Mr ‘Lucky Man’ himself, Richard Ashcroft, is bringing his long-awaited Wigan homecoming to Robin Park this weekend in what is set to be one of the biggest music moments the town has ever seen.
With the likes of Noel Gallagher and The Lathums kicking off the brand-new music series at the arena this week, Wigan natives are being treated to a total of five jam-packed nights (quite literally), but none bigger than their local hero and former Verve frontman, Richard Ashcroft.
The man behind ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and arguably the best example of the ‘Manc Walk’ ever caught on film thanks to that iconic music video, he’s one of Greater Manchester’s most legendary musicians and with a double bill of shows at the Robin Park Arena, roughly 12,000 are expected to turn up.
So, whether you’re a Wiganer merely strutting down the road for it or heading into the home of pie barms and the almighty Ashcroft for the gig from elsewhere, we’ve put together a quick guide or all the important stuff you need to know.
Richard Ashcroft Robin Park tickets – are there any left?
If you’re looking to head to either of Richard Ashcroft’s two Wigan shows this weekend, there are still a decent amount of tickets left for both days.
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General admission standing tickets will set you back £66.45 each and you can buy in groups of six maximum. VIP, meanwhile, cost £122 and includes an exclusive area, seating section, a VIP bar; unique food vendors and premium toilet facilities.
Whatever kind of experience you want, you can grab yours HERE.
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Who are the special guests supporting Richard Ashcroft in Wigan?
Without a doubt, one of the best parts about the two Richard Ashcroft hometown shows is that you’ll be getting an entirely different set of support acts depending on which day you’re heading to Robin Park.
With three different warm-up acts before each headline gig, from artists all at different stages in their careers, you’re basically getting a mini-festival with each date.
Saturday’s support will come not only from rising local solo artist Maxwell Varey but two Scouse icons in long-standing veterans Cast – who supported Liam Gallagher on his Definitely Maybe tour – and Liverpool’s increasingly popular indie stars, Red Rum Club, who we interviewed not too long ago.
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As for those closing out the week, you’ll be treated to another blossoming Wigan outfit in the Stanleys, who we recently named on our list of new Manchester bands to watch out for, Welsh four-piece The Royston Club and more Liverpudlian royalty in The Zutons. Talk about getting your money’s worth.
Red Rum ClubCast supporting Liam GallagherThe ZutonsCredit: Press Image/Audio North/LouieTwnsnd (via Wikimedia Commons)
What are the stage times for the Robin Park music series?
Set times are always subject to change, of course, but one thing we can guarantee is that doors will open from 4:30pm and the curfew for the venue is 10:30pm.
That being said, judging by the previous Robin Park live gigs, you can do some pretty decent guesswork around when the supports will start.
Second support act Red Rum Club didn’t kick off until 6:20pm on Saturday, with main warm-ups Cast playing from 7:30pm onwards and Ashcroft taking to at 9pm on night one. You expect similar timings for night two.
Keep your eyes on the bands’ socials to find out more closer to the time.
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Predicted setlist
As for what you can expect the 52-year-old to play for his highly-anticipated Wigan homecoming, Ashcroft’s most recent shows have been pretty short shrift on the festival circuit and so on, but his equally huge show at Kew the Music 2024 in London gives a bit more of indication of the possible setlist.
Combining that show with the songs played during his last visit to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2022, we think this is a pretty good average setlist – even if the exact running order looks a bit different.
Space and Time (The Verve)
Sonnet (The Verve)
Surprised by the Joy
A Song for the Lovers
Break the Night With Colour
Velvet Morning (The Verve)
Music Is Power
Are You Ready?
Life’s an Ocean (The Verve)
Weeping Willow (The Verve)
The Drugs Don’t Work (The Verve)
Hold On
Lucky Man (The Verve)
Encore:
C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)
Money (That’s What I Want) (Barrett Strong cover)
Bitter Sweet Symphony (The Verve)
On a personal note, we’re also praying we get to hear ‘All My Dreams’ and it’s a severely underrated banger, in our opinion.
Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western are your two main train stations and can be easily accessed from Manchester Victoria, Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, with journeys taking approximately 30-45 minutes total.
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Both stations are roughly a 23-minute walk to the venue via a well-lit road.
By bus
Thanks to the recently revamped Bee Network, it’s also super easy to get to Robin Park Arena via bus too – you can plan your full journey HERE.
Bus stops on the nearby Thomas Moore Road and Seven Stars Road are within just 10 mins away from the venue on foot and you can board any of the following routes to get there: 352, 375, 385, 601, 602, 603, 604, 610, 611, 640.
By car
If you’re driving, you can find a full list of directions depending on whereabouts you’re heading to the arena from on the Wigan Warriors website. You can drop people off around the front of the stadium by entering WN5 0UZ into your sat nav.
As for parking, there are spaces available in the Brick Community Stadium (WN5 0UN) car parks, which are located within a 14-minute walk away from the Arena.
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Car parks 1-4 will all be open for this event and should be accessed via Stadium Way. Stewards will be on hand to direct you on approach; accessible parking will also be available in car park three and all spaces are subject to a £15 charge per vehicle (pay by card only).
However, if you’re looking to park elsewhere, Wigan town centre has plenty of other designated parking that you can pre-book in advance in order to ensure a spot. There’s also free parking at any council-owned car parks on weekends – excluding Loire Drive (Robin Park Arena) car park and roadside parking.
And that should be just about everything for this gig guide and all the important bits you need to know ahead of Richard Ashcroft’s two massive shows at Robin Park and what a weekend it’s going to be for Wigan — what a few days it’s already been, even!
For those of you heading to the arena this weekend on either Saturday or Sunday, have the best time and make sure you soak in the memories of what will be a landmark moment in music history for the town.
Last but not least, for all other info on the biggest gigs, music news, venue info, interviews and more happening around the best region in the UK, make sure to keep tuned into Audio North.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Wigan Warriors
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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.
Danny Jones -
20th July 2024 
