Pop icons S Club will kick off their 25th anniversary reunion tour right here in Manchester this week.
The group, better known to many as S Club 7, will be heading out as a five-piece after the tragic death of bandmate Paul Cattermole.
But Jo O’Meara, Rachel Stevens, Jon Lee, Tina Barrett and Bradley McIntosh have promised that the show will be a fitting tribute to Paul, renaming it The Good Times tour in his honour.
They’ll play two nights here in Manchester, at the AO Arena – the first is Thursday 12 October, the second Saturday 21 October.
S Club are best-known for chart-topping pop songs like Reach, Bring It All Back, Never Had a Dream Come True, Don’t Stop Movin’ and Have You Ever.
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Their very first show back together on The Good Times tour will be in Manchester this week. Here’s what you need to know.
Tickets for S Club’s 25th anniversary tour
S Club 7 in their heyday. Credit: Publicity picture
At the time of writing, there’s still some very limited tickets on sale for S Club’s Manchester dates.
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On Thursday 12 October, you can still get seated tickets for £72.50 including booking fees, but everything else is sold out.
Meanwhile tickets for Saturday 21 October are a similar story – there are just £72.50 seated tickets left at this point.
Remaining S Club tickets are available through See Tickets.
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Support act for S Club at Manchester’s AO Arena
S Club have chosen a band with an ‘amazing vibe’ to support them on their The Good Times Tour.
Now United are an international pop group formed by S Club creator Simon Fuller.
The group initially consisted of 14 members from 14 different countries but is now running as a seven-piece.
In a clip posted on Instagram, Bradley said: “We have got some news for you. For quite some time a lot of you out there have been asking who will be the supporting artist on the tour.
“We’ve found a band that have got such an amazing vibe and we think you guys are gonna love them. We love their music, we love their style… we just think these guys are so much fun.
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“And we want you to check them out. So, here they are… Now United.”
Setlist for S Club at Manchester’s AO Arena
S Club will kick off their reunion tour in Manchester. Credit: Publicity picture
As Manchester will be the first city to welcome S Club on their The Good Times tour, we’re a bit in the dark about what they’re planning.
Their setlist is more than likely to include their hits from the nineties and noughties, as well as new music, like their latest single These Are The Days.
We’ll update this article as soon as we get a whiff of what their setlist might be.
Stage times for S Club
The AO Arena hasn’t yet confirmed stage times for either of S Club’s shows.
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But we do know that doors will open at 6pm, and curfew is likely to be around 10.30pm.
Again, we’ll update this article as soon as stage times are announced.
Mercury Prize 2026 review: RAYE takes home the crown as Newcastle celebrates the very best in music
Clementine Hall
One of the biggest nights in music kicked off last night as the Mercury Prize 2026 was awarded.
If there was ever a night to fall head over heels in love with British and Irish music, the 2026 Mercury Prize made a very convincing case.
Bringing together some of the country’s most exciting artists under one roof in Newcastle, this year’s ceremony was a reminder of just how much talent is packed into the current music scene.
From established legends to the names shaping what comes next, it was an absolute belter.
Images: Audio North
Held at the Newcastle Utilita Arena for the second year running, I think everybody in that room felt very lucky to be there to see firsthand who took home the coveted prize.
The shortlist brought together an impressive mix of artists, with Florence + The Machine, Olivia Dean, JADE, Suede, Pulp, Dave and Sir Paul McCartney among the big names making the lineup very star studded indeed.
Suede kicked things off with ‘Dancing With The Europeans’, bringing their unmistakable energy to the ceremony, while Pulp delivered ‘Begging For Change’ as part of the HELP(2) charity compilation.
It was a line-up that demonstrated the sheer range of music being made across the UK and Ireland, from contemporary pop to established rock and even jungle thanks to Bradford’s own Nia Archives.
And of course, there was one woman who had every reason to leave with a smile on her face.
RAYE took home the coveted Mercury Prize for THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE., an ambitious, genre-hopping album that blends jazz, soul, R&B and classical influences into something so fabulously unique.
Image: Audio North
Newcastle’s own Knats performance was definitely a highlight of the evening, combining slick jazz with spoken-word poetry against a projection of The Tyne Bridge.
A fitting image, and one that underlines the importance of holding such huge events in the north and highlighting the obvious talent that thrives here.
The 2026 Mercury Prize was a brilliant showcase of the country’s music at its best.
And with RAYE taking home the trophy, it’s clear there is plenty of ‘hope’ left in British music.
Alex Warren announces massive Heaton Park gig in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Alex Warren has just announced a huge summer gig in Manchester, performing to massive crowds at Heaton Park.
The chart-topping star will be performing on the hallowed grounds that have hosted the likes of Oasis, Courteeners, and Catfish and the Bottlemen.
Heaton Park will also be the site of two enormous Fontaines D.C. gigs next summer.
And now Alex Warren has added his name to the list, announcing that he’ll be taking the stage here in Manchester in July 2027 – one of the biggest gigs of his career.
The news follows a massive 12 months for the star, whose second album WILDCHILD topped charts around the world.
After first rising to fame as part of the TikTok group The Hype House, he went on to release music independently, eventually getting signed to Atlantic Records.
Since then, he’s topped charts globally with his songs and gone four-times platinum in the UK with his massive track, Ordinary.
He has also won an MTV VMA for best new artist, and has been nominated for a Grammy.
As well as Heaton Park, Alex will play summer shows at Cardiff’s Blackweir Fields, Belfast’s Belsonic, Dublin’s Malahide Castle, Live At Glasgow Green and Live at Powderham in Exeter, plus Blenheim Palace Festival, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, and two huge headline shows at Crystal Palace Park Live in London.
Alex Warren will play at Heaton Park in Manchester on 2 July – tickets will go on sale at 9am on Friday 30 October, with a number of artist, promoter and O2 presale available beforehand.
Daisy Jackson -
9th October 2023 
