It’s been a year since the Live from Wythenshawe Park kicked off its first-ever event and now the new gig series returns for its sophomore edition and the return of true Manc music royalty in the form of New Order.
Set to play the massive Greater Manchester park, which boasts a max capacity of roughly 30,000, this weekend, New Order will be just the second headliners to ever grace the outdoor venue.
Fellow Manchester icon Noel Gallagher smashed Wythenshawe’s opening day festival in August 2023, proving to be one of the biggest local music events in decades as tens of thousands of natives descended upon the fields, so they’ve got a tough act to follow.
That being said, when you’ve got the people behind not one but two of this city’s greatest-ever groups in New Order and Joy Division before them, we’re pretty confident it’ll be a walk in the… well, you get it. Here’s everything you need to know about New Order Live from Wythenshawe Park this Saturday.
First things first, do you still have a chance of grabbing tickets for New Order at Wythenshawe Park this weekend or are you just going to have to cling on to ‘True Faith’ of picking up a spare?
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Not to worry, the big bonus about huge open-air gigs like this is the capacity is just as enormous as the name, so there are still plenty of ticket options.
General admission is priced at £61.60 plus booking fees and VIP tickets – which grant you faster entry, a dedicated bar for drinks and additional food traders, plus a chill-out area – will set you back £137.50.
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Oh, and in case you hadn’t just heard, just a day later Stockport iconic Blossoms will also be playing their biggest-ever headline show in the very same field, so you can even opt for a full weekend pass at £89.60 if you’re hoping to head to both. Whatever your tier, you can grab yours HERE.
Who is supporting New Order at Wythenshawe Park?
It’s going to be a jam-packed 24 hours of live music too, in case you weren’t aware; the whole thing kicks off in the early afternoon and is more of a day festival than it is your typical gig.
Taking the stage first for the weekend will be local alternative outlet Kyris, Tyneside’s finest Nadine Shah still fresh off her latest album back in February, as well as the incomparable Irish songstress Róisín Murphy and, of course, The Smiths guitarist turned solo star Johnny Marr.
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I mean, come on, how good a set of openers is that? You’ll be plenty warmed up come time for New Order to close out the show.
As for when you can expect these wonderful artists to perform, stage times are always subject to change but this is the current schedule you’re looking for the Live from Wythenshawe Park 2024.
3:50pm — Kyris
4:50pm — Nadine Shah
6pm — Roisin Murphy
7:30pm — Johnny Marr
9pm-10:50pm — New Order
The venue’s curfew is 11pm, so you can expect to be exiting the fields not long after New Order wrap up and with plenty of time to catch the last raft of public transport services.
Setlist
We’ll have a clearer idea of New Order’s full running order when they play the first date on the current set of summer shows in Cardiff as part of The Bay Series on Thursday, 22 August, but you can always turn to trusty old Setlist.fm to get a decent idea of the average track selection.
Have a look below to see what they played at a gig in California back in November, but you can also see a more recent festival slot HERE.
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Tristan und Isolde: Prelude & Liebestod (Richard Wagner song)
Touched by the Hand of God (God Biff & Memphis remix)
Crystal
Regret
Age of Consent
Ceremony
Restless
Isolation (Joy Division cover)
Your Silent Face
The Perfect Kiss
Be a Rebel
Sub-Culture
Bizarre Love Triangle
Vanishing Point
Plastic
True Faith
Blue Monday
Temptation
Encore:
Atmosphere (Joy Division cover)
Love Will Tear Us Apart (Joy Division cover) — obviously…
Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can pre-book online from 10am this Thursday.
As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.
There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both the Park stop and Baguley will be closed from 10pm so you won’t be able to get back home this way.
Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre, which will set you back just £3.50 on the day. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1pm-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.
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For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s guidance and even use their interactive map below.
Featured Images — Warren Jackson (supplied)/Audio North
Audio
The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess to host ‘Merch Market’ in aid of bands
Thomas Melia
Tim Burgess, frontman of legendary band The Charlatans, is set to launch a one-off ‘Merch Market’ event, and its core purpose is to support bands.
He might have a ‘Jesus Hairdo’ but he’s currently serving as a good Samaritan as The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess is putting on an event solely focusing on funding bands via gig merch and other apparel.
Running across a variety of live music locations within Manchester city centre, the day-long event is called ‘Merch Market’, and it’s encouraging music lovers and bands alike to tag along.
Although ticket sales, album sales and streams are critical in funding the careers of all the artists we know and love, one key drive in securing actual revenue in the music industry is merchandise.
Expect to pick up some rare finds and own some limited edition collections.Band merch will be front and centre at this event which is hosted by The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess.Credit: The Hoot/Audio North
‘Merch Market’ is taking place at O2 Ritz as well as adjacent venues Gorilla and Dog Bowl across the road with a special appearance from ‘Tim Peak’s Diner’, the caffeinated brainchild of Tim Burgess.
The whole point of this event is to make sure that bands can receive the full 100% of merch sales without any cuts from any third party.
Fronted by The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess, ‘Merch Market’ is building off his 2021 gathering, which had a similar initiative with ‘Vinyl Adventure’ encouraging the sale of physical music and media.
Alongside stocking up your wardrobe with all the latest band t-shirts, hoodies and everything in between, there will be an array of interesting performances and talks happening throughout the day.
Entry to this incredible celebration of bands is completely free of charge and, better still, there are chances to win some seriously cool prizes – including some tasty festival tickets.
Gorilla is one of the live music venues that ‘Merch Market’ is taking place at.The Manc and Antony Szmierek outside O2 RItz, another venue which will be taking part in ‘Merch Market’.Credit: The Manc Group
Expect stalls, live DJ sets, interviews, panels and even a chance to bag yourself VIP tickets for UK festival, Kendal Calling, which Burgess will be returning for 2025.
Burgess is a man of many talents as he will not only be hosting this fantastic initiative, but he will also be hosting a stall of his own and singing a couple of his biggest hits.
Bands don’t have to worry about forking out a fortune for renting a stall either as tables at ‘Merch Market’ are free, the only thing musicians have to bring is their merch and charming personalities.
So whether you’re an artist with leftover stock from your last tour or a music lover who just missed out on snagging a snap back, head down to these three venues on 25 May.
Wigan band The Lilacs postpone tour after ‘ironic’ cancer diagnosis
Daisy Jackson
A rapidly rising band from Wigan have postponed their upcoming UK tour after a shock cancer diagnosis.
The Lilacs, who were set to begin a tour right across the country today, shared the sad news that their lead guitarist Sam Birchall has been diagnosed with cancer.
Sam himself said the testicular cancer bombshell was ‘ironic’, as he’s named the band after The Lilac Centre cancer treatment centre where his mum sadly passed away.
The Lilacs, who are signed to Manchester label Scruff of the Neck, have just released their debut EP The 395 (To Forever) and are now encouraging fans to help them get into the charts during ‘a testing week of negativity’.
In a note addressed to their ‘extended family’, aka their fans, lead guitarist Sam Birchall wrote that he’d experienced a ‘recent downturn in health’ leading to various tests.
He then said that he’ll be starting treatment for testicular cancer immediately, but stressed ‘I will beat this’.
The Lilacs’ statement from Sam reads: “It is with sadness that I have to announce some news to you all… after a recent downturn in health and undergoing various tests I have been diagnosed with Testicular Cancer.
“After starting this band with Ollie all those years ago, and in fact naming the band after “The Lilac Centre” after my mum sadly passed away with cancer before we formed, this all seems ironic and as you can all imagine a huge shock to myself and us all!
The Lilacs just released their debut EP The 395 (To Forever)
“With this in mind, my personal health and wellbeing must come first and I will be starting my ongoing treatment immediately.
“Unfortunately, it is absolutely gutting to say we will have to reschedule the tour to a later date and more information on this will follow
“Everyone who knows me knows if I could be up on that stage with my 3 best mates doing what we all love these next few weeks I definitely would, but it just won’t be possible x
“In a testing week of negativity, it would be great to see “The 395 (To Forever)” into those charts so grab an extra copy and believe me when I say.
“I will beat this and be back where I belong on that stage very soon x.”
The band added: “We’re absolutely gutted to announce that our UK tour that starts tomorrow will have to be postponed. Sam’s health is far more important and we are behind him every step of the way.”
You can support The Lilacs by buying their EP HERE.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2024 
