Thousands of fans have been battling with online queues this morning in a bid to sign up to win tickets to The 1975‘s intimate charity gig at Gorilla.
The sign-up page to enter into the prize draw for the chance to win tickets to see the wildly-popular Manchester indie pop rock band live in the intimate setting of one of the city’s best-loved small music venues on Wednesday 1 February finally went live this morning after weeks of waiting.
The charity gig as part of the BRITs Week series was announced last month, with all proceeds set to go straight towards War Child UK.
👀 HERE IT IS // We are over the moon to officially announce that @the1975 will play Gorilla on Wednesday 1st February as part of BRITs Week 2023 presented by @Mastercard for @WarChildUK.
Given that Gorilla only has capacity for about 550 people, and The 1975 have already sold out two nights at the 20,000-capacity O2 Arena, as well as a night here at the AO Arena next Friday 20 January on their UK tour, the demand for tickets was always going to be high.
But demand ended up shooting through the roof though after the band’s frontman Matty Healy announced the gig way before tickets or other behind-the-scenes processes had taken place – which left Gorilla having to bat away thirsty fans trying to secure their place in the venue before even knowing the process and protocol.
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Some fans on Twitter even went as far as to offering the venue tongue-in-cheek bribes for tickets.
Bribes were coming in the form of meal deals, homemade banana bread, and a cardboard cut-out of Matty Healy, as well as “48p and a Wispa” from a Cadbury superfan – but sadly, none of these were going to cut it, so when the sign-up page for tickets did eventually go live, the band’s loyal fans were preparing for a fight.
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And, as was to be expected, fans found themselves in an online queue with thousands of others this morning.
The 1975 will play an intimate gig at Gorilla in Manchester on 1 February / Credit: The 1975 (via Twitter)
After the sign-up page for the BRITs Week presale went live this morning, War Child UK took to Twitter to warn fans that its website was “struggling with the traffic” from people hoping to get their names in the prize draw, and Gorilla followed-up by confirming that “thousands” were in the queue,
The venue encouraged people not to lose hope and to stay on the webpage if they’re hoping to get through, while telling people to “be nice to our friends at War Child UK”.
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Both Gorilla and War Child UK also reissued warnings to fans about fake tickets as the sign-up page went live this morning after receiving reports earlier this month that scammers were planning on targeting the sough-after event.
Just want to repeat what we have said in the past.
Please be careful with ticket touts/fake tickets/ people on here trying to scam.
We do everything we can as a venue to ensure tickets are sold to fans and stay with fans.
“Just want to repeat what we have said in the past. Please be careful with ticket touts/fake tickets/ people on here trying to scam,” Gorilla said on Twitter this morning.
“We do everything we can as a venue to ensure tickets are sold to fans and stay with fans. Don’t want anyone getting mugged off.”
The venue had previously warned fans “not to buy tickets from anywhere for any show unless advertised directly by us”.
War Child UK also echoed this warning.
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The charity added on Twitter after the sign-up page went live: “We’ve been seeing a few tweets about people selling fake tickets – be careful. The ONLY place tickets will be available is through the ticket link we or Gorilla provide, AND photo ID will be required for entry [so] please don’t fall for a scam.”
A big battle of the bands is happening in Manchester this week – and it’s all for charity
Danny Jones
A massive battle of the bands event is happening in Manchester this week, and it’s helping raise money for crucial grassroots organisations.
Better still, it’s happening at one of our favourite venues in the city centre: Band on the Wall.
Now, the beloved Northern Quarter institution hosts all kinds of live music throughout the year, so they’re no strangers to events like a battle of the bands competition. Teaming up with homegrown charity Forever Manchester and some other well-known faces, this is set to be a big one.
This brand new event will see local businesses and employees come together to form a band for one night only, to see who is the best of the best up on stage. Who knows? You could be about to see the best-kept secret…
Yes, Manc worker bees are banding together (quite literally) to form the exclusive super group and will be judged by a panel of audiophile aficionados.
It doesn’t matter whether you work in the industry, you do office admin or work in a cafe all day long; at the debut ‘Forever Manchester Rocks‘ competition, consider yourself a music god in the making.
The live on-stage battle is open to pre-existing bands who have already played together, but we’ll confess, we’re looking forward to seeing what those cobbled together specifically for this contest are going to sound like.
Finalists not only have the opportunity to perform at the most iconic venues, but the winners of this year’s competition will claim the inaugural ‘Manchester Business Rocks Legends’ trophy, as well as being invited to play the annual Forever Manchester Birthday Party at the Kimpton Clocktower in February.
Once again, the best part of this new battle of the bands event at Band on the Wall is that it’s all for the greater good, with important funding being generated for local community groups – a cause that both pursue with 24/7, 365 days a year.
If you’re interested in a last-minute sign-up, the rules for entering the competition are as follows:
A majority of band members must work at the same company or in the same industry
Covers or originals welcome – just bring your best 15-minute set
You bring the instruments and tunes – the backline, PA and sound engineer will be provided
Acts will be judged on talent, energy, crowd reaction, showmanship and amount of money raised.
Nick Massey CBE, chief exec at Forever Manchester, said: “As a region famed for its musical prowess, entrepreneurial spirit and its sense of community, Forever Manchester Rocks just made total sense to me as our next big occasion.
“It is a battle like no other, and we’re calling for businesses across the region to trade their KPIs for killer riffs to show us how they shine on stage… And it’s all in support of a fantastic cause, with the money raised helping to fund vital community initiatives in the Greater Manchester region.
“We can’t wait to see colleagues from across the region unleash their hidden talents and bring that Manchester energy to Band on the Wall on 10 December!”
For those looking to come along this Wednesday (10 Dec), you can grab your tickets HERE.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Billy Weaver (supplied)
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The BRIT Awards announce Manchester host as Jack Whitehall, plus ticket info
Daisy Jackson
Jack Whitehall will host this year’s BRIT Awards, as the glittering music ceremony moves up to Manchester for the first time.
The BRIT Awards 2026 has now also confirmed that public tickets will be going on sale today, so us Mancs have a chance with being right in the action when the awards take place at the Co-op Live in February.
This is the first time in the nearly-50 year history of the BRITs that the show has moved north, with an exclusive broadcast with ITV1 and ITVX.
And Jack Whitehall will be back once again, after a five different gigs hosting the show down in London.
The BRIT Awards 2026 with Mastercard announced the news with an ‘Ode to Manchester’ video with Jack Whitehall, where he takes a green screen trip down the Curry Mile (except it’s actually the Northern Quarter), visits the Coronation Street cobbles, and pokes fun at the arrival of Soho House.
The comedian may be as southern as they come, but has special connections to Manchester, having studied at the University of Manchester – and later revisited those days in the sitcom Fresh Meat.
Jack credits the city as one of the most influential places that helped shape his early comedy career.
Jack said: “I am so excited to be coming back for this very special BRIT Awards in Manchester, a place that is so important to me.
“The city I started my comedy career in, it feels like a real full circle moment returning to host this historic night at the Co-op Live, a venue that is only a stone’s throw away from the comedy club I did my first 10 minute set in all those years ago.
“Hopefully I get a few more laughs than I did that night. I cannot wait.”
The BRIT Awards 2026 will be taking place at the Co-op Live in Manchester on 28 February – and tickets will be going on sale from 10am HERE.
Matthew Williamson with this year’s BRIT Award trophy. Credit: Supplied
Last week, the shortlist was revealed for the prestigious BRITs Critics’ Choice award (previous winners include Dua Lipa, Adele, The Last Dinner Party and more), with Jacob Alon, Rose Gray and SIENNA SPIRO the chosen three.
And this year’s physical BRIT Award is designed by internationally acclaimed British designer Matthew Williamson, inspired by his Manchester roots and built from an amber toned resin – resembling the golden honey of a worker bee.
Stacey Tang, Chair of the 2026 BRIT Awards Committee and Co-President of RCA Records at Sony Music UK said: “Jack is absolutely brilliant at his craft so we are thrilled to welcome him back and excited for the fun and mischief he’s bound to bring to the show again this year.
“His legacy hosting the awards speaks for itself and as the BRITs enters a new era, in a city familiar to him, there’s nobody better placed to take the helm of the biggest night in music.”
Emily Sergeant -
11th January 2023 
