Arctic Monkeys are set to play two massive shows at Emirates Old Trafford as part of their sold-out 2023 UK tour this week.
After having the crowd in the palm of their hands as they took to the stage in two other major UK cities this week, the Sheffield indie rock icons are finally making their way to visit us here in Manchester and will be be playing to around 50,000 adoring fans over two nights at Emirates Old Trafford.
The beloved four-piece, fronted by Alex Turner, with Matt Helders on drums, guitarist Jamie Cook, and bass player Nick O’Malley, are undoubtedly one of the most successful British bands of the 21st century after bursting onto the scene with their debut album back in 2006 – which became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history.
That’s just one of a handful of records the indie rockers have to their name throughout their celebrated careers, as well as claiming six UK number one albums, selling over 12 millions records, and taking home countless awards – including BRITs, GRAMMYs, and the coveted Mercury Prize .
They’ve also had headlining slots at some of the world’s most famous music festivals, including Glastonbury twice.
The band are playing in Manchester this week as part of their 2023 UK tour following the release of their critically-acclaimed seventh studio album, The Car, back in October 2022.
And they look set to put on a seriously memorable show.
ADVERTISEMENT
So if you’re heading to see Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford Manchester this weekend, then here’s everything you need to know.
Arctic Monkeys are playing in Manchester as part of their 2023 UK tour / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
When are Arctic Monkeys playing in Manchester?
Arctic Monkeys were originally only booked to play one night at Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 2 June, but after tickets sold-out in absolutely no time at all, the Sheffield band were quick to add a second Manchester date into the mix.
The band will now take to the stage on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
ADVERTISEMENT
With Emirates Old Trafford having a maximum gig capacity of 50,000 people, this means that up to 100,000 fans could see the indie rockers live over the two nights.
Are there any tickets still available?
Given the sold-out first night, and the decision to add a second night due to the absolutely overwhelming demand by fans, as you might expect, tickets to both Arctic Monkeys dates in Manchester are extremely hard to come by at this point.
At the time of writing, popular ticketing website Ticketmaster showed their were no tickets available to purchase, although this could change at any moment, so it’s worth continuing to check.
Also make sure to keep your eye on SeeTickets here for any last-minute releases.
And if you try to buy tickets second-hand, please make sure you’re using a reputable resale site so you don’t get caught out by scammers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Who is supporting Arctic Monkeys in Manchester?
Arctic Monkeys have two support acts lined up for both of the Manchester gigs.
The HivesThe Mysterines
The Hives
The Hives are the first of two acts supporting Arctic Monkeys on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
With six studio albums to their name, the Swedish five-piece rock band rose to prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival, and their mainstream success followed with the release of their second album, Veni Vidi Vicious, which featured the hit single ‘Hate to Say I Told You So’.
The band has been acclaimed by music critics as one of the best live rock bands of the 21st century, so concertgoers are in for a real treat.
The Mysterines
The Mysterines are the second act supporting Arctic Monkeys, with the British alternative rock band hailing from Liverpool and the Wirral, and fronted by Lia Metcalfe, having enjoyed recent success following the release of their debut album, Reeling, back in March 2022 – which reached number nine on the UK Albums Chart.
ADVERTISEMENT
Stage times
These are expected stage times, although everything is subject to change on the night.
Gates Open – 5pm (Friday) and 4:30pm (Saturday)
Support Acts – The first support act is expected on stage around 6:40pm.
Arctic Monkeys – Expected on stage anywhere from 8:45pm – 9pm.
Emirates Old Trafford says the gig will finish “no later than 10:30pm”, and you can find more FAQs on the venue’s website here.
The Sheffield quartet will play Emirates Old Trafford on Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
What is the potential setlist?
Although nothing is confirmed, with artists and bands known to switch setlists up from gig to gig and throw in a few surprises here and there, depending on the energy of the crowd and what they’re feeling that night, Arctic Monkeys have been roughly following a particular order of songs since their 2023 UK tour began.
Here’s the setlist from their gig in Bristol earlier this week.
Arctic Monkeys is fronted by Alex Turner on vocals and guitar / Credit: Arctic Monkeys (via Instagram)
How to get to Emirates Old Trafford
There are, of course, a number of ways to get to Emirates Old Trafford, but as more 300,000 people are expecting to be descending on Manchester’s major venues for musical events this week, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has been advising that the Metrolink will be the “quickest and most-reliable way” of travelling in and around the city centre.
ADVERTISEMENT
TfGM has also strongly encouraged that people making their way to either of the two Arctic Monkeys “plan ahead” due to coordinated rail strikes by Aslef and RMT unions on both Friday 2 and Saturday 3 June.
📣 It's a busy time for Manchester over the coming week! Here is a brief overview of what's to come:
– Rail strikes – Coldplay at the Etihad – Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford – Elton John at AO Arena
— Transport for Greater Manchester 🚲🚶🏾♀️ (@OfficialTfGM) May 28, 2023
The closest Metrolink stop is Old Trafford, which is located next to Emirates Old Trafford, but it will be busy both before and after the concerts, so you could also use Trafford Bar for both southbound journeys on the East Didsbury or Airport lines, and for journeys back to the city centre.
The last tram from Old Trafford to the city centre will depart at 1:08am and towards Altrincham at 12:29am, while the last tram from Trafford Bar to East Didsbury will depart at 11:46pm and to the Airport at 11:31pm.
Drivers are being asked to add “a significant amount of additional time” to their journeys”, with congestion expected in the city centre and on the Inner Ring Road across the weekend.
You can read more about TfGM’s travel advice for this weekend here.
ADVERTISEMENT
___
Featured Image – Zackery Michael (via SJM)
Feature
In celebration of Momo Shop: a Chorlton favourite that has flourished since its rebrand
Danny Jones
It’s not often we go out of our way to hammer home just how staggering we found a restaurant, but after now losing track of the number of times that a member of our team has eaten at Momo Shop in Chorlton and come back near speechless, it deserves more than a review.
We regularly hold ourselves back and resist the urge to talk in superlatives wherever possible, especially because we worry we might be falling into the recency bias trap, but in this instance, we’re going to go out on a limb and fall on our hospitality sword. Well, this particular writer is…
It’s official: Momo Shop Nepali Street Food – for our money, anyway – is up there with one of THE best restaurants in Manchester right now.
And there are plenty of reasons why, not least of all because of the years of practice they have feeding increasingly discerning Manc diners under a different moniker.
Simple but charming – all the focus is on the foodAnd the food speaks for itselfSome of the most flavourful fillings you’ll find in ManchesterBusy any given night of the weekNo review (Credit: The Manc Eats/Momo Shop via Instagram)
If you don’t live in/frequent Chorlton, you’ll be forgiven for thinking that this gaff was a somewhat new addition to Chorlton, but in actual fact it’s been gradually growing a loyal and passionate following for more than seven years.
This is because before the miniamlist rebrand that saw the walls stripped back, the exterior painted blue and cutesy little bits of artwork hung amidst that familiar and atmospheric festoon lighting, Momo Shop was once The Little Yeti.
Its former iteration boasted hundreds of glowing reviews in its own right, which already plated up plenty of stunning Nepalese food, but since switching primarily towards serving a menu primarily made up of momos (Tibetan-style fried dumplings hand-folded into various shapes) they’ve well and truly shone.
Now approaching a full 12 months under the new name, the Nepali street food spot isn’t just one of a relatviely small handful considering how much great South Asian food there is across Greater Manchester, we’d wager it could be the very best representing that Alpine-Himalayan belt in our region.
Our latest visit was genuinely just as good as our first, second, third and so on – take your pick.
From the simply incredible deep fried pork dumplings and the deeply moorish butter sauce that goes with literally any momo filling, to the super traditional buffalo ones that are not only authentic but, come on, where else can you find such a unique meat in these parts? It’s some of the best food we’ve eaten.
And we don’t just mean of late; Momo Shop might genuinely among of the nicest scran we’ve had in ages and it’s no exagerration to say that the first taste we enjoyed from many of these flavours have formed some of the strongest culinary memories we’ve created in quite a while.
It’s also worth nothing that it isn’t just one main snack-sized dish. The chow mein, keema noodles and cheesy chops are showstoppers themselves, and we’ve already booked in again for a 30th birthday celebration purely so we can try those lambs ribs and their take on a shashlick.
Nevertheless, we love the idea of the numerous configurations and concotions by pairing different dumplings and owner Niti Karki gave us some pro-tips of the best duos and even let us in on the trade secret of her go-to combo when she’s hungover. Legend.
Once again, at the risk of sounding too hyperbolic, odd moments have felt like core foodie memories on a par with our favourite all-time meals.
Personally, I’m glad to report that this isn’t just a review: consider this a declaration that Momo Shop has quickly become my favourite restaurant not just in Chorlton but in all of central Manchester, something I haven’t had since the heartbreaking closure of Cocktail Beer Ramen + Bun in 2023.
Plenty of varietyDamn straightNiti = absolute iconWe’ll keep your condiment secret forever, Niti…
There might be an element of the almost HakkaPo-esque style drawings, the colour palette and the carefully curated pop-punk, old school emo and post-hardcore playlist that’s over half a decade in the making that makes particualrly partial to this place
But before we wrap up this glorified love letter parading as a ‘review’, we also want to give a special nod to the charming staff and Niti’s mum, specficially, who was too modest to even let us share her picture, but whose wealth of wisdom, influence and experience has clearly inspired Momo Shop’s success.
Don’t be shy, Sue – the only thing more stylish than the food was you, girl. Pop off.
Put simply, we’ll be going back here as regularly as possible until we try every different momo + sauce variation there is, and there’s nothing you can do to stop us.
If you are in the mood for more dumpling excellence, by the way, you might want to check out the unassuming Northern Quarter gem that is Chef Diao.
Lady Gaga is a tour-de-force of talent at the Co-op Live Manchester
Clementine Hall
Lady Gaga proves she’s a truly world-class act after two sold-out nights at the Co-op Live Manchester, as if we needed any reminding.
The city of Manchester has been flooded with harness-wearing, mesh-sporting little monsters over the past two days.
And that’s because the absolute icon that is Lady Gaga brought her ‘Mayhem Ball’ to the Co-op Live for two nights.
I don’t think you’ll find anyone who doesn’t know who this fabulous woman is. Over the past decade, she’s won an Oscar, headlined the Super Bowl, performed in blockbusters alongside Al Pacino, no less, and her songs are literally ingrained into our minds.
It’s been a whole 11 years (yes, really) since she performed in Manchester, and it’s safe to say she was back with a bang.
The performance was split up into five distinct acts, and each one was as exhausting and exhilarating as the next.
She begins the show by bopping out of a comically huge red dress, but this staging was only the start of what madness was about to ensue.
Luckily, we’d been prepared by the other half of the Audio North team, who had the equal privilege of seeing her on night one and were left similarly speechless.
Throughout the 30-song epic, we had crutches, sand pits, cages, skeletons, enough wigs to produce an amateur production of Annie, and we didn’t question any of it. Why would we? It’s Lady Gaga.
Kicking things off with ‘Bloody Mary’, the two and a half hour marathon didn’t leave any stones unturned.
We had all the bangers, from ‘Just Dance’ and ‘Paparazzi’ to ‘Bad Romance’ and ‘Applause’, it had us wondering why any other superstar even bothers putting a song out these days.
Pop is in a good place at the moment with the likes of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish and so on, but you can make a strong case for Gaga having helped pave the way for every lady in the business ever since.
Gaga truly had us in the palm of her hands (or claws at one point), even more so when she left the stage to de-robe and show her more vulnerable side for the last two songs – beanie firmly on.
It wasn’t just a concert: this was a fully-fledged tour de force of talent that Manchester won’t forget any time soon.
Sometimes there’s no point in intellectualising why someone has that ‘X-factor’; sometimes you just have to take a step back and say WOW.
Emily Sergeant -
31st May 2023 
