Sam Smith’s Gloria tour will finally arrive in Manchester this week, as the singer wraps up the UK leg of their huge tour.
Sam had to pull out of several other UK tour dates after being struck down by a virus.
But after a run of gigs across Europe, they’re back in British soil and ready for their AO Arena gig.
The ‘Unholy’ singer will be hitting the huge stage on Wednesday 24 May – bringing along the giant golden nude statue that they and their dancers perform on.
The Gloria tour is in support of Sam Smith‘s album of the same name, which was released earlier this year.
Here’s everything you need to know ahead of their AO Arena Manchester gig.
Tickets for Sam Smith in Manchester
Tickets have been selling fast for Sam Smith’s Gloria tour, with just a handful left on sale.
Seated tickets range between £35 and £80, with standing tickets priced at £60 – plus booking fees.
Sam will be supported by Cat Burns throughout the Gloria tour.
This British, Brit Award-nominated singer-songwriter shot to fame with her 2020 single ‘Go’, which peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart after trending on TikTok.
Sony Music has described Cat Burns as a mixture of ‘gospel and pop influences combined with guitar-led indie music’.
Stage times for Sam Smith at AO Arena
Based on recent shows, you can expect to see Cat Burns take to the stage at 8pm.
Then Sam should start performing from 9pm, with a venue curfew of 11pm.
As always, stage times are subject to change.
Expected setlist
Stay With Me I’m Not the Only One Like I Can Too Good at Goodbyes To Die For Perfect Diamonds How Do You Sleep? Dancing With a Stranger (Sam Smith & Normani cover) I’m Kissing You (Des’ree cover) Lay Me Down Love Goes Gimme Lose You Promises (Calvin Harris & Sam Smith cover) I’m Not Here to Make Friends Latch (Disclosure cover) I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover) Gloria Human Nature (Madonna cover) Unholy
The venue
The AO Arena seating plan.
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe. Make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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A huge record fair is coming to Manchester city centre this bank holiday
Thomas Melia
There’s a record fair making its way to Manchester next weekend, and it’s taking over one of Manchester’s iconic live music venues.
Record lovers and music fanatics this one’s for you.
Whether you’re after growing your own record collection back home, or showing off your DJ skills, this event has everything you could ever ask for.
The Very Good Plus record fair is arriving in Manchester city centre, and it’s coming to none other than independent live music venue, New Century.
You’ll be able to browse through some of the best vinyl in the region and hopefully spot some releases by some of your musical icons.
There’s even family-friendly stations which give little ones and grown-ups alike the chance to try their hand at making and designing their own record sleeve, as well as getting stuck in with a screen-printing workshop.
A record fair event is taking place at Manchester music venue New Century and NOMA this bank holiday / Credit: The Manc Group
If you cant find any LPs you’re after, you’ll definitely find a caffeinated drink or two at Sadler’s Yard and even have a go at creating your own track on the open decks.
There will be a variety of food and drink options, as well as some food for the soul too, thanks to an array of DJ sets running until the evening courtesy of Ded Luvly on a Pulp Coffee sound system.
Live music lovers can rejoice as just for this record fair event, they’ll be able to roam around this huge gig space and if you head downstairs there’ll be a DJ workshop and sound system experience taking place.
This music-oriented event is a collaboration between iconic music venue New Century, city centre neighbourhood NOMA, and DJ and music aficionado, Living Room Dance Club.
So get ready to dig through the crates, create a few demos of your own, design an album cover or two and enrich yourself in all things music because this event has it all.
The Very Good Plus record fair is coming to NOMA and New Century in Manchester on Saturday 23 August from 11am until 6pm, and it’s completely free – apart from all the money you spend on some good quality vinyl, of course.
Featured Images – Jamakassi via Unsplash/ Phillip Blocker via Unsplash
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My Chemical Romance fans are losing it as emo favourites appear to tease UK tour
Danny Jones
American alt-rock and emo favourites My Chemical Romance aren’t just back for one last Black Parade; it looks like they might be heading to the UK for more tour dates.
Not just a phase, never was.
My Chemical Romance (an entirely different kind of MCR) made yet another mighty return to the fore earlier this year, nearly two whole decades on from the release of the seminal album, which dropped in 2006 and has now been toured live again by the New Jersey band.
Playing the album IN FULL for the first time in years, they’ve been busy in North America delighting die-hard crowds, but now a recent teaser has got My Chem fans gearing up for UK and Ireland shows.
As you can see, MCR released the somewhat cryptic comedy sketch above, in which they seem to spoof a gameshow centred around a robot named ‘Quizzo’.
The host of this fictional programme goes on to explain that the result will determine “who will be the next lucky country to win the grand prize of one nuclear winter.”
It might only last for a few seconds, but the main takeaway is that the ‘who’ selected as the recipient of this upcoming prize is none other than the United Kingdom.
Combine that with a simple caption that reads, “Let’s show them what they’ve won”, it’d be hard not to jump to the conclusion that we Brits are about to pretend we’re ‘Teenagers’ again and chant ‘Na Na Na’ until our lungs give out.
In the time since the post went live, fans on this side of the pond have understandably started getting very excited…
My Chemical Romance are coming back to the UK… For the 1st time since 2022 when we all thought it would be the last hurrah…#MCRpic.twitter.com/vHWO5mK89j
At first, some were wondering whether this year’s revival might have also seen the resurrection of their much-mythologised but ultimately scrapped 2019 record, The Paper Kingdom, but it seems pretty much nailed on that their transatlantic followers are about to get some gigs.
It remains unclear whether these still TBC dates will be an extension of the current ‘Long Live The Black Parade‘ tour, which began on 11 July, or something new entirely.
Either way, with this current run of shows due to end in September and hints at a ‘nuclear winter’, it’s a fair assumption to guess that My Chemical Romance will be coming to the UK either later this year or early 2026 – and you bank on a big Manchester booking to be thrown in there too.
Daisy Jackson -
23rd May 2023 
