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.
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.
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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.
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Their previous show at The O2 in London — Credit: Tahiya Brewin (supplied)
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.
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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…
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Credit: The 1975 (via IG)
The 1975 (BFIAFL)
Looking for Somebody (to Love)
Happiness
Part of the Band
Sincerity Is Scary
Oh Caroline
I’m in Love With You
A Change of Heart
An Encounter
Robbers
fallingforyou
About You
Consumption
Be My Mistake
If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME
Heart Out
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)
The Sound
I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
Somebody Else
Love It If We Made It
Sex
Give Yourself a Try
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.
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.
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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:
Featured Images — Tahiya Brewin (Supplied)/The 1975 (via IG)
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Manchester’s beautiful winter Teepee is back, with free pints this weekend and live music every day
Daisy Jackson
Nothing heralds the arrival of the autumn/winter seasons quite like the appearance of The Oast House’s beautiful winter Teepee.
The popular seasonal space is officially reopening its doors this weekend, and inside you’ll find roaring fires, a giant disco ball, live music, and plenty of pints to keep the colder months feeling a little less grim.
After giving its beer garden a major glow-up this spring and hosting a summer packed with live music, The Oast House is bringing back one of Manchester’s favourite winter hangouts – and it’s kicking things off with a proper belter of an opening weekend.
We’re talking twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, and a dedicated bar pouring Staropramen fresh from the tank, all inside its massive winter Teepee.
And there’s even better news for the first few through the door.
To celebrate the Teepee’s return, The Oast House team will be cracking open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday 10 October, with free pints up for grabs for the first 440 guests.
There’ll be live music every night in the winter TeepeeManchester’s cosiest venue is back
The Teepee will be keeping things lively seven nights a week throughout autumn and winter, with The Oast House’s much-loved Open House programme moving indoors for the season.
Expect everything from Bandeoke and Musical Bingo to Retro Sounds and Oast Acoustic sessions, meaning there’ll be something different on the cards every night of the week.
The venue’s free monthly live music festival, Oast House Live, isn’t going anywhere either. It’ll continue inside the Teepee on the last Saturday of every month, bringing even more live music to the heart of Spinningfields.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Oast House without a menu worth getting stuck into.
The kitchen will be serving up its 12-hour-brined rotisserie chicken, alongside a line-up of tempting sides like Ziggy Fries tossed in chicken salt and chicken butter, cheddar and onion slaw, and charred corn on the cob drenched in house-made Scotch bonnet butter.
Food in The Oast House Winter TeepeeThere’ll be 450 free pints given away on SaturdayRotisserie chicken
And if you’re after something a bit different, the house-special ‘addictive’ Chicken (T)oastie is one you won’t want to miss.
Sundays are all about the roast, too, with the kitchen dishing up its signature rotisserie chicken alongside chicken-butter roasties tossed in chicken salt, all the trimmings and bottomless house chicken gravy.
Basically, if you’re after somewhere to escape the cold without sacrificing a good night out, you know where to head.
The Oast House and its Winter Teepee are open daily from 11am until late throughout the season.
The Oast House Winter Teepee opens Saturday 10 October, with free Staropramen pints for the first 440 guests.
For more information and to book your table, head HERE.
Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live – tickets, times and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
American girl group Pussycat Dolls have reunited for a UK tour, stopping off at Co-op Live in Manchester with their powerhouse pop anthems.
Releasing their first LP in 2005, this pop girl group have a variety of radio hits to their name like ‘Don’t Cha’, ‘When I Grow Up’ and ‘Buttons’.
Over the years, the Pussycat Dolls lineup has gone through significant changes with this latest reunion comprised of Nicole Scherzinger, Kimberley Wyatt and Ashley Roberts.
The trio even released some brand-new material to coincide with the announcement of their UK and EU tour titled ‘Club Song’.
Now the girls are about to put their Doll Domination to the test as they bring their PCD Forever Tour in arenas across the nation.
Gig guide – Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live, Manchester
Doors for Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live open from 6pm with a start time listed of 7pm with Lil’ Kim and rising girl group Deja Vu kicking things off.
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can get home and loosen your ‘Buttons’, hopefully before the clock strikes twelve.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know 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 and until 1am 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.
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 on 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 on 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. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Danny Jones -
13th February 2024 
