Audio

The 1975 at Manchester’s AO Arena — stage times, setlist, support acts and more

Let's have a big ol' party, shall we? (this article contains affiliate links)

Danny Jones - 13th February 2024

The 1975 are back in Manchester once again this weekend with two massive dates at the AO Arena and, if Matty Healy and the name of the tour are to be believed, they are ‘still at their verrrrrry best’.

The pop, indie and alternative chart-toppers are currently on their biggest world tour ever and finally touched back down in the UK this month, having already played the likes of Glasgow and London, with their Manc gigs up next.

They might be from just outside of Greater Manchester but they came up through our legendary live music scene and have always considered this their de-facto town of origin, with legions of local fans more than happy to welcome that label.

With that in mind, their pair of homecoming performances are absolutely going to go off and if you’re lucky enough to be going, we’ve got the info you need. Here’s everything you need to know about The 1975‘s return to Manchester.

Is The 1975 sold out in Manchester?

If you were wondering if there are tickets left for The 1975’s Manchester gigs whatsoever, we were fully ready to say, ‘fat chance this time, mate’. However, it turns out there are still tickets left for 17 and 18 February at the AO Arena.

They sold out faster than you can say ‘smells like Chocolate’ last time the Wilmslow lads visited back in January 2023 but, presumably since there’s now less of a gap since their previous show and they put on a double bill of shows last year too, it’s meant that the scramble for tickets hasn’t been quite as hectic.

They’ve added an extra Manc date due to demand this time too, which should make sure as many people as possible stand a chance of grabbing a ticket; if you still fancy springing for one, standing has sadly gone but seated spots are still available for both Saturday and Sunday from £47.05 upwards HERE.

Support acts

Better still, you’ve got an unreal support act in store as well, with fellow Dirty Hit label-mates The Japanese House also joining them on this tour and set to get things warmed up at the AO Arena.

The stage name of fellow indie pop talent Amber Bain who recently released her second album and is only getting more popular year after year, the singer-songwriter and her band played a sold-out show at New Century Hall in October last year and is set to return for another solo show this May.

But before then, they’re set to play their biggest Manchester crowd to date and we’re sure we’ll see Matty hopping on stage to help sing cult favourite single ‘Sunshine Baby’ before their headline slot.

Stage times for The 1975’s Manchester show

Doors to The 1975 gig at AO Arena will be open from 6pm and The Japanese House aren’t expected to start playing until 7:30pm, giving you day-ones and die-hard fans plenty of time to get as close to the barrier as you can manage.

Playing a roughly half-hour set, you’ll get a decent interval to empty your bladders and re-stock drinks before the party gets in full swing at 8:30pm. It’s a long old set with more than 25 tracks due to be wheeled out, so best to be prepared.

Speaking of which, we’ve got you covered on that front as well, don’t worry.

Setlist

While the last tour obviously leant heavily towards playing tracks from their most recent release, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, this current show has allowed them to dip back into other beloved tracks from previous albums, especially after seeing what surprises worked on the night in 2023.

Here’s the average setlist for the ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour, according to Setlist.fm…

1. The 1975 (BFIAFL)
2. Looking for Somebody (to Love)
3. Happiness
4. Part of the Band
5. Sincerity Is Scary
6. Oh Caroline
7. I’m in Love With You
8. A Change of Heart
9. An Encounter
10. Robbers
11. fallingforyou
12. About You
13. Consumption
14. Be My Mistake
15. If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
16. Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
17. TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME
18. Heart Out
19. It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)
20. The Sound
21. I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
22. Somebody Else
23. Love It If We Made It
24. Sex
25. Give Yourself a Try
26. People

All that being said, these lot always like to chuck in a few surprises depending on what city they’re in, so don’t be shocked if they mix things up a little bit for us Mancunians.

Travel and parking for AO Arena

If you’re driving in for the show, there’s a large multi-storey car park based right next to the AO Arena, with access through the car park to the main entrance of the venue.

Trinity Way will be closed southbound between Great Ducie Street and Cheetham Hill Road for up to an hour as guests leave following larger shows like this, but if you’re parking at the Arena itself you’ll still be allowed to exit during this time — just turn right and follow the diversions.

As for getting there via public transport, your nearest stop is Manchester Victoria, with trains and trams going directly into the station where you can then walk directly up the steps and straight into the attached Arena entrance, with plenty of bus stops and taxi bays right outside too.

Read more:

• Rod Stewart doesn’t think Ed Sheeran’s music will ‘stand the test of time’
• Win tickets to see Everything Everything IAMDDB and more play the Union launch party
• A live Planet Earth III concert with an orchestra is coming to Manchester

We never quite know what to expect from Healy and co. when it comes to live shows, but you can expect high production value, the same gorgeous set they’ve been rocking for well over a year now; most likely a new hairstyle or look from the charismatic frontman, not to mention plenty of banter and on-stage antics.

This particular music fan won’t pretend to be anything less than a massive 1975 fan, so if you’re wondering what The Manc Audio has made of their live performances in the past, you can read our review from their Manchester show last Jan HERE.

If not, you can always watch us dancing to every track like a bunch of prats down below, instead:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Tahiya Brewin (Supplied)/The 1975 (via IG)