Tim Burgess, frontman of legendary band The Charlatans, is set to launch a one-off ‘Merch Market’ event, and its core purpose is to support bands.
He might have a ‘Jesus Hairdo’ but he’s currently serving as a good Samaritan as The Charlatans‘ Tim Burgess is putting on an event solely focusing on funding bands via gig merch and other apparel.
Running across a variety of live music locations within Manchester city centre, the day-long event is called ‘Merch Market’, and it’s encouraging music lovers and bands alike to tag along.
Although ticket sales, album sales and streams are critical in funding the careers of all the artists we know and love, one key drive in securing actual revenue in the music industry is merchandise.
Expect to pick up some rare finds and own some limited edition collections.Band merch will be front and centre at this event which is hosted by The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess.Credit: The Hoot/Audio North
‘Merch Market’ is taking place at O2 Ritz as well as adjacent venues Gorilla and Dog Bowl across the road with a special appearance from ‘Tim Peak’s Diner’, the caffeinated brainchild of Tim Burgess.
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The whole point of this event is to make sure that bands can receive the full 100% of merch sales without any cuts from any third party.
Fronted by The Charlatans lead singer Tim Burgess, ‘Merch Market’ is building off his 2021 gathering, which had a similar initiative with ‘Vinyl Adventure’ encouraging the sale of physical music and media.
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Alongside stocking up your wardrobe with all the latest band t-shirts, hoodies and everything in between, there will be an array of interesting performances and talks happening throughout the day.
Entry to this incredible celebration of bands is completely free of charge and, better still, there are chances to win some seriously cool prizes – including some tasty festival tickets.
Gorilla is one of the live music venues that ‘Merch Market’ is taking place at.The Manc and Antony Szmierek outside O2 RItz, another venue which will be taking part in ‘Merch Market’.Credit: The Manc Group
Expect stalls, live DJ sets, interviews, panels and even a chance to bag yourself VIP tickets for UK festival, Kendal Calling, which Burgess will be returning for 2025.
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Burgess is a man of many talents as he will not only be hosting this fantastic initiative, but he will also be hosting a stall of his own and singing a couple of his biggest hits.
Bands don’t have to worry about forking out a fortune for renting a stall either as tables at ‘Merch Market’ are free, the only thing musicians have to bring is their merch and charming personalities.
So whether you’re an artist with leftover stock from your last tour or a music lover who just missed out on snagging a snap back, head down to these three venues on 25 May.
Ticketmaster agrees to change ticketing procedures following Oasis dynamic pricing controversy
Emily Sergeant
Ticketmaster has agreed to change its ticketing procedures following the ‘dynamic pricing’ controversy over Oasis reunion tour tickets.
After a lengthy investigation, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has secured formal commitments from Ticketmaster, known as ‘undertakings’, to make sure fans have the information they need when they spend their hard-earned cash to see the artists they love.
The leading ticketing platform will now be required to make it clear to fans what they will get for their money, and give more information about different ticket prices.
These undertakings require Ticketmaster to tell fans 24-hours in advance if a tiered pricing, or dynamic pricing, system is being used, and provide more information about ticket prices during online queues, helping fans anticipate how much they might have to pay.
Ticketmaster will also now have to ensure that tickets are described accurately, and do not give the impression that one ticket is ‘better’ than another when that is not the case.
We’ve secured undertakings from #Ticketmaster to provide customers with more pricing information + make sure ticket descriptions are clear.
And finally, the ticketing platform will have to provide regular reports to the CMA to show how it has implemented the undertakings.
As mentioned, the CMA investigation comes following widespread concerns about the Oasis Live ’25 tickets sale.
Two areas were identified as needing investigating following the sale.
The first being that Ticketmaster did not tell fans waiting in lengthy queues that standing tickets were being sold at two different prices, and that prices would jump as soon as the cheap tickets sold out.
The second being that Ticketmaster sold some ‘platinum’ tickets at almost 2.5 times the price of ‘standard’ tickets, and all without sufficient explanation that these offered no additional benefits over some ‘standard’ tickets in the same areas of the venue.
Ticketmaster has agreed to change its ticketing procedures following the Oasis dynamic pricing controversy / Credit: The Manc Group
“Fans who spend their hard-earned money to see artists they love deserve to see clear, accurate information upfront,” explained Sarah Cardell, who is the Chief Executive of the CMA.
“We can’t ensure every fan gets a ticket for events as popular as the Oasis tour, but we can help ensure that next time an event like this comes along, fans have the information they need, when they need it – and the changes we’ve secured will give fans more information about prices and clear descriptions of exactly what they are getting for their money.
“If Ticketmaster fails to deliver on these changes, we won’t hesitate to take further action.”
Featured Image – Simon Emmett (Press Picture)
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Tame Impala announces massive Manchester gig on new tour
Clementine Hall
Tame Impala is heading out on a huge arena tour, with a massive gig right here in Manchester.
Oh Kevin, it really is great to have you back.
In just a few weeks on Friday 17 October, Tame Impala (Kevin Parker) will release his fifth studio album titled ‘Deadbeat’.
And today, he’s announced a major European and UK tour to go alongside it.
The dates kick off in Porto, Portugal on Saturday 4 April and wrap in Dublin, Ireland on Wednesday 13 of May.
He’ll be stopping off in Manchester near the end of the tour, bringing his synth sounds to the Co-op Live Arena on Friday 8 May.
Image: Publicity Picture
As well as a show at the Co-op Live in Manchester, Tame Impala will perform in London, Birmingham and Glasgow.
Kevin Parker has emerged as one of the most influential voices of the last decade, renowned for carving out a distinct sound all of his own and transcending genre-bending sonic landscapes.
Playing every instrument and acting as writer, producer, mixer and engineer on his projects, it’s not hard to see why he’s been nominated for four GRAMMY awards with one win for his collaboration with Justice on 2024’s “Neverender.” In his home country of Australia, he’s racked up an impressive 13 ARIA Awards and 27 Nominations.
Artist pre-sale begins Wednesday 1 October at 9am BST with the general on-sale taking place on Friday 3 October at 9am BST and you can buy yours HERE.
Tame Impala Deadbeat Tour 2026:
4th Apr – Super Bock Arena – Pavilhão Rosa Mota – Porto, Portugal
5th Apr – MEO Arena – Lisbon, Portugal
7th Apr – Movistar Arena – Madrid, Spain
8th Apr – Palau Sant Jordi – Barcelona, Spain
10th Apr – LDLC Arena – Lyon, France
12th Apr – Inalpi Arena – Turin, Italy
13th Apr – Unipol Arena – Bologna, Italy
14th Apr – Hallenstadion – Zurich, Switzerland
16th Apr – Olympiahalle – Munich, Germany
18th Apr – PreZero Arena – Gliwice, Poland
20th Apr – O2 Arena – Prague, Czechia
23rd Apr – Barclays Arena – Hamburg, Germany
25th Apr – Royal Arena – Copenhagen, Denmark
26th Apr – Avicii Arena – Stockholm, Sweden
27th Apr – Unity Arena – Oslo, Norway
29th Apr – Uber Arena – Berlin, Germany
30th Apr – Festhalle – Frankfurt, Germany
1st May – PSD Bank Dome – Dusseldorf, Germany
3rd May – Accor Arena – Paris, France
4th May – Ziggo Dome – Amsterdam, Netherlands
5th May – AFAS Dome – Antwerp, Belgium
7th May – The O2 – London, United Kingdom
8th May – Co-op Live Arena – Manchester, United Kingdom
9th May – Utilita Arena Birmingham – Birmingham, United Kingdom
Thomas Melia -
27th March 2025 
