Feature

Courteeners at Heaton Park – setlist, support, stage times and tickets

It's time to wish St Jude a big happy birthday.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 8th June 2023

The time has finally come for Courteeners to take to the stage for their massive summer homecoming gig, back in the fields of Heaton Park.

The Middleton rockers will be taking up the Friday night slot before Parklife kicks off, performing on the festival’s main stage.

The concert will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the band’s seminal debut album St Jude, back in the city where it all began.

Courteeners will be playing through that iconic debut in full, alongside all their biggest hits from their six studio albums.

It’s not the first time Courteeners – fronted by Liam Fray – have performed in Heaton Park. In fact, this is the third time they’ve gigged on this patch of home turf.

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St Jude was produced by Stephen Street and spawned anthems including Not Nineteen Forever, What Took You So Long?, and No You Didn’t, No You Don’t.

It recently broke records by reaching number one upon its release, becoming the album with the longest time between release and charting at number one in history – hitting the top spot a staggering 14 years, 9 months and 14 days later.

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Speaking about the special St Jude Heaton Park show, Liam Fray said: “They grow up so fast. Can’t believe our darling St. Jude is 15 next year.

Courteeners celebrating their number one album in Mr Thomas's Chop House
Courteeners celebrating their number one album in Mr Thomas’s Chop House. Credit: Instagram @what_liam_saw

“Think it’s time for a celebration and we all know that great things come in threes….The Star Wars Trilogy, Sooty, Sweep & Soo and now, here we are, with the third instalment of ‘Courteeners at Heaton Park’. June 2015. June 2019 and now June 2023 …

“This time, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its release we’ll be playing ST. JUDE (in full) PLUS (of course) THE HITS.

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“I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than to make the pilgrimage to Heaton Park with like-minded souls and lose ourselves like it’s 2008. And, because we’re good like that, we’ve remastered the original album.

“GOD BLESS THE BAND. GOD BLESS THE FANS. OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM.”

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading to see Courteeners at Heaton Park.

Who’s supporting Courteeners at Heaton Park?

DMA's
DMA’s. Credit: Publicity picture

This is massive – there are FOUR acts taking to the Parklife main stage at Heaton Park before Courteeners pop up, creating what’s essentially a mini Manc festival.

First up will be a DJ set from Katie Owen, who’ll get the vibes going from the second the doors open.

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Then you can sink your teeth into this lot…

Brooke Combe

Scottish singer-songwriter Brooke Combe will be the first live singer to hit the stage this Friday.

She’s a multi-instrumentalist with a seriously powerful voice, and is tipped for very big things indeed.

The Snuts

Indie rockers and festival favourites The Snuts are next up, showcasing songs from their two studio albums, including their debut W.L. which shot straight to the top of the UK Albums Chart.

They’ve supported huge names over the years, including Kings of Leon, The Kooks, and Louis Tomlinson.

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DMA’s

This Aussie three-piece will be back in town this week, showing off music from their latest album How Many Dreams? as well as their three previous records.

Their gigs in Manchester always have an air of a homecoming show about them. It doesn’t really make sense – they’re half-a-globe away from their actual home – but this bunch of Aussies have adopted that very distinctive Manc swagger, down to the waterproof parkas they all wear on stage.

Read more: DMA’s at O2 Apollo Manchester – a band on the right side of riotous

Are there still tickets?

It’s not looking good if you’ve not managed to get tickets so far – Courteeners looks to be completely sold out.

There are a few tickets floating around on resale sites, but make sure you’re buying from a reputable site and not about to get ripped off.

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What are the stage times for Courteeners and support acts?

Stage times are always subject to change, but this should be the rough times that you can stick to on Friday night.

  • Doors open 4pm
  • DJ Katie Owen – 4pm – 5.30pm
  • Brooke Combe – 5.30pm – 6pm
  • The Snuts – 6.20pm – 7pm
  • DMA’s – 7.30pm – 8.20pm
  • Courteeners – 9pm – 10.45pm

How do I get to Heaton Park?

Courteeners. Credit: Michael Clement

The area around Heaton Park is expected to be extremely busy for Courteeners, with around 40,000 people descending on the park for the gig.

This is TfGM’s advice if you’re one of them.

Metrolink

  • A six-minute service will operate pre and post-event to stops near the venue on the Bury line.
  • Please use Heaton Park for travel to the gig and Bowker Vale for travel post-event.
  • The last tram to the city centre from Bowker Vale will depart at 1.07am. While, the last tram to Bury from Bowker Vale will depart at 00.21am.
  • For the safe management of crowds exiting the concert, Heaton Park will close at 9pm on the Friday.

Buses and bus diversions

  • Due to the road closures and traffic around the site, a number of bus services will be diverted on Friday. Services 66, 90 and 94 will be on diversion all day on Friday, whilst diversions for services 41, 59, 135 and 156 will be implemented from 6pm until 2am.
  • If you plan on taking the bus, don’t forget that you can search your service and plan your journey on our bus webpage.
  • For more information about fares on buses in Greater Manchester, visit our Get On Board webpage.

Driving

  • There is a strictly-enforced residents parking only zone around the Heaton Park area.
  • All drop-offs and pick-ups will be directed to the Sainsburys car park on Heaton Park Road (postcode for sat navs M9 0QS).
  • If you have no alternative but to drive to the event, use one of 24 Park and Ride sites on the network and complete your journey by tram to Heaton Park or Bowker Vale.

What’s the expected setlist?

Courteeners have done a couple of warm-up shows before their Heaton Park gig, so we’ve got a bit of an idea of what to expect.

And yes, as mentioned already, you’ll get to hear all of that brilliant St Jude…

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Aftershow
Kimberley
Cavorting
Acrylic
Kings of the New Road
Please Don’t
No You Didn’t, No You Don’t
Bide Your Time
Fallowfield Hillbilly
That Kiss
Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow
How Come
Smiths Disco
It Must Be Love
Are You in Love With a Notion?
The 17th
Hanging Off Your Cloud
Modern Love
Not Nineteen Forever
What Took You So Long?

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Featured image: Credit: Publicity picture

Feature

You can get a mobile massage treatment in your office – just like us

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

We’d like to introduce you to the pioneering personalised service offering massage treatments on the move at practically any location including direct from your office – including to those of us here in Manchester.

In a world where you can get practically anything delivered straight to your door, it wasn’t going to be long until some genius invented a way to get a massage from the comfort of your own office.

And that genius is none other than, Ruuby.

Named ‘London’s first digital beauty concierge’, Ruuby have been pampering the nation’s capital for almost a decade before branching out to further locations.

Ruuby beauty services UK
The gorgeous set up provided by Ruuby
ruuby massages UK
Look at that lovely branding on the towels.
They did wonders with our otherwise plain downstairs office space. (Credit: The Manc Group)

In October 2024, the company expanded beyond its domestic reach in the likes of the capital, the Cotswolds and Surrey into Europe, making its first mark Switzerland: the perfect country for both luxury and essential beauty treatments with a tailored experience.

The month following saw the group moving up North and all the way to Manchester, where people can now book professional treatments best suited to them, right on their doorstep.

If you’re feeling sceptical still, you can take it from us here at The Manc; we couldn’t tell you how relaxing and comforting these massages are.

There are a range of treatments available and we opted for two bespoke massages, a sports massage and a deep tissue massage.

Each experience is suited to your personal needs meaning each massage therapist will be able to fine-tune their relaxation abilities to what benefits you best.

After choosing the bespoke massage that I felt would work best for me, I went into this with no prior massage experience and I came out feeling taller, broader and more refreshed. Highly recommend.

ruuby manchester
Mid-day office massage? Yes, please.
ruuby office massages
How relaxing. What a shame you have to go back to work after!
Credit: The Manc Group

My masseuse guided me throughout the whole process and we soon discovered that I was able to tolerate much harder pressure than I thought which helped release tension I didn’t even know I had!

The same applies to how firm you’d like your session to be, as the masseuse can help with a brief overview of your time together, but the amount of pressure you like is down to personal preference.

It’s not just massages either: there’s everything from waxing, nails and hair to physio and IV drips; how about getting Marbella ready in less than an hour with a spray tan service set up wherever you are?

As Ruuby is a mobile and remote work environment, there are a number of at any time up and down the country, meaning your next beauty slot could be as little as an hour away, find out more HERE.

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Featured Image – The Manc Group

Feature

Farm shops are cool now – and Albion Farm Shop is the best of the best

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Albion Farm Shop's huge breakfasts

At some point in life, your idea of a great day out switches from drinking and clubbing to visiting a farm shop, or a garden centre, or something similarly wholesome.

And up in the hills above Manchester is surely one of the best in the UK – Albion Farm Shop.

This Saddleworth favourite is half-cafe, half-shop, with produce all either grown right outside, or sourced as locally as possible.

And while places like Hollies Farm Shop in Cheshire pull in seriously big, glamorous crowds (maybe it’s the Molly-Mae effect), there’s something much more charming and authentic about Albion Farm Shop.

Maybe it’s the tractors parked outside, the fact the produce section is in a drafty barn, the mismatched shelves and cabinets. It’s not curated like this – it just is.

The food in the cafe itself is up there with the best British grub in the North West, and I say that with my hand on my heart.

Whether it’s a full breakfast spilling over the edge of a plate, sandwiches served in a doorstop of bread, or a full menu of burgers made with British beef cap and smoked bone marrow patties, you can’t steer far wrong.

Rag pudding and a burger at Albion Farm Shop
Rag pudding at Albion Farm Shop
Chips with a side of bone broth gravy.
Chips with a side of bone broth gravy
Those huge burgers
Those huge burgers

There are chunky chips served with a full bowl of bone stock gravy on the side (hello, this is Oldham), onion rings so big you can wear them as a bangle, and big bowls of homemade soup.

And it would be remiss of me not to mention the rag pudding, a traditional dish from this neck of the woods. Famously, she’s not a pretty menu item, but this steamed suet pastry stuffed with braised beef shin is comforting and delicious.

If you want to stick northern fare but don’t fancy rag pudding, you can also grab a wedge of cheese and onion pie, lambs liver with mash, or any number of seasonal specials (for us, it was roast pork).

There are cracking views of the surrounding countryside, a resident cat who’s usually sleeping in the entranceway, and charm packed into every square foot.

Albion Farm Shop is at Oldham Road, Delph, Saddleworth OL3 5RQ.

The resident cat at Albion Farm Shop
The resident cat at Albion Farm Shop
Roast pork in the cafe
Roast pork in the cafe
The Albion Farm Shop cafe
The Albion Farm Shop cafe
Albion Farm Shop
Albion Farm Shop
Inside the shop itself
Inside the shop itself
The produce barn
The produce barn
Local cheeses
Bakery items
The produce barn

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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