One of the world’s best singers performed in Manchester last night, but despite ranking alongside the likes of Taylor Swift and Harry Styles, this phenomenal talent flies a bit further below the radar.
Her latest album And in The Darkness, Hearts Aglow from 2022 smashed the review boards with a metascore of 88/100 which usually indicates ‘universal acclaim’.
If you haven’t guessed already, I’m talking about American singer-songwriter, Weyes Blood, who was recently voted by The Times as the fifth-best solo singer of this century behind other huge artists like Beyoncé and Amy Winehouse.
Also known by her real name, Natalie Mering, she’s been performing under the moniker Weyes Blood since 2003. Back in the day, you could find her in a noise-rock band called Jackie-O Motherf***er but it wasn’t until much later that she found success performing solo and releasing her last two albums on the massive American record label SUB-POP.
It was the latest 2022 album though which came with widespread praise, scoring a 5/5 with NME and the Telegraph. It also got into nearly every ‘top album of 2022’ list and was usually in the top 20.
All this combined is probably what led her ‘In Holy Flux’ tour to sell out nearly everywhere in Europe, including Le Trianon in Paris, Paradiso in Amsterdam… And last night in Manchester.
It was a massive show and even Weyes knew it as she told the crowd that ‘[She was] standing on the shoulders of giants’ and ‘she loves music from Manchester’.
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The O2 Ritz was quickly slammed, even before she had come out, and when the support, Sam Burton, was wooing the crowd.
The moment Weyes walked on stage though she had the crowd captivated. She came on to a sea of candles in old Victorian candleholders, in a long white robe which felt almost ethereal. It was like we had just walked into the church of Weyes Blood, and oh my god did she blow us all away.
As she started on her first song, the opener of her latest album, It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody, a complete understanding of why she was voted one of the top solo singers of all time washed over me. Even during the long, slower, quieter songs there wasn’t any of the usual chatter and hardly anyone was filming, it just seemed like everyone was in pure euphoria at her voice and presence.
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She played a bevvy of new songs and some from her previous album Titanic Rising, like fan favourite Andromeda. It was all so amazing, her set was heavenly and with strings and organs being key instruments in her band the whole show felt angelic.
The last time she played in Manchester was four years ago in 2019 so who knows when she’ll be back to grace our stages. All I know is that you’ve got from now until then to get listening. 👇
We’ll see you at the next one!
Featured image: Publicity picture
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New data estimates that 7.3m Oasis fans are set to miss out on 2027 tour tickets
Emily Sergeant
New data has revealed that as many as 7.3 million Oasis fans could be set to miss out on tickets to the band’s 2027 tour.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced earlier this week that, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year, including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park, Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
But despite the elevated number of dates the Gallaghers and co will be performing, some new data has unfortunately revealed that millions of fans may still not be lucky enough to snag a ticket.
The ticketing system for Oasis Live ’27 is not what it was for the last tour, nor will it be similar to many other tours of a similar scale in the past either, as this time, the band and their promotors are taking necessary measures to ensure ‘genuine fans’ get their hands on the tickets and that dynamic pricing doesn’t creep in.
Instead of going into detail on that now though, you can read our full guide on how to get tickets for the Manchester and Knebworth shows here.
Experts at online ticketing platform TicketSource have analysed the scale of demand for Oasis tickets by comparing the 10 million fans worldwide who queued for the initial release of 1.4 million tickets for their 2025 tour, with the newly announced 2027 tour dates and stadium capacities.
With an estimated 2.67 million tickets available across 38 dates and 11 locations between 21 May and 19 September 2027, Oasis could still face huge demand from fans hoping to see them live.
But research reveals the band would need to play 112 Wembley-sized shows to accommodate everyone who tried to get a ticket in 2025.
The 2027 tour would accommodate just 26.7% of those who tried to get tickets last time, meaning almost three-quarters (73%) of them could miss out, leaving a shortfall of more than 7.3 million fans.
Fingers crossed you’re among the lucky lot that secure tickets, though.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
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Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
Dean Hadcock -
14th February 2023 
