Feature

Arctic Monkeys at Emirates Old Trafford Manchester 2023 – stage times, support act, setlist, and more

The Sheffield lads are over in our neck of the woods for two massive gigs this week.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 31st May 2023

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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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Who is supporting Arctic Monkeys in Manchester?

Arctic Monkeys have two support acts lined up for both of the Manchester gigs.

The Hives
The 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.

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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.

  1. Mardy Bum
  2. Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair
  3. Brianstorm
  4. Snap Out of It
  5. Crying Lightning
  6. Teddy Picker
  7. The View From the Afternoon
  8. Four Out of Five
  9. Why’d You Only Call Me When You’re High?
  10. Arabella (with Pretty Visitors instrumental interlude)
  11. My Propeller
  12. Fluorescent Adolescent
  13. Suck It and See
  14. Do I Wanna Know?
  15. There’d Better Be a Mirrorball
  16. I Wanna Be Yours (John Cooper Clarke cover)
  17. 505
  18. Body Paint
  19. Sculptures of Anything Goes
  20. I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor
  21. R U Mine?
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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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Featured Image – Zackery Michael (via SJM)

Feature

The best, biggest and bouijiest hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The best hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre

Hotels are opening in Manchester city centre at a rate that’s hard to keep up with, diversifying the overnight offering with every passing minute, and they’re also some of the very best in the UK.

We’ve got plenty of familiar boltholes if you can’t tear yourself away from the familiarity of a Premier Inn purple bedroom, or the reliable comforts of a Hilton, but also plenty of smaller names offering a stylish place to rest your head.

We’ve rounded up a dozen of the very best that Manchester has to offer – expect rooftop pools, riverside terraces, grand architecture and celebrity chefs.

And not all of them come with an eye-watering price tag…

The top 10 hotels in central Manchester

1. Dakota

If you want a hotel with loads of atmosphere as well as a grown-up space with a dark, moody interior, then Dakota is absolutely the one for you.

This beautiful hotel opened back in 2019; a huge £30m black box on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter that has seen celebrity guests such as Hugh Jackman, Molly Mae-Hague, Mel B and many more.

The deluxe suites here will set you back around £765 a night, and come with their own living room and loads of luxuries. No wonder it was voted ‘one of the best places to stay in the world’.

Even if you’re not stopping the night, the riverside terrace is an absolute gem for a civilised drink, filled with plants and natural light.

29 Ducie Street, M1 2JL | dakotahotels.co.uk

2. voco Manchester

voco hotel mcr
what happened to hotel brooklyn manchester?
Credit: voco Manchester

Formerly Hotel Brooklyn – we all know Manchester has a habit of drawing comparisons to New York, albeit a smaller, soggier version, – voco Manchester still has all the glamour as was originally intended.

The hotel first opened at the worst possible time, being thrust in and out of lockdowns within weeks of opening, but since then it’s attracted rave reviews and been named among the top 20 ‘hottest new hotels’ by Traveller’s Choice among many glowing reviews.

Even after being over by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in December 2023, the 189-room hotel has taken on a new life, boasting the in-house Runyons Restaurant which still keeps those US connections, as well as an open-plan lobby lounge featuring a big screen for live sport and entertainment.

It may be different from what it was but there’s still plenty of style to be seen here.

59 Portland Street, M1 3HP | ihg.com

3. The Lowry Hotel

Just across the border into Salford is The Lowry Hotel, and a big, sweeping curve of pure class sticking out above the river. It’s got a global reputation and it’s no surprise when its guestbook features some of the biggest celebrities of all time.

Remember when Taylor Swift rented out the entire place, or Jose Mourinho decided to just live there, rather than find an apartment, during his time as Manchester United manager? Not to mention Britney Spears, David Beckham, Rihanna, Take That, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and countless others.

Having undergone a £5m bedroom refurb, The Lowry has one of the smartest and brightest interiors in the north of England, one of the region’s most expensive hotel rooms (a casual £4,500 a night for the presidential suite), as well as a super high-tech spa. We also enjoy just heading there for the Lowry bottomless brunch, to be honest.

50 Dearmans Place, M3 5LH | thelowryhotel.com

4. Kimpton Clocktower

The Kimpton Clocktower – previously known as the Palace and Principal Hotel, among multiple other monikers – oozes timeless sophistication, a relic of Victorian grandeur but with a boutique hotel feel to it.

The lobby is one of the most impressive spaces in Greater Manchester, all polished tile and marble beneath a glass-domed ceiling, setting the scene for the rooms themselves (high ceilings, big windows, and plenty of historical details).

Another big plus when it comes to the Kimpton is its in-house bar and restaurant: The Refuge, which is a cut above the average hotel offering and is very much its own entity with a reputation for fabulous late-night and seasonal events, a divine bottomless brunch and plenty of other distinct draws.

Oxford Street, M60 7HA | kimptonclocktowerhotel.com

palace hotel manchester
The lobby at Kimpton Clocktower
kimpton clocktower hotel room prices
One of their many stylish rooms
Credit: Kimpton/The Manc Group

5. The Midland

If only walls could talk, The Midland Hotel would have some of the best stories on Earth.

The landmark hotel has been part of the fabric of Manchester for more than 100 years, with 312 luxurious rooms, and it’s storied that it’s where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce (of Rolls Royce fame) were introduced.

Then there are the communal spaces, even fancier now after their £14m refurbishment, including restaurants Adam Reid at The French and Mount Street Dining Room, and the incredible circular champagne bar in the middle of the lobby.

It’s also the place to come for a traditional afternoon tea and has a truly cracking spa. This place doesn’t need any kind of sale pitch: it’s unquestionably one of the best hotels in Manchester – if not the best.

16 Peter Street, M60 2DS | themidlandhotel.co.uk

midland hotel review
Credit: Tecmark Ltd (via Flickr)

6. Whitworth Locke

The curb appeal of Whitworth Locke is something else, from its decadent bar housed in a Parisian-style conservatory and fine culinary offerings (Peru Perdu and a Foundation Coffee House are both in here), to its incredible location right on the edge of the Gay Village.

Each of the rooms is a self-contained haven, from studio apartments all the way up to two-bedroom duplex suites, decorated in a Pinterest-worthy palette of greens and pinks (a muted sample of the terracotta bricks outside).

There’s a free workspace area that spills into a truly stunning conservatory bar, as well as a packed calendar of events too, so whether you’re an out-of-town guest or a local Manc looking to fill a few hours, you’ll be kept busy enough.

74 Princess Street, M1 6JD | lockeliving.com

Whitworth Locke hotel review: This historic Manchester building is home to one of the city’s most beautiful hotels
Safe to say we’re big fans of this much-loved Manchester hotel.

7. King Street Townhouse

You have, almost without a doubt, seen photos of the King Street Townhouse before – this is the hotel that introduced the infinity pool to the city centre, with views of the Town Hall (well, currently of scaffolding).

The hotel has its own cinema room, a rooftop terrace bar, a new gym, and incredible afternoon teas.

The smart rooms range in size from ‘snug’ to ‘cosy’ to ‘comfy’ to suites, with suites priced at around £430 a night.

From afternoon tea and lunch deals to spa offers, big group events, private screening and so much more, King St Townhouse isn’t just one of the best hotels in Manchester, it’s also one of the most well-rounded in terms of its overall hospitality.

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10 Booth St, Manchester M2 4AW | kingstreettownhouse.co.uk

8. The Alan

One of the newest hotels to open in Manchester (and they are popping up like daisies) is The Alan, which has stripped the old Princess Street Hotel back to expose and celebrate its original features.

There are 137 bedrooms, each with high ceilings and warm textures, an open-plan kitchen, a restaurant and bar, as well as event spaces.

The devil is in the detail here and the design has been carefully thought-out. The floor is made from a collage of discarded marble, and the dried flowers illuminated beneath the bar were actually foraged by the hotel’s owners at the time they secured plans for The Alan… while they were broken down on the side of the motorway.

18 Princess St, Manchester M1 4LG | thealanhotel.com

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There’s another new hotel in Manchester – and The Alan is a beauty
It’s gone on to become comfortably one of the best luxury hotels in Manchester since it opened in 2022.

9. Stock Exchange Hotel

Famous names absolutely litter Stock Exchange Hotel, which is easily one of the grandest spaces in all of Greater Manchester.

Not only does it come from Gary Neville’s rapidly-booking hospitality empire, but it’s also backed by world-famous hotelier Winston Zahra, not to mention high-profile chefs and hospitality figures like Tom Kerridge and The Schofield Brothers having run the kitchen.

You could be looking at as much as £1500 for a night in the suites, but the rooms start at a much lower rate – and then there’s ‘The House’, an enormous fully serviced, ultra-exclusive penthouse apartment with its own roof terrace.

4 Norfolk St, Manchester M2 1DW | stockexchangehotel.co.uk

10. The Reach

The newest addition to Manchester’s ever-growing hotel and resort sector, The Reach has landed just a short walk from Piccadilly Station and is only a few minutes away from the bustling Northern Quarter, meaning that like Dakota, it’s picked a prime logistical and cultural location.

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But enough about topographical perks, this place is simply sublime, serving exquisite food and drink from its Lock 84 restaurant overlooking the Rochdale Canal, with rooms that are just as spacious as they are luxurious.

Perfect for business or pleasure, The Reach is already becoming a popular choice for those visiting Manchester and has comfortably landed itself on the list of the very best hotels we have to offer here in the city centre.

7 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JB | thereachmcr.com

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Feature

Circa Waves on their new album, unreal tour lineup, a big health scare and ‘the best band’ around right now

Danny Jones Danny Jones Circa Waves interview on new album and 2025 tour lineup

With Circa Waves announcing a new album and a brand new UK tour early next year, we were very kindly given the privilege to chat with one of the most consistent indie bands of the past decade.

Sitting down with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kieran Shudall, we were buzzing with questions about their upcoming record, what we’re dubbing as one of the best indie tour lineups in years, what they’re making of the UK music scene right now and, of course, why the North West is the best.

For anyone unaware, it’s been a pretty intense period for the Liverpool lads and their frontman, especially, after a health scare early last year, so we’re more grateful than ever that they’re back and looking in true fighting form ahead of their shows come February 2025.

You can read our full interview with Circa Waves down below.

Audio North interviews Kieran from Circa Waves

Circa Waves live in Kobetamendi, Bilbao at BBK Live 2017.
Kieran gave us a really great, in-depth chat.
Credit: Dena Flows/The Manc Group

Right off the bat, the sixth studio album is coming out, Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a big, bold title – what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?

Well, ‘Death and Love’ was basically the first song I ever wrote for Circa. It was back in 2012 or something, but it never got released and it was just a title that was always lying around.

We were trying to think of a title for this record and with what I went through – like a big sort of health scare and then came out the other side and feeling very grateful for life – that seemed like a really appropriate title and I feel like it grabs your attention a little bit.

Feel free to move on if it’s too personal but if you would you mind telling us about the health scare?

Yeah, well, about a year and a half ago now I found out that one of my arteries in my heart was fully blocked and, basically, within like two days was on the operating table with them sticking a thing [stent] up my arm into my heart. Yeah, it was mad.

We had to cancel a bunch of tours; I got told you have to sign this form that says you have a 100% chance of dying on the operating table, so that’s not cool. It was just mad and I kind of came through the other side feeling super grateful and happy to be alive and in a band, you know

I feel more fortunate now that I’ve got through it all, so a lot of the record is about getting through that and the fears that came along with it. It gave me some good material haha.

For sure, that trauma always serves great art at least. There’s obviously a part one in there too, so is the second done and was this a double album experience in the recording process?

I’m still doing it – finishing it right now actually. We kind of just had too many songs and thought let’s just split it into two. I guess back in the day it’d be like a double album but yeah, the first one is nine songs and this one I’m still deciding. Maybe 10?

There’s just had a lot of ideas and we thought, well, why not? In this day and age, it’s so easy to kind of put music out and people consume music so fast that it felt like we just may as well.

Absolutely. So where do you think you’ve pushed things sonically this time – is it more of an evolution or a continuation?

I feel like we’ve landed on our feet in what we’re about now, certainly what I think Circa Waves should sound like, so it’s kind of similar to the early records, I guess.

A lot more guitars, sort of raw, scrappy drums, and they feel like festival songs to me but obviously the subject matter is like 10 years on from the first record, so your life experience makes the lyrics different, but I hope that it sort of feels like a refinement of sorts.

And have you guys got a favourite track that you’re particularly excited for people to hear or a personal favourite?

The thing about band members is everyone just likes it when their instrument’s the loudest. I don’t know, there’s a track called ‘Hold It Steady’ which is quite different to anything we’ve done before; I’m excited for that one to be heard but I think they’re all bangers.

We’ll absolutely take that haha. For the tour, you’ve got an unreal lineup of support acts with Peace and our fellow Mancs, Corella – we’ve seen both of them this year and they were great – how did you go around picking your warm-ups?

Peace was a funny one, I sort of have liked them for a long time and I went to the old NME Tour that they were on in probably 2011 or something but I remember watching them being like, ‘Oh wow and man I’d love to do the NME Tour.

Circa Waves didn’t exist at the time and then a few years later we did it ourselves, so they were sort of a big inspiration for me to play indie music, so it was cool to have them on. And then Corella are just ones that have been cropping up every two minutes on my Instagram feed and they’re just like a really good indie band right now.

Who is supporting Circa Waves in Manchester?
Peace at Kendal Calling 2024
circa waves tour support acts
Corella had a pretty iconic moment on the main stage too…

So it all felt like a good fit and we kind of want to just make the night feel like a big festival of music that people will love that type of music really. It’s just a proper guitary indie night, you know?

Lovely, can’t complain about that. In terms of venues, you’ve got some great Northern institutions on there: The Academy in Leeds, Victoria Warehouse here in Manchester and your massive hometown show. How much do you love those dates as North West locals?

Yeah, I love it, man. I mean, there’s nothing better than playing up North and I know that sounds like something that people say to just please people from there but it really is the best.

Liverpool, obviously, for me is such a big one and my family all go to those ones, so it’s cool for that reason but Manchester’s always been an amazing crowd. I don’t know what it is about Manchester – Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool are always just amazing.

Bang on, and as for that hometown gig, how special is that Olympia show gonna be and do you have any special treatment up your sleeve?

You know what? I haven’t thought about it. There’s always the temptation of asking someone to get up with you. [Yeah, maybe get Jamie Webster on the go?] Yeah, I’ve been writing with Jamie and Miles [Kane] quite a bit but I don’t know. We’ll keep it all secret anyway.

Yeah let’s not spoil anything. Another one we’re always curious of is how much you consider that famous Manc vs Scouse rivalry in music. Do you buy into it at all?

I don’t know, I think in my life when you have like really p***ed up conversations with someone who’s more into the Manc scene than the Liverpool scene I just think we’ve got The Beatles, so we always win.

I do think, you know, you’ve got your Joy Divisions and your Smiths and your Oasis and all this – they’re amazing bands, but we’ve got The Beatles. So it’s just you can’t like. [Like the ultimate Top Trumps card] Yeah, in Pokemon, it’d be shiny Charizard.

Fair enough. What about other Northern acts you’re particularly excited by at the minute?

I mean, there’s so many but it’s too hard but the band I think are the best at the moment is Wunderhorse. I met Jacob [Slater] a while ago when he was doing Dead Pretties and I was like obsessed with his writing and he sent me a bunch of acoustic stuff and I was just like man, “You are f***ing annoyingly talented.”

Then when Wunderhorse came out and I was just blown away. It’s amazing to watch it just become this big thing now. It’s cool to see people on TikTok sharing clips of ‘Teal’ and just seeing kids getting into proper music. So yeah, love them, man – I’m so excited to see where they end up.

He’s not wrong, by the way. Their Manchester Academy gig in October was one the best of our lives and not to sound like needy cool kids but we’ve very much backed them from day one.

Wunderhorse’s Jacob Slater on the band’s rise, second album, raw energy on stage and more
You can read our full interview with Jacob himself here.

Preaching to the choir here, mate. And finally, if Death and Love are two of the words, what’s the third?

Hmmm… Fortitude. That’s me trying to be really clever there – I’m not but that’s my answer.

Read more:

We really appreciate Kieran taking the time to chat with us and are so glad that he’s now fully recovered and raring to go.

Death & Love Pt. 1 is scheduled to release on Friday, 31 January and Circa Waves will bring their new music to the stage the following month.

You can grab your tickets to their Manchester show HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Dena Flows/The Manc Group

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