Sounds of the City is set to return this month, bringing some of the world’s biggest bands to Manchester.
Over the course of nine very special evenings, bands including James, Pixies and Foals will all take to the outdoor stage.
This year’s headliners also include Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, and the return of the ever-popular Hacienda Classical.
Since launching in 2013, Sounds of the City has hosted the likes of Kylie, Arcade Fire, Elbow, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Catfish And The Bottlemen and Courteeners.
As with most music events, Sounds of the City had its 2020 and 2021 summer seasons disrupted, but returned with a handful of gigs last September.
Now it’s back in full force and ready to kick off in a matter of days.
Here’s what you need to know.
Who’s headlining Sounds of the City on which date?
Foals will be among the headliners for Sounds of the City.
Tuesday 28 June – Lewis Capaldi plus special guest Jp Saxe & Emie Nathan
Wednesday 29 June – Foals plus special guests Wet Leg & The Regrettes – Sold Out
Thursday 30 June – Crowded House plus special guest
Friday 1 July – The Libertines – Up The Bracket performed in full plus other classics plus special guests Sports Team
Saturday 2 July – James plus special guest – Sold Out
Tuesday 5 July – Pixies plus special guests The Slow Readers Club & Klangstof
Wednesday 6 July – Sam Fender plus special guest – Sold Out
Friday 8 July – Hacienda Classical with special guests Soul II Soul, Peter Hook, DJ Paulette & Tom Wainwright
Saturday 9 July – Primal Scream Presents Screamadelica plus special guests The Mysterines, Lonelady & Walt Disco – Sold Out
How do I buy tickets?
Sam Fender.
There are still tickets left for a few of the Sounds of the City gigs, as well as tickets cropping up on resale sites (as always, make sure you’re using a verified fan-to-fan service so you don’t get ripped off).
You can expect to pay between £40 and £50 for most of the events – Lewis Capaldi tickets are £44.25, The Libertines tickets are going for £47.40, and The Pixies for £50.50, for example.
You can browse the events and see the latest ticket availability through Ticketmaster.
What are the stage and venue times?
Doors to the venue are expected to open at 5.30pm for most of the concerts.
There’ll be a strict 10.30pm curfew.
Each artist is likely to announce their individual stage times on social media in the coming days, but you can probably expect headliners to take to the stage between 8.30pm and 9pm most nights.
What’s the seating chart for the venue?
Castlefield Bowl is an amphitheatre-style outdoor venue in the city centre.
Although all tickets are billed as unreserved standing, if you’re quick you can take a seat on the large concrete steps that curve around the stage.
Many people also take a perch up on the grassy banks at the back of the venue too.
How do I get to Castlefield Bowl?
Castlefield Bowl is located at 101 Liverpool Road in the city centre.
The closest tram stop is Deansgate-Castlefield, which is only a six-minute walk away.
You can also walk it from the major train stations, or use the 101, 197, 255, 256, 41, 50 or X50 buses.
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Country star Tyler Childers is coming to town for his biggest Manchester show to date
Danny Jones
US country music star Tyler Childers is returning to Manchester for his biggest ever show in this city, and tickets go on sale very soon.
Fresh off the back of his new album, Snipe Hunter – which was only just dropped back in July – the 34-year-old singer-songwriter is riding a fresh wave of excitement after years of hard work within the genre, mixing in plenty of classic bluegrass and folk into his modern take on the classic American sound.
As one of the most-streamed and well-respected contemporary country musicians on the scene right now, the Kentucky-born solo star and understated acoustic guitarist often falls into that category of your favourite artist’s favourite artist.
Now Tyler Childers is coming to our most legendary arena as part of his UK and European tour early next year, and we’ll certainly be queuing online for tickets.
As far as AO Arena shows booked in for the new year go, we’re very excited about this one.
His seventh studio album has been well-received by his die-hard followers and newcomers alike, delivering that same traditional Appalachian storytelling and hard-bitten humour, as well as plenty of attitude and anecdotal idiosyncrasies, not to mention plenty of vocal range as always.
Having not long come back from a pilgrimage to India, Lawrence County king teamed up with legendary producer Rick Rubin (along with some help from Sylvan Esso’s Nick Sanborn) to create one of his most eye-opening, broad and best records yet.
Post-release, the Associated Press went on to label him “one of country music’s most compelling and unpredictable artists”, and we tend to agree.
The LP immediately spawned plenty of fan favourites, and we certainly have ours – and the video has definitely had a hand in it:
It may just be his best work yet.
Experimenting with his current unique take on country rock sound more than ever, you couldn’t ask for a better time to go and see him live.
Once again, Tyler Childers comes to the AO Arena in Manchester on Sunday, 8 March 2026, with an official pre-sale available via Three+ from 9am on Wednesday, 10 September.
As for general admission, tickets go live at the same time on the following Friday (12 Sep); you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
We don’t know about you, but we’re very much enjoying our country moment at the minute…
Lil Baby cancels entire European tour including Manchester Co-op Live date
Daisy Jackson
A major act at Co-op Live has cancelled their gig today, just weeks ahead of their scheduled appearance.
Rapper Lil Baby has called off his entire European tour, which included a massive gig here in Manchester.
Fans have been notified via email that the shows will no longer be going ahead.
The Grammy award-winning artist was set to play the Co-op Live on Friday 26 September as part of his WHAM World Tour.
But Lil Baby will no longer be performing in Manchester – along with cancelled shows in London and across Europe – due to ‘unforeseen circumstances’.
A statement from AXS sent to fans said: “The event organisers have been in touch to let us know that due to unforeseen circumstances, Lil Baby’s performance has now been cancelled.
“We will be automatically refunding your tickets to the method of payment you used to buy your tickets, so you don’t need to do anything further.
“Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Lil Baby has released four chart-topping albums, with his seminal album My Turn going seven-time Platinum.
Fans have been voicing their dismay at the cancellation of the tour, with one writing on X: “All rappers do is cancel SMH. Lilbaby cancelled tour cba.”
Another wrote: “Why the hell has lil baby cancelled his show.”
Someone on TikTok said: “I woke up to this email now my day is ruined cos Wdymm.”
And someone else posted: “I PURPOSELY TOLD MY PEOPLE NOT GOING ON HOLIDAY FOR MY BDAY BECAUSE LIL BABY PERFORMING IN LONDON ON 27 THE NEXT DAY! FOR HIM TO CANNNNCEEELLLLL 2 WEEKS BEFORE.”
Daisy Jackson -
5th July 2022 
