The UK’s largest indoor techno experience is coming to Warehouse Project (WHP)in Manchester this autumn.
Promising huge headline sets from techno giants 999999999, Reinier Zonneveld and Vladimir Dubyshkin, the giant techno event will run for 12 hours across four separate stages at Depot Mayfield.
Returning to the city this autumn for its third edition, XXL will take place on Saturday 7 October from 5pm to 5am and is being hosted by WHP in partnership with Teletech and Lo-Fi.
Further DJ sets at the all-day and night party will come from the likes of Kobosil, I Hate Models, DJ Heartstring, KI/KI, blk., Nina Kraviz, Paula Temple b2b SNTS, Shlømo b2b Sara Landry, Adrián Mills, Azyr, Basswell, Billy Does, blk., Charlie Sparks, Cloudy, CLTX, DJ Hyperdrive, Faster Horses, HØLEIGH, Krl Mx, LESSSS, Lucia Lu, Mac Declos, Malugi, Nico Moreno b2b DYEN, OGUZ and more.
Image: WHP
Image: WHP
The news follows the announcement from Warehouse Project about its opening season parties as it gears up to return to its home at Depot Mayfield this September.
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Kicking things off on 15 September will be a special show from Australian house music DJ Sonny Fodera with friends, followed by a return of ground-breaking Repercussion Festival which marks the official opening of the new season on 16 September.
The day and night party will run across the entire expanse of Depot Mayfield, covering eight unique stages, including the intimate Star & Garter pub and an immense street party on neighbouring Temperance Street.
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For the first time, Repercussion will also extend onto the deserted train lines that sit upon the rooftop of the Depot, with two brand new spaces being brought to life: a rooftop takeover celebrating 25 years of Rush Hour and a cinema specially programmed by i-D magazine.
Repercussion’s vast line-up showcases dance music in all its forms. Bicep will be debuting their brand-new Chroma (AV/DJ Set) show at the event.
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Moderat also return to Manchester for their first live show in the city since 2016, and Kerri Chandler brings his super rare Reel-To-Reel set-up to Manchester for the very first time. Also in town are Jon Hopkins, TSHA (Live), Biig Piig and many more.
The following week on Saturday 23 September, the Worry About Henry x Metropolis sees the largest Drum & Bass event ever at Warehouse Project break out across the entire Mayfield complex, with over 100 artists from across the DnB spectrum, including Hybrid Minds, Wilkinson, Hedex, Bou and many more.
On Friday 29th September, long-time electronic party crew Kaluki returns for a special birthday show and label showcase. Jamie Jones, Joseph Capriati, Hot Since 82, Solardo, Chris Stussyand more lead the proceedings for this season opener.
As we embrace the Autumn season, Saturday 30 September, sees the seminal ‘Welcome to the Warehouse’ show return for a six-stage takeover with various influential artists.
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This year, Welcome to the Warehouse features the likes of Honey Dijon, The Blessed Madonna, Mall Grab, Job Jobse, Sherelle, Saoirse, and more revealed below.
Sam Kandel, Co-Founder of Warehouse Project said: “Before last year’s WHP run ended, we had already started on our plans for 2023.
“Now we can’t wait to get back into Depot Mayfield, where we are making significant production changes for this year, all to be revealed when we kick off in September.”
Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show
Danny Jones
Manchester is getting ready to welcome a global icon of hip-hop, soul, pop and R’n’B as Mary J Blige is set to put on a massive arena show.
With a music career spanning more than 30 years, Mary J Blige is an absolute legend of the American music scene, with nine GRAMMY Awards and nearly 40 nominations, along with a plethora of BET, Billboard, and AMA nods over the years.
Currently on ‘The For My Fans Tour’, jetting quite literally all over and recently adding on even more dates, not only has London been given some love, but so has Greater Manchester – and rightly so.
Announcing the special one-off show and Co-op Live debut this Wednesday, 16 April, Mary J Blige won’t have to wait too long to be part of the ‘Family Affair’.
The 54-year-old from New York will be coming to the state-of-the-art, one of the biggest indoor entertainment venues in all of Europe, in just a few months’ time.
On top of the already well-established AO Arena, this is the pedigree of truly worldwide artists that Co-op Live was built to further attract – and it looks to be working.
It’s been the best part of a decade since she was last in these parts, so she’s sure to get a huge reception.
While most audiences in the likes of North America have been treated to fellow R’n’B favourite Ne-Yo, those watching Ms Blige will be keeping things domestic as long-standing London collective and producers, Soul II Soul, will be joining her for the show.
‘Back to life, back to reality…’
So there you have it! Mary J Blige will be coming to Manchester on Friday, 4 July 2025, with her own pre-sale going live at 10am on Thursday, 24 April, but Co-op members can get there even earlier, with the venue’s early access available from the same time the day before.
As for general admission, you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE from 10am on Friday, 25 April.
Fri 18 April – London, UK – OVO Arena Wembley (Sean Paul, Ashanti and Big Joe)
Sat 19 April – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 20 April – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
22 April – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena
23 April – Brighton, UK – Brighton Centre (Sean Paul ONLY)
24 April – Bournemouth, UK – BIC (Sean Paul ONLY)
Sean Paul and Ashanti tickets for AO Arena gig
Just like Ashanti’s 2002 hit, you’d have been ‘Foolish’ not to get tickets when they first came out, however, there’s still a chance for you to ‘Get Busy’ like Sean Paul’s ‘02 throwback.
There’s a limited run of tickets left throughout the venue, including standing, seated and even an option to watch the show from ‘The Mezz’ if you’re after a VIP experience – AllHERE.
There’s no official setlist yet, however, if you consider the past selection of hits from their previous separate gigs, fans are in for a jam-packed night.
Sean Paul:
So Fine
Get Busy
Ever Blazin’
Cheap Thrills
Baby Boy
Bailando
Hot Gyal Today
Infiltrate
Breathe/ Make It Clap
Give It Up To Me
Got 2 Luv U
Mad Love
No Lie
Boasty
Love Me Ladies
Tip Pon It
Volcano
Bring It
Greatest
I’m Still In Love
Light My Fire
Punkie
Rockabye
Like Glue
Deport Them
Trumpets
She Doesn’t Mind
Temperature
Ashanti:
Happy
Rock Wit U (Awww Baby)
Mesmerise
Only U
Baby
Southside
Down 4 U
Body On Me
What’s Luv?
Ain’t It Funny
Always On Time
Foolish
What are the stage times for Sean Paul and Ashanti in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm; anyone attending this link-up of a lifetime can enjoy their night knowing they’ll be ‘Ever Blazin” after a full night’s sleep.
Doors for the ‘Bring It Tour’ are scheduled for 6pm with a kick-off time of 7pm, with no confirmed or mentioned support acts as of yet.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
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Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.
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About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Georgina Pellant -
27th June 2023 
