Some of the biggest artists of the 90s will be coming together for a nostalgic night of music at the AO Arena Manchester.
The 90s Baby gig will bring together pop stars including Aqua, Atomic Kitten, Liberty X, the Cheeky Girls, Five and B*Witched.
The huge pop show this autumn will see more than 20 legendary artists perform in front of thousands at the AO Arena.
Europop legends Aqua will be performing their multi-platinum hit Barbie Girl, while Eiffel 65 will bring their 90s anthems like Blue (Da Ba Dee) and Move Your Body back to the live stage.
Eiffel 65 will perform at 90s Baby. Credit: Supplied
The soundtrack to an entire generation’s birthday parties, Macarena, will be on the bill with Los Del Rio joining the 90s Baby line-up.
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The sing-along vibes continue with Mambo No. 5 from Lou Bega, and Eurodance banger Freed From Desire from Gala.
Then it’s over to Heather Small, of M People fame, who fronted the Manc band when they won Best British Dance Act at the BRIT Awards in both 1994 and 1996.
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Lou Bega
Las Ketchup
Heather Small
Liz McClarnon and Natasha Hamilton, two members of Atomic Kitten, will be back together to perform their hit singles such as Whole Again and The Tide Is High.
Irish girl group B*Witched, who were behind chart-toppers like C’est La Vie, Rollercoaster, and Blame It on the Weatherman, join the bill for the 90s Baby gig too.
2 Unlimited will perform their legendary acid-house track Get Ready For This, while Corona will be on stage with The Rhythm of the Night.
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Italian dance act Whigfield will get everyone dancing along to Saturday Night, as will global sensations Las Ketchup, with The Ketchup Song (Asereje), which sold more than seven million copies.
Big Brovaz are coming back to the stage. Credit: Supplied
One of the 90s biggest boy bands, Five, will be back together to sing Keep On Movin’ and Everyone Get Up.
20 years after they were brought together on reality TV show Popstars, Liberty X will hit the stage once again with their back catalogue of hit singles, like Just A Little and Got to Have Your Love.
Also on the bill at 90s Baby are British boyband Damage, who had success in the 1990s with singles like Forever – Lady of Soul and Ghetto Romance.
5ive
2 Unlimited
S Club All Stars
With more than 15 million record sales under their belts, 911 will be performing at the AO Arena, as will British girl group The 411.
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Big Brovaz, who sang Booty Luv, will deliver even more nostalgia, and there’s a real blast from the past with The X Factor’s Chico singing his debut single It’s Chico Time.
True noughties icon Gareth Gates, who won Pop Idol in 2002, will be back performing his tracks What My Heart Wants and Go Your Own Way.
Three members of the S Club empire (Bradley and Tina from S Club 7 and Stacey from S Club Juniors) have now formed S Club Allstars, to perform some of their most iconic tracks.
British R&B girl group Honeyz, whose singles include Finally Found and Won’t Take It Lying Down, join the packed 90s Baby line up.
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And finally, The Cheeky Girls will be performing their Cheeky Song live.
90s Baby will take over the AO Arena Manchester on Saturday 29 October.
Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday 29 April – you can sign up here.
Featured image: Supplied
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Phoebe Bridgers announces long-awaited return with HUGE phones-free arena gig in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
It’s official, Phoebe Bridgers is back on earth.
More than six years since her last studio album, Punisher, was released to the world, cementing her status as one of indie folk’s leading figureheads, Phoebe Bridgers has given fans the news they have been waiting so patiently for.
A new tour North America and EU tour is on the horizon, and she’ll be stopping off here in Manchesterlater this year for a huge arena gig.
Following a sold-out acoustic show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last night (4 June), Phoebe has now revealed details of ‘The Lost Tour’ for 2026.
Other than the series of surprise pop-up acoustic shows that have wrapped around the country over the last few weeks – beginning in Roswell in New Mexico on 8 May, and continuing on to smaller venues in other US cities before culminating in last night’s dazzling MSG show – this upcoming full band tour marks the first Phoebe Bridgers shows since early 2023.
Phoebe will be taking to the stage at Co-op Live here in Manchester for one night only on 26 November 2026 – with tickets going on sale next week.
And just like the pop-up shows, the use of mobile phones, cameras, and other recording devices will be strictly prohibited on this tour, encouraging fans to be more present in the moment.
This means the Co-op Live event will utilise secure pouches to store all devices during the performance.
Phoebe Bridgers is playing a huge arena gig in Manchester on her UK tour later this year / Credit: Supplied | Raph PH (Wikimedia Commons)
Upon arrival, all phones, smartwatches, and related accessories will be secured in these pouches, the pouches will be unlocked at the conclusion of the show, and any guest observed using a non-permitted device during the performance will be escorted out of the venue.
If the news of Phoebe’s return wasn’t exciting enough for fans as it is, she won’t be the only one making a highly-anticipated return to the stage, as support on the UK & EU leg of the tour is to be provided by former Black Country, New Road frontman, Isaac Wood.
Wood stepped away from the ensemble band – and the limelight as a whole – right before the release of BCNR’s critically acclaimed second studio album, Ants From Up There, in 2022, citing mental health reasons.
Phoebe has also partnered with PLUS1 so that €1/£1 from every ticket sold on the European tour leg goes to local organisations throughout the EU/UK working to support those impacted by sexual assault and violence.
Phoebe Bridgers will be playing Co-op Live as part of ‘The Lost Tour’ on Thursday 26 November 2026.
Tickets officially go on sale first through the Phoebe Bridgers Pass Presale via Fan3, and Co-op Member Presale starting at 10am on Wednesday 10 June, before general sale then begins on Friday 12 June, again at 10am.
UB40 at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
British-based reggae band UB40 are coming to Manchester for a celebration of all their greatest hits live at AO Arena.
Formed in Birmingham in the late 70’s, this predominantly dub and reggae band has gone on to achieve much success, including 50 UK charting singles.
UB40 have also sold over 100 million records, as well as keeping a consistent line-up for almost 30 years, before lead vocalist Ali Campbell decided to leave the band.
Now, the band’s lead vocalist is former Kioko lead singer Matt Doyle, who’s taken on this role since mid-2021 and is ready to soundtrack your night while you enjoy some ‘Red Red Wine’.
There’s no official setlist confirmed for their latest tour, however, this 11-piece band have played an array of European dates with a pretty consistent roster of tracks:
Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
Maybe Tomorrow
Homely Girl
Sing Our Own Song
One in Ten
Home
Please Don’t Make Me Cry
Many Rivers to Cross
Higher Ground
The Way You Do the Things You Do
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
Cherry Oh Baby
Johnny Too Bad
Red Red Wine
Food For Thought
Forever True
Kingston Town
Can’t Help Falling in Love
What are the stage times for UB40 in Manchester?
Anyone up for seeing UB40 play out at Manchester’s impressive 19,000-seater AO Arena will have to get there a tad early.
Doors will open at 6pm with a gig start time of 6:45pm due to the special guests who will be taking to the stage before them.
Make sure you get down early, as you really won’t want to miss the phenomenal duo Aswad, as well as standout vocalist Maxi Priest – It really is a reggae revolution.
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.
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.
Daisy Jackson -
25th April 2022 
