North Shields indie rocker Sam Fender is making his way to Manchester to play a massive summer date at Wythenshawe Park.
UK singer-songwriter Sam Fender is ready to hear the roars of the Manchester crowd as he heads to one of the city’s biggest outdoor gig venues ahead of the ‘Live From Wythenshawe Park‘ summer series.
The BRT award-winning artist released his third studio album, People Watching, back in February, and you can expect to hear quite a few of this LP’s staple singles like ‘Arm’s Length’ and ‘Rein Me In’.
It wasn’t too long ago that Fender last paid a visit to the music capital of the North with his performance being described as ‘one of the world’s greatest live acts’ (by us, in fairness…) last December.
Gig guide – Sam Fender at Wythenshawe Park: all you need to know
Now, get your ‘Seventeen Going Under’ “Oh woah oh ohs” ready as Mr. Fender is set to play out to a crowd of 30,000 this weekend as he takes on the mighty feat that is Wythenshawe Park.
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Sam Fender is playing Wythenshawe Park in Manchester on Saturday, 16 August (Credit: Supplied via Mac Scott)
Sam Fender tickets for Wythenshawe Park gig
As you would expect, ‘You’re Not The Only One’ who wants to see this Geordie musical mastermind in action as they’re completely sold out.
However, if you want to ‘Play God’, you can try your best on verified fan ticket reselling platform, Twickets, right HERE. Ok, we’ll calm it with the puns now, promise – we’re just very excited.
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As always with second-hand tickets, proceed with caution; it’s never worth getting stung by the touts.
Sam Fender setlist
Although the setlist isn’t confirmed, at recent festivals and events, he’s performed a more condensed collection of the hits and tracks from his newest album.
However, this is his biggest show in Manchester to date – a fair few thousand more than Co-op Live, in fact – so you can expect something closer to a full-blown headline set. Here’s what we’re expecting based on what was played at Newcastle United’s St James’ Park stadium in his hometown:
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Going Home: Theme of the Local Hero (Mark Knopfler cover)
UEFA Champions League Anthem
Getting Started
Will We Talk?
Arm’s Length
The Borders
Howdon Aldi Death Queue
Crumbling Empire
Tyrants
Rein Me In (with Olivia Dean)
People Watching
Get You Down
Spit of You
Seventeen Going Under
Encore:
Remember My Name (with Easington Colliery Brass Band)
The Dying Light
Something Heavy (with CMAT, Liam Fender and Niles Krieger)
Hypersonic Missiles
One very stunning solo support act for Sam Fender at Wythenshawe Park
Olivia Dean is supporting Sam Fender amid his ‘Live From Wythenshawe Park’ gig this weekend / Credit: Supplied
You might have noticed one rather big name among the setlist there, and you’d be right to have paid attention because she makes this a truly great value-for-money live music billing.
Opening up for Mr. Fender is no easy feat, but this rising soul singer and incredibly talented ‘Lady Lady’ will no doubt take it in her stride.
London-based Olivia Dean is travelling up North to kick things off with her neo soul prowess, airy vocals and lovestruck tracks like ‘Nice to Each Other’, ‘It Isn’t Perfect But It Might Be’, ‘Carmen’ and more.
But that’s not all…
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Sam Fender has two more support slots, which are confirmed to be indie/punk artist Bugman and folk singer-songwriter Charlie Noordewier.
It really is shaping up to be one of the biggest and best nights of the year, and we’re quite literally counting down to the moment Olivia Dean joins Sam on stage for ‘Rein Me In’.
What are the stage times for Sam Fender at Wythenshawe Park?
Gates for this gig are opening from 4pm, with Bugman ‘Getting Started’ at 5:15pm and Charlie Noordewier slowly after at 6:25pm.
Olivia Dean takes to the stage at 7:35pm, with the main man himself gracing us with his presence from 9pm onwards.
With a curfew of 11pm, this should give you plenty of time to get back home and tucked in bed – though we’re sure there’ll be little room for sleep as you replay the night over and over again.
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Here’s a little taster of one of the warm-ups, Bugman.
How to get there
Last but not least, there’s just the small matter of getting there. While we’d always recommend travelling as green as possible/using public transport where you can, there are still some car park tickets that you can buy online from the Live From Wythenshawe website.
As for those of you catching a ride, there is yellow signage to the north of the site, which will lead you to the pick-up/drop-off point on Wythenshawe Road, M23 0AB.
There are also three tram stops to choose from: Wythenshawe Park, Moor Road and Baguley. However, it’s worth noting that both Wythenshawe Park and Baguley will be closed from 9pm, so you won’t be able to get back home this way.
Big Green Coaches travelling to the gigs will also be available from various locations.
Finally, you can always catch one of the shuttle buses back into the city centre. The service will be operating in a loop from Sale and the city centre, running from 1pm-8pm on the way to Wythenshawe Park and then from 8pm-1:30am when heading home.
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For more information, you can find all the up-to-date travel stuff HERE, or check out (TfGM) Transport for Greater Manchester’s full guidance via the Bee Network app.
Featured Images – Niall Lea/Sarah Louise Bennett/Press shots (Supplied)/ Raph_PH (via Flickr)
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Stockport band Blossoms set for BIG return to Leeds Festival this year
Thomas Melia
Blossoms have just announced their big return to Leeds Festival, as the four-day music event continues to impress with its stacked lineup.
They might have a ‘Joke About Divorce’ from time to time, but when it comes to entertaining a Leeds Festival crowd, Blossoms take it very seriously, having played at Bramham Park three times in the past decade already.
The Stockport band have captivated audiences since the rise of standout track ‘Charlemagne’ and more recently with the addition of their fifth studio album, Gary, named after an eight-foot fiberglass gorilla.
Known for always putting on a stellar performance, Tom, Joe, Charlie, Myles, and Josh are bringing a brand-new set to Leeds when they visit this August bank holiday weekend.
As well as releasing new music, Blossoms are making a big return to Leeds Festival 2026 / Credit: Publicity Picture (Supplied)
Currently, Leeds Festival 2026 has seven headline acts spanning all genres from Dance and EDM to Pop and Rap with the likes of Charli XCX, Raye, Dave and more topping the bill.
The Stockport five-piece are featured alongside three other insane artists as ‘Special Guests’, appearing next to Skepta, Sombr and Role Model.
Also listed on the lineup are rising stars like R&B vocal powerhouse Skye Newman, pop princess Jade, Merseyside indie rockers The K’s and Wigan-formed The Lilacs with more to be announced.
Although nothing is confirmed yet, this upcoming Leeds Festival set from Blossoms will contain high energy and obviously all their biggest and best bangers from across their four chart topping albums as well as new music.
Whether you’re there for ‘Your Girlfriend’ or ‘What Can I Say After I’m Sorry’, one thing’s for sure, you’re guaranteed to have an absolutely spectacular night.
Blossoms are making their big return to Leeds Festival 2026 which is taking place from 27 to 30 August at Bramham Park with tickets live HERE.
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Stage and Radio issue defiant statement in response to concerning development plans
Danny Jones
Manchester centre bar, music venue, and nightlife institution, Stage and Radio, has shared an impassioned and defiant statement in the face of proposed plans to be built next to the venue.
And when we say next to, we mean next door – and by that we mean practically on their doorstep, not to mention that of other local businesses.
Situated within one of the city’s most important creative and cultural hubs, in the form of the Northern Quarter, the gig space, club and popular meeting place finds itself under serious threat.
Speaking in the accompanying caption, they said: “Comment below and we’ll DM you a link to take action (It’s also in our bio!).”
They go on to say, “We’re urgently asking for the public to support Stage & Radio by voicing concerns by 10th June 2026 about a future development going up within a few meters of the venue.”
Unsurprisingly, the post has been met with an outpouring of not only shared rage, frustration and confusion, but more importantly, they’ve received a huge amount of support in the comments, too.
Fellow Manc favourite nighttime venue, Hidden, added, “Sit tight @stageandradiomcr you’re not going anywhere; meanwhile, several people across multiple sites have simply written, ‘Stage and Radio 4 Life.”
New developments and residential ventures continue to pop up all over the city and surrounding regions, as they always will, and Manchester City Council has stressed that this latest development – an eight-storey residential block by This City – will not be under threat.
Leader of the Council Bev Craig said: “Music and arts venues like Stage and Radio are the soul of our Northern Quarter. Music is woven into the very fabric of Manchester, it’s part of what makes our city so great. It is not under threat on my watch.
“Across the country we are seeing too many venues close down, in Manchester we want to protect and nurture them. That’s why we have worked in partnership with the Music Venues Trust in recent months to provide almost £250,000 in grant funding to support small venues and operators in an increasingly difficult economic climate.
“This is a vital lifeline for many smaller grassroots businesses, and we know that without them there won’t be the next big star.
“Cities are always changing, especially when new affordable homes are being built, but let me be unequivocal – Stage and Radio is not under threat. They were here first, and our Agent of Change principle defends that.
“Any new development nearby will have the top level of sound proofing and the onus is on the council as the builder not the music venue. We are also working with the venue to consider what investment our This City housing company can make to the venue building to limit sound escaping.
“I’ve offered to meet with the venue operators personally to give my commitment that venues like theirs help create the artists of the future and make our music scene what it is today.”
As for Stage and Radio, we’ve had the pleasure of spending a fair few late nights there (not to mention well into the early hours of the next morning) over the years.
Releasing a direct statement to The Manc and Audio North, they told us: “We are deeply concerned about whether residential flats positioned directly beside an established grassroots music venue can realistically provide appropriate residential amenity and conditions suitable for long-term human habitation, while also protecting an existing venue from future conflict.”
S&R also noted these circumstances are not entirely unlike those that have jeopardised the future of fellow NQ neighbours and live music venue, Night and Day Cafe, in recent times.
The countdown is now ticking away for Stage and Radio – quite literally, as you can see by the banner now showing on the homepage of their website.
If you want to help save not just this venue but the culture, community and artistic scene it stands for, you can sign the protest petition and get involved in the fight right HERE.
Thomas Melia -
14th August 2025 
