The beauty of dance music, more than anything else, is its power to bring us together.
The right mix, dropping at the right moment, can create a real sense of unity on the dancefloor, a moment of abandon where you dance side-by-side as one with people from all walks of life and feel free to express yourself without inhibitions.
Still, it’s surprisingly quite rare to see much about dance fans who live with disabilities – that viral video where Steve Aoki launched a cake into a crowd surfing, wheelchair-bound fan’s face aside.
It’s even rarer to hear about artists with disabilities enjoying life from the other side of the decks – but that’s exactly what 20-year-old DJ Jake Smith is doing.
Jake DJs in the VIP tent at Creamfields. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Jake pictured partying with friends. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
A DJ for around about six years now, he’s played sets at nightclubs in Ibiza and at the legendary UK dance music festival Creamfields and even had national airplay for his track ‘So Real’ on Radio 1.
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“I used to dream about having one of my tracks played on BBC Radio 1,” he told The Manc.
“I listen to Radio 1 every week and it was an honour to have a track broadcast on one of the biggest radio stations in the world.
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“I won’t ever forget my first-ever play on Radio 1-the buzz will stay with me for a while haha. This just proves that if you have a disability, you can still achieve anything like anyone else.”
A student of music production at South and West Cheshire College, he doesn’t just mix – but makes his own tunes too.
He also lives with cerebral palsy, a condition that can affect movement and coordination that is caused by a problem with the brain that can develop before, during or soon after birth. Not that he’s letting that stop him from pursuing his dreams.
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Jake poses backstage with one of his biggest musical inspirations, techno DJ Patrick Topping. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Jake tells us he has a team of PA’s and a supportive family who help him with daily tasks, whilst his dad and manager support him with attending gigs and festivals.
Having first fallen in love with dance music after listening to bangers in the car with his dad, he decided to give DJing a try for himself, only to find “a real passion and joy in music.”
Here in Manchester, he’s played some of the city’s coolest music venues – including Yes, Joshua Brooks and Stage & Radio, whilst in his hometown of Cheshire, he’s played the VIP tent at Creamfields, Nu Flava, and supported K Klass at Chester 7’s.
He’s also played nightclubs in Ibiza like Plastik and Ocean Beach, and had a number of his mixes played on Kiss FM radio – having initially won a 30-minute mix competition, he was soon invited back by the station to play again.
Video:Jake Smith DJ
Speaking to The Manc on how he feels when he plays out live, Jake said: “It’s like nothing else.”
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“I love performing live to an audience, the feedback you get from people is always amazing.
“To see the energy in the crowd and people dancing and having a great time to my mixes is really uplifting.”
Asked what he thinks of Manchester’s crowds in particular, he added: “The audiences in Manchester always bring so much energy to the gigs. The atmosphere is incredible.”
“Everyone is always up for a good time.”
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Inspired by artists like Danny Howard, Hannah Laing, Sorley and Patrick Topping, Jake tells us that he is currently working on some of his own new music which is yet to be released.
Jake poses alongside Manchester production and DJ duo Mark Richards and James Eliot, AKA Solardo. / Image: Jake Smith DJ
Asked what advice he would give to anyone else wanting to get involved in the music industry, he’s full of enthusiasm.
“Go for it! Work hard and if things don’t work out the first time… don’t give up. Most importantly have fun.”
Jake has created a mix for The Manc Audio‘s new weekly Mini Mix Friday series which you can listen to below.
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This summer, he plans to head over to Ibiza again and says that Creamfields ‘may also be on the cards’. To keep up with where he will be this season, make sure to check out his social pages – as this is where he’ll announce any upcoming gigs.
Feature image – Jake Smith DJ
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Kings of Leon at Co-op Live, Manchester – blinding in every way
Daisy Jackson
Will Kings of Leon ever lose their ability to sell out enormous arenas in the UK? Based on the cup-slinging, sat-on-shoulders, full-pelt-singing crowd that rushed the Co-op Live on Saturday night – nope.
The American rockers are back out on a short tour, but rather than plugging a new album, this feels like a greatest hits, remember-how-good-we-are-live tour.
It’s a setlist that will please those of us who loved their twangier, garage-rock earlier albums, Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak, with live highlights including The Bucket, Molly’s Chambers, Four Kicks, and King of The Rodeo (my personal favourite).
But there’s plenty of their more recent, stadium-worthy rock anthems thrown in too, like the inescapable Sex On Fire. Love it loathe it, you can’t deny its impact when played in a venue of adoring fans.
Kings of Leon arrived in Manchester on 4 July, and dress for the occasion. Jared Followill strolls on stage in a faded, cropped Stars and Stripes tee. Caleb Followill opts for double denim. Nathan Followill is behind the kit in a ‘wife-beater’ vest.
They look every bit the all-American rock band. They must stick out like sore thumbs wandering around the UK between tour dates.
Less impressive is the slightly maddening stage design. The band spend much of the night silhouetted against enormous banks of blinding lights. If you’re looking straight at the stage, it’s like staring directly into the sun for two hours, or accidentally walking into a scrum of paparazzi just as Taylor Swift arrives. Once you accept that you’ll spend the evening partially blinded, though, there’s very little to fault.
Musically, they’re immaculate. Every song sounds as polished as the record, but never sterile. They make it all look absurdly easy, which is hardly surprising given they’ve been playing together for more than 25 years.
Nathan’s especially nonchalant – in the middle of intricate drum fills, he’s chewing bubble gum as if he’s waiting for a bus rather than holding together one of rock’s biggest bands.
There’s an instinctive chemistry between the Followill family members that’s impossible to manufacture. Unlike the Gallagher brothers, who always seem on the verge of putting each other in a headlock, Kings of Leon perform with complete harmony. Every glance and transition feels effortless, the product of decades spent sharing stages together.
The band have been changing their setlist throughout the tour, but nobody expected a heartfelt rendition of America The Beautiful. Unsurprisingly, it’s the only song of the night the British crowd doesn’t sing along to, and it even draws a few boos before the band move swiftly on.
There are reminders throughout of where they came from. Caleb’s unmistakable Tennessee drawl still gives the songs that loose, bluesy Southern character that first set them apart, even as arenas sing every word back to them. During ‘Use Somebody’, he happily hands the chorus over to the crowd with a simple, “Alright, you sing it then,” barely needing to touch the microphone.
When the set finally ends, the band don’t rush off. They linger on stage, tossing guitar picks and sweat-soaked handkerchiefs into the crowd, waving from every corner of the stage and soaking it all in with broad smiles.
After all these years, they still look genuinely grateful to be there. For a band who’ve been doing this for more than two decades, it’s reassuring to see the novelty hasn’t worn off.
Kings of Leon at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American rock band Kings of Leon are making their way to Manchester for a second visit to Co-op Live as part of their current EU/UK arena tour.
Formed in 1999 by brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared, plus their cousin Matthew Followill, the rock band has gone on to achieve nine top 40 singles and six UK number one albums.
The rockers have two singles in Spotify’s Billions Club, including their standout hit ‘Sex on Fire’, which has amassed over 2 billion streams and ‘Use Somebody’ with 1.2 billion – two tracks that helped skyrocket them from cult favourites here in Britain to global superstars.
This four-piece’s latest LP, Can We Please Have Fun, dropped mid-2024 and knowing how energetic crowds were at the previous Manc gig, it’s safe to say we’ve got this covered.
They even let us know the England score last time out (read our full review), too.
Gig guide – Kings of Leon at Co-op Live, Manchester
Kings of Leon UK tour dates
Fri 3 July – Glasgow, UK – Bellahouston Park
Sat 4 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Mon 6 July – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
Are there any tickets left for Kings of Leon at Co-op Live?
If you’re wondering where you’ll ‘Find Me’ on Saturday 4 July, it is probably watching these four relatives play their two decades’ worth of hits at Co-op Live.
Don’t ‘Waste a Moment’ as there’s only a limited number of tickets left if you’re after catching a glimpse of Kings of Leon live – get yours HERE.
Kings of Leon are gearing up for their Manchester gig at Co-op Live this July (Credit: Press shot)
Kings of Leon setlist for 2026 UK tour
These American rockers have been performing all across Europe, switching up a couple of songs at each show; however, the hits below have featured at most of their appearances.
Slow Night, So Long
Waste a Moment
Find Me
On Call
Radioactive
The Bucket
Revelry
Manhattan
Use Somebody
Wait For M
Split Screen
Closer
Molly’s Chambers
Razz
MyParty
Supersoaker
Fans
Back Down South
Seen
Pyro
Black Thumbnail
To Space
Knocked Up
Sex on Fire
What are the stage times for Kings of Leon in Manchester?
Doors for Kings of Leon at Co-op Live in Manchester are set to open at 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm from a huge indie rock band.
Supporting the US rockers is a band who have received comparisons to Kings of Leon, the loud-and-proud Scottish stars The Snuts, known for their tracks like ‘Glasgow’, ‘Elephants’ and ‘Maybe California’.
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on 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. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Tickets for Kings of Leon’s UK tour dates are selling out fast. (Credit: Raph_PH via Wikimedia Commons)
Georgina Pellant -
28th May 2022 
