Yes, after finally releasing a first taste of new music this month, The Lathums have finally announced their next album and an accompanying 12-date UK tour to boot.
Gosh, it’s been a really great few weeks for music, hasn’t it?
The much-loved Wigan band dropped the likes of ‘No Direction’ back in July, as well as new single, ‘Stellar Cast’ – which they described rather fittingly as a “Jamaican Ale-fuelled fever dream” – earlier this week and have now confirmed the title and release date for their latest LP.
Set to debut on Friday, 7 March next year, their next project will be called Matter Does Not Define and the local lads won’t be wasting any time in touring it either, with the UK dates scheduled to kick off just a few days later.
Having watched them at Kendal Calling back in 2023 and enjoyed gigs multiple times here in Manchester, we can confirm we’ve got a very soft spot for seeing The Lathums live.
It was only this past summer that they headlined a sold-out hometown show at Wigan’s Robin Park Arena, playing to more than 11,500 fans on a weekend shared with Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, who has just been confirmed as the support act for the Oasis reunion tour.
You don’t get to play stages that big without being a bloody gig at what you do.
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With that in mind (not to mention two number-one records in a row already, don’t forget), we’re very excited to hear what these guys have come up with for their third studio outing.
Speaking in an official statement on behalf of the band, frontman Alex Moore says there is a “raw, real and energetic” vibe to the album, adding that there were some nice nostalgic personal touches that made its production special.
“Recording Matter Does Not Define felt like coming full circle”, says Moore. “We worked on it with our good friend and old college tutor, John Kettle, which brought us back to our roots. The process felt organic, without the pressure to cater to industry demands, and it allowed us to really explore creatively.
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“It was like being back in college, free to make music without constraints. ‘Duz’ [drummer Ryan Durrans] even plays a frying pan in ‘Stellar Cast’, a random touch you might not expect.” He summed it up by labelling it “everything we hoped it would be”.
The Lathums will kick off a dozen domestic tour dates in Barrowland, Glasgow on Thursday, 13 March 2025 before arriving in Manchester for their O2 Apollo gig on Friday, 11 April.
General admission for all UK dates go on general sale to fans at 10am on Friday, 8 November 2024.
A dedicated anime, movie and gaming concert with a live orchestra is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
Calling all self-proclaimed otakus, cinephiles and gamers: a huge concert experience will see dozens of musicians bring classic anime, film and gaming soundtracks and scores to life later this year, right here in Manchester.
The city is no stranger to events celebrating these beloved kinds of media, but you’ll struggle to find another bringing all of them together in one place.
Brought to us Mancs by KIN Music Entertainment, a locally founded arts, events and music label, this celebration of all things pop culture – and specifically, the music tied to it.
Entitled ‘The Kin & Fushigi Anime, Film & Videogame Orchestra’, this passionate collective serves as not only a platform for rising artists but also to hear some iconic sonic moments like never before.
KIN have created a large-scale live concert experience which will bring together a 25-piece pop orchestra made up of emerging professional performers and conservatoire graduates.
Aside from the impressive total of people behind this production to begin with, they also form an immersive hybrid orchestral and live band capable of bringing.
Speaking on the upcoming date, KIN Entertainment said in a statement: “We wanted to create the kind of live experience that many anime and videogame fans in Manchester have been waiting for — something cinematic, emotional and community-driven that brings these sound worlds to life with the energy of both an orchestra and a live band.”
Kin was founded by bassist, composer and ensemble performer Alejandro Urbina Diaz, who first brought his talents and wider interests over from Mexico to the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) here in the city centre at the age of 23.
Citing Manchester’s multiculturalism and cosmopolitan cultural fabric as a big part of his inspiration, he and his team have ended up carving out this niche for themselves, and now they’ll be playing this beloved music to Mancs at none other than the O2 Ritz.
Credit: KIN Music Entertainment (supplied via Academy Music Group Digital)
With new arrangements inspired by anime, cinematic and videogame culture, not to mention orchestral and even rock crossover twists – including both vocalist and rhythm sections, by the way – it’s set to be a highly unique experience that most will have never come across before.
This event itself is suitable for audiences aged 14+, although under-16s must be accompanied by an adult, and it’s taking place at the Ritz on Sunday, 26 July.
We’re not going to spoil any more details about the show for you, so which particular pieces of pop culture they reference will just have to be a surprise…
Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via AMG Digital)
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Disney are bringing a live music crossover tour featuring three cult favourite films to Manchester
Danny Jones
The latest Disney Concerts live tour is coming to the UK and Ireland in 2027, bringing a music crossover of three straight-to-TV teen movie favourites to Manchester and more.
For any fans of the old Disney Channel films of the noughties and the 2010s, this next musical adaptation might be right up your street.
Set to land at the AO Arena early next year, the ‘Disney Worlds Collide Concert Tour’ will be embarking on its first-ever run outside of North America, where it’s already proved to be a big success.
Here’s a trailer from the start of the tour just a few months ago:
They’re bringing the singalong, and the crowd helps bring the energy.
Throw a kids’ cult classic like Camp Rock into the mix, and you’ve got a great lineup with nostalgia spanning across multiple generations.
Sharing the news on social, Manchester’s legendary venue wrote: “Ready for THE family pop show of the year?! The Disney Worlds Collide Concert Tour is coming to AO Arena next year, bringing the cast from Descendants, ZOMBIES, and Camp Rock together live for the first time!
That’s right, linking up with a talented cast of live singers bringing the 2015 and ’18 Disney flicks to life, respectively, songs from 2008’s Camp Rock will also be performed to what we’re sure will be an audience of various different ages.
Famously featuring the likes of young Demi Lovato, the Jonas Brothers and more familiar ‘Disney kid’ faces, people remain super nostalgic for the musical/coming-of-age Disney film; even the memes have gone on to enjoy a life of their own.
As for the concerts themselves, these live shows will include stars from the original theatrical releases, too, such as Malachi Barton, Liamani Segura and Dara Reneé; Mekonnen Knife, Hudson Stone, Swayam Bhatia, Kiara Romero, Alexandro Byrd and more.
Having first hit US stages last year, it didn’t take long for this new Disney production to receive positive reviews, notching sold-out arenas in over 40 huge venues, and being named in the ‘Top Family Tour of 2025’ by Billboard Magazine, not to mention being nominated for ‘Top Family Tour’ of 2025 by Pollstar.
For British and Irish fans who might fancy going along to one of these dates, general admission tickets and VIP packages go on sale this coming Friday, June 12, from 10am.
Danny Jones -
30th October 2024 
