Wilmslow is set to host its first flagship live music festival this upcoming May bank holiday weekend.
There’s lots of stuff going on this long weekend – be it the FA Cup final, the Great Manchester Run, the Manchester Jazz Festival and various other gigs – but if you fancy getting away from the bustle of the city centre, then this one is right up your street.
We’re talking about Wilmslow Live ’24: the affluent Cheshire suburb’s inaugural festival, which is set to be packed out with up-and-coming local acts, lots of food and drink, as well as plenty of fun for all the family.
Taking place on Saturday, 25 May over at the iconic Bank Square building, the local community and people from all over the region, Greater Manchester and beyond are being welcomed to the maiden live music festival just down the road.
Organised by Wilmslow Business Improvement District (BID), on behalf of the town centre businesses, the event will celebrate the very best in North West talent.
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The main stage in Bank Square, hosted by Cheshire’s local station Silk FM and sponsored by Orbit Developments, will see live performances from 12–6pm.
The lineup kicks off with the Neil Matthews Band, followed by performances from Aura Music Academy, Wilmslow High School’s Sunstate Band; the all-female Siren Sounds choir and Alderley and Wilmslow Musical Theatre Group (AWMTG), just for starters.
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You’ve also got singer-songwriter Jess Scragg, soul and funk band Violet Line, as well as indie folk-pop musician BlackSheepLad to round off the line-up.
But it doesn’t just stop at the music, there are also lots of free things to do for people to get involved with, including plenty to keep the kids busy over in Wilmslow Live’s dedicated Family Fun Zone at the music festival site on the bottom of Green Lane.
Sponsored by handcrafted furniture retailer, Arlo & Jacob, activities include mini golf, free face painting, games and balloon modelling.
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Oh, and then you’ve got all the scran. Sponsored by Langricks Chartered Accountants, a whole host of Wilmslow cafés, restaurants, pubs and bars are helping put on a street food-style service throughout the day. We often hate this phrase but there really is something for everyone at the bank holiday festival.
Wilmslow BID Manager, Lisa Russett, said: “We can’t wait for the first-ever Wilmslow Live! We’re delighted to be able to showcase local talent and with lots of options for food and drink and family-friendly activities on offer we’re confident it’s going to be a fantastic day with a brilliant atmosphere.”
Tickets are selling out fast but you can grab yours HERE.
Fast-rising Manc rockers ROLLA announce biggest-ever headline show
Danny Jones
Manchester band ROLLA have announced their biggest-ever headline gig right here in their hometown and it’s set to be a barnstormer.
The local rock and roll outfit are on the up not only amongst the Manc music scene but Britain at large, notching huge nods from the likes of Rolling Stone as well lots of love from us here at Audio North, and now the in-your-face five-piece are set for a landmark show.
Having crossed a number of city centre venues already, ROLLA have now revealed they will be playing none other than New Century Hall for the first time in their career.
Still only a few short years into their journey to stardom (and yes, we do believe they’re going to be that big), this latest date is a huge milestone for the Mancs.
MANCHESTER… IT’S TIME, THIS IS THE BIG ONE.
We're thrilled to announce our biggest ever headline show at New Century Hall May 3rd, 2025. 💥
Pre-sale Wednesday 10am, General sale Friday 10am. 🫡
It was only last month that the ferocious indie rockers put their ever-growing fan base to good use by throwing a sold-out charity gig at Salford Lads’ and Girls’ Club in a successful campaign to save it from closure, and the scenes from the show were unbelievable.
Speaking on what was a momentous night for the band and Greater Manchester as a whole, ROLLA hope it will go down as something “current and future members of the club and our fans can always look back on it as a special moment in time.”
They also detailed how the atmosphere at the gig was so electric that they used a lot of the footage to create the music video for the new single, ‘It Ain’t Easy’, labelling it “the perfect nod to the massive achievement of helping towards keeping the clubs’ doors open.”
And they really did put their money where their mouth was, raising a whopping £8,000 through ticket and merch sales on the night – a huge 24-hour contribution towards the overall £250k target which was finally reached with just a few days to spare last week.
You can hear the track and see the fantastic visuals that go along with it down below:
As far as memorable Manchester gigs, this is just the start for ROLLA.
Going to discuss the landmark headline show, the band added: “This is more than just a gig—it’s a defining moment for the band and our fans – a coming together of everything we’ve built so far and we mean to make it special. It’s gonna go off.
“New Century Hall is a proper Manchester institution. It’s been a part of the city’s music scene for decades, and after its recent revival, it’s sounding and looking better than ever. We can’t wait to fill it out with our sound.”
If you’ve not come across their sound before, there are some very noticeable Oasis influences – not just because of some very familiar-looking haircuts and use of sunglasses in their photoshoots either – but, put simply, they deliver some of the punchiest rock riffs around right now.
Music outlet Gigwise has hailed them as “one of the most energetic and full displays of indie rock ‘n’ roll on offer today” and we tend to agree, having also named them on our Manc Bands of the Month just this past October.
With their four-track debut EP set to release on 7 March, two tracks from which we’ve already heard and immediately added to our playlists, they’ll be bringing their tunes and hopefully more new music to the much-loved city centre venue on 3 May 2025.
We have every faith that they will set out the 1,300-capacity New Century Hall thanks to their already die-hard cult following alone, so you best be quick if you want to be there.
You can grab tickets to Rolla’s biggest-ever Manchester gig, not to mention for less than £20 per person, right now via the DICE anti-touting app or directly HERE.
Sam Fender double-header at Co-op Live – stage times, supports, setlist and everything you need to know
Danny Jones
It’s here, it’s finally here – it’s time for arguably one of the biggest gigs of the year: Sam Fender playing two utterly massive nights at Co-op Live.
Everyone’s favourite Geordie songwriter is heading to the state-of-the-art entertainment arena for the very first time this weekend for what is set to be a blockbuster double-header.
You already know the drill with these things, so let’s not waste your time.
Here’s everything you need to know about Sam Fender’s return to Manchester and Co-op Live debut.
Sam Fender at Co-op Live – all the important info
Credit: SuppliedCredit: The Manc GroupDriving his way to the Co-op Live arena for a maiden Manchester arena show.
Tickets – all hope’s not lost
Ok, no point in tormenting ourselves with this one, we all know that tickets for the last chance to see Sam Fender this year sold out pretty much all over the country.
In fact, to put things into context, all three of his Newcastle stadium shows at St James’ Park sold out in less than half an hour. Yeah, the UK loves this man. So, it will come as no surprise for you to hear that both dates here in Manchester are virtually all but gone. Almost…
Yes, perhaps down to some of the flak the 30-year-old has gained for the cost of these shows, there is still a decent handful of resale tickets for both the Friday (6 December) and the Saturday (7 Dec), so you don’t need to scramble around on other reseller sites. Seated starts from £54.95 but no standing.
If you have the spends before Christmas, you can grab yours HERE.
Who is supporting Sam Fender?
Now this is one we’re super excited about. If you’ve been keeping any sort of tabs on our music coverage over the past year or so, you may or may not have picked up on our very serious obsessions with a little band called Wunderhorse. Not that they’ll be staying ‘little’ for much longer, mind.
The Cambridge-formed four-piece are up there with the best bands coming out of the UK and Ireland right now, behind the likes of Fontaines D.C. and ‘r Sam, of course. We’ve seen them multiple times this year and will be doing so again if we can grab some last-minute spares for their May shows.
We even had the pleasure of chatting with frontman Jacob Slater about the release of their sensational sophomore album, Midas, back in August. They supported Sam back in 2022 when we first saw them and they’ve only got more incredible since then; trust us, you’re in for an incredible time.
Now, as for when you can expect these two to take the stage on Friday and Saturday, respectively, doors to the Co-op Live arena will be open from 6:30pm and Wunderhorse should start around 7:45pm.
The warm-ups will be playing eight songs and finishing with ‘Teal’ and ‘July’ to get the crowd’s energy nice and high by the end of their roughly 45-minute set.
This should give you a half-hour window to nip to the loo, grab your next pint or just mentally prepare for the main event at 9pm, with Sam Fender’s performance due to conclude around 10:40pm.
Setlist
Moving on to what you’ll be hearing on the night, we’ve heard plenty of rumblings about the length of the setlist – suppose it comes down to personal preference – but it does look like he listened to the fans and added ‘The Dying Light’ straight back into the running order after leaving it out it in Dublin.
Wise choice, Sam.
The Kitchen
Getting Started
The Borders
Wild Long Lie
All Is on My Side
Nostalgia’s Lie
Arm’s Length
Will We Talk?
People Watching
Spice
Howdon Aldi Death Queue
Get You Down
Spit of You
The Dying Light
Seventeen Going Under
Encore
Hypersonic Missiles
We can also vouch for these as our Audio North delegation over at The Hoot were there in the flesh in Leeds and had an absolute blast.
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, luckily it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
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If you want to take another new and improved arm of Manchester’s public transport system, not only is there a whole host of routes that drop you off close to the venue but there’ll also be a free shuttle bus from the city centre to and from events between 20 April-30 June 2024.
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
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Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the boke all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.