Coldplay will finally touch down in Manchester this month for their long-awaited Music of the Spheres World Tour.
The group, fronted by Chris Martin, will be performing a whopping four nights at the 60,000-capacity Etihad Stadium, home ground of Manchester City.
It’s the first time they’ve brought this tour to the city, choosing London and Glasgow on last year’s run of shows.
Coldplay are one of the most successful and popular bands of the last three decades, with nine albums and endless sold-out concerts in their back catalogue.
They’re also famed for putting on a staggering live show.
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This 2023 tour promises to be as environmentally beneficial as possible. They’ve even added a kinetic dance floor that harvests energy from the audience’s dancing, and installed electricity-generating pedal bikes so that the crowd can recharge the band’s battery by having a little cycle.
If you’re heading to see Coldplay at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, here’s everything you need to know.
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When are Coldplay performing in Manchester?
Coldplay at Wembley. Credit: Robert Mallows
Coldplay will be taking over the Etihad Stadium for FOUR nights – quite a feat.
They’ll be performing on Wednesday 31 May, Thursday 1 June, Saturday 3 June and Sunday 4 June.
So as you might expect, tickets are extremely hard to come by at this point.
At the time of writing, there was one single, lonely seat left in the entire venue for the band’s opening show – and absolutely nothing for subsequent dates.
According to the Man City site, these are the stage times for Colplay and their support acts.
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Campus opening time – 2pm
Doors open – 5pm
Porij – 6pm-6.30pm
Chvrches – 7pm-7.45pm
Coldplay – 8.15pm-10.15pm
What’s the expected setlist?
Coldplay. Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs
Setlists will always be subject to change as artists hone their live show, but this is what Coldplay played on their most recent gig in Barcelona.
Higher Power Adventure of a Lifetime Paradise The Scientist Viva la Vida Something Just Like This (The Chainsmokers & Coldplay cover) Magic What’s Love Got to Do With It (Graham Lyle cover) (with Lauren Mayberry) Charlie Brown Yellow Human Heart People of the Pride Clocks Infinity Sign Hymn for the Weekend Aeterna My Universe (Coldplay x BTS cover) A Sky Full of Stars Sunrise Bamboléo (Gipsy Kings cover) (with Gipsy Kings) Nel blu, dipinto di blu (Domenico Modugno cover) (with Gipsy Kings) Humankind Fix You Biutyful
How to get to the Etihad Stadium
A map of Etihad Campus.
Public-transport wise, the Metrolink is the most direct way to get to the Etihad Stadium (and its dedicated tram stop Etihad Campus), which is just a few stops away from Manchester Piccadilly.
Both Holt Town and Velopark Metrolink stops, located on either side of the Etihad Campus stop, will not be open for at least an hour after an event at the stadium.
The trams will be very busy though, and the weather looks good, so you might prefer to walk – it’s around a 30 minute stroll from town with this safe walking route recommended.
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If you need to drive, official car parking is priced at £25 for cars, £50 for coaches, and £40 for mini buses.
There are unofficial car parks near the stadium too but make sure you’re not getting ripped off.
Weather forecast in Manchester for Coldplay
Oh guys, you’re in luck – for once in its life Manchester has a stunning weather forecast for the entire run of Coldplay shows.
It’s set to be sunny with highs of 19 degrees on Wednesday and Thursday, then there’s more sunshine with a high of 20 degrees on Saturday and Sunday. Glorious.
Featured image: Publicity picture
Feature
What it’s like to stay in Manchester’s surprisingly affordable new mid-century hotel, Mollie’s
Daisy Jackson
There’s a fine line between ‘tastefully retro’ and ‘your nan’s spare room’, but the city’s newest hotel – Mollie’s Manchester – lands firmly in the former.
Designed by the same team behind Soho House, this (surprisingly affordable) mid-century hotel feels like stepping into the 1950s… if the 1950s had Pelotons and Dyson Airwraps in the wardrobes and enough aesthetic lighting to make everyone look faintly famous.
Whether you’re booking the classic rooms, usually priced from £109, or the huge suites, you can expect the same level of design detail.
Think terrazzo tiles, teak panelling, sage greens, burnt oranges, and interesting textures on every sittable surface.
And unlike some hotels that punish you for booking the ‘basic’ room by giving you a view of an air conditioning unit and a kettle balanced on a luggage rack, every room type at Mollie’s feels far more premium than the actual price tag.
For our stay, we were welcomed with batched cocktails and a mini fridge filled with treats like canned wine (which feels deeply respectful of modern traveller needs), plus a Grind coffee machine, fluffy robes, giant TVs, rainfall showers, and Cowshed toiletries.
If you end up on the better side of the hotel, you’ll have views of the city skyline from your bed, your sofa, or your bath.
Design details in a Mollie’s Manchester roomGrind coffee machine in the roomA Dyson Airwrap in the wardrobe of a studio roomAnd an actual Peloton bike in your room, tooThe beautiful bedroomA bunk room at Mollie’s Motel ManchesterViews from your bedA Mollie’s Motel suite
There are bunk rooms you can book too, where up to four people can climb into stylish wooden sleep pods, so cool I’m immediately planning a girls’ night out where someone can hand me a martini as I climb into a luxury bunk bed.
Downstairs in Mollie’s, which has taken over the former Granada Studios, you’ll find a cocktail bar that seems to pay homage to the building’s history.
Studio IV has vintage TV screens above the bar, music performances and DJs on stage, and cocktails inspired live music you can enjoy from a loungey vintage-patterned sofa.
Breakfast at Mollie’s ManchesterCocktails in Studio IVMollie’s Diner is open nowBurgers and fried chicken at Mollie’s DinerStudio IV cocktail barInside Mollie’s Motel & Diner Manchester
Then there’s Mollie’s Diner, which fully commits to recreating 1950s Americana. Inspired by a vintage Cadillac, the interiors are all deep burgundy leather booths, glowing globe lights, and polished chrome details.
The menu is exactly what you want from a diner like this: thick milkshakes, burgers, steaks, and fried chicken in the evenings; waffles, French toast, eggs any style in the mornings.
Mollie’s Manchester may be inspired by the Golden Age of Hollywood – but it’s heralding in a new Golden Age of hotel for Manchester too.
The Marble Arch is increasingly becoming much more than a pub – it’s now a brilliant Manc bistro
Danny Jones
If you’ve been to The Marble Inn in Manchester before, you’ll know it’s always nailed cosy Northern pub vibes; to tell the truth, the food has always been pretty good, too, but their new menu is really something to write home about.
So we did.
The historic old boozer located on Rochdale Road has sat there in some shape or form since way back in 1888, and naturally, things have evolved significantly over the years – decades, certainly.
But the latest iteration of food and drink at the increasingly forward-thinking Marble Arch Inn is a cut above, bringing together a fusion of current culinary trends and contemporary takes on pub classics.
No. 73 enters a new chapterOne of the best pies we’ve probably ever hadCredit: The Manc Eats
Now just over a month into its run at the home of Marble Brewers just beyond Ancoats, it feels rather fitting that this place has always sat on the cusp of surrounding districts in somewhat of a Manc no-man’s land, as there’s something about this place that feels like it’s dancing on the line of a scene.
Recently installed head chef Adam Shatarsky is still self-admittedly pretty green in comparison to lots of other local chefs, as he’s only been cooking for around five years, but his spells at Mackie Mayor’s Taiko and Cardinal Rule in NQ have already proved he’s got to grips with how the city eats.
His food just keeps getting better and more confident in experimentation, it would seem – as proven with this approach to Marble Arch classics like fish and chips, their pies, burgers, the treasured Sunday roast and so on.
The difference is now that some of these mainstays and undeniable British favourites have been levelled up quite significantly. Now there’s bone marrow in the mince used for those oh-so-juicy patties; toast is fried in beef fat to dovetail with a tartare dish, and the chips are some of the best you’ll find in a pub.
Seriously, they even use the Brewery‘s new cult favourite Earl Grey keg flavour to make their rarebit recipe. In fact, when one local punter saw that the staff were enjoying a posh chip butty with wild garlic and mushrooms for the staff, they couldn’t help but ask for one, and now it’s a special menu item.
A familiar faceThree small plates for £25Credit: The Manc
This is the kind of ethos they’re trying to keep across the board: attempting new things and trying to be more modern when it’s appropriate, but still holding onto their traditions and looking after their regulars.
Adam’s only ever trained in British kitchens, so he admitted doesn’t know any different really, but he does know the global variety offlavours and textures he likes and is not afraid of trying to find ways to make even the most contrasting ones come together.
Case in point: freezing and shaving feta over lemon ricotta and fresh beetroots. Stunning.
He’s even brought over a variation of his popular fried chicken sando from Taiko, though this one has nowhere near as much of that Eastern heat, and instead focuses on the theme of making hearty and filling comfort food.
For instance, there’s an undercurrent of just that extra little bit of richness running throughout the menu, from the bone marrow that makes already satisfying dishes even more indulgent, to the tallow, truffle and drippings that are used to great effect.
The same goes for the use of cheese, as well: even in the simply incredible mixed mature cheddar and red Leicester curd that surrounds that singular 72-hour caramelised onions (wow doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of our for this one.
All of them are big top-note flavours, sure, but none of them overpowers the overall taste, whether it be brining and curing chicken in dark brown sugar and soy, or a 16-hour low and slow braised beef that literally melts in the mouth from the bread and the butter to the eventual meaty bite.
We can’t speak highly enough of what is now being served out of The Marble Arch Inn’s kitchen, and truly believe what Adam and the existing pub team are now doing is brilliant and very much worth shouting about.
Can’t beat a burger and beerSuch a cosy spotMmmmadeleinesCredit: The Manc Group
Daisy Jackson -
30th May 2023 
