In the mood for a glorious throwback? Course you are. 2000s pop and alt-rock icons, Keane, are back with a massive world tour to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the debut album, Hopes & Fears.Time flies.
We remember it like it was yesterday and are still fond of the record to this day, but we really don’t appreciate being told that it was released all the back in May 2004 and, in turn, being reminded just how bloody old we are now.
But enough self-pity, the hugely successful Noughties four-piece from Sussex are continuing their comeback trail after reforming in 2019 and we couldn’t be happier. They’ve even got Wigan lads The Lathums as well Yorkshire’s very own The Sherlocks on board. Scenes.
Set to embark on a huge tour of Europe, North America, the UK and Ireland, Keane will be treating us Brits to six Arena dates and the Manchester date will be one of the first at the brand-new Co-Op Live Arena. Playing their debut as part of a debut — seems fitting.
Here we go… Come and celebrate 20 years of Hopes and Fears with us.
Mexico, Europe, UK, Dublin, North America & Toronto you’re first. More to come soon…
Get ready to grab your tickets for the Manchester date on Keane’s anniversary tour.
In case you need reminding just how big these lads were in their heyday, Keane are still up their one of the UK’s biggest-selling bands and their iconic track, ‘Somewhere Only We Know‘, has been streamed well over a billion times. Insane numbers.
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Although we’re sure they might chuck in the odd track from their other albums at a few shows, but we think it’s fair to say that pretty much everyone agrees Hopes & Fears is their magnum opus and we can’t wait to hopefully hear them play the whole thing in full after such a long time.
‘We Might as Well Be Strangers’, ‘This is the Last Time’, ‘She Has No Time’, ‘Bend and Break’, Everbody’s Changning’—yes, we know we’re just listing the entire album at this point but they’re all absolute tunes.
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With the band fast approaching 30 years since they first formed, it’s set to be just as momentous an occasion for them as it will be for their die-hard fans (the person writing this included).
Legendary pop duo Erasure announces huge Manchester arena gig on 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Legendary pop duo Erasure have announced a UK arena tour next spring, and they’re set to stop off in Manchester.
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke – better known by their duo name, Erasure – have announced details of their long-awaited upcoming 20th studio album today, titled Radio!! Radio!!, alongside details of an arena tour in spring 2027 across the UK and Europe.
Described as a ‘deeply personal’ project, the BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning duo’s first new studio album in six years sees Bell and Clarke continue to refine and deepen the pop catalogue they’ve been building over the past 40 years.
The album will be comprised of a set of songs about love, loss, and injustice that they hope speaks to our ’empathy-starved times’.
Erasure will take to the road in 2027 for an arena tour that kicks off at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 25 April before travelling throughout the UK, including a stop in Manchester at the AO Arena on 1 May, before finishing off in London and heading over to Europe, with more dates to follow.
Vince Clarke will be Musical Director for the tour, but will not be appearing onstage alongside Andy Bell, it has been revealed.
Bell says: “I’m so pleased that we were able to find a way for the tour to work for Vince. He’s always too modest but he’s so much more than the Musical Director, Vince is one of the great loves of my life and everything we do as Erasure we decide together.”
Erasure will be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester on 1 May 2027, and tickets go on presale this Thursday 1 October at 10am, before general sale begins a day later (2 October) also at 10am.
Strictly Come Dancing Live to return to Manchester as part of 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Strictly Come Dancing Live is set to return in 2027 for a spectacular new UK arena tour.
Hot on the heels of last weekend’s dazzling launch show for the 2026 BBC series, audiences are invited to get their dancing shoes on and their ’10’ paddles at the ready, as a new lineup of celebrities and professionals will be taking to the dancefloor for 29 shows across the country – including three shows in Manchester.
Head judge Shirley Ballas will be hitting the road, alongside fellow judges Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood, with Janette Manrara also presenting.
Directed by Craig Revel Horwood himself, Strictly Come Dancing Live takes the magic of the BBC TV show and turns it up to another level.
Expect jaw-dropping group dances, breathtaking routines, stunning costumes, and live music from the legendary Strictly band and singers, all brought together in a first-class arena production.
As always with the Strictly Live Tour, there is one very important decision to be made at every show – which couple will lift the Glitterball Trophy?
And that decision is not in the hands of the judges. The judges are there to critique and provide their invaluable opinions on each dance routine, but they do not hold the power, as this lies with the audience instead, who can vote using their mobile phones to decide who is the winner.
Strictly Come Dancing Live is returning to Manchester as part of its 2027 UK tour / Credit: Supplied
The tour kicks off at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on 22 January for the first of five shows, and will then cha-cha-cha its way across the UK, visiting other major northern cities like Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Leeds, before arriving in Manchester at the start of February.
Strictly Come Dancing Live will take to the AO Arena stage on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2027, with two shows happening on the Saturday.
Tickets officially go on sale this week, with venue pre-sales beginning at 10am on Thursday 24 September, before general sale starts on Friday (25 September), also at 10am.
Danny Jones -
8th September 2023 
