With a brand-new album on the way, Tom Grennan is coming back to Manchester for his most ambitious gig here yet, not to mention his biggest run of UK shows ever.
You may know him from his chart-topping singles or you may even know him from reimagining the iconic Gillette advert – either way, you’re not going to want to miss his upcoming arena tour.
Coming alongside Tom‘s fourth album, Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be, and the unveiling of his new single ‘Shadowboxing’, the multi-platinum-selling artist has today announced the simply named GRENNAN ’25 tour.
Bringing his largest-ever headline shows to fans up and down the country, Tom Grennan will be making his Co-op Live debut this September.
To date, Tom has seen over 1.3 billion streams and holds a whopping nine million monthly Spotify listeners to date, already boasting a reputation as a multi-platinum-selling artist at just 29.
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He was recently nominated at the BRITs for the Best Alternative/Rock Act, marking his third consecutive nod at the annual award ceremony, following Song of the Year for his international smash ‘Little Bit Of Love’ and Alternative/Rock Act in 2022.
With two number-one albums under his belt alongside sold-out arena tours and an MTV Award for Best UK Act, Grennan has made a name for himself as one of the country’s biggest artists.
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‘Shadowboxing’ is the second single to be unveiled from Tom’s fourth-coming studio album (which drops on 15 August) following the release of ‘Higher’ back in September, and is the first song he and Justin Tranter wrote together.
“It represents what the whole album is about,” Tom said: “It’s about my fight with a side of me I have a lot of trouble with. It’s still a daily battle. But I’ve learned how to fight all these demons and I’m mentally and physically prepared now. I’m in athlete mode.”
You can listen to the track down below:
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The ever-rising solo artist will be playing a total of 11 dates on his upcoming UK tour this autumn including a huge date at Leeds’ First Direct Arena before arriving here in Manchester on Friday, 19 September.
He was last here during the summer for the most recent Sound of the City shows at Castlefield Bowl, playing a sell-out date to well over 8,000 fans.
General admission for Tom Grennan in Manchester will be available from 10am next Friday, 7 February but official Co-op Members can access pre-sale from the same time on Wednesday (5 Feb).
AJ Tracey is playing a VERY intimate gig in Manchester next month
Thomas Melia
London rapper and respected grime artist AJ Tracey is ‘live and direct’ once again, announcing a whole host of UK dates, one of which is a rather intimate gig right here in Manchester.
It’s official: one of UK rap’s leading gents is getting back on the road and he’s showing a ‘Little More Love’ to lots of cities, including Manchester.
In a post on the UK star’s socials, AJ Tracey trades his music persona for that of a sports pundit as he announces the dates for his upcoming tour while impersonating an F1 commentator.
Anyone looking to attend Tracey’s ‘Not Even A Tour’ can catch the star up and down the country on his over 20-date tour with a stop in Manchester as soon as this month.
The rapper has reached phenomenal heights since dropping the unforgettable ‘Ladbroke Grove’ in 2019 and is heading out across the nation to make sure everyone knows about it.
Get ready to spit bars left and right as this rapper’s discography is stacked with serious tunes like ‘Dinner Guest’, ‘West Ten’, ‘Thiago Silva’ and more.
More recently, he collaborated with Walsall’s finest Jorja Smith for a flirty garage beat also known as ‘Crush’ with the video being the two artists talking it out in a good old fashioned caff.
The latest collaboration with Smith marks the start of a new era for Mr. Live and direct as it fell in line with the announcement of his third studio album.
Titled Don’t Die Before You’re Dead, we’re sure he’ll be “building a vibe” wherever he goes and probably previewing a few exclusive tracks from his upcoming project too.
This gig may come as quite a surprise for any hardcore fans of the ‘Ladbroke Grove’ star as the venue in which he’s performing is definitely intimate only, holding just over 250 guests.
This rap giant is bringing his unbelievable beats to none other than the legendary small-cap city centre live music venue, The Deaf Institute, at the end of this month.
It’s safe to say you won’t get many more chances, if any, to see him in such a tight-knit space again.
AJ Tracey is bringing ‘Not Even A Tour’ to Deaf Institute in Manchester on 30 April, with tickets on sale Friday 4 April from 12 noon.
Manchester City’s Nathan Aké donates piano to grassroots music venue
Thomas Melia
Footballer and Manchester City star Nathan Aké has donated a piano to an iconic city centre grassroots venue in Manchester.
To celebrate ‘International Piano Day’, the Dutch defender has teamed up with legendary instrument-makers Casio by donating a state-of-the-art piano in one very lucky music venue.
Aké and Casio are donating pianos across the UK through their joint project titled ‘Playing For Change’.
The iconic grassroots venue that’s receiving this prestigious instrument is none other than Band on the Wall, which has been pumping out live music under this name since 1975.
Processed with VSCO with kp5 presetProcessed with VSCO with kp5 presetCredit: Supplied
This new addition will help the venue as a whole, but more importantly, it will come in very handy for their Saturday Music Club.
Running every weekend, this session helps young people discover music and develop their skills, now via the fantastic PX-S7000 Casio piano.
Band on the Wall is a much-loved and adored Manchester city centremusic institution, and they aren’t the only place benefitting from the Manchester city star and Casio.
So far, 12 disadvantaged schools in the UK have benefitted from this joint effort from Aké and Casio, all of which were surprised with their very own digital piano.
This newest partnership won’t come as a surprise to fans of the Man City centre-back, as he’s been known to play the piano since teaching himself in 2020, and now he’s spreading his love of music to communities nationwide.
Neil Evans, Head of Casio EMI, commented:“It’s exciting for us to support Band on the Wall with a gift of a brand new Privia piano.”
“We’re hoping it’s used often and inspires people into learning the piano and increasing their access to the joys of music, which is at the core of Playing For Change.”
As for Aké, while he might be sidelined for the foreseeable following surgery on a fractured foot, the Netherlands international will hopefully be able to get lots of practice playing those keys.
Danny Jones -
31st January 2025 
