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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Doja Cat announces huge Co-op Live Manchester gig on Tour Ma Vie World Tour
Daisy Jackson
Doja Cat will be bringing her massive Tour Ma Vie World Tour to Manchester next year, with an arena show at the Co-op Live arena.
The Grammy Award-winning superstar has announced a lengthy run of shows across Latin America, Europe, and North America next year.
It’s her biggest tour to date and her first time headlining so many stages across the globe.
The tour is in support of Doja Cat’s fifth studio album, Vie, which was released last week.
Doja Cat has achieved massive commercial success in the UK thanks in part to her collaborations with the likes of Nicki Minaj, SZA, and The Weeknd.
Her big hits include Paint The Town Red, Woman, Kiss Me More, Say So, and Tia Tamera.
Doja Cat has announced a Manchester show on the Tour Ma Vie World Tour
Paint The Town Red spent three weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the first rap song to reach the top spot in 2023.
Last time Doja Cat performed in Manchester is when she headlined Parklife festival in 2023 (amid a torrential downpour, naturally).
Tickets for the European and UK leg of the tour will go on general sale from 10am on Friday 3 October, with artist and Mastercard presales earlier in the week.
There’ll also be various VIP packages and experiences available.
Doja Cat European and UK tour dates in full
Tue May 19 — Dublin, Ireland — 3Arena
Thu May 21 — Glasgow, UK — OVO Hydro
Sat May 23 — Manchester, UK — Co-op Live
Tue May 26 — Birmingham, UK — Utilita Arena
Fri May 29 — London, UK — The O2 Arena
Tue Jun 02 — Lisbon, Portugal — MEO Arena
Wed Jun 03 — Sun Jun 07 — Barcelona, Spain — Primavera Sound*
Sat Jun 06 — Lyon, FR — LDLC Arena
Tue Jun 09 — Paris, France — Accor Arena
Fri Jun 12 — Amsterdam, Netherlands — Ziggo Dome
Mon Jun 15 — Hamburg, Germany — Barclays Arena
Wed Jun 17 — Berlin, Germany — Uber ArenaFri Jun 19 — Krakow, Poland — Tauron Arena
Featured image:Greg Swales
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Ticketmaster agrees to change ticketing procedures following Oasis dynamic pricing controversy
Emily Sergeant
Ticketmaster has agreed to change its ticketing procedures following the ‘dynamic pricing’ controversy over Oasis reunion tour tickets.
After a lengthy investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured formal commitments from Ticketmaster, known as ‘undertakings’, to make sure fans have the information they need when they spend their hard-earned cash to see the artists they love.
The leading ticketing platform will now be required to make it clear to fans what they will get for their money, and give more information about different ticket prices.
These undertakings require Ticketmaster to tell fans 24-hours in advance if a tiered pricing, or dynamic pricing, system is being used, and provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay.
Ticketmaster will also now have to ensure that tickets are described accurately, and do not give the impression that one ticket is ‘better’ than another when that is not the case.
We’ve secured undertakings from #Ticketmaster to provide customers with more pricing information + make sure ticket descriptions are clear.
And finally, the ticketing platform will have to provide regular reports to the CMA to show how it has implemented the undertakings.
As mentioned, the CMA investigation comes following widespread concerns about the Oasis Live ’25 tickets sale.
Two areas were identified as needing investigating following the sale.
The first being that Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
The second being that Ticketmaster sold some ‘platinum’ tickets at almost 2.5 times the price of ‘standard’ tickets, and all without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits over some ‘standard’ tickets in the same areas of the venue.
Ticketmaster has agreed to change its ticketing procedures following the Oasis dynamic pricing controversy / Credit: The Manc Group
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information upfront,” explained Sarah Cardell, who is the Chief Executive of the CMA.
“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it – and the changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money.
Daisy Jackson -
28th September 2025 
