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The Lottery Winners bring out ‘Boy George’, Bez and Jon McClure as special guests at Manchester residency

They always have surprises up their sleeve.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 30th December 2024

It’s been an absolutely unreal 12 months for The Lottery Winners and to top it all, they rounded out the year in style by bringing out not one, not two, but three UK music icons for their recent run of Manchester gigs: ‘Boy George’, Bez from Happy Mondays and the Reverend himself, Jon McClure.

The high-flying indie pop group and local legends from Leigh toasted an unbelievable 2024 with their ‘Burning House Party’ residency, playing three consecutive nights at Manchester Academy.

Better yet, with their new album KOKO (Keep On Keeping On) set to release in the new year with several tracks including some rather big feature artists once again, they decided to bring out a few of those famous faces as special guests this past weekend.

The Greater Manchester band genuinely caught everyone by surprise when guitarist Robert Lally did the classic Stars In Their Eyes walk-off and was reintroduced as Boy George himself.

‘Boy George’ and Bez join Lottery Winners on stage

Well played indeed.

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The former Culture Club lead singer went on to perform alongside the Wigan outfit as they played their track, ‘Let Me Down‘. Well, not really… it turned out to be his very talented lookalike ‘Boy Gorgeous’ but ah well, still a crowd-pleaser nonetheless.

As mentioned, Boy George is just one of many impressive feature artists that The Lottery Winners have notched over the past year or so, having previously worked with Frank Turner, KT Tunstall and even fellow Manc, Shaun Ryder.

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The Happy Mondays star featured in the music video for their song ‘Money’ on their last record, ART (Anxiety Replacement Therapy), and was arguably their biggest coup to date next to Turner, who has now worked on several tracks with the four-piece and played live with them on multiple occasions.

As another surprise on night two at Manchester Academy, frontman Thom Rylance might not have been able to bring out Ryder in the flesh, but he did rope in some hype-man help from long-standing band partner and best mate Bez to delight the crowd and shake his trademark maracas throughout.

Lottery Winners Keep On collabing

But it doesn’t stop there either.

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Set to release in February, their upcoming fourth LP will not only see the return of Frank Turner for his third studio collaboration with the band, but they’re adding even more names into the Northern music mix for this latest record.

As well as songs featuring Rick Witter of Shed Seven and even Chad Kroeger of Nickleback (yes, we said Nickelback) their lead single also features Sheffield favourite Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers.

Their uplifting track ‘You Again’ has enjoyed plenty of radio play since it was released back in September and the Yorkshireman also made an appearance during their city centre residency.

You just have to love these scenes.

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These lot have such a lovely, collaborative thing going on are we are absolutely here for it.

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As if things weren’t massive enough already, having supported massive bands like Nickelback and headlining festivals like Kendal Calling this year, 2025 looks set to get even bigger for the gang with a potentially game-changing support slot.

Announcing his massive UK and European tour in the wake of his new biopic being released, British pop veteran and global chart-topper Robbie Williams confirmed Lottery Winners will be his warm-up act for every single date bar Amsterdam come next summer.

Leigh’s very own and well and truly on the up and it’s a pleasure being along to watch the ride.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — John Baldwin Photography/Sam McMahon/Reverend and the Makers (via IG)

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Influential indie veterans The Wedding Present to embark on 40th anniversary tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wedding Present Manchester gig date tickets

Influential indie band The Wedding Present are about to begin a big live tour across the UK for their 40th anniversary, and one stop is right here in Manchester.

As boundary-pushing veterans of the genre for the best part of four decades, The Wedding Present have always been one of the most pioneering auteurs of the Northern music scene, and nothing has changed even after all this time.

The Leeds-formed icons are a favourite not only of ours but even more so among our friends over at The Hoot, and with an artistic legacy as strong as Yorkshire’s, that’s saying something.

David Lewis Gedge’s long-standing project rather quietly announced its major retrospective series of live shows back in June – so quiet, in fact, that we missed it until now – but as they gear up for a handful of very special dates, we’d urge Manc gig-goers to give themselves a Wedding Present.

Gedge and co. will be coming to the O2 Ritz in Manchester for just the second show of merely half a dozen confirmed for The Wedding Present 40th Anniversary Tour, having played the venue many times.

In fact, even after visits featuring live configurations over the years, the current lineup played the Ritz as recently as May 2023; the show was met with strong reviews pretty much across the board, and it seemed to signal somewhat of a falling back in love with the crowds of the North.

For anyone unaware of the self-styled ‘semi-legendary band’ (their PR’s words, not ours), The Wedding Present are probably in similar territory to fellow underdogs and Manc natives, James, when it comes to the amount of music they’ve put out over the years, inspiring generations of those who came after.

You might assume we’d name one of their most famous tracks, ‘George Best’, as our favourite, for rather obvious reasons – but you’d be wrong: it doesn’t get much better than ‘Dreamworld’, if you ask us.

Their rich back catalogue encompasses not only so many different eras but also sounds, styles and various other eccentricities; so much so that their multi-genre-spanning music has even produced its own musical.

But before we dive any deeper down into the rabbit hole, let’s get back on track.

Set to play Manchester on Friday, 10 October, The Wedding Present will be kicking off the tour in Bristol at the start of next month.

There are other dates in the likes of Sheffield, Liverpool, Chester, Holmfirth, Buxton, Newcastle and more, but only a few are officially part of the anniversary tour.

Tickets are live as we speak, so if you fancy going along to see them, you can grab yours HERE.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Karl Kathuria (supplied)

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Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, setlist, support and more

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Lewis Capaldi is performing two nights at Co-op Live in Manchester

Lewis Capaldi will be hitting the stage in Manchester this week for two huge sold-out gigs at the Co-op Live arena.

The Scottish singer-songwriter is currently on a sold-out 17-date UK arena tour after a two-year hiatus for his physical and mental health.

The much-loved performer took the decision to step out the limelight after his Glastonbury 2023 performance, where he struggled with his vocals, anxiety, and Tourette’s syndrome as the set went on – with the huge crowd stepping in to sing for him.

Lewis then made a triumphant return earlier this year with a surprise set at Glastonbury, proving he is once again back on top form.

He then released a new single, Survive, which stormed to the top of the UK singles chart, and an arena tour to go with it, adding a second Manchester date due to phenomenal demand.

His single Someone You Loved remains the most-streamed song in the UK, even seven years after its release. Us Brits love him.

Lewis Capaldi will be performing at Co-op Live on both Saturday and Sunday night this week, and we’ve rounded up all your essential info below.

And if you miss him this time, he’s just announced an outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park next year, tickets for which go on sale HERE on Friday 19 September.

Tickets for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live

Lewis Capaldi. Credit: Alexandra Gavillet

Did we mention that people really love Lewis Capaldi? So yeah, the show is fully sold out on both Ticketmaster and See Tickets.

However, you can still get through the doors by booking a VIP or hospitality package with Seat Unique, which are on sale HERE.

Your best bet at getting your hands on a pair of general admission tickets now will be to keep an eye out for resale tickets, but make sure you’re using a reputable resale site.

Face value ticket prices ranged from £32.10 up to £113.25 for seats, with standing tickets also coming in at £113.25 with fees.

Support acts

Lewis Capaldi has lined up a pair of excellent supports for his tour, including his Co-op Live shows in Manchester.

His main support act will be Skye Newman, a rising star singer-songwriter from South East London, who you probably know from her hit debut single Hairdresser and its top-five follow-up single, Family Matters.

Also warming up the crowds will be Aaron Rowe, an Irish musician with a hell of a voice who’s inspired by American soul legends as well as British bands like The Stone Roses and Oasis.

What are the stage times for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live?

Exact stage times haven’t been announced yet but we do know that general admission doors open at 6.30pm, and the show is set to start at 7.30pm.

That should mean Aaron Rowe will be on first, followed by Skye Newman around 8.15pm, and Lewis likely to start his show around 9pm.

If any official stage times get announced, we’ll update this article.

Lewis Capaldi setlist

The below is the setlist Lewis has been using for most of his shows so far.

  • Survive
  • Grace
  • Heavenly Kind of State of Mind
  • Forever
  • Wish You the Best
  • Love the Hell Out of You
  • Almost
  • Bruises
  • Pointless
  • Something in the Heavens
  • Leave Me Slowly
  • Forget Me
  • The Pretender
  • The Day That I Die
  • Before You Go

Encore

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  • How I’m Feeling Now
  • Hold Me While You Wait
  • Someone You Loved

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 until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

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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. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

Getting there by car and parking

If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue,e 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 come event day – though estimates will vary, obviously:

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  • 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 Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • 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 via 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.

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Featured image: Publicity picture

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