Parklife has just dropped the line-up for this year’s festival, with some absolutely massive names heading to Heaton Park in 2023.
The much-loved local festival will be welcoming headline performances from local boys The 1975, plus Moston’s very Aitch.
One of this year’s most-talked-about producers, Fred Again, is also among the headliners, plus all-time greats The Prodigy.
Parklife 2023 will also see Mercury-Prize winning Little Simz performing.
There’ll be an iconic collaborative show from hip-hop pioneers Wu Tang Clan + Nas: NY State Of Mind, playing together for the first time on stage in the UK.
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Parklife 2022. Credit: Jody Hartley
Every year, Parklife attracts tens of thousands of music-lovers to Heaton Park for a weekend of live music and the biggest names in dance, electronic and hip-hop.
This year’s event is set to take place on 10 and 11 June.
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Parklife will be expanded to 10 stages in 2023, with takeovers from the likes of Glitterbox, XXL, BBC Radio 1 Dance, DnB All Stars, Worried About Henry and more.
Looking ahead to his first major UK Festival Headline performance, Aitch says: “Buzzin to be headlining Parklife this year! It’s been one of my main goals since I started music so for it to be happening now at this point is unreal. I don’t care what happens after this, I’m happy.”
The Parklife 2023 line-up also includes performances from NxWorries (Anderson Paak. & Knxwledge), Skrillex, Becky Hill, Raye, Peggy Gou, an exclusive Michael Bibi b2b Jamie Jones set, Rudimental (Live), Self Esteem, Chase & Status (DJ), Confidence Man, FLO, Carl Cox, Overmono, Jon Hopkins, Nia Archives, Andy C, Annie Mac, Eliza Rose, LF System, Honey Dijon, JYOTY, JPEGMAFIA, Knucks, Shygirl, Mall Grab, Fisher, DJ EZ, The Blessed Madonna, Charlotte De Witte, Mimi Webb, Meekz, Hybrid Minds, TSHA and many more.
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More than 200,000 people have registered for pre-sale, which will begin at 10am on Thursday 2 February.
Any remaining tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday 3 February.
Day tickets are priced from £85 plus booking fee, with full weekend tickets at £129.50 plus booking fee.
For more information and to get tickets, head to parklife.uk.com.
Featured image: Anthony Mooney
Audio
Manchester’s Co-op Live arena postpones The Black Keys and Peter Kay (again)
Daisy Jackson
The Co-op Live has announced it is postponing both The Black Keys gig and Peter Kay’s performance.
Both shows were set to take place this week as the huge arena finally opens in Manchester.
In a statement shared today, the Co-op Live said it has been ‘undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans’.
It said that the shows are being rescheduled to ensure they can ‘run safely’.
The 23,500-capacity arena said this will give them ‘the extra time we need to continue testing enhanced emergency communications thoroughly’.
The Black Keys will now perform on 15 May, and Peter Kay on 23 and 24 May.
As for the Bolton-born comedian, he sounds somewhat in disbelief himself:
My apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready and so, as yet, remains untested for a large-scale audience. Consequently, they are having to reschedule my two shows yet again (I know I can’t believe it either).
Co-op Live’s statement reads: “Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans.
“To ensure that we can run all shows safely, regretfully we have now had to take the decision to reschedule the planned The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows.
“Both The Black Keys and Peter Kay have graciously agreed to reschedule their shows. The Black Keys will now perform on 15 May 2024, and Peter Kay will now perform on 23 and 24 May 2024.
“All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend.
“We deeply appreciate the impact this will have on excited fans, and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause.
“Rescheduling Peter Kay and The Black Keys will give us the extra time we need to continue testing enhanced emergency communications thoroughly.
“This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size to ensure that our fans, artists and staff have the safest experience possible.”
Co-op Live boss resigns just days before venue’s official opening
Daisy Jackson
The boss of Co-op Live, Manchester’s enormous, ground-breaking new arena, has resigned from his position just days before the venue is set to open.
The enormous music-first arena has been taking shape beside the Etihad Stadium for several years, and was due to welcome its first official audiences this week, but has been hit with last-minute challenges.
And now Co-op Live‘s boss Gary Roden has quit the mammoth project, with the news of his resignation announced late Thursday evening.
Oak View Group, which Co-op Live is part of, said in a statement that they would like to ‘thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans’.
Stepping into his shoes as interim general manager will be Rebecca Kane Burton, who previously ran the U.K.’s highest-grossing venue, London’s The O2 arena.
Gary has previously come under fire for saying that some grassroots music venues ‘poorly run’ – a statement that OVG has now distanced itself from.
A separate statement said that ‘neither Co-op Live nor Oak View Group share the sentiment expressed by former Co-op Live General Manager Gary Roden regarding the grassroots industry’.
It continued: “As OVG Chairman and CEO Tim Leiweke has repeatedly stated, Co-op Live remains committed to grassroots music in Manchester and beyond, including teaming up with Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham on the Artist of the Month campaign, and as a founding partner of Beyond The Music.
“Co-op Live also donates over £1m a year to the Co-op Foundation to support communities and empower young people to take social action through its new Young Gamechangers fund.
“Oak View Group and Co-op Live remain happy to meet with grassroots organisations once the venue is fully operational.”
Co-op Live boss Gary Roden speaking at the launch of Co-op Live just days before he resigned. Credit: The Manc GroupInside Co-op Live in Manchester
The news of the venue’s boss stepping down comes at a time when all eyes are on Co-op Live, the opening of which has been delayed.
The venue did host a test event with Rick Astley last weekend, but even that faced difficulties, with thousands of tickets cancelled to reduce capacity just hours before showtime.
It’s now set to officially open this Saturday 27 April with a performance by rock group The Black Keys.
The full statement from OVG about Gary’s resignation said: “Gary Roden has decided to resign. We’d like to thank Gary for his help bringing the UK’s newest arena to live entertainment fans and wish him the best for the future.
“Rebecca Kane Burton has been named Interim GM, effective today. Rebecca is a seasoned veteran of venue management and live entertainment in the UK having served as VP/GM of The O2 from 2012-2016 and CEO of LW Theatres from 2016-2021.
Daisy Jackson -
1st February 2023 
