We’re all set to take a big trip down memory lane this weekend, when The Clone Roses and a whole host of Manchester tribute bands take to the stage at Heaton Park.
The momentous show, titled Heaton Park: The Resurrection, is in celebration of the 25th anniversary of The Clone Roses, who are the most successful The Stone Roses tribute band.
They’ll be joined on the stage at the outdoor gig by names like Oas-is, The Smiths Ltd, and Courtbetweeners.
It’s all taking place on Saturday 13 May, a decade after The Stone Roses’ 2012 reunion gigs at Heaton Park.
And while it’s mostly tribute acts harking back to the heyday of Manchester’s music scene, there will be a few actual familiar faces on the bill.
ADVERTISEMENT
Bez from the Happy Mondays, and legendary DJ Clint Boon, will both be spinning tunes in the park.
Gav Scott (aka ‘Ian Brown’) says: “We’ve been wanting to do Heaton Park for ages but it’s such a popular and busy park. When the opportunity finally came, we couldn’t say no!
ADVERTISEMENT
“Over the years, we’ve played the Blackpool Empress Ballroom, Spike Island, and now this… it feels like we’ve completed The Stone Roses cycle to a certain degree!”
Here’s everything you need to know for The Clone Roses in Heaton Park.
Tickets for The Clone Roses in Heaton Park
The Clone Roses. Credit: Manc Wanderer
Final release tickets are now on sale with just one day to go until the big day.
ADVERTISEMENT
General admission is priced at £31.50 face value (or £34.65 including booking fee) and you can grab your tickets from Ticketline here.
Who’s on the line-up?
All the biggest names in Manchester’s 80s and 90s music scene… except not quite.
The tribute show will be showcasing the incredible music history of the city, from The Stone Roses to Courteeners to The Smiths, all performed by talented tribute bands.
That means audiences will be treated to sets from (here come the puns) The Clone Roses, Courtbetweeners, The James Experience, Happy Mondaze, Oas-is, and The Smiths Ltd.
Plus sets from actual Manc legends Bez and Clint Boon.
ADVERTISEMENT
What are the stage times?
Stage times are always subject to change, but this is the expected running order for The Clone Roses at Heaton Park.
1pm – Gates open
1.50pm – Happy Mondaze
2.50pm – The James Experience
3.50pm – Courtbetweeners
5pm – The Smiths Ltd
6.05pm – Bez
7pm – Oas-is
8.15pm – The Clone Roses
About the venue
For The Clone Roses gig at Heaton Park, there’ll be a strict 18+ age limit in place.
Ticket-holders can only bring one small bag each, no bigger than A4 size.
There’s a list of prohibited items (including alcohol, fireworks, umbrellas and selfie sticks) which you should check before you go.
Security checks and searches will be in operation throughout the night.
Customers arriving on foot are advised to head for Gate 13 at Heaton Park, which is directly opposite the Heaton Park tram stop. Additional Metrolink services will be in operation to get gig-goers in and out of the area as quickly and safely as possible.
Other gates will be open for entry, but Gate 13 will be the only one used to exit at the end of the night.
If you’re getting dropped off by car, or driving yourself, you should use Gate 15 off St Margaret’s Road – follow the signs and instructions from staff on site.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are still coach tickets available from several cities to Heaton Park, through Big Green Coach Co.
The nearest train station is Manchester Victoria, from which you can jump on a tram out to the gig site – but be aware of train strikes running on 13 May.
Featured image: Manc Wanderer
Audio
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…
Daisy Jackson -
12th May 2023 
