2024 just keeps giving us more excuses to roll back the years as UK rock veterans Ocean Colour Scene have announced a Manchester date as part of their upcoming UK and Ireland tour next spring.
The Birmingham-based Britpop band and alternative rock band are heading out across the country, starting in Leeds (did you hear that, Hooties?) and reaching Manchester around halfway into their 22-date tour.
OCS were most prominent in the 90s when British rock was arguably enjoying one of its most influential periods ever, and the beloved Brummies, rather fittingly, were very part of that scene.
Known for their successful hits like ‘The Riverboat Song’, ‘The Day We Caught The Train’ and ‘The Circle’ just to name a few, this announcement comes just a few months after the release of their Best Of Album which dropped back in June.
We're excited to announce we will be touring the UK & Ireland in 2025 with very special guest Kula Shaker (selected dates)! Tickets go on general sale 4th October at 10am, sign up here to gain early access to the pre-sale from 2nd October at 10am – https://t.co/GPCuNjpL1npic.twitter.com/fQhVCFjJCx
Manchester and the UK at large are about to be dominated by Britpop in 2025, as we’re still fresh from the Oasis reunion and the upcoming tour, with Heaton Park set for four fantastic nights, but other genre-adjacent names like The Cure are also set to release their first new record in more than 16 years.
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As for Ocean Colour Scene, they’re set to follow in the Manc icons’ footsteps with their tour announcement stopping off at another landmarkManchester live music spot, the legendary O2 Apollo.
If fans are hoping to have a ‘Better Day’, they can catch them at the Apollo in April or one of their many other Northern shows, including dates at Leeds’ O2 Academy, Sheffield’s City Hall and Mountford Hall in Liverpool, as well as some big venues down south.
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As well as being admired by fans, the charts loved them too as they remain one of the UK’s most revered bands of all time, having three top-five albums around the turn of the century and influencing generations of artists in the decades since their heyday.
It really is going to feel like the late 90s are back again as a psychedelic rock band and fellow contemporaries Kula Shaker will be supporting them on this tour, known for their smash debut single ‘Tattva’ and with plenty more nostalgic tracks to be enjoyed.
Crowds at any show you decide to attend are expected to be some of the best, known especially for their dedication to singing along to those memorable choruses frontman Simon Fowler.
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Speaking on the announcement, 59-year-old Fowler said, “Having had such a great time playing festivals all through summer, we now have an incredible tour to look forward to in 2025. And we’re delighted that our old friends Kula Shaker will be joining us for so many of these dates. See you there.”
Ocean Colour Scene with support from Kula Shaker will be stopping off in Manchester on Saturday, 12 April, tickets go live on 4 October from 10am HERE.
The Pogues announce Manchester gig on first tour since death of frontman Shane MacGowan
Danny Jones
The Pogues have announced their first UK tour since the death of former frontman, Shane MacGowan, with Manchester one of just half a dozen cities chosen.
Nearly a full year on from his death at just 65, the Anglo-Irish favourites best known for their eternal Christmas classic, ‘Fairytale of New York’, are gearing up for their first outing since their iconic lead singer’s passing as a celebration of his life and their seminal second album.
It’s been 13 years since their last headline tour shortly before their split and it will be 40 years since the release of Rum Sodomy and the Lash by the time they hit the road along with special guests.
Safe to say it’ll be an emotional series of shows for everyone involved.
The Pogues return in 2025 for their first UK Tour since 2012 to celebrate 40 years of Rum Sodomy & the Lash Ft James Fearnley, Jem Finer, Spider Stacy & special guests. Tickets go on sale 9:30am Fri 22 Nov. Sign up at https://t.co/PxhZ8bnwBA by 5pm on 19 Nov for presale access ⚓️ pic.twitter.com/hFACjdf7yc
Revealing just six shows here in the UK, the long-standing band are set to play their sophomore release in full as well as a selection of their greatest hits.
The tour will feature remaining original members James Fearnley, Jem Finer, and Peter Richard ‘Spider’ Stacy, as well as a series of support that are yet to be confirmed.
Speaking on the upcoming dates, The Pogues said: “After the uproarious bash which was the 40th anniversary of our first record, Red Roses for Me, in 2024, we wanted to do it again, but with Rum Sodomy & the Lash.”
The music veterans are remaining tight-lipped about who they’re bringing along but they have promised their selections have been “thoughtfully chosen”.
With MacGowan, lead guitarist Philip Chevron (2013), bassist Darryl Hunt (2022) and long-time collaborator Kirsty MacColl (2000) now having passed away, the band will be roping in plenty of help on vocals and instrumentation.
Even though the gigs themselves will be coming at the of next spring, you can rest assured you’ll get to hear your beloved festive ballad.
Kicking off the tour in Leeds, The Pogues will play their first Manchester show in over a decade – and without Shane MacGowan front and centre – at the O2 Apollo on Wednesday, 7 May 2025.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Mordac (via Flickr)
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Khruangbin at the O2 Apollo Manchester – a masterclass on how to be really, really cool
Clementine Hall
Khruangbin, meaning ‘airplane’ in Thai, is a rather fitting name for a group who take their fans on a voyage across genres and styles through their funky, melodic tones.
Their second night in Manchester was no exception, as the first snow of the season began to fall outside the audience was psychedelically transported to sun-soaked places with Khruangbin’s celestial and enchanting melodies.
The set was laid back and minimal, featuring three arched windows and a white staircase that the band members travelled up and down smoothly throughout.
It’s fair to say that bassist, Laura Lee Ochoa, might just be one of the coolest people we’ve ever laid our eyes on.
Khruangbin in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Sporting sequin black trousers that twinkled under the stage lights and a matching sequin headband, we’ve already started planning our Christmas party looks accordingly.
Accompanied by guitarist Mark Speer, both were of course wearing their iconic chunky black fringed wigs that shimmied side to side with every key change and with every understated, choreographed movement.
The first half of the evening was dedicated to their latest album, A La Sala. It’s a chilled album that features Ochoa’s soft vocals drifting over soothing drum work and ambient guitar.
With every track, the colour scheme of the windows behind them changed and Ochoa pinpointed each bass line with a point of the toe, a dip in her step, a quick turn of the head. The entire audience were left completely mesmerised, united in a syncopated head bop from the start.
Khruangbin’s psychedelic tones left us in a magical trance, and so the second half which featured more funky tracks from the trio was very much welcomed.
Playing fan favourites such as ‘White Gloves and People Everywhere (Still Alive)’, the audience couldn’t help but throw a few shapes and so did Ochoa and Speer.
Their choreography was so carefully considered and in synch, even their sips of water were in perfect harmony.
Encore songs ‘Evan Finds the Third Room’ and ‘Maria Tambien’ showed off quintessential guitar-driven Khruangbin melodies, providing the perfect end to their final night in Manchester.
Seeing Khruangbin live is a very unique experience, let alone in a venue like the O2 Apollo; I entered with an amateur knowledge of their songs and left eager to deep-dive into their vast catalogue.
Thomas Melia -
1st October 2024 
