UK Girl group Sugababes are returning to Manchester and although we’re going into ‘Overload’ we’ve got everything you need to know ahead of their Co-op Live gig.
The formidable trio, also known as Sugababes, are heading to Manchester and the only question I have is “Can we bring yesterday back around?” because I should’ve bought those tickets sooner.
Sugababes entered the music scene in the new millennium, 2000, and since then have continued to bring non-stop sass, femininity and flirtatious energy for the past 25 years.
After dominating the West Holts stage at Glastonbury in 2024, attracting unprecedented numbers, this trio are no stranger to belting out a hit or two to a packed crowd. Get them on the Pyramid Stage, stat!
Sugababes are returning to Manchester and they’re bringing nothing but hits to Co-op Live.
They’ve recently made a return to the airwaves too with the dance-oriented single ‘Jungle’ garnering success nationwide, with many celebrating this new era of music for the girls.
Just wait for the roars of the fans at Co-op Live once they hear Keisha’s huge line, “I’ve been dropping so many hints, and you’re still not getting it” from their smash-hit, ‘Push The Button’.
This UK girl group announced their tour back in October with tickets going on sale just a few days later, however, there are a very small handful of seats and standing options left.
Obviously, tickets to see these girls play out to huge arena crowds are far and few between, but you’ll be able to take your very limited pick of the bunch. Just make sure you ‘Push The Button’ HERE (Sorry).
UK girl group Sugababes are bringing their self-titled tour to Co-op Live Manchester on 11 April.
Sugababes setlist
There is no official setlist as the tour is yet to kick off, so we’re basing our info off their latest run of shows in Australia.
*Disclaimer: this was before the release of their newest track, ‘Jungle’, which we are sure will slot in this list perfectly and have the crowd on their feet…
Freak Like Me
Red Dress
Hole in the Head
Ugly
Too Lost in You
Shape
Overload
Flowers
Flatline
Stronger
When The Rain Comes
Today
Encore:
Push The Button
Round Round
About You Now
What are the stage times for Sugababes in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be safe knowing they’ve heard a quarter of a decade worth of hits without flatlining (Sorry, again).
Doors for ‘Sugababes ’25’ are scheduled for 6:30pm with a kick off time of 7:30pm with support from Vogue-featured act Rose Gray and Luna, who’s just clocked off from touring the world with Eurovision legend, Loreen.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, luckily it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre, as well as until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through Beryl, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are plenty of points just near the southwest corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Heaton Park’s ‘Gallagher Hill’ where people have been watching Oasis for free is no more
Thomas Melia
The Heaton Park viewpoint coined ‘Gallagher Hill’ which fans flocked to to watch Oasis for free has been closed off ahead of the remaining gig dates.
The particular high area of Heaton Park has gone viral online after Oasis fans have been using it to watch the Live ’25 shows for free, with a distant view of the huge screens.
But as thousands of ticket-holders flock back to the remaining Manchester gigs of Oasis Live ’25, fans who couldn’t manage to get any tickets will be disappointed to learn that the viral viewing point Gallagher Hill has been shut down.
Usually, this hill section of the Manchester green space isn’t filled with Gallagher supporters – it’s normally home to a herd of cows who use this land to graze and walk about on throughout the day.
Huge fences have now been erected around the area to prevent any further groups from gathering, with Oasis still set to perform on Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday.
Manchester City Council has said that there are also around 300 young trees that have been planted in this part of Heaton Park to develop a new woodland area.
The purpose of the fencing is ‘dual purpose’, a council spokesperson said: “Both to protect the environment from further damage and to dissuade people from gathering there. The necessary measure means the concert will no longer be visible from this area.”
After seeing videos of fans in this particular area, one TikTok user checked it out for herself asking her followers: “Would you get on Gallagher hill now?” before panning her camera to show cows grazing on the land.
Although fans of the Manchester icons were flocking to this spot in order to join in on the Oasis fun from afar, issues have been raised via safety concerns of visitors, the cattle herd and reports of litter.
Fans are now being directed to enjoy the many, many events taking place in the city centre, including the MCR Live Hub at Piccadilly Gardens.
‘Gallagher Hill’ in Manchester today ahead of the next Oasis shows. Credit: The Manc Group
Some fans have been very understanding reasoning this fair decision admitting, “Probably because of security and threats unfortunately”, while others express their disappointment asking, “How sad do you have to be to put that up?”.
One social media user, who was planning on taking a family member to this brand new Manchester landmark commented, “They could’ve utilised Gallagher hill”.
The fan went on to pose the question of making it an official viewpoint for concerts, posing the question, “£30 entry fee, is that too steep?”.
Councillor John Hacking, Executive Member for Employment, Skills and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “The atmosphere across Manchester has been electric over this last week with the whole city swept up in Oasis fever and peaking over the weekend with the first two hugely successful homecoming concerts at Heaton Park.
“As you would expect given the size of the concerts and numbers of people attending, we go through a continuous process with partners of re-assessing the plans in place for the concerts to ensure both public safety and that any environmental impact on our award-winning park is minimalised.
“The steps being taken ahead of the next concert regretfully mean the distant view of the large screens behind the event stage will no longer be there. Unfortunately our hand has been forced in having to put these additional measures in place to protect the very recent extensive planting of young trees in that location as we try to establish a new woodland area in the park, and the wellbeing of our cattle herd in the field, as well as to keep people in the park safe.
“Our advice to music fans who don’t have tickets for the concerts is to head into the city centre instead. The whole city is going all out to celebrate and help everyone have a good time. We’ve got some fantastic things going on with a real party atmosphere for everyone to enjoy whether they’ve got tickets for the Oasis gigs or not.”
American rock band Alter Bridge announce massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
American rockers Alter Bridge have announced a brand new album and a massive European tour along with it, including a pretty big gig here in Manchester.
Staring down the barrel of their eighth studio release, the Orlando-based heavy rock, progressive and alternative metal four-piece are bringing their brand of triumphant, in-your-face, Floridian guitar thrashing and powerful drumming to the city centre in the new year.
Veritable veterans of the industry at this point, Alter Bridge are set to drop their upcoming record – a self-titled project which will debut almost a whole 22 years on from the launch of their first, One Day Remains – at the start of 2026, and will be heading out on the road soon after.
Confirming a total of 31 dates across the continent, they’ll be getting the shows underway in mid-January before landing in the UK just over a month later.
NEW SHOW: @alterbridge ANNOUNCES THEIR HEADLINE TOUR 'WHAT LIES WITHIN'' 🔥🎸 Plus, Daughtry and Sevendust!
Fronted by lead singer and equally talented guitarist, Myles Kennedy (who also performs with fellow genre legend, Slash, as part of The Conspirators), Alter Bridge have regularly notched number one in the rock charts, and have landed as high as number three in the UK’s pop-dominated Official Album Charts.
In 2017, they cleaned up at the 6th annual Loudwire Music Awards, winning ‘Best Rock Band’, ‘Best Rock Album’ and ‘Best Rock Song’ all in one night.
Boasting more than a billion streams to their name to date, they have gradually become one of the biggest and most commercially successful rock bands in the US over the course of more than two decades now.
Other tour dates on this side of the pond include Northern neighbours Newcastle, as well as the likes of Nottingham, Glasgow, London and Dublin over in Ireland.
Alter Bridge will be joined in Manchester by fellow long-standing rock outfit, Daughtry (‘What About Now’, ‘Home’, ‘Over You’), as well as Atlanta legends, Sevendust.
With such a well-respected discography, not to mention a deep and rich back catalogue, you can expect them to play a healthy selection of the hits as well as their newest tracks, which will be available on Friday, 9 January.
Speaking ahead of their latest LP, Kennedy said in a statement: “You can’t ever rest on your past success. We’ve never allowed ourselves to get too comfortable. The only way to stay at a certain level is to be very dedicated to what you’re doing. We’ve crossed the 20-year mark.
“We’ve proven we can do this for the duration. We worked hard to get to a place where we can plant our flag. We’re still around as the four original members, so it felt appropriate to call the album Alter Bridge.”
Co-founding member and former Creed lead guitarist, Mark Tremonti, went on to add, “I think this record earns that title. The material felt strong enough, so we’re letting the music speak for itself.”
Alter Bridge arrive at the AO Arena in Manchester on 26 February 2026, with Three+ presale available from 10am tomorrow (Wed, 16 July), venue early access going live at the same time on Thursday, and general admission tickets up for grabs from Friday – again, 10am.
Thomas Melia -
6th April 2025 
