Attending a Nao gig is worth waiting ‘Another Lifetime’ for… especially when she performs directly from the venue’s bar.
As someone who has followed this artist for quite a few years, finally getting to see her do what she does best on stage and not through a screen is immense.
Last time she stopped off in Manchester she graced Albert Hall,this time she’s opted for another historic venue, New Century.Nao clearly knows how to choose her venues wisely.
Recently, the Nottingham star released her album Jupiter. So recent in fact, that it only reached our ears two weeks ago. The Manchester crowd certainly did their homework, knowing every lyric off by heart.
The first taste of this LP skyrocketed into our ears in October when the singer-songwriter dropped ‘Wildflowers’, so it’s only fitting this marks the opening of this setlist.
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This single’s accompanying music video saw her swarmed in a field of red-hue wild grass and it’s made its way to our vibrant city, decorating the Manchester stage.
Credit: The Manc Group
To follow this, she plays two tracks both taken from her other planetary project Saturn. ‘If You Ever’ is a great fire-starter ahead of a cracking night of live music.
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It’s almost like someone flips a switch as the audience immediately understands the assignment, feeling every rhythm in their body, rapping The Lumineers name-dropping ‘Make It Out Alive’ verbatim.
Credit: The Manc Group
Four songs in and ‘Happy People’ gets a turn at exciting the crowd. This uplifting and guitar-plucking number is one you can’t help but move to and New Century proves just that.
Nao’s personality flutters over the wild grass adorning the stage and radiates into the flurry of fans. One of these fans has travelled all the way from Portugal and ‘Tommy’, the Manchester legend, who’s attended every city centre tour date, both of which Nao pointed out.
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When the 37-year-old star sings her two Mura Masa produced bangers, that bouncy floor at New Century isn’t ready for what’s about to unfold.
Initiating the two-track ensemble the “Woa woa woa woa woa” filled, ‘Complicated’, excites and emits an electric energy, definitely helped by Nao’s necessary yet unexpected dance break.
Credit: The Manc Group
With the second anthemic instalment of the night ‘Firefly’, Nao sings, “Just say you’ll be my firefly” and with vocals this hypnotic, the crowd would do anything she asked of them.
An encore usually means giving a three minute rendition of your biggest hit. Well for Nao this isn’t enough. Instead she takes things one step further, climbing onto the venue’s bar for a stripped back version of ‘Another Lifetime’ and after those vocals my legs were liquid jelly.
Ending the night on even more of a high, Nao sings ‘Drive and Disconnect’ a standout in her discography and a much-loved track, proved by the fact she brings fans on stage to close the night with her.
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Credit: The Manc Group
Don’t meet your idols, they say, but when your idol is even better live than on her studio recordings, it’s hard to stay away. Thank you Nao for blessing Manchester once again and me for the very first time.
Halestorm announce HUGE Manchester gig and new album this year
Thomas Melia
Award-winning American rock band Halestorm have just announced their latest album as well as a slate of UK tour dates, and they’re stopping off in Manchester later this year.
The four-piece consists of siblings Lzzy and Arejay Hale alongside guitarist Joe Hottinger and bass player Josh Smith.
This post-grunge and heavy metal-influenced collective is no stranger to regular slots on big stages, known for playing up to 250 shows a year as headliners and as support acts – impressive stuff from a prolific band who are approaching their fifth studio LP.
Lead vocalist Lzzy Hale from the band Halestorm coming to Manchester this year.Credit: Sitro47 (via GoodFon)
They also became the first female-fronted band to win a Grammy in the ‘Best Hard Rock/ Metal Performance’ category back in 2013 with ‘Love Bites (So Do I)’. There’s just no stopping them.
With that in mind, Halestorm are bringing their ‘balls to the wall’ and in-your-face live performances across the Atlantic once again, stopping off in various cities including London, Birmingham and, of course, the de facto music capital of the North, Manchester.
These rockers have chosen none other than AO Arena to play ‘The nEVEREST Tour’, which is set to be nothing less than a fiery spectacle.
The group last touched down in our city back in 2022 on their ‘Back from the Dead’ tour in this very same arena to a roaring crowd of fans, which they’re nailed on to attract once again this year.
Halestorm always do things big, that’s why this tour coincides with the announcement of their new album ‘Everest’, which drops this August, giving fans plenty of time to learn all the words and get in all the head-banging practice they need.
Just look at how many tour dates they’ve got coming up in Europe and the UK alone.
We are SO excited to announce The nEVEREST WorldWide Tour coming this fall!!!
On-Sales begins Friday, May 2nd but varies by territory. Check local listings and subscribe to our newsletter for more pre-sale and on-sale information at https://t.co/9Qhzd42L52. pic.twitter.com/LW8Bhc7DTQ
Halestorm have caught plenty of attention over the years too, sharing the stage with fellow heavyweights like Alice Cooper, Joan Jett, as well as Heaven & Hell, just to name a few.
Expectations will be high as this lot are known for having the ability to dominate any sold-out stage with their serious stage presence; they will definitely deliver on the night.
Halestorm are coming to AO Arena in Manchester on 24 November 2025 with Three+ pre-sale starting from 6 May, AO Arena pre-sale from 7 May, and tickets going on general sale from Thursday 8 May – 10am across the board.
Featured Images — Publicity Picture (via Supplied)
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Music venue charity issues ‘shocked’ statement ahead of impending Manchester closure
Thomas Melia
A nationwide music charity has issued a statement after discovering the news of another impending Manchester venue loss, as student-favourite Retro Bar looks to be closing.
Reputable UK non-profit, Music Venue Trust, has come out to express their shock at the plans to shut the long-standing and well-established nightlife and music venue.
Adjacent to the University of Manchester campus, Retro Bar has catered to students and locals alike for more than 35 years. The nightclub, bar and live performance space is set to be displaced in a new venture between Bruntwood SciTech and the university.
In a statement posted on social media, Music Venue Trust wrote: “It’s just not good enough to dismiss the extraordinary value these organisations bring to their communities, the cultural ecosystem and the night time economy.”
The Music Venue Trust (MVT) was formed just over a decade ago to protect and improve independent and grassroots music venues across the UK, so they were quick to step in upon learning that Manchester’s beloved Retro Bar faces closing.
The organisation works closely with larger venues and grassroots music venues to help support the infrastructure of the music industry and live music as a whole.
They even partnered with Katy Perry, who is heading out on tour and visiting AO Arena later this year, with £1 from every ticket sold going to this charity to be distributed to independent music venues.
MVT went on to explain that “Retro has not factored into the Sister masterplan in any meaningful way and faces the very real prospect of permanent closure this July”.
The impending closure of Retro makes way for a £1.7 billion joint development, which is being labelled as the ‘Sister Masterplan‘, between the uni and the Greater Manchester property development group.
Retro hosts in excess of 200 live gigs per year and welcomes upwards of 20,000 customers annually, having served as a staple venue in Mancunian nightlife culture.
In response to the plans, the MVT is currently leading a crowdfunding attempt to save the space and has even received the backing of a very familiar face.
On the fundraising site, anyone thinking of donating will find a video from the one and only Frank Turner – a passionate grassroots advocate – who is fully behind the campaign.
Thomas Melia -
8th March 2025 
