British rock band The Amazons have announced a run of new UK shows in support of their upcoming record and, naturally, they’re coming to Manchester.
Set to launch their fourth studio LP next month, The Amazons are gearing up for their next album cycle with a limited series of domestic tour dates, including three Northern gigs – four, including Scotland.
In fact, of the ten nights on the list, there are more up North than there are down south; put it this way, the boys might be from Reading, but they know where their bread is buttered.
Kicking off the album support tour this autumn, we can’t wait to welcome them back to Manchester.
The Amazons last played these parts back in 2022 following the release of their third record, How Will I Know if Heaven Will Find Me? (packed with bangers, we’d like to add), selling out Manchester Academy for a second time after doing the same in 2019 – the year they also played a brilliant Oasis cover.
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Better still, they’ve picked an absolutely brilliant venue for their Manc return too, as they’ll be bringing their ‘Black Magic’ to the beautiful Albert Hall.
Now a trio, The Amazons’ current project 21st Century Fiction is set to drop on 9 May and given that their debut title landed at number eight on the album charts and both of their follow-ups have been received similarly well, we’re expecting another great listen from cover to cover.
In their first teaser for the latest iteration of their sound, the Berkshire boys teamed up with fellow contemporary rock favourites Royal Blood for the lead single, ‘My Blood’, which was produced by frontman Mike Kerr and features Ben Thatcher on drums in place of former member Joe Emmett.
You can see the recent music video in full down below.
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You can hear their influence straight away.
The Amazons head to Albert Hall for the Manchester leg of ‘The 21st Century Fiction Tour’ on Saturday, 25 October 2025, with support acts still yet to be announced.
If you’re looking to grab early access, you can do so by pre-ordering the album, with pre-sale tickets going live at 10am on Wednesday, 9 April.
As for general admission, tickets will be available from the same time on the following Friday (11 April).
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…
Danny Jones -
7th April 2025 
