40 years – that’s how long Simply Red have been putting out hit after hit and helping to build Manchester’s legacy as one of the world’s greatest musical cities.
They’re often overlooked when people put together a list of the best bands from our city (they’re not even on our own Top 30 list which is, quite frankly, a huge oversight on our part), but on this Saturday night, back on home turf and celebrating four decades, it’s hard to deny their impact.
This 40th anniversary tour was announced absolutely ages ago (the Co-op Live didn’t even exist yet) and you can feel that anticipation simmering in the audience.
It’s not exactly a gigantic production or build-up before Simply Red take to the stage – the music playing through the venue speakers just sort of turns off at 9pm on the dot and 20,000-odd people sit together in awkward silence until Mick Hucknall shows up a while later.
A VT of a young Mick in 1985 plays as he walks out.
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“I want to be a great singer” says VT Mick.
And as present day Mick launches into the bluesy Sad Old Red, he proves beyond doubt that he has achieved just that.
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His is a distinctive voice and one for the ages, especially here in his hometown.
“Thank you for creating me, Manchester,” he tells us, to rapturous cheers.
Simply Red on stage at Co-op Live in ManchesterSimply Red return to Manchester on their 40th anniversary tour
The rest of the band are mostly lined up neatly on one platform, in tight session musician style – brass, percussion, keys – only breaking free to perform the odd clarinet solo, while their frontman sashays across the rest of the stage in an incredibly snazzy jacket.
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The setlist is in loosely chronological order, which means it’s not long before Simply Red lure everyone onto their feet for Money’s Too Tight To Mention, their breakout 1985 single.
The hits all have similar effect – we sing so loud to If You Don’t Know Me By Now that he accuses us of coming after his job. For Stars, everyone flings their arms overhead and belts it out as best we can.
Fairground is like a very tame carnival, with whistles and maracas in the percussion section, and a slutty little samba step from Mick.
Holding Back the Years is a really, really boring song to end on though. There, I said it – someone had to.
It’s a grateful and engaged crowd at Co-op Live – there are couples dancing in the aisles, groups of pals shimmying, parents and grown-up children looking nostalgic (if you took a snapshot of Block 113 you’d see a mother and daughter wiping away a tear to For Your Babies… oh yeah, that’s me and my mum).
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Simply Red always sell out arenas in this city, their city, and probably always will. See you at their 50th?
Tickets for the remainder of Simply Red’s tour are on sale HERE.
Featured image: The Manc Group
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Rising US star Conan Gray announces huge Manchester arena show as part of UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Conan Gray has just announced a UK leg to his upcoming tour, and he’ll be stopping off in Manchester for a huge arena gig.
In just a few short years, Conan Gray has become a star… and his star is only rising higher.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter, born in California but raised in Texas, got his start on YouTube, where he began uploading vlogs, covers, and original songs as a teenager, hoping to get his start in the entertainment industry.
He first garnered critical and fan acclaim from the release of his commercially successful singles ‘Maniac’ and ‘Heather’ before he went on to put out his debut studio album, Kid Krow, in 2020 – which placed at number five on the US charts, announcing his talent to the world and making it the biggest US artist debut of the year.
Conan Gray has announced a huge Manchester arena show next year / Credit: Supplied | Angelica Whitney (Wikimedia Commons)
After gaining millions of streams and developing a truly a faithful fanbase, Gray went on to release his second studio album, Superache, in 2022, and his third album, Found Heaven, a couple of years later in 2024.
If three albums in four years wasn’t impressive enough as it is, Gray released his fourth studio album, Wishbone, back in August and it’s catapulted him to a new level of fame, especially with the TikTok success of the single ‘Vodka Cranberry’.
Now Gray is embarking on a major world tour to celebrate his latest album, following the unforgettable Wishbone Pajama Show tour in the US, where he sold out legendary venues like Madison Square Garden, and the Kia Forum.
Manchester! @conangray brings the Wishbone World Tour to the @AOArena – Save the date: Sat 9th May 2026!
The UK arm of the Wishbone World Tour sees Gray pay a visit to us here in Manchester, as he takes to the iconic AO Arena stage next year in May.
Birmingham, Glasgow, and London are the other cities Gray will be stopping off at on his UK tour.
Conan Gray will be playing a huge gig at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 6 May 2026 as part of the Wishbone World Tour, and tickets officially go on sale this week – with both pre-sales and general sale available.
The Three+ presale will begin on Wednesday 22 October at 9am, and the AO Arena presale will start on Thursday 23 October, again at 9am, before general sale launches on Friday 24 October at 9am.
Featured Image – Dillon Matthew Photography (Publicity Picture – Supplied)
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Wu-Tang Clan announce final farewell shows in UK, including a massive Manc arena gig
Danny Jones
The one and only Wu-Tang Clan and their music may be ‘forever’, but they’re coming together for one more global run with their final live gigs here in the UK, including one huge Manchester arena gigthat is sure to sell out.
Arguably the most legendary and influential hip-hop groups ever, Wu-Tang saw their farewell tour across America wrap up this past summer, and now, after having gone from state to state, the Clan will be heading to mainland Europe and beyond for one last ride.
The scenes from the aptly-titled ‘Final Chamber’ have been nothing short of incredible in their home nation, but with a truly worldwide following, you can expect us Mancs and the overseas crowds to provide the same energy.
Narrated by British comedian and renowned lover of rap music, Romesh Ranganathan, the Wu-Tang Clan have announced a handful of additional dates, giving fans one last chance to see them live.
If you haven’t heard about the Final Chamber tour up until now, it’s seen all 10 members of the iconic collective – yes, including Cappadonna – get the show back on the road for what are undoubtedly Wu-Tang‘s biggest shows to date.
After all, if you’re going to call it a day, you might as well go out on the biggest high possible and play to the largest audiences ever.
Following three decades’ worth of music, these farewell shows broke ticket-sale records for the band, selling out 36 shows across North America with Killer Mike and producer El-P’s duo Run The Jewels as the main support act.
Now THAT is some lineup.
Confirmed to play their final ever Manchester show early next year, Wu-Tang Clan will be saying goodbye to their Northern following with a Co-op Live debut.
What makes this even more special is that this is just one of two shows they are currently scheduled to play in the UK – the only other being The O2 in London.
You could keep your fingers crossed for extra dates being added for what we can only imagine will be huge demand, but this could very well be the only other chance you get to see Wu-Tang Clan live in Manchester before they hang up the mic.
Co-op Member presale access for their March 2026 show will be available from 10am on Wednesday, 22 October, with general admission tickets going live at the same time this coming Friday (24 Oct). You can get ready to grab ours HERE.
Until then, you can see more from Wu-Tang’s ‘Final Chamber’ tour so far down below.
Daisy Jackson -
28th September 2025 
