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Self Esteem drops new single along with THIRD Manchester show

Everything about this new album sounds so intriguing.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 24th March 2025

Rising Northern star Self Esteem has just dropped the new single from her forthcoming new album along with a bunch of big new UK tour dates, including THREE nights right here in Manchester.

The singer-songwriter, also known simply as Rebecca Lucy Taylor, has seen her popularity skyrocket in the last few of years, winning BBC Music’s Introducing ‘Artist of the Year Award’ back in 2021 and being nominated for the Mercury Prize less than 12 months later.

Fast forward to 2025 and not only has she recieved plenty of critical acclaim for her first two records but her live presence on stage has also been heavily praised and now the 38-year-old is gearing up for her next album cycle.

Announcing her latest single, ‘If Not Now, It’s Soon’, which has quickly selected as BBC Radio 1’s ‘Hottest Record’, the new track has also dropped along with 14 major UK tour dates, with a string double headers in multiple cities.

Born and bred in Rotherham but with strong ties to nearby Sheffield, her journey began as one half of folk pop duo Slow Club. They formed back in 2006 but split in 2017 as both she and bandmate Charles Watson parted ways to pursue their respective solo projects.

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Set to release her third studio LP A Complicated Woman on 25 April, these latest tour dates are some of the biggest she’ll have ever played – including a massive Yorkshire homecoming gig at the Utilita Arena which will be a momentous show for our friends The Sheff to make the most of.

Discussing the new project, Taylor says: “Personally, you have to wait and one day you’ll get somewhere less painful. But the world will hopefully get somewhere less painful too. It’s about hope, perseverance and patience.”

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As for those who’ve been lucky enough to get an premature listen of the album in full, the early reviews are looking seriosuly strong.

Described by The Guardian as “her best yet”, it features the likes of Nadine Shah, Moonchild Sanelly and Sue Tompkins from Life Without Buildings; Meatball and even Lancashire actor, Julie Hesmondhalgh, best known for playing Hayley Cropper in Coronation Street. Now that’s what we call a feature.

You can see the full list of tour dates below:

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Self Esteem comes for three massive nights at Manchester Academy on Saturday and Sunday, 27-28 September later this year.

Her previous raft of dates for A Complicated Woman Live – an ambitious quasi-theatrical experience of the album in person and on stage at The Duke of York’s in London – sold out in a flash, and you can expect plenty of that same production value when it comes to her upcoming concerts.

Fans get an exclusive pre-sale code for all UK and Ireland dates by pre-odering the album before 1pm GMT on Tuesday, 25 March 2025, and as for general admission, you’ll have to join the queue like the rest of us when they go live (still TBC).

In the meantime, you can join us in being as obsessed with her other recent release as we are:

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Scarlett Carlos Clarke/Press Shots (supplied)

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Lorde to play massive Manchester gig later this year as part of world tour

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Lorde publicity shot

Lorde has announced she’s heading out on a massive world tour later this year, and of course she’s stopping off in Manchester.

The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter undeniably burst onto the music scene at the tender age of 16 with her runaway number one hit ‘Royals’ all the way back in 2013, and has been successfully cementing herself as a household name ever since.

Following her debut single, she has gone on to break several records with the releases of her first three studio albums.

She has also scooped up a handful of GRAMMYs and BRIT awards along the way.

Lorde is set to play a massive Manchester gig at the AO Arena later this year / Credit: Supplied

The 28-year-old – who is known and loved for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting – has recently delighted fans by confirming that she’ll be releasing her fourth studio album, titled Virgin, towards the end of next month, and not long after that highly-anticipated release is when you’ll be able to catch her taking to one of Manchester‘s biggest stages.

Fans of the critically-acclaimed pop star will be able to grab tickets to see Lorde when she performs at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday 15 November 2025 as part of the Ultrasound Tour.

Other major UK cities she’ll be stopping off at include London, Birmingham, and Glasgow – making this a somewhat exclusive ticket to get your hands on.

Lorde Ultrasound 2025 UK Tour Dates

  • Saturday 15 November – AO Arena (Manchester)
  • Sunday 16 November – O2 Arena (London)
  • Wednesday 19 November – OVO Hydro (Glasgow)
  • Thursday 20 November – Utilita Arena (Birmingham)

Tickets are set to go on general sale next week, following several pre-sales in the days leading up to it.

Support for Lorde’s Manchester gig is to come from equally-revered singer-songwriter and record producer, Dev Hynes – better known by his stage name, Blood Orange – who is believed to have lent several co-production credits to Lorde’s upcoming fourth studio album.

Fellow producer Jim-E Stack will also provide support in Manchester.

Lorde will be taking to the AO Arena stage here in Manchester on Saturday 15 November, and tickets officially go on general sale next Friday 16 May at 10am.

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General sale follows two pre-sales – a Three+ Presale on Wednesday 14 May, followed by an AO Arena-specific Presale on Thursday 15 May, both going on sale again at 10am.

Find out more and get tickets when they go on sale here.

Featured Image – Thistle Brown (Supplied)

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Olly Murs at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia Olly Murs Co-op Live Manchester gig times

The ‘Troublemaker’ himself Olly Murs is ready to cause some more chaos, and this time he’s returning to Manchester with throwback boyband, Blue.

X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which feels more like lads on tour with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.

Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, trilby-wearing popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.

Now, this cheeky chappy is embarking on the ’15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025′ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too.

Olly Murs is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester this week.
Olly Murs is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester this week.
Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons

Olly Murs UK tour dates

  • Thu 8 May – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Fri 9 May – Leeds, UK – first direct arena
  • Sat 10 May – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Mon 12 May – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Tue 13 May – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Thu 15 May – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
  • Fri 16 May – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse live
  • Sat 17 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
  • Sun 18 May – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley
  • Thu 22 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Fri 23 May – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
  • Sat 24 May – Birmingham, UK – bp pulse live
  • Sun 25 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena

Are there tickets left for Olly Murs’ Co-op Live gig?

There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at Co-op Live, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’.

To see a range of tickets and prices in all sections of this impressive new entertainment venue, Co-op Live, tickets can be found HERE.

Plus, even if you miss out on the Co-op Live, we wouldn’t worry too much, because the British popstar is also coming to AO Arena later this month near the end of his tour with tickets HERE.

Olly Murs 2025 tour – ’15 Years Of Hits’ setlist

This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’ – I mean, he’s bringing a flamethrower on stage…

No, seriously, LOOK:

After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs, give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.

Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?

  • Troublemaker
  • Right Place Right Time
  • Please Don’t Let Me Go
  • Thinking of Me
  • Oh My Goodness
  • Heart Skips a Beat
  • Kiss Me
  • Army of Two
  • Hand on Heart
  • Up
  • Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
  • Seasons
  • You Don’t Know Love
  • I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
  • Dear Darlin’
  • Years & Years
  • Never Been Better
  • Wrapped Up
  • Save Me
  • Dance With Me Tonight

What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?

Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!

Doors for Olly Murs’ ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025’ are scheduled for 6:30pm, with a kick-off time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.

The BRIT Award winners, Eurovision-performing and one-time chart toppers, are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics, including ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’, ‘Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word’ and more.

How to get to Co-op Live

Tram

For those of you heading to Co-op Live, fortunately, it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.

Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre; they run until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

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Getting there by car and parking

If you’re driving, there are limited parking spaces available at the venue but these must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are also designated drop-off areas.

The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.

Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:

  • Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
  • Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
  • Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.

There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:

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  • Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
  • Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces

Walk/cycle

Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.

For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

Read more:

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

Featured Images — Mark Hayman/ Edward Cooke/Marcos Moreno (supplied)

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