The AO Arena has announced several details of its enormous transformation project, including increasing its capacity to 23k.
The venue in Manchester city centre is currently the largest indoor arena in the UK and Europe, and has undergone a £50m redevelopment.
When the project is completed, fans will be able to make use of new features like a brand-new lower concourse, a standing floor that has had a 100% capacity increase, and a brand new food and drink offering too.
Despite its new 23,000-fan capacity, the AO Arena promises that fans will feel even closer to their favourite artists.
The 30-year-old venue has gone through a complete re-imagination and reconstruction while continuing to host huge gigs and sporting events throughout.
ADVERTISEMENT
AO Arena and ASM Global say that the entire visitor experience will be improved, for gig-goers and performers and venue staff alike.
That includes new entrances with state-of-the-art technology that will make getting in and out of the arena the quickest of any venue in Europe.
ADVERTISEMENT
The concourse spaces will be digitised, helping concert-goers to find their way around the arena.
The Mezz at the AO Arena after its transformationThe AO Arena will have brand new bars for fansA new restaurant space at the AO Arena after its redevelopment project
There’ll be brand new bars throughout the AO Arena, and the new The Mezz restaurant and bar, where the menu will be created by Michelin-star chef Simon Rogan and Tom Barnes, who opens Skof in Manchester this year.
The AO Arena’s redevelopment project also includes improved acoustics, sound and sightlines, and the venue already had ones that were regarded as the best in Europe.
ADVERTISEMENT
Backstage, there are all-new back of house facilities for artists and touring crews.
Chris Bray, president of ASM Global Europe said: “As part of AO Arena’s redevelopment we have dramatically expanded the standing floor space which means it will compete with any other venue in the UK.
“Its unique bowl configuration means that AO Arena proudly remains the biggest sporting indoor arena, and we are excited to continue to host the world’s biggest and most exciting events here in the heart of Manchester.”
The new-look event floor at the AO Arena ManchesterThe AO Arena’s £50m redevelopment includes new event bars
At a topping out ceremony last month, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham described the venue as ‘the beating heart of Manchester’.
Aitch also visited that day, saying: “When the AO Arena asked me to be part of tonight I thought, how can I say no? It’s always been a huge part of the culture here in Manchester and you know I’m all about anything that gives back to the community.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The AO has been pushing the music scene forward for over 27 years and over one million people walk through these legendary doors every year, and we have them right on our doorstep.”
Last year, the AO Arena raised tens of thousands of pounds and gave hundreds of hours to local community projects.
It also had record attendances for LTA Tennis, England Netball, KSI vs Fury and Elton John’s Farewell Tour.
This year, there’ll be more events like Peter Kay Live, The 1975, Bill Bailey, Niall Horan, Ne-Yo and more.
The AO Arena’s redevelopment will be revealed in full in March 2024. See all of its upcoming events here.
Grammy-winning hardcore band Turnstile perform ‘exceptional’ cover of a Stone Roses classic
Danny Jones
In a cover version we never knew we needed, multiple Grammy award-winning hardcore band Turnstile have taken social media timelines by storm with a cover of a true British rock classic by The Stone Roses.
Described as everything from “pretty damn brilliant” and “exceptional” by CLASH Magazine to “one of the best triplej covers ever”, it’s fair to say they smashed it with this one.
This one was always likely to go down well with us Mancs, but you never know how possessive people are going to be with iconic tunes treasured not just by regions but entire eras like this.
Without further ado, please enjoy Turnstile’s cover of ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses:
Lost track of how many times we’ve watched this now.
Truly excellent.
Not only did they manage to capture the ambient atmosphere of that legendary intro, but they managed to tow the thin paint-splattered line between simply trying to imitate the original and making it their own.
There’s something about frontman Brendan Yates’ vocals that suits this particular cover so very well right from the off.
We’re, of course, not saying that he sounds like Ian Brown in any way, but his range and top notes, in particular, seemed to fit almost perfectly.
Pair that with a contemporary rock band helping rejuvenate their particular guitar-driven genre, and those raw, driving D-beat-centric drums, and you’ve got a winning combo.
As you can see, the majority of the internet seems to agree with us…
.@TURNSTILEHC step into the @triplej studio to recover their take on The Stone Roses' debut album opener 'I Wanna Be Adored'.
The bulk of social media didn’t just hail the reimagining as one that did Brown, John Squire, Reni and the late, great Mani justice, but perhaps one of the greatest that the popular Australian radio station, YouTube channel and Spotify playlisters have seen in a long time.
In fact, in Audio North‘s humble opinion, we’d go so far as to say this is the best we’ve heard in the platform since their native Royel Otis’ delightful duo of The Cranberries and Sophie Ellis-Bextor covers.
Safe to say it’s been an incredible year for Turnstile, who mopped up all manner of accolades in 2025 and were even nominated for International Group at the BRITs here in Manchester this past weekend. They might not have won that one, but they get all the plaudits from us for their song selection alone.
What did you make of it? Better still, do you have a favourite triplej ‘Like a Version’? Actually, no – scrap that: is there a better cover of a Manc artist‘s track that you can think of?
Featured Images — triplej (screenshot via YouTube)/Silverstone Records
Audio
Harry Styles One Night Only will be strictly phone-free – with thousands of real cameras handed out instead
Daisy Jackson
Harry Styles’ show in Manchester on Friday night will have a strict no-phones policy, it’s been confirmed.
Instead, the lucky few thousand of fans heading to his One Night Only gig will be handed proper disposable cameras to capture moments from the night.
Rumours of a phone ban had been swirling online for weeks after job adverts appeared for extra staff to help promote a phones-free event.
But the news has now been confirmed by the Co-op Live itself, following the announcement that Netflix would be filming the full Harry Styles show.
In a statement, the venue said it hopes fans will ‘take this opportunity to enjoy the show fully and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the experience’.
Any use of cameras, smart glasses, smart watches, or other recording devices won’t be permitted in the venue on Friday night.
Fans will instead have to secure their phones inside recyclable bags, which will allow them to be used in normal ways for communications, but without the camera.
At the end of the night, your phone will be removed from the bag and the bag will be recycled.
Anyone caught using a digital recording device during the Harry Styles One Night Only phones-free show may be asked to leave the venue.
Instead of a sea of phones, Harry Styles will be asking fans to capture their memories from the night on disposable cameras, which will be included with every pair of tickets sold.
Harry Styles’ One Night Only gig in Manchester will be the subject of a Netflix documentary
The statement shared by Co-op Live says: “We are looking forward to seeing you on Friday 6th March to be part of a very special live performance – Harry Styles One Night in Manchester at Co-op Live! We’re pleased to announce Netflix will be filming the full show for everyone to enjoy and re-live again and again, it will be available globally from Sunday 8th March at 7pm GMT.
“We hope you will take this opportunity to enjoy the show fully and allow yourself to be fully immersed in the experience.
“The use of cameras, smart glasses, smart watches and similar recording devices will not be permitted in the event space. Phones will be secured in a recyclable bag, kept on your person upon entry to the event, and will still be able to be used in a normal way including all communication functions but without the camera. All other recording devices will not be permitted in the building.
“At the end of the night your phone will be removed from the bag and the bag will be recycled. Please note that anyone using a digital recording device during the performance will be asked to stop and if they do not, they may be asked to leave.
“Each pair of tickets sold will receive a disposable camera on the night so you can still capture your own special moments and share them after the show.”
Daisy Jackson -
6th February 2024 
