Electronic giants The Chemical Brothers make their long-awaited return to Manchester — their musical and spiritual home — this weekend, where they are set to play a massive gig at the AO Arena.
Forming amidst their days at the University of Manchester back in 1989, DJing duo Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons made their way up through the underground music scene of 0161, picking up records at the likes of Eastern Bloc in NQ and went on to become one of the biggest names on the planet.
Considered absolute titans of the dance and big beat genre, you’d struggle to find anyone who doesn’t know The Chemical Brothers and at least half a dozen of their classic tunes whether they realise it’s one of theirs or not.
Boasting a huge influence and nothing short of legendary status, their Manc homecoming has remained one of the biggest dates on the city’s music calendar and since thousands of locals will be going along to their AO Arena gig, we thought we’d provide you with everything you need to know as per.
If you’re looking to be part of what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest and best nights of live music in Manchester this year, let alone this month, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are still some tickets left to see The Chemical Brothers on Friday.
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With the cheapest tickets available from £38.80 for seated including venue fees and service charges, as well as the last few standing spots from £57.50, you pretty much have you pick of the bunch when it comes to where you want to be in the Arena.
You can grab your Manchester Chemical Brothers tickets HERE.
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Credit: The Chemical Brothers via Instagram
Support act
The Chemical Brothers have such a massive discography and legendary status that they don’t really need a support act to get people warmed up for their high-energy sets, but it’s always nice to throw someone into the mix as a bonus.
So, with that in mind, the electronic icons have brought along indsutry fellow veteran James Holroyd, a.k.a. ‘Boggy’, along with them on this UK tour as they have on many down the years, safe in the knowledge that he’s another DJ whose career was forged here in Manchester.
With an influence reputation almost as storied as their own, Holroyd — one of the original residents at the long-standing ‘Bugged Out’ club nights which have often been hosted at The Warehouse Project — will getting the party started in 0161 as he’s done many times before.
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Boggy playing Escape to Freight Island in 2022Credit: Skiddle/Escape to Freight Island
The Chemical Brothers’ Manchester stage times
Doors to the AO Arena open at 6pm and you can expect standalone support act James Holroyd to take stage around 7:15pm and play a fairly lengthy set.
Like at most venues, the headline act at the Arena is expected to start playing around 9pm, so you’ve got plenty of time to stock up on food and drink, grab some merch or nip to the toilet before the main event.
As always, the curfew is around 11pm, so you can expect a long old night of lights, dancing and nostalgia. As for what happens after, who knows? These guys are absolute local heroes around here when it comes to the Manc music so don’t be surprised if you hear of an after-party — just make sure you let us know!
Setlist
Now, it goes without saying that The Chemical Brothers full collection of songs is absolutely massive, with 10 studio albums to their name following the release of their latest record, For That Beautiful Feeling, their first in four years.
With that in mind, Tom and Ed could very easily decide to play absolutely everything or switch up their running order with a few more tracks from the new album but, according Setlist.fm and their most recent gigs, here’s what you can expect to hear on the night:
Everyone we know that has ever had the good fortune of seeing The Chemical Brothers live can vouch for how good a live show they put on and we expect Friday, 27 October to be no different.
We also had the immense pleasure of chatting to one half of the group earlier this year, discussing everything from how they got their start, the reaction to the new album and some of their favourite Manc music venues and memories.
You can read our full interview with Ed Simons down below:
We had the honour of chatting with @eddychemical, a.k.a. one-half of @ChemBros, about the new album, their upcoming arena tour and all things Manchester. 🧪🎶
StreamGM’s free underground club night series is coming to Ramona this December
Danny Jones
StreamGM’s cult-favourite club nightis returning to the city centre this winter and has found a new home at none other than Ramona.
The much-loved bar, restaurant, live music and events space, which is also now home to the popular Firehouse experience, is opening up its doors to StreamGM and its clubbing series, MainRoom.
Having previously popped up at the likes of YES, Freight Island and the multi-award-winning local streaming platform’s new central hub, The Yard, the underground series of shows is revving up once again and will be coming to the popular nightlife venue this month.
Situated just on the edge of Northern Quarter and Ancoats, the live gig at Ramona will be completely free to the public as well as available to watch via livestream from all over the world.
Teaming up with fast-growing Manc electronic music brand, Do As You Please (DAYP), the label and events promoter are rounding off a prolific 2023 to date by teaming up with the latest instalment of MainRoom to deliver an exciting night of free music and entertainment before the year is out.
Curated by local DJ Mix-Stress and produced by StreamGM co-founder Laura Graham, the dance music series profiles the most exciting artists and promoters across the city, all whilst filming the raves and parties live and direct from the dance floors of the coolest spaces around Greater Manchester. Be it a little-known nightspot, random rooftop or city centre basement, they never disappoint.
The latest line-up — curated by fellow DJ and producer Nial Roche — features some of 0161’s most exciting dance music prospects, including electronic duo Shimrise (Yelena Lashimba and Latoya Reisner), DAYP owner Joe Roche going ‘B2B’ with good friend and ‘Blehrin’ (Jay Murt).
They’ll be kicking off the party and the accompanying livestream from 7pm until 10pm before Ramona resident Alps 2 (Jonjo Williams and Harry Springall) and Not Bad for a Girl’s very own Egg on Toast (Alice Kanako) see us right through to 1am.
The MainRoom x DAYP club night at Ramona takes place on Saturday, 16 December and it’s sure to be a special night; plus, thanks to StreamGM, you’ll be able to watch it live if you can’t be there in person and watch it back at your leisure after its all said and done.
Strictly an 18+ event, you book your spot to see the completely free event HERE or tune into the MainRoom livestream on the StreamGM website.
This latest announcement comes ahead of StreamGM’s inaugural night of musical acts and livestreaming to be held at their new base of operations, The Yard, over in Cheetham Hill.
Peter Hook is hosting a charity gig and Q&A at an iconic Manchester pub to raise money for mental health
Danny Jones
Joy Division and New Order co-founder, Peter Hook, is taking part in a charitable evening of live music and conversation right here in Manchester city centre early next year, and it’s being hosted at one of Manchester’s most beloved pubs, the Star and Garter.
Being held at the legendary city centre pub, which now bears the freshly restored mural of his former bandmate and one of the greatest English musicians of all time, Ian Curtis, the significance of the intimate concert being held at such an iconic music venue is not lost on anyone.
Better still, the special one-off gig, Q&A session and evening as a whole has been set up with the help of local music-driven mental health organisation, Headstock, and will be raising money for their partnered nationwide charity, Shout.
Peter Hook and the Light are merely the latest in a long line of huge names to grace the Star and Garter.
Announcing the gig on Monday, 4 December, the veteran vocalist, bass player and singer-songwriter said of the inspirational fundraising gig, which will also pay tribute to Curtis: “I have campaigned for a long time for Ian and Joy Division to be commemorated anyway and anywhere possible.
“From the statue in Macclesfield, still ongoing, and the mural there as well; to the mural in Manchester and the upcoming one in Stockport. I will only rest when every town in Great Britain has something.
“I am immensely proud of Ian and our work as Joy Division and to celebrate it in this way is such a pleasure. I am hoping to bring Ian’s best man at his wedding and childhood friend, Kelvin Briggs to join me so fans can get a real insight into this wonderful man and artist.
“To play at such an iconic venue as the Star and Garter just seals the deal perfectly.”
Speaking on the event, Headstock founder Atheer Al-Salim said, “We are so grateful to Peter Hook and his band who are giving up their time and talent to help us raise much-needed funds to support our charity partner, Shout, and their life-saving text-support service.
“The evening promises to be a poignant moment for Manchester, and an event of huge musical and cultural significance for the city.”
As for Shout, their CEO Victoria Hornby added: “We’re incredibly grateful to Peter Hook and The Light and Headstock for putting on this very special event which will raise vital funds for us to keep the Shout text messaging support service running 24/7.
“Our volunteers take up to 2,000 conversations with children, young people and adults in urgent need of mental health support every day, and every £10 raised funds a conversation that could save a life.”
Set to play a predominantly Joy Divison-based set in the same year that the famous Manc four-piece finally received their inaugural nomination to be entered into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, there will be just 200 spaces available and the Star and Garter be packed just as it was back in its heyday.
Tickets will be allocated via a ballot on Skiddle, with the first ballot already open and will close on Friday, 2 February 2024. Each successful ballot entrant will be allocated a maximum of two tickets to the event.
The pricing for ‘An Evening of Music and Conversation with Peter Hook’ on 12 April, 2024 is as follows:
1x ballot entry – £10
3x ballot entries – £15
10x ballot entries – £20
The gig is already selling fast, so secure your spot to see an unforgettable night of music and insight, all for a great cause, HERE.
Danny Jones -
26th October 2023 
