A disco party for ‘grown ups’, centred around 70s, 80s and 90s music, is making its way to Manchester this year.
The wildly popular Discos for Grown Ups will be heading to town in May, encouraging some serious boogie action with its playlist of soul, disco, pop and dancefloor from across the decades.
The night out has been created for those who feel ‘too old to go clubbing, but still love to dance’, with people your own age, and with a sensibly early finish time.
When the night is still young but you might not be, you can let loose under a light and laser show featuring the fabulous Discos for Grown Ups stage dancers.
Whether you’re a ‘Material Girl’ who craves the spotlight or or a shy dancer who comes out of their shell after catching a case of ‘Night Fever’, this night will be spoiling you with its array of tracks.
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Credit: Supplied
Discos for Grown Ups was founded by Simon Stanford after discovering there was nowhere for a ‘grown up’ to go that played the music he loved.
Simon Stanford from Discos for Grown Ups says: “We are really looking forward to bringing our Discos for Grown Ups 70’s 80’s 90’s Disco Party back to the O2 Ritz Manchester this year.
“Our first show was an incredible night of dancing and sold out very quickly, so we can’t wait to bring our full production with dancers, lights and lasers back – it’s going to be another amazing night of boogie!”
Expect a night of fun-filled dancefloor bangers spanning three golden decades of music.Credit: Supplied
RAYE at Co-op Live – tickets, times, setlist and more for Manchester shows
Thomas Melia
If you’re asking, “Baby, where the hell is my RAYE gig guide?” – fear no more: here’s everything you need to know for her Manchester shows.
This part pop, part soul, part R’n’B champion needs no explanation with seven BRIT awards, two Ivor Novello awards and a Grammy in her collection so far, it’s safe to say RAYE has made a name for herself.
Hailing from Tooting, South London, Rachel Keen, recognised by her artist moniker RAYE, has amassed 8.5 billion streams on Spotify, with almost 15 songs receiving over 100 million streams.
Her discography is one of the most distinctive, with an endless list of hits like ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, ‘Escapism.’, ‘Prada’, ‘Worth It.’, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ all under her belt.
Now, RAYE is gearing up to play the biggest tour of her career so far, and she’s chosen to pay Manchester a visit, not once, but twice, as she performs at the 23,500 seater Co-op Live.
Gig guide | RAYE at Co-op Live, Manchester – all you need to know
RAYE is heading to Co-op Live Manchester on 17 & 18 February / Photo Credit: Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shot (supplied)
Anyone after witnessing RAYE and letting out all their ‘Oscar Winning Tears’ in front of this South London singer has two opportunities to do so with tickets for her two Manchester shows still available.
Thinking February 17 is the date you’d like to see RAYE in Manchester at Co-op Live, and maybe even take your friend? (Bonus points if their name is ‘Suzanne’) – tickets HERE.
February 18 sounding more like your style? Take the ‘Love of Your Life’ to watch this phenomenal artist dominate Co-op Live at her second Manchester date HERE.
Or, grab your ‘Black Mascara’ while “Sipping on Chardonnay 2016” as there’s even a couple of premium seating options courtesy of Seat Unique HERE.
RAYE setlist for 2026 tour
Credit: Sebastian Kapfhammer/Callum Walker Hutchinson via Press Shots (supplied)
If you’re reading this setlist and wondering why you don’t know some tracks, that’s because they’re from RAYE’s highly-anticipated sophomore release THIS ALBUM MAY CONTAIN NEW MUSIC.
But don’t worry, as there’s still plenty of songs from My 21st Century Blues and her decade-spanning career, too.
I Will Overcome
WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!
The Thrill Is Gone.
Skin & Bones
Suzanne
Beware the South London Lover Boy
Flip a Switch. / Decline
Five Star Hotels.
The Winter Woman
Hard Out Here
Genesis, pt. ii
Fly Me to the Moon
Worth It.
Nightingale Lane
Ice Cream Man.
I Know You’re Hurting
Oscar Winning Tears.
Click Clack Symphony
Secrets
You Don’t Know Me
Black Mascara.
Prada
Joy (with Amma and Absolutely)
Escapism.
Stage times for RAYE and her support acts at Co-op Live, Manchester
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning we can ′Buss It Down’, with this multi-talented artist and still be tucked up in bed before the early hours.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm, with a kick-off time expected to be 7:30pm, with support being a family affair as RAYE’s sisters Amma and Absolutely take to the stage.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event.
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
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Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on 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. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Featured Images — AliyahOtchere/Callum Walker Hutchinson/Sebastian Kapfhammer(supplied)
Gigs & Nightlife
Hilary Duff announces massive Manchester gig on first world tour in nearly 20 years
Danny Jones
Noughties throwback, Hilary Duff, is continuing her contemporary comeback trail by announcing a brand-new world tour, including a massive arena gig right here in Manchester.
That’s right, Lizzie McGuire herself is returning to the UK with new music.
In all seriousness, child star Hilary Duff has gone on to have quite the career, but it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had fresh music from her, which is why her next album and huge run of tour dates around the globe feels like such a big deal.
Ahead of her sixth studio release, lucky… or something, dropping this month, the American popstar has now confirmed nearly 50 upcoming dates in support of the record; she also still managed to give us a very Disney Channel reveal video.
Yes, heading out on the road across North America, Europe, the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia and New Zealand, Hilary Duff has announced a total of 47 gigs so far.
With no other live shows confirmed in mainland Europe yet, Great British and Irish fans can be glad of the five shows locked in for the UK leg.
Having said that, with the 38-year-old enjoying a real renaissance of late, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more added to the newly confirmed ‘lucky me’ tour.
As mentioned, with her latest LP scheduled to launch on 20 February, we got her most recent track just a few short weeks ago.
Following the lead single from the project, ‘Mature’ – also released this past November 2 – you can see the music video for her ‘Roommates’ down below.
The song is also produced by her husband, Matthew Koma.
This newest outing is the first Hilary Duff album in over a decade, following 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out; it’ll also be nearly two of them since her last world tour, having last played Manchester all the way back in 2007.
As for her shows, following a number of performances in late 2025 and this year already, she’ll be playing throughout the calendar and well into early 2027.
You can see the rest of the European tour dates thus far down below.
Hilary Duff UK and IE tour dates – September ’26
6 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
8 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena Cardiff
10 – London, UK – The O2
Thursday, 12 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
13 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
For tickets to see her here in Manchester at the end of this summer, early access can be enjoyed by Three mobile members from 10am on Tuesday, 17 February, or via the venue’s own presale window from the same time next Thursday, 19 Feb.
As for general admission, tickets will then go live at 10 the following Friday (20 Feb), and you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
SING TO ME PAOLO! 🎤🛵💅
Superstar @HilaryDuff brings 'the lucky me tour' to Manchester!
Thomas Melia -
25th March 2025 
