Oh, how the months roll over; we can’t believe it’s the end of May and we’re on to yet another list of amazing Manchester artistsfor you to get stuck into.
We’re sure you’re already on to most of them, you cultured lot, and even if not, that’s what we’re here for.
If you’ve not found yourself on this monthly series before, the concept is pretty simple: every few weeks we spotlight the most exciting Manchester bands and artists we’ve had on our radar recently.
Revolutionary, we know. But seriously, it’s as important as ever that we big up the names coming out of our region, so let’s not waste any more time, shall we?
It’s always good to see Manc bands drawing big crowds on the festival circuit and they certainly did that. These guys have been making a big name for themselves for a few years now and are even set to headline the Neighbourhood all-dayer in the city centre later this year, so it’s no surprise really.
We’ve been lucky enough to catch them live a few times now but if you’ve never heard their mix of pop-punk, alt-rock and often twinkly 80s-influenced indie before, we’d say start with ‘Television Romance’, work your way to ‘There’s a Honey’ and then ‘Jealousy’. That should give you a good broad-strokes idea.
Next up is another fast-rising homegrown talent in Corella, who finally dropped their debut album, Once Upon a Weekend, at the start of this month and we’ve been rinsing it ever since.
Infectious modern indie typified, we’ve been listening to these lads ever since ‘Barcelona Girl’ and they just keep getting better – as typified by them selling out the O2 Ritz on… oh, would you look at that? It’s tonight.
If you didn’t get a ticket for their landmark hometown show, you can also catch them at NBHD 2024 and as for what tracks you should listen to in preparation, the single from 2017 that we’ve already mentioned is where we started, ‘Drifting’ is in our rotation and simply nothing beats ‘Bloom’. A great running track.
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Still riding high on the wave from KOKO 🌊 This tour so far has been the best yet and London was something we’ve only ever dreamt of, but you guys made it possible.
A big genre change now and we’re going modern jazz. Make that spiritual jazz, to be specific, and it’s certainly how we feel when we listen to this bloke: in tune with our spirit.
The Manc trumpeter, composer and producer has a real knack for making music that you want to relax, create and cook to, as well as a whole host of other moods. We often find him playing whilst staring out the window with a brew or with our heads back on the sofa as we close our eyes and simply drift away.
As for your jumping-off points, ‘Calder Shapes’ crops up in our playlists most often but ‘Cherry Blossom’ is a lovely lo-fi option on a chilled Sunday afternoon, and his tune ‘Into Forever’ with his record label’s Gondwana Orchestra is another gentle but transportive favourite of ours. We could go on forever.
He’s not been at Manchester Jazz Festival this year but he’s one of our best in that genre.
4. Rosellas
In at number four, we’ve got Rosellas, who’ve steadily worked their way up through various club sets across the UK and North in particular, even playing City Square over at the Etihad Stadium, and are now starting to gain even more traction.
They can turn their hand to most stuff really, be it the all-important catchy hook, a decent indie bouncer or the equally communal feeling soft, acoustic-driven ballad, but there’s something very 90s/early 2000s and quintessentially Manc about their music.
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We’ll admit that we can’t quite place what it is beyond perhaps the guitar riffs themselves, but maybe you’ll have better luck than we have so far. Our trio of picks are ‘Slowdance’, ‘Switch Off’ and ‘Damaged’.
Great track.
5. MALCOLM
Last but not least, we’ve got a band so new to the Manchester music scene that they’ve only got two songs out for you to get stuck into but we’re going to be watching them closely indeed.
Don’t be fooled by the name, they’re a four-piece with hints of everything from Inhaler to Catfish and the Bottlemen, as well as pretty much every current indie band that’s doing anything good in modern indie rock, hence why we think they’re going to pick up momentum quickly.
The best part is, you can get on the bandwagon early by listening to ‘Subconscious’ and ‘C’est La Vie’. Plus, if there’s one thing we know about bands from around here it’s that they graft and we’re going to guess that you can expect another new tune soon enough.
Katy Perry at AO Arena, Manchester – stage times, setlist, tickets and more
Daisy Jackson
Katy Perry will be playing a huge arena show here in Manchester this week, with a sold-out night at the AO Arena imminent.
The popstar is bringing her The Lifetimes Tour, which features an extravaganza of props and pyrotechnics, to town on Wednesday 8 October.
The Roar singer will be heading to the AO Arena this week, alongside shows in Sheffield, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Whether you’re going to watch hits like ‘California Gurls’, ‘Hot ‘N’ Cold’ or excited for the newer tracks like ‘I’m His, He’s Mine’, it’s sure to be one of the biggest gigs to hit the legendary arena all year.
Perry has the second most Diamond-certified singles in for a female artist in the U.S, four guiness world records and five UK number one hits.
Her latest album ‘143’, which is a numeric synonym of ‘I love you’ and the singer’s angel number, came out last year and stormed straight into the top 10 on the UK album charts.
If you’re heading to Katy Perry at the AO Arena tonight, we’ve rounded up all your essential information.
Stage times for Katy Perry at the AO Arena
The AO Arena hasn’t yet confirmed exact stage times for tonight’s show, but we do have enough information to give you a good estimate.
Doors will open at 6pm, with a show start of 7.45pm.
That will mean the support act should wrap up around 8.15pm and Katy Perry is likely to take to the stage between 8.30pm and 8.45pm.
For her Manchester show, Katy Perry will be supported by singer-songwriter Goldie Boutilier.
Goldie, who has also performed under monikers Kay, My Name Is Kay, and Goldilox during her career, will be joining Katy on most of her UK dates, before handing over the reins to Au/Ra and then Becky Hill.
Tickets for Katy Perry at the AO Arena
Katy Perry has completely sold out the AO Arena with The Lifetimes Tour, with no general tickets left at all.
However, there are a few tickets remaining on Ticketmaster’s resale platform, which are priced between £78.73 and £131.18 each.
Expected setlist
Katy has split her show into sections she’s calling ‘Levels’, as a nod to the video game inspiration behind the tour.
Each one is absolutely packed with pop bangers, as you’d expect.
Here’s the latest setlist from her most recent show in Glasgow.
Level 1: Artificial
ARTIFICIAL
Chained to the Rhythm
Teary Eyes
Dark Horse
Level 2: Woman’s World
WOMAN’S WORLD
California Gurls
Teenage Dream
Hot n Cold
Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)
Peacock
I Kissed a Girl
Level 3: Nirvana
NIRVANA
CRUSH
I’M HIS, HE’S MINE
Wide Awake
Level 3.5: Choose Your Own Adventure (fan requests)
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
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Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app.
Manc music legends James announce MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Danny Jones -
31st May 2024 
