Audio

Simply Red at Co-op Live, Manchester – a simply sensational homecoming

40 years strong.

Daisy Jackson - 28th September 2025

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.

“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.

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.

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.

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).

Simply Red always sell out arenas in this city, their city, and probably always will. See you at their 50th?

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Tickets for the remainder of Simply Red’s tour are on sale HERE.

Featured image: The Manc Group