Manc music veteran Richard Ashcroft has big hopes for the upcoming season of live music at Wigan’s Robin Park, insisting that gigs like his self-titled double bill could help his hometown become “a focal point music for the first time in years”.
The former Verve frontman turned successful solo artist was speaking to host Anna Jameson on BBC Radio Manchester earlier this week when he explained just how big a deal this series of Wigan concerts could be for the area.
Beyond the likes of himself, his former band, The Lathums and Railway Children, to name just a few, there aren’t too many notable music names to have come out from the WN postcode – but that isn’t to say there isn’t plenty of talent and potential to do so.
Bigging up the borough as an “amazing place” that’s perhaps sometimes overlooked, he’s keeping his fingers crossed that Mancs and people from all over the region, including the local council, can “get right behind” the upcoming calendar of Wigan concerts to shine the spotlight on it once again.
As he goes on to tell Jameson, he envisions this going on to become a platform for new, up-and-coming artists not only from Wigan but across Greater Manchester, insisting that “there’ll be this week where young bands play venues, bigger bands come” and so on, giving grassroots something “to build to”.
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Noting that the foundations have already been lain with this first lot of gigs, with the likes of fellow natives The Stanleys and Maxwell Varey named as two of Richard Ashcroft‘s warm-up acts this summer, alongside more well-known outfits like Cast and The Zutons.
In the middle of the pack, you also have rising Scouse stars Red Rum Club and The Royston Club from Wrexham, who are also making plenty of waves, so it looks like the groundwork is very much there.
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There are a variety of other gigs at Robin Park as the area looks to emulate the early success seen from similar bookings over in Wythenshawe like Noel Gallagher’s headliner in 2023 and in Wigan later this year, as well as Blossoms’ mini-festival.
The 52-year-old believes his shows among the others at Robin Park this summer could leave a “legacy” and give something for people to look back on and remember it as a moment in which, “for the first time in years, Wigan became a focal point for music” in the North and across the country.
Speaking to ITV earlier this week also, the Britpop legend admitted that despite coming up in the same era as the likes of The Stone Roses and Oasis, not to mention in such close proximity, those figures always seemed “larger than life” but that it’s an honour to go back home on such a big scale.
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It’s been over two and a half decades since he and The Verve played their iconic Haigh Hall gig to more than 33,000 locals and the two Robin Park gigs on 20-21 July are set to be on an equally massive scale.
You can still try and grab tickets and listen to the rest of his interview on BBC Sounds HERE.
Featured Images — BBC Radio Manchester/Ed Webster (via Flickr)
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There’s a big 90s rave happening in Manchester this summer
Thomas Melia
A music-oriented event is taking place in Manchester later this year dedicated to everything about the unforgettable 90s rave scene.
Relive the ‘Madchester‘ glory days all over again as you and your mates can now get tickets to the 90’s rave of the summer happening right here in Manchester.
This event is going big or going home with a runtime of 10 hours and with the amount of acts that have been announced, you’ll wish you had 24 hours.
Presented by the same team that put together ‘Sanctuary Forever’, ravers are at the heart of everything they do, and with a turnout of 8,500 attendees, you certainly won’t be dancing alone.
There are four different ‘arenas’ at this rave all catering to different soundscapes of the 90s rave scene, from hardcore to classic DnB, no music genre has been forgotten.
We all know Manchester was the cultural epicentre for electronic music and with the help of iconic music venues including The Hacienda.
Now, the capital of the North is back in its prime with this event featuring much-adored DJs such as Fabio and Grooverider, Ratpack, Danny Rampling and more.
Acts like Scott Brown, Hype and Slipmatt who were instrumental in shaping rave culture in the 90’s will also be playing sets on this very night.
Rave culture is nothing but praised for around these quarters with The Prodigy playing two very special gigs in the current club highlight, The Warehouse Project back in December.
Taking place at Bowlers Exhibition Centre, this 84,000 square foot space is deeply rooted in the rave scene too, with shows like Helter Skelter, Life, Asylum and Fantasia happening here once upon a time.
You can see the lineup in full HERE get a quick rundown of the setup down below:
With a lineup this stellar, while making sure to look back on Manchester’s musical history and 90s rave culture, in particular, there’s a reason why this event is titled ‘Manchester Forever’.
‘Manchester Forever’ is coming to Bowlers Exhibition Centre in Manchester on 3 May 2025 and tickets are already on sale.
Boney M and more join star-studded concert lineup at Arley Hall
Thomas Melia
Disco legends Boney M are just one of the many famous acts joining an impressive lineup of gigs at well-known site Arley Hall.
This historic building and its grounds are situated in Cheshire and have been the filming spot for some mega TV and on-demand streaming shows including Fool Me Once and Peaky Blinders.
Now, Arley Hall is transforming into a gig hotspot this summer welcoming impressive acts like Odyssey and The Real Thing keeping disco frontiers Boney M in good company.
Known for hits like ‘Rivers of Babylon’, ‘Rasputin’, ‘Daddy Cool’ and everyone’s guilty pleasure Christmas song ‘Mary’s Boy Child’, the Boney M gang sure knew how to write a hit or two. Still do, in fact.
Music you can’t help but dance to.
The same can be said for Odyssey, who have some catchy numbers like ‘Native New Yorker’, ‘Inside Out’, while The Real Thing have their number one single ‘You To Me Are Everything’ among many others.
And it’s not just disco that’s getting a spotlight, superstar vocalist Russell Watson is bringing a Proms spectacular to this live music weekend event too.
Watson will be partying just as much as the crowd, celebrating a landmark 25 years since the release of his debut album, it’s guaranteed to be a show-stopping and absolutely wonderful night for all.
You can dance the night away for another reason as ‘Live at Arley’ isn’t only for good times, it’s for good causes too, they’re supporting The GEM Appeal which funds genetic research for Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital.
Guests are invited to bring their own picnics to the event but there will be a handful of food vendors with goodies throughout the venue.
Arley Hall is also offering a Premium Experience, which is available for those concertgoers who want to live the high life, these tickets include ‘Premium Toilets’. Yes, please!
Don’t worry about the kids either as they can come with you as children and under 4’s go free to the event, just make sure you don’t tell the grandparents that!
‘Live at Arley’ featuring all of these phenomenal acts is taking place across two nights Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 May 2025 with all ticket packages available HERE.
Danny Jones -
1st May 2024 
