get tickets when they go live on general sale this Friday at 10am here.
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Review | ‘This is a night to remember, Manchester’ – Jason Derulo’s Co-op Live debut
Amy Williams
Who’s ready for another throwback night? Because this was absolutely a night already full of nostalgia and one to remember.
American singer-songwriter Jason Derulo hit Co-op Live last night as part of his ‘The Last Dance World Tour’, famous for hit songs like ‘Whatcha Say’, ‘Talk Dirty’, and ‘Savage Love’ – we all remember the Covid TikTok dance, don’t we? – as well as many more.
With over 250 million singles sold and tens of billions of streams, you best believe his one night in Manchester was sold out.
Running through the big hits and everything in between, he and his dancers made it a proper party atmosphere on this fine Saturday evening.
He did his throwback songs and more; from the moment he said, “We’re throwing it back to the beginning, back to 2009″, we knew his first debut single, ‘Whatcha Say’, was about to grace our ears, and that it did.
He also brought back absolute classics like ‘Ridin’ Solo’ (I definitely lost my voice during this one) In My Head and It Girl.
The Last Dance run of shows has seen him visit places like Leeds, London, Glasgow and Birmingham, finishing his UK leg right here in Manchester, before he carries on to Europe, but we’re confident our date had the best crowd so far.
And just when you think this couldn’t get any better, he brought his little boy on stage to say hi to everyone, too – shattered everyone’s hearts.
He has that many hit songs, it wasn’t possible to get through them all, so his DJ halfway through did a mash-up of songs he’s also written and featured in, including ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas, ‘Secret Love Song’ with Little Mix and ‘Replay’ by Iyaz.
We knew his voice was amazing – but can we have a moment for this man’s dance moves, keeping everyone on their feet at Co-op Live tonight, and his dancers made everyone want to start dance lessons tonight too, an absolutely incredible performance by all.
Jason Derulo told the audience, “This is a night to remember Manchester’, and that it absolutely was.
Danny Jones -
9th December 2025 
