In case you haven’t already heard, Stockport is an absolute hive of activity at the minute.
Among the numerous selling points brought to the borough by its recent regeneration are SK1 Records’ now-legendary street parties, which might just be this place’s magnum opus.
Having been voted Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2023, many locals and those less familiar with Stockport might understandably assume the award was largely down to the likes of Foodie Friday, County being back on the up, perhaps, or Blossoms just absolutely smashing on the UK music scene.
That being said, we’d say there’s a very strong argument to be made that one of the biggest and best things about the former Cheshire town (no, for the last time, it isn’t Cheshire anymore) is SK1 Records and their unrivalled street parties.
If you’ve never been to one of these things before, then yes, you’re seriously missing out.
Based out of the record shop located on Underbank in the heart of Stockport’s Old Town, these street parties are some of the most exciting and well-attended events anywhere in the area, with numerous UK DJs, Manc musicians and local Stopfordian artists getting involved.
SK1 Records itself has only been open for a few years, soon to be celebrating its fifth birthday on 18 August, but to mark the occasion and celebrate the record store putting itself firmly on the cultural and underground music map in that time, they’re teaming up with an iconic Manchester club night later this month.
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Aficionado is a name you’ll have likely seen on countless posters plastered on pub walls and throughout different venues across town over the past twenty years or so, but for those unaware of its truly special legacy, here’s the gist.
The regular Manc music event, set up by DJs Richard ‘Moonboots’ Bithell and Jason Boardman, started as an alternative to the superclubs that began dominating the industry back in the 90s and have continued to bring unadulterated, accessible and fundamentally free-to-enter club nights to the masses for over two decades now.
With that in mind, it’s no wonder they picked this place for the next date on their calendar.
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Since both SK1 Records and Aficionado are approaching important milestone in their respective journeys, the lattermost — which has already popped up in pretty much every music venue you can think of around Greater Manchester over the years — they’ve decided to kill two birds with one stone.
SK1 has held several street parties for the Stockport locals since opening, not to mention many gigs and pop-ups around the Manchester area with the help of Boardman, but this is their first under the Aficionado banner, who just so happen to be celebrating their 25th anniversary as well.
So, with the help of another popular local spot sitting right across the narrow cobbles of Little Underbank Street, The Spinn Off, the trifecta will be coming together for what is set to be one of Stockport’s biggest street parties yet.
Owned by Emmerdale‘s Adam Thomas, the original restaurant over in Gatley which gave the bar its name might have sadly shut last month, but this Underbank boozer is still busy and bouncing, so it only felt right to get them involved with the next big party.
With that in mind, as SK1 Records celebrates its fifth birthday and Aficionado its 25th, the duo will be helping punters dance the night away on Friday, 18 August, with The Spinn Off helping provides drinks and extra tables along with Stockport Market‘s natural wine and craft beer shop, Wine Boy.
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‘Nado will also be holding a ticketed event to celebrate their incredible landmark at Escape to Freight to Island on 28 August too but this is their first free event of the year, staying in touch with their roots and also picking the home of Greater Manchester’s biggest and best street party to boot.
The street party itself will run from 6pm to 11pm and there’s also going to be food and snacks courtesy of Cafe Sanjuan, the only Colombian eatery you can currently find in the region, let alone Stockport and. Trust us, this place is worth the hype. It’s going to be a brilliant night.
Better still, we know exactly the place you want to be after the fun at SK1 Records stops…
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
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Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
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.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.