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James announce arena tour with Happy Mondays for 2021

The Manchester bands have confirmed they'll be venturing across the UK together next year - covering seven stages in ten days including the AO Arena.

The Manc The Manc - 16th November 2020

James and Happy Mondays are set to head out on tour together for the first time in 33 years.

The Manchester bands have confirmed they’ll be venturing across the UK side-by-side next year – covering seven stages in ten days including the AO Arena.

The former labelmates at Factory Records will be reunited after more than three decades, playing their hometown gig on 3 December 2021 along with half a dozen other dates in Leeds, Cardiff, Birmingham, Glasgow, Dublin and London.

One of Britain’s biggest and longest-running bands, James have produced 15 studio albums and sold 20 million records since first arriving on the scene in the 1980s – releasing hits such as ‘Sit Down’; ‘She’s A Star’; ‘Laid’ and ‘Come Home’.

Happy Mondays, meanwhile, reformed to their original lineup in 2012 and have just celebrated the 30th anniversary of their beloved party piece Pills ‘n’ Thrills and Bellyaches (widely regarded as the definitive album of the Madchester era).

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The group have gone on to achieve platinum status in the UK – and fans can expect to hear all their Hacienda hits like ‘Step On’; ‘Kinky Afro’; and ‘Hallelujah’ when they visit the AO Arena next year.

James lead singer Tim Booth says: “We will pack two years of frustration and explosive joy into these gigs. It feels like a new dawn to trumpet a celebratory tour, a week after the first news of hope. 

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“We’re playing with the brilliant Happy Mondays.

“We last played with them in 1988, hopefully this time they won’t steal our rider or try and spike my drink…”

Tickets for James and Happy Mondays go on general sale at 9.30am on Friday 20 November on www.gigsandtours.com / www.ticketmaster.co.uk.

UK TOUR DATES 2021

  • Thursday 25 November – Leeds First Direct Arena
  • Friday 26 November – Birmingham Utilita Arena
  • Sunday 28 November – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena
  • Tuesday 30 November – Glasgow The SSE Hydro
  • Wednesday 01 December – Dublin 3Arena
  • Friday 03 December – Manchester AO Arena
  • Saturday 04 December – London The SSE Arena, Wembley

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Win VIP tickets to see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Stockholm – plus fights, accommodation, a bar tab AND an annual pass for The Mezz

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Win tickets to see Taylor Swift in Stockholm with The Manc, the AO Arena and The Mezz. Credit: Flickr, Paolo Villanueva

We’ve got a treat for you – a rare chance to try and get yourself tickets to see Taylor Swift live in concert, on the European leg of The Eras Tour.

The enormous tour is already the highest-grossing the world has ever seen, worth more than $1 billion.

Taylor Swift’s mammoth three-and-a-quarter hour live show has driven so much demand for tickets, ticketing platforms had to change their usual models so their websites didn’t crash.

These tickets are gold dust – but now we’ve got a couple of VIP ones up for grabs, completely free.

The Manc has teamed up with the AO Arena and its brand-new members-only restaurant and bar The Mezz for huge giveaway.

The grand prize is an all-expenses paid trip to see Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour in Stockholm.

It includes two VIP tickets to the show itself on Saturday 18 May, plus two return flights to to Stockholm from Manchester, and accommodation for two at the Quality Friends Hotel in Stockholm.

While you’re at the show at the Friends Arena, you’ll have a £250 bar tab to enjoy.

And when you return home to Manchester, your new VIP lifestyle will continue, with two annual passes to The Mezz for the rest of the year.

That gets you access to The Mezz’s incredible restaurant space – where the menu is designed by Michelin chefs Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes – and huge exclusive bar area.

And then you can enter the AO Arena itself through The Mezz’s designated doors to watch any show you fancy from the best seats in the house.

All you need to do to win is head to our Instagram page here or click on the post at the end of this article.

Make sure you’re following the AO Arena, The Mezz, The Manc, and The Hoot Leeds on Instagram.

Tag who you’d take with you on this once-in-a-lifetime trip in the comments, then share to your story for an extra chance to win (don’t forget to tag us!).

The competition for Taylor Swift tickets ends on Monday 22 April at 23.59.

Good luck swifties!

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Featured image: Flickr, Paolo Villanueva

Audio

Eurovision 2024 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester next month.

Following the success of the first-ever live streams of Europe’s biggest party onto the big screen when it was held on British soil in Liverpool last year, cinemas up and down the UK are set to come together once again to celebrate 2024’s edition of the major night in the music calendar by hosting the ultimate viewing events.

The epic Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday 11 May will be broadcast live on BBC One, and streamed into more than 100 cinemas nationwide – including several in Greater Manchester.

Hosted by CinemaLive, the live stream events will allow Eurovision fans to gather under one roof and be “united by music” to share in the unbeatable experience of celebrating the brightest and boldest music party of the year on the big screen.

Eurovision 2024 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester / Credit: Cinema Live | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)

You may remember that Sweden is hosting Eurovision this year, following the Scandinavian country’s well-deserved victory at the 2023 contest with the song ‘Tattoo’ performed by Loreen.

But thanks to these live stream events, you won’t need to make the trip to Malmö to get in on the action, as you’ll just need to nip down to your nearest participating cinema instead.

Not only will the long-awaited final of the show be streamed live onto the big screen in 5.1 surround sound, but fans are invited to bring their Eurovision parties from the front room to the cinema instead, as organisers say fancy dress is “heavily encouraged” as are enthusiastic sing-alongs too.

Speaking ahead of the event next month, John Travers from distributors CinemaLive, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the second year in a row.

“We want audiences to enjoy themselves, so come along in groups, get your fancy dress on, and join together to enjoy this incredible occasion on the big screen”.

Tickets are now live and available to book at your local cinema here.

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Some of the participating Greater Manchester cinemas include Vue Manchester Printworks, Everymans in Manchester city centre and Altrincham, The Light in Stockport, and Cineworld in Didsbury, among others.

Featured Image – Nick Robinson (via BBC)

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