The mighty Rick Astley is heading back to Manchester this festive period for the return of his smash hit Swinging Christmas show.
Move over, Mariah and Micky Bubble, ‘r Rick needs room to thaw out in time for the holiday season too.
The past couple of years have seen Rick Astley more than re-endear himself to the British public and beyond, not just getting himself back on the map thanks to big gigs with Blossoms and stunning festival sets at the likes of Glastonbury and Kendal Calling but with some genuinely wonderful new music.
To be brutally honest with ourselves, we all took the ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ singer for granted; he’s well and truly reminded us of what a wonderful performer he is and with the holiday season coming up, he set to deliver his stunning Christmas set once again.
Excited to announce my Swinging Christmas Tour! 🎺
Tickets go on general sale 9:30am Friday 11 October. For pre-sale access from 9:30am Thursday 10 October, pre-order Never: The Autobiography by 3pm on Wednesday 09 October at https://t.co/Newx2V17K1pic.twitter.com/zYELqOTOrh
This tour is just the second time ‘Swinging Christmas’ has been brought to the masses after its debut back in 2022 and follows Rick’s lifelong passion for the golden age of big band and swing.
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He’ll be performing festive classics in stunning venues, including right here at Manchester Bridgewater Hall, to truly capture the magic during the most wonderful time of the year.
For a man who is arguably the contemporary king of covers in this country, the first iteration of the show was a dream come true and he’s even more excited to be pulling these old classics once again to a crowd who have been crying out for another edition.
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Speaking on the upcoming tour, Rick said: “These classic songs have been a part of me for so long. Singing them with a big band was a dream come true. I can’t wait to share this special experience with you again this Christmas. See you there!”
Trust us, with plenty of Rat Pack covers under his belt, not mention numerous nods to iconic old-world orchestras, he knows a thing or two about big band-style cabaret celebration.
Better yet, Manchester is fittingly the final festive stop of Rick’s seasonal tour, rounding off a run of shows in Brighton, Wolverhampton, Portsmouth, London and Edinburgh.
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The Newton-le-Willows-born singer brings his festive show to Bridgewater Hall on Friday, 20 December 2024 and now we’re thinking more about this than we are the big day itself.
What better way to get into the festive spirit than a true celebration of Rick’s love of music, the roaring swing sound, classic tracks and many more?
Tickets for Rick Astley’s Swinging Christmas go on sale at 9:30am on Friday 11 October – you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Press Images (supplied)
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Courteeners to play legendary intimate venue in Manchester THIS weekend
Daisy Jackson
Courteeners have just announced an incredibly intimate show in Manchester, taking to the stage at the legendary Night & Day this weekend.
The indie rock legends, and proud Mancunian export, have just confirmed they’ll be playing a very special one-off show in their hometown on Saturday 11 April.
Night & Day is a venue Courteeners played several times at the start of their career, and now they’re heading back to the 250-capacity institution.
The news comes alongside an announcement for a best-of album, God Bless The Band, as well as several new arena shows across the UK.
Courteeners will be playing the Leeds First Direct Arena, London’s Alexandra Palace, Cardiff Utilita Arena, Liverpool M&S Bank Arena, Glasgow OVO Hydro and Birmingham Utilita Arena this autumn.
That comes in addition to their existing live shows this summer, which include an almighty outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park.
Courteeners have also released a new single, The Luckiest Man Alive.
Speaking of Courteeners’ return to Night & Day in Manchester, the venue wrote: “Night & Day are thrilled to announce that seminal Manc band THE COURTEENERS will be coming back to where it all started on Saturday 11th April.
“From their formative years practicing in our cellar, crucial early shows upstairs in the venue proper, to supporting us through threats of closure, The Courteeners have played a huge part in the history of Night & Day Café, and we can’t wait to welcome them back to the venue this weekend.”
As for that new tour – £1 + VAT from every ticket sold will be donated to the newly launched LIVE Trust, a new funding initiative from LIVE that will offer much-needed financial support to those working across live music.
“It’s fantastic to see Courteeners supporting the LIVE Trust with a £1 per ticket contribution on their upcoming tour, building on their commitment for the Wythenshawe Park show in August,” said Jon Collins, CEO of the LIVE Trust. “This donation will directly benefit the full grassroots ecosystem – from venues and artists to promoters and festivals – helping to protect, expand and support grassroots music across the UK.”
Speaking about the release, Liam Fray says “In October it’s 20 years since our first gig, so with a couple of new songs fresh from the studio, the timing just seemed right for a Best Of. If we mean half as much to people as they have done to us over the years, then we’ve not done too bad. We look forward to seeing you down the front God Bless The Fans x”
Newly Announced Courteeners Arena Dates
Fri 06 Nov Leeds, First Direct Arena
Sat 07 Nov Cardiff, Utilita Arena
Fri 13 Nov Liverpool, M&S Bank Arena
Sat 14 Nov London, Alexandra Palace
Fri 20 Nov Glasgow, OVO Hydro
Sat 21 Nov Birmingham, Utilita Arena
Pre-sale tickets go on sale Wednesday 15 April. General sale from Friday 17 April from ticketmaster.co.uk and gigsandtours.com.
Additional Summer Shows already announced:
Thu 23 Jul Stoke-On-Trent, Victoria Hall (sold out)
Sat 25 July Sheffield, Tramlines (festival headline, sold out)
Thu 27 Aug Leicester, O2 Academy (sold out)
Sat 29 Aug Manchester, Wythenshawe Park (sold out)
Noah Kahan has just announced TWO huge gigs in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Noah Kahan has just announced details of two massive arena gigs here in Manchester.
The Stick Season singer is heading back to UK shores, two years after his last appearance in our city when he played to a packed-out Co-op Live.
This time, Noah Kahan is doing the double and will play two nights at the legendary AO Arena.
He’s set to perform here in November as part of a newly-announced tour, in support of his upcoming fourth studio album, The Great Divide.
Noah Kahan is a two-time Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter, originally from Vermont, and has become one of the biggest and most recognisable voices on the planet.
His music has now amassed almost 15 billion streams worldwide, with nearly 12 million albums sold.
Noah’s star rocketed in 2022 with the release of his acclaimed third album, Stick Season, which sat in the UK album chart for three years.
The album featured collaborations with top artists including Hozier (Northern Attitude), Post Malone (Dial Drunk), and Sam Fender (Homesick).
In 2023, Kahan launched his mental health non-profit, The Busyhead Project, which has raised over $5.5 million to date in support of its mission to increase awareness around the importance of mental health.
His upcoming fourth album, The Great Divide, is said to ‘build on Kahan’s signature storytelling while pushing his sound into more expansive, anthemic, and sonically adventurous territory’.
He will embark on The Great Divide Tour this summer, headlining stadiums across North America for his biggest tour to date.
Noah Kahan will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on 9 and 10 November 2026, with tickets on sale from 10am on Friday 17 April.
Danny Jones -
7th October 2024 
