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
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Beat-Herder Festival 2026 – the wonderfully weird festival we can’t stop coming back to
Emily Johnson
Another weekend done in the magical, mystical world that is Beat-Herder.
For one weekend every year, a farm in Clitheroe transforms into what the organisers describe as “a place full of beats and barminess” – and honestly, they couldn’t have summed it up any better.
Big enough to keep you discovering something new all weekend, yet small enough that you’ll keep bumping into the same friendly faces, Beat-Herder strikes the balance perfectly.
Every corner has something different going on, every stage has its own personality, and every sound system is absolutely dialled in.
Where else can you go for a swim, get a tattoo, pop into church, visit Paris and dance until sunrise? No, we’re not describing a chaotic stag-do… we’re talking about Beat-Herder.
Every stage deserves a mention, but a few really stood out this year.
Julie’s Barn, a.k.a. ‘Gay Paris’, remains one of the festival’s best-kept secrets. Hidden away in the woods, it’s worth every wrong turn trying to find it.
A glowing dancefloor, disco balls hanging from the trees and a crowd that somehow never seems to leave. We even stumbled across a secret ‘Samurai Breaks SSBB’ set that had the place bouncing all the way through until sunrise.
Credit: The Manc Group
Over at Stumblefunk At The Factory, Breakage delivered one of the sets of the weekend. The bass rattled the roof, the crowd never stopped moving, and the whole place felt like it was about to lift off.
It’s also home to one of Beat-Herder’s many weird little surprises, with hidden missions and the chance to spy on other festival-goers. If you know, you know.
The Garage is another annual favourite. DJs squeezed into the front seat of a car while everyone else danced on the bonnet of old scrapped cars, bouncing to the bass that rattled from White Noise Audio’s soundsystem. It’s those ridiculous little details that make this festival unlike anywhere else.
Then there’s Beat-Herder’s Got Talent, which has become a non-negotiable part of our weekend. The winner earns a slot on the main stage, so every act gives it everything. This year’s line-up featured everything from incredible harmonica performances and live bands to rap duos.
But one contestant completely stole the show.
She walked on stage, admitted she wasn’t sure her talent was quite as impressive as everyone else’s, and the crowd fell silent. No instrument. No backing track. You could hear a pin drop. What on earth was this contestant about to do? And then she proceeded to fit her entire fist in her mouth.
If that doesn’t sum up Beat-Herder, we’re not sure what does. The wonderful woman didn’t win the contest unfortunately, but let’s hope she can get booked for next year, ey?
One of this year’s new additions was The Dub Tub, which quickly became one of our favourite discoveries. Artists like Woody Cook swapped high-energy sets for slower, dub-inspired sessions, creating the perfect place to reset before diving back into the madness.
Oh, and of course, in true Beat-Herder fashion, the DJs were performing in a bathtub, of course.
And speaking of madness… all the classics are still there. The famous tunnel leading to hidden stages, the weird and wonderful walkabout performers, the random discoveries you’ll never find on a map, the hidden swimming pool, fancy dress costumes, and the constant feeling that you’re about to stumble across something completely unexpected.
Massive credit has to go to everyone behind the scenes. From the organisers to the volunteers and crew, everything runs incredibly smoothly, despite how wonderfully chaotic it all feels. Beat-Herder, you’ve done it again; roll on 2027.
Aitch wells up in trailer for inspiring Netflix documentary about Kilimanjaro charity climb
Danny Jones
Mancunian musician Aitch has shared a brand-new trailer for his upcoming Netflix documentary charting his inspiring charity climb of Mount Kilimanjaro.
Tissues at the ready.
In case you missed it, the Manchester rapper took on the incredible challenge of summiting the highest peak in Africa last year, all on behalf of the Down’s Syndrome Association.
Sharing the first true glimpse at his moving mountain voyage, the Moston-born artist looks to reveal all in this candid chronicling of his fundraising feat.
Writing in the caption, the 26-year-old said: “Gracie, this is for you and the 40,000 other beautiful people just like you. Don’t Be Afraid!”
For anyone unaware of the context, a couple of years back, Aitch – Harrison James Armstrong, to give the Manc his full given name – announced that he would be embarking on the difficult journey that only 40-60% of trekkers ever successfully reach the top.
Beloved by upwards of 3.1 million followers across his various social media platforms, Grace has become a bit of a community icon and hero all of her own.
Here he is video calling her before his most recent challenge:
They have such a lovely bond.
The inspiration for the 2022 track ‘My G’ with Ed Sheeran on his debut album, Close to Home, the song itself also ended up serving as a significant fundraiser, going on to complete a skydive over Old Sarum airfield with his dad, Mike.
A few clips have been shared on Aitch’s YouTube channel since he first confirmed he would be taking on ‘Kili’, such as his altitude training and other glimpses behind the scenes, but until now, we’ve seen very little footage from the infamous trail itself.
Set to drop later this month, Aitch’s Kilimanjaro doc, entitled Don’t Be Afraid, is releasing on Netflix on Sunday, 26 July – which also just so happens to be ‘Manchester Day‘; we’ll be making sure we don’t miss either of them.
He’s not the only local lad taking on huge obstacles for a good cause.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2024 
