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Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig

2024 really is the year of the reunion.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 31st October 2024

Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.

The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.

Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.

And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.

Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.

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“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”

Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”

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Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”

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It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.

Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.

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Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.

You can get ready to grab yours HERE.

We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…

Pet Shop Boys named amongst latest wave of unreal acts set to play MTV EMAs at Co-op Live

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Image (supplied)

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Fast-rising alt-rock cult favourites Keo announce Manchester gig on new UK tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Keo O2 Manchester Ritz gig tickets

Up-and-coming alternative rock band Keo have just announced a new UK tour and “most ambitious chapter yet” in terms of live performances, including a Manchester gig that we CANNOT wait for.

Combining the likes of post-grunge, garage rock and more, Keo are one of the most exciting and fast-emerging new acts in the space right now, having seen their recent run of half a dozen domestic shows sell out completely.

Pulling influences from artists of The Smashing Pumpkins and Soundgarden, as well as most notably fellow contemporaries and former tour partner, Wunderhorse, they’re well-positioned at the front of the guitar-driven revival and are bound for big things. We’re by no means the only ones banking on it either…

Having been described as “already that band” by Dork and delivering “a sound that has given UK guitar its biggest kick up the fretboard in years” by Rolling Stone, you can bet tickets for these shows will be snapped up in seconds, too.

Set to play their biggest Manchester venue to date, Keo will be playing the O2 Ritz on Whitworth Street next spring, and let us tell you, that sprung floor is not ready…

Co-fronted by two brothers, Finn and Conor Keogh (originally from Devon before ultimately getting their music careers underway in the capital), the now London-based group make quite a racket for just the four of them.

That being said, they also do quiet moments well, too, as seen in several of the ‘calm before the storm’ breakouts in songs like ‘Thorn’, ‘Fly’, ‘Crow’ and many more.

If you like anything close to grunge or even just shoegazey riffs, trust us, they’ll be right up your street.

One of the most exciting parts about this lot is how feverishly their fans have packed out their audiences all over the country, somehow learning every single word to every song before most of the material had even been released on any kind of platform. They’ve led with their live reputation – and it shows.

Case and point – the crowd at The Key Club in Leeds, where our mates over at The Hoot got to witness them up close and personal as the entire room erupted in a chorus of screams about a girl called Amber:

“To be playing venues like these with only five songs out still feels surreal”, says lead singer Finn Keogh. “We always imagined we’d reach this level after years of supporting other bands, but somehow we’ve skipped that step.

“It’s mad, come March, our biggest indoor shows will have been our own. Electric Ballroom [in London] is a special one for me personally; I’ve seen some life-changing gigs there. To be on that stage this time around is going to feel unreal.”

Listing a total of 16 live show dates up and down the country throughout March and April of 2026, it’s fair to say we Mancs are excited to see them playing their biggest room in our city to date, having absolutely smashed Gorilla this past October.

Tickets for Keo at the O2 Ritz in Manchester go on sale next Wednesday, 5 November at 10am; you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.

The debut release from Keo has delighted fans and critics alike, and their Manchester gig is sure to be a stormer.

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Featured Images — Hermione Sylvester (supplied)

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IDLES frontman Joe Talbot set for ’10 Songs That Made Me’ interview at AO Arena

Danny Jones Danny Jones Joe Talbot 10 Songs That Made Me podcast interview Manchester AO Arena tickets

Cult favourite frontman Joe Talbot of IDLES fame is set to for an eye-opening sit-down interview as part of AO Arena’s ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series.

The lead singer of the politically-charged post-punk band will be joining the in-conversation event opposite BBC 6 Music host and popular radio host, full stop, Chris Hawkins.

Having often drifted into hardcore, art rock and even spoken word at times, Joe Talbot and co. have become known for the cutting lyricism and insightful songwriting in general, so we can only assume that diving into his own musical influences will be just as riveting.

Joining his fellow audophile on stage at the city’s legendary live music and entertainment venue this November, Talbot and Hawkins will be running through the tracks that quite literally helped create the musician we know today.

According to the AO, the arena will host an in-depth chat with the provocative 41-year-old artist as he walks Chris Hawkins through “the most important musical chapters of his life, his stunning musical journey from resident DJ at one of Bristol’s hottest clubs, through to headlining Glastonbury festival.”

It is quite the career he’s had when you break it down.

They go on to promise “raw honesty and trademark wit” as Joe reflects on the record, acts and cultural moments that shaped him as a young performer before breaking onto the scene with IDLES.

As for the ’10 Songs That Made Me’ series itself, it may be what it says on the tin, but most interestingly, being in the crowd and hearing it from each different group/individual changes the experience entirely.

“More than a story of success—it’s a journey of resilience, passion, and community”, they go on to add. “Expect an evening of candid conversation, unexpected anecdotes, and deep dives into the music that has not only defined Joe’s career but also resonated with millions around the world.

If you’re fans of the band or Talbot, in particular, you’ll already know they’re great orators; plus, if you caught even a small clip from his own fledgling Oh Gatekeeper podcast, you’ll know he loves nothing more than diving deep into tunes that shape not just the audio landscape but people at their core.

Just casually getting the lead singer of The Strokes on for in the first season, as you do…

On a personal note, we’ve watched the IDLES x Grammy Museum interview on multiple ocassions at this point, and know how much artistry there is behind everything they do.

The same goes for Talbot, specifically – there’s no doubt about that.

If you’re interested in being part of the audience for Joe Talbot’s in conversation event with Chris Hawkins as part of ’10 Songs That Made Me’, tickets for the date at AO Arena on Tuesday, 25 November are live now, and you can grab yours via Skiddle right HERE.

Last but not least, special mention goes to the interviewing expert himself, whose recent chat with Tim Burgess about The Charlatans getting back into the studio is also well worth a listen.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press shot (supplied)

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