Sounds of the City is finally back at its Castlefield Bowl home with bigger lineups than ever before.
The inner-city music concert series is taking over the open-air venue for six special gigs starting in just under three weeks-time.
Since 2013, Sounds of the City has been bringing the UK’s most acclaimed artists right here to Manchester, making it somewhat of an institution here in the city.
Over the years, they’ve treated us to one-off gigs from the likes of Arcade Fire, The Kooks, James, New Order, Rag’N’Bone Man and Catfish And The Bottlemen.
Yet this year’s comeback is set to be the biggest series to date. Huge names like Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott, The Streets and Hacienda Classical will each headline a night.
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But Irish powerhouse Dermot Kennedy is responsible for opening the show on 21 September. The fast-rising international star has already racked up more than 1 billion streams. Not to mention a Brit Award nomination for Best International Male.
The singer rocketed to fame following the release of his debut album ‘Without Fear’ in 2019 which sat at #1 in the Irish charts for an astonishing year and a half.
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The following day on Wednesday 22 September, the insanely successful Kaiser Chiefs will be heading up their own concert at the Bowl.
With 21 years in the business, the band are still riding the peak of success with their seventh album ‘Duck’ hitting wide critical acclaim in 2019.
The band will be supported by none other than Razorlight and Manchester’s own PINS.
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Wrapping up the 2021 edition on Sunday 26 September will be the Grammy, BRIT Award and Mercury Music Prize nominated Snow Patrol.
Another band with decades of experience, Snow Patrol have accumulated more than 17 billion album sales, five UK Platinum Albums and more than a billion global streams over the years.
They’ll have support from singer Lucy Blue, plus Wigan band The Lathums who have recently become the most talked about Manchester band. They’re pipped to become strong contenders for the city’s next big indie outfit.
Their headline tour at O2 Victoria Warehouse sold out within a matter of days. Meanwhile the announcement of their debut album ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ has been met with much anticipation.
Dates for Sounds of the City 2022 have already been set, too. This time, taking place earlier in the year across multiple dates in early summer.
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Foals, Crowded House and Lewis Capaldi are already confirmed to headline their own shows between 29 June and 6 July 2022.
So with lineups of this calibre, now is your time to book! Click here for tickets.
Featured image: SOTC at Castlefield Bowl by Sam Neill
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Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
A candlelit Queen tribute concert is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
Yes, you read that right: a candlelit concert dedicated to the one and only Queen, with a spectacular West End Cast and a talented live rock band, is coming to Manchester city centre in January.
In fact, it’s coming home, as this wonderful event started right here in 0161 back in 2021.
Concerts by Candlelight themselves host concerts up and down the country at various points throughout the year, but their much-loved ‘Queen by Candlelight‘ special knows all about lighting up Manc venues.
Having since gone on to become an internationally acclaimed live concert experience, we’re glad we still get to see the ‘Princes of the Universe’ on our doorstep.
Credit: Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
With the likes of Bridgewater Hall and the magical Manchester Monastery all having played host to the promotion on many ocassions, this time Queen by Candlelight is coming to the legendary Manchester Opera House in the new year.
One of our most historic and legendary theatres, it’s only fitting, really, that they be chosen to welcome a night of equally iconic tunes.
But it’s worth reminding more casual fans that these aren’t just British rock and pop anthems; Queen‘s discography is one that still has global recognition to this day.
That’s why this specific show has been taken to virtually every corner of the world, with the incredibly talented cast of singers and musicians delighting audiences in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and New York, to domestic crowds here in town and down in London’s West End.
‘Queenies’ or ‘Darlings’, as Freddie Mercury used to call them, can expect all the big hits, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Are The Champions’, to ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ and ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and plenty more from the back catalogue.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store this coming January:
With tickets already flying out fast, we really would recommend securing your seats early before they inevitably sell out.
To quote the promoters themselves, “this spectacular celebration of Queen’s biggest hits is guaranteed to rock you.”
Coming to the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 6 January, you can book your tickets for Queen by Candlelight right HERE.
And if you’ve never been to one of their candlelit events before, you only need to see how much of a ball we had at their country event earlier this year to find out how much fun they are…
Hannah Starkie -
1st September 2021 
