Becky Hill didn’t just sing her songs at her AO Arena show – she transported us all on a free trip to Ibiza too with back-to-back club bangers that the crowd knew every word of.
The most successful The Voice UK contestant in history and Bewdley-born belter, Becky Hill put on a show that no audience member will ever forget with her stacks of addictive radio hits and even more fascinating deep cuts.
Supporting was Charlie Boon, who made the stage his own first bringing nothing but tunes playing some nostalgic and modern dance records to get the crowd up and moving, from the likes of ‘Free From Desire’ to ‘Prada’.
Next it was the drum and bass artist Catching Cairo and her house DJ guiding the AO Arena through a 30-minute slot of fast-paced melodies packed with snares, intricate loops and patterns merged with beat drops galore.
As she introduced her song ‘Touch’, she placed her microphone on the stand and schooled the crowd with her effortless vocals. If that microphone hadn’t been so held down by its stand, her vocals would’ve had it floating through mid-air in no time, what a musical force!
Becky Hill had the AO Arena audience up on their feet for the duration of her show full of non-stop dance hits, feeding Manchester‘s legacy as a 24 hour party city.
Hill made sure she respected Manc culture too, as later on in her set she gave a special shoutout to our music capital explaining ‘This is where the Haçienda was born’ and ‘UK Dance music and clubbing both originated in Manchester’.
Having her debut single reach the top spot in 2014 is one feat but having over 14,000 people chanting the verses and choruses to almost every song on the setlist is an achievement many can only dream of.
The crowd captivated by Hill’s back to back dance anthems. Credit: The Manc Group
When it came to the inescapable ‘Afterglow’ the crowd were pumped. She may have just been a self-described ‘Little 19 year old girl from the West-Midlands’ when it released, but this song has a legacy of its own, one which the audience knew every single word to.
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Dance music has always been an important foundation to the UK soundscape and with 19 UK Top 40’s Becky Hill’s discography has contributed to keeping the genre alive and kicking.
Rileasa, Drag Queen and collaborator on ‘One Track Mind’ even made an appearance onstage to perform the album track duet together before hitting the splits mid-song, much like Hill’s latest album title we’re not making this up, Believe Me Now?
Hill is making sure everyone in the crowd gets the chance to see her up-close and personal this tour with a mini stage perched in the heart of the arena.
Fans were graced with some acoustic versions of her radio hits like ‘I Could Get Used To This’, giving us clubbers a chance to regain our breaths after a back-to-back dance workout, swapping rises and drops for intimate vocals and chilled piano chords.
Becky Hill getting up close and personal with fans on the B-Stage. Credit: The Manc Group
As the night went on, alongside delivering vocals upon vocals, the 30 year old would connect with fans during song changes. At one point, the star even commented on her own outfit joking ‘I feel like I raided the fancy dress shop’.
These pauses and interactions really showed off her down to earth nature, but then when the instrumentals for her singles including dancefloor filler ‘My Heart Goes (La di da)’ began, popstar mode was activated.
The Dance and EDM singer closed out the show with her epic number and magnum opus ‘Remember’ and was greeted with roars from the crowds of Manchester’s magnificent 14,200 concertgoers.
Based off the crowd’s reaction to the rest of the set and the tour closer, this concert is one we will certainly never forget.
Featured Image: The Manc Group
Manchester
Grammy-winning disco legend Purple Disco Machine is heading to Manchester for a huge gig
Daisy Jackson
Legendary German nu-disco and house producer Purple Disco Machine has a huge Manchester gig on the horizon, hot off the back of the release of his Paradise album.
The Grammy Award-winning artist’s latest release is packed with collaborations from some of the biggest names in music, including Nile Rodgers, Metronomy, Jake Shears, Duke Dumont, Sophie and the Giants, Nothing But Thieves and more.
And now he’s bringing his unforgettable disco vibes to a dance floor on our home turf, with a massive gig lined up at O2 Victoria Warehouse.
Set to take place on Friday 7 March, Purple Disco Machine will promise an incredible night of sizzling dance and house music, with support from Dan Shake, Oden & Fatzo Live!, and Urbi.
His irresistible sound includes hits like Hypnotised, Dished (Male Stripper) and, never one to miss a trend, an addictive remix of I’m Just Ken from the Barbie soundtrack.
His other remixes have included tracks for Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim and Britney Spears.
And of course there’s that Grammy win for his remix of Lizzo’s About Damn Time.
On Paradise, he’s released tonnes more addictive disco beats, notably Substitution with Julian Perretta, and Honey Boy with Nile Rodgers.
And live, Purple Disco Machine has cut his teeth on the British festival circuit, including recently joining Fisher at his headline Gunnersbury Park show in London.
Now a multi-platinum-selling artist, with more than two billion streams worldwide, the Paradise tour is set to take Manchester by storm.
Purple Disco Machine will be at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on Friday 7 March – you can get tickets HERE.
The incredible plans to turn an Ancoats garage into affordable market place for small businesses
Daisy Jackson
Plans have been submitted to turn a decades-old garage in the heart of Ancoats into a thriving market place, prioritising affordable retail space for small businesses.
If it all goes ahead, Blossom Market will be a beacon of local retail, with eight units that can home everything from bakeries to greengrocers to art spaces to bars.
The plans have been put forward by Blossom Motor Co, which has occupied the site on Gun Street for generations but is now ‘hanging up its spanners’.
After 80 years serving Ancoats, current owners (and brothers) Sean and Paul are heading to retirement and want to support this bustling neighbourhood in a completely new way.
This is a proposal with its heart in exactly the right place.
As Manchester city centre continues to grow outwards and upwards, the team proposing Blossom Market feel that rising rents are pushing local businesses out.
This is especially true in newly redeveloped neighbourhoods like Ancoats, where luxury apartments and large food halls are commonplace.
Blossom Motor Co is ‘hanging up its spanners’ and planning a new life as Blossom MarketBlossom Motor Co could be turned into Blossom Market. Credit: Instagram, @aterliermbarchitects
Blossom Market’s aspiration is to protect the area’s independent spirit, keeping the business within the family whilst continuing to serve the local community by offering flexible, affordable spaces for emerging businesses.
Inspired by similar businesses like Brixton Village in London, Box Park, and Queens Arcade in Leeds, the plan will be to develop something ‘the community truly needs’.
Blossom Motor Co has now lodged planning permission to turn their beloved garage into this retail market, hoping to provide a space for ‘young local businesses to grow and thrive’.
The garage itself has been in the same family since 1948, with fathers and sons working alongside each other every since. Sean and Paul have been running the business since 1994.
If planning permission is granted, the 4,036 sq m space will be totally rebuilt internally to create a mixed-use market space filled with different local businesses.
How Blossom Market could look. Credit: Supplied
Blossom Market says: “More recently it has been a challenge for fledging businesses to develop a physical presence due to rising city centre costs.
“Often resorting to weekend markets and pop up events we aim to create a more permanent platform to enable small business to grow whilst providing local residents a hub of high quality produce, products and experiences.
“Open seven days a week and with a mixture of small to medium sized units with flexible leasing terms, it will provide the perfect space for businesses looking for their first physical space.
“Our goal is to create a desirable destination that local residents want to visit regularly and small businesses want to be a part of – building a beacon of commerce in one of Manchesters most exciting central locations.”
Thomas Melia -
21st October 2024 
