You don’t get many chances to see one of the greatest musicians of all time play a huge homecoming show in front of nearly 25,000 of his own, so Noel Gallagher’s massive Manchester gig in Wythenshawe Park was always a must-not-missfor us.
To be fair, you don’t even need to be from these parts to understand how big a deal it was for so many locals to get the chance to see someone from ’round their way hold not only one of the biggest concerts of the year but the first ever live concert Wythenshawe Park has ever seen.
It’s only been a couple of months since Noel and his High Flying Birds released Council Skies, the eldest Gallagher brother’s fourth solo studio album, but we’ve had plenty of time to sit with it since then and can comfortably say it’s some of the best stuff he’s released post-Oasis.
That being said, it felt beyond special to hear something with that title played smack bang in the middle of one of the biggest council estates in Europe and enjoy an album that celebrates a lot of what growing up in places like these is all about among a predominantly Manc crowd. And that was just one part of what was a great day of music.
Wythenshawe has never seen anything like this (Credit: The Manc Group/mcrjh.pix via Instagram)
It was a massively busy day for Greater Manchester as a whole and, in truth, with so much going on in the city centre alone we didn’t manage to make it over to the 109-acre park until around 5ish, just before support act Future Islands got going — a gig we’d normally pay good money just to see on their own.
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However, The Manc office favourites unfortunately only got a few songs in before the weather turned on us and frenetic frontman Samuel T. Herring, already pretty soaked from the rain, had to inform the crowd that they were going off-stage for a little while because of a thunder warning.
Ironically, the break came in what was a moment of calm before the literal storm, as the American synth-wave outfit were playing their latest single, ‘Deep in the Night’: a slower, more solemn tune compared to the likes of ‘Seasons (Waiting On You)’ — a fan favourite hit that they had no trouble getting started with.
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Sadly, however, we weren’t to know that they wouldn’t be coming back on and as the big screen flashed up with the message “temporary show stop”, the thunder and lightning arrived right on cue. What we did here from them was as magical as always and rest assured, we’ll be seeing them again soon.
Noel Gallagher Live at Wythenshawe Park didn’t get off to the best of starts…
Once the deluge had ended and we seized the opportunity to get some proper scran in us as thousands took shelter under tents, trees and the small overhangs of food vans, we ventured back out into the big field with our hoods up and our spirits still high.
The whole scene was as quintessentially Manc as you can imagine: rain falling on a sea of Adidas trainers, parkas, arm-swinging walks, bucket hats and the rest of it. You get the picture.
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We got even more British festival vibes when the second support act, Primal Scream, came out too. Legends in their own right, it almost felt like just any old Tuesday for the Scottish indie pop and alt-rock veterans, who didn’t mess around when it came to understanding the assignment.
Playing all the hits from ‘Movin’ on Up’ and ‘Come Together’, to ‘Rocks’, ‘Loaded’ and more — all while dressed to the nines and backed by an incredible choir of backing singers, might we add — it felt like everyone’s mums and dads were twisting away as the younger lot watched on at them rolling back the years as if to say, ‘oh yeah, they’ve done all this before’.
All time bop.
And then when the moment finally came (after a fairly long break, we have to admit) and Noel himself took to the stage, it felt like the perfect marriage of that same nostalgic feeling and all those who have come along for the journey of listening to his more recent stuff.
From where we stood, at least, it didn’t seem like there was a single song people didn’t know and love. Be it the very first High Flying Birds tunes that people fell ever heard like ‘If I Had A Gun…’, ‘AKA… What a Life!’ and ‘Everybody’s on the Run’, to ‘The Dying of the Light’, ‘Dead in the Water’, ‘Pretty Boy’ and everything in between, we barely heard a word missed.
It was a reminder of just how many incredible songs the 56-year-old has written even in the time since Oasis called it a day. We don’t think you’ll find many other artists that have continued to pump out so many recognisable tunes and incredible lyrics after what most would call their heyday — Noel included.
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Whether you’re on board with his and Liam‘s posturing, opinions and general cocky image they’ve been maintaining for 30-odd years now, one thing you can never dispute is that this particular Gallagher brother remains one of the greatest and most prolific songwriters to ever do it.
Of course, the main event for most people in that field was when he started playing Oasis songs and while we’d waited quite a long time to hear some of those HFB tunes, most of us had waited even longer to hear ‘Little By Little’, ‘Live Forever’, ‘Half The World Away’ and countless other classics live.
Having shoved Pep Guardiola and Man City down our throats for a considerable amount of the night — a bright blue illuminated badge and a cardboard cut-out of the Catalan coach watching over the entire stage — he even got one last dig in by playing B-side ‘Going Nowhere’ and dedicating it to United.
It was all good fun, of course; large sections of the crowd got their boos in and enjoyed banter with each other but as the show drew to its conclusion, they came back together for one last beautiful moment: belting ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ at the top of their lungs. The man himself didn’t need to sing a word.
The fact is, this part of Greater Manchester doesn’t often get the kind of love and respect it deserves but nights like this proved just how much potential this region still has to offer and we’re pretty confident that after this landmark event, Noel Gallagher won’t be the last big name you’ll see playing Live at Wythenshawe Park.
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Sounded a lot better here than it did all them times leaving Fifth.
Lorde to play massive Manchester gig later this year as part of world tour
Emily Sergeant
Lorde has announced she’s heading out on a massive world tour later this year, and of course she’s stopping off in Manchester.
The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter undeniably burst onto the music scene at the tender age of 16 with her runaway number one hit ‘Royals’ all the way back in 2013, and has been successfully cementing herself as a household name ever since.
Following her debut single, she has gone on to break several records with the releases of her first three studio albums.
She has also scooped up a handful of GRAMMYs and BRIT awards along the way.
Lorde is set to play a massive Manchester gig at the AO Arena later this year / Credit: Supplied
The 28-year-old – who is known and loved for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting – has recently delighted fans by confirming that she’ll be releasing her fourth studio album, titled Virgin, towards the end of next month, and not long after that highly-anticipated release is when you’ll be able to catch her taking to one of Manchester‘s biggest stages.
Fans of the critically-acclaimed pop star will be able to grab tickets to see Lorde when she performs at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday 15 November 2025 as part of the Ultrasound Tour.
Other major UK cities she’ll be stopping off at include London, Birmingham, and Glasgow – making this a somewhat exclusive ticket to get your hands on.
Tickets are set to go on general sale next week, following several pre-sales in the days leading up to it.
Support for Lorde’s Manchester gig is to come from equally-revered singer-songwriter and record producer, Dev Hynes – better known by his stage name, Blood Orange – who is believed to have lent several co-production credits to Lorde’s upcoming fourth studio album.
Fellow producer Jim-E Stack will also provide support in Manchester.
Lorde will be taking to the AO Arena stage here in Manchester on Saturday 15 November, and tickets officially go on general sale next Friday 16 May at 10am.
General sale follows two pre-sales – a Three+ Presale on Wednesday 14 May, followed by an AO Arena-specific Presale on Thursday 15 May, both going on sale again at 10am.
Find out more and get tickets when they go on sale here.
Featured Image – Thistle Brown (Supplied)
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Olly Murs at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
The ‘Troublemaker’ himself Olly Murs is ready to cause some more chaos, and this time he’s returning to Manchester with throwback boyband, Blue.
X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which feels more like lads on tour with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.
Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, trilby-wearing popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.
Now, this cheeky chappy is embarking on the ’15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025′ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too.
Olly Murs is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester this week.Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons
Are there tickets left for Olly Murs’ Co-op Live gig?
There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at Co-op Live, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’.
To see a range of tickets and prices in all sections of this impressive new entertainment venue, Co-op Live, tickets can be found HERE.
Plus, even if you miss out on the Co-op Live, we wouldn’t worry too much, because the British popstar is also coming to AO Arena later this month near the end of his tour with tickets HERE.
Olly Murs 2025 tour – ’15 Years Of Hits’ setlist
This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’ – I mean, he’s bringing a flamethrower on stage…
After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs, give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.
Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?
Troublemaker
Right Place Right Time
Please Don’t Let Me Go
Thinking of Me
Oh My Goodness
Heart Skips a Beat
Kiss Me
Army of Two
Hand on Heart
Up
Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
Seasons
You Don’t Know Love
I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
Dear Darlin’
Years & Years
Never Been Better
Wrapped Up
Save Me
Dance With Me Tonight
What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!
Doors for Olly Murs’ ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025’ are scheduled for 6:30pm, with a kick-off time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.
The BRIT Award winners, Eurovision-performing and one-time chart toppers, are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics, including ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’, ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ and more.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, fortunately, 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; they run until 01:00 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. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there are limited parking spaces available at the venue but these must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are also 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 come 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 through 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.