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Thousands battle in online queue to sign up for tickets to The 1975’s intimate Manchester gig

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 11th January 2023

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.

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,” 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.”

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Featured Image – The 1975

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Hip-hop, soul and R’n’B legend Mary J Blige is coming to Manchester for a massive arena show

Danny Jones Danny Jones Mary J Blige Manchester tickets

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.

She was even named Woman of the Year by Glamour back in 2023.

Often referred to as the ‘Queen of Hip-Hop Soul’, we can’t wait to welcome this latest member of music royalty to our city.

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.

Roll on the summer.

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.

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

Featured Images — Press Shot (supplied)/Mark Sebastian (via Flickr)/Audio North

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Sean Paul and Ashanti at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Why have one music legend when you can have two? Sean Paul and Ashanti team up for their ‘Bring It Tour’ at AO Arena in Manchester.

AO Arena is about to become a noughties haven as two musical greats have come together for a joint tour like no other – Sean Paul and Ashanti.

Sing a vocal run or two with the airy and light vocal tones of Ashanti and her hits like ‘Happy’, ‘Foolish’ and ‘Baby’.

Or maybe you’ll let Sean Paul do the talking as you boogie and dance the night away to tracks like ‘Mad Love’, ‘No Lie’ and ‘Got 2 Luv U’.

Sean Paul and Ashanti UK tour – Manchester gig guide

Sean Paul and Ashanti are coming to AO Arena in Manchester for the 'Bring It Tour'
Credit: The Heart Truth (via Flickr)/ Mozart Diensthuber (Wikimedia Commons)

Whatever you’re planning on doing while you watch these masterminds perform, you’re guaranteed a night that covers all the bases.

Sean Paul and Ashanti UK tour dates

  • Fri 11 April – Aberdeen, UK – PJ Live (Sean Paul ONLY)
  • Sat 12 April – Newcastle, UK – Utilita Arena 
  • Sun 13 April – Leeds, UK – first direct Arena 
  • Tue 15 April – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Wed 16 April – Nottingham, UK – Motorpoint Arena
  • 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 – All HERE.

Sean Paul and Ashanti setlist 

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.

Sean Paul and Ashanti are coming to AO Arena in Manchester.
Credit: Egorushka/Npu3pak (via GoodFon)

How to get to AO Arena

Tram

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 and Victoria 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.

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

Featured Image — Publicity Pictures (Supplied)/Audio North/GoodFon

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