It was a monumental night for Manchester as the BRIT Awards 2026 were held at the Co-op Live Arena for the first time.
If you’ve been around Manchester over the past couple of months then there’s no doubt you’ll have been caught up in the BRITS buzz.
First launched in 1977, it’s the first time the awards have been held outside of London and we may be biased, but we reckon it’s the best decision they’ve ever made.
In the lead up to the awards, the city welcomed a whole host of special gigs as part of BRITS Week in aid of War Child.
Images: The Manc Group
I was lucky enough to see the incredibly talented Olivia Dean at the Albert Hall as part of it, whilst DJ Josh Baker took over the Pink Room in YES and The K’s took to the stage at Gorilla.
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So it’s safe to say that when the actual award ceremony came around, the city was ready and raring to go.
Kicking off the show was of course Cheshire’s own Harry Styles, performing his return single ‘Aperture’ in a crisp white shirt, tie and work trousers. Not what you’d usually expect Mr Styles to be rocking, but it certainly worked and there was enough screams from the crowd to prove it.
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It was an electric start to the ceremony, with everybody on their feet two-stepping to the tune which has dominated the charts over the past couple of weeks.
The entire evening was stuffed to the brim with captivating performances, from Dua Lipa’s surprise entrance on a disco ball to celebrate the achievements of Mark Ronson to James Blunt playing the piano for Alex Warren (yes, really).
A standout moment for me was the magnificent Rosalía who performed ‘Berghain’ in front of a huge string section and vocal choir. And as if that wasn’t enough, she then proceeded to welcome the utter legend that is Björk on stage. Just ridiculous really.
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A truly magnetic and vocally impressive performance that proved why, amongst other things, she went on to bag the Brit award for International Artist of the Year that evening.
There was one lady though who completely dominated the night and that, of course, is Olivia Dean.
The woman of the hour scooped up four BRIT awards including Album of the Year and Artist of the Year, and do you know what? We can’t think of anyone more deserving.
A true class act that has put the graft in and deserves her flowers, her performance of global hit ‘Man I Need’ on the night was one we’ll be watching again and again for years to come.
Noel Gallagher was awarded Songwriter of the Year and shocked the masses when he thanked his brother whilst accepting the award, whilst Tim Burgess led a touching tribute to legendary Stone Roses bassist Mani who sadly passed away at the end of last year.
The entire evening felt like a real love letter to Manchester, and whilst Jack Whitehall may have poked fun at us whilst hosting it actually made us even prouder to call this wonderful city our home.
The BRIT Awards it was lovely to have you, and we’ll see you again next year.
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.
Clementine Hall -
1st March 2026 
