Manchester’s annual Parklife Festival has announced its biggest lineup to date ahead of the event’s return to Heaton Park on 11-12 September.
Across the two days, there’s a jaw-dropping selection of artists set to play, featuring some familiar faces back to finish what they started after being booked to play the cancelled 2020 edition last June.
Headlining the bill on Saturday 11 September is Brit Award-winning rapper Dave, in an exclusive UK festival appearance for 2021.
Meanwhile, “WAP” star Megan Thee Stallion will make her Parklife debut and will be joined by some of the finest grime, rap and hip-hop artists including Skepta, AJ Tracey, slowthai, Burna Boy, Mist and DaBaby.
In true Parklife style, we also have a stellar selection of world-class DJs providing the dance soundtrack this year. Over the weekend, Jamie XX, Disclosure, Four Tet, Carl Cox, The Blessed Madonna, Annie Mac, Jamie Jones, Skream and Solardo are all confirmed to play, plus Bicep will spin a special live set.
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For the bass heads among you, Andy C will be joined by Wilkinson, Sub Focus, Dimension, Friction, My Nu Leng, along with the CruCast lads for one massive reunion.
Presale begins at 10am on Wednesday 24 March. Only those who have signed up in advance will be able to access presale tickets – the link should land in your emails soon.
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Organisers have warned that the presale list is massively oversubscribed, with more 250,000 people signed up to it. So, tickets are in extremely high demand.
General Sale will begin at 10am the following day (Thursday 25 March) for everyone else.
Back in December, organisers announced that the long-awaited return to Heaton Park would take place on 11-12 September, instead of their usual June dates, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Up to 80,000 festival-goers are expected to descend on Heaton Park each day, making it one of the UK’s biggest metropolitan festivals.
This year’s much-anticipated edition has been two years in the making and with a lineup like this, we know the organisers will make sure it’s one to remember.
Now, all you need to do is set your alarms!
Stay up to date with Parklife on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for full lineup details, further announcements and festival info.
Music
Rap duo D-Block Europe add second Manchester arena date due to ‘phenomenal demand’
Danny Jones
London-based rap duo D-Block Europe have just added a second Manchester arena date due to “phenomenal demand”, with two other UK cities also getting extra shows.
The Lewisham-rooted hip-hip group, who have continued to skyrock in popularity over the past year or so, saw their Manc gig sell out in just a matter of hours.
With that in mind, the show has gone from an already impressive booking in the shape of their Co-op Live debut, to D-Block Europe playing two consecutive nights at the largest indoor entertainment venue in all of Greater Manchester.
Quite the achievement for a band already coming off the back of a huge 12-month period.
Updating fans on social media, the trap specialists said: “Ya’ll went so crazy we had to run it back. New dates just dropped, grab your tickets before they’re gone again.”
Comprised of two equally talented MCs, Adam Nathaniel ‘Young Adz’ Williams, and Ricky Earl Banton – a.k.a. ‘Dirtbike LB’, D-Block Europe have already landed some seriously big hits and collabs.
Working with the likes of Central Cee on ‘Overseas’, 9Goddy, Aitch, AJ Tracey and more, D-Block have racked up more than 10.5 million monthly listeners on Spotify, and much like their name would suggest, have garnered a solid following over in mainland Europe too.
Grime, garage, trap and everything in between – the British hip-hop scene is in a good place.
Best known for a tracks like ‘Kitchen Kings’, ‘Make You Smile’, recent release Ski Talk and more, fans will be looking forward to hearing plenty of tracks in real ‘Life’.
For instance, it might be a joint feature, but their verses on Cassö and soul singer Raye‘s track ‘Prada’ helped make it the one-time summer smash it was.
Banger.
They might be riding a wave right now, but its worth noting the boys have been at this for well over a decade now, and with a growing connection to Manchester, we’re glad to see them landing premier venues like this the Co-op.
Obviously, tickets are already on sale for the second date on 10 December, and even if disappear just as quick, be sure to keep an eye out for resale tickets for the Tuesday and Wednesday night gigs.
Ocean Colour Scene announce big Manchester show on special anniversary tour
Danny Jones
Veteran UK rock band Ocean Colour Scene (OCS) are hopping on the booming anniversary tour bandwagon and coming to Manchester for a big arena gig next year.
The key Britpop figures who also dipped their toes in everything from indie to shoegaze and the so-called ‘baggy pop’ era, are soon to celebrate 30 years since their seminal sophomore studio LP, Moseley Shoals, which dropped all the way back in April 1996.
As a key part of the 90s rock movement in this country, the record was not only an impressive follow-up that avoided the pitfalls of second-album syndrome, but features some of the group’s most beloved tracks, such as ‘The Riverboat Song’, ‘The Circle’, and most iconic of all: ‘The Day We Caught the Train’
For those of you who remember its release, it may seem hard to believe that it’s been that long, but if the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour has taught us anything, it’s that those formative tracks NEVER get old.
The years may have passed…But their fandom still thrives.Credit: Dave Briggs (via Flickr)/Brian Sweeney (supplied)
Coming to the legendary AO Arena (not for the first time), Ocean Colour Scene will no doubt be tapping into that same old ‘Madchester‘ scene that helped fill their crowds in these parts back in the day.
Speaking on the upcoming tour, frontman Simon Fowler said, “It’s hard to believe that Moseley Shoals turns 30 in 2026. We owe so much to that album, so it’s exciting to be able to look forward to this very special anniversary and celebrate with our amazing fans at some of the UK’s most prestigious venues.”
There are a few Northern dates for us to make the most of here in England, too, including not just Manchester but Bradford and Newcastle as well.
You can see the full list of domestic dates for the Ocean Colour Scene Moseley Shoals 30th Anniversary Tour down below:
As you can see, perhaps one of the things we’re most excited about with this one is the support act, as fellow cult favourites The Enemy will also be joining as special guests on the road.
General admission tickets for OCS’s tour go live at 9am on 17 October, but those keen on presale can secure early access through the venue the day prior, and Three+ members can do so from as early as next Wednesday (15 Oct); get ready to grab yours HERE.
They’re not the only long-standing favourites of the decade who are toasting a big milestone with even bigger venues next year, either.
Hannah Starkie -
23rd March 2021 
