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The Wombats are set to return with a new album, a UK tour and an unreal pair of North West support acts

This is some of the very best the North West has to offer, all on one bill. Dreamy. (this article contains affiliate links)

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 11th October 2024

British indie legend The Wombats are back with a new album and a limited UK tour – plus, they’re bringing two very good Northern bands along with them as the support acts.

Announcing their sixth studio album on Friday, 11 October, The Wombats are set to return with new music after two years since their first UK number one and will be hitting the road for a select few dates including London, Manchester and Leeds, but this tour looks to be all about the North.

Well, strictly our very specific part of the region, to be more precise – a.k.a. the best place for music on the entire planet. Yeah, you heard us…

We’re not ready for how good the lineup is going to be and neither are you.

As you can see, the all-North Western affair will see the veterans of the genre flanked by Manchester’s very own alternative four-piece, Everything Everything, who we’ve now seen so many times that we’re genuinely starting to lose count.

They’ve not dipped in all those years either – not even a little bit.

But to make things even better, the support roster is completed by none other than fellow Scousers and much-loved indie icons: the ever-rising Red Rum Club, who will be making their AO Arena debut after smashing their hometown arena earlier this year.

You can’t really call them warm-up acts when they’re all this good, can you?

Set to play here in Manchester on Saturday, 22 March, 2025 before wrapping up the small handful of gigs at the First Direct in Leeds a few days later, these are what we’d consider must-not-miss shows.

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Tickets for the tour go on sale at 10am on Saturday, 19 October but you can access pre-sale by pre-ordering their latest record.

Speaking of the new album, Oh! The Ocean is the band’s sixth studio LP to date and is set to release on 21 February March, with the lead single ‘Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want To Come’ having just dropped.

Discussing a family trip that inspired the new album, frontman Matthew ‘Murph’ Murphy says: “I’ve been to many beaches and seas and coasts over the years but, for some reason, it felt like the first time I had ever seen it and was truly present.

“There was this revelation that I had been living a life caught up in my own head […] It was really a potent experience. […] The album offers up some internal questions like: why are my head and body disconnected all the time? Why am I incapable at times of seeing any form of beauty in the world or in others? Why do I expect the world to conform to my will? Why do I never stop and smell the flowers?”

The single itself is a great taster of what’s to come and we can’t wait to hear the rest – nor can we wait to see The Wombats and two other North West favourites all in one night.

You can check out our chat with Everything Everything HERE or the Red Rum Club boys down below.

https://www.instagram.com/audio.north/reel/C5EKwS0tZB3/?hl=en

Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)

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Ed Sheeran announces ‘intimate’ Manchester date later this year

Danny Jones Danny Jones Ed Sheeran Manchester December 2025 tickets

The king of contemporary male pop music, Ed Sheeran, is returning to Manchester for one of his biggest dates ever, as well as his venue debut.

Yep, Teddy’s coming to Co-op Live.

The 34-year-old solo star and songwriting extraordinaire hasn’t played a standalone Manchester show since 2023, when he played the legendary AO Arena barely a year on from playing four sold-out nights at the Etihad Stadium.

And now he’s back for more with his first-ever gig at the city’s newest and Europe’s biggest indoor entertainment space.

Confirmed on Wednesday, 3 September, Ed Sheeran is set to play just a small handful of huge headline spaces this winter, including dates in Paris, Munich, Coventry and Dublin, as well as here in Manchester.

Announced ahead of his new LP and eighth studio album, Play, of which we’ve already heard four new tracks: ‘Sapphire’, ‘Old Phone’, ‘A Little More’ and ‘Azizam’ – the latter of which went straight to number one and stayed there for five whole weeks after it dropped.

These upcoming shows will be an extra and rare chance to see Sheeran before his all-new ‘Loop’ stadium tour, which kicks off in Australia next January.

If you saw the scenes at the Etihad, you know how big that one’s going to be.

Revealing details about the limited number of EU dates via his own social media channels, Sheeran wrote: “Coming to play some shows in Europe. These shows will be more intimate than a stadium show, obvz, but still will be incredible.”

We don’t know how he plans to make a room as big as the Co-op Live arena ‘intimate’, but we’re looking forward to seeing what he has in store…

He went on to add that he loves “playing these venues so much”, urging fans to pre-order the new record if they want to get their hands on tickets ASAP.

Play releases on Friday, 12 September, and those who pre-order the album exclusively through Amazon.co.uk before 7pm BST this Sunday, 7 September, can put themselves in with a chance of securing pre-sale tickets.

Elsewhere, early access will also be available to official Co-op members next Wednesday (10/9/25) ahead of general admission going live on Thursday, 11 September.

You can get ready to grab your tickets for Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live on Sunday, 7 December HERE.

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Featured Images — Press shots (supplied)/Ed Sheeran (via Instagram)

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A new online series spotlighting Manc songwriting is set to debut this month

Danny Jones Danny Jones StreamGM new YouTube series Manchester: Unplugged

This region has produced some of the greatest songwriters of all time; it’s just straight-up facts, and now the brand-new digital docuseries entitled Manchester:Unplugged is set to spotlight that treasured truth online.

Created by StreamGM – the non-profit digital streaming service dedicated to showcasing and supporting the music, nightlife, and culture of Greater Manchester, which evolved from the all-important ‘United We Stream’ project back in lockdown – this is just as much a hometown celebration as it is a show.

They’re the same team behind the Spill The Sound series presented by Louise Schofield, and given they’re now a few seasons deep into old-school music telly, we’d wager this new programme is going to be a similar success.

Getting underway on Thursday, 4 September, the very first episode of Manchester:Unplugged is nearly here. Keep reading to find out more.

Manchester:Unplugged
StreamGM new YouTube series
The new show is filmed at various familiar venues, such as The Freemount and Bay Horse Tavern in NQ. (Credit: StreamGM)

Put in the simplest terms, this new series is all about our many marvellous Manc lyricists and the best of local and contemporary songwriting.

The new free-to-watch online documentary series uncovers the stories behind the songs that make Manchester one of the world’s greatest cities for music.

Available via the streaming platform itself as well as uploaded directly to YouTube, each 10-minute episode follows the journey of one song born in the region, from the spark of an idea to the creative process of writing, recording, release and its eventual impact on us listeners.

Better yet, the show is filmed in iconic and grassroots local venues, rehearsal rooms, pubs and creative spaces and more, all portrayed at their cinematic best, blending stripped-back performances with intimate interviews from the artists reflecting on their work.

With a focus on both the city’s rising stars and its more established names, Manchester: Unplugged captures the energy of the city’s diverse and constantly evolving scene, while staying rooted in its ever-growing history and heritage.

Manchester Unplugged
The Covasettes after their performance at New Century Hall. (Credit: Supplied)

Speaking on the new project, producer Laura Graham told The Manc: “Manchester: Unplugged is about more than music,  it’s about memory, place, and the moment and reason why a song was brought to life.

“Each episode is a personal narrative by the songwriter. At its core, it’s about meaning and connection: between artist and audience, song and place, past and present.

Once again, debuting this Thursday on StreamGM and YouTube from 7pm, the maiden episode of Manchester:Unplugged features local indie band The Covasettes, who featured as one of our artists of the month back in March 2024.

You can get ready to watch it down below.

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

Featured Images — StreamGM (supplied)

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